Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 102

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle
Number of Pages: 1432

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HON. GEORGE E. OSGOOD, a prominent and influential business man and farmer of Cass county, residing at Fargo, is one of the pioneer settlers of that locality, and has accumulated a fortune by honest and earnest efforts. He is de- serving of special mention for his thorough ap- preciation of the needs of his community and his efforts to meet the same, and his active public spirit is commendable.

Our subject was born in Conway, New Hamp- shire, October 25, 1846, and was a son of William and Mariah (Emerson) Osgood, who were natives of New Hampshire and Maine, respectively. The family is one of the oldest in the state of New Hampshire. One brother and one sister of our subject are now living. The father died at the age of seventy-five years and the mother lived to the advanced age of eighty-four years.

Mr. Osgood was reared and educated in New Hampshire in the public schools, and began farm- ing in that state and remained there until 186.3,

GEORGE Q. ERSKINE.

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

when he went to Boston, Massachusetts, and was then sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the employ of the government. He went to Milwaukee, Wis- consin, in 1865, and was in that state two years, and learned the trade of a machinist and followed it in St. Paul and in the West for seven years. He was in the employ of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company as locomotive engineer for six years, and altogether spent thirteen years at rail- road work, and went to Fargo in 1878, selling horses. He was a member of the firm of Hanson & Osgood for nine years, and also followed farm- ing in that connection and at one time farmed over four thousand acres of land. He has prospered in his business ventures, and is now well-to-do and highly esteemed.

Our subject was married, in St. Paul, Minne- sota, in 1877, to Miss Ida M. Hanson, a native of that state. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Osgood, named as follows: Susan M., Thomas W. and Genette B. Mr. Osgood served in the second state legislature and did very effi- cient work while a member of that body. He has served as alderman of the city and is the present candidate for county sheriff. He is active in edu- cational affairs and has been a director of the Agri- cultural College for two terms. Politically he is a Republican and an earnest worker for his party. He holds membership in the Masonic fraternity and has taken the degrees of the Mystic Shrine of that order.

FRANK E. VORACHEK. Among the men who have won an honorable name as a public offi- cial of Walsh county may be mentioned the pres- ent treasurer, Mr. Frank E. Vorachek. He is now serving his second term in that capacity and en- joys the respect and highest esteem of his asso- ciates. He is proprietor of a general merchan- dise store in the town of Conway, and since accepting the office of county treasurer is a citizen of Grafton.

Our subject is a native of Bohemia, and was born October 11, 1856. His parents, Joseph and Annie Vorachek, were natives of Bohemia, and the family emigrated to America in 1859, landing at New Orleans. They first located at St. Louis, Missouri, and later moved to Iowa, where they lived until 1881, and then went to Walsh county, North Dakota, where the parents died. Four sons and three daughters constituted the family, and all reside in the Dakotas.

Our subject was reared and educated in Iowa and remained in that state until 1880, when he went to Walsh county and settled in Conway, in 1881, and followed farming there three years. He then en- gaged in general merchandising, which business he has since conducted with good success.

Our subject was married, January 12, 1885, to Miss Mary Bina, a native of Bohemia. Two sons and three daughters have been born to Mr. and

Mrs. Vorachek. Mr. Vorachek was elected county treasurer in 1896 and his efficient services and popularity are best evidenced by the fact that in 1898 he was re-elected. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Modern Woodmen of America, Order of, Foresters, and a Bohemian society of Conway, known as the C. Z. B. J. He is a Democrat polit- ically and firm in his convictions. He went to North Dakota without means and is now one of the substantial men of Walsh county, and his success and popularity are well merited.

NORMAN A. STEWART, state's attorney of Williams county, is a gentleman well versed in his profession, and has built up an extensive and lucra- tive practice in Williston. He was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, on a farm, in 1846.

The father of our subject, Angus Stewart, was born in Scotland and came to America in 1841 and settled on Prince Edward Island. He was a farmer thoughout his career. The grandfather of our sub- ject, Norman Stewart, served in the British army. Our subject's mother was born in Scotland and bore the maiden name of Katrine Mckinnon. The parents were married in Scotand, and of their family of seven children our subject was the fifth in order of birth. He attended the country schools and assisted with the farm work and later attended the Provincial Normal School and Prince of Wales College and was graduated in 1865. He taught his first term of school at the age of nineteen years and continued school work ten years in county and city schools and for six years as superintendent of schools. He went to Bismarck, North Dakota, in 1881, and clerked in the First National Bank. He soon afterward went to Minneapolis and studied law and then to Duluth, after which he moved to Michigan and was there admitted to the bar and followed his first practicing there. He went to Minneapolis in 1889 and from there went to North Dakota and settled in Bottineau, and continued the practice of his profession. While there he was elected state's attorney and served two terms, and in the fall of 1894 went to Williston and established his office there. He was elected state's attorney in Williams county in 1894 and re-elected in 1896 and 1898, and is now serving his fifth term in that capacity. He practices in the district, supreme and federal courts and has an ever-increasing patron- age. He engaged in farming in Bottineau county to some extent, and at present has two farms there.

Our subject was married, in 1876, to Miss Har- riet A. Domville, a native of Canada. Her father, James Domville, was a farmer and merchant. He was an officer in the English army. The family has been in America for generations. Four chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, who are named as follows: Annie B., Effie M., Spurgeon D. and Harriet P., of whom two were born in Canada and two in the United States. Mr.

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

Stewart is prominent in affairs of the Republican party and has attended numerous county and state conventions and is earnest in his convictions. He has a good knowledge of his profession, and is energetic and possessed of a character of the highest integrity, and is deservedly successful in his work in North Dakota. .

FRANK S. TALCOTT. One of the most ex- tensive grain farms of Cass county is that operated by the gentleman whose name appears above. He is a pioneer settler of Tower township, and is en- titled to a foremost rank among the prominent citi- zens of his locality.

Our subject was born in New York City, July 12, 1863, and was a son of Frank P. and Gertrude (Squier) Talcott, both of whom were natives of Massachusetts. His father was a dry-goods mer- chant and died in New York. Our subject was the only child and was reared in New York and educated in Buffalo and at Williams College, Massachusetts. He studied law for some time and in 1878 went to Cass county to look after the in- terests of his grandfather Squier, who was a heavy stockholder of the Northern Pacific Railroad. He opened up a farm in 1881, now known as the Tal- cott farm, and broke one lialf-section of land, and in company with his mother began operations thereon in 1882. They now own and have four sec- tions under plow and one section in pasture and hay, and in addition farm one thousand acres rented land, the annual yield of the estate averaging forty to fifty thousand bushels. Mr. Talcott has met with unbounded success, and is now well-to-do.

Our subject was married, in June, 1893, to Miss Agnes W. Thompson. Mrs. Talcott is a native of Buffalo, New York, and her parents are among the oldest families of New York. Three children have been born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Talcott, named as follows : Porter Thompson, Frank S., Jr., and Esther Bell. Mr. Talcott is an influential citizen, identified with the Republican party in political faith, and has always been an active and earnest worker for party prin- ciples.

HERBERT J. FINCHER, one of the pioneer settlers of Wells county, North Dakota, has been engaged in various enterprises in that locality, in all of which he has met with good success. He is a carpenter and mason by trade and follows the former in Manfred at present.

Our subject was born in Spencerport, Monroe county, New York, August 8, 1861. His father, Jesse E. Fincher, was a carpenter by trade, and the family came to America in early Colonial days. The grandmother of our subject, Betsy Colby, was the first white girl born in Monroe county, New York, the family coming from England to Ver- mont and later settling in New York state. The

grandfather of our subject, David R. Hitchcock, served in the war of 1812.

Our subject was the second in order of birth and the only son in a family of three children, and at the age of four years went wth his parents to Pennsylvania, and his father worked at carpenter- ing at Corea. When he was five years of age the family settled in Washtenaw county. Michigan, where our subject was reared. He received a com- mon-school education and later attended the Semi- nary, and he learned the carpenter's trade with his father. In 1886 he went to Wells county, North Lakota, and entered claim to government land. He had a span of mules and one horse, and he erected a claim shanty and a sod barn, and after the first year farmed with oxen five or six years. The Soo Railroad was built through that locality in 1893 and the town of Manfred was started, the town site being the homestead farm owned by his father, Jesse E. Fincher. Our subject's house was the first house in the town, with the exception of the railroad section house, and was a 22x24-foot building one story in height. Mr. Fincher carried mail under a government contract between Fes- senden and Oberon for three years, since which time he has devoted his time to plying his trade, and is one of the skilled workmen of that town. During pioneer days for the first two or three years he derived a great share of his income from haul- ing buffalo bones to market, and his nearest rail- road town was Sykeston, twenty-five miles dis- tant.

Our subject was married, at the age of twenty- two years, to Miss Eliza Cone. Mrs. Fincher was born on a farm in Monroe county, Michigan, and was a daughter of Erastus S. Cone, a merchant and land owner. Her family are Americans for many generations back. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fincher, as follows: Jennie MI., born November 19, 1885; Jessie J., born Febru- ary 24, 1888; Cora M., born November 18, 1889; Grace A., born August 9, 1895 ; and Nellie H., born August 17, 1897. The eldest was born in Michigan and the other children were born in Wells county, North Dakota. Mr. Fincher and wife are mem- bers of the Congregational church, and Mr. and Mrs. Fincher hold membership in the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He is independent in polit- ical faith.

HON. ERNEST H. RESTEMAYER resides on a valuable farm about one mile east of the city of Cavalier, and has all the advantages of a coun- try home and the social advantages of the city. He is one of the representative farmers of Pem- bina county, and owns and operates eight hundred acres of land and devotes his entire attention to agricultural pursuits.

Our subject was born in Huron county, On- tario, Canada, January 24, 1856. He is of German descent, and his parents, Ernest and Elizabeth

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

(Mueller) Restemayer, were both natives of Ger- many and came to Canada in early life and were pioneers of that part of Huron county where our subject was born. They reared a family of four children, of whom our subject was third in order of birth. The father died November 6, 1899, and the mother survives and makes her home in Canada.

Our subject remained on the pioneer Canadian farm until twenty-six years of age, when he heard of the Dakota free lands, and in 1880 went to North Dakota to view the country. He went again in 1882 with his family and purchased land in Cavalier township, a few miles east of his present home. He purchased the land for cash and then had no means with which to improve the farm, and his present comfortable financial condition is the result of his industry and honest efforts. He in- vested eight thousand dollars in the half-section of land on which is located his present home, and he has a fine property and gives his children the best educational advantages.

Our subject was married, in 1878, to Miss Martha Geiger. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Restemayer, named as follows: Ed- mund W., Alvin J., Venetta J., Mahlon J., Harvey G., Mary E., Norman E., Clara S. and Milton H. Mr. Restemayer was elected state representative in 1898 and served one term, and was on the following committees : Agricultural, state affairs and ap -. portionment. He introduced several measures and was an efficient member of the legislature. He served six years as chairman of the township board and is prominent in local affairs. He holds mem- bership in the Evangelical church, and politically is a Republican.

ROBERT B. MORROW is a representative farmer of Erie township, and has been identified with the farming interests of that locality for many years, being one of the pioneers. He has acquired a good estate and his farm furnishes a comfortable income and enables him to lay aside a competence to enjoy in his declining years.

Our subject is a native of Ontario, Canada, and was born October 20, 1847. His parents, John and Charlotte (Bosland) Morrow, were natives of Ire- land, the former of Farmanah county and the latter of Tyrone county, but are not related to the parents of R. H. Morrow, although natives of the same county. They emigrated to America in the '30S and the father died in Canada and the mother now lives in Michigan. They were the parents of five sons and two daughters, of whom two.of the sons now live in Canada and the others of the family are in the United States.

Our subject was reared and educated in Canada and followed lumbering and operating a saw-mill until 1880, when he went to North Dakota and en- tered claim to land in Cass county, whereon he has resided since with the exception of a short time

spent in the hotel business in Casselton. He now owns and operates three quarter-sections of land, all of which is well improved and he is regarded as one of the substantial men of his community.

Our subject was married in Canada, in 1876, to Charlotte Morrow, a sister of William and Robert H. Morrow, sketches of whom are given in this volume. Five children have been born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Morrow, as follows: Sarah, now Mrs. D. Irish ; Margaret, now Mrs. A. Burge ; Maude: Josephine and Florence. Mr. Morrow is a member of the Brotherhood of American Yeo- men. He has devoted his entire career to the pur- suit of farming and is well versed in his vocation and has made a success.

JOSEPH A. COULTER, the leading druggist of Dawson, Kidder county, is a pioneer settler of that city, and has been an important factor in its upbuilding. He is also engaged in farming and stock raising and has a well cultivated and im- proved farm in the vicinity of the town.

Our subject was born in the county of London- derry, in northern Ireland, August 24, 1854, and was a son of Joseph and Mary Anne (Lytle) Coulter. His father was a teacher by profession and followed the same throughout his life. The family were Protestants and members of the Episcopal church. The grandparents on both sides of the family were farmers. Our subject was raised in Ireland and educated by his father, and at the age of fifteen years went to Canada and settled in Kingston. On- tario. He graduated from the military school in Canada, and then worked at various employments, clerking in a clothing store and working in a ma- chine shop, and also attended school part of the time. He went to Story county, Iowa, in 1871, and worked two years at farm labor near Ames, and then learned telegraphy in the School of Telegra- phy at Oberlin, Ohio, and worked on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad in Iowa three years as operator and agent. He engaged as clerk in a drug store at Ogden. Iowa, in 1877, and learned the busi- ness, and in 1880, on account of ill health, returned to his home in Ireland, and in the fall of that year returned to Iowa and worked in the drug store in which he previously was engaged. He soon after- ward went to St. Paul and accepted a position with the Northwestern Telegraph Company, with his office in the Merchants' Hotel most of the time, and in February. 1881, went to Dawson, Kidder county, as agent of the Northern Pacific Railway. He was the second agent to assume charge of the Dawson station and the shanty in which the office was lo- cated, together with the section house and water tank, comprised the town of Dawson. There was also a dugout owned by a cattleman. Mr. Coulter resigned in 1881, and established a small store in Dawson, and remained agent for the townsite com- pany and sold town lots, and in the meantime he had taken a homestead farm adjoining the townsite.

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He took a position at Glendive, Montana, on the Northern Pacific Railroad, in 1882, and spent five months in Montana, and opened the Billings tel- egraphi office in August, 1882, for the Northern Pa- cific Railroad Company. He returned to Dawson, North Dakota, the same month and platted part of his homestead farm and sold it as town lots, and in the winter of 1882 opened the first fuel yard of Dawson, which he operated during two winters and then sold his interests. He went into the cattle business in 1884, in company with T. S. Doremus, and was thus engaged with him about one year, and in the fall of 1885 established himself in the drug business in his building which he has erected, in 1883. He now carries a complete line of drugs, notions, paints, oils and druggist's sundries, and also owns and operates a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and one of eighty acres, devoting con- siderable attention to the breeding of fine driving horses.

Our subject was married, in 1886, to Alice M. Barron, a native of Chicago, Illinois. She died August 6, 1893. Her father, Richard Barron, was an American, and was engineer on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. Mr. Coulter has been a member of the Masonic fraternity since 1878. He is fond of outdoor sports, and is an active member of the North Dakota State Sportsman Association. He is prominent in local affairs.

GEORGE W. KELLEY, one of the pioneer set- tlers of Cornell township, stands among the fore- most men of his calling in Cass county. He has a well-improved estate, and is a gentleman of broad ideas and a practical nature and has become one of the highly reputed men of Cornell township.

Our subject was born in Winona county, Min- nesota, February 16, 1858, and was a son of John and Jane ( Hammel) Kelley, both of whom were natives of Ireland. His parents emigrated to Amer- ica in 1850, and located in New Jersey, and in 1856 removed to Minnesota, and in 1880 to Cass county, North Dakota, where the father took a homestead farm in Cornell township and resided there until his death, March 9, 1900. The mother died October 28, 1899. One son and two daugliters were born to this worthy couple, and one daughter now resides in Minnesota.

Our subject was reared and educated in Minne- sota, and followed farming there and also railroad- ing until 1879, when he went to Cass county and entered a homestead claim in section 8 of Cornell township, and was among the first to settle in that locality. He has added to his possessions from time to time and is now the fortunate owner of one sec- tion of choice land, all of which is tillable and fur- nishes a good income.

Our subject was married, in 1894, to Myrtie Beil a daughter of Henry E. and Cynthia Beil, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley are the parents of three children, as follows :

Blanche L., George R. and Vera M. Mr. Kelley assisted in the organization of his township, and has served in various local offices and is a member of the present town board. He holds membership in the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and in political faith is a Republican. He enjoys the confidence of his associates and is firm in his adherence to the right and to his friends.

HON HERBJORN H. STROM. This gentle- man, of whom a portrait is presented on another page, is probably one of the best-known men in pub- lic affairs in North Dakota, and is one of the lead- ing farmers of Traill county. He is an early set- tler, and in every instance he has proven himself an efficient officer, looking to the better interests of those whom he represented, and for the advancement and upbuilding of his county and state. His home is located in section 10 of Eldorado township, and he has prospered in his chosen calling, and a fine property is the result of his perseverance and good judgment.

Our subject was born in Nore, Prestegjeld Num- medal, Norway, January 27, 1846, and was eldest in a family of four children, born to Herbjorn and Kjersti (Larsdatter of the farm Lian) Strommen. He worked at farm labor in his native land until twenty-two years of age and then sought his fortune in the new world, joining a cousin in Clayton county, Iowa. He worked there about four years, and then established a general store, and after two years es- tablished in the farm machinery business in Elgin, Favette county, Iowa. Hearing of the Red river valley, with a party of about twenty he drove over- land to North Dakota, Caledonia being their ob- jective point. They prospected through the coun- try from Caledonia to Northwood, through Grand Forks county, and down to the Red river, thence up that river to the point from which they started, and as most of the land along the streams had been taken, they concluded the central part of Traill county furnished as good prairie land as was to be procured, and accordingly located in that locality, and the present thriving condition of the farms in that vicinity testify to the decision being wise. Our subject filed claim to the southwest quarter of sec- tion 10 in Eldorado township, where he has since resided, and erected a small frame house, the lum- ber being hauled from Fargo. His wife and two children soon joined him in the new home, and in 1890 a more commodious residence was erected for the comfort of the family, and in 1897 a substantial barn 62x64 feet was erected. He sunk an artesian well one hundred and forty feet in 1886, and this furnishies excellent water. He owns five hundred acres of rich land, and has a fine grove of trees which enhances the beauty and the value of the place.

Our subject was married, in 1875, to Miss Guri Halvorsatter, who was born on the farm Brevig, in Norway. Six children have been born to Mr. and

HON. H. H. STROM.

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Mrs. Strom, as follows: Henry, foreman of the Howard and Halvorson farmi; Lewis, a teacher of Traill county and a student in the university at Grand Forks; Otto, John, Clara and Martin. Mr. Strom is a member of the Lutheran church. He assisted in the organization of his township, and his first public service consisted in organizing the road district, and soon afterward he organized an inde- pendent school district, and was clerk of the first school board, and has taken an active part in school matters, and also was a member of the first town- ship board. He was elected coroner of Traill county in 1882, and served two terms, and in 1888 was elected county commissioner for the second district, and served one year, resigning to accept a seat in the lower house at the first session of the state legislature, and served in that capacity three terms. He took an active part in opposition to the Louisiana lottery, and following his service as a rep- resentative he was elected a member of the state senate, and while a member of that body introduced important measures which have become laws. He is a member of the Republican party, and is a well- known figure in county and state conventions, and is highly esteemed by those among whom he resides regardless of party lines.

HARRY AUSTIN HOGUE, land solicitor for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company in North Dakota, with office at Carrington, is one of Foster county's pioneers and is a valued citizen and useful member of the community where he makes his home.

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Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 102

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle Number of Pages: 1432

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle
Number of Pages: 1432