Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume II, Part 115

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 1126

USA > Montana > Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume II > Part 115

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MARTIN A. GARY. The man who made a success of life and won the honor and esteem of his fellow citizens deserves more than passing notice. Such is the record, briefly stated, of Martin A. Gary, a well-known citizen of the Town of Livingston, Park County. By a life of persistent and well applied en- ergy along honorable lines he has earned the right to specific mention in a work of the province assigned to the one in hand, along with other progressive and public-spirited men who have their influence felt in their respective communities.

Martin A. Gary, manager of the Livingston branch of the Gary Hay and Grain Company, was born on February 29, 1876, in Sanilac County, Michigan. His father, Jolin Gary, was born in Ireland in 1841 and died at Bozeman, Montana, in 1895. At the age of sixteen years he came to America, locating in the Province of Ontario, Canada, and in 1861, came to Michigan, where he became a cattle buyer and farmer. In 1889 he became a pioneer settler at Big Timber, Montana, where he engaged in cattle and sheep buy- ing. He followed the same line of business at Boze- man, to which place he removed in 1894, and there remained until his death. He was a democrat in poli- tics and a member of the Catholic Church. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah O'Hara, was also a native of Ireland, born in 1848, and her death occurred in Bozeman, Montana, in 1909. To this worthy couple were born three children, namely : Agnes, the wife of F. C. Downing, who is a travel- ing representative of the Gary Hay and Grain Com- pany of Bozeman, Montana; John P., secretary and manager of the Gary Hay and Grain Company at Bozeman; and Martin A.

Martin A. Gary attended the public schools at San-

ilac, Michigan, and Big Timber, Montana, until the age of fifteen years, when he engaged in such gen- eral work as he could find to do at Big Timber. In the meantime he had formulated definite plans, fol- lowing what he had learned of business opportunities, and in 1897, he went to Bozeman and with his brother John P. established the firm of Gary Brothers, dealers in groceries, hay and grain. Their interests grew steadily, so that in 1917 the business was incorporated under the name of the Gary Hay and Grain Company of Bozeman and Livingston. The officers of the corporation were as follows: T. C. Power, of Helena, Montana, president; E. A. Stiefel, of Belgrade, Montana, vice president; Thom- as L. Martin, of Helena, Montana, who died October, 1919, secretary; John P. Gary, of Bozeman, treas- urer and manager; Martin A. Gary, of Livingston, assistant manager. In 1918 the company bought out Bill Miles & Brother, of Livingston, hay and grain dealers, and Martin A. Gary then came to Liv- ingston and took charge of the company's interests at this point. The Bill Miles & Brother business was one of the pioneer concerns of this locality, having been established more than forty years ago. The retail warehouses and offices of the Gary company are situated at No. 327 South Main Street, while the elevator is situated on West Park Street. The busi- ness of the Gary company is the largest of its kind in Park County, and indeed is among the most ex- tensive of its kind in the State of Montana. In addition to his business interests above referred to Mr. Gary and his brother John P. own a ranch, con- sisting of 186 acres of irrigated land at Clyde Park, Montana, and which is developing into a very valu- able piece of property.

In June, 1902, at Bozeman, Montana, Mr. Gary was married to Evelyn Corcoran, the daughter of Patrick and Josephine (Duggan) Corcoran, both of whom are now deceased. Her father was a farmer at Gallatin Valley, whither he had removed as a pioneer in 1863. Mrs. Gary possesses a splendid education, being a graduate of the Gallatin County High School and Montana State College. To Mr. and Mrs. Gary have been born six children, namely : Ronald, born in 1903; Martin, born in 1905; Jo- sephine, in 1909; Margaret, in 1911; Robert Emmet, in 1913, and Patrick, in 1917.

Mr. Gary is a firm believer in the principles of the democratic party, though not a seeker after pub- lic office. His religious membership is with the Catholic Church, while fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Columbus, in which he has taken the fourth degree. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce at Livingston and Bozeman and of the Rotary Club in the city of his residence. He has been successful in his business affairs and because of his unswerving honesty in all his dealings with his fellow men and his generous and kindly nature he has won and retains a host of warm personal friends throughout the locality honored by his citizenship.

JOHN P. GARY, who came to Montana as a youth of fifteen, has found many opportunities to prove his usefulness and ability. He is one of the active men in the corporation of the Gary Hay & Grain Com- pany, which probably handles more hay than any other firm dealing in that commodity in Montana. Mr. Gary is manager of the business at Bozeman.

He was born at Minden City, Michigan, January 19, 1874. His father, John Gary, was born in Ire- land in 1841, spent his early life at London, England, and at the age of sixteen came to America and set- tled in the Province of Ontario, and about 1861 moved to Michigan and homesteaded in Sanilac County. His genius and the particular direction

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

taken by his abilities from youth until his last years was stock buying. He was well known as a drover both in Michigan and Montana, coming to the latter state in 1889 and settling at Big Timber. He was in the stock commission business there. In 1893 he moved to Bozeman and continued in the cattle business until his death in 1895. He was a demo- crat and a Catholic. John Gary married Sarah O'Hara, who was born in Ireland in 1848, and died at Bozeman in September, 1909. She was reared in Ontario. They had a family of three children: Agnes, wife of F. C. Downing, a grain merchant at Butte; John P .; and Martin A., who is manager of the Livingston branch of the Gary Hay & Grain Company.

John P. Gary received his early education in the common schools of Sanilac County, Michigan. He also attended school in Big Timber, Montana, but his education was finished at the age of seventeen. The next three years he worked in different lines, and at the age of twenty entered the service of the Benepe Owenhouse Company at Bozeman, remaining with them three years. For nineteen years he and his brother Martin were associated as Gary Brothers in the grocery, hay and grain business. In the mean- time, in about 1900, they engaged in the grain busi- ness under the management of John P. Gary. In the year 1909, they bought out the Bozeman Elevator Company's business and plant, consisting of a large 100,000 bushel elevator and a fifty car warehouse. The grain business continued to grow and in the year 1917, in order to engage in broader fields, a new company was organized, and known as the Gary Hay & Grain Company, Incorporated. The firm has branches and elevators at Livingston and other points. The offices are in the Owenhouse Block at Boze- man. T. C. Power, of Helena, is president of the company; E. A. Stiefel, of Belgrade, is vice presi- dent; John P. Gary is treasurer and manager; and Martin A. Gary is manager at Livingston. John P. Gary has full charge of the business at Bozeman.

He is also interested in Montana farming with Martin A. Gary, owning an irrigated ranch of 186 acres on the Shields River. He also has a modern home at 324 South Black Avenue in Bozeman. Mr. Gary is a democrat, a member of the Catholic Church, is a fourth degree Knight of Columbus, being affili- ated with Bozeman Council No. 1413, Knights of Columbus. He is a member of Gallatin Castle No. 82 of the Royal Highlanders, and of the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce.

In 1904, at Bozeman, he married Miss Mae Mar- ley, a daughter of John F. and Mary (Downs) Marley. Her mother is deceased and her father, who was a pioneer homesteader at Big Timber, is now living at Bozeman. Mrs. Gary is a graduate of the Sweetgrass County High School. To their marriage were born six children: Helen, born May 2, 1906; Elizabeth, born in 1908; John, born July I, 1909; Agnes, born in June, 1911; Mary Frances, born in June, 1913; and Jean, born August 17, 1917.

CHARLES LESTER HARVEY is the only son of the late John Harvey, one of the prominent pioneers of Park County, and is now engaged in the operation of a splendid grain and livestock ranch of 500 acres two miles south of Clyde Park. A considerable part of this ranch has been owned by John Harvey and his son Charles L. for forty years.

The late John Harvey, who died at his country home in 1015, was born in Jo Daviess County, Illi- nois, in 1850. His parents, James and Letitia ( Hos- king) Harvey, were of English families. James Harvey was superintendent of a large copper mine in the Lake Superior region, and was killed by a

falling stone in 1856. John Harvey was then six years old. He received a public school education, and at the age of sixteen left home and sought his fortune in the West. In 1866 he joined the Willson- Rich train, commanded by Charles Rich, and after many encounters with the Indians arrived in Mon- tana, where John Harvey spent the first two years in the Madison Valley of Gallatin County. He helped build the log school house and for two winters at- tended school there under Stephen Allen. In the course of time he had enough money to go into the ranching business for himself, and also did freight- ing and dealing in livestock. In 1879 he and Thomas Tregloan began a partnership which was continued until it was dissolved by the death of John Harvey. Thomas Tregloan is still one of the prominent ranch- ers of the Shields River Valley. John Harvey and Thomas Tregloan developed a ranch of over 2,000 acres, engaged in raising grain and hay and livestock, and for a number of years also conducted a large meat market in Livingston. John Harvey was affili- ated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Livingston and was a republican voter, and his wife was a member of the Methodist Church.

In February, 1885, John Harvey married Miss Jen- nie Cox, daughter of John Cox, who was born in England in 1820, came to the United States when a young man, was a miner in Wisconsin, and lived at Hazel Green for many years, where he died in 1885. He married Eliza Cundy, who was born in Cornwall, England, and died on the Harvey ranch in Montana. Mrs. John Harvey was educated in public schools at Hazel Green. She was the mother of two chil- dren, Jamie, who died at the age of three months, and Charles Lester.

Charles Lester Harvey was born near Clyde Park in Park County, August 24, 1891. He was educated in the public schools of Livingston, graduated from the Park County High School in 1909, and subse- quently continued his higher education in Oberlin College at Oberlin, Ohio. He received his A. B. degree from that institution in 1914. He was a mem- ber of the Phi Beta Sigma college fraternity. He distinguished himself in athletics at Oberlin, and after graduating remained a year as a special student of physical culture and graduated in physical train- ing in 1914. For one year he had also coached the athletic teams of the college. He was captain of the Oberlin Track Team in 1914, and that team stood second among the colleges of Ohio that year. Mr. Harvey has a record in Ohio for the high jump, clearing the bar at 6 feet 11/2 inches. For one year after returning from Ohio, Mr. Harvey was in- structor and physical director of the Railway Club of Livingston, and then returned to the ranch and has been active manager of the Harvey estate. The partnership interests between the Harvey family and Mr. Tregloan were dissolved in the spring of 1916, C. L. Harvey taking half the land, cattle and horses, and though one of the younger men in the valley he is rated as one of its most successful ranchers. He specializes in high grade horses, and paid $2,500 for his shire stallion.

Mr. Harvey is a republican, a member of the Epis- copal Church, and is affiliated with Livingston Lodge No. 214, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In 1917, in Park County, he married Miss Lottie Gallagher, daughter of George and Mary Gallagher, ranchers near Clyde Park. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey have one son, Lester, Jr., born August 30, 1918.

ROY ALLEN STARK is the leading representative and exponent of osteopathy in Ravalli County, and has been established in his profession at Hamilton since 1913.

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

Doctor Stark has lived most of his life in the north- western states, having been born in Madelia, Min- nesota, June 19, 1888. His paternal ancestors came from England and were among the early Puritan settlers at Plymouth, Massachusetts. His grand- father Stark was born in Vermont in £827 and was a pioneer settler at Mankato, Minnesota, where he engaged in lumbering. He died at Sioux Falls, North Dakota, in 1914. During the Civil war he served in the Quartermaster's Department under General Sherman. S. H. Stark, father of Doctor Stark of Hamilton, was born at Mankato, Minnesota, in 1862, lived there during his youth, was married at Kasota in the same state, and after his marriage moved to Madelia, where he followed farming. In 1897 he took his family to Parma, Idaho, where he is still living and is engaged extensively in farming and stock raising. He is an independent in politics and a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. S. H. Stark married Celia Pettis, who was born at Kasota, Minnesota, in 1864. They had a family of five children: Myrtle, wife of Harvey Hatch, a farmer at Adrian, Oregon; Ralph, a farmer and stockman at Parma, Idaho; Roy Allen; May, wife of Joseph Stone, a farmer at Roswell, Idaho; and Henry, who died aged twenty-two at Boise.

Roy Allen Stark acquired his early education in the public schools of Roswell, Idaho, attending the high school through the senior year. At the age of seventeen he began earning his living as a helper on his father's ranch, and remained there until he was twenty-two. He then entered the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Missouri, and was graduated after completing the course with the degree D. O. in January, 1913. On May 30, 1913, Doctor Stark located at Hamilton, and in five or six years has built up the leading practice in Ravalli County. His offices are in the Colter-Bell Building on South Second Street, Doctor Stark is a member of the American and Montana Osteopathic societies. He is a past chancellor of Ravalli Lodge No. 36, Knights of Pythias, is a member of Ionic Lodge No. 38, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and in politics is independent. He owns a modern home on South Third Street.

September 20, 1916, at Hamilton, Doctor Stark mar- ried Miss Emma Nicol, daughter of R. W. and Nellie (Groff) Nicol, the latter now deceased. Her father is a retired rancher at Hamilton, where Mrs. Stark finished her education in the Hamilton High School.

PERRY M. PARKER. The record of the subject of this sketch is that of a man who by his own unaided efforts has worked his way from a modest beginning to a position of comfort and influence in his commu- nity. His life has been one of unceasing industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable methods he has followed have won for him the un- bounded confidence of his fellow citizens.

Perry M. Parker traces his line of descent back to Irish origin, whence the family came to America and settled in Ohio and the Central West. His father, Wesley Parker, was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was reared and where he devoted himself to agricultural pursuits. Shortly after his marriage he moved to Indiana, locating near Peru. In 1871 he went to Minnesota, locating on a farm near Min- neapolis. Still later he located at Anoka, that state, where he engaged in the lumber business. In 1885 he went to the State of Washington and engaged in the lumber business, and there his death occurred in 1910. He was a stanch democrat in his political views. He married Angeline Large, who was born in 1845, near Peru, Indiana, and who now resides

at Anoka, Minnesota. To them were born the fol- lowing children : Florence, who was killed in a rail- road accident at the age of eighteen years; Perry M. is the next in order of birth; Casper operates a garage at Roseburg, Oregon; Arthur is an electrician at Oakland California.

Perry M. Parker was born on November 22, 1869, at Pern, Indiana, but his education was secured in the schools of Anoka, Minnesota. He laid aside his text-books at the early age of fourteen years and began working by the day at whatever he could turn his hand to. He then went to work in a flour mill, where he remained for six years, thoroughly learning every detail of the business. He then went to Minneapolis and went to work in the Pillsbury Mills, where he was employed for ten years. There- after he followed milling in various parts of Minne- sota and in North Dakota, South Dakota and Mon- tana. In 1905 Mr. Parker went to Belgrade as superintendent for the Gallatin Valley Milling Com- pany, with which he remained for eleven years. At the end of that period he came to Bozeman and ever since has been superintendent of the lower mills of the Bozeman Milling Company. The mills are situ- ated one mile north of Bozeman and have a daily capacity of 700 barrels of flour. He is an expert in the milling business, and since coming to Bozeman has demonstrated his ability in no uncertain manner, so that he enjoys the fullest measure of confidence on the part of his employers.

Politically Mr. Parker is a stanch democrat, and while living at Belgrade served six years as alder- man. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

In 1897 Mr. Parker was married to Jessie Mabel Moore, the ceremony occurring at St. Francis, Min- nesota, and they have one child, Donald, born in I903.

The Moore family, from which Mrs. Parker de- scended, is of Scottish origin, her ancestors having come to America in the days of the colonies and set- tled in the State of Maine. Her father, M. B. Moore, who now resides near Billings, Montana, was born in 1849, near Calais, Maine. He married in that state and became a traveling salesman by vocation. Eventually he went to Anoka, Minnesota, where he became connected with the lumbering industry. In IgII he came to Montana, and since that time has operated a ranch near Billings. He is a democrat and a member of the Masonic fraternity. He married Melvina A. Ellingwood, who was born at Winter- port, Maine, and their children are as follows: Jes- sie Mabel (Mrs. Parker) ; Ralph E., who is a lumber- man at Seattle, Washington; Margie is the wife of Floyd R. Jones, who has a prominent position with the Standard Oil Company at Casper, Wyoming. Mrs. Parker's maternal grandfather, Nathan Elling- wood, was a native of the State of Maine and died at Greenbush, that state, in 1886, though his home had been at Winterport. He was a farmer and lum- berman. After his removal to Greenbush he ran a tavern, in which was also situated the village school, besides a store and livery stable. In fact, he became the most important personage in the town, having charge of practically every interest. Mrs. Parker is entitled to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution on the maternal side.

PEARL DUNCAN HODGE, assistant cashier of the Empire Bank and Trust Company of Lewistown, ac- quired his early experience in banking in his native State of Missouri, and has been a resident of Mon- tana for the past five years.

He was born on his father's farm in Audrain County, Missouri, on May 8, 1888, a son of John Richard and Dora B. (Younger) Hodge. His

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

parents were both natives of Missouri, his father born May 13, 1857, and his mother December 13, 1859. His father grew up and was educated in Gal- laway County, Missouri, and after reaching manhood became a farmer and stock raiser. He was especially successful as a breeder of fine saddle horses and jacks, and his farm was one of wide note and reputa- tion in Northeastern Missouri. He has lived retired from active business since 1918. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and for many years has been a deacon in the Methodist Church and is a democrat in politics.

Pearl Duncan Hodge was the fifth in a family of four sons and two daughters. He spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, working at farm labor when not in the public schools. He attended the Lad- donia High School, the State Normal School at Kirskville, Missouri, and after graduating taught for one year. He took a business and stenographic course in the Dakota Business College at Fargo, North Dakota, and also attended Central College at Fayette, Missouri. From 1912 to 1914 he was book- keeper and stenographer with the Farmers Bank at Laddonia, Missouri, and in June, 1914, removed to Lewistown and entered the service of the Lewis- town State Bank as bookkeeper and stenographer. He was promoted to assistant cashier in January, 1918, and since December, 1918, has held a similar position with the Empire Bank & Trust Company.

Mr. Hodge is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Chamber of Commerce, the Methodist Church. and in politics is a democrat.

June 7, 1915, he married Miss Bessie Pearle Trip- lett. She was born at Mckinney, Texas, a daughter of George W. and Laura P. (Wood) Triplett, her father a native of Missouri and her mother of Texas. Mrs. Hodge is the only child of her parents. Her father has long been a prominent farmer and stock raiser near the Town of Triplett, Missouri, which is named for this family, an old and prominent one in that state. Her father is a member of the Ma- sonic order and a democrat in politics.

HUGH C. GRUWELL. Descended from honored parentage and himself numbered among the leading citizens of his section of the state, Hugh C. Gru- well, cashier of the Farmers State Bank at Wilsall, is entitled to specific recognition in a work of this character. His residence and business relations here have but strengthened his hold on the hearts of the people with whom he has been associated, and to- day no one here enjoys a larger circle of warm friends and acquaintances, who esteem him because of his sterling qualities of character and his business ability.

Hugh C. Gruwell was born at West Branch, Iowa, on October 28, 1891. He is the son of E. T. Gruwell, who, in varied lines of effort, was one of the most effective and successful men in this part of the coun- try during his residence here and whose removal to the Pacific Coast was generally a matter of regret in this state. E. T. Gruwell was born on July 19, 1864, on a farm near West Branch, Iowa. His early education was obtained in a district school, supple- mented by two years of preparatory work in the Cornell College (Mount Vernon, Iowa) Academy. In 1896 he was graduated from the college proper and from the Cornell School of Oratory. His scholastic attainments have been recognized by the honorary degrees of Bachelor of Philosophy, Doctor of . Philosophy and Doctor of Divinity. After his graduation he entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church as a member of the Upper Iowa Conference, where he filled three very successful pastorates, at Coggon, Oelwein and Hampton. Then

for two years he acted as financial agent for Cornell College, followed by four years' service as superin- tendent of the Cedar Rapids district of the Methodist Church, and it is noteworthy that he was the young- est man engaged in district work in the conference. Mr. Gruwell possessed a natural analytical mind and keen business insight and he gradually became in- terested in banking institutions in his state, being connected as officer or director in nine different banks. He was also personally interested in journal- ism, the versatility of his genius being apparent in the fact that at different times he owned three news- papers, two of them church papers and one of them a weekly publication at West Liberty, Iowa.

In 1912 was bestowed upon him the highest honor in the gift of his home conference, when he was selected delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which met at Minne- apolis. In civic affairs he also has a gratifying rec- ord. As mayor of the City of Mount Vernon, Iowa, he rendered a clean-cut, business-like administra- tion and was singled out again for the same office. In his re-election there was but one dissenting vote cast. After moving to the Shields River Valley, Montana, he was urged to run for the Legislature, but deemed himself too new in the country and de- clined a nomination.

In 1912 Mr. Gruwell came to Wilsall, Montana, and organized the Farmers State Bank, of which he became the first cashier, holding the position until 1916, when, upon the resignation of E. G. Blair, he was elected president, retaining that position until his removal to Spokane, Washington, in July, 1918, where he became vice president of the Northwestern Trust Company, one of the big financial institutions of the Pacific Coast. Mr. Gruwell was also inter- ested as a stockholder and director of the Northwest- ern National Bank at Livingston. Under Mr. Gru- well's guidance the Farmers State Bank became one of the most important banks in Southern Montana and has been for a number of years a potent factor in the splendid development which has characterized this section of the state.

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Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume II, Part 115

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society Number of Pages: 1126

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 1126