years, when he was in the employ of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad. He is well patronized and does in extensive business. He erected his present residence in 1882. It is a commodious, well-built house, of a tasty style of architecture, and is pleasantly located on the corner of Eleventh and Main streets. Mr. Robbins is a man of sound common sense, well educated and of marked decision of character. In his business transactions he is prompt, careful and just, and his credit stands high in financial circles. As he was a. good and patriotic soldier in the trying times of the late war, when he went forth from his home ready and willing to sacrifice all for his country's good, and in times of peace he has ever been a loyal citizen. He and his family stand well in society, and their attractive home is the seat of true hospitality.

AVID HITE, a prominent farmer and citizen of Elmwood Precinct, was born July 31, 1830, two and a half miles northeast of Newark, Licking Co., Ohio. In the very early years of his life he was troubled with phthisic to such an extent that he did not enter any school until he was eleven years old. His father was a blacksmith, and our subject divided his time alternately between working in the shop with his father and farming. In 1848 his parents removed with the entire family to Illinois, settling on Indian Creek, near Dayton, LaSalle County. He drove an ox team, freighting between Chicago and Dayton. In 1851 he was married to Miss Mary Ann Curyea. This lady was a native of Staunton County, Va. Her father was born in Union County, Pa. Her mother was a native of Staunton County, Va., in which county the parents of the wife of our subject married. When she was seven years old her parents removed to Lurea. Licking Co., Ohio, where they lived until she was a girl of fifteen, when they removed to Illinois.
   Our subject and his good wife are the parents of nine children, named respectively: John M., now dead; James Alva, Theodore J., Flora B., Charles F., Lydia E., Ella M., Laura M. and Alice M. The son James A. resides in Dundee County, Neb., and is married to Miss Jennie Webster; Theodore J. was married to Miss Ellen Downing, and they have two children -- Lillie M. and Olive Eva; their home is now in Illinois; Flora B., is the wife of Mr. William Lewis; Charles is married to Miss Rebecca Huefish, and resides in Greenwood Precinct; they have two children -- George M. and Lettie; Lydia E., is the wife of Albert E. Lewis, a prosperous and enterprising farmer of Elmwood Precinct (see his biography elsewhere in this book); Nellie married a Mr. Perry Ryan, and is the mother of three children -- Cora M., Mary B. and Claude I., and resides in Kearney, Buffalo Co., Neb.; Alice M., is married to Mr. Charles Pinkham, and is the mother of one child, Luella Pearl.
   The father of our subject, David Hite, was born in Staunton County, Va. His great-great-grandfather came from Germany, and his wife died during the voyage over, and she was given an ocean burial. The mother of our subject, Elizabeth Stickley, was a native of Virginia. Grandfather Stickley was born in Pennsylvania; Grandmother Stickley was born in Chainey, Germany. The parents of Mr. Hite were married in Licking County, Ohio, where his father farmed and worked at blacksmithing; the father was left an orphan at the age of fourteen, when he was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith trade. Our subject is one of nine children born to his parents: Alexander, Catherine and Benjamin are now dead; David, our subject; James and Isaac, twins, now deceased; Albert, Alcinda and Fidelia. Fidelia resides in Schuyler, Neb.; the remainder of the children are living in Illinois.
   Mr. and Mrs. Hite came to Nebraska Nov. 11, 1881, and entered on the improvement of the eighty acres of land which is now their home, on which he has planted a good orchard, a thriving vineyard and a large quantity of shrubbery and ornamental trees. His residence is nicely situated and is very well arranged. The large family of children that have been born to him and his wife are nearly all married, and are husbands and wives in prominent homes in both Nebraska and Illinois. The gentleman is proverbially a good-natured, jovial man, possesses a large store of practical knowledge, accumulated not from books but from wide and varied actual experiences in life. He is an exceedingly

useful member of society, ever ready to assist a neighbor in a practical way whenever called upon. He follows his trade of blacksmithing and manages his farm. His wife is a typical Virginian lady, exceedingly thoughtful, and much more reserved than her husband. They both feel that their coming to Nebraska was the stepping stone to their prosperity, which they duly appreciate and prize. They are both well liked by their neighbors, possessing the confidence and esteem of all who know them. Mr. Hite is a strong Republican in politics, and often recalls the memorable "hard cider" campaign that Gen. Harrison made in 1840. Prior to the late war he was a strong Abolitionist, and during the Rebellion opened he worked hard to raise a fund in LaSalle County with which to hire substitutes.

EORGE S. UPTON, an energetic, enthusiastic and skillful farmer, stock raiser and feeder of Liberty Precinct, is a fine representative of the young agriculturists of Cass County who have expended time, money and brain power in improving and beautifying their own land, and making more attractive the general features of the landscape. His farm consists of 320 acres of arable land, one-half lying on section 9, and the other half on section 10, which in regard to improvement is second to none in the locality. He has a good set of farm buildings on both sections, both dwellings being finely located. The beautiful residence on section 10, occupied by himself and family, is situated on a rising piece of ground, commanding a fine view of the surrounding country, and the extensive lawns about it are ornamented with fine shrubbery. The farm is well-watered and heavily stocked, he making a specialty of fine cattle of the Holstein breed, and of roadsters of high grade. Mr. Upton carries on an extensive business in stock raising and breeding, and annually ships a car-load of stock, getting the highest market price for it. Besides his own productive farm our subject has an undivided interest in 120 acres of land in another part of Liberty Precinct. He has met with a remarkable degree of success in all his undertakings, and though a comparatively young man, he has made rapid strides in his chosen occupation, and now stands in the foremost rank among the prominent citizens of Cass County.
   The subject of our sketch was born in Hardin County, Ky., July 29, 1850. He comes of English stock, one of his ancestors having emigrated to this country prior to the Revolution, and settled in Kentucky, where John Upton, the grandfather of our subject, was born. He was a farmer by occupation, and in early life married Rachel Spurrier, a member of a wealthy and prominent family in Kentucky, who owned a large plantation and many slaves. John Upton had been reared by a family that was large slave owners, and consequently when he and his wife started in life on a farm they were entirely unacquainted with the hardships and necessary deprivations of earning a livelihood by their own exertions, and did not meet with as much financial success as some of their posterity have since. They both spent their entire lives in their native State, Mr. Upton dying in middle life, and Mrs. Upton following him a few years later. They were kindhearted people, and contributed generously to the support of the Baptist Church, of which both were members for a number of years.
   J. S. Upton, father of our subject, was reared and educated in his native county, receiving from his parents a sound moral training. He chose farming for a life-occupation, and after arriving at man's estate, was united in marriage to Miss Eveline Brasher, a native of Maryland, born of pure Scotch ancestry. Her parents, Edward and Nancy (Dyson) Brasher, owned a large plantation in Hardin County, Ky., to which they had removed during some period of their married life. Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Upton settled on a farm and were dependent on their own resources. But they were industrious, enterprising people, who, by perseverance, thrift and economy, succeeded most admirably in placing themselves on an independent footing. After the birth of their two elder children they moved from Kentucky to Holt County, Mo., and located on a farm which, two years later they exchanged for an other in the same county, on which they remained ten years. They cleared a good farm, and then disposed of it and moved to Nebraska, where they purchased land slightly improved in Liberty Pre-

cinct. Mr. Upton at once began its improvement, and gradually added by purchase to his original tract of land until he was the possessor of 500 acres. His death occurred Jan. 21, 1880, when fifty-six years of age. He was a valued citizen of the place, and had the universal respect of the community. His widow is still living, at the age of three score years, and owns 120 acres of land on section 10, where she now resides, surrounded by a large circle of friends, who esteem her for her geniality, kind heart and other worthy qualities.
   George S. Upton, of whom we write, is the eldest of the eleven children born to his parents, of whom three daughters and three sons are yet living. He received a part of his education in Missouri, which was further supplemented by a few years of instruction after coming to this State. While at home he assisted his father in the improvement of his land, and in 1865 became owner of the farm which he now occupies, and has since then paid especial attention to its cultivation. After arriving at manhood he was united in marriage, in Cass County, to Miss Fanny J. Reynolds, who was born in Andrew County, Mo., Sept. 25, 1852, being the first daughter and third child of her parents. William B. Reynolds, her father, was twice married. The maiden name of his first wife, mother of Mrs. Upton, was Susan Kelly, who died in early life, leaving four small children. Her father, John Kelly, a native of Maryland, was of Scotch-Irish descent. He and subsequently moved with his family to Missouri, where both he and his wife died leaving four children, of whom Susan was the youngest. William B. Reynolds, father of Mrs. Upton, was the son of Col. Reuben R. Reynolds, who was born in Kentucky, and served as colonel during the Revolutionary War. He married Frances Monroe of Maryland, and they moved to Missouri, and were pioneers of Buchanan County, where they lived for some time, moving from there to Andrew County later in life, where they both died at an advanced age. They were active members of the Baptist Church, where Col. Reynolds served many years as a valued officer. Mrs. Upton's father married for his second wife Amanda Florence, in Andrew County, Mo., and in 1865 they removed to this State, where they are still living on a farm in Liberty Precinct. For further sketch see biography of William B. Reynolds.
   The wife of our subject was educated in the public schools of Missouri, and later attended the Baptist College in Nebraska City. She is an accomplished, talented woman, and has proved a true helpmate to her husband. To them have been born three very bright, interesting children, namely: LaRoy, now thirteen years of age; Exmoore W., who died at the age of ten years; and F. Earl, Aged four years.
   Mr. and Mrs. Upton have an assured position in the highest social circles of their community, and are unusually pleasant, genial people, winning friends among all classes. Both are active members of and generous contributors to the support of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Mr. Upton being an Elder, Clerk of the Sessions, and one of the Church Board. In his political views our subject is it Democrat, and though no office-seeker he was nominated by his friends as representative for the Legislature for this county in 1882, and was defeated by only eleven votes, he having run more than 490 votes ahead of his ticket.

HOMAS W. SHORT, a pioneer of this county, is located on section 6 in Mount to Pleasant Precinct. He was born in Lincolnshire, England, Sept. 27, 1849, and is the son of Edward and Mary (Booth) Short, being the only boy of their family. When he was about a year old his parents emigrated to America, locating first in Newark, N. J., where the father followed merchant tailoring and where they lived two years. Their next removal was to Pontiac, Mich., where they sojourned eight years, the father still pursuing his business as a merchant tailor. Later they removed to Ann Arbor.
   The subject of this sketch started out for himself in life when nine years old and occupied himself at whatever he could find to do until 1868. He then began lumbering in the pineries of Northern Michigan. In 1871 he turned his attention to railroading, was first a breakman then a baggage-master, then later a conductor on the extra freights

of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company, making his headquarters in Plattsmouth, this State. He left railroading in 1879, settling on a farm in Centre Precinct, which he followed mostly until 1887, when he took possession of his present property. This is improved with good buildings and fences, and he has brought the land to a thorough state of cultivation. Besides this property he also has land near the present site of Manly.
   Mr. Short himself conceived the idea of laying out the village, which he accomplished in 1884. He established a store and grain warehouse in company with Charles Talmage and John Breckenridge, which they conducted about six months, when the firm was merged into the style of Breckenridge & Co., continuing thus until Mr. Short withdrew. He soon disposed of his entire interests in Manly village and confines his attention now to his farm. He was for one year located in Cheyenne County, Neb., and interested in real estate. He ran the first train into Sutton, Neb.
   Mr. Short, politically, is a Republican. He still remains a jolly bachelor.

LBERT ERNST. As is well-known, the soldier element has been a conspicuous feature in the settlement of these Western States; and as one of its representatives, we take pleasure in presenting to the patrons of this work a brief review of the life of the subject of this sketch, who, as a veteran of the army that so successfully fought and conquered in the late Rebellion, has reason to be proud of his military record. He was an early settler of Stove Creek Precinct, where he is still living on his homestead on section 20, where he is engaged in general farming and stock-raising.
   Our subject is a native of Prussia, Germany, where his birth occurred Oct. 14, 1825. His parents, Christian and Louisa (Putzsco), were born in the same place. His father was a charcoal burner, and dealt in wood and coal, and he was also a farmer, owning and managing a small farm. He served in the German Artillery also. He died in May, 1841, in the prime of life, aged forty-one years.
   His wife preceded him in death, dying in 1836, at the age of thirty-six. They were people of true Christian worth, and devoted members of the Lutheran Church. Six children were born of their marriage, namely: Albert, Louisa, Fredericka, August, Mathilda, Augusta, the three last are now dead. Albert Ernst grew to manhood in the town of Zehdswick, attending school the first fourteen years of his life, in accordance with the strict regulations of his native land, thereby obtaining an excellent practical education. At that age he was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. He was set to learn the baker's trade after leaving school, and worked at that until he was nineteen. Then, in comance (sic) with the laws of his country, he entered the infantry department of the German army, and served four years, taking part in the Revolution of 1848. After the expiration of his term of enlistment he retired from the service and resumed the baker's trade, at which he worked until 1856, when he sailed from Hamburg on the good ship Havard, and forty-nine days later landed in New York. He proceeded to Cincinnati, Ohio, and found work on a farm near that city, He subsequently found his way to New Orleans, La., and was there working when the war broke out. The Southerners were going to press him into the Confederate service much against his will, so he managed to get on board of an emigrant boat and concealing his identify by an emigrant outfit, got through to Cario, Ill., without detection. He was employed in a bakery in that city until 1862, when he enlisted in support of the Union cause, becoming a member of Company B, 12th Illinois Cavalry, and was mustered in at Camp Butler, and was despatched to Virginia under Col. Foss. While in the Shenandoah Valley he was out reconnoitering with his regiment, and was captured by the rebels and sent to Lynchburg and thence to Belle Isle prison, where he was kept for two months. At the end of that time he was parolled and soon exchanged, and rejoined the Union troops at Camp Alexandria. From there he went to Camp Douglas, and was sent back to his regiment in the spring of 1863. He took an active part in Stoneman's raid, and was at Chester Point, and in the latter engagement his horse was shot under him. He was afterward despatched to Wash-

ington with others, to get horses for the service. He entered into the fight at Beatrice Station and then went to Chicago to recruit. From there he went with his regiment to Baton Rouge on a raid. Then he and his comrades went to the Pineries to take part in an engagement there, and thence were despatched by boat to New Orleans. The troops were landed and camped out at Greenwood. Fort Donelson was the next important battle in which the regiment took a part, and from there it proceeded to Memphis, and there our subject was mustered out, having done good service as a brave and fearless soldier for over three years. He stayed in St. Louis for two years after that, clerking and working in a factory. In the spring of the year 1868 he left that city, and coming to Nebraska took up a homestead claim, comprising his present 80-acre farm in Stove Creek Precinct. He was among the the (sic) early settlers here, and his land was in a primitive condition, and his was the pioneer task to break the soil and prepare it for culture, to set out groves and orchard, erect suitable buildings, dwellings, barns, etc., to fence his land, and other things too numerous to mention. All of this he has accomplished by dint of hard labor and prudent management. His farm is in a satisfactory condition, and produces fine crops, and he has it stocked with good stock. It has not all been smooth sailing for our subject, however, as he has met with losses by drouth, grasshopper raids, etc.
   To the devoted wife, who has shared his pioneer life with him, our subject was married in their old home in Prussia, Dec. 17, 1854. She is likewise a native of Germany, as were her parents, Carl and Fredericka (Styriko) Ernst. Her father owned a mill and a farm, both of which he managed until his death in 1845. His widow survived him until 1865. They had nine children, of whom Mrs. Ernst was the eighth in order of birth, and she was born April 2, 1833.
   Two children have been born of this marriage, Johanna and Pauline. The former is an invalid, and lives at home with her parents. Pauline is the wife of a grocer in Lincoln, and they have two children, Catherine and Lawrence.
   Mr. Ernst is a man upon whom his neighbors can rely, as his honest integrity and industry are undisputed, and he is ever ready to do another a good turn. He and his wife are valued members of the German Lutheran Evangelical Church in Louisville, and in his political faith he is strong Republican.

ENRY HIRZ is identified with the industrial interests of Plattsmouth Township, where he has a cozy, comfortable home. He is a native of Germany, his birth occuring in that country, Feb. 10, 1854. His parents were William and Sophia, (Betz) Hirz, born, reared, married in Germany, and there died. They had a family of seven children, as follows: Rose, who died Sept. 23, 1888, in Knox County, Neb.; Winnie, who is in Baltimore, Md.; Henry, of whom we write; William and Kate, in the Black Hills; John, in Nebraska; and Philip, also in the Black Hills.
   Our subject was reared in the Fatherland, and there received a substantial education. His worthy parents carefully trained him in all that goes to make a useful and honest man, and from them he inherited industrious and thrifty habits. At an early age he was sent to learn the butcher's trade, and in 1872, ambitious to better his condition financially, he embarked in the month of October for the United States, and landed at New York after a voyage of seventeen days. For awhile he was engaged in butchering in Philadelphia, and from there he went to New Jersey. We afterward hear of him in Ohio, in the town of Dayton, where he worked at his trade about a month. Pekin, Ill., was his next stopping place as he gradually drifted westward. He worked there on a farm and at butchering for about a year. He next made St. Louis his home for the space of five months. After that Burlington and Grand Junction, Iowa, claimed him in succession as a resident. In September, 1875, he paid his first visit to Plattsmouth, where he joined a surveying party and went to the western part of Nebraska. He assisted in surveying there for two months, and then retraced his steps to Plattsmouth, where he has ever since resided. His active, energetic nature would not long permit him to be idle, and he soon found employ-

ment on the farm of Mr. Philip Horn. He staid with him awhile, and then went to work for Mr. Jacob Vallery, Sr.
   Our subject had been so prosperous since coming to America that in 1880 he was enabled to establish a home of his own, and on the 28th of October he was united in marriage to Miss Catberine, daughter of Philip Horn. Their pleasant household is completed by the one son, Philip, that has been born of their marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Hirz stand well in this community, and they are in every way worthy of the respect and esteem accorded to them.

AMES W. SPERRY. Among the inventions of the age that of pressed brick as a building material has become one of the most popular and useful, and the subject of this sketch. Finding himself unexpectedly in possession of the where withal for its manufacture, was not slow in perceiving that it would not be amiss to locate an establishment for this purpose within the precinct of Avoca. His idea was perfected in the spring of 1888, when a company was organized and Mr. Sperry selected as Superintendent of the yards. The intended capacity is 30,000 to 40,000 bricks per day. As if nature had provided especially for this enterprise in his locality, there is existing upon the land of Mr. Sperry a hill or mound of sand and clay adjacent to the works in the northwestern part of the precinct, isolated in its character as it were from the soil around it. It is believed to be the only body of soil of its kind in the State. It contains equal proportions of clay and sand, there being a vein of the latter seven to seventeen feet thick. The clay vein is about forty feet in depth, and the two combined furnish a product scarcely equaled and surely not excelled anywhere. The red clay predominates, which gives weight and color to the manufactured product.
   This valuable material was discovered by Mr. Sperry in 1882, and his been a source of considerable revenue to him. The manufactured product is particularly fine and solid and almost indestructible. The theory of geologists in regard to this deposit is that it was conveyed here on an iceberg and deposited in the flats on the Weeping Water, during the glacial period. This idea is verified by the fact that there are imbedded in the deposit the bones of large animals and various kinds of fossil formations, pieces of lava, and indications of volcanic substances, the whole forming a very interesting subject for speculation.
   This mound is on the land of which Mr. Sperry became the purchaser in June, 1880. Two years later he discovered the bonanza, and in order to experiment he obtained a small hand-made kiln, and commenced operations. In this he was assisted by Mr. E. L. Reed, one of the pioneers and a leading man in many of the enterprises which set Weeping Water upon its feet. It was up-hill work at first, but after a few years of struggle they began to obtain results. Neither had a practical knowledge of the business, and there was consequently much money expended in experimenting and for other purposes.
   The Weeping Water Pressed Brick Company is now under organization on a solid basis, and the builders of the vicinity are beginning to recognize its importance. Mr. Sperry came to this county in 1871, poor, he expresses it, "as a church mouse," walking into Weeping Water Precinct with a capital of fifty cents in his pocket, and began to work at his trade of mason and brick-layer. He was prudent and economical, and in the course of a few years had amassed a small capital. In 1880 he purchased twenty acres of land, paying therefor the sum of $200. This was located about two miles from the town of Weeping Water, on section 6, and at the time appeared to the ordinary observer as a worthless rise of ground, none suspecting the treasures lying beneath. The works lie adjacent to the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which furnishes convenient shipping facilities, the company having put in side tracks for this purpose, and the product is now conveyed to many points in this and adjacent counties.
   The subject of this sketch was born in Lawrence County, Ohio, Sept. 10, 1845, and is the son of Reuben and Elizabeth (Whitten) Sperry, who were also natives of the Buckeye State, born, reared and married in St. Lawrence County. The father was