He brought considerable money with him from Germany, and is now very well off, and at the age of seventy-three is enjoying the comforts of a good home in the pleasant companionship of his estimable wife, who is sixty-six years old. Seven children blessed their union, namely: Christian, Henry, Wilhelmina. Charles, Mary, August and Amelia, all in Nebraska. Mrs. Rausch was born July 26, 1846, in the Kingdom of Saxony, Germany, and received the preliminaries of her education in the famous Saxon schools. She was ten years old when she came to America with her parents, and made her home with them in Clayton County, Iowa, where she first attended an English school. She became very proficient in the language, and also retains her knowledge of German, and is well versed in the literature of both languages, being an intelligent and accomplished lady. The chief sorrow of the happy wedded life of our subject and his wife has been in the death of their only child, at the age of one year and four months. But life's lesson may have taught them that it is better,

Far better to smile with a deep content,
   O'er a baby quietly sleeping,
O'er a little one safe from all that can harm,
   Safe and quietly sleeping.

The sun comes up, and the sun goes down,
   On sorrow, and sin, and aching,
And to all the evil that's in the world,
   Their darling will know no waking,

    Mr. Rausch continued to farm in Iowa for ten years after his marriage, finally leaving that State and coming to Nebraska in 1875. He lived in Buda Precinct for two years, and then purchased his present homestead in 1877, comprising 160 acres of land. The man who had owned the land having left it, it was sold a second time, to our subject, only four acres of it having been broken, he paying for it $1,000. He has since bought 160 acres more land on section 33, the northeast quarter, and eighty acres on section 20. Mr. Rausch built a substantial and commodious barn in 1877, doing the work with his own hands. The next year he erected his present fine residence, living in the meantime in the first house that he had built for a granary until the next spring. Our subject has paid much attention to fruit culture, has an orchard of forty trees of choice varieties of cherries, and he set oat two acres of grape vines, and now has a fine vineyard, his vintage of 1887 yielding 420 gallons of a wine of superior quality. Mr. Rausch also owns some valuable village property in Roca and Firth, and may be classed among the wealthy men of Lancaster County. He and his wife are widely respected, and occupy an important social position in the community. In their religious views they adhere to the creed of the Lutheran Church, in which they were reared. In his political affiliations Mr. Rausch is a Democrat.
   The Rausch homestead is amply worthy of a place among the other illustrations of the enterprise and industry of the men of Lancaster County, and it gives us pleasure re to assign it among such good company, as fulfilling the modern idea of the well-regulated country estate.

SCAR S. LAMB. The subject of this sketch located on the northeast quarter of section 16, in Stevens Creek Precinct, in the spring of 1877. He has now 160 acres of land under cultivation, with a good residence, a substantial barn, and the other out-buildings necessary for his convenience. Although perhaps not the hero of any very thrilling event, he has pursued the course of an honest man and a good citizen, and contributed his quota toward the building up of his county, in the establishment of one of its valuable homesteads, a view of which will be noticed on an accompanying page.
   The childhood home of our subject was in the vicinity of Ft. Ann, Washington Co., N. Y., where his birth took place April 29, 1849. His parents., Samuel and Emma (Lilley) Lamb, were among the earliest settlers of that region. The father also was a native of the Empire State, but the mother was born in Vermont. Samuel Lamb in early manhood became an expert in the manufacture of woolen goods, and for a number of years was part owner of a factory at Ft. Ann. Later he kept hotel, and died at Ft. Ann, Oct. 14, 1886, when well advanced in years. The mother is still living,

and makes her home with her daughter at Whitehall, N. Y.
   To Samuel and Emma Lamb there were born nine children, one of whom, a son, Charles M., died at the age of three years. Seven daughters and one son are still surviving. Harriet, the eldest, is the wife of William B. Nelson, of Toulon, Ill.; Adeline, Mrs. William Bilson, lives in Green Island, N. Y.; Carrie married Mr. H. E. Griswold, who is now deceased, and she, still remaining a widow, resides at Ft. Ann, N. Y.; Emma, Mrs. Alphonso Brown, and Cornelia, the wife of Rodney Van Wormer, continue resident of their native place; Eva is the wife of James P. Gillette, of Whitehall, N. Y.; Gertrude married Edward W. Clark, and they live in Nebraska City, this State; Oscar S., our subject, is the only son living.
   Mr. Lamb remained under the parental roof until twenty-three years of age, occupying himself mostly in a woolen factory. When twenty-three years old he was married, March 13, 1872, at the home of the bride in Ft. Ann, to Miss Frances L., daughter of Sylvester and Sarah A. (Colton) Skinner, who was a native also of Ft. Ann, N. Y., and was born Oct. 16, 1853. Her father was a native of Ft. Ann, and her mother of Middletown, Vt. Sylvester Skinner was a farmer by occupation, and spent his last days in Ft. Ann, passing away on the 17th of January, 1884. The mother is still living there. The parental household included three children only, a daughter and two sons, Mrs. Lamb being the only girl in the family. Her brother, Charles H., died at the age of twenty-five years, leaving a widow and one son, Freddie; the other brother, Calvin C., died when a lad of nine years.
   Mr. and Mrs. Lamb after their marriage settled near Ft. Ann, N. Y., where our subject occupied himself at farming until coming to this State, in 1877. The little household embraces two children only, a son and a daughter, Herman S. and Millie E. Mr. Lamb cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. Grant, and uniformly supports Republican principles. He occupies a good position among his fellow-citizens, and has served in the various local offices. Socially, he is a Royal Arch Mason, becoming identified with the fraternity while a resident of his native State, and now belongs to the lodge at Lincoln. About 1880, desirous of a change of location and occupation, he went into the gold and silver mines of Colorado, where he spent about three years. With the exception of that time, he has been a continuous resident for the last eleven years of Lancaster County.

OLLIN E. BAKER is one of the prosperous farmers of Centerville Precinct. He is the owner of an exceptionally well-cultivated farm, comprising 240 acres, situated upon section 2. The day of his nativity was the 2d of September, 1856, and the place of his birth Kane County, Ill.; he was the second child born to Samuel and Mary A. Baker, who at present reside in Henry County, Ill. The father of our subject is a native of Washington County, N. Y., and his mother of the Province of Quebec. Their family comprised five children, only two of whom, however, are living, our subject and Emerit E., who is living in Henry County, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Baker, Sr., are devout members of the Christian or Disciple Church; Mr. Baker has held for several years official connection in the church. He is now about sixty-seven years of age, and his wife about fifty-six. They are now enjoying in retired life the results of former years of toil and trouble.
   The family can be clearly traced, and always with honorable record, back to the colony formed by the voyagers of the "Mayflower." The grandfather of our subject, Nestor Baker, served throughout the War of 1812, and received commendation and promotion. The various phases of the conflict for freedom through which our beloved country has passed have not been without beneficial effect to the citizens, but also through them to the world at large. The storms which have beaten upon the tree of independence planted at Philadelphia in 1776, have but made it strike its roots deeper into the soil, take firmer hold, drink more deeply of the hidden springs of loyalty, patriotism, liberty and humanity, and flourish until the peoples of the earth, from every clime, nation and tongue, come to her for refuge, home and welcome.
   Our subject was reared to manhood in his native