dian reservation. His father, Hiram Chase, was an interpreter and a post trader among the Omaha Indians, having come to Nebraska in 1854. Mr. Chase, Jr., came to Pender, Nebraska, in 1891, where he has had a flourishing practice for sixteen years. He graduated from Zielinople College, Pennsylvania, in 1879, and from the Cincinnati Law School in 1889. He served one term as judge of Thurston County. He was married to Miss Cynthia Snyder in 1884, and they have seven children. Mr. Chase is a Republican, and has taken a deep interest in controversies arising out of Indian affairs. He is one of the council with the tribe in their dealings with the Government.

     O. D. ALDRICH was born in Cedar Rapids. Iowa, October 4, 1864. He came to Dixon County, Nebraska, in 1871, with his parents, his father taking a homestead. In 1880 he moved to 'Wakefield, Nebraska, and in 1885 to Pender, his present home. In 1886 he was married to Miss Dora Abbott, and they have two sons. Mr. Aldrich, a Republican, has been elected as County Treasurer for the second term, Prior to this he was a railroad agent. He was educated in the Ponca public schools and his father was one of the early settlers of Northeastern Nebraska.

      L. W. FANSLER, the County Clerk and Clerk of the District Court, came to Pender, Nebraska, July 19, 1887. He was born August 25, 1859, in Indiana. His father was a miller and Mr. Fansler is a dealer in hardware and implements. He was educated in the public schools of Colfax, Iowa, and at Hazeldell College, Newton, Iowa. Mr. Fansler came to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1861, going from there to Guthrie County in 1881, In 1883 he moved to Wilkes County, Kansas, and to Colorado in 1886. He has been a member of the town and school board and Mayor of Pender. He was married August, 1885, to Miss Dora B. Combs.

      S. M. YOUNG, one of the first to settle on the present site of Pender, Nebraska, was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, November 23, 1863. He came to Iowa with his parents in 1866 and then to Washington County, Nebraska in 1881. In 1885 he came to Pender, Nebraska, where he is engaged in the livery business. Mr. Young is a Republican and Sheriff of Thurston County. He was married March 11, 1897, to Miss Hanna Olson, and they have two children. He received his education in the common schools of Iowa.

      CRATO A. WIPPERN was born in St. Louis, Missouri, December 3, 1871. His father, Adolphus Wippern. was a banker. Mr. Wippern is a graduate of the Normal Training School of St. Louis and took a special course in mathematics at the State School of Rolla, Missouri. His profession is that of a bookkeeper. He was married June 11, 1900. He came to Pender, Nebraska, in October, 1899, which is his present home. Mr. Wippern is associated with the Democratic party and is County Superintendent of Thurston County.

      T. E. POLLOCK, the first County Assessor of Thurston County, was born at Walnut Grove, Henderson County, Illinois, December 27, 1861. Mr. Pollock has been engaged in farming in Thurston County since 1886, where he took a claim at that time. Prior to this he had lived in Potawattomie County, Iowa, locating there in the spring of 1873. His father, J. B. Pollock, was also a farmer. Mr. Pollock was educated in the public schools of Iowa and at Big Grove, Iowa. He married Miss Agnes Rose in 1890, who died January 16, 1903. They have three daughters living, having lost two of their children. Mr. Pollock has a farm of 160 acres three miles west of Pender, and is associated with the Democratic party.

      J. D. CLAUSSEN was born in Germany, December 26, 1857. His father, J. D. Claussen, was a farmer. In 1884 Mr. Claussen came to Dodge County, Nebraska, where he farmed for fifteen years. He went to Pender in 1900, where he now resides as a retired farmer. He received his education in the public schools of Germany. He was married to Miss Meta Hineman in 1885 and they have one girl. Mr. Claussen is the owner of 240 acres of land. He is a Republican and is serving his first term as Commissioner of Thurston County.

      F. B. RHODA, who is extensively engaged in farming and stock raising, has resided in Thurston County since 1886, coming here from Colorado. He was born in Germany, December 1, 1867, and came to Wisconsin in 1884. His father, Frank, was a farmer. Mr. Rhoda was educated in the public and private schools of Germany, taking a college course at the latter. He was married in 1895 to Miss Non McNullen. They have five children, three daughters and two sons. Mr. Rhoda, a Republican, has been school director and is now one of the County Commissioners of Thurston County.

      GUY T. GRAVES, Judge of the Eighth judicial District of Nebraska, was born in Butler County, Iowa, September 17, 1863. Theron H. Graves, his father, was a farmer. Mr. Graves came from Harrison County, Iowa, to Thurston County, Nebraska, in 1884. His profession is that of the law. He was educated in the common schools and state normal of Iowa, and studied law in the office of Mel C. Jay, at Dakota City, Nebraska. He served as County Superintendent of Dakota County and was the first County Attorney of Thurston County. Mr. Graves is a Democrat.

 

      Valley County, was organized in 1873 and it has a population of 7,339 people. Ord, the county seat, has 1,372 inhabitants. The first settlement was located on the west side of North Loup in 1872, and was composed of Danes, who had emigrated from Wisconsin. These men were Peter Mortensen, Nels Anderson, George Miller, Jeppe Smith, Christ Frey and Fall Miller and family. The next settlement was made on the present site of North Loup by Seventh-Day Baptists, who were also from Wisconsin. Their purpose in coming to Nebraska was to locate on a frontier where there was plenty of room to form a large colony of their own sect, unmolested by Sunday worshipers. During 1873 and 1874 immigration was quite constant, although the grasshopper pest was a severe trial for the early settlers. The first school was taught by Miss Kate Badger in a log schoolhouse in the spring of 1873. There are now sixty-three schools, forty-nine of which have a term of six to nine months. Four schoolhouses have been built recently and the entire school property is worth nearly $59,000. Farm land occupies 311,273 acres of the 576 square miles included in the county. Cereals and alfalfa are the principal crops, while fruits and vegetables are profitably grown. Stock raising is a leading industry, hogs being the principal live stock marketed. The county is very well watered by North and Middle Loup Rivers and their tributaries. The bottom lands are exceedingly fertile and are ten miles broad in some places. There is a very abrupt ascent from the valleys to the uplands, resulting in steep bluffs and hills, cut by canyons. Land has increased in value 33 per cent recently. The first bridge was built in 1874 across the North Loup. Before this communication was almost entirely cut off between the dwellers on the east and west side of the river because fording was dangerous. In 1876 Fort Hartsuff was erected at a great cost to the Government.

      ALTA B. JONES was born February 11, 1877, in Warren County, Illinois. She moved to Missouri in 1879 and came to Valley County in 1887, where her father homesteaded. She was educated in the Ord schools and graduated from that high school in 1893, since which time she has taught every year in Nebraska schools with the exception of one year in Colorado. She has attended summer school at the State University, at Grand Island, at Fremont and at Drake University of Des Moines, Iowa. She is County Superintendent and is Republican in politics.

      JOHN KOKES located in Valley County in 1880, at which time his father took a homestead. Earlier in the year he had emigrated to the United States from Bohemia, where he was born March 16, 1864. Farming is his oc-

cupation, although he now holds the office of County Sheriff and is serving his second term. He was married in 1894 to Rosa Petska of Valley County, who died in 1901. His present wife was Barbara Petska. He has one son and four daughters.

      ARTHUR A. CLEMENTS was born March 20, 1870, in Allegan County Michigan, whence he came to his present home at Ord, Nebraska, in 1893. He studied law in the office of his brothers at Ord and was admitted to the bar in 1897. He is now practicing his profession in partnership with his brother. He is County Attorney and was elected on the Republican ticket. On January 28, 1900, he was married to Adelheid Reithardt.

      ALVIN BLESSING was born December 11, 1871, at LaGrange, Michigan, from which State he came to Ord, Nebraska, in 1880. His father homesteaded here and still has the land in his possession. Mr. Blessing has a ranch of 640 acres near Ord, which is stocked with cattle principally. He is holding the office of County Clerk for the second term and is also Chairman of the Republican Central Committee of Valley County. In the fall of 1893 he was married to Miss Clemmie Hull.

     H. GUDMUNDSEN served in the Spanish-American War as Captain of Company B, Second Nebraska Volunteer Infantry. Born in Denmark May 27, 1859. In 1879 he emigrated to Canada, one year later moved to Wyoming