age. The eldest of the survivors is Louisa, the wife of James Butler, and residing in this city; Elnora is married to her second husband, B. F. Hill, and lives in St. Joseph, Mo.; Lilly B. is the wife of J. R. Ervin; Minnie married M. M. Paddon; Hattie lives at home with her parents, and Etta is the wife of Ed. S. Ames.
   Dr. McCasland also gained the title of Honorable during the Territorial days, having been elected by the Republicans of Pawnee County to represent them in the Legislature, in which he served two terms. In religious matters he inclines to the doctrines of the Christian Church, of which he is a member. For good and sufficient reasons he left the Republican party in 1882, and became a supporter of the Cleveland administration. He voted for John C. Fremont in 1856, Socially, he belongs to Pawnee Lodge No. 23, A. F. & A. M., and is a charter member of Interior Lodge No. 9, I. O. O. F.
   David McCasland, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was born in Virginia, whence he removed with his parents to Kentucky when a mere child. He was of Welsh ancestry, the great-grandfather of our subject having emigrated from Scotland probably during the Colonial days. The mother of our subject traced her forefathers to Wales.

OHN P. SWALLOW. It is said that this gentleman is one of the most enterprising citizens of Burchard--one who has been closely identified with its business interests, and who has done much to facilitate the building up of the town. He is seldom idle, employing himself almost constantly either with his hands or his brain, and has made it a lifelong habit to observe what was going on around him and keep himself posted with regard to matters of general interest. He has been for some time operating as an extensive coal dealer, and is also manager of the grain elevator of DeW. Q. Diven & Co. He came to the West as early as 1856, and to Nebraska in the spring of 1857. For a period of over thirty years he has been closely associated with the best interests of the State, which was under Territorial Government at the time of his coming here.
   A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Swallow was born in Pittston Township, Luzerne County, May 16, 1831. His father, Benjamin Swallow, was also born in that county, in 1808, and married Miss Mary Price, a native of England, and born in 1808. The paternal grandfather, Capt. Joseph Swallow, was a native of New Jersey, whence he removed to Luzerne County, Pa., when eighteen years old. He took up a tract of timber land, from which he cleared the forest and constructed a good homestead, becoming well-to-do. Of patriotic impulse, he shouldered his musket in the War of 1812, and for his bravery and fidelity to duty was given a Captain's commission. When the war ended he returned to the peaceful pursuits of farm life and spent the remainder of his days in his adopted State. He departed hence in 1860, at the advanced age of eighty years. In politics he was an old-line Whig. His wife in her girlhood was Miss Mary A. Cooper, whose father, George Cooper, also served in the Revolutionary War, and witnessed the Wyoming massacre, being one of the last to leave the field. Grandmother Swallow survived her husband and lived to be almost one hundred years old. Her mother, the great-grandmother of our subject, lived likewise to be nearly a centenarian. The Swallow family originated in Germany, and from that country the ancestors of our subject emigrated, settling in New Jersey.
   On the mother's side Grandfather George Price was born in England, and came to America about 1816, settling in Luzerne County, Pa., where he opened up a large farm, and under it there was later discovered a bed of coal. He was thus enabled to sell his property at a good round sum, and removing to New Jersey retired from active labor, establishing himself in the village of Middletown, where he spent the remainder of his days in ease and comfort, and died in, 1848.
   Benjamin Swallow, the father of our subject, was reared to man's estate in Pennsylvania, acquiring a common-school education. He was also married there, and operated a small farm. Underneath this also there was a coal mine, which the elder Swallow developed with success and finally sold, removing

to what is now Lackawanna County, Pa. There also he purchased land, prosecuted farming, and died Dec. 14, 1888. The mother is still living at the old homestead, is a good woman and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
   To the parents of our subject there were born ten children, the eldest of whom was John P. The others were named respectively: Rasselas D.; James, who died when thirty-one years old; Elizabeth, Belle, Caroline, George; Benjamin, Jr., deceased; and Joseph, his twin brother, also Josephine. R. D. served a few months as home guard during the late war. James was for a short time a member of the Pennsylvania Reserves; George enlisted in the regular army, serving along the Potomac two years, and until the close of the war. The children living are mostly residents of Pennsylvania.
   Upon reaching his majority the subject of this sketch turned his steps toward the farther West, determined to seek his fortunes on the other side of the Mississippi. He made his way by railroad, stage and team, first to Fremont County, Iowa, but sojourned there only a short time. Returning eastward as far as Illinois he spent the winter of 1856-57 in Grundy County, and the spring following started out again for the West. He first located in Johnson County, this State, in 1857, taking up a squatter claim of 160 acres three and one-half miles north of the present site of Sterling, on the Nemaha. There was then not a railroad track in Nebraska, and Mr. Swallow was one of the first men to settle in his vicinity. He held to his land until it came into market, in the meantime operating as a grain dealer at the then hamlet of Nebraska City, buying corn, also driving stage and freighting. He also operated as mail carrier, and in fact engaged in whatever he could that would enable him to turn an honest penny.
   In the summer of 1861 Mr. Swallow, rather tired of life on the frontier, returned to Grundy County, Ill., and engaged in farming until after the outbreak of the Civil War. He watched the conflict until the 8th of August, 1862, then resolved to proffer his services in assisting to preserve the Union. He enlisted in Company E, 91st Illinois Infantry, which was made a part of the 2d Brigade, 3d Division, 13th Army Corps, Southwestern Army; was mustered in at Camp Butler September 8, and with his comrades sent into Kentucky. In the battle at Elizabethtown he was taken prisoner with his regiment, but soon afterward was paroled, and his regiment went to Benton Barracks, where they remained until June, 1863, when they were exchanged and proceeded down the Mississippi to Vicksburg, thence to New Orleans, and joined an expedition into Texas. Mr. Swallow in due time became chief clerk in the commissary department, which occupied his time until April, 1865, when he joined his regiment on Fish River, in Alabama, in time to participate in the taking of Spanish Fort. Thence they repaired to Ft. Blakely, and afterward to Mobile City, and thence went up the Tombigbee River to blockade the rebel navy. A few weeks later the news came of the surrender of Gen. Lee, and our subject with his comrades was sent to Mobile, mustered out and honorably discharged at Camp Butler, near Springfield, Ill.
   Mr. Swallow now returned to his old haunts in Grundy County, Ill., and followed farming there and in Kendall County until the fall of 1869. Nebraska had now been admitted into the Union as a State, and the frontier was being gradually settled up by an intelligent class of people. He decided accordingly to proceed hither and develop his land. He made the journey overland with a team, being three weeks on the way. He crossed the Missouri River at Nebraska City, and upon reaching his purchase put up a shelter for himself and began the improvements which have resulted in one of the best farms in this section. After bringing the soil to a good state of cultivation he turned his attention largely to stockraising, also to the buying and selling of grain, making his headquarters at Sterling.
   Mr. Swallow having a good opportunity to sell out, disposed of his farm property in 1882, and took up his residence in Burchard, where he put up his present building in that year, in a field where the corn stalks were still standing, but which is now the corner of Gage and Second streets. He began dealing in coal and grain and soon built up a large trade. In 1883 he invested a part of his capital in furniture, in company with Mr. F. Bstandig, the partnership continuing until 1886, at