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making near the town of Creston, later at Shenandoah. At the expiration of this time he began operations as a tiller of the soil, and to this calling has since given his time and attention. Mr. Roulsten, in January, 1881, settled in Glenwood Township on section 31. Upon the eighty acres of land which he then secured he has labored industriously, bringing the soil to a good condition and producing the crops which in this region thrive so well under the hand of the judicious husbandman. As a man and citizen he occupies a good position, and may be accounted among the useful and praiseworthy members of the community. The family history of our subject, which is next in importance to that of the man himself, is in its essential points as follows: His father, Eli Roulsten, was a native of Vermont, and upon reaching manhood was united in marriage with a most estimable lady, Miss Clementine Wood, whom it is believed was also a child of the Green Mountain State. After marriage the parents of our subject settled in Worcester, Mass., where the father was occupied in brick-making. and whence they migrated about 1858 to Henry County, Ill. There they engaged in brick-making, and the father departed this life in 1860. The mother passed away in 1870. They were the parents of two children only, William H. and Herbert E.; the latter lives in Henry County, Ill. Mr. Roulsten was four years old when his parents removed from Massachusetts to Illinois, and in the latter State received his rudimentary education. After becoming a resident of Shenandoah, Iowa, he formed the acquaintance of Miss Amy L. Brewer, and they were made one at the home of the bride in that place on the 19th of December, 1878. Mrs. Roulsten was born in Carroll County, Ill., July 29, 1859, and is the daughter of Oliver H. and Elvira (Westfall) Brewer, who were natives of Virginia and, emigrated to the Prairie State. The mother died in Carroll County about 1866. Mr. B. is still living, and a resident of Page County, Iowa. Mrs. H. was the youngest of a family of six children, and was reared to womanhood in Illinois. She acquired a common-school education, and remained a member of the home circle until her marriage. Of her union with our subject there have been born five children--Oliver E., Herbert R, Jesse W., Blanche and Jay O. The eldest is nine years of age and the youngest nine months. Mr. Roulsten has little to do with politics or the world at large. He, however, keeps himself posted upon matters of interest to the average citizen, and as a voter is a stanch Republican.
The parents of our subject, Edward and Amanda (Smith) Wisherd, were born near Hagerstown, Md., and the father traces his ancestry back to an old Scotch family, who settled in that State in Colonial times. The parents were married in Hagerstown, and began their happy wedded life on a farm in their native State, on which they remained until 1854, when they moved to Fulton County, Ill. The father became a land-owner, and went into business in that place, afterward removing to McDonough County, the same State, where they lived for twelve or fourteen years. After that length of time they changed their residence to Atchison County, Mo., in which place the mother died in April. 1885, at the age of sixty-one years. The father still remains there, and has reached the age of sixty-five years. They had a family of six children, whose names are: John A., Samuel Oscar, Mary E., William H., Jennie V. and Mattie (deceased). Our subject was born near the early home of his parents, on the 14th of July, 1853, and was but one |
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AMUEL OSCAR WISHERD is undoubtedly more extensively engaged in agricultural pursuits than any other man in this county, having under his immediate supervision 2,800 acres devoted to that purpose. He owns all of section 24 in Nemaha Township; section 9 in Adams Township; section 1 in Hanover Township; one-half of section 6 in Hooker Township; one-fourth of section 5 in Hanover Township; the south half of section 21, and eighty acres on section 2 in Adams Township, making in all a total of 2,800 acres. He also controlled all of section 11 in Adams Township. Our subject has the assistance of his brother John in the management of this large estate, the latter having ranches in Missouri and Arkansas.
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year old when they moved to Illinois. He attended the district schools in Fulton County, and after his removal to McDonough County he continued the pursuit of his education in the common schools until he reached the age of nineteen years, when he entered college at Carthage. At the age of twenty years he and his brother John rented a farm, and together took the management of it, the father giving them each a team of horses, and allowing our subject the proceeds of his labor, though he had not yet attained his majority. The brothers first took charge of a farm containing 480 acres, and as they were very energetic, honest, and possessed excellent business capabilities, the owner of the farm was inspired with perfect confidence in their ability and integrity, and furnished means for buying cattle and stock. They staid on this farm for two years, and were very successful, but imbibing the current "Western fever," they resolved to try their fortunes in Missouri. In that State they purchased land to the amount of about 4,000 acres, and put it all under cultivation, having to break it and improve it, and carry on the work themselves. For awhile the price of land was at a standstill, and there came over the financial horizon of the energetic young men a cloud of somewhat dark aspect. In April, 1878, our subject returned to Illinois in order to consummate his marriage with Miss Hurley, a daughter of William and Johanna (Wolf) Hurley. The father was a native of Indiana, and the mother of Illinois, and they made their home in Fulton County, Ill., until 1887, when they moved to Burlington, Col. The father is about fifty-two years old, and has been prosperous in his business; the mother is fifty years old. Mrs. Wisherd's grandfather, Thomas Wolf, was one of the earliest pioneers of Fulton County, having first made his home there in the year 1830. There were four children in the parental family, all of whom were born in Fulton County, Ill., whose names are Alice M., Mary J., Nettie E. and Ella L. Alice M., who became the wife of our subject, received the principal part of her education from the common schools, and having used to good advantage the opportunities afforded her, she became well fitted to adorn the pedagogic profession, which she did for a short time. But she was soon called to Missouri to grace the new home and possessions of our subject with her willing hands, smiling face and genial manners. She became the mother of one child, named Ethel, and since their residence in this county another little daughter, named Maud, was added to the happy home on the 11th of December, 1883. Having sold a large part of the land which he owned in Missouri, and bought 2,600 acres in this State, our subject came in the spring of 1882 and began making improvements on his new purchase. He broke 2,000 acres of land the first year. and the next year he settled on section 24, all of which he now owns and operates, besides the large amount above named. He employs between twenty and twenty-five men, whom he keeps under his immediate supervision. A few of the men are married, and are hired by the year, and for their accommodation our subject has built several houses, he has 200 head of cattle, and raises from 200 to 300 head of hogs per year. Mr. Wisherd has built a very fine house, and has adorned it with all the conveniences and luxuries that wealth can supply. Mrs. Wishard (sic) is in every respect a charming lady, and she and her husband understand perfectly the art of entertaining the many guests who find their way to the well-appointed home. In politics our subject is a Republican.
A native of Madison County, N. Y., our subject was born in the town of Brookfield, Aug. 8, 1821. He was the fourth in a family of eight children, the sons and daughters of Asa and Celinda (Angell) Lamb, who were both natives of Connecticut, whence |
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ILLIAM LAMB. This gentleman is prominent among the business interests of the city of Beatrice, and quite extensively engaged in the grain trade. He came to Nebraska during the period of its early settlement, and when his adopted city was little more than an unpretentious hamlet. No man has watched with warmer interest the growth and development of one of the brightest communities of the West, while at the same time he has been no unimportant factor in assisting it to its present condition.
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they emigrated to Madison County. N. Y., during its pioneer days. The father secured a tract of land and carried on farming until his death. Asa Lamb, the paternal grandfather of our subject, served valiantly in the Revolutionary War for a period of seven years, receiving many wounds in his conflicts with the enemies of his country. His blood frequently stained the frozen ground, but he possessed an iron constitution and recovered to return to his home. After the war was over he settled in Brookfield, and lived to the ripe old age of nearly ninety years. His son, Asa, Jr., the father of our subject, spent his last years in Brookfield, and died at the advanced age of eighty-seven; the mother died in 1838. Our subject spent his boyhood and youth in the manner common to the sons of the pioneer farmer, and received a practical education in the schools of his native county. When a youth of eighteen years he left home and began serving an apprenticeship at the trade of wagon-maker, not far away, and followed this business for a period of twenty-five years. In the spring of 1855 he left his native State, and proceeding westward, took up his abode in Elgin, Ill., where he lived five years. Thence he went to Rochelle, and was a sojourner there seven years. The spring of 1868 found him looking further westward, and crossing the Mississippi, he located in the young city of Beatrice, where he began buying and selling grain, and in due time branched out into a trade in agricultural implements, being engaged in this business five years. His next venture was in a hardware store which he established at Beatrice, and which he conducted six years. We next find Mr. Lamb, whose course seems to have been steadily onward, raised to the position of Vice President of the Beatrice National Bank, with which he was connected three or four years. His other business interests finally constrained him to withdraw from this institution, and he found it better for him to confine his attention to the grain trade. In the meantime he invested his spare capital in real estate, and is now the owner of three good farms, the lands of which have been brought to a highly fertile condition, and which are well stocked with good grades of domestic animals. The family residence is situated in Beatrice. It was erected in 1885, and is a handsome, two-story frame structure, finely finished and furnished, and, with its surroundings, forms one of the most attractive homes in the city. In the twenty-first year of his age our subject was united in marriage with Miss Maria Joslyn, the wedding taking place at the home of the bride, in Madison County, N. Y., in 1841. Mrs. Lamb is the daughter of Artemus and Mary (Howard) Joslyn, who were natives of Massachusetts, and are both deceased. They moved to Illinois about 1855. To Mr. and Mrs. Lamb there have been born two children only, a son and daughter: William H., now engaged in the livery business in Superior, this State, and Augusta M., the wife of John M. Lindsey, of Colorado. Mr. Lamb, politically, is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, and keeps himself well posted upon matters of State and National interest. He held the office of Justice of the Peace for two terms, or a period of six years. Socially, he belongs to the A. F. & A. M., being a member of Bates Lodge No. 26, also of the Chapter and Commandery at Beatrice. Mr. Lamb associated himself with Mr. John Kellogg, and the firm thus brought into existence has been in successful operation since that time. Too much credit cannot be given Mr. Lamb for the industry and perseverance with which he fought the battle of his earlier years, and from which he has come out fully equipped with a competence. William H., the son of our subject, during the late war, enlisted in the 52d Illinois Infantry, and gave a patriotic service of four years in assisting to preserve the Union.
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EN REYNOLDS is connected with the Citizens' Bank in Wymore, and is one of the influential business men of that flourishing little city. He was born in Rock Island, Ill., on the 16th of January, 1854, and is a son of Elisha P. and Eliza (Young) Reynolds, who are natives of Vermont. After their marriage they made their home in Rock Island, and are the parents of six children, who bear the names of John H., Bettie, Lucy, Sarah, Ben and Frederick. Our subject spent his early years in Illinois, and received
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his education from the public schools, after which he engaged with his father in making railroad contracts, in which business his father has been engaged for thirty-six years. They have built and helped to build many of the leading railroads in Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and other States and Territories, and since the accession of our subject as a member of the firm it is known as E. P. Reynolds & Co., railroad contractors. In 1873 our subject went to Cooper County, Mo., to engage in mining lead, where he continued for three years, after which he engaged for a like period in agricultural pursuits. Then, leaving his family he traveled around for some time in the expectation of securing a better location in which to continue his business, and in 1882 he came to Wymore, to which place he brought his family and has since made his home. Four years after his arrival in Wymore he engaged in the banking business, without discontinuing his former vocation, and now he is successfully engaged in both banking and railroad building. The city or his residence offers great inducements to a man of his vocation, since it is doing all in its power to become a railroad center, and in its turn the railroad company is doing much to add to the growth and prosperity of the city, having made it the junction of the Beatrice Branch of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, with the Southern main line of the same road to Denver. On the 6th of February, 1877, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Harris, a daughter of George W. and Mary F. (Tyler) Harris, of Wymore, who were natives of Virginia. Mrs. Reynolds was born on the 14th of March, 1859, in Missouri, and by her marriage she has become the mother of three children, whose names and birthdays are mentioned as follows: Mary P. was born on the 5th of February, 1878; Ben, on the 16th of June, 1881; and John H., on the 23d of June 1887. These three children have brought much sunshine to the home of their parents, and the eldest, the daughter, will soon be of sufficient age to he a helpful companion to her indulgent mother. Besides his prominent connection with the bank, our subject is Vice President and manager of the Blue Springs & Wymore Street Car Company, which is an institution of very great convenience to the inhabitants of these friendly cities. He is an active and consistent member of the Masonic fraternity, Blue Lodge, and of the Chapter and Commandery at Beatrice, an institution whose principles are worthy of the highest admiration. Mrs. Reynolds is an esteemed member of the Christian Church, and is a talented and amiable lady, whose refined and womanly qualifications have won her a host of admiring friends. She is a faithful and devoted wife and mother, and is well fitted to adorn the position in society which the prominent position of her husband accords her. Mr. Reynolds is considered one of the leading and most enterprising business men of Wymore, and as such has done very much to aid in her improvements, having a reputation for strictest integrity and honorable dealing.
Our subject was born in Bavaria, Germany, on the 9th of July, 1835, and his ancestors were natives of the same place. His parents, George and Anna (Gundelfinger) Rupprecht, came to the United States in the year 1883, and are making their home in Lincoln, Logan Co., Ill. The father was a butcher by trade, and he has now arrived at the advanced age of eighty-one years, the mother being seventy-eight years old. Our subject re- |
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REDERICK
RUPPRECHT is the owner of 160 acres of improved land on section 24, Lincoln
Township, on which he has made his home since 1881. When the land came into
his possession it was in a rough and uninviting condition, but he has since
brought the greater part of it to a good state of cultivation, and has made
many improvements, among which was the building of a comfortable and attractive
house and a good barn. He came to this county in 1880, and for one year rented
a farm in Blakely Township, previous to which he had made his home for ten
years in Logan and Mason Counties, Ill. He owned a farm there for several years,
on which he worked and made some improvements, but thinking that this rapidly
developing State afforded greater inducements, he sold it and came to this
county.
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mained with his parents until he was twenty-three years old, and after his school days were over he learned the trade of a butcher under his father's instructions. He came to the United States when he was a single man, and after spending some years in traveling through the different States in pursuit of his vocation, he decided to make his home in Logan County, Ill., and in 1864 he went back to Germany and remained six months, when he returned to Logan County. Mr. Rupprecht was united in marriage in New York City, on the 25th of August, 1865, to Miss Margaret Martz, who was born in Bavaria, Germany, on the 28th of August, 1839. She was a young woman when she came alone to the United States, and made her home in New York City until the time of her marriage with our subject. Her parents are still living in the Fatherland. By their marriage our subject and his wife are the parents of six children, named: Anna, Mary, Sallie, Fred, Jacob and Lydia. They are well-known and esteemed members of the Lutheran Church, in Beatrice, and are true and loyal citizens of their adopted country. Mr. Rupprecht affiliates with the Democratic party, and among his fellowmen he bears a reputation for strictest integrity and uprightness.
Garrett Cooper, the elder of the two brothers presented in this sketch, was born on the 14th of January, 1858, at Rochelle, Ill. His education comprised that obtainable in a good common school, and was designed to he rather practical than ornamental. Being the eldest son he was early brought into requisition in many ways upon the farm, and upon leaving the school continued at home in charge of a farm of about 200 acres. In 1885, accompanied by his brother Oliver, he came to Nebraska, and purchased a half-section of land, the remaining half being purchased by their father, thus making them the proprietors of an extensive and magnificent farm, 640 acres in extent, and comprising the whole of section 31. A view of their place is presented in connection with this sketch. This property has been planned and laid out by our subject and his brother; they have also erected a commodious dwelling. Not far distant from the house there is a very fine orchard, containing over 150 trees, hearing the choicest varieties of apples, besides cherries, plums, apricots and grapes in abundance. In connection with their ranch there are large and well-built stables and horse barns; two cattle sheds affording ample accommodation for their herds, besides several others for the use of their hogs. By a perfect system of pipes, tanks and reservoirs, an abundant supply of water is obtainable in every part of their property by the aid of two magnificent and powerful windmills. The trade of Mr. Cooper and his brother is very extensive. They are both feeders and shippers of stock, and have constant work for six teams, and rarely |
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ARRETT AND OLIVER COOPER. It is only one step back from the contemplation of the question that occurs forcibly to one's mind in passing through the central markets of some great city, "Where does all the meat consumed daily in the cities of the world come from?" to the boundless plains and vast ranches of the South and West. Among the ranchmen of Nebraska who have made for themselves a name by their success in their chosen occupation, will be found the brothers whose names stand at the head of this biographical compendium. These gentlemen are the sons of Peter and Mary (Serrick) Cooper. Their father was born in Morris County, N. J., their mother in Warren County, Ohio. They were united in marriage in the latter State, but soon removed to Illinois, and settled in Rochelle, where Mr. Cooper bought a farm and was increasingly prosperous year by year. He is now the owner of 582 acres of excellent agricultural and pastoral land; in addition he is operating quite extensively as a financier, and is one of the most wealthy citizens of his district. He is, although sixty-six years of age. enjoying good health, and in reality is much younger than many who have not attained his years numerically. His wife is fifty-two years of age. They are the parents of fourteen children, whose names are recorded as follows: Mary, Garrett, Oliver, Edith, Alma C., Nettie (deceased), Albert, Minnie, Willie, Charles, Howard, Florence, and two who died in infancy.
