USA > Colorado > History of Colorado; Volume IV > Part 97
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Frank W. Vanderhoof was reared and educated in Holdrege, Nebraska, and upon completing his education he laid aside his textbooks and took up his first practical duties in life. For ten years he was engaged in the meat business in Nebraska and Idaho on his own account and at the end of that period came to Otis and decided
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upon the real estate field as a more profitable source of income. This was in 1909. He has since operated in real estate and his firm is known as the Mid-West Land & Leasing Company, of which he is the president. Mr. Vanderhoof has not only execu- tive ability and a convincing personality to aid in his business but he has studied the real estate field thoroughly, is conversant with local real estate values and is ever ready to give valuable information in regard to local properties. He follows the highest business standards and it is therefore but natural that he has pleased many of his clients, who have spread the word, so that bis patronage has increased until today his business connections are representative and important. Outside of con- ducting his large business in Otis, he now also maintains a real estate office in Arriba, the business there increasing by leaps and bounds.
In March, 1910, Mr. Vanderhoof was united in marriage to Miss Myrtle Mercure and to them have been born two children, Dorothy and Frances. The family stand high in the social circles of their community and enjoy the hospitality of the best homes in Otis, both Mr. and Mrs. Vanderhoof being very popular among the younger set of the town.
Politically Mr. Vanderhoof is a republican and since attaining the right of fran- chise has supported the measures aud candidates of his party, although he has never demanded public office in return for his party fealty. Public honor, nevertheless, was bestowed upon him in his election to the office of justice of the peace, which he filled for eight years, and in the discharge of his duties he was always fair and impartial, administering the law according to his conscience. He is a progressive and aggressive business man, thoroughly patriotic as a citizen, and ever ready to support measures of public value undertaken in behalf of the state and nation. Moreover, he takes a practical and helpful pride in his closer home locality and particularly the community in which he resides and of which he is now mayor, and is ever ready to cooperate in or inaugurate measures which he considers of value to the growth of Otis. How- ever, he is not only interested in material development but is equally concerned in the higher things of life and does everything in his power to promote the mental, moral and intellectual uplift of the people. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church, in the work of which he is helpfully active and his fraternal relations are with the Masonic order, the beneficent principles underlying that organization ever guiding him in his relations with his fellowmen.
JOHN PURSE, JR.
John Purse, Jr., is known as one of the enterprising farmers of Adams county and, moreover, is widely known as one of the most stalwart champions of the public school system, having for twenty-seven years served as a director in his home district. Ireland claims him as a native son, his birth having occurred in Gray Abbey, uear Belfast, on the 17th of April, 1863. His father, John Purse, was also a native of that locality and remained a resident of the Emerald isle until he reached an advanced age, when he came to the new world and identified himself with the farming interests of Colorado. His death occurred while he was on a visit in Ireland in 1904. His widow reached the age of eighty-six years and passed away in Denver in January, 1917. The latter, who bore the maiden name of Jane Lemon, was likewise a native of Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. John Purse, Sr., became the parents of seven children, as follows: James, an agriculturist by occupation; William, a farmer and dairyman; John, Jr., of this review; Frank, who also follows farming; Hugh, who is employed in railroad shops; Annie, the wife of James McFerrau; and Jennie, now Mrs. Willis Colby.
John Purse of this review was but a young lad when brought to America by his parents. He began his education in the schools of Ireland but completed his studies on this side of the water, and during the periods of vacation he assisted his father, thus being early trained to the work of the farm. He was a youth of seventeen years when he secured a position in a brickyard in Denver and later he engaged in teaming for some time in that city. He was anxious, however, to engage in other lines of business, so that when his economy and industry had brought him sufficient capital he established a dairy business in connection with Mr. Epler, with whom he formed a partnership in 1885. Later, however. he purchased the interest of Mr. Epler, becoming sole proprietor of the business. He has ever worked earnestly to provide a good home and comfortable living for his family and a number of years ago purchased his present home property, on which he has since placed modern improvements that include a
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good brick residence, substantial barns and a large dairy. He is one of the prom- inent and successful dairymen of his section of the state and in addition to carrying on that business he raises large crops of corn, wheat, potatoes and alfalfa. He has for several years given close attention to his potato crop with the result that he has not only secured fine yields but a superior quality for which he finds a ready market. His farm work is conducted along the most progressive lines and his labors are bringing gratifying results.
In Denver, on the 10th of June, 1886, Mr. Purse was married to Miss Mary E. McFerran, a daughter of John McFerran, a farmer of Ireland. To Mr. and Mrs. Purse were born seven children: Adalaide, the wife of Emery M. Towle, by whom she has a son, John Emery; Ruth, a teacher in the Denver schools; Lillian, Marie and Emily, all deceased; John Russell and Willlam Joseph, at home.
The religious faith of the family is indicated in their membership in the Preshy- terian church of Denver and Mr. Purse was a liberal contributor to the building of the house of worship on Twenty-third avenue. He has served as one of the officers of the church and is much interested in all that pertains to its growth and the exten- sion of its influence. His political allegiance is given to the republican party where national issues are involved but at local elections he casts an independent ballot. He is perhaps more directly interested in the cause of education than any other thing outside of his business and he has for twenty-seven years served as a director of the school board and for a long period as its secretary. From early boyhood he has lived in Colorado and has therefore for many years been an interested witness of its growth and development, while his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present.
THOMAS J. DANAHEY, M. D.
Dr. Thomas J. Danahey, physician and surgeon, is one of those whole-hearted, sympathetic practitioners who are every ready to give their services and expert medi- cal knowledge and assistance wherever needed. While undoubtedly not without that laudable ambition to attain success which is the stimulus of all earnest endeavor, he is nevertheless constantly reaching out a helping hand and therefore should not only be characterized as a physician and surgeon but also as a philanthropist.
He was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, August 27, 1878, a son of Patrick and Lizzie (Lacey) Danalley, both of whom were natives of Nashville, Tennessee. They removed to lowa at a very early day, becoming pioneer residents of that part of the country, and in the early '50s the father began freighting, making trips with wagon trains across the plains from Council Bluffs to points in Colorado, the principal termini of these trips heing Golden and Central City, then in the throes of the early mining excitement. He had many interesting experiences while on these trips. He was one of the first freighters to engage in carrying supplies across the plains and fought In- dians, assisted in capturing road agents and was a close friend of all the early path- finders, scouts, hunters and frontiersmen, having personal acquaintance with Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill, Texas Jack and many other frontiersmen and noted men of the west. At times his wagon train was ambushed and there occurred fights with the road agents. On retiring from the business of freighting he returned to his home in Council Bluffs, where he still resides, but his wife passed away there.
Dr. Danahey is the eighth in order of birth in a family of nine children. He attended the public schools of Council Bluffs and afterward pursued his literary course in the University of Nebraska, which he attended for two years. He then came to Denver and entered the Gross Medical College, from which he was graduated in 1909 with the M. D. degree. He has since engaged in the private practice of medicine and his ability is widely recognized by many patrons. Reading, study and investigation keep him in touch with the latest discoveries of medical science and he employs his knowledge in a most effective way in alleviating pain and checking the ravages of disease. He never refuses to respond to any call of the sick even when he knows that no financial remuneration will be received. He is of kindly nature and his intense sympathy prompts him to continually extend a helping hand to those requiring assist- ance. He is a member of the City & County Medical Society, the Colorado State Med- ical Society and the American Medical Association and thus he keeps in touch with the onward trend of the profession.
Dr. Danahey was married in Denver in August, 1911, to Miss Kalten Klaren,
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whose parents were from St. Louis. They now have three children: Thomas, born in Denver in 1912; Evelyn, in 1916; and Lawrence, in August, 1918.
Dr. Danahey is a communicant of the Roman Catholic church and belongs also to the Knights of Columbus. He is not identified with lodges or clubs, however, to any extent but concentrates his efforts and attention upon his professional duties, which have grown in volume and importance as the years have passed by.
JOHN ELSNER, M. D.
Dr John Elsner comes of one of those distinguished families, members of which in 1848 lett the revolution in the central empires which unfortunately did not accom- plish the desired results. His father was numbered among the famous '48ers who had to flee their native country in order to escape the vengeance of those who suc- ceeded in suppressing the cause of liberty in Hungary. Long has the name of Elsner been famous in the former empire of Austria-Hungary and Dr. John Elsner of this review was born May 8, 1844, in Vienna. Only four years later, in 1848, his father hecame one of the leaders of the revolution with Louis Kossuth at the head of two thousand liberty-thirsting students in that civil war. Misfortune, however, overtook the movement and under dangers and great difficulties he and his family fled to Italy and from there later removed to London. They then came to America, still in the same year, and first located in New York city and later in Syracuse. There the father continued to live until his demise. In the family were three sons, Dr. John Elsner of this review, Dr. Henry L. Elsner and Dr. Simon L. Elsner, and it is of interest to mention in this connection that members of the family have been physicians for the past four hundred years.
ยท Dr. Henry L. Elsner became renowned as one of America's greatest diagnosticians, specializing in diseases of the heart, and, peculiarly, he himself died of a heart mal- ady while engaged in a consultation. He wrote a noted work on Prognosis, which was published by Appleton & Company and is still an authority on this subject. Dr. Simon L. Elsner, whose fame as a great surgeon was much more than local, died at the comparatively early age of forty-four years, and thus two members of this family passed away in a devotion to medical science.
The other brother, Dr. John Elsner, took up his professional studies at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, from which he was graduated in 1866, subsequently taking a post graduate course in Vienna. As early as 1865 he was a member of the United States Sanitary Commission, doing scientific work in this connection, and was sta- tioned on the receiving ship Ohio. He examined for physical fitness all men on the Kearsarge, Wabash, Minnesota and other warships. Later on he took a special course, graduating from the New York Ophthalmic Hospital, and also took special courses in auscultation and percussion under the famous Dr. Austin Flint. Having also delved into other scientific lines, Dr. Elsner had acquired an intimate knowledge of mineralogy and friends interested in what was known as the Onondago lode at Black- hawk, Colorado, sent him with a complete outfit to work that property and act as superintendent. Being thoroughly impressed with the future greatness of the west, Dr. Elsner accepted the proposition and with thirty wagons in his train crossed the prairies, encountering many dangerous situations and hardships on the trip. For eight days his party had to fight the Indians but at last he reached Blackhawk and, to use a colloquial phrase, found that the rich mine simply consisted of a hole in the ground. Having taken the route by way of Denver, he on June 6, 1866, returned to this city and, considering it a good point of vantage and a possibly favorable field for the future, decided to establish himself here in his profession. Today Dr. Elsner is the dean of the medical profession in Colorado and perhaps the most famous gen- eral practitioner in the vast region of the west. Much that had to do with implant- ing medical science in Colorado is found in the beginning of his professional career here. He was the founder of the first county hospital, no similar institution exist- ing before this time, and it was he who took patients out of hen coops and barns and placed them in a sanitary structure which was located on Ninth street. Soon his reputation spread, as he succeeded in handling numerous cases successfully, and much practice devolved upon him. Subsequently he was appointed county physician by the county commissioners. Today Dr. Elsner stands as one of the most honored representatives of his profession in Colorado, his large experience and his spirit of progressiveness, which keeps him in contact with the latest discoveries, placing him at the head of medical men within the state. Upon many subjects he is considered
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an authority and his opinions and services are frequently asked in consultation by other physicians and surgeons. He is very proud of a most valuable medical library, which is considered one of the finest in America and which he has personally col- lected, which includes book treasures, many of which antedate those to be found in the greatest medical libraries of the country. His mineralogical collection is also considered one of the finest in America and this he has turned over to the state and it is now on exhibition in the Historical Museum. It is not, however, along these lines alone that Dr. Elsner has proven himself a discriminating collector, for he has at his home valuable objects of art, many of which could not be duplicated in this country, the collection being worth many thousands of dollars.
Dr. and Mrs. Elsner are both prominent in social circles and take an active interest in all those things which make for a greater and better city. Mrs. Elsner has de- voted much of her time to philanthropy and generously supports many movements which are undertaken to alleviate human ills and distress. She is the mother of a daughter, Rosalind, who is a brilliant and talented young woman, very popular among the younger people of the city.
Dr. Elsner has for years served on the staffs of the large hospitals of Denver and in this connection it may be mentioned that it was he, Bishop Machebeauf, Father Bender and Sister Superior who founded St. Joseph's Hospital. He not only gives his time to his profession but also was for years a professor and lecturer at Gross Medical College, readily instilling into the students that great knowledge which he himself had acquired in American and European institutions and which he had care- fully fostered and augmented by many cases of practical experience. He is the founder of the state and local societies of Colorado; is honorary member of same; also an honorary of the State Medical Association of California; also of the British Museum Association, and the Scientific Association of Paris, France. He is a member of the American Medical Association and of the International Medical Congress. Among the profession he is spoken of with veneration and he enjoys the complete confidence of . the general public.
RALPH R. DRENNEN.
Ralph R. Drennen, engaged in the real estate and loan business at Fort Morgan, was born in Warren county, Illinois, on the 8th of September, 1882, a son of Perry J. and Eliza J. (Clark) Drennen, the former a native of Pennsylvania, while the latter was born in Ohio. The father was a farmer by occupation and removed to Illinois from Pennsylvania at an early day. He conducted a farm in Warren county, Illinois, until 1884, when he removed to Pawnee county, Nebraska, where he purchased land which he continued to further develop and improve until his life's labors were ended in death. He served with the Seventy-third Illinois Regiment during the Civil war and his death resulted from a weakened condition brought about by exposure at the battle of Fredericksburg, although he lived for a number of years thereafter, passing away upon his farm in Nebraska in March, 1887. His widow is still living and now makes her home with her son Ralph at Fort Morgan.
While a native of Illinois, Ralph R. Drennen was reared and educated in Pawnee county, Nebraska, supplementing his district school course by study in a business college at Lincoln, Nebraska. He remained with his mother upon the home farm until 1907, when he came to Fort Morgan, Colorado, and engaged in the real estate and loan business, which he has since conducted. He is thoroughly familiar with property values in this section of the state and has negotiated many important realty transfers. He also has extensive farming interests in Morgan county and operates eight irrigated farms of a quarter section each, raising more sugar beets than any other person in the county. His fields are most carefully and wisely cultivated and the results attained are very gratifying. He is likewise a stockholder in the Merchants Bank of Denver. In a word, he is a man of sound business judgment, keen sagacity and of undaunted enterprise, and his intelligently directed labors have been attended with very sub- stantial success.
In September, 1911, Mr. Drennen was married to Miss Gertrude A. Peters, and they have become the parents of two children: Ralph R. J., who was born in November, 1914; and Archibald E., born in November, 1917.
Mr. Drennen belongs to the Woodmen of the World and also to the Modern Woodmen of America. In politics he is a republican. In 1914, however, he became allied with the progressive party and was nominated on its ticket for congress but was defeated.
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His religious faith is that of the United Brethren church. He is a man of genuine personal worth, highly esteemed by all who know him by reason of his many sterling traits of character. Laudable ambition has many times prompted him to take a for- ward step and as he has steadily progressed a broader outlook has opened up before him with wider opportunities, which he has carefully utilized and thereby has advanced continuously toward the goal of prosperity.
ELMER GEER.
A native of Colorado, Elmer Geer, a prosperous farmer and stock raiser of Boulder county, was born in the city of Denver, September 1, 1866, and it seems that the spirit of western enterprise was one of the gifts which the fairy godmother gave to him in his cradle. That energy he has ever since utilized to good advantage and thereby has attained prosperity and a substantial standing among his fellow citizens in Boul- der county. He is a son of Solomon and Nancy (Phoenix) Geer, natives of Connecti- cut and Pennsylvania respectively. Both later removed to Illinois, in which state they were married in Stark county. There they resided for some time but in 1859 the stories of the fabulous wealth of Pike's Peak attracted the attention of Mr. Geer, who was induced to come to Colorado. In the spring of 1866 he moved his family to this state, the plains being crossed by ox teams and location being made in Boulder county. Shortly after their arrival the subject of this review was born. The father continued to follow mining until 1872, when he decided to settle upon a ranch, to the cultivation of which he devoted his remaining days, and there both he and his wife passed away. They were the parents of nine children, of whom but two are now living.
Elmer Geer was reared upon the home farm and received his education in the schools of Colorado. On laying aside his textbooks he assisted his father in the work of the home place but after reaching his majority engaged in the lumber business for several years. In 1902 he bought the property upon which he now lives and which comprises two hundred and twelve acres, all under the ditch. He makes a specialty of dairying and also derives a gratifying income from general farming. Always fol- lowing progressive methods, he has closely studied the soil and climatic conditions to good advantage, turning his efforts to good purpose and thereby receiving an in- creasingly gratifying income from his labors.
In 1887, at the age of twenty-one, Mr. Geer was united in marriage to Miss Nida Smith, a native of Boulder county and a daughter of C. C. and Matina M. (Steele) Smith. Her parents are still living and are honored pioneers of Boulder county. Mr. and Mrs. Geer are the parents of nine children: Hubert; Nancy and Lloyd, both deceased; Carl; Bernice, a teacher; Owen, who is now attending college, studying for the ministry; Harry; Irma; and Lois.
Mr. and Mrs. Geer are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which they are very active, Mr. Geer serving as deacon. Interested in the cause of education, he has served for eight years on the school board and along the line of his occupation he is connected with the Grange, of which he is a valued member. He has many friends in his neighborhood and at Longmont, which is his postoffice, and all who know him speak of him in terms of high regard. He has earned the proud American title of self-made man, for all those possessions which he has acquired have come to him through his own efforts.
MRS. NORA K. HARTMAN.
Mrs. Nora K. Hartman has demonstrated her ability in a business way by care- fully and successfully carrying on her farm work. She always lived in Grand county, Colorado, until five years ago, when she removed to Boulder county. He has witnessed remarkable changes in this state from pioneer times to the present. She is a daughter of Peter A. Leyner, mentioned elsewhere in this work in connection with the sketch of another daughter, Mrs. Mattie M. Howell.
Mrs. Hartman spent her girlhood days under the parental roof and pursued her education in the public schools. She now resides upon part of her father's old home- stead, having one hundred and sixty acres of rich and productive land, all under irri- gation. She gives personal supervision and attention to the management and devel- opment of the farm and her practical ideas and progressive spirit are manifest in the
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excellent results which have been attained. She has greatly improved the farm with good buildings, having an attractive residence upon it, together with large barns and sheds that give ample shelter to grain and stock. She has specialized in the pro- duction of wheat and alfalfa and annually gathers good crops of each. She has secured the latest improved farm machinery to facilitate the work of the fields and everything about the place indicates her thorough understanding of the most modern and scien- tific methods of farming.
In 1884 Nora K. Leyner became the wife of John H. Hartman, of Breckenridge, Colorado. She now has eight children, all of whom are living, namely: J. H., of Denver; George M., a resident of Wolcott, Colorado; Charles A., who is a member of the United States army; Ralph L., who is now in France with the colors; Marie, the wife of C. C. Eastin; Nina C., who is a graduate of the college at Fort Collins and is now successfully teaching; Philip A .; and Mattie, who is a high school pupil. The family is well known in their section of Boulder county, where they have an exten- sive circle of warm friends, and Mrs. Hartman is recognized, moreover, as a most cap- able business woman, while her social qualities have gained for her the high regard and friendship of many.
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