uary following. They made their way at once to Tazewell County, Ill., where the sons provided comfortably for their mother until her death, which occurred about 1871. The brother John thereafter took up his residence in Illinois. He is now living in Eight Mile Grove.
   Mr. Kraeger after coming to this country turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and believing that it was not good for man to be alone, he was married, Feb. 15, 1881, to Miss Louisa Wagner. This lady is a native of the same province as her husband in Germany, and was born Jan. 12, 1857. Her parents were William and Wilhelmina Wagner, also natives of the Fatherland, and the former of whom died in his native Germany about 1868. The mother in 1875 came with her two daughters to America, making the passage in eleven days on a steamer, and like the future husband of Miss Louisa, coming directly to this county. It was not long thereafter until the young people met and decided to unite their fortunes for life.
   To our subject and his excellent wife there have been born five children, namely: Caroline, Feb. 25, 1882; Dollie, Jan. 25, 1884; Wilhelmina, July 21, 1885, and John, April 8, 1886. Mr. Kraeger, politically, affiliates with the Democratic party, and has distinguished himself as a peaceable and law-abiding citizen, attending strictly to his own concerns, but always willing to aid and encourage the projects calculated for the general welfare of the community.

HILIP C. ENGELL, a prominent pioneer of Cass County, is now a prominent member of its farming community. He owns and manages a large farm comprising one-half of section 14, Liberty Precinct, and here he and his family have a very pleasant home. He is a native of New York, Schoharie County his birthplace, and Sept. 25, 1831, was the date of his birth. His parents, Peter and Catherine (Crounze) Engell, natives of the State of New York, were early settlers of St. Joseph County, Mich., going there when our subject was an infant, and settling in the woods when the surrounding country was in its primitive wildness, inhabited by the Indians, as is indicated by the date of their arrival there early in 1832. There by hard labor they reared a comfortable home, and bore an honorable part in the development of the county, and there the father rounded out and completed a useful life, dying in the sixties on his homestead in White Pigeon Township, he then being past middle age. His wife is yet living there with her youngest son, Henry, by her second husband, Lorenzo Jones, and she is now seventy-nine years old. She is a devoted member of the Methodist Church, as was her husband, and she shared with him the respect of the entire community.
   Their son of whom we write grew to man's estate amid the pioneer scenes of his parental home, remaining an inmate of the household until he was twenty-five years old, never until that time, since his entrance into the county when an infant, going beyond its boundaries, his first journey into the great world at that time being to Pike's Peak and Denver City. This was during the great excitement caused by the discovery of gold in 1859. Our subject prospected for some six weeks with others who went with him, but they found that the precious metal was not to be picked up on the surface as many seemed to think when they started for that region, and that, in fact, its hidden sources were undiscoverable, so our subject and his companions retraced their way across the great plains that they had traversed so recently with such exultant feelings and strong hopes of securing a fortune. Mr. Engle determined not to return to his old home only to confess the failure of his schemes, but decided instead to locate somewhere on the rich farming lands of the Missouri River basin, and in a surer, if slower way, build up the fortune that he had vainly sought in the Rocky Mountains. He soon decided on Cass County as the most desirable place for location, as he was favorably impressed with its many advantages of climate, fertility of soil, etc. With characteristic energy he went to work at breaking land for other settlers in order to pay for land of his own, and in that way secured a part of his present farm, and doubtless broke a section or more of land. In the spring of 1862 he completed the purchase of his land, which was

then in a primitive state. It now forms one of the finest and best improved farms in this part of the county, and with its neat and comfortable buildings, of a modern style of architecture, attracts the eye of the stranger, who singles it out as one of the most desirable places for a home to be seen in the precinct. At one time in the early years of his settlement here Mr. Engell was actively and profitably engaged in freighting across the plains to Denver and even beyond. While thus engaged he hunted some, and has killed as many as fourteen buffaloes, besides a large number of antelopes.
   When our subject first located here he was a single man, and for a few years kept bachelor's hall, but April 16, 1863, he became a benedict, as on that day his marriage was solemnized in Liberty with Miss Luticia Brinson, a native of Madison County, Ind. She was born Oct. 12, 1843, to David and Margaret (Saylor) Brinson, natives of Indiana. They were there reared and married, and after the birth of two children, Lydia A. and Mrs. Engell, they moved westward in 1844, and lived in Missouri five years. Later they removed to Madison County, Iowa, and there the mother died in 1851, leaving six small children. Two years after her death Mr. Brinson married Sarah Evans, and in 1854 the family moved to Nebraska City, when that place was in its infancy. Mr. Brinson took up a claim and lived on it two years, and then sold it and purchased another in Liberty. He lived here for some years with his family, and finally went to Broken Bow, Custer County, this State, with his family, and still resides there, he at the age of seventy years, and his wife at the age of sixty-five years. Mrs. Engell remained an inmate of the parental household until she was married. She is the mother of seven children, of whom three are dead -- an infant, Anna E. and Emery. Those living are all at home, and their names are Frederic E., Charles E., Theresa A. and John B.
   Mr. Engell has seen much of pioneer life, having been reared in a pioneer home in a newly settled country, and then, in the vigor of early manhood, becoming in turn an important factor in the development of a frontier Territory. He was well endowed with a courageous, self-sacrificing spirit, powers of endurance, energy and capacity, necessary to encounter the difficulties that lay before him in the wild, undeveloped West when he first cast in his lot with the early settlers of this region. The probity of his character and his unblemished life record cause him to be greatly respected by all in this community, of which he has been a member for so many years. He and his estimable wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Engell is Trustee and Steward of that church. In politics he is a solid Republican,

EORGE F. SHRYDER, SR., retired farmer, of Cass County, is a genuine pioneer having been here since 1856, arriving on the day that James Buchanan was elected President of the United States. He first located in Three Grove, twelve miles east of Weeping Water, where he bought a claim for $1,600, and settled on it before there were any improvements, excepting that there was a small house on it. When Mr. Shryder came to this county there were only two houses in Plattsmouth, and none between there and Three Grove, which received its cognomen from the fact that there were three houses there, three settlers in a grove. In 1857 there was quite an Indian scare in that region, and all in the vicinity of Three Grove were out scouting, and camped one night on the site of the present city of Weeping Water. They captured one Indian and a pony; the former was tied and a guard placed over him, but he escaped in spite of their precaution. Some of the people who took part in that affair are still living here. The alarm was all caused by the shooting of an Indian on Salt Creek near Lincoln. Nothing more was heard of the Indians for some time after that. Indian scares were often aroused by maliciously disposed people, who would don red blankets mid show themselves to the settlers for the purpose of frightening them.
   Our subject was born Sept. 10, 1822, in Cayuga County, N. Y., where he was reared and educated. His father, Ernest C. Shryder, was born in Hamburg, Germany, and when six years of age emigrated with his mother to New York, In that State he grew to manhood and was married, Sarah Cooper

becoming his wife. She bore him five children, three girls and two boys, all of whom grew to maturity, and three are still living, our subject being the youngest. Mr. and Mrs. Shryder spent their last years in Nebraska. Both were members of the United Presbyterian Church, and lived consistent Christian lives.
   George F. Shryder, of this sketch, remained in his native town until the age of sixteen, when he removed with his parents to Illinois, settling in Peoria County. He worked at various occupations, and continued a resident of the Prairie State until taking up his abode here, as previously mentioned. The claim which he bought consisted of 220 acres of land in its primitive wildness, and from this, by dint of hard labor, ambitious energy and practical judgement, he has eliminated a fine, productive farm. During the twenty-eight years that he resided on it he fenced it, set out an orchard, small fruits and vines, and from it gained a good subsistence, and amassed a handsome competency by raising stock and grain, and expending the proceeds judiciously. In 1884 Mr. Shryder sold his farm for the modest sum of $8,000, and moved into town, where he lived fourteen months. He then bought 160 acres of land on section 36, Centre Precinct, where he has since lived. He also owns a good house on the edge of the city of Weeping Water, where he now resides.
   The union of our subject with Miss Margaret A. Parr was solemnized Jan. 4, 1852, in Illinois. Her parents, Joseph and Margaret (Bloomer) Parr, were natives of Ireland, and lived there several years after their marriage, finally coming to America, settling in Peoria County, Ill., where he pursued his occupation of farming. Of their union six children were born, three during their residence in Ireland, and three after they came to Illinois. Of these five grew to maturity, of whom the following is the record: Nancy, born Feb. 10, 1828; Margaret, Oct. 1, 1833; Thomas, April 12, 1839; James, born June 6, 1811, died Feb. 4, 1887; Sarah M., born Dec. 19, 1814. Mr. Parr remained in Illinois until his death, which occurred Nov. 15, 1852, in the fifty-third year of his age. His wife survived him and married again, living until Feb. 11, 1881, when she too quietly passed on to the silent world beyond.
   Of the union of our subject and his wife six children have been born, three of whom died in early childhood, namely: James, John and Theodore. Of the three now living the following is recorded: Sarah Margaret married L. A. Young, and they have two children (see sketch of L. A. Young); Ida May married Robert Young, and they have three children; George L. Shryder married Miss Hattie J. Pitman, a native of Nebraska, born in Nebraska City, Sept. 30, 1866, Her fattier, Wesley Pitman, is a native of Indiana, and removed with his family to Liberty Precinct in the early days of its settlement.
   Our subject takes a deep interest in the welfare of his town, and is at all times ready and willing to aid all practical schemes for its moral, social or intellectual improvement, and though not a politician, he has held various town offices, always performing the duties devolving upon him with care and fidelity. He is a stanch Republican, voted for William H. Harrison, and also for Benjamin Harrison. Both he and his estimable wife are valued members of the Presbyterian Church, and are sincere and conscientious Christians.

RANK STANDER. The Great West is permeated with the thrifty German element which has found its way into every channel of trade and business, and comprises a large proportion of the bone and sinew and the wealth of the United States. The sons of the Fatherland were not slow to avail themselves of the inducements held out for settlement beyond the Mississippi, and among them in the earlier days came the subject of this sketch, who is now one of the most prominent farmers of Louisville Precinct, and President of the Louisville Bank. This institution was purchased by himself and his son James in 1884, having been established the year previously by J. J. Marker and his brothers. James Stander operated as cashier, and the bank is conducted upon those principles which are calculated to insure its perpetuation and success.
   Our subject was born in the small village of Valkarota, in Prussia, on the 26th of May, 1835, and is

the son of George and Mary (Hartman) Stander, natives of the same section of country. Their family comprised four sons and four daughters, all of whom are living, and of whom Frank was the sixth in order of birth. In accordance with the laws and customs of his native country he was placed in school when a little lad six years of age, and gave close attention to his studies until fourteen years old. He then served an apprenticeship of three years at the trade of shoemaker, and thereafter was engaged as a journeyman until a youth of nineteen, when he set sail for America.
   From the city of New York young Stander made his way to Milwaukee, Wis., where he was employed two years at his trade and other pursuits. Later we find him working on a farm for about five years, and in the fall of 1858 he turned his steps toward the farther West. Coming to this county he stopped for it brief time at Plattsmouth, and later visited the land-office in Nebraska City, where he entered 120 acres on section 35, Louisville Precinct. From this he opened up a good farm, occupying it eight years, then selling out, purchased 160 acres on section 34. To this he added from time to time until he is now the owner of 480 acres in one body. He has carried on mixed farming successfully, making a specialty of grain and stock raising, breeding horses, cattle and swine, his favorite equities being the Norman and Clydesdale stock.
   In 1882 Mr. Standee erected a large store building in Louisville, wherein he put a good stock of general merchandise, and three years later the bank was established in the same place. In addition to the property already mentioned, Mr. Stander has two sections of land in Keith County, which is mostly under a state of cultivation. He has been a man prominent in his community, serving as a member of the School Board for the last fifteen years, officiating as Assessor six years, and occupying the various other local offices. He votes the straight Democratic ticket, and in religious matters is a devout member of the Catholic Church. For a man who crossed the Missouri River without capital borrowing $1.50 to get across, it must be admitted that his industry and perseverance have been amply rewarded.
   Our subject was married, in the spring of 1859, to Miss Eliza, daughter of Jacob and Fillapena Regula, who was a native of Wisconsin. They began their wedded life together at the farm in Louisville Precinct, and in due time the household circle was completed by the birth of twelve children, nine sons and three daughters. The eldest, James, has already been mentioned; George is occupied at farming on his own account; Helen, the eldest daughter and her brother Peter, are the assistants of their father in the store and bank; Henry, William, Lizzie. Louie, Leslie, Arthur, Olivie still Ralph are at home with their parents.

IRAM G. HAWLEY is one of the kind of men to whom the thriving State of Nebraska is deeply indebted for the present proud position she holds in the galaxy of the States of the nation. It is by the skill, knowledge and energy he exerted that he has made his home farm, which is located on section 31 in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, to blossom as the rose, and to bring forth abundant fruits.
   This gentleman is a native of Ohio, having been born at Lorain County, Aug. 8, 1834. There he resided and attained to years of manhood, becoming, from the earliest days of his life, accustomed to the trials and cares incident to a life in a new country, as at that time his native county was in a comparatively wild and sparsely settled condition. During his youth he received a fair common-school education, and since that time he has lost no opportunity for adding in a practical way to his store of knowledge. In the autumn of 1855 Mr. Hawley went to Scott County, Iowa, and remained there about a year. From there he went to Cedar County, same State, where he lived for thirteen years. In the spring of 1869, having heard so much about the advantages held out by Nebraska, and the opportunity it offered for securing a home and a competence. He decided to test the truth of the reports for himself. Accordingly, in the spring of 1869 he migrated to this State, and at once settled upon his present farm of eighty acres, which he purchased for $450. The land was void of all

improvement, and the present high state of its cultivation is due in every respect to the application and perseverance of the owner.
   The subject of our sketch was married in Lorain County, Ohio, Aug. 15, 1855, to Emily B. Bunker. She is a daughter of James and Julia Bunker, both of whom are dead. Nine children have been born to the couple, six of whom survive: Archie L. resides in Chase County, Neb.; Dwight H. in Cheyenne County; Frederick in Chase County; Ada is a teacher in the district School, and Harry and Frank are at home with their parents.
   Mr. Hawley is a son of Uriah and Elizabeth Hawley, both natives of New England. The father was supposed to have settled in Lorain County, Ohio, as early as 1824 or 1825. His paternal ancestors are believed to have been of English descent, but no record in existence will verify the belief. A family of seven children was born to his parents, of which number the following survive: Elizabeth, now the widow of Josiah Jenney, resides in Ottumwa, Iowa; Newton J. resides in Missouri; Sarah is the wife of Henry Boswith, and resides in Henry County, Iowa; and Hiram C., our subject. Maria was the wife of Quincy Boswith, and is now deceased.
   For a few months after settling on his new land Hiram G. Hawley lived in a shanty until he could build a home sufficiently comfortable for his family. He began his work with a will and determination to have a home second to none in the County, and it needs but a glance to be convinced of what success he has had in his undertaking. In the course of his life in Nebraska he escaped many of the hardships which came to his fellow settlers, yet he saw sufficient trouble, and endured self-denials to an extent that has taught him what a pioneer in Nebraska Should expect. When he settled here Weeping Water contained only a few buildings, one a blacksmith. shop, and one building used jointly for religious and educational purposes, and from this wild and desolate condition he has seen the entire country develop into its present perfected state.
   Our subject has by a life of rectitude and honor gained the entire confidence and good-will of the entire neighborhood, and has been called by the people of his precinct to fill a position of credit and trust. For three years he has been the Assessor of Mt. Pleasant Precinct, and in 1888 he was re-elected his own successor. His political affiliations are with the Republican party, in the success of which he takes an active and lively interest. His wife and daughter are members of the Congregational Church. The entire family hold a prominent position in the society of the Precinct.

DWIN F. RICHARDS, a prosperous young farmer, a resident of Elmwood Precinct, was born in Goffstown Village, Hillsboro Co., N. H., July 13, 1852. His early life was spent in that Switzerland of America, living upon a farm. When he was three years of age his mother died, and he was cared for by his sister Mary A., then only eleven years of age, and who is now a resident of Illinois. At the age of fourteen he went to Illinois, where he joined his sister, who had married Mr. Harrison Stinson, and removed to that State, settling in Ogle County, where Mr. Richards lived until 1872. Edwin's educational advantages in New Hampshire as well as in Illinois consisted only of the good common schools, which he improved to the fullest extent. He began work at an early day, and was taught to be industrious and to rely solely upon his own efforts, which early training has been of the utmost value to him in his life in the West. In the spring of 1871 his brother Horace came West and joined him in Illinois, and in the following year they determined to seek their fortunes in the at that time Far West. In pursuance of this determination they started with teams overland for Nebraska. They crossed the Missouri River at Plattsmouth, where they purchased a quarter-section of land from the railway company, but which they were not able to retain.
   After the grasshopper scourge had abated, our subject and his brother thought they would again make the venture, as their faith in the ultimate prosperity of the State was unshaken, so they repurchased their first selection. In 1879 Mr. Richards purchased his present eighty acres of land, and has since added to it, until he is now the owner of 200

acres, 120 of which is located on section 24 and eighty on section 25, which is improved by a snug and conveniently arranged one and one-half story frame house, good barns, very extensive cattle sheds and corn cribs, a fine orchard and thrifty groves. His entire tract of land has a never-failing supply of the purest water.
   Our subject was married, in 1891, to Miss Alvira B. Colbert, the eldest daughter of James Colbert, a resident of Elmwood Precinct. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Richards: Ralph E., born June 15, 1882, died while an infant; Mary A., born May 15, 1884, still living, is a brilliant, lovable child; and another son, Henry C., born July 18, 1887, died while an infant.
   At the time of her death the mother of our subject was but thirty-six years of age. She possessed one of those fine, high-strung natures which enabled her to see all that was beautiful and grand in nature, which she has transmitted fully to her sons. A fine poetical vein threaded her until which often showed itself during life, and especially at the time of her last illness, when she wrote many fine poems, one of which we give:

   Farewell, farewell, now husband dear,
      And you six little ones,
   For I am going to my long home
      Never more to return.

   Death soon will break the tie
      That has bound us heart and hand,
   But soon we all shall meet again
      In that holy, happy land.

   I leave you with these little ones,
      Watch them with a parent's eye,
   For they will have no mother near
      To hear them when they cry.

   When pain and sickness rack your frame
      And make your flesh decay,
   Then may you be provided for
      As I have all my days.

   And when your days are past,
      And the Saviour calls you to rest,
   Then shall we all meet in that holy land
      Where we may all be blessed.

   She died as she had lived, having a deep and abiding faith in the promises of the Creator, and having a Christian's hope. The father of Mr. Richards is still living in New Hampshire and is a man of considerable wealth. In 1887 he visited his sons and was very highly pleased with the progress they were making and the prospects that lay before them. He has attained the ripe old age of seventy-four years. He and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Warren, were born in New Hampshire, and were early settlers of Goffstown. The mother was a granddaughter of the Gen. Warren who fell in defense of his country at the battle of Bunker Hill, at the beginning of the War for Independence. The paternal grandfather died when the father of our subject was a young boy, so the family history of that side is lost. Our subject's father remarried after his first wife's death, and four children were the result of that union; only one, Arthur, is now living. He resides on the old homestead in New Hampshire.
   The subject of our sketch is one of a family of seven children, namely: Henry C., Mary A.; George W., now dead; Horace T., and Ephraim W., deceased, were older, and Charles A., who died when an infant, was younger. For several years Mr. Richards has been widely and favorably known as a well-informed stock-raiser, bringing a great degree of intelligence to the prosecution and successful conduct of that business. He is a liberal, large-hearted, kind man, who almost idolizes his wife and little daughter. He has contributed liberally toward the erection of all the churches in his vicinity, and is found in the front in all charitable enterprises, doing his part. In politics Mr. Richards is a Democrat. His services as public officer have up to this time been limited to membership in the School Board.

OHN H. BECKER. The precinct of Eight Mile Grove finds no more substantial or reliable citizen than the subject of this biography, who is the owner of over 1,000 acres of land. His property lies on section 13, the home farm comprising 1,000 acres, which his native thrift and industry have transformed from a raw prairie to one of the most thoroughly cultivated tracts of land along the northern line of the county. Like a large proportion of the solid men of this