Illustrated album of biography of the famous valley of the Red River of the North and the park regions of Minnesota and North Dakota : containing biographical sketches of settlers and representative citizens, Part 96

Author: Alden, Ogle & Company
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Alden, Ogle & Company
Number of Pages: 872

USA > Minnesota > Illustrated album of biography of the famous valley of the Red River of the North and the park regions of Minnesota and North Dakota : containing biographical sketches of settlers and representative citizens > Part 96
USA > North Dakota > Illustrated album of biography of the famous valley of the Red River of the North and the park regions of Minnesota and North Dakota : containing biographical sketches of settlers and representative citizens > Part 96

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Dr. Richardson is a man of age and mature experience. His professional life has been well and successfully spent. He is thor- oughly qualified for the duties of his profes- sion, and has a large and extended practice. In politics he affiliates with the democratic party.

LBERT L. HANSON. Among the prom- inent and esteemed business men of the city of Hillsboro, North Dakota, is the gentleman whose name heads this biograph- ical review. He has been closely identified with the banking interests of the place since January, 1881. He is a native of the State of Iowa, born in Allamakee county, on the 28th day of October, 1854, and is the son of HI. A. and Maren (Simonson) Hanson, natives of the kingdom of Norway. They emigrated to the United States in 1851 and located in Iowa, where they have since resided.

Mr. Hanson's boyhood days were spent on the home farm with his parents, receiving the usual advantages of the district schools, and at the time of his majority he entered the State Agricultural College, from which he graduated with high honors on the 16th day of November, 1879. Immediately after graduation, he engaged in the banking busi- ness in Belmond, Iowa, with L. B. Clark & Co., and after remaining there, doing a successful business for one year, removed to IIill City, North Dakota, which was the former name of Hillsboro. Upon arriving there, he established the Bank of Hill City, and continued under that name until the name of the city was changed to Hillsboro and was then changed to Hillsboro Bank, and as such continued to do business until December 7, 1885, when it was succeeded by the Hillsboro National Bank, which now has a capital of $50,000 and a surplus of $20,000, and is offi- cered as follows: A. L. Plummer, president;

D. Peterson, vice-president ; A. L. Hanson, cashier; J. E. Hyde, assistant cashier. They have since carried on a general banking busi- ness, and are doing an extensive loan and collection business. In addition to his bank- ing interests Mr. Hanson owns eight sec- tions of fine farming lands, and has $25,000 invested in tax titles. He is one of the lead- ing and substantial business men of the place and his name is indissolubly connected with the interests and prosperity of the locality.

Mr. Hanson was united in marriage in Cass county, Iowa, on the 14th day of April, 1881, to Miss Sylvania Caroline Carter, the daughter of Joseph and R. M. (Pearl) Carter, natives of the State of Ohio. Mrs. Hanson passed away on the 19th day of February, 1882, in Hillsboro. She was a lady of more than ordinary ability and attainments, and her loss was deeply mourned and regretted by a large circle of friends, who sincerely sympathize with her husband in his great bereavement. In their union Mr. and Mrs. Hanson were blessed with one child-Caro- line Alberta Leona, born February 14, 1882, and died April 11, 1882.

Our subject is a man of sterling business qualifications and is highly esteemed by all who know him. He is an exemplary citizen, actively interested in all local enter- prises, and is a strong adherent to the prin- ciples of the republican party. He is a man of the strictest integrity, and the word of A. L. Hanson is everywhere recognized as being as good as a bond.

RANK H. STUART, M.D., the oldest resident physician and surgeon of the village of Ada, Minnesota, of the regular or allopathic school, located in that place in March, 1880. He is a native of Savannah, Georgia, born October 5, 1846. His ances- tors were of Scottish and Spanish birth. He

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was reared and acquired his elemental edu- cation in the city of his birth, and in 1869, being then twenty-three years of age, com- menced the study of medicine with his father, who was also a physician, and form- erly surgeon of the First Georgia Infantry, C. S. A., during the late " conflict between the States." After two years of intense application he went with his father to Marietta, Georgia, were our subject acted as assistant surgeon in a field hospital for two more years. For a couple of years he was with Dr. Samuel Chipman, who was the United States Surgeon at Atlanta, Georgia, but in 1876 entered the Cincinnati Medical College, at Cincinnati, Ohio. After attend- ing three courses of lectures, in that institu- tion, the following year he was at the Ken- tucky School of Medicine, from which col- lege he was graduated after pursuing his studies for two courses.

Travel for about a year next engaged his attention, with the double object of re- cuperating his health and looking up an eligible location for his future work. In 1878 Dr. Stuart received the appointment of assistant surgeon of the Northern Pacific Railroad, with headquarters at Detroit, Min- nesota, and remained in that village attend- ing to his duties and in the practice of his profession for about eighteen months, and then resigned.

Notwithstanding his early studies, and his attendance upon · two excellent colleges, Dr. Stuart was not satisfied with his knowledge of his profession ; having a high ideal, he crossed the ocean in search of more light, and spent some three months in search of it at the famous college or university at Heidelberg, Germany, whence, on his re- turn to the United States, he came to Ada. He purchased some 1,500 acres of land near Warren, Marshall county, this State, with the intention of stock-raising. He had an idea that the rearing of. buffalo, as well as

domestic cattle, would be a success, both financially and otherwise, and with this end in view procured a bull and seven buffalo cows, but after carrying on his place for about a year gave it up. From his first advent in this county Dr. Stuart has been steadily in practice, giving the larger share of his attention to surgery, until he is now in the possession of an extensive and increasing practice. His reputation as a professional man is widespread and of excellent char- acter and he practices all up and down the valley, and is often called in, in critical cases, as consulting physician, to many points between this and Washington Territory. His pre-eminent success in his profession has raised him to the front rank among his medical brethren, and he is recognized as the leading surgeon and physician of this section of the State.

The doctor has, of late years, been some- what interested in real estate, both in this State and in Detroit, Michigan, and is the present owner of the International Hotel in the latter city. He was united in marriage, in 1882, with Miss Julia Martson, of Decorah, Iowa.

ILLIAM H. PALMER is the owner and proprietor of the principal meat market in Verndale, Wadena county, Minnesota. He is one of the oldest settlers in the village, coming to this place from Butler county, Iowa, April 1, 1879. He had heard a great deal about the State of Minnesota during his residence in Iowa, and concluded to locate therein. So, in company with his brother Joseph, he started out with a team of four horses and a covered wagon to seek his fortune in the new State. They came directly to Verndale, on their route passing through St. Paul, St. Cloud, and Sauk Centre. On arriving in Verndale

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he decided to remain, for a time at least, and test the advantages which appeared to him excelient for success in some business enter- prise. At this time the village consisted of a population of about one hundred people, the depot had not been built, and there were but few improvements. For a time he engaged in team work and in hiring out his horses for livery purposes, his teams being the only ones in the village that could be obtained for said uses. That summer he commenced in the butcher business, opening up under straitened circumstances and being obliged to use a large tree for a slaughter-house. He did not enter this line of work with an idea of making it perma- nent, but merely for the accommodation of the public for the time being. Business grew, however, and he found himself sud- denly engaged in a profitable business. So, in the spring of 1880, he built his present shop and commenced business on a perma- nent basis. He has ever since been engaged in this trade. In the spring of 1888 he put in another stock on the south side of the railroad track and still runs both markets. During Mr. Palmer's business life here he has found much sharp competition, there having been thirty-seven other men who engaged in the same trade, but they all finally gave up the business because patronage went mostly to the pioneer shop.

Mr. Palmer is a native of Green Lake county, Wisconsin, where he was born July 4, 1850, his early life being spent on a farm in his native county. He remained beneath the parental roof until eighteen years of age, when the father's family removed to Butler county, Iowa, where they engaged in farmn- ing. Schools were few and far between in those days, but Mr. Palmer by dint of perse- verance and hard study acquired a good common school education. At the age of twenty-one years he left home and com- menced to struggle with the world to make

his own way to fortune and success. Two years thereafter were spent in working to some extent on railroad construction and also in farming. In 1879, as we have already stated, Mr. Palmer came to Wadena county, where he has since resided.

The parents of the subject of our sketch were Timothy R. and Susan Palmer, the former a native of New York and the latter born in Pennsylvania. Timothy Palmer, the father, came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when that city consisted of but a few log houses and a handful of people. He was but a boy when he came west, and the early part of his life was spent in hunting and trapping in Northern Wisconsin. He settled in Green Lake county when that territory was little better than a wilderness. He removed to Iowa in 1868, where he still lives.

The subject of our sketch was married in Charles City, Iowa, August 29, 1871, to Miss Catherine Clark, a native of Indiana. Her parents were Thomas and Betsy Clark, who went to Iowa, locating in Butler county, in 1852, where they settled on Government land. The land on which they located is now the present site of Clarksville, a beauti- ful little city which was named after Mr. Clark. The father is still a resident of that county, where during many years he has been one of the most active and influential men in all public matters.

DWIN M. FAIRFIELD, a respected and successful business man of Douglas county, Minnesota, is a resident of the vil- lage of Osakis, where he is engaged in the hardware business. He is a native of Ver- mont, born in Johnson, on the 27th of June, 1842, and is the son of Joshua and Sarah (Dodge) Fairfield, natives of New Hamp- shire and Vermont, respectively. The father and mother of the present subject

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were united in marriage in the State of Ver- mont, and afterward settled in that State, where they remained many years engaged in agricultural pursuits. They removed to Hennepin county, Minnesota, and remained there three or four years. At the expiration of that time they went to Douglas county, Minnesota, where they have since remained. They were among the very first settlers in that county and were the third to take any land. The mother died in 1862, and was a devoted member of the Baptist church. The father is still living in Osakis township. He is retired from active life, and in former days was one of the substantial and active citizens of the county. They settled in the county in about 1858. They were the par- ents of the following-named children - George E., Edwin M., Edward, Lloyd and John W.

Mr. Fairfield, the subject of this bio- graphical sketch, received his education in Hennepin county, Minnesota, near Hopkins Station, leaving the school-room at the age of twenty years. Until he had attained the age of twenty-one he remained at home and in 1863 secured a government position as teamster for two years. In 1865 he received the position of wagon master, which he held for two and a half years. During this time he was in an expedition against the Indians. That was in 1863 and 1864. He then removed to Douglas county, Minnesota, and homesteaded and purchased land and remained on his farm, engaged in general farming and stock-raising until 1882. In 1877 he made a trip to the Black Hills, Dakota Territory, where he was engaged in freighting for some time; he returned the same year, however, and re- engaged in farming. In 1883 he settled in the village of Osakis and engaged in his present business, and has since followed the same. He carries a full line of heavy and shelf hardware and has the largest stock in

the village. When he first entered into business he took as a partner J. R. Gallinger, who remained with him eighteen months. Mr. Fairfield then purchased the interest of J. R. Gallinger and has since carried on the business alone. In addition to his hardware business he has a fine farm of 320 acres, under good cultivation and with good build- ing improvements. The farm lies five miles from the village and is one of the most desirable pieces of land in the county.

Mr. Fairfield was united in marriage in 1870 to Miss Lizzie Carlisle, and they have been blessed with one child -Nellie A., born in November, 1871. Mrs. Fairfield is a native of Ohio, and received her educa- tion in Minnesota, where she had moved with her parents when quite young. Mr. Fair- field is one of the prominent business citizens of the village.

ISS JULIA O'BRIEN. The subject of our present article is the editor and proprietor of the Press, a weekly jour- nal, published at Atwater, Kandiyohi county, Minnesota, and she is the only lady publisher in the central or northern portion of Minne- sota. She has already attained considerable prominence in newspaper circles of the State, as she is a lady of excellent literary attain- ments, a pungent and capable writer, and an indefatigable worker.

Miss O'Brien was born at Rochester, Olm- sted county, Minnesota, and is the daughter of John and Anna (Tierney) O'Brien, both of whom were natives of Ireland. Her father came to America when nineteen years of age, and after stopping a short time in Ottawa, Canada, in 1849 or 1850 went to California. There he was employed in the mines for about ten years, and at the expira- tion of that time settled in Olmsted county, Minnesota, where he was one of the pioneers.

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He engaged in farming and remained there until 1868, when he came with his family to Kandiyohi county, Minnesota, and settled on a farm on Diamond Lake, Harrison town- ship, about three miles from the village of Atwater. There he remained engaged in tilling the soil until his death, which occurred in April, 1887. He was a man of high char- acter, and his death was sincerely regretted by a wide circle of friends. The widow and most of the family are still living on the old homestead.

Julia O'Brien, whose name heads our pres- ent article, received the most of her educa- tion in the district schools of Kandiyohi county, supplementing this with a course of study in the convent of "Our Lady of Lourdes," at St. Michael's, twenty miles from Minneapolis. She also spent one year in a seminary at Rochester, pursuing the studies of painting and music. After leaving the convent she returned to Kandiyohi county and engaged in teaching during the summer months and visiting home during the winter. This she continued for six or seven years, when, early in 1888, she became the proprie- tor of the Atwater Press and all its appur- tenances, buying out the interest of D. P. R. Strong. The paper is republican in politics.

HRISTOPHER L. COULTER, one of the most prominent and highly re- spected citizens of the vicinity of Mallory, in Polk county, Minnesota, is a resident of section 22, Huntsville township. He is one of the representative farmers of that locality, and is rated as one of the most solid and substantial citizens of that county. He is a native of Ontario, Canada, born August 31, 1853, and is a son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Lee) Coulter. The parents were natives of Scotland, but were early settlers in Canada. Our subject,

Christopher L. Coulter, was reared on a farm, and at an early age began to earn his own living. He remained in Canada until 1866, when he came to Minnesota with his parents and they located on a farm in Winona county. Our subject remained there until the spring of 1880, when he came to Polk county, Minnesota, and purchased 240 acres of land on section 22, Huntsville township. His farm lies adjoining the village of Mallory, and he has neat and comfortable building improvements adjoining the village plat. The depot and a portion of the village is located on his land. Mr. Coulter has taken an active interest in all matters of a public nature, and is highly regarded both as a neighbor and an exemplary citizen.

Mr. Coulter was married in Winona county, Minnesota, to Miss Arabella French, a daughter of Gilman and Sereptha (Phillips) French. Their marriage has been blessed by the advent of the following-named children-Lillie B., Wilber, Pearl and Leona. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

OHN H. ANDERSON, the register of deeds of Pembina county, North Da- kota; is one of the best known business men of that locality. He was born in Pecatonica, Winnebago county, Illinois, September 2, 1854, and is a son of Henry and Hilda Anderson, who were both natives of Sweden, but who came to the United States at an early day. Our subject remained at home attending school until he was eighteen years of age, when he began clerking in a general merchandise store at Carver, Min- nesota. A short time later, in company with G. Sunwall, he engaged in the general mer- chandise business at Walnut Grove, Redwood county, Minnesota. Eighteen months later they sold out and our subject afterward

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re-engaged in business there in company with J. R. Fitch. In 1878 he sold his interest to Fitch and for six months devoted his atten- tion to the study of law with attorney David M. Thorp. At the expiration of that time he engaged in the drug business at Walnut Grove and continued in this until May 19, 1882, also serving as postmaster from August 1, 1878, until May 19, 1882. On the date last mentioned he sold out and removed to the Red River Valley, settling at St. Thomas, Pembina county, North Dakota. There for eighteen months he clerked for different merchants, and then went to the Turtle Mountains, where for ten months he lived on a claim which he had pre-empted. At the expiration of that time he " proved up" and returned to St. Thomas. He engaged in clerking from July 1, 1886, to January 1, 1887, then for several months was idle. On the 17th of April, 1887, he formed a partnership with M. W. Hanson and they opened a gen- eral merchandise store at St. Thomas, which they still carry on. In November, 1888, Mr. Anderson was elected register of deeds of Pembina county on the democratic ticket, and on the 5th of December following he removed to Pembina to take charge of the office.

Mr. Anderson is an honored member of the Masonic fraternity. He has taken an active part in public affairs, and any laudable home enterprise receives his aid and encour- agement. He was the first chairman of the. supervisors of St. Thomas township, and has been village treasurer of St. Thomas ever since the village was incorporated.

Mr. Anderson was married in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, May 4, 1876, to Miss Carrie Button, a daughter of Peter F. and Randi Button, who were both natives of Norway. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the parents of the following-named children- Frank H., Rodney J., Neil Elmer and Hulda Lenore.

B. ERICKSON is the secretary and general manager of the Farmers' Live Stock Association, which has its head- quarters at Fergus Falls, Otter Tail county, Minnesota. His office is over the First National Bank. Mr. Erickson is a native of Sweden, and was born on the 16th of August, 1864.

Mr. Erickson's parents were Andrew and Christina (Larson) Erickson, both of whom were natives of Sweden. The father was a dealer in cattle, wood and lumber, and also engaged in loaning money, being one of the prominent men of his native country. They had a family of five children-Axel B., Ellen, Gust, Carl and Oscar.

The subject of this sketch is the only member of the father's family who now resides in America. His younger days were spent at home attending school. In 1879 Mr. Erickson migrated to America, coming at once to Fergus Falls, where, for some time, he attended the high school. Afterward he attended the high school at Stillwater, Min- nesota, and still later commenced work in the insurance business as agent for the United States Mutual Insurance Company ; also was connected for four years with the World's Industrial Insurance .Company, after which he turned his attention to live- stock insurance, organizing the company of which he is the present manager in 1887. Mr. Erickson is a young man, but is thor- oughly alive to the needs of the farmer, and is pushing his company to its utmost limit. He has worked up a first-class business in the immediate vicinity of Fergus Falls, and his agents are at work all over the North- west. The officers and directors of this association are as follows : George W. Shel- den, president; James Compton, treasurer ; A. B. Erickson, secretary and general man- ager. The directors are A. B. Erickson, H. Huhlmann, P. P. Lokher, George W. Shel- den, W. H. Davenport, E. Larson, K. A.

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Harris, H. P. H. Stevens, F. Kuhlmann, F. Peters, and Nels Bergerson. The company has thirty-five agents traveling through the Western States working up their business.

In politics Mr. Erickson is a democrat, and is indeed one of the rising young busi- ness men of the city and State.

Mr. Erickson was married in 1888 to Miss Nettie Johnson, a native of Norway.

ILLIAM H. ALLEY, of Hallock, is county attorney and one of the leading members of the bar of Kittson county, Minnesota. He was born at China, near Augusta, Maine, February 28, 1855, and is a son of Elias H. and Ann H. (Braggs) Alley. When our subject was between two and three years of age his parents removed to Red Wing, Minnesota, where he was reared to manhood. He received an excellent education, attending the common schools until he was eighteen, when he entered Hood's Seminary, when it was first opened, took a thorough course and graduated from that institution. He then took a course in the St. Paul Business College, after which he kept books in a hub and spoke factory in a Wisconsin town. Returning then to Red Wing, he kept books there until the spring of 1880, when he removed to Kittson county, Minnesota, and opened a grocery store at Hallock. He conducted this until 1883, when he sold out and has since been engaged in the practice of law. He first began his legal studies while keeping books in Wisconsin and has kept up his study ever since. He is a well-read lawyer, a hard student and a safe counsel. He has met with excellent success at the bar, and stands high in the community, both pro- fessionally and as an exemplary citizen. He was elected county attorney of Kittson county in the fall of 1888 on the republican

ticket, and still holds that office. He has been village attorney, village recorder and has held various other local offices.

Mr. Alley was married at Durand, Wiscon- sin, June 25, 1875, to Miss Emma Benson, a daughter of Orrin W. and Emma Mary Benson. Their marriage has been blessed with the following children-Arthur H., Archibald and Myrtle.

DAM SCHMITZ is one of the leading business men of Red Lake Falls, Polk county, Minnesota, where he is engaged in the harness trade. He was born in Cal- umet county, Wisconsin, August 18, 1860.

Mr. Schmitz' parents were John and Ger- trude (Ott) Schmitz, natives of northern Germany. The parents lived near the river Rhine in their native land, and were engaged in agricultural pursuits. They came to the United States some years before the subject of our sketch was born, and set- tled in Calumet county, Wisconsin, where they engaged in farming.

The subject of our sketch lived with his parents on the farm until he was fourteen years of age. He then went to Hibert and apprenticed to learn the harnessmaker's trade, at which he served three years. The following four years were spent by him in work in the same shop. He then removed to Green Bay, Brown county, Wisconsin, where he worked at his trade for two years, thence removing to Chilton, Calumet county, same State. After one year spent in the latter place, in October, 1884, he went to Red Lake Falls, Polk county, Minnesota, where he opened up in business for himself. By put- ting in practice his good business ideas and by care and thrift he has built up an extensive trade, and has made many warm friends. He has come to be one of the substantial business men of the village.

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Illustrated album of biography of the famous valley of the Red River of the North and the park regions of Minnesota and North Dakota : containing biographical sketches of settlers and representative citizens, Part 96

Author: Alden, Ogle & Company Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Alden, Ogle & Company Number of Pages: 872

Author: Alden, Ogle & Company
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Alden, Ogle & Company
Number of Pages: 872