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years previous to her marriage, both in Illinois and Nebraska.

The family is highly respected in the community in which they reside, and have a host of warm friends and acquaintances. Mr. Magnuson is a Republican.

     George O. Weisflog is a well-to-do young farmer of Cherry county, Nebraska, who has, through his thrift and industry, accumulated a competence in a comparatively short space of time. He was born December 18, 1870, in a small village in Pennsylvania, where his father, Herman Weisflog, was a shoe-maker, following this trade until 1885, when the family came to Nebraska and settled in Cherry county, being one of the pioneers in this locality. Both the mother and father of our subject were born and married in Germany, where their first four children were born. The subject of this sketch was the first of the family whose birth occurred in America. The greater part of his boyhood days were spent on the farm in Morgan county, Ohio. The family moved here from Pennsylvania. At the age of thirteen he and his brother Emile came to Nebraska. In the spring of 1883 they took up a claim in what is now called the German settlement. In two years, the father, George, Oscar and Clara, followed the mother, with Henry and Annie remaining in Ohio until the fall of that year. They built a sod shanty in which they lived the first year, breaking up the land with ox teams which they used for three years in all their work. All the water for the family use and for stock had to be hauled four and a half miles from the Niobrara river, while their nearest trading post was at Valentine, twenty miles away. During this time our subject was living with his father, but at the age of twenty-one years he took a pre-emption on which he proved up, then took a homestead, and still occupies the latter as his place of residence. His ranch now contains nine hundred and sixty acres, most of which is in grazing land, although he has one hundred and fifty acres under cultivation on which he raises fine crops. He has a good set of farm buildings, plenty of water and windmills, fences and all the farming implements necessary to carry on the work of his large estate.

     Mr. Weisflog has gone through many hard experiences during the dry years; for two years in succession he raised practically nothing except grass and little of that. His farm is situated in section 33, township 34, range 30, where he has resided continuously since homesteading it, excepting one year, 1905, when he had charge of a store at Gresham. Mr. Weisflog had a severe misfortune on September 28, 1901, when he lost his left arm in the accidental discharge of a gun which he was carrying.

     On August 6, 1896, our subject was married to Miss Minnie Tonniges, a native of Seward county, whose parents were born in Germany and came to this country when young people. They settled in Cherry county in 1891, where the father died. Four children have come to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Weisflog, named as follows: Willie, Artie, Viola and Leona.

     Mr. Weisflog has always taken an active part in local affairs, and has held different offices. He is a Republican and strong party man. He holds membership in Camp No. 4207, Modern Woodman of America, of Crookston.

     Among the younger members of the farming community in Kimball county, G. A. Forsling takes high rank for his successful operations during the past several years. He has a valuable estate on section 26, township 15, range 57, and is classed among the well-to-do and progressives farmers of the locality.

     Mr. Forsling was born in Sweden, July 21st, 1877, and at the age of six years came to America with his parents, brother and sisters. A history of two brothers, Clarence and Alfred, is given in another part of this volume; also a review of the family history.

     They settled first in Chicago, then came to Phelps county, Nebraska, and landed in Kimball county about 1885. The father homesteaded on section 12, township 14, range 56, and there our subject grew up, assisted in carrying the home ranch until the death of his father, October 16th, 1904. For sometime after the death of his father, he lived on and operated the home place, in the meantime securing his present location. This ranch contains one thousand five hundred and twenty acres of deeded and more or less leased land. He had about fifty acres under cultivation, while the balance is used for pasture and hay land for a large bunch of cattle and some horses. Their residence is on section 26, which is a Kincaid homestead owned by Mr. Forsling's mother. The ranch is well improved with good buildings and everything about the place shows good management and painstaking care in its operation. He is engaged principally in stock raising and dairying.

On April 15th, 1908, Mr. Forsling was mar-

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ried to Miss Hilda Bergquist, the event taking place at Chappel, (sic) Nebraska. Mrs. Forsling was born in Colorado, coming to Nebraska with her parents, who were old settlers in western Nebraska, living near Chappell, Deuel County, for a number of years. Her father, F. W. Bergquist, was a Lutheran minister and a prominent man in his profession. Mrs. Forsling's parents are now living at Skandia, Kansas.

     Mr. Forsling takes an active part in all affairs of public interest. He is now serving as treasurer of school district No. 21. He has also served as road overseer for two years, and has done his full part in improving and developing the country in which he lives. He is highly esteemed and is one of the representative men of western Nebraska.

     Martin Christensen, one of the old settlers of Nebraska, occupies a prominent position in Cherry county, and enjoys the respect and esteem of his associates.

     Mr. Christensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1865, and his father Gottlieb Christensen, was a prominent citizen engaged in the stock buying business. Our subject was raised and educated in the town of his birth, and after leaving school learned the painter's trade, which occupation he followed in his native country until 1883, when he took passage for America, landing in Castle Garden, New York. After working at his trade in Chicago and Omaha, for a time he came to Cherry county,. Nebraska, spending several months here, then going to Omaha where he remained until the following year. In 1884 he returned to Fort Niobrara, where he secured a painting contract at the fort. The excellence of his work secured him further contracts at Forts Robinson, Sidney, and Niobrara and was employed by the government in various parts of Nebraska until 1890, at which time he settled in Valentine. Here he followed his trade constantly, and has erected a fine residence, and owns one of the finest equipped paint shops in Valentine, dealing in wall paper, paints, oils, varnishes, etc., and is doing a flourishing business.

     Mr. Christensen was nominated by the Democratic party for county treasurer in 1892. He has held the office of chairman of the county central committee for the past ten year, and was one of the delegates who nominated William J. Bryan for president at the national convention in 1896.

     In 1890 he was married to Miss Clara Evarts, whose father, Burt Evarts, was one of the first settlers in Valentine, taking up his homestead in that part of Valentine, where the flourishing mill and water power plant are now located. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Christensen, who are named as follows: Marie, Albert, Carl, and Genevieve. Mrs. Christensen nee Evarts, died in 1898. He was married in 1899 to Miss Mary White, daughter of Bartlett White, a farmer and stock raiser near Valentine and they have three children as follows: Leo, Martin and Francis.

     Richard M. Dunn, one of the leading ranchmen and farmers of Sioux county, has a valuable estate in section 1, township 32, range 57, which he has improved in fine shape by his energetic labors and perseverance. He has spent the past twenty-one years in this locality and has become one of the foremost citizens, highly esteemed as a worthy citizen and a good business man, locating here in 1887.

     Mr. Dunn is a native of Jefferson county, Iowa, born in 1863 on a farm. Both parents were born in Ireland, coming to this country in the early days and settling in Colorado in 1866, where the father, Patrick, followed the life of a pioneer cattleman and ranchman for many years. In Colorado they were located on a farm near Denver, and there Richard was raised, attending the country schools and helping the father in the work on their farm. The family lived on that place for twenty years, and then Richard came to Sioux county, Nebraska, locating on a pre-emption and homestead, the first location being on Squaw creek. At that time Harrison was merely a town of tents and the surrounding country practically a wilderness, with but few settlers in this region. When he landed here Mr. Dunn had a few head of cattle, and he immediately put up a log shack and "batched it" for twelve years. He first started in the cattle business during the early days of his settlement here, herding his own cattle and camping out at night in all sorts of rough weather, leading a typical frontiersman's existence. During the years 1897 and 1898 Mr. Dunn was engaged as foreman of the Guthrie ranch, near Douglas, Wyoming, for two years. In 1899 he came to his present homestead, and here he has erected good buildings and put on many improvements, owning all together about one thousand acres, situated in and about section 1, township 23, range 57. Eight hundred acres of this is used for ranching purposes, and the balance is under cultivation, devoted to the raising of grains, yielding good crops each season.

     Mr. Dunn was married in 1891 to Eva Sher-

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rill, whose father, John is an old settler in this county. Her mother's maiden name was Lucy Reynolds. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dunn: Henry, Lester, Margaret, Arthur and Vernon. The family is highly esteemed in their community, and take an active part in all social and school affairs in their neighborhood. Mr. Dunn is a loyal Republican, active in party politics.

     Benjamin R. Hobson, whose pleasant and attractive farm home may be found in section 23, township 25, range 28, is widely known as one of the largest and most successful farmers and land owners of Cherry county, and his name is familiar to business men in all this region of Nebraska. The Hobsons are an old American family, and it's (sic) Cherry county representatives bring no shame on an honored name. They are true to the best principles of American citizenship, are linked in with whatever makes for a better community, whether in education, morals or business.

     Mr. Hobson was born on a farm in Lee county, Iowa, January 20th, 1855, where his parents, William and Mary (Colwell) Hobson, were well and favorably known. The Colwells were an Irish family, and his mother was a native of the Emerald Isle. She was the mother of a family of nine children, two daughters and seven sons, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fifth in order of birth. He was reared on the farm in Poweshiek county, Iowa, whither the family moved about 1858, and remained at home until he had reached the age of twenty-eight years, assisting his father, and bearing his full share of the family burdens. He was married February 27th, 1883, to Miss Adelia Janecroft. Her parents, John and Melissa (Murphy) Janecroft, were born and bred to a farming life, and were very successful in their chosen vocation. Mr. and Mrs. Hobson have become the happy parents of a family of ten children, Mary M. (Salmon), Elizabeth J. (Sharp), Grace V., a teacher in the Mission school on Rosebud reservation, Eliza A., Edna A., Belle, Frank, Fern, John and Eunice.

     Mr. Hobson came to Cherry county, Nebraska, and filed on a homestead in December following his marriage, moving with his young wife to their new possessions in June, 1884. Their first dwelling was a board shanty, twelve by sixteen feet in its dimensions, to which was added a sixteen foot addition in the fall, but it was sufficient to meet the requirements of the Hobsons for the coming three years. These years were not without their trials and troubles. Mr. Hobson kept on steadily improving the conditions of his home and business. He secured a more convenient and comfortable farm home, constructed various buildings, as they were needed, built some fence and broke some land. Among the many discouragements two crops failed entirely for want of rain, and hail destroyed everything six seasons. Forty-six head of cattle died on his hands from eating green corn stalks, and the first fall he spent in Cherry county was signalized by the loss of a span of mules in a great prairie fire. To-day he owns nine hundred and sixty acres of land, of which at least three hundred and fifty acres are under cultivation, and the rest is devoted to hay and pasture. Besides the house in which he lives, and farm buildings around it, Mr. Hobson has another set of buildings on a distant part of the farm in which hired help may be housed. A view of the family residence and surroundings will be found on another page in this work.

     The lady whose name heads this review is a highly esteemed resident of this region, where she owns and operates an extensive ranch, and the prosperity and order which surrounds the whole place is ample evidence of her ability and good business judgment. Mrs. Wood is counted among the leading old

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settler of Dawes county, and she has always done her full share in aiding in the development and growth of the region in which she chose her home, and is one of its foremost citizens.

     Mrs. Wood was born in Ogle county, Illinois, in 1862, and is a daughter of Reuben Marker, a native of Pennsylvania and farmer by occupation, who settled in Illinois and was one of the pioneers of that state, where our subject was reared and educated. When she reached the age of fifteen years her parents came to Iowa and settled in Floyd county. In 1879 she was married to Addison Wood, and they were blessed with four children, who are named as follows: Reuben and Robert (twins), twenty-three years of age, Vern, sixteen years old, and Clark, thirteen. All live with the mother, except Robert, who lives on his homestead adjoining his mother's estate.

     In 1887 our subject came west with her family, locating on a farm near Hay Springs, where they lived for one year, and went through pioneer experiences, occupying a dugout, in which they were fairly comfortable. They next moved to Box Butte county, where they filed on a pre-emption and started to build up a home and farm. In 1888 they came to Dawes county and settled on section 27, township 31, range 47, and again began as pioneers. Here they built a shanty and started out with no capital at all except strong hearts and willing hands. Their first team were oxen, although they got some good horses, but with the oxen they broke up some land and put in a crop the first year and were able to raise good crops for several years, then were overtaken by the drouth (sic) periods and well-nigh became discouraged by constant failures, when for five successive years they were unable to even raise sufficient feed for their chickens; but though often becoming discouraged, Mrs. Wood stuck to the farm and as times grew better was more successful, and gradually improved and built up the place. She has personally conducted this farm since 1896, and is a progressive and thorough agriculturist, and everything is in perfect order and bespeaks the energy and good management of the owner. Her ranch now consists of six hundred and eighty acres of good land, and one son owns a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining. One hundred acres is under cultivation, and she is extensively engaged in stock raising, principally cattle, running sixty to seventy-five head annually. She has lately remodelled (sic) her house, putting in a fine basement. Mrs. Wood has been director of school district No. 46 for more than eight years.

     Among the prosperous farmers and early settlers of Phelps county, Nebraska, the subject of this review, Thomas Moore, occupies a high position. He resides in Sheridan township, where he has a fine farm and comfortable home, and is highly esteemed by all who know him.

     Mr. Moore is a native of county Antrim, Ireland, where he was reared until fifteen years of age, then came to the United States, settling in Illinois in 1863 and remained there for several years engaged in farming. He came to Phelps county in 1885 and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land from the railroad company, situated in section 27, Sheridan township, comprising the northeast quarter and has lived on this ever since. He at once went to breaking up the land, and built horse barns and farm buildings, adding improvements constantly. He also bought about the same time one hundred and sixty acres of school land in Laird township, but disposed of this ten years ago. He is engaged principally in grain raising, and last year his wheat crop tested sixty-three pounds to the bushel, and was the best on the market, averaging up equal to any place that he knows of. His first crop of corn in 1889 showed a yield of over four thousand bushels. He has farmed in Macon and Macoupon counties, Illinois, and states that a man can farm more land in Nebraska, and get an average crop as good, as in Illinois it is generally too wet, which is more harmful than the dry weather here. He keeps a number of grade cattle and some well-bred Percheron horses. He was for a time proprietor of a farm of three hundred and twenty acres located near Holyoke, Colorado, which is a valuable property, but he disposed of this in 1908. The farm on which he resides is almost adjoining the town of Holdrege, so that from his residence he can overlook that progressive place. The quality of his land and its nearness to Holdrege makes it very valuable and his present success is a reward for his perseverance and industry, as he has stuck to this place through many hardships during the pioneer days.

     Mr. Moore is a son of Robert and Mary (Murphy) Moore, both born in Scotland, settling in county Antrim, Ireland, after their marriage, and emigrating to America in 1863. They located in Illinois in the pioneer days of that state, where the father soon after died. The mother, with five sons and two daughters, still reside in Macon county, Illinois. Our subject was married to Hattie H. Stennett, of Logan county, Illinois, in 1892, and they have

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