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Cass
County,
North
Dakota
Biographies
Page 2
JOSEPH B.
AKESSON. The lands beyond the sea have sent their full
quota of energetic and industrious men to Cass county, North Dakota,
and many have won honorable stations as citizens, farmers and business
men. Of this class is the subject of this brief life
history. Mr. Akesson cane to America when a young man, and has
successfully followed agricultural pursuits in North Dakota, and is one
of the substantial and worthy citizens of Bell township, where he has
resided for many years. He has a fine farm and enjoys a
comfortable competence.
Our subject was born in the southern part of Sweden, May 26m
1856. His parents, Ake Josephson and Bengta (Nelson) Akesson,
were natives of Sweden, and lived and died there, and his father was a
farmer by occupation. Our subject had three brothers and two
sisters, and one brother now resides in the United States.
Mr. Akesson was reared and educated in his native land and
remained there until about fifteen years of age, when he came to the
United States and located in Minnesota. He remained there until
1878, when he went to Fargo, North Dakota, and was employed on the Red
river boats as engineer, after having spent one year in the shops at
St. Paul, Minnesota. He went to Bell township, Cass county in
1881, and purchased the farm where he now resides. The land wa
all wild land at the time and had little improvements thereon, and he
has made his home there since that date and has succeeded in bringing
the land to a high state of cultivation, and is now the owner of one
section, all of which is tillable.
Our subject was married, February 15, 1899, to Annie C. Hanson, a
native of Minnesota. Mr. Akesson has filled various local
offices, including supervisor and school treasurer and is actively
interested in the welfare of his adopted land. He holds
membership in the Masonic fraternity and the Foresters, and in
political sentiment is independent. He has visited his native
land twice since taking up his residence in America.
Source: COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. Transcribed by Carol
Eppright.
JUDGE
CHARLES F. AMIDON, United States district judge for the district
of North Dakota, and a leading attorney of Fargo, was born in Clymer,
Chautauqua county, New York, August 17, 1856, a son of John S. and
Charlotte A. (Curtis) Amidon, also natives of New York. The
grandfather, Leonard Amidon, was one of the first senators of
Chautauqua county, having located there in 1820. He followed the
occupation of farming throughout life. The father was a United
Brethren minister, who had charge of churches in both New York and
Pennsylvania. He was a strong anti-slavery man, and before the
Civil war assisted many a poor negro on his way to Canada and freedom,
his home being a station on the famous underground railroad. He
cast the first vote for the Free Soil party in Chautauqua county.
He died in New York, October 2, 1898, but the mother is still
living. They were parents of eight children, four sons and four
daughters, of whom the oldest son served for four and a half years in a
New York regiment during the Rebellion.
Judge
Amidon was educated in New York. He prepared for college at the Corry
high school, and in 1878 entered Hamilton College, Clinton, New York,
from which he was graduated in June, 1882. The following August
he came to Fargo, North Dakota, and for a year was principal of the
high school at this place. He then entered the law office of
Thomas & Benton, as a student, and in 1886 was admitted to the
bar. In January, 1887, he began practice as a member of the firm
Amidon & Bradley, which partnership existed until 1889, when the
firm became Benton, Amidon & Bradley. Subsequently it was
Benton & Amidon until 1896, when our subject was appointed judge to
succeed A. D. Thomas, deceased. He was appointed city attorney in
1890, and held that office for two terms, and in 1893 was appointed a
member of the commission to revise the codes, the present codes being
the result of their work.
In
1892 Judge Amidon led to the marriage altar Miss Beulah R. McHenry of
Fargo, and to them have been born three children: Beulah E.,
Charles C. and John M. The Judge is a member of the Unitarian
society of Fargo, and is what may be termed a gold Democrat.
Before his appointment as judge, he took an active interest in
political affairs, and delivered many addresses throughout the county
and state in the interest of his party. The place he won in the
legal profession is accorded him in recognition of his skill and
ability, and the place he occupies in the social world is a tribute to
that genuine worth and true nobleness of character which are
universally recognized and honored.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Brenda Shaffer]
ROBERT ANDERSON, one of the
well-known early settlers
of Eldred township, Cass county, is a man of energetic nature, and has
made a success of farming, his home being in section 34, where he is
surrounded by all that goes to make farm life pleasant.
Our subject
was born in Glasgow, Scotland, January 6, 1832, and was a son of
Gilbert and Margaret (Maitland) Anderson. His parents were natives of
Scotland and emigrated to Canada and settled in Ontario, Upper Canada.
The father was a weaver by trade, but followed farming in Canada and
both parents passed away there. Three sons and six daughters comprised
the family of children, of whom one sister of our subject is in North
Dakota, one in South Dakota, and one in Missouri, and one in Virginia.
Of the brothers, one is in Canada, and with our subject completes the
living children.
Mr.
Anderson was reared and educated in Canada and followed farming there
until 1880, he went to Cass county, North Dakota, and entered a
homestead claim to land in section 34, of Eldred township. He was among
the first settlers of that locality and has resided there continuously
since that date. He has improved his farm and is now enjoying the
fruits of a well-spent career.
Our subject
was married in Canada in 1854 to Susan Phillipo, a native of London,
England. Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, as
follows: Mary M., now Mrs. Flack, of North Dakota; Margaret, now Mrs.
Thompson, of North Dakota; John, Gilbert, Eliza, now Mrs. Hunter, of
Wheatland; James, Robert M., Jane, now Mrs. Joseph Small, of Cass
county; Martha and Joseph, all of whom are living. Mr. Anderson served
as chairman of the town board, and a member of the school board and
justice of the peace, and is actively interested in public affairs of
local import. He is a man of excellent characteristics and is held in
high esteem by his many friends.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Janice Louie]
JAMES BURR ANDREWS, residing on
section 26, in Rochester township, is one of the leading farmers of
Cass county, wherein he is a large land owner. He operates four
sections of choice land, and his home farm is equipped with the usually
adjuncts of a model farm, and in every particular furnishes a home of
comfort and even luxury. He is one of the pioneer settlers of North
Dakota, and has been a potent factor in the development of the
agricultural resources of that state, and is widely and favorably known.
Our subject was born in Lee county, Iow, October 30, 1861, and was the
only son born to Hiram and Harriet (Fatterly) Andrews, both of whom
were natives of New York. His father was a carpenter by trade, and
settled in Iowa in 1859, where he spent the remainder of his life, and
the mother survives him and makes her home with our subject. Our
subject has one sister.
Mr. Andrews was reared in Iowa and New York, and received a good
education and began his business career as a clerk. He went to Cass
county in 1881, and, after some time spent in Tower City, went to
Barnes county, where he entered claim to land. He went to Cass county
in 1893, and has resided in Rochester township since that date. His
farm comprises four sections, and he is one of the well-to-do men of
his locality.
Our subject was married in Illinois, in 1899, to Kittie Shure, a native
of Illinois. Mr. Andrews is a member of the ancient Order of United
Workmen, and is a young man of excellent characteristics, and well
merits his position as a worthy citizen. He has filled some local
offices, but does not take an active part in political affairs, and
never sought public preferment.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Syndi Phillips]
ANSON D. ATHERTON, one of the early
settlers of Cass county, has resided in Hunter township for the past
thirteen years and has successfully conducted farming there. He
is widely known and occupies a prominent place as a worthy citizen and
progressive farmer.
Our subject was born in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, July 9, 1838, and
was a son of Anson and Sarah (Mitchell) Atherton, both of whom were
natives of Pennsylvania. His father was a farmer and passed his
career in Pennsylvania, his death occurring in 1864, and the mother
died in 1879. Five sons and three daughters were born to this
worthy couple. The grandfather of our subject, Elisha Atherton,
was a native of Massachusetts.
Mr. Atherton was reared in Pennsylvania and educated there and followed
farming in that state until 1859, when he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and
resided there seven years, returning to Pennsylvania, continued his
residence there until 1878, when he located in Mitchell county,
Iowa. He went to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, in 1881, and was
engaged one year there in putting in the water works of that
city. He went to Casselton, North Dakota, in 1882, and was there
five years, superintending some of the large farms of that
section. His present home is in Hunter township, and he has a
well improved farm, the income of which has placed him in comfortable
circumstances. Our subject was married in Ohio to Selinda
Bailey. Two children were born to this union, as follows:
Cora and Selinda. Mr. Atherton was married in Pennsylvania to
Sarah Pike, and one child, named Katie, was born to them. Mr.
Atherton was married to Ellen Morse Armstrong, a native of Vermont, in
1882, at Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our subject is a gentleman who
keeps abreast of the times and is interested in the general welfare of
his community and has served in various local offices.
Politically he is a Republican, and is stanch in defense of the
principles of his party.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Mary Saggio]
ADENIRAM
J.
AYRES is recognized as one
of the leading farmers of Clifton township, Cass county. He was one of
the earliest settlers of that region and has aided in the up building
of the better interests and become thoroughly identified with the early
history of that locality. He has a fine farm, and makes his home on
section twenty-eight, where he is surrounded by every comfort of
country life, and enjoys the highest esteem of his fellowmen.
Our subject
was born at the foot of the Mansfield mountains, in Lamoille county,
Vermont. May13, 1847, and was the third in a family of thirteen
children, born to Jasper and Malissa (Green) Ayres. His father was born
in Maine, and was a carpenter and farmer by occupation, and when a
young man was a captain in the Vermont militia.
Mr. Ayres
finished his education and grew to manhood in his native state, and
after leaving school learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked
in Vermont until 1869, and in the spring of that year started west.
While traveling through Wisconsin he heard of the destruction by fire
of the city of Chippewa Falls, and decided to go there, and upon his
arrival began contracting and building, and was engaged in that
business until he went to Dakota Territory, in 1879. He followed his
business in the city about five years, and then decided to engage in
farming, and accordingly filed claim to the northwest quarter of
section 34, in Clifton township, which he still owns and where he lived
about three years. He then removed to his present location in section
28 and his holdings now amount to one section of land.
Our subject
was married, in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, in September, 1870, to Miss
Jennett Sillers. Mrs. Ayers was born in Nova Scotia July13, 1846, and
was a daughter of William and Alexis (Corbitt) Sillers. Her father was
a native of Nova Scotia and her mother of Scotland. One child, a son,
has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ayers, who bears the name of Morton
J. Mr. Ayers is a member of the Brotherhood of American Yoemen.
He has served as chairman of the township board for a number of years
and is active in public affairs. Politically he is a Republican and is
firm in his convictions.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Renae Capitanio]
WILBUR
F. BALL. It is to Mr. Ball's perseverance and indomitable energy
that he owes his success in life. He is one of the most prominent
lawyers of Fargo and one of the best known men of North Dakota.
He was
born in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1843, and is of English
descent. Representatives of the family took a prominent part in the
Revolutionary war and to it belonged Mary Ball, mother of General
Washington. Dabney Ball, our subject's grandfather, was a native of
Virginia and a farmer, who died in Washington, D.C. The parents of our
subject, John and Sarah (Webb) Ball, were natives of Virginia and
Pennsylvania, respectively. The father was a minister of the Methodist
Episcopal church, as were also three of his brothers, and he preached
in Virginia, Maryland and a part of Pennsylvania. He attended college
in Baltimore, Maryland, and died in that state in 1845. His wife passed
away in 1860.
During
his early boyhood Mr. Ball attended the public schools of Virginia and
Pennsylvania, but is principally self-educated, as he began the battle
of life for himself at the age of twelve years as "devil" in a printing
office at Washington, D. C. Later he was employed on some of the old
newspapers of that city and was in the office of the "Washington
Constitution" for a time. From there he went to Baltimore, Maryland,
and subsequently returned to Pennsylvania, working on the "Titusville
Gazette" for a time. He next drifted to Canton, Ohio, and from there to
Akron, that state. At the opening of the Civil war he enlisted at
Canton, in 1861, in the Nineteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, but was
rejected on account of his youth. The same spring he again enlisted and
went to the front as a member of Company A, Second Ohio Cavalry, with
which he served for some months, fighting bushwhackers in souther
Kansas and Missouri. He was injured by the fall of his horse and was
discharged at Fort Scott, Kansas, in the fall of 1861.
Returning
to Meadville, Pennsylvania, Mr. Ball entered the service of the
Atlantic & Great Western Railroad as brakeman, and after some
months spent in the employ of that company became connected with the
Buffalo & Erie Railroad, where he remained until the spring of
1864. During that year he commenced the study of law at Ontonagon,
Michigan, and on his admission to the bar, in 1865, opened an office at
Eagle River, Michigan, where he engaged in practice until 1868. The
following three years were passed at Alexandria, Minnesota, and in 1871
he went to Otter Tail City, where he founded the "Otter Tail Record"
and conducted the same for one year. He then moved his plant to
Detroit, Minnesota, and edited a paper there in connection with his law
practice until 1876, when he returned to Alexandria. In 1878 he came to
what is now Fargo, North Dakota, driving across the country, and formed
a law partnership with John A. Stowell, then district attorney and
prosecutor for the third judicial district, comprising all of what is
now the state of North Dakota. Mr. Ball bagman active practice in Fargo
January 19, 1879, and two years later was elected district attorney for
the district last above named, which position he filled until 1885. In
the meantime he was engaged in private practice with George P. Wilson,
of Minnesota, for seven years. Judge Wallin became a member of the firm
in 1887. In 1888 General Wilson retired from the firm and business was
conducted under the name of Ball, Wallin & Smith until the Judge
was elected to the supreme bench in 1889. Since then John S. Watson has
been admitted to partnership and the firm is now known as Ball, Watson
& McClay. Mr. Ball is one of the most successful lawyers of the
state, and is assistant counsel for the Northern Pacific Railroad, with
which he has been connected since 1872. He was one of the organizers
and builders of the Fargo Southern Railroad and was one of its officers
and directors during its existence. He is a man of good executive and
business ability, who generally carries forward to successful
completion whatever he undertakes, and has been a director of the
Merchants State Bank of Fargo for some years.
On the
25th of December, 1865, Colonel Ball married Miss Mary A. Menyweather,
a native of Michigan, and they have four children: William M., John G.,
Frank A. and Sarah G. The Colonel has been a life-long Republican and
has taken a very prominent part in party affairs. Socially he is a
thirty-second-degree Mason, a member of the Grand Army of the Republic
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is one of the most
prominent and influential citizens of Fargo and is widely and favorably
known throughout the state as a lawyer and public-spirited citizen.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Syndi Phillips]
STEPHEN B. BARTLETT,
one of the leading attorneys of Casselton, Cass county, is widely known
for his intelligence and integrity. He is well versed in his
profession and is one of the prominent men in legal circles in North
Dakota, while his active public spirit and character are
irreproachable. He has resided in Casselton nearly twenty years
and
counts a host of friends.
Our subject
was born in Warsaw, Wyoming county, New York, April 1,
1849, and was one of eight children, six sons and two daughters, born
to William K. and Elmina (McLaughlin) Bartlett. His father was a
native of New Hampshire and his mother of Vermont. The father was
a
farmer by occupation and passed his life in New York.
Stephen B.
Bartlett received his education in the common and high
schools of New York state and on leaving the latter at once began the
study of law in 1867 at Warsaw, New York, and was admitted to practice
by the supreme court of that state at Syracuse, in 1873. He began
the
practice of his profession at Warsaw and continued there until 1880,
when he removed to Lake City, Minnesota, and practiced there two
years. He removed to Casselton in the spring of 1882 and has
followed
the practice of his profession in that city continuously since that
date. He formed a partnership in 1888 with V. R. Lovill, which
was
dissolved in 1898. Mr. Bartlett is also extensively interested in
farming and operates an extensive tract in Traverse county,
Minnesota.
Our subject
was married, August 5, 1875, to Miss Cora I. Chamberlin, a
native of Wyoming county, New York. Three children have been born
to
Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett, as follows: William K., now attending the
medical department of the State University of Minnesota; Elizabeth and
Lawrence M. Mr. Bartlett is a Mason of long standing and for five
years occupied the position of worshipful master of the local lodge of
Casselton. He served as district attorney in 1888 and 1889 and
ably
discharged the duties of that office. He was nominated by the
Democratic party for attorney-general of the state, but refused to
accept and has also refused to have his name used for other important
offices in the county and state. While a resident of New York he
entered the field as a public speaker for General Hancock in his home
county and has been associated with the Democratic party throughout his
career and is an active worker for party principles and a recognized
leader.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Brenda Shaffer]
LUCIAN A. BARNES, a prominent and
influential farmer, residing on section 21 in the township which bears
his name, is a man of progressive, enlightened views, and his standing
as an old settler of Cass County is well known.
Our subject was born in Martinsburg, Lewis County, New York, April 17,
1840, and was a son of the late Judge A. H. Barnes and Clarissa (Hills)
Barnes. His father went to Yankton, South Dakota, in 1874, and lived
one year, and then resided in Fargo, North Dakota, nine years, when he
returned to Delavan, Wisconsin, where he died early in the '90s, aged
seventy-two years. He was appointed United States district judge by
President Grant. The county of Barnes, North Dakota, was named in honor
of Judge Barnes. The mother of our subject died in Delavan, Wisconsin,
aged about thirty-seven years.
Lucian A. Barnes was reared in his native state, and remained until
nineteen years of age, when he located at Delavan, Wisconsin, and was
engaged in farming and dairy business and later engaged in cheese
making, which he followed twelve years. He went to Cass County, North
Dakota, in 1878, and settled in Barnes Township, which was named for
him. He has devoted himself chiefly to the pursuit of agriculture, but
has practiced veterinary dentistry to some extent, and is a man well
versed in all branches of farming. He has made good improvements on his
farm, and is the fortunate owner of one thousand two hundred acres of
land in Barnes Township.
Our subject was married, August 30, 1864, in Wisconsin, to Mary A.
Means. Mrs. Barnes was born in England November 21, 1841, and came to
America in 1853. She was a daughter of Peter and Mary Means. Her father
was a farmer by occupation and died in LaGrange, Wisconsin, in 1882,
and Mrs. Barnes’ mother died in 1874. One child, a son, who bears the
name of Manson H., has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Barnes. He is engaged
in farming, and is one of the rising young men of that locality. Mr.
Barnes takes an interest in affairs of a public nature, and is
identified with the Republican party, and an earnest worker for his
party principles. He holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows.
History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Laurel Durham
OSCAR
G. BARNES, secretary and general
manager of the Fargo Gas & Electric Company and ex-sheriff' of Cass
county, is one of the leading and prosperous business men of the city.
He is a man of strong force of character, purposeful and energetic, and
carried forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.
Mr. Barnes
was born in Grafton county, New Hampshire, April 18, 1855, and is a son
of Hiram and Esther B. (Gillette) Barnes, who were natives of Vermont,
but spent the greater part of their lives in New Hampshire, where the
father's death occurred. By occupation the father was a merchant and
farmer. Our subject is one of a family of eight children, five sons and
three daughters, and is the only one of the number living in North
Dakota. His education was acquired in his native state, where he
attended high school.
On leaving
home Mr. Barnes went to Boston, Massachusetts, where he engaged in the
hotel business for five years, and the following five years he spent in
Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1882 he came to Fargo, North Dakota, and entered
the employ of J. B. Weaver & Company, with whom he was interested
in the real estate business for nearly two years. Later he was
connected with the Fargo foundry as superintendent for some years, and
on leaving that concern started in business on his own account,
carrying on the same until 1886, when appointed deputy sheriff under J.
D. Benton. After serving in that capacity for six years he was elected
sheriff in 1892 and most creditably filled that office for two terms of
two years each. He was then elected to the county board of
commissioners and is now chairman of the same. In the discharge of his
official duties he has always been found prompt and faithful, winning
the commendation of the general public and the high regard of all law
abiding citizens. He is now vice-president of the Merchants National
Bank of Fargo, a member of its board of directors and also owns stock
in other leading business enterprises.
In 1890 Mr.
Barnes was married, in Wisconsin, to Miss Anna Cassaday, a native of
that state, and to them have been born two children, Carroll O. and
Esther E., both living. Socially Mr. Barnes is a member of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Loyal Knights.
Politically he has always affiliated with the Republican party, has
served on the county central committee and been chairman of the city
central committee. He is quite prominent and influential in business
circles and is highly respected and esteemed by all who know him.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Renae Capitanio]
WILLIAM H. BARNETT, an able
representative of the
legal profession now engaged in successful practice at Fargo, North
Dakota, is a native of Wisconsin, his birth having occurred at Fox
Lake, Dodge county, July 23, 1856. His parents, William D. and
Julia (Huntley) Barnett, were both born in New York and removed to
Wisconsin in 1846. The father, who was a carriage builder by
trade, died in that state in 1868, leaving two sons – one a physician
of Michigan; and our subject.
In the
common schools of his native state William H. Barnett obtained his
primary education, which was supplemented by a course at Downer's
College, Fox Lake. He commenced the study of law at that place
under the direction of Francis Hamilton, and in 1879 entered the law
school at Madison, from which he was graduated the following
year. Shortly afterward he came to Fargo and accepted the
position of clerk with the firm of Briggs & Elders. In 1883
he commenced practice and two years later was elected police justice,
which office he capably and satisfactorily fitted for eleven
years. Since then he has devoted his entire time and attention to
the practice of law and has been eminently successful, retaining a
clientele of so representative character as to alone stand in evidence
of his professional ability and personal popularity. As a
Republican he takes quite and active part in politics, has stumped the
county in the interest of his party, and has been a delegate to state
conventions. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and some
insurance orders. In 1883 Mr. Barnett married Miss Lelah H,.
Tillotson, of Rushford, Minnesota, whose father was receiver at the
United States land office in St. Perer, Minnesota, during President
Buchanan's administration. In connection with this sketch a
portrait of Mr. Barnes will be found on another page.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Janice Louie]
EDWARD C. BAUMGARDNER. The calling
to which this gentleman has devoted his career is one which calls for
the exercise of good judgment, close observation and persistent efforts
to insure success. Mr. Baumgardner is one of the well-to-do farmers of
Cass county, and his home in Rochester township is among the
pleasantest places in the county. He has gained his possessions
single-handed, and is highly respected for his execellent
characteristics.
Our subject is a native of Carbon county, Pennsylvania, and was born
July 24, 1856. His parents, Mathais and Fredericka (Fritz) Baumgardner,
were natives of Germany, and his father was a miller by trade, and also
followed farming. He emigrated to America in 1854, and located in
Carbon county, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Erie county, that
state, where he died in 1889. The mother survives and makes her home in
Pennsylvania. They were the parents of threes sons and two daughters,
and our subject is the only member of the family to locate in North
Dakota.
Mr. Baumgardner was reared in Pennsylvania and received his education
there, and remained in that state engaged in farming until 1875, when
he removed to Ohio and resided there until 1882. He then went to Cass
county, North Dakota, and entered a homestead claims to land in section
22, of Rochester township, and was among the first settlers of that
locality. He has held continuous residence there, and is now the owner
of one section of choice land. He has added valuable improvements,
including a complete set of substantial form buildings, and is one of
the solid men of the county.
Our subject was married in Fargo, North Dakota, December 5, 1883, to
Elizabeth Kimball. Mrs. Baumgardner was born near Syracuse, New York,
and was a daughter of Addison and Anna (Bailey) Kimball, who were
pioneer settlers of the state of New York. Three children have been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Baumgardner, as follows: Iva A., Carl A. and
Fredericka, all of whom are living. Mr. Baumgardner assisted in the
organization of his township, and has served as assessor for the past
nine years, and has also served on the township and school boards. He
is a member of the ancient Order of United Workmen, and in political
sentiment is a Republican.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Syndi Phillips]
SYLVAN E. BAYLEY belongs to that
large class of
intelligent and enterprising farmers whose work as a developer of the
country is a credit to themselves and the community. His estate is
located in Cornell township, Cass county, and he enjoys the comforts of
a model country home. Our subject was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin.
September 23, 1847, and was a son of Benjamin and Hannah (Horr) Bayley,
both of whom were natives of Vermont. His father was a shoemaker by
trade, and later in life followed farming. He moved to Dodge county,
Wisconsin, about 1840, and the father died there in 1876. and the
mother also passed away in that state. Seven sons and three daughters
were born to them, our subject being the only one in North Dakota. Mr.
Bayley was reared in Wisconsin, and received his education there, and
continued his residence in Dodge county until he went to Cass county,
North Dakota, locating his land there in 1879. And his residence
thereon dates from the following spring. He entered claim to land in
section 24 of Cornell township, as a homestead, and was the first
settler in that part of the township. He now operates about one section
of land, and is among the substantial men of his township. Our subject
was married in Dodge county, Wisconsin, February 22, 1870, to Melissa
A. Sanford, a native of that state. To Mr. and Mrs. Bayley have been
born five children, named as follows: Frank W., Arthur L., Edith I.,
Cora S., and Ray E., all of whom are living. Mr. Bayley was active in
the organization of his township, and has served as assessor
continuously since that time. Politically he is a Republican, and is a
man who keeps pace with the times.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Susan Ripley]
JOSEPH BAYLISS, widely known as the
first settler of
Clifton, township, Cass county, is passing his declining years amid
pleasant surroundings, and enjoys a comfortable competence as the
result of a well spent career. He has devoted his maturer years to
farming, and has met with unbounded success, and is now proprietor of a
fine farm the improvements of which he has placed thereon by his own
efforts, and has gained the highest esteem of those among whom he
labors. Our subject is a native of Staffordshire, England, and was born
July 22, 1837. His parents, John and Jane (Bond) Bayliss, were natives
of the same shire and spent their lives in their native place. His
father was an iron worker. Our subject has one sister living. Mr.
Bayliss was reared and educated in England, and there learned the trade
of puddler and steel maker, and followed it there until 1869, when he
emigrated to America and located in Cleveland, and from there removed
to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and later to Youngstown, Ohio. He resided
in the last named place until 1879, and then went to Cass county. North
Dakota, and entered a claim as a homestead to land in section 10 of
Clifton township and has resided there since that date. He now has four
hundred acres of good land, and is one of the substantial men of his
locality. Our subject was married, in 1859 to Miss Sarah Bowen, a
native of the same shire in England as Mr. Bayliss. Eight children have
been born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bayliss, as follows:
William B., Mattie, now Mrs. George Phillips, of Chicago; Benjamin C,
James H., Annie A., now Mrs. E. Lloyd, of East Chicago; Minnie M.,
George A. and Edith F. The family were members of the Presbyterian
church, and are highly respected in the community in which they reside.
Mr. Bayliss takes an active interest in the welfare of his community,
and has served in various local offices, including justice of the
peace, school offices and member of the township board. He is
independent in political sentiment and is a man well versed on the
topics of the day and wields an influence for good in his locality. He
went to North Dakota without means and is now one of the prosperous men
of Clifton township, and well merits his success.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Susan Ripley]
JOHN BEATTIE. The result of
well-directed labor is strikingly exemplified in the career of the
gentleman whose name heads this personal history. He went to Dakota
without means during the early days of the settlement of Cass county
and is now proprietor of a fine farm in Empire township, one on which
he is successfully conducting general farming. Our subject was born in
Rocksborough county, Scotland, June 27, 1858, and was a son of Peter
and Mary (Scott) Beattie, both of whom were natives of Scotland. The
father was a shepherd by occupation and came to America in 1881 and
settled in Rich township, Cass county, where the father filed a
pre-emption claim to land, where he still resides. The mother died July
2, 1898. Two sons and two daughters, all of whom reside in Cass county,
were born to this worthy couple. John Beattie was reared in his native
land and received his education there and then followed agricultural
pursuits until 1876, when he went to Ontario, Canada, and resided there
until 1880, when he removed to Cass county, North Dakota, and took land
in Rich township, where he resided about five years. He entered claim
to the land on which he now resides, in Empire township, in 1885 and he
now owns an entire section of land, all of which is under cultivation
and is entitled to rank as one of the finest farms of that locality.
Our subject was married, in 1889, to Miss Maggie Thompson, a native of
Canada. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Beattie, named as
follows: Jane E., Mary E. and Aggie. Mr. Beattie is a member of the
Presbyterian church and is held in high esteem by his fellows. He has
served in various township and school offices and his public spirit has
never been called in question. Politically, he is a Populist and
advocates reform principles.
[Source: History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Susan
Ripley]
MAXIME
BELLEMARE, M. D. This
gentleman is well known as a physician of practical skill and
theoretical knowledge, and he occupies a prominent position among the
people. He has followed farming and the practice of his profession in
Cass county for many years, and makes his home in section 27, in
Stanley township.
Our subject
was born in St. Maurice county, Quebec, January 24, 1847, and was
reared in his native place and attended the Nicolet College. When
eighteen years of age he began the study of medicine, attending the
University of Victoria, from which institution he graduated in 1871. He
followed his profession in Canada until the spring of 1882, when he
went to North Dakota and located in Stanley township, Cass county, and
has since engaged in farming, and also practiced medicine. He has built
up a lucrative practice and is widely known. His farm consists of two
hundred and forty acres of land, on which he has completed good
improvements, and has gathered about him the comforts of a model
country home.
Our subject
was married in Canada to Miss Albertine Gerin Lajoie, a native of
Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Bellemare are the parents or ten children, as
follows: Emma, Corrine, Anna, Marie, Caroline, Joseph, Aurora, Francis,
Aurelie and Maxim. Dr. Bellemare has been active in public affairs
since taking up his residence in North Dakota, and has held the office
of township assessor four years, and clerk of the school district, and
has been a member of the board of supervisors of Stanley township. As a
man and citizen he is highly respected and as a physician he has built
up an extensive practice.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Renae Capitanio]
ROBERT
BLAKEMORE, Fargo, of the ninth
legislative district, was born at
Hopkinsville, Christian county, Kentucky, September 14. 1866. Received
his education in private grammar and military schools. St. Johns
College, Hopkinsville, and at Annapolis, Md. Came to North Dakota. June
12, 1883. He is married. Has engaged in the real estate and insurance
business for twenty-five years at Fargo. Was elected representative as
a progressive republican.
[Source:
North Dakota Blue Book, 1913 Legislative Manual, Published under the
direction of Thomas Hall, Secretary of State, 1913. Submitted by Linda
R.]
ROBERT B. BLAKEMORE,
one of Fargo’s most energetic and progressive citizens, who is now
successfully engaged in the insurance and real estate business, is a
native of Kentucky, born in Christian county, on the 14th of September,
1866. His parents, George B. and Clara (Gist) Blakemore, were
natives
of Virginia and Maryland, respectively. The father was a captain
in
the Confederate army during the Civil war and was in General Johnston’s
command. He participated in the battles of Chattanooga,
Missionary
Ridge, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and the engagements of the Atlanta
campaign. In early life the father engaged in merchandising and
later
was interested in the tobacco and cotton trade in New Orleans. He
died
in Louisiana in 1868, and his wife departed this life two years later,
leaving our subject, their only child, all alone in the world at the
age of four years.
Mr. Blakemore was educated in the schools of Kentucky and Maryland,
attending first the military school in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and
later St. John’s College, of Annapolis, Maryland. In 1883 he came
to
Fargo, North Dakota, and was employed as bookkeeper by a hardware firm
for two years. He became interested in the real estate and
insurance
business with E. H. Dickon in 1885, and three years later succeeded to
the business, which he has since carried on, meeting with marked
success in the undertaking. He has also engaged in farming to a
considerable extent.
In 1888 Mr. Blakemore was united in marriage to Miss Clara C. Taylor, a
native of Maryland, who now presides with gracious dignity over their
pleasant home in Fargo. Mr. Blakemore takes no active part in
political affairs and has never filled public office, desiring rather
to give his entire time and attention to his business interests.
He is
a Jeffersonian Democrat and is all that title implies. He is,
however,
very popular among his fellow citizens and is an honored member of the
Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen and B. P. O.
E. A
portrait of Mr. Blakemore is presented on another page.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Brenda Shaffer]
JOSEPH
J. BOND was born in Middlesex county, Massachusetts, February
12, 1862. His parents, Thomas Davis and Olive (Thompson) Bond, were
natives of Massachusetts, and the father operated the Bond cracker
factory of Boston, Massachusetts, for many years. This factory was
founded by Captain Joseph Bond, the grandfather of our subject, and was
conducted by the father of our subject until his death in 1889. The
grandfather was also a native of Massachusetts and operated the cracker
factory throughout his career. The great-grandfather served with the
Massachusetts troops in the Revolutionary war. Our subject has one
brother and two sisters, all of Massachusetts.
Our
subject was reared and educated in Massachusetts and began life as a
clerk in a wholesale dry-goods business, which he followed one year,
and then followed other lines of business and in 1882 went to Cass
county, North Dakota, as bookkeeper for the Cass & Cheney farm, and
filled that position one year. He was appointed financial agent for
this estate and continued such for about five years, when he purchased
nearly twenty-four hundred acres of the farm which he has since
conducted and on which he has a pleasant and comfortable home.
Our
subject was married, in 1884, to Miss Margaret M. Cole, a native of
England, who came to America with her parents in 1874. Three children
have been born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bond, named as
follows: Thomas D., Marjorie and Dorothy. Mr. Bond is a Republican in
politics.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Kim Mohler]
HON. ROBERT B. BOYD, one of the
well-to-do farmers of Wheatland township, is yet in the prime of
vigorous manhood, and is attaining a prominent position as a citizen
and farmer. He resides on section 6 and is extensively engaged in
grain raising and operates three sections of land. He is a
pioneer settler of North Dakota, and is widely known for his labors for
the public good.
Our subject was born at Kinsordine, Bruce county, Ontario, Canada,
September 25, 1862, and was a son of Andrew K. and Margaret (Newcomb)
Boyd, the former a native of Scotland, and the latter of Preston,
Canada. His father was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1826, and
was reared and educated in his native isle, and there learned the
shoemaker’s trade. He emigrated to America in 1840 and engaged in
the shoe trade at Paris, Canada, and later in the hotel business, then
afterward followed general merchandising in Canada. He went to
North Dakota March 16, 1879, and entered claim to the southeast quarter
of section 6 in Wheatland township as a homestead, and the same year
erected a small frame house which still serves as the home of the
family. He operated the farm and resided there until his death in
1880. He was married in Canada, and three sons and six daughters
were born of the union, as follows: Hiram, residing in Cass
county; Robert B.; John, now residing in Washington; Jane, Now Mrs.
John Hay; Elizabeth, who married Thomas Lockett and is now deceased;
Maggie, now Mrs. A. Campbell, of Canada; Nellie, now Mrs. A. S. Bilton,
of Oregon; Emma, now Mrs. W. T. York, of Oregon, and Anna, now Mrs. P.
W. Powlinson, of Cass county. Mr. Boyd is a member of the
Presbyterian church and is an exemplary citizen. He assisted in
the organization of the township in which he lived, but did not accept
any public office during his career.
Robert B. Boyd was reared and educated in Canada and went with his
parents to North Dakota. He entered claim to the southeast
quarter of section 6 in Wheatland township as a homestead, and now owns
the land and has added valuable improvements thereon. He owns one
section and a quarter of land and operates three sections, and averages
a yield of fifteen to twenty thousand bushels of grain annually.
Mr. Boyd was elected to the state legislature in 1896, and his
efficient work and popularity are best evidenced by the fact that he
was returned to that office in 1898 and is now representing the
eleventh district. He has filled various township offices, and is
widely and favorably known. He is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Politically he is a Republican, and adheres to the principles of his
party.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Mary Saggio]
CORNELIUS BOYLE, deceased. In the
death of Mr. Boyle
Cass county lost a worthy citizen and a representative member of the
farming community of Highland township. He was a pioneer settler of
Ransom county, North Dakota, and followed agricultural pursuits
throughout his career, and at the time of his demise owned a fine farm
consisting of one section of land, all of which was well improved.
Our subject
was a native of Ireland, and was born in 1843. His parents, Patrick and
Rose (Boyle) Boyle, were natives of Ireland, and the father died there,
and in 1845 the widowed mother and family, consisting of five sons,
emigrated to Canada and settled in Ontario, where the mother spent the
remainder of her life.
Mr. Boyle
was reared and educated in Canada and followed farming there until
1881, and then went to North Dakota and settled in Ransom county,
remaining there until 1888, and then taking up his residence in Cass
county, and became a citizen of Highland township. He engaged
successfully in farming and followed the same in Cass county during the
balance of his career.
Our subject
was married in Canada in May 6, 1863, to Ellen Boyle, a native of
Ireland. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Boyle, as follows:
Owen J., deceased; Patrick, John; Cornelius, Peter, Henry T., Francis,
Mary and Martin. Mr. Boyle died in North Dakota September 21, 1895. He
was a member of the Catholic church, and was highly esteemed in the
community in which he spent his life.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Janice Louie]
LOUIS
L. BRAKKE. Among the
foreign-born residents of Cass county, North Dakota, who are thoroughly
identified with American civilization and progress, may be noted Mr.
Brakke. He is the owner of a fine farm in section 30, in Stanley
township, on which he has placed good improvements, and is surrounded
by all which goes to make country life pleasant. He has spent nearly a
quarter of a century in North Dakota, and is known throughout Cass
county as a progressive, enlightened farmer, who is an earnest
supporter of every good cause, and enterprise which tends to the
general welfare of his community.
Our subject
was born in Bergen Stift, Norway, May 20, 1842, and was reared in his
native land and received a good education. He was raised on a farm till
seventeen years of age, when he started to earn his own livelihood, and
he followed sea coasting for several years till he emigrated to America
in the spring of 1871. He settled in Goodhue county, Minnesota, and
worked at farming and carpentry in that county about seven years, and
in 1878 went to Cass county, North Dakota, and purchased two hundred
and forty acres of land, in section 30, in Stanley township, where he
has since resided. He is now the owner of two hundred and thirty-three
acres of choice land in North Dakota, and four hundred in Minnesota,
and follows general farming, and has met with eminent success.
Our subject
was married in Cass county, North Dakota, in June, 1878, to Miss
Agnetta Paulson, who was born in Norway, December 23, 1857.Three
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brakke, as follows: Albert C,
Leonard O., and Emma O. The family are members of the Norwegian
Lutheran church. Mr. and Mrs. Brakke and two children spent the summer
of 1899 in Norway, and Mr. Brakke previously paid a visit to his native
land. He is a gentleman of wide experience and practical nature, and
highly esteemed by his fellowmen. He has served as a member of the
board of supervisors of Stanley township, and lends his influence for
good local government.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Renae Capitanio]
JOHN BRANDENBURG, the pioneer
merchant of Arthur, Cass county is a gentleman of ability and true
citizenship. He has been useful in promoting the financial and
social growth of that section of the country, and is enjoying an
extensive patronage and the confidence of the people among whom he
resides.
Our subject was born in Warren county, Ohio, December 22, 1846, and was
the son of Joseph and Nancy (Hines) Brandenburg, his father was a
native of Virginia, and his mother of Maryland. The father was a
farmer and lived in Ohio from his childhood days, and died there in
1888. The mother died about 1870. Four sons and three
daughters composed the family of children, and one son and one daughter
are now deceased.
Mr. Brandenburg was reared and educated in Clinton county, Ohio, and
November 18, 1863, enlisted in Company L. Ninth Ohio Cavalry, and
served until August, 1865, under Generals McCook and Kilpatrick, and
was with Sherman on his march to the sea. He was in a portion of
the Atlanta campaign and was engaged in Georgia and North
Carolina. After his discharge from the service Mr. Brandenburg
returned to Ohio and made his home there until 1881, when he engaged in
the produce business, and the same year went to Cass county, North
Dakota, stopping a short time at Wheatland and soon taking up his
residence in Arthur, and erected the first business building in the
town. He established a general merchandise and lumber business
and has continued in the former since that time, and also is interested
in farm lands in that locality. He has been successful since
taking up his residence in North Dakota, and is well to do.
Our subject was married in 1868, to Miss Susan J. Little, a native of
Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Brandenburg are the parents of one child,
named Lottie, and they adopted a son, named Harlie G. Mr.
Brandenburg was the first postmaster of Arthur, and has served in
nearly all the local offices, including the first township treasurer
and school treasurer. He is a member of the Grand Army of the
republic, and politically is a Republican and stands firmly for his
party principles. He has served several terms as justice of the
peace, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fellowmen. He
is intelligent and progressive and well merits his success.
Source: COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. Transcribed by Carol
Eppright.
CHRISTIAN
O.
BRINK, the popular and
efficient postmaster at Horace, Cass county, owns and operates a fine
farm in Stanley township, and resides on section 18. His farm is well
improved, and he is well known as an agriculturist who is doing an
extensive business. His career affords a striking example of what can
be accomplished by persistent efforts and honest industry. He is a
foreign-born citizen who came to America when a young man and had no
means on which to depend aside from those traits of character inherited
from thrifty and industrious ancestors. He is now in possession of a
fine estate and enjoys a comfortable competence and is highly respected
by his fellowmen.
Our subject
was born in Norway, July 10, 1845, and lived in Christiana till 1867,
when he emigrated to America and located in Houston county, Minnesota,
where he worked at farm labor five years, and in the summer of 1872
went to Cass county, North Dakota, where he entered claim to eighty
acres of land in Stanley township, which constitutes part of his
present farm. The buildings upon his farm are modern structures of neat
design and finish, and furnish commodious accommodations for the
family, stock and products, and modern methods are used in the work of
carrying on the place.
Our subject
was married in Norway, June 18, 1867, to Miss Carrie Hanson, a native
of Norway. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brink, as
follows: Caroline. Ole, John and Mary. Mr. Brink was appointed
postmaster at Horace, North Dakota, in January, 1898, by
Postmaster-General Gary. He has served as chairman of the board of
supervisors for the past twelve years, and takes an active and leading
part in all matters pertaining to the local government, and is known as
public-spirited citizen. He is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran
church.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Renae Capitanio]
JAMES
G. BROWN. The farming and stock raising interests of Cass County
have a worthy representative in the gentleman whose name introduces
this review. He is engaged extensively in agricultural pursuits in Gill
Township and has a model farm, the direct result of well-directed labor
and economical methods. He is highly esteemed by his fellow men and
enjoys well-merited success.
Our
subject was born in County Formaugh, Ireland, January 7, 1857, and was
a son of James and Mary (Tichbourn) Brown, natives of the same county.
His parents immigrated to America in 1875 and settled in Bruce County,
Canada, where the father died in 1890, aged eighty-three years. He was
a farmer and stock raiser and prospered in his calling. The mother of
our subject resides with him in North Dakota. The maternal grandfather
of our subject, George Tichbourn, lived in Canada, to the advanced age
of ninety-three years.
Our
subject was one of five children, three sons and two daughters. His
brothers are deceased and his sister resides in Canada. Mr. Brown was
educated in Ireland, receiving an academic education until sixteen
years of age and in 1873 left home and started for the United States.
He landed at Portland, Maine, with fourteen cents in money and soon
after was taken seriously ill and in consequence was soon many dollars
in debt. Within nine months, however, he was able to land one hundred
dollars from his savings and he remained in Portland one year and then
removed to Port Hope, Canada, where he remained three years and engaged
in the manufacturing of brick and tile. He then went to Cass County,
North Dakota, in the spring of 1880 and purchased a relinquishment and
filed claim to the quarter-section of land on which he still resides.
He began the improvement of his farm at once and the following year
went to South Dakota and entered claim to land near Aberdeen, where he
lived two years, and then returned to Cass County, North Dakota, where
he has followed farming and stock raising continuously since. He ships
a large amount of stock annually and operates a section of land, on
which he has placed improvements which entitle it to rank among the
finest farms of the County.
Our
subject was married, in Canada, in 1875, to Jane Collins, a native of
Canada, of Irish parentage. Eleven children, four sons and seven
daughters, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Mr. Brown is active in
public affairs of local importance and was one of the organizers of
Gill Township and was the first treasurer of the same and has served as
chairman of the township board and also assessor. He was elected county
commissioner in 1898 and is now serving as chairman of the board. He is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and assisted in the
organization and erection of the church edifice of the Gill Church and
was also instrumental in the erection of the school building on the
same corner of the township. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of
America. Politically, he is a stanch Republican and is a member of the
county central committee and has served as a delegate to all
conventions of his party and is a recognized leader.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Laurel Durham]
DUNCAN BROWNLEE. This gentleman
represents various
financial interests in Cass county and is recognized as one of the
leading merchants of Mapleton. He also owns and operates sixteen
hundred acres of land and engages quite extensively in the raising of
stock. He is one of the pioneers of that region and is widely and
favorably known there.
Our subject
was born in Linn county, Missouri, April 16, 1858. His parents, David
C. and Elizabeth (Stanley) Brownlee, were natives, respectively, of
Scotland and Missouri, and the father was born in Scotland in 1815, and
raised there to the age of nineteen years, when he came to the United
States and followed the carpenter's trade for some time and then
settled in Missouri, where he followed farming until 1883 and then
removed to North Dakota. He now resides in Mapleton, Cass county. Six
sons and three daughters were born to this worthy couple, three of the
sons now residing in North Dakota.
Duncan
Brownlee was reared and educated in Missouri and there began his career
as a farmer, where he remained until 1879, and then went to Cass
county, North Dakota, and rented land north of Mapleton. In 1888, in
company with his brother, Andrew J., he engaged in the general
merchandise business at Mapleton and they still conduct the business
with increasing patronage, his brother acting as manager of the
business there, and he is also postmaster of Mapleton. Mr. Brownlee
operates sixteen hundred acres of land, which he has improved fully and
stock raising forms a basis of a good yearly income from the estate.
Our subject
was married, in 1880, to Clara McClaren, a native of Canada. Mr. and
Mrs. Brownlee are the parents of four children, named as follows:
Olive, William, Hazel and Glenn. Our subject is a man of active public
spirit and has filled various offices in his township. He is a member
of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and Modern Woodmen of America.
Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party and is a stanch
advocate of party principles. He has met with success in every
enterprise in which he has engaged and is deservedly popular.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Janice Louie]
ALEX BURMAN. The foreign-born
residents of Cass
county have been instrumental in a large degree in the present
prosperity attendant on that locality, and one who occupies a prominent
position among that class is the gentleman above named. He has the
welfare of his adopted land at heart, and labors earnestly and with
painstaking care for the development and up building of its better
interests. He has acquired a comfortable home in Casselton township,
and was a pioneer settler, his home being on section 18.
Our subject
was born in the northern part of Sweden, March 3, 1844, and was a son
of Nels and Bertha (Nelson) Nelson, both of whom were natives of
Sweden, and passed their lives there. Our subject had two brothers and
two sisters, all of whom remained in Sweden.
Alex Burman
was reared and educated in his native land and followed farming there
until 1869, when he emigrated to America and located at Stillwater,
Minnesota. He worked in the woods, driving teams and chopping timber,
and in 1876 went to Cass county and took land as a pre-emption in
section 12, of Casselton township, where he settled and at once began
breaking the land and adding improvements. This property he sold in
1882. He then purchased a half-section on section 18, and of this tract
he is now the owner, and also farms another half-section. He has met
with success in his chosen calling, and is one of the substantial men
of his community.
Our subject
was married, in North Dakota, in 1879, to Johanna Peterson, a native of
the southern part of Sweden, who came to America in 1877. Five children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Burman. Those living are named as
follows: Beda C, Henry and Clara M., Allen F. and Fred B. are deceased.
Mr. Burman is a man who keeps pace with current events, and casts his
influence for good local government, but does not seek public office,
and votes the independent ticket.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Janice Louie]
HENRY H. BUTTON is classed among the
energetic and
capable farmers of Cass county, and he has acquired a comfortable
competence and an enviable reputation since taking up his residence in
that locality. He has devoted his entire career to agricultural
pursuits, and is well versed on the most approved methods of conducting
an estate, and carries into execution the better methods, discarding
the useless. He has always used persistent efforts to advance the
interests of those for whom he has labored as well as his own, and the
various farms of which he has had the management have prospered under
his care. He is thorough, practical and honest, and is held in high
esteem by his fellows. He was one of the first settlers of Harmony
township, and is a resident there near the town of Casselton.
Our subject
was born at Panama, New York, January 11, 1848, and was one of the
three sons, one of whom is now deceased, born to Alvin and Lodema
(Doud) Button, natives of Vermont. His father was a farmer by
occupation and moved to New York in an early day and was among the
first setters of that section. He passed his life in New York, and the
grandfather of our subject. Joseph Button, removed from Vermont to that
state and spent his declining years.
Our subject
was reared and educated in New York in the common schools, and remained
on the home farm until he attained his majority. He went to Dade
county, in southwest Missouri, in 1869, and followed farming there
until 1873, when he returned to New York and remained until 1879, in
which year, he went to Cass county, North Dakota, as superintendent of
the Cheeney farm, and continued thus eight years, and later became
superintendent of the Dalrymple farm. He had previously purchased land,
and has devoted himself entirely to the pursuit of farming. He is now
the owner of one and a half sections of land, which he operates with
marked success, and has become one of the well-to-do men of his
community.
Our subject
was married, in 1879, to Martha S. Stewart, a native of New York. Three
daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Button, as follows: Joanna L.,
Mary S. and Martha S. Mr. Button has served as supervisor and assessor
of his township, and assisted in the organization of the township and
named the same after his home town in New York. He is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, and in political faith is a Republican and strong
in his convictions.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Janice Louie]
JAMES CALDWELL. This gentleman is
well known as one of
the prosperous farmers of Clifton township, Cass county, who is doing
an extensive business. His real estate amounts to eight hundred acres,
and he is a representative agriculturist and citizen. Our subject was
born in Ontario, Canada, September 6, 1860. His parents, Andrew and
Jane (Davis) Caldwell were natives of Scotland. The father emigrated to
America in 1840 and the mother in 1858, and they became residents of
Cass county, North Dakota, in 1881, and are well known as early
settlers of that locality where they still make their home. They are
parents of six sons and two daughters, all of whom reside in Cass
county. Our subject was raised and educated in Canada, followed farming
there until 1881, when he went to Cass county, North Dakota, and
settled in Highland township. He resided there until 1892, when he took
up his residence in Clifton township and has resided there since that
date. He now has eight hundred acres of land all well improved and
under cultivation and has met with success in his chosen vocation. Our
subject was married, in 1882, to Dora Fowler, a native of Canada. Five
children have blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, who bear the
following names: Andrew, Agnes S., Ralph, William F., and Albert. Mr.
Caldwell is chairman of the town board and assessor, in which capacity
he has served several years, and is actively interested in the affairs
of his township and county. He holds membership in the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and Ancient Order of United Workmen, and Knights
of The Maccabees. Politically he is a Democrat and is firm in his
convictions, and deservedly popular with the people among whom he makes
his home.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Susan Ripley]
JOHN F. CALLAHAN, one of the rising
attorneys of North
Dakota, resides in Casselton, Cass county, and is the postmaster of
that city. He is a gentleman of excellent education and intelligence,
and is entitled to prominent mention among the leaders of his
profession.
Our subject
was born in Ontario, Canada, July 21, 1861, and was a son of Timothy
and Sarah (Maher) Callahan, both of whom were natives of Ireland. His
parents emigrated to Canada about 1832 and settled in Ontario, where
they were married. The father was a civil engineer and was employed by
the English government surveying government lands in western and upper
Canada. He removed to Iowa in 1868 and in 1884 removed to North Dakota,
and from there went to Idaho in 1890, where he now resides. Four sons
and three daughters, of whom our subject and one brother are now in
Dakota, constituted the family of children.
Mr.
Callahan was reared and educated in Iowa in the district schools of
Webster county, and the city schools of Sioux City, the State Normal,
and the Agricultural College at Ames, and the South Dakota State Normal
at Madison, South Dakota. He went to Cass county, North Dakota, in
1885, and taught school there some years, and in 1890 was appointed
county superintendent, and twice elected to that office, serving as
such five years. He then began the study of law with Bartlett &
Lovell, and was admitted to the bar in April, 1898. He was appointed
postmaster of Casselton in July, 1897, and is now serving in that
capacity. He has built up a good practice and is rapidly gaining an
assured position in his locality.
Our subject
was married, in March, 1892, to Anna McIntire, a daughter of John
McIntyre, of Cass county. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Callahan, who bears the name of Lloyd F. Mr. Callahan is a member of
the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic orders, the Blue Lodge, Chapter,
Knights Templar and Shrine. Politically he is a Republican, and has
done very efficient work for the principles of his party, in 1896 and
1898 he campaigned in North Dakota for his party, and in 189O was
president of the Cass County Young Men's Republican League. He is a
forcible speaker and stands firm for his faith.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Janice Louie]
FRANK
J. CAMPBELL, M.D., one of the ablest and most popular physicians
and surgeons of Fargo, North Dakota, was born in Winona county,
Minnesota, on the 11th of August, 1862, and is a son of James S. and
Loraine H. (Booker) Campbell, natives of Maine. The mother died when
our subject was only two years old, but the father is still living and
is now a prominent contractor and builder of Fargo.
Until
six years of age Dr. Campbell was a resident of Maine and his primary
education was obtained in the schools of that state. He came to Fargo
in 1876 and continued his studies in the schools of that city for some
time. In 1882 he entered the Northwestern University at Evanston,
Illinois, from which he was graduated in 1887 with the Ph.B. degree and
three years later was granted the degree of Ph.M. by his alma mater. He
matriculated at the Chicago Medical College and was graduated from that
institution in 1890 with the degree of M.D. and carried off the honors
of his class, being awarded one hundred dollars in gold for the highest
scholarship. He was also valedictorian of his class. After his
graduation he served as intern at Mercy Hospital of Chicago for six
months, but owing to failing health was obliged to give up that
position. Returning to Fargo he was engaged in practice for some years
with Dr. I.N. Wear, the partnership existing until July, 1898, since
which time he has been alone. He took a post-graduate course in the
Polyclinic in New York, in 1898, and has ever been a close and thorough
student and a man of deep research. His investigations into the science
of medicine and surgery and his skillful application of the knowledge
he has thereby obtained has won him a place in the foremost ranks of
the medical fraternity.
Prior
to entering upon the study of medicine Dr. Campbell was employed in a
bank at Fargo for two years. In 1891 he married Miss Louise Welsh, a
native of Ohio, and to them were born three children, but two are now
deceased, the only one living being Margaret C. The Doctor is a
prominent member of the county and state medical societies and also the
American Medical Association. He was health officer of Fargo from 1892
until 1897; has been superintendent of the county board of health since
1891, and is secretary of the board of United States pension examiners.
Socially, he is a Mason, a member of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, a K. of P. and also belongs to several insurance orders.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Kim Mohler]
ROBERT CAMPBELL, one of the pioneer
settlers of Cass county, now residing in Buffalo township, on section
24, is proprietor of a fine estate, and is highly respected as a
citizen and farmer.
Our subject was born in Sharon Springs, New York, April 19, 1839.
His parents, Robert and Sarah (Wagner) Campbell, were natives of
Edinburgh, Scotland, and New York, respectively, and his father was a
sailor in his younger days, and later followed the carpenter’s
trade. He emigrated to America in 1807, when six years of age,
and in 1856 settled in Michigan, and passed his last years in
Kalamazoo, that state. The mother survived him but one
year. The grandfather of our subject, Robert Campbell, died in
the state of New York. Our subject had four brothers and six
sisters. Two brothers, Charles S. and Andrew J., are also
residents of Cass county, North Dakota.
Mr. Campbell was reared and educated in New York and Michigan, and in
1861 went to Chicago and enlisted in Company I, Illinois Light
Artillery. He served until 1862, when he was wounded at the
battle of Shiloh, and was discharged in the fall of that year. He
re-enlisted in the fall of 1863 in Company C, First Michigan Engineers
and Mechanics, and served until October, 1865, being employed in bridge
building and working on forts, etc., and was with Sherman on his march
to the sea. He was at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and Shiloh, and
also many similar engagements. After the close of the war
returned to Michigan, where he remained three years, and then began
railroad work on the Grand Trunk Railroad in Canada, and continued
eight years, after which he went to Chicago and worked for the Lake
Shore Railroad Company as yardmaster until 1878. In that year he
went to Cass county, North Dakota, and settled in Gill township, and
later entered a homestead and tree claim in Howe township, where he
lived until the spring of 1891, when he went to his present home in
Buffalo township.
Our subject was married in Michigan, July 4, 1863, to Mary E. Fuller, a
native of that state. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have no children
living, but have one adopted daughter named Iva. Mr. Campbell is
a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Masonic fraternity,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and several insurance orders.
He has filled various official positions in his township, and is
actively interested in the welfare of his community, and occupies a
high position in the minds of the people among whom he has passed so
many years. Politically he is a Republican, and is firm in his
convictions.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Mary Saggio]
FRANK
H. CARTER has
resided in Casselton, North Dakota for over twenty years, and has
gained an enviable reputation throughout Cass county as a gentleman of
ability and true citizenship. He is manager of the Biedler &
Robinson Lumber Company, and conducts the extensive interests of that
company in an entirely satisfactory manner.
Mr. Carter
was born in Painsville,
Lake county, Ohio, January 15, 1855, and was a son of Daniel O. and
Lydia (Cox) Carter. His father was a native of New York and was
an
early settler of Lake county, Ohio, where he still resides, engaged in
farming. The mother of our subject was a native of New Hampshire.
Our subject
was reared and educated
in his native county, and began his career as a farmer, and in 1874
went to California, where he spent two years in the nursery
business.
He then returned East and remained till the spring of 1879, and in that
year located in Casselton, North Dakota, and assisted in closing up the
unsettled business of E. S. Tyler & Company. He entered the
employ
of Wallace Grosvenor as manager of his lumber yard in 1880, and
continued thus until 1892, when he accepted the position as manager of
the Beidler & Robinson Lumber Company, which position he still
retains.
Our subject
was married, October 5,
1880, to Marion C. Deshon, a native of Kentucky. One daughter has
been
born to this union, upon whom they have bestowed the name of Ella
B.
Mr. Carter affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, and has passed the
degrees of Knights Templar and Mystic Shrine. He is a man of
excellent
character and respected by all who know him, and his public spirit has
never been called in question. He has aided materially in various
ways
in the upbuilding and strengthening of good local government, and has
served twice as alderman of the city.
[History
Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Rhonda Hill
GEORGE
A. CARPENTER, M.D., one of the most successful and prominent
physicians and surgeons of Fargo, North Dakota, is a native of
Minnesota, born in Monticello, Wright county, February 7, 1863, and is
a son of George W. and Mary (Williams) Carpenter, both natives of New
York. In 1858 they removed to Minnesota, where the father engaged in
merchandising for many years and also served as probate judge of Wright
county for some years. In 1889 he brought his family to Fargo, where
the parents now reside.
In the
county of his nativity, Dr. Carpenter was reared and educated and in
1882 he entered the Minnesota Hospital College, which later became the
State University, and was graduated from that institution in 1885 with
the degree of M.D. During the same year he opened an office at Marine
Mills, Washington county, Minnesota, and continued there until the fall
of 1889, when he came to Fargo and has since engaged in the general
practice of medicine and surgery. He is a progressive member of his
profession – one who keeps abreast of the latest discoveries and
theories by his perusal of medical journals. His skill and ability are
attested by the liberal patronage he enjoys and he is ranked as one of
the leading physicians of this section of the state.
Dr.
Carpenter was married, in 1886, to Miss Sadie Clark, also a native of
Minnesota, and to them have been born two daughters, Irene A. and
Minnie L. In political sentiment the Doctor is an ardent Republican and
for two terms he has served as health officer of Fargo and as county
physician for five years. He was a member of the board of pension
examiners for five years; is now special examiner for pensions, and
examining surgeon for the United States recruiting station at Fargo. He
is a member of the Cass County and North Dakota Medical Societies, the
American Medical Association, the Masonic fraternity, the Ancient Order
of United Workmen, the Foresters and the National Union. For the past
five years he has been grand medical examiner of the state for the
Workmen. He spent some time in 1890 in New York hospitals and gives his
whole time and attention to his profession. He has won a foremost place
in the ranks of the medical fraternity in the Northwest and merits and
receives a liberal patronage.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Kim Mohler]
EBEN W.
CHAFFEE, deceased. The extensive
interests of the Amenia & Sharon Land Company were conducted by
this gentleman many years with eminent success, he being one of the
organizers of the company and associated with its movements as
president and manager till his death. He was widely and favorably known
throughout Cass county, and was a man of much business forethought and
excellent characteristics, gaining a host of friends by his charity and
benevolence.
Our subject
was born in Sharon, Connecticut, January 19, 1824. His life was spent
in Connecticut, where he was engaged in farming and surveying until
1877, when he settled permanently in North Dakota. He went to Dakota
first in 1875, in which year the Amenia & Sharon Land Company was
organized, he being one of the promoters of the company. This company
had originally forty-six sections of land, all of which was located in
Cass county, and Mr. Chaffee was treasurer and state agent, and had
sole charge of the firm’s business.
Our subject
was married in Sharon, Connecticut, to Amanda Fuller, a native of that
city. Three children were born to this union, one of whom died in
childhood. The daughter, Florence, became the wife of John H. Reed, and
died in 1881. The son, Herbert F., assumed charge of the business upon
the death of his father, and a sketch of his life appears also in this
work.
Mr. Chaffee
was stricken with paralysis and died suddenly, October 19, 1892. He was
a member of the state constitutional convention, and was prominent in
public affairs, and an exemplary citizen. He was an earnest supporter
of religious work, and was a member of the Congregational church of
Amenia.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Sally Masteller]
HERBERT
F. CHAFFEE, president and
manager of the Amenia & Sharon Land Company, of Amenia, Cass
county, North Dakota, is a young man of exceptional business ability
and successfully conducts the affairs of the extensive firm of which he
is the head. He has resided in Dakota many years, and is held in the
highest esteem by his fellow men.
Our subject
was born in Sharon, Connecticut, November 20, 1865, and was a son of
Eben W. and Amanda (Fuller) Chaffee, a sketch of whose lives appear
elsewhere in this volume. He was reared in his native place and
attended the public schools of that city, and Williston Seminary at
East Hampton, from which institution he graduated in 1885. He went to
Dakota in 1881, and returned to Connecticut to complete his studies. He
was bookkeeper and assistant treasurer of the company with which he is
now connected, and at his father’s death in 1892, assumed the position
of president and manager.
Our subject
was married in Manchester, Iowa, December 21, 1887, to Miss Carrie T.
Toogood, who was born in Iowa, and was a daughter of the late George
Toogood, of Manchester. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Chaffee, named as follows: Eben W., Dorothy A., Herbert L., and Esther
C. The youngest child died in Amenia, North Dakota, January 10, 1899,
aged nearly four years. Mr. Chaffee is a man of broad mind and keeps
pace with the times in all public affairs, and is earnest in his
efforts to advance the community in which he resides, and strengthens
good local government, and is deservedly popular with the people.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Sally Masteller]
JAMES ALBEE CHESLEY, a pioneer
business man of Fargo, successfully engaged in the lumber tade, was
born at Mancton, New Brunswick, Canada, January 24, 1851, and is a son
of Robert A. and H. Elizabeth (Albee) Chesley, natives of Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick, respectively. The father, who was a Methodist
Episcopalian minister, spent his entire in Canada, as did also the
grandfather, Samuel Chesley, who was a farmer of Nova Scotia. The
great-grandfather, Samuel Chesley, St., was born in New Hampshire and
removed to Nova Scotia in 1758.
Our subject was reared in Nova Scotia, and after attending the common
schools for some years because a student in Mount Allison
college. In 1869 he went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where for ten
years he was employed as bookkeeper by the lumber firm of Farnham &
Lovejoy. Coming to Fargo, North Dakota, in 1879, he opened a
lumber yard of his own. Later Frank L. Lovejoy was interested in
the business for a few years, but since 1886, Mr. Chesley has been
alone in the business. By fair and honorable dealing he has built
up an excellent trade, and is now the oldest retail lumber dealer in
the city. He is also president of the North Dakota Anchor Fence
company, which was organized in 1897, and is interested in farming to
some extent. In business affairs he is energetic, prompt and
notably reliable, and commands the respect and confidence of all with
whom he comes in contact. Socially he is a Mason and politically
a Republican, but has never cared for the honors or emoluments of
public office. A portrait of Mr. Chesley appears on another page.
In 1876 was celebrated, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the marriage of Mr.
Chesley and Miss Emma F. Jones, a native of Maine, and daughter of W.
E. and Mary J. (Adams) Jones, and to them have been born four children,
namely: Mary E., Eva J., Julia A. and Samuel L., all living.
Source: COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. Transcribed by Carol
Eppright.
HON.
GEORGE S. CHURCHILL, a prominent
real-estate dealer of Casselton, is an early settler of Cass county and
is entitled to special mention as a citizen of true worth. He is also
interested in operating several sections of land in Cass county, and
has met with success in general farming.
Our subject
was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, April 23, 1863, and was a son of
George T. and Sarah C. (Lawrence) Churchill, natives of Connecticut.
His father was a banker and general merchant and was vice-president of
the old Keystone National Bank, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and still
resides in that city. The great-great-grandfather of our subject,
Captain Charles Churchill, was a native of New England, Parish
Weathersfield, Connecticut, and was born December 31, 1723. He was
appointed captain of militia in 1762 by the general assembly of
Connecticut. He enlisted as captain in one of the militia companies who
turned out to repel the invasion of New Haven, July 5, 1779, and he
also enlisted as captain of the Sixth Militia, probably the same
regiment in which he first enlisted, and was appointed captain by the
general assembly. He was a son of Ensign Samuel Churchill of the
English navy. The great grandfather of our subject, Samuel Churchill,
was also a native of Connecticut. The grandfather of our subject,
Josiah Churchill, was a native of Connecticut, and was a minister of
the Presbyterian denomination and died in Pennsylvania. The father of
our subject is a prominent citizen of his community and has served as a
member of the city council and as county commissioner.
Our subject
was one of a family of three children, two sons and one daughter, all
of whom are now living. Mr. Churchill was reared and educated in Erie,
Pennsylvania, and in 1880 purchased land in Cass county, and the
following year went to Erie, Cass county, and followed farming there
until 1899, when he moved to Casselton and established his present
business. He followed general merchandising and real estate business in
Erie, Cass county, while a resident of that plae and has been
successful in every enterprise in which he has engaged. He now operates
and owns three sections of land in Cass county.
Our subject
was married in 1884 to Miss Lulu Knapp, a native of Wisconsin. Mrs.
Churchill’s parents, Nathan and Angelina (Green) Knapp, were natives
respectively of Canada and Wisconsin. Her father served four years in
the Civil war with the Eleventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in Company B,
and participated in the battles of Bull Run and Shiloh in 1862. He now
resides in Washington. Mrs. Churchill is a great-great-granddaughter of
Abraham Lighthall, who served as a sergeant, corporal and captain in
the Revolutionary war, enlisting from Albany, New York, in the Fourth
Tryon Company Regiment of New York in 1780. He was born in Jefferson
county, New York. He was appointed by General Washington as captain of
a company of three hundred friendly Indians, and was captured by the
Indians, escaped and returned to Washington, and served as aide to
General Washington during the remainder of Washington’s life. He was
six feet, seven inches in height, and was of powerful physique. Mr. and
Mrs. Churchill are the parents of one son, George E. Mr. Churchill
served as a member of the lower house in 1893, and was chairman of the
insurance committee, and a member of other important committees,
including the ways and means committee. He has been identified with the
movements of the Republican party throughout his career, and is stanch
in his political faith. He is intelligent and progressive and well
merits his success and high standing.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Sally Masteller]
ISAAC
P.
CLAPP, one of Fargo's,
best-known citizens and successful business men, was born in Dutchess
county, New York, March 4, 1839, and is a son of Peter B. and Sarah E.-
(Pells) Clapp, also natives of New York, in whose family were only two
children, one son and one daughter, both still living. The father, who
was an agriculturist, spent his entire life in the Empire state, as did
also the grandfather, Isaac Clapp.
Our subject
was reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys of his day,
assisting in the labors of the fields and attending the district
schools near his childhood home. He followed farming in New-York until
1867, when he removed to Norfolk, Virginia, and after residing there
for some time he went to central Texas, where he engaged in
agricultural pursuits for ten years. He next made his home in Kenosha,
Wisconsin, until 1880, when he came to Fargo, North Dakota, landing
here on the 14th of October. He soon returned to Wisconsin, however,
but the following April located permanently in Fargo, where, as a
member of the firm of Clapp & McCrow, he was engaged in the banking
business until 1884, conducting the Cass County Bank, which was a
private institution. On closing the bank they turned their attention to
the real estate business, in which Mr. Clapp is still successfully
engaged, and to some extent he is also interested in farming. He is a
wide-awake, energetic business man of known reliability and due success
has not been denied him.
On the 7th
of June, 1882, in Wisconsin, Mr. Clapp was united in marriage with Miss
Sarah Sleight, a native of Indiana, and they now have one son, Edwin
G., at home. Socially Mr. Clapp is a man of prominence in the community
where he has so long made his home, and is honored and respected by all
who know him. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Renae Capitanio]
SIDNEY
B. CLARK, M. D. The medical
fraternity has many able representatives in Cass county, North Dakota,
and one who occupies a prominent position in this number is Sidney B.
Clark. He has been engaged in the practice of his professor in Buffalo,
Clark county, comparatively few years, but has gained a remunerative
patronage and the confidence of the people among whom he labors. He is
a skillful practitioner, intelligent and possessed of untiring
perseverance and energetic character.
Our subject
was born in Fox county, Wisconsin, July 10, 1870, and was a son of
Silas and Susan F. (Cooper) Clark, natives respectively of New York and
Wisconsin. His father was a merchant and went to Wisconsin in an early
day and engaged there in merchandising many years. He enlisted in 1861
in the Eighteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and served with the
regiment until the battle of Shiloh, where he was wounded in the thigh,
and was later discharged from the service on account of disability. He
re-enlisted about one year later, and was commissioned captain, but had
only gone as far as Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when the war closed. He went
to Fargo, North Dakota, in 1895, and founded the Clark Produce Company,
of which he was the head until his death, June 25, 1899, aged
fifty-three years. He was among the leading business men of Fargo, and
was a member of the Masonic fraternity and G. A. R. Our subject has two
brothers, Clifford and Silas W., who now conduct the business of the
Clark Produce Company at Fargo.
Our subject
was reared and educated in St. Paul, Minnesota, in the high school and
the State University, and began the study of medicine in Chicago in
1891, and the following year entered the College of Physicians &
Surgeons of Chicago. He was graduated from that institution in 1895,
and then spent one year in hospital work in Chicago. He went to
Buffalo, North Dakota, in the spring of 1896, since which time he has
conducted a general practice successfully. He is a member of the North
Dakota State Medical Society, and was a member of the Cook County
Medical Society, of Illinois. He is assistant county physician for his
district.
Our subject
was married, in 1897, to Miss Helen A. Young, a native of Vermont. Mr.
Clark is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and
Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He is one of the rising young men of
North Dakota and is deservedly held in high esteem throughout Cass
county.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Sally Masteller]
WILLIAM
J.
CLAPP, a prominent and successful attorney of Fargo, North
Dakota, was
born in Wakefield, Massachusetts, November 28, 1857, a son of George L.
and Harriet (Fuller) Clapp, both natives of Vermont. The father, who
was a farmer by occupation, spent most of his life in Montgomery,
Vermont, where his death occurred. The paternal grandfather of
our subject was Joshua Clapp and the great-grandfather was Captain
Joshua Clapp, who was the first settler of Montgomery and a captain in
the American army during the Revolutionary war. Both were farmers, but
the maternal grandfather was a physician and surgeon. He served as town
clerk, as did also the grandfather Clapp for many years.
Our subject
was reared and educated in Vermont, graduating from the Montpelier
Academy in 1880, and soon afterward he began the study of law. On
coming West, in 1882, he located in Moorhead, Minnesota, and there he
was admitted to the bar in November, 1883. Removing to Tower City,
North Dakota, he successfully engaged in practice there until 1890. He
was elected a member of the constitutional convention in 1889 and in
the fall of that year was appointed county superintendent of schools
for Cass county. The following year he was appointed state
superintendent of public instruction and removed to Bismarck. In
January, 1891, he became a resident of Fargo, where he has since made
his home. His skill and ability in his chosen profession were soon
widely recognized and he was not long in building up a large practice,
which he still enjoys.
In 1882 Mr.
Clapp married Miss Alice Stevens, a native of Vermont, and they have
two children: Fannie S. and Henry S. Mr. Clapp has been a
lifelong Republican and an active worker for the party's interests. He
is a pleasant and affable gentleman, and a stranger in his presence
soon feels perfectly at ease. Constant study and close application to
the details of his profession have enabled him to reach an enviable
position in legal circles, and he today stands at the head of the Cass
county bar.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Renae Capitanio]
FRANCIS COLWELL. Among the energetic
and capable farmers of Gardner township, Cass county, may be classified
the gentleman above named. He is proprietor of a fine estate in section
10 and has acquired his possessions by careful management and
industrious habits.
Our subject was born in Nova Scotia, February 19, 1834, and was reared
in Huron county, Ontario. He lived in Bruce county, Ontario, about
thirty years, where he was engaged in farming till he went to North
Dakota, in the spring of 1880. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres
of land on section 10, of Gardner township, where he has since made his
home. He has added to his possessions as circumstances would permit,
and is now the fortunate possessor of three hundred and twenty acres of
land. His farm is carefully and thoroughly tilled and made to produce
abundantly and the crops are of good quality. He has placed modern
improvements on the place and provided every comfort for the family and
all conveniences for carrying on the work and is among the substantial
men of his community.
Our subject was married, in Bruce county, Ontario, June 27, 1854, to
Miss Jane Collins, who was born in county Lanrick, Ontario, September
15, 1834. Fourteen children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Colwell,
eight of whom are living and bear the following names: Mary A.,
Elizabeth, Maria, David H., Francis S., Anna L., Adella C. and Samuel
P. The following children are deceased: Deborah A., Sarah J., Catherine
A., Lillie M., Edward C. and John B. Mr. Colwell and family are
members of the Free Methodist church. Mr. Colwell is highly respected
in his community and enjoys his well-merited success.
History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Kim Mohler
THOMAS C. COMSTOCK,
yardmaster for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company at Fargo, North
Dakota, and an honored citizen of that place, was born in Fairfield
county, Connecticut, May 17, 1850, and is a son of Andrew K. and Emma
(Carter) Comstock, also natives of that state. The father, who was a
lumber dealer in the East, came to North Dakota in 1880 and settled in
Fargo. Later he engaged in farming in Cass county, and died there in
1897. He had two sons, one of whom is now a resident of New York. The
paternal grandfather of our subject, Watts Comstock, was also a native
of Fairfield county, Connecticut, and was a farmer and banker by
occupation.
During his
boyhood and youth Thomas
C. Comstock attended school and remained in Connecticut until 1868,
when he removed to Minnesota and for the following year engaged in
clerking in Minneapolis. Later he was in business with his father in
the East and there began his railroad career as a civil engineer.
Returning ton Minneapolis in 1871, he accepted a position on the civil
engineering force of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad. The
following winter he got out ties for the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company, and in 1872 commenced firing on that road. Later he was
promoted to the position of engineer, running a train between Fargo and
Duluth, and in 1876 was made a conductor on the same line. Two years
later he was transferred to the Dakota division and ran trains between
Fargo and Bismarck until 1890, when he was made train yardmaster at the
former city. In 1893 he was transferred as trainmaster to Jamestown,
but in 1896 returned to Fargo and was given his old position, which he
still fills in a most creditable and satisfactory manner. He is now one
of the oldest and most trusted employees of the road, and is held in
high regard by all who know him. His political support is given the men
and measures of the Republican party, but he takes no active part in
politics aside from voting.
In 1881 Mr.
Comstock married Miss Ellen Merrell, a native of Illinois, and they
have three children: Fannie, Arthur and Merrill.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Kim Mohler
CHARLES J. CONLON. A prominent
position as a citizen and member of the farming community of Clifton
township, Cass county, is held by the gentleman above named. He
is one of the pioneers of that locality, and his skill and thorough
practical knowledge of his calling have been potent factors in
producing the present solid prosperity of his community, and he is
deservedly held in high esteem by his associates. On another page
will be found a portrait of Mr. Conlon.
Our subject was born in Ontario, Canada, July 15, 1861. His
parents, Patrick and Bridget (Golloglly) Conlon, were natives of
Ireland, and emigrated to America when they were children. The
family resided in Canada until 1881, and then removed to Cass county,
North Dakota, where the mother died in 1895. The father served in
the Civil war with a Michigan regiment, and died in Michigan from
exposure and heart failure as a result of his service. Three sons
and two daughters constituted the family of children, and all now live
in North Dakota and are as follows: James, John J., Charles J.,
Mary and Anna.
Mr. Conlon was reared and educated in Canada, and followed farming
there until 1881, when he went to Cass county, North Dakota, with the
family, and has followed farming, railroading and carpenter work in the
bridge department of the railroad. He has a quarter-section of
land and placed good improvements thereon, and is one of solid men of
his community.
Our subject was married, in November, 1894, to Mary E. Carey, a native
of Ireland, who came to America with her parents, Patrick and Margaret
(Mahoney) Carey, when she was a child, and resided in Wisconsin.
Mr. Conlon is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He
is a Republican in political sentiment, but has never sought or filled
public office, devoting his attention to his farm and its improvement,
in which he has met with success and enjoys a good competence and the
respect of his fellow men.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Mary Saggio]
GEORGE R. COOK, one of the most
prominent men of Gardner, Cass County, is closely identified with the
financial interests of that locality, and has won an honorable name as
a citizen and able business man. He is one of the directors of the
Gardner Farmers' Elevator Company and is also engaged in the drug
business and meat business in that thriving city, and is the owner of
an extensive tract of land in Gardner and Wiser Townships.
Our subject was born in Columbia County, Wisconsin, December 18, 1855,
and was the fourth in a family of eight children, five sons and three
daughters born to Samuel and Mary (Williams) Cook, both natives of
Radnershire, England. His parents now reside in Wabasha County,
Minnesota. Our subject removed to Racine County, Wisconsin, with his
parents when he was two years of age and after five years removed to
Wabasha County, Minnesota, where he grew to manhood and received a
common school education. He remained there till the spring of 1880,
when he went to Cass County, North Dakota, and settled in Wiser
Township, where he took land as a homestead in section 8. He remained
there fourteen years and then purchased the town site of Gardner and
removed there, where he has since been a resident. He owns seven
hundred and twenty acres of land and is one of the substantial men of
his community. He has erected a fine residence in Gardner and is
recognized as one of the leading citizens of Cass County.
Our subject was married, in St. Paul, Minnesota, December 3, 1879, to
Miss Evelyn C. Mitchell, a native of Maine, who was reared in Wabasha
County, Minnesota. Mrs. Cook was born August 14, 1860, and was the
youngest in a family of seven children, two sons and five daughters,
born to Joseph and Lovina (Hazeltine) Mitchell. Her parents were born
in Maine and died in Wabasha County, Minnesota. Six children have been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Cook, named as follows: John Claude, Iva Maude,
Erma Ann, Roy Gould, Maidie Blanche and Glen Mitchell. Iva M. died in
Gardner, North Dakota, aged thirteen years. Mr. Cook is interested in a
large degree in the improvement and development of the community in
which he resides and he has been a potent factor in the financial and
social welfare of that part of the county. He has held numerous local
offices and is always found on the side of right and justice. He is
identified with the Republican party, being postmaster at the present
time, and has been a member of the Cass County Republican central
committee. He holds membership in the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Laurel Durham
HON. HENRY D. COURT, now residing in
Battle Creek, Michigan, was for many years engaged extensively in
farming in Cass county, North Dakota. He is a pioneer settler of
Towner township, where he located in 1882, and remained a resident of
that locality about thirteen years, becoming one of the well-known and
honored citizens of his community and prominent in public affairs of
the state.
Our subject was born in West Chester, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
March 20, 1825, and was a son of Henry and Hannah (Archer) Court, both
of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, but passed their lives in that
state. Our subject was reared and educated in Pennsylvania, and
from there moved to Michigan in April, 1855, and settled near Battle
Creek, where he resided until 1882, and engaged in farming. He
then went to Cass county as general manager for H. E. Sargent,
ex-general manager of the Northern Pacific Railroad. He opened up
a farm of one section of land in 1882, and added to the property by
purchase from time to time until the interests reached the extensive
proportions of two thousand three hundred and eighty-five acres of land
in 1895, when Mr. Court resigned his management, since which time he
has lived retired in Battle Creek, Michigan. He took much
interest in fine stock, and brought the trotting horse, Pilot
Middleton, to Cass county.
Our subject was married in Pennsylvania to Rebecca E. Jones, a native
of that state. Seven children, five of whom are still living,
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Court. One son, Frank E., is now
manager of the Cass county farm, assuming charge at the time of his
father’s resignation in 1895. The farm produces from thirty-five
to forty thousand bushels of grain per annum, and they also raise a
fine herd of Shorthorn cattle. Our subject takes an active
interest in public affairs wherever he resides, and while living in
North Dakota was elected on the Republican ticket as a state
representative, and served as a member of the lower house in 1889-90,
and gave much attention to the interests and general welfare of his
community. He is a man of excellent executive ability and
business tact, and has made a success of his career, and well merits
his high standing.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Mary Saggio]
HENRY H. CRITCHFIELD, M. D.
This gentleman is one of the widely-known physicians and surgeons of
Cass county, and has resided in hunter and followed the practice of his
profession there for the past fifteen years. He is a skillful
practitioner and enjoys a growing and remunerative practice.
Our subject was born in Holmes county, Ohio, May 20, 1861. His
parents, Lyman R. and Adalaide (Shaffer) Crutchfield, were natives of
Ohio, and his father is now engaged in the practice of law at Wooster,
Ohio. He was a graduate of the Delaware college and the
Cincinnati Law School, and was attorney-general of Ohio from 1861 to
1861, and was probate judge of Holmes county and judge of common
pleas. The mother of our subject was burned to death in 1895 by
an accident resulting from a gasoline stove. Our subject had one
brother and six sisters. The brother, Lyman R., is city attorney
of Wooster, Ohio, and was a soldier in the Eighth Ohio Volunteer
Infantry during the Spanish-American war. One sister resides in
Hunter, North Dakota. The grandfather of our subject, Rhuben T.
Critchfield, was a native of Ohio, and was a son of Nathaniel
Critchfield, a native of Virginia, and one of the first settlers of
Ohio.
Our subject was reared in Ohio and received his education there,
attending Kenyon college, of Gambier, Ohio. He began the study of
medicine in 1881, under Dr. S. P. Wise, at Millersburg, and in 1882
went to Minneapolis, Minnesota and entered the University of Minnesota
in the medical department and was graduated from that institution in
1885. He began the practice of his profession there and remained
one year, and in 1886 went to Hunter, Cass county, North Dakota, where
has resided since and follows a general practice. He also owns
one section of land, and has been remarkable successful in every
business venture.
Our subject was married, in 1884, to Lilly Ray, a native of
Minnesota. Five sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Critchfield,
named as follows: Roy l., Burke H., Ralph J., Harry M. and George
M., the last two named being twins. Mr. Critchfield was a member
of the United States pension board from 1892-96, and has been
vice-president of the State Medical Society, and has filled some local
offices. He holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and Modern Woodmen of American. Politically he is a
Democrat.
Source: COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. Transcribed by Carol
Eppright.
JOSEPH E. CRONAN, who is well known
throughout North
Dakota, as a man of sterling character and public spirit, is one of the
sound financial men of Fargo. He is one of the early settlers of
the state, and has aided in its advancement and labored earnestly for
its better interests. He has served the people in various
important official positions, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of
all. At present he is president and general manager of the Fargo
Packing & Cold Storage Company, and is also a director of the
Merchants’ State Bank.
Mr. Cronan
was born near Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 1, 1850. His parents,
Timothy and Mary (Fitzgerald) Cronan, were natives of Canada, and the
paternal grandfather of our subject, John Cronan, was born in county
Cork, Ireland. He came to Canada and remained there until his
death. The family came to the United States in 1864, and settled
in Polk county, Iowa, where the father engaged in farming. He
later moved to Nebraska, where his death occurred many years since, and
the mother died in Minneapolis in 1888. Four sons were born to
them, three of whom are now residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Our subject
was educated in Canada and Polk county, Iowa, in the common schools,
and in 1872 went to Morehead, in company with the contractor on the
Northern Pacific Railroad, and after a short time was sent east, but
returned to Dakota in 1878 and settled at Fargo. He entered claim
to land in 1879, in Walsh county, and in the fall of that year engaged
as foreman on a large wheat farm in Cass county, and in the spring of
1880 was elected sheriff of Walsh county. He was re-elected in
1892, but resigned the office in January, 1894, to accept the
appointment of United States marshal for North Dakota. He served
four years in that capacity, and was an efficient officer. He
changed his residence to Fargo, in 1894, since which time he has made
his home there. He became interested in the Fargo Packing &
Cold Storage Company in 1896. This company is a corporation of
fifty thousand dollars capital, and Mr. Cronan is meeting with success
as president and general manager.
Our subject
was married in 1890, to Margaret M. Emerson, a native of
Wisconsin. Four sons and two daughters have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Cronan, as follows: John E., Albert J., Lewis W., Francis,
Mary A. and Josephine. The family are communicants of the
Catholic church. Mr. Cronan is a member of the Order of Elks, and
is a man who is deservedly popular. Politically he is a Democrat,
which party he has always identified with, and assisted in the
organization of the same in Walsh county. He has held minor
offices as well as important commissions before mentioned, and in every
instance performed the duties faithfully and well.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Maggie Saggio]
WILLIAM
CULLEN,
who has devoted his maturer years to the pursuit of agriculture in
Norman township, Cass county, is a man of ability and sound judgment
and has met with unbounded success in this line. He has a fine estate
and is one of the substantial farms of his community, and has acquired
his property by persistent efforts, and now enjoys the comforts of
rural life and is esteem of his fellowmen.
Our subject
was born in Ontario,
Canada, November 12, 1857, and was a son of Robert and Margaret
(Linton) Cullen. His parents were natives of Scotland and emigrated to
America about 1835 and settled in Canada, where the mother still
resides. The father was a teamster and died in Canada. They were the
parents of eight sons and six daughters, of whom our subject and one
brother reside in North Dakota.
Mr. Cullen
was reared and educated in
Canada and there learned the blacksmith’s trade, which he followed four
years, and in 1881 went to Cass county, North Dakota, and settled at
Fargo, and later moved to Davenport, where he followed his trade until
1889. He then began farming in Norman township and has continued thus
engaged since that date and has met with remarkable success, and is now
proprietor of a well-improved property including three quarter-sections
of land. His residence is a fine brick structure, and he also has
substantial barns and other farm buildings on the place and enjoys a
comfortable competence from the well-cultivated fields.
Our subject
was married in North
Dakota, in 1885, to Marie Augedahl, a native of Norway. One child has
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, upon whom they have bestowed the name
of Minnie C. Mr. Cullen is a member of the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. He is a Republican in political faith and lends his influence
for good local government. He has assisted in the upbuilding and
development of Norman township, and his success is well merited.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Kim Mohler
FIRST SERGEANT HALSEY S. CURRY.
This
gentleman
is
a
leading
farmer
of Cass county, wherein he was one
of the pioneer settlers. He has developed a fine farm and has a
comfortable home and pleasant surroundings. His residence is on
section 4 of Rochester township.
Our subject was born in Tompkins county, New York, July 23, 1841, and
was a son of Edwin H. and Rachel (Upkyke) Curry, who were natives of
New York and Pennsylvania, respectively. His parents were farmers
and removed to Kane county, Illinois, in 1842, and from there to Grant
county, Wisconsin, where the mother died in 1882 and the father in
1896. The grandfather of our subject, James Curry, was a
Methodist Episcopal divine and engaged in the ministry forty years, and
passed away in the state of New York. Our subject had three
brothers and two sisters, and his eldest brother was killed in
Gainesville, Virginia, in 1862. He was a member of Company I,
Seventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He has one brother now in
Cass county, North Dakota.
Mr. Curry was reared and educated in Illinois and Wisconsin, and July
8, 1861, enlisted in Company I, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry,
and served four years and one month. He was with the Army of the
Potomac and participated in the following battles: Second Bull
Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Fitz Hugh Lee, Gettysburg,
Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, Laurel Hill, North Ann River,
South Ann River and Cold Harbor. He was wounded by a shot in the
left hand June 30, 1864, at Petersburg, and was discharged at Detroit,
Michigan, in July, 1865, with the rank of first sergeant. At the
close of the war Mr. Curry located at Muskegon, Michigan, and remained
there until the fall of 1880, when he went to North Dakota and located
in Barnes county. He resided there until 1889 and then removed to
his present home in Cass county. He raised the first crop in the
portion of Barnes county in which he located, and was a prominent early
settler. He now conducts the threshing business each season and
has prospered in this line of work and has made some valuable
improvements in implements and methods. He has a good farm with
all necessary buildings which are of a substantial nature.
Our subject was married in Wisconsin, in 1864, to Miss Synthia A.
Tyler, a native of Iowa. Eight children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Curry, as follows: Ulysses E., Edna E., Myrta A., Halsey S.,
Edwin C., William W., Lincoln C. and Lydia G., all of whom are
living. Mr. Curry has served as chairman of the township board,
and has held various school offices and is actively interested in
public affairs. Politically he is a Republican, and is a member
of the Masonic fraternity. He is prominent in Grand Army Republic
affairs, and is senior vice-commander for North Dakota.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Mary Saggio]
JOHN CUTHBERTSON, deceased.
For nearly fifteen years prior to his death this gentleman was
associated with the farming interests of Wheatland township, Cass
county, and his demise was mourned by a large circle of friends and
acquaintances who had learned to regard him with the highest esteem. He
was prosperous as a farmer, and his good character and public spirit
were beyond reproach. The mother is still residing on the farm in
section 9, and the family is highly respected by all. Our subject was a
native of Kilmarnook, Scotland, and was born September 23, 1823. His
parents, John and Sarah (Alexander) Cuthbertson, were natives of
Scotland, and came to America in 1829, locating in New Brunswick, where
they lived and died, and the father was a carpenter. Our subject was
reared and educated in Canada, and there learned the cooper's trade,
and continued to reside there until 1849, when he went to California
and engaged in mining there six years, meeting with little success. He
then returned to Canada, and remained there until 1881, when he went to
Cass county, North Dakota, and purchased land on section 9 in Wheatland
township, and at once began the improvement of the farm. He engaged in
general farming and met with success in that vocation. Mr. Cuthbertson
was married in Canada, in 1860, to Elizabeth Murdock, a native of
Ayrshire, Scotland. Eleven children, seven of whom are living were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Cuthbertson, as follows: Mary, now Mrs. A. Cameron;
John, Kate, now Mrs. Bessett; William, Lizzie, Maggie and Alexander.
Mr. Cuthbertson died in 1895, leaving the family and a large circle of
friends to mourn their loss. He was a member of the Presbyterian
church, and held membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He
assisted in the organization of Wheatland township, and was actively
interested in public affairs. Politically he was identified with the
Democratic party.
[Source: History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Susan
Ripley]
G. W. DAKIN, who enjoys the
distinction of being one of the earliest settlers of Lake township,
Cass county, is a gentleman of excellent characteristics and has
accumulated a comfortable competence since taking up his residence
there, by dint of his own efforts. He has a well developed farm and is
among the substantial citizens of that region.
Our subject was born in Digbee county, Nova Scotia, November 23, 1850.
His parents, john and Weltha A. (Tucker) Dakin, were natives of Nova
Scotia, and passed their lives there. The father was a shipbuilder and
farmer. They had four sons and two daughters, and our subject has one
brother in the United States.
Mr. Dakin was reared and educated in Nova Scotia and remained there
until 1881 and then went directly to North Dakota. He entered a
homestead claim to land in section 12 of Lake township, and drew the
first load of lumber into Page. He has followed farming there since and
is now the owner of a half-section of tillable land which gives an
ample competence.
Our subject was married, May 11, 1874, to Augusta Small, a native of
Nova Scotia. Mr. and Mrs. Dakin are the parents of two children, named
as follows: Nellie B. and Albert G. Mr. Dakin assisted in the
organization of Lake township and served as assessor, and a member of
the town board and in other local offices, and is widely known for his
active public spirit. He is a Republican in political sentiment and
strong in his convictions. He has made a success of his calling and is
deservedly popular with those among whom he has resided for nearly
twenty years.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Syndi Phillips]
CLIFTON G. DALRYMPLE, one of the
wealthy and highly esteemed citizens of Harmony township, Cass county,
is proprietor of a well improved farm comprising one section of land,
and has pursued that calling in Cass county for over twenty
years. He went there as a pioneer settler, and has braved the
dangers and overcome the discouragements of making a home in a new
country, and is to-day among the well-known men of his community.
Our subject was born in Warren county, Pennsylvania, September 1, 1856,
and was a son of Reuben and Isadore (Jackson) Dalrymple, both of whom
were natives of Pennsylvania. His father was a farmer and still
resides in Warren county, Pennsylvania, aged seventy-one years.
His mother died in 1887. Our subject was one of three sons, two
being in North Dakota and one in St. Paul, Minnesota. The
grandfather, Clark Dalrymple, was born in New York, and engaged in
farming in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Dalrymple was reared and educated in Pennsylvania, and resided
there until 1878, in which year he went to Cass county, North Dakota,
and entered claim to land in Cass county as a homestead, and later
purchased the farm on which he now lives. The land was
unimproved, and he has transformed it into one of the best developed
farms of the country. He has followed farming there continuously
since, and is now the owner of one section of land, and has made a
success of general farming.
Our subject was married, in 1892, to Harriet Shutt, a native of
Pennsylvania. Mr. Dalrymple is a man of progressive ideas, and
keeps abreast of the times in current matters, but does not seek public
office. Politically, he is identified with the Republican party,
and is strong in his convictions.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Mary Saggio]
EDWARD
M. DARROW M.D. In comparison of the relative value to mankind of
the various professions and pursuits it is widely recognized that none
is so important as the medical profession. From the cradle to the grave
human destiny is largely in the hands of the physician and the most
successful of these is he, who through love of fellow men, gives his
time and attention to the relief of human suffering. One of the ablest
representatives of his noble calling is Dr. Edward M. Darrow, the
pioneer physician and surgeon of Fargo and the Red River Valley.
He was
born in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, January 16, 1855, and is a son of
Daniel C. and Isabelle (Murray) Darrow, both natives of New York. The
father, who was a farmer and contractor by occupation, went to
Wisconsin when it was still a territory, and there spent the remainder
of his life. He had two sons who took up the medical profession, the
other being now a physician of Moorhead, Minnesota. The grandfather of
our subject, Elezer Darrow, was also a native of New York, and was a
son of Daniel Darrow, of Connecticut, who served as a soldier in the
Continental army during the Revolutionary War and died at the extreme
old age of ninety-six years.
Mr.
Darrow, of this review, was reared in his native county, where he
attended school for some time and later was a student at the Oshkosh
High School and the Lawrence University at Appleton, Wisconsin. In
1874, before leaving college, he began the study of medicine under Dr.
Thomas Russell, of Oshkosh and the following year entered Rush Medical
College of Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1878. He commenced
practice at Fargo in the spring of that year and has prosecuted his
profession here continuously since. He has visited the principal
hospitals of England, Scotland, France and also of this country, where
he obtained much valuable knowledge not to be gained in text books and
he is constantly improving on his own and others' methods, being one of
the most progressive physicians of the state. In 1878 he started the
first Cass County hospital, which is still in existence, and he enjoys
an excellent private practice. He was the first superintendent of the
board of health of Dakota territory and issued the first license to
practice within its borders. He was also surgeon-general under Governor
Burke; was county physician for years, and is still a member of the
insanity board, with which he has been connected for some time.
In
1879 Dr. Darrow was united in marriage with Miss Clara Dillon, also a
native of Wisconsin, and to them have been born five children: Mary H.,
Clara E., Kent E., Frank I. and Daniel C. Politically, the Doctor is an
ardent Democrat and takes an active interest in the success of his
party. He is one of the few thirty-third degree Masons in this country,
and also belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the State Medical Society
and the American Medical Association. His entire life has been devoted
to his profession and he has met with the most excellent success in
practice, thereby gaining a reputation second to none in the state. His
kindly and benevolent spirit is manifest by the readiness with which he
responds to a call that comes from one from whom he knows he can
receive no possible remuneration.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Laurel Durham]
LEONARD DELAMATER, an honored
resident of Erie township, of which he is an old settler, is
successfully pursuing farming, and has gained a comfortable home and
pleasant surroundings.
Our subject was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, October 1, 1836.
His parents, Abel and Celinda (Wilcox) Delamater, were natives
respectively of New York and Vermont. His father was a blacksmith by
trade, and passed his life in New York and Pennsylvania, his death
occurring in the later state. The mother of our subject survives, and
is now aged eighty-nine years. Our subject had three brothers and two
sisters, all of whom are deceased.
Mr. Delamater was reared in Pennsylvania and educated there, and then
followed the carpenter's trade until 1861, when he enlisted in Company
F, Eighty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served sixteen
months. He participated in the siege of Yorktown and Hanover Court
House, and Gain's Mills, West Virginia, where he was wounded and taken
prisoner, and was confined in Libbey prison three months, when he was
exchanged and later discharged. He was also held a prisoner in Belle
Isle prison. He returned to Pennsylvania after his discharge, and
continued his residence there until 1884, and then went to North
Dakota, going direct to Erie, Cass county. He purchased land and worked
also at his trade, and he now has a half-section of good land, and is
also engaged in handling farming implements.
Our subject was married in Pennsylvania, November 8, 1855, to Mary E.
Smith, who was a native of the same county as Mr. Delamater. Her
parents, Lemuel and Janette (Thurston) Smith, were natives of New
Hampshire and Pennsylvania respectively. Seven children have been born
to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Delamater, as follows: William M.,
Home L., Jennie M., Amelia U., Frank W., Sarah A. and Alfred E. Mr.
Delamater has served as a member of the town board for several years,
and also as town treasurer and a member of the school board. He is a
member of the Grand Army of the Republic and Knights of Honor. He is a
Republican politically and his served on the county committee and in
other important offices of the party. He holds membership in the
Knights of Honor in Pennsylvania. He is a gentleman of good citizenship
and deservedly popular with the people.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Syndi Phillips]
PETER DONAHOE is one of the
enterprising and industrious agriculturists of Cass county, and has a
pleasant home and fine farm on section 10 of Tower township. He is one
of the early settlers of that region, and has been a material aid in
its development and the extending of its agricultural interests, and is
widely known and highly respected.
Our subject was born in Toronto, Canada, March 29, 1831, and was a son
of Bernard and Ellen (Flinn) Donahoe, both of whom were native of Kings
county, Ireland. They emigrated to America in 1830, and died in Canada.
They were the parents of four sons and two daughters, of whom three
sons are now in the United States, one in Arizona and two in North
Dakota.
Mr. Donahoe was reared in Canada and followed farming there until 1880,
when he went to Cass county and entered claim to land in section 10, of
Tower township, as a homestead, where he still resides. He is the owner
of a half-section of choice land, all of which is under cultivation and
is made to yield abundantly, furnishing a comfortable competence.
Our subject was married in Canada, in 1855, to Elizabeth Kenney, a
native of Canada. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Donahoe, as follows: Ellen, now Mrs. Mcrthur; Annie, now Mrs.
Dickinson; Joseph; Mary J., now Mrs. Batchelor; Francis, deceased, and
Peter. The family are membersof the Catholic church, and are highly
esteemed in the community in which they reside. Mr. Donahoe is a man
who keeps pace with the times, and in political sentiment is
independent.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Syndi Phillips]
STEVENSON DUNLOP stands among the
foremost
agriculturists of Raymond township, Cass county, and is a pioneer
settler of that county. He is actively interested in the welfare
of his adopted county, and is a citizen who is highly esteemed
throughout his community. His pleasant home is onn section 29,
where he has resided many years, and has thoroughly improved his land
and gathered about him the comforts of life.
Our subject
was born in Symington, Ayreshire, Scotland, July 25, 1858. His
father, John Dunlop, emigrated from Scotland to Ontario, Canada, in
1859, and settled at Woodstock, where he now resides. He went to
Dakota in 1874, and was interested with two other parties in seventeen
sections of land in the vicinity of Mapleton.
Mr. Dunlop
was the seventh in a family of eight children and was one year of age
when he went to Woodstock, Ontario, with his parents, where he was
reared and educated. He also attended the Agricultural College at
Guelph, Ontario, and was given a liberal education. He went to
Dakota in the spring of 1876 and has been a resident of Cass county
since that date. He is the owner of two sections of land in
Raymond township, and has always followed agricultural pursuits, and
has been successful.
Mr. Dunlop
was married, in Toronto, Ontario, June 16, 1877, to Miss Bertha
McDonald Playfair, who was born in that city. Two children have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dunlop, as follows: Robert S. and Lois
I. Mr. Dunlop was chairman of the first board of supervisors of
Raymond township and served two years, and was township assessor for
several years. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the
Presbyterian church of Mapleton, of which church he is trustee and
elder. He takes an active interest in church work, and is a
gentleman of exemplary character, who is highly esteemed by his fellow
men.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Maggie Saggio]
JOHN
DYNES,
Davenport, of the tenth legislative district, was
born near Orangeville, Ont., March 29, 1860, and came to North Dakota,
March 25 1881, and has engaged in the business of farming for the past
thirty years. Was a member of his local school board for twenty five
years, and held other minor offices. He is married and has two
children. He was elected representative as a republican.
[Source:
North Dakota Blue Book, 1913 Legislative Manual, Published under the
direction of Thomas Hall, Secretary of State, 1913. Submitted by Linda
R.]
JOHN
DYNES may be truly classed as one of the leading farmers of
Kinyon township. He has for some time been numbered among the
agriculturists of Cass county, and in prosecuting his farm work is very
industrious and progressive in his ideas and is the fortunate owner of
an extensive tract of land, on which he conducts general farming. His
handsome residence is on section 29, and he has a thoroughly-equipped
and improved farm.
Our subject was born in Dufferin county, Ontario, March 29, 1860, and
was reared on a farm in his native county and remained there until he
reached the age of twenty years. He went to North Dakota in the spring
of 1881 and worked at farm labor until the spring of 1888, when he
rented land in Traill county, and engaged in farming thereon one year,
and in the fall of 1888 purchased six hundred and forty acres of land
in Kinyon township, Cass county, in section 29, where he has since
resided. He and his brother, James W. Dynes, own, in company, fourteen
hundred and forty acres of land and are well known as successful men.
Mr. Dynes has spared no pains in making his home farm one of comfort
and for the family a fine residence has been constructed and the other
buildings on the farm are in keeping with this and altogether present a
pleasing appearance and evidence the thrift and prosperity attendant
upon the owner.
Our subject was married, in Kinyon township, Cass county, June 6, 1888,
to Miss Emma Flatt, a daughter of Josiah Flatt, a sketch of whose life
appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Dynes was born in Ontario,
August 15, 1867. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dynes, as
follows: Rachel Fern and John Elmer. Mr. Dynes is a man of active
public spirit and has held numerous school offices in his township and
is recognized as a worthy citizen, who is deserving of the highest
esteem of his fellows. Mr. Dynes, his wife and family are all members
of the Free Methodist church. A fine church building of his
denomination if within half a mile of his residence and stands on the
Dynes farm, to which the Dynes family were and are liberal
contributors. In politics he is a Republican.
History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Kim
Mohler
EZRA
B. EDDY, deceased, whose portrait appears on another page, was
numbered among the honored pioneers of Fargo and was the founder of the
First National Bank, of which he was president many years. He was
prominently identified with the development and upbuilding of his
adopted city and was one of its most public-spirited and progressive
residents. As the years passed he faithfully performed his duties of
citizenship and his interest in the welfare and progress of the
community never abated. Becoming widely and favorably known he made
many friends and his death was a great loss to the city.
Mr.
Eddy was born in Ohio December 14, 1829, a son of Rev. Ira Eddy, a
Methodist Episcopal minister, who was engaged in preaching in that
state for half a century. He had two sons. Reared in Ohio, our subject
was educated in its common schools and during his youth learned the
shoemaker’s trade, which he followed for a few years. In 1855 he
removed to Wabasha county, Minnesota, and located on the present site
of Plainview, where he took up government land. He erected the first
building on what was called Greenwood prairie and there followed
farming until the breaking out of the Civil war, when he enlisted as
first lieutenant in Company G, Third Minnesota Volunteer Infantry.
After two years of arduous service he was forced to resign on account
of failing health and return home. He continued his farming operations
in Minnesota until 1865, when he met with misfortune in the loss of a
hand in a threshing machine. He then engaged in the hardware business
at Plainview and later in the insurance and banking business, founding
the Plainview Bank, the first bank of Wabasha county.
Disposing
of his interests there in 1879, Mr. Eddy came to Fargo, North Dakota,
where he had started the First National Bank the year previous. He
served as its first president and continued to fill that position up to
the time of his death in 1885. In company with his son, E.C. Eddy, he
also founded the Fargo Loan Agency under the firm name of E.B. Eddy
& Son, and was also interested in that organization until his
death. In 1879 he platted an addition to the city, known as the Eddy
& Fuller outlots and he assisted in starting nearly every
enterprise in Fargo. He lost a great deal of property in his endeavor
to build up the city, but was instrumental in making it one of the most
thriving cities of the Northwest. He took an active interest in
political affairs, but never sought public office. His support was
never withheld from any enterprise calculated to prove of public good;
he was the founder of the Fargo Library Association, and one of the
organizers of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which he gave its
first organ. Socially he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and was a man of prominence and influence in his community.
In
Ohio Mr. Eddy was married, in 1850, to Miss Jane B. Wilson, a native of
Pennsylvania, and to them were born five children, three sons and two
daughters, namely: William, who died in infancy; Ernest C., Inez L.,
Ira T. and Ethelda J., all living. The sons are both residents of Fargo.
Ernest
C. Eddy, the older of the two sons now living, was born in Minnesota
June 24, 1856, and was reared and educated in that state and at Racine,
Wisconsin. During the residence of the family in Minnesota he was in
the employ of his father and on the organization of the First National
Bank, of Fargo, North Dakota, was chosen its first cashier, which
position he filled until 1881, when he was made vice-president. He
served in that capacity until January, 1886, when he was chosen
president, but the following year disposed of his interest in the
business and opened a private bank, known as the Banking House of E.C.
Eddy & Company, with which he was connected until the bank was
destroyed by fire in 1893. Since then he has given his attention
principally to farming and stock raising, though he still continues to
engage in the real estate and collection business. He is a man of
excellent business ability, energetic and progressive, and in his
undertakings has been remarkably successful. He commands the respect
and confidence of all with whom he comes in contact, either in business
or social life, and is a prominent member of the Masonic order, being
eminent commander of Auvergne Commandery, No. 2, K.T.
In
1877 Mr. Eddy was united in marriage with Miss Ida E. Hopson, who was
born in Minnesota, and they have become the parents of the following
children: Wayne G., Carrie J., Hattie Gean, Ray W., Ezra B., Paul H.
and William Tubbs. A portrait of Ernest C. Eddy is presented in
connection with his sketch.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Kim Mohler]
MAJOR
ALLANSON WILLIAM EDWARDS. Colonel Cadle, adjutant-general
of the Seventeenth Corps, commanded by the brave, popular and genial
General Frank Blair, in the following letter to “The Forum,” has some
words for an old comrade and explains how he comes to write:
“Society
of the Army of the Tennessee, Recording Secretary’s office, P.O. box
35, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 31, 1898. --- To ’The Forum’: The
Society for the Army of the Tennessee desires to keep in its records
memoranda showing the services of their members. Some time ago I
wrote to Major Edwards and asked him to send me a sketch that would
enable us, when he died, to print his obituary. He sent me a very
brief statement, but knowing as much, or more, of his record than he
modestly stated to me, I have written the enclosed, and if you think it
worth while it might be printed, because it shows a great deal of his
experience in the Army of the Tennessee in the war of the Rebellion.
“He
was certainly a gallant soldier in our army, and credit should be given
to living men as well as dead. Therefore, I send this to you with
the hope that it may be used, and that, as an obituary of our society,
it may be long before it is required. Major Edwards does not know
of this communication. Yours very truly,
“CORNELIUS
CADLE.”
“Major
Alanson William Edwards was born in Lorain county, Ohio, August 27,
1840. His father removed to Macoupin county, Illinois, in
1848. Major Edwards attended the county schools and was
afterward, in 1856 - 57, a student at McKendree College,
Illinois. He was a railroad express agent and telegraph operator
at Gillespie, Illinois, when the war broke out.
“He
enlisted at once for the three months’ service, but the quota of
Illinois was then filled, as was the first call for three years’
volunteers. He enlisted and was mustered in as a private of
Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-second Illinois Infantry, at Camp
Palmer, Carlinville, Illinois, August 4, 1862. He served in the
Western army, beginning at Columbus, Kentucky. He was clerk in
the office of the adjutant-general, district of Jackson war department,
General Grenville M. Dodge, of Corinth, Mississippi.
“In
April, 1863, by authority from the war department, General Grenville M.
Dodge, at Corinth, Mississippi, organized the First Alabama Union
Cavalry from loyal refugees, driven from their homes in the mountains
in north Alabama by Confederate conscripting officers. Major
Edwards was appointed first lieutenant and adjutant, with George E.
Spencer as colonel, and was afterward promoted to captain L troop of
this regiment.
“He
served with General Van Dereer as acting assistant adjutant-general,
district of Rome and of Marietta, Georgia, and was near Kenesaw
mountain with General Sherman when Sherman signalled Corse at Allatoona
to ’hold the fort,’ at the same time that Captain Flint, of Company E,
First Alabama Calvary, was aide to General Corse, and wrote at Corse’s
dictation the answer about ’losing his cheek, but was able to whip all
hell yet.’
“Major
Edwards commanded Company M of his regiment on the ’March to the sea,’
and in the close approach to Savannah he rode with the First Alabama
Calvary over the torpedoes planted in the road by the enemy.
Lieutenant F. W. Tupper, his successor and adjutant of the regiment,
having his leg blown off, and many of the regiment were severely
wounded.
“Colonel
Cornelius Cadle, the adjutant-general of the Seventeenth Army Corps,
being that moment in advance with the First Alabama Calvary, directed
the provost marshal of the corps, Major John C. Marvin, to bring to the
front all the prisoners of war, and they, upon their hands and knees,
dug into the ground and took out the torpedoes --- the unexploded ones
--- that several of these prisoners had assisted in ’planting’ a few
days before. It happened that the Confederate sergeant who had
supervision of the placing of these torpedoes was one of the prisoners,
and he readily found them and carefully aided in clearing our way to
Savannah, the city that was a Christmas present from Sherman to our
president, Lincoln.
“At
Savannah Major Edwards was detached from his regiment by order of
General Sherman, and assigned to duty as acting adjutant-general,
Fourth Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, and served with General Corse,
the division commander, until after the grand review of the armies at
Washington, May 24 and 25, 1865, and was mustered out July 11,
1865. He was brevetted major March 13, 1865, for ’gallant and
meritorious service in the field.’
“Major
Edwards was present at the meeting of the officers of the Army of the
Tennessee, called to organize our society at Raleigh, North Carolina,
April 25, 1865.
“The
first post of the Grand Army of the Republic was organized by Dr. B. F.
Stevenson, at Decatur, Illinois, and several members were sent over the
state to institute other posts. A dozen or so were mustered at
the same time. Major Edwards, after his war service, was mustered
in Post No. 6, at Bunker Hill, Illinois, which was one of the earliest
organized posts of the Grand Army of the Republic.
“Returning
to his home in 1865, he resuscitated the ’Union Gazette,’ at Bunker
Hill, Illinois, a paper he published before going to the war, and which
was suspended during the war. In 1868 Major Edwards secured an
interest in the ’Carlinville Free Democrat,’ a Republican paper started
by Senator John M. Palmer in 1856.
“Major
Edwards was warden of the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet in 1871
- 1872. After the great Chicago fire he went into business in
Chicago, and was a member of the board of trade in 1875 - 1878.
He went into the Black Hills in 1876, located at Fargo in 1878, as
editor of the ’Fargo Republican.’ He established the ’Daily
Argus’ in 1879. Governor G. A. Pierce, of our society, appointed
Major Edwards superintendent of the semi-decenniel census of Dakota
territory in 1885. Major Edwards was elected mayor of Fargo in
1886 - 7; was a member of legislature 1895 - 6. He lost ’The
Argus’ in 1890, started the ’Daily Forum’ in 1891, purchased the
’Republican,’ the first paper he started, and consolidated the two, and
it is now issued by Edwards & Plumley.
“Major
Edwards was married to Elizabeth Robertson at Carlinville, Illinois, in
1870. They have six sons and one daughter, all living in Fargo,
North Dakota. The sons are Harry Goodell, twenty-six years;
William Robertson, twenty-three years; Alanson Charles, nineteen years;
John Palmer, seventeen years; George Washington, thirteen years;
Richford Roberts, nine years; and Marie R., twenty-four years.
“Cincinnati,
Ohio,
March
31,
1898.”
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Brenda Shaffer]
SAMUEL M. EDWARDS. Good judgment
based on close observation of natural phenomena is essential to success
as a farmer, while in its social aspect this calling develops the
virtue of hospitality, charity and brotherly kindness in a degree
scarcely equaled by any other. The subject of this review is a man of
broad mind, good education, and energetic character, and enjoys the
confidence and esteem of a large circle of friends in the business and
social world. He has actively interested himself in all public matters
in Cass County, and has aided in every way in elevating and improving
the administration of local government. He occupies a fine estate in
Berlin Township, and his home on section 17 is one of refinement and
social contentment.
Our subject was born near Woodstown, Salem County, New Jersey, April 5,
1846. He was reared on his father's farm and educated in the public
schools of that county and Bacon Academy, a Friends' Institution, and
then taught school. Having met an accident by which his leg was
crushed, which unfitted him for farming, he completed a commercial
course and then went to Philadelphia, where he was engaged in clerking
some two or three years. Close confinement not agreeing with him he
returned to New Jersey and taught school several years. Having read of
the successful wheat raising in the Red River valley of the North, he
caught the fever and went to Dakota Territory in August, 1881, and soon
afterward purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 17,
now Berlin Township, Cass County, where he began farming, and has since
made his home. He now has a farm of six hundred and thirty-five acres,
and his land is made to yield abundantly, while the improvements which
he has placed upon the farm are of substantial construction and furnish
a comfortable home in every particular.
Our subject was married in Salem, New Jersey, February 14, 1884, to
Miss Caroline Senat Hewes. Mrs. Edwards was born in Salem, New Jersey,
September 22, 1853, and was educated at the Friends' Silent School,
from which institution she was graduated, and then completed a course
in the high school at Salem, and afterward received private
instructions in the arts. She is a lady of rare attainments and taught
in the Friends' school at Salem, and also in the public schools of that
vicinity for several years. Since residing in North Dakota she has
devoted considerable time to giving private instructions, at her home,
and also teaching painting and music. She presides over the household
with true dignity and grace, and the home affords many pleasures of
social life. Mr. Edwards was one of the organizers of the township of
Berlin, and takes an active interest in public matters. He has held the
office of township clerk for eleven years, and is now a member of the
board of supervisors of Berlin Township, being chairman. He has met
with eminent success, and is deservedly popular with the people among
whom he has labored for so many years.
Both are members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, of their native
towns and they still retain their right of membership in their home
church.
History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Laurel Durham
EDWARD
ENGERUD, junior member of the firm of Morrill & Engerud, is
one of the prominent young attorneys practicing at the bar of Fargo and
has already achieved an enviable reputation in his chosen calling. He
was born in the city of Racine, Racine county, Wisconsin, February 13,
1868, and is a son of Lars and Christine (Bakke) Engerud, natives of
Norway, who came to America in 1852 and first settled in Chicago. Two
years later they removed to Wisconsin and in 1877 became residents of
Otter Tail county, Minnesota, where the father died in 1897. By trade
he was a blacksmith. He had three sons, one of whom entered the United
States navy, rose to the rank of lieutenant and died in the service.
Reared
in Minnesota, our subject obtained his early education in the public
schools of that state. In 1881 he came to Grand Forks, North Dakota,
and entered the high school, from which he was graduated in 1882 with
the first class sent out from that institution. The following year he
became a student at Beloit College, Wisconsin, and remained there until
1887. He then commenced the study of law at Fergus Falls, Minnesota,
and was admitted to the bar at that place in 1889. For two years he was
engaged in practice with Judge C.L. Lewis, now of the supreme bench of
Minnesota, and he continued at Fergus Falls until the spring of 1893,
when he removed to Sheldon, North Dakota, and entered the employ of
Edward Pierce as an attorney. A year later he went to Lisbon and was
engaged in practice there until coming to Fargo in 1897. He served as
state’s attorney for Ransom county for one year. On taking up his
residence in Fargo he formed a partnership with Mr. Morrill, which
still exists and they now enjoy a large and lucrative practice, both
being able and prominent lawyers. Mr. Engerud is now serving as
assistant state’s attorney of Cass county. He is a stanch Republican in
politics and has stumped the state in the interest of that party.
In
1890 Mr. Engerud was united in marriage with Miss Clara J. Jacobsen,
also a native of Wisconsin, and three children bless this union: Louis,
Harold and Karl, all living.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Kim Mohler]
PETER ERB, deceased, was for many
years identified with the farming interests of Dows township, Cass
county, and was a pioneer settler of that locality. He was born in
Pennsylvania, April 6, 1815, and passed away in July, 1887. His
parents, Peter and Elizabeth Erb, were also native of Pennsylvania, and
the father was a farmer and died there. The grandparents came from
Germany.
Our subject was one of a family of seven children, four sons and three
daughters, and was reared and educated in his native state. He went to
Oregon in 1848, across the plains by ox tema, and was six months
making the trip. He went to the gold fields of California the following
year and spent some time and then returned to Ohio, and later located
in Winona county, Minnesota, and there took land, but later moved to
Waseca county, and in 1881 went to Cass county, North Dakota. He
entered a homestead claim in Dows township, and remained there engaged
in farming until his death. He owned three quarter-sections of land,
which is now operated by his son.
Our subject was married in Ohio, to Catherine Tericot, a native of New
York. Eleven children, eight sons and three daughters, were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Erb, as follows: George W., John A., Martin V., William M.,
Elizabeth, now Mrs. Carl Crumb; Edna M., now Mrs. A. Pratt; Enoch J.,
Peter F., Elias C., Jacob E. and Emma L.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Syndi Phillips]
TOM ERICKSON, residing on section
20, in township
145, range 52, in Blanchard township, is a striking example of a
self-made man. He has gained a fine property by his push and
energy and now owns and operates six hundred and forty acres of land.
Our subject
was born on the farm Storedal in Aals Prestyold, Halingdal Stift,
Norway, February 18, 1857, and was the fifth of six children born to
Erick and Martte (Torkleson) Swenson, both of whom are deceased. He
came to America at the age of nineteen years and visited his sister who
resided in Wisconsin, and in the spring of 1877 went to Fargo, and from
there to Caledonia, and from there took a general survey of Traill
county and selected the land which is his present home farm and filed
claim thereon. He arrived at Caledonia with two and a half dollars,
which he used for filing his papers on the pre-emption and then worked
for others and as soon as he secured sixteen dollars filed his claim on
the tree claim. He built a small sod house on the pre-emption and
worked at farm labor near Fargo and passed two winters in the Minnesota
woods. After about two years he purchased a yoke of oxen and began
farming. He soon afterward established a saloon in Blanchard and
operated the same four years and then purchased more land and moved to
his farm and began the cultivation of four hundred and eighty acres.
His wheat was damaged by frost in 1888 and he lost most of his crop by
hail in 1889. He erected a fine barn in 1891 and has a good set of farm
buildings, also a store building in town and four building lots. Mr.
Erickson is a Republican in politics and has attended the state and
county conventions in the interest of his party.
Our subject
was married, in 1883, to Miss Annie Anderson. Mrs. Erickson died in
1895. Three children were born to this union, as follows: Edward,
Lottie and Nellie, deceased. Mr. Erickson was married to Miss Minnie
Olson, a native of Trempealeau county, Wisconsin, in January, 1899. Mr.
Erickson is well known for his active public spirit and is deservedly
held in high esteem by his many friends.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Maggie Saggio]
GEORGE Q. ERSKINE, one of the
founders of the First National Bank of Fargo, and an honored pioneer of
that city has a wide reputation as a most capable financier, and
occupies a position of no little prominence in connection with the
financial affairs of the state. His life demonstrates what can be
accomplished through energy, careful management, keen foresight and the
utilization of the powers with which nature has endowed one, and the
opportunities with which the times surround him. On another page of
this volume will be found a portrait of Mr. Erskine.
Mr. Erskine claims New Hampshire as his native state, his birth having
occurred in Winchester, December 13, 1827. His parents, John and Achsah
(Jewell) Erskine, were also natives of New Hampshire, where they
continued to make their home until 1833, when they removed to central
New York and there spent their remaining years. In early life the
father was a dry goods merchant, but later engaged in the manufacture
of woolen goods. He was a son of John and Phoebe (Robinson) Erskine,
also natives of the old Granite state and farming people, the former of
whom died at the advanced age of nine-two years, his wife at the age of
ninety-six.
Our subject is one of a family of nine children, having three brothers
and five sisters. Reared in New York, his education was obtained in the
public schools of that state and the academy at Mexico, New York. It
was his intention to enter college, but he had a severe attack of the
“gold fever” during the excitement in California over the first
discovery of the precious metal, and in April, 1850, sailed from New
York bound for the Pacific slope. He crossed the Isthmus and finally
landed in San Francisco in June of that year. He went direct to the
American river, where he engaged in placer mining, and during the two
years spent there he saved about $5,000.
On his return to New York, in 1852, he commenced the study of law at
Mexico, and also taught a select school. In the early part of the
following year he went to Racine, Wisconsin, and entered the law office
of Doolittle & Cary. The same year he was admitted to the bar at
that place, and when Mr. Doolittle was elected to the bench in the fall
of 1854, he formed a partnership with J. W. Cary, which existed for two
years. He then retired from practice in order to look after outside
interests, with which in the meantime he had been connected, owning two
vessels on Lake Michigan beside a large amount of timber land in
Wisconsin. In 1865 he was elected to the lower house of the state
legislature and served in that position for one term. He was appointed
collector of internal revenue for the Milwaukee district in 1867 and
held that office for nine years, after which, in 1876, he formed a
partnership with J. I. Case in the manufacture of plows at Racine,
Wisconsin, starting the J. I. Case Plow Works, which have since become
so widely known through the plows manufactured there. He was interested
in that business for seven years, and in the meantime purchased a half
interest with E. B. Eddy in the bank at Plainview, Wisconsin, in
November, 1877. On January 1, 1878, they founded the First National
Bank of Fargo, of which Mr. Erskine was made first vice-president, and
in the same year the building was erected in which the bank is still
conducted. At the death of Mr. Eddy our subject was made vice-president
and afterwards president and filled that position until 1897, when he
resigned, but is still one of the directors and stockholders. For the
past ten years he has been president of the First National Bank of
Crookston, Minnesota, and was a director of the Manufacturers’ National
Bank of Racine, Wisconsin, for twenty years. He is an energetic,
far-sighted and capable business man who has attained success through
his own well-directed efforts, and the prosperity that has come to him
is certainly well deserved.
In 1856 Mr. Erskine married Miss Helen Hinnod, a native of Erie county,
Pennsylvania, and they have two daughter: Helen R., now the wife of A.
O. Coddington, now residing in Chicago; Ethel A., the wife of Sheldon
W. Vance, who are residents of Crookston, Minnesota. Since 1885 he has
made is home in Fargo, and as a public-spirited and progressive citizen
Mr. Erskine gives his support to every enterprise for the public good
and has unbounded confidence in the future of his adopted city and
state. Since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln he
has been an ardent Republican, and socially he is a member of the
Masonic order.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Sally Masteller]
JOHN D. FARRAND, a prominent member
of the legal
fraternity of Cass county, is a man of excellent education and business
training, and has gained an assured position and business man. He
is attorney and secretary for the Fargo Loan Agency of Fargo, and has
been a resident of that city for the past fourteen years.
Mr. Farrand
was born in Phillipsburg, Warren county, New Jersey, and was educated
in the public schools of that state and afterward entered the Lawrence
high school, where he took a preparatory course for Princeton
College. He abandoned the course to take up the study of law in
the office of J.N. Voorhis, of Flemington, Hunterdon, New Jersey, and
studied with Mr. Voorhis four years and was admitted to practice by the
supreme court at the February term in 1882. He remained with his
preceptor until the fall of 1883, when he went to North Dakota, then a
territory, for at trip, expecting to return in a few weeks, but he was
so favorably impressed with the new country that he decided to remain,
and was admitted to the bar of the territory, and located at Sanborn,
Barnes county, in the practice of his profession. He met with
good success and remained there until June 1886, when he went to Fargo,
and became associated with the Fargo Loan Agency of that place, with
which company he has since been identified as secretary and attorney,
and is one of the well and favorably known men of the city.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Janice Louie]
HENRY G. FISH, M. D. This gentleman
enjoys the distinction of being one of the oldest resident physicians
and surgeons of North Dakota, and he has endeared himself to the people
of that state, and especially the citizens of Cass county, as his
labors have been in that locality for the past twenty-one years, his
home being at Wheatland. He is thorough, painstaking and conscientious
and enjoys a large practice. Our subject was born in Somerville, New
Jersey, June 3, 1850, and was a son of Henry C. and Clara (Jones) Fish,
the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Massachusetts. His
father was a Baptist minister, and was pastor of the First Baptist
church of Newark, New Jersey, twenty-six years. He died in 1877. The
grandfather of our subject, Rev. Mr. Fish, was also a Baptist minister
of Halifax, Vermont, and died at the age of ninety-three years. He was
a prominent temperance worker of that state. Our subject has one
brother, Fred S., a leading attorney of South Bend, Indiana, and he is
chief counsel for the Studebaker wagon works. He also has a sister, a
resident of Newark, New Jersey. Henry G. Fish was reared and educated
in Newark, and graduated from the military academy and the high school
of Newark, New Jersey. He was engaged in business in New York city from
1867-72 with S. S. Slater & Sons, cloth manufacturers, and operated
a branch store at Philadelphia. He began the study of medicine in 1874,
and the following year entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons
of New York, graduating from that institution in 1877, and began the
practice of his profession in Newark, New Jersey, where he continued
two years, and in 1879 went to Wheatland, Cass county, North Dakota,
where he at once established himself in practice, and has followed the
same there continuously since. He has met with phenomenal success in
general practice, and was surgeon for the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company for thirteen years, and is associated with Dr. M. L. Shanks in
the hospital of Casselton. He was coroner of Cass county for ten years.
He is a member of the Cass County Medical Society, and organized the
old Red River Valley Association in 1879 or 1880. Mr. Fish is a member
of the Masonic fraternity. Ancient Order of United Workmen and
Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He was one of the organizers of
Wheatland township, in 1879, and was the chairman of the first board of
supervisors. He was major and surgeon of the Third United States
Volunteer Cavalry, known as Grigsby's Rough Riders, and was at
Chattanooga for the season of 1898 in the Hispano-American war, and
resigned in August on account of ill-health. Politically Mr. Fish is a
Republican, and has served as a delegate to many conventions of his
party and has been a member of the county central committee.
[Source: History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Susan
Ripley]
JOSIAH FLATT, one of the early
settlers of Cass county, resides on section 28, in Kinyon township, and
is well known and highly respected in his community.
Our subject was born in the county of Norfolk, England, October 7,
1832, and when about sixteen years of age emigrated to America and
settled in Simcoe county, Ontario, where he remained till 1878. In the
spring of that year he went to North Dakota, and for several years made
his home in Fargo, while he was engaged in farming in that vicinity. He
purchased four hundred and eighty acres of land on section 28 in Kinyon
township, in the summer of 1886, and has resided thereon since that
time. He has made valuable improvements to his property, and has met
with success in the pursuit of agriculture.
Our subject was married to his second wife in Simcoe county, Ontario,
March 25, 1875, to Miss Tamar Whitley, who was born in Simcoe county,
February 14, 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Flatt are the parents of nine living
children, as follows: Thomas G., Josiah, Jr., Emogene, Charlotte,
Eugene, Wesley, Walter, Earl and May. Four children born to Mr. and
Mrs. Flatt died in infancy or childhood, as follows: Hannah, Eugene,
Pearl and an infant unnamed. Mr. Flatt is a prominent citizen and
active in social and religious affairs of his community and enjoys the
respect and esteem of the people among whom he has resided for many
years.
History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Kim Mohler
GEORGE
I. FOSTER, the first clerk of the
court of Cass county, North Dakota, and an honored pioneer of this
state, who is now engaged in the real estate and insurance business in
Fargo, was born in Hillsdale, Columbia county, New York, December29,
1837, a son of Albert and Clarissa M. (Maxson)Foster, natives of
Connecticut. Both died in New York. By occupation the father was a
farmer.
Our subject
was reared in the Empire state, and after attending its common schools
for some time became a student in Homer Academy. On leaving there in
August, 1861, he joined the boys in blue to assist in crushing the
rebellion, enlisting in Company D, Seventy-sixth New York Volunteer
Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. He
participated in the second battle of Bull Run, and the engagements at
Gainesville, South Mountain and Antietam, but was never wounded. On
account of disability, however, he was mustered out in December, 1862,
as second lieutenant of his company.
Mr. Foster
remained in New York until 1864, when he came to Yankton, South Dakota,
and took up land. For some time he was employed in the office of the
surveyor-general at that place and also served as deputy United States
marshal and was clerk of the territorial legislature from 1864
until1874. He continued his residence in Yankton until1871, when he
went to Pembina, Pembina county, North Dakota, as clerk of the third
district court, having been appointed to that office at Yankton in1869.
Subsequently he returned to New York, but in February, 1872, again came
to this state, and this time took up his residence in Fargo, where he
has since continued to make his home. He served as clerk of the court
until 1883, thirteen years in all, and has taken a very prominent and
active part in the development and up building of Cass county. He was
appointed clerk of the supreme court in1870 and served in that capacity
for five years, and has also filled several city offices of honor and
trust. In 1876 he became interested in the insurance business and since
his retirement from office has given his entire attention to that and
the real estate business, meeting with good success in both branches.
In
Illinois, Mr. Foster was married, in 1873, to Miss Phila Smith, a
native of Ohio, and to them have been born two children. The older,
Charles S., is now second lieutenant in the Ninth United States
Infantry, and is with the army in the Philippine Islands, having
participated in all of the important battles of the Spanish-American
war. Clara is the only daughter. Mr. Foster is a stanch supporter of
the Republican party and its principles, and as a member of the county
central committee has done much to advance its interests. Since 1863 he
has been a Mason and is also an honored member of the Grand Army of the
Republic. He is widely known and highly respected, and on the roll of
North Dakota's honored pioneers his name should be among the foremost.
[Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Renae Capitanio]
JOEL FRANKLIN is one of the old
settlers of Dows township, Cass county, and is well known and highly
esteemed as a farmer and citizen. He has a pleasant farm, well
improved, and has fathered around him the comforts of country life by
his own efforts.
Our subject was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, August 27, 1844.
His parents, Abel, Jr., and Jane A. (Pickett) Franklin, were natives
respectively of Massachusetts and New York, and his father was a farmer
by occupation, and moved to New York when a young man, and in 1862 went
to Wisconsin, and located in Walworth county. He removed later to
Olmstead county, Minnesota, where he died in 1894. The mother survives,
and is now living in South Dakota. The grandfather of our subject, Abel
Franklin, was a native of Massachusetts, and moved to St. Lawrence
county, New York, where his death occurred. Our subject has one brother
and one sister living, but is the only member of the family in North
Dakota.
Mr. Franklin was reared and educated in New York, and moved with his
parents to Wisconsin in 1862. He enlisted in the Second Wisconsin
Cavalry in August, 1864, and served eleven months. He was with the
western army, and served in Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri, and
was discharged from the service in July, 1865. He then returned to
Wisconsin, and later went to New York, and from there to Minnesota, and
then returned to Wisconsin. He went to Cass county, North Dakota, in
1880, and entered a homestead claim on section 32, in Dows township,
and was among the first settlers of the township. He now owns three
quarter-sections of land, which he cultivates profitably and gains a
good income from his farm.
Our subject was married in New York, in 1972, to Esther A. Abbott, a
native of Jefferson county, New York. Mrs. Franklin's parents, Nelson
and Sally (Bideman) Abbott, were residents of Vermont. Mr. Franklin
assisted in the organization of his township, and has served as
assessor, justice of the peace, and a member of the school board. He is
a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, of Hunter, and in political
sentiment is a Republican, and is a member of the Cass county central
committee.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900. Transcribed by Syndi Phillips]
WILLIAM H. FURLONG. Probably
no man has been more intimately connected with the farming interests of
Cass county than the gentleman whose name heads our present
article. He is a resident of section 4, in Rochester township,
and conducts a farm of four hundred acres. He has all
improvements and good buildings and is regarded as one of the solid men
of his community and a citizen who commands the respect of his
fellowmen.
Our subject was born at Delphi, Onondaga county, New York, October 27,
1859. His parents, James and Martha Furlong, were natives of
Canada, and his father was a wagon-maker by trade and later engaged in
farming. He went to New York about 1852, and during the Civil war
enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Forty-ninth New York Volunteer
Infantry, and served in Virginia, and was discharged from the service
for disability. He died in New York in August 1899, and the
mother survives him. They were the parents of two sons and three
daughters. One son is in New York, and one daughter is deceased.
Mr. Furlong was reared in New York and educated there and remained in
the state until 1885 and followed farming. In that year he went
to Cass county, North Dakota, and entered a homestead claim to land in
section 4, of Rochester township, where he has since resided. He
has added to his possessions as circumstances would permit and is now
the fortunate owner of four hundred acres of choice land which
furnishes a good income.
Our subject was married in Grafton, North to Margaret Vogelgsang.
Mrs. Furlong was born at Fulton, New York, and was a daughter of
Frederick and Margaret (Ader) Vogelgsang. Her father was a
soldier in the Civil war, served in Company D, One Hundred and
Forty-seventh Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, and is now deceased.
The mother resides in California. Mr. and Mrs. Furlong are the
parents of five children, as follows: Bessie P., May M., Beecher
J., Lucy V., and Lena G. Mr. Furlong is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Modern Woodmen of America,
and in politics is a Democrat. He has filled various local
offices, including town clerk, assessor, and school clerk, and is known
throughout that locality as a worthy citizen.
[History Biography of North Dakota. Transcribed by Mary Saggio]
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