Hiram Rice, Postmaster, Albion, has held the office of Postmaster since 1878; was appointed under R. B. Hayes’ administration. Prior to his appointment, he had been Assistant Postmaster about one year. He has a cigar, stationery and confectionery store in connection with the office, carrying a stock of $1,000. He is also, to some extent, engaged in loan business. He first located at Albion in 1871, engaging in farming four years and then was in mercantile business about one year. He was born at Racine, Wis., in 1851. When four years old, his parents moved to Minnesota, living there two years; then went to Pike’s Peak, remaining there until 1863. They then went to California and Nevada, but remained there only a short time. They returned to Wisconsin in the winter of 1864-65. The subject of this sketch then lived in Wisconsin and Ohio until 1866, when he went to Nebraska, living in Columbus until 1871. He was married in Albion, in the fall of 1879, to Miss Mabel Armstrong, who was born in Michigan. They have one child–Verne Knisely.
