BIOGRAPHICAL

   T. J. Pickett, Jr., editor of the Wahoo Wasp, is a veteran of the journalistic field in Saunders county, having been engaged in the profession in this community for thirty-five years. His record as a newspaper man and as a citizen has been one of merit and honesty and his success in his accepted vocation has been the result of straight business methods, careful attention to the development of the newspaper industry and hearty interest in the production of something which was expected by the people.

   T. J. Pickett, Jr., was born in Peoria, Illinois, December 27, 1850, and is the son of Thomas J. and Louisa (Baily) Pickett. Before recounting the details of Mr. Pickett's career, it is well to say a few words in regard to his father, Thomas J. Pickett, a man of great prominence and notable in several fields of endeavor. Thomas J. Pickett, Sr., was born March 17, 1821, and early in life decided to enter the newspaper game, which he did by entering the office of George D. Prentice as a printer's boy. In 1840 he located at Peoria, Illinois. He was the first president of the Illinois Press Association; was a very prominent member of the Masonic order, having been at different times grand master in Illinois and in Kentucky. He was one of the organizers of the Sixty-ninth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was a lieutenant colonel in this organization; later he organized the One Hundred and Thirty-second Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was made the colonel of the regiment. Originally Thomas T. Pickett was a whig in politics, but was a delegate to the first national convention of the republican party at Philadelphia, which nominated John C. Fremont. He was state senator in 1869 from Rock Island, Illinois, where he then lived, having located there in 1858. At the close of the Rebellion he moved to Paducah, Kentucky, and there filled the offices of postmaster and clerk of the district court. He remained there until the spring of 1879, then went to Nebraska City for one year and then to Lincoln, where he resided until his death on December 21, 1891. His wife, Louisa Baily, was a native of the state of Maryland. Five children were born to them, namely, Horace G., George, Charles, Thomas J., Jr., and Mrs. Mildred Terrell. Mr. Pickett was married the second time to Libby Smith of Peoria. Three children were born to this union, Mrs. Harriett Cruthrie, Mrs. May Boswell and William L.

   T. J. Pickett Jr., the subject of this sketch, was educated in the public and private schools. For several years he was engaged as a printer and in 1871, in company with H. F. White, established the Nokomis Gazette at Nokomis, Illinois. In 1872 he was appointed expert printer for the state of Illinois,

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with offices at Springfield, the state capital. Subsequently he sold his interest in the Gazette to Mr. White, his former partner. Mr. Pickett held this state office for two years, after which he became editor and manager of the Fulton Journal at Fulton, Illinois. There he remained until 1879, then established the Nebraska City Sun at Nebraska City, Nebraska, which he, his father, and brothers Horace and Charles, conducted as a morning daily. One year later Mr. Pickett located in Ashland, Saunders county, Nebraska, and bought the paper then known as the Saunders County Reporter, the name of which he changed to the Ashland Gazette, and the politics from greenback to republican. He operated this newspaper plant until 1893, then sold out, to become postmaster of the town of Ashland. He held this office for eight years. In 1888 he was float senator from Saunders and Sarpy counties. In 1895 Mr. Pickett moved to the city of Wahoo and acquired the controlling interest in the Wahoo Wasp, which position he has since occupied to the satisfaction of the newspaper reading people of the county. He was also state central committeeman in 1898; in fact, has always been energetic in support of the republican party.

   On November 2, 1875, Mr. Pickett wedded Kate C. Snyder, daughter of Dr. W. C. Snyder, of Fulton, Illinois. Mrs. Pickett is still living and has been the proud mother of four sons, all successful in their different vocations. Stanley Pickett, for several years a commercial traveler, has recently established himself in business at Wahoo. William Pickett has a half interest with his father in the Wahoo Wasp; he was married April 24, 1906, to Daisy Mielenz, daughter of C. L. Mielenz of Wahoo, and they have one daughter, Katherine, born September 12, 1909. Henry Pickett is now filling the office of clerk of the district court of Saunders county; he married Rhea Lamoreaux of Omaha, July 21, 1914, and they have one four months old daughter, Anna. James Pickett is now owner and editor of the Cedar Bluffs Standard; he was married to Bessie Livescy and they have one daughter, Beatrice.

   Oluf Nelson, who passed away on his farm in Stocking township on the 27th of December, 1890, was for a number of years actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in this county and enjoyed an enviable reputation as a representative and esteemed citizen. His birth occurred in Sweden, on the 15th of May, 1849, and in the acquirement of an education he attended the common schools of his native country. Until about eighteen years of age he worked in order to provide the funds necessary to defray his school expenses and subsequently devoted his attention to farming and carpentering until 1880, when he determined to establish his home in the new world and crossed the Atlantic to the United States. He made his way direct to Saunders county, Nebraska, and purchased eighty acres of railroad land in Stocking township, where he carried on agricultural pursuits continuously and successfully until called to his final rest. His demise occurred December 27, 1890, when he was forty-one years of age, and the community mourned the loss of one of its substantial, representative and esteemed citizens. The prosperity which came to him was directly

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   attributable to his own efforts, for though he had a little money at the time of his arrival in this country, he gave most of it to assist others.

   On the 1st of September, 1884, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Paulson, a daughter of Paul and Nela Paulson, who died in Sweden. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson became the parents of three children, namely: Joseph A., who is a railroad mail clerk living in Omaha; Harry H. A., at home; and Arthur A., who operates the home farm.

   Oluf Nelson gave his political allegiance to the republican party, while his religious faith was that of the Swedish Mission church. His life was upright and honorable in every relation and his comparatively early demise came as a great blow to his family and friends. Mrs. Nelson is highly esteemed throughout the community, having won a wide and favorable acquaintance during the long period of her residence here.

   Thomas Killian, widely known and well liked, is proprietor of a department store at Wahoo and his business record is a commendable one, constituting a factor in the commercial development of his city and at the same time proving a source of individual success. He was born in Austria, in 1853, a son of Thomas and Katharine (Mares) Killian, who were also natives of Austria, whence they came to the new world in 1866, settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1868 they removed to Saunders county, Nebraska, and homesteaded eighty acres of land, spending their remaining days in this county. The father died in 1886, while the mother passed away in 1889.

   Thomas Killian was a lad of thirteen years when the family left Europe and came to the United States. He remained with his parents until they came to Saunders county, at which time he stopped in Omaha, spending three years there, during which period he was engaged in the express business. He then went to North Bend, Nebraska, where he entered a general store, devoting three years to the trade. He also spent a similar period as clerk in a dry goods store in Fremont, Nebraska, and in December, 1876, he came to Wahoo as manager of a store, occupying that position for eight years. He was then admitted to a partnership and the business which had hitherto been conducted under the name of Henry Fuhrman was then continued under the firm style of Killian & Company. Seven years later a change in the ownership led to the adoption of the firm name of Killian Brothers, which is still retained. At first the firm was composed of Thomas and John Killian but later the three younger brothers were taken into partnership. Thomas Killian is today the only one connected with the enterprise, the other four brothers having retired and begun in business elsewhere. The eldest of these, John, was born in Austria but the other three, Albert, Edward and Amiel Killian, were all born in the United States and were reared in Wahoo by Thomas Killian and his wife and by him were taken into the store, being given a business education and training. They are all now in business for themselves and are doing well. Mr. Killian has an attractive mercantile establishment, carrying a large and well selected line of goods

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and receiving a liberal patronage, for it is well known that his business methods are thoroughly reliable and that he earnestly desires to please his patrons. He also owns the postoffice building, which he erected and equipped in less than sixty days after being awarded the contract and which is thoroughly up-to-date and finely appointed.

   On the 23d of September, 1877, in Saunders county, Nebraska, Mr. Killian was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Zeiesny, her father being Fingado Zeiesny, who was a native of Austria and is now deceased. To our subject and his wife have been born the following children: Thomas H., whose birth occurred in 1878 and who passed away in January, 1879; Carrie, also deceased; Lloyd J., who wedded Miss Alma Jamison and resides in Los Angeles, California; Mary Elizabeth, who is the wife of William McGeachin and lives in Manila, Philippine Islands; Jessie, at home; Sylvia, the wife of James C. Quigley, of Valentine, Nebraska; Raymond Albert, at home; Edward, living in San Diego, California; Pauline C., who gave her hand in marriage to Dr. R. N. Andcrson, of Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska; and William McKinley, who is in the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.

   In religious faith Mr. Killian is a Catholic. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, having taken the degrees of the York Rite and the Mystic Shrine. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he has served as councilman of Wahoo for eight years and as mayor for two terms, having been called to public office by the vote of his fellow townsmen, who recognize his ability, his public spirit and his devotion to the general welfare. He is a true American in his loyalty to the stars and stripes and at every point in his career has shown a public-spirited devotion to the general good. He has many admirable traits of character traits that are worthy of all praise, and wherever he is known he is spoken of in terms of high regard.

   Although more than three decades have come and gone since Henry C. Nelson passed away, he is still remembered by many of the older residents of the county as a substantial agriculturist and esteemed citizen of Mariposa township, where for a number of years he owned and operated a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He was born in Sweden on the 17th of August, 1831, a son of Nels Bengston. He attended the common schools until fifteen or sixteen years of age and when a young man of eighteen joined the Swedish army, with which he served for a period of eighteen years. In 1870 he crossed the Atlantic to the United States and for a number of years worked on the Keokuk dam in Iowa. In 1876 he came to Saunders county, Nebraska, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of school land near Malmo, which he cultivated successfully until called to his final rest in 1884. His family remained on the farm for five years and then took up their abode in the town of Malmo.

   On the 8th of July, 1867, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Annie Johnson, a daughter of John A. and Hannah Saxon. To them were born eight children, as follows: Emil, who wedded Miss Ingrid Erickson, by whom he has

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five children; Edward, who lives in Knox county and married Miss Mary Peterson by whom he has four daughters; Mrs. Emma Lloyd, of Omaha, who has two children; Edmund, who wedded Miss Lena Olson and resides two miles from Malmo; Emily, the wife of Charles Jenson, of Omaha, by whom she has two sons; Rudie at home; Dena, who lives near Malmo and is the wife of Peter Cameline, by whom she has three children; and Ernest, who wedded Minnie Anderson and lives on his mother's farm.

   In the exercise of his right of franchise Mr. Nelson supported the men and measures of the republican party, believing firmly in its principles. His religious faith was that of the Swedish Lutheran church and in his demise the community lost a worthy, respected and representative citizen. Mrs. Nelson has now lived in Saunders county for about four decades and has won a host of warm friends here.

   Dr. F. W. McCaw has practiced medicine successfully for a number of years in Colon, and is also associated with his brother in the ownership of a drug store here. He was born in Winfield, Iowa, on the 23d of March, 1882, a son of Dr. W. H. and Margaret (Serviss) McCaw. The father was born in Prince Albert, Canada, and his parents were also natives of the Dominion, but earlier generations of the family were natives of Scotland and the name was formerly spelled McKee.

   Dr. W. H. McCaw received a liberal education in Canada. When twenty-one years of age he came to the United States and a number of years later entered the Keokuk Medical College at Keokuk, Iowa, from which he was graduated in 1878. He began the practice of his profession at Crawfordsville, Iowa, where he remained for five or six years, and subsequently lived in Swedesburg, that state, for twelve years. His next removal was to Hooper, Dodge county, Nebraska, where he remained for six years, and has since resided in Winfield, Iowa. He is still in the active practice of medicine, although he was seventy-one years of age on the 12th of July, 1915. He has always been a stanch republican, believing firmly in the policies of that party. His wife was born in Schenectady, New York, but was taken by her parents to Michigan when she was but a child. Subsequently the family removed to Iowa and she was married in Winfield, that state. She is also living and has reached the age of seventy years. She became the mother of three sons and three daughters: Jennie, the wife of C. T. Macy, of Denver, Colorado; Bertha, deceased; Elva, a trained nurse who has taken up a claim near Springfield, Idaho; Sterling H., who is managing editor of the Norfolk Daily News at Norfolk, Nebraska; Sidney E., a pharmacist, who is engaged in the drug business in Colon in partnership with our subject; and F. W.

   The last named attended school in Swedesburg, Iowa, and Hooper, Nebraska, and following his graduation from high school in 1898 went to Denver, Colorado, where he remained for a time. In 1903 he entered the Creighton Medical College at Omaha, from which he was graduated with the class of 1907.

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   He continued his preparation for his chosen profession by serving as interne in St. Joseph's Hospital for one year and has since done considerable postgraduate work. He first located for practice at Mount Union, Iowa, where he remained until February, 1912, when he removed to Colon, Nebraska. In the three years that have since intervened he has built up a good practice and has gained recognition as an able and conscientious physician. In the early part of 1915 he and his brother Sidney E. established a drug store in Colon, which they have since successfully conducted.

   In 1910 Dr. McCaw was married to Miss Myra Patterson, of Winfield, Iowa, and they have two children: Warren William and Donald Hugh. Dr. McCaw is a progressive republican and is stalwart in his support of the policies of Theodore Roosevelt. While living in Mount Union he served on the city council and he always takes a keen interest in affairs of local government. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, to the support of which they contribute. Along professional lines he is identified with the Saunders County and the Nebraska State Medical Societies and the American Medical Association and finds these connections of great value in keeping in touch with the trend of medical theory and practice.

   One meeting Leonard Whiting Gilchrist would scarcely imagine that he has passed the eighty-fourth milestone on life's journey, for he is a well preserved man physically and mentally and in spirit and interests seems yet in his prime. His life history, however, has been fraught with many incidents that cover the period from the administration of Martin Van Buren to that of Woodrow Wilson and his journeyings have taken him from the Atlantic to the Pacific and to the far northwest. A native of New Hampshire, he was born at Goffstown, December 14, 1831, a son of James and Anne (Dickey) Gilchrist. The paternal great-grandfather, Alexander Gilchrist, was a native of Scotland and became the founder of the family in the new world, settling in New Hampshire, where his son and namesake, Alexander Gilchrist, Jr., grandfather of Leonard W. Gilchrist, was born and made his home. The father's birth occurred in Goffstown, April 25, 1800, and in 1829, in New Boston, New Hampshire, he wedded Anne Dickey, after which they began their domestic life in the old Granite state, there remaining until 1856, when they removed to Carrollton, Greene county, Illinois. The father there passed away in 1872 but the mother, surviving for a long period, died in Canon City, Colorado, in 1890.

   Leonard W. Gilchrist pursued his education in the public schools of his native town and in September, 1848, when a youth of about seventeen years, went to sea, sailing on a brig of four hundred and fifty tons. He spent two years as a sailor, at the end of which time he left his ship at the Sandwich islands and there took passage on a vessel bound for California, arriving in San Francisco on the 15th of April, 1850. He immediately started for the mines at Sonora and in the fall of 1856 was engaged in working on a flume

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in Palo Alto county. Between 1 A. M. and 5 P. M. one day he walked fifty-five miles in order to get to Columbia, California, where he could cast a ballot for General John C. Fremont for president - the first candidate of the newly organized republican party. He remained in California until 1863, after which he returned to the east, spending a few months in New Hampshire, but the lure of the west was upon him and in the spring of 1865 he started for Montana. When about seventy miles from Atchison, Kansas, making the trip on the overland stage, he became ill and returned to Atchison, where he sold his stage ticket to Helena, Montana, for one hundred and fifty dollars - the price he had paid for it. A month later he went to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he remained for about four weeks recuperating his health. At the end of that time he proceeded by steamer to Nebraska City, Nebraska, where he arrived early in July, 1865. There he remained until the spring of 1866 and until February of that year was in the employ of a grain house, receiving a salary of five dollars per day and board. At the date mentioned, however, he took a boat for Fort Benton and began building flatboats to be sold to emigrants returning to the east. He remained there from June, 1866, until November of the same year and his labors brought him good financial returns. He closed out his business after building a covered flatboat eighty feet long and thirteen feet wide, which he loaded with passengers, fifty-two in number, of whom thirty-eight paid him ninety dollars for passage and board, while fourteen paid him forty dollars each for passage without board. He landed his passengers at Sioux City, Iowa, and thence floated down the river. About forty miles below Sioux City he took on a load of twenty-five cords of wood, for which he paid two dollars per cord, and proceeded to Omaha, where he sold the wood for ten dollars per cord. When in that city he was offered an acre and a quarter of land in what is now the best part of Omaha in exchange for his boat, but refused the offer and proceeded on down the river to St. Joseph, Missouri. There he disposed of fifty dried hides for four dollars each and at St. Joseph sold his boat for one hundred and twenty-five dollars.

   Mr. Gilchrist next went to Illinois to visit his sister, Mrs. Eired, who was living at Carrollton, and in the fall of 1866 he went to Topeka, Kansas, to see his brother, Hon. Charles K. Gilchrist, who at that time was judge of the fifth judicial district. Later Mr. Gilchrist went to Nebraska City, Nebraska, where he spent the succeeding winter, and in the spring of 1867 he made his way to Fremont county, Nebraska, where he purchased a sawmill and eighty acres of timber land, together with one million two hundred thousand feet of logs. In the spring a flood came, washing away half of his logs, but he remained at Nebraska City until the spring of 1868, having sold his mill six months before.

   In August, 1868, Mr. Gilchrist arrived in Saunders county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land from the Union Pacific Railway Company for seven dollars an acre - land that is now worth one hundred and forty dollars per acre. He retained possession of that property until 1885, when he sold out and went to Cheyenne county, Nebraska, where he established a cattle ranch near Alliance with two brothers of the name of Stocking. While his ranch was situated in Cheyenne county his family remained in Boxbutte county, Nebraska, and while residing there Mr. Gilchrist was elected to the Nebraska

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legislature, representing a district that comprised four counties, Boxbutte, Sheridan, Sioux and Barnes. He remained a member of the general assembly until 1889, when he was appointed railroad commissioner of Nebraska and resigned his legislative office. He continued as commissioner for three years, during which period he made his home in Lincoln. He then came to Wahoo in 1892 and has since resided in this city, a valued, highly respected and honored resident. He served for some years as justice of the peace, but is now living retired. In June, 1900, he went to Alaska prospecting for gold, but only remained until October, 1900, when he returned home on account of illness brought on by the hardships which he had endured. He made his way to Seattle, Washington, where a physician ordered him to California, and he proceeded by steamer to Los Angeles, remaining in that state until February, 1902, when, his health again recovered, he returned to Seattle and in the summer of that year again went to Alaska, working at the carpenter's trade in Nome, where he was paid nine dollars per day. He there continued until October 1, 1902, when he made his way to Windsor, Missouri, where he followed the carpenter's trade until the next spring. He was afterward in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for three months, working at the carpenter's trade, after which he returned to Wahoo, where he has since lived, and although he declares that his days of adventure are over, his friends say that only the lack of opportunity for new adventures will hold him at home. He is a remarkably well preserved man, his intellectual powers remaining undiminished, while his physical condition is better than that of a great majority of men of half his age. His face and steel blue eyes, that still have a flash in them, would make him a noticeable man in any crowd.

   It was in Saunders county, on the 17th of February, 1880, that Mr. Gilchrist was united in marriage to Miss Nancy J. Smith, who passed away in 1891. They became the parents of a daughter, Ora Jeannette, at home; and a son, James Charles, who is married and lives at Cedar Bluffs, this county.

   Mr. Gilchrist has no identification with fraternal, church or club organizations. In his political views he has always been a republican since casting his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont, but has not been an aspirant for office, although he served as legislator and railroad commissioner. His has been a notable record, bringing him broad and varied experiences, enriching his life and rendering his conversation of interest by reason of his many anecdotes and tales of his sojourn in pioneer sections of the country.

   M. Stillman Hills, one of the most successful farmers and stockraisers of Mariposa township, is a veteran of the Civil war and is entitled to the honor that is given those who offered their lives if need be in the defense of the Union. A native of Illinois, he was born near Marengo in 1810, and his parents were Calvin and Aniesteen (Mead) Hills, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New York. They were the parents of nine children: F. M., M. Stillman, E. J., Ann Amelia, L. J., Helen E., John F., Walter and Phebe.

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   M. Stillman Hills was reared on the home farm and in the acquirement of his education attended the district schools. In August, 1862, when not yet twenty-two years of age, he enlisted in the Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry for service in the Civil war and was for three years at the front with the western army. Part of the time he served in the Seventeenth Army Corps under General McPherson, and the remainder in the Sixteenth Army Corps under General A. J. Smith. He participated in most of the battles fought along the Mississippi river, including engagements around Vicksburg, and was at the front until the close of the war in 1865.

   On his return home Mr. Hills learned the harness maker's trade, which he followed for five years, but in June, 1870, he removed to Saunders county, Nebraska, and filed on a claim, where he remained for a year. He then homesteaded the south one-half of the north one-half of section 2, township 15, range 6, thus taking advantage of his soldier's right. His partner, E. P. Grover, took up a claim on the north one-half of the north half of that section and they built a house on the adjoining corners of their four eighty acre tracts. For a year they lived together, but at the end of that time Mr. Hills sold his interest in the house and built another, fourteen, by twenty feet, on the site of his present residence. The boards of his pioneer home ran up and down and were banked with sod.

   When Mr. Hills began farming in this county he had only a team of horses, an old wagon and one hundred and twenty-five dollars in money, and during the second year of his residence here his best horse was killed by lightning. During the first fall he worked in a grist mill, making fifty dollars in that way, which he utilized in purchasing lumber at Fremont for building his home, which his wife papered with newspapers. The first stable on the place was built of sod and the conditions of life in general were those of the frontier. Later, when his resources had increased, he bought three forty acre tracts, which constituted part of the Grover claim, and he cultivated that land in addition to his home farm. In the spring of 1871 Mr. Hills set out his first trees and now has a splendid grove and also a fine row of trees along the west front of his farm. About 1872 he planted fifty or seventy-five fruit trees which he bought at Greenwood, and thus started his orchard, which more than supplies the family with fruit. In 1889 he erected his present commodious residence and in 1890 he built a large barn. His farm, which is known as the Hill Crest farm, is one of the best improved places in the county and he takes justifiable pride in it, for its development has been due entirely to his labors and foresight. In addition to growing the usual crops he raises good stock, the sale of which yields him a good income.

   Mr. Hills was married in 1867 to Miss Hattie De Groat, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Patrick and Lucy (Smith) De Groat. A sketch of their only son, Frank J. Hills, appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Hills is a stanch republican and has taken an active part in public affairs, serving as county commissioner from 1880 until 1883 and as township assessor for one year. His interest in the public schools is evidenced by the fact that he has been a member of the school board almost continuously since the organization of his district. He gives the same careful attention to the discharge of his official duties that he gives to the management of his private, affairs, and his record is a very

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creditable one. During the many years that he has resided in this county he has seen it change from a region of wild prairie to a highly developed agricultural district, and at all times he has cooperated heartily in all efforts to bring about its advancement.

   Solomon Henry, who throughout his life followed agricultural pursuits, was born March 4, 1821, in Madison county, New York, and attended the common schools in his native state. When about twenty years of age he accompanied his parents to Jefferson, Wisconsin, and assisted his father with the work of the farm there. In 1859, when thirty-five years of age, he was married and in that year he and his wife removed to Plattsmouth, Nebraska, in the vicinity of which he farmed for three years. At the end of that time he came to Saunders county, settling where the town of Ashland is now located. Mr. Henry rented land and for about four years farmed there, living during that time in a log house. His next removal was to the vicinity of Central City, Nebraska, in what was then Hampton county, and there he conducted a ranch for four years, after which he returned to Ashland, where he remained until he homesteaded land, thus becoming the owner of eighty acres. The first house on the place was part sod and part dugout and was about eighteen by twenty-six feet in dimensions, a fairly large dwelling for those early days. As time passed he brought his land under cultivation and made needed improvements upon the farm, which became one of the well developed places of the locality. In addition to the eighty acres which he homesteaded he owned a quarter section, which he bought from the Union Pacific Railroad. He passed away on the 8th of October, 1890, and his demise was sincerely regretted throughout the county.

   Mr. Henry was married on the 28th of February, 1859, to Miss Lucy Groves, a daughter of John and Dorcas (Hanson) Groves, natives respectively of Oskaton, Ireland, and of Canada. The mother was reared in the Dominion but the father was only two years of age when he was brought by his parents to this country, the family home being established in Wisconsin. Mrs. Henry was born in Canada on the 8th of June, 1812, but was reared in the state of Vermont. She is one of a large family, the others being as follows: Mrs. Mary Biggs is a widow and resides in Guthrie Center, Iowa. Mrs. Olivia Biggs is the wife of a merchant of Guthrie Center. Mrs. Helen Hilton is living near Central City, Nebraska, and is the wife of a farmer. She has five children: John Hilton; Mrs. Minnie Moore; Guy, who is farming near Central City; and Fay and Verne, both at home. Mrs. Abbie McEwen is a resident of Ewing, Nebraska, and is the mother of three daughters and two sons, namely: Mrs. Olive Salon, who resides in Dakota; Mrs. Mabel Pratt, of Ewing; Calvin, who is farming near Fairbury; and Zada and Ralph, at home. Mrs. Nettie Fleck has the following children: Mrs. Viola Jones, of Wyoming; Mrs. Myrtle Willoughby, of Central City, Nebraska; and Lucy, Gladys, Harry, Lloyd and Margie, all at home. William Groves made his home with his sister, Mrs. Henry, until his death in 1903

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   Mr. and Mrs. Henry became the parents of six children. George F., who is engaged in business in Wahoo, married Miss Sarah Morgan, of Clarks. Alice E. is at home. Mrs. Herman Smith is the wife of a ranchman living near Alliance and has three children: Harry and Henry, aged respectively nineteen and eighteen, both of whom graduated from the high school in 1914; and Olah, sixteen years of age, who is attending school in Alliance. Mrs. E. S. Owen, of Alliance, has the following children: Mrs. Ethel Murk and Mrs. Edna Hill, both of Alliance; and Lottie, who graduated from the high school in 1915. Gaylord, who is residing on a farm west of the home place, is married and has four children, Sylvia, Gladys, Raymond and Mabel. Charles Henry, who is a resident of Bridgeport, Nebraska, married Miss Flora Rogers and they have three children. Violet, Cecil and Alice.

   Mr. Henry was a republican and although he never took an active part in politics he was never remiss in any duty of citizenship. He attended the Baptist church, to which his family belongs, and in whose teachings were found the guiding principles of his life. He was not only respected for his ability and good judgment but also honored because of his probity and regard for the rights of others. Mrs. Henry is still living on the home farm and she is highly esteemed by all who know her.

   Jerry Dailey, a well known farmer of Center township, was highly esteemed by all who came in contact with him, and his demise was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. A native of County Cork, Ireland, he was born in 1838 of the marriage of Daniel and Mary (Driscoll) Dailey. The father died during the childhood of our subject, leaving a widow and six children. In 1854 Mrs. Dailey emigrated to America with her children, landing at Boston, whence she went to Lowell, Massachusetts, where she remained until 1856. In that year a removal was made to Grand Rapids, Michigan. The brothers and sisters of our subject are: Daniel, Dennis, Katie, Ellen and Mary.

   Jerry Dailey began working as a section hand in Michigan on the Detroit & Milwaukee Railway but subsequently engaged in teaming for a short time. In 1858 he secured work in a plaster mill, where he remained for three years, when he turned his attention to farming, following agricultural pursuits for one year. In 1862 he went to the Lake Superior region and worked in a copper mine until 1867, in which year he came west, settling at Fremont, Nebraska, where he worked for a year on the Northern Pacific Railroad. In 1868 he preempted one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 4, Center precinct, Saunders county, and during the remainder of his life he concentrated his energies upon the development of his farm. He gained a gratifying measure of success and as the years passed his capital steadily increased. He was energetic and efficient in his work, planting his crops in good time and cultivating them carefully during the growing season, and seldom failed to secure a good income from his land.

   Mr. Dailey was married in Michigan to Miss Johanna Lynch, also a native

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of Ireland, and to them were born nine children, namely: Mary Ann, deceased; Maggie; Daniel, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work; Nellie; Johanna; Kate; Jessie; Thomas, deceased; and Timothy.

   Mr. Dailey supported the democratic party at the polls but was never an office seeker. His personal characteristics were such that he made and retained many warm friends and all who came in contact with him respected him for his uprightness of life. He passed away April 22, 1913, and his demise was felt as a distinct loss to the community. His wife died in 1907.

   H. F. Carlson, who owns and operates two hundred and forty acres of good land in Richland township, is well known throughout the county and has the respect of all who have come in contact with him. A native of Sweden, he was born on the 1st of August, 1858, a son of Victor and Mary Carlson. The father came to the United States and settled in Chicago in 1870, but both he and his wife are now deceased.

   H. F. Carlson received his education in Sweden and when fourteen years of age came to America with his mother, his father having preceded them two years. Our subject entered the employ of the McCormick Harvester Company, with which he remained for about nine years, but in the spring of 1888 he came to Saunders county, Nebraska, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Rock Creek township, where he lived until 1899. He then traded farms with his father-in-law, thus acquiring title to the two hundred and forty acres in Richland township where he now lives. He is energetic and progressive and received a good income from his land.

   On the 23d of August, 1889, Mr. Carlson married Miss Elna Martinson, a daughter of John and Nellie Martinson. Mr. and Mrs. Carlson have seven children, all of whom are at home: Edmund, Walter, Agnes, Reuben, Edna, Minnie and Helen.

   Mr. Carlson casts his ballot in support of the men and measures of the democratic party where national issues are involved but at local elections votes independently. He holds membership in the Swedish Mission church in Swedeburg and his life conforms to high standards of morality. The prosperity which he has gained is especially commendable as he began his independent career without capital and without the aid of influential friends.

   Frank Hughes, one of the well known and capable young farmers of Richland precinct, was born in that precinct on the 6th of December, 1889, of the marriage of Clinton and Georgia E. Hughes. He attended the common schools until nine years of age, when he accompanied his parents to Wahoo and continued his education in the schools there, graduating from the high school with

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the class of 1906. He at once began working on his mother's farm, which he is still operating, and he is meeting with success in his chosen occupation. He is energetic and practical, utilizing the knowledge of those who are experimenting in agriculture along scientific lines, and his well directed labor is rewarded by good crops. He carefully conserves the fertility of the soil and keeps all of the buildings upon the place in excellent repair. He cultivates one hundred and sixty acres, of which he owns eighty acres, and is not only gaining individual prosperity but is also contributing to the agricultural development of the county, which derives the greater part of its wealth from its rich land.

   On the 19th of February, 1913, occurred the marriage of Mr. Hughes and Miss Lola M. Beaman, a daughter of I. K. Beaman, of Ceresco, and to this union has been born a daughter, Eloise, whose natal day was the 26th of March, 1914.

   Mr. Hughes is well informed on questions and issues of the day and takes the interest of a good citizen in public affairs. He is independent in politics, voting for the best man irrespective of his party affiliation, as he believes that by so doing he can best further the civic advancement of his community. He attends the Methodist Episcopal church and at all times strives to measure up to high standards of manhood. He is well liked throughout the county and the fact that those who have known him from his earliest boyhood are his stanchest friends is proof of his sterling worth.

   John W. Ressell, a well-to-do farmer residing in Richland precinct, has earned the American title of a self-made man, as he began his independent career as a poor boy and has since depended entirely upon his own resources. His birth occurred in Henry county, Iowa, on the 26th of April, 1864, and he is a son of James and Eliza (Meyers) Ressell, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Pennsylvania. In 1883 they came to Nebraska with their family and first located in Saunders county, where they lived on a rented farm, but in 1891 they purchased land in Lancaster county and took up their abode thereon. The father died on the 20th of April, 1912, and the mother's demise occurred in December, 1908.

   John W. Ressell was reared at home and received his education in the common schools, which he attended until the removal of the family to Nebraska. After his arrival in this state he was in the employ of an uncle until he was twenty-one years of age and then hired out to other farmers for about two years. At the end of that time he began farming on his own account, renting sixty acres, which he cultivated for four years, and subsequently he bought eighty acres. For ten years he concentrated his energies upon the operation of that farm, after which he sold the place to Frank Bloomquist and bought his present farm of one hundred and fifty-nine acres in Richland precinct. In addition to his home farm he owns one hundred and sixty acres in Holt county, Nebraska. He plans his work well and uses up-to-date methods and improved machinery, and as a result he has derived a good financial return from his land.

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   He has made many improvements upon his home farm and in addition to erecting buildings and putting up fences has planted trees, which add greatly to the attractiveness of the place.

   Mr. Ressell was married on the 11th of March, 1891, to Miss Fannie Boydston, a daughter of B. B. Boydston, an early settler of this county. Five children have been born to them, namely: Edna, residing near Plainview, Antelope county, this state, who married John Senseney and has a son, J. Ressell; Harry and Curtis, both of whom are at home; Burtis, who died in infancy; and Esther, attending country school.

   Mr. Ressell casts an independent ballot and has been active in public affairs. For two terms he served as school director and during that time aided in planning the new schoolhouse in his district. He attends the Pleasant Hill Methodist Episcopal church and is always ready to do everything in his power to advance the cause of right and justice.

   August Eichmeier is known as a progressive citizen who is loyal to the best interests of the community in which he lives and who in his business career has demonstrated the fact that success is not the result of genius or of luck but is the outcome of industry, perseverance and determination. Mr. Eichmeier was born in Germany December 21, 1857, and is a son of August and Anna (Ahrensdorf) Eichmeier, both of whom spent their entire lives in the fatherland. Their son August attended the common schools of that country until he was fifteen years old, when he began working with his father in a brickyard and was thus employed to the age of nineteen years. He then joined the army and served his country in a military capacity for three years. Later he came to the United States, making the trip on the steamship Wandalia of the Hamburg-American line. It was a very rough voyage, severe weather and high seas being encountered, and the vessel was thirty days in reaching the American port.

   After landing on the soil of the new world Mr. Eichmeier made his way to Eureka, Illinois, where he remained for a year. On the expiration of that period he came to Jefferson county, Nebraska, where he continued for a year, and in 1884 he arrived in Saunders county, where he has since made his home, now covering more than three decades. For two years he was employed as a farm hand but was ambitious to engage in business on his own account, and at the end of that time rented eighty acres of land. During the fourth year of his residence in this country he had one hundred and thirty acres which he continued to cultivate and improve for three years. While thus engaged he carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy brought him a sufficient sum to enable him to purchase one hundred and sixty acres of the farm upon which he now resides. Since that time he has added to the property until he now has three hundred and three acres, constituting a good farm, for the place has been well improved with modern equipment and accessories.

   On March 11, 1880, Mr. Eichmeier was united in marriage to Miss Grete

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