A history of Montana, Volume III, Part 161

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

USA > Montana > A history of Montana, Volume III > Part 161

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).

Louis E. Freeman was born at Richmond, Madison county, Kentucky, August 13, 1867, and is the oldest of the five children of W. B. and Sally Ann (Hisle) Freeman. His paternal grandfather, Efford Freeman, was a plantation owner and stockman in the south, where both he and his wife, Susan, lived to advanced years. On the maternal side, Mr. Freeman's grand- parents were Louis and Clara Hisle, also farming people of Kentucky. W. B. Freeman has been engaged in farming and stock raising all of his life in central Kentucky, with the exception of some years in Mis- souri and during the Civil war, when he served as a soldier under the Confederate general, Anderson. He is now sixty-eight years of age, is still actively engaged in business, and is well known throughout his section of the state. His wife, who was born in Kentucky, died in 1889, at the age of forty-six years, and was buried in Missouri. Of their five children, two died in infancy, while one daughter, Mrs. Clara Dunbar, resides in Kentucky.

Louis E. Freeman received his early education in the schools of Kentucky and Missouri, having migrated to the latter state with his parents. Subsequently he took a course in C. W. Robbins' Business College, at Sedalia, Missouri, where he was graduated in 1885. On completing his education Mr. Freeman entered the service of the Santa Fe Railroad, as an employe of the round house, and within two years he was running an engine. During the eighteen years that followed he had charge of an engine running between Chicago and Kansas City, and when he left the company's employ, had one of the finest records ever made by an engineer, and was one of the great organization's most trusted employes. In 1904 ill health caused his retirement from railroading; and at that time he en- gaged in mercantile business at Moberly, Missouri, where he continued for seven years. In I911 he came to Great Falls and purchased the Orpheum, a badly managed moving picture theatre, which he converted into one of the finest and best patronized entertain- ment places in the northwest, installing the first pipe organ in the state of Montana and remodeling the theatre throughout. Rapidly gaining a reputation for

the excellence of quality and absolute morality of its performances, Mr. Freeman's house attracted the high- est class of trade and its patrons have showed by their support that they appreciate the class of entertain- ment that is being given them. When Mr. Freeman started life he had but five dollars to his name. In sharp contrast may be mentioned the fact that during his first month as proprietor of his theatre, of which he is now sole owner, he cleared the sum of eight hundred dollars, and at present he has large and valuable real estate holdings in various parts of Great Falls. His success has come to him as a result of wise investment along legitimate channels and because he has never been afraid to work industriously and faithfully at whatever occupation presented itself. His career is typical of the self-made men of Montana who are advancing the interests of the state along various lines, and he has gained a wide circle of influential friends. Political matters have never caused him to neglect his business interests, but he supports the principles and candidates of the Democratic party. He belongs to the Brotherhood of Locomotive En- gineers, and his religious connection is with the Chris- tian Science church.

Mr. Freeman was married at Huntsville, Missouri, January 25, 1893, to Miss Carrie Lee Holman, daugh- ter of William Holman, of that place, a veteran Con- federate soldier. Two children have been born to this union : William Waldo, born November 2, 1896, at Fort Madison, Iowa, who attended the Great Falls high school and is now attending the Great Falls Commercial College; and Howard, born April, 1898, a bright lad of twelve years, who met an accidental death while bathing at Moberly, Missouri, June 16, 1910.

ADAM STIMPERT is the sole owner and manager of the largest farm implement and machinery establish- ment of Great Falls. He conducts both a wholesale and retail business. All that he has accomplished is directly due to his own efforts, liis only aid having come from within. He was born in Woodford county, Illinois, on the ninth day of June, 1869. His father, Theobald Stimpert, was a German by birth who came to this country after reaching his majority and settled in New York in the early fifties. He was one of the family to leave the Fatherland, there being three others that came to America. In New York he met and learned to love Charlotta Muller, a young German girl who had been in America only a few years. After their brief courtship and marriage they moved to Wood- ford county, Illinois, where they bought a farm on easy payments. By their clever management and German thrift the land was soon their own and here they dwelt in peace for the remainder of their lives. Mr. Stimpert passed away in 1871 in the prime of his life, being then only forty-three years of age. His good frau lived on the old homestead until 1900, being then seventy- four years of age. She left to mourn her death eight children, one having died in infancy. Of the five sons and two daughters who reached maturity, Adam Stim- pert, the subject of this sketch, was the youngest.

His young life on the paternal farm was a hard and uneventful one. Few opportunities came to him, the education which he succeeded in winning was ob- tained under difficulties. For some three months of each year, during his early boyhood, he attended school in the little red schoolhouse of Woodford county. Later he became, for a brief period, a pupil in a German school some four miles distant from his home, making the distance each morning and evening, on horseback when the animal was not needed on the farm, but usu- ally on foot. After his thirteenth birthday his mother considered him sufficiently grown to become a hand on the farm and his schooling abruptly ceased. His

1825

HISTORY OF MONTANA

subsequent education has been by the means of self- culture alone.

Eight years he spent toiling on the farm turning in all that he earned to the family coffers. His father having died while he was still a mere infant and the elder brothers having mostly married and left home it seemed necessary for him to care for his mother and the farm. On the fourteenth day of January, 1892, he was married in Peoria, Illinois, to Miss Jescena Seg- german, the daughter of Henry Seggerman, a retired farmer. Mr. Stimpert, then in his twenty-second year, took his bride to the old homestead where they lived until the spring of 1896, the young man having assumed the entire management of the farm. Through his labor and judgment it yielded them an excellent income but he longed for a more independent life and some- thing that he might claim as his very own. In 1896 he moved his family to Benson, Illinois, and there engaged in the farm implement and machinery busi- ness. In this line of work, his practical knowledge was of great benefit to him. Two years later, he disposed of this business to accept a position as traveling sales- man for the Huber Manufacturing Company, of Marion, Ohio, dealers in threshing machinery. His territory was northern Illinois with headquarters in Chicago. While so employed, he attracted the notice of Reeves and Company of Columbus, Indiana, who made it worth his while to enter their employ in a like capacity. He traveled for them, still in Illinois territory until IgII when they transferred him to Montana with headquarters in Great Falls. The country so appealed to him that he determined to make it his future home. Withdrawing his services from the Reeves Company in May of the same year. he purchased the well-established business of the Judd Implement Company and returned to the east for his family who now share his enthusiasm for the new home. The Judd Implement Company was established in Great Falls in 1895 and was at the time of its purchase by Mr. Stimpert, one of the best known implement concerns in the city. He has since created a wholesale department. The business house is located on the corner of Third avenue, South, and Fourth streets. Although the firm name indicates a corporation, Mr. Stimpert is the sole owner and man- ager of the rapidly-increasing business.

Mr. Stimpert's interests are by no means bounded by the four walls of this establishment. In politics, he is a Democrat of the progressive and independent type. He is a Mason of excellent standing, belonging to the blue lodge, the chapter, the commandery and the Shrine. He is a member, also, of the Woodmen of America, the Merchants' Association and the Commer- cial Club, in all of which associations he performs his full duty.

Mr. and Mrs. Adam Stimpert, together with their two sons, Walter and Fred, reside at 806 Third avenue, North. Walter, the older of the boys was born on the old homestead in Woodford, Illinois, on the third day of September, 1894. Fred is almost five years his junior, having come into the world on the seventh day of April, 1899. Both are attending the schools of Great Falls, Montana.

GLENN E. WHITEMAN. Since February, 1911, Glenn E. Whiteman has been a prominent and influential resident of Dixon, Montana, where he is cashier and active head of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank, one of the important financial institutions in this section of the state. Mr. Whiteman takes an active part in public affairs, gives his most ardent support to all measures projected for progress and improvement and in every sense of the word is a representative citizen and busi- ness man.

A native of the fine old Gopher state of the Union, Glenn E. Whiteman was born in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 27, 1883. He is a son of William Vol. III-34

C. and Carrie A. (Schram) Whiteman, both of whom were born and reared in Minnesota, where was solem- nized their marriage, in 1880, and where they continued to reside until 1910, when removal was made to San Diego, California. While in Minnesota Mr. Whiteman was engaged in the newspaper business in an editorial capacity with prominent dailies in St. Paul and Min- neapolis and for a number of years was a resident of Ortonville, Minnesota. In 1910 Mr. Whiteman removed, with his family, to San Diego, California, where he owns and operates a commercial printing and binding establishment. Of the six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Whiteman the subject of this review was the first in order of birth.

Glenn E. Whiteman was a child of but four years of age when the family home was established in Orton- ville, Minnesota, where he was graduated in the high school in 1903. He earned his first money as a boy of fourteen years of age, at which time he began to work for his father in the newspaper office. He continued to be identified with newspaper work until he had learned the trade of printer and had established a news- paper of his own. In 1903 he began to work for the Miller-Davis Printing Company at Minneapolis as city solicitor and then turned his attention to the banking business, his first position in this line of enterprise having been with the First State Bank of Dumont, Minnesota. Subsequently he was employed in the Citi- zens National Bank at Ortonville and in 1908 he went to Burnstad, North Dakota, where he opened up the First State Bank. He remained at Burnstad for a period of three years and in February, 1911, came to Dixon, where he has since resided and where he organized the Farmers & Merchants State Bank, of which he is' cashier and active head.

Mr. Whiteman was always interested in the banking business as a boy and only learned the newspaper busi- ness at the suggestion of his father. He is Repub- lican in his political proclivities and takes an active in- terest in the local councils of the party. Since 1911 he has been incumbent of the office of United States commissioner, having been appointed thereto by Presi- dent. Taft. He is a member of the governing board of the Western Montana Associated Commercial Clubs and is president of the Dixon Commercial Club. He is likewise affiliated with the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks and with the Modern Woodmen of America, in which latter organization he is vice counsel. He says he likes Montana in every respect-its natural conditions and the enterprise and spirit of the people. The successful and terrific activity that is seen in every direction is conducive of good results.

At Ortonville, Minnesota, October 30, 1907, Mr. Whiteman was united in marriage to Miss Maud E. Tur- ritin, daughter of Hugh and Fannie R. Turritin, of St. Peter, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Whiteman are devout members of the Congregational church, in which he is a member of the board of trustees and in which she is president of the Ladies' Aid Society. They are prom- inent in connection with the best social affairs at Dixon and their beautiful home is the scene of many attractive gatherings.

PERRY F. CLOSE is editor and owner of the Dixon Herald, one of the prominent newspapers in Missoula county, Montana. The dissemination of news, the dis- cussion of public questions and the promotion of the general welfare of his community through the columns of his paper constitute life's object with him as a pri- vate citizen.

A native of the fine old Buckeye state of the Union, Perry F. Close was born at Napoleon, Ohio, May 13, 1872, and he is a son of Lockwood S. and Mary L. (Foote) Close, both born in Ohio. The father lived on a farm in Ohio for forty-five years and then moved to the southern part of Minnesota, where he was engaged

1826

HISTORY OF MONTANA

in farming until 1889. He spent his declining years in Oregon. His wife, whom he married in Ohio and whose maiden name was Mary L. Foote, was summoned to the life eternal in Minnesota in 1893, at the age of sixty-one years. There were ten children in the Close family and of the number three are living in 1912, the subject of this review being the youngest in order of birth.

Mr. Close, of this notice, was educated in the public schools of Minnesota and at the age of seventeen years left school and began hustling for himself. His first job was in a printing office where he worked for eigh- teen months, at a salary of four dollars per week. Sub- sequently he was engaged in farm work for a period of three years and he then turned his attention to the trade of machinist, which he followed for ten years. His first position as a machinist was at Grand Forks, North Dakota, and later he worked in Wisconsin for two years and in Minneapolis for two and a half years. In 1906 he returned to North Dakota where he took up a homestead and started a newspaper at Richardton, known as the Richardton News. He published the above paper for five years but in 1911 sold it and came to Montana, settling at Dixon, where he established the Dixon Herald. This paper is a weekly and is rapidly increasing in circulation. Although Mr. Close is a Repub- lican as an individual the paper is conducted on inde- pendent principles. Through the medium of his paper Mr. Close is a booster for the town of Dixon and for Montana at large. He says : "While I am comparatively a new comer and have only seen the western half of Montana, I am very much impressed with it and cannot praise it too highly. With all its natural resources, com- bined with pure water, pure air, beautiful climate, fer- tile soil and healthy, happy, hustling people, Dixon and this community in time will form an important part of the great Treasure state."

SUTTON H. DRAPER, very well known in Missoula, Montana, as a master mechanic of the Northern Pa- cific Railroad is what our Scottish brethren would call "a man of pairts." That is to say that he has developed and brought to fruition the best qualities of his mind and heart. He is an excellent example of a self-made man, having made his way entirely through his own efforts without extraneous assistance. He began to hustle for himself at the early age of thirteen years. His father died when he was about ten years old, making it necessary for him to depend on his own efforts from an early age.

On October 28, 1858, Mr. Draper was born in Mon- tezuma, Iowa, and he lived there until his father's death which occurred when he was only ten years old. "He then moved with his mother to Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained until about 1880. Then he went to Texas where he worked for the Texas and Pacific Railroad Company in the capacity of locomotive engi- neer. From this company he went to the Houston & Texas Railroad Company, running out of Houston, Texas, and in 1882, he left there to enter the service of the Northwestern System, running between St. Paul and Elroy, Wisconsin.

He stayed here until August, 1883, when he entered the service of the Northern Pacific Railroad . as. a loco- motive engineer and he has been with this company ever since that time.

Mr. Draper has the distinction of pulling one of the gold spike excursion trains on the Rocky Mountain division, and he is now the proud possessor of a desk in his office which was used at one time by former President Villard.

His first promotion occurred in 1900 when he was appointed traveling engineer on the Rocky Mountain division. In 1904, he was again promoted to the posi- tion of general air-brake inspector of the entire Nor- thern Pacific Railroad System with headquarters at St.

Paul. In 1911, he was appointed master mechanic of the Rocky Mountain division and all its branches with headquarters at Missoula, Montana. This division has the distinction of being the most important on the entire system.

Mr. Draper's early education was obtained in the public and high schools of Cleveland, Ohio, but his education did not stop when he left school but all through his later life his knowledge was augmented and increased by a habit of reading the best literature and by a habit of close observation.

He earned his first money as a boy at the age of fourteen years. His first job of note was that of driv- ing a street car in Cleveland, Ohio, at a salary of forty- five dollars a month, every cent of which munificent sum went to his mother for family support, so it may be seen that habits of self reliance and unselfishness were inculcated in him from youth. Having shown ability and industry, he was promoted to the position of street car conductor, with a moderate increase in salary.

He managed to save a few dollars and with the money saved, he went into the retail butcher business. This was his first business venture, and unfortunately, he met with a reverse. His failure was due to a part- ner he had associated with him. This partner proved to be untrustworthy and in that way broke up the little business venture.

In the meantime, his greatest dream and ambition was to enter the railroad service. His fondness for engineering and railroading began in his early boy- hood, when he built an engine by his own efforts. This was the first engine he ever ran; he used it for run- ning the machinery in his butcher shop.

After quitting the meat business, he appealed to his mother for her consent to enter into railroad work; this permission was finally granted him on account of their financial condition.

His first railroad position was with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company in their shops at Collinwood, Ohio. After a short apprenticeship, he was put on the road in the capacity of fireman. From the very beginning of his entrance into railroad work, he made up his mind that this was to be his life work, and instead of simply looking forward to pay day and watching the clock as so many young fellows do, he determined to make an exhaustive and scientific study of railroad conditions and engineering. He has cer- tainly been more than successful in this ambition, having gone forward with rapid and steady strides.

Upon coming to the Northern Pacific Company in 1883, he found that the use and maximum capacity of break appliances were necessary, especially in the Rocky Mountain division which covers every variety from the level valley to the steepest mountain grades. In the matter of break appliances, Mr. Draper was well equipped, as a result of having been placed on the mailing list of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company as far back as 1878. He had made a special study of air brakes as well as the locomotive itself, and from this date until the present time, he has always ranked high as an authority on the subject.

After being promoted to the position of general air brake inspector, he passed over the entire system, in- structing and examining all train, engine, and shop men, a total of over six thousand employees under his control. This undertaking required a period of nearly two years steady lecturing and conducting of exami- nations. He has lectured to the men a great many times for seven hours a day. He is responsible for the successful carrying out of this educational work in his department and also in the way of co-operating with the state university here. It is interesting to note that since he inaugurated this movement, it has been installed in Helena and Livingston divisions.

As has been said, Mr. Draper owes his success en-

d'Hl. Draper

1827

HISTORY OF MONTANA

tirely to his own efforts, to his practical experience and hard knocks in youth, and above all, to his unswerv- ing ambition and determination to win. He emphasises the value of reading good books as an aid to a well rounded, successful career.

He is a member of the Masons, the blue lodge and Shrine. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and he has filled various offices in subordinate lodges. He was for over four years a member of the Grand International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers but he resigned his member- ship on account of his present official connection with the railroad company.

Mr. Draper is very fond of all out door sports, espe- cially of baseball and hunting. He takes a great deal of interest in athletics of all kinds, being at one time president of an athletic club in Missoula, Montana. He once took part in a fat man's bicycle race and won the contest. He is extremely fond of horses and dogs; he enjoys a band of good music and he likes lectures especially if they are on scientific subjects. He is very fond of reading scientific books also, and he is the owner of a fine selected library.

He is of an inventive turn of mind and is very liter- ary. He has patents on two improvements on steam engines and has written a book on new revisions on instructions for operating and maintaining air brakes and air signal apparatus.

Mr. Draper says of Montana that he realizes that the "wonderful and unlimited resources of the Treasure state are but partially developed" and also that he has gained health, happiness and prosperity in Montana and he proposes to live there for the rest of his life. He was married in Helena, Montana, October 28, 1885, to Miss Laura A. Brown, the daughter of Will- iam and Mary C. Brown of Helena. He is the father of three children, two of whom are now living. They are : Lillian, married to C. C. Perry of Missoula, where Mr. Perry is in the coal business ; and Florence, married to Dr. E. C. Na Vella, of Seattle. Both of these daughters are accomplished musicians.

In regard to Mr. Draper's parents, his father was Mr. Clark R. Draper. He was born in Canada and at the age of seven years, he came with his parents to New Hampshire where he grew up. He entered an orthodox college at Meadville, Pennsylvania, and grad- uated for the ministry. He followed this profession until 1855, and then he moved to Iowa. Here he com- bined the occupations of ministry and farming until 1863. At this time he evinced his love for his coun- try by entering the Union army and remaining in it until the close of the war. His experience in the war weakened his health and eventually caused his death. Before entering the army he made an eloquent address appealing for volunteers and headed the list himself. He was known as a great orator.

While he lived in New Hampshire he married Miss Cathryn M. Smith, whose ancestry dates back to the Puritans. She passed away at the age of sixty and is buried at Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Draper's father died at the age of fifty-five and is buried at Montezuma, Iowa. There were nine children in the elder Draper family, Mr. Sutton Draper being the fifth child.

EARL M. SICKLES. Schooling and cash capital are important factors in achieving success in the business world today, where every faculty must be brought into play, but they are not the main elements. Persistency and a determination to forge ahead figure much more prominently and a man possessed of these qualities is bound to win a fair amount of success. Earl M. Sickles, whose name forms the caption for this article, earned his own education and during the latter years of his career has climbed to a high place on the ladder of achievement. He is a prominent citizen in Joplin,

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.

A history of Montana, Volume III, Part 161

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