Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 11

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 1144

USA > Montana > Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III > Part 11

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On June 18, 1889, Mr. Glass was married to Margaret McCabe, who was born in Canada, and to them has been born one son, Walter L. The latter secured his education in the public schools of St. Paul, Minnesota. In June, 1916, he enlisted in a New York cavalry regiment, with which he spent one year on the Mexican border. In March, 1917, he joined the One Hundred Sixth Machine Gun Company, Twenty-seventh Division of New York National Guard, in which he received a commission as first lieutenant, later being promoted to a cap- taincy. The division was mustered into the United States service and sent to France, where they took part in many of the sanguinary and hotly contested battles in which the Americans were engaged. Re- turning to the home country, he was mustered out at Camp Mills in May, 1919. On May 24, 1919, he was married to Helena Sanger at Ogdensburg, New York.

Politically Mr. Glass is an earnest supporter of the republican party, and fraternally he is a mem- ber of St. Thomas Lodge No. 30, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at St. Thomas, North Da- kota, and Havre Lodge No. 1201, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He has achieved a splen- did record in public affairs and is eminently deserv- ing of the confidence and good will which are his. for he is reliable, energetic and accommodating. and has given the people of his county the best service of which he is capable.

EDWARD F. BURKE. The railroad engineer is a trained man in a dangerous profession. As he covers miles of country with his strong hand on the throttle of his engine, through night and storm, perhaps he alone is the only one who ever really knows the heroic acts he sometimes performs in great emergencies, or how much the skilled engineer de-

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serves what he is sometimes called, the every day hero. The great railway systems select their engi- neers for qualities not every man possesses, then train him and trust him, and what a fine body of men they are. One of the well known engineers of the Great Northern Railway in Montana is Edward F. Burke, who is an important citizen of Havre.

Edward F. Burke was born at Windsor Mills, Canada, December 29, 1862. His parents were Mar- · tin and Sabina (McLanghlin) Burke. The father was born at Little Falls, New York, and died in 1868. The mother was born in Ireland and sur- vived until 1917. Their marriage took place at Bel- lows Falls, Vermont, and they had five children born to them, three of these surviving.

Edward F. Burke was the third born in his par- ents' family and was six years old when his father died. He was taken to Wakefield, Massachusetts, and there attended the public schools and later went to work in a mill. When nineteen years old he came West, and at Waseca, Minnesota, went to work for the Winona & St. Peter Railway Company, a branch that is now a part of the Chicago & North- western Railroad. He began at the bottom as a wiper on the engine during construction work, and later became fireman, in which position he had much experience. He was fireman at Fergus Falls, Minne- sota, during the winter of 1881-2 on the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad, then came to the Great Northern in the same capacity. In 1884 he was promoted to engineer, and in 1887 came with the Great Northern to Great Falls, Montana, and worked as freight engineer on this line from then until 1905, when he became passenger engineer on the division between Glasgow and Havre. Mr. Burke had the unpleasant experience of being en- gineer on the first train to be held up in Montana which occurred near Malta in 1892. He now han- dles the fast mail train between Havre and Wolf Point. Mr. Burke has a very wide acquaintance that is not confined to railroad men. He maintains his home at Havre and is highly esteemed here as a citizen, so much so, indeed, that he was elected mayor on the democratic ticket and gave the city an admirable administration, at all times standing for an honest and economical use of the public funds in the way of public improvements and other enterprises worthy of the city.

On April 17, 1893, Mr. Burke was married to Miss Margaret McGinn, who was born at Owatonna, Minnesota, and they have the following children: Alice, Edna, Genevieve, Edmund, Geraldine, Joseph and Evelyn. Mr. Burke is a loyal member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. His com- fortable and attractive home is at 338 Third Street, Havre, Montana.

PETER WALLINDER. After twenty-seven continuous years in the employ of the Great Northern Railroad, Peter Wallinder, of Havre, is now reaping the re- ward of faithful service and is air brake supervisor. He is also a man of importance in his community, which he has loyally and effectively served as alder- man for a number of years, and is recognized as one of the most representative men of Swedish birth in this part of the state. Mr. Wallinder was born in Sweden March 29, 1873, a son of John and Christina (Peterson) Wallinder. John Wal- linder was a farmer by occupation and spent his life in Sweden, where he died in 1890, at the age of fifty-four years. His widow survives him and makes her home in Sweden, never having left it. They had seven children, of whom five are still living, Mr. Wallinder being the sixth in order of birth.

Until he was nineteen years of age Peter Wallin- der remained in his native land, but then left it for the United States, and upon his arrival in this country came West to Devil's Lake, North Dakota, reaching that region in the spring of 1892. There he completed his educational training which had been carried on in his native land. His first earnings in his new home were acquired working with a threshing outfit at $2 a day. After complet- ing the season's work Mr. Wallinder entered the employ of the Great Northern Railroad as foreman of a drilling machine gang, and for about two years was engaged in drilling wells for the railroad. At the expiration of that time Mr. Wallinder began learning the machinist trade at Devil's Lake and other points, and was later transferred to Havre and later to what is now Gilford as leading ma- chinist at the gravel pit. Subsequently he was made foreman of the Havre Roundhouse, which position he held for two years or until he resigned to re- sume work for the road as machinist. Again he was made foreman of the roundhouse at Havre, and again he resigned the position to re-enter upon work as a machinist, which he preferred, and he is now air brake supervisor, and one of the most valu- able men in the employ of the road.

In 1902 Mr.º Wallinder revisited his old home in Sweden, and on September 14, 1903, was united there in marriage with Louisa Bystrom, a native of Sweden. Mr. and Mrs. Wallinder have five children, namely : Harold T., Mabel, William, Stewart and Peter, Jr. Mr. Wallinder belongs to Havre Lodge No. 55, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, which he is now serving for the second term as master; Choutean Chapter No. 19, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is past high priest; and the International Association of Machinists, Havre Lodge No. 499. In politics Mr. Wallinder is a republican, and in 1909 was elected on his party ticket as a member of the Havre City Council from the Third Ward to succeed himself, he having been appointed to that office in 1907, and he has been successively re-elected ever since. A man of unusual ability, Mr. Wallinder has devoted himself to his calling and the upbuild- ing of his community, and his record as a public official is as stainless and admirable as that which he has made with the railroad company.

J. CLARENCE MANIX. The people of Augusta and its vicinity are supplied with a fine and up-to-date stock of merchandise by the efficient firm of Manix & Vaughn, the leading merchants of Lewis and Clark County. The birth of J. Clarence Manix oc- curred at Augusta, Montana, on March 16, 1888, and he is a son of Philip A. Manix, born at Hart- ford, Connecticut, in 1845. Reared and educated in his native city, P. A. Manix came to Fort Shaw, Cascade County, Montana, as a soldier in the '6os, and after being mustered out of the service, came to the Sun River country. Having secured the con- tract for furnishing beef to the soldiers at Fort Shaw, he selected Augusta, or rather its present site, for he was the first to locate in this region, and founded the town. He built the first general store here and later branched out into other lines of business, invested in ranch property and handled stock, in short became a regular, all round good business man of his period and locality. From the organization of the republican party until his death, which occurred at Augusta in 1898, he supported its principles and candidates, but he never desired of- fice for himself. The Roman Catholic Church had in him a devout member.

P. A. Manix married Margaret Gillogly, who was born at Bangor, Maine, and she survives him and

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makes her home at Augusta, Montana. Their chil- dren were as follows: Mabel, who married Anthony Pings, a dealer in agricultural implements, lives at Augusta ; J. Clarence, who was the second in order of birth; John, who is a rancher of Augusta ; Matilda, who married W. E. McManus, a rancher of Augusta; Rosetta, who married Austin Christian, a rancher of Augusta; Ursula, who is not married, is assistant cashier of the Peoples Bank of Augusta; and Helen, who is assisting her brother, J. Clarence, in his store. After the death of her first husband Mrs. P. A. Manix was married to J. C. Furman, who was a hotel proprietor and ranchman, and died at Augusta in September, 1919, leaving no issue. The Manix family, which has been in America for some generations, originated in Ireland.

J. Clarence Manix grew up at Augusta, where he attended school, and later entered the school at Saint Peter's Mission, which is a preparatory school, and when fitted for it took a commercial course at Gonzaga College at Spokane, Washington. In Sep- tember, 1906, he returned to Augusta, and spent two years in ranching, and then entered the mercantile establishment of J. F. Kendrick, where he learned the business, and remained until 10'2. In that year he and W. D. Vaughn took over this store and still maintain their partnership, having the leading gen- eral mercantile establishment in a wide territory, and drawing their trade from a radius of twenty miles. Their store is located on Main Street and their stock, which is fresh and timely, is admirably displayed and offered at prices as low as are con- sistent with the quality. and market quotations. Mr. Manix owns a modern residence on Laura Street. He is a strong republican. and is local central com- mitteeman. The Roman Catholic Church holds his membership. He belongs to Helena Council No. 884, Knights of Columbus, in which he has been made a Third Degree Knight.

On November 14, 1912, Mr. Manix was married at Helena, Montana, to Miss Helen Nilan, a daughter of J. M. and Margaret (Owens) Nilan, resident of 613 Hoback Street, Helena, where Mr. Nilan has valuable mining interests. Mrs. Manix was grad- uated from Saint Vincent's Academy, Helena. Mr. and Mrs. Manix became the parents of the fol- lowing children: Walter James, who was born on February 16, 1914; Joseph, who was born on Feb- ruary 9, 1916; and Marie, who was born in May, 1919. Mr. Manix is a man of strong personality and has captured the confidence of all of his busi- ness associates. He possesses a strong and well- balanced mind, a shrewd business sense, and his well- directed efforts result in added prosperity not only to himself but his community as well, for he uses these characteristics for the carrying out of civic plans as well as in the conduct of his store, and he is naturally numbered among the distinctly worth- while citizens of Augusta and Lewis and Clark County.

IRVING W. CHURCH is a prominent Great Falls lawyer. He has won promotion at every step in his career, his ambition and industry carrying him through the period while he was working to pay his expenses in law school.

Mr. Church was born on his father's farm in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, August 23, 1885, a son of George W. and Mary Jane (Seabold) Church, being the third in their family of four chil- dren. His father was a farmer in Waukesha County until 1895, when he moved to Milwaukee, and after that was in the employ of the E. P. Allis Company, one of the leading industries of Milwaukee, until 1903. He is a republican in politics.

Irving W. Church acquired his literary education in Lawrence College at Appleton, Wisconsin, and the University of Chicago, and graduated with the class of 1911 from the Columbia Law College. He paid his first visit to Montana in 1905, locating at Butte, where he was employed by the Street Rail- way Company as a motorman every summer from 1905 to 19II. His salary as a motorman went far toward defraying his expenses in law school. In 1901, at the age of sixteen, he also taught a term of school at North Lake, Wisconsin. During the winters of 1906, 1907 and 1908 he taught in the Went- worth Military Academy at Lexington, Missouri.

In September, 1911, Mr. Church began practice at Great Falls, Montana, as an associate of William G. Downing. On the death of Mr. Downing in 1912 he succeeded him as an attorney for the Great Falls National Bank and has since built up a large general practice of his own. Mr. Church is a member of the Cascade County and the State Bar associations is president of the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion of Great Falls, and is affiliated with Euclid Lodge No. 58, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Great Falls Chapter No. 9. Royal Arch Masons ; Black Eagle Commandery No. 8, Knights Templar ; Algeria Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Helena, and Great Falls Lodge No. 214 of the Elks. He is a member of the Rotary Club and Commercial Club at Great Falls, is a republican in politics and a member of the Congregational Church.

August 23, 1913, Mr. Church married Miss Ger- trude Longeway, daughter of Dr. Albert F. and Gertrude Longeway of Great Falls. Mrs. Church died February 20, 1915, leaving one son, Albert L.

JOHN ALFRED NELSON was for many years a prominent railway engineer, serving faithfully until he lost his life in service. Mrs. Nelson is an hon- ored resident of Havre, Montana, with home at 400 Third Avenue.

The late Mr. Nelson was born in Sweden, June 24, 1866, son of John and Marie Nelson, being the third of their six children, three sons and three daughters. John Alfred Nelson was four years of age when his parents came to this country and lo- cated at Indianapolis. His father was a mason by trade, but for a number of years engaged in farm- ing. John Alfred Nelson acquired a public school education in Minnesota, and as a boy went to work in the shops of the Great Northern Railway at Fer- gus Falls. Later he was promoted to fireman and in 1892 achieved his ambition in a post as locomotive engineer. He was one of the most efficient engin- eers in the service of the Great Northern. Strangely enough he lost his life not at his post of duty but while taking his meal in a dining car of the Great Northern. He died as a result of injuries on August 14, 1910.

During his residence at Havre Mr. Nelson was an honored member of Havre Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and also of Havre Chapter No. 30 of the Eastern Star. He was buried with Masonic honors. Mrs. Nelson was the first worthy patron of Havre Chapter, and is now in her tenth consecutive year as secretary of that chapter and is known as the chapter's mother.

Mrs. Nelson's maiden name was Franc Eleanor Cur- tis. They were married at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, July 4, 1893. Mrs. Nelson was born at Owatonna, Minnesota, only child of Frank and Marie (Stevens) Curtis. Her father was born in the State of Maine. April 30, 1843, and died May 16, 1882. Her mother was born at Beloit, Wisconsin, February 3, 1843, and died September 17, 1904. Her father was edu- cated in the schools of Maine and when a young

Au Church

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man went to the State of Minnesota. For many years he traveled as representative for a New York wholesale grocery house. He was a prominent Mason and in politics a republican. In 1875 Mrs. Nelson's parents removed to Santa Rosa, Cali- fornia, where she attended grammar school. In 1881 the family returned to Minnesota and located at Winona, where she continued her education. In 1883 Mrs. Nelson began teaching in Minnesota, and she taught occasional terms throughout the eight years while she was attending the State Normal School at Winona, from which she graduated with the class of 1891.

Mrs. Nelson is the mother of three splendid sons, Curtis Alfred, Robert Edward and Earl John. Cur- tis and Robert and now engaged in the transfer business under the firm name of Nelson Brothers at Havre. The son Earl is still carrying his studies in high school. Curtis Alfred volunteered and en- tered the officers' training camp early in 1917, be- ing at that time a student in the Montana State Col- lege at Bozeman. He was discharged on account of disability. He is a member of Havre Lodge, No. 55, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and of the Order of Eastern Star, Chapter No. 30. Robert Edward Nelson enlisted in November, 1917, be- coming a member of the Four Hundred Eighty- fourth Aerial Squadron. He was on duty at Spokane, Washington, later The Presidio in California, at Kelley Field, Texas, and spent a 'year in France, part of the time on front line duty. He received his honorable discharge in February, 1919. He is an Elk.

SIMON J. TRACHT. The gentleman whose name forms the caption to this sketch, one of the most successful and best known farmers of Hill County and one of the county's most representative citizens, was not favored by inherited wealth or the assist- ance of influential friends, but in spite of this, by perseverance, industry and a wise economy, he has attained a comfortable station in life. His career is one that should encourage others to press on to greater achievements. When he came to Hill County he set to work to overcome all obstacles that might lie in his path to success, and the com- fortable competency and the high standing which he now enjoys is the result. Earnest perseverance, careful management and a willingness to work even in the face. of obstacles-these are the elements which brought him prosperity, and while he has labored for his own advancement he has at the same time ever been vigilant in his efforts to for- ward the general efforts of the community.

Simon J. Tracht was born in Gasconade County, Missouri, on May 28, 1878, his parents being Simon and Florentine (Wieman) Tracht, both of whom were natives of Germany. The father died in 1878, about three months prior to the birth of his son, the subject of this sketch. His widow survived him many years, her death occurring on August 13, 1914. The subject is the youngest of nine children born to these parents, all of whom are living. Simon Tracht left his home in the fatherland in young manhood and came to the United States. His first location here was in Gasconade County, Missouri, of which he was a pioneer settler, and there he became of great service to the settlers in the capacity of a flour miller, which trade he had learned in Ger- many. Later he turned his attention to farming and also to some extent handled cattle and hogs. Politically he gave his support to the republican party.

Simon J. Tracht was reared on his father's farm and early learned the meaning of toil, and especially

the kind of toil which was characteristic of pioneer farms in some parts of Missouri. He secured a good practical education in the schools of his native county. His first independent work was as a har- vest hand at various places in Missouri, for which he received $10.00 a month. He followed that work for two years, and then moved to Nebraska, where for a time he was employed as a farm hand. He also worked as a clerk in a general mercantile store at Lorton, that state, for about five and a half years. He then went to Winside, Nebraska. where he spent about a year as a clerk in a gen- eral store, and then engaged in the mercantile busi- ness on his own account at Carroll, Nebraska, under the firm name of Bredemeyer & Tracht. They con- tinued that business for about two years, at the end of which time Mr. Tracht moved to Kenmear, North Dakota, where, under the style of the Boston Store, he sold gentlemen's furnishings and kindred lines for about three months, at the end of which time he traded his mercantile interest for land, and then for about two years was employed in a department store. In December, 1909, Mr. Tracht came to what was then Chouteau County, Montana, and located on a homestead, to the operation of which he gave his close attention until 1919, when he entered upon the duties of the office of county treasurer, to which he had been elected and in which position he is now serving.

On the 13th of October, 1908, Mr. Tracht was married to Emma G. Genser, a native of Winona County, Minnesota, and to them has been born a son, Howard.

Politically Mr. Tracht has been a life-long sup- porter of the republican party and has contributed his active personal efforts to its success. As re- ferred to above, on November 5, 1918, he was elected to the office of county treasurer of Hill County, entering the office on March 4, 1919. Mr. Tracht's honorable and successful career has not been a path of roses, for he has fought against and con- quered many adverse conditions which would have utterly discouraged one of less sterling mettle. He has acted well his part in life and enjoys to a marked degree the confidence and good will of all who know him.

WILLIAM B. PYPER has had many interesting associations with the commercial and public life of Montana, covering a period of thirty years. For over twenty years his home has been at Havre, where continuously for sixteen years he has capably sus- tained the burdens and responsibilities of public office.

Mr. Pyper was born at Oakwood, Ontario, Can- ada, August 6, 1867, son of George A. and Edith C. (Ball) Pyper. His father was born in Scotland in 1820, came to Canada at the age of thirteen on a sailing vessel, and while his early life was beset by struggles and disadvantages, and his first em- ployment was as a humble clerk in a grocery store. he achieved a high position among the successful merchants of Toronto, where for many years he was in the wholesale and retail hardware business. He finally retired from business and died August 14, 1894. His wife was born at Niagara, on the Canadian side, November 7, 1833. She was of Loyalist stock, and her ancestry was traced back to Holland and some of the earliest communities planted in the American colony.

William B. Pyper, who was the second in a fam- ily of three children, had the advantages of the public schools of Woodstock, Ontario, to the age of fourteen, and after that chose to be dependent entirely upon his own resources. For four years he

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served an apprenticeship in the drug business at Woodstock, and it was his knowledge of the drug business that secured for him his first opportunities in the northwest. On March 4, 1889, the day Ben- jamin Harrison was inaugurated president, he left Canada for Chicago, went on the St. Paul, Min- nesota, where he was employed in a drug store about five months, and on the 26th of September of the same year arrived in Great Falls, Montana. The following year he was manager of the drug de- partment of Churchill & Webster at Great Falls, then for two years was employed as a druggist at Missoula, and for four years engaged in business for himself at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. After that he worked for various periods at Seattle, Winnipeg, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Butte, and on Jan- uary 12, 1899, came to Havre, where he took charge of the drug business of A. J. Broadwater and H. W. Stringfellow. In January, 1902, he established a business of his own but sold it in 1904 when he was appointed United States commissioner by Judge Knowles. Since then practically all his time and energies have been devoted to public affairs, though he has also some interest in ranching.

Mr. Pyper served as United States commissioner ten years. In April, 1904, he was elected city mag- istrate of Havre, in November of the same year was elected justice of the peace, and has performed the duties of those offices uninterruptedly to the present. In 1918 he was made superintendent of the United States Employment Service at Havre. and was a vigilant and zealous worker in behalf of the Government during the war. He has served as secretary of the Havre Industrial Association and the Chamber of Commerce. In 1902 he was county coroner of Hill County. Mr. Pyper for many years has been one of the most influential men in the re- publican party in his section of the state. For five years he was chairman of the County Central Com- mittee, and has been present in many county and state conventions of the party. Mr. Pyper took his first degrees in Masonry at Woodstock, Ontario, February 5, 1899, later was a member of Cascade Lodge No. 34. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Great Falls, and became a charter member of Havre Lodge No. 55, being honored as its first master. He was elected treasurer of the lodge in 1902, and has served in that post consecutively. He was the first member of Chouteau Chapter No. 19, Royal Arch Masons, has been treasurer of the chapter since 1915, and in 1907 was elected grand patron of the Order of Eastern Star of Montana. He is also affiliated with Havre Lodge No. 1201 of the Elks.

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Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 11

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society Number of Pages: 1144

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 1144