Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 86

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 86

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Milton W. Tipton, the brother of John C. who accompanied him to California, remained in that state until 1857. He then drifted north into Mon- tana, and for a time had charge of the Jocko Indian reservation. In 1860 and 1861 he lived at French- town, and in the spring of 1878 died in Colorado. He was a fine, courageous, upright man, and was esteemed by everybody who had the pleasure of his acquaintance.

JAMES C. TURNER .- One of the well known and distinctively popular and representative young stockgrowers and business men of Choteau county is James Cartwright Turner, a member of one of the prominent families of this section of the state. Mr. Turner was born near the city of Nashville, Davidson county, Tenn., on the 13th of September, 1862, the son of William P. Turner, Sr., who was born at Carthage, Tenn., in the year 1826. He was engaged in farming and in the breeding of high-grade cattle in that state until 1882, when he came to the Marias river district of Montana, bringing with him a herd of 300 thor- oughbred shorthorn cattle, through which the grade of cattle raised in this section of the state has been greatly improved. He retired from act- ive business about a decade since and still retains his residence in Choteau county, where his two sons are engaged in the line of enterprise which he inaugurated. William P. Turner married Miss Ophelia Cartwright, who was born at Gallatin, Tenn., in 1837, and who died near Nashville, that state, in 1878, leaving two sons and one daughter. Of the younger son, William P., Jr., individual mention is made on another page of this work. The daughter, Ophelia, who was four years of age

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at the time when her father removed to the west, remained with her aunt, Jane Cartwright, and now makes her home at Charlotte, N. C.

James C. Turner, to whom this review is more particularly devoted, continued his studies in the public schools of his native county until he had attained the age of eighteen years, when he as- sumed the management of the old homestead, over which he remained in charge one year, after which, in the spring of 1883, he joined his father and brother at Sun River, Mont., where they had lo- cated the preceding year. In August, 1883, they all came to the Big Bend district on the Marias river, locating on the old "Nosey" Baker place, which is about nine miles distant from the famous Baker battlefield. This section was at that time the favorite rendezvous and stamping ground of the Blackfoot Indians, who gave the few settlers much trouble and annoyance by killing valuable cattle and stealing horses. In this locality the father and two sons have since maintained their residence and their identification with the stockgrowing industry has been such as to ma- terially advance the same both in scope and char- acter of grades. James C. Turner is one of the best known of the younger men in northern Mon- tana, having passed twelve years in managing the large cattle outfits, in turn, of Samuel Spencer and the firm of Clary & Ford, in which connection he traversed an immense area of territory in this sec- tion of the state. The Turners were the first white settlers to locate in this portion of the Marias river district, and it was in the year 1894 that the subject of this sketch took up govern- ment claims on the river, eventually adding to the same until he now has a fine ranch of more than 700 acres, all of which is fenced and equipped with the best improvements in other necessary lines, while the surrounding free range is also utilized. In the fall of 1899 Mr. Turner permanently located on his ranch and here first turned his attention to raising of cattle. Later he became identified with the sheep business also, and in these lines of enter- prise his efforts have been attended with gratifying success, while he is recognized as one of the alert and progressive young stockgrowers and business men of northern Montana. In politics Mr. Turn- er gives his allegiance to the Republican party, and his wife is the postmistress of Beatrice, which is their place of residence.

In the city of Great Falls, on the 27th of March, 1894, Mr. Turner was united in marriage to Miss

Susie Price, who was born at Stroudsburg, Mon- roe county, Pa., on the 3d of October, 1869, the daughter of Perry and Julia (Yetter) Price, the former of whom died there in 1878 and the latter in 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Turner have a winsome little daughter, Beatrice, who was born on the 16th of September, 1895.

BENJAMIN URNER .- Born and reared in the very center of our boasted "eastern civiliza- tion," and passing a portion of his mature life amid its sights and scenes and social influences, Benja- min Urner, the subject of this writing, yet found on his arrival in far northwestern Montana a state of affairs to which he was readily adaptable and which did not differ very materially, except in de- gree, from what he had been accustomed to. The opportunities for profitable business were per- haps better and more abundant, and the social con- ditions were not as unfavorable as they were thought to be in New York.

The birth of Mr. Urner occurred in the state of New York, April 23, 1862, his parents being Ben- jamin and Abbie S. (Arnold) Urner, the former a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the latter of Alton, Ill. His father when a young man removed from Cincinnati to New York city, where he conducted a printing establishment, and was the publisher of a periodical called the "Producers' Price Current," spending his life in the business. His home was at Fanwood, Union county, N. J.

Benjamin Urner was educated in the public schools of New Jersey and when he left school went into the printing business with his father, re- maining in it until 1881, when he came to Mon- tana to join a brother who was a surveyor on the line of the Northern Pacific Railroad. He made the trip as far as Billings by rail, and on his arrival he and his brother, George P. Urner, engaged in raising sheep, locating on a ranch near Melville, at which they continued until 1888. They then sold both sheep and ranch, after which Mr. Urner engaged for some time in a sheep brokerage busi- ness, but feeling a desire for a more decided mer- cantile enterprise, he organized the Melville Mer- cantile Company in 1892, becoming its president and general manager, and opening a store at Mel- ville, and later a branch at the new town of Har- lowton. The company carries a large and varied stock of general merchandise, farming implements

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and kindred commodities, which is always kept up to date in quality and completeness, and put upon the market in a style and with a courteous regard for the patrons of the stores that insures an ex- tensive trade and general satisfaction with the concern. Under Mr. Urner's careful and skillful management the business has grown to great pro- portions and is steadily increasing.

Mr. Urner was married November 14, 1890, to Miss Mary Burke, a native of Canada, and daugh- ter of L. T. Burke, a resident and prominent con- tractor and builder of Helena. They have one child, an infant. In fraternal relations our subject is identified with the Masonic order and the Knights of Pythias, in both of which he has been active and serviceable. During the last five years, as a matter of accommodation to the community, he has been the postmaster at Melville and has conducted the office with general approval and commendation. He is a progressive and wide- awake citizen, identified with every good enter- prise for the advancement of the community, and is well spoken of in all circles for his integrity of character, business capacity, fair dealing with everybody, public spirit and social qualities.

R OBERT VAUGHN is consistently claimed as one of the most public-spirited citizens of Great Falls, Mont. He is a native of Wales, hav- ing been born in Montgomeryshire June 5, 1836, one of six children, all of whom are living except the eldest. The parents, Edward and Elizabeth (Davis) Vaughn, were respected members of the Episcopal church and were engaged in farming.

Robert Vaughn was the third in the family and enjoyed but limited opportunities for obtaining an education in his native country. He has, how- ever, in the hard school of experience become an intelligent, well-informed, self-made man. The only two members of the family to come to America were Mr. Vaughn and his brother Hugh. The latter is now a prosperous farmer in McLean county, Ill. Robert Vaughn spent over a year in Liverpool, engaged in flower gardening and in learning the English language. He then came to America on the steamer Vigo, arriving in New York city in October, 1858.

Subsequently Mr. Vaughn spent many years in the west, coming to Montana in 1864, and encount- ering many dangers and hardships. The story of

his life is full of romantic incident and stirring de- tail. In northern Montana he was a pioneer of pioneers and was the first in that region to enter land in the United States land office, having made his entry early in 1870. He sold a farm in 1890 for $45,000, and then took up his permanent resi- dence in Great Falls. From the time Paris Gib- son commenced his efforts to found a city at this place Mr. Vaughn was a most enthusiastic worker and coadjutor. Accordingly he became one of the earliest investors in Great Falls property and now owns many blocks of buildings and other pieces of real estate.

On August 25, 1886, Mr. Vaughn was married to Miss Elizabeth Donahue, a native of Toronto, Canada, born March 19, 1855, the daughter of Mat- thew and Jane Donahue. She died within sixteen months, leaving a little daughter, Arvonia Eliza- beth. Mr. Vaughn was again married January 17, 1893, this time to Miss Ella De Vee, an amiable Christian lady, who is a native of Indiana.

Politically Mr. Vaughn is a Republican, but has never sought office, preferring a quiet, peaceful life. Yet notwithstanding his avoidance of polit- ical life he was elected county commissioner of Choteau county, in which office he served the peo- ple well. In 1875 he was nominated by the Re- publicans of Choteau county as representative in the lower house of the territorial legislature, but was defeated by a small majority, the county being strongly Democratic. Mr. Vaughın has done more than any other individual to preserve the memory of the early days. His works on pioneer life are valuable. Pleasantly and graphically writ- ten they are highly appreciated.

JOHN VOSS .- A native of Schleswig-Holstein, J' Germany, where he first saw the light April 9, 1869, the oldest of three children born to his parents, Henry and Anna Voss, both descendants of old and long established German families, the subject of this sketch was well endowed by nature for the life of vigorous struggle and endurance that has been his portion in the new world, to which his hopes led him as a young man, or rather as a mere boy. Mr. Voss attended the public or state schools of his native land until he was sixteen years of age, and then, leaving home and friends and all the associations of happy childhood and youth, bravely dared the heaving ocean over which a sanguine

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spirit impelled him to the land of promise on its other shore. He spent the first four years of his American life at Belle Plains, Iowa, working two years on a farm and two years clerking in a store. In 1890 he came to Montana, locating at Florence, Ravalli county, where he worked six years in a saw-mill, and after that two years in mines near Philipsburg. He then returned to Florence and engaged in a general merchandising business in partnership with George Dalglish, but sold his in- terest in 1900. He was appointed postmaster of the village in 1897 and is still in charge of the office, running a small store in connection with it.

In politics Mr. Voss is an active Republican. He has a great liking for the activities of American political life and is well adapted to take a leading and serviceable part in it. His counsel is eagerly sought by his party friends and his substantial aid in securing the success of the policies and candidates of the party is much appreciated. As an evidence of the fact it should be stated that he was elected justice of the peace in 1900.

Mr. Voss was married July 19, 1894, to Miss Anna Dalglish, a daughter of Robert and Mary Dal- glish, prosperous farmers of the neighborhood, the ceremony being performed at Missoula. They have three interesting children, Robert H., Irene M. and Helen A. Both parents are well esteemed in the community and enjoy the cordial regard of a large circle of friends. Mr. Voss belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America.

M AX WATERMAN .- Within the pages of this work will be found individual mention of many of the representative members of the bar of Montana, and in the category it is most fitting that due reference be made to Mr. Waterman, who is incumbent of the office of county attorney of Meagher county and who has attained pres- tige as one of the able legists of the state. He comes of stanch old Revolutionary stock and has himself rendered to his country the loyal service of a true son of the Republic, contributing his quota toward the maintenance of the Union when its integrity was menaced by armed rebellion, and thus there are many points which justify his rep- resentation in this compilation, though he has shown somewhat of reluctance in thus permitting specific mention of his career as a soldier, a law- yer and a citizen.

Mr. Waterman is a native of the old Keystone state, having been born in Tioga county, Pa., on the 8th of September, 1841. His parents were Solomon and Catherine (Hart) Waterman, the former of whom was born in Utica, N. Y., and the latter in Salisbury, same state, she being also a granddaughter of Gen. Hart, who attained so marked distinction as an officer in the Continental army during the war of the Revolution. William Waterman, the grandfather of our subject in the agnatic line, was born in .Utica, N. Y., a repre- sentative of one of the pioneer families of that state, where he conducted a large dairy and cheese factory until the time of his death. He was found murdered by the roadside and as his person had been robbed the motive of the crime was evi- dent. Solomon Waterman was reared by Nat. Foster, a noted frontiersman of New York state, of whose life and adventures a detailed history has been written. Mr. Waterman eventually re- moved to Pennsylvania, where he remained a few years, thence going to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he passed the residue of his life, giv- ing his attention to agricultural pursuits; there also occurred the death of his wife. They were the parents of five sons and five daughters, and of the number five are living at the present time, the subject of this sketch having been the seventh in order of birth.

Max Waterman received his preliminary edu- cation in the public schools of Ashtabula county, Ohio, and thereafter continued his studies in Grand River Institute, at Austinburg, that state. He then began the reading of law under effective preceptorage, but willingly abandoned his work in this line when there came the higher call to assist in the suppression of the rebellion inaugur- ated by the firing upon the ramparts of old Fort Sumter. Thus, on the 18th of August, 1862, Mr. Waterman enlisted as a private in Company B, Thirty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under com- mand of Col. J. B. Hill. He was mustered in at Muscatine, Iowa, on the IIth of September, and after remaining a short time in Missouri the regiment proceeded to Cairo, Ill., where it passed the winter. In the spring of 1863 it proceeded to the front and was in the Vicksburg campaign, participating in all the engagements incidental thereto and also being present at the taking of the city. It also took an active part in two of the charges incidental to the capture of Jackson, Miss. During the Red river campaign Mr. Water-

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man was severely wounded, and was confined to the hospital for nearly three months, after which he rejoined his regiment. After Sturges' defeat his regiment went out in the command of Gen. A. J. Smith, in the Sixteenth Army Corps, in which connection it participated in the engagement at Tupelo, Miss., whence it proceeded to Nashville, Tenn. In the memorable battle at this point Mr. Waterman participated, having joined his regi- ment the previous day, and thereafter they fol- lowed Hood to Eastport, Miss., where they went into winter quarters. In the spring of 1865 the regiment went to New Orleans, later taking part in the siege and capture of Mobile, from which point they marched to Montgomery and thence to Selma, Ala., where they were stationed at the time of Lee's surrender. They thence proceeded to the north, and our subject received his honorable discharge on the IIth of September, 1865, at Davenport, Iowa, being mustered out as orderly sergeant. He resumed his law studies at Mus- catine, Iowa, and was admitted to the bar of that state in January, 1868. He began the active prac- tice of his profession in Iowa, was later a member of the bar of Kansas, but finally resumed his professional work in Iowa, where he remained until 1878, when he made the trip up the Missouri river to Montana, locating in Fort Benton. There he was successfully established in the practice of his profession until. 1884, when he came to White Sulphur Springs, where he has since maintained marked precedence as one of the leading barristers of this section of the state, having to do with much important litigation and retaining a represent- ative clientage.

Mr. Waterman is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, but while he has been an act- ive worker in the cause of the same he has never sought official preferment. He is now chairman of the Republican central committee for Meagher county and a member of the state committee. The only distinctly official preferment which he ac- cepted while living in Iowa was that as mayor of the town of Villisca, in which capacity he acted for a term of two years. Although he has fre- quently been urged to allow his name to be con- sidered in connection with party candidacy in Montana, he effectually resisted all overtures until 1900, when he was elected county attorney of Meagher county, without solicitation or personal canvass. The efficient service he is giving in this important office fully justified the support accorded him at the polls by the voters of the county.

On the 5th of September, 1865, Mr. Waterman was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Welliver, who was born in Pennsylvania. Her father, Russel P. Welliver, also a native of the Keystone state, came to Montana in 1892 and thereafter made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Waterman, until his death in 1894, at the venerable age of eighty- two years. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Water- man we enter the following brief record: Maud M. is the wife of Walter J. Miner, of Fort Ben- ton ; Edna E. is the wife of David Penwell, of whom individual mention is made on another page of this work, and Kate K. is the wife of William Mc- Ginness, of Valley county.

G OTTLIEB HEISERMAN .- Among the ster- ling sons of the Fatherland in Fergus county is Mr. Heiserman, where he has won wealth by proper application of his energies and judgment and his ability to discern and take advantage of op- portunities afforded. He served with honor as a soldier in the Union ranks during the Civil war and thus cemented more firmly his affection for this country. Mr. Heiserman is a native of the town of Gutenberg, Germany, where he was born on February 23, 1836, the son of John and Magdalena Heiserman, natives of the same province of Ger- many, where they passed their lives. They were devoted Lutherans and persons of sterling char- acter. Of their six children three are now living : Gottlieb, Jacob and Magdaline ; William, John and Pauline are dead. The death of Mr. Heiserman's father occurred at an old age. His mother died in 1867. Gottlieb Heiserman laid aside his studies at the early age of fourteen years and aided his father in his farming operations until he was eight- een, when he set forth to seek his fortunes in America, arriving in New York in 1854. He found employment at farm work, with wages from $5.00 to $9.00 per month. Two years later he made a trip to West Virginia, where he remained three months, and went to Frederick county, Md., where he was employed on a farm until the fall of 1858, when he located in Crawford county, Ohio. There he engaged in buying and selling butter and eggs, and met with success. He was thus concerned when the dark cloud of Civil war began to obscure the national horizon, and he enlisted in 1861, as a private in Company C, Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served valiantly during his term of three years' service. He took

G. Heiserman

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part in many of the historic battles of the war, and was honorably discharged. Mr. Heiserman re- turned to Ohio and located in Defiance as an operative in a brewery, and was thus engaged un- til 1866, when he made his way to Colorado and engaged in prospecting and mining until the fall of 1867. He then removed to Arizona, where he prospected and mined and conducted farming in a primitive way. The Indians were a constant men- ace, and on this account he was prevented from proper success in his labors. He rturned to Colo- rado in 1874, and was mining and farming until 1876, when the gold excitement in the Black Hills drew him thither. Fortune favored him in mining there ; he secured excellent returns and continued operations until 1878, when he came to Montana, which has since been his home. He first went to Helena and entered the employ of Joseph Horsky, doing ranch work and receiving good wages until the spring of 1880, when he located upon his pres- ent ranch, one mile northeast of Utica, where he took up pre-emption and homestead claims of 160 acres each. To this original tract he has added un- til he now has a valuable ranch of 600 acres, well improved and much of it available for cultivation. He devotes special attention to the raising of cat- tle of excellent grade, and also secures good yields of hay and oats. The political allegiance of Mr. Heiserman is given to the Democratic party.

W ILLIAM C. WHIPPS .- The subject of this sketch has been extremely prominent in con- nection with many enterprises in business and financial life in the west and especially northwest- ern Montana, and a proper notice is due him in this volume devoted to the progressive men of Mon- tana. He was born at New Lexington, near Zanesville, Ohio, August 30, 1856. His mother, Louise (Grant) Whipps, died when he was only nine years old, and his father, Lloyd Whipps, was a farmer and a hardware merchant of New Lex- ington. He died in 1897 aged seventy-eight. Wm. C. Whipps was a farmer's boy, with a farmer boy's opportunity of education until he was four- teen, when he went to Oberlin, Ohio, and took a special course of telegraphy at Oberlin Business College. Returning home he went to Schuyler, Neb., and soon after took a position in one of the offices of the Union Pacific Railroad. He was sent to McPherson, Neb., as telegraph operator 91

and agent in 1872, and was there in faithful service for some time. In June, 1875, Mr. Whipps be- came a member of the first mining party that reached the Black Hills in the noted stampede for mineral wealth, and with all the other miners was soon driven from the locality by the military authorities of the United States. His next field of activity was that of telegraph operator at Chey- enne, Wyo., and until 1877 he was in service at Cheyenne and North Platte, a portion of the time as assistant train dispatcher at Cheyenne. From Cheyenne he went to Denver, Colo., and was for some time connected with the Pacific Express Company, part of the time acting as express mes- senger and part of the time attending to clerical duties in the office. From Denver he was trans- ferred to the Cheyenne and Ogden division, where he ran as an express messenger until 1881, when he came to Dillon, Mont., and was employed by Sebree, Ferris & White, who were in extensive business as merchants, bankers and forwarders of freight. His duties were to attend to the for- warding of the freight from the terminus of the Utah & Northern Railroad, at Dillon, and he con- tinued this employment until the Utah & North- ern reached Butte, in 1882. There being now no need for his services he went to Livingston, at that time the western terminus of the Northern Pacific, and established a freighting business of his own, changing his eastern terminus as the rail- road advanced in its construction. He followed freighting until the railroad reached Helena.

Being offered a position as bookkeeper in the Merchants' National Bank, of Helena, Mr. Whipps entered its employ and was there in various ca- pacities until 1891, serving as teller at the time of his closing his connection with the bank by resignation. Foreseeing the rapid development of the agricultural and timber lands of the Flathead valley and northwestern Montana, in 1891 he es- tablished the Northwestern Bank at Demersville, then the center of trade and business. This bank had an authorized capital of $50,000 and was a timely institution for the business needs of the valley. When the Great Northern Railroad reached Kalispell that city became the metropolis of the valley and Mr. Whipp merged the North- western Bank with the First National Bank of Kalispell in 1891. It is but justice to say that it was his business ability and power of controlling finances that caused this bank to successfully weather the financial storm which lasted from

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Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 86

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