Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 166

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 166

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A NSON ALONZO ALLEN, who resides six miles from Puma, on Tarryall Creek, in Park County, was born in Port Ontario, Oswego County, N. Y., April 23, 1836, a son of Capt. Hosea L. and Minerva (Jones) Allen. He was one of nine children, and the second among five now living, the others being: Lydia A., widow of John B. Conant, and a resident of Minnesota; Charlotte A., the wife of Edward Boutan, of Bay- field, Wis .; Henry L., who lives in Missouri; and Mary E., Mrs. Patrick Rooney, of Kewaunee, Wis. The parents were natives of the Lake Champlain region, the father born in 1807, the mother in 1808. He attended West Point Mili- tary Academy for two years, after which he en- gaged in business as an architect, contractor and carpenter at Port Ontario, remaining there until 1842. During the next ten years he made his home at Racine, Wis. Afterward he resided at Two Rivers, Wis., until his death, which oc- curred in 1883. While in Port Ontario he was for many years captain of a company of state militia.

At fourteen years of age our subject went to Racine, and for two years worked on a farm near that city. Returning to Two Rivers he began to follow the carpenter's trade, which he had learned under his father's instruction. In addition to carpentering he engaged in fishing with gill nets in the lakes. In 1860 he went to Watervliet, Mich., and worked for two years on the construc- tion of a grist mill at this point. On going back to Two Rivers he enlisted in the Union service, and August 21, 1862, his name was enrolled as a member of Company D, Twenty-seventh Wiscon- sin Infantry. He was ordered with his regiment to the front and took part in a number of import- ant engagements. June 6, 1863, he was present at a skirmish in Satartia, Miss. As a member of the Seventh Corps, under General Steele, he took part in the battle which resulted in the capture of

Little Rock, Ark., September 10, 1863, and par- ticipated in the battle of Jenkins Ferry; while as a member of the Thirteenth Corps, under Gen- eral Canby, he took part in the siege of Mobile from March 27 to April 9, 1865. He was sun- struck June 6, 1863, while marching from Satar- tia to Vicksburg, and at the same time four other soldiers died from the effects of strokes. He was mustered out of service at Brownsville, Tex., August 29, 1865.

Returning to Two Rivers Mr. Allen worked at his trade there for some years. In 1869 he went to McGregor, Iowa, where he worked for a year. In the fall of 1870 he came to Colorado, arriving in South Park September 14 of that year, and working at carpentering for seven years. In 1871 lie located his present ranch, built his house and has since made his home in Park County, engag- ing in the ranching business. For fourteen years he served as justice of the peace, but then refused to accept the office further. Since 1886 he has served as secretary of the school board. He is a member of Colorado Springs Post No. 22, G. A. R.

December 27, 1857, Mr. Allen was united in marriage with Miss Charlotte S. Farnum, who has been postmaster at Mountaindale since 1887. They are the parents of seven living children and have lost one by death. The oldest daughter, Addie, is the wife of Finley Heap, car inspector of the Midland Railroad, and a resident of Aspen. The second daughter, Eleanor, is the wife of Sidney M. Derby, a merchant and ranchman at Puma. Alonzo, the oldest son, is a ranchman on Tarryall Creek in South Park. The other chil- dren are: Erminie; William, who is ranching on Tarryall Creek; Walter and Charlotte.

NTON SORENSON, who is among the pros- perons Danish settlers of Sedgwick County, was born in Denmark April 4, 1867, a son of Soren Sorenson. He was fourth among five children, the others being as follows: James, a stone mason in Howard County, Neb .; Elsie; Soren, a carpenter in Sherman County, Neb .; and Christ, who occupies the old homestead in Denmark. His father, a native of Denmark, born in 1819, engaged in agricultural pursuits during all of his active years, and since retiring from business cares has made his home with his daughter.

At eighteen years of age the subject of this sketch came to America, landing in New York

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early in the spring of 1885. Proceeding west, he secured work as a farm hand in Howard Coun- ty, Neb., where he remained for three years. In 1888 he came to Colorado and the following year worked on a ranch for S. H. Carlson, near Jules- burg. Afterward he worked on the Union Pacific section. December 29, 1889, he married Miss Lucy L. Green, a native of Harrison County, Mo., and a daughter of Nicholas and Lucy A. (Hickson) Green. Her father, who at one time was a prominent farmer of Harrison County, set- tled in Colorado in 1885, establishing his home in Sedgwick County, where he is engaged in the cattle business.

In the fall of 1889 Mr. Sorenson again worked for S. H. Carlson. After his marriage he took a squatter's claim where he now lives. At that time the property was a part of the old Fort Sedgwick reservation and was not open for settle- ment until some months later. When the reserva- tion was opened, he proved up on his place, and here he has since resided. He owns one hundred and seventy-four acres of ranch land, and one hundred head of fine cattle. In politics he votes the Republican ticket. Of the two children born of his marriage, one is living, Ethel May, who was born June 24, 1892.

ORACE H. BAKER, one of the representa- tive ranchmen of Morgan County, was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., May 1, 1838, a son of Warren and Thirza (Billings) Baker, of whose six children all but one are now living. They are as follows: George, a farmer of Cayuga County, N. Y .; Rebecca, wife of Eugene Storm, also a resident of Cayuga County; Horace H .; Louisa, widow of George Signor, of Cayuga County; and Hannah, Mrs. Edwin Raymond, of that county. The third child, John, was a mem- ber of the One Hundred and Eleventh New York Infantry, and was killed in the battle of the Wilderness.

Warren Baker was a native of Dutchess County, N. Y., where he was reared and married. Later he removed to Cayuga County and there con- tinued to reside until his death, at sixty-eight years. During early years he taught school, but his life occupation was that of farming. He was a great admirer of Horace Greeley. Our subject received his education in the common schools and the academy at Moravia. When twenty-three years of age he secured employment as a farm hand, which work he continued for

seven years. Afterward he was employed in a tannery in Moravia for two years, then teamed for one year. His father having grown old, he was given the management of the home farm and continued to reside there until 1882. He then came to Colorado and settled five miles east of Fort Morgan, but for two winters following he resided in Greeley, in order to give his son the advantages of the schools of that place. Since the spring of 1884 he has resided continuously on his ranch, where he has given his attention to general ranching pursuits.

In 1860 Mr. Baker married Mary M. Mead, who was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., a daugh- ter of Alexander and Harriet (Avery) Mead. Her father was a carpenter in early life, but later gave his attention to farming. In his family there were eight children, Of these, Gurden L., a pioneer of California in 1849, is now a mine operator at Deadwood. Elias is a physician and surgeon at Moravia, N. Y., where he was form- erly postmaster; during the Civil war he was lieutenant of a company. Angeline is the wife of Alpheus Prince, formerly mayor of Buffalo, N. Y., ex-member of the assembly and ex-United States marshal. Maria married E. N. Smith, of Greeley, Colo. Sidney was promoted from the captain's rank to that of colonel for bravery and gallantry in the Civil war, and afterward settled near San Antonio, Tex., where he founded the town of Floresville; he was the superintendent of construction of the water works at San Anto- nio. For years he was principal of the Moravia high school, and also held the position of sheriff of Cayuga County, as well as other county offices. His death occurred some years ago. Jennie is the wife of Tyler Burnham, in the commission busi- ness in Buffalo, N. Y .; Mrs. Baker was next in order of birth; and Alexander is a farmer living near Greeley. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Baker is Fred M., whose sketch follows this.

RED M. BAKER was born in Moravia, N. Y., September 15, 1868, a son of Horace H. and Mary M. (Mead) Baker. He acquired his education in the Moravia and Greeley high schools. After his graduation he became clerk in the store of W. J. Kram, at Brush. Three years later he settled upon the home farm, of which he practically has charge. January 1, 1890, he married Miss Imogene Daily, who was born in Longmont, Colo., daughter of Den- nis Daily, a pioneer of '59. They are the par-

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ents of three children: . Carlton H., Fred Harri- son and Edna A. Fraternally he is a member of Fort Morgan Camp No. 193, Woodmen of the World, in which he has served as clerk since the organization of the lodge. Politically, like his father, he is a believer in bimetallism and favors the platform of the silver branch of the Republi- can party. He is one of the rising young men of Morgan County, and is respected as an effici- ent and enterprising ranchman.

ARNETTE T. NAPIER. The business in- terests of western Colorado have an able and prominent representative in the subject of this sketch, who is well known as the pro- prietor of mercantile establishments in Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction. The success which he has attained proves that he possesses ability of no common order, for he has had to work his way, unaided, from an early age, and orphaned when a child, he lacked the advantages and op- portunities which he might have enjoyed had his father's life been spared. Notwithstanding ob- stacles and hardships, he has become well-to-do. He came to Glenwood Springs in 1886, about the time the Ute Indians left the place. Here lie es- tablished the store he has since conducted. At first he conducted business upon a small scale, but as the town grew and his trade increased his stock of goods was enlarged, and lie now carries a full assortment of dry goods, cloaks, hats and caps, shoes, etc, etc. He has also established a store at Grand Junction, and divides his time be- tween the two establishments.

In Independence, Jackson County, Mo., the subject of this article was born March 17, 1858, a son of John E. aud Tabitha (Turner) Napier, natives of Kentucky. His father, who settled in Jackson County, Mo., in 1850, owned and culti- vated a large farm fifteen miles from Independ- ence, and was a well-known citizen of that com- munity. He died in 1865, when his son was seven years of age. The latter, who was au only child, was six months old when his mother passed away; she was a daughter of Hon. Barnette Turner, who served as circuit judge and was a prominent citizen of Richmond, Ky.

After the death of his father, our subject was taken into the home of Sidney McWilliams, now a prominent banker of Kansas City, Mo. He was for a time a student in the State Uni- versity of Missouri at Columbia, but left there on the completion of the junior year, in 1874, and

shortly afterward came to Colorado. His main object in coming west was the recuperation of his health, which had been seriously impaired by over study while in the university. He settled at Rocky Ford, where he taught school and also herded cattle with Wiley Potter. After a short time he went to Nederland, and taught school there for two years. His next employment was as clerk for A. L. Welch & Co., dry-goods mer- chants of Boulder, with whom he remained for seven years. After mining at Leadville for a short time he went to Aspen and engaged in the hay and grain business there for two years, thence removing to his present home in Glenwood Springs. Iu 1896 he married Miss Carrie St. Clair, of Effingham, Ill., who presides with hospitable dignity over his comfortable and at- tractive home. Born to this union is one son, Barnette T. Napier, Jr. In matters political Mr. Napier adheres to the policy of the Democratic party. Heis a member of the Masonic Order, in which he has taken the various degrees, being a . Knight Templar and also a Shriner.

AMUEL RAUGH. In the list of the men who have done much to promote the cattle industry in Colorado, especial mention be- longs to Mr. Raugh, who during the long period of his residence in the state, has not only ad- vanced his personal interests, but by his excel- lent judgment and great enterprise has also been helpful in promoting the welfare of the people and the prosperity of the agricultural and stock- raising sections of the state. While his first oc- cupation in the west was mining, his experience in that occupation was not sufficiently gratifying to cause him to continue. From 1871 to 1873 he was employed on a cattle ranch near Snyder, Mor- gan (then Weld) County, where he gained a thorough knowledge of the stock business. After- ward he bought a bunch of cattle, and for ten years gave his entire attention to the breeding, purchase and sale of stock, with which he rode on the range. In 1883 he bought a ranch six miles south of Brush, Morgan County, and added to his cattle business that of breeding and raising horses. In 1893 he removed to the ranch where he now resides, situated three miles south of Brush.

In Sullivan County, Pa., Mr. Raugh was born August 28, 1842, a son of Henry and Margaret (Henry) Raugh. He was one of thirteen chil- dren, seven of whom are living, viz .: Egan, wife of Thomas Shields, of Reynoldsville, Pa .; Re-

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becca, Mrs. Samuel Kelley, of Wyoming; George W., whose sketch appears in this volume; Eliza- beth, wife of Richard Williams, of Alexander, Neb .; Samuel; Margaret, Mrs. Thomas DeKalb, of Thayer County, Neb .; and Celinda, widow of W. F. Crawford, and a resident of Des Moines, Iowa.

The father of our subject was born and reared in Pennsylvania. After his marriage he pur- chased and settled upon a farm in Sullivan County, in the midst of the Allegheny Mountains, and there he continued to reside, engaged in farming, until his death. On that place the boyhood days of our subject were passed and in neighboring schools he obtained a good education. At twenty years of age he began life for himself, and for two years was employed on farms near his old home. In 1864 he came to Colorado, arriving in Den- ver on the 11th of July. From that city he went direct to Black Hawk, where he engaged in min- ing. For seven years he followed this occupation in different mining regions, and afterward turned his attention to stock-raising, in which he has since been interested. His attention has been so closely given to his cattle business that he has liad no leisure for participating in public affairs, nor have his tastes ever inclined him toward office- holding. In politics he is independent, voting for the man rather than the party. In 1894 he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah John- ston, a native of Wisconsin, where her father, Samuel Johnston, was a successful farmer. One child, Mildred D., blesses this union.

AMUEL H. CARLSON. The county of Sedgwick has, amongits ranchmen, the sub- ject of this sketch, who owns a portion of the land on which the old town of Julesburg was located. He was born in Denmark June 30, 1857, a son of Carl and Mary (Hansen) Carlson, and the only survivor of their two children. His father was a native of Denmark and there learned the potter's trade, which he afterward followed until his death in 1860. He had been twice mar- ried and by his first wife, Elsie Carlson, had a son, James A. After his death his widow was married to R. Petersen, but no children were born of that union.

In boyhood our subject worked in the shop of his step-father, who was a contractor and builder. In this way he learned the practical part of the carpenter's trade. In 1877 he crossed the ocean to America, landing in New York City, whence

he went to join a brother in Howard County, Neb. There, for three months, he engaged in farm work. Next he went to North Platte, Neb., and engaged in railroad work, being employed on a section and in railroad construction work for two and one-half years. In the spring of 1880 he went to Leadville, where he worked at char- coal burning, and for two months worked in the smelter at Malta. In the fall of 1880 he returned to North Platte and again took up railroad work. During the spring of the next year he went to Salida, Colo., where he was employed in grade work on the Gunnison extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. After a month spent in blasting rocks, etc., he began to work at track laying, his duty being the driving of spikes. He spent the summer in that almost inaccessible re- gion, east and west of Marshall Pass, which the completion of the narrow gauge opened to the people and which contains some of the grandest scenery in the entire world.

In January, 1882, Mr. Carlson went to Ne- braska, and spent a month visiting friends, re- turning to Colorado in February. On the com- pletion of the section house at Sedgwick he took charge of the west section at this point. Three months later he was transferred to what is now Fort Morgan, where he took charge of the west section. In April, 1883, he removed to Jules- burg, and there had charge of the section for eighteen months. He then gave up railroading and turned his attention to carpentering and building in Julesburg. At the same time he had the oversight of his ranch, two miles south of town, which he had pre-empted the year previous.

The marriage of Mr. Carlson, February 9, 1885, united him with Miss Hannah Anderson, a native of Norway, who came to America with her par- ents at nine years of age, they settling in Ne- braska, where she was reared. In the fall of 1885 he homesteaded his present place, which adjoined the ranch he formerly owned. In the spring of 1886, with his wife he removed to his new home, and there he has since engaged in farming and the stock business. During the intervening years he has prospered, and is to-day one of the sub- stantial men of Sedgwick County. His ranch of two hundred acres contains many improvements.

In 1889, when this county was set off from Logan County, he was appointed a member of the first board of county commissioners by Gov- ernor Cooper. In the fall of 1889 he was the choice of the Republican county convention for

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the office of county clerk, but in the election was defeated by two votes. In politics he is a stanch Republican. Fraternally he is a member of Jules- burg Lodge No. 67, I. O. O. F., and Julesburg Camp No. 26, Woodmen of the World. He and his wife are the parents of seven children, viz .: Anna, Emma, Elsie, Jessie, Walter, Victor and William.

OHN M. BAUMEISTER, who owns and conducts a dry-goods store in Minturn, Eagle County, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., on the 4th of July, 1853, a son of Jacob and Josephine (Buchinger) Baumeister, natives of New York state. His father, who was in early life connected with the Western Union piano works in Buffalo, removed to Canada in 1857 and remained there for three years. At the opening of the Civil war he entered the Twelfth New York Cavalry as a private and while serving at the front, died in South Carolina in 1863. His wife survived him for many years, dying in 1893. Of their children, Jacob L. is treasurer and a stockholder in the Queen City stone works of Buffalo, N. Y .; Albert J. has been connected with the police force of Buffalo since 1883 and is now police sergeant; Frank is a manufacturer of and dealer in cigars, at Rolla, Mo .; Edward is manager of a large winter hotel in Florida.

The education of our subject was acquired in public school No. 15, in Buffalo, and the German schools of the same city. At the age of nineteen he left home and began to make his own way in the world. For three years he was employed on the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska. In 1876 he located at Lake City, Colo., where he was an employe of the Western Union Telegraph Company. He also engaged in prospecting in Park, Lake and Summit Counties, and located a number of mines. He was in the camp at Lead- ville before the town was started. In 1879 he went to Alma, Park County, where he remained for seven years. In 1886 he came to Eagle County, where he engaged in mining at Gilman and worked the Ground Hog mine, taking out twenty-eight pounds of solid gold in one day. Continuing there until 1890, in that year he purchased land in Minturn and embarked in the mercantile business, having since built up a good trade in dry goods and boots-and shoes. Mean- time he hascontinued his mininginterests. Recent- ly he opened mines in Eagle, Lake and Summit Counties, in the development of which he is con-

nected with some of the most prominent men in the state. In addition to his large general store in Minturn, he owns a public hall in this place, which is used by societies and fraternal organi- zations. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. Politically he is in accord with the principles of the Democratic party, and on that ticket he has received the nomination for county treasurer and county com- missioner. He has always been faithful to the interests of his home town and has helped ma- terially in the development of its business and educational resources.

2 AVID TOWNSEND resides on a ranch five miles west of Akron, and is one of the prominent cattlemen of Washington County. A native of New York, he was born in Wayne County, April 1, 1847, a son of David and Sabrina (Pulver) Townsend. He was one of seven chil- dren, and the fourth among five survivors, the others being Philip, a farmer in Wayne County, N. Y., Maryette, wife of George Burnett, a far- mer of Berrien County, Mich .; Samantha, widow of John Fowler, and a resident of Wayne Coun- ty, N. Y .; and Priscilla, wife of Chelsea Dem- mond, a farmer of Wayne County. The father was born in New York state in 1807, and there grew to manhood and engaged in farming, mak- ing his home in Wayne County until his deatlı, which occurred in 1882. His wife was born in Dutchess County, N. Y., December 7, 1808, and makes her home with her youngest daughter in Wayne County.

At the age of sixteen our subject became self- supporting. At first he was employed by neigh- boring farmers. During the Civil war he en- listed as a member of Company A, Ninth New York Heavy Artillery, but upon being sent to the front served as an infantryman. Among the battles in which he participated were those at Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Winchester, Cedar Creek and Monoxie. He was mustered out of the service at Washington, D. C., in October, 1865. Afterward he returned to Wayne County and engaged in farming. In 1878 he came as far west as Kearney County, Neb., where he took up a homestead. In time he became one of the most prominent farmers of his locality. In the fall of 1883 he was elected sheriff of Kearney County, on the Democratic ticket, and this office he filled to the satisfaction of his constituents during 1884 and 1885.

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In 1886 Mr. Townsend came to Colorado and settled in Akron, where he conducted a livery business for two years. Following this he was for some time deputy sheriff and under-sheriff, after which, in 1893, he was elected sheriff of Washington County. He held the office during 1894 and 1895, filling it in a manner that was highly satisfactory to the people. Upon the ex- piration of his term of office he returned east on a visit, and upon again coming to Colorado, turned his attention to the cattle business. He has taken up a pre-emption and timber claim since the com- ing to Colorado, and since 1897 has devoted him- self wholly to cattle raising, in which he has been successful. The place upon which he makes his home he purchased in 1896, and has since im- proved, making it a desirable ranchı in every re- spect. Politically he is a Democrat, but has never been partisan in his preferences nor nar- row in his views, so that he retains the respect of men of all political beliefs; this, too, in spite of active and exciting campaigns in which he has borne an interested part. In 1868 he married Miss Emogene Stanley, daugliter of Isaac Stan- ley, a farmer of Wayne County, N. Y., where she was born. Five children were born of their union, and four of these are now living: Flora; George; Charles, who is engaged in the cattle business in this county ; and Lura.

ILLIAM LENNOX, a resident of Colo- rado Springs since April, 1872, and repre- sentative of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company in this city, is the manager and largest stockholder in the Gold King Mining Company, president and general manager of the Strong Gold Mining Company, president and general manager of the Sangre de Cristo Tunnel Mining Company, president and general manager of the Cement Creek Gold Mining Company, also a director of the Exchange National Bank of Colo- rado Springs.

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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 166

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