ber is serving his second term as Clerk of Webster County.

      ELMER U. OVERMAN, who is serving his second term as County Attorney of Webster County, was born in Hancock County, Illinois, June 30, 1866, and in 1898 came to Red Cloud, Nebraska. He worked his way through Hedding College, in Illinois, and went into an office to study law. He was admitted to the bar in Illinois in 1889 and later in Nebraska. In 1892 he married Miss Nellie Zinn of Illinois, and they have two children. Mr. Overman is associated with the Republican party. He has never lost a prosecution as County Attorney during the entire four years he has been in the office, and was the prosecuting attorney who convicted the murderer, Frank Barker.

      J. A. McARTHUR was born March 30, 1858, in Lapur County, Michigan, whence he came to Nebraska in 1883. He is Scotch descent, although his parents, Sidney and Hannah McArthur, were from New York. He is engaged in the meat and ice business at Red Cloud. On March 5, 1887, he was married to Anna Schultz, and they have four sons. He is serving his second term as County Sheriff and is a member of the Democratic party.

      GEORGE J. KOEHLER, whose father was a mechanic, is a native of Illinois, having been born in Galena, December 15, 1852. In 1875 he went to California, then to Iowa in 1877, and settled in Nebraska in 1885. He attended the common schools of Illinois, and is now engaged in the grain business. He married Miss Minnie Saunders in 1878, and they have three children. Mr. Koehler, a Democrat, is the Mayor of Blue Hill, Nebraska.

      E. W. ROSS was born in Marengo, Illinois, August 2, 1859. His father, Ambler W. Ross, was a farmer. Mr. Ross came to Nebraska in 1872, engaging in farming and stock raising in Saline County. He was educated in the common schools. Mr. Ross is at present the Mayor of Red Cloud, Nebraska. He was married in 1884 to Miss Maggie C. Rife, daughter of F. Rife, of Saline County.

 

      Wheeler County was organized in 1881. The population at present is 1,362, and it is rapidly increasing. It is situated a little northeast of the center of Nebraska, and has an area of 576 square miles. Bartlett, the county seat, has 150 inhabitants. J. F. Cummins was the first County Clerk at the organization, on April 11, 1881. The valleys of Clearwater, Cache, Cedar and Beaver Creeks cover nearly one-half of the county, and here the early settlements were all made. Many cool, clear springs are found near the streams. The county has a great number of flowing wells, which vary from 8 to 130 feet in depth. In 1900 the live stock was valued at $746,599, and although the raising of stock is the principal industry, there are 269 farms in the county, all of which have building improvements. In 1900 2,100 hogs were marketed. About 60 per cent of the land is tillable, and the greater part of the acreage is used in the growing of corn.

 

      York is an agricultural county, the land being nearly all level, rich and fertile. The water supply consists of the Blue and West Blue rivers, with Beaver and Lincoln Creeks. The cereals and tame hay are the principal crops. During a recent year the people of York harvested over 2,000,000 bushels of oats, and the county was also first in the state in the production of barley. There are a great many thriving orchards. Land has doubled in value within late years. Seven hundred of the 2,240 farms have changed owners recently.. The first settlements were ranches situated along the overland trail. All the early settlers selected the timber land along the streams for their homes, where fuel and water were plentiful. John Anderson and his son William have the honor of being the first York County settlers. They chose a location on the West Blue in February of 1865. In the summer of 1868 large herds of buffalo roamed over the county, so that the needy settlers were enabled to lay in a supply of winter meat. This was practically the last time these animals

were seen in York County. During this same year this county was the scene of a great Indian War, in which the Pawnees, Otoes, Omahas and Poncas were in league against the Sioux. The white men were not troubled, however. Organization took place, in 1870, and since that time the population has increased from 640 to 18,205. York is the county seat, with a population of 5,132. York College is located here. There are 105 schools, nine of which are graded,. and 6,160 school children in the county.

      N. P. LUNDEEN was born in Sweden, April 22, 1850. He has lived in Galesburg, Illinois, and Burlington, Iowa, and came to York, Nebraska, in 1878. He has followed the vocation of railroading and painting. In 1889 he was elected County Treasurer of York County and in 1901 Register of Deeds, which position he is now filling. Mr. Lundeen is now a Republican, but was elected on the Populist ticket. He was one of the first National Guard men in the State, having organized Company A.

      A. B. CODDING, a Republican, the City Engineer of York and Surveyor of York County, was born in Bloomfield, New York, in 1835. He removed to Summit County, Ohio, going from there to St. Peter, Minnesota, in 1856. In 1858 he went to Mandota, Illinois, and came to Nebraska in 1873. His vocation is that of surveyor. Mr. Codding was postmaster at Vera, Illinois, from 1860 to 1864. He received his education in Oberlin College, Ohio, and Baldwin University.

      I. A. BAKER was born in Clark County, Ohio, August 8, 1885 (sic). After residing for a time in Champaign County, Illinois, he came to Nebraska in 1888. From 1880 to 1886 he was engaged as a printer in Homer, Illinois. During 1896 and 1897 he was City Clerk of York and District Clerk in 1899. Mr. Baker is Clerk of the District Court of York County.

      H. W. BROTT was born in Appanoose County, Iowa, March 17, 1861. In 1863 his father was killed in the battle of Mark's Mills. Mr. Brott went to Kansas in 1882 and came to York, Nebraska, in 1887. His vocation is that of plasterer and bricklayer. In 1901 he was elected Sheriff on the Republican ticket, which position he now holds.

      CHARLES O. STEWART, the first product of York County elected to a county office, was born January 30, 1878. His parents, John and Margaret Stewart, were Scotch. Mr. Stewart received his education in the York High School and the University of Nebraska, and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He has been a teacher and was Principal of the Humboldt High School in 1902 and 1903. In 1903 he was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction of York County.

      C. C. BOSLAW, son of Thomas C. and Pauline Boslaw, was born in Harden County, Ohio, February 2, 1855, and is of American descent. In 1857 he removed to Green County, Wisconsin, and came to Nebraska in 1872. Mr. Boslaw, a Republican, is County Clerk of York County, having filled that position for three terms. He has been engaged in farming, has been a bank clerk and at one time was postmaster.

      A. B. TAYLOR was born in Washington County, Iowa, April 14, 1856, being of Scotch descent. In 1873 he lived in Saline County, Nebraska, then went to Chase County in 1886. In 1894 he settled in York, where he has since resided. Mr. Taylor spent ten years of his life as a school teacher and eighteen years as an attorney. He was educated in the Business College of Janesville, Wisconsin. Mr. Taylor was the first County Attorney of Chase County and at present is a member of the Board of Trustees of York College. He is County Judge of York County, having been reelected on the Republican ticket in 1903 by a majority of 1,000, running ahead of his ticket.

     CHARLES F. STROMAN was born June 10, 1871, in Wolcottville, Indiana. His parents now reside at Ulysses, Nebraska, where he graduated from the high school in 1889. He received his A. B. at the University of Nebraska in 1893 and graduated from the Law Department in 1895, during which year he was employed as a law clerk in Omaha. He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa of the University of Nebraska. He began practicing law at York, Nebraska, in 1896, and at present is the County Attorney. In politics he is a Republican, and from 1898 to 1902 he was Referee in Bankruptcy for York, Polk, Hamilton and Fillmore Counties.