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Mr. and Mrs. Bruns have a family of six children, who are named as follows: Ubbe J., Anna J., now wife of Harry Thompson, they residing in the county; Herman J., Trintje, Metha J. and Mary J.
The family have a pleasant home, and are among the highly esteemed residents of the community. Politically, Mr. Bruns is a Republican, and he takes an active interest in local affairs.
Mr. Daniels was born in Whiteside county, Illinois, in 1863, where his father farmed for many years. The latter, David Daniels, was of Scotch blood, born in this country, and he married Mary Potter, who came of old Yankee stock. Our subject was reared in his native state until he was thirteen years of age, then went to Council Bluffs where he spent two years, and in 1878 came to Kearney county, Nebraska. This was a drouth (sic) year, when everything was burned out by the hot winds, and he became discouraged at the prospects and only remained one year, returning to Illinois and later went to Wisconsin and Iowa, drifting round for three or four years. Also spent some time in Arkansas and did not locate permanently until 1886, then struck Cherry county, where he has remained ever since. He first located on Watts Lake, and when he landed there his sole capital was four dollars and fifty cents; but he went to work, put up a sod house and barn and begun (sic) to break up land for crops. His first team was a pair of oxen, and for several years he lived alone, doing his own cooking and getting along as best he could. During the early days he witnessed prairie fires, and about 1888 was entirely burned out, losing crops, tools, grain, etc., suffering a severe loss, as he had a hard time to get along anyway. He has fought fires for two or three days at a time, and used every possible means of saving his property, together with others who worked hard with him, but usually were compelled to abandon their efforts and see everything swallowed up in the destroying fire.
Mr. Daniels has a ranch of one thousand six hundred acres, a portion of which is leased land, which he uses principally as a stock ranch. He has plenty of good water on the place, with beautiful lakes filled with fish and game, and owns one of the finest homes in his locality. His property is situated near Beaver Lake, to which location he came in 1904, having sold his homestead on Watts Lake in the preceding year.
In 1905 Mr. Daniels married Miss Lizzie Hays, whose parents were pioneers in Cherry county. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Daniels taught school in this county, and is a lady of superior education and charm. They have one child, May, aged sixteen months.
Mr. Johnson has proven one of the most successful farmers of Kimball county, and his industry has placed him in a most prosperous condition. He bought all of section thirty-four, except fifty-nine acres, and now owns, all told, one thousand three hundred and sixty-one acres. Mr. Johnson also owns a store at Dix postoffice, and was postmaster from 1897 to 1900. His home ranch is well improved with a nice dwelling and good buildings for stock. On this ranch there are only about one hundred and twenty acres under cultivation, much of Mr. Johnson's attention being directed in caring for his herd of mixed breed of cattle, numbering about one hundred and twenty head, in addition to a small bunch of horses. At stockraising he has been very successful, and has built up a good home and ranch. He has watched with untiring interest the growth of the western country.
The subject of our sketch was united in mar-
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riage June 27, 1899, with Ida C. Standberg, also a native of Sweden. The wedding was a happy one and nicely celebrated at the Standberg home place near Sextorp postoffice. This union has been blessed with four children: Hilde Marie, Carl August, Alma Elizabeth and Lennart Julius, all of whom are still at home. Mrs. Johnson's parents who were old settlers in Cheyenne county, have both been called from earth to their eternal rest and this is also true of Mr. Johnson's father. His mother still lives in Sweden. Our subject stands high in the good opinion of his neighbors and he is recognized by all as a broad-gauged, public-spirited citizen. His political affiliations are with the Republican party, of whose interests he is an active supporter. He is treasurer of school district No. 1, and has helped establish and build up the schools of this region. He has also served as assessor for two terms, and has taken an active interest in the affairs of the community.
On another page of this volume
will be found portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson.
---->o<----
Mr. Frohnapfel was born in Hesse-Nassau Province, in the town of Fulda, Germany, in 1874. He grew up on his parents' farm there, and received a common school education, learning the tailor's trade when a young man, and followed it in Germany for several years, coming to America when he was seventeen years of age. After landing in New York he came west to Hemingford, arriving here April 23, 1892. He afterwards worked in Chadron, Crawford, and Fort Robinson, and while at the latter place enlisted in the United States army, serving for five years and nine months in the Eighth Infantry Band, at the same time following his trade. While he was in army service he was at Fort Russell, Fort Duquesne, Utah, and at Jackson Hole, Idaho, and was discharged from the service November 28, 1898. After retiring from the army he opened and ran a tailor shop at Cheyenne, Wyoming, for one year, and in 1900 returned to Hemingford and opened a shop here, remaining just a year. He next went to Alliance where he engaged in the work there, also clerking for W. D. Rumer and W. W. Norton. In July, 1903, he came back to Hemingford and erected a store building, and is now engaged in the general merchandise business, occupying a floor space of twenty-four by eighty-four feet, carrying a complete line of goods. He has a large patronage in this section, and is one of the leading merchants, well-liked for his honest dealings and business ability. He is also engaged in the hotel and livery business at the present time.
On May 27, 1898, Mr. Frohnapfel was married to Miss Lizzie Ehlers, of German descent.
Our subject is a strong Republican, actively interested in party affairs.
Mr. Coltrin is a native of Ohio, where he was born in 1842. His father was Elisha Coltrin, who settled in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, in 1852, going there from Berea, Ohio. In 1861 our subject enlisted in the Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry and served up to 1864 with Company B, Seventeenth Army Corps, under General McPherson and then General Blair. He was at Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, Vicksburg, Corinth, Kenesaw Mountain, siege of Atlanta, and other battles until July 22, 1863, then was taken prisoner and thrust in Andersonville prison where he remained for two months, going through all the horrors of that place. He was then exchanged and rejoined his regiment, taking part in the march to the sea, and was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia. After leaving the army he worked at brick masonry for some time, and in 1872 he came to Nebraska, homesteading in Hanover township, Adams county, on one hundred and sixty acres of land which he farmed up to 1886. There he was active in county affairs, serving on the county committee, and attending all the county and state conventions as a delegate. He was on the school board, also the township board, and for several years served as township clerk, being elected on the Republican ticket. He has always been active in Grand Army of the Republic circles, and a leading citizen wherever he has made his home. In 1886 he left Adams county and went to Brown county, where he bought a ranch of eight hundred acres, also renting a lot of government land, running from four to five hundred head of cat-
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tle, good grade stock, and some thoroughbred Galloways, and made a success of the stock business. In 1903 he purchased his present home of one hundred and fifty-eight acres, improved with good buildings, fences, etc., and is one of the leading farmers of the locality. He considers the state of Nebraska far ahead of Illinois, and the Republican valley, his present home, as the very best part of the whole state.
Mr. Coltrin was married in 1882, to Miss Many Sinclair, and this union has been blessed with eight children: William H. is engaged in railroad work; Charles is attending Franklin Academy; Clara and Sarah are teachers. Mary, Dollie, Francis and Martha are the other children. Our subject and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Weber was born at Hansler's Landing, on the Genesee river, New York, in 1863. His father, Frank Weber, was born in Germany, a furniture dealer by trade, and his mother was an American girl, of German blood. Our subject grew up in New York, and at the age of eighteen came west to Nebraska, arriving here in 1880. He enlisted in the United States regular army and served for five years, coming to Fort Robinson in the year 1880, and saw service at Forts D. A. Russell, Fred Steele and Jefferson Barracks, being discharged at Fort Robinson in the latter part of 1884. He entered the service as a recruit, and when he received his discharge he held the position of first sergeant of his troops, and had a brilliant record as a soldier.
After leaving the army service he started ranching on the White river, and followed this work up to 1905. He has been all over the northwestern part of Nebraska, and in the early days camped out altogether, never knowing what it was to sleep in a bed for many months at a time. He was often out in heavy blizzards and rain storms for hours and days at a time, and experienced much suffering from exposure, but in spite of all these hardships, enjoyed the wild life of the west. He had taken up a homestead in the first days of coming here on which proved up, and had altogether eight hundred acres of land well improved with buildings when he sold the place out in 1903. In 1905 he established his present business, feed and grain store and elevator, and has built up a nice trade and made a marked success in this work.
Mr. Weber was married in 1884 to Miss Mary Bendixon, whose parents are old settlers in Chadron. They have a family of three children, namely: May, who is a teacher in the Crawford high school; Roy, attending the high school, and Frank, at home.
Mr. Weber has always been prominent in local affairs and lent his aid in all matters that tended to the advancement of educational and commercial interests of his locality. He is a Republican, and was county commissioner in Sioux county for six years, and helped to establish the first schools in that county.
In March, 1886, Mr. Myers came to Perkins county, Nebraska, took up a homestead on section 8, township 10, range 38, and started to build up a home for himself. During the first months here he worked in a lumber yard in Grant, employed by the firm of Russell & Patton, also worked for the Brule Lumber Co. He came here with practically no start, and was compelled to work out, following his trade as a carpenter, also clerked in different stores for two years, in order to make a living and get a little money ahead and improve his farm. He has the distinction of having built the first house in the old town of Grant. He was appointed postmaster at Grant in 1893, and held that office up to 1897,
