which time Mr. Swallow withdrew, and has since confined himself exclusively to dealing in coal and grain. He purchased the first grain which came to the town, and assumed charge of the elevator in 1885. He possesses more than ordinary good business capacities, while his industry and application are matters of frequent mention.
   Our subject found his bride in Johnson County, this State, being married near Sterling, in November, 1882, to Mrs. Phebe Helms. This lady was born in Steuben County, N. Y., and is the mother of three children by her first husband: Blachart, a railroad engineer, and a resident of Wymore; Dr. J. E. Helms, of Burchard; and Mattie J., living at home, and who is local editor of the Burchard Times. They occupy a neat and comfortable home in the eastern part of the city, and number their friends among its most cultivated people. Mr. Swallow, politically, belongs to the Union Labor party, who nominated him for the State Legislature in 1888. He has been a member of the Town Board, and served as Justice of the Peace two terms. He also acts as agent for Burchard real estate, and is quite successful in disposing of town lots. Socially, he is a member of the I. O. O. F., and also a charter member of William A. Butler Post No. 172, G. A. R. He has frequently served on the Grand and Petit Juries, and there are few enterprises having for their object the general welfare of the community in which his aid is not solicited. He is a man of sound judgment, in fact one of the representative men of Pawnee County, and is one of the proprietors of the Burchard Times. A portrait of this representative and well-known citizen of Pawnee County is shown on an adjoining page.

OHN WHALEY. The life record of this honored pioneer of Pawnee County is one which his children may be proud to look upon in after years. A man quiet and unobtrusive in demeanor, he still possesses much latent strength of character, as illustrated in the manner in which he has labored to build up a homestead from the wilderness, and a good reputation among is fellow men. His earlier years were characterized by incessant industry, prudence and economy, the exercise of which has borne its legitimate fruits, as he is now in possession of a competence, and sitting under his own vine and fig tree, surrounded by all life's comforts and the respect of his neighbors, is enjoying the fruits of a wellspent life. There are few men living in this county who ventured upon the soil at the time when he did, the old landmarks slowly disappearing.
   Mr. Whaley came to Sheridan Precinct in July, 1864, and on the 15th day of that month filed a homestead claim for 160 acres of land, forty of which he sold later to his son-in-law, Francis E. Washburn. The balance he has since lived upon and given his attention to its improvement and cultivation. Upon it not a furrow had been turned when he took possession, and there was not a tree or a shrub, not even a hint of a bush large enough to make a riding whip. There is now presented the picture of an abundance of forest and fruit trees, an orchard covering six or seven acres, and trees of the smaller fruits, which yield to the household the luxuries of the season. He planted hedge around their whole quarter-section, cross fenced with the same, and brought the whole to a good state of cultivation. In 1869 he put up a neat and substantial dwelling. Prior to this they had lived in a small frame structure, and when first coming here occupied a cellar two winters before the first house was finished.
   Our subject spent the first nine years of his life near the village of Schuyler, in Herkimer County, N. Y., where he was born March 20, 1816. In 1825 his father removed to the western part of the State, where our subject lived with the family until he was twenty-one years old, then removed to Kalamazoo County, Mich., where he operated a farm until December, 1839. He had in the meantime learned the mason's trade, and also employed himself as a general mechanic during his early manhood. Indeed he has operated as mechanic and mason combined since that time, hiring men to work his farm, raising grain largely, and feeding what he raises to stock.
   Mr. Whaley left Kalamazoo County for St. Joseph County after a few years, residing in the latter from 1839 to 1864, excepting a few years' residence in

Kalamazoo, carrying on farming and working at his trade. In 1864 he disposed of his farm property and sought the new Territory of Nebraska, of which he has since been a resident. He assisted in the organization of Sheridan Precinct, and has been a member of the board since that time, Through his encouragement and support and that of the other enterprising men around him, the schools are conducted eight or nine months each year. His eldest daughter taught the first school in the district. Mr. Whaley has been one of the leading men in local affairs, and served as a Justice of the Peace many years, having for some time an office in town. Although rather independent in politics, he usually votes the Republican ticket.
   After coming to this county Mr. Whaley began operating as a builder and contractor, and many of the best structures of Pawnee Precinct give evidence of his skill and genius. Among these is the Exchange Hotel, the First Methodist Episcopal Church, the store building of H. Irving and others, upon some of which he worked as a mason, and others merely superintending. When he came to Sheridan Precinct, St. Joseph, ninety-two miles away, was the nearest railroad station, and the nearest point furnishing a market and supplies was Brownville. There was one store at Pawnee City, but no other houses. For the purpose of erecting his first buildings Mr. Whaley was obliged to haul lumber from Rulo and Brownville, forty-five miles distant, making the round trip in two days. He had to ford all the creeks, frequently meeting not a soul on the way. There then stood only two houses on the prairie, and Pawnee City was marked by perhaps twenty structures, including sheds and others. His children in those early days traveled two miles across the prairie to school, when it was unmarked even by a wagon track. A neighbor with careful forethought hitched his horses to a plow and made a furrow for the children to follow so they should not get lost.
   Our subject while a resident of Kalamazoo County, Mich., was married, Oct. 11, 1840, to Miss Elizabeth Portman. This lady was born July 25, 1821, in Chautauqua County, N. Y., and is the daughter of James and Lucy (Gilson) Portman, the former a native of Sugar Grove, Pa., and the latter of Chautauqua County, N. Y. Mr. P., after reaching man's estate, migrated to Chautauqua County, N. Y., where he was married and reared a family of eight children. Later they removed to Michigan, where the death of Mr. Portman took place in 1856. The mother survived a number of years, and spent her last days in Clinton County, Mich. The father of Mrs. Whaley was a millwright by trade, but after coming to the West secured a tract of land which he improved into a good farm.
   To our subject and his estimable wife there were born eight children, five of whom are living: Laura J. is the wife of L. C. DeCodress, of Box Butte County, Neb., and the mother of seven children, namely: Nettie M., Ruth E., Edith C., John L., Libby, Alma and Nina. Lovica A. married Augustus Colony of Pawnee City, and has three children--Blanche, Herbert and Perl; Florence, Mrs. F. E. Washburn, is the mother of two children--Julia Ann and Eva L.; James E. married Miss Nancy Canady, of Pawnee City; they reside in Box Butte County, and are the parents of two children--Rhoda E. and Minnie M. Gideon P. is single, and a resident of Box Butte County. Mary E. became the wife of James E. McIntyre, who died in the army, and had one son, James E., who is now married and the father of two children; he also lives in Box Butte County. Mr. McIntyre was never heard from but once after his arrival at Williamsburg, N. C., with the invalid Corps, where he died in the hospital. In 1866 Mrs. McI. married Hugh Wright, of Pawnee City, Neb., and died Feb. 28, 1871, leaving two daughters, Anola and Harriet, the latter of whom is the adopted daughter of Mr. John Colony, and in Pawnee City, and the former is with her father in Ohio. Sarah A. became the wife of J. J. Coard, and died July 25, 1877, leaving four children--Arthur J., Mary E., Lovica E. and Lewis J. The younger children are in Illinois, and the eldest boy makes his home with his grandfather Whaley. Hiram Ernest, the eldest son of our subject, died unmarried, when a promising young man in the twentieth year of his age. Mr. and Mrs. Whaley have twenty-eight descendants in all, there being besides their five children twenty-one grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
   Edward Whaley, the father of our subject, was a

native of Rhode Island, born in the city of Providence, and after his marriage to Miss Sally Chase removed to Herkimer County, N. Y., taking up a tract of new land, upon which he operated until 1825. He then removed to Erie County, and from there to Michigan, a few years after his son John had settled there, about 1839 or 1840. Both he and his estimable wife spent their last years in St. Joseph County, that State.
   After the outbreak of the Rebellion Mr. Whaley enlisted as a soldier of the Union Army, July 28, 1862, in Company K, 19th Michigan Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee. He was mustered in Sept. 5, 1862, as First Lieutenant, and remained in the service until November following, acting chiefly as guard around the city of Cincinnati. Prior to this, however, he had enlisted with the Mechanical Fusileers, doing service at Chicago, and assisting to build the barracks at Camp Douglas. Mr. W. is a member of the G. A. R., and has been a member of the Pawnee County bar for the last fourteen years.
   Both Mr. and Mrs. Whaley are members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. W. is particularly interested in Sunday-school work. The fact that he is highly spoken of by the people of his community is sufficient indication of his standing as a farmer and a citizen. Besides his property in Pawnee Precinct he is the owner of a timber claim in Box Butte County, Neb.

ICHAEL BYRNE. Among the citizens of Pawnee County, who, as sons of its pioneers, were reared within its bounds, and within the last decade have stepped to the front to perform their share in sustaining and further developing the great agricultural interests of the State of Nebraska, the subject of this biographical notice occupies no mean position. He is skillfully operating a farm of seventy-seven acres on section 14, Plum Creek Precinct, within a mile of the village of Burchard. Nine years ago said farm was a tract of wild prairie land, with not a furrow turned. Since that time our subject, with patient, indefatigable industry, has wrought a great change, and now its fertile acres produce abundant harvests. a neat house and barn, and other necessary farm buildings, give a home-like look to the place. The land has been fenced with wire, and groves and orchards have been planted, the latter containing 153 choice fruit trees. The farm is pleasantly located near Plum Creek, by which it is well watered, and a fine bit of native timber along the creek belongs to the estate, and adds to its picturesqueness and value. Mr. Byrne carries on general farming, raises a number of cattle and hogs, and has five head of horses.
   Our subject is the son of a well-known and highly prosperous pioneer of Pawnee County, Owen Byrne, one of the first settlers of Plum Creek Precinct, who has ever since been identified with its agricultural interests, and has greatly added to its material prosperity. He was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, and when a lad of seventeen years he migrated to America. He found employment on the public works in Lowell, Mass., and a few years later was married in that city to Miss Margaret Reily, a native of County Leitrim, Ireland. After marriage they went to live in Cleveland, Ohio, then a small city, and Mr. Byrne was engaged in breaking on the road. In 1854 he moved still further westward, and took up his residence in the small town of Des Moines, in which there were at that time but a few buildings. He was employed in public work there for four years. In 1858 another move found him in the young city of Leavenworth, Kan., and he also labored at public work there. By frugality, unremitting toil, and judicious management in the years that succeeded his arrival in this country, he had saved some money, which he determined to invest in the cheap farming lands of the then Territory of Nebraska, and in the fall of 1861 he crossed the Kansas line for that purpose, and entered 160 acres of timber land on the banks of Plum Creek, and thus early identified himself with the pioneers of this precinct. He broke the land, placed it under good cultivation, erected substantial buildings, and has added to his original purchase by buying 320 acres of land adjoining his homestead. He has deeded away all but 320 acres of his land, which he retains under his supervision, although he rents the

most of it. He has been very successful in his career, and now at the age of sixty-five can enjoy life free from the toils and cares that beset his earlier years. He is an active member of the Roman Catholic Church, and is justly held in great respect by all, not only as a pioneer of Pawnee County, but for his many excellent qualities as a man and a citizen. In 1873 he had the misfortune to lose his estimable wife, who had been to him a true wife and loving companion. She was but forty-five years of age at the time of her lamented death. Of that marriage five children were born, as; follows: Thomas, Michael, John, James and Mary A.
   Michael Byrne was born in Des Moines, Iowa, July 26, 1856, and was only four years old when his parents brought him to Nebraska. He grew up on his father's farm, with limited educational advantages, attending school only nine months, but he has since made up for the deficiencies of his early education by observation and reading, he having naturally a perceptive and retentive mind. He remained on the paternal homestead until he was about nineteen years of age, and then began life for himself, going to his native State, where he was engaged in railroading on the Iowa Central for three years, becoming overseer of a section. He subsequently returned to Plum Creek, and resumed on his father's farm the occupation to which he had been reared. In 1880 he located on his present farm, which his father then deeded to him, it consisting originally of eighty acres of land, but the railway has cut off three acres. We have noted how he has developed the wild tract of prairie into a valuable and productive farm. He has not been without the assistance of a good wife to help him in establishing his cozy home, as Feb. 21, 1882, he was married, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Miss Mary Monaghan. Mrs. Byrne was born in that city, Nov. 2, 1860, a daughter of John and Ellen (Kathy) Monaghan. Her parents were natives of Ireland, her father born in County Fermanagh, and her mother in County Kildare. They came to America single, and were married in Ohio. They subsequently moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where the father was employed as a stone worker, and continued to quarry stone, remaining a citizen of that city until his death, March 3, 1880, at the age of forty-five years. The mother is still living in Des Moines, and is now fifty-five years old. She is a Roman Catholic, as was her husband. To them were born four children: Kate, Mary, James and Rosa. Two children, Maggie and Mary Ellen, complete the home circle of our subject and his wife.
   Mr. and Mrs. Byrue are very highly thought of in their community, and move in the best society of the place. They are sincere and earnest Christians, and charter members of the Catholic Church at Burchard, helped to build it, and Mrs. Byrne is a valued teacher in the Sunday-school. Mr. Byrne is a man of active public spirit, and does all that he can to encourage the advancement of the precinct with which his interests have been identified for so many years. He did as much as any one individual in procuring the passage of the Burlington & Missouri River Railway through this place. He has done efficient public service as a civic officer, has been Road Supervisor for three years, and at present holds the office of School Treasurer. In his politics he is an ardent Democrat, and is known in the councils of his party, he having been a delegate to county conventions.

SAAC BROWN. This plain, unvarnished name is quite typical of the character of its owner. By his neighbors he is called a good man, and this is a term which covers a wide range, and is understood as embracing all the elements of character essential to the honest man and the valued citizen. His career has been characterized by industry and perseverance, as evinced in the building up of a good farm, and by that kindly care and attention to the wants of his family and the well-being of his children, which embraces about all the Christian virtues. Of one epoch in the life of Mr. Brown he is particularly and justly proud, having distinguished himself as a Union soldier in the late Civil War.
   The branch of the Brown family to which our subject traces his orgin (sic) descended from substantial old English stock, William Brown, his great-grandfather, having been born on the other side of the

Atlantic in that country. There also he was married, and among his sons was one William, Jr., the grandfather of Isaac of this sketch. William Brown, Jr., emigrated to the United States about 1790, locating with his family in Delaware. There his first wife died, and he was soon afterward married to the grandmother of our subject, among whose children was Joseph, father of the latter. Grandmother Brown also died in Delaware. The grandfather was married a third time, to Miss Susan Johnson, and later removed with his family to Ohio, locating with the family of his son Joseph, in Pickaway County, where they lived several years. Thence they removed to Muskingum County, and there Grandfather Brown and his last wife departed from the scenes of earth. Joseph Brown spent his last days in Ohio.
   The subject of this sketch was born Jan. 13, 1831, in Muskingum County, Ohio, one of the richest regions in the Buckeye State, the soil being very productive, and the natural resources of more than usual excellence. He was reared amid the peaceful pursuits of farm life. Desirous of seeing something of the Western country he migrated to MeLean County, Ill., and there afterward made the acquaintance of Miss Jane Whitlow, to whom he was married June 22, 1871. Mrs. Brown was born Aug. 11, 1852, in Illinois, and is the daughter of Solomon and Eve Whitlow, who were natives of North Carolina. Our subject and his young wife crossed the two great Western rivers, the Mississippi and Missouri, landing in Merrick County, Neb., where they began their wedded life in a modest dwelling. They came to this county in the year 1879, and he secured sixty acres of land on section 14 in Clay Precinct, and endured in common with the people around him the hardships and difficulties of life in a new country. He has effected good improvements on his land, bringing the soil to a good state of cultivation, and erecting a substantial set of frame buildings. His farm embraces 100 acres, and is devoted to general agriculture. His plodding industry, his promptness in meeting his obligations, and his reliable character, generally entitle him to a place in the front ranks among the respected citizens of this county. To him and his excellent wife there were born six children, two of whom, one unnamed and Lillie, died at a tender age. The survivors are Anna, Geraldina, Jane and Francis. They comprise an intelligent and interesting group, who have been reared to habits of industry, and given a practical education.
   Mr. Brown upon the outbreak of the Civil War was a resident of Illinois. He watched the progress of the strife with deep interest, and in August, 1862, there seeming to be no prospect of a speedy termination of the war, he resolved to lay aside his personal interests and engage in assisting to put down the Rebellion. He enlisted in August, 1862, in Company A, 62d Ohio Infantry, and performed his duties faithfully until the close of the war. His regiment operated mostly with the Army of the Potomac, and Mr. Brown was in four heavy engagements, receiving a wound in each one. He first met the enemy at Chapeman's Farm in front of Richmond, and was successively at Petersburg, Deep Run and Ft. Wagner. His fidelity to duty secured him the respect of his comrades and the approval of his superior officers, likewise the approval of his own conscience. He was content to serve as a private, and at the close, rejoicing in the success of the Union arms, returned to his home in Ohio and resumed the peaceful pursuits of farming. It is hardly necessary to say that his sympathies and his vote are uniformly given in support of Republican principles. Mr. Brown is not connected with any religious organization, but his estimable wife belongs to the United Brethren Church.

[The BROWN article above was typed for NEGenWeb Project by Carole Williams Thank you, Carole.

OUIS PEPPERL. One of the most attractive homes adjacent to the city of Burchard, the county seat of Pawnee County, is owned and occupied by the gentleman with whose name we introduce this sketch. Aside from its importance as a valuable piece of property, it is of more than ordinary worth to him, as he was reared to manhood under the same roof-tree which now shelters him, and has for his own the farm which his honored father opened up from the wilderness. The buildings are just outside the corporate limits, are neat and substantial in character,

and with their surroundings complete the ideal rural estate. The farm is supplied with good machinery, including a fine windmill, with convenient water tanks, and everything necessary to stockraising, an industry to which Mr. Pepperl gives largely his time and attention. He has excellent grades of horses, cattle and swine, and takes pride in his achievements in this department of agriculture. There is an ample supply of forest and fruit trees on the farm, forming groves, and an orchard of 150 trees, while the fields are largely laid off with beautiful hedge fencing, which, during the summer season especially, form a most pleasing picture in the landscape of this region. It comprises 140 acres of fertile land, which has been brought to a high state of cultivation, and which, already very valuable, is steadily increasing as the city of Burchard grows in population and Importance.
   As a man and a citizen, our subject stands high in his community, being enterprising and public spirited, and uniformly willing to aid the enterprises calculated to build up his county. He is in the prime of life, having been born Feb. 12, 1860. The first twelve years of his life were spent many leagues from his present abiding place, he having been born in the little town of Gossawoda, in the Austrian Kingdom of Bohemia, where he conned his first lessons in the public schools. In 1872 he came to America, taking passage on the steamer "Nemesis" at the port of Bremen, which landed him safely in New York City after a pleasant voyage of seventeen days. Thence he proceeded at once to Chicago, and began working in a furniture factory at cabinet-making. Two years later, in the spring of 1874, he resolved to seek the farther West, and came by rail to Table Rock, this county, of which they were among the first settlers. They camped on the open prairie until the father could provide a shelter for his family, and as soon as possible proceeded with the cultivation of the soil and the opening up of a farm.
   Our subject assisted his father in the improvement of his land, and also added to the family income, working by the month in different places as he had opportunity. The elder Pepperl was successful in his operations, and in due time retired from active labor, while our subject took charge of the farm, which later, by agreement, fell to him as his share of the estate. Most of the improvements which we behold to-day have been effected by the present proprietor, and reflect great credit upon his industry, his thoroughness as a farmer, and his taste and skill. In the biography of his brother, Frank Pepperl, found on another page in this work, will be noted the parental history. The family is numbered among the best element of this county, people who have preserved an unblemished record, and contributed their full quota in its development, morally, socially and financially.
   Mr. Pepperl was reared in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, and still adheres to the faith of his forefathers, being identified with this church at Burchard. Upon becoming a voting citizen he identified himself with the Democratic party, and keeps himself well posted in regard to events of interest to the intelligent citizen. He has steadfastly avoided the responsibilities of office, preferring to give his best efforts to the pursuits of farm life.

OEL D. HARRISON, a substantial and well-to-do farmer of Pawnee County, is actively identified with the agricultural interests of Table Rock, and on his farm of 160 acres on section 27 is the famous rock from which this precinct derives its name. The Table Rock Mills are also here, this place having been a mill site from a very early day in the settlement of the county, and the mills have been rebuilt and remodeled several times. Mr. Harrison may be denominated a pioneer of Southeastern Nebraska, as he came to this part of the country in 1866, and first settled in Richardson County when it was but sparsely inhabited, and he immediately took a hand with the early settlers in making improvements and developing the county, assisting in making roads, building bridges, etc. He also interested himself in the establishment of educational facilities, helping to organize School District No. 51 in that county, and he was the first School Director appointed for that district, and held that office while a resident of the county. The first school was held in a log house that had formerly been used as;

a dwelling. In his capacity of millwright, carpenter and contractor, Mr. Harrison built some of the first substantial houses erected in Richardson County, and he erected the first flouring-mills in that county at Falls City, one on the Muddy, and also one on the Missouri at Rulo. In the latter place the river has encroached on the mill site, which was moved once to keep it out of the water. While thus busily engaged for others and in public work, our subject also found time to develop a farm from the wild prairie, he having taken up a tract of land in sight of Falls City, in the eastern part of Richardson County. He made all the usual improvements, erecting necessary farm buildings, and doing all that an active and industrious farmer would do to increase the value of his place, and lived there in comfort for six years. He then sold his property there, and crossing the border into this county, located in what is now Sheridan Precinct, buying a farm two miles south of Table Rock. That was also uncultivated land, and he proceeded to put it under admirable tillage, put out hedge, grove and orchard, and small fruits, built a fine house and other farm buildings, and in other ways improved it. He also took a prominent part in educational matters, helped to organize another school district, and held the first office of Moderator, and we may state in this connection that he has held the office of School Director for eighteen years. In 1882 Mr. Harrison disposed of that farm and moved to his present residence to look after his mill property, which he has recently sold. He managed the mills for one year, but has since devoted his time mostly to caring for his farm, which he has under fine cultivation, and with its neat buildings and various other improvements, is considered one of the best places in the neighborhood.
   The subject of this biographical notice was born in Oneida County, N. Y., Aug. 9, 1837. He comes of an honorable ancestry, and his grandfather, Thomas Harrison, who was reared in New Jersey, was an early settler of Montgomery County, N. Y., going there in an early day, when the way was marked by blazed trees. He was a Revolutionary soldier, and after that war made his home in Oneida County. Earl Stimpson Harrison, the father of our subject, was born in Montgomery County in 1802, he moved to Oneida County during some period of his life, and was there engaged in the various employments of millwright, carpenter and farmer, also making shoes in the winter seasons. He married Miss Luany Bruce, and they became the parents of eight children, seven of whom lived to maturity. In 1851 he moved with his family to Grundy County, Ill., and was quite an early settler there. Although the railway had just been put through that part of the country it was sparsely inhabited, and one might travel for miles without seeing a house. He was actively engaged in his trade as carpenter and contractor, and with the aid of his son, our subject, erected many of the first houses at Morris and in other villages, and our subject put up the first building in Gardner, and continued that business until he came here. The father came to Nebraska several years after our subject, and with his wife settled in Richardson County, Joel building them a house on his farm, and in that they lived until the good wife died, Aug. 28, 1868. After that sad event Mr. Harrison returned to Grundy County, Ill., where his death occurred in 1870. He was a man of sterling worth, whose word was as good as another's bond, and he was respected by all who knew him.
   Our subject lived in his native county until he was fifteen years old, and then accompanied his parents to their pioneer home in Grundy County, Ill. He received a sound education, and first engaged in farming for himself in that county, and as before stated, he became a practical, skillful carpenter and millwright, learning those trades of his father, and carrying them on very successfully for a number of years, as we have seen. Jan. 10, 1858, he and Miss Rosanna Patterson united their lives for better or worse, the marriage ceremony that made them one being performed in Grundy County. To them have come thirteen children. twelve of whom are still living. Some of them are already established in life, having received good educations, and the others are being well educated. William Henry married Emma Jones, and they live at Grand Island; they have four children. Joel D., Jr., married Amy Noble; they live in Belvidere and have one child. Frank-