Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 82

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 82

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Mr. White on leaving the farm tried to get into the service through the Students Army Training Corps, but was rejected on account of his age. How- ever, he made himself useful in local war work, serving as a member of the County Fuel Committee and as president of the Red Cross auxiliary at Sav-

age. During the war he located at Burns, where he manages the chief mercantile enterprise of the village, and has charge of the Burns Grain Com- pany's business.

Mr. White was appointed county commissioner in April, 1918, as the successor of John Boardman. Though a republican he was appointed by a demo- cratic judge. He is a member of the board with Commissioners Hardy and Miller. He has given much thought and study to the routine business of the county and actively supported the seed grain bond issue. Mr. White cast his first presidential vote for William Mckinley. He is not a politician and has found other ways to make his usefulness apparent to the locality in which he has lived. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge.

At Huron, South Dakota, February 16, 1905, Mr. White married Alice C. Fuller, who was born at Morenci in southern Michigan, September 1I, 1875, daughter of Morris and Mary (Page) Fuller. Her father was a native of New York and her mother of Michigan, and they spent their lives as farmers and in 1882, when Mrs. White wa's seven years of age, moved out to Dakota Territoy and homesteaded near Huron. Her father died there at the close of the year 1903, when seventy-one years of age, and her mother is still living at Huron. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller reared nine children, named James M., Ed- ward H., Mrs. Fannie Koon, Mrs. Nell Dickey, Charles Clifford, Mary L., Mrs. White, Arthur D. and Ada M., wife of Rollin Holden.

MYRON MCDANIEL. Not only a successful rancher, but also extensively interested in different enter- prises of this section, Myron McDaniel has earned his right to be numbered among the representative business men of Cascade County. He was born in' Madison County, New York, on the farm of his father, August 28, 1851, a son of William and Mary Jane (Mead) McDaniel.

William McDaniel was born in the North of Ire- land of a Scotch father, and died at the age of fifty- seven years. His wife was born in New York State of an English father, and died when eighty- three years old. They had seven children, two of whom are now living, Myron McDaniel being the fourth in order of birth. When he was sixteen years old William McDaniel came to the United States on a sailing vessel, and landed in New York City, from whence he went to Troy, New York. For the next five years he worked at gardening, and then went to Madison County, New York, and for a time conducted a farm. Later he went into the business of manufacturing soap and candles, moving his plant to Utica, New York. While liv- ing in the latter city he was employed as superin- tendent of the laying out the grounds of the Utica Cemetery. His last years were spent at Utica, New York. A strong republican, he rendered his party and country valuable service .in putting down the "Copperheads" in his neighborhood during the war between the North and the South, doing this at great personal danger, his life oftentimes being threatened.

Myron McDaniel attended the schools of Caze- novia, New York, and resided in New York State until the spring of 1880, when he came to Montana, making the trip by rail as far as Bismarck, North Dakota, and from there up the Missouri River on the steamer Far West to Belton, Montana. He then went with a mule team to Sun River, and from there traveled in company with James Austin in a wagon driven by horses to the Chestnut Val- ley. Here he pre-empted 160 acres of land and engaged in raising dairy cattle, sheep and horses,

Myon MeDaniel

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

and also conducted a saw-mill for about six years. During that period his cattle ranged from 100 to 400 head, and his sheep about 1,000 head, but at present he has only about 350 head of sheep and the same number of cattle. His horses now num- ber about 100 head. For about thirty years he has been a breeder of Hambletonian horses, and is now breeding the Percheron strain as well. He prefers raising beef cattle. He owns 5,120 acres of land, 640 acres in the home place and the re- mainder situated on Sheep Creek. Mr. McDaniel has never cared for politics, but reserves to him- self an independence in voting, believing it to be his right to do so, as he is an American citizen of more than average intelligence. In addition to his agricultural interests he is a stockholder in the Rocky Mountain Fire Insurance Company, the Cas- cade Co-operative Association and in an oil concern at Cooper, Wyoming.

On August 3, 1873, Mr. McDaniel was married to Elizabeth J. Bond, born at Kingston, Canada, but at the time of her marriage a resident of Al- bany, New York. Mr. and Mrs. McDaniel became the parents of four children, as follows: Estella, who was the wife of J. H. Bradley, to whom she bore a daughter, and died July 4, 1899; Mary, who is the wife of John Lamb, has a daughter; Lillian, who married Thomas Gregory, has a son; and Rose, who married Harry Savidge.

During the many years he has resided in Chest- nut Valley Mr. McDaniel has taken a deep interest in the development of this region and has more than borne his proportion of the work of bringing it into its present state of prosperity. He has not only achieved a material success, but something even more gratifying, a reputation for unflinching honesty and sterling uprightness which inspires the fullest confidence and commands universal respect.

JOSEPH R. MURPHY. It is a recognized fact that lumbering comes next to agriculture in importance among the basic industries, and among manufac- tures only meat packing and metal working surpass it. Since the beginning of its industrial history Mon- tana has been one of the great sources of supply for the lumber markets of the country, and naturally men of initiative and broad vision have been at- tracted to the lumber business in its various branches. One of these men is Joseph R. Murphy of Nashua, secretary and treasurer of the Farmers Lumber Company, a concern which he founded, built up and is now conducting with notable efficiency.

Joseph R. Murphy was born in Peoria County, Illinois, January 13, 1878, a son of Thomas Murphy, who was born in Ireland. The latter came to the United States when a small child and spent his boyhood and youth in and about Trenton, New Jersey. For many years he was a florist. His wife was Elizabeth Drummond, born in New York City but of Irish parentage. They were married in New York City, and then migrated to Peoria County, Illinois, where he was engaged in farming until their son Joseph R. was a few weeks old, when they moved to Creston, Iowa, and there Thomas Murphy acquired another farm and continued to till the soil until he died, August 13, 1900. The trip from Illi- nois to Iowa was made according to regular pioneer custom, in a covered wagon, and the life of the family in the latter state for the first few years was one of hardship, for conditions were very primitive and even the necessities hard to obtain, but through industry, perseverance and good man- agement success finally crowned their efforts. Dur- ing the war between the two sections of the coun- try Thomas Murphy proved his loyalty to the

Union by enlisting, but peace was declared before his organization reached the front. Mrs. Thomas Murphy survived her husband until June, 1907, when she was taken away, being at that time sixty-seven years old, or three years older than he when he died. Their children were as follows: Mary, who lives at Creston, Iowa; Elizabeth, who is Mrs. A. J. Miller, of Prescott, Iowa; John, who lives at Des Moines, Iowa; Katherine, who died in young woman- hood; Margaret, who married S. P. Treanor, of Creston, Iowa; William, who is manager for a lum- ber concern in northern Iowa; Thomas, who died at Euclid, Minnesota, leaving five children ; Agnes, who married James Treanor, died at Spalding, Iowa; and Joseph R., who is the youngest of the family.

Growing up at Creston, Iowa, Joseph R. Murphy received his educational training there, and was reared on his father's farm, where he was residing when war was declared with Spain in 1898. He was one of the young men of the country who responded to President Mckinley's call for volun- teers, and enlisted in the Fifty-fifth Iowa Infantry, Captain Ickis and Colonel Loper, of Des Moines, Iowa, commanding. The regiment was mobilized at Des Moines, Iowa, and remained there in train- ing for six weeks, when it was sent to the Presidio, San Francisco, California, where they were retained until November 23, 1898, when they were honorably discharged, and Mr. Murphy returned to Creston. Resuming his old place on the farm, he continued there for about four years. His health failing, he went South, working as a clerk at different points from Mena, Arkansas, to New Orleans, Louisiana. Finding that the climate of New Orleans was bene- ficial, he remained in that city for two years, and then, feeling improved in health, he returned to Creston, and after a brief visit went to Williams County, North Dakota, and for two years was en- gaged in clerking at DeLac. In 1907 he came to Montana, and since that date has confined his opera- tions within the radius of this state.

In the fall of 1907 Mr. Murphy became a student railroad man, working between Glasgow and Havre, and then after a short time spent a few weeks in the railroad shops, but found that this kind of em- ployment was not suited to him, and he became a clerk for the Colenan Hardware Company of Glas- gow. Having filed a claim when he first reached the state, he went on it in the spring of 1908, and eventually proved it up. This property he still owns, and it is a valuable one, located about seven miles west of Nashua. He has broken out about sixty-five acres, which he has sown to alfalfa, and is planning to develop it as an alfalfa farm.

With the approach of the winter season of 1908 Mr. Murphy returned to Glasgow, and for two years was in the employ of the Yotter Hardware Company, and then went with the Imperial Lumber Company of Glasgow. In this line of business he found employment to his liking and made such rapid strides that his concern transferred him to its yards at Nashua, where he has continued to reside ever since. After four and one-half years with the above company as manager of its Nashua yards Mr. Mur- phy left it and bought the plant and good will of the old Farmers Lumber Company, forming a cor- poration under the same name, and associating with him in the enterprise of Lee Brothers of the same city. Since then the business has been so expanded as to include Frazer and Oswego, Montana, the Farmers Lumber Company purchasing the Olson and Nelson yards at these towns. Arthur Lee is presi- dent, Alfred Lee is vice president, and Mr. Mur- phy, secretary and treasurer, of the Farmers Lum- ber Company, and the corporation is recognized as

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

one of the most dependable in this section of the state.

On January 21, 1918, Joseph R. Murphy was united in marriage at Havre, Montana, to Miss Maud Mc- Govern, a daughter of E. H. McGovern, of New- burg, North Dakota. Mrs. Murphy was born at Devil's Lake, North Dakota, May 12, 1892, and was there reared and educated. Coming to Montana as a teacher, she had three years in the educational field prior to her marriage, two years of that time being an instructor of the Nashua High School and the other year she taught the district school which was adjacent to her claim at Tobison, Valley County. She is one of the four children born to her parents, who are now living in Montana. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy have two children : Paul Joseph and Eunice Ann. The Murphy home is a modern, two-story and full basement residence, lighted with electricity, and supplied with other conveniences, and is regarded as one of the nicest ones in the city.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Murphy were very active in war work, and Mr. Murphy was food administrator of the Nashua locality, and he also was instrumen- tal in assisting to fill the quota in the various drives inaugurated to enable the administration to carry out its policies. Mr. Murphy's success has come to him along a legitmate channel and honorable, earned through his own efforts. Burdened for some years with ill health, he did not permit that disadvantage to handicap him, but did his duty as it came to him, won appreciation and encouragement because of his faithfulness, and during that period made the most of his opportunities for improvement, and when his opening came, he was ready to take it. Ever since coming to Nashua he has had the welfare of it at heart, and has given to its civic affairs the same conscientious consideration he accords to all prob- lems set before him, with the result that his advice has been taken, and the city been benefited.

OTTO RAMSTAD, who came alone to the United States at the age of twelve years with the address of his destination attached to the lapel of his coat, has realized to a remarkable degree the economic and civic opportunities of the great land of America. His has been a progressive career, and for the past five years he has been one of the active members of the community at Poplar, Montana, where he is cashier and manager of the First National Bank.

He was born at Skjaak, Gudbrandalen, Norway, December 6, 1881. His father, Sylfest P. Ramstad. spent all his life in the community of Norway where his son was born, was a farmer and horse dealer, an active factor in the affairs of the community and took the lead in many things affecting it. He mar- ried Marit Hoven, of a wealthy agricultural family. Their children were Peter, Olaf, Gudbrand, Sylfest. Anna, Mathias, Hans, Leo and Otto. All these be- came citizens of the United States except Sylfest and Hans, who are farmers in the old country, Sylfest being owner of the Ramstad estate, which has been in the family for six hundred years. The first of the children to break home ties and come to the United States was Olaf in 1882. He became a successful merchant and a banker. Peter was a prosperous farmer and died at Ada, Minnesota, in 1918. Gudbrand was one of the early settlers of Elkhorn, Montana, for a number of years was em- ployed in a smelter near Butte, and after his health failed returned to Norway and died at the old home in 1895. Anna is the wife of E. J. Boyer, a civil engineer at Crookston, Minnesota. Mathias is iden- tified with farming at Ada, Minnesota, and Leo is a farmer in Beltrami County, Minnesota.

Otto was next to the last to emigrate from the

parental home, and never saw his parents after he left them in 1895. When he started from Norway his destination was Ada, Minnesota, where he joined some brothers and lived with them on a farm. He also attended public schools, acquired a knowledge of English, and made such use of his opportunities that he was qualified to teach . in rural schools. By teaching he largely defrayed his expenses in the Minnesota State Normal School at Moorehead, grad- uating in 1909 and then entering the University of Minnesota, where he took the classical course and received the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912. The following three years he was superintendent of schools at Clinton.

Mr. Ramstad gave up school work to come to Montana and engage in banking. He reached Poplar September 4, 1915, and at once took charge of what was then known as the Fort Peck State Bank. The next year, on August 11, 1916, the First National Bank was chartered. The men chiefly interested in the bank were Olaf Ramstad, president of the Citizens State Bank at Thief River Falls, Minne- sota; T. L. Malgaard, cashier of the same bank; H. L. Malgaard, president of the Merchants and Farmers Bank at Argyle, Minnesota; and Otto Ramstad. The First National began with capital and surplus of $30,000. In the fall of 1915 the Fort Peck State Bank had total resources of $89,000. Four years later, in November, 1919, the total re- sources of the First National Bank were $419,000, constituting it the second largest bank in Roosevelt County. This bank bought $65,000 of the bonds and certificates of indebtedness of the Government dur- ing the World war, and Mr. Ramstad was an active factor in helping float the loans in his locality, being local chairman of the various drives at Poplar.

Mr. Ramstad went through the process of nat- uralization as soon as he reached his majority, and was first identified with the old populist party. His first presidential vote was cast for Judge Parker in 1904, and as a democrat he also supported Bryan and Wilson. He is a member of the Poplar School Board, is president of the Commercial Club and of the Northeastern Montana Livestock Association.

At Minneapolis, April 15, 1916, he married Miss Otilia Ellertson. She was born at Mayville, North Dakota, December 25, 1889. Her father, E. E. Ellertson, a native of Minnesota and of Norwegian ancestry, is president of the Russell Grader Manu- facturing Company of Minneapolis. Her mother was Julia Husebye, of Kindred, North Dakota, and Mrs. Ramstad is the second child and only daugh- ter of five children. She graduated from the East High School of Minneapolis in 1909 and received her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Minnesota in 1913. For two years following her graduation and before her marriage she was in charge of the Domestic Science Department of the schools of Halstead, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Ram- stad have two children: Paul Ellertson, born Jan- uary 30, 1918, and Ralph Lincoln, born September 15. 1919.

HARRY B. TYSON, who has been identified with the Wolf Point locality of Roosevelt County since April, 1917, is a mining engineer by profession, a banker by experience, and is one of the active busi- ness men developing the resources of northern Montana.

He was born at Emmetsburg, Palo Alto County, Iowa, September 18, 1888. His grandfather, Joseph Tyson, was for many years a farmer in Iowa. and. with his wife spent his last days at San Diego. California. His children were: Milton, who died at San Diego; James, who also died there; Ella,

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

wife of Will Roper, of San Diego; and Wilmer Joseph. Wilmer Joseph Tyson, father of Harry B., was born at York, Ontario, in June, 1851, had a grammar school education, and came to the United States with his parents in about 1871. He became a farmer in Palo Alto County, Iowa, and later a commercial salesman. He is now living retired at Pasadena. He married Harriet Elvene Roper, daughter of Frank and Mary Roper. The Roper children were: Louise, wife of W. S. Wright, of Pasadena ; Delphine, who died at Emmetsburg, Iowa, the wife of John R. Robbins; William, who died in Kansas City, Missouri; Harriet E., who was born at Junean, Wisconsin, September 16, 1857; Josephine, who died at Emmetsburg, the wife of Alexander Peddie; Jessie, widow of L. E. Jones, of Iowa Falls, lowa. Wilmer J. Tyson and wife had four children : Alice, who died in girlhood; Delphine, who died at Pasadena, wife of Paul J. Case ; Louise, wife of L. M. Hoag, of Minneapolis; and Harry Beers.

Harry Beers Tyson spent most of his early life in lowa, though for a brief period of his childhood he also lived at Roseburg, Oregon, Alma, Nebraska, and San Diego, California. He graduated from the Emmetsburg High School and took the mining engineering course at the Iowa State College at Ames, graduating in 1912. His first technical work in his profession was in California, where for six months he was chemist with the Southern Cali- fornia Beet Growers Association at Chino. At Met- calf, Arizona, he became assistant mining engineer for the Arizona Copper Company, remaining in its service a year, and for six months was employed on a ranch of his brother-in-law, Paul J. Case, at Deming, New Mexico. He was married while there, . and soon afterward went to North Dakota and, leaving engineering, became cashier of the State Bank at Kintyre, North Dakota. He was with that institution for several years before coming to Wolf Point in April, 1917, where he organized the Citi- zens National Bank, which later consolidated with the First National Bank. Mr. Tyson is vice presi- dent of the First National Bank; is president of the Eastern Unit of the Northern Montana Develop- ment Association, president of the Powder River Trail Association from Moose Jaw, Canada, to Galveston, Texas, and is also president of the Wolf Point Commercial Club and represents the First Ward in the City Council.

He grew up in a republican home, cast his first presidential vote for Colonel Roosevelt, and in 1016 supported Mr. Hughes. Since locating at Wolf Point he has become affiliated with the Masonic Order, and he is also a member of the Iowa State Chapter of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity at Ames. He was a local leader in the Liberty Loan campaigns and savings drives, and also a solicitor for funds for the Red Cross. Mrs. Tyson is identified with the Civic League of Wolf Point in its work of making this a better place in which to live and to train good earnest citizens.

Mr. Tyson married Mrs. Anna Dermont Lang October 15, 1913. She was born at Evart, Michigan, February 19, 1883, a daughter of Charles and Nancy ( Mary) Dermont. She finished high school at Lansing, Michigan, took a kindergarten training course and was a teacher in the grade schools of Lansing and at Grand Rapids. She was teaching at Metcalf, Arizona, when she met Mr. Tyson. Her father was born at Detroit and her mother was also a native of Michigan. Mrs. Tyson's younger sis- ter. Emeline, is the wife of Daniel Grant, a mining man of Metcalf, Arizona. By her first hushand Mrs. Tyson has one child, Willies Anna. Mr. and

Mrs. Tyson have three sons, Harry Beers, Jr., Dan- iel Murray and Robert Dermont.

GIDEON K. SPENCER. All of the history of prog- ress worth recording in Meagher County has been made within half a century. For half a century and more the Spencer family has been identified with that section of the state, and particularly at White Sulphur Springs has been prominent in con- nection with merchandising, ranching, banking and other affairs.

The pioneer of the family was the late Almon Spencer, who was born at Prescott, Ontario, Can- ada, February 9, 1838, son of George and Clarissa (Wright) Spencer. George Spencer was born in 1804 and his wife in 1806, George being a son of . Peleg Spencer, a native of New England.

Almon Spencer spent his early life in Canada and in 1859 became a sailor upon the Great Lakes. He was in that line of work for about three years and in 1864 started for the Pacific Coast, a sailing ship taking him to California by the Panama route. Soon afterward he was in the Nevada gold mines, and from there went on to Idaho, prospecting for a few months in the vicinity of Idaho City, and in the fall of 1865 came to Montana. He was in Last Chance Gulch, the principal settlement at what is now the City of Helena, and built one of the early log cabins there. He was a participant in the Sun River stampede the next winter, and in 1866 came to Meagher County and continued prospecting and mining for several years.

In the fall of 1872 he returned to Canada, and on February 14, 1873, married Miss Margaret A. Stitt, daughter of William and Margaret Stitt, who came from the North of Ireland. Mr. Spencer took his bride back to Montana and located near Canyon Ferry in Meagher County. Here for several years he and his brother Harvey were engaged in mer- chandising, handling meats and provisions, and he also extended his enterprise to ranching. From Canyon City he moved to White Sulphur Springs, then known as Brewers Springs, and re-established himself in the general merchandise business, one of his partners being Thomas C. Power. In 1881 Almon Spencer bought ont his partner's interests and continued as Spencer & Company for two years and then as Spencer, Mayne & Heitman. In later years other changes occurred in the partnership, but the business expanded beyond merchandising to the ownership of extensive lands and livestock, and be- came one of the largest firms doing business over the country tributary to White Sulphur Springs.

Almon Spencer was a democrat, but had little interest in public office. He served for many years on the school board and the town council, and never neglected an opportunity to work for the welfare of his home community. He was affiliated with Diamond City Lodge, No. 7, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. His wife was born in 1840 and died in 1915, and their children, three sons and one daughter, are all still living. They are: Gideon K .; Irene, who married Austin C. Gormley ; Herman W .: and Almon Clark, who was the first white child horn at White Sulphur Springs.

Gideon K. Spencer was born at Canyon Ferry in Montana Territory, October 21, 1873. He ac- quired his education in White Sulphur Springs, and practically grew up in his father's business. He was associated with the old firm of Spencer, Mayne & Heitman, which were succeeded by the Anderson- Spencer Company, E. J. Anderson becoming the active partner and associate of his father. Mr. An- derson was president of the company, Almon Spen- cer, vice president, and Gideon Spencer, secretary

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Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 82

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