History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado, Part 84

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co. cn; Vickers, W. B. (William B.), 1838-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 844

USA > Colorado > Arapahoe County > History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado > Part 84
USA > Colorado > Denver County > Denver > History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado > Part 84

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

was a delegate from Colorado to the Democratic National Convention in St. Louis, which nomi- nated Tilden and Hendricks as candidates for Pres- ident and Vice President of the United States. Mr. Williams was married in Plattsmouth, Neb., in 1869, to Miss Ina F. Brown, of Branch County, Mich., and has two daughters.

HON. JAMES S. WOLFE.

James S. Wolfe, Collector of Internal Revenue for the District of Colorado, was born in Seneca County, N. Y., in the year 1829. His father died when he was a mere lad of seven, and, two years afterward, his widowed mother moved with her family, consisting of four daughters and him- self, to Michigan, where he received a common- school education. In 1850, he located at Albia, Iowa, and engaged in the mercantile business, where he remained until the beginning of the rebellion, when, being notified by the officers of the Thirty-sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry that they had elected him sutler of that regiment, he joined his command in that capacity, and con- tinued therein until mustered out in 1865. In March, 1859, he was united in marriage to Miss E. T. Barlow, a relative and, after the death of her parents, a protege of ex-Senator Harlan, of Iowa. At the close of the war, Mr. Wolfe located in Little Rock, Ark., and again embarked in the mercantile business, which he pursued until 1868. In 1866, Gen. Ord appointed him Treasurer of the city of Little Rock, a position he held and faithfully administered until the admission of Arkansas back into the National Council, under a reconstructed government. In 1868, Gov. Clay- ton appointed him to the office of Assessor for Pulaski County, to which he was re-appointed in 1870 by Gov. Hadley, and again, in 1872, by Gov. Baxter, a position which he held until in 1874, a period of six years. In the spring of 1872, his health becoming greatly impaired by years of arduous devotion to business, in company with a number of friends he removed to Colorado, and settled in Colorado Springs in July, 1872,

629

BIOGRAPHICAL.

where he resided until April 1, 1879. At Colo- rado Springs, his irrepressible enterprise caused him to further many improvements in that rapidly growing town, and he early became an active operator in its real-estate market. He has been connected with the El Paso County Bank from its incorporation up to the present. In 1874, he was appointed a member of the Board of Direct- ors of the Deaf Mute Institute by Gov. Routt, and was continued in this position by subsequent appointments until early in 1879, when private business and other official duties induced him to resign a trust which he had so ably discharged for years. In 1877, Internal Revenue Collector Wilson appointed him a deputy for the Third Division, which position he held until February 1, 1879, when he was appointed Collector for the Colorado District by President Hayes. Mr. Wolfe has ever been a public-spirited citizen, and public enterprises have been materially furthered by him wherever opportunities afforded. In politics, he is indefatigable, and, as an organizer, has remarkable tact-a faculty that has brought him into more or less prominence in all the politi- cal canvasses in which he has ever engaged.

HON. CHARLES W. WRIGHT.

C. W. Wright is the present Attorney General of Colorado. He was elected at the general elec- tion held in 1878, and was the only candidate on the ticket who received a majority over both his adversaries. This fact shows his personal popu- larity throughout the State. Mr. Wright was born in the city of Rochester, N. Y., in December, 1843. His parents are well-to-do, refined and educated people, his father being an allopatbic physician of note. Dr. Wright, as a child, accom- panied his father from the State of Vermont to the then wilds of Ohio; and the subject of our sketch, imbued with his ancestor's love of adven- ture, before arriving at the age of fourteen, left his father's house one rainy night, barefooted, penniless, and almost without clothes, and turned his face toward the West, and began a weary

tramp. The next time he saw his parents, he had traveled over nearly every State in the Union ; had visited Pike's Peak, when it was first known, and had had the degree of Bachelor of Laws conferred upon him by the State University of Michigan. Beginning his travels, and the respon- sibilities of his own life, at such a tender age, one can hardly realize how he elbowed his way on, shunning the many pitfalls of life, and laboring for the single aim he had in life-to make out of himself a lawyer. That Mr. Wright has succeeded in this, his ambition, is acknowledged by all ; but he has succeeded by the closest attention to him- self, to his general and legal education, and to his powers before a jury and upon the stump. Mr. Wright's education began in the public schools, and continued until he began life for himself. From this time until the present, he has continued a student, but has confined his studies to those branches of learning in which he takes delight. He graduated third in a law class consisting of seventy-five persons, in the spring of 1863. From this time until 1866, he was employed as a traveling correspondent of a newspaper, with a commission to go where he pleased, and remain as long as he pleased. In 1866, he settled at St. Joseph, Mo., and began the real work of his pro- fession. In 1867, he was made one of the Jus- tices of the Peace of that city. In 1868, he was appointed one of the solicitors of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company. In 1869, he was appointed one of the solicitors of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Com- pany. The following year, he was nominated by acclamation, by the Republican Convention, to the office of Judge of the Common Pleas Court, a court of general, original civil jurisdiction. At the time of his nomination, it was equivalent to an election ; but the registry laws were repealed by public opinion before the election and every one was entitled to vote, resulting in the defeat of the Republican ticket by an average majority of 1,288 ; whereas Mr. Wright was defeated by but forty- five votes. He then resigned his position as the

BIOGRAPHICAL.

630

solicitor for the railway companies, and again came to Colorado, settling in Denver in the sum- mer of 1871, where he still resides. In 1873, he was appointed County Attorney for Arapahoe County, which position he held for three years. Mr. Wright cannot well be called a politician, although he is a zealous Republican. Still, he loves his profession better than his party, and pre- fers the intellectual duels of the former to the brawling fights of the latter. He is now a mem- ber of the firm of Butler, Wright & King, for years one of the most prominent law firms of the West, the clients of which, in their battles before juries or courts, feel secure in Mr. Wright's hands.

WILLIAM R. WHITEHEAD, M. D.

As a citizen, Dr. Whitehead has been identified with the interests of Denver for several years, and as a physician he may be classed among the fore- most of his profession. He was born at Suffolk, Va., December 15, 1831. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, Va., in 1851; from the University of Pennsylvania in 1853, and from the University of Paris (Ecole de Medicine de Paris) in 1860. He first settled in New York, but on the breaking-out of the war, en- tered the confederate army, and at its close returned to New York, and practiced his profession about seven years. In 1872, he removed to Colorado, and settled in Denver. During his first residence in New York, he was made Professor of Clinical Medicine in the New York Medical College, and on his return, after the war, held the position of Physician to the Woman's Department of the Northwestern Dispensary for five years. He is a member of the Denver Medical Association, and of the Colorado State Medical Society. He was formerly a member of a number of medical socie- ties in New York. His medical writings have been " On Cleft Palate, " published in the American Journal of Medical Science, New York Medical Journal, and the transactions of the American Medical Associations ; " On Stricture of Rectum, " in the American Journal of Medical Science ;

various reviews and many other papers on medical subjects. In 1855, he occupied the position of Surgeon in the Russian Army in Sebastopol. In the civil war, in this country, he was Regimental Surgeon, senior surgeon of a brigade, acting sur- geon of a division in the Confederate army, and President of the Medical Examining Board for conscripts and disabled soldiers. Since he has become a citizen of Denver, he has served two years as Alderman of this city, and is a member of the Board of Health. In 1877, he was elected President of the Denver Medical Association. Dr. Whitehead has contributed his share to the im- provement and growth of the city by erecting a handsome block on the corner of Fifteenth and Stout streets, containing three beautiful store- rooms, equipped with all the modern conveniences, besides other buildings in different parts of the city. He was married, December 24, 1863, to Eliza F., daughter of Thomas G. Benton, of Brooklyn, N. Y. He has a family of three chil- dren.

ADAM WOEBER.

Adam Woeber was born in Germany, in the town of Elssenfield, on the Main, in the Province of Bavaria, July 6, 1837. In 1840, he came with his parents across the ocean to the United States. They settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1853, his father removed to Davenport, Iowa, where two of his sons-Gallus and Amandus-engaged in car- riage manufacturing. Young Adam worked about the shops and served an apprenticeship to the trade. In 1864, he became interested in the firm as a partner, remaining there until 1867, when he re- moved to Denver, and established a branch shop for manufacturing carriages and spring wagons, under the firm name of Woeber & Co. In 1872, he bought out his partner's interest and changed the firm name to Woeber Brothers. In 1871, he was elected to the City Council. His factory is located at 236 Eleventh street, West Denver, being the branch business for the West of the well- known firm of Woeber Brothers, at Davenport, Iowa. His trade is very large in this State, and in

631

BIOGRAPHICAL.

New Mexico and Wyoming Territories. He was one of the early settlers of Leavenworth. He married in the spring of 1859, to Miss Gertrude, daughter of John Holmes, of Davenport, Iowa, and has a family of four children, three daugh- ters and one son.

HON. RICHARD E. WHITSITT.

On the 3d of October, 1858, there left Leaven- worth, Kan., a party of gentlemen who subse- quently performed an important part in the history of Denver. This party consisted of Richard E. Whitsitt, George William Larimer, William Larimer, Jr., Charles A. Lawrence, Folsom Dorsett and M. M. Jewett, and their destination was the newly discovered Pike's Peak gold region. Arriving at what is now the city of Pueblo, they met E. W. Wynkoop, Hickory Rogers and Judge H. P. A. Smith, who had been commissioned by Gen. Denver, then Governor of Kansas, as County Commissioners to locate the county of Arapahoe, Kan., now the young and thriving State of Colorado. The party thus angmented arrived at Auraria on the 12th of November, organized the Denver Town Company, and, on the 16th of November, proceeded to lay off the city of Denver. The first Secretary of the Company was P. T. Bassatt, Mr. Whitsitt following him as Secretary, Treasurer and Donat- ing Agent, all the deeds of the new town passing through his hands until the Congressional grant was made, when he retired. Mr. Whitsitt was appointed by Gov. Gilpin the first Adjutant General of Colorado on the breaking-out of the rebellion, and, as such, organized the first regi- ment of troops that left the Territory. He was a member of the Territorial Council in 1863 and 1864, and of the City Conneil of Denver in 1866 and 1867. He also served two terms as Auditor of the Territory of Colorado. Mr. Whitsitt was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, March 30, 1830. He was raised to mercantile pursuits, and in 1853, he went to Missouri and sold goods in Jackson and Platte Counties until the opening of Kansas, when he removed to that Territory, and became

was an eye-witness of many of the scenes which marked the period of conflict, from 1855 to 1858, preceding the admission of Kansas into the Union. During his residence in Leavenworth, he was engaged principally in operating in real estate in Kansas, Iowa and Eastern Nebraska- mainly about Council Bluffs, then Kanesville, Iowa, and Omaha. He was in Omaha during the Mormon exodus to Utah, and saw large bodies of those people pass that place on their westward journey. He has witnessed the origin and growth of both Kansas and Colorado, two of the most promising States in the Union; and during his residence here, he has been engaged in real-estate transactions and prominently identified with the development of the city.

HON. JAMES F. WELBORN.

Among the prominent lawyers of Colorado, the name of James F. Welborn is pre-enrinent. He is a man of most excellent habits, and has the highest sense of publie and personal honor. Be- sides these noble traits of manhood, he has in him the combined elements of the successful lawyer. The most essential of these elements is a mind ca- pable of properly judging and reasoning. This, coupled with the power, the perseverance and the determination to do right, will lead to success in any vocation in life, but especially are they essen- tial to the eminent lawyer. Mr. Welborn is known to be the possessor of a broad. comprehensive mind, quick in pereeption and deliberate in aeting. His very presence is indicative of the power and force of character he possesses, large and portly in stature, with fine, well-ent features, and a keen, determined eye. These are the advantages nature has given him. A well-trained mind, with a cul- tivated speech, are the result of industry and study, and these, coupled with nature's gifts, ren- der him a man of force and power. He was born in Princeton, Gibson Co., Ind., December 18, 1840, and received an academie education, at the completion of which he entered the office of Col.

632

BIOGRAPHICAL.

James T. Embree, and began the study of law, but afterward entered the Law Department of Cumberland University, at Lebanon, Tenn., and graduated with the degree of LL. B. in the Class of 1861. He was admitted to the bar of Indiana in March, 1862, and began the practice of his pro- fession in his native town, associated with Gov. Conrad Baker, and continued in the active practice of law there until the early spring of 1875. He then came to Denver, and became associated with Gen. B. M. Hughes, which has grown into the firm of Hughes, Welborn & Rose, one of the leading law firms of the State. Mr. Welborn was twice elected to the Legislature of Indiana, serv- ing in the sessions of 1869-70. His main object in this State has been to stand high in his profes- sion, and by industry and good business habits he has succeeded. But he has also been active in the various political campaigns, in which field he has made many friends. He is an ardent and un- swerving Democrat, and is one of his party's rep- resentative men. He is a son of Samuel Parson Welborn, who was a recognized standard bearer in Indiana, and was elected to almost any office he would accept, always leading his party by a large vote. He is also the brother of Judge O. M. Welborn, now on the bench in Indiana. It may be said of Mr. Welborn that he is one of our best citizens, industrious, persevering and honorable, publie spirited and generous, and among his fellow- men a perfeet gentleman.

BYRON A. WHEELER, M. D.

Mr. B. A. Wheeler, homoeopathic physician and surgeon of Denver, Colo., was born in Waukesha County, Wis., January 30, 1842, but at an early age removed with his parents to Fond du Lac, Wis. He followed teaching while preparing for college, and was Principal of the schools while at Rosendale, Wis., at the time of the breaking-out of the rebellion, when he enlisted in Company I, First Wisconsin Volunteers, for three months, after which time he re-enlisted in the First Wisconsin Cavalry, and remained in the service till the end

of the war. He then resumed his studies and, in the spring of 1867, received the degree of M. D. at Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago, after which he located and began the practice of his pro- fession at Byron, Wis., but was compelled to leave there in a short time on account of threatened pul- monary disease of his wife. He then located in Boone, Boone Co., Iowa, where he remained in active practice for about four years, when he was again compelled to remove on account of failing health, this time of himself. He therefore removed to Denver in the spring of 1872, and has since been engaged in the active practice of his profession. In the summer of 1877, he formed a partnership with Dr. N. K. Morris. They have erected an office on Larimer street, near the bridge where they have the convenient and pleasant rooms which their prac- tice demands.

GEORGE H. WATERS.

Mr. G. H. Waters, of the firm of L. Russell & Co., was born at North Salem, Ind., July 12, 1846. He received a common-school education, and, until he was seventeen years of age, worked on a farm, after which he completed a musical education at Indianapolis, and engaged in teaching vocal music, which he followed for about thirteen years. In the spring of 1876, because of failing health both of himself and wife, he fitted up a team and started for the "glorious climate" of Colorado, arriving in Denver in September of 1876 ; he then went into the grocery business for about two years, after which he sold out, and, in the spring of 1878, en- tered the above firm, of which he has since contin- ued a member. Since 1870, Mr. Waters has also owned a farm in Indiana, which he cultivates through a tenant. He married Miss Hattie Fleece, of North Salem, in October, 1868.

DAVID WOLPERT.

David Wolpert, an early settler and substantial farmer of Arapahoe County, is a native of Ohio, and was born November 23, 1833. On becoming of age, he went to Iowa, where he remained but a short time, removing from there to Hancock

633

BIOGRAPHICAL.

County, Ill. In the spring of 1859, attracted by the report of gold discoveries in the Rocky Mount- ains, he went to New Mexico, where he remained but a short time, and then, with his party, came to Pike's Peak, crossed South Park and attempted to cross the mountain range; but finding that a difficult undertaking, they turned back and camped for awhile near the present site of Fairplay. Mr. Wolpert, with a party of sixteen men, then crossed the mountains to Blue River, near Breckenridge, where they began prospecting; but being driven out by the Indians, the entire party returned to Pike's Peak, whence Mr. Wolpert soon came to Denver. Deciding to try farming, then an ex- periment in Colorado, he pre-empted a piece of land on the Platte, nine miles below Denver, where he has since resided, and which he has converted into one of the finest farms in the county. He was married, January 20, 1864, to Miss Catharine Henderson, of Denver. Mr. Wolpert's intimate connection with the agricultural interests of the county has given him an extended acquaintance, and rendered him universally popular as a pro- gressive farmer and a worthy citizen.

JOHN W. WEBSTER.

Mr. Webster, a gentleman of fine natural abili- ties and an influential member of the legal pro- fession, is a native of Michigan, and was born in Jackson County, of that State, July 11, 1838. By the death of his father, which occurred when this gentleman was but a few years of age, he was left to make his own way in the world, and at the age of fifteen began teaching school, earning by this means sufficient money to give himself a thorough education, graduating successively at Albion and Leon Seminaries, and finishing at the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor in 1863. Prior to that time, he had studied law with Gov. Blair, of Michigan, and was admitted to the bar of Jackson County in May, 1863. He came to Colorado in 1865, and immediately began the prac- tice of his profession, meeting with good success, but in 1874 was induced to accept the appoint-

ment of Clerk of the Supreme Court of Colorado, which office he held three years. In 1872, he was married to Miss Sarah Spoor, of Burlington, Wis. He was appointed in 1879 to the offices of Master in Chancery and Examiner in Chancery of the United States Circuit Court, which offices he still holds. Mr. Webster is a good, careful lawyer, and by his courteous manners has won for himself a host of friends. He is a warm personal friend of the Hon. Thomas M. Cooley, Supreme Judge of Michigan, and has, in his library, a number of highly prized volumes, presented to him by Mr. Cooley.

JOHN WOLPERT.

Mr. Wolpert, one of the most enterprising and active farmers of Arapahoe County, was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1829. He lived on the farm with his father until twenty-five years of age, having learned the carpenter's trade in the meantime, and then went to Wapello County, Iowa, where he worked at his trade for seventeen years. He was married, in 1855, to Miss Emily Gander, of Ohio, and, in 1872, came to Colorado, and at once began farming on the Platte, twelve miles from Denver, near Island Station, where he still lives, having, by industry and good management, brought his well-stocked farm under a high state of cultivation. Besides farming and stock-raising, he engages extensively in raising hay, to which purpose his farm is well adapted.

OSCAR D. F. WEBB.

Oscar D. F. Webb was born in Virginia in 1837. Having received a common-school educa- tion, he was apprenticed as a carpenter, and worked at the trade several years, both in Virginia and at St. Joseph, Mo. Subsequently entering a pro- vision house as a clerk, in the latter city, he fol- lowed that vocation until the year 1861, when he established himself in business, and carried it on successfully about four years, and then came to Colorado. Since 1865, Mr. Webb has been var- iously engaged. He was senior member of the firm of Webb, Poole & Bro., commission merchants,

634

BIOGRAPHICAL.

and in 1868 was interested in the grocery business with other partners, disposing of his interest in the firm in 1873, and starting business on his own account. In 1875, he sold out, and resumed agaiu shortly afterward, forming his present connection in 1877 with E. Block, and is now conducting a fancy and staple grocery, dealing also in vegetables, fruit and poultry. Mr. Webb was married in 1877, having met his future wife, Marietta V. Fore, when on a visit to his mother in Virginia. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Denver, owns real estate in the city, and, though born in a Southern State, is decidedly a Union man. He has served two years in the City Coun- cil, and one term as Coroner, having been elected in each instance on the Republican ticket.

W. H. WALKER.

Mr. Walker was born in Middlebury, Addison Co., Vt., April 16, 1836. When he was quite young his parents removed to Queensbury, N. Y., where his father owned and operated a woolen manufactory for a number of years, after which he removed to Fort Ann, N. Y., where he died in 1844, the subject of this sketch being only eight years of age. His mother then removed to Gran- ville, N. Y., but two years afterward they returned to Vermont, and became residents of Brattleboro, where he received a common-school education. In 1853, he went to Boston, Mass., and began business as clerk in a provision house, remaining there until 1860, when he went to Buenos Ayres, South America, for the purpose of engaging in the sheep business, but the prospects being unfa- vorable for that business, he returned to Brattle- boro, Vt., and was employed upon the stock farm of G. C. Hall, engaged in raising and training thoroughbred horses. In the fall of 1861, at the opening of the war, he engaged with a sutler for one year, and was stationed at Camp Griffin, about twelve miles from Washington, after which he returned to Brattleboro, and took charge of Mr. Hall's stock farm, as manager, remaining there until February, 1871, when he came to

Colorado to select a ranche for the purpose of engaging in the sheep business. Having secured a ranche thirty miles east of Denver, on Kiowa Creek, in September of the same year he engaged in the sheep business exclusively, which, by his thorough knowledge and careful management, has proved a successful business. The following spring, March, 1872, he removed his family from the East to Denver, and, after one year's residence in the city, removed to his ranche, residing there six years. He then returned to Denver, having purchased a very beautiful and desirable residence on Lawrence street, where he now resides. In 1877, he was appointed Sheep Inspector for Ara- pahoe County by the County Commissioners, which office he still holds. In the fall of 1878, he was nominated for Representative to the Legis- lature upon the regular Democratic ticket. Although defeated, he was unanimously supported by his party.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado, Part 84

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co. cn; Vickers, W. B. (William B.), 1838- Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 844

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co. cn; Vickers, W. B. (William B.), 1838-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 844