W. B. Atwater, of the firm Atwater & Byram, dealers in general merchandise, is a native of La Porte County, Ind. In 1857, he came to Minneapolis, Minn. In 1861, he enlisted in Company B, Ninth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry; served one year in the Sioux war and two years in the South; was six months in Andersonville and other prisons, then returned to Minnesota and engaged in lumbering. In 1867, he removed to Chicago, Ill., and engaged in contracting and building; in 1877, he came to Decatur, Neb., and engaged with his brother in general merchandising. In 1879, he commenced this business. Mr. Byram was admitted as a partner in June, 1880. Their sales average about $17,000 a year.
