Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 135

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

USA > North Dakota > Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life > Part 135

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Our subject was married, in 1888, to Miss Ida Olson. One child, a daughter, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, who bears the name of Geneva. Mr. Thompson is a man of active public spirit, and has served several terms as township and school clerk. Politically, he is a Republican, and has at- tended numerous county conventions of his party.

FRANK J. PROCHASKA, editor and pub- lisher of the "Park River News," first came to Park River, Walsh county, North Dakota, in 1888, from Chickasaw county, Iowa. He engaged in clerking in a store until 1893, and then spent one year at St. Paul, Minnesota, after which he returned to Park River, and was engaged as assistant cashier of the Bank of Park River. He continued in this position for something over two years, when he went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and en- gaged in newspaper work at Ironwood until Febru- ary, 1900, when he again returned to Park River and purchased the "Park River News."

The "Park River News" was established in July, 1897, by Doty & McLeod. They sold the paper to G. Buck, who conducted it until the fall of 1898, when the paper was sold to Charles Wilson & Co. It was of this firm that Mr. Prochaska purchased the paper in February, 1900. The "News" is an Independent Democratic newspaper and its circu- lation has reached about seven hundred, and is growing rapidly. Since assuming the conduct of . the paper, Mr. Prochaska has improved the tone and vigor of its utterances, and has added to its general attractiveness as a newspaper.

JOHN NOONAN, the present popular and efficient sheriff of Kidder county, and one of the earliest settlers in the county, holds first rank among the enterprising agriculturists of the county. His farm is located in township 140, range 71.

John Noonan is a native of Ireland, and was born in 1860. His parents, John and Cecelia (Kil- bred) Noonan, were farming people in the Emerald Isle, and our subject, the fifth child in a family of six children, was reared on the farm, and attended the country schools. At the age of twenty years

he came to America. He went to Minneapolis and remained six months, and then, in March, 1881, he came to Kidder county, North Dakota. At that time the only signs of civilization between Jamestown and Bismarck were the railroad and section houses, excepting at Tappen, where the Troy farm was located. He took up government land in 1882, but was compelled to work for others as he had no means whatever on arrival in Dakota. He and his brother built a shanty 14x20 feet, on the line divid- ing their lands, and there they lived together and batched for some time. He raised his first crop in 1885, consisting of sixty acres of wheat, from which he harvested one thousand seven hundred bushels, some of the land yielding forty bushels to the acre. He suffered, however, some losses, as the year following this great crop he lost one hun- dred tons of hay by a prairie fire. He has engaged extensively in stock raising. In 1889 he started with one cow, and from this small beginning he now has a herd of about sixty head of cattle, besides selling a large number from time to time. He has made a success of agriculture, and is now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of valuable land, two hundred and fifty acres of which is in a good state of cultivation, and his farm is well stocked and supplied with the best machinery for farm pur- poses.

Mr. Noonan was married, in 1889, to Miss Jo- hanna Odona. Mrs. Noonan was born in Canada, her father having emigrated to that country from Ireland, his native land. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Noonan, named as follows: Cecelia N., Thomas and Mary, all born in North Dakota. Mr. Noonan has taken an active part in public affairs. He is a Republican in party faith, and in 1898 was elected to the office of sheriff of Kidder county. He has attended a number of state conventions of his party, and was a delegate-elect to the state convention held at Grand Forks in 1900. He was one of the organizers of Kidder county, and is thoroughly conversant with its inmost history, and well deserves a place in the annals of North Dakota.

SAMUEL M. EDWARDS. Good judgment based on close observation of natural phenomena is essential to success as a farmer, while in its social aspect this calling develops the virtue of hospitality, charity and brotherly kindness in a degree scarcely equalled by any other. The subject of this review is a man of broad mind, good education, and ener- getic character, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of a large circle of friends in the business and social world. He has actively interested himself in all pub- lic matters in Cass county, and has aided in every way in elevating and improving the administration of local government. He occupies a fine estate in Berlin township, and his home on section 17 is one of refinement and social contentment.

Our subject was born near Woodstown, Salem

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county, New Jersey, April 5, 1846. He was reared on his father's farm and educated in the public schools of that county and Bacon Academy. a Friends' Institution, and then taught school. Hav- ing met an accident by which his leg was crushed, which unfitted him for farming, he completed a commercial course and then went to Philadelphia, where he was engaged in clerking some two or three years. Close confinement not agreeing with him he returned to New Jersey and taught school several years. Having read of the successful wheat raising in the Red river valley of the North, he caught the fever and went to Dakota Territory in August, 1881, and soon afterward purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 17, now Berlin township, Cass county, where he began farming, and has since made his home. He now has a farm of six hundred and thirty-five acres, and his land is made to yield abundantly, while the improve- ments which he has placed upon the farm are of substantial construction and furnish a comfortable home in every particular.

Our subject was married in Salem, New Jersey, February 14, 1884, to Miss Carolene Senat Hewes. Mrs. Edwards was born in Salem, New Jersey, Sep- tember 22, 1853, and was educated at the Friends' Silent School, from which institution she was graduated, and then completed a course in the high school at Salem, and afterward received private instructions in the arts. She is a lady of rare at- tainments and taught in the Friends' school at Salem, and also in the public schools of that vicinity for several years. Since residing in North Dakota she has devoted considerable time to giving private instructions, at her home, and also teaching painting and music. She presides over the household with trute dignity and grace, and the home affords many pleasures of social life. Mr. Edwards was one of the organizers of the township of Berlin, and takes an active interest in public matters. He has held the office of township clerk for eleven years, and is now a member of the board of supervisors of Berlin township, being chairman. He has met with eni- nent success, and is deservedly popular with the people among whom he has labored for so many years.

Both are members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, of their native towns and they still retain their right of membership in their home church.

ANDREW P. HEROM, a son of the land of Norway, has been a resident of Walsh county for about twenty-one years, and during that time has established himself firmly in the esteem and respect of his fellow men. His pleasant home is on section 28, Walsh Center township.

Mr. Herom was born in Voss, Norway, March 20, 1858. He grew to young manhood in his native land and in 1876 came to America. He first lo- cated in Iowa, and for three years worked at farm

labor in Worth county, near Northwood. He then spent one year in Saint Ansgar College. In the early summer of 1879 he came to Walsh county, Dakota, and took up a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Walsh Center township, where he has since resided. He is now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of valuable land, and has brought it to a high state of cultivation, and has improved his property by the erection of various farm buildings, and other conveniences in the prosecution of agriculture.

Mr. Herom was married in Grafton, North Da- kota, to Miss Annie Svensrud. Mrs. Herom is a native of Norway, but her own home and the hap- piness of her husband and children have so occupied her mind that she has come to regard North Dakota as her permanent abiding place. To Mr. and Mrs. Herom three children have been born, named in order of birth, as follows: Annie, Julia and Peter W. They have a pleasant homestead, surrounded by all the conveniences and comforts of farm life, and they have been given the advantages of the best education the common schools afford. Mr. Herom has been active in local public affairs and has been selected to fill the offices of township treas- urer, township assessor, and has always been active in the interest of education in his community.

MATTS ANKARFELT, a well-to-do farmer, residing on section 25, in township 134, range 53, is the oldest settler of the township. He has expe- rienced the privations of a pioneer, and surmounted the difficulties which meet the early settler of a coun- try, and has acquired a comfortable competence to enjoy in his declining years.

Our subject was born in the northern part of Sweden, April 27, 1846, and was the oldest of a fam- ily of three children born to Erick and Christina (Matts) Mattsen. The father died when our sub- ject was but nine years of age, leaving the widowed mother to care for three young children, and while vet a small boy our subject began working for neigh- bors. At the age of twenty years he was employed in a lumber yard, and about four years later entered the employ of Oscar Dixson, a lumberman, in whose employ he remained ten years. He accompanied rel- atives to America in 1880, and located in Kandiyohi county, Minnesota, and in April, 1882, started across the country, selling a tailor's cutting chart. He made a few sales and secured money sufficient to purchase transportation to Dakota, and he arrived in Wilcott with but thirty-five cents in cash. While working on a railroad the year previous he had filed a claim to land in Ransom county, and there he made Itis way, stopping at his brother's and his sister's homes for food. The sister's family assisted him with a team, and a sod house 12×14 feet was soon constructed. He sold his overcoat to pay for the hauling of a few poles for the frame of his house. His family joined him in June, 1882, and the winter was a severe struggle for them. It was over two

MATTS ANKARFELT AND FAMILY.

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years before our subject secured a team for his work, and he tramped many miles over the prairies hauling his scanty supply of eggs and butter to market on a hand sled. He made Wilcott his trading point, and there he secured the necessaries of life in exchange for the products he hauled. His first home was on section 24, where he built a sod house, which was part dugout and boarded up, and in 1894 he erected his present dwelling and other buildings on section 25. He purchased five calves during the first of his farming in Dakota, and now has a fine herd of cattle. He has made a success of farming, and is one of the substantial men of southeastern Ransom county.

Our subject was married, in 1871, to Miss Annie Johnson. Mr. and Mrs. Ankarfelt are the parents of twelve children, as follows: Christina, now Mrs. Bowden, a resident of Ransom county ; Erick, de- ceased; Andrew ; Annie, deceased ; Jennie ; Sophie, deceased ; Sophie ; Emil; Gustaf; Alfred, deceased ; Allie and Edwin. A family group portrait appears on another page. Mr. Ankarfelt is a Republican and Prohibitionist in political sentiment. He is well known throughout that region as a prosperous farmer and worthy citizen.

LUCIAN. A. BARNES, a prominent and in- fluential farmer, residing on section 21 in the town- ship which bears his name, is a man of progressive, enlightened views, and his standing as an old settler of Cass county is well known.

Our subject was born in Martinsburg, Lewis county, New York, April 17, 1840, and was a son of the late Judge A. H. Barnes and Clarissa (Hills) Barnes. His father went to Yankton, South Da- kota, in 1874, and lived one year, and then resided in Fargo, North Dakota, nine years, when he re- turned to Delavan, Wisconsin, where he died early in the 'gos, aged seventy-two years. He was ap- pointed United States district judge by President Grant. The county of Barnes, North Dakota, was named in honor of Judge Barnes. The mother of our subject died in Delavan, Wisconsin, aged about thirty-seven years.

Lucian A. Barnes was reared in his native state, and remained until nineteen years of age, when he located at Delavan, Wisconsin, and was engaged in farming and dairy business and later engaged in cheesemaking, which he followed twelve years. He went to Cass county, North Dakota, in 1878, and settled in Barnes township, which was named for him. He has devoted himself chiefly to the pur- suit of agriculture, but has practiced veterinary dentistry to some extent, and is a man well versed in all branches of farming. He has made good im- provements on his farm, and is the fortunate owner of one thousand two hundred acres of land in Barnes township.

Our subject was married, August 30, 1864, in Wisconsin, to Mary A. Means. Mrs. Barnes was born in England November 21, 1841, and came to America in 1853. She was a daughter of Peter and

Mary Means. Her father was a farmer by occu- pation and died in LaGrange, Wisconsin, in 1882, and Mrs. Barnes' mother died in 1874. One child, a son, who hears the name of Alanson H., has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Barnes. He is engaged in farming, and is one of the rising young men of that locality. Mr. Barnes takes an interest in affairs of a public nature, and is identified with the Re- publican party, and an earnest worker for his party principles. He holds membership in the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows.

HON. ALEXANDER THOMSON. To those who have borne a prominent part in the shaping of the policy of the Northwest much credit is due for the liberal and just institutions of the various states that have been created during the past few years out of that vast territory. Among them none de- serve more prominent mention than the gentleman whose name heads this article. Not only for his part in the legislation of his state, but for the high ideals and steadfast integrity of purpose that have characterized his entire residence in North Dakota. His home is on section 6, Ardoch township.

Mr. Thomson was born September 29, 1834, in Ottawa, Ontario. His early life was passed on a farm, chiefly in Gray county, Ontario. On reach- ing manhood he went to Bruce county, Ontario, took up land and remained there until 1879. For ten years he served as justice of the peace, and was a prominent and influential citizen in his county. In the fall of 1879 he removed to Dakota territory and took up government land in Walsh county (then Grand Forks county), and he was rejoined by his family there two years later. He first located in Walsh Center township, but afterward decided to locate in Ardoch township. He has prospered in his agricultural pursuits, and is now the owner of six hundred and forty acres of land lying partly in Walsh Center township and partly in Ardoch town- ship. He has a substantial and comfortable resi- dence, with many outbuildings and other conven- iences for the prosecution of the business of farmi- ing after modern methods.

Mr. Thomson was married in Kingston, Onta- rio, to Miss Margaret M. Thomson. Mrs. Thom- son is a native of Ottawa, Ontario, and is of Scotch descent, as is also Mr. Thomson. They are the parents of nine children, named as follows: John R., a sketch of whom will be found elsewhere in this volume; David A., Helen R., Jessie A., Agnes E., deceased ; Samuel J., Margaret J., Frederick A. and Alfred H.

In political faith Mr. Thomson has always ad- vocated the principles of the Republican party, and has taken an active and prominent part in public affairs. He was elected to the legislature of the new state of North Dakota in 1889. He also served as county commissioner for five years, and was chairman of that body, from which he resigned. In church affairs he has also been an active worker,

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and is a consistent and worthy member of the Pres- byterian church. He is widely known and highly respected throughout the county.

HANS LARSON, who is conducting an ex- tensive farm in Harwood township, Cass county, las accumulated his wealth single-handed, and is a striking example of what can be accomplished by strict bus ness methods and industrious habits. He has risen to an assured position among his fellow men by his integrity and honesty, and is now enjoy- ing a happy home and financial success, and resides in section 10, Harwood township.

Our subject was born in Denmark, October I, 1850. His father died when Mr. Larson was but thirteen years of age, and he remained in his native country about four years thereafter, and when sev- enteen years of age came to America with his wid- owed mother. They made their home in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and after two years our subject went to Dakota. He located at Fort Randall in the spring of 1870, and was employed for one year there, and the spring of 1871 went to Cass county and entered claim to land, as a "squatter's claim," on which he has since resided with the exception of thirteen months when he was employed in dif- ferent capacities on the Northern Pacific Railroad. He has followed farming entirely with that short exception, and on his home farm has erected a complete set of commodious and substantial build- ings, and his holdings now amount to eight hun- dred and thirty-eight acres of land. He follows general farming, and is classed among the sub- stantial men of his calling in Harwood township.

Our subject was married in Fargo, January 11, 1881, to Miss Julia Harrison. Mrs. Larson was born in Norway, and came to America with her parents when she was an infant, and was reared in Iowa county, Wisconsin. Three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Larson died in infancy, and three are still living. The deceased children bore the names Lulu, James and Maud, and the surviving children are named as follows: Josephine C., William H. and Lulu M. Mr. Larson is a true and public-spir- ited citizen, and ably seconds all projects which tend to the protection and upbuilding of the finan- interests of his community. He has served as a member of the township board of supervisors, and lends his influence for good local government. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and Ancient Order of United Workmen.

HON. LUTHER L. WALTON, who enjoys the distinction of being the first settler to break land in township 147, range 68, in Wells county, and was the second man to settle in the county, now has one of the finest farms to be found within its limits. Every appointment of his place evidences careful attention and good taste, and his home is one of comfort and even luxury, while he is held in

the highest esteem by his many friends who have known him from the earliest days of the settlement of that locality.

Our subject was born in Farmington, Oakland county, Michigan, March 5, 1844. His father, Joseph Walton, was a native of Pennsylvania, and went to Michigan from New York state in 1836. He was of English descent. The mother of our subject, who bore the maiden name of Cynthia Lapham, was descended from the Puritans in Massachusetts and went to Michigan in 1827, her people being pioneer settlers of that state, and lo- cated near Detroit.

Mr. Walton was the eldest in a family of four children, three sons and one daughter, and was raised on the farm and attended the country schools and the high school at Ann Arbor. He enlisted in the First Engineers and Mechanics Corps in 1863, and was in the service two years and four months, and was with Sherman to the sea and participated in the grand review at Washington, after going through the Carolinas, and was then ordered to Nashville and mustered out of the service in Octo- ber, 1865. He returned to the home farm in Mich- igan, and then began farming for himself soon aft- erward. He continued in Michigan until 1882, when he disposed of his interests there and went to North Dakota and settled in section 36, township 147, range 68. He erected a claim shanty and broke some land, and lived alone the first summer, and the lumber for his shanty he hauled from Jamestown, fifty miles distant. His family joined him in the new home in August, 1883, and he has resided there continuously since that date. He now has a finely cultivated tract of sixteen hundred acres, and has some pasture and hay land, and has met with suc- cess in general farming. His residence is a com- modious structure, with cellar and cistern, and is heated by furnace, and the other buildings of the place are in proportion, and evidence thrift and good management. He has all machinery neces- sary for the conduct of the place, including an eighteen-horse-power threshing rig, and he has about twenty-two head of horses and cattle for use on the farm. He has three acres of forest and plenty of small fruits, and has one of the best cquipped farms of the county.

Our subject was married, in 1868, to Miss Jane E. Norton, a native of Vermont. Mrs. Walton's father, Alanson C. Norton, was of American de- scent, and her mother's people were in some of the early wars, and her great-great-grandfather Mc- Clellan was a minute man in Washington's time. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Walton, as follows: Guy, born in July, 1869, now engaged in farming in North Dakota ; Hugh, born in August, 1871, now employed as a telegraphicr ; Elizabeth C., born September, 1872; and Jacob J., born in July, 1876. Mr. Walton served as school treasurer from 1886-89. He was elected a repre- sentative to the first state legislature in 1889, and re-elected in 1890. He was sergeant-at-arms in the

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state senate in 1894, and was elected railroad con- missioner in 1896 and re-elected in 1898, and is still serving as a member of that board. He was county commissioner from 1892-95, and takes an active interest in local and state affairs. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and Knights of Pythias, and has been associated with the first named order since 1867, and is a member of the Scottish-rite Masons of Fargo, North Dakota.

JAMES CARPENTER, an ex-soldier and prominent early settler of Forest River township, Walsh county, has a fine farm in section 29 and enjoys prosperity. He was born in Oxford, Chen- ango county, New York, February 5, 1826.

Mr. Carpenter was reared in his native county until five years of age when his father removed to Steuben county, New York, where our subject grew to manhood, and where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. He continued thus employed until he went to Missouri in 1868, with the exception of the time spent in the Civil war. He went to Chariton county, Missouri, and remained there until 1878 and in the spring of that year went to Dakota Ter- ritory and entered claim to land on which he has since made his home. He now owns two hundred and forty acres of choice land, and has made a fine property of the wild land which he first began to till and improve and enjoys the comforts of a rural home.

Mr. Carpenter enlisted June 12, 1861, in Com- pany H, Eighty-sixth New York Volunteer Infantry, and was commissioned second lieutenant of the company, and was promoted to the rank of captain in August, 1862. He served till the close of the war and can review those years of his career with justifiable pride. He is a member of Lewis McLain Hamilton Post, No. 15, G. A. R., of Grafton.

Our subject was married in Steuben county, New York, to Elizabeth Symonds, a native of Chen- ango county, that state. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter, of whom four are living and bear the following names: John A., Ira W., George E. and James T. The deceased chil- dren were named as follows: Charles, Anjenette and Perry. Mr. Carpenter has served as justice of the peace continuously since taking up his residence in Forest River township, with the exception of one year, and has also filled the office of township assessor, and in 1890 was census enumerator for three townships in Walsh county. He is widely known and is held in high esteem by all with whom he has to do, and is a man who keeps pace with the world, and is a stanch advocate for good govern- ment and takes an active part in local affairs of im- port.

ROBERT NEWTON MAHIN, SR. Persistent and honest industry always meets with success. In the life of this gentleman the leading characteristic

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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 135

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