USA > Minnesota > St Louis County > Duluth > Duluth and St. Louis County, Minnesota; their story and people; an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development, Volume II > Part 34
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57
In 1896 Mr. Carlson was married to Hannah Forsman, and they have five children, namely : Oregon Catherine, Lars M., Virginia. Gustav, and William. Lars M. at the age of nineteen years was a student at the Minnesota State University, to which he had gone after being grad- uated from Culver Military Academy, and was in the Students Reserve Corps, prepared to go abroad for service during the World war, when the signing of the Armistice made such action unnecessary.
Mr. Carlson is one of the interesting figures of Duluth, and his in- fluence in the development of the great ore industries cannot be over- estimated. His knowledge of drilling and mining is practical and thorough. and combined with it has been a firm and abiding faith in the possibilities of the Mesaba Range, which has enabled him to undertake
771
DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
large enterprises and carry them through to successful completion. His connection with an undertaking today means its ultimate success, and his name gives added strength to any concern, for it is admittedly a fact that he will not go into anything until he is certain that it and the people backing it are thoroughly dependable. Having played so important a part in the progress of the Northwest, he naturally takes great pride in it and the results which have come through his practical application of his knowledge and abilities.
EDWIN D. FIELD. It is not an easy task to describe adequately a man who led an eminently active and useful life and attained a position of relative distinction in the community with which his interests were allied. But biography finds its most perfect justification, nevertheless, in the tracing and recording of such a life history. It is, then, with a full ap- preciation of all that is demanded and of the painstaking scrutiny that must be accorded each statement, and yet with a feeling of satisfaction, that the writer essays the task of touching briefly upon the details of such a record as was that of Edwin D. Field, who passed from this life on, the 16th of February, 1921.
Edwin D. Field was born June 25, 1858, at Montpelier, Vermont, a son of Cornelius A. and Maria (Dewey) Field, both of whom were also natives of Vermont. Cornelius A. Field was born February 4, 1825, and died on May 21, 1907. He was the scion of an old New England family, the progenitors of which settled in that locality about 1730. Mr. Field became a man of considerable prominence in his native community, and as early as 1859 he was the organizer and the first president of a local organization known as the Young Men's Christian Association of Montpelier. In 1865 he removed with his family to Hanover, New Hampshire, where also he took a leading part in public affairs, having served as postmaster for twenty years and also as a member of the school board. In the fall of 1886, Mr. Field came to Duluth and engaged in the real estate and insurance business with his son, Edwin D. He and his wife were members of the Pilgrim Congregational Church of Duluth, of which he served as deacon from 1890 to 1897. Mrs. Field also was descended from an old New England family, the Deweys having settled in Connecticut in 1630. She was a first cousin of Dr. Julius Dewey, of Montpelier, Vermont, the father of Admiral Dewey. By her union with C. A. Field she became the mother of six children, five daughters and a son. Two of the daughters are deccased and the son was the second in order of birth ..
Edwin D. Field after completing the common school course entered Dartmouth college, where he was graduated with the class of 1880. with the degree of Bachelor of Science. In 1881 he entered the employ of John Morrill & Company, Ltd., packers, at Ottumwa, Iowa, and Can- ton, Illinois, but the following year he removed to Rockford, Illinois. where he was employed as bookkeeper and teller in the Rockford National Bank. In 1885 he came to Duluth and engaged in the real estate and insurance business, first as the E. D. Field Company and later under the style of Field-Frey Company. Incorporated, which was organized in 1913. Of the latter company Mr. Field became and continued as presi- dent. and August J. Frey became vice president and secretary. Mr. Frey and his wife were among the ill-fated persons who lost their lives in the great forest fire of October 12. 1918. In the real estate and insurance field Mr. Field attained a high place, handling a large and constantly increasing volume of business and gained an enviable reputation as an able and reliable business man. He was one of the organizers and for
772
DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
many years treasurer and director of the Board of Fire Underwriters of Duluth, which incorporated and is operating the Salvage Corps of this city. He was also a director and during 1918 was president of the Duluth Board of Realtors, in addition to which he was connected with a number of other business enterprises of this city.
Mr. Field was a member of the Duluth Commercial Club, the Kitchi Gammi Club, the Duluth Curling Club, the Duluth Boat Club, and was also a member of the Beta Theta Pi college fraternity. Politically he was an independent Republican, while his religious affiliation was with the Pilgrim Congregational Church of Duluth. On April 30, 1907, Mr. Field was married to Henrietta Barnes. They had a daughter, Elizabeth Barnes Field. In all life's relations Mr. Field was true to every obliga- tion and thereby he won and retained the unqualified confidence and re- spect of his fellow men.
WILLIAM D. WILLIAMS has had an active business career of more than half a century, and for nearly thirty years has been a contractor. broker and general operator in lumber and forest products at Duluth.
Mr. Williams was born in Wales in April, 1844, and twelve years later, in 1856, was brought by his parents across the ocean. The family joined a notable Welsh colony in Columbia county, Wisconsin, where some of the first and most prominent settlers came out of Wales dur- ing the forties and fifties. Mr. Williams' father was identified with farming in that part of Wisconsin until his death in 1890.
William D. Williams, oldest of six children, acquired only a limited education so far as schools were concerned. Perhaps the chief source of his education and means of opening up to him a wide communication with life and affairs was the New York Tribune, a copy of which came regularly into the Williams home in Wisconsin. That paper was then at the height of its fame and power under the editorial management of Horace Greeley, and Mr. Williams attributes to the studious reading of its columns most of the early education he acquired, and a knowledge that has been sufficient for his business career. At the age of sixteen he went to Milwaukee and for five years was employed in a commision house. After that he was engaged in the produce business on his own account at Berlin, Wisconsin, for twenty-two years, and on May 22. 1891, came to Duluth and took up the line of work in which he has ever since been engaged, handling lumber, railroad ties, telegraph and tele- phone posts, and similar materials. The past quarter of a century he has furnished many railroad companies with a large part of their wood equipment. Mr. Williams is a Republican voter. He married many years ago Jennie H. Howell, a native of Ohio, now deceased. He has three children, namely: Walter D. Williams, Western Agent for the Security Fire Insurance Company, with headquarters in Rockford, Illinois ; Florence, living at home, and Juanita, also at home. Mr. Wil- liams built a home on Twelfth avenue, East, in 1892, and is still living there.
COLEMAN F. NAUGHTON. A native son of Duluth, and now one of the Board of County Commissioners for St. Louis county, Coleman F. Naughton is well known in several cities and over a large part of the Central West for his work as a newspaper cartoonist. He began sketch- ing while a schoolboy in Duluth, and after deciding to make use of his talent as a profession he studied art in Chicago, at the same time earn- ing his living by office work, and after gaining recognition his cartoons
773
DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
became a feature of several metropolitan journals and were syndicated and published from one end of the country to the other.
Mr. Naughton was born in Duluth, May 24, 1877, his birthplace being the home on First street near First avenue, West. He is a son of Cole- man F. and Margaret (Connelly) Naughton. His father, a native of Ireland, came to America in 1855, was a railroad worker in Pennsylvania, and in 1875 moved to Duluth and was superintendent for the Northwest- ern Fuel Company of this city until his death. The family of six chil- dren, two sons and four daughters, are all living.
Coleman F. Naughton, Jr., youngest of the children, was educated in the grammar and high schools of Duluth. While working as a book- keeper and in general office work in Chicago he attended the Art In- stitute, where he perfected himself for his profession. As a cartoonist his work appeared for several seasons in the Minneapolis Tribune, later he was on the art staff of the Louisville Times, then with the Boston American, and finally with the Duluth Herald in his home city. Mr. Naughton was elected a member of the Board of County Commissioners in November, 1917, and began his term of four years, January 1, 1918. He is a Republican and a member of the Kiwanis Club and Elks Club.
August 12, 1905, he married Sarah J. Buskirk. They were married at Minneapolis, but Mrs. Naughton was born in Indiana, a member of an old family of that state. Her ancestors were Holland Dutch pioneers of New Amsterdam, and through the military service of other ancestors she is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
F. S. MILLS. During the three years that it has been in existence. the Mills Transfer Storage Company has enjoyed a wholesome and con- sistent growth, its success evidencing the value of its business policy as outlined in its slogan, "The acme in service at the most reasonable rates." The founder of this Duluth industry, F. S. Mills, has enterprisingly forged his way to a position of recognized substantiality in his field of endeavor. He was born July 8, 1874, in Bigstone county, Minnesota, a son of Albert Mills, a native of New York.
F. S. Mills, the eldest in a family of four children, was educated in the public schools of Ortonville, Minnesota, and spent the early part of his life in agricultural pursuits, becoming the owner of a valuable farm, which he later sold. He had varied experiences in commercial enterprises prior to coming to Duluth in 1917, at which time he became identified with the Bridgman-Russell Company. Not long after his ar- rival he founded the Mills Transfer Storage Company, associating with him his son, E. C. Mills, who graduated in the class of 1917 from the University of Minnesota. Since that time another son, A. W. Mills, has been admitted to partnership. At this time the company's transfer headquarters are located at 213 Fourth avenue, West. This concern does all kinds of draying, moving, freight baggage packing and shipping. and makes a specialty of moving furniture, for which purpose it has three of the largest van motor cars in the city. The company receives its full share of patronage and its customers are daily growing in volume. It has been the aim and policy of the company to serve each and everyone of its customers to the best of its ability, believing that a satisfied patron is its best advertisement. The furniture equipment of the Mills concern is of the best, and its furniture craters and packers are among the most efficient to be found at the Head of the Lakes. In the transfer line daily deliveries are made to and from Duluth, Superior, West Duluth, River- side, Smithville, Morgan Park, Gary and New Duluth.
774
DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Mr. Mills has built up this business solely through his ability pro- gressiveness and foresight, and in rearing his structure of business suc- cess has gained and held the confidence of those with whom he has been associated and those with whom he has come into contact. He has several important civic and club connections and takes an interested part in the active city life going on about him. In 1895 Mr. Mills married, and he and Mrs. Mills are the parents of six children.
EDWARD J. FILIATRAULT. Fealty to facts in the analyzation of the character of a citizen of the type of Edward J. Filiatrault, of Duluth, is all that is required to make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs more than any other consideration that gives character and stability to the body politic and makes the true glory of a city or state revered at home and re- spected in other localities. In the broad light which things of good re- port ever invite the name and character of Mr. Filiatrault stand re- vealed and secure and, though of modest demeanor, with no ambition to distinguish himself in public position or as a leader of men, his career has been signally honorable and patriotic and it may be studied with profit by the youth just entering upon his life work.
Edward J. Filiatrault was born June 11, 1876, at Faribault, Minne-) sota, and is the son of Edward and Rose (Payant) Filiatrault, both of whom are now deceased, the father dying in 1914, and his wife passing away the following year. Edward Filiatrault was born in Canada, where he lived until about 1855, when he came alone to Minnesota, locating first in the city of St. Paul, where he obtained employment as a tool- maker, which vocation he followed during all his active years. A year afterward he moved to Faribault, where he lived a number of years, but finally, in 1886, moved to Duluth, where he spent the remainder of his life. He bore a most excellent reputation as a man among men, observing the closest ethics of correct living, and by the strength of his own character he gave stability to the communities in which he lived. In 1856, about eighteen months after he came to Minnesota, he married Rose Payant, and they became the parents of eleven children, of which number the subject of this sketch is the fifth in order of birth, he being a twin brother of Albert, who also is living.
Edward J. Filiatrault received his educational training in the public schools of Faribault and Duluth, attending the high school in the latter city for three years and graduating with the class of 1894. After com- pleting his education he went to Buffalo, New York, and took a two- year course in electric engineering. He then entered the employ of the Northern Steamship Company and sailed as chief electrician on the steamer "Northland" in 1896, 1897 and a part of 1898. In the summer of the latter year he came to Duluth and took charge of electrical con- struction work and engineering for the Burgess Electric Company, with whom he remained in that capacity until 1901. In the latter vear he entered business on his own account, forming a partnership with Emil A. Nelson, under the firm name of the Mutual Electric and Auto Company, engaging in electrical contracting and engineering and in the automobile business. This partnership was continued until Julv, 1908. when the partnership was severed. Mr. Nelson taking the electrical business under the name of the Mutual Electric Company and Mr. Filiatrault continuing the automobile business as the Mutual Auto Company.
In 1901 the Mutual Electric and Auto Company was the first auto- mobile firm and the pioneers in that industry in Duluth. B. E. Baker
Stiliabquex
775
DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
at that time brought the first car to Duluth, a single-cylinder Oldsmobile runabout. Following him, Ward Ames bought a two-cylinder Winton, which was then capable of making a speed of twenty-eight miles an hour, and at that period the Winton held the world's record, twenty-eight miles per hour. W. E. Brown then came out with a third car, a single-cylinder, five-passenger Thomas Flyer, of ten-horse power. Then the Rambler became known here. In 1903 Mr. Filiatrault and Victor Huot each pur- chased a two-cylinder, eighty-five-inch wheel base Model K Rambler, five passenger, which in their day were wonderful cars. Following the advent of these cars Lou Martin and D. G. Cutler purchased White Steamer cars. From that day to this the automobile industry has developed to such a point that in the city of Duluth alone it supports five thousand cars. It has made this city a big distributing center, the aggregate vol- ume of business handled through this city amounting to over twenty mil- lion dollars annually, Duluth today being recognized as one of the most important distributing centers for motor vehicles in the United States. Until the year 1911 Duluth held but little importance as a distributing center, but through the untiring efforts of Mr. Filiatrault arrangements were made for the distribution of the Ford cars from this point. Then in 1915 the Willys-Overland Company recognized the value of Duluth as a distributing center and arrangements were made with Mr. Filiatrault for the distribution of Overland cars in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and a part of Michigan. Previous to these events the Twin Cities (Saint Paul and Minneapolis) had enjoyed the distinction of distributing most all commodities at the Head of the Lakes, but today Duluth is holding its own with these cities as a large jobbing and distributing center. In all of this development Mr. Filiatrault has had a large share, and to him more than to any other man is due the credit for the wonderful advance made along these lines here, which has proven such an asset to Duluth.
Intensely public spirit and generous in his attitude toward young men starting in life and who show a disposition to apply themselves honestly and faithfully to their object, Mr. Filiatrault has given substantial assis- tance to several young men who are now numbered among Duluth's suc- cessful business men. He has also taken a keen interest in all matters affecting the civic welfare and has been active in promoting the material. educational and moral interests of the community.
He has been so intensely interested in the welfare of young men about to enter into business life that he is frequently called upon to lecture in our public schools on the essentials in life that constitutes busine'ss suc- cess.
Like all successful men in a live, thriving community, he has had his hobbies in a civic way. The promotion of good highways and farm roads, perhaps there is no better qualified man in the city of Duluth other than Mr. Filiatrault on road development, particularly in Saint Louis county and generally throughout the state. He has been most active in Legisla- tive matters particularly pertaining to highway and farm road improve- ments. In 1919, mainly through his untiring efforts and ability to organ- ize at a referendum election, St. Louis county voted, through its citizens, a seven and a half million dollar bond issue for the building of hard sur- faced highways on its 270 mile highway system.
During the last few years little has been known to the general public of his affiliation with several of Duluth's industries. He has refrained from accepting any appointments on boards of directors, but neverthe- less as a stockholder he is identified with, and his judgment in business matters with the companies in which he is interested is sought on numer- ous occasions. He is a holder of considerable real estate represented by
776
DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
business and residence properties, and his success is due mainly to his keen judgment in business matters in general.
Just prior to the entry of the United States into the great World War Mr. Filiatrault was appealed to by the Department of Justice to organize a secret service division of volunteer Duluth citizens to assist the depart- ment in investigating pro-Germanism and all organizations or individuals who were working against our Government .. Mr. Filiatrault replied by wire, accepting the responsibility, and in less than thirty days the Ameri- can Protective League (commonly known as the A. P. L.), the secret service volunteer division of the Department of Justice, was organized in seven divisions, as follows: Industrial, railroad, transportation, com- mercial, telephone, telegraph, steamboat and docks and a flying squadron. Mr. Filiatrault was appointed chief of the Duluth district division. Each of the sub-divisions enumerated above had from twenty-five to forty members, the entire organization being made up of 208 prominent busi- ness men who volunteered their services for the cause. The activities of the Duluth Division of the American Protective League has gone down in history as being the premier organization as regards efficiency of any district in the United States. This division has the record of clearing up more cases of pro-Germanisin and sedition by thorough investigation ; of causing the greatest number of arrests, and detentions in a great many cases ; of deportations of guilty parties to the various Federal prisons ; of the rounding up of a number of army deserters, and the ferreting out in a thorough and business like manner of more obstinate cases detri- mental to the welfare of the Government and the winning of the great war than any city of like population in the United States. One notable example of their work were the activities of some of the members on snow-shoe cruises in the northern wilds of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and the rounding up of violaters of the war laws. The Duluth Division has also to its credit the discovery of seventeen wireless stations, located in the wilds of northern Minnesota, capable of receiving and delivering messages to either coast. These stations, all of which were demolished, had been operated by German ex-officers or under German supervision. The Flying Squadron, which consisted of fifteen prominent Duluth citizens owning automobiles at the disposal of the Duluth Division, covered in excess of fifty thousand miles in the performance of their duties.
One of the peculiar features of the organization in carrying out this secret work of investigation for the Government was that each division had a captain and lieutenant, and these were the only persons in each division who knew who the Chief was, he being known as C-1. The captains and lieutenants also were operating under symbol letters and each operative of each division were also assigned symbol letters and numbers and they, in turn, did not know who the other operatives in their respective divisions were, outside of the captains and lieutenants. All communications pertaining to the work of the Duluth division of the American Protective League was in written form, addressed in symbol letter and number to the proper officer and signed in symbol letter and number by the operative. The Department of Justice today has a com- piete record of every person living in the Duluth district who uttered words against the Government from April 1, 1917. until the Duluth divi- sion was disbanded under Federal instructions on February 1, 1919. This was a contribution made by Mr. Filiatrault to the winning of the great war which has never been made public, as the work of this division and the personnel of its membership has been maintained a closed secret until now. It may be said in this connection that Washington recognizes that
777
DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
the work of the Duluth division was of such a high character that undoubt- edly it was the reason that this important industrial center, with its mines and other interests that meant so much to the winning of the great war, was kept free and clear of any depredations or losses during the great struggle.
During the World War period in addition to the responsibilities, which he assumed, just enumerated above Mr. Filiatrault was an active member of Local Draft Board Number Four, and he held the title of secretary of the board, and only those who know can fully appreciate just the amount of time and sacrifice that was made by the Local Boards in the fulfillment of their duties during this trying period. Almost 5,000 drafties were entered into the service through this Local Board. It can be readily seen at a glance that he, like all other extremely patriotic Ameri- cans, more than contributed his part in this self sacrificing work, with- out remuneration, to assist in winning the war.
Politically Mr. Filiatrault until 1910 has been a Democrat. He is a great admirer of President Wilson, but since that time a Republican. Though taking a deep interest in public affairs, he has steadfastly refused to stand for election to any public office, preferring to give his entire time to the development of his own business. He is a member of the Com- mercial Club, the Rotary Club, the Elks Club, the Boat Club, the Curl- ing Club, the Sportsman's Club and various other organizations. In 1910 he was one of the organizers of the Rotary Club, and in 1911 was elected its president. In 1919 he was again elected president; this being the first time in the history of the International Rotary that a president of any club has been chosen to that office a second time. The Rotary Club, one of the best known organizations in Duluth, represents an organization of 200 prominent business men, each member representing a different line of business. Mr. Filiatrault is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and in 1912 was elected exalted ruler of the local lodge, and in 1919 was again honored with the same office. The Duluth Lodge of Elks has a total membership of 1,150 and is distinctively American in character. During the World war the Elks took a promi- nent part in raising the finances necessary to carry on the great struggle and in building up and stimulating a spirit of Americanism. They raised a fund of $45,000 for the Salvation Army. For service in the great war the Elks furnished 110 of its members, some of whom will never return. During the entire war period the Elks Lodge maintained all of these boys in good standing, fathered them on the other side in a great many ways and won the thanks and respect of all for its splendid record. Religious- ly Mr. Filiatrault is a member of the Catholic Church, and he is also presi- dent of the French Naturalization Club. His chief diversions from the cares and routine of business is in his fondness for hunting and fishing. in the interests of which he devotes more time to living in the wilds of Northern Minnesota than any other man in Duluth. He has a summer home and hunting lodge about forty miles north of Duluth, and there he and his family have spent their summers for the past ten years.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.