USA > Colorado > History of Colorado; Volume IV > Part 99
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He is widely and prominently known among the old Volunteer Fire Department men of the city and still holds the position of Chief of the Denver Veteran Volunteer Firemen's Association, which position he has continuously filled since 1908.
On the 13th of January, 1886, Mr. Barker was united in marriage to Miss Emma Stevens, of Denver, a daughter of John R. and Lavinia Stevens, who were natives of Wisconsin. Seven children have been born of this marriage, two of whom have passed away, Clarence and Dorothy. Those yet living being Robert E., Olive J., Ruth, Eunice I. and Donald L. Barker. All of the children being reared in Denver, attending the Public and High Schools of Denver.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Barker is connected with the Woodmen of the
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World, and he was the first acting president of the Sons of Colorado, in which organi- zation he still holds membership. His entire life has been passed in Denver, so that through fifty-eight years he has been a witness of the growth and development of the city, being keenly interested in everything that pertains to its progress and improve- ment. He was elected Alderman of the second Ward of Denver, in 1907, and acted for two years with credit to the City, he giving a great deal of his energies and time to the benefit of the business interests of Denver.
ERNEST DANIEL MITZE.
Ernest Daniel Mitze, actively identified with farming and stock raising in the vicinity of Broomfield, was born in Elberfeld, Germany, February 22, 1872, a son of Daniel and Marguerite Mitze. The father was a wagonmaker in his native country, where he remained until 1876, when he came to the United States, making his way to Onaga, Kansas, where he lived for about three years, devoting his time during that period to general farming. He afterward came to Colorado, settling in the vicinity of Broomfield, where he secured one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he has since owned and cultivated.
The son, Ernest D. Mitze, was educated in the public schools of Denver and after putting aside his textbooks resumed work upon the home farm. About the time he attained his majority he rented his father's ranch, which he has since cultivated, and he also has one hundred and sixty acres devoted to stock raising. His plans are carefully formulated and promptly executed, and the energy, system and close appli- cation which he displays in the conduct of his business brings about most desirable results.
On the 16th of November, 1898, Mr. Mitze was married in Broomfield to Miss Anna Fisher, who passed away in 1902, leaving three children, Anna, Marie and Ernest. On the 29th of November, 1905, Mr. Mitze was again married, his second union heing with Louise Weigele, a daughter of George and Louise (Mitze) Weigele. Mrs. Mitze was born in Denver and attended the city schools. By her marriage she has become the mother of two children, Henry and Ella.
The family; though of German lineage, stand loyally for the interests and activities of America in this great world crisis and Mrs. Mitze is an active worker for the Red Cross. Mr. Mitze belongs to that class who cannot and do not endorse any of the atrocious wrongs committed by the German empire. He has lived on this side of the Atlantic since reaching the age of four years and is thoroughly American in spirit, interests and purpose. He belongs to the Grange, holds membership in the Lutheran church and is a member of the school board in his district. He cooperates heartily in all that pertains to the welfare and progress of the community and at the same time he wisely and carefully directs his business affairs, thus providing a comfortable living for his family.
JAMES ADAMS PERLEY.
James Adams Perley is a venerable citizen of eighty-three years whose identifi- cation with Colorado dates from pioneer times. He has been closely identified with the development of the mining interests of the state and now makes his home upon a ranch near Morrison, the work of the place, however, being left to others. Mr. Perley was born in Enesburg, Franklin county, Vermont, May 27, 1835, a son of William and Lydia Adams (Perkins) Perley. The paternal grandfather served in the Revolutionary war under Washington.
James A. Perley was educated in the schools of his native county, which he at- tended for three months in the winter season when opportunity offered, covering about four winters all told. He worked upon his father's farm throughout the remainder of the year and early became familiar with the tasks of plowing, planting and harvesting. On attaining his majority he determined to try his fortune in the west and made his way to lowa, being employed at farm labor near Des Moines for two years. He then removed to Emporia, Kansas, where he also spent two years and he assisted a cousin in erecting buildings there in which to conduct a dry goods and hardware business.
In the year 1860 Mr. Perley crossed the plains from Council Bluffs to Pike's Peak over the old Santa Fe trail. There were many interesting experiences while en route.
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They crossed the Buffalo plains and passed through the regions occupied by the Co- manche and Kiowa Indians. They passed through the Comanche district at night and in the morning were seen by the red men, from whom they ran, as there were only seven men in the party. Mr. Perley believes that it was Jesse James who led them unmo- lested through the Kiowa nation.
After reaching Colorado, Mr. Perley began mining at Blackhawk and also followed prospecting and farming. In fact those occupations claimed his attention until 1896 and in the meantime he had located the Black Jack mine, which was a very rich prop- erty, although not large. In 1896 he removed to Jefferson county, settling near Mor- rison on what is known as the Bradford place, once a famous road stop of the early days. It comprises four hundred and sixty acres of land, which has been brought under a high state of cultivation and development, being one of the valuable ranch prop- erties of the district. In addition to owning this place Mr. Perley is still qnite exten- sively interested in mining properties, including the Silver Dollar, the Silver Dime, the Republican and the Linden Castle.
Mr. Perley was married in Blackhawk on the 10th of April, 1863, to Miss Char- lotte Verden, a daughter of John and Eliza (Hunt) Verden and a native of Wisconsin. Her father crossed the plains to Colorado in pioneer times and the family faced the hardships and privations of frontier life here. To Mr. and Mrs. Perley have been born the following named: Eugene, who is manager of the Black Jack mine; James H., who is upon the ranch; Emma Belle, the wife of William Beal; Gertrude, the wife of Charles Cox, living in Blackhawk; Mrs. Martha G. Rusk; and Addie, the wife of Ernest Hill.
In his political views Mr. Perley is a democrat, having supported the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. There is no phase of frontier life in Colorado with which he is not familiar, his memory forming a connecting link between the primitive past, with all of its hardships and privations, and the progressive present with its comforts and its opportunities. He can relate many an interesting incident of the mining camps and he has been an interested witness of the progress and; im- provement that has been carried steadily forward as the years have passed on. He has a wide acquaintance throughout Colorado and is now numbered among its ven- erable citizens, receiving the respect of all who have known him. His success in life has been achieved entirely through his own efforts. Starting out with but limited educational advantages, he has made good use of his time and opportunities as the years have passed on, has learned many valuable lessons in the school of experience and by his persistency of purpose and indefatigable energy made for himself a place among the substantial and well-to-do residents of Morrison.
JOSEPH H. STRAUEL.
Joseph H. Strauel, a well known rancher of Simla, was born near Kiowa, on the Bijou, April 15, 1881, and has spent his entire life in Colorado. His parents were Joseph H. and Elsie (Aarons) Strauel. The mother, who was born in the east, is still living, now making her home in Los Angeles, California. The father was a native of Alsace and served as a soldier under Napoleon III in the Crimean war. Later he was for several years in the service of Empress Eugenie of France. He came to this country in the early '60s, going first to Michigan, and about the year 1866 he settled on the John Lundy ranch on the Bijon. He was thus prominently identified with the stock raising interests of the district and became one of the honored ranchers of Elbert county. He belonged to that class of sturdy pioneers who were so greatly needed in the days when Elbert county ranches were constantly raided by bands of roving Indians. He was courageous, determined, energetic, resolute, capable of pro- tecting the interests under his charge, and his efforts constituted a strong element in the development and growth of the region in which he lived. After the death of her husband Mrs. Strauel purchased the fine three hundred and twenty acre Strauel farm close to Simla. This, with eighty acres taken up by the father as a timber claim, constitutes the family's land holdings. It was as a raiser of fine cattle and sheep that Mr. Strauel made an enviable reputation, displaying marked industry and skill in this connection and becoming one of the successful and prominent stock raisers of the district.
Joseph H. Strauel, his son, is today one of the best horsemen in the state and as a cow puncher he enjoyed a well merited reputation, even in his teens. He devoted
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a number of years to breaking horses and afterward concentrated his efforts and attention upon road building. For a year he graded all the railroad crossings from Phillipsburg, Kansas, to Burlington, Colorado, for the Rock Island. He is now engaged in the further development and improvement of the large Strauel ranch near Simla and is also in the real estate business, huying and selling houses. He displays sound judgment and keen discrimination in all of his affairs and his energies have made him a most creditable successor of his father as one of the representative business men of the district.
Joseph H. Strauel of this review was long a member of the National Guard and saw important service in the Trinidad coal strike. He was stationed at Berwind with Company B and was the first man called to render aid after the famous battle of Ludlow.
HON. BENJAMIN CLARK HILLIARD.
Hon. Benjamin Clark Hilliard, who has represented his district in congress and who since 1893 has been engaged in the active practice of law in Denver, was horn in a log cabin on a farm eight miles north of Osceola, in Clarke county, Iowa, Jan- uary 9, 1868. His father, Albert George Hilliard, was a volunteer private soldier dur- ing the Civil war, belonging to Company, B of the Thirty-seventh Illinois Infantry, commanded hy the late John C. Black. He devoted his life to the occupation of farm- ing, was a man of gigantic proportions, industrious and hard-working, and rose to success in his chosen field of labor. He was always esteemed because of his coura- geous spirit and his unassailable honor. He married Euphemia Ellen Clark, a lady of liberal education and culture, but death claimed her while she was yet young and in 1881 she passed away, leaving a husband and three young children to mourn her untimely demise. She was laid to rest in the cemetery at New Virginia, Iowa. Mr. Hilliard afterward married again and removed to Kansas. In 1906 he met an acci- dental death by drowning and his remains were interred at Pratt, Kansas. During the period of the Civil war, while courageously defending the stars and stripes, he was twice severely wounded and carried two bullets to his grave. At the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, a hullet destroyed his right eye and this hullet continued with him to the end. The Hilliard family comes of English ancestry planted on American soil in colonial days. The Clark family is also of English lineage. Benjamin Lilly Hilliard, grandfather of Congressman Hilliard, was born in Vermont in 1810 and that state had been the home of the family through two previous generations. The maternal grand- father, John Clark, was a native of Ohio.
After mastering the branches of learning taught in the public schools of Iowa and Kansas, Benjamin Clark Hilliard was graduated from the College of Law of the State University of Iowa on the 16th of June, 1891, winning the LL. B. degree. He entered upon the practice of law in Kansas City, Missouri, where he remained until February 1, 1893, when he came to Denver, where he has since continued. His life has been that of the usual routine work of the lawyer, but developing powers have brought him recognition as an able member of the har and his clientage has long been large and of a distinctively important character. In 1896 he was made city attorney of Highlands, then a suburb of Denver, and from 1902 until 1912 he was county attorney of Elbert county and from 1909 until 1911 was also county attorney of Grand county. In 1902 he was elected representative to the fourteenth general assembly of Colorado but was unseated in a contest. Almost uninterruptedly he served as a member of the board of education of Denver from 1900 until August, 1917. In 1915 he was chosen to represent the Denver district in congress, serving in the sixty- fourth and sixty-fifth sessions. His term of office continued until 1919. He was orig- inally a republican but gradually his views changed until he became a democrat under the leadership of W. J. Bryan and H. M. Teller, and it was upon the democratic ticket that he was chosen for congressional honors.
On the 22d of May, 1889, in Carroll county, Missouri, Mr. Hilliard was married to Miss Tida Zimmerman, a daughter of John and Dora Zimmerman, who were well-to- do farming people. Their daughter Tida was the youngest of a large family and was given excellent educational advantages. To Mr. and Mrs. Hilliard have been born the following named: Loraine, the wife of Ralph E. Finnicum, an attorney; Albert, who is now vice consul at Edinburgh, Scotland, and who married Florence Howard, a niece of Congressman Bruce F. Sterling, of Pennsylvania; Opal Naomi, at home; and Benjamin Clark, Jr., who is in the military service of his country.
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Mr. Hilliard belongs to the Democratic Club of Denver, to the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World. He has been worshipful master of Highlands Lodge, No. 86, A. F. & A. M., of Denver, filling the office in 1901. His religious faith is indicated hy his membership in the Highlands Christian church of Denver. His activities in lodge and church circles, in politics and in his profession have brought him prominently before the public and as a man of worth he is honored by his fellow citizens of Denver.
GEORGE W. KNAPP.
For twenty-two years George W. Knapp has resided upon the farm in Adams county which he now occupies. It was in 1896 that he purchased the property and it has since been his place of residence, while throughout the intervening years he has con- centrated his energies upon its development and improvement. That his labors have been attended with excellent results is indicated in the fine appearance of his place. Mr. Knapp was horn in Monroe county, New York, on the 14th of March, 1862, a son of Joseph and Mary (Sigler) Knapp. The mother was also a native of the Empire state, and in Monroe county the father followed the occupation of farming and there reared his family, numbering nine children.
George W. Knapp is indebted to the district school system of his native county for the educational privileges which he enjoyed. He continued to attend school through the winter seasons until he reached his majority, after which he began farming on the old home place, devoting his energies to its further development and improvement until he reached the age of twenty-six years. He then went to Michigan, establishing his home in Kalamazoo, where he conducted a grocery store for two years. He then sold his business at that point and returned to the Empire state, where he resumed agricultural pursuits, devoting six years to farm life at that period. The lure of the west, however, was upon him and in 1896 he came to Colorado, making his way to Adams county, where he purchased eighty acres of land, which he has since farmed. He has brought the place to a high state of development and improvement. The fields annually bring forth good crops as a result of the care and labor which he bestows upon them, and his farm is an excellent property which any man might well desire to possess.
In Monroe county, New York, on the 1st of January, 1888, Mr. Knapp was married to Miss Lucy Snook, who was born in New York and was there reared and educated. The children of this marriage are: Mrs. Mattie Snyder; John S., who married a Miss Snyder; Ruhy, the wife of W. C. Miller; Clara; Ora; Florence; Merrick; Archibald; Frank; and Ruby.
Mr. Knapp is identified with the Grange and is much interested in its work and purposes. In fact he keeps in close touch with various movements that tend to pro- mote agricultural development and render the labors of the farmer of more avail in promoting the productivity of the district. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and while he has never sought nor filled political office, he is serving as a member of the school board. His aid and influence are always given on the side of advancement, and the county numbers him among her citizens of worth.
JOHN W. WILLIAMSON.
John W. Williamson, devoting his attention to farming and stock raising in Jef- ferson county, was born upon the farm which he yet occupies, his natal day being May 30, 1876. His father, John Williamson, Sr., was a native of Scotland, and the mother, who bore the maiden name of Annie A. Grandville, was born in England. They were married in London in 1858 and in July, 1872, came to the new world. making their way across the country to Colorado, where they took up their abode upon the ranch now occupied by John W. Williamson, comprising four hundred acres of land. With characteristic energy the father began the development and improvement of the property and transformed the tract of wild land into productive fields. Upon this place both he and his wife passed away in the year 1911. They had a family of but two children and the elder died at the age of sixteen years.
The surviving member of the family is John W. Williamson, who spent his youth- ful days upon the homestead farm in Jefferson county and supplemented his early
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district school educational privileges by a course in the high schools of Denver and of Chillicothe, Missouri. When his textbooks were put aside he returned to the farm and has since devoted his attention to the production of grain and the raising of stock, making a specialty of handling shorthorn cattle and Duroc hogs. He is a progressive agriculturist, constantly studying out new methods to enhance the pro- ductiveness of his fields, and at all times energy and determination have been dom- inant factors in his career. He works earnestly and persistently and his keen dis- crimination enables him to readily recognize the value and worth of progressive ideas relative to farming. He is the owner of five hundred and sixty acres of land and he also leases an equal amount, so that he is carrying on farm work very extensively. He. certainly deserves great credit for what he has accomplished. Eleven years ago he was handicapped by the loss of his sight, but notwithstanding this he still manages his farm and can fix all of the machinery and does all of the milking. He possesses natural mechanical skill and ingenuity and this enables him to do anything along the line of repair work. He uses the latest improved machinery to facilitate the work of the fields and everything about the place is suggestive of progress and improvement. He is also a member of the Grange.
In 1912 Mr. Williamson was united in marriage to Miss Olive M. Rahb, who was born in Indiana, a daughter of Edward M. and Lilly S. (Smith) Rabb, who were like- wise natives of that state. They became residents of Denver in 1891 and twenty years later the father passed away, in 1911, but the mother is still living. Their family numbered five children, all of whom survive. Mrs. Williamson is a graduate of the North Denver high school and also pursued a special course of study in the University of Colorado at Boulder. In early womanhood she took up the profession of teaching, which she successfully followed for twelve years. She is a lady of broad education and superior culture and has many admirable qualities which have won her high regard. By her marriage she has become the mother of one son, John Rabb Williamson, horn March 25, 1913.
Mrs. Williamson is a consistent member of the Congregational church. Mr. Wil- liamson gives his political allegiance to the republican party, and while he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, he has served for fifteen years on the school board, the cause of education finding in him a stalwart champion. His genuine worth is widely acknowledged by all with whom he comes in contact. Notwithstand- ing the handicap of his loss of sight, he keeps in touch with the questions and issues of the day and is an intelligent, progressive man and representative farmer, highly esteemed by all who know him.
EDWARD LEHMAN.
Edward Lehman is the president and treasurer of the Edward Lehman Jewelry Company, Incorporated, of Denver. The business is conducted in the A. C. Foster building and theirs is one of the leading jewelry houses of the city. A spirit of marked progressiveness and enterprise has constituted the foundation for the development of the trade. Mr. Lehman has long been identified with the jewelry business in Denver but he comes to the west from Buffalo, New York, where his birth occurred September 23, 1857. His father was Nicholas Lehman, a native of Germany who crossed the Atlantic to the new world about 1836 and settled in Buffalo, New York, where he resided throughout the greater part of his life. He became a successful boot and shoe manufacturer there, but at the time of the Civil war he put aside all business and personal considerations and went to the front in defense of the Union, making a credit- able military record by reason of the valorous aid which he gave to the army. He passed away in 1893, at the age of eighty-six years. His wife hore the maiden name of Caroline Lingseiler. She, too, was born in Germany and was brought to America by her parents during the latter part of the '30s, the family home being established in Buffalo, New York, while later a removal was made to New York city. Mrs. Lehman passed away in 1894, at the age of eighty-four years. She had reared a family of nine children, seven sons and two daughters, of whom three of the sons are yet living: Louis, a resident of Denver; John, who makes his home in Buffalo, New York; and Edward, of this review.
The last named was educated in his native city, passing through consecutive grades in the public schools until he became a high school pupil. He started out in the busi- ness world when a youth of seventeen, being sent upon the road as a traveling sales- man by his father. He succeeded in the work and continued active in that field of
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labor for about three years, when on account of ill health he was obliged to seek a change of climate and on the advice of his physician came direct to Colorado. It had been said that he could not live, but he arrived in this state in September, 1879, and under the beneficial influence of Colorado's splendid climate he at once began to improve. After a period of rest and recreation he accepted employment on a ranch as a sheep herder near Castle Rock and thus had the benefit of outdoor life. This proved to be his salvation and, living thus in the open, he soon recovered his health, after which he returned to Denver and took a position with C. W. Little, then the only wholesale jeweler of the city. He went upon the road as a traveling salesman and continued with the firm for several years, traveling throughout the western states. In 1882 he entered the wholesale jewelry business on his own account and in 1885 he formed a partnership with C. M. Blythe under the firm style of Blythe & Lehman. They conducted their business at the corner of Blake and Sixteenth streets, in the Witter block, and although they began their business on a very small scale their trade steadily increased from the beginning until today Mr. Lehman is at the head of the largest and most widely known wholesale jewelry house in the Rocky Mountain region. In 1887 the firm of Blythe, Lehman & Company was established, taking in C. H. Green, of Saginaw, Michigan, as a partner. That association was continued for a year, at the end of which time the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Lehman established a busi- ness of his own, which he has since successfully conducted. In 1893 he admitted W. W. Hamilton to a partnership under the firm style of Lehman & Hamilton and that connection was maintained until 1902, when the partners severed relations and each established business independently. In 1904 Mr. Lehman established the present business, which was incorporated under the name of the Edward Lehman Jewelry Company, of which he became the president and treasurer. He has since filled the dual position, while H. G. Fisher is the secretary. The firm has a very extensive business outside of Colorado, covering also the states of Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and New Mexico. The house employs on an average of fifteen people and the business is a very substantial and growing one. There is no feature of the jewelry trade with which Mr. Lehman is not thoroughly familiar. Practically his entire life has been devoted to business activity of this character and at all points in his career he has been actuated by a laudable ambition that has produced most desirable results. He has been a persistent, resolute and energetic worker, possessing strong executive power. He always keeps his hand steadily upon the helm of his commercial interests and is conscientious in his dealings with creditor and debtor alike. He is constantly studying the possibilities of the trade and he has passed over the pitfalls into which unrestricted progressive- ness is so frequently led. Focusing his energies in directions where fruition is certain, he has built up an enterprise of most gratifying proportions and at all times his record has been the expression of native justice, of deep earnestness and indomitable perse- verance and a progressive spirit ruled by intelligence and good judgment.
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