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for about nine months. In 1876 he paid visit to his old home in Sweden, being absent three years, and on his return to America, in May, 1879, came direct to York county, Nebraska, and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 27, Baker township. The following fall he sold that place, however, and went to Custer county, this state, but not being favorably impressed with that locality, he returned to York county and purchased his present farm of eighty acres adjoining the village of Charleston. It is now under a high state of cultivation and well improved as the result of his earnest persistent effort.In 1881 Mr. Malmquist led to the marriage altar Miss Selma Peterson, also a native of Sweden, and a daughter of John and Marie Peterson, who brought their family to America when she was six years old, and located in Burlington, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Malmquist have a family of four children: Gertie, Paul, Gail and Walter. The parents both hold membership in the Evangelical Lutheran church at York. Socially, Mr. Malmquist is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and in politics is independent, always voting for the man whom he thinks best qualified to fill the office, regardless of party affiliations.
ILLIAM H. GOULD, who, after the labors of a long and busy life, is spending his later years in ease and retirement at his pleasant home on section 1, Baker township, York county, adjoining the corporate limits of the city of York, was born in New York city, January 10, 1826, a son of David and Nancy (Monsell) Gould, both of whom were born in Suffolk county, Long Island, of English ancestry. For many years the father was engaged in the grocery business in New York city, but afterward removed to Fairhaven, Connecticut, where he died at the advanced age of ninety two years. The death of his wife occurred in the same place.
Reared in New York, William H. Gould acquired his education in the public schools of that city, and at the age of eighteen years commenced learning the wagonmaker's trade, which he followed there for about ten years. He then moved to Suffolk county, Long Island, where he continued to work at his trade until he removed to Macomb, Illinois, in 1856. He conducted a shop there until coming to York county, Nebraska, in the spring of 1873, when he purchased forty acres of railroad land on section 1, Baker township, upon which he has since lived. It was all wild prairie with hardly a tree or a shrub upon it, but to-day the place is under a high state of cultivation and some of the trees upon it measure seven feet in circumference. When he located thereon, he built a sod house 20x35 feet, proposing to have a large, commodious home, but not being an adept at sod house construction, he only attained success in so far as the dimensions were concerned, for he afterward learned from experience that it had not been built so well for warmth as for room. It was his first experience in sod-house building, however, and he could not be criticized too severely for his inefficiency, as he did the best he knew how. If it had been a wagon, however, the finished product would have stood the test of an expert's most critical examination. Mr. Gould was the first to engage in wagonmaking in the village of York, where he maintained a shop for many years. As there were no railroads in the place, he at first hauled material for his shop from Fairmont, a distance of twenty miles, and he constructed some of the first buggies used by the pioneers in York county. As years went by he also gave considerable attention to the improvement of his farm, and now has one of the most valuable pieces of property in the county. The land for
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which he paid twelve dollars per acre he has been offered one hundred dollars for. At present he is living retired in a modern and comfortable residence upon his homestead, surrounded by all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life.On the 7th of December, 1853, Mr. Gould was united in marriage to Jane E. Bounds, who was born in Bergen county, New Jersey, October 17, 1828, a daughter of John and Agnes (Bross) Bounds, the former a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of Bergen county, New Jersey. To Mr. and Mrs. Gould have been born six children, as follows: Mrs. Ida Miller, a resident of Sedalia, Missouri; Lucy, who has been principal of the Lincoln school in York for eight years; David, a horseshoer of that place; Everett, a merchant of York; Mrs. Lizzie Boak, a resident of the village of New York; and Alfred B., who conducts a wagon shop in York. The parents experienced many hardships in establishing a home in a new country, but now in the evening of life they not only enjoy a well deserved prosperity, but have the further satisfaction of having nearly all of their children comfortably established around them.
In politics Mr. Gould is a stanch Republican, and has always been an active worker in the party's ranks, wielding considerable influence, but he has never sought political preferment or held office of any kind, lie is a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows fraternities at York, and has passed all the chairs in the latter organization, while religiously he and his wife are both consistent members of the Congregational church.
. T. POTTER, M. D., is a recent addition to the professional population of Seward, having been a resident of this thriving Nebraska town only about three years. In that time, however, he has attained a high place in the estimation of the people as a high-minded and scientific physician, anxious to bring to the sick and ailing the full provision of medical skill. He is a brother of D. D. Potter, M. D., to whose sketch that appears elswhere (sic) the reader is referred for an outline of the family history, and for other matters of interest that may not appear in this connection.
Dr. Potter was born in Cortland county, New York, February 2, 1850, and completed his literary and general education in the schools of his native county, and was graduated from the famous State Normal at Cortland. After this, he taught school four years, the last two of which were in Sangamon county, Illinois. He attended the medical department of the Methodist University at Syracuse, New York, and received his graduating diploma in 1875. He practiced medicine some years at Port Jervis, N. Y., and while a resident of that city acted as surgeon for the Erie railroad, and was associated with the examining board for the pension department. In 1884 he moved to Sedgwick county, Kansas, and followed his professional labors there for eleven years. That section of the west did not prove entirely satisfactory, and in December, 1895, he came to this city, and formed a professional partnership with his brother, Dr. D. D. Potter, which still exists.
Dr. Potter was united in marriage, in 1888, to Miss Mary Topping, a resident of Sedgwick, Kansas. The union has been a very fortunate one, and has been blessed by the birth of one daughter, Helen Lucile. He is an ardent student of his profession, and neglects no opportunity of advancement. He is associated with the best minds of his great calling, and belongs to the American Medical association, the Kansas State Medical society, and the Seward County Medical society, and in these various gatherings his utterances are listened to with the respect that is due to a man sin-
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cerely desirous of the truth. He is a welcome contributor to leading medical publications, and has an acknowledged standing as an unusually skillful surgeon. He took a post-graduate course in New York in 1885, and reads the best books and papers of his calling. He is a Republican, but does not take a very great interest in politics. His interest lies along the line of his life work, and into the practice of medicine he puts all the enthusiasm and strength of his nature. He has been largely successful, and has won a flattering patronage in Seward and the surrounding country.
ENRY GROBE.--Among the energetic citizens of York county, who are of alien birth, is the gentleman whose name introduces this narrative. Like others of his countrymen he has to the new world the habits of economy and frugality which are inherent characteristics of his native land, and the exercise of which, accompanied by industry and good management, has raised him from poverty to comparative affluence. For a number of years he successfully engaged in farming in Morton township, but is now living in the village of Benedict.
In Saxony, Germany, Mr. Grebe was born August 23, 1844, a son of John H. and Lena (Harthouse) Grobe, natives of the same province. As a life work the father engaged in butchering and masonry, spending his entire life in Germany, where his death occurred in August, 1845, when our subject was only a year old. In the family were five children, four sons and one daughter. In 1859 the mother came to the United States and settled in Dixon, Illinois, where she passed away in 1888.
In the schools of his native land, Henry Grobe began his education, which was completed in the public schools of Illinois. On starting out in life for himself, he worked as a farm laborer, remaining in the Prairie state until 1869, when he moved to Iowa, where he resided for three years. In the spring of 1865, he had enlisted in the Union army as a member of Company I, Fifteenth Illinois Infantry, and was with that regiment until hostilities ceased, mainly doing guard duty, though they did a great deal of marching. It was in the fall of 1871 that Mr. Grobe first came to Nebraska, and after spending about a year in Ashland, Saunders county, he secured a homestead in York county--the northwest quarter of section 34, Morton township. With his own hands he built his little frame residence, the lumber for which he hauled, from Lincoln. He wasted no time in beginning the improvement of his farm, placing acre after acre under the plow until he had one of the best cultivated and most highly improved farms of the locality. He successfully engaged in both farming and stock raising, and is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of valuable land. He continued to reside upon his farm until 1893, when he removed to the village of Benedict, where he now makes his home.
In December, 1864, Mr. Grobe led to the marriage altar Miss Angelina Cook, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Solomon G. and Mary A. (May) Cook, who are now living in York county, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Grobe have a family of six children: Charles H., George E., Enos E., Milton E., Lena T. and Nettie A., now Mrs. John Myers. The family is identified with the Lutheran church, and Mr. Grobe also belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Home Forum. His political support is always given the Republican party, and he has most capably filled the offices of town clerk two years, assessor two years, school treasurer many years, and road commissioner four years. Thoroughly honest, upright and reliable, he is highly honored and respected by the entire community in which he lives.
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AMUEL WRIGHT RISING is an honored resident of Rising City where he is living, retired from active business. He is one of the oldest settlers of Butler county, formerly being one of its successful farmers, and is now passing the evening of his life enjoying the fruits of his labor.Mr. Rising was born in Oneida county, New York, July 1, 1820, a son of John Rising, also a native of New York state. Our subject's grandfather, Josiah Rising, came from England to New York, before the Revolution, and participated in that war. He also participated in the war of 1812, serving in his son's stead. He married Miss Huldah Miller of Massachusetts. Our subject's father, John Rising, was married in his native state to Miss Lucinda Wright, and they became the parents of a family of eight children, whose names in the order of their birth are as follows: Aschel M., Samuel Wright, Lucy (Morey), Jane (Morey) John, Elizabeth Warborton and Andrew J.
Samuel Wright Rising, the subject of this sketch, moved from New York with his parents in 1837, or when he was sixteen years of age, and settled in Michigan. His father bought a large tract of land in Hillsdale county, Michigan, at ten shillings per acre, and this farm afterwards became one of the finest in that section and has taken second prize in the county. Our subject was married in Hilisdale county, Michigan, December 20, 1841, to Miss Folly Rising, his first cousin. Her father, Jesse Rising, was a younger brother of John Rising, our subject's father. After their marriage they continued to live in Reading township, of that county, and their children were born there. The names of the children in the order of their birth are as follows: Albert Wright, Dennis William, Joseph Miller, and Jessie Hirman, all of whom are living.
In the winter of 1870, at the suggestion of his son Albert Wright, who was then living in Iowa, our subject went west and joined him, and they together went to Butler county, Nebraska, driving across the prairie. They located on a farm where Rising City now stands, December 13, 1870, and our subject built his home on section 10, the first house erected in Reading township. The township, also, was named, at the suggestion of Mr. Rising, after the township which was his former home in Hillsdale county, Michigan. He afterward assisted many of his friends in securing homes in that new country, and through his efforts there was quite a colony induced to try their fortunes on the prairie of Butler county, Nebraska. Many of the prominent farmers and business men of the community, also, migrated hither from Reading township, Hillsdale county, Michigan. In addition to his farm work Mr. Rising was for a number of years engaged in the farm implement business at Rising City in partnership with D. W. Rising, and he together with A. W. Rising and A. F. Turpening were the founders of that city.
Socially our subject is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
TATE BANK OF NEBRASKA.--This is one of the leading financial institutions of Seward county. The bank was originally organized in 1873. In 1881 the entire capital stock, fixtures, etc., were purchased by John Cattle, Sr., and the bank was incorporated with the following officers: president, John Cattle, Sr.; vice-presidents, John Cattle, Jr., and Walter Cattle; cashier, C. W. Barkley. The bank has a capital of sixty thousand dollars and does a general banking business.
John Cattle, Sr., was born and reared in England. In 1874 he came to the United States, but soon returned to his native land. In 1876 he again came to the United States and located in Seward county, Nebraska. He brought a large amount of wealth from
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the old country and made extensive improvements in Seward county. He was married in England in 1846 to Miss Alice Sarby. There were born to them three sons and three daughters, only two of whom are now living. The family on coming to Seward county immediately took rank among the most influential in the state, and have retained this position up to the present day. John Cattle, Jr., is the treasurer of the Seward cereal mills. The father, John Cattle, Sr., owns over two sections of farming land in Seward county and in connection with his sons jointly own eight business blocks in the city of Seward. They have been very successful in business and occupy a high position in this part of the state.
EORGE MOZEE, M. D.--In comparison of the relative value to mankind of the various professions and pursuits it is widely recognized that none is so important as the medical profession. From the cradle to the grave human destiny is largely in the hands of the physician. Dr. Mozee, of Geneva, is one of the ablest representatives of this noble calling in this section of the state, and he deservedly enjoys a large and lucrative practice.
The Doctor was born in Henry county, Indiana, July 27, 1845, and is a son of William R. and Ruth J. (Brandon) Mozee, natives of Kentucky. The father, who was a carpenter by trade, removed to Henry county Indiana, but after spending a few years there returned to his native state, where he and his wife both died.
Dr. Mozee was only about six or seven months old when his parents returned to Kentucky, and in Grant county, that state, he was reared to manhood, receiving his early educational training in the public schools of Williamstown, the county seat. Immediately after leaving school he took up the study of medicine with Dr. Daugherty, of Scott county, Kentucky, and subsequently entered the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, from which he was graduated with the class of 1866. About a year later he located at Caving Rock, Hardin county, Illinois, where he carried on a successful general practice for sixteen years. In 1883 he came to Nebraska and located-in Geneva, where he soon succeeded in building up a good practice that he still enjoys.
In February, 1867, Dr. Mozee was united in marriage with Miss Mary J. Freis, a native of Hamilton county, Kentucky, and a daughter of Charles and Emily J. (Polley) Freis, the former a native of Germany, the latter of Kentucky. The Doctor and his wife have become the parents of six children, namely: Minnie, Charles C., Carrie A., Aggie E., Roscoe and Everett.
Dr. Mozee occupies a prominent position among his brethren of the medical fraternity, and for several years has been a member of the insanity examining board. He has always taken a deep and commendable interest in educational affairs and for a number of years has been a member of the school board, serving as its president at the present time. Socially he belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Fraternal Aid, of which he is medical examiner, and is also a member and examiner for the Degree of Honor, and the Court of Honor. Politically he affiliates with the Democracy. He is a member of the county Medical society and has filled several offices in the same.
NSON B. CODDING, the well-known county surveyor of York county, who has for twenty-five years been prominently identified with the growth and development of this region, and as a public-spirited citizen has been thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the moral, and intellectual welfare of the community, was
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born in Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York, January 19, 1835, and is a son of Robert F. and Charlotte E. (Beebe) Codding, also natives of the Empire state and of English descent. The patenal (sic) grandfather of our subject was a native of England and bore the name of Coddington, which he had changed to Codding by the New York legislature, of which state he was a resident. Robert F. Codding was both a farmer and civil engineer, following those vocations in New York until 1837, when he removed to Summit county, Ohio, and later to Morrow county, the same state, where his death occurred in 1882. He served as justice of the peace in Ohio, and also filled a number of other township offices, in a capable and satisfactory manner. In his family were twelve children, seven sons and five daughters.Reared in Ohio, Anson B. Codding acquired his elementary education in the common schools of that state, afterward supplementing the knowledge there obtained by a course in Oberlin college. On leaving that far-famed institution of learning, he commenced teaching school, and successfully followed that profession during the winter months for some time. Having studied civil engineering, he went to Minnesota in 1856, purchased a set of surveyor's tools, and subdivided large tracts of land in that state for the early settlers. He was at St. Peter, Minnesota, during the Indian uprising in 1858, and did guard duty at Cordova. Later in the same year he went to La Salle county, Illinois, where he followed farming for one year, and in that state was married, in April, 1858, to Miss Louisa W. Wirt, a resident of Lee county, Illinois, and a daughter of George and Mary (Kraft) Wirt, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively. Of the four children born of this union, two are now living: Minnie E., wife of Charles E. Stratton, and Roy G.
For two years after his marriage, Mr. Codding resided in Missouri, where he engaged in teaching school, and then returned to Illinois, making that state his home until the fall of 1872. when he came to York county, Nebraska. He located a claim on section 34, Morton township, erected a small frame house and at once began to break his land, devoting his time to agricultural pursuits for three years. He then removed to the city of York, having been elected county surveyor 1873, and continuously re-elected, being the present incumbent. A first class civil engineer, he has most ably performed the duties of that position, and his straightforward, honorable course in life has gained for him the confidence and high regard of all with whom he has come in contact, either in business or social life. In his political views he is an ardent Republican, and as a popular and influential citizen, he has become a leader of the party in York county. In the Methodist Episcopal church, he and his family hold membership.
ILLIAM DAYTON, whose pleasant home is on section 20, McFadden township, York county, is one of the early pioneers of this region, and has distinguished himself by his untiring industry, genial spirit, and neighborly instincts. He is upright and straightforward in all his dealings, and everybody knows him as a man whose word is as good as his bond.
Mr. Dayton was born in Alleghany county, New York, December 4, 1835, and is a son of William and Susan (Longcore) Dayton. His father was probably born in Scotland, and his mother was of Dutch descent, and was probably born in New York. The senior Dayton was a farmer, and spent the greater part of his life in New York, where he died in 1842, when the subject of this sketch was only seven years old. Mrs. Dayton died in 1864. The subject of this
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writing was thrown upon his own resources when only fourteen years of age, and found work in the lumber camps of New York. This was his business for a number of years, and in i85 he removed to Pennsylvania to continue this occupation. He entered the Union army in March, 1864, enlisting in company G, Eighty-second Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served through the war. He was in the army of the Potomac, and participated in many of the desperate struggles that marked the closing months of the Rebellion He was in the battle of the Wilderness, and was shot through the right lung. He was treated at the Emergency hospital, at Washington, from May until October, 1864. He was transferred to the hospital at York, Pennsylvania, where he remained until the following March. When he was able to leave the hospital he was assigned to the Veteran Reserve Corps, Company A, Twenty-second Regiment, and served in this capacity until he was mustered out at Camp Dennison, Ohio, in August, 1865.Mr. Dayton returned to his home in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, when the war was over, and resumed the cultivation of a small farm, which he owned in that community. In the spring of 1871 he filed a soldier's homestead claim to a quarter of section 20, of what is now known as McFadden township. At that time there was only one house where the city of York now stands, and there were only a few scattering settlers in the entire county outside of the river bottoms. There was only one house between him and Fairmont on the south, and the same was true of York on the north. He was of an extravagant disposition according to the opinion of a few settlers on the Blue, for he put up a frame house, fourteen by fourteen feet, which was among the very few frame houses to be found in the entire country at that early day. And when he built a frame granary his neighbors were satisfied he would soon be bankrupt. He hauled the lumber from Lincoln, and some of it cost as much as fifty dollars a thousand feet. His house was but roughly completed, and one winter in it convinced him that something more than appearance was necessary on the prairies, and he sodded the house to the roof before a second winter came upon him. He bought a farm team and wagon in Omaha, and paid for it four hundred and twenty-five dollars. He improved his land, and as the years went by his home increased in comfort, and he is to-day ranked among the solid and prosperous men of the county.
Mr. Dayton was married July 7, 1856, to Miss Hannah P. Shoemaker. She is a native of Columbia county, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of John Shoemaker, who was born and bred in the same county. To this union have come four children, Elmer, John, George and Amanda. She died and he married again, August , 1879, Miss Annie Green becoming his wife. She is a daughter of John and Esther Green, who came to this country in 1872, and is the mother of one child, Katie M. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen at McCool junction, and is a Republican.
ENRY GOUDY.--Being a western man by birth and training this gentleman is to-day one of the most progressive, enterprising and energetic agriculturists residing in Thayer township, York county, Nebraska, where he owns a fine and well, improved farm. In addition to general farming he feeds considerable stock, and in this branch of his business is also meeting with good success.
Mr. Goudy was born on the 19th of February, 1841, in Des Moines county, Iowa, and is a son of Gilbert and Mary Goudy, the former a native of Scotland, the latter of New York state. They were pioneer settlers of Iowa, having located there in 1837, and with the agricultural
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interests of the state were prominently identified until life's labors were ended. In the public schools of his native state our subject acquired his education, and was reared to habits of thrift and industry, which have been the means of bringing to him success in his subsequent business career. As soon as old enough to be of any assistance, he began to aid in the labors of the farm and soon acquired an excellent knowledge of farming in all its different branches. He continued to live in Iowa until 1883, when he came to York county, Nebraska, and purchased his present farm, to the cultivation and improvement of which he has since devoted his time and attention with most gratifying results. He is also one of the most successful stock raisers of the township.While still a resident of Iowa, Mr. Goudy was married in 1867, the lady of his choice being Miss Cynthia H. Clark, a native of Ohio, who with her father, William Clark, emigrated to Iowa at an early day. To Mr. and Mrs. Goudy were born two sons, namely: Gilbert W. and Emil N. The wife and mother, who was an earnest and faithful member of the Christian church, was called to her final rest in November, 1895. She had the love and respect of the entire community.
In political sentiment Mr. Goudy is an ardent Republican. He is widely and favorably known throughout his adopted county, and as a public-spirited citizen takes an active interest in the welfare of the community.
OHN AUGUST FLOREN, one of Seward county's homesteaders who, by thrift and perseverance, has become one of its well-to-do and influential farmers, has a fine tract of four hundred acres of land in precinct K, his home being situated in section 19.
Mr. Floren was born January 8, 1845, in Skaraborg, Lan Sweden, where his parents spent their entire lives, the father reaching the age of eighty-six, and the mother, the age of seventy-five years. They were farmers by occupation, but were always renters, not being able to purchase a farm of their own. Our subject assisted his parents on the farm until he reached the age of twenty-six years. He then started for America, going by rail as far as Gottenburg, from thence by ship to England, thence by rail to Liverpool and from there embarked for New York, landing June 21, 1871 He then proceeded to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and was there employed as a farm laborer at, eighteen dollars per month until October of that year. About this time, he left the vicinity of Council Bluffs to go still farther west. He traveled by rail as far as Lincoln, Nebraska, and there found a farmer by the name of Johnson, who lived on the Blue River, and rode with him as far as Walnut Creek, in Seward county. He filed a homestead claim to eighty acres of land on Walnut Creek, built a sod shanty upon it and, moved in his furnitue (sic) which comprised little else than his trunk which he brought from the old country. He soon provided himself with a small stove and settled in his new home, possessed of a property which, in Sweden, would make him a rich farmer.
In this rude and poorly furnished shanty, our subject spent three years in bachelor quarters, but of this he became dissatisfied, and wished for a companion who should bear him company through the journey of life and who would also assume the management of his household affairs, and on September 2, 1874, he was married by Judge O. B. T. Williams, probate judge of Seward county at that time, to Miss Anna Norin. Miss Norin was the only daughter of John Norin, who lived in the same county as the parents of our subject. She preceded Mr. Floren to America in company with her
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brother, having left Sweden in August, 1870. They set sail from Gottenburg and landed at Hull, England. From thence they went by railroad to Liverpool, and there embarked on an Inman line steamer for New York city. From there they at once proceeded to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Miss Anna's services were soon engaged in the Deaf and Dumb asylum, where she remained four years, during which time she made the acquaintance of Mr. Floren.After developing and improving the eighty acres that comprised his original homestead, Mr. Floren purchased an adjoining eighty acres in 1873, and in 1877 he sold the entire tract because there was not other land adjoining that he could purchase, and the other quarter-section was much too small. He then went to precinct K, Seward county, and purchased a tract of railroad land. To this he has added from time to time as his circumstances would permit, until he is now the owner of a fine farm of four hundred acres, all in one body, three hundred and twenty acres of which are under cultivation, and the entire tract is well improved and furnished with such surroundings as make life enjoyable. There are two orchards on the farm that furnish the family with apples, cherries, plums, peaches, etc., and the house and out-buildings are commodious, comfortable and convenient in their arrangement.
Mr. and Mrs. Floren are the happy parents of a family of seven children, six of whom are now living, whose names, in the order of their birth, are as follows: Minnie E., Nettie, Carl F., Jessie, Arthur L. and Frank W. Miss Minnie E. received a high-school education in Seward, which she supplemented with a course in the Lincoln Normal school, and is now teaching her fifth term and has gained a reputation that is second to none among the instructors of Seward county. Miss Nettie is also a teacher and is now serving her third term, and is meeting with marked success in the pursuit of her calling. She was educated in the same institutions as her older sister. Master Carl F., having completed the course given by the school of his district, is now attending the business college at Lincoln. The other children are still attending the district school.
Politically, our subject was formerly a Republican, but becoming dissatisfied with the policy of that party, he forsook it, and for the past few years he has used his elective franchises in the support of the candidates of the Populist party, considering it a duty to vote for the man best qualified for the office he seeks, regardless of party lines. Mr. and Mrs. Floren are members of the Presbyterian church at Tamora, but as this place is several miles from their home, the children attend the Methodist Sunday-school at Goehner.
ARON ANDERSON has, since pioneer days, been identified with the agricultural interests of Polk county, and now has an excellent farm on section 27, township 14, range 2, which he has transformed from a wild, unbroken tract into well cultivated and productive fields. He thoroughly understands his chosen vocation, and in his undertakings has met with well merited success.
Mr. Anderson's early home was on the other side of the Atlantic, for he was born in Orebro, Sweden, September 25, 1843, a son of Andrew and Christina (Anderson) Anderson, both natives of Mosos, Torsjö, Sweden. The father was a land owner and successfully engaged in the operation of his farm until his death, which occurred in 1860. Subsequently the mother came to America, and made her home with our subject and another son until she, too, was called to the world beyond, in April, 1882, her remains being interred in the Stroms-
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burg cemetery. In the family were twelve children, of whom seven reached years of maturity, namely: Caroline and Sophia, who still live near Stockholm, Sweden; Louisa, deceased; Charlotte, also a resident of Sweden; Charles, deceased; Gustave, of Stromsburg, Nebraska; and Aaron, of this sketch. The family were all connected with the Swedish Lutheran church, and were highly respected people.Mr. Anderson remained on the home farm until sixteen years of age and attended the local schools to a limited extent. At the age of sixteen he began learning the cabinetmaker's trade in Orebro, and after serving an apprenticeship of three and a half years, he worked at the trade in his native land until 1867, when he crossed the briny deep, landing in New York city, on the 24th of June, after a voyage of three weeks. He proceeded to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he worked at his trade for one year, and then went to Chicago, Illinois, to meet his old sweetheart, who was coming from Sweden. They were married in that city, August 14, 1868. Her maiden name was Carolina Hernblom, and she was born in Hofoa, Sweden, January 1, 1843
In Chicago Mr. Anderson worked at his trade until the spring of 1874, when he came to Polk county, Nebraska, and located upon his present homestead, build thereon a small frame house, which he enlarged eight years later, completing it in 1891. The first year he raised a small amount of wheat, but the grasshoppers took all his corn. In 1875 those insects also took a part of his crops, but since then he has steadily prospered and is now quite well-to-do, owning one hundred and eighty acres of land, of which one hundred and sixty acres are under excellent cultivation and well improved. In the fall of 1874 he went to Des Moines, Iowa, where he worked at his trade during the winter, but since then has devoted his entire time and attention to general farming and stock-raising, making a specialty of Poland China hogs.
Mr. Anderson has been called upon to mourn the loss of his estimable wife, who died March 18, 1893, and was laid to rest in the Stromsburg cemetery. She was a consistent member of the Swedish Baptist church, to which he also belongs, and is now serving as deacon. Their children are Joseph, who married Selma Olson and lives in Omaha; Huldah; Albert Emanuel, of Omaha; Frank Theodore; Ida Caroline; Edwin Anton; Inex Edwina; and Julia Agnata. They have all been given good common-school educations, and the daughters are now keeping house for their father in his pleasant home. He is a member of the Scandinavian Mutual Insurance company, of Polk county, and for many years has been a member of the school board in district No. 64. He takes considerable interest in political affairs, but is not identified with any particular party, always endeavoring to support the man best qualified for the office.
R. THOMAS J. HATFIELD, a leading dentist and prominent citizen of York, Nebraska, was born in Owensburg, Greene county, Indiana, October 11, 1851, and is a son of Armisted and Mary (Richison) Hatfield. The grandfather, Ale Hatfield, was a native of England, and was descended from the Roundheads. During his boyhood he came to the new world with his parents and settled in Virginia, where he grew to manhood and subsequently married Miss Nancy Young. During early life they removed to East Tennessee and located in the midst of the Cumberland mountains on the east fork of the Cumberland river, where the inhabitants were very few indeed. This isolated spot had many attractions for Mr. Hatfield, who was a devotee to the chase, and while cultivating his little valley farm for bread
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