Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 137

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1530

USA > Colorado > Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present > Part 137

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As the name indicates, the Hahn family is of German origin. Adolphus Hahn, our subject's father, was born in Germany and at an early age settled in Baltimore, Md., where he engaged in

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business. His last years were spent in Hanover, Pa., where he died. He married Mary A. Cole- man, a native of Germany, who died while in middle age. Of her three sons and two daughters, the only survivor is our subject, who was born in Baltimore in 1843, received his education in public schools and at Glenrock, Pa., learned the trade of a carpenter. When he was eighteen years of age he responded to the first call made - by President Lincoln for volunteers. April 20, 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Sixteenth Pennsylvania Infantry, and, at the expiration of his term of service enlisted in Company K, Eighty- seventh Pennsylvania Infantry, in which he con- tinued until he was mustered out, October 13, 1864, at York, Pa. He took part, altogether, in fifty-four prominent engagements, among them the battles of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Winchester, Monocacy, Charleston, siege of Petersburg, Fisher Hill, Cedar Creek, etc. He was at one time poisoned by drinking poisoned milk at Beverly, W. Va. At Winchester, Va., January 19, 1862, he was wounded by a shell in the left leg; and at the same place, June 13, 1862, the heavy can- nonading resulted in the formation of an ulcer in his right ear, causing total deafness in that ear. At the fall of Petersburg he served under General Sedgwick.

Returning to Baltimore at the close of the war, Mr. Hahn soon went from there to Cincinnati, Ohio, and thence to Omaha, Neb., where he was appointed wagon-master in charge of a govern- ment train under Quartermaster Wood. He con- tinued in that capacity for one year and three months. Next he went to Fort Kearney, where he had some experiences with the Indians. Later he spent seven years in New Mexico, and from there in 1871 went to Little Rock, Ark., and from Little Rock to Elgin, Kan. In 1879 he went to Leadville, Colo., thence to Alamosa, Colo., in 1880, but soon proceeded to Pueblo, where he was made chief marshal and continued in that position until his removal from the city in 1887. After spending a year at Red Cliff, Eagle County, in 1888 he came to New Castle, his present home. Here he is one of the most influential citizens and business men of the place. He owns consider- able property here and is well-to-do. Besides his other interests he is a notary public. Since coming here he has organized a Grand Army post, and was elected post commander. He is a member of the blue lodge and chapter of Masonry in Pueblo, and is also connected with the Ancient

Order of United Workmen. In 1871 he married Miss Ellen Urquhart, of Pennsylvania, a refined and accomplished lady and a talented artist, whose work has taken the first premium at the district fair.

ENRY NICHOLS, clerk and recorder of Mesa County, also secretary of the Western - Colorado Academy of Science, which he as- sisted in organizing at Grand Junction in 1891, was born in Ohio in 1859, and in 1867 went to Missouri, remaining in that state until eighteen years of age and receiving a fair education in public schools. In 1878 he came to Colorado and settled fifty miles east of Denver, where he embarked in the stock business. Disposing of his interests there in 1881, he went to the mining regions of Gunnison County and for one year engaged in mining and prospecting, but the re- sults were so discouraging that he was completely cured of the mining fever.

The Grand Valley having been opened for set- tlement in 1881, Mr. Nichols came here the fol- lowing year, joining his brother, J. Clayton Nichols, who was the first to enter land in this valley. He, too, entered land, and upon the es- tablishment of the postoffice at Grand Junction he was appointed chief clerk under O. D. Rus- sell, which office he filled until 1884. He then became foreman of the Mesa County Democrat, and continued for a year in that position, after which he returned to Missouri, there purchasing the Lee's Summit Journal. He continued the pub- lication under its old name for eighteen months and then sold out. His next work was as book- keeper for the Star nurseries, in which capacity he remained for three and one-half years. Re- turning to Colorado in 1890, he accepted the position of bookkeeper of the First National Bank, which he filled for three years. In 1894 he became associate editor of the Grand Junction News, and afterward, for three years, served as manager and secretary of the Mesa County Ab- stract Company.

The political views of Mr. Nichols bring him into affiliation with the People's party. By the members of this party, in the fall of 1897, he was elected to the office of county clerk and recorder, which position he fills with efficiency. His long experience in clerical work adapts him well for the office, whose every detail he superintends closely. He is presiding officer of Mesa Lodge No. 58, I. O. O. F., and a member of the en-

HON. AUSTIN BLAKEY.

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campment. In religious belief he is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was married, in 1886, to Jessie, daughter of W. E. Boyer, and granddaughter of Dr. E. A. Boyer, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, a pioneer of the medical pro- fession in Iowa and a man well known through- out the state. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols have three children: Winifred, Raymond and Esther.

ON. AUSTIN BLAKEY, manager of the Little Chief Mining Company and the Seneca Mining Company, has been a resident of Leadville since January, 1879. During the years that have since passed he has worked his way from a humble position to one of influence and importance, and has become known as an ex- perienced mining man, as well as a public- spirited citizen and trustworthy official.

Born in Racine County, Wis., June 6, 1848, the subject of this sketch is a son of Rev. Thomas and Mary (Stott) Blakey. His paternal grand- father, Thomas Blakey, was a farmer and stock- dealer in England, where he died at ninety years of age. Rev. Thomas Blakey was born in Lan- cashire, England, and emigrated to America at the age of twenty-two, settling in Racine County, Wis. For twenty years he engaged in preach- ing, after which he retired to a farm in Racine County, and there his remaining years were passed. He was a strong supporter of the Union cause and at the opening of the Civil war left the Democratic party, to which he had previously adhered, and allied himself with the Republicans. He took a deep interest in political matters, but always refused to hold public office, though urged to do so. At the time of his death he was sixty-seven years of age. His wife, who was a native of England, died in Wisconsin in 1888, at sixty-seven years. Of their children we note the following: John S., a miller by trade, is now engaged in the commission business at Union Grove, Wis., and is an extensive dealer in wheat and cattle; Darius is engaged in the stock and grain business at Spirit Lake, Iowa; Alvin is a real-estate dealer in Chicago; Charles owns and operates a farm near Spirit Lake, Iowa; Emma, deceased, was the wife of Eugene Rice; Harriet, Mrs. John Smith, lives on a farm near Rochester, Wis .; and Jane is the wife of Stephen Golds- worthy, a farmer and carpenter of Union Grove, Wis.

The early days of our subject's life were spent on the old homestead in Racine County. He

was among the youngest of the children before mentioned. At the age of twenty-two years he started out in life for himself, and going to Minne- sota was for two years employed as a stationary engineer. In 1874 he came to Colorado and set- tled in Central City, where he engaged in mining. From there, early in the year 1879, he removed to Leadville, where he secured employment as a day laborer. From that inauspicious beginning he worked his way to be superintendent and manager of several important mining concerns, among them the Little Chief Mining Company, of whose valuable property he has been manager since 1892.

The first marriage of Mr. Blakey took place in 1880 and united him with Carrie Shipley, who was born in Virginia and died in Colorado in 1891. Afterward he was united in marriage with Edith Carne, who was a native of Cornwall, Eng- land, and who died, leaving one son, Austin, Jr. The present wife of Mr. Blakey was formerly Annie M. Goddard, a native of Iowa, and daugh- ter of a Civil war veteran. Two children, Florence and Lincoln A., are the issue of this marriage. Politically a Republican, Mr. Blakey stands high among the members of the party in Leadville. In 1882 he was elected county com- missioner of Lake County, and while holding that office was elected state senator in 1884. In the latter position he rendered efficient service in behalf of his constituents, favoring measures for the benefit of the people, and taking an especial interest in laws relative to mining.

HOMAS MILLER, one of the representa- tive farmers of Pueblo County, is the sub- ject of this personal narrative. Added to farming he unites stock-raising, and believing that "from labor health, from health content- ment springs," he has bent every energy toward perfecting his agricultural projects, and has proved himself one of the best citizens of the community in which he lives.

Mr. Miller is a native of West Virginia, born at Kingwood, September 11, 1830, and is a son of David Miller, who was a farmer by occupa- tion and a soldier during the war of 1812. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Stewart, was of Scotch descent, and was a second cousin to one of the Queens of England. Her mother's grandfather fled to this country after the war between Scotland and England. Our subject has one brother, Abraham Miller, who is

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now living in Iowa at the age of seventy-six years and has engaged in the practice of medi- cine for many years. All of his seven sisters are now deceased.

The first eighteen years of his life Thomas Miller spent in the Old Dominion, and pursued his studies in the common schools of that state. On leaving home at the age of eighteen, he went to 'Iowa, where he was engaged in contracting and building for thirty years. He then spent a short time in Kansas and northwestern Missouri, and in 1882 came to Colorado, locating upon his present ranch in Pueblo County in 1885. Here he has one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land which he has placed under excellent culti- vation and improved with good buildings, includ- ing a comfortable residence. The place is all under fence.

In Iowa City, about thirty-two years ago, Mr. Miller married Miss Lucy Romp, a native of that state, by whom he has had ten children, namely: George, who died at the age of twenty-one; David, who has a farm two miles from our sub- ject, and resides at home; Edgar, who is em- ployed at the smelter in Pueblo; Charles, a farmer of Pueblo County; Thomas Jefferson, John and Albert, all at home; Elizabeth, wife of William Shaw, of Pueblo; Amy, a resident of Denver; and Dela, wife of Henry Berry.

In his political affiliations Mr. Miller is a Dem- ocrat. He is one of the self-made men of the county, his success in life being due to his own industry, perseverance and good management, and by his blameless, upright life he has gained the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.

AMUEL JACKSON, bishop of Manassa ward in Conejos County, was born in Lan- caster, England, July 13, 1844. He came to the United States in 1856 and settled in Nephi, Utah, with his parents, after which much of his boyhood was spent in guarding the farm from attacks by Indians. Familiar from early youth with the frontier, he has always preferred the west and has had no desire for the more thickly settled portions of our country. He well remem- bers the long ocean voyage on a sailing vessel, which after five weeks landed in Boston, and from there the family traveled by train to Iowa. Out- fitting at Florence, near Omaha, they crossed the plains with hand carts, carrying the larger part of their baggage by hand. In later days he made

a trip back to the Missouri River via ox-team from Salt Lake, returning to Utah the same sum- mer. His time was given largely to stock-rais- ing, farming and freighting until 1886, when he came to Manassa and bought a ranch near town. The property was unimproved; he introduced a system of irrigation and made other improve- ments. Later he bought one-half section north- west of Manassa, and now owns four hundred and sixty acres of land, the greater part of which is under irrigation and cultivation.

For two years Mr. Jackson engaged in mis- sionary work in Alabama and Tennessee, and in 1896 he was appointed bishop of the Manassa ward. By his marriage to Miss Hannah Jacques he has eight children: Samuel, Jr., for two years a missionary in the south of Virginia; William, of Kansas; Lafayette, Berenice, Mary, Vida, Fannie and Jessie. His time is largely given to sheep-raising and feeding, and on his ranch he keeps about sixteen hundred head of sheep. In this industry he has been quite successful, and is now one of the well-to-do stockmen of Conejos County.

OBERT OWENS, a successful stockman, and highly respected citizen of Nepesta, Pueblo County, was born in Wales, and is a son of David and Jane (Jones) Owens, also natives of that country, who with their family em- igrated to the New World in 1842, when our sub- ject was a child of four years. They settled in Lincoln County, Ohio, where his boyhood days were passed, and there his parents spent the re- mainder of their lives, the father dying at the age of seventy-nine years, the mother at the age of eighty-two. The father followed farming as a life work, and was for many years an active mem- ber and deacon in the Congregational Church, to which the mother also belonged. Wherever known, they were held in high regard and their friends were many. In their family were seven children, four sons and three daughters, namely: Thomas J., a stockman of Missouri; David D., who is engaged in the same business in St. Joseph County, Mo .; Jane, wife of James Evans, of Ohio; Owen, a resident of Santa Cruz, Cal .; Catherine, widow of James Thomas and a resident of Kansas; Margaret, wife of Elias Davis, of Ohio; and Robert, our subject.

On the home farm in Ohio Robert Owens re- mained until eighteen years of age, and continued to engage in agricultural pursuits in that state

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until 1866, which year witnessed his arrival in Colorado. Locating at Longmont, he engaged in mining there for a year and a-half, and for six months at Central City, but in 1868 he came to Pueblo County and settled upon his present ranch, taking up the land from the government. His place adjoins the village of Nepesta and the Mis- souri Pacific and Santa Fe Railroads pass through it. During his entire residence here he has given some attention to mining and now owns some good mines in Gunnison County, but has given most of his time to farming. He has his own private ditch upon his place, known as the En- terprise, or New Oxford ditch, and besides the property already mentioned he has houses and lots in Pueblo at the corner of Ninth and Green- wood streets. Wonderful changes have been made in this region since his arrival, as there were no railroads at that time (the Santa Fe road being built in 1876), and the Indians were often very troublesome as well as dangerous.

In political sentiment Mr. Owens is a Republi- can, but in 1896 he supported William J. Bryan for the presidency. He started out in life for him- self with nothing but his own indomitable energy, and his accumulation of this world's goods is at- tributable to his good judgment in predicting the future development of the country, as well as to his industry, enterprise and perseverance. As a citizen of the community in which he has so long lived, he is highly respected, enjoys the con- fidence of his neighbors, and is regarded as a man of excellent business judgment. For many years he has filled the office of school director, and he helped build the school house in his district.

OBERT A. MATHEW, M. D., who is en- gaged in the practice of medicine at La Veta, is one of the rising and prosperous physicians of Huerfano County, and, while he is still young in years, he has acquired a profes- sional knowledge and experience that prove him to be a man of ability. He is a graduate of one of the best medical colleges in the entire country (Rush Medical, of Chicago), where, under the instruction of men of great genius and recognized ability, he acquired his early professional train- ing. Shortly after graduating, in July, 1897, he came to La Veta, where he has since engaged in practice. In addition to his private practice he acts as surgeon to the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company at this point, to which posi- tion he was appointed in May, 1898.

At Round Grove, Whiteside County, Ill., Dr. Mathew was born August 14, 1872. He is a son Thomas and Anna (Thompson) Mathew, natives of Scotland. His father, who settled in Illinois in 1836, devoted the remainder of his life to farm pursuits, and became the owner of a valuable property. He was a member of the United Pres- byterian denomination and took an active part in church work. Twice married, his first wife was Mrs. Margaret (Mathews) Dumire, the widow of William Dumire. Of this union was born one child now living, Thomas, who is a farmer at the old homestead in Round Grove. By the second marriage four children were born: Jean B., wife of Wilbur Heath, of Morrison, Ill .; Archibald, who cultivates a portion of the old homestead; Robert A .; and Bessie G., wife of J. W. Steiner, who occupies a part of the old home farm.

In the high school of Morrison our subject re- ceived an excellent education. When twenty years of age he began to read medicine under the preceptorship of a prominent physician of Morri- son. Soon he matriculated in Rush Medical Col- lege, where he remained until the regular course was completed in the spring of 1897. He then came to La Veta and established himself in prac- tice. In December of the same year he returned to Illinois, and on the 21st of that month was united in marriage with Gertrude E. Lewis, who was born in Morrison, Ill., daughter of John W. Lewis, and had been his classmate in school. In 1898 Dr. Mathew built a fine residence, one of the best in the city. He and his wife are the parents of one child, Lewis Thomas, born Feb- ruary 26, 1899. Fraternally the doctor is con- nected with the Woodmen of the World and for- merly served as physician of the local camp. He is a member of the alumni of Rush Medical Col- lege. Politically he affiliates with the Republi- can party.

12 ANIEL H. WILSON came to Colorado in 1870, arriving at Fairplay, Park County, on the 21st of May, and at once engaging in mining. For two years he was interested in placer mining at this point, after which he turned his attention to lead mining at Mount Lincoln, and has since engaged at San Juan and Hall Val- ley, still owning interests in the latter place. In 1893 he was elected sheriff of Park County on the People's ticket, and has since been twice re-elect- ed, his present term being his third in succes- sion. As an official he has proved himself to be

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fearless, determined and efficient, and he has proved a terror to law-breakers.

A son of Tristram and Mary (Cloutman) Wil- son, our subject was born in New Hampshire, June 13, 1846, and was one of five children. Be- sides himself, three are now living: Silas, a busi- ness man of Boston, Mass .; Mrs. Jennie J. Simp- son, a widow, whose husband was the pioneer drydock man of New York; and Fannie, widow of Alvah Cloutman, of Boston. The father of this family was born in Sanford, Me., in 1816, and was reared and married in his native town, where he afterward engaged in farming. When in his thirtieth year he removed to New Hamp- shire and settled in the town of Waitfield, where he continued to reside until his death, in 1860. Active in military affairs, he was for some years captain of a company of home guard.

After the death of his father our subject, then a youth of fourteen years, went to Boston, where he served for two years as an apprentice in the sailmaker's business. September 21, 1862, he enlisted in Company K, Fifth Massachusetts In- fantry, which was at once ordered to North Caro- lina and remained at the front for eleven months, although the period of enlistment was only nine months, Among the battles in which he took part were those at Kingston, Whitehall and Golds- boro. In July, 1863, he was mustered out of service at Watertown, N. Y. Afterward he en- gaged in the commission business with his brother in Boston, where he remained until his second enlistment, in August, 1864, as a member of Company F, Second Massachusetts Heavy Ar- tillery. The term of enlistment was three years, or until the close of the war. He was sent to North Carolina, and at Jonesboro became a mem- ber of the Twenty-third Corps, under General Schofield. From that time until the close of the war he was in continuous fighting and also, with his regiment, did police work in North Carolina. In August, 1865, he was mustered out of service at Reedville, Mass. During both terms of his service he was but once wounded, and that was at Plymouth, N. C., in November, 1864.

Upon being honorably discharged, Mr. Wilson returned to Boston, where he engaged in the commission business with his brother, continuing in that city for four years. From there he came to Fairplay, Colo., in 1870, and has since en- gaged in mining and in the discharge of his du- ties as a county official. He is one of the repre- sentative men of his town and has a host of

friends throughout the county. In June, 1881, he married Miss Mary D. Emery, by whom he has four children: James, Agnes, Clifford and Frances.

? OHN T. HUGHES, senior member of the firm of Hughes Brothers, of Trinidad, is a pioneer of '65 in Colorado. In the fall of 1878 he opened his present place of business, and has since carried on a large trade in general lum- ber, paints, oils and builders' supplies. A branch office was opened in Denver in 1892 by his brother, Josiah, and later one was started in Raton, N. M., where a good trade has since been established. The business at Trinidad is in the entire charge of Mr. Hughes and is the largest of its kind south of Pueblo.

John T. and Josiah Hughes, and their sister, Miriam, widow of Robert Roberts, together with a younger sister, Sarah, wife of Rev. John Cad- wallader, are the survivors of the five children comprising the family of John and Gwendolin (Gittings) Hughes, of Wales. His father came to America in 1852 and settled near Racine, Wis., where he cultivated a small farm. His last years were spent in retirement from business cares, and he died in 1857, aged sixty-three years. His wife had died the year before he left his native land. Our subject was born in Montgomery- shire, Wales, May 5, 1839, and was past twelve years of age at the time of coming to the United States. He was educated in public schools in Wisconsin, the preparatory department of Gran- ville College, in Granville, Ohio, and in the Iowa State University, where he was a student for one year.

On coming to Colorado, Mr. Hughes settled near Denver, then a city of about five thousand inhabitants. For five years he engaged in team- ing and furnished cord wood for Denver parties. In 1870 he sold out his teaming business and, with his brother, embarked in the lumber busi- ness in Pueblo, which they still conduct. While the brother attended to the business there, Mr. Hughes looked after outside matters, and in 1873 went to Las Animas, where he carried on a lum- ber trade. Later he spent a short time at Gar- land. In the spring 1878 he opened a lumber yard at Alamosa, but remained there only six months, coming to Trinidad in September of the same year.

Besides his other interests Mr. Hughes is a stockholder and director in the Trinidad National

Malkenes

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Bank. He is interested in real estate and owns a residence in Trinidad, as well as a number of other houses. Near the city he has a ranch of three hundred and twenty acres, where he for- merly engaged in the cattle business, but the land is now leased to tenants. As a Republican, he has taken part in local politics. For two years he was an alderman of Trinidad, and in 1893 and 1894 served as treasurer of Las Animas County. Educational work appeals especially to his inter- est; he is a friend to the public-school system and during his eight years of service as a member of the school board was instrumental in securing many improvements in the schools. He is a member of Trinidad Lodge No. 17, I. O. O. F., in which he has passed all the chairs. In 1882 he was united in marriage with Mary E. Daven- port, daughter of C. W. Davenport, of Cam- bridge, Ill. They have two adopted children, George V. and Della.

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Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 137

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1530

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1530