Zella Lamb, the capable and efficient register of deeds of Butler county, is a native of Morgan county, Indiana, and a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (McKinley) Lamb, both also natives of Morgan county. Joseph Lamb was a son of Alfred and Rebecca (Tarry) Lamb, both natives of North Carolina. Alfred Lamb accompanied his older brother from North Carolina to Indiana when he was five years old. He grew to manhood in that State where he met and married Rebecca Tarry, a native of Indiana.

Alfred Lamb was a son of Cyrus Lamb, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and prominent in the political affairs of North Carolina in the early days of the Republic. He served as United States senator from that State shortly after the establishment of the Government. The Lambs are of Scotch-Irish descent, coming from the north of Scotland and the name Lamb was applied to the early members of the family on account of their vocation, they being shepherds in the highlands of Scotland.

Miss Lamb's mother, Elizabeth McKinley, was a daughter of George and Mary (Packwood) McKinley, both natives of Indiana. George McKinley was a son of William, a native of Ireland, who settled in Indiana, or what is now Indiana, when it was a part of the Northwest Territory. He was a soldier in the War of 1812.

Joseph Lamb was reared and educated in Indiana, and when the Civil war broke out, he was one of the first to respond to President Lincoln's call, and enlisted in Company I, Thirty-third regiment, Indiana infantry, and served his country faithfully and well for a period of four years, or until the close of the war. He was with Sherman on his historic march through Georgia and to the sea, and at the battle of Atlanta was severely wounded by a piece of exploding shell which struck him on the forehead, leaving a scar about two and a half inches long which he carried throughout life. At the time he was wounded, he was unconscious for several hours and supposed to be dead, and was carried from the field of battle. After recovering from his wounds, he joined his regiment and served until the close of the war and after receiving his honorable discharge, returned to Indiana where he engaged in the mercantile business and farming until 1874, when he came to Kansas. A short time afterward he returned to Indiana and in 1879 was married to Elizabeth McKinley, and to this union were born

five children, as follows: Herbert A.; Zella, the subject of this sketch; Ernest; Belva and Zora, the two last named being deceased.

In 1886 the Lamb family came to Butler county and settled on a farm near Chelsea where the mother died in 1889 and the father died November 8, 1911. He was a man well posted in current events, a great lover of history and a student throughout his life. While serving in the Civil war he kept a complete diary of each day's doings, which is not only interesting and instructive but a masterpiece of narrative composition. He was an active supporter of the policies and principles of the Republican party but never held political office.

Miss Lamb was educated in the public schools of Butler county and the Kansas State Normal School at Emporia, and for twelve years taught in the public schools of Butler county and is considered one of the successful educators of the county. During the administration of county superintendent W. H. McDaniels, she served as a member of the county board of examiners. In 1911 Miss Lamb was appointed deputy register of deeds and in 1914 received the republican nomination for that office and was elected by a very satisfactory majority and took charge of the office in January, 1915. Her administration of the affairs of that important office has been very satisfactory as all those who have business with that department of the county's affairs can testify. Miss Lamb is a capable, courteous and obliging public official and conscientious in the performance of her duties. She is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps and the Methodist Episcopal church, and is a Republican.

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