Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume II, Part 40

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

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LAWRENCE HAUCK. There are two lines of indus- try in any community of sufficient size to command outside attention, which exert an influence not easy to over-estimate, banking and the issuance of a newspaper. Through the medium of the first the stability and continuance of all business is assured, and the latter gives expression to the prevailing sentiment with reference to affairs both foreign and domestic, and bears an important part in shap- ing public opinion upon vital matters. When both these lines of such paramount importance are rep- resented by one man, his value to his fellow citizens is a recognized asset, and his stand on any question is taken as authoritative. Lawrence Hauck, pres- ident of the First State Bank of Philipsburg, and editor and proprietor of the Mail, the oldest journal of this region, fully measures up to the standards above set forth, and is one of the most representa- tive citizens of his part of the state.

Lawrence Hanck was born at Schweinfurt, Ger- many, December 22, 1867, a son of John and Lena (Koetzner) Hauck, also natives of the same place, the family having been located in that part of Ger- many for many generations. John Hauck was em- ployed by the Imperial Government as roadmaster. Of his four children, Lawrence Hauck was, the sec- ond in order of birth.

Until he was fifteen years old Lawrence Hauck remained at home and attended the schools of his native city. On August I, 1883, he took passage for the United States, and upon his arrival in this country made his way direct to Montana. Although but a lad in years, he had been taught habits of in- dustry and had no difficulty in securing employment in a ranch in Deerlodge County, on which he re- mained . for three years. During that period he saved his money, instead of wasting it as did the majority of his associates, and when he had a suffi- cient amount used it for a course in Deerlodge Col- lege, earning what he needed in excess of his sav- ings by hard labor during vacations and between terms. Having thus acquired, entirely through his own, unaided efforts, a thorough training in the language and other essentials of his adopted coun- try, which extended over three years, Mr. Hauck worked for a year as a clerk and salesman for the leading green grocer of Philipsburg, L. W. Shodair. His experience with this concern enabled him to as- sume the duties of bookkeeper for Elling & Buford, general merchants of Virginia City, Montana, which he continued to discharge for three years. Mr. Hauck then returned to Philipsburg as head book- keeper for the Freyschlag, Huffman and Company, proprietors of a large general merchandising con-

cern, of which he also became a stockholder. Until this company discontinued business in 1894, Mr. Hauck remained in his responsible position, and at that time went with the First National Bank of Philipsburg, and was one of its efficient employes. This bank then liquidated, and Mr. Hauck purchased an interest in The Mail, his associates at that time being the Bryan brothers, but subsequently Mr. Hanck became the sole proprietor. Always a strong republican, Mr. Hauck took so aggressive a part in local affairs that he was the logical candidate for city treasurer and was elected to that office in Au- gust, 1899, by a gratifying majority, and held it for one term. During that same year he was appointed postmaster of Philipsburg and was reappointed, holding the office for eighteen years and giving to the people of Philipsburg an efficient and satisfactory administration. For about twelve years he served as chairman of the county central committee of his party and led it to many a notable victory. His fra- ternal connections are with the Masonic order, he being a member of Flint Creek Lodge No. II, An- cient Free and Accepted Masons and Hope Chapter No. 10, Royal Arch Masons.

Another achievement of Mr. Hauck which de- serves special mention was his promotion of the First State Bank of Philipsburg, and his develop- ment of this into one of the sound financial institu- tions of the county. The bank was organized in 1912 with Mr. Hauck as its executive head, and Dr. W. I. Power as vice president and in 1918 E. E. Springer was appointed cashier. According to the last statement of this bank, its capital stock is $25,000 ; surplus and undivided profits, $70,000; individual deposits subject to checks, $330,000, with total de- posits of $560,000. The total resources of the bank are over $600,000. The bank is located on the cor- ner of Broadway and Sansom Street.

On August 28, 1893, Mr. Hauck was united in marriage with Miss Dora Kroger, a daughter of Charles and Anna Kroger of Philipsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Hanck have five children, Herman, who was born November 18, 1894. He is now associated with his father in the publication of The Mail; Catherine, attending the University at Missoula; Elsie and Dora, attending high school, and John at- tending public school.

As an editor Mr. Hauck has always displayed a fearless strength in handling public matters, and his reliability and clear, forceful manner of pre- senting facts have made his journal the exponent of his party and community. Unimpeachable and honor- able as he is known to be, his stand upon any ques- tion is recognized as the correct one by the better class of citizens and few movements of any kind are inaugurated before he is consulted. A section which has a man of such strength of character in it as Mr. Hauck is sure to progress, and much of the present civic development of Philipsburg and Gran- ite County is due to Mr. Hauck's energy and public spirit.

CHARLES E. BLANKENHORN, M. D. Genius may be the motive power of success, but many who take the trouble to study the lives and leading character- istics of the men of the country who have accom- plished something are led to believe that experience and sound judgment must be combined with natural inclination to produce the best results. In the majority of cases where a man has risen above his fellows it will be found that his rise has come gradually through persistent fighting in spite of all opposition. There are many qualities which help to form the character, such as self-reliance, con- scientiousness, energy and honesty, and they all work

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together to produce the highest standing and most satisfactory rewards. The above is certainly true of the career of Dr. Charles E. Blankenhorn, spe- cialist at the Murray Hospital of Butte.

In no other profession is the true character of a man brought out so prominently as that of medicine, and as he really is, so is he held by his professional associates and colleagues. All who have the honor of Doctor Blankenhorn's acquaintance admit that he is respected, honored and beloved not only by his associates, but by those to whom he has long been a ministering friend. Although Doctor Blanken- horn is still in the very prime of young manhood, he has so kept pace with the march of improvement and by personal experiment and investigations, as well as study and exhaustive reading, that he is classed with the most efficient and dependable of his profession. He is one of the physicians and sur- geons of Montana who went into the service of their country when it had need of them, and his record as an officer is equal to that he is making in times of peace.

Doctor Blankenhorn was born at L'Anse, Mich- igan, on April 3, 1889, a son of Charles Peter Blankenhorn, born in 1847. A butcher by trade, Charles P. Blankenhorn lived at L'Anse, Michigan, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, dying in the latter city in 1909. During the war between the states he served in the Union army, and Doctor Blanken- horn's action in enlisting during the late war was in accordance to his father's teachings and example. From the time he cast his first vote Charles P. Blankenhorn supported the candidates of the re- publican party. For many years the Methodist Episcopal Church had in him a faithful and liberal member. A Mason, Mr. Blankenhorn rose in his fraternity until he was a Knight Templar. He married Sarah Sageman, born in 1848, who survives him and lives at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their children were as follows: Alice, who married L. B. Armstrong, a traveling sales manager, lives at Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Harry, who died at the age of fourteen years; Rose, who lives with her mother ; Louise, who died in Milwaukee February 2, 1920; and Dr. Charles E.

Doctor Blankenhorn was graduated from the grammar and high schools of L'Anse, Michigan, completing his courses in the latter in 1907. A year later he matriculated at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was in that institution for two years. After the death of his father he entered the University of Marquette at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was graduated therefrom in 1913. with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and as a member of the Greek Letter college fraternity Phi Rho Sigma.

From June 30, 1913, until June 13, 1914, Doctor Blankenhorn gained valuable experience as an interne in the Murray Hospital of Butte, and then entered upon a general practice with Dr. George W. Clay at Malta, Montana, this association being maintained until Doctor Blankenhorn enlisted in July, 1917, for service during the great war. He was commissioned a first lieutenant and was sent overseas with the Sixteenth Ambulance Corps, Second Division, arriv- ing in France in February, 1918. In July, 1918, he was invalided home, and was mustered out of the service on December 10, 1918. Returning to Mon- tana, he became a physician of the Murray Hospital, specializing in a genito-urinary practice. He has taken post-graduate work at Rochester, New York, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois, per- fecting himself in the specialty he has selected for his practice.

The residence of Doctor Blankenhorn is at No. 701

West Granite Street. In political matters he is an independent, not being willing to tie himself down by party connections. The Methodist Episcopal Church affords him a medium for the expression of his religious views. He belongs to Malta Lodge No. 57, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Malta, Montana; Helena Consistory of Helena, Montana, in which he was made a thirty-second degree Mason ; and Algeria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Helena. His professional affiliations are those he maintains with the Silver Bow Medical Society.

In 1914 Doctor Blankenhorn was married at Helena, Montana, to Miss Grace Jones, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M. P. Jones. Mr. Jones is a rancher and stockman of Malta, Montana, but Mrs. Jones is deceased. Mrs. Blankenhorn was educated at the Montana State University at Missoula, Montana, and the State University of the State of Washington. Doctor and Mrs. Blankenhorn have two children, namely : June, who was born on June 4, 1916; and Charles Edward, who was born on February 14, 1918.

Doctor Blankenhorn's strongly marked personal characteristics and decided ability have made him popular in medical circles, and wherever he is known he is held in high esteem. His professional service has ever been discharged with a keen sense of con- scientious obligation, and his work is bringing him ample and very gratifying recompense.

JEFFERSON H. AKINS. In any developing com- munity, whether it be emerging from the wilder- ness or being transferred from village into city the changing conditions offer splendid returns for foresight and business sagacity. The merchant who has the faculty to foresee the strategic commercial situation may claim a conquest just as he who shrewdly secured advantage in martial strife. It was largely through his ability to recognize where trade would develop that placed Jefferson H. Akins upon the high road to business success and pro- minent position, and for the past eighteen years his Golden Rule Store has been one of the leading establishments of its kind at Lewistown.

Mr. Akins is a product of the agricultural com- munity of Cedar County, Missouri, where he was born on his father's farm September 16, 1867, a son of John and Mary Jane (Halbert) Akins. His father was born in Tennessee in 1835, and died at Humansville, Missouri, in 1910, at the age of seventy-five years, and his mother, a native of Missouri, passed away there in 1914, being seventy- six years of age at the time of her demise. They were the parents of ten children, of whom nine are living, and Jefferson H. was the seventh in order of birth. John Akins was still a lad when his family decided to remove from Tennessee to Missouri, and his boyhood was passed in the latter state. where his young manhood experienced the scenes and incidents occurring during the troubulous days leading up to the final outburst which culmi- nated in the great Civil war. As a farmer and breeder of stock he passed his industrious and useful career, and when he passed away his com- munity lost a good citizen. He was first a whig in his political views and later a republican, and throughout his life was a faithful and liberal mem- ber of the Baptist Church, of which Mrs. Akins was also a member.

Jefferson H. Akins attended the public schools of Cedar County, Missouri, and remained on the home farm until he reached the age of twenty years. Up to this time his experiences had been entirely of an agricultural nature, principally in assisting his

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father, but now he received liis introduction to mer- cantile affairs as a clerk in the general store of his brother, T. J. Akins, at Humansville, Missouri, his salary being $25 per month. Mr. Akins continued to assimilate experience and to perfect himself in business methods until 1896, when he embarked in a general merchandise business at Fair Play, Missouri, remaining in that community until 1900, with a fair degree of success. He next spent one year at Deer Lodge, Montana, and in 1901 came to Lewistown, which has since been the scene of his activities and his success. The Golden Rule Store, as his establishment is known, has grown from modest proportions to be one of the leaders in its line in the city, carrying a full stock of up-to-date goods, which are attractively arranged and moderately priced. As a business man Mr. Akins has shown himself possessed of marked qualifications, and his courteous treatment of his patrons has done much to attract business to his establishment and to make him personally popular. He is well known in Masonic circles, being a mem- ber of Lewistown Lodge, No. 37, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Hiram Chapter No. 15, Royal Arch Masons; Lewistown Commandery No. 14, Knight Templar; and Algeria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Helena; and is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His political faith causes him to support republican candidates and principles.

On June 10, 1894, Mr. Akins was united in mar- riage with Miss Louise Cresap, who was born in Saline County, Missouri, daughter of William P. and Julia (Porter) Cresap, who had six children, Mrs. Akins being the eldest. Mr. Cresap, who was a farmer, a democrat, and a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, died at the age of seventy- six years, and his widow is now living with her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Akins. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Akins: Bohnda, Jerre H., Marion, Willard and Bruce. Bohnda is the wife of R. E. Dockery, who enrolled at Camp Lewis in the U. S. service in September, 1917. He had received his commission as second lieutenant of field artillery, but surrendered this commission in order to go to France as one of the 200 men selected for advanced artillery work at the front. He has since received his second lieu- tenant's commission and is now with the Seventy- Seventh Artillery known as the "New York's Own," in France.

G. E. SETTERGREN. One of the solid and reliable young business men of Laurel, Montana, is G. E. Settergren, city treasurer and proprietor of the leading furniture and undertaking establishment in this section of the state, and he has won his place in public confidence through his own unaided efforts. He is a man who deserves the approval of his asso- ciates, for his career has been marked by upright- ness, industry and thrift, and he has discharged the duties of the several offices to which he has been elected with fidelity and ability. Mr. Settergren was born at Litchfield, Minnesota, Jannary 7, 1882, a son of C. J. and Matilda Settergren, natives of Sweden, the former born in 1831 and the latter in 1834. They were reared, educated and married in Sweden, where he was a farmer. In 1866 they came to the United States, and after a year spent in Indiana, came on west to Minnesota, where he engaged in farming, but later built a tannery at Litchfield, Minnesota, and conducted it for fifteen years. Selling that tannery, he built another at Baldwin, Wisconsin, and a third at Cokato, Minne- sota, after selling the one at Baldwin. Finally he Vol. II-10

sold his last tannery, retired and spent his last days at Litchfield, Minnesota, where he died in 1900. In1 politics he was a republican. The Episcopal Church held his membership. He and his wife had the fol- lowing children: Charles, who is in a real estate business at Baldwin, Wisconsin; G. A., who is a retired hardware merchant of Litchfield, Minnesota ; F. E., who is a hardware merchant of Baraboo, Wis- consin; J. W., who is a hardware merchant of Grove City, Minnesota; Mary, who is the twin sister of J. W., married Joseph McCarty, a car inspector, and lives at Lewistown, Montana; Matilda, who married A. W. T. Anderson, a merchant of Emi- grant, Montana; and G. E., whose name heads this review. The mother died in 1908.

G. E. Settergren attended the public schools of Cokato, Minnesota, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and also took a business course at a night school. He learned the fundamentals of business life as a clerk in the store of Settergren Brothers at Litchfield, Minnesota, where he remained during 1899, and then, in 1900, came to Montana, and continued clerk- ing for a year more at Livingston, this state. He then found an opportunity to put to practical use the knowledge he had acquired at business college, and acted as a bookkeeper for a year. For the subsequent two years he conducted a mercantile business at Gardiner, Montana, and then in 1905 moved to Laurel, where he was in a general mercan- tile business until the fall of 1906. At that time he assisted in organizing the Laurel Trading Company, which he served as president until 1908, when he sold his interests and embarked in his present busi- ness, expanding it until he has the largest and most perfectly equipped furniture and undertaking estab- lishment in this part of Montana. He owns the building in which his store is located, which has a first floor area of 30 x 100 feet, with a large balcony. and a warehouse in the rear, which is located at the corner of First Avenue and First Street, as well as a modern residence in which he maintains his home. Mr. Settergren owns an interest in a furni- ture store at Columbus, Montana.

In 1905 Mr. Settergren was married at Litchfield, Minnesota, to Miss Delia Swanson, a daughter of C. O. Swanson, a retired contractor of Litchfield. Mrs. Swanson is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Settergren have three children, namely: Maxwell, who was born January 6, 1907; Doris, who was born January 8, 1910; and Marguerite, who was born March 15, 1913. In politics a stanch republican, Mr. Settergren has been called upon to represent his party upon several occasions, and is now discharging the responsible duties pertaining to the office of city treasurer. He is also on the school board, and has served as a member of the City Council of Laurel. Brought up in the Episcopal Church, he has long been one of its communicants. Fraternally he is a member of Laurel Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Billings Consistory and Algeria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine ; Laurel Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and Laurel Camp, Modern Woodmen of America. As one of the enthusiastic members of the Laurel Commercial Club he has been instrumental in draw- ing outside capital to the city and in bringing the importance and desirability of the city before the public, as well as arousing a proper amount of civic pride among its residents. As a business man he is upright and honorable, and in the undertaking branch of his establishment he displays those quali- ties so necessary in one who is called in at the saddest moment, and upon whose skill and sympa- thetic handling of affairs depends the dignity of the occasion. He takes a pride in keeping abreast of

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the times in his equipment, and guarantees that all ,the fittings and ceremonies will be of a nature to show the deepest respect to the dead and furnish comfort to the sorrowing relatives. -

M. SAVAGE is junior partner of the Perkins- Savage Lumber Company of Billings, to which city he came in the fall of 1914 from Napoleon, North Dakota.

His father, M. Savage, was one of the early pioneers in Minnesota Territory. He was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1823, came to the United States in 1848, at the age of twenty-five, lived in Boston for a time, then worked in the South in Tennessee and in Indiana, where he married, and in 1854 settled on the Minnesota frontier in Scott County, and he spent the rest of his life as a farmer. Mr. Savage moved to South Dakota and died at South Shore in that state. He was a democrat and a Catholic. His wife, Mary Long, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1845, and died at Milbank, South Dakota, in 1913. Their children were: Richard, a resident of Milbank, South Dakota; Nellie, wife of H. W. Pratt, a rancher and sheep man and proprietor of a large laundry at Delta, Colorado; M. Savage, Jr .; James, a rancher at Ingomar, Montana; and John W., who was a con- tractor and died at Milbank, South Dakota, in 1905.

M. Savage was educated in the rural schools of Scott County, Minnesota, and at the age of sixteen left his father's home and farm and made the best of circumstances and opportunities. He acquired a good education, largely through practical experi- ence. For three years he was a farmer in South Shore, South Dakota, taught school in that state for six years, and from 1900 to 1905 was a buyer for the Northwestern Elevator Company at South Shore. Following that he spent one year with the North Dakota Horse and Cattle Company at Rugby, North Dakota, and from the spring of 1906 until August, 1913, was actively engaged in the hardware business at Napoleon, North Dakota, also in the grain and banking business, following which he spent a year in winding up the affairs of the firm.

Since coming to Billings he has been an active partner in the Perkins-Savage Lumber Company, Montana. Mr. Savage resides at 321 North Thirty- first Street. He is a republican in politics, a mem- ber of the Catholic Church and a third degree Knight of Columbus, affiliated with Bismarck Coun- cil, and also belongs to Billings Camp of the Modern Woodmen of America and Napoleon Lodge of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. In 1902, at Webster City, Iowa, he married Miss Teressa J. Kelly, daughter of John L. and Catherine (Bonner) Kelly. Her father was a farmer in Iowa for many years and died while living retired at Webster City, where her mother is still living.

CARL B. Ross. It is only natural that the younger communities of the country should attract to them men just entering upon their business careers as they have the courage and enthusiasm which seek an outlet into unchartered seas. In those sections where but little has yet been accomplished, oppor- tunities are many and the young man can hew out his own way unrestricted by the traditions of those who have already blazed a path. Granite County has many of these alert, competent young men who are putting into their work every ounce of their strength and determination, and one of them is Carl B. Ross; cashier of the Granite County Bank of Hall.

Carl B. Ross, was born at Leesburg, Indiana, Au- gust II, 1892, a son of M. Ross, and a member of

one of the old-established families of this country, which traces back to English and Scotch origin, and was founded in the Colony of Virginia in pre- Revolutionary times. M. Ross was born in Indiana in 1855, and was there engaged in farming for many years, before he retired. In 1910 he came to Mon- tana and for a time operated in Hill County as a rancher, but once more retired and is now living at Chester. He is a democrat in his political belief and resolute in adherring to his convictions. The Methodist Episcopal Church affords him a medium for the expression of the religious side of his na- ture. His wife, who was Miss Elizabeth Adaline Taylor prior to her marriage, was born in Indiana in 1860. Their children are as follows: J. J., who is a farmer of Joplin, Montana; Laotha, who married E. P. Scott, a rancher of San Jose, California; George W., who is a rancher of Chester, Montana; Laomer, who served in the World war, being over- seas in the medical department for two years, was recently mustered out of the army, and is now at home with his parents; Carl B., whose name heads this review; and Virgil, who is a rancher of Chester, Montana.

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Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume II, Part 40

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