County formed a part of the roadway over which thousands of western emigrants and Mormons passed. The Salt Lake Express, which carried the first mail, was started in 1858. The stations were fifty miles apart, and the "Express" consisted of a wagon and driver, drawn by six mules, and a "whipper-up," who rode horseback. Horace Greeley passed through the county in 1859, when the settlements consisted of trading ranches established along the trail. The first actual settlers were George Weisel and John, Charles and William Nihgtingale (sic), who located near Alexandria in 1858. During the following year Joseph Walker and James Reed settled on the Little Blue. While the Civil War was in progress settlements were made only at ranches. In 1869 Company A, First Nebraska Cavalry, was organized and a stockade called Fort Butler was erected. The settlers suffered greatly at the hands of the Sioux in their raid of 1864. Thayer is the home of the woman's suffrage movement in Nebraska. Susan B. Anthony lectured here in 1877 and Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1879, at which time the Thayer County Woman's Suffrage Association was established. The county was organized in 1871, with 400 inhabitants. Its present population is 14,325, 1,511 of which reside at the county seat, Hebron. There are 5,259 school children and 101 schools.

      WILLIAM L. WHITNEY, a Republican, and the County Judge of Thayer County, was born January 19, 1861, at Groveland, Illinois. His father, Isaac S. Whitney, was a tailor. His mother's maiden name was Belle H. Allen. He removed from Illinois to Alexandria, Nebraska, in September, 1886. He was educated in the common schools of Groveland, Illinois, and attended a business college and took a law course at Peoria, Illinois.

      J. A. BOTHWELL was born September 26, 1855, at Albany, Illinois. He removed from Illinois to Fillmore County; Nebraska, in 1873 and in 1891 he went to Bruning, Nebraska, as Cashier of the German Bank. He received a common school education and has followed the vocation of banking. His parents were Jeremiah and Sarah Bothwell. Mr. Bothwell is associated with the Republican party and is County Treasurer of Thayer County.

      CAL. R. PHILLIPPI, the County Superintendent of Thayer County, was born June 26, 1870, in Pennsylvania. His father, Daniel Phillippi, was a farmer. Mr. Phillippi came to Thayer County in April, 1892, where he has followed teaching as his profession. He was educated in the common and high schools and

attended the State Normal in Pennsylvania.

      JAMES A. SNYDER, the Clerk of the District Court of Thayer County, was born September 3, 1857, at Somerset, Pennsylvania. Solomon Snyder, his father, was a farmer. Mr. Snyder came to Nebraska in 1875, engaging in farmnig (sic) and stock raising; also teaching school. He has a common school education. He was railway mail clerk on the Union Pacific from Council Bluffs to Cheyenne for twenty-seven months. He is a Populist, and was Sheriff of Thayer County for four years.

     JAMES K. PERRY was born in Marshall County, Illinois, March 4, 1845. He came to Nebraska in 1883 and engaged in farming and stock raising in Jefferson and Thayer Counties. Mr. Perry served in the Eleventh Illinois Infantry three years and was all through the siege of Vicksburg, Spanish Fort and Blakely. His father was a farmer. Mr. Perry, a Republican, has been precinct assessor for a number of years and was elected as County Assessor.

 

      Thomas County was organized in 1887 with an area of 720 square miles. It has a population of 628 people and Thedford is the county seat. The surface is undulating, being made up of level land, valleys and sandhills. Middle Loup River and Dismal Creek are the principal streams. The wells vary in depth from 15 to 120 feet. It is this abundant supply of water, together with. the good grazing land, which makes Thomas a stock raising, county. Large herds of cattle, horses and sheep cover the prairies. These animals are constantly growing in value, thereby increasing the demand for ranches. The county has six districts and an equal number of schools. There are 192 children of school age. The salaries paid to teachers are among the highest in the state, and the total school property amounts to $3,377. Hay is the principal product, while potatoes, vegetables and some small grain are raised. The county has 33.30 miles of railway.

      C. C. WRIGHT is one of the oldest settlers of Thomas County, having been detailed by Governor Thayer, in 1887, to organize Thomas County. He was born September 21, 1836, in Indiana. From Indiana he moved to Henderson County, Illinois. He enlisted for three years during the Civil War in Company C, Ninety-first Illinois. In 1871 he homesteaded in Fillmore County. His business has been that of a contractor and carpenter. He is County Judge of Thomas County and is affiliated with the Populist party. In 1855 he married Miss Angeline Mark, but she died in 1886. He makes a specialty of cultivating grass, and was appointed by the state commission to collect grasses for the St. Louis Exposition, to which he sent a collection of 280 varieties. Besides his present office, he has been Justice of the Peace for ten years and also County Commissioner.

      C. V. REMY was born November 17, 1858, in Vinton County, Ohio, from which State he, moved with his parents to Iowa in 1865. After living there seven years he removed to Seward County, Nebraska, then to Montana for six years and finally back to Seward County. He located in Thomas County in 1899, where he is engaged in ranching. He was Sheriff and a member of the Seward County Board for four and two years, respectively, and is now serving his first term as County Commissioner of Thomas County. He is affiliated with the Republicans. In 1888 he married Miss Alice Carpenter of Wayne County, Iowa.

      JOHN H. EVANS was engaged in newspaper work about seven years, but is now a practicing lawyer of Thedford, Nebraska. He was born March 21, 1851, at Burlington, Iowa. From this state he moved to Nebraska in 1883 and first located at Ord. The next year he moved to Loup County and in 1890 to Thedford, Thomas County. The official positions which he has held are Judge of Loup County, Attorney of Thomas County for twelve years and also Chairman of the Republican Central Committee of that county. He is now County Attorney, and in 1877 was married to Miss Lusetta J. Norris of Iowa.

     E. D. ROBERTS was born in England, January 21, 1876. His parents, John and Elizabeth Roberts, reside at Sutton, Nebraska, where they settled upon coming to the state in 1880. In 1892 Mr. Roberts graduated from the Sutton High School. He was engaged in the banking business before entering upon his official duties in 1901. This is his second