of the Fifteenth Session of the Nebraska Legislature and has been elected County judge on the Populist ticket.

      T. HEDGES was born in Washington County, New York, July 28, 1837. He moved to Illinois in 1872 and to Nebraska in 1878. He was educated in Greenwich Academy and Stratton's Commercial School, New York. During the Civil War he was First Lieutenant in the Second New York Cavalry, serving on the staff of Generals Kilpatrick and Sheridan. In 1868 he married Miss Anna Simpson. He has been elected Clerk of the District Court on the Republican ticket.

      A. R. PERRY is a native of New York, having been born in Oswego, July 24, 1849. He removed to Ohio with his parents in 1864 and graduated from the high school at Haskins. He taught school in that state thirteen terms and came to Nebraska in 1885. He has been married twice, and has seven children. While he lived in Gosper County he held the office of Deputy Clerk and was County Treasurer for four years. He has been elected County Clerk of Furnas County on the Populist ticket.

      B. F. MOORE was born in Guthrie County, Iowa, March 22, 1869. Came to Furnas County with his parents in 1879 and is a graduate of the Beaver City high school. In 1890 he married Miss Florence Keep and they have three children. He has taught school, been manager of a lumber yard and worked for five years in the mercantile business at Hendley Nebraska. After serving two terms as Deputy Treasurer he was elected Treasurer on the Populist ticket.

      F. G. DOWNING was born in Mount Ayr, Iowa, January 30, 1870, his parents coming to Nebraska in 1873. He was educated in the Lincoln Normal and the State University, after which he taught school, being Principal of the Beaver City high school for ten years. In 1891 he married Miss Amy Mitchell and has two children. He is a member of the Republican party and has been elected Superintendent of Public Instruction in Furnas County.

      R. W. MOORE is a native Nebraskan, having been born May 15, 1882 in Furnas County, where he has since resided. He graduated from the high school at Colorado Springs and the Henager Business College in 1902. He taught at the Business College during 1903 and was appointed Deputy County Treasurer the following winter. He is a member of the Populist party.

      J. M. MOHNEY was born in New Marysville, Pennsylvania, October 19, 1863, where he was educated in the Normal School, afterwards graduating from the law course at Ann Arbor. He began teaching in the Pennsylvania schools and then became Principal of schools and city superintendent, later traveling all over the United States as a salesman. In 1898 he practiced law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the next year came to Nebraska, his present home. He married Miss Hattie Bunday in 1901 and they have one daughter. He has been elected County Attorney for the second time on the Republican ticket.

      P. H. GUPTON was born in Christon County, Kentucky, April 5, 1850, of Virginian parentage. He lived there the first forty years of his life, serving three years as Constable, and four as Sheriff, in that state. In 1890 he came to Nebraska, settling in Oxford, his present home. He has served three years as Mayor of Oxford. In 1883 he married Miss Hattie Cooper and they have six children. He is a member of the Democratic party.

 

     Gage County possesses the largest water power in the state. The Blue River, with its nine tributaries, drains almost the entire county, which has an area of 864 square miles. The soil has a depth of from one to five feet with a clay subsoil. The land, which is mostly rolling prairie, has doubled in value during the last five years. In 1899 Gage County produced over 8,000,000 bushels of corn and the poultry industry yielded 1,000,000 dozen eggs. In the south large quantities of limestone and brick clay are found along the Blue River. David Palmer was the first resident of Gage County in 1854 or 1855. He was accompanied by an agent of the Government who came to pay the Indians. The first important settlement was made under rather romantic conditions. A steamer, whose route lay between St. Louis

and Nebraska City on the Missouri River, was making its slow passage in the spring of 1857 with about 300 passengers. Most of these were men who were seeking their fortunes in the west, and many nationalities and states were represented. At length 35 of these men organized themselves into a town company. Being attracted by the splendid water and timber supplies of Gage County, they decided to locate the town here, so they proceeded to lay out the town of Beatrice, which they named in honor of the daughter of Judge Kinney, who was one of their number. The first mail route was established in 1860, extending from Nebraska City, by way of Beatrice, to Marysville Kansas. The progress was slow until the coming of the railroad, and then the population increased rapidly for two or three years until the grasshopper visitation in 1874. The first schoolhouse was built at Beatrice in 1862, and Mrs. Frances Butler taught the fifteen pupils. Since then the number of pupils has increased to 10,378. The first newspaper was the Blue Valley Record, which was published by J. R. Nelson in 1867. Hon. A. S. Paddock of Gage County was the first U. S. Senator from Nebraska. Hon. J. B. Weston, one of the original Town Company, was State Auditor in 1875. Gage County has a population of 30,051. It has good railway advantages.

      W. W. WRIGHT was born in Huron County, Ohio, April 8, 1857, of English parentage. In 1880 he came to Gage County and engaged in farming and school teaching for several years. He received his education in the public schools of Ohio and attended Baldwin University for one year. In 1902 he married Miss Tillie Kuhn of Flat Rock, Ohio. While in Glue Springs and Wymore, Nebraska, he held the office of justice of Peace. He is a member of the Republican party and is now Treasurer of Gage County.

     JAMES R. PLASTERS was born in John-

son County, Nebraska, December 16, 1868. He spent his boyhood on the farm, receiving a district school education in Gage County. After finishing his schooling he followed the occupation of farming. He was Deputy Clerk for eight years and has been elected County Clerk.

     FRED E. BOURNE was born in Macomb, Illinois, March 4, 1864, of New England descent. In 1882 he came to Nebraska, engaging in school teaching and reading law. He gained his education in the public school and studied in a law office. Since he has been in Beatrice he has practiced law and is now serving his third term as County Judge.

      MISS ANNA V. DAY was born in Bradford, Vermont, July 4, 1874. In the fall of 1888 she came to Beatrice, Nebraska, where she has since resided. Her education was gained in the Beatrice High School and the University of Nebraska. She has a wide experience as a teacher and was elected County Superintendent of Public Instruction on the Republican ticket.

      CHARLES L. REED was born in Iron County, Illinois. September 19, 1858. In 1883 he came to Nebraska, engaging in farming and teaching school. He received his education in the Illinois public schools, is affiliated with the Republican party and is now serving his second term as Register of Deeds in Gage County.

      JOHN R. QUEIN was born in Pennsville, Morgan County, Ohio, June 12, 1871. He came to Nebraska with his parents when six years of age and since then has made it his home. He graduated from the Odell High School in 1891. He enlisted in Company C, First Nebraska Volunteers, in May, 1898, and served with the regiment in every engagement, and was mustered out August 23, 1899, at San Francisco, California. In 1900 he was elected Clerk of the Gage County Court and in 1903 elected Clerk of the District Court on the Republican ticket.

      HARRY E. SACKETT was born in Warten, Ohio, October 10, 1874. In his boyhood he removed to Missouri and at the age of twelve years returned to Ohio, coming to Nebraska in 1893. He was educated in the schools of Ohio, Missouri and Nebraska and in 1898 graduated from the Nebraska College of Law. In 1900 he was elected County Attorney of Gage County and re-elected in 1902, having been nominated without an opposing candidate. He is a member of the Republican party. He was married to Hermina Reynolds of Beatrice, September 27, 1899.

      A. J. PETHOUD, a civil engineer and the surveyor of Gage County, came to Nebraska in 1858 and settled in Gage County, where he has since lived. He was born April 10, 1840, in Lawrence County, Ohio, where he was educated, having gained his knowledge of the higher branches under private tutors. Mr. Pethoud is associated with the Democratic party and has served the public as City Engineer and County Surveyor for several terms and has twice been County Clerk of Gage County.

      H. W. SCOTT was born in Cane County, Illinois, February 14, 1859, and received his education in the Caneville High School. He came to Nebraska in 1884 and is engaged in the furniture business at Beatrice, where he has been a merchant all the time since he came to the state, even while in office. He was married to Mabel H. Cook in 1885 and they have four children. Mr. Scott, a Republican, has been City Treasurer of Beatrice four years and two years a member of the City Council, and at present is the Assessor of Gage County.

      SAMUEL BIVENS was born August 2, 1837, at Waverly, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and received his education, his parents having come there from New Jersey. In 1865 he removed to Illinois, where he was County Treasurer for thirteen years. He was married to Eva Cavington in 1883 and they have four children. Mr. Bivens came to Nebraska in 1889 and has engaged in the mercantile business. Politically he is a Republican and was a member of the City Council four years, has been a member of the Board of County Supervisors for ten years and at present is Chairman, which position he has occupied for three terms.

      J. E. PRIEST was born on a farm at Peoria, Illinois, in Jun, 1869, and settled in Gage County, Nebraska, in 1886. He received his education in the Public Schools and the Business College at Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Priest is both a teacher and a farmer and is a member of the Board of County Supervisors of Gage County. He was married to Jennie Barry of Gage County in 1893 and they have six children.

     A. H. BABCOCK was born June 4, 1836, in Steuben County, New York, and in the same year his parents went to Michigan, where he