Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 1, Part 33

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago
Publication date: [19-?]
Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1374

USA > Montana > Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 1 > Part 33

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Daniel A. D. Flowerree passed from boyhood's days to early manhood in his native state. Firm in the belief that the west offered superior advan- tages to an ambitious youth, in 1852 he went to California and remained there until 1855, then he went to Nicaragua and in 1857 returned to Mis- souri. In 1864 Mr. Flowerree started for Mon- tana, came across the plains, then alive with buf- falo and Indians, many of the latter hostile and treacherous. The journey was made by stage coach via Salt Lake City, and on March 16 of that year he arrived at Virginia City. Here he passed some time in prospecting for auriferous deposits, more familiarly known to the gulch population of those days as "pay dirt." Later he engaged more profitably in other business pursuits in Virginia City, and in 1865 came to Helena, then "Last Chance gulch." Since that time Mr. Flowerree has been one of the most distinguished and successful business men of Helena and of Montana. He was among the first to realize the inexhaustible resources of Montana as a stock-

growing state and one of the first to profit by this knowledge. To-day he is one of the largest stock owners and growers in the northwest. He or- ganized the Flowerree Cattle Company. This mammothı business is the outgrowth of his own early business ventures. He had brought a herd of sixty-five cows from Missouri in 1865 and in 1870 and 1873 1,500 more from Texas, and from that time he has been almost exclusively in this business. In 1883 he brought a band of horses from Oregon and in 1879 imported a large herd of cattle from there. He built the first shingle-roofed house in Virginia City and Helena. The one in Virginia City was without doubt the first two-story house erected in Montana. At present Mr. Flowerree's immense financial interests consist of large outfits of land and stock in Teton, Lewis and Clarke and Choteau counties.

In 1858 Mr. Flowerree was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Wethers, of Missouri. They have four children, William K .; Annie M., now Mrs. W. L. Velie; Eudora, now Mrs. J. J. Gray, and Elizabeth, now Mrs. William Wallace, Jr., of Hel- ena. Mrs. Flowerree died in 1882. On Febru- ary 4, 1885, Mr. Flowerree married with Miss Elizabeth Cornelius, of Missouri. They have one son, Dan J. Flowerree. Mr. Flowerree affiliates with the Democratic party, but from patriotic pur- poses entirely, as he has never sought personal advancement or office of any description through politics. And yet it is to such strong, earnest and upright men that the people might well turn for its leaders. There are none too many of them in the land. The story of Mr. Flowerree's successful career is in large part the history of Montana.

T TERENCE FLYNN has had a somewhat eventful career, but is known as one of the pro- gressive and representative farmers of Beaverhead county, his valuable ranch being located eight miles south of Dillon, his postoffice address. Mr. Flynn is a native son of the Emerald Isle, having been born in County Leitrim, Ireland, on March 20, 1847, the son of Patrick and Katherine ( McTiarnan) Flynn, and the fifth in order of birth of their twelve children, six of whom are now living. The parents passed their entire lives in Ireland, where the father of our subject was a farmer and trader.

Terence Flynn had such educational advantages as were afforded by the public and parochial

159

PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MONTANA.

schools in his native county, and there he continued to assist in the work on the parental farm for a number of years. In 1872 he decided to try his fortunes in America, and upon his arrival in the United States he made his way to the city of New Haven, Conn., where he worked at the plumbing business and such other occupations as came to hand. In Februaryof that year he came west, locating in Salt Lake City, where he found employ- ment in a smelter. In March of the following year he became a member of a party of fifty-four men who chartered a sailing vessel and went to French Guiana, South America, having been attracted thither by the reports of the wonderful discov- eries of gold. The expedition proved fruitless in results, and Mr. Flynn returned to Salt Lake City, arriving in March, 1874. In the fall he went to South Mountain, Idaho, where he had charge of the erection of the first smelter in that locality, and in October came to Beaverhead county and pur- chased a portion of his present ranch, located on Blacktail creek, comprising 800 acres of exceed- ingly fertile land, well irrigated and all available for cultivation. Here he has given his attention to farming and stockraising, securing large yields of wheat, oats, alfalfa, etc., and has extensive horse and cattle interests, being one of the successful and energetic business men identified with these lines of industry in this favored section of the state. He is a Democrat in his political proclivities, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church.

On July 19, 1883, Mr. Flynn was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Flynn, the families being of the same name but of no consanguinity, she having been born in Ireland, whence she came to the United States in 1880. They have three children : Ella, born April 22, 1884 ; Patrick, born August 19, 1885 ; and Hubert, born February 14, 1888.

H ON. JOHN F. FORBIS .- Although in any sphere and in any surroundings his natural force of mind and character would have made him a leading man, it is not improbable that if he had been reared in the lap of luxury, and surrounded by the very flower of civilization and social cul- ture Hon. John F. Forbis, of Butte, would have been something very different from what he is. He might have been the polished gentleman and court- ly gallant, the ornament and the inspiration of the social circle, the exemplar of all the bland and

suave amenities of life ; perhaps the "scholar in politics," illuminating with a wealth of learning the dogmas of the doctrinaries; perhaps the gifted author or discriminating critic, laying bare the daily comedy and tragedy of human life; possibly the merchant prince, with argosies afloat on every sea ; or mayhap the eloquent expounder in some tech- nical or professional school. Nowhere would he have been only a splendid flaneur. But it is idle to speculate. Nature intended him for stern duties and produced him in an invironment bound to de- velop toughness of fibre and flexibility of function, self-reliance, resourcefulness, independence of thought and action-a broad and deep foundation of manliness, on which a superstructure embody- ing all the ornamental graces could fitly be erected. He was born in Platte county, Mo., February II, 1855, the descendant of Scotch and English ances- try, who were early settlers of New England, but who, long before the Revolution, sought the milder climate of North Carolina, and subsequently the freer air and wilder scope of the then untrodden wilds of Kentucky, where, amid its picturesque scenes and crude conditions, his father, Jonathan F. Forbis, first saw the light of day on January 27, 1816. Here he grew to manhood, battling, as others did, with savage nature and more savage men ; here came to him also the great happiness of his life in his marriage witlı Miss America Perrin. Al- though a native of Kentucky, into which state her parents had moved from Virginia, she was, like himself, descendant from a good old English 'an- cestry.

In 1836, when he was yet a young man, Mr. and Mrs. Forbis sought in Missouri a home of their own. Here they engaged in agricultural pursuits, and were making good progress toward a comfort- able competency when began the first great higera from the Mississippi valley to Montana. Jonathan F. Forbis was among the earliest to catch the western enthusiasm, and, in 1864, gathering his household goods about him, he started across the plains for the distant promised land by means of ox teams, then the only method of overland transpor- tation. After a long and trying, but uneventful trip, they reached Virginia City, where for a year Mr. Forbis was laboriously engaged in mining. It was a time which tried men's souls. The com- monest necessaries of life were scarce and costly. Flour sold readily at $100 a sack, and other articles, with the exception of wild game, in proportion. Houses, furniture, imple-

160

PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MONTANA.

ments-all the appurtenances of domestic life- were of the crudest and most primitive forms. The rigors of the climate laid additional burdens on packs already overtaxed. Yet our mother earth met the exigencies of the case by yielding her richest stores, and yielding up a generous abun- dance of her treasures. And this was well. For what would now be a princely per diem in the same territory was then barely sufficient to furnish a rugged and slender living. In 1865 Mr. Forbis removed his family to his farm near Helena, and they began anew the vocation of the old patriarchs. Mr. Forbis was a man of unusual sagacity, rare judgment and great force of character. He soon rose to prominence and commanding influence in public affairs. For many years he was one of the commissioners of Lewis and Clarke county, and for term after term held a membership in the terri- torial legislature. He dignified and adorned every relation of life until a stroke of apoplexy cut short his useful career on January 26, 1877. He left a family of seven children, Mrs. E. H. Irvine, Mrs. J. R. Russell and Mrs. M. B. Brownlee, of Butte ; Mrs. W. L. Steele, of Helena ; John F. and James W., lawyers, and W. P., a mining operator, who died in 1899.

We have dwelt at some length upon the ante- cedents of John F. Forbis, because in them lies the key to his high character and creditable career. Given the original qualities of a boy, and his rear- ing amid such surroundings, all that has followed was plainly deducible therefrom, unless prevented by death or some supreme calamity. He was the fifth child of the family, and only nine years old when the trip from Missouri to Virginia City was taken. Thus in childhood he was brought into close and intimate communion with nature-al- ways a fount of healthful inspiration to the recep- tive and responsive soul. He received his elemen- tary education in the public schools of Helena, and in his very early manhood began to read law in the office of Judge Hiram Knowles. Later he was appointed deputy clerk of the district court in Deer Lodge county. Upon admission to the bar, in 1877, he located in Butte and at once entered upon the practice of law, in which from 1881 to 1889 he was associated with his former preceptor, Judge Knowles. In 1889 he formed a partnership with his brother, James W. Forbis, which lasted until 1896, and was eminently successful, winning a large and profitable clientage and a high rank in the profes- sion. They were attorneys for the Butte & Boston

and many other mining companies in this state and elsewhere, and for leading business men and banking firms in Butte and other cities. Mr. Forbis is now alone in his practice, and at the zenith of his influence and power. He is an acknowledged lead- er at the bar, both in the extent and accuracy of his legal learning and his versatility in the application of it. His voice is also potential in political affairs and in all matters of public interest. During the greater part of his mature life he was an ardent Democrat in politics and represented his county with distinction in the territorial legislature several times as the choice of that party. In 1894 he was, by appointment of that party also a member of the state board of education. In the cataclysm of 1896 his vigorous independence landed him in the Re- publican party. He at once took a high rank in its councils and pleased his new associates so well that they made him a delegate to their national conven= tion in 1900. Among the fraternal orders, the only one in which he holds membership is that of Freemasonry.

Mr. Forbis was married February 22, 1888, to Miss Mina Daft, a native of Salt Lake City. They have three children-Majorie E., John F., Jr., and Robert. Socially Mr. Forbis is a captivating and entertaining companion, with a ready wit, a keen sense of humor and a vast fund of anecdotes and reminiscence.

ANTHONY HUNDLEY BARRET. - This honored pioneer of Montana, now incumbent of the important office of treasurer of the state, merits specific consideration in any work purport- ing to record the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon the common- wealth, aided in its development and leaving upon it the impress of strong individuality. Mr. Barret is a native of Grayson county, Ky., born at Litch- field on January 25, 1834, the son of Augustus M. and Mary J. (Cunningham) Barret. The original American ancestor of the Barret family emigrated from Southhampton, England, to Vir- ginia in the early days and there passed the resi- due of his life as a clergyman of the Presbyterian church, and by reason of gallant services of his forbearers in the Revolution, Treasurer Barret now belongs to the Sons of the American Revolu- tion. His son Francis, grandfather of Montana's state treasurer, was likewise a native of the Old

AttBarrel

161

PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MONTANA.

Dominion, and was ordained .as a Baptist minis- ter. He removed with his family to Greensburg, Ky., where in 1832 both he and his wife fell vic- tims to the cholera. While with unselfish courage and rare self-abnegation they were devoting them- selves to caring for the afflicted, both were stricken and succumbed, dying within an hour of each other, leaving nine children, one being Augustus M. Barret. He was born in Green county, Ky., on May 8, 1804, and served for thirty years as clerk of the circuit and county courts of Edmonson county, Ky., whence he removed, in 1852, to Missouri, locating at Sedalia, where for three years he was clerk of the district court, and where he died on September 1, 1857. He was thrice mar- ried, first to Miss Mary M. Marshall, who bore him three children, one of whom survives. His second union was to the mother of Treasurer Barret, she being a native of Grayson county, Ky., the daughter of William Cunningham. Of this union three children were born, two sons and a daughter. The mother died in 1837, being sur- vived by her infant daughter only about a year. The eldest son, William L., a soldier in the Confed- erate army, met his death in the battle of Mansfield, or Pine Ridge. In 1839 Augustus M. Barret was a third time married, the bride being Miss Berroyal H. Rountree, who became the mother of three chil- dren, only one of whom survives, and her death oc- curred in 1885.

State Treasurer Barret was reared to manhood in his native state, receiving such educational ad- vantages as were afforded by the private schools of the place and period. At the age of eleven he was apprenticed to a harnessmaker and worked three years at this trade, then, in 1849, he went to Mar- shall, Tex., and was a clerk three years. In 1852 he accepted a position as traveling salesman for a v holesale drug house, which he resigned in 1853 and going to Shreveport, La., he remained there one year and then removed to Sedalia, Mo., in 1858, where he became a dealer in men's furnishing goods, and during the legislative session of 1860 and '61 he acted as clerk of the lower house of the Missouri legislature. At the outbreak of the Civil war he disposed of his business and again accepted a clerkship until his health became impaired, when he sought a change of climate and occupation, and in 1865 crossed the plains to Montana by the way of Fort Kearney, Laramie plains, and Bridger's cutoff and Soda Springs, transportation being ef- fected by ox and mule teams. He was not molested

by the Indians and eventually arrived in Alder gulch, where for two years he was engaged in placer mining. In March, 1866, Mr. Barret was appointed private secretary to Gen. Meagher, and also was assistant auditor of the territory under John Ming, and acted as clerk of Indian affairs. In March, 1867, he received the appointment of special Indian agent for the Jocko reservation near Mis- soula. From 1865 until 1877 he served as clerk of the lower house of the territorial legislature. In 1868 he went to Radersburg, where he was in the grocery business three years, and in 1875 he opened a harness shop in Alder gulch, removing it to Pony in 1877 and the next year to Butte, where, in 1879, he entered into partnership with "Chris" Jacky, forming the firm of Barret & Jacky, in the same business, the firm also maintaining branches in Anaconda and Phillipsburg. This alliance contin- ued up to 1896, when Mr. Barret purchased the business, which he ran one year, then sold it. But in 1899 he became interested as a silent partner in business again at Dillon and Butte. Mr. Barret represented Jefferson county in the lower house of the territorial legislature in 1868-9, and for eight years filled the office of justice of the peace of Deer Lodge, Madison and Jefferson counties.

In every official position to which he has been chosen he has proved equal to the duties imposed, and his administration of affairs has at all times been so careful and discriminating as to gain en- dorsement from the people. Thus it was a merited preferment which came to him in the election of November, 1900, when he was chosen treasurer of the state, and it is needless to say that the finances of the commonwealth could not have been placed in more worthy hands. Mr. Barret has been a life- long adherent of the Democratic party, has kept himself well informed on the questions and issues of the day, and been a powerful factor in forward- ing the cause of his party in the state. He is to-day one of the veteran representatives of Democracy in Montana. In the Masonic order Mr. Barret has oc- cupied a conspicuous position for many years. His initiation as an entered apprentice dates back nearly two score years, and the records show that he has held most exalted office in the gift of the members of the order. He has served as worshipful master of the blue lodge, high priest of the chapter, as grand high priest of the grand capitular body, as commander of Montana Commandery No. 3, and as grand commander of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Montana. In the An-

162

PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MONTANA.

cient and Accepted Scottish Rite he has ad- vanced to inspector-general of the thirty-third degree. In this great fraternity, as in all other re- lations of life, he is held in high regard, his friends being in number as his acquaintances. In Septem- ber, 1899, he was elected grand master of Mon- tana, having risen to that position step by step through the consecutive grades.

On November 9, 1880, Mr. Barret was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth A. Brooke. They were married in Helena in the Episcopal church by Rev. Maylan N. Gilbert. She was born in what is now West Virginia, at Morgantown, Va., the daughter of Dr. Thomas F. Brooke, a representative of one of the prominent families of the Old Dominion. She is a sister of the late Dr. Benj. C. Brooke, of Helena, to whom specific reference is made on other pages of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Barret have an adopted daughter, Marie, who was born in Ken- tucky. The family are worthy the precedence which is theirs in social life, exemplifying that in- nate refinement which dignifies and harmonizes the various associations of humanity.

T HOMAS FLYNN .- Among the sons of the Emerald Isle who have become factors in the industrial life of Montana is Mr. Flynn, one of the extensive and influential farmers and stockgrow- ers of Beaverhead county, his fine ranch property being located seven miles south of Dillon, the county seat. Mr. Flynn is a native of County Leitrim, Ireland, where he was born February 14, 1854, being the eighth in order of birth of the twelve children of Patrick and Katherine (McTiar- nan) Flynn, both of whom passed their entire lives in the Emerald Isle. The father of our subject was a farmer and trader and a stanch repre- sentative of good old Irish stock, being a man of ability and inflexible integrity of character. Both he and his wife were devoted members of the Catholic church.

Thomas Flynn was educated in the public and parochial schools of his native county, and there- after he assisted in the work of the parental farm- stead until the time of his emigration, his father having died when he was but fourteen years of age. Two of his brothers had preceded him to the United States and were engaged at mining in Montana in 1876. Coming to Montana in that year he entered the employ of Poindexter & Orr, ex-

tensive stockgrowers and merchants of Beaver- head county. Five years later he bought a tract of land on Blacktail creek, the nucleus of his pres- ent fine property, embracing 2,600 acres, while he controls a tract of 1,700 acres under lease from the state, thus giving a total of 4,300 acres. In addition to raising large crops of wheat, oats and alfalfa, Mr. Flynn is extensively engaged in the production of highgrade shorthorn cattle. He has brought to bear in his operations excellent business and executive ability and an unflagging energy, and is ever alert and progressive, thus securing worthy success and the enjoyment of high standing in the community as a citizen and a business man. During the severe winter of 1889 Mr. Flynn met with severe financial losses, a large portion of his live stock perishing, but the misfor- tune did not discourage him, and he has entirely recouped his losses. He is constantly making im- provements on his ranch by bringing more land under cultivation and feeding more stock; and stands as one of the substantial and prosperous ranchmen of the county. His political support is given to the Democratic party, while he and his estimable wife are members of the Catholic church.

In the city of Butte, on November 22, 1855, Mr. Flynn was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ledan. who was born in Ireland and came to the United States when seventeen years of age in company with her brother, Michael, who died in Butte in 1883. Her parents were John and Mary (Flynn) Ledan, the former of whom is deceased and the latter still residing in Ireland.

CLEMENS H. FORTMAN is one of the repre- D sentative business men of the capital city who has attained a large measure of success through his own efforts. Mr. Fortman is a native of the old Buckeye state, having been born in the city of Cincinnati in 1861. His father, John Fortman, was born in Holland, where he was educated and whence he emigrated in 1857, locating in Cincinnati and there passed the remainder of his honorable and useful life. He was for a time employed in a foundry, but became a member of the police force of the Queen City, and served for the long term of twenty years, being retired only when he had reached the age limit. At the time of his retirement he was presented with a gold star and a goldheaded cane in recogni-

163

PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MONTANA.

tion of his long and faithful service. The mother of Mr. Fortman was born in Osnabruck, in the extreme eastern part of Holland, where she grew to maturity. By her marriage to Mr. Fortman she became the mother of eight children, seven of whom are living.

Clemens H. Fortman, our subject, was educated in the parochial schools of Cincinnati, graduating in 1874. After leaving school he was employed for two years in a grocery, and for three years there- after was in the employ of Parker, Harrison & Co., manufacturers of spices. He then en- gaged in the grocery trade in Cincinnati, but in 1887 failing health rendered a change of climate imperative, and he came to Montana, where he was first engaged with the Montana Lumber Company, of Helena, for one year; then employed in the local office of the Northern Pacific Express Com- pany. A change of agents brought about a change in the corps of subordinates, and thereafter Mr. Fortman was for nine years in the employ of that well known firm of Sanford & Evans, to whom specific reference is made elsewhere. On Septem- ber 1, 1900, Mr. Fortman organized the C. H. Fortman Company, incorporated under the laws of the state, though he is the sole stockholder in the same. The function of the enterprise in- chudes dealing in grain, coal, wood, implements and wagons, and the ability and correct business meth- ods which Mr. Fortman brings to bear insures to the undertaking abundant success.

In politics our subject gives loyal support to the Democratic party ; in religion he and his family are members of the Catholic church; socially he is identified with the Ancient Order of United Work- men, the Woodmen of the World, the Royal High- landers, and the Jefferson Club, being treasurer of the last mentioned. He is well known in the city, where he enjoys a distinctive popularity. In 1898-9 he represented his ward as a member of the board of aldermen, filling the office most creditably. In 1884 Mr. Fortman was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Fallon, a native of Cincinnati, and the daughter of Patrick Fallon, who was born in Ireland, whence he came to America in his youth, locating in Cincinnati, where he is engaged in the market business in a wholesale way. Mrs. Fortman's sister, Miss Alice Fallon, has attained an excellent reputation in the field of vocal music, having studied under Orgaini, the great Dresden teacher, and made a notable success in both con- cert and operatic work. Mr. and Mrs. Fortman are the parents of one child, Blanche Marie.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 1, Part 33

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago Publication date: [19-?] Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 1374

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago
Publication date: [19-?]
Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1374