A. F. Anundsen
Source: Little Sketches of Big Folks in Minnesota. (Publ. 1907) Transcribed by Marilyn Clore

ANUNDSEN A F, Detroit. Banker. Born Jan 12, 1868 in Decorah Ia, son of B and Mathilde (Hoffstrom) Anundsen. Married Jan 1, 1891 to Mabel Gardner. Educated in high school and Slack’s Business College Decorah Ia, and graduated from law dept State University Iowa City Ia 1898. Engaged as bank clk 1885-88; collector for C Aultman of Anton Ohio, agricultural implements 1888-90; in legal dept of home office of company 1890-92; advertising mngr Decorah Posten from 1892; began practice of law 1898; pres First Nat’l Bank Detroit Minn 1906 to date. Member B P O E.

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J. H. Baldwin
Source: Little Sketches of Big Folks in Minnesota. (Publ. 1907) Transcribed by Marilyn Clore

BALDWIN J H, Frazee. Lawyer. Born April 4, 1851 in Jonesboro Ind, son of Lindsey and Mary A (Harvey) Baldwin. Married Jan 16, 1877 to Estella Wheeler. Educated in Spiceland (Ind) Academy. Admitted to bar and practiced law in Indiana 1876-82; in St Lawrence S D 1882-1900; moved to Frazee 1900 and has been engaged in practice to date. Engineer of irrigation in S D 1891-93 and 1895-97. Member Masonic fraternity, I O O F and K of P.

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Henry Olson Bjorge
Little Sketches of Big Folks in Minnesota. Publ. 1907 Transcribed by Rhonda Hill

BJORGE Henry Olson, Lake Park. Lawyer. Born March 7, 1871 in Lake Park, son of Ole E and Mary Bjorge. Graduated from State Normal School at Moorhead 1893; from law dept U of M 1898. Has been engaged in practice of law and farming in Lake Park to date. Member of Minn House of Representatives 1905-1907.

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Philip S. Converse
Little Sketches of Big Folks in Minnesota (Publ. 1907) Transcribed by Liz Dellinger

CONVERSE Philip S, Detroit. Public official. Born July 15, 1871 in Thompson Conn, son of Myla Seamens and Mary Elizabeth (Emerson) Converse. Married Oct 30, 1904 to Julia D Ryerson. Educated in Detroit High School, Grand Forks Business College and St Cloud Normal School. Engaged in farming until 19 years of age; taught school in country districts 3 years; timekeeper on Minn division of N P R R Co construction dept 3 years; entered employ of Commonwealth Lumber Co Frazee and remained 5 years; elected register of deeds in fall of 1902 and has continued in office to date. Member Masonic fraternity. K of P, I O O F and Yoemen.

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Henry S. Dahlen
Source: Sketches of Big Folks in Minnesota. (Publ. 1907) Transcribed by Kim Mohler

DAHLEN Henry S, Detroit. Public official. Born Feb 25, 1874 in township of Hamden, Becker county Minn, son of Samuel H and Kjarste (Ramstad) Dahlen. Married June 12, 1900 to M Lydia Elfsater. Educated in public schools of Lake Park and Detroit Minn and took commercial course at Fargo College Fargo N D. Dep county auditor Becker county 1897-1903; elected county auditor 1904 and re-elected 1906. Member commercial club Detroit.

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Michelle Dufault
Minnesota History Bulletin, Volume 2 by Theodore Christian Blegen, Minnesota Historical Society, 1917-1918 – Transcribed by AFOFG TK

Michelle (Michael) Dufault, one of the oldest residents of the White Earth Reservation, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Antoine Charrette, December 14, 1916, aged ninety years. He was the son of Joseph Dufault, one of the early artisans of the Northwest, and of Jossette Cadotte, an aunt of William Whipple Warren, the well-known historian of the Chippewa Indians. His father was for many years a boss carpenter; between the years 1820 and 1830 he supervised the construction of the stores and warehouses of the American Fur Company on Madeline Island in Lake Superior, eighteen miles from Bayfield, Wisconsin. He built the mission churches on the island also, one of which, the Presbyterian church, is still standing. The Catholic mission church, which contained a rich and valuable collection of historical manuscripts and old paintings, was destroyed by fire about three years ago.
Michael, the son, was born in 1827 on Madeline Island, at that time included in the territory of Michigan. In his boyhood he attended the Indian mission school. During his early life he helped his father by working at the carpenter's trade and assisted the fur-traders as clerk, interpreter, and messenger. He was a member of the Wisconsin bands of the Chippewa, but removed to the White Earth Reservation many years ago, where he was held in high esteem by all who knew him. He was married to Jossette Roy, a daughter of Vincent Roy, an early Indian trader, who died in Superior, Wisconsin, a few years ago.
In the death of Michael Dufault the Northwest loses one of the few remaining picturesque "noble landmarks" so characteristic of the unstinted, open-hearted hospitality and generous chivalry of early northwestern days, the cherished love-thy-neighbor days, when the latchstring hung on the outside, suggestive of an ever-ready welcome to friends and strangers alike; when the last morsel of food or family raiment was cheerfully divided with those who were in need, and when a man's word was his bond. He was an exemplary Christian, devoted to his family and friends and to things righteous. He was a member of the Catholic Church and was ever zealous in his religious duties up to the time of his death.
THEODORE H. BEAULIEU
WHITE EARTH, MINNESOTA

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George D. Hamilton
Little Sketches of Big Folks in Minnesota (Publ. 1907) Transcribed by Richard Ramos 

HAMILTON George D, Detroit.   Publisher.  Born April 3, 1856 in Two Rivers Wis, son of Henry C and Diantha (Smith) Hamilton.  Married Sept 30, 1880 to Mary G Deming.  Received common school education.  Employed as apprentice in newspaper office of Chronicle Two Rivers Wis 1872; with Crete (Neb) News 1876-77; publisher of Detroit Record 1878 to date; also engaged in real estate business; has held many village offices; member Masonic fraternity.

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Chief May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig

On August 29, 1919 there died at Beaulieu, Minnesota, a Native American whose earlier career was passed in an environment as different from that of his later life as though it had belonged to another age. May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig, chief of the Mississippi bands of Chippewa Indians, was born ninety or more years ago in the vicinity of Brainerd, Minnesota, the eldest son of Quewezance, then leading chief of the Chippewa. The father was killed in battle with the Sioux near the site of modern Stillwater, and the son succeeded to his dignity and responsibility at the early age of sixteen. He promptly set about devising or contriving plans to avenge his father's death and to this end accompanied the noted Hole-in-the-Day on a war expedition against the dreaded warriors of the plains. (Incidentally it may be noted that the Chippewa was the only tribe ever able to hold its own against the Sioux.) Somewhere near St. Paul the enemy was encountered. The war parties were about equal in number, but in a desperate fight the Sioux were overwhelmed, and the scalps of most of them went to adorn the belts of the victorious Chippewa braves. When a brave distinguished himself in battle by killing and scalping his foe he was usually decorated with a feather from a war eagle. An indication of the prowess of May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig and of the manner of life he led is afforded by the fact that he accumulated some twenty of these prized trophies.

Other warriors have been as brave and successful as May-zhuc-kege-shig, but we come now to a severer test of his ability for leadership among his people. The red man's sun was setting in the upper Mississippi Valley; an alien race with another manner of life had come to dominate the scene. In the spring of 1867 our chief signed, along with other chiefs of the Mississippi Chippewa, a treaty with the Great Father at Washington whereby the tribesmen surrendered their lands to the white man and had set aside for them as a permanent home the reservation at White Earth. Shortly after the ratification of the treaty May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig and his followers abandoned their familiar camping grounds and followed their guides along the sad trail which led to the home newly assigned to them, arriving at the site of the first agency in June, 1868. From this time forth for half a century the chief devoted his influence for the development of his people in the ways of peace and civilization, striving to better the narrow limits prescribed for them by their segregated sphere and to lead them into the white man's way of life. In this endeavor he had the devoted aid of men like ex-Senator Henry M. Pierce, Governor Alexander Ramsey of Minnesota, Bishop Henry B. Whipple, and Bishop Thomas Grace. For these facts we are indebted to Theodore H. Beaulieu of White Earth, Minnesota, whose grandfather, Paul H. Beaulieu, was an early resident of Wisconsin and in 1800 conducted a trading post at Lac la Pluie (Rainy Lake). Paul Beaulieu's wife was an aunt of May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig, and hence the biographer is a blood relative of the subject of his sketch. We conclude with the following picture of the chief, published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press in January, 1899: "Tall, sinewy and bony, standing fully six feet in his stocking feet, May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig, the most popular and leading hereditary Chief of the Minnesota Chippewas, is a most picturesque and typical representative of the noble American Indian. To a stranger the face of this grand Chippewa Chief would seem to have been carved out of granite or the mummified visage of some ancient Pharo king, whose cold rigid features were never softened or cheered by a smile, yet this venerable Oracle, with flowing locks, plentifully tinged with gray, possesses the genial light of love and devotion in his dark kindly eyes and betrays the munificent tendency of a big heart, pleasing disposition and is very popular not only with his people but with every one who comes in contact with him." RECOLLECTIONS OF CHIEF MAY-ZHUC-KE-GE-SHIG The brief account of Chief May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig in your December issue recalls the pleasant vacations that for some years I spent on the White Earth Reservation. I there met many Indians of the Chippewa tribe, for the most part of mixed blood, some of whom were well educated and accustomed to the conveniences and some of the luxuries of our twentieth century civilization. I remember with particular pleasure John W. Carl (a nephew of the old chief whose passing you record) and his charming wife. Mr. Carl was then residing in Mahnomen, Minnesota, where he held the office of county auditor. Educated for the bar, he never practiced so far as I know. He retained complete mastery of his native Chippewa, and it was through him that I met and talked with May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig. The Chief may have known a little English, but, Indian-like, he gave no evidence that he understood a word that I said. However, thanks to the skilful interpreting of Mr. Carl, the interviews were entirely satisfactory to me. His nephew told me that the Chief had known personally every president of the United States from Lincoln to Roosevelt. He quite frequently went to Washington on behalf of his people, and more than one president called him into conference on matters relating to Indian affairs. His moderation, good judgment, and friendliness to the whites were recognized by the federal officials. On some of these trips to the Nation's capital he was accompanied by Mr. Carl, who acted as interpreter. The old Chief always made a deep impression wheresoever he went. On several occasions he attended the theater, attracting more attention than any of the political notabilities. And small wonder, in such a setting; even in old age he was the finest specimen of his race that it has been my good fortune to encounter. Fully six feet in height, he was of large frame and as straight as an arrow. His noble head was a study worthy of a master's brush. When I first met him he wore a neat frock coat, flannel shirt, moccasins, and black felt hat. In much the same garb he undoubtedly appeared in Washington in later life. President Roosevelt, especially, took a great fancy to him. The Chief, so Mr. Carl told me, possessed in a degree remarkable even in an Indian the power of oratory; and this gift was exercised more than once to quiet the restlessness of the tribesmen. He was the white man's friend and his memory should be suitably honored. I like the photograph of May-zhuc-ke-ge-shig which I presented to the Society some years ago better than the one you have reproduced in your December issue. John Thomas Lee [Source: "Wisconsin Magazine of History", Volume 3; By State Historical Society of Wisconsin; Publ. 1920; TT - Transcribed by Andrea Stawski Pack]

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