ors to improve the grade of cattle in this community he has the gratitude of all intelligent farmers, who appreciate his efforts in this direction as well as his other labors for the progress and growth of the precinct. In educational matters he has taken an active part, and helped to organize the first school district, but he is of a modest and retiring disposition and has steadily refused all public offices. Mr. Morley has now passed the allotted threescore years and ten of man's natural days, and is preparing to retire from active toil, and with that end in view is disposing of his stock and getting ready to give up agricultural work. For sixty years he has toiled without ceasing, working always for the best interests of his family and community, and now, as old age comes creeping on, he feels justly entitled to a few years of ease and comfort, that he may enjoy the competence that he has accumulated. He is a man of undisputed honesty and integrity in all business transactions, and has the honor and respect of the entire community. He was reared in the faith of the Church of England, but now supports the Methodist Episcopal Church, which be assisted in building and regularly attends. In politics he is a Republican.

OBERT H. HAMMOND. It is nearly thirty years since this honored pioneer of Pawnee County first set foot upon the soil of Nebraska, having come hither in 1857, during its Territorial days. He pre-empted 160 acres of land in Pawnee Precinct, upon which he effected considerable improvement, and then added to his landed estate to the amount of 160 acres on section 4. He now has one of the finest farms in this region, devoted largely to stock-raising, an industry which yields him a handsome income.
   The native place of our subject was in Jefferson County, Ind., and the date of his birth Nov. 1, 1825. His father, Peter Hammond, was born in Maryland, but reared mostly in Pennsylvania, to which State his parents removed when he was quite young. He was reared a farmer's boy, and upon reaching man's estate married Miss Nancy Chambers, a native of Virginia, who was the daughter of Robert Chambers, who subsequently emigrated to Indiana. He was born in 1800, and died in Jefferson County, Ind,, in 1836. His excellent wife survived him a period of forty years, remaining a widow, and passing to her final rest in 1876.
   To the parents of our subject there were born five sons and five daughters, six of whom are still living, making their homes mostly in Indiana. Robert H., our subject, was the third in order of birth, and, like his brothers and sisters, received his education in the common schools of Jefferson County, Ind. He remained a member of his father's household until reaching manhood, then commenced farming for himself, and labored thus a period of seven years before taking unto himself a wife and helpmate. He was then married, in 1854, to Miss Martha J., daughter of Joseph and Mary (Snodgrass) Woods, and in 1857 they started overland with wagons upon the long journey to Nebraska The first few years of their experience on the frontier were similar to that of the pioneers around them, during which they endured many hardships, but patience and endurance met with their legitimate reward, and in due time they had reason to congratulate themselves that they had come hither.
   Mr. Hammond commenced operations on a tract of unimproved land, and it is hardly necessary to say that the task of bringing it to its present condition has involved years of labor and the outlay of thousands of dollars. It has proved, however, a solid and safe investment, independent of the fluctuations of trade or business. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Hammond was blessed by the birth of six children, the eldest of whom, Charlotte A., is the wife of Josiah Wilson, of Pawnee City; Joseph A. is prosecuting farming in Kansas; Nancy A. is the wife of John A. Perdew, of Nemaha Precinct; William H., Etta and Guy are at home with their parents. Mr. Hammond, politically, votes the straight Republican ticket. He may be numbered among the self-made men who have risen from a humble position in life to a good standing, socially and financially, among their fellowmen. He comes of excellent stock, people who have almost uniformly been distinguished by their industry, sobriety, and all the qualities of character

which go to make up the model citizen. His paternal grandparents were Jonathan and Martha (Peppers) Hammond. who were of Scotch-English ancestry, and the parents of ten children. The mother of our subject traced her forefathers to England.

ON. JOSEPH B. PEPOON. Nebraska, like many other of the Western States, was in the early days an object of attraction to a large proportion of more than ordinarily intelligent men, scions of substantial old families, the record of whose history presents matters of very great interest to the biographer and the student. The family of whom the above-named gentleman is a most worthy representative are sketched on other pages in this work, and have left their indelible impress upon the sands of time. Joseph B., our subject, was one of the earliest pioneers of this county, settling on section 4 in Table Rock Precinct a few months after Nebraska had been admitted into the Union as a State.
   The experience of Mr. Pepoon on the frontier was not widely different from that of his neighbors. He took up by homestead claim 160 acres of wild land, from which he constructed one of the most valuable homesteads within the limits of Pawnee County. Upon it, when he took possession, there had not been turned a furrow, neither was there a tree nor a shrub, the whole being covered with a growth of luxuriant prairie grass. The bringing of the soil to a state of cultivation, the planting of fruit and shade trees, the erection of farm buildings, the gathering together of the live stock and machinery, has involved the labor of years and the outlay of thousands of dollars. The proprietor cannot, however, fail to view with much satisfaction the results of his labors, and feel amply repaid for his toils and sacrifices during the first years of his sojourn in this section of country.
   The farm of Mr. Pepoon is mostly enclosed by beautiful hedge fencing, of which he planted two and one-half miles. He has a good orchard and trees of the smaller fruits, and has gathered around his family the thousand and one little comforts and conveniences which have so much to do with the happiness of a home. Upon first coming here he put up a cottonwood house of green wood, and as a natural consequence the boards all warped out of shape. The lumber he bought and hauled from Aspinwall, on the Missouri. and as the timber was green and warped out of shape he re-covered it with pine hauled from Table Rock. There was not then a bridge in the precinct, and Mr. P. assisted in the erection of the first structure of this kind across the Nemaha. He also assisted in the organization of his school district, which was effected in 1868. He was also elected one of the first Directors of the district, and was Chairman of the board which was instrumental in the building of the first schoolhouse at a cost of $250.
   Mr. Pepoon held the above-named office for a period of six years, and has been a member of the board from the first, officiating most of the time as Treasurer. He has also held other positions of trust, was elected County Commissioner by the Republicans in 1873, serving three years, during which time many improvements were made in the county in the building of bridges, improving the highways, etc. Table Rock Precinct claims that it has more good bridges than any other section in the county, and for this feature in its landscape is largely indebted to Mr. Pepoon. He has ever signalized himself as the friend of the enterprises calculated to build up the county, and thus improve the condition of its people.
   In the fall of 1877 our subject was elected State Senator to fill a vacancy. In 1883 he was elected County Surveyor, serving at the time his brother-in-law, Mr. Howe, was County Superintendent of Schools. and had considerable to do with the laying out of roads, which work no one can dispute was well done. On his own premises are the modern improvements of the day, including hay-scales and windmill, with graded Short-horn cattle and excellent breeds of horses and swine. His labors as in agriculturist have assisted in contributing in an equal manner to the reputation of the county.
   The surroundings of the early life of Mr. Pepoon no doubt had much to do with the development of a character naturally strong and self-reliant. He was born near the shores of Lake Erie, in Painesville, Ohio, Jan. 5, 1838, and lived there until a

lad of twelve years. He then accompanied his parents to the town of Warren, Jo Daviess Co., Ill., where he completed his education in the academy and developed into a pedagogue, teaching school thereafter three winters. In the spring of 1860 he turned his steps toward the farther West, crossing the plains to Oregon with an ox-team, the journey occupying five months. In this enterprise he was accompanied by F. T. Boone and others, and journeyed by the way of the Platte River, Elkhorn, South Pass, Soda Springs and Humboldt River, crossing the northern part of California and Honey Lake Valley. In the far Northwest he engaged in farming one year and until after the outbreak of the Rebellion. A few months later he enlisted, in November, 1861, in Company A, 1st Oregon Cavalry, and served on the frontier three years. The regiment expected to be sent South to take part in putting down the Rebellion, but the Indians being emboldened by the absence of so many men who had gone to the war, their services were required on the frontier, and the regiment was detailed mostly to meet emigrants and escort them in safety to their destination. They had several fights with the savages, and in the discharge of their duties traveled all over that region of country. Mr. Pepoon with his company was discharged in November, 1864, at Ft. Vancouver, W. T., whence he returned to Oregon, and at Dallas City was engaged as a clerk in a store. The year following, however, he returned to his old home at Warren, Ill., being drawn thither by an attraction impossible to resist.
   This attraction to which we have alluded was a most estimable young lady, Miss Elizabeth Shaw, to whom our subject was married April 19, 1866. They sojourned in the Prairie State a few months, then sought their new home in Nebraska, of which they have since been residents. In due time there came to the fireside seven bright-faced children, with three of whom they were called to part at a tender age. The survivors are Elsie, George W., Philip W. and Mabel, who are all at home with their parents and being given a thorough education.
   Mrs. Elizabeth (Shaw) Pepoon was born at Nora, Jo Daviess County, Ill., July 4, 1840, and is the daughter of Eneas Shaw, a native of Massachusetts and now deceased. He married Miss Sila Phipin, and they became the parents of thirteen children. Mr. Shaw emigrated from his native State to Illinois at an early date and was one of the pioneer settlers of Jo Daviess County. He was a man of fine abilities and great kindness of heart, universally respected by all who knew him. Mrs. Pepoon was a member of the Free-Will Baptist Church, a lady who was a most suitable helpmate for her husband, proving his assistant and encourager in every worthy ambition. She was well educated, having completed her studies in Hillsdale College, Michigan. Site died March 7, 1886, and was buried in the lawn of the home she loved so well, by the side of her three children. In the biographies of John W. Shaw and O. D. Howe will be found further details in regard to these families, who wherever they made their residence were numbered among the best elements of the community. In politics Mr. Pepoon has always been a strong Republican.

RED SAXENBERGER, M. D., one of the most courteous and dignified members of his profession, commands the respect and confidence of all with whom be comes in contact, as well by this as by his skill in connection with his profession. He was born in Dessau, Prussia, in 1840, and received the rudiments of his literary education in the public schools of his native land, where be thoroughly prepared himself for the classical and professional course which followed.
   Dr. Saxenberger entered the Leipsic Medical Institute in Saxony, in 1863, taking the full course of study, as prescribed by the Homeopathic and Eclectic Schools of Medicine and Surgery. He was graduated in 1867, receiving from his college a diploma. He also acquired an education in the classics, covering metaphysics, science, philosophy and the arts. He has been a close student all his life, it keen observer of passing events, and has kept himself well abreast of the progress made in the science of medicine.
   In 1869 Dr. Saxenberger emigrated to America, landing in the city of Baltimore. Thence he pro-

ceeded to New York City, where he had friends, and subsequently to Omaha, this State, where he began the practice of his profession and was eminently successful. After a residence of six years in that city he changed his abode to Seward, Neb., where he followed his practice a period of seven years. He was subsequently a resident of Waco one year, then removed to Humboldt, where he sojourned two years; was next at Dawson two years, and in May, 1888, established a drug-store at Steinauer, where he has since lived. He possesses a degree of erudition seldom attainable outside the thorough institutions of Germany.
   The marriage of our subject with Miss Mary E., daughter of George and Catharine Wiseman, was celebrated in York County, this State, on the 7th of March, 1884. The three children born to them are all deceased. Mrs. Saxenberger is a very estimable lady, intelligent, and possessing excellent conversational powers. Their home is a model of neatness and comfort. Both the Doctor and his lady are members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are numbered among its most active workers. Dr. S. before emigrating to America served in the German Army the allotted time required from the sons of the Fatherland. He has become thoroughly identified with the interests of his adopted country, and especially with those of Pawnee County.

ILLIAM BARR represents the agricultural interests of Pawnee County as an active and prosperous farmer of Mission Creek Precinct, successfully managing his farm, comprising the northeast quarter of section 18, that for fertility and productiveness is unsurpassed by any in its vicinity. Mr. Barr is descended from a sterling Celtic ancestry, from whom he derives those fine traits of character that mark him as a man and as a citizen. His progenitors on both sides of the house were of Irish birth. His maternal grandparents, Arthur and Helen (Goodfellow) Williamson, were reared and married in their native Ireland, and subsequently coming to America with their family located in East Hebron, Washington Co., N. Y., where Mr. Williamson followed agriculture. In 1858 he went to Elizabeth Township, Jo Daviess Co., Ill., to spend his last days with his daughter, and died at her home in 1864, at the age of sixty-five years. His wife, who survived him until 1873, died at the age of sixty-seven, retaining her eyesight in a remarkable degree, so that she never had to wear glasses.
   The parents of our subject, Robert and Elizabeth (Williamson) Barr, were natives of Ireland, born respectively in Counties Antrim and Monaghan. The father was the youngest of four sons. He learned the cooper's trade in his native land, and when about twenty-one years of age emigrated to this country, and locating in Glens Falls, Washington Co., N. Y., engaged in coopering in that place for some time. He was married in New York, and continued living there until 1853, when he removed to Jo Daviess County, Ill., and buying forty acres of land in Hanover Township, put up a cooper shop and actively engaged in his calling. His death occurred in that place in 1860, when he was forty-seven years of age. His community thus lost a useful and honored citizen, as in all respects he was an upright man. He took an intelligent interest in the political proceedings of his adopted country, and sided with the Whig party. He left a widow and seven children to mourn their loss, as follows: William; Elizabeth H., now Mrs. Spear, of Illinois; Anna Mary, Mrs. Morton, of Nebraska; Mattie J., Mrs. Wiley, of Nebraska; Sarah M., Mrs. Dick, of Liberty, Neb.; J. D. and Joseph, of whom see sketch on another page. Fortunately for the family so bereft when some of the children were mere infants, the mother was a capable, noble-hearted woman, devoted to her children, and she managed by hard labor to keep them together until they became self-supporting. In 1879 she sold the homestead left by her husband, and accompanied her sons to Nebraska, and died at their home Oct. 26, 1886, at the age of sixty-two years. She was a sincere Christian, and an active member of the United Presbyterian Church.
   Our subject was born Aug. 2,1846, near the town of Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. The early years of his life were passed in the town of Glens Falls, and his education was begun in a public school at East Hebron. He was eight years old when he ac-

companied his parents to their new home in Illinois, and after that he assisted on the farm, and made the most of the limited school advantages afforded in those pioneer times. His father died when be was fourteen years of age, and the management of the farm fell in a great measure to him, and he thus early developed manly self-reliance. Besides working on the home farm he occasionally worked out until he was eighteen years of age. While he was thus bearing the burdens of manhood while yet a boy, the great Civil War had been raging, and with patriotic ardor he longed to take part in the strife. His opportunity came when he was eighteen years of age, and in October, 1864, he hastened to embrace it, enlisting in that month in Company F, 96th Illinois Infantry, and was mustered in at Galena as a member of the 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Army Corps, and sent to Camp Baker. After drilling there two months he was dispatched with the rest of his regiment to Nashville, Tenn., by way of Louisville, to join Thomas' army. He and his comrades were sent immediately to the front and took part in the engagement at Nashville, having two days experience of hard fighting and two days of skirmishing.
   Our subject's regiment then went into winter quarters at Huntsville, Ala., and remained there until the spring of 1865, when they were ordered to Bull's Gap to guard it until after the fall of Richmond. Subsequent to that event they were sent to Nashville, Tenn., where they camped a month, and our subject was then transferred to the 21st Illinois Infantry, Grant's old regiment, and dispatched to New Orleans. After being in camp there a month the 21st proceeded to Texas to guard the frontier, being stationed at Green Lake, and were encamped on the Guadeloupe River. Mr. Barr was mustered out Oct. 11, 1865, at Victoria, Tex., sent home by the way of New Orleans and Cairo, and paid off at Springfield, having served his country for many months with the heroism and fidelity of the true soldier. While in the army he contracted pleurisy in his left side, which still affects him.
   After our subject's retirement from the service he returned to his mother's home, and carried on the old homestead until 1878, when he sold his personal property, and coming to Pawnee County by rail, located in Pawnee City. He rented a farm adjacent to the city, although there was no road to it, and conducted agriculture thereon for two years. In 1879 he bought his present place, consisting of 160 acres of wild, uncultivated land, and in 1880 moved onto it. He immediately broke the soil, set out groves and a five-acre orchard of 100 trees; fenced and cross-fenced his land in hedge and wire; put up a conveniently arranged house, good barns, and other necessary buildings, and now has a farm that, in point and value of improvements, compares favorably with any in the precinct. He is successfully engaged in raising and feeding cattle, his herd being finely graded, and in raising hogs and horses, having ten head of the latter, and he also devotes much time to tilling the soil.
   October 7, 1880, our subject secured, by his marriage to Miss Nannie Brooks, a devoted wife, who looks well to the ways of her household and looks carefully after the wants of her family. Their pleasant home circle is brightened by the presence of the three children who have been born of their marriage--Elmer S., William J. and Arthur L. Mrs. Barr was born May 18, 1853, near Brighton, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of Mathew and Jane (Campbell) Brooks. Her father took part in the War of 1812. He kept a hotel and managed a farm in Beaver, Pa., and became very well-to-do in this world's goods. He subsequently moved to Ohio, where he engaged in farming until his return to Pennsylvania. He settled in Lawrence County, that State, and there rounded out a life of eighty-four years, dying in 1859. He was a war Democrat, and was an influential man in his community, holding the office of Justice of the Peace, besides other civic positions. Mrs. Brooks died in 1845, at the age of thirty-five, leaving three children, as follows: Jane, Mrs. C. Grinner, of Pennsylvania; Martha, Mrs. Slater, of this county. Nannie, Mrs. Barr, was left an orphan six years old, and after that lived with a half-sister in Beaver Falls, Pa., until she came to Nebraska, in 1879, for her health.
   Before he attained man's estate Mr. Barr proved himself a brave and faithful soldier, and in after years he has been a no less loyal and useful citizen. since becoming a resident of Mission Creek Pre-

cinct he has interested himself in its welfare, and has been especially active in educational matters, and has served on the School Board two terms. In politics he is a straight Republican, and uses his influence to promote the success of his party, and has been a delegate to its conventions. He served on the Petit Jury in Galena. He and his wife are among the most zealous members of the United Presbyterian Church at Mission Creek, of which he has been a Trustee, and the record of their daily lives shows that they are guided by high Christian principles. They are well liked in this community, and have many warm friends among the best people.

DMUND W. BELL makes his home in Pawnee Precinct, and is a citizen held in high estimation by the people of this section. He was the recent Union Labor candidate for the Legislature. He was born twenty miles from the city of Cleveland, Ohio, on the 7th of May, 1853, the home of his parents being then across the line in Geauga County, east. John C. Bell, the father of our subject, was a native of Massachusetts and a farmer by occupation. His mother was Miss Lydia Sturdevant, a native of Vermont, and born in 1812, being the junior of her husband three years, his birth having taken place in 1809. Her parents removed at an early date to Ohio, and she was married in Geauga County. In 1854 the parents of our subject migrated westward to Ogle County Ill., where they lived ten years, and in 1864, leaving the Prairie State, came to Nebraska and settled on a farm across the road from that which our subject now occupies in Pawnee Precinct. The father homesteaded a claim, which he proved up, and from it constructed a good farm, which he occupied until his death, which occurred in October, 1880. The mother died Jan. 29, 1889. They were the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters, namely: Freeman; Harriet, the wife of P. B. Horton; John B., Lydia, and Edmund, Jr.
   Our subject was a lad of ten years when his parents came to this county, and he prosecuted his education first in the common schools, pursuing his studies in Nemaha Valley Seminary, at Pawnee City, where he attended five years. Later we find him a student of the State Normal School at Peru, where he spent two years. He subsequently occupied himself for a time as a teacher. His business career opened as a dealer in cattle and horses, and later he turned his attention more exclusively to agricultural pursuits. He, however, had always been inclined to books and newspapers, and now became one of the editors and proprietors of the Pawnee Banner, at Pawnee City, with which he was connected one year, and then sold out. Soon afterward he removed to the farm upon which he now lives, and he is making a specialty of Hambletonian horses and thoroughbred Short-horn cattle, having of the former sixteen head, and of the latter usually keeping a herd of twenty.
   On the 30th of May, 1883, 1883, Mr. Bell was united in marriage with Miss Maggie C. Dunn of Burlington, Iowa. This lady was born Dec. 25, 1862, in Iowa, and is the adopted daughter of Mr. Dunn. They have one son, Carlisle Ritchie, who was born Nov. 24, 1885, Mr. Bell is a man who keeps himself well posted on matters of general interest, and has given due attention to the leading questions of the day.

ILSON C. STARKEY. Burchard is rapidly advancing to a leading position among the enterprising cities of the West. It has been her good fortune to attract within her borders numbers of enterprising and energetic men, and among them the subject of this memoir occupies no unimportant position. He is at present conducting a lucrative hardware trade, combining with this also the sale of agricultural implements, and numbers among his friends and patrons many of the leading farmers in this part of the State. His career has been notable for uprightness in the transaction of business, while as a citizen he is liberal and public-spirited, uniformly giving his support to the enterprises lending to build up his community, socially, morally and financially.
   The boyhood home of our subject was near the little town of Roscoe, Coshocton Co., Ohio, where