Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 172

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 172

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Mr. Girdner votes the Democratic ticket, but does not take an active part in politics, and has never desired office. The Masonic and Odd Fel- lows' lodges of Carbondale number him among their members. He stands high in the com- munity and is respected as a man of ability and energy.

OEL W. SMITH is the owner of the dry- goods establishment in Leadville formerly owned by the firm of Daniels, Fisher & Smith. The store is conveniently situated on Harrison avenue and is a three-story and base- ment structure, with a depth of two hundred feet - and a frontage of seventy-five feet. As a mer- chant he is reliable, enterprising and capable, and not only has the confidence of the people, but also the respect of his employes, some of whom have been with him and his predecessors in business for twenty years or more.

Born in Tennessee in 1854, our subject is a son of Benjamin F. and Jane (Wheeler) Smith, the latter a sister of Gen. Joseph Wheeler, and member of a family that removed from Georgia to Tennessee in the early '40s. His father was

MR. AND MRS. JOHN D. ROBY.

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a member of the staff of Governor Thomas dur- ing the Civil war. In early life he was a tanner, but after he settled in Golden, Colo., in 1872, he engaged in mining and the real-estate business. He is now living in Denver, retired from busi- ness cares. Politically he was a Whig during his residence in the south, and was a prominent Mason and Odd Fellow. In his family there are three sons and one daughter; one son, B. F., is engaged in the real-estate and mining business in Boulder, while another son, William P., car- ries on a real-estate business in Denver.

When our subject was a boy the Civil war was raging and often he would go to the battlefield, watching with keenest interest the struggle be- tween the blue and the gray. He was educated in public and high schools and completed a com- mercial course in a business college in St. Louis. At seventeen years of age he entered the employ of Daniels & Fisher, in Denver, with whom he remained for three years, until 1875. He then opened a dry-goods establishment in Golden and built a large store, where he remained for some years. During the great excitement in Lead- ville, Daniels & Fisher sent for him to take charge of their dry-goods business in this place, the firm being styled Daniels, Fisher & Smith, with Mr. Smith as a partner and the active man- ager. After some years he purchased the entire business, which he has since conducted. He also gives considerable attention to his mining inter- ests and to the superintendence of his large cattle and horse ranch, ten miles from Denver.

A charter member of the Elks in Leadville, also a member of the Masonic Order, Mr. Smith is active in the various fraternities with which he is connected. Politically he votes the Democratic ticket. In 1875 he married Fannie Hoslet, of St. Louis, member of an old southern family. They became the parents of three children, but one died at five and another at thirteen years, the only living child being Fisher E., who is a stu- dent in a New York medical college.

OHN D. ROBY. To the early settlers of Colorado who bore the hardships and over- came the obstacles of frontier life, we should pay all honor. Such a pioneer is the subject of this sketch, a man who is familiar with the growth and upbuilding of Summit County and who has done not a little to aid in its upbuilding and ad- vancement. He is one of the oldest surviving settlers of Breckenridge, where he has made his

home since the 3d of July, 1864. For the first two years his principal business was teaming, but in 1866 he established himself in the mercantile business, in which he continued successfully en- gaged until 1890, and then disposed of the busi- ness in order to give his entire time to the devel- opment of his mining properties, which he had acquired in the intervening years. Among the most valuable of his mining interests is that in Ryan Gulch, a placer property. The Brecken- ridge mines are in the center of the great gold and silver belt in the United States, which ex- tends through the Rocky Mountains from British Columbia to Mexico. The Breckenridge placer mines have produced $32,000,000 in gold; the lode mines many millions more, and the output increases annually. While the mines have at- tracted hundreds of seekers of gold and silver, the remarkable scenery of this region has at- tracted a countless number of admirers of scenic beauty, who gaze in wouder upon waterfalls, mountain streams, quiet lakes, canons, precipitous peaks and lofty cliffs, the whole forming a pic- ture seen no where else in the entire world.

Mr. Roby was born in Holstein, Germany, April 3, 1836, a son of Henry and Magdaline (Wiese) Roby. He was one of four children, of whom the survivors are: Frederick B., of Grand Island, Neb .; John D .; and Joanna, wife of Frederick Strohbehn, of Davenport, Iowa. The father was born and reared in Holstein, where he learned the weaver's trade, but he died in middle age, when our subject was only a boy. Afterward the mother became the wife of Henry Wolfe, by whom she had one child, Louisa, now deceased.

When a lad our subject learned the trade of a weaver, which he followed for some years. In 1858 he came to America, landing in New York in June of that year, and going direct to Daven- port, Iowa, where he worked as a farm hand for two years. Later he engaged in farming for him- self. The year 1864 found him crossing the plains to Colorado, where he made settlement in Breck- enridge. Since then he has been identified with the business interests of this city. A few years after he came here he was appointed postmaster of Breckenridge, which position he held for two years. He was also county treasurer of Summit County for two years early in the '70s. Politically he is a Republican. A Mason in fraternal relations, he belongs to Breckenridge Lodge No. 47, A. F. & A. M.

The marriage of Mr. Roby to Miss Minnie A.

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Remine, daughter of John W. and Maggie pany wished to proceed, so he did not buy. He (Burns) Remine, took place in 1875. Mrs. continued to reside in Mercer County until his death, which occurred in 1884. Roby was born in Minnesota and at an early age came to Colorado. Her father settled in Central City in 1859 and the family came in the spring of 1864. He was a prominent lawyer of Central City, where he died August 23, 1869. Her mother, with the children, moved to Brecken- ridge in the spring of 1875 and there grew to womanhood. Mr. and Mrs. Roby became the parents of ten children, of whom the following are living: Frank, Clara, Detlev, Carl, Albert and Agnes, all at home. Mrs. Roby is a mem- ber of the Episcopal Church.

OHN L. ELHART. Not a few of the resi- dents of northeastern Colorado are those who, dissatisfied with prospects in Nebraska, have crossed the line into this state, and have here met with encouraging success. One of this class is Mr. Elhart, who in 1886 settled at Den- ver Junction (now Julesburg), but six months later removed to a claim in the old Fort Sedg- wick reservation, six miles west of town. After two years he changed his location to his present home, five miles southwest of Julesburg, and here he has since carried on general ranch pur- suits.

A native of Ohio, Mr. Elhart was born in Hancock County, January 18, 1852, a son of Daniel and Magdalene (Ritter) Elhart. Of six children comprising the family, three are living, viz .: Christina, wife of Jacob Myers, of Love- land, Colo .; John L., and Levy, a farmer of Ore- gon. The father, a native of Germany, born in 1813, emigrated to America in early manhood, accompanied by two sisters, and settled at Erie, Pa., where he worked at the shoemaker's trade. A year or more later he removed to Sandusky, Ohio, and thence, after a year, to Fremont, Ohio, where he built up an extensive business. Four years later he removed to Findlay, Hancock County, where he remained for four years. He then attached himself to a colony formed for the purpose of establishing a settlement in Mercer County, Il1. Removing to the new location, he turned his attention to farming, securing in 1851 one hundred and sixty acres of land, to the im- provement of which he gave his attention. While en route from Ohio to Illinois, the company stopped in Chicago and there he was offered eighty acres of land two miles from town, at his own price and on his own terms; but the con-

At seventeen years of age our subject went to New York and apprenticed himself to the trade of cheese-making, working one year in Wyoming County. On his return to Illinois he worked in Warren County for a year, after which he en- gaged in farming. Later, with a brother, he opened a shoe store in the village of Joy, in Mer- cer County, where he remained for four years. During his residence there he was married, Octo- ber 23, 1878, to Miss Hannah Beyer. The next year he disposed of his business and migrated to Nebraska, settling in Saunders County, where he farmed for one year as a renter. His next lo- cation was in Buffalo County, the same state, where he bought eighty acres of railroad land and engaged in farming. In the spring of 1885 he sold that place and went to Kearney, Neb., where he followed the carpenter's trade for a year. From that city he came to Colorado and has since made his home in Sedgwick County. He is a public-spirited citizen, a Republican in politics, and a man whose influence may be relied upon in behalf of beneficial measures. Both he and his wife are identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. She is deeply interested in educational work and has for three terms ably served as a member of the school board. Eiglit children were born to their marriage, viz .: Har- vey, deceased; Burton, Glen, Homer, Florence, May, Earl and Carlton D.

HARLES WENIG, who has made his home in Washington County since 1888 and is in- terested in general ranch pursuits, is a native of Prussia, Germany, born January 16, 1854, his parents being Adam and Marguerita Wenig. He was one of six children, of whom Ferdinand, Wilhelmina and Charles are in America, while Wilhelm, Frederick and Fredericka remain in the old country. The father spent his entire life in Prussia and was a man in moderate circumstances.

When fourteen years of age our subject crossed the ocean to the United States, landing at old Castle Garden in New York. He at once became an apprentice to the trade of brick and stone mason in Brooklyn, where he remained for four years. His next location was at Lyon Mountain, N. Y., where he spent one year. Thence going to Michigan, he worked for eighteen monthis in Manistee. In the spring of 1876 he came to

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Colorado, and at first worked on the St. Louis Valley ditch in Rio Grande County, but after three months went to Denver. Soon afterward he secured employment in the plant of the Bos- ton and Colorado Smelting Company at Argo, where he was employed continuously until 1888.

The year last-named found him in Washington County, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land fourteen miles southwest of Akron. He made his home there for six years, meantime erecting necessary buildings and mak- ing many improvements. In 1894 he came to his present ranch, seven miles northwest of his foriner home. He owns both of these ranches and is carrying on a growing business as a ranch- man and cattle-raiser. He always votes the Re- publican ticket and takes an interest in matters pertaining to the welfare of his adopted country. His marriage, February 16, 1887, united him with Christina I., daughter of Alexander McKay, who was in early life a sailor, but later a well- known farmer of Prince Edward's Island, where she was born. The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Wenig are : Charles B., George Alexander Carl (deceased), Christina Marguerita and Est- mere Carl.

OSEPH J. CHEAIRS. There are few of the ranchmen of Logan County who have met with greater success than has rewarded the judicious efforts of Mr. Cheairs. That this is so may be attributed to his energy, perseverance and sagacious judgment. He is essentially a shrewd manager and a tireless worker. The out- come of his work is shown in the extent of his possessions and the magnitude of his interests. His landed estate aggregates more than two thou- sand acres, upon which he engages in raising cattle. His ranch is situated one-half mile south of Sterling, where he erected a substantial resi- dence in 1889 and has since made his home. Besides his stock interests he has been officially connected with the various ditch companies of the county, and in this way has done not a little toward the development of this section. At this writing he holds office as president of the Logan County Horse and Cattle Protective Asso- ciation.

In Marshall County, Miss., Mr. Cheairs was born November 24, 1846, a son of Calvin and Anın E. (Hamer) Cheairs, of whom mention is made in this volume. He grew to manhood on the home plantation, and in early life became famil-

iar with the institution of slavery, for his father owned many slaves, through whose help the land was cultivated. When he was a youth at school the war came on and the schools were discon- tinued. He assisted in the management of the place through all the trying times of the war. January 19, 1869, he married Miss Sarah A. Jones, and they settled upon a tract of two hun- dred acres given him by his father. There he worked with a will and prosperity attended him. Finally, however, failing health rendered a change of climate necessary, and having heard much concerning the advantages of Colorado he came to this state in 1877. He was so greatly bene- fited by the change that he decided to locate here. With this purpose in view, he returned home, closed up his business affairs, disposed of his property, and in 1878 removed to Colorado to make his permanent home. On his arrival in the state he homesteaded a piece of land three miles northeast of Sterling, where he settled and embarked in farming and cattle-raising. In 1881 he opened a store in Sterling, but indoor work proved injurious to his health and in six months he returned to his ranch. In 1889 he settled upon the ranch where he has since resided.

Politically Mr. Cheairs is a firm Democrat, always voting with his party. During the latter '8os he served for two terms as surveyor of Logan County, but with that exception he has not lield public office. His business enterprises have been remarkably successful and he is ranked among the most prosperous ranchmen of northeastern Colorado. To the union of himself and wife ten children were born, of whom eight are living, viz .: Minnie L .; Maggie, wife of John Luton, a cattleman of Merino, Colo., Joseph C., Samuel V., Oscar W., Calvin, Jr., Grady and Marcie.

F D EORGE A. SNOW, a prominent merchant of Byers, Arapahoe County, was born in Currytown, N. Y., May 16, 1848. His education was obtained in the graded schools of Fairfield, N. Y. He engaged in the lumber business from 1866 to 1879 at Albany, N. Y., and in the latter year came to Colorado, settling in Arapahoe County and starting a sheep ranch eight miles south of Byers. After several years he removed his flock to Trego County, Kan., remaining only one year, when he returned to Albany, N. Y. There he again engaged in the lumber business till 1887, when, on account of health, he returned to Colorado and engaged

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in the stock business. He bought an interest in a store at Byers about 1890, and one year later bought out his partners. He has since handled general merchandise, hay, grain ånd farm ma- chinery. In politics he is a Democrat. Under the administration of President Mckinley he was appointed postmaster, which office he still fills.

IRAM A. SIMS, M. D., senior member of the firm of Sims & Sims, of Cripple Creek, is a descendant of an early settler of colonial America. The first of the name in this country was Rev. Zachariah Symmes, who emigrated from London to Massachusetts in 1683, crossing the ocean in the ship "Griffin," and settling among the Puritans of Boston, where he attained considerable prominence.

The doctor was born in Stanardsville, Greene County, Va., January 28, 1843. His education was carried on in his native town, where the seminary furnished him excellent advantages. In 1863 he matriculated in the Medical College of Virginia, where he took the regular course of lectures, graduating in 1866. Meantime, during the closing year of the Civil war, he acted as as- sistant surgeon in Confederate Hospital No. 9, at Richmond. After his graduation he returned to his old ·home and opened an office for general practice, which he conducted in the same place for seventeen years. He then removed to Roan- oke, the same state, where he built up a fine prac- tice and became well known as a skillful physi- cian. February 29, 1896, he arrived in Cripple Creek, and in June, 1898, formed a partnership with his son, Thomas W. Sims, M. D., the two having since continued together as advertising specialists.

May 16, 1861, Dr. Sims enlisted as a private in Company F, Seventh Virginia Infantry, C. S. A., and was assigned to General Kempa's brigade and Pickett's division. He took part in the battles of Manassa, Bull Run, Williamsburg, and Seven Pines, or Fair Oaks; in the latter bat- tle he was wounded in the left elbow. May 31, 1862, he was honorably discharged from the ser- vice. Through the influence of Governor Kempa, who was his personal friend, he afterwards re- ceived the appointment of Hospital Steward and acting assistant surgeon. At the fall of Rich- mond he was captured, but, having in his posses- sion a pass to the hospital, he was paroled twenty days later. During his residence in Virginia he was connected with the blue lodge of Masonry

and for four terms was worshipful master of Pied- mont Lodge No. 50. He was also past grand of the local lodge of Odd Fellows, and member of the encampment of Odd Fellows; past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias, and a member of the Uniform Rank; high chief in the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and master workman of the Knights of Labor No. 4129, at Roanoke, Va.

The marriage of Dr. Sims united him with Pamelia W. Yager, of Orange County, Va. They became the parents of three children. The eld- est of these, Thomas W., was educated in Roan- oke College and he received the degree of M. A. in 1889, and graduated in 1893 from the Univer- sity of Virginia with the degree of M. D. After engaging in private practice for a short time he entered the Philadelphia Polyclinic College, where he took a special course. He also studied in the Chicago Post-Graduate School. In June, 1898, he came to Cripple Creek, where he has since re- sided. April 19, 1899, he married Miss Gertrude Weidelins, of Cripple Creek. The older daugh- ter, Hasseltine, is the wife of A. R. Bowdry, a wholesale and retail merchant of Roanoke, Va. The youngest child is Anna Kelly, a talented artist, who resides with her parents.

A ARON D. CLEM. Three miles east of Fort Morgan lies the ranch owned by Mr. Clem, and here for some years he has been engaged in farming and in the breeding of fine cattle. No one in Morgan County owns finer cattle than he and no one has met with greater success in the breeding of high-grade stock. In 1885 he pur- chased a number of head of thoroughbred cattle, and has since given considerable attention to this industry, while at the same time he raises sheep.

A son of Bartlett and Nancy (Osborn) Clem, the subject of this sketch was born in Warren County, Ind., May 5, 1854, the youngest of eight children, five of whom are living. Of these, Henry, a stockman, resides in Fort Morgan; · Samuel is a stock-raiser of Sunset, Mont .; Israel, a mine owner at Princeton, Mont., has twice been elected to the Montana legislature; and Mary E. is the wife of Edmund Lowe, of Sunset. The father, a native of Butler County, Ohio, boru May 9, 1813, in boyhood accompanied his par- ents to Warren County, Ind., where he grew to man's estate, married, and engaged in agricult- ural pursuits. In 1856, accompanied by his family, he removed to Iowa and settled in Fre- mont County. There he continued to reside un-

HON. JOHN H. CROWLEY.

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til his death, which occurred February 17, 1873. His wife was born in Warren County, Ind., February 8, 1820, and died March 6, 1862.

In the common schools of Fremont County, Iowa, our subject acquired a fair education. One year after his father's death, the estate having been settled, he began his career as a farmer. October 18, 1874, he married Sibbie A., daugh- ter of Thomas Myers, who was a native of Ohio and for years a prominent farmer of Warren County, Ind. After his marriage he continued to till the soil in Fremont County until 1880, when he sold his property there and removed to Nebraska. In that state he farmed as a renter for three years, and in 1884 come to Colorado, first settling fifteen miles southwest of Fort Mor- gan, where he took up land and began in the sheep business. As his flocks grew in size he added to his possessions in order to furnish suit- able pasturage for his stock. Since 1885, as al- ready stated, he has given considerable attention to the cattle industry. In his political belief he is a Populist and always votes with his party. He and his wife are the parents of five children, viz. : Rolla D., born June 24, 1875; Lora B., March 6, 1878; Nancy E., December 13, 1880; Ruth C., March 28, 1891; and Russia F., Sep- tember 8, 1892.

ON. JOHN H. CROWLEY, of Otero Coun- ty, is widely known as one of the most suc- cessful fruit-growers in Colorado. He owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, situated one and one-half miles southeast of Rocky Ford, and of this tract seventy acres are planted in fruit. To indicate the extent of the business it may be stated that on his farm there are sixty varieties of apples; peaches, forty-four varieties; plums or prunes, forty-two; grapes, thirty; cherries, eight- een; strawberries, twelve; gooseberries, two; nec- tarines, five; apricots and almonds, one. When preparations were being made for the World's Fair he acted as county agent for the collection of fruit and grain, also agent for the state for the collection of fruit from various parts thereof. He is a member of the State Horticultural Society and perpetual superintendent of the fruit depart- ment of the Arkansas Valley Fair Association. In April, 1899, he was appointed by Governor Thomas as member for the southern district of the State Board of Horticulture for a term of six years. For his exhibition of the fruits grown on his farm, exhibited at the Omaha Exposition in

1898, he received first premium, and in the state fair of the same year he received premiums on his peaches, plums, prunes, grapes and apples. His orchard, though still young, is the finest in Otero County, and, indeed, in this part of the state.

Near Lexington, Ky., Mr. Crowley was born June 22, 1849, a sou of Timothy and Amanda (Devore) Crowley. His father died in 1850, and in 1856 his mother took him to Lucas County, Iowa. There he remained until he began for himself, in 1868. His first work was in the con- tracting and building of county bridges in Iowa. When the neutral strip in southeastern Kansas was sold he took up land there, but soon returned to Iowa, and engaged in building fences for the Kansas City & Council Bluffs Railroad. After two years he went to Lincoln, Neb., in the em- ploy of the Midland Railroad Company, and en- gaged in running construction trains, also for a time had charge of the yards at Lincoln.

His wife's poor health caused Mr. Crowley to come to Colorado in 1878. For six months he was employed as section foreman for the Santa Fe Railroad at Booneville, Colo., and six months later went to Larkspur, Colo., where he worked in the same capacity for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. He then returned to Nebraska, where he cultivated a farm, but again came to Colorado in 1881, and for a year was employed in laying steel rails and side track for the Santa Fe Rail- road Company. In 1882 he started a general store at Nepesta, Pueblo County, and also bought a ranch in the same locality. On selling out, in 1884, he went to southwestern Missouri to en- gage in the fruit business, but the health of his wife was poor and he decided to return to Colo- rado. In 1886 he took charge of the section at Rocky Ford, in which position he continued for ten months. He then purchased the re- linquishment of a claim and pre-empted the land he now owns. The first improvement made here was in 1887, when he planted an orchard of two acres and started a small nursery. From time to time he has put out more trees until he now has seventy acres in orchard.

February 1, 1873, he married Miss Aunie Gregory, of Fremont County, Iowa, a daughter of William and Delinda (Faune) Gregory. Mr. and Mrs. Crowley have five children. The eld- est, William Frank, who is a bright young man of twenty-four years, married Mary Fullerton, of Saguache, Colo., and has a farm of one hundred

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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 172

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