tensive plantation in that State, and operated the same by negro slaves. There were four children besides our subject born to his parents, viz.: Martha, who is the wife of Joseph Warner, of Crawford County, Pa.; Samuel, who is believed to be living in Kansas; also Maria and Josephine, who are deceased.
   The childhood of our subject was clouded by the death of his father, thus depriving him of many opportunities and helps in his start in life. At the early age of fourteen he felt it incumbent upon him, as the eldest child of the family, to do what he could toward its support, and accordingly became watchman on a Mississippi River steamboat, his duties being to trim the lights, call passengers getting on and off, and so on, besides numerous other duties of a similar nature. After a number of years of such work, running between St. Louis and New Orleans, he became capable of almost any work or duties in connection with the boats, and was counted among the old veteran river hands. He was for the greater part of the time upon the "Cora Anderson." This boat was snagged and sunk about a year before the close of the war; it occurred at Milligan's Bend, about twenty-five miles above Vicksburg. It was during the same season that the "Antelletta" was sunk at Commerce. Our subject was upon the latter boat at the time. He left the river and his occupation upon the boats about the year 1864, and, going to Mason County, Ill., engaged in farming.
   Our subject continued agricultural life in Mason County until the year 1870. During that time he rented the property he operated. Then he came to Johnson County, and took up a homestead claim of 100 acres, being that he still owns. It was at the time entirely uncultivated prairie land, of small value. What it is to-day in productiveness and fertility he has made it by patient perseverance, continued effort and excellent management. He had to meet all those trying difficulties and unpleasant experiences inseparable from frontier life, but has been proud to see his adopted State taking such magnificent strides to the front place among the States, and to know that every day of his pioneer life has been a help to that grand result.
   The 28th of August, 1872, is a day worthy of recollection with our subject, as that whereon he was united with Mrs. Phoebe A. Clapp, widow of William Clapp, and daughter of Samuel and Rozetta Brott. This lady was born in Ohio, Sept. 25, 1844. She received careful home training, and such education as was within the power of her parents to obtain for her. By this union our subject is the parent of one daughter, Aberrilla. By her first marriage Mrs. Collins is the mother of three children, viz.: Elvira, the wife of William Stubblefleld, of Greene County, Ill.; Mary J., who is married to Peter Kutscher, of Holt County, Neb.; and Rosa C., who died when about eighteen years of age.
   Our subject enjoys the confidence and regard of his fellow-citizens, and has frequently been approached with a view to his acceptance of some public trust, but he has always preferred to continue the quiet but busy home life. Politically, he is a firm believer in Democratic principles. Religiously, both he and his wife are at home within the membership of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are there, as elsewhere, most favorably regarded by all.

EORGE C. POTTER, a resident of the city of Sterling, was for many years one of the foremost preachers of the denomination of United Brethren in Christ, and is well known in different parts of the West, where he has traveled in the interests of his church. He was a revivalist of much note, and was very successful in his work, organizing a number of churches, and was the means, in the hands of his Master, of bringing many souls to Christ. He was a man of unwonted energy and force of character, and so zealous was he in the cause he loved so well that his health gave way beneath the constant strain, and he was obliged to abandon the pulpit on account of a bronchial affection, although he still retains his ministerial standing.
   Mr. Potter was born Oct. 14, 1829, in Washington County, N. Y., his parents being Elisha and Mariah C. (Page) Potter. His mother was a niece of the illustrious Gov. Clinton, of New York, and

her grandfather, John Page, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and died at the advanced age of ninety-six years. Our subject passed the years of his boyhood in his native State, but when he was sixteen years old his parents went to live in Chicago, Ill., and five years later they crossed the Mississippi, and in Fayette County, Iowa., made their home until death summoned them to the better world, the father dying, at the age of sixty-five, and the mother, who died one year ago, flying at the venerable age of eighty-eight.
   Our subject removed with his parents to Iowa, and when he was twenty-two years old he felt a call to enter the ministry of the United Brethren Church, and from thenceforth he consecrated his life to Christ's work. He went out into the world as a revivalist to preach the Gospel as it is interpreted by his church, and he soon became a power in his denomination, and in his itinerant wanderings to and fro among God's people his earnest and burning words led many to seek to lead a better life. He was a welcome visitor in many a household, to whose inmates he brought the comforts of the Gospel, and by his eloquence and zeal he gathered the people together in various places, and founded churches, many of which are standing monuments of his faithful work in those long twenty years that he was active in the ministry. As we have before mentioned, he was it length obliged to retire to private life, and in 1887 he came to Sterling that he might he benefited by the dry, salubrious and healthful climate of Nebraska. Although he is still possessed of much of his old fervor, and would like to be an active worker in the vineyard, yet he is resigned to his lot, and quietly does what good he can while awaiting the Master's call to a higher and nobler life. Soon after coming here he connected himself with the Methodist Church, there being none of his denomination represented here.
   The Rev. Mr. Potter was united in marriage to Miss Margaret M. Andrews, Oct. 21, 1849, and to her encouragement and sympathy in his work he has been greatly indebted for a successful ministry. Their marriage has been blessed to them by the birth of eight children, all of whom are living, namely: Edna J., now Mrs. M. L. Snyder, of Oxford, Neb.; Lucy A., Mrs. A. L. Wells, of Spirit Lake, Iowa; May, Mrs. George Lawrs, of Omaha; George P., who lives in this city; Frank M., who married Miss Kittie Rife, and lives in this city; Mamie, Mrs. H. Buck, of Fall River County, Dak.; Mabel B. and Maud, who are at home with their parents.
   Mr. Potter does not mingle much in political life, or seek office, but he upholds the policy of the Republican party, believing it to be the best by which to guide National affairs.

OHN D. SCHUMANN, of Lincoln Precinct, is comfortably located on his farm of eighty acres comprising a portion of section 9, where he settled in the pioneer days, in the summer of 1870. His neighbors were few and far between, and he battled with the various difficulties of life in a new settlement for a series of years, then began to reap the reward of his persevering industry. He has now a finely improved farm, with suitable buildings, and all the accessories of the modern country home.
   Our subject was cradled on the other side of the Atlantic, in the Province of Holstein, Germany, where his birth took place July 17, 1841. His parents were John and Elsaba (Brandt) Schumann, who were also of German birth and ancestry, and who, when our subject was a lad ten years of age, emigrated to America, taking passage in 1851 on a sailing-vessel at the port of Hamburg, embarking March 15, and landing in New Orleans on the 8th of June following. From the Crescent City they boarded a Mississippi steamboat, which conveyed them to Davenport, Iowa, where they sojourned about six months. Thence they removed to Rock Island County, Ill., where the father engaged in farming, and where John D. was reared to manhood.
   Our subject received but a limited education, but was trained in habits of industry and economy, and in reading as he has had opportunity, has kept himself fairly well posted upon the leading events of the day. Like his father before him, he chose farming for his occupation, and continued a member of the parental household until 1875. He was married

rather late in life, when thirty-four years of age, Feb. 27, 1875, to Miss Sarah E. Rickle. The marriage took place in Henry County, Ill. Mrs. Schumann was born in Wayne County, Ohio, Jan. 19, 1851, and of her union with our subject there is one child, a son, Oliver R., who was born July 16, 1879.
   Mr. Schumann, in the summer of 1870, crossed the Mississippi the second time and took up a tract of land, eighty acres in extent, in Lincoln Precinct, this county, of which he has since been a resident. He built up his homestead upon primitive soil, and was fairly prosperous from the start. It has taken years of labor, and involved an outlay of thousands of dollars to bring his homestead to its present condition, but he considers the time and money well spent. He has become thoroughly identified with the interests of his adopted country, votes the straight Democratic ticket, and is a School Director in his district.
   During the second year of the war Mr. Schumann enlisted, Aug. 15, 1862, in Company K, 129th Illinois Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee, and the regiment mostly engaged guarding railroads and bridges in Kentucky and Tennessee, principally along the line of the Louisville and the Nashville Railroads. On account of exposure and hardship Mr. Schumann suffered greatly from erysipelas, but bravely stood at his post and remained with his comrades until after the close of the war, receiving his discharge on the 3d of July, 1865.

UFUS HOWE. The people who settled in Johnson County during its earlier days gathered here from all points of the compass. The subject of this sketch, a well-to-do farmer of Western Precinct, first opened his eyes to the light near the city of Toronto, Canada, Feb. 23, 1851. He is of New England ancestry, his father, Rufus Howe, having been a native of Vermont, and the son of Orson Howe, a second cousin of the noted Elias Howe, inventor of the celebrated sewing-machine which bears his name. The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Evaline Miller. She was born in Connecticut, and is now deceased. Rufus Howe spent his last years in Illinois, and died about 1857.
   Orson Howe, the paternal grandfather of out subject. was very much like his cousin Elias in point of mechanical genius. At the time of his death he had been working on a knitting-machine, aiming to effect greater improvements, in hopes that it might be made available in time to come. He spent his last years in Illinois. The children of Rufus and Evaline (Miller) Howe, the parents of our subject, consisted of a son and daughter.
   The parents of our subject left the Dominion in 1854, and settled in Ashtabula County, Ohio, where the father carried on merchandising until 1857, when the family moved to Kankakee County, Ill., where commenced the early education of our subject. He was a bright and studious lad, fond of his books, and making good headway, entered Eureka College after having attended the High School at Monticello, Iowa, and the academy at Onargo, Ill. Having become an orphan early in life he was thrown upon his own resources, and paid his way through the academy and college by teaching.
   In the fall of 1881 Mr. Howe crossed the Mississippi to Cedar County, Iowa, where he engaged in general work until the spring of 1883, at which time he made his preparations for settlement in Nebraska, and soon afterward took possession of the homestead where he now resides. He was married in Knox County, Ill., Dec. 24, 1876, to Miss Louisa, daughter of Thaddeus Olmsted, of Maquon. Of this union there was born one child only, Elizabeth E., who died Sept. 8, 1888, aged three years and six months. Little Bessie, as she was called, was a remarkably bright and interesting child, and her death was a severe blow to the stricken parents, in which they received the sympathies of the entire community.
   Mrs. Howe was born March 30, 1853, in Knox County, Ill., and is the sister of Dr. Theodore Olmsted, who, in addition to his otherwise lucrative practice, is physician for the Central Illinois and the Southern Pacific Railroad Companies. He was for two years an assistant of the noted Dr. Lane, President of Cooper Institute, and conductor of

clinics in that institution. Mrs. Howe is a lady of good education, having pursued her studies in Maquon, Ill., and in Eureka College. Both she and her husband are members in good standing of the United Brethren Church. Their farm includes eighty acres of good land, with the necessary buildings and machinery, besides the other appliances in keeping with the complete rural home. They are recognized as among the intelligent people of the county, wherein they number a large circle of friends.

HARLES B. SMITH the well-known furniture dealer of Crab Orchard, was born in Licking County, Ohio, on the 28th of April, 1826. He is the son of Greenleaf and Lettice Smith, who were natives of Maine and Pennsylvania respectively. His parents migrated to Stark County, Ill., in 1829, settling there when almost their only neighbors were the redskins and animals native to that section of county. The nearest market was Peoria, thirty miles distant from their house, which was, however, not the Peoria of today as may be well imagined. They were pioneers indeed, and encountered hardships and difficulties that far surpassed those of the settlers in new countries in this decade. To obtain meal they mashed corn in a horning-block, and bolted it through a buckskin sieve. From this they made their bread.
   In the little pioneer school-house, a mere log cabin, with split-log seats, puncheon floor, flat board roof and oiled-paper window, our subject obtained his schooling. It was just about enough to give him an appetite for more, and this he has continued in the endeavor to satisfy by general reading upon a large range of subjects, so that he is by no means uninformed upon general topics. He was married, on the 21st of September, 1848, to Sarah J. Snyder, whose father, William Snyder, emigrated to Stark County, Ill., from Richland County, Ohio. Our subject has become the parent of five children, three of whom are still living, viz.: Chloe M., now Mrs. Thatcher, who has four children of her own--Nellie, Fannie, Fred and Orrie; the remaining two children of our subject are Edgar and Forrest, who reside in Hico, Hamilton Co., Tex.
   The subject of our sketch came to Lincoln in the spring of 1872, and visited various parts of the State during the summer, and in October was joined by his wife. They spent the winter in Tecumseh, and settled where Crab Orchard now stands in the spring of 1883. When the town began to spring up he built the first business house, and it was occupied as a hardware store by F. M. Sharrett. Mr. Smith engaged in his present business in July of 1886. Previous to that he had been working at the carpenter's trade, which he had learned as a young man. He was well schooled in the use of the various tools employed in that business, and having a general idea of mechanics was a skilled workman. His present business has grown most favorably, and is upon a firm basis.
   The character sustained by Mr. Smith in the community, and the reputation he enjoys, are quite enviable, and as a result he is held in high regard. He is a strong Republican, and a firm friend to every enterprise which promises benefit to the community. Although not a Prohibitionist he is an earnest advocate of temperance, and always has been.

OBERT L. PENCE, editor and proprietor of the Crab Orchard Eagle, founded this journal in the summer of 1888, and considering the brief time since its establishment, it is already in the enjoyment of a fine patronage, especially in advertising. The circulation is rapidly increasing, the paper being an independent and newsy sheet, having little to do with politics, but being devoted to the interests of this section of Johnson County. It is essentially a paper for the people, one in which all may take an interest, and which aims to serve all alike.
   The subject of this sketch was born in Henderson County, Ill., April 13, 1864. His father, Robert T. Pence, a native of Indiana, is a farmer by occupation, and at the present time a resident of Parkfield, Monterey Co., Cal. Robert, upon leaving the common schools, pursued his studies in the Western

Normal College and the Commercial Institute at Shenandoah, Iowa. He then experimented as a teacher one term, and in the winter of 1884-85 came to Dundy County, this State, and pre-empted 120 acres of land near Benkleman. In the fall of that year he took up his residence at Palisade, Hitchcock County, founded the Palisade Journal, conducted it eighteen months, then established the Frenchman Valley Times in the same place. This he sold in the summer of 1888, and changing his residence to Crab Orchard, began the publication of the Eagle. He evidently has a true conception of what a local journal should be, and his management of the Eagle is creditable to himself and satisfactory to its patrons.
   Mr. Pence, while a resident of Palisade, was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Larned, March 29, 1886. Mrs. Pence was born in January, 1867, in Illinois, and is the daughter of Hiram and Abbie Larned, who were natives of Massachusetts, and are now deceased. Of her union with our subject there is one child, a son, Robert L., Jr., born April 3, 1887. Our subject and his family occupy a snug home in the central part of town, and during their brief residence here have already made hosts of friends. They are members in good standing of the Baptist Church, and favorites in the social circle.

HARLES W. ROBERTS, a resident of Crab Orchard, is employed as clerk in McConnel's store, and is one of the most enterprising business men of this community. He came to this county in 1869, settling first in Vesta Precinct, where he carried on farming. Subsequently selling out his interests there he returned to his old haunts in Illinois, and remained there two years without engaging in any regular occupation. At the expiration of this time he once more crossed the Father of Waters and settled on a farm in Western Precinct, where he carried on agriculture until the fall of 1884.
   Upon leaving the farm Mr. Roberts invested a portion of his capital in a stock of furniture, but eighteen months later abandoned this business and for a time was engaged as clerk in the grocery store of Mr. McConnel, in Crab Orchard. He and his excellent wife are people of note in this community. Both Mr. and Mrs. Roberts give freely of their time and money to charitable and religious work, taking a leading part in Sabbath-school and temperance labors, and uniformly extending their encouragement and support to everything leading to the advancement of education, morality and temperance, he having been Superintendent of the Sabbath-school for several years, and his wife now filling that position in the Methodist Episcopal Church. There are few enterprises set on foot with which the names of this excellent couple are not connected.
   Mr. Roberts is in the prime of life and the midst of his usefulness, having been born Nov. 8, 1841, at the modest home of his parents in Dearborn County, Ind. His father, Joseph Roberts, a native of Kennebec County, Me., emigrated from New England to Ohio at a very early day, and later pushed on farther westward to Indiana. There he pursued agriculture until 1856, then changed his residence to Whiteside County, Ill., where the education of Charles W. was completed in the common schools. The maiden name of the mother was Robertson. Site passed away at their home in Vesta, Johnson Co., Neb., in 1872. The father died in 1879, in Vesta. The parental household consisted of five sons and six daughters, nine of whom are living, and are now distributed throughout the West.
   During the progress of the late Civil War Mr. Roberts, while a resident of Illinois enlisted, Feb. 91 1864, in Company E, 46th Illinois Infantry. He saw the smoke of battle first at Clinton, Miss., later at Mobile, Jackson Cross Roads, Champion Hills, Vicksburg, Spanish Fort, Ft. Blakely and other important engagements. He fortunately escaped wounds and capture, and on account of meritorious conduct was promoted to Corporal. After a faithful service of nearly two years, and remaining with the army until after the close of the war, he received an honorable discharge Jan. 20, 1866. Upon retiring from the service our subject returned to his old haunts in Whiteside County, Ill., where he engaged in farming on his own account until 1869. In the meantime he had been married, and

in the fall of that year came with his young wife to this county, settling in Vesta Precinct, where they continued to reside until May, 1880. In the meantime there had been born to them two children, Idella, and Almeda, both of whom were taken from them by scarlet fever. and whose death was greatly mourned by their afflicted parents. They were bright little girls, aged ten and two years respectively. Desirous of removing from the scenes which constantly reminded them of their little ones, they now returned to Illinois, as we have stated.
   The marriage of Charles W. Roberts and Miss Sarah H., daughter of Alexander Thompson, was celebrated at the home of the bride in Whiteside County, Ill., May 14, 1868. Mrs. Roberts was born in Prophetstown, Whiteside Co., Ill., May 5, 1850, where she received her education, and was reared to womanhood, and there taught school for two years, and has taught also at Vesta, this county, two years. Her father, Alexander G. Thompson, was a native of Missouri, but was reared in Erie County, Pa. The mother was in her girlhood Miss Almeda Gault, a native of Vermont. She became the wife of Alexander Thompson about 1841, their marriage taking place in Whiteside County, Ill. Their family included six children, of whom Mrs. Roberts was the third in order of birth. Mr. Thompson was a man of strong character and prominent in his community, being a Deacon in the Congregational Church a number of years, and subsequently an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. He spent his last years in Round Grove, Whiteside Co., Ill., passing away in March, 1883.
   The elder living child of Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, Gertie T., was born April 8, 1880. The younger, Addie F., was born Dec. 16, 1882. They are bright little girls, and it is hardly necessary to say will be given those advantages in keeping with their station.
   Mr. Roberts as an ex-soldier is a member in good standing of the G. A. R. Politically, he votes the straight Republican ticket. He has never been ambitious for office, although serving as Assessor for two years in Western Precinct. He is fond of music and belongs to the Crab Orchard Band. He keeps himself well posted upon current events, and is a gentleman with whom it is pleasurable and profitable to converse. Mrs. Elizabeth (Robinson) Roberts, the mother of Mr. Roberts, was, like her husband, a native of Maine, and the parents were married July 27, 1822. Their family included eleven children, of whom Charles W. was the ninth in order of birth. Joseph Roberts departed this life at his home in Vesta, Sept. 22, 1879. The mother had preceded her husband to the silent land, her death taking place May 5, 1872.

LMERON REED stands as one of the leading stock-raisers of Lincoln Precinct, and makes a specialty of English draft horses exhibiting some of the finest animals of this kind to be found in Southern Nebraska. He has for the successful prosecution of his calling a fine tract of land, 320 acres in extent, and fully adapted to the general purposes of agriculture, at the same time being supplied with convenient and substantial buildings. He came to this section of country in March, 1882, and was at once recognized as a valued addition to the community.
   A native of Ontario County, N. Y., our subject was born Nov. 8, 1841, and is the son of Wheeler and Phila (Wimple) Reed, the former a native either of Connecticut or New York, and the mother known to have been born in Ontario County, the latter State. Both were of English ancestry, and the father of our subject traced his progenitors to one John Reed. who crossed the Atlantic in the "Mayflower" in 1620, and settled with the Pilgrims in New England.
   To the parents of our subject there were born eight children, six of whom are still living, namely: Emily, of Ontario County, N. Y.; Almeron, our subject; Walter W., a resident of Otoe County; Louisa, the wife of E. Stevens, of Ontario County, N. Y.; Harmon, of Saunders County, this State, and Norman, of Ontario County, N. Y. The two deceased are Amelia and Adelia, twins, who died when six months old. Wheeler Reed was a Colonel in the New York State Militia, and was one of the representative farmers of Ontario County, N. Y., a man of sterling worth of character and highly respected.

The parents reside on the old homestead in Ontario County, N. Y.
   The education of our subject, begun in the district schools, was completed in Naples Academy, Ontario County, N. Y., of which he was a student until the outbreak of the Civil War, having then six weeks to study before he could graduate. He, however, fired with youthful patriotism, left his studies to enlist in the service of his country, becoming, July 30, 1862, a member of Company K, 1st New York Mounted Rifles, and was soon thereafter promoted, first to Corporal and then to Sergeant. His regiment operated principally under the command of Gen. Butler in the Peninsula, prosecuting their warfare principally with the bushwhackers. They also fought at the battles of Harrison's Lauding, Bottom's Bridge, Charles City Court House and Seven Oaks, and were in numerous other engagements and skirmishes.
   Our subject finally, with some of his comrades, was transferred to the army of Gen. Grant, where they met the enemy in battle at Cold Harbor, and continued under the command of Grant until the close of the war. They had also done valiant service at Petersburg and Spottsylvania Court House, and were present at the surrender of Gen. Lee at Appomattox, being on the left flank of the army at the time of this important action of the renowned Confederate. Mr. Reed received an honorable discharge in June, 1865, and at once returned to his old haunts in New York State. In the fall following he migrated to Lenawee County, Mich., where he sojourned a period of two years, and from there charged his residence to Henry County, Ill.
   In Henry County, Ill., our subject was married, Jan. 25, 1869, to Miss Nancy Howard., who only remained the companion of her husband the short period of five years, her death taking place at their home in Henry County in May, 1874. Mr. Reed came to Nebraska in March, 1882, and settled on the land which he now owns and occupies the year following. He was married a second time, Feb. 20, 1884, to Miss Marian Williams, who was born in the Province of Quebec, Sept. 20, 1851. The parents of this lady were Winslow and Lucinda (Matthew) Williams, the father a native of Vermont, and the mother of New York State. They were of Welsh and English ancestry respectively, and became the parents of a large family of children, of whom the following survive, namely: James N.. a resident of Massachusetts; Ulysses, of Montana; Lafayette, of Tennessee; John, of Illinois; Charles, of this county; Mary J., Mrs. Calvin Johnson, of Illinois; Adelaide, Mrs. John Hastie. of Nemaha County; Henry, of the same; Amasa, of Omaha; Marian and Frederick, also residents of this State; Lillian, the wife of William Ravenscrofft, of this county; and Isolina, Mrs. A. Miller, of Talmage, Neb.
   To Mr. and Mrs. Reed there have been born two bright and interesting children: Clarence W., July 22, 1885, and Howard O., Feb. 3, 1888. Mr. Reed is a member in good standing of the Congregational Church, and both he and his excellent wife occupy a high position socially. He is a man of sterling worth and integrity, one who by his upright life and systematic manner of doing business has fully established himself in the esteem and confidence of those around him.

OHN D. CANNELL, Postmaster at Crab Orchard, and senior member of the firm of Cannell Bros., dealers in hardware, belongs to the younger element of this place, and was born Sept. 17, 1861. His native place was Rockford, Winnebago Co., Ill., where he spent the first seven years of his life. Thence the family removed to a farm in the same county, where the parents still live. They are John and Jane (Kiely) Cannell, the father a native of the Isle of Man, and the mother of Ireland, and people held in the highest respect in their community.
   Our subject is a very well educated gentleman, having pursued his studies in Prof. Lownsbury's Academy at Rockford, and Souder's Business College in Chicago. He commenced teaching at the age of eighteen years, and followed this profession five years in Winnebago County, being in the meantime one of the teachers in Prof. Lownsbury's Academy. He crossed the Mississippi in March, 1885, and soon afterward with his brother established himself in his present business. They carry

a full line of the articles pertaining to their trade, including heavy and shelf hardware, stoves and kitchen furniture, having a capital stock of $3,500, and sales aggreating $14,000 annually. Their business is steadily on the increase, and will in time become one of the important features of the trade in this county.
   Mr. Cannell was married, Sept. 28, 1887, in Rockford, to Miss Lizzie, daughter of Dennis Reardon, a prominent member of the Catholic Church at Rockford, Ill. Of this union there is one child, a daughter, born Dec. 12, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Cannell occupy a snug home in the western part of town, and number their friends among its most cultivated people. The well-known energy of the Cannell Bros. is the promise of prosperity in the future, and for which they have the best wishes of their friends and acquaintances in this vicinity.
   William D. Cannell, the brother of our subject, and his junior by nearly five years, was born in Rockford, Ill., Jan. 6, 1866. There also he received his education, and was mostly occupied when not in school at farming. He came to this county in August, 1886, and although only twenty-three years of age has already attracted attention on account of his business capabilities, which are considered a guarantee of success in the future. The firm ranks among the leading business men of the place, their transactions being conducted in that straightforward manner, and promptness in meeting their obligations, which is ever a safe passport to the confidence and respect of the community.

ENJAMIN F. DORSEY, who is a representative of one of the oldest and most respected families of Center Precinct, in Johnson County, was born in Kentucky on the 11th of April, 1820. When a mere boy his parents went to Southeastern Indiana, and located near Lawrenceburg. He is the son of John W. and Jane (Connor) Dorsey. Their life in Indiana was continued until 1857, when they moved, and came to this county and settled near Helena. They had been living there but a few years when a removal was made to Nebraska City, where the father died in 1862, aged seventy-six years. After that event the mother of our subject removed to Brownville, thence to Beatrice, where she died about 1873, aged seventy-three years.
   The subject of our sketch was reared on the old home farm in Indiana. When a young man he learned the trade of carpenter and joiner, and in 1840 went to the city of Indianapolis and there followed the same. From that time until 1858 he was largely occupied with various contracts, several of them of magnitude, as his work gave so much satisfaction as to recommend itself.
   To most there comes a time when the desire for companionship presses, and makes its voice heard. It so occurred in the history of our subject, with the result that at Indianapolis, Aug. 25, 1844, he was united in marriage with Miss Esther Ramsey. They have become the parents of five children, four of whom were born in Indianapolis, one of them in Nebraska, where they removed as above mentioned.
   Our subject resided at Brownville until 1865, then came to Johnson County, locating near Helena, where he staid for four years, removing thence to where he now lives, on section 25. When he came here the farm was entirely unimproved, and was in fact undistinguishable from the virgin prairie around. Now all is changed, the transformation is complete; his barns, stabling, granary and other farm buildings are well built and adapted especially to their purposes. His fields, orchards and groves cannot fail to impress the visitor as being in excellent condition, while the house is pleasant and commodious.
   Mr. Dorsey was elected as a Representative of this county in 1878, and served one term as State Senator. He was Postmaster at Helena for a number of years while living there. There were but two mails per week at that office, and many times not more than half a dozen letters and as many papers in the pouch, so that the duties were not arduous, difficult or exhausting. The children of our subject are all married excepting George, who makes his home with his parents.
   Mrs. Dorsey is a member of the Presbyterian