worthy members of society. Our subject is a member of the K. of P., and usually attends the lodge at Syracuse. He is a Democrat stanch and true, heartily supporting the principles and ticket of the party. For eight years he was a member of the School Board, and since January last has filled the chair of Justice of the Peace.

ON. ANTON ZIMMERER, a well-known and prominent citizen and business man of Nebraska City, proprietor of the Crystal Palace Jewelry, China and Crockery Store, was one of the early pioneers of this State, and has done his share in developing its varied resources and in promoting its commercial interests. His portrait is given in this volume, appearing on the opposite page. He was born Sept. 15, 1832, in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany. His father, Joseph Zimmerer, was born in the same locality, as were also his parents, Alois and Theresa Zimmerer, and they spent their entire lives there. The father of our subject was a farmer, owning a farm of thirty acres, and he followed agricultural pursuits in his native land until his death, in 1871. He was a man whose honest, straightforward dealings with his fellows gained him the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact. The maiden name of his worthy wife was Maria Mauch, and she was likewise a lifelong resident of the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, dying there at the home of her husband, in 1849. She was a daughter of Anton and Theresa (Geiger) Mauch. To her and her husband were born eleven children, seven of whom grew up: Alois, Anton, Elizabeth, Kunigunda, Genevieve, Carl and John. Alois lives in France; Elizabeth lives on the old homestead; Kunigunda came to America, married William Bischof, and died in Nebraska City; Carl and John live in Nebraska, the former in York and the latter in Seward.
   Anton Zimmerer was reared in his native land, and received the advantages of its excellent school system until he was fourteen years of age, being at that time prepared to enter college. But his father's limited means obliged our subject to forego his ambitious desire for a university education, and at the age of sixteen he commenced to learn the tailor's trade, serving an apprenticeship of three years. He subsequently traveled in Switzerland, and worked as a tailor in the larger cities there for a time. When he was twenty-one he returned to his birthplace, and at about that time occurred the customary drawing of lots to decide which of the young men of the village should go to serve in the German Army. Fortunately he drew a lucky number, although he came within one of drawing one that would have indicated that he must become a soldier, and being thus freed from military duty, he was granted leave to come to America, and on the 16th of September, 1853, he set sail from Rotterdam, bound for this land of promise. While still sailing on the North Sea cholera broke out on board the vessel, and it was quarantined for a time in the Marine Hospital of the Netherlands, and did not land in New York until the 24th of the following December. Our subject proceeded directly to Madison, Ind., where he arrived not only with empty pockets, but had to begin his new life $75 in debt. Nothing daunted by this discouraging fact, he courageously sought work, and was soon employed at his trade. At the end of nine months he left Madison and proceeded to Cincinnati, Ohio, and from there to Springboro, where he worked at tailoring until 1856. In the fall of that year he went to Des Moines, Iowa, then a place of about 5,000 inhabitants. In the spring of 1857 he started on a pedestrian tour for this city, there being no railway at that time, and coming by the way of Council Bluffs, arrived here on the 22d of April, having walked a distance of 300 miles. He found Nebraska City a small town, with but a few hundred inhabitants; the old block house, built by the Government, was still standing, and that part of the town on the east side of the creek, known as Kearney, was the business portion of the city. The whole section of country west was wild prairie owned by the Government, and not yet in the market, and later was sold at $1.25 an acre. Deer, antelopes and wild turkeys were plentiful at that time, and there were no railways west of Eastern Iowa or Missouri, all transportation being done by steamers on the river or by teams overland. Nebraska City be

came the headquarters for the freighters across the plains, and after the surrounding country began to be settled it was the market and depot for supplies for the settlements for some time.
   Mr. Zimmerer easily found employment at his trade, but he soon concluded that he would turn his attention to agriculture on this rich and fertile soil, and he went to Pawnee County and took up a tract of Government land. In the following year (1858) he hired some breaking done, built a log house, and in 1859 took up his residence on his land. He remained there engaged in farming, with Nebraska City, fifty miles distant, his nearest market, for three years, making an undoubted success of his agricultural venture. He then sold his farm, returned to Nebraska City, and with the proceeds of the sale established himself as a merchant tailor, opening a custom shop, and continuing in that business until 1868. He then formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Mr. Bischof, and opened a hardware store, which they managed together until 1883, when our subject disposed of his interest in the establishment to his partner. He then bought 1,000 acres of land in Gage County, intending to engage extensively in farming and stock-raising, but he changed his mind, and in 1886 bought his present store, and is doing a large business.
   Our subject was married, Aug. 30,1868, to Emma Zepf, and to them nine children have been born, as follows: Carl, Tony, John, Maurice, Alpha, Nettie, Frank, Eddie and Fred. Mr. Zimmerer has two children by a former marriage -- Emma and Lizzie. Emma is the wife of F. Daniel Kees, a prominent hardware merchant, of Beatrice; Lizzie is the wife of George Street, a prosperous farmer and stock-raiser, of Oberlin, Kan. Mrs. Zimmerer is a member of the Baptist Church, and, with her husband, occupies a high social position in this community. Mrs. Zimmerer was born Jan. 22, 1844, in Frittlingen, Wurtemberg, and reared in the same village. She came to this country with her parents when but seven years old. Her father, Mr. Nicolaus Zepf, resided on a farm near Pontiac, Ill., where he died in 1872. The mother, Mrs. Francis Zepf, nee Zimmerer, is still living at the old homestead in Livingston County, Ill.
   Mr Zimmerer is pre-eminently a self-made man, owing all that he is and has to his own indomitable energy, excellent business talent and persistency, so that he is now numbered among the men of influence and wealth who reside in this city. During the time that he has been in business here his residence has been outside of the city limits, so that he has not taken an active part in municipal affairs, but he has been a prominent office-holder of Otoe County, being one of the leading councillors of the Republican party. He was a candidate at onetime for the county treasuryship, but was defeated by a very small majority, his opponent being an old and tried incumbent of the office. In 1868 he served with distinction as Representative to the State Legislature, which then for the first time met at Lincoln, and was on several important committees, the most important of which was, perhaps, the Committee on Emigration. Mr. Zimmerer is prominently identified with the I. O. O. F., which he first joined in Ohio, and is at present a member of Frontier Lodge No. 3; he has served as Grand Master of the State, in 1875-76. He is also a member of Ridgley Encampment No. 1, I. O. O. F., and he has twice been a delegate to the Sovereign Grand Lodge Odd Fellows of the United States.

OHN W. HOAGLAND, a well-to-do farmer of Belmont Precinct, owns a good property on section 17, upon which he has made great improvements since it came into his possession. A native of Morgan County, Ill., he was born Nov. 16, 1836, and is the son of George W. and Catherine (West) Hoagland, the former of whom was a native of Morristown, N. J., and the latter born near the city of Frankfort, Franklin Co., Ky. They are now residing at Springfield, Ill.
   The parental household consisted of six children, named as follows: Mary L., Mrs. Ruyan; Mrs. Easley; Emma, Mrs. Holmes; John and George. John W. Hoagland received a common-school education, and was reared a farm boy. He came to this county alone in the spring of 1870, and the year following settled upon the land included in his present farm. He is now the owner of 480 acres, and makes a specialty of stock-