born in Marshall County, Iowa, June 8, 1865. He removed with his parents to Shelby County, Iowa in 1873 and came to Nebraska in 1899. He is a graduate of the high school at Harlan, Iowa, Western Normal College, Shenandoah and the Law Department of the Iowa State University. He was Attorney of Shelby County, Iowa and has been Judge of Cedar County, Nebraska. He was married to Miss Addie E. Record in 1893 and they have three children.

      M. E. BUTTERFIELD, serving his second term as County Treasurer, was born in Union County, Minnesota, April 17, 1855. He is of English-Scotch descent. In 1879 he took a claim in North Dakota and came to Coleridge, Nebraska in 1888, where he resided until he came to Hartington as County Treasurer. He was elected on the Republican ticket. In 1877 he married Miss Martha Paine and they have two children. Mr. Butterfield has been in the lumber business in Coleridge for sixteen years.

      A. E. WARD, serving his fourth term as County Superintendent, was born in Anamosa, Iowa, May 13, 1868. He removed to Madison, Nebraska with his parents and came to Cedar County in 1889. He took the Teachers and Literary courses in the Madison Normal College and has been engaged in educational work ever since. He married Miss J. Irene Gates of Mattawan, Michigan in 1889 and they have two daughters. He is a member of the Republican party and has also served as Deputy Clerk four years.

      R. J. MILLARD was born in Fulton County, Ohio, April 14, 1869. In 1890 he removed to Grand Island and in 1896 to Hartington, his present home, after spending three years travelling. He was admitted to the bar in 1890, having graduated in law from Chaddock College, Quincy, Illinois and taken post-graduate work in law at Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is a member of the Democratic party and has been County Attorney four years. In 1901 he married Miss Margaret Blackney and they have one child.

      W. F. SCHWERIN, County Commissioner, was born at Doeletz, Prussia, October 20, 1850, being the son of Michael Schwerin, manager of Agricultural Works in Doeletz. He came to Monroe, Wisconsin in 1866, moved to Milford, Nebraska in 1874 and engaged in missionary work over the state until 1897, when he settled on a farm near Belden. His education was gained in the public schools of Germany and by private study in America. In 1874 he married Miss Elizabeth Bremer and they have seven children.

      JOHN NOECKER, County Commissioner, was born in Germany November 25, 1859 and came with his parents to Bow Valley, Nebraska in 1871, where he has since remained. He has been married twice and has five children. He has held several offices, school director about ten years, precinct assessor six years and has served two terms as County Commissioner. Mr. Noecker is now president of the German Mutual Insurance Company.

      JOHN B. SUING, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners was born in Baltimore, Maryland, June 14, 1854. In 1856 he removed with his parents to Dubuque County, Iowa and in 1861 came to St. Helena, Cedar County, Nebarska (sic), where he has since remained, following the occupation of farming. He married Miss Matilda Becker in 1879 and they have nine children. He has been Treasurer and Director of Schools and Road Supervisor. Mrs. Suing is one of the early settlers of Nebraska and took a homestead and tree claim in Cedar County.

      M. P. BUAL, Deputy County Clerk, was born in Monticello, Iowa, July 15, 1881 and came to Cedar County in 1885. In 1888 he removed to Randolph, which has since been his home. He received his education in the Randolph public schools and the University of Nebraska and was appointed Deputy County Clerk at the age of twenty-two. His father, Paul Buel is a banker.

      R. T. O'GARA, ex-County Superintendent of Schools, was born in Ireland in 1838. He left Ireland in 1853 and came to Wisconsin in 1855. He homesteaded in Cedar County, Nebraska in 1870 where he has since resided. He received his education in the common schools and the high school of County Leitrim, Ireland. He was married in 1871 to Miss Susan Hayes and has seven children. He was Superintendent of Schools in Cedar County for ten years and is one of the oldest settlers of Northeastern Nebraska, also one of the first to locate in Cedar County.

      A. H. CRESSY, County Assessor, was born in Tonroh, Wis., March 18, 1859. His father, Henry Cressy, was killed in the Civil War about 1864 at Macon, Georgia and Mr. Cressy received his schooling in the Soldiers' Orphan's Home at Madison, Wisconsin. In 1878 he went to Minnesota, later to Iowa and then to Burt County, Nebraska. In 1892 he settled in Cedar

County, where he has since remained and been engaged in farming. In 1882 he married Miss Imogene Sinclair and they have eleven children. He was the first assessor of Cedar County.

      FRANK DOWLING was born in Hamilton, Illinois, September 27, 1862, removed to Butler County, Nebraska in 1870, attended the high school at David City and also took a course with the International Correspondence School of Scribner, Pennsylvania. In 1883 he moved to Holt County and in 1896 to Cedar County. He learned the blacksmithing trade and worked at that for twenty years, during which time he studied civil engineering. After completing his course he commenced civil engineering. He was elected Surveyor of Cedar County in 1898 and has held that position ever since. He is a member of the Democratic party.

      J. F. ROSENBERGER was born in Iowa County Iowa, January 18, 1861, where he received common school education. He came to Nebraska in March, 1885 and went to North western Nebraska, locating in what was known as the White River Country when it was opened for settlement. He returned to Cedar County in 1891, where he has been engaged in farming and stock-raising. Mr. Rosenberger is a member of the Republican party and is serving his first term as sheriff of Cedar County.

 

      Cherry, the largest county in the state, was organized in 1883 and has an area of 5,859 square miles, which is about one-half that of Belgium, and is equal to the combined areas of the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. It forms a part of what is known as the "sand hills country" and is well adapted to stockraising, with detached portions of fairly good farming land in the valleys. A great many cattle, horses and sheep are fed on the range; the value of live stock in 1900 was $4,667,692 and that of products not fed to live stock in 1899, $1,231,264. About 2,500,000 acres of government land suitable for range purposes are still open to settlement in the county. There are two flouring and grist mills. An important feature presented to the successful industry of stock-raising, so extensively carried on, is the abundance of water supplied by numerous streams, lakelets and wells. The county has 112.71 miles of railway and land is worth from $1.25 to $10.00 per acre. It has 6,541 inhabitants, of which Valentine, the county seat, has 811. Cody has a population of 205 and Wood Lake has 152.

      J. T. KEELEY was born in Manchester, England, October 4, 1859 and came to America with his parents when five years of age. They lived at Brooklyn, New York, until 1869 and then he removed to Hazleton, Pennsylvania, later coming to Holt County, Nebraska. In 1888 he moved to Cherry County and spent three years in the Government Indian Service. In Holt County he was Deputy County Treasurer and is now Deputy County Clerk of Cherry County. In 1882 he married Miss Catherine McNealis and they have six children.

      H. E. LAYPORT is a native of Iowa and the date of his birth is August 19, 1879, When seven years of age his parents came to Nebraska and Cherry County has been his home ever since. He married Miss Florence Hairier in 1901 and is now serving his fourth term as Deputy Sheriff. He was educated in the public schools of Valentine.

      W. R. TOWNE, one of the earliest pioneers of Nebraska, was born in Vermont Ocotber (sic) 7, 1834 at Franklin. At the age of twenty he tried a sailor's life one year and between 1855 and 1859 lived in Chicago and Minnesota. In 1861 he enlisted in the Chicago Dragoons, then joined Fremont's expedition in Missouri, was transferred to Pope's command and was at the evacuation of Corinth. In 1863 he joined the scout service of Missouri. In 1870 he became a stage-driver, built the stockyards in Schuyler, Nebraska, and was Superintendent there, taking the first herd of cattle to South Loup. He lived at Creston, Iowa from 1871 to 1880 and was Mayor there one term. He then moved to Wyoming and in 1883 came to Cherry County. He was appointed County Judge in 1896 and has since been elected three times to that position on the Democratic ticket.

      C. S. REECE was born March 12, 1871 in Andrew County, Missouri. In 1886 he removed to Kansas and three years later to Cherry County, Nebraska. He was educated in the public schools of Missouri and Kansas

and has done advanced work in the Nebraska teachers' institutes. In 1902 he married Miss Harriet Thackeray. He has served as Deputy County Clerk two terms and is now County Clerk. Mr. Reece has a ranch of 1,740 acres well stocked with horses and cattle.

      L. N. LAYPORT was born in Iowa November 12, 1856. He came to Cherry County in 1886 and took a homestead, pre-emption and tree-claim. He has been engaged in ranching and in 1878 married Miss Annie Ladley. He has served the county as Sheriff three terms and previously was City Marshal at Valentine. He has taken thirty-five men to the State Penitentiary at Lincoln, never allowed a prisoner to escape and never handcuffed but two men.

      ETTA BROWN is a native of Hillsboro, Ohio. She taught school in Iowa and graduated from Highland Park Normal College in 1894. She then came to Valentine, teaching during the year and attending the summer school at the University of Nebraska. She has four times been elected County Superintendent on the Republican ticket. She was Vice President of the Superintendents' and Principals' Association in 1904 and also of the State Teachers' Association.

      W. C. SHATTUCK is a native of Indiana, born April 15, 1842. He was educated in the Union Christian College and Terre Haute

Academy. In 1861 he enlisted in Company D, Forty-third Indiana, was wounded at Helena, Arkansas and mustered out in 1865. He came to what is now Sheridan County in 1883 and in 1899 removed to Cherry County. In 1865 he marrried (sic) Miss Fannie Harness. He was County Commissioner in Sheridan County three years and is serving his second term as County Treasurer of Cherry County. Mr. Shattuck has 3,400 acres of deeded land, well stocked.

      GERTRUDE JORDAN was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, July 21, 1879. Ten years later her parents moved to Kansas, where she received her education, graduating from the Dodge City High School in 1897. She came to Valentine in 1901, taking a homestead, and has now homesteaded the remainder of the 640 acres allowed under the Kinkaid law. She has taught school, been recording clerk in the County Clerk's office and now holds the position of Deputy Treasurer.

      E. D. CLARKE was born in Corning, Iowa January 10, 1864 and graduated from the Iowa State University in 1884. In 1885 he took a homestead in Cherry County, relinquished it in 1898 and took another one. In 1899 he married Miss M. S. Carlisle. He is serving his fourth term as County Attorney of Cherry County, having been elected on the Republican ticket.

      R. H. WATSON was born January 23, 1857, in Centerville, West Virginia. He was educated in the State Normal and State University of West Virginia and took the degree B. S. in the Lincoln Normal University, Lincoln, Nebraska. He came to Douglas County, Nebraska in 1882, to Saunders County in 1884 and came to Valentine in 1896. Mr. Watson was married June 20, 1889 to Miss Mabel Danley of Ashland, Nebraska. He was Principal of Schools at Valparaiso, Nebraska and four years Superintendent of Saunders County. He has been Principal of the Valentine schools for eight years and is the Principal of the Junior State Normal at Valentine. He has been a member of the State Teachers' Association since 1882.

      Cheyenne County in the western part of the state is one of the largest counties, having an area of 2,645 sq. miles. The surface rolls from an elevation of 3,350 feet in the eastern part to a height of 5,000 feet in the west. Sand hills and rocky bluffs form a part of the surface. Stock raising is widely engaged in, and there are many reasons why this should be the principal occupation. The necessary water supply is furnished by numerous streams, and the fertile valleys and grassy hills along these waters afford excellent opportunities for grazing. The dry climate and the mild winters which cause little need for shelter are also very favorable for stock raising. In late years quite extensive farming has been made possible by the operation of irrigating canals, and a great deal of small grain, corn and potatoes is raised. Many stone quarries are profitably worked. In the pioneer times the only settlements were made at ranches along the great emigrant and transportation roads. These were started for the purpose of selling supplies to freighters and movers and also for trading with the Indians. There were many sharp fights with the Indians on account of stock stealing, scalping and the pillaging and burning of towns by the red men. These troubles were ended by a battle fought a short distance from Ft. Sedgwick on June 11, 1869 in which the Indians were routed. The first school was taught by Mrs. Irene Sherwood at her residence. The attendance at that time was ten pupils. Years after, this same little school developed into a flourishing graded school with a high school for more advanced work. There are now 1,653 school children in the county, while the entire population is 5,570. Sidney, the county seat, contains 1,001 people.

      FRANCES E. KNOX is a teacher by vocation and received her education in the high school and Business College at Afton, Iowa. Her birthplace is Central City, Iowa, and she was born March 21, 1868. She has made Sidney her home since 1898 and is now County Superintendent of Cheyenne County. In 1896 she was married to Alvin B. Knox and they have one son. She is a Republican.

     H. E. BARRETT was born October 23, 1872 at North Platte, Nebraska, and moved to Cheyenne County in 1877. He is a graduate of the Chappell High School in Deuel County. He was a farmer and railroad employee before his official duties commenced in 1900. He has