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Ricketts, Arnott Chaney  

In  no  profession  does  advancement  depend  more  entirely  upon  individual merit  than  in  the  law.  Not  through  any  outside  influence  or  assistance  can  the lawyer  attain  success.  In  him  must  be the  ability  to  untangle  complications  and correctly  solve  the  intricate  and  complex  legal  problems  due  to  his  knowledge of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence  and  his  ability  to  correctly  analyze  and correlate the  points  at  issue  and  the  legal  principles  applicable  thereto.  Among those  successfully  practicing  in  Lincoln  is  Arnott  Chaney  Ricketts,  whose  individual talents  have  brought  him  to the  front.  He  has  lived  in  this  city  since  1872 and  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Field,  Ricketts  &  Ricketts.

He  was  bom  on  a  farm  near  Findlay,  in  Hancock  county,  Ohio,  March  18, 1845,  a  son  of  John  C.  Ricketts,  who  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  life  to agricultural  pursuits  in  Hancock county  but  afterward  spent  several  years  in Findlay,  Ohio,  and  his  last  years  at  the  home  of  his  son  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska.

He  was  born  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  March  4,  1815,  and  passed  away  in Lincoln,  June  8,  1894,  when  in  his  eightieth  year.  He  was  twice  married,  first to  Catharine  Duncan,  by  whom  he had  six  children,  five  sons  and  a  daughter,  as follows:  Andrew  Duncan,  bom  January  29,  1843,  who  is  a  veteran  of  the Union  army  and  a  grain  dealer  of  Champaign,  Illinois;  Arnott  Chaney, of  this review;  Emma  J.,  who  was  born  June  1,  1847,  and  is  now  Mrs.  Louis  Scothom, of  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  Charles  Kelley,  who  was  born  October  14,  1849,  3"*^  ^^^^ July  9,  1864; James  Melville,  born November  25,  1852,  who  passed  away  at Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  May  21,  igoi ;  John  Milton,  twin  brother  of  James  M., who  was  a  very  promising  young  physician, having  studied  diligently  both  in America  and  Europe,  and  who  died  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  on  the  21st of  October,  1881.  The  mother  of  these  children  passed  away  on  the  15th  of August,  1855,  and  subsequently  John  C.  Ricketts  was  married  a  second  time. The  father,  mother  and  three  deceased  children  are  all  buried  in  Wyuka  cemetery of  Lincoln,  Nebraska.

Arnott  C.  Ricketts  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Ohio  and  attended  the country  schools  through  the  winter  months.  In  1864,  when  eighteen  years  of age,  he  enlisted  and  served  for  four months  in  the  Union  army  with  the  "one hundred  day  men,"  being  on  duty  in  Virginia  at  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  In  the fall  of  that  year  he  returned  home  and  resumed  his  interrupted  studies, attending the  Findlay  (Ohio)  high  school.  He  also  taught  a  country  school  near Findlay  for  three  years  and  in  1867  he  became  a  student  in  the  Adrian  College  of Adrian,  Michigan,  where  he won  his  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in  1871.  In  the meantime  he  had  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and was  graduated  therefrom  in  1872.

Immediately  afterward  Mr.  Ricketts  came  to  Lincoln,  then  a  small  town,  and began  practice.  He  has  since  continued  as  an  active  member  of  the  profession here,  covering  a  period  of  forty-four  years,  and  he  is  now  the  senior  member of  the  law  firm  of  Field,  Ricketts  &  Ricketts,  one  of  the  best  known  law  firms of  Nebraska.  This  firm  came  into  existence  in  1904,  the partners  being  Judge Allen  W.  Field,  now  deceased,  A.  C.  Ricketts  and  his  son,  Lowe  A.  Ricketts. Judge  Field  died  June  9,  1915,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  firm  by  his  son  and namesake,  no change  being  made  in  the  firm  style.

Mr.  Ricketts  has  been  married  twice.  On  the  1st  of  May,  1873,  he  wedded Miss  Louisa  M.  Lowe,  who  passed  away  March  28,  1902,  leaving  two  children, as  follows:  Ena  R.,  born September  26,  1875,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Ernest C.  Folsom,  of  Lincoln;  and  Lowe  Arnott,  born  December  17,  1877,  who  is  a member  of  the  law  firm  of  Field,  Ricketts  &  Ricketts. On the  23d  of  June,  1909, Mr.  Ricketts  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth Thompson,  who  was  long  a  teacher  in  the  Omaha  schools  and  was  subsequently for several  years  at  the  head  of  the  training  department  of  the  Fremont Normal  College.

In  politics  Mr.  Ricketts  has  always  maintained  an  independent  course,  never caring  to become  allied  with  any  party  and  thus  remaining  free  to  support  any candidate  whom  he  may  desire.  He always  votes  for  the  man  whom  he  thinks best  fitted  for  the  ofSce.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  city  attorney  for  three years  and  for  five  years  was  president  of  the  city  board  of  education. He  cooperates in  all  plans  and  measures  for  the  geperal  good  and  works  earnestly  for Lincoln's  welfare  but  has  confined  his  attention  principally  to  his  law  practice and  is  connected  with litigation  heard  in  all  the  courts  of  the  United  States. He  now  belongs  to  the  Lincoln  Commercial  Club  and  is  an  active  member  of the  Christian  Science  church  of  Lincoln.  He  early  won  a notable  place  at  the  bar, which  position  he  has  ever  maintained,  and  there  are  few  it  any  lawyers  of  the city  whose  practice  exceeds  in  length  the  period  in  which  Mr.  Ricketts  has  followed his  profession  in  the  capital. 

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 122-124
Rohrbach, Andrew

Andrew Rohrbach was a man whose upright life gained him conhdence and high regard in the various communities in which he lived. His widow is now a resident of Lincoln and several of their children make their home in Nebraska, Mr. Rohrbach was bom in Russia, June 26, 1827, a son of William and Julia Rohrbach, who were natives of Germany. The parents were farming people in the old country and never came to America.

Andrew Rohrbach was reared and educated in Russia and about 1848 came to the new world, settling first at Burlington, Iowa, where he worked at the blacksmith's trade, which he had previously learned in his native country. He remained in Burlington for five years and then removed to Border Plains, Iowa, where he resided for six years. On the expiration of that period he went to Fort Dodge, where he was also in business for thirteen years, and later he removed to Sedalia, Missouri where he spent the succeeding eight years. He next became a resident of Kansas City, Kansas, where the remainder of his life was passed, his death there occurring December 4, 1890.

It was on the 28th of October, 1861, that Mr. Rohrbach was united in marriage to Miss Emma Galer, a daughter of John and Martha (Miller) Galer, who were natives of Ohio. At an early day they removed westward to Illinois, and in Bureau county, that state, Mrs. Rohrbach was bom February 12, 1844. Her father there engaged in farming until 1850 when he removed to Webster county, Iowa, where he purchased land and carried on general agricultural pursuits throughout his remaining days, his death occurring on the 22d of July, i860, when he was fifty-six years of age. His wife survived him for a number of years and her funeral was on the same day on which President Garfield's funeral occurred. To Mr. and Mrs. Rohrbach were bom eight children: John B., now residing in Kansas City; Julia E., the wife of William Booth, residing at Paulette, Nebraska; Etta W., the wife of Edwin, Scoville, residing at Clarkson, Nebraska; William H., living with his mother: Mildred, who died January 4, 1871; Florence, the wife of L. M. Gwinn, residing at Jumbo, Arkansas; Nina, the wife of William Murray, a resident of Omaha; and Nellie F., the wife of Charles Reardon, whose home is at University Place, Nebraska.

In his political views Mr. Rohrbach was a stalwart republican, always giving allegiance to the party. His religious faith was that of the Presbyterian church and he guided his life according to its teachings, being ever an upright, honorable man, whose word was to be trusted and whose life was characterized by many acts of kindliness. In the year 1899 Mrs, Rohrbach removed to Lincoln, where she has since made her home; residing now at No. 2640 Q street. In the intervening period of seventeen years she has made many warm friends and is widely known here.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 70-71
Rowe M.D., E. W.

Dr. E. W. Rowe, devoting his attention to the practice of medicine and surgery in Lincoln, was bom in Roberts, Illinois, in 1880, Five years later his father, a Methodist minister, removed with his family to Nebraska, where Dr. Rowe attended the public schools in the various towns in which his father held pastorates. At the early age of sixteen years he was graduated from the high school at Palmyra and later entered the University of Nebraska, which institution conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Science at the conclusion of his four years' course of study. He then took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for a time, and in 1901 he was principal of the Randolph (Nebraska) high school. In the meantime he had received a scholarship from the Northwestern University of Chicago and with this he entered the medical department of that school in the autumn of 1901, being graduated therefrom with the class of 1905, at which time the M. D, degree was conferred upon him. Periods of the years 1904 and 1905 were spent as an interne in a Chicago hospital, whereby he gained a broad and valuable training and experience that can be obtained in no other way as readily and as thoroughly as in hospital practice. Following his graduation he returned to Nebraska, settling at Wood River, where he remained in active practice for three years. In 1908 he removed to Lincoln and during the intervening period he has risen steadily until he now stands in the front rank of tlie profession in the capital. He is practicing as a member of the firm of Welch, Rowe & Lehnhoff.

For five years Dr. Rowe served as a councillor of the Nebraska State Medical Association and for three years of that time was secretary of the council. His high standing in his profession is further indicated in the fact that in 1915 he was elected president of the state oi^anization, being one of, if not the youngest, physician ever honored with the presidency of the Nebraska State Medical Association, an honor which has been accorded him in recognition not only of his marked ability as a member of the profession and the efficiency which he has displayed in practice, but also of his sterling personal qualities and of the high principles which actuate him in every relation of life. Dr. Rowe likewise belongs to the Lancaster County Medical Society and the Missouri Valley Medical Society, and is a fellow of the American Medical Association.

In 1905 Dr. Rowe was united in marriage to Miss Belle Harper, of Randolph, Nebraska, and they have a daughter, Grace Gertrude. The breadth of his interests and activities is indicated by the fact that he is a member of the Lincoln Social Service Club, the Open Forum of Lincoln, the Lincoln Commercial Club, Wood River Lodge, No. 158, I. O. O. F., the Young Men's Christian Association and the Trinity Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is now serving on the official board. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he is well versed in the vital and significant problems of the age, but tlie honors and emoluments of office have no attraction for him. He has always preferred to concentrate his energies upon his professional duties and he is now serving as a member of the surgical staff of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in addition to caring for a large private practice.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 49-50
Rowland, John O.

John O. Rowland, who aided in establishing the Rowland Lumber Company in 1907, is still connected with that concern and is serving as secretary and treasurer. He has excellent business ability, is energetic and efficient in the management of his affairs, and has gained a competence. He was born  in Brighton, Washington county, Iowa, on the 27th of January, 1869. His parents, William M. and Sarah C. (Shearer) Rowland, were born in Ohio, but before their marriage they both became residents of Brighton, Iowa, where the father followed the carpenter's trade and also engaged in farming to some extent. In 1861 he offered his services in defense of the Union and became a member of Company K, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He was at the front for three years, during which time he participated in much hard fighting. On being discharged from the army he returned to Brighton, where his marriage occurred and where he lived until 1870, when he removed with his family to Page county, Iowa. For ten years he operated land there, which he had purchased, but at the end of that time removed to Essex, whence two years later, in 1S86, he went to Avoca, Nebraska. He purchased land in that locality and for five years devoted his time to its cultivation but at the expiration of that period became a resident of Avoca, and engaged in the banking and lumber business there until 1907, when he sold his interests and came to Bethany, where he is still hving. His wife also survives,

John O. Rowland is indebted for his early education to the public schools of Iowa and later attended the Bellevue College at Bellevue. Nebraska, and a business college at Lincoln. On entering the business world he became associated with his father in business at Avoca. but in 1907 he removed to Bethany and engaged in the lumber business in partnership with L. L. Turner. They also dealt in coal and hardware, and their association continued for a year, after which our subject and his father bought out Mr. Turner's interest, remaining the owners until 1910. In that year A. E. Cutler, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this book, was admitted to partnership in what is still known as the Rowland Lumber Company. The firm conducts two lumberyards and also a hardware store. John O. Rowland having charge of one yard and Mr. Cutler being manager of the other yard and the hardware business. The company has gained an enviable reputation for reliability and fair dealing and theirs is one of the leading enterprises of Bethany.

Mr. Rowland was united in marriage on the 39th of June, 1899, to Miss Ethelyn Clary, and they are the parents of four children, namely: Gerald C., who was born on the 4th of June, 1901; Helen A., born November 29, 1902; Ralph S., born May 7, 1905; and Howard, born October 28, 1907.

The republican party has a stalwart adherent in Mr. Rowland, and he has served acceptably on the town board and on the school board, doing all in his power to promote the public welfare. He holds membership in the Christian church, whose teachings gdvem his life, and he is highly esteemed by all who know him because of his ability and his many excellent traits of character.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 32, 35
Shore, Oracle Michael

Oracle Michael Shore engaged in farming for many years and won a competence that enabled him at length to retire from active life and at the time of his death he was living in University Place, where he was well known and highly honored. His birth occurred in Rochester, Indiana, September 8, 1842, and his parents were John and Wilhelmina (Cummins) Shore. When but two years of age he lost his father and when he was only ten years old his mother passed away. He was then taken by an aunt and later by an elder sister, with whom he made his home until he enlisted in the Union army at the age of nineteen years, becoming a member of Company D, Eighty-seventh Indiana Volunteer infantry. He served with that command for three years and had even more exciting experiences than fall to the lot of the average soldier as he was captured by the Confederates and succeeded in escaping and rejoining his regiment. He and four other prisoners agreed to attempt to escape when he should give the word. He was walking by the side of the guard, who was mounted on horseback, and called his attention to something shining up the road and as soon as the Confederate took his eyes off the prisoners they ran away. Our subject and two others succeeded in escaping and after walking all night and until ten o'clock the next morning reached their own regiment.

While Mr. Shore was in the army his sister removed to Iroquois, Illinois, and after his discharge from military service he joined her there. Not long afterward he was married and after living in Illinois for a time he and his wife went to Kansas, where they remained for three years. In 1874 they came to Nebraska, locating in Cass county, and three years later took up their residence in Lancaster county, Mr. Shore purchasing eighty acres of land in Stevens Creek precinct. He made many improvements upon the place, kept everything in excellent repair, and in his farm work followed the latest methods and utilized the most up-to-date machinery. He was very successful as an agriculturist and in 1906, feeling that he was entitled to a period of leisure, he retired and removed to University Place. Five years later, on the 27lh of April, 191 r, he passed away there, and his demise was deeply  regretted by his fellow citizens, who held him in warm regard.

Mr. Shore was married on the 19th of April, 1865. to Miss Ella, Beach, who was born in Franklin county, Ohio, September 7, 1848, and who is a sister of C. C. Beach, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. She is the mother of three children, as follows: Charles, who is a stockholder in and salesman for the Buick Automobile Company of Lincoln, married Fannie Hall and has three children, Louie, Susie and Charlotte. Oscar resides with his mother and is engaged in the jewelry business. Lena is the wife of Sam Latture, of University Place, and they have three children, Ethel, Everett and Ada. Mr. and Mrs. Shore also reared an adopted daughter, Phena, who is now the wife of Bert Gregg, a farmer of Stevens Creek precinct, by whom she has four children, Erma. Irene, Gerald and Lynelle.

Mr. Shore was a republican and loyally supported the candidates of that party at the polls although he never took an active interest in politics. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his wife still belongs, and his influence was always on the side of right and justice. He measured up to high standards of manhood and was respected for his integrity and his fair dealing. His wife still lives in University Place and she is highly esteemed by all who have come in contact with her.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 27-28
Sommerlad, Philip A.

Philip A. Sommerlad is a popular and well known citizen of Lancaster county and that his fellow townsmen have confidence in his ability and integrity in public affairs is indicated in his election to the office of county treasurer, which position he is now filling. He is a native son of Nebraska, having been born in the town of Arago, Richardson county, August 27, 1868, but from the age of three years he has resided continuously in Lincoln, having been brought by his parents to this city in 1871. His father, the Hon. Henry William Sommerlad, was a native of Germany and when a youth in his teens came to the new world with a brother and sister. He lived for a few years in Buffalo, New York, and was there married. He afterward removed with his wife and three young daughters, who had been bom in the Empire state, to Arago, Nebraska. Previous to that time he had served as a member of a New York regiment in the Civil war and it was soon after this that he journeyed westward. He had been a resident of Arago for but a brief period when his wife died, leaving to his care a family of three daughters and a son, namely: Helen, now the wife of Will H. Bowen, of Jacksonville, Oregon; Elizabeth, now the wife of Samuel I. Wilson, of Talent, Oregon; Caroline, who married George H. Griffis and has since passed away, her death occurring at her home in Los Angeles, California, where her husband still resides; and Henry William, now a resident of Livingston, Montana. For his second wife the father, Hon. H. W. Sommerlad, married Miss Christina Scherrer, also a native of Germany. This marriage was celebrated in Buffalo, New York, and to them were bom five children, of whom the eldest, a son, died in infancy. The other four are Sophia, now the wife of Robert D. Haney, of Denver, Colorado; Philip A.; Catharine, who married Frank Simonton, of Redcliff, Colorado, where she passed away about 1896; and Charles, who died at the age of twelve. The family became a prominent one in Richardson county, Nebraska. The father was called upon to represent his district in the state legislature for the term 1869-70. In 1871 he removed to Lincoln and at his death in 1873 was serving as receiver in the United States land office. He was also the owner of a brewery which he built in East Lincoln soon after his removal to the capital.

Philip Augustus Sommerlad was reared and educated in Lincoln, where he attended the public schools to the age of fourteen years, after which he worked for a few years on farms in the vicinity of Lincoln. He also herded cattle and still later was employed by Walter G. Bohannan, who conducted a hotel. At the age of nineteen years he became fireman at the heating plant of the Lincoln postoffice, spending one winter in that way. He next secured a position as mail carrier on the city force and acted in that capacity for four years. Later he pursued a course in bookkeeping in the Lincoln Business College and afterward was employed as a bookkeeper by the Western Newspaper Union of Lincoln for eleven years. He spent a year in the office of Miller & Paine in the credit department and for five years was the bookkeeper for the L. D. Woodruff Printing Company and during the last two years was also secretary and one of the stockholders of that concern. In November, 1911, he was elected county treasurer on the republican ticket and was reelected in 1914, so that he is now serving for his second term, which will expire in January, 1917. His reelection indicates clearly the confidence and trust reposed in him by his fellow townsmen, who appreciated the worth and value of his first term's service.

On the 14th of October, 1896, Mr. Sommerlad was united in marriage to Miss Nellie L. Hyde, youngest daughter of the late Colonel Thomas H. Hyde, the founder of the Daily News of Lincoln and its editor and publisher for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Sommerlad have one son, Phihp Paine Sommerlad, born March 1, 1901. Mr. Sommerlad belongs to the Modem Woodmen of America, to the Lincoln Commercial Club and the Young Men's Republican Club, of which he served as treasurer for two years. That he is not unmindful of the higher, holier duties of life is indicated in his membership in St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal church and in the Young Men's Christian Association and of the former he is treasurer. His life history is well known to his fellow townsmen, for he has practically always lived in Lincoln. Between the ages of eight and twelve years he was a newsboy on the streets of the city and thus eamed his first money. Today he is occupying the responsible and important position of county treasurer, in which connection his record is so excellent that the most malevolent could not speak of his service in any disparaging way. He is prompt, accurate, systematic and reliable and he enjoys in full measure the goodwill and high regard of all.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 72-73
Stevens, Dr. James Franklin 

Dr.  James  Franklin  Stevens  was  bom  in  Van  Buren,  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois, on  the  19th  of  August,  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  Sylvester  George  and  Mary  Manha (Greene)  Stevens.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Main^,  was  reared  in  New Hampshire  and  received  a  college  education.  In  1854  he  was  sent  to  Chicago  by a  Boston  firm  to  establish  a  branch  business  house.  His  work  finished  he traveled  by  stage  as  far  as  Van  Buren,  then  simply  a  postoffice,  where  he  remained as  tutor  and  school  teacher  until  his  death  which  occurred  in  1861,  when he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  The  mother,  Mary  M.  Greene,  a  descendant  of the  distinguished  Greene  family  of  Rhode  Island,  was  bom  in  westem  New  York, the  home  of  her  father,  James  Greene.  Her  parents  were  among  the  early pioneers  in  northern  Illinois,  to  which  place  she  was  brought  when  a  little  child. This  continued  to  be  her  home  until  the  time  of  her  death  in  Shabbona,  December 23,   1887.

Dr.  Stevens  is  an  only  child  and  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  father died.  He  was  reared  by  his  mother,  who  notwithstanding  limited  financial  resources managed  to  give  her  son  the  excellent  educational  opportunities  planned by  herself  and  husband  prior  to  the  latter's  death.  His  early  training  was  received in  the  district  school.  This  was  supplemented  by  an  extensive  disciplining  in field  work  in  nature  study  and  drawing  under  the  immediate  supervision  of Bayard  T.  Holmes,  at  that  time  college  student  and  teacher,  and  later  the professor  of  surgery  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  Chicago, Illinois.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  Dr.  Stevens  was  matriculated  as  a  preparatory student  in  the  Classical  Seminary  of  Paw  Paw,  Illinois.  This  institution, which  years  ago  voluntarily  retired  because  of  lack  of  endowment,  was  originally chartered  by  a  special  act  of  legislature  of  the  state  of  Illinois  and  for  twenty-five years  was  a  well  known  local  institution  of  learning.  The  required  per  cent  of scholarship,  namely  ninety,  before  a  degree  could  be  granted,  would  perhaps  be considered  rather  severe  today.  In  twenty-five  years  with  an  annual  attendance of  several  hundred  it  granted  but  thirty-four  degrees.    In  1881  Dr.  Stevens  was graduated  therefrom  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  The  following  autumn he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Northwestern  University  and  upon  the completion  of  the  course  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  the  spring of  1884.  Later  in  life,  after  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  new  west,  he  entered  the University  of  Nebraska  as  a  graduate  student  in  1897,  and  after  three  years  of study  with  Dr.  A.  Ross  Hill,  then  the  head  of  the  department  of  Philosophy, received,  in  the  spring  of  1900,  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  During  the  first eight  years  of  college  life  he  managed  to  meet  much  of  the  necessary  expense  by
his  earnings  as  private  tutor,  country  school  teacher  during  summer  vacations,  or acting  in  the  capacity  of  assistant  to  some  professor.  As  he  states  it  "The  grind was  hard  but  victorious."  Immediately  after  leaving  the  school  of  medicine  he located  for  practice  in  Shabbona,  Illinois.  This  town  was  named  after  the  old Indian  chief  who  years  before  with  his  tribe  lived  on  his  reservation  adjoining and  referred  to  Mrs,  Stevens  (the  mother,  then  a  child)  as  "Greene's  papoose." Here  Dr.  Stevens  came  into  a  full  knowledge  of  what  starting  in  life  really  means. At  first  he  walked,  later  he  purchased  a  limited  means  of  conveyance  and  finally succeeded  in  securing  a  well  ordered  doctor's  equipment  He  remained  at  this point  for  four  years,  during  which  time  his  practice  was  largely  in  the  surrounding country  and  nearby  towns.  He  declares  that  his  successful  beginning  was due  largely  to  the  influence  of  his  parents'  friends  supplemented  by  a  warm
support  of  his  erstwhile  pupils  and  college  acquaintances.

It  was  during  his  stay  in  Shabbona  that  Dr.  Stevens  met  Miss  Lillian  E. Camahan,  daughter  of  S.  W.  and  Celestia  Carnahan  of  Compton,  Illinois,  who was  destined  in  the  spring  of  1888  to  become  his  bride.  Miss  Camahan  was  a brilliant  student  and  teacher  and  possessed  then  as  now  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances and  affectionate  friends.  The  day  following  their  marriage  Dr,  and Mrs.  Stevens  left  the  land  of  their  nativity  and  early  life  and  started  for  the new  west  with  its  limitless  possibilities.  Kansas  City  was  selected  as  the  most desirable  place  in  which  to  locate,  and  here  arrangements  were  made  for  a  permanent residence.  Life  in  this  splendid  city,  a  rapidly  enlarging  business,  and most  excellent  prospects  were,  however,  soon  doomed  to  blight.  The  peculiarly sweltering  climate,  together  with  the  impure  water  then  furnished  unfiltered  from the  river,  made  such  inroads  upon  the  health  of  his  family  that  it  was  found necessary  to  first  spend  many  months  in  travel  and  recuperation  and  later  to remove  permanently  to  the  north,  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  was  chosen  as  the  objective point  and  in  August,  1893,  Dr  and  Mrs.  Stevens  commenced  what  has  been  a continuous  residence  to  the  present  time.  In  1894  a  daughter,  Ruth  Mary  Stevens, was  bom  who  after  a  brief  and  beautiful  life  of  nine  years  passed  away  and  now rests  in  Wyuka  cemetery.    This  was  the  only  child.

Dr.  Stevens  has  practiced  continuously  in  Lincoln  since  1893,  and  has  during this  time  gained  an  enviable  place  irt  the  hearts  of  the  people.  He  keeps  in  close touch  with  the  advancement  which  is  constantly  being  made  in  medical  research, and  his  ability  and  progressiveness  have  attracted  to  him  a  very  large  clientele,  by whom  he  is  regarded  at  once  as  physician  and  friend.  He  emphatically  believes that  the  genius  of  success  is  the  genius  of  industry  and  that  the  practice  of humanity  is  more  desirable  than  the  practice  of  commercialism.  As  a  result  he is  an  untiring  worker  and  meets  the  rich  and  the  poor  upon  the  same  basis. Believing  that  no  individual  can  develop  largely  who  devotes  himself  exclusively to  one  line  of  thought  he  is  decidedly  interested  in  affairs  educational,  social  and civic.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  Lincoln  and  has  been  for many  years  one  of  the  trustees  of  Doane  College.  For  several  years  he  was
lecturer  on  the  principles  of  medicine  in  the  Lincoln  Dental  College.  For  four years  he  was  dean  and  professor  of  internal  medicine  in  the  Nebraska  College  of Medicine  which  during  its  existence  was  first  the  Patron  School  and  later  the affiliated  School  of  Medicine  of  the  Nebraska  Wesleyan  University.  For  several years  he  was  lecturer  on  materia  medica  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Nebraska State  University.  During  the  past  three  years  he  has  been  professor  of introductory  medicine  in  the  same  institution,  a  position  which  he  still  holds. He  is  a  member  of  the  Lancaster  County  Medical  Society,  The  Nebraska  State Medical  Society  and  The  American  Medical  Association  and  a  Fellow  of  the American  Academy  of  Medicine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Nebraska  State Pharmaceutical  Association  and  the  Missouri  Valley  Medical  Association.  He has  been  a  member  of  the  staff  of  St.  Elizabeth  Hospital  for  twenty  years.  His general  interest  in  scientiSc  research  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  is  a  member of  the  Nebraska  Academy  of  Sciences,  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Association  for the  Advancement  of  Science,  a  member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Political and  Social  Science  and  a  founder  member  of  the  American  Anthropological Association.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  Cooper  Ornithological  Union  and  the American  Ornithological  Union.  He  is  connected  with  the  Nebraska  Historical Association  and  the  Mississippi  Valley  Historical  Society.  He  belongs  to  the  Na-
tional Child  Labor  Union  and  several  local  charities.  He  is  a  member  of  the Lincoln  Rotary  Club,  the  Lincoln  Commercial  Club  and  several  fraternal  orders. In  the  financial  world  he  is  one  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  American  Savings Bank.  His  college  fraternities  are  Sigma  Chi  and  Phi  Rho  Sigma.  Politically he  has  usually  been  a  republican  but  refuses  to  vote  for  any  one  whom  he regards  unworthy.  His  church  affiliation  is  with  the  Congregationahsts.  His earthly  life  interests  are  the  promotion  of  the  welfare  of  the  community  in  the midst  of  which  he  lives.


LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 94, 97-98
Strotsteffen, John

For  many  years  John  Strotsteffen  was  actively  connected  with  railroad  work in  Lincoln  acting  as  section  foreman  with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy. He  was  bom  in  Prussia,  Germany,  March  14,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Everhard and  Mary  Strotsteffen,.  who  were  also  natives  of  that  country,  where  they  spent their  entire  lives,  the  father  dying  in  the  '50s,  while  the  mother  passed  away in  the  succeeding  decade.

John  Strotsteffen  was  reared  and  educated  in  Germany  and  in  the  '50s  came to  America,  making  his  way  at  first  to  Chicago,  while  later  he  was  located  at different  periods  at  Peru  "and  at  Aurora,  Illinois,  being  employed  during  that time  at  railroad  work  and  as  a  farm  hand.  About  i860  he  removed  to  Iowa, setthng  at  West  Point,  and  there  on  the  13th  of  September,  1861,  he  proved  his loyalty  to  his  adopted  land  by  enlisting  for  service  as  a  member  of  Company  I, Engineers  of  the  West,  an  Iowa  regiment  of  infantry.  Later  Companies  I and  C  were consolidated  and  with  that  command  he  remained  until  honorably discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war,  having  served  for  three  years  and  three months.  In  1865  he  returned  to  Iowa  with  a  most  creditable  military  record. He  located  on  a  farm  near  West  Point  and  cultivated  it  for  a  considerable  period, after  which  he  removed  to  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  three
years.  He  then  returned  to  Iowa,  settling  at  Fort  Madison  and  afterward  at Burlington,  where  he  was  employed  as  section  foreman  by  the  Chicago,  Burlington &  Quincy  Railway  Company  until  1875,  when  he  was  transferred  to Lincoln,  Nebraska,  continuing  to  act  as  section  foreman  throughout  the  remainder of  his  active  life.

In  January,  1865,  Mr.  Strotsteffen  was  married  to  Miss  Theresa  Wigginjost, a  daughter  of  Bemhard  and  Elizabeth  (Saltan)  Wigginjost,  both  of  whom  were natives  of  Germany. Mrs. Strotsteffen  was  bom  in  Germany,  November  23, 1844,  and  in  1850  was  brought  to  the  new  world  by  her  father,  who  was  a  farmer of  Germany  and  who,  on  coming  to  the  United  States,  settled  at  Fort  Madison, Iowa,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death  there  occurring  March  4, 1854.  His  wife  had  died  in  Germany  in  1849.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strotsteffen  had no children  of  their  own  but  they  reared  a  niece,  Theresa  Slueter,  now  the  wife of  Joseph  Desher,  formerly  of  Lincoln  but  now  a  resident  of  Kansas  City.

As  the  years  passed  Mr.  Strotsteffen  won  a  gratifying  measure  of  success through  his  energy  and  persistency  in  business  and,  making  judicious  investment, he  became  the  owner  of  live  residence  properties  in  Lincoln.  He  lived for  a  number  of  years  at  No.  726  Vine  street,  but  in  1914  removed  to  another property  which  he  owned  at  No.  658  South  Nineteenth  street,  where  his  widow still  resides.  He  passed  away  May  30,  1915,  after  attaining  the  very  venerable age  of  eighty-seven  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  democrat  and  in  religious  faith a  Catholic.  He  belonged  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  was  ever as  true  and  loyal  to  his  country  in  days  of  peace  as  when  in  days  of  war  he followed  the  nation's  starry  banner  on  the  battle  fields  of  the  south.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 81-82
Stuart, Charles

Charles Stuart is secretary and treasurer of the Nebraska Buick Automobile Company, which was organized in 1909. They are dealers in automobiles and accessories and they occupy the Stuart building at the southeast corner of Thirteenth and P streets in Lincoln, while in Omaha and in Sioux City they have branch establishments. Other business interests have claimed the attention and profited by the cooperation of Mr. Stuart, whose energies and initiative make him one of the representative and prominent young business men of the city. Nebraska, therefore, is proud to claim him among her native sons. He was born in Madison in 1884, his parents being James and Lillie A, (Eaton) Stuart, who were natives of Connecticut and in the year 1878 arrived in Nebraska, settling in Madison, where the father embarked in the banking business. He gradually extended his efforts over a broad field, becoming the head of banks at Madison, Tilden, Norfolk and Elgin. In 1894 he removed to Lincoln, where he passed away in 1898. His widow, however, still resides in the capital.

Charles Stuart pursued his education in schools of Nebraska and of California, completing his course in the Nebraska State University. He was a young man of twenty-five years when he embarked in his present business as a partner in the Nebraska Buick Automobile Company, with H. E. Sidles as president and R. H. Collins, vice president. Mr. Stuart holds the office of secretary and treasurer and is active in the management of this business, which is now extended over a wide territory and has reached most gratifying proportions. Something of the volume of their trade is indicated in the fact that they occupy a five-story building in Lincoln and employ seventy-seven people, making theirs one of the foremost automobile concerns of the state. Mr. Stuart is also a director of the Lincoln Telephone Company, of the First National Bank, the First Savings Bank, the First Trust Company and the Lincoln Traction Company. He built and owns the Lyric theater, was one of the organizers and developers of Electric Park, is the vice president of the Madison National Bank at Madison, Nebraska, and a director of the Tilden National Bank at Tilden, Nebraska, In his business life he is a persistent, resolute and energetic worker, possessing strong executive powers. He readily recognizes the possibilities of every new avenue opened in the natural ramifications of trade. He readily discriminates between the essential and the non-essential and he therefore passes over the pitfalls into which unrestricted progressiveness is so frequently led and has focused his energies in directions where fruition is certain.

In 1910 Mr. Stuart was married to Miss Marie Talbot, a daughter of A. R. Talbot, head consul for the Modern Woodmen of America, and they have one child, Charles, now four years of age. Mr, Stuart is a member of the First Congregational church, which indicates his interest in those moral forces working for the uplift of the community, and he belongs to the Commercial Club, a fact indicative of his interest in the plans and projects for municipal and civic progress and improvements. His ability and his ambition make him a dynamic force in the business world and he stands among those for whom success is a certainty because he possesses the qualities which are indispensable thereto.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 41-42
 
Talbot, Adolphus Robert

Adolphus Robert Talbot is senior member of the law firm of Talbot & Allen, of Lincoln, and is also head consul of the Modern Woodmen of America with headquarters in Nebraska's capital city. The importance and extent of his professional and business activities at Once place him among the leading residents of the city. He was born upon a farm in Warren County, Illinois, April 11, 1859.

His father, William Talbot, a farmer by occupation, was bom in England and after arriving at years of maturity married Amy Joan Godfrey, also a native of that country. Their marriage was celebrated in England, after which they emigrated to the United States and for two years were residents of New York. They then removed to Warren county, Illinois, where they spent their remaining days. After living for many years upon the farm they took up their abode in Alexis, a small town three miles distant from their old homestead. There they spent their remaining days, the father passing away at the age of eighty-five years. In their family were nine children, seven of whom are living: Mrs. Frances Ann Andrews, of Emporia, Kansas; Edwin H., of La Plata, Missouri; George W., of Los Angeles, California; Mrs. Harriet Ann Vivian, of Schenectady, New York; Mrs. Mary Jane Anderson, of Galesburg, Illinois; Adolphus R., of this review; and Frederick S., of La Plata, Missouri.

In religious faith the father, William Talbot, was a devout Methodist and in political belief a stanch republican. In 1860 he was a candidate for township office on the ticket on which Abraham Lincoln ran for the presidency and was elected. He took a very helpful part in promoting the moral progress of his community and was instrumental in securing the erection of several Methodist churches in Wiarren county. In youth he had been denied all educational opportunities but in the school of experience he learned many valuable lessons and, moreover, he became a great reader and student of good books, thereby acquiring extensive learning and developing his natural talents. His ability made him a leader in his home community, and his opinions were listened to with deference. Realizing the value of education he provided all his children with collegiate training and, moreover, he gave to each one of them a thousand dollars as they attained their majority, thus assisting them to start out in life.

Adolphus Robert Talbot was reared upon his father's farm in Illinois to the age of sixteen years, at which time he entered the high school at Alexis, Illinois, completing his course there by graduation when eighteen years of age. He then became a student in Hedding College, a Methodist school of Abingdon, Knox county, Illinois, which he attended for four years and was graduated in 1881, with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, becoming valedictorian of his class. In the meantime he had determined upon the practice of law as a life work and with that end in view he entered the Union College of Law at Chicago, which is the law department of both the Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. He was graduated therefrom with the class of 1883 with the degree of B. L. and in 1886 his alma mater, Hedding College, conferred upon him the LL. D. degree.

On the 1st of May, 1883, Mr. Talbot located in Lincoln, Nebraska, where for a period of twenty years he actively engaged in the practice of law, during which time he was regarded as one of the eminent and able members of the city bar. For a period of ten years, or from 1887 until 1897, he was a member of the firm of Talbot & Bryan, his partner having been Hon. William Jennings Bryan, thrice democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States. During the full period of his law practice, covering twenty years, Mr. Talbot was assistant general attorney for Nebraska of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company. He yet remains at the head of the law firm of Talbot & Allen, his partner being the Hon. Thomas S. Allen, who at the present time holds the office of United States district attorney.

In politics Mr. Talbot is a republican but despite this fact has always been an ardent friend of his former law partner, W. J. Bryan. In the fall of 1896 Mr. Talbot was elected as state senator on the republican ticket and was reelected to the office in 1898, serving as president pro tem of the senate during his second term and by virtue of this ottice became acting governor of the state when Nebraska's chief executive was absent. In 1914 Mr. Talbot was appointed by President Wilson peace commissioner from the United States to Bolivia and is still serving in that capacity. He is ever found in those circles where men of intelligence are met in the discussion of vital and significant problems, and his labors and influence have been of far-reaching effect.

Mr. Talbot's official conneotion with the Modern Woodmen of America began on the 23d of November, 1890, when he was elected a member of the board of directors. He was repeatedly elected to that office until 1903, when he was elected head consul (or president) of the order, at which time the office was removed from Springfield, Illinois, to Lincoln, Nebraska, where it has since remained. Mr. Talbot has since occupied the position, having been reelected five times, so that his incumbency covers twelve years, during which he has occupied the highest executive office of the lai^est fraternal society in the world. As head consul he has general supervision over all the work and activities of the Older throughout the United States with a field force of more than five thousand active men under him. He is likewise a prominent Mason, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and the Knights Templar degree of the York Rite, while with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine he has crossed the sands of the desert. He is likewise an Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias, and he is a director of the Woodmen's Accident Association of Lincoln.

On the 15th of May, 1884, Mr. Talbot was married to Miss Addie S. Harris, of Abingdon, Illinois, and they have three children: Marie Frances, who is now the wife of Charles Stuart, of Lincoln; Robert Harris, a senior in the University of Nebraska; and Eleanor Virginia, fourteen years of age, at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Talbot are prominent members of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which he takes an active part, while for thirty years he has served as one of the church trustees. He is a prominent figure in the Nebraska State Bar Association and also a member of the American Bar Association, His professional activities and his official duties in his present connection have brought him a wide acquaintance throughout the country and wherever known he is held in highest regard, honored for his ability and esteemed for his personal worth.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 14-16
Thorp, Christian A.

Christian A, Thorp, of College View, is a man of much influence in the work of the Seventh Day Adventist church as he is editor of the Evangeliets Sendebud, or Gospel Messenger, a Danish-Norwegian paper published by that denomination. He was bom in Farsund, Norway, on the 19th of January, 1864, a son of Knud and Katrine (Nielsen) Knudsen Thorp, both natives of Norway. The father, who followed agricultural pursuits during his active life, passed away in that country in March, 1904, and his wife died there in September, 1912,

Christian A. Thorp was reared and educated in the land of the midnight sun and learned the cabinetmaker's trade, which he followed until 1887, when, at the age of twenty-three years, he emigrated to the United States. He followed his trade in Chicago for two years, after which he became a student in the Battle Creek College at Battle Creek, Michigan, which is conducted by the Seventh Day Adventist church, and after remaining there for a year he engaged in missionary work under the direction of the mission conference of that church for one year. He then entered the office of the Review and Herald at Battle Creek, beginning as a typesetter and advancing until in 1896 he was made editor of the Evangeliets Sendebud, which was at that time published at Battle Creek. In December, 1902* the printing plant was burned and the publication of the paper was then transferred to College View, Nebraska, where in 1903 the International Publishing Association was organized. In the fall of 1914 this concern became the international branch of the Pacific Press Publishing Association of Mountain View, Colorado, which issues papers in three lagnuages. Mr. Thorp has continued as editor of the paper since he first took charge of it in 1896 and he has made it an important factor in the development of the Seventh Day Adventist church throughout the middle west and northwest. He is in close touch with the various branches of the work of the church, is thoroughly grounded in the principles for which the church stands, understands clearly the function of the denominational press, possesses the power of discrimination and the literary taste necessary to the editor and is rect^nized as a leader in church journalistic circles. Beginning in August, 1916, the plant will be located at Brookfield, lUHnois, to which place Mr. Thorp will remove.

On the 28th of March, 1891, Mr. Thorp was married to Miss Mary Andresen and to their union have been bom four children: Arthur C., who graduated from Union College with the class of 1914 and is a musician by profession and is located at Chicago, Illinois; and Lewis P., Ruth and Esther, all of whom are students in Union College.

Mr. Thorp supports the democratic party at the polls and takes the interest of a good citizen in public affairs although he has never been an office seeker. He is chairman of the book committee of the public library and has been very efficient in the performance of his duties in that capacity. He has served as an elder in the Seventh Day Adventist church and at all times has its interests closely at heart.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 67-68
Travis, Joseph V. 

For  many  years  Joseph  V.  Travis,  of  Bethany,  owned  and  operated  a  well drilling  machine  but  he  is  now  living  retired,  enjoying  a  leisure  made  possible  by his  enterprise  in  former  years.  He was  bom  in  Ohio  in  September,  1846,  and his  parents  were  Isaac  and  Matilda  (Van  Gordon)  Travis,  natives  of  the  Buckeye state.  The  father  followed  the  wagon  maker's  trade  in  Ohio  and passed away  there  in  1861,  while  the  mother  died  in  1873.  To  them  were  born  five children,  namely:  Rev.  Gilbert;  Agnes,  deceased;  Joheph  V.;  John  F.,  deceased; and  Flora  J.

Joseph  V.  Travis  was  reared  under  the  parental  roof  and  received  his  education in  the  public  schools.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  began  his  independent career  and  went  to  Illinois,  where he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  a time,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account  in  Fulton  county for  two  years.  Subsequently  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits  in  McDonough county  for  three  years  but  in  1874  he  removed  to  Saunders  county,  Nebraska, where  he  operated  rented  land  for  two  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period he  returned  to  Illinois  but  after remaining  there  for  one  season  went  to  Missouri, whence  in  1878  he  came  to  Nebraska.  He  lived  in  Ashland  until  1889,  when  he went  to  Lincoln,  Lancaster  county,  where  he  engaged  in the well  drilling  business, owning  a  well  drilling  machine.  He  was  fully  equipped  for  doing  rapid  and  high class  work  and  was  given  many  contracts,  meeting  with  gratifying  success  in that  business. In  April,  1905,  feeling  that  he  had  accumulated  a  competence,  he retired  and  purchased  five  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  town  of  Bethany,  on which  he  has  since  lived.  He  has  made  many improvements  upon  the  place  and takes  justifiable  pride  in  keeping  everything  in  excellent  condition.

Mr.  Travis  was  married  on  the  26th  of  September,  1867,  to  Miss  Laura Beckelhymer,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Sarah  (Brown)  Beckelhymer.  Her parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania but  removed  to  Illinois  and  there  the  father farmed  until  called  by  death  in  1899,  when  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age of  eighty  years,  as  his  natal  year  was  1819.  He  had  long  survived  his wife,  who died  in  1873.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Travis  have  three  children:  Leonidas,  who  was  born November  23,   1868;  Charles,  who  was  born   May  23,   1871,  and  is  living  in Bethany;  and Clarissa  P.,  who  was  born  June  12,  1878,  and  is  now  the  wife  of W.  F.  Lintt  of  University  Place.

Mr.  Travis  is  an  adherent  of  the  democratic  party  and.  supports  its  candidates at  the  polls.  He  served  as  police  judge,  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  as constable  at  Ashland,  Nebraska,  and made  an  excellent  record  as  an  official.  He is  identihed  with  the  Christian  church  and  can  be  depended  upon  to  further  movements seeking  the  mora!  advancement  of  his  community.  He possesses  many excellent  qualities  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  wherever  known  and  especially where  best  known.

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 132-133
Tucker, George P.

Among those who won public regard through ability and enterprise in business and through the possession of many sterling traits of character was George P. Tucker, now deceased. He was regarded as a citizen whom the community could ill afford to lose but death claimed him and he passed on. He was born in Walworth, Wayne County, New York, Stepember 28, 1834, a son of Luther and Elmira (Kent) Tucker, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of Wayne county, New York. The father engaged in merchandising in the Empire state throughout the entire period of his business career and there passed away in 1838. His widow long survived him, dying in 1889.

George P. Tucker was four years of age when he lost his father. His early schooling was obtained in his native county and later he attended the public schools of Walworth, New York, remaining with his mother until he attained his majority. He afterward followed farming and stock raising in the east and in 1856 he traveled through some of the western states, visiting Nebraska. In the fall of that year he returned to New York in time to cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont as standard bearer of the newly organized republican party. In the spring of 1858 he came west again and settled at Helena, Johnson county, Nebraska, where he purchased land and engaged in farming and stock raising. He constructed a house entirely of walnut timber, in which he lived for a number of years. When the Second Nebraska Cavalry was organized his patriotic spirit prompted his enlistment and on the 21st of October, 1862, he became a member of Company F, of which he was made quartermaster sergeant. He was promoted to the rank of orderly sergeant November 13, 1862, and was mustered out of the regiment in 1863 with the rank of sergeant major. This company was sent to the frontier in Dakota to serve against the Indians, who, filled with the spirit of unrest, had gone upon the warpath. Mr. Tucker rendered valuable aid to his country at that time and returned home with a most creditable military record.

In company with Benjamin F. Lysbaugh and Charles G. Dorsey, Mr. Tucker owned the town site of Helena, Johnson county, Nebraska, which they surveyed and platted in 1867. In the fall of 1866 Mr. Tucker was elected to the first legislature of Nebraska and was one of the men whose vote assisted in moving the capital from Omaha to Lincoln. He took an active interest^in all questions that came up for consideration and cast the weight of his influfnce on the side of all those measures which he believed to be for the benefit of the new commonwealth. In 1870 he was again elected to represent Johnson county in the general assembly and served as senator during the stormy session of 1871. As a legislator he was sagacious, farsighted and thoroughly reliable. He was a ready debater, clearly presenting his ideas, and the logic and force of his utterances carried conviction to the minds of his hearers. He hated wrong in any form and his allegiance to the right was incorruptible. No reward of favor, no threat nor frown of displeasure could turn him from the course which he believed to be for the best interests of the state. He walked firmly in the path of duty and his career commanded the respect of even those who opposed him politically.

Mr. Tucker was appointed receiver of the United States Land Ofiice at Lincoln about 1872, during Grant's administration, and in 1873 moved his family to Lincoln. During his incumbency in the office it probably did the greatest amount of business as the immigration to the state was the heaviest at that time. Subsequently he engaged in the real estate business in connection with John McManigal. In this he continued until his death and in his business was very successful, wisely and capably directing his interests. He was thoroughly informed concerning realty values, knew the property upon the market and wisely conducted all of his affairs. Again he was called to public office, serving as the first water commissioner of Lincoln, and in that capacity he saved to the city many thousands of dollars by his rigid inspection of water pipe.

Mr. Tucker was united in marriage March 19, 1864, to Miss Nancy J, Smith, who was bom November 1, 1843, in Republic, Seneca county, Ohio. She had come to this state in 1863 and was a daughter of Gaylord G. and Ada Z. (Covey) Smith, who were natives of New York, both born in 1803. The father was a carpenter and contractor and went to Garden Grove, Iowa, at an early day, there spending the remainder of his life. Both he and his wife are now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Tucker were born nine children: Charles A„ a jeweler of Lincoln; Luther G., who died in 1911; George P., a veterinary surgeon of Lincoln; Ada, who conducts the St. George photographic studio at the comer of Fourteenth and M streets, in Lincoln; Frank H., a veterinarian of Lincoln; William L., also a veterinary surgeon of Lincoln; Laura K., who died in 1878; Winifred M., a physician by profession, who became the wife of Dr. A. W. Ward, of Hampton, Nebraska, and died March 6, 1916; and Robert A., a veterinary surgeon of Lincoln, who died Febrtiary 13, 1910.

After a short illness, Mr. Tucker passed away July 22, 1892. Since his demise Mrs. Tucker has managed the large estate which he left and has educated her children, who have become honorable men and women, occupying a prominent position in the different localities in which they reside. Mrs. Tucker is a woman of innate culture and refinement, of gentle manner and yet of excellent business ability. It is well known that she has ever exerted a strong influence for good in the community in which she lives and her life has been an effective force for right among her many friends and among her children. She possesses wide sympathy and love for all mankind and has ever been willing to extend a helping hand wherever it is needed.

In his political faith Mr. Tucker was an earnest republican and fraternally was an exemplary member of Lincoln Lodge, No. 54, F. & A. M., in which he held all of the offices, becoming master. He belonged to the Congregational church and guided his life according to its teachings. He possessed many sterling characteristics but none were stronger than his irreproachable honesty. Wherever known he was held in the highest regard and most of all where he was best known. He had a circle of friends coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances and of him it may well be said :

"He was a man. -
Take him for all in all
I shall not look upon his like again."

LINCOLN: The Capitol City and Lancaster Co., NE, Vol. 2; Chicago, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, (c) 1916, pp. 42, 47-48