USA > Colorado > History of Colorado; Volume IV > Part 42
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MR. AND MRS. GIDEON C. PRATT
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Oscar D., the fourth member of the family of Mr. and Mrs. Pratt, was called to his final rest on the 22d of January, 1886. Helen M. passed away August 15, 1894. Gideon C., Jr., died December 13, 1898. Amy R. was called to the home beyond on the 22d of March, 1878. Agnes L. was married in 1912 to Mark S. Harris, of Castle Rock, Colo- rado, a printer by trade, who died October 10, 1918. Beatrice M. Pratt passed away on the 11th of September, 1890.
In his political views Mr. Pratt was long a stalwart supporter of the republican party, becoming one of its stanch advocates at its organization. He filled the office of county commissioner for three years, was assessor for two terms and for one term represented his district in the state legislature. In 1893 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife and for nine years he survived her until a stroke of apoplexy terminated his career. Both were highly esteemed people, enjoying the confidence, goodwill and friendship of all who knew them, and their worth was widely acknowledged in Douglas county.
CYRUS G. RICHARDSON.
No history of Colorado would be complete without mention of Cyrus G. Richard- son, who for twenty-five years was an active member of the Denver bar and was one of the large investors in Colorado ranch and farm lands, thus indicating his faith in the state and its future. He was a native of Maine, where the days of his minority were passed, his early education being acquired in the public schools of that state. After his public school course was completed he attended the college at Waterville, Maine, from which in due time he was graduated, and later he took up the study of law in the Albany Law School, completing a thorough course in that institution. Thus well qualified for the bar, he entered upon the active practice of his profession, in which he won distinction. In 1869 he removed to the west, having in the meantime married. He opened a law office in Denver, where he continued in active practice throughout his remaining days. He was a lawyer of eminent ability, his legal learning, his analytical mind, the readiness with which he grasped the points in an argument, all combining to make him one of the ablest lawyers practicing at the Denver bar. His practice was extensive and of an important character. He was remarkable among lawyers for the wide research and provident care with which he prepared his cases. At no time was his reading confined to the limitations of the question at issue; it went beyond and compassed every contingency and provided not alone for the expected, but for the unexpected, which happens quite as frequently in the courts as out of them. He was never surprised by the attack of an opposing counsel and he was always ready to support his position by the citation of precedent or principle. As the years passed he gave demonstration of his faith in Colorado by his investment in land until he was the owner of more than seven thousand acres of ranch property in the state besides a large amount of Denver realty, and thus he left his family in very comfortable financial circumstances.
It was in the '60s, in St. Louis, Missouri, that Mr. Richardson was united in marriage to Miss Julia Frances Tibbals, a native of the state of New York, born in Windham, Greene county, and a daughter of Minor and Temperance (Lamareau) Tibbals, whose family numbered seven children, of whom two are now living. Mrs. Richardson was reared and educated in the Empire state and was graduated from the State Normal School at Albany. She afterward took up the profession of teaching, which she followed for several years in New York and later she taught in the public schools of St. Louis, Missouri, for a number of years. Since her husband's death she has managed the business affairs, having Albert Packard as superintendent of her ranching interests. In this connection she' has made a specialty of the raising of horses, mules and cattle and in 1918 she had over eleven hundred acres planted to wheat. She also raised a large amount of alfalfa. The greater part of her land is under ditch, a most excellent irrigation system keeping it in fine condition.
To Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were born four children: Lenore, Lessie, Theddie and Daisy, but all have passed away.
In his political views Mr. Richardson was a stalwart republican and ever took an active part in support of the principles in which he so firmly believed. His fraternal relations were with the Masons and he was a worthy exemplar of the craft. His life was well spent. Indeed his entire career was a most active, useful and honor- able one and the public and his professional colleagues entertained for him the warmest regard, while his friends had for him the highest admiration. Passing away in
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June, 1894, after a residence of a quarter of a century in Denver, his death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. Mrs. Richardson displays excellent business - ability in the control of the important property interests which were left to her and is regarded as a lady of superior qualifications and executive force, combined with those truly womanly attributes which have made her a social leader in the circles in which she moves.
AMOS JESSE EMMONS.
In the history of Amos Jesse Emmons is recorded the career of one of the most prominent citizens of Boulder county, and when death called him on the 25th of April, 1917, his demise was the occasion of deep regret in many a household throughout this section of the state. He had long been identified with farming interests in Boulder county and was numbered among Colorado's pioneer settlers, having driven across the country, with Captain Tyler from Omaha to Denver with team and wagon at an early day. While he started out in the business world empty-handed, he came to number his landed possessions by thousands of acres and his live stock by thousands of head. His success was the direct result and legitimate outcome of persistent effort, perseverance and unwearied industry, and while he promoted his individnal prosperity, he also contributed to the growth and development of the state, especially through his cooperation in the work of establishing an adequate irrigation system.
Mr. Emmons was born in Chester, New Jersey, in 1838 and came of English ancestry, although the family has long been represented on American soil. His great-grandfather in the paternal line was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war. The grandfather, Amos Emmons, and the father, John Emmons, were both natives of Morris county, New Jersey, and made farming their life work. The latter died in the year 1840, leaving a widow and four children, one of whom, George Emmons, left New Jersey for the west in the fall of 1864, with Denver as his destination, and was never again heard from.
A. J. Emmons was but two years of age when his father passed away. He was reared upon the old home farm in the east and continued there with his mother until he reached the age of sixteen years, during which time he acquired his education in near-by schools. He then took up farming on his own account and his mother found a comfortable home as well as filial care and devotion with him. At the time of the outbreak of the Civil war it was his earnest desire to join the army and aid in the defense of the Union, but he delayed this act at the earnest entreaty of his mother, who was in very ill health. When she had passed away, however, he quickly offered his services to the country and in May, 1864, was enrolled with the boys in blue of Company K, Twenty-seventh New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, being mustered into service at Newark. He was then sent to the front and participated in the siege of Petersburg and in the arduous campaign which led up to the surrender of General Lee and his Confederate forces. For eleven months Mr. Emmons was engaged in hard fighting and was then mustered out at Camp Frelinghuysen at Newark, after having participated in the grand review in Washington, D. C., where the victorious army marched through the streets of the capital, over which hung a broad banner bearing the words: "The only debt which the country owes that she cannot pay is the debt that she owes to her soldiers."
In the fall following his return from the war, Mr. Emmons started for the west. hoping that he might find his brother or learn something concerning his fate. He traveled by way of Chicago and St. Joseph, Missouri, to Omaha, Nebraska, and from that point started on the long journey across the plains to Denver. In the meantime he had formed the acquaintance of four or five young men, with whom he became connected in the purchase of a team and camp outfit for which they paid three hundred and fifty dollars. At length some dissatisfaction arose among them and abont this time they fell in with Captain Tyler, then of Blackhawk, Colorado, who agreed to purchase their outfit and transport the men to Colorado for fifty dollars eaclı, after which he would employ them if they so desired. They then resumed the journey and covered the distance in what at that time was a remarkably short period-twenty days.
At every point Mr. Emmons continued his search for his brother, making inquiries in every direction, but at length felt that his search was fruitless. From Denver, therefore, he went to Blackhawk and entered the employ of Captain Tyler, receiving fifty-two dollars for his first month's work. He afterward accompanied Captain Tyler
AMOS J. EMMONS
MRS. LOVINA EMMONS
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to the mouth of Boulder creek and remained in his employ for several months at a salary of seventy-five dollars per month. Moreover, his board in Blackhawk was not charged to him, nor the fifty dollars which he had agreed to pay for the trip across the plains, showing that his employer regarded his service as most valuable. During the succeeding winter Mr. Emmons engaged in baling hay and in the spring of 1867 started in business independently by renting a quarter section of land on the lower Boulder. For nine years he devoted his time and energies to the further cultivation and improvement of that property and in the meantime he purchased an adjoining tract of school land of eighty acres and built thereon a home. As he prospered in his undertakings he kept adding to his holdings from time to time until his aggregate possessions included more than a thousand acres of valuable land under fence and thoroughly irrigated and improved. His methods were at all times practical and energetic and his work produced splendid results. He became interested in cattle raising, which he began on a small scale, but his herds increased until they numbered thousands. He ever closely studied the best methods of improving the land and cultl- vating the soil and he took an advanced stand upon many questions which have been most vital to the agriculturists of this section. He gave most earnest consideration to the problem of irrigation and many of the big ditches now furnishing water in Boulder county were built according to the advice and with the assistance of Mr. Emmons. To other fields of labor Mr. Emmons directed his energies and became a large stockholder in milling and banking enterprises. Whatever he undertook he carried forward to success and in his vocabulary there was no such word as fail. Obstacles and difficulties in his path seemed to serve as an impetus for renewed effort on his part.
In 1876 in Colorado Mr. Emmons was united in marriage to Miss Lovina Robinson and they became the parents of six children: Nettie, the wife of Roy Plumb, of Long- mont; Elizabeth, the wife of C. G. Campbell, of Cheyenne; Carrie, who has married Lee Perry, of Longmont; Emma, the wife of T. R. Nickell of Denver; Jessie, the wife of Dr. Frank Kennelley; and Harry A .. now living in Strasburg, Colorado. In 1894, in order to give his children better educational advantages, Mr. Emmons removed with his family to Longmont, and his eldest daughter, Mrs. Plumb, was graduated from the high school there. She then attended the Normal School at Greeley and after- ward successfully engaged in teaching for several years. Mrs. Elizabeth Campbell was graduated from the high school of Longmont with the class of 1895. In the fine home at Longmont, Mrs. Emmons yet resides as does her son's family. Mr. Emmons was ever interested deeply in educational work and for several years served as a school director and contributed largely of his time and effort to the upbuilding of the educational interests of his community. Death called Mr. Emmons on the 25th of April, 1917, and his loss was deeply deplored by all who knew him. He may well be called one of the builders of the state, for he contributed in substantial measure to the work of progress and improvement in the city and county in which he lived. He bravely faced the hardships and privatlons of pioneer life and aided in laying broad and deep the foundation upon which has been built the present progress and prosperity of Colorado. Not all days in his career were equally bright. At times he met reverses in a business venture, but he never lost heart and his determination and energy overcame all obstacles. As the years passed he prospered and in the course of time ranked with the most substantial residents of Longmont. He had reached the age of seventy-nine years, two months and eighteen days. leaving behind him the record of an untarnished name. His history was as the day with its morning of hope and promise, its noontide of activity, its evening of completed and successful effort, ending in the grateful rest and quiet of the night.
GEORGE T. NEWMARCH.
George T. Newmarch was born in Douglas county, July 9, 1872, on the ranch which is now his home. He is a western man by training and preference as well as by birth and exemplifies in his life the spirit of western enterprise and progress. His father, Charles Turner Newmarch, was a prominent dairyman and stock raiser of Douglas county for many years, owning and cultivating a ranch of five hundred and thirty acres. He was born in Lincolnshire, England, September 15, 1825, a son of Thomas and Mary (Turner) Newmarch. He was reared to farm life and became self-supporting when a mere lad. In 1853 he bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed for America, landing at Montreal, Canada, whence he made his way to
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Charleston, West Virginia. In 1858 he removed to Comanche, Clinton county, Iowa, and on the 12th of May, 1859, started for Pike's Peak. Eventually he became a resi- dent of Jefferson county, Colorado, and in 1863 he removed to the Platte canyon in Douglas county, where he owned and cultivated a tract of land which he sold in 1866, taking up his abode at that time on Indian creek. On the 15th of November, 1868, he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth M. Perry, a native of Somersetshire, England, and a daughter of James and Elizabeth Ann (Dowden) Perry, who came with their family to America when Mrs. Newmarch was nine years of age, arriving in Colorado in 1861. Her mother homesteaded a part of the ranch upon which George T. Newmarch of this review now resides and thus both the Newmarch and Perry families have been identified with the development and progress of the state from early pioneer days. To Mr. and Mrs. Charles Turner Newmarch were born four children: Charles James, George Thomas, Ida and Elizabeth Lillian. The family shared in all of the hardships and privations incident to the settlement of the frontier and the father contributed in marked measure to the substantial development and progress of the district in which he lived. He was a man of genuine personal worth, of high principles, of marked capability, and wherever known he was held in the highest esteem.
George T. Newmarch was reared under the parental roof and in his early school days it was not unusual for him to see hundreds of wild long-horn Texas cattle upon the plains. There is no feature or phase of pioneer life with which he did not become familiar and his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past, with its hardships and privations, and the progressive present, with its opportunities and advantages.
In 1897 Mr. Newmarch was united in marriage to Miss Susan B. Harlin, who was born in the state of New York and in her early girlhood days went to Kansas with her parents. There she was reared and educated and from that state removed to Colorado, where she was married. She has become the mother of four children: Howard S., who is now employed in the Du Pont powder plant at Louviers, Colorado; Charles T., who is attending the high school at Castle Rock; Ethel E., also a pupil in the high school there; and Ruth M., who completes the family.
Mr. and Mrs. Newmarch attend the Episcopal church and contribute generously to its support. He is identified with the Woodmen of the World at Castle Rock and also with the Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, at Sedalia. In politics he may be termed an independent republican, for while he usually supports the men and measures of that party, he does not consider himself bound by party ties. He has always been an independent thinker, progressive in action, resolute and determined in spirit and guided at all times by a laudable ambition that has worked for his advancement in a business way.
GEORGE L. HALL.
George L. Hall, who owns and operates a cattle ranch a mile south of Peyton, was born in Hallsville, Dewitt county, Illinois, May 21, 1869, a son of Aquilla and Elizabeth (Barnett) Hall. Both parents were representatives of old families of Illinois. The town of Hallsville was named in honor of the ancestors of George L. Hall in the paternal line, and the memory of his maternal ancestors is perpetuated in the name of Barnett township in Dewitt county, Illinois. His father, Aquilla Hall, was born in Paris, Kentucky, in 1837 and represented one of the old southern families. When George L. Hall was but three years of age his parents removed to Table Rock, El Paso county, Colorado, where the father homesteaded and continued to reside upon his land for many years, after which time he entered into the mining and real estate business for some years before he retired from active business. He then took up his abode in Peyton, Colorado, where he passed away in October, 1918.
George L. Hall was accorded liberal educational advantages. He was graduated from the University of Denver on the completion of a business course, being thus well qualified for life's practical and responsible duties. For a number of years he was a stenographer with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and the Colorado Midland Railway Companies and for one year he was employed in the post office at Colorado Springs. He also spent a year in the clerk's office at Colorado Springs and in 1895 he became actively engaged in ranching, purchasing one thousand acres of land near Peyton, on which he has since engaged extensively in feeding cattle, feeding more than one hundred head at a time. The ranch is well Vol. IV-23
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adapted to the raising of wild grasses and in 1911 Mr. Hall received the first prize awarded for wild grasses at the dry farming congress held in Colorado Springs.
In 1895 Mr. Hall was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Taylor, who was born in Ohio and comes of Quaker ancestry. She is a direct descendant of Zachary Taylor, once president of the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have two children, Everett B. and Pauline Villette. The former is a high school graduate and also com- pleted a course in the Brown Business College at Colorado Springs. He is now a member of Battery D of the National Guard of Colorado, holding the rank of sergeant. The daughter, an accomplished musician, is a student in the high school at Colorado Springs.
In his political views Mr. Hall is a republican and gives stalwart support to the party.
HON. ATTERSON W. RUCKER.
It has often been thought that the qualities which are demanded for success along professional lines are at variance with those which are needed for the achievement of prosperity in agriculture. Be this as it may, Hon. Atterson W. Rucker has won prominence in both fields and by reason of his extended and intelligently directed activity has left his impress upon the history of Colorado as lawyer, legislator, agri- culturist and stock raiser. He was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, April 3, 1847, a son of James W. and Elizabeth E. (Jones) Rucker. The father was a major in the Mexican war, while the maternal grandfather served with the same rank in the War of 1812. Ancestors of Mr. Rucker also participated in the struggle for independence which led to the establishment of the American republic, and the same military spirit was displayed by Atterson W. Rucker and his three brothers, who responded to the call of their loved southland and served in the Confederate army. He enlisted, in 1862, as a member of Shelby's brigade, and was attached to Price's army during the campaign through Missouri, participating in the engagements at Carthage, Lexing- ton, and elsewhere. He was taken prisoner, in August of '62, and after having heen imprisoned at Springfield, Missouri, for six months, was paroled.
Following the close of the war Atterson W. Rucker, when a young man of twenty years, took up the study of law in Lexington, Missouri, in 1867 and was admitted to practice in June. 1868. In the fall of 1869, in connection with his brother, T. A. Rucker, he opened an office at Baxter Springs, Kansas, for the practice of law and remained a resident of that place until 1873. He then went to Kansas City, Missouri, where he resided until 1879, when he removed to Leadville, Colorado, and afterward was appointed judge of the criminal court of Lake county, serving upon the bench for a short period. Retiring from office, he resumed private practice, in which he continued at Leadville until 1885, when he removed to Denver and was an active and successful member of the bar of that city until 1908. He was accorded a large and distinctively representative clientage which connected him with much' of the important litigation heard in the courts of the state. His preparation of a case was always thorough and exhaustive, his deductions logical, his reasoning clear and cogent. Moreover, he was seldom if ever at fault in the application of a legal principle and his ability was acknowledged by colleagues and contemporaries at the bar. In 1908 he was elected a member of the sixty-first congress and was continued in office through the sixty-second congress. He was elected, on the democratic ticket, from the first congressional dis- trict, which at that time included the city and county of Denver, and though it was normally a strong republican section, he was elected with a majority of more than six thousand votes. During his service in congress, he served as a member of the insular committee, and as such, made an official trip of inspection and investigation, to Porto Rico and also to Honolulu, and the Philippines, this latter investigation being extended to include Japan and China. He also served as a member of the irrigation committee; the committee on Indian affairs, and the pension committee. It is worthy of note that, largely through his efforts, and in face of strenuous opposition, including that of the chairman of the appropriations committee, the funds for the completion of the new federal building, in Denver, were obtained and the building stands as a monument to his earnest effort. He closely studied the questions which came up for settlement affecting the welfare of the commonwealth and country and gave earnest support to every measure which he believed would promote the public good. At the close of his congressional service he returned to his home and is now engaged in raising registered pure-blooded Hampshire Down sheep, having the only flock of the
HON. ATTERSON W. RUCKER
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kind in the state and is successfully directing his sheep raising interests. He is a member of the Farmers Union, the National Wool Growers' Association, the Cattle Growers' Association and the National Farmers' Institute.
Judge Rucker has never ceased to feel the deepest interest in the political situa- tion of the country and few men are better informed concerning the vital questions and issues of the day than he. While in Kansas he was a candidate for attorney general of the state and was on the Greeley electoral ticket. In Colorado he has also been on the electoral ticket at two different times.
At Baxter Springs, Kansas, on the 5th of March, 1872, Judge Rucker was united in marriage to Miss Celeste Caruth, a daughter of Hon. S. B. and Jane (Browne) Caruth. Mrs. Rucker was born in Illinois and was reared and educated in Columbia, Missouri. In 1906 she was called to her final rest. A daughter, Ethel R., is the wife of Frederick Dorr, formerly a resident of Boston but now of Denver, and they have a daughter, Celeste, who is the wife of Captain Garner, of the United States army, now on active duty in France.
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