A history of Montana, Volume III, Part 80

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

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Until he was fifteen years of age, Elmer W. Trainer attended the schools of Eureka, and then entered the high school at Butte, being a member of the first class graduated from that school. He decided to study medi- cine and selected the University of Kentucky as the place from which to secure his degree. To earn the money for his course, he worked in Butte as a machin- ist and saved the necessary amount for his college expenses. After finishing the collegiate work, he en- tered the medical department, still paying his own way, and in 1905 received his M. D. degree. Although a diligent student and one who took high rank in schol- arship, Dr. Trainer was also an athlete of note while in school. He pitched for the base-ball team of the University and played quarter-back on its foot-ball team. He still retains his fondness for these sports, as well as for all out-door diversions, but the demands of his growing practice leave him little time to indulge in them, even as a spectator.

Since 1906 Dr. Trainer has resided in Whitehall, where he is foremost in his profession. Until the de- mands upon his time made it impossible, the doctor was

an office holder in the Masonic order, in which he has attained the thirty-second degree. It is a matter of con- siderable regret to Dr. Trainer that he was obliged to give up lodge work, for he is deeply interested in the organization. Traveling is one of the pleasures which appeal most strongly to him, and his journeys have taken him through Mexico and all the southern coun- tries. At the time of the Goldfield excitement, he was among the early prospectors in that district, but he remained there only about nine months. He is inter- ested in mining ventures, and one of the organizations of which he is a stockholder has control of the Ryan- - Trainer properties.

CORNELIUS PATRICK O'CALLAGHAN. Foremost among the business men and citizens of Basin, Jefferson county, is Cornelius Patrick O'Callaghan, proprietor of a large merchandise establishment of that place. Mr. O'Cal- laghan has won his advancement in life through merit and by a steady industry, and is one of the representa- tive men of affairs in the county.

He was born in the city of Chicago, Illinois, on the 14th of February, 1870, a son of Marcus and Hannah (Kearney) O'Callaghan, both of whom were natives of Ireland, the mother of Cork. The father was a boy when he came to the United States and a few years later enlisted in the federal army at Chattanooga, be- ing assigned to the commissary department, and went through the entire war. He carried a musket at the battle of Lookout Mountain, and saw much arduous service. After the war he was for twenty years chief clerk in the general offices of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Chicago, and was also employed in the treasury department during the administration of Ben- jamin Harrison. . In 1894, owing to poor health, he came out to Montana, leaving his family in Chicago, and was employed in the traffic department of the A. C. M. Company at Anaconda as agent for the B. A. & P. Railroad. In 1902 he returned to Chicago, and is now one of the officials of the Michigan Central Railroad in that city. The mother died at Chicago in December, 1909. There were five children, one of whom is now deceased, and Cornelius P. is the oldest of those living, the others being : Lillian, wife of Joseph Herrmann, of Chicago; Cora, wife of W. E. Cage, a prominent real estate man in Texas; Fannie, the wife of Mitchell Licalzi. formerly of New Orleans and now of Chicago.

Cornelius P. O'Callaghan was reared in Chicago, where he attended the public schools, and lived there until 1896. He then came west and began work in the general manager's office. of the' B. A. & P. Rail- road at Anaconda. This road, as is well known, is controlled by the A. C. M. Company, and after a time he was transferred to the traffic department of the com- pany. He was then made assistant paymaster of the mines office, and remained in that capacity at Anaconda for five years, when he resigned to take the manage- ment of the P. J. Brophy store in Butte. After three years as manager, he left Butte to go into business with Mr. D. Driscoll at Basin. Mr. Driscoll was then known as the oldest merchant of Montana, and his very suc- cessful career is briefly sketched below. In 1909 Mr. O'Callaghan bought out the Driscoll interest in the store and has since conducted a flourishing mercantile business in Basin, where he has his pleasant home and is a man of influence in all that community.

Mr. O'Callaghan was married on April 2, 1902. to Miss Anna Marie, the daughter of the pioneer mer- chant. Dennis Driscoll. Mrs. O'Callaghan has the dis- tinction of having been the first white girl born in the town of Walkerville. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. O'Callaghan, namelv: Madeline Corita ; Joseph; Marguerite, deceased; and Anna Marion The family are members of the Catholic church, and Mr. O'Callaghan is a Democrat.

Dennis Driscoll, the father of Mrs. O'Callaghan, is

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

one of the oldest living pioneers of Montana. Born in Ireland, he came to the United States in 1854, at the age of fifteen, and began work in a malleable iron foundry at Newark, New Jersey. Mr. Driscoll went to California in 1861, and remained there two years, when he went to Boise City, Idaho, and was engaged there at mining until 1866, when he came to Silver Bow county, Montana, being among the very early prospectors of this region. After mining for a time at Silver Bow, Glendive and Alder Gulch, he returned to Newark, and engaged in grocery business, there remaining until after his marriage, when he returned to Montana and estab- lished a grocery and general mercantile store at Walker- ville, where for twenty years or more he did a very large business, later removing to Basin, where he also conducted a mercantile business. He retired with a generous competence, and is now a resident of Butte. He is owner of valuable business and residence prop- erty in Walkerville, Butte, Basin and Lewistown in Montana, and Seattle, Washington. He was married at Newark, New Jersey, in 1877, to Miss Mary Taaffe, who had come as a child with her parents from Ireland to America. Of the eight children in his family two are deceased, and the others are: Anna, wife of Mr. O'Cal- laghan; Ella, living with her parents in Butte; Mary, wife of John Earl Corette, of Butte; Margaret, Dennis and John, all living at home in Butte.

JOSEPH CLINTON SMITH. One of our most beloved American poets once wrote of a classmate,

"There was a young fellow of excellent pith,

Fate tried to obscure him by naming him Smith."

but in this case, as in that of the subject of the famous couplet, fate has been defeated in her nefarious designs. Joseph Clinton Smith is everywhere recognized as one of the ablest lawyers of the state. The law partner of Governor Norris, he now has charge of the chief ex- ecutive's law practice. He is a stalwart Democrat and is one of the most effective and eagerly sought of campaign speakers, his eloquence being of the most convincing sort.

Mr. Smith, who is a brother of ex-Governor Smith of Montana, was born in Lowes, Kentucky, Septem- ber 25, 1873, and is the son of DeWitt Clinton and Eliza Booker (Hughes) Smith. The father was born in Louisville, Kentucky, November 5, 1831, and followed agriculture all his life in the Blue Grass state, the demise of this worthy citizen occurring January 11, 1899, in his sixty-eighth year. The mother was born in Mil- burn, Kentucky, January 23, 1836, and resides at Lowes, Kentucky. The subject is the eighth in order of birth in a family of nine children. He lived in the home town until about the age of twenty-three years and then, having become impressed with the future of the west and the advantages which it presented to the am- bitious young man, he came to Montana and located in Dillon, Beaverhead county. Three months later he removed to Miles City, where for a year he served as guard in the state reform school for one year, and then went to Dcer Lodge, where he acted as guard in the state penitentiary for two years.

In 1900 Mr. Smith came back to Dillon and studied law in the office of Edwin L. Norris, now governor of Montana, being duly admitted to the bar, and he has been in practice ever since. He opened his first office in Deer Lodge, where he practiced successfully for three years and then went to Miles City, where he lived four years, during part of which time he was associated with Sidney Sanner, now judge of the seventh judicial district. In March, 1908, when Governor Nor- ris was installed in the office of governor, he returned to Dillon and took charge of the law business of that gentleman, His success has been noteworthy and he is gaining a professional renown not confined to the lo- cality. The office is one of the finest in the state.

Mr. Smith received his early education in the public schools of Kentucky and then pursued a four year course in the University of Kentucky at Lexington, from which institution he was graduated in 1895. He has ever taken an active interest in politics and is influential in Democratic party ranks. In the matter of religion he leans toward the Christian church and his wife is an Episcopalian. Baseball is one of his chief enthusiasms and he is an efficient fan and rooter. He is fond of good literature and the drama and has marked gifts of oratory, being a tireless worker in campaigns and a valuable asset to any cause in whose worth he be- lieves. He has done much to encourage and train young men with undeveloped oratorical ability. He is affi- liated with the Beaverhead Social Club and the Beaver- head Commercial Club.

Mr. Smith is a fine example of the self-made man, for he has made his own way absolutely without as- sistance, being of dauntless courage, as well as tried ability. He knows the utter fatigue which comes from honest toil and made his first money at the age of fourteen in the Kentucky tobacco fields, his earnings amounting to but forty cents a day. With the money thus earned he bought his school books. He stands high in his profession.

Mr. Smith was happily married July 15, 1909, at Lisbon, North Dakota, to Clara Rawson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Willis Rawson. Their son, Joseph Rawson Smith, was born October 10, 19II.

JOHN A. SHELTON. Distinguished not only as one of the foremost citizens of Butte, but as one of the city's most able and influential lawyers, John A. Shelton is a man of integrity and worth, and eminently deserving of the high esteem and regard in which he is so uni- versally held. A son of William H. Shelton, he was born, February 18, 1866, in Jefferson county, Iowa, com- ing from patriotic ancestry. The founder of the Shel- ton family in America was a native of England. Abram Shelton, the paternal great-grandfather, fought as a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was a member of the Committee of Safety for Pittsylvania County, Vir- ginia.

W. H. Shelton was but a boy when his parents re- moved from Virginia to Indiana, settling in the vicinity of Knightstown, that state. Here he grew to manhood and was married. Migrating to Iowa, he located in Jefferson county in pioneer days, and was there profit- ably engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death in 1885. His wife, whose maiden name was Martha Ann Ogg, was born in Indiana, daughter of Judge John Ogg and his wife, who was a Miss Hall from York state, where her Grandfather Ogg was a pioneer farmer, hav- ing moved thence from Virginia, his native state.

Laying a substantial foundation for his future educa- tion in the rural schools of Iowa, John A. Shelton sub- sequently pursued his studies. at the Pleasant Plain Academy, in Jefferson county, until he was seventeen years old, when he began teaching school. When nine- teen years old, he went to Ames, Iowa, where he took the scientific course at the Iowa State Agricultural Col- lege, from which he was graduated with the degree of B. S. Mr. Shelton then continued the study of science at the University of Michigan, which conferred upon him his well-earned degree of M. S. Thus mentally equipped for a professional career, Mr. Shelton read law under private tutors, and also studied in the law office of the noted firm of Cummins & Wright, Senator Cummins being the senior member of the firm, which was located in Des Moines. Then, after spending a year, in the law department of the Iowa State Univer- sity, Mr. Shelton came to Montana, and, having suc- cessfully passed the examinations at Helena, was ad- mitted to the state bar in 1896. He immediately opened an office in Butte, and has since built up a large and lucrative general practice, although as a specialist in

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

mining litigation his opinions and counsel are much sought for in the guidance of large financial interests, and for the solution of perplexing legal problems.

In his political affiliations Mr. Shelton is a staunch Republican, but he takes no active part in public affairs. At the age of twenty-three years, he was first assist- ant clerk of the Twenty-third general assembly of lowa. Fraternally, he is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks; and has been through all the chairs of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being quite prominent in the organization. Socially, he belongs to the Silver Bow Club.

WILLIAM J. PHILLIP. The success to be gained from a life of industry and persevering labor, as illustrated in the career of William J. Phillip, blacksmith, wagon manufacturer, miller, and dealer in farming implements at Lavina, Montana, will serve as an example worthy of emulation by the youths of today who are too prone to believe that they are deprived of the advantages offered to those of former years. Since boyhood Mr. Phillip has labored faithfully and intelligently, with a definite goal in view, and as a result has gained success in his chosen vocation and an honorable position among his fellow men. Born on a farm near Davenport. Iowa, in 1875, Mr. Phillip is a son of William A. and Frances (Willey) Phillip. His father, a native of New York state, lived in various parts of the country, being en- gaged principally in farming, and his death occurred in Iowa in 1912, when he was about fifty-nine years of age. His widow still survives him, making her home near Davenport, Iowa, and their three children, of whom William T. is the youngest, are also living.

William J. Phillip was three years of age when his parents removed to the vicinity of Jamestown, North Dakota, and there he secured his education in the public schools when he could be spared from his duties on the home farm. On attaining his majority he moved to Montana, arriving in 1896, and first settled in Billings, in which city he remained for about one year, during which time he was in the employ of the Custer Cattle Company. He subsequently located in the Musselshell country, where for about two years he was employed at ranch work, in the cattle and horse department, and while located near Harlowton made two overland trips to North Dakota, trailing sheep. On leaving ranch life. Mr. Phillip went to Garneill, where he learned the trade of blacksmith, and after about four years came to Lavina and embarked in business on his own account, establish- ing his present industry. Later he added a complete line of agricultural implements, wagons, carriages, etc., and in January, 1912, formed a partnership with another pro- gressive business man of this locality, R. Shoemaker. under the firm name of Phillip & Shoemaker. The firm was dissolved October 1, 1912, when Mr. Phillip bought out the entire business. Numerous specimens of his handicraft are to be found throughout this part of the state. He is an expert at his business, having made a thorough study of it in every detail and availed himself of all modern improvements and devices. As a thorough, practical mechanic, he has given personal at- tention to his work, and the product of his shop gives satisfaction in every way. Upright, honest and indus- trious, the administration of his affairs is characterized by wisdom and discernment, while his treatment of his patrons has won for him a wide popularity. An exten- sive feed mill is operated in connection with the other business. Mr. Phillip has lived in a number of different states, but none has found such favor in his eyes as Montana, and his belief in its agricultural welfare in the future has been demonstrated by his investing in 160 acres of land adjoining the townsite of Lavina. His recreation is found in hunting and fishing, and he also is fond of horses and enjoys baseball and all athletic sports as a spectator. His religious belief is that of

the Methodist church, of which his wife is a member, she being also an active worker in the Ladies' Aid So- ciety. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, of which he is venerable consul of his camp, and has filled various other offices, while in politics he is a Republican, but takes no active interest therein, although he believes it the duty of every man to vote.

On August II, 1907, Mr. Phillip was married to Miss Grace A. Weston, and three interesting children have been born to this union, namely; lona, Gertrude and Helen.

PROF. LEON RUSSELL FOOTE. The county of Beaver- head numbers among its citizens many skilled phy- sicians, lawyers of state repute, well-known manu- facturers and business men of much more than local reputation; while proud of them she is not lacking in others who have achieved distinction in callings re- quiring intellectual abilities of a high order. Among the latter, Prof. Leon Russell Foote, principal of the county high school, occupies a deservedly con- spicuous place. No one is more entitled to the thought- ful consideration of a free and enlightened people than he who shapes and directs the minds of the young and to such noble work is the life of the subject of the sketch devoted. He is a man of fine initiative and has set in operation many good measures.

Professor Foote was born in Asherville, Kansas, November 22, 1871. He remained there until about the attainment of his majority and then removed to Ottawa, Kansas, where he resided for the space of four years. His next step took him to Butte, Mon- tana, his arrival there being on July 15, 1896, and in that city he became associated with the faculty of the Butte Business College, with which he continued for over four years. He then became identified with the State School of Mines, where he had charge of the conditioned classes and assisted in mathematics and kindred studies. In July, 1905, he came to Dillon, to accept the principalship of the county high school and he has been its head ever since that time. Under his enlightened and zealous direction the school has grown and prospered and he has introduced many new feat- ures, a few of which are herewith mentioned. An agricultural department for the young men of the school has proved a wonderful success, and it also enjoys the distinction of being the first county high school to introduce a domestic science course, this as taught taking two years for completion. The ag- ricultural department was the first introduced in Mou- tana as was also the two year course in domestic science. This is likewise one of the first county high schools to adopt and teach a two years' commercial course. These make it one of the most valuable of the institutions of the kind in the United States. In addition to its other advantages it is housed in a fine building and is fitted with the most modern equipments for the various courses. Professor Foote deserves highest praise for his fruitful labors in this field.

Glancing over the earlier life of the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this sketch, it is found that he received his preliminary education in the public schools of Kansas, graduating in the high school of Beloit, that state. He was graduated from Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, and spent the summers of 1902 and 1903 as a post-graduate student in Har- vard University. In 1909 he attended the State Uni- versity of Washington, in Seattle, and subsequently pursued a short course at the University of California. in Berkley. His education has been of the most thor- ough and varied character.

Professor Foote first entered upon his noble calling as an instructor in the public schools of Kansas, and . his subsequent career has already been traced. He first knew the unparelleled joy of the wage-earner

Ficham .J. Phillip + trife

george ABemishil

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

when as a lad of ten he herded sheep for his father. His early youth was passed in wholesome rural sur- roundings and he is devoted to the west, with its manifold opportunities and resources.

Professor Foote is very active in church and Sun- day-school work, being a deacon and superintendent of the Sunday-school of the Baptist church with which he is identified. Mrs. Foote is also an active and val- ued member, and the entire Foote family are inter- ested in church work. The subject is interested in educational matters in all departments and keeps in touch with new pedagogical theories, no matter in what country they are advanced. He is a member of the Montana State Teachers' Association; the Na- tional Society for the Promotion of Industrial Edu- cation; the National . Education Association; and a member of the state text-book commission from March, 1907, to March, 1917. He is also connected with the Religious Education Association. He is the possessor of a well-ordered library.

Professor Foote became a Benedict on June 27, 1900, the young woman to whom he was united in marriage being Lizzie Creighton, daughter of David and Eliza- beth Creighton, of Butte. Into their attractive house- hold have been born two sons and a daughter: Leon Creighton, born September 23, 1901, attends school in Dillon, and Marjorie Ione, who has not yet attained to school age, her arrival upon this mundane sphere having been September 7, 1908; and Donald James, born April 22, 1912.

Addison Osgood Foote, father of the foregoing, was born in the state of New York, February 7, 1840. In 1870, the year preceding his son's birth, he came to Kansas and at the present time is a resident of Asher- ville. Like his son he is a deacon in the Baptist church and takes much interest in religious matters. He is one of that gallant company who marched forth at their country's call in the crucial days of the '6os, his enlistment being in Company I of the Twenty-eight Wisconsin Regiment. He married Sarah Margaret Gleason, who was born in Wisconsin, July 5, 1847, the date of their union being January 2, 1871. They re- moved to Kansas shortly thereafter and were among the finest and most admirable citizens of their com- munity, active in religious and charitable circles. The demise of the mother occurred on December 13, 1895. at the age of forty-eight, and her remains are interred in Kansas. There were six children in the family, five being sons and one a daughter, and the subject is the eldest in order of nativity. One married brother makes his home in Butte, Montana, being advertising manager for Lutey Brothers, another brother is a mis- sionary of the Baptist church in Japan. The remaining two reside in Kansas.

JOHN S. BAKER was born July 17, 1857, in Platts- burg, New York. He lived there until he was about fourteen years of age and then removed with his par- ents to Marquette, Michigan. There he remained until 1872, when he left home, going to Wyoming, where he was a telegraph operator on the Union Pacific System for five years. In 1877 he went to Silver Reef, Utah, where he engaged in the mining business until 1881. He then went back into the telegraph service, oper- ating at various points on the Union Pacific Railroad System. At this time he opened the first station at Fossil, Wyoming, and then as the road expanded he moved with it and opened Montpelier, Idaho, and then Idaho Falls. He remained in the latter place from September. 1887. to 1889, and then went to Pocatella as train dispatcher and agent, remaining there until 1895. He spent about a year prospecting, and in 1896 he again entered the railroad service and took Lima station, Montana, remaining there until 1902, when he was elected clerk and recorder for Beaverhead county. He has held this office continuously ever since.

Mr. Baker earned his first money as a boy in the office of the Morgan Iron Works in Morgan, Michigan, where he learned telegraphy. He received his early education in the public schools of Plattsburg, New York.

Mr. Baker was married in Silver Reef, Utah, in November, 1880, to Miss Mary Theobald, daughter of William and Mary Theobald, where Mr. Theobald fol- lowed mining. Eleven children have been born, seven boys and four girls, as follows: Clair was born No- vember 20, 1881, and died February 28, 1906. Alice is married to John N. Cosgrove and now resides in Dillon. Jay S. was born March 5. 1886, and is deputy clerk and recorder in his father's office. Anna is mar- ried to J. O. Melton and resides five miles from Dil- lon. Idauha is now attending the State Normal school at Dillon. Vera was graduated from the high school as a stenographer and now holds a good position in Dillon. Helen is now attending the public schools in Dillon, as are also George R., Geneva, and Albert S. The eleventh child, a girl, died in infancy.

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A history of Montana, Volume III, Part 80

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