USA > Colorado > History of Colorado; Volume IV > Part 45
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In 1873 Frank L. Montgomery and Elizabeth E. O'Neil were united in marriage, the latter having come to this state in 1864 with her parents, who were among the early settlers of Douglas county. To this union were born six children. Frank S. resides in Montrose county. Mary A. is the wife of J. W. Young, by whom she has five children, and they reside in Douglas county. Her eldest child is Lester L., who married Josephine Kennedy, of Denver, shortly before he left for France, having en-
FRANK L. MONTGOMERY
MRS. FRANK L. MONTGOMERY
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listed in the Engineers Corps, U. S. A. His younger sisters and brothers are Josephine, Mildred, Ruth and Chester. Charles G., the next member of the Montgomery family, married Louisa Hawkey and both passed away, leaving a son, Thomas E., who makes his, home with his grandmother, Mrs. Frank L. Montgomery of this review, at Parker. Nellie E., the fourth in the family, married W. H. Shroer, who passed away and by whom she had one son, William. She subsequently married W. E. Sager and they now reside at Bovina, Colorado. Edgar Montgomery married Annie Ulray, of Parker, and they had a son, Robert E. Edgar Montgomery was a valued employe of the Union Pacific Railroad up to the time of his death on December 4, 1918. Lilly I., the youngest of the family, married W. R. Ellis and they reside on his homestead near Thatcher. Colorado. They have a daughter, Dorothy E. The family are highly respected and esteemed in Parker and vicinity, all of them ever readily supporting worthy measures undertaken on behalf of public benefit, and Mrs. Montgomery and her children are valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Montgomery was a loyal republican in his political affiliations and the high place which he filled in the esteem of his fellow citizens is evident from the fact that for a long period he served as county commissioner, his service covering three terms. Fraternally he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Red Men. In his passing in 1917 Douglas county not only lost a substantial citizen but a public-spirited and loyal American who ever upheld the democratic principles of liberty and freedom and who was ever ready to give of his time and means in order to promote local as well as county and state interests. Being numbered among the pioneers of Douglas county, Mr. Montgomery was known to practically all of its inhabitants and when he died left many friends, all of whom sincerely mourned his demise. Many were the tokens of condolence and sympathy extended to the family upon that occasion, being proof of the high regard in which he was held by all.
Mrs. Montgomery is greatly beloved on account of her womanly qualities of character and as a loving mother and grandmother is venerated by her children and many grand- children. She has always considered it her noblest duty to be to them a friend and guide in all those perplexities which beset human beings from earliest childhood. She now lives in a modern, handsome bungalow at Parker which Mr. Montgomery had built before his death and in which he spent his last days.
JAMES TRUELSEN.
James Truelsen, successfully engaged in fruit and truck farming near Edgewater, was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark, on the 17th of September, 1863, a son of James and Mary Truelsen. The father was a farmer and hotel proprietor.
His son James, the youngest of a family of thirteen children, attended school in Denmark until he reached the age of fifteen years, when he began learning the baker's trade. He was a youth of eighteen when in 1881 he came to the United States, making his way to Davenport, Iowa, where he was employed for two years. With his brothers he then leased a farm in Pocahontas county, Iowa, where he carried on general agri- cultural pursuits until 1885, when he removed to Denver and was in the employ of William Holland for two and a half years, receiving a salary of twenty-five dollars per month in the summer seasons and fifteen dollars in the winter seasons. He afterward leased the Ellis property at what is now Thirty-first and Quincy streets, and in 1889 he purchased ten acres of land in Maple Grove, constituting the nucleus of his present possessions. In 1890 he added a five-acre tract and in 1900 purchased ten acres more, so that he now has twenty-five acres of very rich and productive land devoted to the raising of fruit and garden products. His annual sales are large and the excellence of his products enables him to command high prices.
In April, 1888, in Denver, Mr. Truelsen was united in marriage to Miss Mary Hansen, a daughter of Hans and Katrina Hansen. Mrs. Truelsen was also born in Denmark and came to the new world in young womanhood. Two daughters have been born of this marriage: Norma, now the wife of J. R. Wilson, by whom she has three children-James, Bertrand and Mary; and Katie, the widow of Carl Koenig.
In his political views Mr. Truelsen has ever been a stalwart republican and served as county commissioner from 1912 until 1916. During his term of office the Lookout Mountain road was built, also the first five miles of the Colfax concrete road and the Denver-Morrison road, and the jail and sheriff's residence at Golden were erected. Mr. Truelsen cast the weight of his influence on the side of progress, development and improvement and his labors were of much worth in this connection. He has been sec-
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retary of the school district and was so serving when the fine Maple Grove schoolhouse, a two-story and basement brick structure, was erected. This is also used for a Grange hall and has a large stage with roll curtain. Mr. Truelsen acted as purchasing agent for the Maple Grove Grange for several years. There is no plan or project for the benefit and upbuilding of the community which does not receive his endorsement and, if possible, his active cooperation. He is a man of marked ability and enterprise whose success is the direct result and outcome of his individual labors. He has gained many friends during the period of his residence in Colorado and all esteem him for his personal worth.
JAMES WOODHOUSE.
James Woodhouse, living near Sedalia, is now in the seventy-seventh year of his age but in appearance and interests seems a man of not more than sixty-five. He was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, a son of Robert and Elizabeth (Foster) Wood- house. On coming to America in 1872 he settled at Hartford, Connecticut, where he engaged in brickmaking, a trade which he had learned in his native country under the direction of his father, who had long been a brickmaker of England.
In 1873 Mr. Woodhouse arrived at Sedalia, Colorado, and has resided in the city or vicinity since that time. His attention has been devoted to brickmaking, brick- laying and farming and at present he is the owner of seventeen hundred acres of well improved land in Douglas county. His home farm of ten hundred and forty acres is situated a short distance off the state road north of Sedalia and in addition he has a six hundred and sixty acre ranch east of Castle Rock. His home farm is adapted to the raising of small grain and in 1918 he produced three thousand bushels of wheat, besides rye, corn, oats and other crops in abundance. He keeps one hundred head of cattle upon his place and also ten workhorses and mules. Moreover, he uses a farm tractor and has a complete line of the most modern farm implements, using everything possible to facilitate the work of the fields and bring his land to the highest point of productivity. Mr. Woodhouse has purchased nearly all of the land which he possesses. He did not homestead but he preempted one hundred and sixty acres.
Mr. Woodhouse was first married to Annie Weil, a native of England, who passed away in 1887, without issue. In 1888 Mr. Woodhouse was united in marriage to Anna Jacksh, a native of Austria, who came to America with her parents. They have a family of nine children. James, who followed ranching near Sedalia, was well known and liked by all. He was robust, a perfect specimen of young manhood, but became a victim of the Spanish influenza and passed away at the age of twenty-nine years, leaving a wife and one child, the former having been Hattie Krull prior to their marriage. Robert is at home upon the ranch. Susie is also at home. Phoebe is the wife of William Woodhouse, of Boulder, and has three children. The others of the family are Frank, Rosie, Grace, Bessie and Annie, the last named but seven years of age. Mr. Woodhouse is preparing to give all of his children land and wishes them to be thoroughly trained in farm work-the daughters as well as the sons. He has thus labored for the interests of his family and the success he has achieved will enable him to provide liberally for them. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party.
JOHN PEDERSEN.
John Pedersen, identified with the farming interests of Adams county where he has large and substantial landed possessions ranking him with the representative agri- culturists of the community, has made his home in Colorado since 1882 and has occupied his present farm since 1886. He was born in Drammen, Norway, on the 21st of January, 1846, a son of Peter and Johanna Gulbransen. The mother died when their . son John was hut four years of age and he was left an orphan by the death of his father when a little lad of but seven years.
In his boyhood days John Pedersen attended the national schools of Norway until he reached the age of thirteen, when he became a sailor, and until he reached the age of twenty-nine he followed a seafaring life, during which period he visited many foreign ports and saw much of the world. He has traveled over the West Indies and
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the East Indies, has visited Calcutta, India, Alexandria, Egypt, and Brazil and has made trips around Cape Horn to Peru, to Valparaiso, Chile, and around the Cape of Good Hope to various African ports. His experiences were indeed varied and interest- ing and one delights to listen to his reminiscences of those days. He afterward sailed on the Great Lakes for three seasons.
The year 1872 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Pedersen in America. He settled in Detroit, Michigan, where he spent ten years, largely in the employ of the Canada Southern Railroad. In 1882 he reached Colorado and for five years was one of the employes at the Grant smelter in Denver. In 1886 he purchased the farm whereon he has since resided and through the intervening period of almost a third of a century he has given his attention to the further cultivation and development of the property and has today a splendidly improved farm.
On the 5th of December, 1874, Mr. Pedersen was united in marriage to Miss Berta Johansen, who was born in Norway, November 28, 1854. They became the parents of five children hut lost three sons while in Michigan. The others are Burton Gilbert Nicolai and Jennie Louise. The son is now serving in the United States army and the daughter is the wife of Fred Purse. Mrs. Pedersen died on March 25, 1916, and her demise caused deep sorrow not only to her immediate family but also to the many friends whom she had won to her by her delightful, endearing personality. She was ever helpful to her neighbors and took a great and actual interest in the welfare of others, her unselfish sunshiny nature manifesting itself in practical ways of assistance, bringing solace to many in hours of distress and sorrow.
Mr. Pedersen gives his political support to the republican party, of which he is a stanch advocate. He has been an active worker in behalf of the public schools and Mrs. Pedersen served for years as president of the school board in their district. Mr. Pedersen commands the unqualified respect and confidence of those who know him and he has a wide acquaintance in Adams county. He has led a most busy, useful and active life, giving his entire attention to his agricultural pursuits since 1886, and the result of his labors is seen in the well developed farm with its excellent im- provements and modern equipment.
PATRICK MURPHY.
For nearly a half century Patrick Murphy has devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits in Douglas county and is therefore numbered among its honored pioneers. He now owns eleven hundred and sixty acres of land, from which he derives a gratifying income, and his property has greatly increased in value through his incessant labors. He has made many improvements upon his place, his enterprising spirit and industry leading to the success which he now enjoys.
Mr. Murphy, born March 16, 1821, is a native of Ireland, where he spent his life until 1864. when he decided upon emigration to America and came to this country, his port of arrival being Jersey City, New Jersey, where he joined his brother, who had come to America two years previously. However, Mr. Murphy of this review was not satisfied to stay on the Atlantic shore and he therefore soon left Jersey City and made his way to Tennessee, in which state he made his home for a few years, and from there he migrated to Kansas. Following the westward trend, he remained in that state, however, for only a year and then came to Colorado, where he arrived in the Arkansas valley in 1870. In that year he came to Table Rock, this state, and this has ever since remained his home. He took up a homestead in 1870 and as he prospered on his holding added to his land until he now owns eleven hundred and sixty acres. He built a log- house in 1870 and in that same dwelling he still resides and it is yet in a very good state of preservation. Mr. Murphy devotes his land to general farming and also has important live stock interests, having one hundred head of cattle and also eight horses.
Interesting are the stories which Mr. Murphy can relate of the early days when the Indians still roamed over the country in bands several hundred strong, making their living as they went by fishing and hunting. ( Game was then plentiful and antelope could be seen by the thousands on the plains. Mr. Murphy ever had the knack of getting along well with the red men and serious trouble never threatened him from that source. Treating them generously and justly and leaving them alone as much as possible, he was never molested by them, as he never interfered in their affairs. Mr. Murphy is known far and wide in Douglas county and has practically attained to his- torical significance in his part of the state, living still in his loghouse at an age of ninety-eight years. He may be seen today or any day chopping wood and making his
PATRICK MURPHY AT THE AGE OF NINETY-EIGHT YEARS AND THE LOG HOUSE BUILT BY HIM IN 1870
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own fire in his fireplace, now, however, having with him most of the time a man who assists in working the land. At a recent date when Mr. Murphy was interviewed his helper had been taken ill and he was, therefore alone in looking after his stock and horses, still being quite able to take care of all the interests connected with the work of the farm.
HARRY S. THAYER.
Harry S. Thayer, a mining engineer who since 1915 has practiced his profession at Boulder, was born in Greeley, Colorado, in 1880. His father, Eugene R. Thayer, a native of Massachusetts, was born near Boston in the year 1852 and resided there through the period of youth and early manhood. After arriving at adult age he wedded Mary W. Stanley, a native of Boston, and in 1876 they removed westward to Colorado, taking up their abode in Greeley, where they have since made their home, covering a period of forty-two years. The father became one of the pioneer cattle men of Colorado but is now engaged in business in Greeley.
Harry S. Thayer attended the public schools of Greeley after which he matricu- lated in the University of Colorado at Boulder and won the Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation with the class of 1902. He later did post-graduate work in Columbia College in New York in 1902 and 1903, after which he returned to Colorado, practicing his profession of mining engineering in this state since that time. In 1915 he estab- lished his home and office in Boulder and from this point has directed his efforts. His ability in the line of his chosen profession is pronounced and he is accorded a liberal clientage.
On the 18th of June, 1902, in Boulder, Colorado, Mr. Thayer was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Elizabeth Brown, a daughter of the late Walter T. Brown, who was born in Pennsylvania. They have three children, Elizabeth, Barbara and Mary. Mr. Thayer votes with the republican party, and while he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day, he does not seek nor desire office, preferring to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs. He is a member of the Boulder Club and possesses a social nature which makes for personal popularity among his wide acquaintance.
BERNARD ROI DESJARDINS.
Bernard Roi Desjardins, a prominent contractor and builder and one of the old- time residents of Colorado, now living in Denver, was born in Quebec, Canada, Novem- ber 8, 1857, a son of Captain David and Eleanor (Ouilette) Desjardins. The father, a native of France, crossed the Atlantic to Canada in early life. He was a shipbuilder in that country and later worked along the same line in various parts of the world but ultimately returned to Canada.
Bernard Desjardins was the youngest in a family of seven children. He attended the public schools of his native country and afterward learned the carpenter's trade, at which he began working when a youth of fifteen years. He was classed as a mechanic and he developed considerable skill and ability along mechanical lines. Leaving home, he removed to Burlington, Vermont, where he worked as a mechanic for a year and in 1880 came to Colorado, making his way to Fort Collins, where he conducted business as a contractor and builder, securing the contract for the erection of the courthouse at that place. He remained in Fort Collins for seven years and then sought the broader field of labor offered in Denver. He devoted five years to architectural work and later again took up contracting, erecting many of the present fine buildings of the city.
On the 5th of February, 1884, Mr. Desjardins was married to Miss Eleanor Purcell, of Fort Collins, and they became the parents of nine children. Leo A., the eldest, born at Fort Collins, was graduated from the Denver high school, attended Cornell University, where he pursued a special course in architecture, and is now well known as a represen- tative of that profession. May E., born in Fort Collins, was graduated from the high school and the Colorado State Teachers College, after which she spent two years as a student in Columbia University of New York and is now a successful public school teacher. Clotilda C., born in Denver, is now the wife of Dr. W. F. Russell, Ph. D., B. A., dean of education at the University of Iowa, but at the present time in Russia as a representative of the United States government. To Dr. and Mrs. Russell have been
BERNARD ROI DESJARDINS
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born three children: William F., Jr., James R. and Bernard Robert. Elise, born in Denver, attended the public schools. Joseph Bernard, born in Denver, is a graduate of the city high school and is now in France with the American army. He fought in the battle of Chateau Thierry, which according to military experts turned the tide of war, and also in the battle of St. Mihiel. Regina and Virginia, twins, are the next in the family, and both were graduated from the high school of Denver and are now students in the University of Iowa. John Louis, born in Denver, is attending college at St. Marys, Kansas. Richard Jerome, born in Denver and attending school in this city, completes the family.
In politics Mr. Desjardins maintains an independent attitude. He is a member of the Denver Athletic Club, the Lakewood Golf Club, the Rotary Club and the Mountain Club. He is very fond of outdoor life and mountain climbing and at the age of sixty- one years he made the entire ascent of Mount Evans, walking thirty-one miles on the trip. His long residence in Denver, the importance of his work and his individual traits of character have gained him prominence and he stands high in the business life of the state.
EDWARD J. WECKBACH.
Edward J. Weckbach, one of the organizers and the cashier of the Hamilton National Bank of Denver, was born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, on the 7th of February, 1874, a son of J. V. and Mary K. (Guthmann) Weckbach. The father came to the United States prior to the Civil war and devoted his life to merchandising, remaining for many years a valued resident of Plattsmouth, Nebraska. Both he and his wife have now passed away. Their family numbered eleven children, nine of whom are living.
Of these Edward J. Weckbach pursued his education in the schools of his native town and Omaha, Nebraska, where he completed a high school course with the class of 1888. He then turned his attention to the banking business in Lincoln, becoming identified with the Columbia National Bank, in which he was employed for six years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Cripple Creek, Colorado, and was employed in the Dave Moffat Bimetallic Bank as assistant cashier for six years. Later he went to the Colorado National Bank, where he occupied the position of paying teller for seven years, and afterward he removed to Curtis, Nebraska, where for two and a half years he ably filled the position of cashier of the State Bank of Curtis. His next business connection brought him to the Hamilton National Bank, which he aided in organizing and of which he has continuously been the cashier. He is a courteous and obliging official and his efforts have contributed in no small measure to the success and upbuilding of this institution.
In 1907 Mr. Weckbach was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude Hanford and they have become parents of two childrren, Hanford and Elizabeth, aged respectively eight and four years, the former now in school. The parents are members of St. Elizabeth's church, and Mr. Weckbach gives his political allegiance to the republican party, but while he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day he has never been an office seeker, preferring to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs. He is interested in farming near Denver, where he owns two good tracts of land, while at the same time he is capably filling the office of cashier of the Hamilton National Bank. His progress has been steady and continuous since he made his initial step in the business world and each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities, which he has carefully and intelligently utilized.
WILLIAM A. LAFFERTY.
William A. Lafferty is the owner of an excellent ranch of one hundred and seventy acres in Jefferson county which he purchased in 1912. Previous to this time he had been engaged in railroad contract work and his entire career has been characterized by unwearied industry and perseverance in anything that he has undertaken. He is numbered among the citizens that Illinois has furnished to Colorado, his birth having occurred near Alexis, in Mercer county, of the former state, on the 25th of February, 1863. He is a son of Jonathan and Maria (Lafferty) Lafferty. The father was a soldier
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in the Civil war, serving as a member of Company E, One Hundred and Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
Spending his youthful days under the parental roof, William A. Lafferty pursued his education by attendance at the district and high schools to the age of nineteen years. He afterward worked upon his father's farm and also in his father's lumber- yard, thus receiving his initial business training. In the spring of 1887 he came to Colorado, settling on the homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in old Bent county. In the spring of 1889 the county was divided, Mr. Lafferty's land being situated in that section which became Kiowa county. Upon the division of the county he was appointed to the office of county clerk and served in that position for two terms and also for one term filled the office of county treasurer. He then turned his attention to the contracting business, with headquarters at Pueblo, and was thus engaged for five years. Removing his headquarters to Denver he continued in railroad contracting in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma. He has not withdrawn altogether from that line of business, but war conditions have made it nearly impossible to con- tinue actively in that field, as railroad building has been practically suspended. In 1912 he purchased a ranch of one hundred and seventy acres in Jefferson county and has since been conducting it with good success. He is an adaptable man, forceful and resourceful in business and of unfailing energy.
On the 28th of April, 1889, Mr. Lafferty was married in Pueblo, Colorado, to Miss Christena F. Lawrence, a daughter of John and Christena Lawrence. Mrs. Lafferty was born, reared and educated in Holt county, Missouri. Mr. Lafferty is a republican in his political views and is identified with the Woodmen of the World. The extent and importance of his business interests have brought him prominently to the front and throughout his entire career he has made good use of his time and the chances for advancement. He has been connected with the development of the state along agricultural lines and with its upbuilding as a factor in the promotion of its rail- road interests, his efforts being ever of a character that have contributed to public progress and prosperity as well as to individual success.
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