Nancy is now Mrs. John Buckridge, of Rock Creek Precinct; Merinda married Mr. Edward J. Cooper, and has one child, to whom is given the name Kate.
   Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker are members of the Baptist Church, and attend at Delta. They have been connected with the Baptist communion for twenty years. Our subject has never taken any prominent part in political affairs, although he is a true and loyal citizen, and always votes the Republican ticket.

RS. CARRIE DAVENPORT. This lady occupies a comfortable and tasteful home adjacent to the village of Syracuse, and is noted for her superior business qualifications, and as a person of more than ordinary intelligence. She is the only living representative of her family, her three brothers having died early in life. She was born in Wayne County, N. Y., Oct. 27, 1838, and is the daughter of Joshua and Adelia (Wilson) Bonney, who were natives of Connecticut; where the father spent his last years. The mother still survives, and lives in Cornwall, that State. When she was a child of eighteen months the parents of Mrs. Davenport returned to Connecticut, where the father closed his eyes upon the soil of the State which gave him birth.
   The Bonney family were people who stood high in their community, and Miss Carrie was given a good education, and continued a member of her father's household until her first marriage, with Lewis Jessup, who was an eminent and popular Minister of the Congregational Church, presiding over a parish at Millbury, Mass. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jessup, one of whom, a son Charles, died when five years old; the other, Mary L., is now the wife of C. W. Beach, of Auburn, this State.
   The subject of this sketch at an early age gave evidence of superior mental endowments, and was at different times proffered lucrative and responsible positions, three times with leading insurance companies with a liberal salary, but there being no necessity for thus leaving home and friends, she declined. Subsequently, upon the urgent solicitation of the publisher of Kitts' History of the Bible, she consented to a month's trial, and after a vigorous canvass sold nearly 300 books in territory where a gentleman had met with total failure.
   In the summer of 1871 Mrs. Davenport repaired to New York City, and during a period of ten months cleared $2,200 at the business of preserving funeral flowers. Later she invented and secured the patent on a compartment kettle for cooking purposes, which she handled with success, both in selling territory and in organizing stock companies for the purpose of its manufacture. In 1878 she came to Nebraska as general agent for an oil stove, and soon sold even more than its commission houses in Chicago, St. Louis and San Francisco combined.
   During her first visit to Nebraska Mrs. Davenport purchased 200 acres of land, of which she retained possession until 1880, then sold it and purchased the farm which she now owns and occupies, and which is devoted to stock-raising, the stock consisting of road horses and Jersey-Red swine. Besides the 225 acres which she owns, Mrs. Davenport leases 320 acres additional, the whole of which she manages in a remarkably successful manner. Indeed she has been successful at whatever she has undertaken.
   In the spring of 1881 the subject of this sketch returned to Connecticut, and was united in marriage with Joseph Davenport, a gentleman who for many years was variously engaged and amassed a fortune. He was born in Franklin County, Mass., Sept. 25, 1806, and is the son of Edward and Betsey (Adams) Davenport, natives of New England. The father was a minister of the Baptist Church, and a descendant of the celebrated Adams family, who at an early day were prominent among the aristocracy of Massachusetts and Connecticut. In the boyhood days of Mr. Davenport cloth for the family use was manufactured in the household, while the tailor and the shoemaker called from house to house, and taking this material made it up for the family. Joseph at an early period in his life saw the necessity of money as a medium of exchange, and set about earning the same as soon as he was able. He learned the art of grafting fruit trees,

and in pursuance of this business traveled over considerable territory in the East, and at the same time visited many manufacturing establishments, where he obtained all the information he possibly could concerning machinery and its workings. He also at the same time realized the importance of a home market, and proposed to a moneyed friend that if the latter would build a cotton factory he would furnish the land and water power, and add to the enterprise a foundry. The proposal was accepted, the machinery speedily put in operation, and from this humble beginning the town of Colerain, Mass., sprang into existence. Mr. Davenport having accomplished his object, sold the foundry later for about what it cost him, and in 1837, disposing of other interests in the Bay State, removed to Hartford, Conn., and establishing a nursery, began the propagation of a vast number of mulberry trees, the natural food of the silk worm, and which industry he believed might be profitable. He sold a quantity of trees throughout the country, and invested a portion of the proceeds in valuable property in Connecticut, and land in some of the Western States.
   In 1870 Mr. Davenport found himself a millionaire. He was also numbered among the leading citizens of Hartford, whose endorsement on paper made it acceptable at all the banks to any amount. He subsequently met with reverses, and in 1888 retired from active business. While a resident of Syracuse he devoted 180 acres to the raising of cucumber seeds, which brought him the snug sum of $4,700. Like his wife, he is a man of large intellectual endowments, and in earlier years there was scarcely a subject upon which he could not converse intelligently. Self-educated and well informed, he was alike at home in the field of science, politics and religion, and could hold his end of the argument with the most learned professor. He was in the earlier days a member of the old Whig party, but later endorses Republican doctrines. He is now a strong Protectionist, and amply able to give reasons for being so.
   Mr. Davenport was for many years a leading member of the Baptist Church at Hartford. In addition to his other capacities he has given to the world many useful inventions, possessing this genius in a ratio equal to that of his gifted wife. Mr. and Mrs. Davenport are a remarkable pair, and in this respect one has been largely the assistant of the other. We take pleasure in presenting the sketch of Mrs. Davenport, as that of one of the first ladies of Eastern Nebraska.

ON. J08EPH W. TALBOT is the proprietor of the elegant boot and shoe emporium of Syracuse. He is a native of Lockport, N.Y., and was born March 4, 1829. His parents, Joseph and Harrah (Wilson) Talbot, were natives of Vermont, but of English ancestry, their parents having come from that country and made their home in the Empire State. The father of our subject was by occupation a farmer, and continued therein until he had passed the prime of life, and then engaged in the hotel business. He died in Batavia, N. Y., in the year 1833. Subsequent to her bereavement the mother of our subject emigrated with her children to Barry County, Mich., and settled upon a farm, where she eventually died, leaving ten children, all of whom grew to the estate of man and womanhood, and their names are recorded as follows: David, Mary, Lucy, Joseph, Hannah, Sarah, Wealthy, George, Zilphia and John B. The last four are deceased.
   Our subject was but four years of age when his father died and thirteen when the removal was made to Michigan, where he grew to manhood. He received a good, practical, English education in the common schools, and was considered capable of exchanging the scholar's desk for the teacher's, and in this occupation he evinced considerable aptitude and talent. In 1860 he removed to this State, and two years later settled upon section 2, Syracuse Precinct, where he owns 160 acres of excellent, arable land. He was again occupied as a teacher, devoting his attention to his farm when not thus engaged. Thus he continued until 1882; by that time the children whom he had instructed had grown up and had qualified themselves for teaching, and he retired from the profession. In 1885 Mr. Talbot established the store which he has since continued with a largely increasing patronage. The