Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 190

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 190

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OSEPH P. DILLON, member of the firm of Powell & Dillon, stockmen of Logan County, and also a member of the board of county commissioners, was born in Henry County, Ill., August 23, 1859, being a son of Thomasand Mary (Gleason) Dillon. He was one of fourteen chil- dren, of whom the following survive: Kate, wife of Matthew Renhan, of Davenport, Iowa; Thomas, who is engaged in the insurance business at Tam- pico, Ill .; Joseph P .; Belle, at home; and Alice, who married John McKenzie and lives in York- town, Ill. The parents were born in County Tipperary, Ireland, the father in 1817, the mother in 1827. When twenty-two years of age the for- mer came to America, stopping in Providence, R. I., and securing employment in the woolen and cotton mills of Snow & Claflin, of that city. By his strict attention to his duties he soon won the confidence of his employers, and in a short time was made foreman of the mills, which important position he held about twenty years. Just before the outbreak of the Civil war he removed to Illi- nois and settled upon a farmi near Yorktown. Two years before his death he sold his Illinois

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estate and removed to Iowa, settling in Daven- port, where he hoped to spend years in the enjoy- ment of the fruits of his labors, but he was called from earth in April, 1897. His life had been prolonged to a good old age, and was a useful and helpful one. His wife is still living in Davenport.

At twenty years of age the subject of this sketch left the parental roof. For four years he was employed by a neighboring farmer and after- ward rented the home farm. In 1884 he came to Colorado, arriving in Sterling on the 21st of February, and securing employment with J. H. Simpson, then a prominent cattleman and later a county commissioner .. For three years he cou- tinued with Mr. Simpson. In the summer of 1887 he worked on the construction of the Bur- lington & Missouri River Railroad, driving two teams. In the fall he was employed on the Mis- souri Pacific Railroad building into Pueblo. The winter months he spent working in coal mines near Trinidad. During the spring and summer of 1888 he was engaged at ditch work and in rail- road construction. In the spring of 1889 he be- gan to work for E. A. Reaser near Iliff, taking charge of the ditch and ranch property belonging to Mr. Reaser, who was a prominent broker of Denver. At the same time he leased land for himself and began to buy cattle, his object being to establish himself in the cattle business. In the spring of 1891 he severed his connection with Mr. Reaser and formed a partnership with W. J. Powell, locating five miles northeast of Iliff, where they conduct their present business. They have been prospered and rank among the county's most experienced ranchmen.

In 1896 Mr. Dillon was elected to fill the unex- pired term of J. H. Simpson as county commis- sioner. At the expiration of this term, in 1897, he was re-elected to the office, which he has ably filled. In fraternal relations he is connected with Logan Lodge No. 69, I. O. O. F.

A UGUSTUS G. SHERWIN, one of the lead- ing business men of Sterling, where he is a dealer in lumber, coal, lime and cement, was born in Clermont County, Ohio, June 16, 1848, a son of Eldredge and Mary (Debruler) Sherwin. He was one of six children, of whom himself and his brother William, a contractor and builder in Chicago, are the survivors. His father, who was also a native of Clermont County, there learned the cooper's trade in his youth and afterward fol-

lowed that occupation for years, having in his employ from fifteen to twenty workmen. Dur- ing the excitement caused by the discovery of gold in California, he crossed the plains in 1852 and engaged in mining on the Pacific coast, but died a short time afterward. His widow after- ward kept the family together, and our subject, from the time he was eleven, was the mainstay of the others. When he was seventeen his mother died. He then determined to start out for himself. Going to Minnesota he secured em- ployment on a river steamer that plied the Mis- sissippi between Dubuque and St. Paul, but the work proved too heavy for him and he resigned his position.

Returning to Ohio, Mr. Sherwin settled in Glendale, which place he reached with only fif- teen cents in his possession. He secured employ- ment with William Coles, a prominent business man in Cincinnati. During the six months he continued there the family became greatly at- tached to him and wished to adopt him, but he had determined to learn a trade. He had been paid a salary of $25 a month and board. On leaving that place he began to work in the pic- ture frame house of Appleton Brothers, Cincin- nati, receiving $4 a week and boarding himself. After six months he was promoted to the position of joiner at $18 a week. He held the position for four months, but on seriously considering the matter, he saw there was no possibility of further advance and decided to try another occupation. He apprenticed himself to the carpenter's trade, at first receiving $3 a week, and continuing for six months with the same employer. On leaving he invested his savings in a confectionery busi- ness, but the location was a poor one, and he soon disposed of the business.

Next Mr. Sherwin went back to Laurel, Cler- mont County, where he purchased the interests of his three brothers in a tract of sixteen acres belonging to the old homestead. While superin- tending this place he also worked for a neighbor- ing farmer for two years, after which he culti- vated a rented farm for two seasons, meantime during the winter months carrying on a grocery business. A year later he and a cousin ran a wagon to Cincinnati, where they disposed of their produce. February 23, 1873, he married Leonora, daughter of Dixon and Louisa (Simmons) Bu- chanan, the former a prominent farmer in Cler- mont County. For one year after his marriage he continued to farm. In 1874 he removed to

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Brazil, Ind., and began to work at the carpen- ter's trade, in which, after three months, he was furnishing employment to sixteen men. His sec- ond year was an unfortunate one, but the third year was so successful that he realized $2,250 in clear profits at its close. For years he contin- ued contracting and building with marked suc- cess. His next location was at Point Pleasant, Ohio, where, with a partner, he engaged in tlie mercantile business, but through the dishonesty of his partner, he lost his entire investment and, upon closing out at the end of eighteen months, was obliged to borrow $200 to settle up the busi- ness. Going to Butler, Ky., he resumed carpen- tering, but work was scarce, and it was three years before he cleared himself of his indebted- ness. In 1881 he came to Colorado and settled in Pueblo, where his ability as an expert me- chanic soon became recognized, and he was made foreman in the erection of many of the city's business blocks.

In August, 1883, Mr. Sherwin came to Ster- ling, arriving here on the 19th of that month. A month later he took up a homestead on Cedar Creek, seven miles north of town, which he later changed to a pre-emption, and also took up a timber claim. From that time he devoted him- self to contracting and building in and near Ster- ling, and also invested in cattle, stocking his ranch with a good grade of cattle. He has erected the principal buildings in Sterling, in- cluding the court house and the Broadway school. In 1894 he removed into Sterling, and in Sep- tember established the business he has since con- ducted, having practically the entire lumber business of the town. He also deals extensively in coal. Retaining his ranch interests, he owns four hundred and forty acres on Cedar Creek and leases seven hundred and twenty acres of state land, much of which is in alfalfa. Since the spring of 1895 he has been a member of the town council. His political affiliations are with the Republican party. A loyal citizen, he favors all measures that will benefit the town and county. He is patriotic, and when a mere lad, shortly after his mother's death, offered his services to his country as a soldier in the Civil war, but be- ing under the stipulated age, he was rejected. He is temperate in his habits, avoiding the use of whisky; and, although for twenty-three years he used tobacco, he finally came to see the evil in the moral influence, and has never since used it in any form. He and his wife are the parents of

four children. Claude A., who was born in Cler- mont County, Ohio, is a stockman of Logan County, Colo .; Leonard W., who was born in Brazil, Ind., attends to his father's stock inter- ests; Lida, born at Butler, Ky., and Helen, born in Logan County, Colo., are with their parents.

ON. CHARLES W. BOMGARDNER, mayor of La Junta and member of one of the leading business firms of the city, was born in Indianapolis, Ind., January 27, 1860, a son of Isaac and Elizabeth Bomgardner. His fa- ther, who was a native of Pennsylvania, removed to the vicinity of Indianapolis in 1837 and there purchased and improved a farm. Through his unaided efforts he secured a competency, and now, at seventy-five years of age, is enjoying the pros- perity for which he labored in his younger days. When in need of the services of an attorney, dur- ing the earlier part of his residence in Indiana, he always consulted the firm of Porter, Fish- back & Harrison, and in this way became well acquainted with the junior member of the firm, afterward president of the United States. -

The wife of Isaac Bomgardner was born in Ohio and is now seventy years of age. Of a gentle Christian character, she has long been identified with the Baptist Church. Of her thir- teen children, eight are living. Our subject spent the years of his youth under the parental roof. In 1882 he came to Colorado and for a year clerked in the St. James Hotel in Denver, after which he followed the carpenter's trade in that city and Grand Junction. In 1885 he came to La Junta. After having farmed for one year, he entered the grocery business, and in 1889 embarked in the hardware business with a brother and Mr. How- ard. Later Mr. O'Neil succeeded Mr. Howard, the firm now being Bomgardner & O'Neil. Their trade is the best in the line in Otero Connty. They carry in stock, not only hardware, but also a general line of farm implements, harness, etc.

Active in local politics, in the campaign of 1896 Mr. Bomgardner changed his allegiance from the Republican party to the silver movement. In 1888 and 1889 he served as a member of the board of town trustees. For one year, while the county was being organized, he held the office of county judge by appointment. He is now serv- ing for a third term as mayor of La Junta, in which responsible position he has accomplished much for the benefit of local enterprises. He is a member of Euclid Lodge No. 64, A. F. & A. M.,

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of this city, and is also connected with the Wood- men of the World. He was united in marriage with Miss Edith Behymer, of Denver, by whom he has one son. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bomgardner are connected with the Baptist Church of La Junta.

ON. WEBSTER BALLINGER. The du- ties of legislator and newspaper editor have occupied much of the time and thought of Mr. Ballinger during past years. Three times elected a member of the Iowa legislature, since coming to Colorado he has twice been elected to represent Park County in the state legislature, and during the entire period of his service he has proved himself to be a progressive, public-spirited man, desirous of promoting local interests and of advancing the general welfare of his state.

Born in Barboursville, Ky., February 25, 1841, the subject of this sketch is a son of Frank and Jane (Adams) Ballinger. He was one of nine children, six of whom are uow living, viz. : Web- ster; William, president of the Keokuk and Quincy Canning Company, and a resident of Keokuk, Iowa; Jennie, wife of Loren G. Rowell, a prom- inent attorney of Kansas City; Madison, a prac- ticing attorney of Washington, D. C .; Mrs. Lucy Lindsey, who is the only ordained lady minister of the Christian Church in Missouri; and Adam, who is clerk and bookkeeper for the Keokuk and Quincy Canning Company.

A native of Kentucky, born in the year 1801, Frank Ballinger was a drummer boy during the war of 1812 and was present at the battle of New Orleans. On approaching manhood he took up the study of law and met with success, al- though he did not have the advantage of a colle- giate education. At the age of twenty-seven he began the practice of law. He was a man of strong moral force, and when an amendment to the state constitution was offered in the Kentucky legislation, providing that every unborn slave should be free at twenty-one years of age, in be- half of the emancipation amendment, he took the stump and spoke throughout the state in favor of the measure. Prior to this he had served as a member of the Kentucky legislature. Bela M. Hughes, who was one of his contemporaries in Kentucky, and who later became a pioneer of Denver, declared Mr. Ballinger to be the great- est lawyer in Kentucky. He was a political as- sociate and personal friend of Cassius M. Clay. His death occurred in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1871.

Under private tutors at home and in the pri- mary department of Bacon College, the subject of this sketch gained much of his education. His studies were finished under Professor Kimball. Prior to the outbreak of the war, and just before the call was made for seventy-five thousand men, he went to Sandusky, Iowa, and made a speech in behalf of the Union, enlisting seven young men for service. Going to Keokuk the next morning, they organized a company, and he was offered one of the commissioned offices of the company, but, not feeling qualified for the work, refused a commission, and thereupon officers were chosen from among veterans of the Mexican war. He was made third sergeant of Company A, Second Iowa Infantry. At Fort Donelson his regiment led the charge and he was one of the first men on top of the Confederate breastworks. Prior to the charge he and some forty others requested from General Smith, who commanded the division, permission to charge the works. General Smith refused such permission, stating to General Tut- tle, the colonel of the Second Iowa Infantry, Mr. Ballinger's regiment, that if he wished to show his personal bravery and sacrifice two companies of his men he could do so, but not a whole regi- ment. A message was dispatched to General Grant, however, and the answer came back that these were the boys he was looking for. The charge was made and twenty minutes later the fort was taken.

For bravery in the battle of Corinth Mr. Bal- linger received special meution. He also took part in the battles of Pittsburg Landing and Shi- loh. September 6, 1862, he was commissioned second lieutenant and was mustered out of serv- ice in May, 1864, at Pulaski, Tenn. Returning to Keokuk, Iowa, he began the study of law un- der Miller & Rankin. In the fall of 1865 he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law. The next year he was elected to the legislature, and again in 1870 he represented his state in the lower house, also serving in an extra session fol- lowing this. In the year 1865 he was chairman of the soldiers' state convention, which nominated Thomas H. Benton, Jr., for governor.

Coming to Colorado in 1873, Mr. Ballinger settled six miles northeast of the present site of Como. There he took up one hundred and sixty acres of land and later acquired additional prop- erty, until his ranch numbered nine hundred and forty acres. In 1881 he was appointed to the office of district attorney. Three years later he

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removed to Como, where he has since resided. In 1889 he was the Republican nominee for the legislature and was elected, serving in the sev- enth general assembly. In 1889, purchasing the Como Headlight, he reorganized it into the Como Record, and has since made of it a thorough, up- to-date, newsy country paper. In 1892 he ac- quired an interest in the King Solomon mine, which has proved a paying property from the first. In November, 1898, he was elected to the state legislature on the fusion ticket, and is the present representative from Park County. Fra- ternally he is connected with Como Lodge No. 17, A. O. U. W. .

September 2, 1866, Mr. Ballinger married Miss Mary L. Morris, a native of Texas, and a de- scendant of Lewis Morris, one of the signers of the declaration of independence. She was a daughter of Hon. Richard Morris, who was judge of the courts of Galveston and Houston. Of the nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Ballinger all but one are living. They are : Webster, who is engaged in railroad work; Mamie; Richard M., who is the publisher of the Como Record; Sallie, Lucy, Frank, Randolph and Sidney.

1 OHN F. DOLE, county treasurer of Wash- ington County, is one of Akron's leading mer- chants, and also a successful stockman. In 1896, in partnership with J. M. Gillette, he em- barked in the cattle and sheep business on a ranch seven miles northeast of Akron, where are now some one hundred and fifty head of cattle and three thousand head of sheep.

Mr. Dole was born in Jefferson County, Iowa, November 19, 1857, a son of Joseph R. and Maria Ellen (Armacost) Dole, being the third of five children. The other members of the family are: Charles, proprietor of a steam laundry in Salt Lake City, Utah; Eva, who resides in Fairfield, Iowa; Joseph Wilbur, a teacher in the Fairfield schools; and Frank, who is deputy treasurer of Washington County, Colo. The father, a native of Kentucky, born in 1825, accompanied his par- ents to Clermont County, Ohio, at eight years of age, and there grew to manhood and engaged in the sawmill business. Shortly after his mar- riage he removed with his wife to Jefferson Coun- ty, Iowa, where he engaged in tilling a rented farm for twelve years, and then purchased farm- ing land. In the fall of 1898, retiring from active life, he established his home in Fairfield, Iowa, where he now resides, His wife was born in

Clermont County, Ohio, in 1833, and was united with him in marriage June 17, 1849.

In common schools our subject obtained a fair education. In 1880 he left home and went to Orleans, Neb., joining his brother Charles, who had preceded him there some six years and was engaged in the mercantile business. The two continued the business in partnership until 1887, when our subject came to Colorado, arriving in Akron July 8, and establishing a branch house in this town. He and his brother dissolved part- nership November 2, 1888, he taking the busi- ness here, while his brother became sole proprietor of the store at Orleans. During his residence in Orleans he was married, on Christmas day of 1884, to Mary E. Lapp, who was born near Ply- mouth, Ind., and by whom he has three sons, Earl, Ray and Joseph.

Since coming to Akron Mr. Dole has been one of the leading factors in the building up of the town and in the development of this section of country. In 1891 he was chosen mayor of Akron, and was also the successful candidate for the office of county clerk, running on an independent ticket. In 1895 he was the candidate, on an in- dependent ticket, for county treasurer, and not- withstanding the fact that both the Democrats and Republicans had candidates in the field, lie was elected by a handsome plurality. In 1897 he was re-elected to the office, this time as a Populist candidate. He has filled the office witli efficiency and in a most trustworthy manner. In fraternal relations he is connected with Akron Lodge No. 74, A. F. & A. M .; Akron Com- mandery No. 21, K. T .; Akron Chapter No. 26, R. A. M .; also Akron Lodge No. 89, I. O. O. F.

C ALVIN CHEAIRS was one of the earliest colonists of Logan County, where he is now living retired. He was born in North Caro- lina September 23, 1819, a son of Joseph and Tabitha (Green) Cheairs. Of eight children comprising the family, the only survivors are he and his sister, Lively, the widow of Lemuel Smith and a resident of Yazoo County, Miss. His father a native of North Carolina, there grew to manhood and married, after which he engaged in farming. In 1830 he removed to Bolivar in western Tennessee, where he made his home for nine years. From that place he went to Marshall County, Miss., which continued to be his home until his death, in 1843.

The education of our subject was such as com-

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mon schools afforded. When eighteen years of age he went to Texas on a tour of inspection, seeking a suitable location, but after six months, finding nothing satisfactory, he returned home. He continued on the home farm, assisting in its cultivation, until the death of his father. In the fall of 1844 the estate was divided among the chil- dren, and about the same time (September 11) he was united in marriage with Miss Ann E. Hamer. With his wife, he settled upon a tract of land inherited from his father. Being a thorough business manager, he was prospered and acquired an extensive property in Marshall County. At the time of the breaking out of the war he was the owner of seventy slaves, through whose help his large plantation was conducted. When the war closed the adjacent counties were newly sub- divided and his large properties in land became a part of Benton County. In 1877 his son, J. J., came to Colorado on a trip for his health and, being deeply impressed by the country and greatly benefited by the climate, he returned to Mississippi and made arrangements to settle in Colorado. At the same time our subject also decided to remove to this state.

June, 1878, found Mr. Cheairs located two miles northeast of Sterling (then a town of but one shanty, in which the postoffice was located). After two years he removed to this town, and with the first carload of lumber ever shipped into the place, he built the first house in Sterling, doing all the work himself; for, while he was not a carpenter by trade, he was very handy with tools. His first wife had died in 1858, and July 24, 1865, he married Mrs. Sarah A. (Davis) Jaratt, widow of John A. Jaratt. She was the mother of a daughter hy a former marriage, Sarah A. (Jones) Cheairs, the wife of J. J. Cheairs. By his first wife, our subject had seven children, all sons, who lived to be men, but three are now deceased. The survivors are: Joseph J., men- tioned elsewhere in this volume; William H., a farmer of Benton County, Miss .; Benjamin F., who is engaged in farming in Coahoma County, Miss .; and Calvin, Jr., who is also living in Coa- homa County.

Since settling in Colorado, Mr. Cheairs has dealt in farm loans, warrants and real estate, and has done much to encourage the growth of Ster- ling. He is deeply interested in religious work, and is serving as a trustee in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, of which he was long an elder. When the building of a new house of

worship was being agitated in 1898, he took an active part and subscribed the largest amount given toward its construction by any single con- tributor. The edifice, when completed, was one of the finest in this part of the state. In early life he was a supporter of the Whig party. Prior to the war he opposed the secession of the southi- ern states. In later years he became an adherent of the Democratic party. During his residence in Mississippi, he was actively identified with the blue lodge of Masonry, but has never transferred his membership to Colorado. He and his wife have many friends among the people of Logan County, where they have resided for so many years and in the progress of which they have been so deeply interested.

W. MC COLLISTER, one of the sub- stantial professional and business men of . northeastern Colorado and an influential citizen of Akron, was born in Atchison County, Mo., December 21, 1859, a son of John and Jane (Kirkwood) McCollister. The other members of the family besides himself are: Belle, wife of W. T. Buckham, a business man and public official of Rockport, Mo .; Clara, wife of R. E. Goudy, a ranchman and cattle-raiser of Tarkio, Mo .; Hat- tie, at home; and James A., who is with our sub- ject. The father, a native of Ohio, born near Chillicothe in 1832, was a son of Andrew McCol- lister, a prominent farmer of Ross County. There he grew to manhood and married. Shortly after his marriage he removed to Missouri with his wife and his parents, both families settling in Atchison County, where they secured a tract of government land and engaged in farming. The father and his parents died in that county and there the mother is still making her home. Our subject's maternal grandfather, James Kirkwood, was a native of Virginia and a member of one of the old families of that state. From there he re- moved to Sullivan, Il1., later settled in St. Louis, Mo., where he spent the closing years of his life in retirement from business cares. He died in March, 1899, at eighty-nine years of age. His wife was in maidenhood Maria Young, and was born in Ireland, but came to America at an early age.

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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 190

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