A history of Montana, Volume III, Part 143

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 970

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vice July 25, 1865, after a service that included some of the hardest fighting done during the war. Mr. Brown's first battle was New Middleton, Tennessee, and following that he participated in the battles of Shelbyville, Mossy Creek and Fair Gardens, and all the skirmishes that took place in eastern Tennessee, the campaigns of 1863 and 1864, and the entire battle of Chickamauga. He was taken prisoner near Dalton, Georgia, May 9, 1864, and was confined in Anderson- ville Prison until October 16th, at which time he was taken to Florence, South Carolina, and there kept until December 13th of the same year. On securing a nine- ty-day parole, he reported for duty at Nashville, Ten- nessee, and by order of General Thomas was detailed as a special courier for the military division of the Mis- sissippi, and served in that capacity until the close of hostilities, when he was mustered out of the service at Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Brown's service was a brave and gallant one, and he was known as a soldier whose enthusiasm could not be checked, whose ardor could not be dampened and whose cheerfulness under all con- ditions was familiar to all. Like many others, he bore the terrible hardships and privations of the fearful southern prisons, and when he had secured his relcase cheerfully rejoined his command, ready to perform any service asked of him. On his return from the army he took a commercial course in Bryant & Stratton's College, Chicago, and then returned to Indiana, and for three months was engaged in school teaching. During the summer of 1866 he worked on his father's farm, and on October Ist of that year he became a student in the law and literary department of Michigan University, and was graduated from the former in March, 1868. He first located in a general practice in Big Rapids, Michigan, where he was eventually ad- mitted to all the courts of the state, and on December 9, 1884, was allowed to practice before the supreme court of the United States at Washington, D. C. He became one of the attorneys for the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, and continued to hold that position for twenty years, only relinquishing it when he came to Montana. His first visit to Billings was in 1903, and five years later he became a permanent resident of the city, where he is in partnership with Fred H. Hath- horn, under the firm style of Hathhorn & Brown.

Mr. Brown . has been prominent in Republican poli- tics for many years. In 1869 he was elected school commissioner for Mecosta county, Michigan, an office he held for two years, and in 1873 was sent to the mayorality chair of Big Rapids. In 1876 he was ap- pointed judge of the Fourteenth judicial circuit, and in 1878 was elected to the office, resigning it in 1881 on account of failing health. Subsequently he was ap- pointed manager of the governing board of the Sol- dier's Home, and served as clerk for the board of managers for six years, during which time the home was erected under his supervision at Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1908 Mr. Brown was elected on the Re- publican ticket and was a delegate in 1908 to the Republican National Convention, and served on the committee on credentials, being the only member of the committee from the state of Michigan. He has also been prominent in Grand Army circles. Orig- inally a member of Andrew Post, No. 294, of Big Rapids, on coming to Billings he transferred his mem- bership to William Mckinley Post, No. 28. He was department commander of Michigan in 1889, when there were 22,500 members in good standing, served as judge advocate for two terms in Michigan, and is now serving his second term as judge advocate of Montana. He was made a member of the Masonic fraternity when he became connected with Winnamac Lodge, No. 171, A. F. & A. M., of Indiana, and sub- sequently joined Big Rapids Lodge Luella Chapter and Commandery 2 and Saladin Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Grand Rapids.

Michael Br.

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On August 3, 1871, Mr. Brown was united in mar- riage with Miss Mary Alice Osburn, who was born in Tioga county, New York, daughter of Levi J. Osburn and Mary (Lyman) Osburn, natives of the Empire state. Mr. Osburn was a tailor by trade in New York, and when he removed to Big Rapids, Michigan, continued to follow that occupation up to the time of his death. His widow, who survives him and lives at Big Rapids, has reached the advanced age of eighty-eight years, and five of their seven chil- dren are still living, Mrs. Brown having been the third in order of birth. Her parents were connected with the Universalist church, and Mr. Osburn was a Republican in political matters. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had three daughters and one son, as follows: Carrie, who is the wife of Major S. G. Reynolds; Lil- lian H., the wife of Herbert V. Bailey, of Miles City, Montana; Herbert F., cashier of the Citizens National Bank of Laurel, Montana and Mary Alice, the wife of William Lee Mains.

In any community such a clear-headed man of af- fairs, who brings strict integrity as well as sound judgment to assist his talent and legal ability, must be a valued and highly respected member-and such a member Michael Brown has always been. He has been a man of action and a man of study, and pos- sesses a thorough and minute knowledge of the laws of the country. A steady and regular reader of the higher class of literature, he keeps fully in accord with the times by giving many of his spare moments to literature upon current events. He is courteous to all, ever ready with a cheerful word to stranger or friend, and in all affairs conducts himself with the un- ostentatious dignity of a true gentleman.

EDWARD D. NOONAN. Industrious, capable and self- reliant, well versed in legal lore, Edward D. Noonan holds a noteworthy position among the rising young attorneys of Ravalli county; during the comparatively short time that he has been in Hamilton, he has won a fair share of patronage, his law practice being quite extensive and constantly increasing. A native of Ohio, he was born, August 11, 1881, in Saint Marys, Auglaize county, Ohio, where he acquired his elementary educa- tion, being graduated from the grammar and high schools. Gifted from boyhood with a rare command of language and clear, logical reasoning powers, he ac- quired fame as an orator even during his school days, being generally perfectly competent to handle his end of an argument. Having early determined to become a lawyer, Mr. Noonan began his technical reading under the tutelage of D. F. Mooney, one of the leading law- yers of Saint Marys. Subsequently receiving the ap- pointment of deputy clerk of court, he held the position two years, and the money that he thus earned assisted him in paying his expenses through the law department of the Ohio State University, at Columbus, which he completed in 1908, and he was admitted to the bar in Montana.

The limited advantages afforded a young man of energy and ambition in the eastern states caused Mr. Noonan to turn his eyes toward newer and wider fields, and he immediately started for the great northwest. Coming directly to Montana, he was for a year asso- ciated with the law firm of Walsh & Nolan, prominent lawyers of Helena. In 1909, Mr. Noonan located in Hamilton, where he has since been prosperously engaged in the independent practice of his profession, having gained an excellent reputation for legal skill and ability, and having won the confidence and good-will of the people. As a public speaker, Mr. Noonan is widely and favorably known, more especially in political ranks. During the Taft-Bryan campaign, he stumped the state for Bryan, and became very popular as an orator.

Mr. Noonan married, at Saint Marys, Ohio, June 5, 1905, Miss Jessie Whitcomb, of Austin, Pennsylvania,

and of their union four children have been born, namely : Edward Dennis, Jr., Richard Patrick, Gertrude Honora (deceased) and Timothy Bryan.

DANIEL T. GOFF. Possessing a strong personality, courteous and kindly in manner, and being both enter- prising and public-spirited, Daniel T. Goff is numbered among the esteemed and valued citizens of Hamilton, where he is successfully engaged in the buying and sell- ing of real estate. A Kentuckian by birth and breed- ing, he was born, March 1, 1848, in Breckinridge county. His father, John A. Goff, spent the entire eighty-eight years of his life in Kentucky, where during his active career he was a prosperous farmer and stock-raiser. He was well known in his community as a man of ster- ling worth, and had a large acquaintance, among his personal friends having been that greatly beloved and much revered man, Abraham Lincoln. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Nancy A. Steele, twelve children were born, Daniel T. being the youngest child of the household.

Leaving school at the age of fourteen years, Daniel T. Goff offered his services to his country, enlisting in the Federal ranks and for a year serving as a drum- mer boy in the Thirtieth Missouri Volunteer Infantry. . Being seriously wounded at the Battle of Rolla, Mis- souri, he was sent to the hospital in St. Louis, where he was well taken care of for a time, although he has never fully recovered from the effects of the wound then received, the bullet having penetrated the groin. Returning from St. Louis to Kentucky, the brave soldier lad remained at home five months, when he joined the United States Navy, enlisting in the Mississippi Squadron, with which he was connected until the close of the war. He first served for eighteen months as call boy on board the "Argosy," No. 27, later being transferred to another gun boat, the "Gram- pus." To Mr. Goff belongs the distinction of being the youngest commissioned officer in the history of either the United States Navy or the United States Army, having as a reward for bravery in action received from the hands of Lieut. George Dewey, later Admiral Dewey, the commission of ensign. Mr. Goff is now commander of the John C. Freeman Post, No. 21, Grand Army of the Republic, and an honorary member of the Lincoln Farm Association.

After the war, as a beardless boy of eighteen summers, Mr. Goff left home, going to Fort Leavenworth, Kan- sas, where he soon found work, agreeing to drive a four- mule team from there to Trinidad, Colorado. Complet- ing the trip without special incident, he remained a resi- dent of Colorado for forty-three years, being actively and successfully employed in mining and prospecting. During his earlier years of residence in that state, he, in company with one of his brothers and H. M. Hoxie, who was later president of the Missouri Pacific Rail- road Company, made an overland trip to Pike's Peak, not in search of gold, which had then but recently been discovered in Montana, but for the purpose of buying hides and furs from the Indians and the trappers. The trip proved very successful. Mr. Hoxie and Mr. Goff's brother having conveyed their load of furs and hides to the nearest river port, took it on their own boat to Kansas City, Missouri, where they disposed of it to advantage, reaping a good profit in the transaction.

Owing to failing health, Mr. Goff came to Montana in September, 1908, and has since been actively and profitably engaged in the real estate business at Hamil- ton, dealing extensively in farm and city property. He has here built a fine modern home, in which he and his wife delight to entertain their many friends.

Mr. Goff married Miss Clara C. Sherwood, a native of Iowa, and though they have no children of their own, they have adopted, reared and educated four children, who are now the joy and comfort of their parents. Although not an active politician, Mr. Goff is a firm

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adherent of the Democratic party, supporting its prin- ciples at the polls.

During the exercises commemorative of the birth of Washington, held at the Canyon Creek school, in 1912, Mr. Goff, as commander of the John C. Freeman Post, participated in the interesting programme, deliver- ing before the pupils a fine address, from which we take much pleasure in giving a few extracts, as follows :

"'The Birthday of the Father of His Country'-may it ever be freshly remembered by Americans. May it ever awaken in them a filial veneration for his memory ; ever rekindle the fires of patriotic regard for the coun- try which he loved so well and to which he gave his youthful vigor and energy. His memory is first and most sacred in our love, and until the last drop of blood shall freeze in the last American heart his name shall be a spell of power and might. Yes, dear chil- dren, this is one personal and vast felicity which no man can share with him. It was the daily beauty and towering and matchless glory of his life which en- abled him to create his country, and at the same time secure the undying love and regard of the whole American people. The first in the hearts of his coun- trymen? Yes; first, he was our first and most fervent love. Undoubtedly there were brave, wise and good men before his day in every colony, but the American nation we do not reckon to have begun before 1774, and the first love of that young America was Wash- ington-the first word she lisped was his name; her earliest breath spoke it; it still is her proud ejaculation, and it will be the last gasp of her expiring breath. When the storms of battle blow darkest and rage fiercest, the memory of Washington shall nerve every American arm and cheer every American heart; it shall re-illumine that Promethean fire; that sublime fire of patriotism; that devoted love of country which words have commanded-which his example has consecrated."

MARTIN R. SWANSON, a man who has quickly risen to prominence in every community of which he has been a part, possesses that indomitable energy which has enabled him to conquer every obstacle placed in his path. Now living in Roundup, Montana, he is president of the Citizens' State Bank and of the Montana Land and Investment Company. Whereas the great mass of people who do not succeed, no matter what their ad- vantages, complain that the world was against them, Mr. Swanson, although hampered by his lack of finan- cial resources and by his ignorance of the English lan- guage, was able to overcome all this and to advance steadily up the ladder of fortune.

Mr. Swanson was born in Sweden, November 8, 1868, the son of William and Emma (Eckman) Swanson, both natives of Sweden. Both parents, who are still alive, have remained in Sweden, although several of their children, besides Martin R., have come to the United States. Mr. Swanson, Sr., is a farmer, with the church as his strongest outside interest. He is a devout Christian and an active church worker. Martin R. was the third born in a family of twelve children, four of whom besides himself are now in this country, one sister, who is the wife of Carl Swanson, of Minne- sota, another, the wife of Emely Atterling, of Chicago, and two brothers, Swan, a resident of Minneapolis, and Ole, living at Clary City, Minnesota.

Martin R. received his education in the public schools of Sweden, and worked during vacations and off hours on the farm. When he was nineteen years old he had saved up enough money to come to the United States. He first settled in Minnesota, living part of the five years he remained in the state in Minneapolis, where he worked during the day and attended school during the evenings to learn the language, and the rest of the time out in the country working on a farm. He also attended a business college in Minneapolis. The next twelve years he lived in North Dakota, engaged both

in farming and in the mercantile business. In 1908 he sold out his mercantile interests and part of his land and came to Roundup, where he has remained ever since. For the first two years he engaged in his old occupation as merchant, but in 1910 sold out his busi- ness, and bought into the Citizens' State Bank, which in 1912 elected him president. In addition to his banking interests he also operates a real estate, insurance and loan office, and is interested financially in the Mussel- shell County Abstract company.

Mr. Swanson is a man in whom everyone places the greatest confidence, and he could probably have held many public offices if he had cared to seek them. Dur- ing his residence in Minnesota he was first a justice of the peace, and later the city assessor, and since coming to Roundup he has served in the city council. He is a Republican and takes an active interest in politics. He is treasurer of his Masonic lodge, and is a member of both the Roundup Commercial Club and the Pioneer Club. He is fond of all outdoor sports.

Mr. Swanson was married at Hartington, Nebraska, in November, 1905, to Bernice Acord, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Acord, of Hartington, and they have had one child, Lawrence W.

ALFRED W. EISELEIN, editor and publisher of the Record of Roundup, Montana, is typical of the intelli- gent, energetic men who are today developing the pos- sibilities of the west. Mr. Eiselein believes that Mon- tana is a state of unlimited opportunities and resources, and that some day it will be one of the richest states in the Union. He has been living in Roundup for four and one-half years, or since the town was established, but these years have been long enough for him to de- velop a sound belief in the future of the state, and also to prove to his fellow townsmen his own progressive- ness and capabilities.

When Mr. Eiselein first started the Record in April, 1908, he used an Army hand press. The office is now, after only four years, equipped with every appliance of the modern newspaper office, linotype machine, Cot- trell cylinder press, etc. It is a well-edited sheet, and with a steadily growing influence is a factor to be con- sidered in both local and state affairs.

Mr. Eiselein was born in Carver county, Minnesota, September 9, 1884, the son. of Adolph and Mina (Ziemer) Eiselein. His father was born in Germany and came to the United States as a young man, to settle in Minnesota. Although he has now retired, he followed the mercantile lines for many years as his regular business, and was interested on the side in sev- eral newspapers and in land. Although he never cared for any office for himself, he always followed the political game with zest both in national and in local affairs. Although his wife was also a native of Ger- many they met in the United States and their mar- riage took place in Minnesota. Alfred was the seventh child of a family of eight children.

The family lived in Carver county until Alfred was sixteen years old, when they moved to Renville county. Alfred attended the public schools and graduated from the Minneapolis high school. He was also an art student for two years under Director Robert Koehler, of the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts. He earned his first money as a boy in the newspaper business, so that when he took up the earning of his own living in earnest that was the trade he turned to. When he was about twenty years old he went to North Dakota for a year, working as a printer and conducting several news- papers. He then came on to Montana, arriving in Roundup in March, 1908, and has remained here ever since. One of his brothers, Adolph H., Jr., is now with him and associated with him in the Record office. Mr. Eiselein is a member of the Elks and of the Modern Woodmen of America. He takes an active interest in

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politics and is at present secretary of the Republican county central committee.

JAMES B. MULCAHY. America has been styled the melting pot of the various races, where each loses his peculiar traditions and habits, his manner of thought and of life, and is transformed into the cosmopolitan representative of sturdy Americanism which is the admiration of the world. In many ways this is a most desirable consummation, but in an excessive zeal for adaptation it has often happened that much has been lost which is of inestimable value, and this is a fact which Mr. James B. Mulcahy has recognized, and he has set himself to work to remedy this condition. Hyde, Synge, Yeats and Lady Gregory have done much to arouse interest in the Celtic literature, and in all that pertains to the folk-lore of those people, but the public to which they appeal is somewhat limited. Mr. Mulcahy has elected the task of keeping before the Irish-Americans the thoughts and the ideals which have been the source of the power of that gifted people. It is especially desirable that in this new country, where the ease with which material success may be attained makes the commercial game such an all-absorbing one, that our citizens of foreign ancestry should not lose sight of what their nation stands for, and that they should be urged to transplant to this newer soil those growths which have made the power and the beauty of their people. A man will not be less a good American for having a vital interest in the country of his fathers. It is a small nature which cannot love both mother and bride, and this Mr. Mulcahy realizes to the full, and the service he performs in keeping up this interest cannot be over- estimated.

Limerick, Ireland, is the birthplace of Mr. Mulcahy, and he was born in a year most important to Ameri- cans, 1876, on October 10. His education was received in the national schools of Ireland, and when he had completed his course in them, he was employed in the auditing department of the Railroad of England and Ireland. Here he served as a clerk for eight years, and during that time wrote articles for the news- papers in different parts of Ireland, for he was a born journalist and easily earned more by his pen than he received from the railway company.

In the fall of 1906 Mr. Mulcahy came to America and spent a year in Chicago in the employ of a dry- goods store. He had no intention of devoting himself to that line of work, and so he decided to go west and to look for a desirable location. For a year he was in Seattle, Washington. and from there he came to Butte in 1908 and founded the Independent Weekly. This is an organ devoted to Irish achievements and interests, both in literature and in political matters. Current news of Ireland is supplied in its pages, and in every way Mr. Mulcahy aims to arouse the enthusiasm of his people for their own nationality. Mr. Mulcahy's patriotism beats in his blood, for his father, Michael Mulcahy, is now, at the age of seventy-one, still an active worker in politics in his native isle. He was an active supporter of the Fenian cause, and was later thrown into prison at the time of the Agrarian agita- tion for his utterances. He has since continued to work for the issues in which he believes with unabated fervor. His wife, Ellen Burke Mulcahy, was born in Ireland in 1840 and died in 1880. There are six of their children now living. Mr. Michael Mulcahy still resides on his farm in Ireland.

The editor of the Independent Weekly is a man who is fond of athletics and who has the social qualities which characterize the men of his race. His political views are those of the Democratic party, and his grasp of the national and local conditions make him a power in the party, aside from the influence of his paper, which is primarily printed in the cause of disseminat-

ing knowledge of things Celtic. He is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of the Gaelic League, the Robert Emmet Literary Association, of the Knights of Columbus and of the Royal Order of the Moose, of which he is secretary. He is a devout communi- cant of the Roman Catholic church, and he has scores of friends in the city, not only among his compatriots and their descendants, but among all who are inter- ested in the best things along all lines.

SAMUEL G. TAYLOR. In Montana to a very large degree the rewards of business and the honors of office belong to the young men. Probably merit and ability are nowhere more quickly and effectively rec- ognized than in Montana, and it is not surprising that so many of the leaders in affairs are young men who in older states would be well satisfied with half their advancement. Among these prominent young men, Mr. Samuel G. Taylor of Anaconda has gained noteworthy position and has a growing reputation for public ability which promises to lead him into state- wide prominence in the near future.

Samuel G. Taylor is a native of Newcastle, Penn- sylvania, where he was born June 9, 1884. His par- ents, George L. and Elizabeth (Douglas) Taylor, are still living in that locality. His father, who was born and has spent all his life in Lawrence county, Penn- sylvania, was for many years a substantial farmer, but is now living retired in Newcastle. He has taken an active working part in church and charity and is one of the highly esteemed citizens of his old home vicinity. There were five children in the family, of whom Samuel was the fourth. One sister lives in California, and the others reside in Pennsylvania.

Reared on a farm and educated in the public schools, finishing with a course at Smith's Business College in Newcastle, Mr. Taylor began his practical career when about sixteen years old as a farm hand. On leaving the farm his first salaried position was in a box factory at Newcastle. Later he secured a clerk- ship, and has been identified with business manage- ment practically ever since. On reaching his ma- jority he sought his opportunities in the West, and for the first two years was located at Seattle and other coast towns. Most of this time was spent in travel- ing in the employment of the Northwest Improvement Company. In July, 1908, he arrived at Anaconda, which has been his home city ever since. For two years he was with the MacCallum & Cloutier Mer- cantile Company, and since then has been office man- ager for the Bourbonniere Meat Company of this city. He is a thorough business man, a master of details and a good manager.

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A history of Montana, Volume III, Part 143

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883- Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 970

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 970