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suading many Swedish settlers to come to Nebraska from Illinois, telling them of the many advantages and opportunities to be found in this state. He was a Republican, active in party affairs, keeping abreast of the times in all public matters and promoting educational interests in every way he could. For many years he acted as assessor of Furnas county, and was a man much above the ordinary in intelligence and ability. He had received a very good education in Sweden and this was of great benefit to him and gained him the reputation of being one of the best informed men of the times. He was an active member of the Lutheran church, and the whole community sympathized with the family when his death occurred in 1904. In the early years in this state he was engaged in the live stock business, and made a marked success at this work. He left four children -Fred, a farmer of Clay Center, Kansas; Charles, who has been very successful in the mining business, located at West Point, California; Edith, now Mrs. Frank Marshall, of Arapahoe, Nebraska, and our subject, who since 1887 has been connected with railway work. In that year he began working for the Burlington & Missouri Railroad at Arapahoe, and the following year ran a section at Mascot, remaining at this for two years. In 1890 he was made foreman of the Oxford yards, and the year following was appointed foreman of construction on laying steel rails for the main line, and followed this for three years. In June, 1895, he became roadmaster at McCook, running from that place to Akron, and in 1904, was transferred to the portion east of McCook. He has made a good record for himself in all his work, and is a man of marked ability, gaining the whole confidence of his superiors.

     Mr. Hagberg was married in 1899 to Miss Alma Rosanter, a native of Sweden, who came to this country when a young girl. They have no children.

     Mr. Hagberg is a good citizen of the community where he has made his home, and a man who devotes his entire time and attention to the work he has chosen. In political faith he is a Republican.

     This honorable name of a man who passed on to the better world, but leaving behind him the record of good and useful years, should not be omitted from any comprehensive roll of the makers of Brown and Rock counties, Nebraska. He was born in Buckinghamshire, near London, England. March 4, 1829, and came to this country when eighteen years old. His parents, James and Sarah (Mott) Peacock, were born and reared to a farming life, and to this noble labor Thomas Peacock always turned. His parents settled in Essex county, New York, in 1847, and there the young man made his home, and when a little older grown engaged in farming for himself. There he was married on September 26, 1854, to Miss Margaret M. Bogardus, a native of the state of New York, having first seen the light at Albany, October 27, 1837, where her father, David H. Bogardus, had long been engaged in the double occupation of farming and keeping hotel. He was of Holland ancestry, while her mother, Sally A. (Newbury) Bogardus, had an American lineage running through many generations.

     To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Peacock were born nine children, of whom four are now living: David, at present on the old home farm; Margaret, wife of Hudson Brown, Gregory, South Dakota; Thomas, living in Newport, pastor of the Methodist church; and Hattie Maria, who married a real estate broker of Gregory, South Dakota. For the youngest of these was named the postoffice of Mariaville, Mr. Peacock at that time being postmaster, and she being the first white baby born on the prairie. This office, Mr. Peacock and his wife held from the spring of 1882 until the fall of 1893, when the latter resigned after Mr. Peacock's demise

.

     Mr. Peacock served as a soldier in the Union army during the civil war, and for two years wore the blue as a member of the Seventy-seventh New York Volunteer Infantry. His services were rendered in the army of the Potomac,

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under command of General McClellan, and there he received injuries which produced disabilities necessitating his discharge.

     Mr. Peacock took an active interest in political matters and did much work in the administration of local and public affairs in his own community. He helped organize Rock county and gave close attention to the formation of the school districts and the inauguration of public education. He was an active Republican.

     The Peacock homestead forms an extensive estate of four hundred acres, with about sixty under active cultivation. There is a fine grove of forest trees, and over a hundred fruit trees, with sixty vines of improved varieties of grapes. One hundred and twenty acres are devoted to tree culture, and ample fuel for all purposes is furnished to the dwellers on the farm.

     The subject of this biographical writing is remembered as an honorable man, a faithful husband and father, an industrious farmer, and a loyal and patriotic citizen of the county.

     A view of the premises is to be found on another page, as well as a print of the original building which for many years served as postoffice and hotel. As many as seventy-five have been fed here at a single meal, colonists passing through to other parts of the west. The famous "rustler," Doc Middleton, has refreshed himself at their board and at the time of his capture the posse which had him in charge dined here on their way to the place of his incarceration.

     The gentleman whose name heads this personal history resides on sections 19 and 30, township 35, range 30, Cherry county, Nebraska, where he has a fine estate and pleasant home. Mr. Robertson was born in Sullivan, Indiana, November 4, 1860, the second son of a family of five children. About two years later the family moved to Shelby county, settling on a farm, and in 1866 went to Edinboro, Johnson county, where the father engaged in merchandising. In 1874 the family returned to the Shelby county farm, where they resided at the time our subject started out for himself.

     In 1885 Mr. Robertson came west, locating in Cherry county on August 5th of that year, and in October, filed on a homestead, where he now lives. He first built a sod house, such as was in general use among the pioneer settlers, and lived in this for the next nine years, "batching it", as many of the early settlers had to do. His first team was a yoke of oxen, and he spent his time when not occupied in farming, freighting in order to make a living, saving his money for improvements on his farm. For two seasons he worked at brick manufacturing in Norfolk. Nebraska, using the proceeds of his labor to add to his property, now amounting to six hundred and forty acres of good land in sections 19 and 30. He has this all fenced and improved with good buildings, also a fine grove of trees, and plenty of good hay land. Minichaduza creek and Spring creek both run through a part of this ranch, the former of which he has dammed, making a fine fish and ice pond.

     His farm is beautifully situated with a school nearby, of which he is director, he having always taken an active interest in building up the schools in his community. He had a hard time during the first years, and met with many discouragements through loss of crops, and with insufficient capital to develop his place. He was here during the Indian scare of 1891, but remained at home when so many of the settlers were driven from the section through fear of the savages.

     October 1, 1896, Mr. Robertson was married to Miss Jessie Story, whose parents, William and Lydia (McKenney) Story, moved from Shelby county, Indiana, to Cherry county, Nebraska, in 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Robertson have a family of three children, named as follows: Lilly, Sylvanus and Rosetta.

     All of Mr. Robertson's time is spent in building up his ranch and home. He cultivates only a small portion of the land, but cuts over two hundred and fifty tons of hay every year, keeping sixty to seventy-five head of cattle and a few horses. He does not seek political preferment, although he is deeply interested in all affairs of local importance. Politically he is a Republican.

     For over thirty years the gentleman whose name heads this review has been identified with the development of different parts of the state of Nebraska, and the past twenty-two years has been passed in Deuel county, where he gained a high station as a citizen, and incidentally became one of the substantial men of his community. He is the owner of a fine estate in Chappell precinct, Deuel county, and is one of the leading men of the community, taking an active part in every movement for its betterment.

     Mr. Naslund was born in Sweden, on July 22nd, 1851. He was raised and educated there, assisting his parents in carrying on their little farm, and remained there up to 1879, then came to America. He located at Alton, Ills., but only remained a short time, then came to Omaha, landing there in June, 1879. From there he went to Iowa and spent about a year in that state at

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Red Oak and later at Council Bluffs, then returned to Omaha, and afterwards made his home in York county for four years. In February, 1886, he arrived in Deuel county and took homestead rights on section 20. township 13, range 44, proved up on the place, then sold out. He is now living on section 2, township 12, range 45, which he bought from H. G. Span, an old-timer in Deuel county, and has built up a good farm, having 240 acres, and his son, John A. Naslund, owns the sections joining his father's farm on the east and south.

     Mr. Naslund has passed through all the experiences of the pioneers of this section of Nebraska. He has been prosperous and successful during later years, although he had a hard time in his early residence here. He was among the very earliest settlers in the locality, and about the first to start farming. Of late years he has been engaged in the stock business on quite an extensive scale, and at the present time has a herd of one hundred and fifty cattle. He has the farm supplied with all modern conveniences, good buildings, and a thoroughly improved and well equipped estate. At the present time he has about eighty acres irrigated and four hundred more acres will soon be under irrigation. In 1907 the average yield per acre of winter wheat was forty-three bushels, the best yield in this region. In 1908 he had a yield of forty-one and one-fourth bushels to the acre. The farm is operated by himself and his son.

     Before leaving Sweden our subject was married to Anna Olund and to them have been born three children, namely: John Albert, Henry W. and Lily Marie, all living on the home ranch. Mr. Naslund has done his full share in the improvement of his section of the county, assisting in building up the schools, and is now serving as moderator of district No. 29. In polities he is a Republican. His sons, John A. and Henry W., own an Advance steam threshing outfit, new, modern, and up-to-date, and do work all over this part of Nebraska and Colorado. For years Mr. Naslund has followed the trade of plasterer, and has been known for years as "John Naslund, the plasterer," being one of the first in this neighborhood.

     Prominent among the progressive agriturists (sic) and business men of Keya Paha county, Nebraska. is the gentleman above mentioned. Thomas R. Evans, who resides on section 22, township 33. range 23.

     Mr. Evans was born in Denbighshire, Wales, Great Britain, February 26, 1843. His father, Robert T. Evans. was a Congregational preacher, and came to America with his family in 1857, After filling a pulpit in the state of New York he migrated to Low Gap, Missouri. where he ministered to a congregation thirty-seven years, until killed by a cyclone in Livingston county, June 20, 1883. His mother, who was Miss Elinor W. Williams, survived her husband's death by several years, coming to Keya Paha county with our subject, where her death occurred in 1906 at the advanced age of ninety-two years. Mr. Evans was the only son of his parents, and grew to manhood in New York state, where he learned the shoemaker's trade and photography. In the spring of 1865 he came west, settling in Waukesha county, Wisconsin. where he entered the mercantile business. He was later appointed postmaster of Waukesha, under Abraham Lincoln's administration. He spent eight years in all in Wisconsin, then came to Iowa, settling in Iowa county on a farm and started in to build up a home. He resided on this place for about seven years, his land comprising eighty acres, which he sold and moved to Missouri, where he remained for seven years, operating a farm.

     After the cyclone of 1883 Mr. Evans, who was a deacon in the church, felt that he would have to make a new home for himself and family, also the people who lost all their effects and homes, so a meeting was called and he was elected as a delegate to select the spot for new homes, and he came to Nebraska, and selected Keya Paha county as one of the most desirable places he found. His own and thirteen other families came to western Keya Paha county. making up nearly a full train with the party, as they came on to Ainsworth. Mr. Evans located on section 20, township 33, range 23, where he put up a log house and went to work building up his home. He handled ox teams, opening up a large part of his farm with oxen and although he experienced all the hardships and privations of the early settlers in this locality he persevered and finally succeeded in establishing a comfortable farm and home, at the present time owning one hundred and sixty acres, after having divided his farm and giving part of it to his son. He has plenty of running water on his place, also natural timber and wild plum trees,

     Mr. Evans surveyed the town site of Norden, and platted the town for the owner, and still owns a half interest in the site and a number of lots there.

     Mr. Evans was married in Wisconsin in 1864 to Miss Mary Jane Parry, whose father. Ishmael Parry, was a farmer. Ten children were born of this marriage, named as follows: Robert (de-

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ceased), Annie, Robert, Thomas, Ishmael. May, Llewellyn, Hugh, Ollie and Florence. His wife died February 6th. 1906, and is deeply mourned by her family and all who knew her.

     Mr. Evans was elected county surveyor four terms, serving faithfully and well. He has dealt to considerable extent in real estate, and carried on a loan business for eastern capitalists in this section, and been engaged in a number of large enterprises aside from carrying on his farm. He is a man of active public spirit, and takes a commendable interest in local affairs. He is a strong Republican.

     William Huff, who resides in section 1, township 31, range 49. Dawes county. Nebraska, is one of the prosperous and successful citizens of his community. Mr. Huff has spent many years of his life in this locality, and is well and favorably known to all the residents of his township as a citizen of worth, and a progressive and energetic farmer.

     William Huff was born in Mahaska county, Iowa, in 1850. His father, Thomas Huff, was a native of Germany, and came to the United States in his young manhood, settling in Kentucky. He married Zilpha Hale, of Welsh descent, born in Kentucky, and they came to Nebraska in 1868, with their family of nine children, from Iowa, where they had lived until our subject was eighteen years of age. They began as pioneers in southeastern Nebraska. settling in Richardson county, where for a number of years our subject was engaged in trading among the Indians who then were scattered all through that part of the state in large numbers. He was also engaged in farming there for some years, and owned a farm of ninety acres up to 1885. when he disposed of his property and moved to Sheridan county, where he was among the early settlers and again went through pioneer experiences. He lived at Hay Springs for a time. then located three miles west of that town. where he worked on rented land, then filed on a homestead on the Niobrara river, southwest of Hay Springs, in Dawes county. There his nearest neighbor was two and a half miles distant, and the country was entirely unimproved wild land, but he at once went to work and built a substantial frame house and started a farm. For three years he met with very good success, then the dry periods came on and he was unable to raise any crops and was obliged to work out for a living, hauling timber and wood off the land he now owns to get money for provisions for his family, and on two or three occasions he went into the Black Hills to work for a time and try and get a little money ahead. In 1899 he finally sold out his homestead and moved to his present farm in section 1, and here he has a well improved farm and ranch of seven hundred and forty-two acres of deeded land besides operating six hundred and forty acres of leased school land. His property is located on Chadron creek at Box Springs and is well supplied with good living water and plenty of timber. He runs ninety head of cattle and about a dozen horses, and farms quite a large part of his land.

     When Mr. Huff was twenty-five years of age he was married to Miss Frances Shaw, whose father, John Shaw, was a freighter and pioneer in Nebraska. Mrs. Huff's parents were of Irish birth and settled in this country when young people, locating in Nebraska in the early days, and our subject's wife was reared and educated there. Mr. and Mrs. Huff are the parents of the following children: Maude, Irene, Thomas, Anna, Mead and Katie.

     Mr. Huff is a man of active public spirit, and has held numerous local offices. He has served on the school board of the district for ten years past.

     James Curry, a prominent resident of Box Butte county, Nebraska, owns a fine farm in section 23, township 26, range 50. and from a very humble start has succeded (sic) in building up a valuable estate and has also borne his share of the burdens in building up his locality.

     Mr. Curry was born at Ontario, Canada, in March, 1833. His father was a farmer, a native of Ireland, as was also his mother, they settling in Canada when young people, building up a good home and rearing their family of nine children. Our subject worked on the home farm during his boyhood, attending the country schools, remaining with his parents until he was twenty-six years old, then started to farm on his own account and followed that occupation in Canada up to 1866, when he came to the United States and located in Omaha. He only remained there a few months, then located near St. Paul, where he built a mill and operated it for a short time, and was among the pioneers in eastern Nebraska. In 1888 Mr. Curry first struck Box Butte county, and filed on his present farm, which is situated on section 23, township 26, range 50. His first dwelling was a sod house, and his first team was a pair of oxen, with which he broke up all of his land. He also hauled timber and fuel from Pine Ridge with these, camping out at night under his

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wagon, and went through the regular frontiersman's experience. However, he has been extremely fortunate in never having had any total failures, once having lost some of his crops by bad storms and suffering to some extent from the drouths, but has never experienced the suffering and privation that has fallen to the lot of so many of the early settlers in this region, although his only possessions when he struck this county were his oxen and wagon and six cows. He first worked at clearing his farm, and has succeeded in building up a good home and valuable estate, accumulating about two thousand acres, of which he has sold over one thousand six hundred acres. His place is all fenced and well improved with good buildings, etc., and he keeps quite a large number of stock, mostly horses and cattle.

     In 1857 Mr. Curry was married to Margaret Hiller, daughter of a farmer and early settler in Lampton, Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Curry are the parents of nine children, five of whom are now living, namely: James, William, Margaret, Albert and Robert, and all of whom are settled in good homes in Sioux county.

     Mr. Curry has held school offices for many years. He was elected justice of the peace several times but never served.

     Daniel Stinard, one of the most successful farmers of Cherry county, is one of the old settlers of this community.

     Mr. Stinard was born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1853, and is a son of Augustus Stinard, a farmer who was also interested in several business enterprises. Our subject, the youngest of ten children, was reared and educated in his native state. Until the age of eighteen years he remained under the parental roof and then launched out for himself in the dairy business for a time, later entering the mercantile pursuits in Goshen, Orange county, and Mt. Vernon, in West Chester county, New York. He met with moderate success but finally determined to go west where prospects for greater achievements were brighter, and in 1884 came to Valentine, preempting and proving up a claim, after which he filed on a homestead on which he also proved his claim. While on his homestead he opened a store two miles east of Niobrara, which proved to be a very successful undertaking. He continued on the farm engaged in cattle and horse raising until 1893, when he came to Valentine and opened a clothing store, which he has been successfully conducting since that time, developing into one of the solid business men of the town. He is numbered among the substantial old settlers of Cherry county, and has been honored by his fellow townsmen with one term as mayor of Valentine. He has built up an enviable reputation as one of the leading men of the community.

     Mr. Stinard was married to Miss Mary E. Lawrence, daughter of Augustus Lawrence, of old American stock. They had six children, of whom but three are living, namely: Ida and Ada (twins), and Lucella.

     Mr. Stinard is a staunch Republican.

     Magnus Johanson, one of the old settlers of Kimball county, Nebraska, is known throughout that section as a prosperous and energetic farmer and worthy citizen, and well merits the high station which he holds. A portrait of him appears on another page.

     On January 29th, 1894, Mr. Johanson was married to Miss Carolina Sanderson, a native of Sweden, who came to America in 1883. They have an interesting family of five children, all living at home and named as follows: Herbert Edwin, Carl Helmer, Bertha Amanda, Emil Alexander and Melvin M.

     Our subject's twin brother, John Johanson, came to America in 1887, locating on section 14, township 16, range 54, Kimball county, and now owns a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres. He is married and has a family of seven children. The family occupy a pleasant home, and have a well improved ranch, and the father

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