USA > Montana > A history of Montana, Volume II > Part 112
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Politically Mr. Watson is a steadfast Republican and takes a warm interest in local matters. Socially he be- longs to the Judith Club, and religiously both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church. He is fond of good reading, music and theatricals, and is es- pecially interested in baseball, a game which he formerly played well, being now a fan and a rooter.
At Bozeman, Montana, June 20, 1908, Mr. Watson was united in marriage with Louise Dawes, a daugh- ter of William G. and Maria Dawes.
ALBERT S. HOVEY, one of the prominent civil engi- neers of the northwest was instrumental in founding the Montana Society of Civil Engineers, being a char- ter member of the organization and having served it in the capacity of secretary, treasurer and vice presi- dent. Not only is he a leader in his profession, he is in every respect a student and a gentleman, having behind him generations of refinement and culture.
His learned old father was born in Lima, Livingston
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county, New York, on the twelfth of August, 1814, but moved with his parents to Le Roy, Ohio, while yet a child. In 1840 and '41, he began the study of law in Cincinnati, of that state. Simeon Hovey was, however, a man of the Abou Ben Adam type. He was one who loved his fellow men and the paltry quibbles of the law did not impress him as a means to the end he so hoped to accomplish. In order that he might be of some real use to mankind he then took up the study of theology and received his degree in Cincinnati. His was the doctrine of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. He taught, in an age made nar- row by the iron bands of creeds, that "I myself, am Heaven and Hell" and "As a man liveth, so is he." He was known as a Universalist clergyman and called by those of smaller faiths a disbeliever of the gospel- the good tidings, that he lived and preached. Until 1861 he devoted all his energies, both physical and men- tal, to the work which he seemed inspired to do, filling charges in several parts of Ohio and Michigan. The strain of his efforts finally told on his strength and he was obliged to seek a life in the open. Hence he moved to Bay City, Michigan, where he engaged in farming, doing a little real estate business on the side.
Before leaving Le Roy, Ohio, however, he succeeded in winning for his wife Mary Whipple, a young lady who was born and raised in that Ohio town. She was the descendant of William Whipple, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and a colonel in the Revolutionary war. Bishop Whipple, who at a time shortly previous to the Civil war, was devoting his life to the Indians of Wisconsin and Minnesota, was a descendant of the same stock. Miss Whipple, whose people, even in that day, believed in education for women, was a graduate of the Le Roy high school. She was married to Simeon Hovey on the sixteenth of April, in 1840. Four children were born to the union. The oldest daughter, Anna Eliza, is now living at Akron, Ohio, the widow of the late Henry Clarke. Permelia, the wife of Oscar Hart, resides in St. Clair, Michigan. The third son died in infancy. The son, Albert S. Hovey, is the subject of this sketch.
Mr. and Mrs. Simeon Hovey moved their little fam- ily from Bay City to St. Clair, Michigan, then to Men- tor, Ohio, the home of our beloved president, Garfield, and finally to the city of Cleveland. Here the father passed away on the seventeenth of January, 1895, being laid to rest in the quiet little cemetery of Mentor. Mrs. Hovey survived him but one month, going to join him on the 17th of February, 1895.
Albert S. Hovey, their son, was born on September 8, 1850, in Perry, Lake county, Ohio. After receiving his early and secondary education in the schools of Ohio and Michigan, he entered Willoughby College at Willoughby, Ohio, being graduated from the classical course of this institution in the class of 1872. The next three years Mr. Hovey devoted to the study of engineering at Ann Arbor, the state university of Michigan. In 1876 he obtained employment in the office of the county surveyor in Cuyahoga county, Ohio. This work was at Cleveland under the super- vision of Clarence H. Burgess, county surveyor. Shortly after he was engaged to survey the former old canal bed in Cleveland, then occupied by and taken over as the property and right of way of the Valley Railway, being engaged in surveying property lines then in dispute. Following this piece of work, he was offered the position of assistant engineer and inspector of harbor work on the Erie division, under Col. John M. Wilson, major of engineers from 1879 till 1882. Col. John M. Wilson later held the highest position in the gift of the government as chief of U. S. engineers.
In 1882, Mr. Hovey came to Montana to become chief mineral clerk in the United States survey at Helena.
He was in the office of John Harris, the United States surveyor general. For four years he occupied this position but in 1886 received a commission as United States deputy mineral surveyor for Montana with headquarters at Helena. In 1907, he moved to Port- land, Oregon, and later to Tacoma, Washington. In 1908 he was appointed resident engineer, Twin Falls North Side Land & Water Company at Jerome, Idaho. On December 30, 1910, he returned to Helena, the town of his choice, and here opened an office of civil engineering. Mr. Hovey took this step that he might be more settled in his private life. He is so well known a civil engineer throughout the entire northwest that his success was assured at the beginning of the new venture and has fully fulfilled expectations.
Albert S. Hovey was married on the 2nd of April, 1895, to Miss Martha Tregonning, a young English woman who was making her home in Montana. The union took place in Butte, Montana.
Mr. and Mrs. Hovey are attendants of the Unitarian church. Mr. Hovey is a very active Mason in the York. Rite and has held most of the offices in that order. His business office is room 9, Union Bank & Trust Company, Helena, Montana.
ERVIN A. RICHARDSON. A prominent merchant, banker and club man of Forsyth, Montana, was born in Steuben county, New York; the only son of Dr. John W. and Elizabeth (Boyer) Richardson. His father was a prominent physician, and a successful business man, who died when his son was but six years old. Five years later his mother passed away, leaving him in the care of his grandmother, who did not long survive the death of her daughter; after which, a married half-sister took him in charge at the age of twelve years.
After being graduated from the high school, May, 1882, he accepted a position with the post trader at Fort Custer, Montana. Here he became acquainted with the various tribes of Indians, and a few years later became an Indian trader at Crow Agency, where, by diligence and frugality during a period of fourteen years, he was enabled to launch the Richardson Mer- cantile Company at Forsyth. This was conducted on the co-operative plan, and has proven a success, hav- ing become one of the largest and most completely stocked department stores in the state. Mr. Richard- son has personally conducted the training of a dozen or more men who are now wide awake stock holders in the various Richardson mercantile co-operative stores in Montana.
At the present time, he is not only president of the Richardson Mercantile Company at Forsyth, but also of the E A Richardson & Company store at Crow Agency, and of the W. B. Jordan & Sons Company of Miles City. He was one of the organizers and the first cashier of the Bank of Commerce of Forsyth, and is now the vice-president. He is also president of the Rosebud County Fair Association; and likewise a member of the board of education, being a firm believer that the future of Montana depends upon the education of the coming generations.
Mr. Richardson has proven his ability to superintend various enterprises, and safely conduct them to suc- cess. He is a wide awake man of the world, and in justice to him, it should be said, that in all his dealings with his fellow men, he is honest and upright; a man of few words, but a deep and careful thinker. He is a loyal member of the Republican party, but displays great wisdom and tact in taking no active part in local politics. He is a member of the Elks order; of the Billings, Forsyth, and Miles City clubs; and of the Pioneers of Eastern Montana. While he is not a member of any religious denomination, his preference is for the Presbyterian church of which his wife is an active member; but he is a loyal supporter of all
G.I. Micheman
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branches of religions work, and an ardent admirer of all who endeavor to do good in the community in which he dwells.
He married Miss Lillian L. Woolston, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Morgan Woolston, of Beverly, New Jersey, a lady well known as an active worker in both religious and educational circles in Montana, and is also rated as a speaker of ability. She is one of the vice-presidents of the Montana State Sunday School Association.
Mr. Richardson has watched the growth of the west, and has played an active part in its development, being one of the first men in the state to organize the co- operative mercantile plan, which has not only proven conducive to his own prosperity, but has also given opportunity for greater usefulness to his employes. Thereby he is modestly instituting a scheme which will ultimately solve the industrial problems that are now disturbing the whole nation.
ALBERT A. BLETHEN. There are certain staple articles which have been an absolute necessity to the forward march of progress and the advance of civilization. Travel always has been the means of broadening man- kind's scope, the medium that has brought about our present civilization and, naturally, travel has always necessitated the use of means of conveyance. The manufacture of carriages and wagons is one of the time-honored occupations and for years has had in its ranks men of the highest character. Albert A. Blethen, proprietor of a blacksmith shop and livery at Harlow- ton, who for the past twelve years has been engaged in the manufacture of carriages and wagons, has taken an active part in shaping public sentiment when the welfare of the city has been at stake and is a repre- sentative of his community's best type of citizenship. He was born in Waldo county, Maine, March 10, 1865, and is a son of Augustus and Mary Jane (Boothby) Blethen. Augustus Blethen was a native of the Pine Tree state, where he spent his life in farming, becom- ing a prominent agriculturist and an active worker in his church. He died at the age of seventy-three years, while his wife, also born in Maine, passed away in her sixty-fourth year, and they were buried side by side. They had six children, of whom Albert A. is the youngest.
Albert A. Blethen received his early education in the district schools of his native vicinity, and as a youth worked on his father's farm. Subsequently, he became a hand on neighboring farms, receiving a salary of ten dollars per month, and out of eleven months' salary saved ninety dollars. From that time until attaining his twenty-eighth year he was engaged in working at various occupations, and then went to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he spent about three years, removal then being made to Portland, Maine, in which city he was engaged in farming and garden- ing for one year. Returning home, he worked in the lumber woods for one winter, and in 1882 started for Montana, where he arrived during the summer, since which time, with the exception of a few years, he has made this state his home. The greater part of his time was spent in ranching and farm work, but in 1900 he decided to embark in business on his own account, and accordingly established himself in the blacksmith business at Harlowton, although he had never learned the trade and had no previous experience outside of what was picked up by him on the various farms and ranches on which he had worked. This venture proved very successful, and he subsequently added a livery business and also engaged in manufacturing wagons, in which he has likewise proved his skill as a mechanic. He has also made a number of valuable tools, the first being a traverse-drill, which is still in his possession. He is doing business in the oldest building in Harlow- . ton, which has become one of the best equipped and Vol. II-24
most complete establishments of its kind in Montana, and the excellence of his work and the absolute reli- ability which may be placed therein have gained him a wide and profitable trade.
Mr. Blethen may be termed one of Montana's most enthusiastic "boosters." During the past quarter of a century he has seen the vast grazing country and undeveloped territory gradually develop into a flourish- ing agricultural and commercial community, with large industries and churches and schools that cannot be excelled by any section in the country, and to prove that he is sincere in his belief as to the future of the state, he has invested largely in real estate holdings. He is fond of all out-door sports, and also appreciates good music, being himself a skilled performer on the violin. Although his business has naturally made him partial to the horse, he has kept up with the progress of the times, and owns his own automobile. Politically a Republican, he has never cared to enter public life, but takes a good citizen's interest in mat- ters of the day. He is a member of the Episcopal church, where his wife belongs to the Ladies' Aid- Society and for years has been an active member of the Altar Guild. Elected the first fire chief of Harlow- ton, Mr. Blethen served in that capacity for four years, during which time he did much to build up the de- partment.
Mr. Blethen was married at Castle, Montana, Novem- ber 29, 1899, to Miss Frances L. Smith, formerly of Hull, Yorkshire, England.
HON. GEORGE J. WIEDEMAN. Among the prominent business men of Montana who have made a decided impression by their personality, not only upon the com- munity wherein they have lived, but upon all other sections of the state where they have become known, none is entitled to more praiseworthy notice than that genial, whole-souled gentleman, the Hon. Geo. J. Wiedeman, of Lewistown, Montana. Leaving home at an early age, and with limited advantages, except those wrung by his own ability and force of character from his environments, he has at all times exhibited an unusual spirit of determination in overcoming obstacles.
A business man of rare judgment and far-sighted- ness, he has been conspicuous as a molder of opinion and a director of thought in all important matters con- nected with the city and county in which he resides. A man possessing a most generous and kindly disposi- tion, one whose word is absolutely as good as his bond, his place among his fellow men, in whatever relations, business, political, or social, is one of the highest esteem and confidence.
He was born at New Bremen, Auglaize county, Ohio, on February ยท22, 1860, both of his parents being Ger- man.
His father, Frederick A. Wiedeman, came to America in 1834, settling in New Bremen, where he lived the remainder of his life. His wife was Mary Stroh, who survived him a number of years, remaining at the old home to the end. Their family of four daughters and five sons are all living. Of these George J. was the fifth. His childhood and youth were spent at home where he attended school and performed as much of the labor about the small farm as his age would war- rant.
When he reached the age of fourteen, he decided to go out and make his own way in the world, consider- ing that the horizon of the home nest was too small for him. During the succeeding seven years he worked at various occupations and in several different places until the fall of 1881, when he, with his brother John L., who was his senior by six years, determined to follow the famous advice of Horace Greeley and "Go West." They had selected Fargo, North Dakota, as their objective point, but not finding conditions to their
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liking they pressed on to Fort Benton, making the journey from Bismarck by steamboat.
From here Mr. Wiedeman continued on to Utica, where he secured employment herding sheep for a year. At the end of that time, he embarked in the sheep business on his own account. He secured a ranch on the East Fork of Big Spring creek, about twelve miles from what is now the city of Lewistown. Here he carried on the business of sheep raising and wool, with marked success, and sold out in 1886 to enter the mercantile business which was really the work he had always desired most to do. He now entered the employ of T. C. Power & Bro., who operated a num- ber of similar establishments in other parts of Mon- tana.
To this occupation he brought the energy, ambition, and ability which have uniformly marked his career and it was but a short time, until Mr. Wiedeman was recognized as an invaluable member of the business force. Continuing there until 1892, he decided to start in business for himself, and organized in November of that year the Montana Hardware Company, which is today one of the best known concerns of its kind in Montana, as well as one of the most successful. Pro- gressive ideas and sane and wholesome business methods have marked the operations of this house, and the growth and present prosperity of the business are a sufficient commentary on the commercial ability and extraordinary powers of application, which have characterized Mr. Wiedeman's life.
He is a member of the Masonic Order, in the depart- ments of blue lodge, Knights Templar and Mystic Shrine, and has filled all offices with credit, in the blue lodge and the chapter. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and has served his lodge as exalted ruler. The Judith Club finds in him an enthusiastic and valuable member and he has always been a moving spirit in any cause having for its object the advancement of the best interests of his own home city, county, or state.
As a politician, Mr. Wiedeman has been ever zealous and effective in his efforts in behalf of the Republican party. He is known for a party fighter and it is significant that he has been present at every conven- tion since 1888. He has served his district in the state legislature and was a member of the session that created Sanders county. Besides being the manager of the Montana Hardware Company, he is prominently con- nected with a good many other business organizations in Fergus county.
On April 8, 1890, Mr. Wiedeman married Miss Anna M. Weydert, the second daughter of Paul and Mary Weydert, of Helena.
Mrs. Wiedeman was born at Helena; Montana, in 1868, attending the public schools until her father re- moved with his family to the Judith Basin in 1882. At the age of sixteen she taught school and later at- tended Carlton College at Northfield, Minnesota, and the State Normal School at Ypsilanti, Michigan. Mrs. Wiedeman is widely known as a most energetic and tireless worker in any movement designed to promote the uplift and betterment of the community, and holds a high position in the society of Lewistown. She is equally as sedulous in the labor of the church and charity as her husband is in business.
Three sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wiede- man, and the rearing and education of these boys have been the supreme interest of their lives. William, the eldest, is associated with his father in business, and George, Jr., contemplates joining his brother later in perpetuating the success of their father, while Arthur aged eight and a half years, is still attending the schools of Lewistown.
ALLAN A. CAMERON. With a genius for public af- fairs and agricultural pursuits, which has enabled him
to give attention to both with very gratifying success, Allan A. Cameron, the popular and efficient postmaster of Bozeman, has found in the northwest opportunity for full play of his productive faculties. He is a native of Carson City, Nevada, and was born May 2, 1874, a son of Don and Christiana (Blackburn) Cameron.
Don Cameron was born in the Province of Quebec, Canada, of Scotch parentage, March 8, 1842, and when a young man, in 1866, removed to California and en- gaged in the contracting business. Not long there- after he went to Nevada, following the same line there until the spring of 1882, at which time he came to Montana, locating twelve miles from Bozeman in Gal- latin county. He there carried on stock raising and farming until 1906, which year saw his retirement from active business matters. In politics a stanch Republi- can, he served four years as county commissioner of Gallatin county, being elected first in 1896 and again in 1898. His wife, who was born in Ontario, Canada, Jan- uary 23, 1852, passed away in 1895, having been the mother of four sons and two daughters, and five chil- dren survive at this time, Allan A. being the oldest.
Allan A. Cameron was educated in the schools of Bozeman and the State Agricultural College, and his first experience in farming was on his father's property. In the fall of 1902 he was elected to the office of county clerk, was re-elected in 1904, and after serving two terms, in the fall of 1906 was elected to serve in the state legislature. He was a member of that body in its tenth session, and in July, 1911, returned to the farm and engaged in stock raising and tilling the soil until his appointment, July 23, 1911, to the responsible office of postmaster at Bozeman, in which capacity he has served ever since with universal satisfaction. Mr. Cameron is esteemed and respected by a wide circle of friends, exhibiting towards all a courteous and genial manner, and having the true westerner's considerateness and hospitality for all his fellow men. As an official of the people he is proving, and has proved in the past, a conscientious, public-spirited citizen, faithful and capable in the discharge of his duties. Fraternally, he is connected with Gallatin Lodge No. 6, A. F. & A. M. Bozeman Lodge No. 463, B. P. O. E.
On November 19, 1902, Mr. Cameron was married to Miss Gertrude Morgan, who was born in Leavenworth county, Kansas, daughter of Weckford and Elizabeth (Morgan) Morgan, natives of Virginia. They had five children, Mrs. Cameron being the youngest. Mr. Morgan was a pioneer of the Treasure state, having located in Virginia City, Montana, in 1864, and is now retired from business activities and makes his home in Bozeman, where he is widely and favorably known. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron have had two daughters: Kath- leen and Mildred.
HON. CHARLES S. HARTMAN. Few men in the public life of Montana have attained a more eminent place in the regard and esteem of their fellow citizens than has been the portion of Hon. Charles S. Hartman, of Boze- man. Throughout a public career that began in 1884, when as a young man he was elected probate judge of Gallatin county, he has remained a type of American statesmanship at its best, an exemplar of intellectual honesty and high-mindedness in political life. As a member of the committee which framed the laws of the state of Montana, and as congressman, his one domi- nant purpose was to seek out and follow the policies that would best serve the people, and at all times his independence asserted itself and his devotion to con- viction caused him to follow only the dictates of his own conscience. Mr. Hartman was born at Monticello, White county, Indiana, March 1, 1861, a son of Sampson and Mary C. (Heckendorn) Hartman. His father, born in 1830, was a carpenter by trade, became a con- tractor in Monticello, and died January 26, 1861, before the birth of Charles S. Mrs. Hartman, who was born
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in Pennsylvania, in 1835, survived her husband many years, and passed away December 15, 19II. Three children were born to them, namely: Walter S., who is a member of the legal firm of Hartman & Hartman, at Bozeman; A. D., who resides in Ohio; and Charles S.
The early education of Charles S. Hartman was se- cured in the public and high schools of Monticello, and at the age of sixteen years he began to teach school. During the three years that he followed the profession of educator he devoted himself assiduously to his law studies, and after a preparatory course in Wabash College entered the law offices of Owens & Uhl, at Mon- ticello. In January, 1882, Mr. Hartman came to Boze- man, Montana, and for one year acted as bookkeeper for Nelson Story in his banking business, and then entered the real estate business until he was admitted to the bar in August, 1884. In October of that year he was elected probate judge of Gallatin county, and after serving one term of two years refused a re- nomination to engage in the practice of his profession with Judge Francis K. Armstrong, this partnership continuing for some years. In May, 1889, Mr. Hart- man was elected a member of the state constitutional convention, and his services in that distinguished body resulted in his nomination for congress in 1892. In that year he was elected, and again in 1894 and 1896, but in 1898 declined the nomination. In 1910 he was again prevailed upon to accept the nomination. During his former terms in congress the people had learned to admire his independence and sound judgment, and he was a conspicuous figure in the group of progressive legislators who represented the aspirations of the mass of the people. His utter fearlessness in denouncing what he considered the unfair methods of various large interests, however, had antagonized certain powerful cliques, and largely through the efforts of the Amalga- mated Copper Company, he met with defeat. Mr. Hart- man has since devoted himself to the general practice of law, in partnership with his brother, his offices being maintained in the Gallatin block. He is a man of sterling honesty, positive convictions and an ag- gressive temperament. These qualities, reinforced by marked ability, have made him an active and useful member of his community. His political tendencies are those of Bryan Democracy.
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