Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 83

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

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948

HISTORY OF MONTANA

and treasurer. This business is still continued, and is one of the leading organizations of its kind in Meagher County.

In 1907 the members of this firm organized the banking house of Anderson & Spencer Company, of which Mr. Anderson was president, Almon Spen- cer, vice president, and Gideon Spencer, cashier. In IgII this bank became the Central State Bank, the capital being increased at that time. C. W. Cook is president and Gideon Spencer is still active in its management as cashier.

Gideon Spencer is frequently referred to as a worthy successor of his father, and he accepts that as the highest possible compliment that could be paid to his business career. He is a democrat in politics and is one of the public spirited men of White Sulphur Springs.

October 16, 1902, he married Miss Matilda P. Hampton, who was born at Leighton, Alabama. They had two daughters, Louise, who died at the age of seven years, and Matilda.

WILLIAM HENRY PEAYS, a member of the Board of County Commissioners of Powder River County, and an early settler of the Powder River locality, came into Montana and stopped first at the old "O X" ranch, where the Spewlo Land and Cattle Company turned over a bunch of cattle to the "O X".people. Mr. Peays came to Montana from the Brazos River in the Panhandle of Texas, where he had spent seven years with the "Square Outfit," the same people with whom he drove through to Montana. He began work in the cattle business as a boy of fourteen years in the Lone Star State, ten miles west of Cleburne, January 2, 1860. His school- ing was limited and he was reared twenty-eight miles south of Fort Worth, where he began to ride a pony as soon as he was large enough to crawl on one's back.

Benjamin Peays, the father of William Henry Peays, went to Texas before the war between the states and settled in Johnson County, where he passed the rest of his life. He was a Confederate soldier, and with the exception of his army ex- perience lived quietly on his ranch, voted as a democrat, held no office, and died at the age of forty-five years, in 1881. He married Nancy Camp- bell, who, like himself, came from South Carolina, where, near Chester, they had been married. Mrs. Peays died during the childhood of her son William Henry, and was also the mother of another son, George, who is now in Coke County, Texas.

When he came to Montana William H. Peays was a hand following the trail and the cattle, and after leaving his outfit continued on to the Stacey com- munity, where he secured employment with the "Cross-5" Ranch, then being operated and for many years later by L. W. Stacey. He punched cows for that ranch for four months and then went to work for the "N Bar," the Hastings ranch, and helped them to move their cattle on to Flat Willow, north of the Yellowstone, spending the next seven years in their employ. While so working he managed to get together some cattle of his own, running them under the "X-P" brand, and when he left that ranch went to the old "SL" Ranch owned by Loud & Hitchcock and later worked for the Northern Cattle Company, running their round-up wagon. He then abandoned the trail entirely and sought a new field of excitement and activity in the Northwest. He went to Alaska, and at Dawson City turned his hand toward everything that a man could do, chiefly pros- pecting, but after a year and one-half of disappoint- ing experiences returned to Montana. He had gone into that frozen region over the bitter and

dangerous Skagway Trail, but came out by the way of Nome and Seattle and reached Miles City in 1899.

Resuming his cowboy life, Mr. Peays returned to the Northern Cattle Company until the next year, when he decided to engage in ranching on his own account, and accordingly came to the Moorhead lo- cality and entered a half section of land on Powder River. He started his ranch and improvements from the bottom. For his first permanent home he built a small cabin, used now for his ice house, and batched in this for six years, then taking his bride to it when he married. He owned at first a small bunch of "dogies" and began breeding and building up a herd under the same brand as mentioned above. He has added to his ranch until it comprises more than 1,000 acres, and this is a hay ranch, with thirty acres devoted to alfalfa and a like tract to grain raising. With the exception of the "hard winter" he has raised enough provender to sustain his ranch. Mr. Peays' stock is shipped to Omaha, and he re- cently disposed of his surplus cattle, although he still holds a bunch of sheep in the hills.

Mr. Peays has seldom manifested a strong interest in politics. He has always voted, rather as an in- dependent, and was named in the bill creating Powder River County as one of its commissioners. He is serving with Charles Decker and John Mor- ris, and it has fallen to them to organize and to start its affairs. The board provided temporary quarters for the county officers. Mr. Peays besides his ranch interests has stock in the Miles City Milling Company, the carbon producing plant at Baker and the bank at Broadus. He is a member of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks, and has passed some of the chairs in the lodge at Miles City, in which he has numerous friends.

At Sheridan, Wyoming, April 18, 1903, Mr. Peays was united in marriage with Miss Clara Tredinick, who was born in Iowa County, Wisconsin, where her parents, John and Eliza Tredinick, had settled upon immigrating to the United States from their native England. Mrs. Peays came to Montana, and soon after meeting Mr. Peays became his wife. She has a brother, Will Tredinick, of Wisconsin, and a sister, Mrs. Baker, passed away near the Peays ranch and left three sons. Mr. and Mrs. Peays have no children.

HARRY R. CUNNINGHAM, a prominent official of the Montana Life Insurance Company and a former state auditor, has recently rounded out thirty years of residence in Montana. He has long been prom- inent in business and public affairs. .

Mr. Cunningham was born at Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, April 28, 1868. His ancestors came to America in colonial times from Scotland. His great- grandfather spent all his life in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, as a farmer, and his wife was a native of the same county. The grandfather. Josiah Alex- ander Cunningham, was born in Huntingdon County in 1802, and died there in 1878. He owned large land interests and was also a successful merchant. He married Mary Ann Moore, a native of Huntingdon County. Oliver Cunningham, father of Harry R., was born in Huntingdon County in 1835, and died there in 1900. He spent most of his life in his native county and was a merchant at Huntingdon and also at Philadelphia. He was a republican and a member of the Methodist Church. His wife was Lalla Eustace, who was born at Fredericktown, Maryland, in 1845, and died in New York City in 1905. Harry R. is the oldest of three children : Alexander is a merchant at Altoona, Pennsylvania, and Guy, the youngest. was a traveling salesman and died at Philadelphia in 1912.

Ust. Peaup

Mrs Clara Playa.

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

While reared and educated in the East, chiefly in the public schools of Huntingdon and Phila- delphia, Harry R. Cunningham has spent all his active career with the exception of a few years in the great West. At the age of seventeen, after leav- ing school, he went to work in a wholesale dry goods store, but a year later went out to Western Kan- sas. At Garden City he was employed as a clerk in the United States Land Office one year, and was then appointed and served three years as chief clerk at Wakeeney, Kansas. From there he came to Butte in March, 1890, and his first experience in the state was in the insurance business. He repre- sented for a brief time the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee. After that until 1894 he was employed by the Daily Inter- mountain Publishing Company, and then became as- sistant cashier of the Butte Light and Power Com- pany. He left that service January 1, 1895, when he became a member of the Fourth Legislative Assembly, giving all his time to his legislative duties during the following session. Following that he was assistant business manager for the Intermountain Publishing Company until the spring of 1896. Dur- ing the next five years Mr. Cunningham had a very interesting experience at Washington, coming in close touch with many prominent men and with the work of the national capital. He was file clerk and also acted as assistant journal clerk and assistant reading clerk in the United States Senate.

Mr. Cunningham returned to Butte in 1901, and afterward was employed alternately by the Butte Electric Company and the Intermountain Pub- lishing Company until the fall of 1904. In that year he was elected state auditor, beginning his duties in the capitol at Helena in January, 1905. He was re- elected in 1908, and served until December 15, 19II, when he resigned to take the vice presidency and general management of the Montana Life Insur- ance Company. In that official capacity he has had much to do with developing this into one of the very successful companies in the Northwest.

Mr. Cunningham is a republican in politics, a mem- ber of the Methodist Church, and is a prominent Mason, being affiliated with Butte Lodge, No. 2, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Deer Lodge Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons, Helena Com- mandery, No. 2, Knights Templar, and Algeria Tem- ple of the Mystic Shrine, which he served as poten- tate in 1912. About twenty-five years ago he was a charter member and one of the organizers of Butte Lodge, No. 240, of the Elks, and is now a member of Helena Lodge, No. 193. He is also a member of the Helena Commercial Club, the Rotary Club and the Montana Club at Helena.

Mr. Cunningham's offices are in the Conrad Bank Building, and he and his family enjoy the comforts of a modern home at 663 North Warren Street. At Butte in September, 1904, he married Miss Adelaide Mason. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Mason, are both deceased. Her father for many years was a master mechanic in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cunning- ham: Adelaide, who died at the age of twelve years; Lalla, who died at the age of six years; Har- riet, who died in infancy; Dorcas, who was born November 22. 1908, and Alexander, born May 13, 1910, both being educated in the Helena schools.

NAPOLEON B. SMITH, first county attorney of Meagher County, is one of the oldest members of the bar in Southeastern Montana, and has prac- ticed continuously at White Sulphur Springs more than thirty-five years. Mr. Smith has enjoyed pres-

tige in his profession, success in business, and wide esteem as a citizen.

He was born in Appanoose County, Iowa, May 14, 1858, son of James P. and Abigail (Gast) Smith. His father was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in August, 1828, and died in 1897, while his mother was born in Hollidaysburg, Penn- sylvania, in August, 1835, and died in January, 1916. Napoleon was the second in a family of four chil- dren, two of whom are still living. His sister Bell is the wife of Dr. C. Sloss. James P. Smith was a physician and surgeon, educated in the Cincinnati Medical College. For many years he practiced as a pioneer physician in Iowa, his first home in that state being at Milledgeville, later at Orleans and also at Moulton. He was an active member of the County Medical Society, was a democrat in politics and was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Napoleon B. Smith acquired a public school edu- cation, attended the Monticello Normal School at Monticello, Iowa, and took his law course at the Iowa State University. He graduated in 1880, was admitted to the Iowa bar the same year, and soon qualified for practice in the United States District Court. Mr. Smith came to Meagher County and White Sulphur Springs in August, 1882. He was admitted to the Montana bar and .was soon in the full current of a busy professional career. As the first county attorney of Meagher County he filled the office eleven years consecutively, carrying on his general practice at the same time. Politically he is a democrat.

In later years Mr. Smith has given much time to his property interests, particularly ranching and farming. He owns a hay ranch' of 3,000 acres on Willow Creek, and a fine farm of 360 acres on the South Fork. His irrigated lands have shown wonderful productiveness. One year he had a crop of 1,300 bushels of oats, the crop averaging 43 pounds to the bushel. During 1919 his irrigated meadows produced 500 tons of hay.

June 21, 1890, Mr. Smith married Miss Arcelia Collins, who was born near the City of Rochester, New York, daughter of George W. and Henrietta Collins. Her parents were New York State farm- ers until 1882, when they came to Montana, and her father for many years was engaged in the horse, cattle and dairy industry in Meagher County and White Sulphur Springs. Since 1911 he has lived retired and makes his home in California. Mrs. Smith's mother is deceased. She was the second in a family of four children. .

CHARLES HENRY SHERMAN, a prominent rancher at White Sulphur Springs, was born in Montana Territory over fifty years ago, and is a son of one of the few surviving pioneers of the decade of the '60s.

His parents were Byron Roger and Adeline (Chaf- fin) Sherman. The former, who was born in New York State in August, 1841, early responded to the call of the West, going first to Wisconsin, then to Utah and Idaho, and in the early '6os to Montana Territory. He was a stage driver in Idaho and also in Montana,. but at a very early date ran a dairy ranch in the Bitter Root Valley. For several years he was also a merchant at Diamond City, sell- ing his business in 1872 and locating in the Smith River Valley, where he was one of the first stock- men, and ran a large number of cattle over ranch and range until 1881. He then engaged in the livery and feed business, but in 1895 retired and is now living under the genial skies of California. He has

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

always been a democrat in his political affiliations. His wife was born in Missouri in 1837 and died in 1881. They were married near Missoula. Their two sons are Charles Henry and Frederick.

Charles Henry Sherman was born on the Bitter Root River near Missoula December 11, 1868. He acquired a good education in the public schools of White Sulphur Springs and in the Wesleyan Col- lege at Helena. As a boy he had a thorough typical ranching experience, working with his father, and was also associated with his father in a num- ber of business affairs. Later he acquired the livery and feed business, and in 1907 bought the other interests of his father, including the ranch and live- stock. For a number of years Mr. Sherman con- ducted one of the large ranch and cattle outfits in the vicinity of White Sulphur Springs, and runs between 300 and 500 cattle on his pastures every year. He owns about 2,100 acres of land.

Mr. Sherman takes a keen interest in local af- fairs, but in politics votes usually for the best man, though nominally a democrat. He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. On February 28, 1894, he married Miss Sarah Collins, who was born in Ontario County New York, daughter of George Wilson and Henrietta (Tidd) Collins, Mrs. Sherman being the third in a family of four chil- dren. Her father was born in Fall River, Massa- chusetts, April 10, 1840, and her mother in New York State August 16, 1841. Her mother died in 1906. Her father was a farmer in New York until 1882, when he came to Montana and engaged in the horse business at White Sulphur Springs and later established a cattle and dairy ranch. Since 1911 he has been retired and is a resident of Cali- fornia.

MARK E. LEWIS is one of the men of Meagher County whose name is associated with the sheep industry, he now having 2,700 head of sheep on his magnificent ranch of 3,600 acres of land southwest of White Sulphur Springs. He was born in Liv- ingston County, Illinois, January 18, 1875, a son of Jacob and Alvara (Broughton) Lewis. Jacob Lewis was born in Wisconsin on September 30, 1850, and his wife was born in Ohio on September 29, 1850. They had four sons and four daughters born to them. of whom seven survive, Mark E. Lewis being the third child. After growing up on his father's farm in Wisconsin Jacob Lewis came to Livingston County, Illinois, and was there engaged in farming and stockraising until the spring of 1919, when he came West to Custer County, Montana, and embarked in the sheep business, maintaining his home at Miles City. For twelve years he served Livingston County as collector, being elected on the democratic ticket, and has always been a man of affairs.

Mark E. Lewis was given the educational ad- vantages offered by the public schools of Livingston County, Illinois, and the Methodist Episcopal Col- lege at Clarence, Missouri, and then was engaged in farming in Shelby County, Missouri, until 1899, when he came to Montana and located in Meagher County, which has since continued to be his place of residence. His ranch, which is one of the largest in this region, is admirably suited for sheep raising, and he is a recognized leader in this region. In pol- itics he is a democrat.

On October 3, 1894 Mr. Lewis was married to Ethel Ashford, born in Missouri, a daughter of Noah and Rachel Jane (Ward) Ashford. Noah Ashford was born in Virginia in 1839, and died in 1914, while his wife was born in Kentucky in 1840, and died in April, 1919. Seven daughters

and five sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ashford, of whom six are living, Mrs. Lewis being the youngest of the family. Until he was sixteen years old Mr. Ashford remained in his native state. He then came to Missouri with his parents, and after reaching maturity engaged in farming and stock- raising in Marion County, Missouri. From there he went to Shelby County in the same state in 1900 and continued his agricultural operations for a year. He then came to Montana and was in the sheep business for a time, but finally retired. and spent his last years at Bozeman, Montana, where he died. From the time he cast his first vote he gave his sup- port to the democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have two daughters, namely: Veria Mace, who married Frank S. Scofield, a cattleman of Montana ; and Beulah Arrilla, who is attending school at White Sulphur Springs. Mrs. Lewis was appointed post- mistress at Flint on their ranch by Postmaster Gen- eral Hitchcock in 1907, and held the office until 1915, when she resigned. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are very well known in Meagher County, and they hold the confidence and respect of their neighbors, by whom they are held in high regard.

BYRD H. EDWARDS. Among the settlers of Mon- tana of the early eighties one of the men of the Powder River country who is still actively engaged in ranching and whose experiences have been nu- merous, interesting and varied is Byrd H. Edwards. He has been a resident of this locality since 1881, in which year his parents came into Montana, his father, John Edwards, stopping on Powder River. Byrd H. at this time was a lad of less than thirteen years. having been born December 5, 1868, in Christian County, Illinois.

The paternal grandfather of Mr. Edwards, Bana- ger Edwards, was a blacksmith by trade and a native of Vermont, where he spent his entire life. He had three sons: Harvey, who died in Nebraska ; Albert, who passed away in Vermont; and John. The youngest of his father's sons, John Edwards, was born at Guilford Center, Vermont, in 1837, and on reaching manhood left Vermont and went to the South, where he was engaged in stage driving and carrying the United States mail and officials of the Government from St. Jolin to St. Augustine. During the Civil war, and possibly as a consequence of the outbreak thereof, he left the South and went to Illinois, where he was located in the locality of Assumption, Christian County, as a farmer. Leav- ing that region, he migrated to Washington Ter- ritory in December, 1880, and there bought his sheep and trailed them at once to Montana from Walla Walla. His route east was through Boise City, Idaho, and the family put in the summer of 1881 on the journey, reaching the locality of Powder River in the fall. Mr. Edwards had two bands of sheep, approximating 4.500 head of half-bloods. He closed out his flock in 1887 and went on east to Nebraska, where he became a farmer in Clay County. but subsequently returned to Powder River and started his sons Byrd H. and Merton M. in the sheep business and was identified with this region up to the time of his passing away in 1907. He lived a quiet life without participating in the political affairs of his locality, although he voted, and as a republican. M.r. Edwards married a Vermont lady. Harriet Franklin, a daughter of Jedediah Franklin, of one of the old families of New England. Mrs. Edwards still survives at the age of seventy-seven years. Their children were: Byrd H., of this no- tice; Merton, who is a sheepman of Carter County, Montana : and Al, a Powder River ranchman.

Byrd H. Edwards went to school everywhere that

BYRD H. EDWARDS AND WIFE

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

his parents lived as he grew to manhood, and Miles City, Montana, was the principal place, although he finished his education at Harvard, Nebraska. He stayed with his parents until attaining his majority and then removed from Nebraska to Wyoming, where he spent one year as a mill hand. From that state he came to Montana in the fall of 1893, and was a sheep shearer for a time. Mr. Edwards lived in the Pilgrim Creek locality for several years be- fore the Government surveys were run, and filed upon his homestead at the mouth of Pilgrim Creek about 1907. Upon his claim he built a log house of two rooms and for a time "batched" and tended his flock of sheep. He began handling half-bloods, and before the range was closed to him was running three ewe hands in addition to his cattle, and his sur- plus stock was shipped to the popular market at Omaha, loading at times at Belle Fourche and again at Miles City. Mr. Edwards closed out his sheep eventually, but has continued his cattle, principally the Herefords, and his brand is "5W" on the right ribs.

Mr. Edwards has served publicly only as judge of elections. His friendship for the cause of educa- tion was exemplified when he conducted an inde- pendent school for three years before the county established one, and the little log cabin which he built is still utilized as a schoolhouse. His interest in politics has been limited and somewhat passive, although he votes the republican ticket nationally and is an approachable man and one who enjoys the companionship of his fellows.

At Harvard, Nebraska, in July, 1897, Mr. Ed- wards was united in marriage with Miss Myrtle Col- burn, whose father was George Colburn. She was born in Wisconsin in 1877, and died July 7, 1915. There were six children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, namely: Clay, Nellie, Johnnie, Og- den, Dale and Wade. All the children have been given good educational opportunities and the two eldest have attended school beyond the home dis- trict, Clay attending the high school at Des Moines, Iowa, and Nellie attending the Spearfish Normal School.

ROBERT ROY BLACK, a farmer and ranchman of Valley County, whose residence is adjacent to Hins- dale, is one of the old settlers of this part of the state, and a man who is held in the highest esteem by all who have the honor of his acquaintance. He was born in Jefferson County, Iowa, October 29, 1874, a son of William G. and Rachel (Stever) Black, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respec- tively. William G. Black was a son of Moses Black, whose remote ancestors came to the United States from Scotland many generations ago. Members of the Black family served in the American Revolu- tion, and William G. Black served for a short pe- riod in the Union army during the war between the states, enlisting from Iowa, to which state he had migrated some time previously. During the greater part of his active life he was engaged in operating sawmills and dealing in timber land. His death occurred when he was sixty-two years old, in 1892, his widow surviving him for about a year, when she, too, passed away, aged sixty-one years. In politics he was a stanch republican, but he never cared to participate in public life. He was the father of the following children: Moses F., who lives at Creston, Iowa; Alleta, who is the wife of William Laughlin, of Blackwell, Oklahoma; Bessie, who is the wife of Dr. R. W. Sanders, of Hale Center, Texas: John F., who is of Corpus Christi, Texas; Mrs. Floyd K. Laughlin, who died at Fair-

field, Iowa; Guy, who lives at Roseburg, Oregon ; and Robert Roy, who is the youngest born.

Robert Roy Black, generally known as Roy Black, grew to manhood in his native county, and received his educational training in its public schools and through a business course at Washington, Iowa. He remained at home, assisting his parents, and finally he and his brother John bought the homestead, but later sold it and brought their capital to Montana. His connection with this region began in 1899, when he came here to engage in the stock business, bring- ing with him some Shorthorn heifers, which he lo- cated on Willow Creek, twenty miles north of Hins- dale, and this bunch was the nucleus of his cattle business, in which he has since continued, changing to the White Face strain, which has proven to be the hardiest stock for this region. Mr. Black has confined himself to producing for the market, and his shipments cover many years to the Chicago mar- ket. He adopted the brand "J lazy R," which he places on the left ribs.

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Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 83

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