Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 11

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago
Publication date: [19-?]
Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > Montana > Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2 > Part 11

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On the organization of Powell county, by its segregation from Deer Lodge county in 1901,

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Mr. Davis was appointed county commissioner of the new county, by provision of the legislative enactment which created the county, and his term extends to the next general election, which will be the first held in the county. Upon the assembling of the board Mr. Davis was made chairman of the body, and in this capacity he is devoting much time and labor to the exacting work which naturally devolves upon the board. Mr. Davis is an ardent supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and fraternally he is a member of the Ma- sonic order. He is still extensively engaged in sheepraising, as a member of the firm of Davis & Williams, and at the time of this writing they have about 12,000 sheep, while they hold title to about 10,000 acres of land and lease about 6,000 acres of state lands, all located in Powell county, north of the city of Deer Lodge.

On September 4, 1889, Mr. Davis wedded Miss Lizzie B. Wolfolk, the nuptial ceremony being celebrated in Deer Lodge. Mrs. Davis was born in Lexington, Ky., on September 18, 1866, the daughter of Rev. Lucien B. and Elizabeth O. (Cunningham) Wolfolk, natives of Kentucky and Tennessee. The father of Mrs. Davis was a de- scendant of the celebrated Marshall family, his mother being the daughter of a sister of John Marshall, the renowned chief justice of the su- preme court of the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of four children, Harry B., Alexander W., Julian W. and Charlotte.

ENKIN W. DAVIS, M. D., the leading physi- cian of Whitehall, Jefferson county, Mont., was born in Oshkosh, Wis., on February 16, 1864. He is the son of Rev. J. D. and Mary (Davis) Davis, both of Rymi, Wales. They emigrated to New York in 1845, where they remained for several years, the father engaging in the drygoods business. He also had charge of a Welsh church for some ten years. Here he was married, soon thereafter, in 1855, removing to Oshkosh, Wis. In that neighborhood he purchased a farm which he worked in connection with his church duties. Later he removed to Waukesha, Wis., where he at present resides at the age of eighty years. His wife is seventy-nine years old, and they celebrated their golden wedding in 1899. They have two sons. The mother and her father, David Davis, came to America in 1831 and settled in Bradford county,

Pa., where her father located on a farm. Here he continued until his death at eighty-seven years of age, and to them were born six sons and six daughters.

Dr. J. W. Davis received his early education in Dodgeville, Wis., and by earnest application ac- quired such proficiency that he was called to act as a teacher, which he did for two years with ability. In 1887 he began the study of medicine at Rush Medical College, Chicago, and devoted himself to the acquistion of the technical knowledge req- uisite in his profession for two years.

In 1889 Mr. Davis first came to Montana, locat- ing at Butte, where he was engaged as nurse and resident physician for three years, in the Boston and Montana Hospital one year and in the Murray and Gillespie Hospital two years. He then re- turned to Chicago and completed his studies at the Rush Medical College, being graduated in 1893. He then engaged in medical practice at Monroe, Neb., for six months, when returning to Butte he was employed as resident physician at the Murray & Freund Hospital, with which he was associated one year. He then removed to Whitehall, where he has since been permanently located in the prosecution of a most lucrative practice in both the branches of medicine and surgery, in which he is a skillful operator. For the past five years he has been physician and sur- geon for the Northern Pacific at Whitehall, and from the organization of the Mayflower Mining Company he has been their physician and sur- geon.

In 1892 Dr. Davis was wedded to Miss Mattie West, daughter of William West, of West Vir- ginia. Miss West had removed to Wyoming from her native state with her mother, Mrs. Catherine West, and there her wedding occurred. They have one child, Earl Llewellyn. Fraternally Dr. Davis is a Freemason, a member of the Knights of Pythias, having passed the chairs, an Odd Fellow, in which he has filled every office in his lodge, and is a member of the Maccabees. Politic- ally the affiliations of Dr. Davis are with the Re- publican party, in whose various campaigns he takes a lively interest. In the November election of 1900 he was a candidate for the house of rep- resentatives of the Montana legislature, but a tidal wave of Democracy swept over the state and he was defeated, having polled, however, the full strength of his party ticket. The career of Dr. Davis in Montana, as elsewhere, has been such as

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to entitle him to the high esteem with which he is regarded. As a physician and surgeon his skill and ability have been justly recognized, and per- sonally he is a broad-minded and progressive man. In the municipal welfare of his home city he is deeply interested, and he is regarded as one of the liberal, patriotic citizens of Whitehall, while his home is a fine type of what an ideal home may become when dominated by intelligence, culture and hospitality.

W ILLIAM DAVIS .- Fifteen miles south of Lewistown, Fergus county, is located the good ranch property of this well and favorably known farmer and stockgrower, who is a repre- sentative of one of the sterling pioneer families of the state. Mr. Davis was born in Muscatine county, Iowa, on November 8, 1859. His par- ents, William and Jane Davis, born in the south of Wales, emigrated to America in 1852, locating in New Orleans, La., and later removing to Iowa. In 1862 they crossed the plains to Utah, thence removed to Nevada, they having passed five years in these states and another in Idaho, whence they came to Montana in 1868. For the first thirty years of his life William Davis, Sr., was identified with coal mining, and in the Unted States he was the owner of coal mines in both Iowa and Illinois. While residing in Utah and Nevada he devoted his attention to freighting, and after coming to Mon- tana he engaged in farming and stockraising in Crow creek valley in Jefferson county, in whichi profitable occupation he continued until his death in 1890. His wife is now living on the home where they first settled. He was a Republican in his pol- itics, and both he and his wife were members of the Josephite church. Of their seven children four are deceased, the others being William, Ann and Thomas.

Though he began to assist his father in his busi- ness operations at the early age of eleven years, William Davis was accorded such educational ad- vantages as were to be had in the public schools of the several localities where his parents resided during his youth. He stayed with his parents until he was twenty-two years of age, when oc- curred his marriage. After a lapse of one year he resumed charge of his father's business and remained with his parents until 1890, when he re- moved to his present home and took a pre-emp-

tion. Here he engaged in ranching on his own responsibility, said claim being a portion of his present ranch, which now comprises 320 acres, eighty acres is under effective cultivation, and the place has permanent improvements which show the energy and progressive methods of Mr. Davis. He raises cattle of good grade and has been suc- cessful in this line of enterprise, while he also se- cures good crops of hay, oats, etc., from the land under cultivation. He is a public spirited gen- tleman and gives his political support to the Dem- ocratic party, while fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, holding membership in Judith Lodge No. 30, at Lewis- town.

On December 31, 1881, Mr. Davis was united in marriage with Miss Emma J. Ross, who likewise is a native of Iowa, the daughter of George P. and Eliza Ross, the former of whom was born in Vir- ginia and the latter in Illinois. They were among the pioneers of Iowa, whence they removed to Missouri, remained a few years and thence came to Montana, where they have since made their home. They located first in Virginia City, where Mr. Ross was engaged in mining, as was he later in Helena, while he eventually located on Crow creek, Jefferson county, where he has since been engaged in ranching and stockgrowing. Mr. and Mrs. Ross were the parents of eight children, all are living except Nellie. They are John S., James W., Mary F., Emma J., Jacob W., Amanda E. and Caroline E. Ross. The six children of Mr. and Mrs. Davis are William E., Nellie J., George F., Henry A., Ethel A. and Stella G. Davis. The family are highly esteemed and Mr. Davis is known as one of the upright and enterprising citizens of this section of the state.

JOHN DAVIDSON .- Born at Lochaber, Scot- J

land, March 28, 1865, and bred to the business of tending sheep under direction of his father, who all his life has followed the time-honored oc- cupation of a shepherd, John Davidson, the sub- ject of this review, has pursued in the land of his adoption the calling which he learned so well in that of his nativity.

His parents are George and Elizabeth (Renwick) Davidson, both natives of Scotland, and both are still living in that country. The father, as has been noted, has been a shepherd all his life, and

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is still engaged in that peaceful and pleasing vo- cation. John Davidson was educated in the neigh- borhood schools of his native place, and when he was eighteen years of age came to the United States, locating first in Williamson and later in Coleman county, Tex., where he worked on sheep ranches for two years. In 1885 he came to the Tongue river, Mont., and there worked on the sheep ranch of John Barringer for a period of three years, at the end of which he took up his present homestead on the Rosebud river, located three miles from the Cheyenne res- ervation and fifty-five from the Northern Pacific Railroad. Later he took up a desert claim of forty acres, secured 200 more on scrip and pur- chased six sections of railroad land, swelling his ranch to 4,240 acres and making it one of the most extensive in his section of the state. Here he is largely engaged in raising stock and in general farming, his average holdings being some 8,000 head of sheep, 500 cattle and numerous horses, while his annual crops of hay, grain and other farm products are enormous.

In politics Mr. Davidson has adhered steadily to the Republican party; and, although not an active partisan, has been called to public office by the voice of his party associates. He was elected public administrator in 1898, but resigned the office soon after the beginning of his term. He has, however, rendered good service to his school district as trustee. He was married to his present wife at Miles City in 1899. Her maiden name was Elizabeth McRae, a native of Ontario, Canada, where she was born December 23, 1871. They have one child, Bessie Christina, aged two years. Mr. Davidson had been previously married, in 1890, to Miss Olive A. Richards, a native of Ohio. By her he had one child, a daughter named Edna E., who is now nine years old. He is looked upon as one of the most prosperous and progres- sive men in his county, and a useful and enter- prising citizen.

W ILLIAM DELL .- In connection with the stockgrowing enterprises of Carbon county the subject of this review has attained a distinctive success, and as one of the energetic and highly honored citizens of the county he is particularly worthy of consideration in a compilation of this nature. Mr. Dell is a native of Iowa, having been

born in the old city of Des Moines, Polk county, on April 3, 1864, the son of Joseph and Theresa (Schmidt) Dell, natives of the province of Bavaria, Germany, the date of the former's nativity being March 19, 1832. Joseph Dell came to America in the early 'fifties, and soon after his arrival he made his way westward to the state of Illinois, where he maintained his residence about two years, his marriage having taken place shortly after his arrival in New York city. In 1858 he removed to Des Moines, Iowa, becoming one of the pioneers of that beautiful city, where he continued to make his home until his death, which occurred on De- cember 12, 1898. He owned valuable real estate in Des Moines, and was prominently concerned in agricultural pursuits in Polk county. Mrs. Theresa Dell is still living on the old homestead in East Des Moines. They became the parents of eight children. Those living are: Mrs. Levie Shepard, of Des Moines, Iowa ; Mrs. E. R. Kind- ler, of Grand Island, Neb .; Frank J. Dell, Louis V. Dell and John H. Dell, all of Des Moines ; Chas. A. Dell and William Dell, of Carbon county, Mont.

In the public schools of his native city William Dell secured his early education and there learned to be a compositor, but never devoted his atten- tion to the business since his apprenticeship. He was for a time employed in a dry goods estab- lishment in Des Moines, but in the spring of 1886 he started for Montana, making Bozeman, Gallatin county, his destination. There he re- mained for seven years, and was in the employ of Senator C. W. Hoffman and James Henderson, influential citizens of that county. In 1893 Mr. Dell came to Carbon county and located on his present ranch, eighteen miles northwest of the city of Red Lodge, near Red Lodge creek, and at the head of Butcher creek, so that he is enabled to effectively irrigate a considerable portion of his ranch of 160 acres. Mr. Dell is energetic and progressive, and has made excellent improvements on his place, which is devoted to the raising of cattle and horses, and the raising of grain from the irrigated section of his ranch. He breeds more particularly the Hereford type of cattle and Norman horses.

In politics Mr. Dell exercises his franchise in support of the principles of the Democratic party ; at the present time he is a member of the board of trustees of his school district, and maintains a lively interest in all that conserves the prog- ress and prosperity of the community. Frater-

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nally he is identified with the Woodmen of the World, holding membership in Summit Lodge No. 328, at Red Lodge. On February 1I, 1896, Mr. Dell was united in marriage to Miss Mary Bunn, daughter of J. F. Bunn, who was born in Germany. He came to Montana in 1895 and is a successful farmer and stockgrower of Carbon county, his ranch being located fifteen miles north- west of Red Lodge. Mr. and Mrs. Dell have four children: Mary Josephine, Amy Virginia, Buelah May and Jessie Alice.

L EONARD B. DIVERS .- Among those who have contributed to the development of the great ranching interests of Montana is Mr. Divers, one of the alert and successful farmers and stock- growers of Fergus county. His fine ranch prop- erty is located one and one-half miles east of Utica, his postoffice address. Mr. Divers has been a resi- dent of Montana for more than a score of years and was born at Warrensburg, Johnson county, Mo., on the 6th of March, 1851, being the fourth in order of birth of the nine children of Francis and Ann A. Divers, natives respectively of Vir- ginia and Kentucky. They became residents of Missouri in 1836 and there remained until their life's labors were ended in death, the father passing away in 1874 and the mother in 1876. Francis Divers was a grocer in his earlier manhood, but eventually turned his attention to farming, which engrossed his attention until his death. He was successful in this until the time of the Civil war which worked havoc with all industrial activity in Missouri. He was a stalwart supporter of the Democratic party, and his religious faith was that of the Baptist church. Of his nine children six survive, namely: Mary, Nancy, Leonard B., Frank, Vivia and Lelia.

Leonard B. Divers at the early age of fifteen years began to lend his aid in the cultivation of the parental acres, and remained at the home place until he had attained his legal majority, when he set forth to win his own way in the world. His equipment consisted of strong physical health promoted by his active outdoor labors, a definite energy and purpose, and a determination to de- vote himself to whatever work would aid him in the attaining of that purpose. When twenty-one he went to Nevada, where he received $50 per month in a dairy for one year. He then returned

to Missouri, and for the ensuing five years carried on farming, the scourge of grasshoppers, how- ever, preventing success.

In 1879 Mr. Divers cast in his lot with Montana, and he has never regretted his choice. He first conducted freighting business, in which he tra- versed all sections of the state and visited various settlements and mining camps in British Columbia. In 1880 he went to Helena, purchased a team and came to his present ranch, which now comprises 440 acres, secured through homestead and pre- emption entries. In addition to the homestead ranch he also uses 1,280 acres of desert entries, enabling him to conduct business upon an ex- tensive scale. Mr. Divers has given special atten- tion to the raising of high-grade horses and mules, while he raises large crops of hay and grain. He has been progressive in his attitude, has adopted advanced methods and won success. His political support is accorded to the Democratic party. Fra- ternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias.

April 6, 1897, stands as the date of Mr. Divers' marriage to Miss Cora L. Ridge, a native of his old home town of Warrensburg, Mo., and the daughter of Jacob and Fannie Ridge, both of whom were born in Missouri, where the father was engaged in farming and where both passed their lives, the former passing away in 1890, and the latter on the 13th of December, 1890, a devoted member of the Missionary Baptist church. Mr. Ridge was a stalwart Republican in his political proclivities. Their four surviving children are Ada, Cora L., Frank and Edward. Mr. and Mrs. Divers have two daughters-Cora L. and Fannie A. Mrs. Divers is also a Missionary Baptist in religious faith.

S 'AMUEL DEAN, a pioneer in the coal develop- ment of Montana, resides in Sand Coulee, Cas- cade county. He was born in Huntingdon county, Pa., on March 12, 1843, the son of William and Elizabeth (Mountain) Dean, who was born in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia. The father, a successful farmer, died on March 12, 1853. Sam- uel Dean was called from his attendance at the public schools of his native town when he was seventeen years old to enlist in the Third Penn- sylvania Heavy Artillery, which served bravely and with honor in the Army of the Potomac. He was mustered out in the summer of 1865, and went

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to Jackson county, Iowa, to visit his brother James, and in 1866 he handled wheat in an ele- vator connected with a Pillsbury mill at Blakely, Minn.

Mr. Dean first came to Montana in 1867 and for one season put up hay for the government at Fort Buford, when he returned to Blakely and again worked in the elevator. He drove a team in Montana for the Diamond R Company from 1868 until 1869, when he again resumed work in the Minnesota elevators, continuing there until 1871, when he joined a surveying party on the international line north of the United States. In the fall he returned to Helena and was idle until 1875 and then began mining in the Silver Creek placer mines. In 1876 he removed to the Boulder placer mines, and in 1877 began ranching in Prickly Pear valley, remaining there until 1879. In the fall of 1879 he visited Sand Coulee, but as he had horses at Helena, he returned thither and remained until the spring of 1881, when he returned to Sand Coulee.

Here in 1884 he first began operating in coal mines, and in this valuable industry he has attained success. He now owns 107 acres of coal land and 160 acres of valley land, and his coal prop- erty is valued at $24,000. On July 6, 1891, Mr. Dean was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Dou- elan, of Williamston, County Galway, Ireland. They have three children, Ruth May, William and Florence. In early life the opportunities for achieving prosperity were not open to Mr. Dean, but he has lived to win prosperity by his own abili- ties and labor and the esteem and confidence of the public. In the coal industry he has not only a present source of income, but a wide field for future profit.

ITERMAN OTTEN .- This well known citizen of Fergus county has gained a place of promi- nence in business and industrial life, and is well deserving of that proud American title, a self-made man. He came to America from the German fatherland a poor boy, and the marked prosperity which is now his tells but the story of his success.

Mr. Otten is a native of Germany, born near the ancient city of Bremen, on the Weser river, on February 22, 1838. His parents, Charles and Mar- garetta (Kut) Otten, passed their entire lives in

Germany, where the father was a farmer. Of their five children, Herman and Charles H. are the only ones of the family now living, and Her- man is the only one to take up his permanent resi- dence in the United States, Charles having re- turned to Germany, where he still makes his home.

Herman Otten remained until he had attained the age of eighteen years in his fatherland, then courageously set forth to seek his fortunes in America. On his arrival here he was in truth "a stranger in a strange land," and also entirely unacquainted with the language of his adopted country. His arrival in the United States was in 1856, and for three years he found employment in New York state. In 1859 he made the journey to California by the Isthmus of Panama and locating in San Francisco, where he was identified with various business enterprises until 1863, when he removed to Virginia City, Nev., where he gave his attention to mining until 1865. He then came to Virginia City, Mont., was in Alder gulch for a brief period, from thence going to German gulch, where he engaged with fair success for some years in hydraulic mining. His next venture was pur- chasing cattle in Texas, which he drove through to Madison county, where he located a ranch on the Big Hole river, near the present city of Twin Bridges, and there was in the cattle business until 1877. Thereafter he was identified with the same line in Silver Bow county until 1888, when he came to Fergus county, where he has since main- tained his home. He located at Cottonwood, where he still resides on a finely improved ranch of 3,200 acres and continues to raise cattle upon an extensive scale. He also opened a general store at Cottonwood, of which he is still proprietor. Mr. Otten's stock and financial interests are now of wide scope and importance, and he is recognized as one of the leading capitalists of this section of the state. He is president of the Judith Basin Bank, at Lewistown, and one of its principal stock- holders. Of this bank a detailed description is en- tered on other pages of this work. Always a Re- publican, he has always refused to be considered in connection with any political office. He is ever ready to lend his aid and influence to worthy ob- jects, and is a generous and public spirited citizen.

In the city of New York, on the 17th of June, 1877, Mr. Otten was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Ranges, who was born in Germany, and they are the parents of five children, Annie (now the wife of Wm. M. Blackford, Esq., of Lewistown),

Herman Otten

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Herman C., Lizzie, Henry and Ella. Mrs. Otten is a worthy helpmeet to her husband and her strength of character and practical ability have been strong factors in his success.

J' JEFFERSON D. DOGGETT .- To trace the life of an active business man who was born in Mon- tana is a privilege accorded to few. In the case of this representative citizen of Broadwater county, J. D. Doggett, we have one who was not only born at Virginia City, on October 31, 1863, but is the eldest white male born in this part of the country. As a prosperous ranchman he is well and favorably known and maintains his residence at Canton, near Townsend. He is the son of Moses Doggett, a na- tive of Kentucky, and his wife, Susan (Rose) Dog- gett, who was born in Illinois. Moses Doggett, at the age of six years, accompanied his parents to Indiana, where he attained manhood and was edu- cated. About that time his father, James S. Dog- gett, took up a large tract of land in Iowa, later giving to each son a cleared 160 acres. Moses remained on his farm until he went to Pike's Peak. James S. Doggett was a Virginian and from that state removed to Kentucky, as a young man, and was an overseer on plantations. He married in Kentucky and later became a citizen of Indiana and still later of Iowa, from which state he went to Colorado. He was a man of great ability and served in the legislatures of both Indiana and Iowa with great acceptability. His wife died in Colorado and he then went to Nebraska where his death occurred. In the spring of 1859 Moses Doggett left Iowa for Pike's Peak, where he was a miner for three and one-half years, then returning to Iowa.

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Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 11

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago Publication date: [19-?] Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago
Publication date: [19-?]
Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1092