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ty, Maine, January 15, 1841, and is a son of David and Susan (Harmon) Rogers, who were both natives of Maine. They removed to Illinois in 1853, and settled in LaSalle county, where Mr. Rogers died at the age of seventy-five. He was a sailor by trade, but the greater part of his life was spent in following agricultural pursuits.

      L. H. Rogers was the youngest child in a family of six children and received his education in the public schools of LaSalle county. He assisted his father on the home farm until he attained the age of twenty, when he started out to farm for himself in LaSalle county. He remained there until 1885, when he came to York county, Nebraska, and purchased a farm in section 5, of Lockridge township, which he now owns and operates. His estate is given over to general farming and stock raising, which Mr. Rogers carries on according to the most modern and improved methods of agriculture.

      In 1865 he was united in marriage to Miss Sophia B. Knight, who is a native of Maine. To this congenial union six children have been born, upon whom they have bestowed the following names: Hattie R., Arthur B., Curtis A., Cyrenus D., Willis S. and Blanche V., and all of whom are now living. In the local political affairs Mr. Rogers has been quite prominent, and was elected to the office of township treasurer by his fellow Republicans, but did not accept the same. He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for a number of years. He has been very successful in his career, and is a firm believer in and predicts a brilliant future for the state of Nebraska. He is one of the most widely-known and highly respected of the citizens of the county. 

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ONATHAN F. MARTIN belongs to that large class of intelligent and enterprising farmers whose homes are places of social and mental comfort and refreshment, and whose work as developers of the country is a credit alike to themselves and the community. His estate is located on section 11, Olive township, Butler county. The farm is adorned by a commodious and substantial dwelling, barn and outbuildings, together with such other surroundings which make it a fit habitation. Modern machinery is used in its cultivation, and the latest improvements are to be seen in the method of its operation.

      Mr. Martin went west with his parents and settled in Butler county, November 6, 1871. He was born in Pecatonica, Illinois, November 2, 1856, a son of Hugh Martin, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who settled in Illinois in an early day, and engaged in farming there until moving to Butler county, Nebraska, in 1871, and located on section 18, township 15, range 2. His wife bore the maiden name of Miss Ann Jane Smith, and was a native of Pennsylvania, where she was married. To this union were born six children, five of whom grew to maturity, as follows: Robert T.; William, who died in infancy; Jonathan F., the subject of this sketch; Sarah Ann Gear, who is living in Wisconson (sic); Arabelle; and George W., living in Butler county, Nebraska.

      Jonathan F. Martin, the subject of this sketch, was reared on a farm, and December 29, 1881, he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza M. Zeilinger, daughter of John Zeilinger, of Butler county, Nebraska. Of the three children born to this union, two are now living, namely: Clarence Leroy, born in June, 1883, and Paul Phillips Henry, born September , 1892. Our subject is a man who commands respect wherever he is known, is pleasant, warm hearted, and has a good capacity for well-directed labor, which have placed him in the forefront among the farmers of his vicinity. He is keenly active to the interests of the community, and does all in his power to push all schemes forward

that will in any way enhance its growth or elevate its status. He takes special interest in the cause of education and is at present serving on the board of school directors. Politically he is a Republican. 

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ARNEST KRUEM.--This name, will be recognized by the citizens of Goehner and vicinity as that of one of its leading business men who is doing an extensive hardware business. He started in life with no capital outside of his physical and mental abilities, and is to day one of the solid men of Seward county.

      Mr. Kruhm was born in central Germany, October 2, 1863, a son of William and Elizabeth (Beck) Kruhm, the former born January 13, 1831, and the latter born January 21, 1830. His paternal grandfather, Caspar Kruhm, was a public surveyor, and no settlement of land could be made in his jurisdiction without his testimony. In addition to his duties as surveyor, he was a millwright and taught this trade to his son William, and he in turn taught his oldest son, Gustav, brother of our subject; so, for several generations, mill-building has been an occupation of the family. The family also owned a small tract of land, and among these varied occupations they have been well-to-do. As a family they have been very thrifty and industrious, and almost without exception they have been faithful and consistent members of the Lutheran church. The parents of our subject are yet living in the old country, and before coming to this country, Mr. Kruhm had the unusual pleasure of attending his grandfather's golden wedding in 1880, and the silver wedding of his parents in the following year.

      Mr. Kruhm entered the employ of a hardware firm in Nordhausen, Germany, in 1878, and from there he went to the city of Eisleben, where Martin Luther was born and died, and the building in which our subject was a clerk, joined the historical building in which Luther died, and he was also present at the unveiling of a monument to the memory of this great reformer. Mr. Kruhm crossed the Atlantic in 1886 in the "Sorrento," landing at New York city, and from there he soon made his way to Lincoln, Nebraska. From thence he went to Waco, in York county, and spent about ten days with an old friend, and from there he went to Bennett, where he was employed as a farm laborer. From Bennett he returned to Lincoln, and about three month, later he came to Goehner, Seward county, and became a clerk for a lumber and hardware firm. In the course of a few months this firm sold out to Walker & Co., and this company later sold to S. K. Martin Lumber Company, but our subject still remained business manager and conducted the whole business for the firm for nearly four years. He then bought out the hardware stock and went into business for himself and has now been thus engaged for over five years, making an aggregate of eleven years in this line of work since settling in Goehner. To his. stock of hardware, he has since added a line of furniture, harnesses, paints and oils, all of which he carries in his own name and is free from all incumbrance. Mr. Kruhm is still in the prime of life and has attained an assured position among the substantial men of his calling in this county, as he is possessed of an indomitable will, untiring perseverance, and an energetic character. He speaks and writes two languages with accuracy, and is somewhat acquainted with French. 

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EVI H. MAPPS.--The agricultural element that has been so largely instrumental in the upbuilding of York county is finely represented in this gentleman, who was one of its earliest settlers, and who

has a valuable farm in Lockridge township, of which he is a leading farmer and one of the most prominent citizens.

      Our subject was born in Will county, Illinois, June 16, 1852, a son of Robert H. and Susana (Shoffner) Mapps. The parents were natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively, and moved to Illinois in 1845 and settled in Will county, and made that their home during the remaining years of their lives. By occupation the father was a cooper and auctioneer. Our subject's grandfather, William Mapps, was a native of New Jersey, and moved west to Illinois in about 1846 and died in that state.

      Our subject is the second in the order of birth of a family of six children, four sons and two daughters. His father died in 1886, but his mother is still living and is making her home in Will county, Illinois. Our subject was educated in the public schools of Will county, Illinois, and as soon as he became old enough he began working on a farm. He followed this occupation in Illinois until 1880, and then moved to York county, Nebraska, arriving February 20. He bought a farm in section 1, Lockridge township, and still owns this tract, and, although it was then bleak, unbroken prairie, it is now one of the finest farms of the county.

      March 3, 1878, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Magdalene Zimmer, a native of Germany, who came to America with her parents when but six months of age. Her parents first located in Indiana, but died soon after arriving in this country. Mr. and Mrs. Mapps are the parents of a family of three children, Susan A., Robert H. and Ethel I., all of whom are living. In politics Mr. Mapps is a Populist and has taken considerable interest in the local affairs of that organization. He has served the citizens of his adopted district and township in the capacity of school director and township assessor.

      Socially he affiliates with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Royal Highlanders. Mr. Mapps is ambitious and enterprising, and although he started in Nebraska with a cash capital of but twenty-five dollars and faced the difficulties and privations of settlement in a new and very sparcely settled territory, he has met with marked success and is now possessed of a comfortable fortune. 

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OHN WESLEY ARRASMITH, a prosperous and influential citizen residing in precinct N, Seward county, was the first white child born in Henry county, Illinois, his birth occurring November 23, 1835, and the greater part of his life has been passed amidst scenes of frontier life. His parents were Alvin and Emily (Stowers) Arrasmith, and his paternal grandparents Wesley and Elizabeth (Reed) Arrasmith. They were all originally from England, and were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The father died June 9, 1863, at the age of fifty-seven years. Our subject was his only son, but in the family were seven daughters, six of whom are still living, namely: Sarah H., Mary J., Nancy G., Martha R., Margaret A. and Julia A. All are married and have homes of their own.

      The subject of this review received his education in the common schools of Henry county, Illinois, and early obtained a thorough practical knowledge of farm work upon the old homestead, which was presented to him by his father prior to his marriage. It was on the 25th of June, 1862, that he led to the marriage altar Miss Rosilla Maria Derby. She is one of a family of six children, the others being Hattie, Charles W., J. Fletcher, H. Willie and Joseph H., all of whom are married and have homes of their own. The oldest brother, Charles Wesley Derby, has served two terms as sheriff of Butler county, Nebraska,

and is quite popular as a public official and citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Arrasmith began housekeeping in a new residence which he had erected on the old farm, and there continued to make their home until March, 1883, when he sold the place, consisting of three hundred acres, at sixty dollars per acre, and started for Nebraska. At Bellwood he purchased land at seven dollars per acre and there engaged in agricultural pursuits for nine years. His next home was in Beaver Crossing, where he lived until October, 1893, when he sold his property in town and moved to his present farm in precinct N, Seward county, where he has four hundred acres of valuable and well improved land, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation, making it one of the most productive, as well as one of the most attractive farms in the locality.

      Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Arrasmith, of whom nine are still living, as follows: (1) Alvin Joseph married Clara Herder, daughter of Peter Herder, and they have five children, Benjamin, who is now fourteen years old, but being born on the 29th of February, he only has a birthday every four years; Fred Alvin; Alta May; Edward Parsons and Lillie. (2) Ida May is the wife of George McMullen, and they have six children: George William, Arthur, Otis, Lydia Jane, Paul A. and an infant. (3) Minnie Melvina is the wife of Arthur French, son of Henry and Mary French, of Hartford, Connecticut, and they have three children: Mary Willard, John Wesley and Olive Arrasmith. (4) Hattie Opal is the wife of Edmond Johnson, of Girard, Michigan, and they have two children: Earl G. and Clark Willard. (5) Lillie Parthenia is the wife of Hugh McMullen, and they have three children: John Harvey; Paul Verninum and Grace Belle. (6) Fred Arthur married Mamie Seavey, daughter of Josiah and Abbie Seavey. Her father died from disease contracted in the army during the Rebellion. To Fred and Mamie Arrasmith have been born two children: Howard Arthur and Ruth Seavey. (7) Fannie Amelia is the wife of David Stall and they have three children: Florence May, Bessie Opal and Fern Amelia. (8) Bessie Pearl and (9) John Wesley are still at home. The children are not only the joy and pride of their parents but also of their grandparents as well, and often make the home of the latter ring with their merriment.

     Since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Arrasmith has been a pronounced Republican in politics, a firm believer in a high protective tariff and the gold standard, and he supported William McKinley at the last election. Mrs. Arrasmith is a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Beaver Crossing, and though not a member of any denomination her husband is also a believer in the Christian religion. They are widely and favorably known and have made many warm friends since coming to Seward county, in whose future prosperity they take a deep interest. 

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ICHAEL W. MAHONEY is engaged in the banking business at Bruno, Nebraska, and is widely known both for his enterprising spirit and his sound judgment. His integrity is beyond question, and business methods have invariably proved wise and timely. His broad and progressive nature has led him to take a lively interest in all plans and schemes that had in view the public welfare, in every sense of the word he is one of the leading men of Butler county.

      Mr. Mahoney is of Irish nativity, and was ushered into the world in the famous county Cork, Ireland, in 1860, and is therefore still a young man, and in the very prime of his manly power. His parents, James and Margaret (Flynn) Mahoney,

were born and married in that county. They had their home in the old town of Mitchelltown, where there the famous John Mitchell originated, and there they remained until 1866, when they followed a great tide of emigration, and came to America. James Mahoney brought his wife and little ones to Adams county, Illinois, but soon removed to Hancock county, in the same state, where he served the Wabash railroad for many years as yard master at Hamilton. He threw up his work with the railroad company in 1870, appeared in Butler county, bringing with him his wife and five children. Michael W., Thomas F., Nellie, W. J., and Maggie, and located them on a homestead entry of eighty acres in Section 12, Skull Creek township. In addition to this he bought a half section of land, for which he paid two dollars and seventy cents an acre in cash. He was thus well situated to care for a growing family. He gave his children good advantages in schooling and they are well and prosperous to-day.

      Mr. Mahoney profited by the opportunities for education that the times provided, and was a well informed man by the time he had attained his majority. He helped his father put the paternal homestead in order, and then engaged in farming for himself. He was married in 1882 to Miss Carrie Coufal, a daughter of Ferdinand Coufal, a Bohemian who came to Butler county in 1872, and made a homestead entry in one of its most delightful valleys. She was a child when her parents came to this country, and has grown up in Butler county into a charming and graceful womanhood. She is the mother of eight children, Nellie, Maggie, James, Frank, George, Leonard, Grace and Michael, Jr. The young banker is a leader in the councils of the Republican party in this quarter of the state, and his influence is felt as a positive force far beyond the limits of the county, He is at the head of the Bruno State Bank, and has extensive real estate interests in both this and adjoining counties. He is a master of the difficult speech of the Bohemians, and is regarded as an unquestioned authority among them. He is a Catholic, and his father was one of the early promoters of the faith in this county. His career has been interesting and successful, and might well form an object lesson to the discontented and discouraged, who rail against the times and claim that the doors of opportunity only open to the touch of a golden key. He began life with no great advantages, but by courage and enterprise, wit and persistence, he has. already accumulated a very substantial fortune, which bids fair to assume large proportions before his death. 

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OSEPH SWEARINGEN.--The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has been worthily achieved, who has acquired a high reputation in his chosen calling, and whose social prominence is not less the result of an upright life than of recognized natural gifts. It is a pleasing indulgence to write the biography of a man of this character, such as Mr. Swearingen is known to be.

      This eminent and honored citizen of Seward county, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, September 20, 1840, and traces his ancestry back to Gerret von Swearingen, who was born in Beemsterdam, Holland, in 1636, and was a younger son in a family belonging to the nobility. He received a liberal education, and when a young man performed responsible duties in the maritime service of the Dutch West India Company, which, in 1656, fitted out the ship Prince Maurice with emigrants and supplies, appointing him its supercargo. This vessel sailed from the port of Amsterdam, December 21, 1656, and was stranded off Fire Island, near the southern coast of Long Island, but they succeeded in saving

part of the cargo during the following five days. After the wreck Gerret von Swearingen asked to be relieved from the company's service, as he intended to locate here, and as there was nothing for him to do his request was granted. He was married in New York, about 1659, to Barbarah de Barrette, a native of Valenciennes, France. He was sheriff; commissary and a member of the council, and was interested in the cultivation of some low lands, and also in a duck poud (sic) and in trade. In 1660, he went to Holland, taking his wife with him, and there remained a year in behalf of the colony. Returning to New York the following year, he resumed his former duties. It is said that after the surrender of the colony to the English he publicly broke his sword across his knee, and throwing the pieces to right and left, renounced all allegiance to the Dutch authorities. Shortly after the surrender, in April, 1669, he, with his wife and two children, removed to Maryland, and on their petition to Lord Baltimore, were naturalized by act of the general assembly held at St. Mary's, that province. This important act will be understood when it is stated that the ownership of land was restricted to British subjects. He conducted an inn at St. Mary's and owned land in St. Mary's and Talbott counties, Maryland. In 1668 he was appointed alderman of the city; in 1674 built the city's stocks and whipping post, and was appointed sheriff, first in 1686 and again in 1687. His first wife died in 1670, and he afterward married Mary Smith, of St. Mary's, the ante-nuptial marriage settlement being executed October 5, 1676. His death occurred in 1698, and hers some years later. She was a member of the Church of England.

      The parents of our subject were Jackson and Nancy Ann (Laughlin) Swearingen. The father was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1815, was a farmer by occupation, and immediately after the Civil war removed to Hookstown, that county, where he died February 10, 1887. His wife died at the same place in 1897, and both were buried in Mill Creek cemetery, near the oldest church in that section of the country. In their family were six children, as follows: Basil, who married Anna Boyd and died in Hookstown at the age of fifty. Anna died in infancy. Joseph, our subject, is the next of the family. Samuel married Mary Cloud, who died about eight years ago, but he is still living in Hookstown. Sarah married James E. Brandon and died leaving two children, Samuel and Maude, who live near New Cumberland, Virginia. Elizabeth is the wife of A. J. Scott and lives in Texas. Their only child, Viva, is now being educated for a trained nurse.

      Joseph Swearingen attended the common schools of Pennsylvania for about three months during the year until sixteen years of age, but he has greatly supplemented his early education by extensive reading and observation in later years. At the age of seventeen he commenced learing (sic) the blacksmith's trade, which he followed in connection with other occupation until about twelve years ago. He was first married at the age of twenty to Miss Mary Laughlin, of Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Two years later he left his young wife and went to the front in response to his country's call for aid, enlisting August 14, 1862, in Company H, One Hundred and Fortieth Pennsylvania Volunteer infantry, under Capt. Samuel Campbell. After two years and nine months of arduous and faithful service on southern battle fields, he was honorably discharged as hostilities had ceased. The principal engagements in which he participated were the battles of Chancellorsville, in May, 1863, and Gettysburg in the following July. On his return home he continued to work at his trade in his native county for some years, and there his wife died in 1869, leaving three children. (1) Maril-

da is now the wife of Lee R. Atwood, a farmer of Milford, Seward county, Nebraska, and they have two children: Carl, aged sixteen years; and Chester, aged five. (2) Joetta is the wife of George Lyon, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and they have three sons. (3) Jackson married Lyulian McDonald and has three sons.

      In 1871 Mr. Swearingen came to Nebraska and the following year took a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Clay county, being entitled to a soldier's claim. Returning to Pennsylvania, in 1873, he married Miss Agnes Kirk, and on again coming to this state located permanently in Milford, Seward county; where in connection with farming he worked at his trade until 1885, since which time he has devoted most of his attention to agricultural pursuits. He now owns a fine farm of one hundred and twenty-eight acres two miles north of Milford in the valley of the Blue, which contains the richest and most productive soil in the state.

      Mr. Swearingen's second wife died in Milford in 1879, and was buried in Blue Mount cemetery. She left one child, Paul Vane, who is now twenty-three years of age and is at home. In 1885 our subject married Miss L. M. Terrell, of Milford, and to them has been born a son, Thomas Laughlin, who is nine years old and is attending the public schools of Milford.

      Mr. Swearingen cast his first vote, while in the service of his country, for Abraham Lincoln, and has since been a stanch supporter of the Republican party and a recognized leader in its ranks in his community. In 1872 he was elected to the stale legislature from the twenty-sixth district, and most ably represented Seward county in that august assembly for one-term of two years. He has held many minor offices since coming to this state, has been a member of the county board of supervisors two terms, and has been re-elected for a third term.

      Socially he is a member of the Odd Fellows Society, the Masonic fraternity and the Grand Army of the Republic. He is widely and favorably known, and few men in the county have more or warmer friends. 

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EORGE BINGHAM, who is properly ranked as one of the self-made men of York county, began his career at the foot of the ladder of life, without other resources than his own indomitable will and steady, plodding industry. From a humble position he has risen to that of one of the representative men of a more than ordinarily intelligent community. The greater part of his life has been spent in the agricultural districts, and when but a boy he became thoroughly familiar with the various employments of the farm To-day he is therefore one of the most successful farmers of Arborville township.

      Born in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, October 12, 1854, Mr. Bingham is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Griffin) Bingham, both natives of England. The father was born in 1819, and came to the United States in 1844, locating at once in Wisconsin, where he followed farming throughout the remainder of his life. He died in 1884, and the mother of our subject in 1865. Four sons and three daughters constituted their family, and of these, one daughter and our subject are now residents of York county. Nebraska.

      Reared in his native state, George Bingham received his literary education in the public schools. For several years he was employed as a laborer in Wisconsin, and with the hopes of benefiting his financial condition he emigrated to Nebraska in November, 1878, traveling all the way to York county by team. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres of railroad land on section 21, Arborville township, which at that time was all raw prairie land, and at

once commenced to break and improve his land. The little sod. house which he first erected he used for ten years, and then built a good frame residence. To general farming and stock raising he still devotes his attention with most excellent results.

      Mr. Bingham was married, in Nebraska, in 1882, to Miss Sybil A. Smith, a daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Baker) Smith, who were natives of Massachusetts and New York, respectively, and were early settlers of York county. Our subject and his wife have one child, Elizabeth. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is Populist in political sentiment. For three years he has served as town clerk and assessor for two years, discharging the duties of both positions in a most capable and satisfactory manner. 

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. W. SHERBONDY.--There are few men more worthy of representation in a work of this kind than the subject of this biography, who is passing the later years of his life in retirement from active labor upon his fine farm in section 34, Bryant township, Fillmore county, Nebraska. His has been a long and busy career, rich with experience, and in which he has established himself in the esteem and confidence of all who know him.

      Mr. Sherbondy was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, November 11, 1832, and is a son of George and Elizabeth (Smith) Sherbondy, also natives of the Keystone state. The father died there at the age of fifty-five years and was laid to rest in the Greensburg cemetery, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. The mother later removed to Freeport, Illinois, where she passed away at the age of fifty-six, and rests in the cemetery at Freeport, Stephenson county, Illinois. To them were born nine children, eight daughters and one son, but four of whom are now living, namely: J. W., the subject of this article; Elizabeth, Susanna, and Elmira; the three latter all are residents of Freeport, Illinois. The daughters that are dead are: Mary D. Greenwalt, who died in St. Louis, Missouri, and is buried there; Anna J. Austin, died in Kansas City, Missouri, and is buried there; Hetty T. Stuart, died in Charlottetown, Prince Edwards Island, British America; Charlotte Armstrong, died in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was buried there; Louisa R. Shellenberger, died at Mount Carmel, Illinois, and was buried in the cemetery at Freeport, Illinois. The paternal great-grandfather of our subject was a soldier of the Revolutionary war in 1775. He was a Frenchman and his wife was an English woman. They located in Pennsylvania, in which state our subject's grandparents were both born.

      Reared on the home farm, Mr. Sherbondy acquired his literary education in the public schools of the neighborhood, and during his youth he was confirmed in the Lutheran church. He remained under the parental roof until his marriage, which was celebrated November 10, 1856, Miss Catherine Shirey becoming his wife. She is also a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, born November 10, 1835, and a daughter of Joseph and Eliza (Blank) Shirey, in whose family were three children, One of her brothers, George L. Shirey is living in Greensburgh, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, but the other died in Pennsylvania. The mother died at the early age of twenty-eight years, when Mrs. Sherbondy was only eight years old, and was laid to rest in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Subsequenty (sic) the father married again and, by his second union had seven children, Anna, Aaron, Rebecca, Joseph, Mary, Frank and Howard, all of whom are still living in Pennsylvania. He was a native of that state and there died in 1884, at the age of seventy-six years, and was buried in the

Youngstown cemetery. The remains of his second wife were also interred there. She died at the age of seventy-eight years. Mrs. Sherbondy's paternal great-grandfather came from Germany, and was killed when her father was but ten years old, leaving his wife with seven children to battle against the world. She lived to be eighty-seven years old.

      Mr. and Mrs. Sherbondy are the parents of five children, four sons and one daughter, as follows: George W., who is still single and resides at Port Orchard, Kitsap county, in the state of Washington; Anna E., now the wife of J. A. Corman, a resident of Oak, Nuckolls county, Nebraska; J. Wallace, who married Laura Kline and lives in Orangeville, in Stephenson county, Illinois; Richard A., who married Lizzie Kline and lives at Carlisle, in Bryant precinct, Fillmore county, Nebraska; and Bert D., who married Daisy Kitch and lives in the same precinct.

      Mr. Sherbondy began life for himself amid the rough and rugged hills of his native state, but soon after his marriage he migrated to Stephenson county, Illinois, and there made his home for thirty-three years, during which time he purchased a farm. On selling his property there, he removed to Kansas, where the following year was passed, and then came to Fillmore county, Nebraska, where in 1891 he bought one hundred and sixty acres on section 34, Bryant precinct, paying for the same four thousand six hundred and twenty-five dollars. Two years later he purchased one hundred and five acres for three thousand one hundred dollars, making a fine farm of two hundred and sixty-five acres, all in one body, which is well improved with good and substantial buildings. Our subject manages the place, but it is operated by his sons, one of whom (Bert D.) also owns a tract of eighty acres.

      Mr. Sherbondy and his wife have severa (sic) times visited their native state, but are content to make Nebraska their home, for here they have prospered, having acquired a comfortable competence. All that they possess is the result of their own efforts, as they started out in life for themselves in limited circumstances, but now in their declining days they are enjoying the wealth that has been accumulated by years of toil. In his farming operations he has met with more than ordinary success, and since locating upon his present place has raised as high as fifty-two and three-quarters bushels of wheat to the acre, and other grains in proportion. In politics he is a stanch adherent of the Democratic-Populist party, in which he sees the best guarantees for the preservation of our national liberty. He and his family are prominent members of the Lutheran church, and are highly respected by all who know them. 

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IPKE VANDERKOLK.--Butler county has been the home and scene of labor of many men who have not only led lives. that should serve as an example to those who have come after them, but have also been of important service to their county and state through various avenues of usefulness. Among them must be named Mr. Vanderkolk, a prominent and well-known farmer residing on section 10, Bone Creek township. For many years he has labored with all the strength of a great nature and all the earnestness of a true heart for the bettering of the world about him, and he has gained the love and respect of all who know him.

      Mr. Vanderkolk was born in Holland, May 21, 1843, and at the age of six years was brought to America by his parents, William and Margaret (De Hanu) Vanderkolk, who settled in Pella, Iowa. Of their five children, three were born in Holland: Sipke, Viger and Tabitha; and the others,
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Addie and Katie, in Iowa. The mother's death occurred in Pella, and later, in 1867, the family came to Butler county, Nebraska. By trade the father was a carpenter. When the Civil war broke out our subject and his brother, Viger, enlisted, but the former was rejected, and the latter was killed at the battle of Shiloh.

      Through the efforts of our subject, his sisters were given liberal educations in Iowa, which well fitted them for the work they afterward accomplished in their Nebraska home. When the family reached this state, Butler county had not yet been organized, and there were no schools, churches or Sunday schools in this region. They set to work to establish these, and the first Sunday-school was organized in June, 1867, with Sipke Vanderkolk as superintendent and his sister Tabitha as assistant superintendent. On the 28th of April, 1869, the Rev. Chase came from Schuyler and organized the first Congregational church in Butler county. Among the thirteen charter members appeared the names of Sipke, Tabitha and Katie Venderkolk (sic), and the old records of this church are now in the possession of our subject, who served as its clerk. The Christian character of this gentleman and his family, has left its impress on the events of those early days and upon the many young men and women who have since become the leading spirits of the county. The people owe to the Vanderkolk family a debt of gratitude which tan never be repaid.

      On his arrival in Butler county, Mr. Vanderkolk took up a homestead on section 10, Bone Creek township, and the same year erected thereon a house 16 x 26 feet, it being at that time the largest and best house in the county. Part of the lumber for its construction was hauled from Plattsmouth. In 1868 it became evident to the settlers of this locality that a county organization was necessary, and among the leading men who took an active and prominent part in this work was Mr. Vanderkolk. They met in a log school house, later known as the Hartford school, and effected an organization. Thus we see that our subject has been prominently identified with the entire development and improvement of his county, and has materially aided in the advancement of all social, industrial, educational, and moral interests.

      In 1878 Mr. Vanderkolk married Miss Amelia Parnell, a daughter of Thomas and Catharine (Best) Parnell. The children born to them are as follows: William E., Viger S., Katie H. and George 13. In political sentiment Mr. Vanderkolk is a Prohibitionist and has successfully opposed the saloon in his vicinity. He has never cared for political preferment, desiring rather to give his entire time and attention to his family and to those enterprises calculated to prove of public good. The county has no more honored or highly respected citizen, and he is certainly deserving of prominent mention in a work of this character.

     In connection with the above sketch, we would also like to say something of the life of the sister, Tabitha. She was born in Friesland, Holland, in 1846, and died in her home near David City, November 14, 1895, being nearly fifty years of age. She was but eleven years of age, when her mother died, and the entire responsibility of caring for the household, and the rearing of her two younger sisters, soon rested on her youthful shoulders. When she was nineteen years of age, she united with the Baptist church, and through her entire life to the time of her death she always lived a devoted christian life. She was married to J. V. Wood, in 1878. She always filled a prominent place in religious and educational circles, and her influence for good was widely felt. She was ever ready to lend a helping hand to those in need, and all who knew

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