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28, 1828, and died at Mead, Nebraska, January 5, 1912. Mr. Olson attended the public schools at Mead, in a school on property owned by his father. He is president of the St. Edward Community Club, is a member of the City Council of St. Edward, and is a member of the council of the Woodmen of the World. He was director of the school board for over 11 years. His religious affiliation is with the Salem Lutheran Church.
His marriage to Thekla M. Isacson occurred at Omaha, Nebraska, March 31, 1892. Mr. Olson, whose ancestry was Swedish, was born at Brookyln (sic), New York, March 25, 1870, and died at Mead, Nebraska, July 18, 1895. To this marriage were born; Norvin, February 20, 1893; Myrtle, April 3, 1895; of his marriage to Alice Johnson at Grant, April 17, 1898, one daughter was born, Ruby, May 30, 1907. Both his sons are farmers, living near St. Edward. Residence: St. Edward.
Peter Clyde Oman
A continuous resident of Nebraska since February 17, 1882, Peter Clyde Oman was born near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, August 8, 1870. He is the son of Peter W. Oman, who was born at Bloomsburg, January 27, 1846, whose ancestors served in the War of the Revolution. Peter W. Oman was a farmer, and at one time was county commissioner of Wayne County. He married Martha Elizabeth Evert, who was born at Bloomsburg, July 21, 1850, and who is still living. He died at Winside, Nebraska, October 27, 1928.
Peter Clyde Oman attended public school and two terms at normal school. Since early manhood he has been engaged in farming, and is an extensive landowner. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America, and is a Democrat. He enjoys golf, and is a member of the Wayne Country Club.
He was married to Mabel Olive Prescott at Wayne, Nebraska, January 3, 1894. Mrs. Oman, who was born at Avoca, Iowa, September 29, 1875, is a musician, and active in club work, and is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her ancestors were English and came to America in 1660. Her father was Captain John H. Prescott of the Civil War, who fought in the Battle of Red River of the South, with Company G of the First New Hampshire Cavalry. There are two children, Mabel Fern, born June 10, 1896, who is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and who married Jason L. Gorst; and Frances Olive, born May 30, 1898, who also received a Machelor (sic) of Fine Arts degree from the University, and who married H. Lynn Tuttle. Both are fine musicians, and are members of Alpha Rho Tau. Residence: Wayne. (Photograph on Page 906).
John Raymond O'Neal
John Raymond O'Neal was born at North Platte, Nebraska, August 24, 1891, son of Thomas and Nellie Genevieve (Walsh) O'Neal. Thomas O'Neal was born at Galesburg, Illinois, April 4, 1857, and died at Lincoln, August 15, 1921. He was interested in mechanics, and was expert in the construction of railway locomotives and boilers. His wife, Nellie Genevieve, was born at Holyoke, Massachusetts, April 20, 1867.
Mr. O'Neal was educated in the public schools of North Platte, and was graduated from Rock Island (Illinois) High School in 1906, after attending Lincoln High School three years. He was engaged in various enterprises prior to entering the automobile business in 1916. He has held the positions of salesman, sales manager, general manager of the Nebraska Oldsmobile Company and Greenlease Lied Motors. In 1928 he entered business for himself as president of the Marmon Omaha Incorporated. Since that time the name of the corporation has been changed to the J. R. O'Neal Motor Company.
On November 16, 1913 he was united in marriage to Florence Agnes Tooey at Lincoln. Mrs. O'Neal was born at Brookfield, Mo., December 17, 1891, and is of English and Irish-American ancestry. They have eight children: Mary Elizabeth, born June 13, 1915; Dorothy Anne, born June 20, 1917; Florence Lucille, born May 30, 1920; Patricia Jane, born March 2, 1924; Jean and Joan, twins, born February 28, 1926; and John Raymond Jr., and Janet Agnes, twins, born December 17, 1980. Mary Elizabeth and Dorothy Anne attend Duchesne College.
Although not an aspirant to public office, Mr. O'Neal is interested in government and government control. He is independent in politics, but his present preference is Democratic. He is a member of St. Margaret Mary's Church, and is a past member of the Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce, International Sales Managers Associations, etc. His social clubs are the Omaha Athletic Club and the Omaha Field Club. He is interested in baseball and football, but enjoys no active sports himself. His hobby is political study, and the lives of prominent men. At the present time he is enjoying the Life and Accomplishments of Alfred E. Smith. Residence: Omaha.
William Henry O'Neill
William Henry O'Neill was born in Jackson, Nebraska, May 15, 1857, and died at Jackson, in 1931. He was the son of Patrick and Bridget (McNamara) O'Neill. His father was born in Ireland, and came to Nebraska from Ireland, with Father Tracy's Colony. After an active life as a pioneer farmer, he died at Jackson, March 10, 1908. Briget, his wife, was born in Ireland, and died at Jackson, September 29, 1909.
Educated in the public and high schools of Jackson, William Henry O'Neill became a farmer in early life, and continued until his death. He was married on January 20, 1886, to Mary Jane Mora, and since his death she has carried on the work of the farm. There are thirteen children living and four deceased.
Mr. O'Neill was a staunch Democrat, and active in the work of his party. A life resident of the state, he did much toward its development, particularly in his own community. He was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church of Jackson.
John Edward Opp
John Edward Opp, who has been engaged in educational work in Nebraska for the past 30 years, was born at Union, Nebraska October 15, 1879, the son of Jacob and Ravina (Ervin) Opp. His father, who was a business executive, was born at Niederhausen, Germany, August 24, 1851, and died at Omaha, Nebraska, February 11, 1929; he came to America with his parents in 1868. His mother was born near Plum-Hollow, Fremont County, Iowa, August 15, 1855, of English and Scotch-Irish parentage.
Mr. Opp attended high school at Avoca and Weeping Water, Nebraska, was graduated from Lincoln Business College in 1902, received the Bachelor of Science degree at Fremont Normal College in 1906, received the Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Nebraska in 1924, and the Master of Arts degree in 1925. He has attended summer sessions at the University of Colorado and the University of California. His fraternal organizations in college included: Phi Delta Kappa; Mathematics Club; and Pi Gamma Mu.
He has held the following professional positions: rural school teacher, one year; city teacher, two years; high school instuctor, three years; superintendent of schools at Cordova, Nebraska, 1905-09; superintendent of schools at Beaver. Crossing, Nebraska, 1909-14; superintendent of schools at Sutton, Nebraska, 1914-17; superintendent of schools at Nelson, Nebraska, 1917-18; assistant instructor at the University of Nebraska, de-
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partment of mathematics, 1923-25; and superintendent of schools at Burwell, Nebraska, since 1926.
Mr. Opp holds membership in the National Educational Association, Nebraska Educational Association, Superintendents & Principals of Nebraska Association, and the Mathematics Association of America. He has been chairman of the Garfield County Junior Red Cross since 1928, is affiliated with the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Burwell, and holds membership in the Burwell Wranglers Club and the Masonic Lodge. His hobby is reading. His marriage to Lulu May Petty occurred at Omaha, Nebraska, April 7, 1911. Mrs. Opp, who is eligible to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution through her paternal ancestry, was born at Wharton, Ohio, September 8, 1883, of English and German ancestry. Residence: Burwell.
John M. Opper
John M. Opper, automobile dealer, was born at Peru, Illinois, November 11, 1872, son of Christopher J. and Mary E. (Giese) Opper.
He was educated in the public school of Hastings, and was married to Rose E. Rodriguez, who was born at Lafayette, Indiana, September 4, 1888. Their only daughter, Edna May, born February 11, 1899, married Emil F. Nygaard.
Mr. Opper is a Republican. He is the owner of the J. M. Opper Motor Company, a member of the Dundee Presbyterian Church, the Chamber of Commerce, Ak-Sar-Ben, and the Omaha Auto Traders Association. His club is the Athletic Club. Residence: Omaha.
Stella Hart Organ
Stella Hart Organ, prominent in club affairs at Edgar, Clay County, Nebraska, was born there January 29, 1883, the daughter of Harris Charleton and Alice Adelaide (Hart) Organ. Her father, who is a retired banker, was born in Illinois, April 7, 1856. He served as mayor for several terms in Edgar. Her mother was born in Illinois, October 6, 1857.
Mrs. Organ was graduated from the Edgar High School in 1901. She is president of the Edgar Woman's Club, is president of the county council of the Parent Teachers Association Association, is serving as president of the Parent Teachers Association of District Number 77 in Clay County, and holds membership in the Eastern Star. She is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church of Edgar, and holds membership in the Nebraskana Society. She is a Democrat.
She was married to Edgar Dean Organ at Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, November 26, 1903. Mr. Organ, who is a farmer, was born in Illinois, December 18, 1882. They have three children: Charles, born August 24, 1904, who married Myreta Kirkoff, and who is a telephone construction foreman at Fullerton, California; Lela, born September 10, 1912, who is a teacher at Harvard, Nebraska; and Dorothy Organ, who is a student at Peru State Teachers College. Residence: Edgar.
William Ormesher
William Ormesher, farmer and rancher, was born at Valentine Nebraska, May 9, 1885, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Winstley) Ormesher. His father was born in Wiggan, England, May 5, 1849, and was a cattle dealer and rancher until his death at Chadron, August 21, 1925. His wife, Elizabeth, was born in Wiggan, England, March 4, 1851, and is still living.
Mr. Ormesher attended public school and has been in the ranching and cattle business for a number of years with his brothers under the name of The Ormesher Brothers. At the present time he is serving in his second term as county commissioner of Dawes County. He is a Republican.
On November 28, 1907, he was married to Jessie Elizabeth Harrison at Oelrichs, South Dakota. Mrs. Ormesher was born at Chadron, August 30, 1887, and died at Boulder, Colorado, December 22, 1928. There are two children, Mary, born December 24, 1908; and Margaret, born March 25, 1911.
Mr. Ormesher is a member of the Seventh Day Adventists Church, the Chamber of Commerce, the Odd Fellows, the Masons, and the Eastern Star. His favorite sport is football. Residence: Chadron.
Margaret Holcomb Orr
Margaret Holcomb Orr was born in Shelby County, Iowa, April 22, 1865, the daughter of Zoroaster Burgess Holcomb and Eunice Elizabeth (Hankins) Holcomb. Her father, who was born in Essex County, New York, February 11, 1834, and died at Clay Center, Nebraska, May 6, 1922, was a teacher; he served as county clerk and county treasurer and was an ardent Republican; for many years he was a farmer. Mrs. Orr is a descendant of Sir John Holcomb who was a descendant of William the Conqueror through inter-marriage.
Mrs. Orr's mother was born, of Irish and English parents, in Lewis County, Missouri, November 11, 1840, and died at Clay Center, July 15, 1919. Mrs. Orr attended public schools of Shelby County and later attended the high school at Dunlap, Iowa. Later she was a student at Stanbury Normal School, Stanbury, Missouri. From 1883 to 1894 she engaged in teaching school in Iowa and Missouri.
Mrs. Orr is a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was county president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union until 1919, and holds membership in the Parent Teachers Association. She has been a member of the local Red Cross since 1916, and is a member of the Clay Center Woman's Club, and was formerly a member of the Royal Neighbors.
In 1913 she became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and organizing regent in the chapter at Clay Center, Nebraska. She holds membership in the American Legion Auxiliary, and was formerly especially active in temperance and women's suffrage work. Most of Mrs. Orr's Leisure time is spent in gardening and landscaping.
On February 11, 1891, she was united in marriage to Edward Wilson Orr at St. Joseph, Missouri. Mr. Orr, who was a flour miller, was born at Janesville, Wisconsin, November 4, 1864, and died at Clay Center, November 8, 1929; his ancestry was English and German. Two sons were born to this marriage: Lesley Kenneth, April 24, 1896, who married Harriet Mae Ward; and Burgess Henry, May 3, 1899, who married Mary Esther Keyes. Both of them attended the University of Nebraska and served in the World War. They are now engaged in the occupation of their forefathers, since their great-grandfather was a flour miller in England, their grandfather was a miller in Wisconsin, and their father took up this occupation in Missouri and Nebraska.
They are proprietors of the Orr Brothers Mill, and two of the leading business men in Clay Center. Both enlisted in the World War and are members of the American Legion, the K. of P., and Kappa Sigma. They are Republicans. Residence: Clay Center.
William McCullough Orr
William M. Orr, son of Alexander and Mary Jane (McCullough) Orr, was born at Blairs Mills, Pennsylvania, October 19, 1857, and has been a resident of Nebraska for twenty-seven years. His father, Alexander Orr, was born in Blairs Mills, in 1832, and died at Concord, Penn-
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-sylvania, in 1903. He was a carpenter of Scotch-Irish descent, who served in the Civil War. Mary Jane McCullough was born in Blairs Mills, in 1828, and died at Concord, in 1896.
Educated in the public schools of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, William M. Orr has devoted his entire life to the mercantile business. A Republican, he has served as mayor of Wayne, for eleven years, and is treasurer of the Wayne County chapter of the Red Cross.
Of his marriage to Emma D. Morris there are two children, Carroll A., born November 24, 1889, who married Helen McCullough; and Neva J., born August 24, 1894, who married A. T. Cavanaugh. The family attends the First Presbyterian Church of Wayne, and Mr. Orr is a member of the Kiwanis and the Masons. Residence: Wayne.
Louis Ortquist
A successful merchant at Hebron, Nebraska, for the past 16 years, Louis Ortquist is now the owner and manager of The Ortquist Store. He was born at Fremont, Nebraska, February 26, 1886, the son of Alex and Lena (Johnson) Ortquist. His father, who was a railroad man, was born in Sweden, came to America in 1880, and died at Elgin, Nebraska, in 1901. His mother was born in Sweden, and died at Fremont, in 1915.
Mr. Ortquist was graduated from the Elgin High School in 1901, and almost immediately entered the business world as a clerk at Fremont. He remained in that capacity until 1914, when he moved to Hebron, and opened his own establishment of which he is still owner and manager.
He is a member of the Hebron Commercial Club, holds membership in the American Federated Retailers' Association, and was recently elected to membership in the Nebraskana Society. Mr. Ortquist is affiliated with the Republican party. Residence: Hebron.
Charlie Joe Osborn
Charlie Joe Osborn, retired farmer, was born near Butler, Illinois, June 30, 1862, son of Samuel Cumbest and Lydia Ann (Kendirck (sic)) Osborn, the former was a farmer.
Mr. Osborn attended public school and has been a farmer in Nebraska until his recent retirement. For a period of years he was a member of the state board of directors of the Farmers Educational and Co-operative Union of Nebraska, and was elected president of that organization, serving from 1921 until 1925. During that period he served on the board of the Farmers Educational and Co-operative Union of America. At the present time Mr. Osborn is affiliated with the Republican party. From 1894 until 1895 he was county clerk of Cheyenne County, and at one time was a candidate for state senator.
He is married to Iva Luticia Bewley. Mrs. Osborn was born near Honey Bend, Illinois, December 24, 1864. Seven children were born to them, five of whom are living. Leo E., born June 2, 1884, married Anna Stuht; Maynard Waldo, born July 16, 1888, married Jessie Huff; Viola Blanch, born April 14, 1891, married N. S. Miller; Jesse Rozel, born November 2, 1894, married Olga Gebauer; Clifford June, born June 18, 1906, married Mildred Gurr; Sidney Roscoe, born May 23, 1886, died March 8, 1888; and Tiny Ruth, born December 14, 1892, died January 1, 1893.
Mr. Osborn has been outstanding in his community for many years and was recently made a life member of The Nebraskana Society. His religious affiliation is with Lemon Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church. Residence: Sidney.
George Carlisle Osborn
George Carlisle Osborn, prominent Box Butte County farmer, was born at New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, December 20, 1886, son of Jacob Cyrus and Sarah Margaret (Moore) Osborn.
His father was born at Mercer, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1855, and homesteaded northeast of Hemingford in the fall of 1892. He made that homestead his home until his death at Kearney, September 13, 1926. His ScotchIrish ancestors came to America about 1740, settling in New Jersey and later moving to Venango County Pennsylvania.
Sarah Margaret Moore, his wife, was born at Washington, Pennsylvania, April 13, 1859, and died at Hemingford, September 3, 1904. She was very musical and an active worker in Sunday school and church. Her ancestry was Scotch-Irish, and she was a descendant of General Mercer of the Revolutionary War, after which Mercer County and the city of Mercer in Pennsylvania were named.
Upon the completion of his common school education, Mr. Osborn attended high school two years at Hemingford. He is since engaged in farming. He is a Republican, a member of the First Congregational Church, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Nebraskana Society, and the school board. He was moderator of district No. 125 from July 1, 1910, until July 1, 1913, For eight years he has been a member of the church choir and has been superintendent of the Congregational Sunday School for four years. He enjoys music and at the present time sings in quartets for church and civic entertainments.
On November 21, 1907, he was married to Anna Lilly McBurney at Alliance. Mrs. Osborn was born at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 25, 1889, of Scotch-Irish and German descent. To them were born seven children, four of whom are living, Jacob Gilson, born November 16, 1908, died January 4, 1909; Alberta Virginia, born December 11, 1909; Bernice Elva, born December 21, 1911, died January 9, 1932; Lorena, born April 20, 1914; George Carlisle, born July 22, 1916; Evalyne Margaret, born August 19, 1919; and Phyllis Ione, born October 21, 1921, died the same day. Residence: Hemingford.
Thomas C. Osborne
Thomas C. Osborne, farmer and clergyman, was born near Bloomington, Illinois, September 9, 1876, son of Samuel H. and Emily Willis (Benson) Osborne. His mother's ancestry is Scotch-Irish and English, the first member of her family having come to America about 1780. His father's ancesters settled in Maryland about 1635, and were of English descent.
Mr. Osborne attended Hastings College until 1901, and the Omaha Seminary until 1904. He was later awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Hastings College. A Democrat, he was a member of the Nebraska Constitutional Convention of 1919-20, and in 1923 served as state senator from the 33rd district of Nebraska.
On December 21, 1903, he was married to Julia Mary Jones at Hastings. Mrs. Osborne was born at Oneida, Illinois, November 13, 1880. They have five children: Emily, born September 17, 1904; Charles, born September 25, 1906; Clifford, born June 21, 1908; Howard, born July 31, 1910; and John, born June 20, 1919. Residence: Alliance.
Joseph Benjamin Osbourn
Joseph Benjamin Osbourn, real estate and insurance man, was born at Chicago, Illinois, August 30, 1864, son of Lewis Grant and Mary Deans (Skeet) Osbourn. The
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