USA > Montana > Yellowstone County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 80
USA > Montana > Park County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 80
USA > Montana > Dawson County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 80
USA > Montana > Rosebud County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 80
USA > Montana > Custer County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 80
USA > Montana > Sweet Grass County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 80
USA > Montana > Carbon County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 80
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The father of our subject's mother was an
JOHN W. VAN HOUTEN
JOSEPH E. MASON
WILLIAM E. DICKSON
FRANK N. HERMAN
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Englishman. She moved to Iowa with her parents at an early day, but was called from earth at Billings, June 16, 1895.
Our subject was educated in the common schools of Iowa and was reared on a farm. He learned the trade of a carpenter, but on arriv- ing at maturity he farmed for a period of five years in Iowa. In 1880 he removed to Color- ado, but returned to Iowa and in 1892 went to Nebraska, coming to Billings in 1896. Since his arrival here he has erected about three hun- dred buildings, and has contributed much toward beautifying the town.
In 1887 he was married to Estella A. Cal- kin, born in Hancock County, Illinois, August 7, 1865. She is the daughter of Henry K. and Mary E. (Gillespie) Calkin, the former a na- tive of Pennsylvania; the latter of Wheeling, Virginia, and of Irish ancestry. Henry K. Calkin was an early settler of Hancock county, Illinois, having gone there with his parents in 1839. In 1882 he moved to Taylor county, Iowa, where he at present resides.
Mr. and Mrs. VanHouten have six chil- dren : Leo. H., Ray M., (high school), Lloyd C., Daphne, Leveta and Elton J.
Our subject belongs to the Highlanders and the Mountaineers.
JOSEPH E. MASON, one of the pro- gressive, energetic and enterprising citizens of the far famed Yellowstone valley, resides ten miles southwest of Billings. He is a native of the Empire State, having been born in Syra- cuse May 16, 1865. His father, Augustine, was born in Montreal, Canada, April 28, 1830. He secured an excellent education and in 1855 removed to New York, where he engaged for a while in boating on the Erie canal. This avocation he followed for seven years, but in the spring of 1866 he
started west for California with his family, but on arriving within the boundaries of Colo- 33
rado he was so much pleased with the climate and surroundings that he final- ly settled at Fort Collins. There he remained until 1891, going thence to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, where he remained until his death, which occurred April 4, 1901. While in the west he gave his attention prin- cipally to farming and stock raising. He was quite wealthy and a representative man in the community in which he resided. His father, Frank Mason, came of a well-to-do French family, going to Canada when he was twelve years of age. He gained considerable property in Canada, becoming a capitalist of note. Politically he was a leader of promin- ence. He died in Canada.
The paternal great grandfather was Lord Messier, born in France. The family name in France was Messier, but was subsequently changed to Mason, in Canada.
The mother of our subject, Charlotte M. Beebe, was a native of New York where she was reared and educated, her people being among the early settlers of that state. She died November 11, 1896.
The elementary education of our subject was secured in the public schools of Fort Col- lins, Colorado. In 1887 he went to Laramie county, Wyoming, where he engaged in the business of stock raising, going, in 1894, to Gering, Nebraska, where he passed two years, going thence to Alliance, same state, and re- maining there until 1900, when he came to the Yellowstone Valley. He had many teams and was in the business of freighting for about one year. Subsequently he worked for Yegen Brothers, at Billings, about seven months. April 2, 1902, he came to his present location, and April 1, 1903, he entered into partnership with Charles Spear, a banker of Billings. To- gether they bought cattle which they "ran" until the fall of 1905. when they sold out. They also engaged in the breeding of horses, includ- in the Black Percherons. Their intention when opening the ranch was to convert it into a
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blooded stock farm, and give especial atten- tion to raising fine horses and cattle, and feed sheep in the winter. Considerable attention has been paid by them to the poultry business.
August 6, 1885, our subject was married to Carrie L. Hough, a native of Alabama. She died January 15, 1895. January 28, 1896, Mr. Mason was united in marriage to Anna E. Ganser, born in Madison county, Nebraska, January 10, 1878. At the age of seven years she moved with her parents to western Ne- braska, where she was reared, educated and married. Her father William Ganser, was born near Berlin, Germany, coming with his parents to the United States when a child. He was reared in Dane county, Wisconsin. At the age of 29 he went to Nebraska, where he en- gaged in farming and stock raising. Her mother, Anna E. (Klasan) Ganser, was also a native of Wisconsin, where she was married.
Mr. Mason has four children by his first wife : Grace M., a student of the Billings High School; Roy A., at home with his father; Myrta, a school girl, and Joseph E., Jr., a school boy.
WILLIAM E. DICKSON. The strength of the county or state is gauged by the sub- stantiality of her agriculturists and Custer county is greatly favored in that she has a class of intelligent, capable and progressive stock men and farmers who make the bone and sinew of the social life and are the solvers of all polit- ical questions. Among this number of stable men we are constrained to mention the gentle- man whose name is at the head of this article, and who has shown himself a man of ability in that he has achieved a splendid success in his endeavors in Custer county.
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, is the native place of William E .. and his boyhood days were spent in that busy center. January 9, 1864, was the date of his birth. His parents, John
A. and Lucy (Bartley) Dickson, are natives of Pennsylvania and now dwell in Miles City, retired. The father's parents were natives of Ireland and immigrants to the New World. He was reared on a farm, but after his mar- riage lie removed to Pittsburg and engaged in the lumber business. In 1873, he came west to California, Missouri, and there took up farming until 1899, when he came on to Miles City. He was all through the Civil war, serv- ing in the Eighty-sixth Pennsylvania Volun- teer Infantry, in the army of the Potomac. Our subject was educated in the public schools of the places where his parents lived during his school days and in 1887 we find him in Las Animas, Colorado, and soon thereafter he en- gaged as a cowboy and also did much work with horses. Two years later he came on to Laramie, Wyoming, and was engaged with the P. J. Horse Company, owned by Stokes & Whitehouse. In 1891 he was in Buffalo and Sheridan and there remained until 1897, when he came to Custer county. So well pleased was he with this section of the northwest that he determined to locate and so sought out his present place, a farm of one hundred and sixty- five acres, and purchased it. He settled down to work and has fitted up and improved his place until he has one of the choicest farms on the Tongue river. His buildings are com- modious and substantial, his land is in a high state of cultivation and his entire estate bears the marks of a thrifty and wise man.
In 1894 Mr. Dickson married Mrs. Arlena Thomas, the widow of the late George Thomas, and she is a native of Illinois. She came with her parents to Missouri and later with them to Montana. Her father, Israel Harris, has been engaged in stock raising. Mrs. Dickson had two children, Blanch, born March 14, 1893, and Mildred, August, 1897.
Mr. Dickson takes an intelligent interest in political matters and school affairs and is always on the side of development and im- provement in all lines.
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FRANK N. HERMAN, one of the stock- men and ranchers on the Tongue river, resides about fourteen miles southwest from Miles City, and has a good home place and handles many horses. He was born in Norway, Feb- ruary 22, 1856, the son of Nelson and Anna (Johnson) Herman, both natives of Norway, and now living on their homestead in the vi- cinity of St. Peter, Minnesota, the place they took in 1860, when that country was filled with Indians and the wilds were almost unbroken by settlers. The father is aged ninety-six. Owing to the fact that Frank N. was reared, on the frontier where school privileges were not the best, he had little opportunity to gain an education, but he improved what he had and has constantly been a reader since so that today he is well posted on the important and perti- nent questions of the day. As early as four- teen he left the parental roof to seek life's way for himself and about his first venture was to assist in driving a band of cattle from Minne- sota to the Red Cloud agency, Nebraska, for the Indians. For a decade thereafter he was variously employed in different sections of the west, as operating a stage from Miles City to Ashland, conducting a sawmill on Little Pumpkin, and so forth. He purchased a ranch near Junction in early eighties, and thus we see that he had been saving his money in the years he had been for himself. The following year he came to the vicinity of his present place and so well did he like this part of the country that he determined to locate. He secured the place where he now lives and embarked in rais- ing cattle and horses. Success followed him in his labors and he soon had bands of stock in various directions. Later Mr. Herman de- cided to confine his efforts to one line, so dis- posed of his cattle and handles horses mostly now. He has a good ranch and produces what is needed in his business for forage and grain and so forth.
In 1900, Mr. Herman married Miss Ellen
Perry, who died shortly after her marriage. Then occurred the marriage of Mr. Herman and Margaret Perry, a sister of his former wife. Mrs. Herman's parents, James and Mary J. (Fries) Perry, were natives of Ire- land and Dutchess county, New York, respec- tively, and pioneered to Michigan in early days. Mrs. Herman's brothers and sisters are Jolın H., Eugene C., Letvis, James,, Lucy, Edith and Eva. Mr. Herman has one brother, Ollie, and four sisters, Mary, Jane, Anneta and Josephine. The children born to our sub- ject and his wife are three : Gertrude E., born October 8, 1898; Frances E., April 8, 1893, and Gladys L., September 8, 1895. Mr. Her- man is always interested in the affairs of the county, state and nation and takes an active part in all campaigns and while he never seeks office, he is careful to study the principles of action so as to be able to judge intelligently of the issues. He has many friends and stands secure in the esteem and confidence of his fellows.
HARVY A. CORBIN is one of the ca- pable and worthy men who have made Cus- ter county what she is today. Among the people of the county, Mr. Corbin has made hosts of friends by his upright walk and his fairness and wisdom. He is esteemed by all and his life has been such as merits the good will of those who know him. Engaged in ranching and stock raising, Mr. Corbin has displayed in his labors a steadiness and perse- verance that could but win success, and de- spite the set backs which uncontrollable eir- cumstances brought about to all, still he has so conserved his interests that he is comforta- bly fixed and has the satisfaction of knowing that he has wrought it out by his labor and skill.
In far away Clinton county, New York,
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on November 2, 1859, there was born to Asa P. and Elizabeth (Phinney) Corbin, a son, who is now the gentleman of whom we speak in this article. The parents were both natives of New York, and on both sides of the house Mr. Corbin is descended from old and promi- nent ancestry, who were connected with the destinies of the New World long before there was any United States and when the hard problem of getting a foothold in an unknown land was so hardly contested by the noble colonists who sought even these hardships rather than sacrifice their freedom of con- science. Referring more particularly to our sub- ject's father, we note that he was born on No- vember 2, 1819, following farming and died when Harry A. was nine years old. From the public schools of his native place our sub- ject was well educated and remained at home until he was twenty-one. At that time he came out to Detroit City, Minnesota, and went to work for his uncle who was sheriff of Becker county, Minnesota. In 1883 Mr. Cor- bin came on out to Billings and after working there for a short time, he returned to Miles City and engaged on a cattle ranch on the Tongue. By the time that one year had passed Mr. Corbin became firmly convinced that Cus- ter county was the place for location and so returned to New York and persuaded his mother and his sister and her husband to come out to the territory of Montana with him. Upon their arrival here they soon located in the Tongue valley and began stock raising. In this they prospered well until the winter of 1886-87, when they lost practically all their stock. Then Mr. Corbin homesteaded where he now resides and bought more land until he had sufficient to make a first class ranch and again went to work in raising cattle and doing general ranching. Since then he has continued at this occupation and has been favored with good success.
In 1900 Mr. Corbin married Carrie Card. a native of Colorado. She was reared in
Deadwood, Dakota, and came on to Montana in 1895. Mr. Corbin has one sister, Mary, the wife of James R. Fiddes.
CHARLES W. SELLECK. On a hand- somely improved stock ranch, supplied with excellent and commodious buildings, one-half mile north of Roscce, resides the subject of this biographical sketch. He was born in Lenawee county, Michigan, June 8, 1864. His father, James, a native of Troy, New York, removed to Michigan with his parents when a small lad. The family located on a farm. There he died in 1876. The mother, Kate (Yakely) Selleck, born in the Empire State, also came to Michigan with her parents while quite young. At present she is residing with our subject.
Having received a fair education in the public schools in his neighborhood the latter subsequently took a thorough course at Pouch- er's Business College. Ionia, Michigan. He then began working on his father's farm. He was an only child and when twelve years of age he lost his father, and upon him fell the responsibility of providing for his mother. In 1885 he went to Dawes county, Nebraska, where he secured a piece of government land and began farming profitably, engaged in rais- ing stock and general ranching. Here he re- mained until 1895, when he came to his pres- ent location in Carbon county, where he pur- chased 320 acres of land on the Rosebud river. It was at this period a "raw ranch." but he has greatly improved it and has it under a good system of irrigation. All in all this property is as fine and productive as any farm on the river.
Mr. Selleck was married in 1889 to Miss Nellie Mosier, a native of Iowa. With her parents, when quite a young girl. she removed to Nebraska, where she was married. Her father, Cross O., is at present living in Car-
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bon county. Her mother, Ann, died several years ago. Five children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Selleck: Katie, Lottie, Grace. Thomas and Bessie, all at school. Fraternally Mr. Selleck is a member of the Masonic order and the A. O. U. W.
GEORGE TOSTON was born in Iowa county, Wisconsin, August 2, 1854, and now resides four miles west from Meyersburg. His education was received in Wisconsin and when eighteen he began to work for his father. Two years later, he took a homestead in the Crow Creek region, which he sold in 1886 and re- moved to the Flathead valley in 1888. Here he located and soon was engaged in the stock business. He has added to his land holdings until he now has seven sections and handles about two hundred cattle. He has won first class success in his labors and is classed among the leading stockmen of Park county.
On December 3, 1894, Mr. Toston married Sallie F. Todd and to them have been born : WV. Rufus, January 27. 1897, and Thomas M., October 9, 1898.
Mr. Toston is a member of the Lutheran church while his wife belongs to the Chris- tian denomination. The principles of the Re- publican party are those he believes correct and he takes a keen interest in these matters. He is a member of the A. O. U. W. and a man of integrity and worth. Mrs. Toston is the daughter of D. F. and Mary E. Todd. She was born in Richmond. Kentucky, March 27. 1866, and remained with her parents un- til her marriage. Her father was born in Madison county, Kentucky, and lived the earlier part part of his life near College Hill, that state. His father, the grandfather of our subject. Peter Todd, was also a Kentuckian by birth and an associate of some of his an- cestors was Daniel Boone. Mrs. Todd's mother was a daughter of Maeleson Todd, a
prominent farmer of the eastern part of the United States and well known as Captain Todd. When he died he was regarded as the oldest Mason in his part of the country. The Todd family came from Scotland the latter part of the eighteenth century and settled on the Atlantic coast. Captain Todd's wife was a Miss Morton, a cousin of Judge Morton, who is well known in this country. It is thus seen that on both sides of the house Mrs. Todd comes from strong families.
REV. JOSEPH J. BOWKER, the pres- ent rector of St. Luke's Episcopal church of Billings, was born in Manchester, England, April 19, 1868. His father, James Bowker, a native of Stoneclough, Lancastershire, Eng- land, followed wholesale purchasing of dry goods for a leading Lancashire firm, and died in January, 1880. The mother, Elizabeth Slater, in maiden life, was married in 1867, and she, too, was born in England. The other children born to this couple besides the im- mediate subject of this article, were: Rev. Benjamin T. Bowker, vicar of Saint Nathan- iel's church in Wigan, England; and Mrs. P. E. Haslam, of Bolton, Lancastershire, Eng- land.
Between the ages of five and twelve Jo- seph J. was kept in constant attendance at the National schools and the four years next suc- ceeding this period he studied in the higher grade schools in the Manchester district. From sixteen to twenty he was constantly en- gaged in teaching in the National Schools and from twenty to twenty-three years of age he was privileged to study in St. Augustine's College of Canterbury and upon being gradu- ated from this institution he came immediately to Canada and was ordained in August, 1891, at Winnipeg. After this his labors were in the parishes of Stonewall and Deloraine, Mani- toba, where four years were happily and profit-
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ably spent as the young rector was thoroughly in love with his labors and inspired by the pos- sibilities of the work.
From the scenes of his initial labors, Rev. Bowker was called to the rectorship of St. Paul's in Virginia City, Montana, and after two years and six months of labor there was called to the corresponding position in Butte, with the church of St. Andrews. At this last place. he was a faithful laborer for five years and on January I, 1903, he was installed in St. Luke's in Billings. For a more complete detailed account of his labors here see the his- tory of this church in the historical portion of this work.
On October 4, 1895, Rev. Bowker and Miss Mary A. Fogarty were united in mar- riage. Mrs. Bowker's father, John E. Fog- arty, of Canterbury, England, was an officer in the British army and saw much service in the Crimean and Colonial Wars.
Rev. Bowker has shown a love for his labors and a devotion in following the pastoral work that commend him to his many parish- ioners who esteem him highly, "for his works, sake," as well as for his kindliness and worth. He is highly respected in the city of Billings as well as wherever he has wrought, and is a man of sterling worth as has been exhibited in the devoted labors of the past decades.
As we go to press it comes to our notice that Rev. Bowker has been invited to become principal of the Cathedral Schools in Orlando, Florida, and archdeacon of the southern Florida diocese.
LOUIS GRUEL, who resides eight miles west from Joliet, on Redlodge creek, is one of the progressive and industrious agriculturists of Carbon county, and has by his thrift and wise management accumulated a handsome competence of this world's goods. His ranch is mostly devoted to general productions, but
it is his intention to utilize a goodly portion of it for the production of sugar beets in the near future, as it has been demonstrated that this is an excellent section for this industry.
Louis Gruel was born in Wurtemberg. Germany, on February 25, 1859, the son of Johannes and Christania L. (Wanner) Gruel, natives, also, of Wurtemberg, and mentioned in the biography of Max Gruel on another page of this work. Having received his edu- cation in the public schools of his native city, our subject at the age of fourteen began the work of mastering the confectionery and bak- er's arts. Three years were spent in accom- plishing this important enterprise and then he spent one year more in following, after which he came to Philadelphia, via New York. Three years were spent in the Quaker City at his trade and then came a journey to Chicago, where he resided until 1887. In that year, Mr. Gruel went to O'Brien county, Iowa, and opened a bakery and restaurant. This was the scene of his activity for two and one-half years and then he shipped his entire plant to Red Lodge, arriving there in October, 1889. He at once opened a bakery and confectionery store and for eleven years he successfully conducted that. At the expiration of that period, Mr. Gruel found his health failing and an impera- tive demand that he relax from the arduous labors of in-door life. Accordingly, he sought a farm and purchased the right of a squatter to his present place. It was in 1901 that he came thither and since that time has given his attention to the management of the estate and is bringing it to be one of the best in the valley. One hundred acres are under the ditch and are very productive.
In March, 1884, Mr. Gruel married Miss Christina Biegert, also a native of Wurtem- berg, twenty miles distant from his own birth place, yet they never met till in America. Mrs. Gruel came to the United States alone, her parents, Michael and Aphrosina Biegert, hav- ing died when she was a young girl. To our
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subject and his wife seven children have been born: Theodora, in Chicago, June 18, 1885; Anna, in Iowa, May 12, 1887; Fred, Decem- ber 27. 1889. at Red Lodge: Otto, April 4. 1892, at Red Lodge; Ermina, at Red Lodge. April 21, 1893: Edgar, at Red Lodge, Feb- ruary 14. 1900, and Elsa, at Red Lodge, April 3, 1902. Mr. Gruel is a member of the M. W. A. and is independent in politics. He is a thrifty, substantial man, well esteemed and a first-class citizen.
ROBERT E. CUTLER is a native of Genesee county, New York, June 1, 1860, be- ing the date of his birth. He now resides twelve miles north of Genesee on a ranch and follows farming. His father, Francis O. Cutler, also a native of New York city, was a Methodist preacher and died about ten years since. He married Catherine Gourley, a native of Dundee. Scotland, who was born in 1831 and migrated to the United States in 1851. The marriage occurred in 1852 and six children were the fruit of the union, our subject being the only boy. Mr. Cutler traces his direct ancestry to one who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower. When ten years of age, the Cutler family moved to the frontiers of Kan- sas and Robert had very little opportunity after that to attend school, so he made the best of the situation, gaining what he could from home instructions and reading until sixteen, when he started out in life for himself. His first work was on the railroad and as early as 1878 he came to Montana, passed through the upper Yellowstone and went to mining at Cook City. For twelve years he continued there and then bought his present place, where he has resided since. Mr. Cutler was first mar- ried on March 6, 1889, and the children born to that union were Leo L., November 14, 1890; James E., January 21, 1892; Grace, January 3. 1894; Robert C., July 10, 1896; |
Abe B., September 23. 1898, and Chester, July 4, 1900.
December 24. 1902, Mr. Cutler married Harriette E. Ball, who was born in Pine City, Minnesota, April 24, 1875. Her father, Ar- temus E. Ball, was a native of Massachusetts, a lawyer by profession and a soldier in the Third Iowa, enlisting in 1861. Soon after his enlistment he was promoted and served with distinction until he was mustered out at the close of the war. Mr. Cutler's father also served two years and was mustered out at the close of the war. Mrs. Cutler's mother, Har- riette ( Hoag) Ball, was the mother of seven children, this daughter being the fourth. Mr. and Mrs. Cutler have one child, Manley R., born January 8, 1906.
In church relations, Mrs. Cutler is an Epis- copalian. Politically Mr. Cutler is independ- ent, although allied with the Republicans.
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