Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 156

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

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BAYARD H. ELLIS.

MRS. BAYARD H. ELLIS.

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in farming the same. He has made a success of that work, and now has a comfortable home and all comforts of country life.

Our subject was married in Stillwater, Minne- sota, in 1849, to Elizabeth Shardin, a native of Illi- nois, born November 15, 1865. Mrs. Barlow's par- ents were from France, and settled at Kaskaska, one of the first settlements in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Barlow are the parents of ten children, as follows : Louis E., Augustus H., Archie J., Phillip, George W., William Henry, Melvina, Annie, Agnes and Elizabeth, all of whom are living, and two sons and three daughters now reside in North Dakota. Mr. Barlow has served as supervisor of his township for some years, and assisted in the organization of the township, and was one of the first school officers. His son, Augustus H., who oversees the home farm, has served as township clerk since the organization of the township, and the Captain and his family are highly esteemed by the people among whom they re- side. He is a member of the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers' Association, and much enjoys the reunions of that body.

HENRY MEDELMAN ranks among the fore- most agriculturists of Stevens township, Ramsey county. He has a pleasant home in section 34, and is a young man in whom the people find active public spirit and progressiveness.

Our subject was born in Homewood, Cook county, Illinois, January 12, 1857. His father, Frederick Medelman, died in Homewood, Illinois, and when our subject was about fourteen years of age the family, consisting of mother, step-father and children, removed to Bremer county, Iowa, and settled on a farm, where our subject resided until 1881. In April, of that year, he went to North Dakota and lived in Grand Forks county about two years, and in the spring settled on his claim in Stevens township, Ramsey county, which he had taken the fall previous. He has since resided thereon and has added valuable improvements to the place, and it is one of the best farms of the township and furnishes a home of more than usual comfort. The most approved methods and modern machinery are used in its cultivation and Mr. Medel- man has made a success of his work in North Da- kota. He now owns eight hundred and eighty acres of land and has gained his possessions by his push and energy.

Our subject was married, in Devils Lake, North Dakota, December 29, 1892, to Miss Mary E. Orr, a daughter of William Orr, of Stevens township, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Medelman was born in Peoria, Illinois, Feb- ruary 3, 1870, and was reared in Springfield, Illi- nois. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Medelman, three of whom are now living and are named as follows: Mary C., Francis H. and Emily E. A son, William F., died in infancy. Mr. Medelman is actively interested in the general wel-

fare of his community and has served in various local offices, including member of the township board of Stevens township. His calling is one of the honorable vocations of man and in the pursuit of farming he has been instrumental in developing and promoting the growth of that section of the coun- try and is deservedly held in high esteem by his fellows.

JOHN HARVEY. This gentleman is one of the representative citizens of the township which bears his name, and he is a pioneer settler of that region. He has devoted his attention entirely to farming, and has prospered in his calling and is now proprietor of one of the best farms of his locality.

Our subject was born in Carlton county, Canada, January 26, 1851, and was a son of William and Catherine (Ferry) Harvey, a sketch of whom ap- pears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Harvey was reared and educated in Canada and followed agri- cultural pursuits there until 1874, when he went to Grand Forks county, North Dakota, arriving there May 8, and in June of that year filed claim to his present farm. He made some improvements thereon and in 1878 began permanent residence and has lived there continuously since that date. He now has a thoroughly improved and highly culti- vated property comprising five hundred acres, and follows general farming with most successful re- sults.

Our subject was married, in 1877, to Annie Sulli- van, a'native also of Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Har- vey are the parents of three sons now living, who are named as follows: Herbert G., William E. and James J. The family are members of the Catholic church and are highly esteemed in the com- munity in which they have spent the past quarter of a century. Mr. Harvey is a Republican in polit- ical sentiment and is earnest in his convictions. He assisted in the organization of his township, and is now acting as supervisor and has served as school director since 1885. He is actively interested in educational advancement or the upbuilding of his community socially and aids in the promotion of every public enterprise.

FRANKLIN P. OLDS. In compiling a list of the early settlers of Ramsey county who have added to the fame of that locality as an agricultural dis- trict, a foremost place must be given the subject of this review. He entered Stevens township when the land was yet uncultivated and he has acquired a valuable estate therein, and has transformed a tract of four hundred and eighty acres into a well-improved farm and is now prepared to enjoy the comforts of country life. He has erected a good residence in section 33 and every appointment of the place evidences painstaking care and good taste.

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Our subject was born in Van Buren county, Michigan, January 20, 1853. When he was seven years of age he removed with his parents to Fulton county, Ohio, and settled on a farm near Wanseon, where he was reared to manhood and received a common-school education. He resided there until 1882 and in the spring of that vear went to Ramsey county, North Dakota, and at once entered claim to land in sections 28 and 33, in Stevens township. He has since held continuous residence there and has added to his claim from time to time as op- portunity presented and is now the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of valuable land. He has erected a complete set of good buildings on the place and with modern machinery and other arrangements conducts the place in the best and most economic manner. He has followed agricultural pursuits exclusively and has met with unbounded success in his vocation.

Our subject was married in Fulton county, Ohio, to Miss Ida McArthur, a native of that coun- ty. Mr. and Mrs. Olds are the parents of four chil- dren, who are named as follows: Edwin R., Earl M., Ronald B. and Franklin R. Mr. Olds is well known as an old settler and weil-to-do citizen and commands the highest esteem of his associates.

ANTHONY ANSTETT, one of the pioneer settlers of Harvey township, Grand Forks county, is a gentleman in whom the community find honest industry and energetic character. He is of foreign birth, but has become thoroughly identified with American progress and has the interests of his adopted land at heart. His residence is in section 7, of Harvey township.

Our subject was born in Alsace Loraine, Ger- many, September 5, 1835, and was a son of Francis and Theresa ( Roethel ) Anstett. His parents were natives of Alsace Loraine, and emigrated to Amer- ica in 1842 and located at Buffalo, New York, where they resided one year and then moved to Canada, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Seven sons and six daughtrs were born to this worthy couple, of whom two brothers of our sub- ject now reside in Minnesota and Michigan, two remain in Canada and the others of the family are deceased. The father was a mechanic by trade.

Mr. Anstett was reared and educated in Canada and followed the profession of teaching there thir- teen years. He went to Grand Forks, North Da- kota, in 1879 and the following spring settled on the homestead farm, on which he now resides. He was among the first settlers of that region and en- dured many pioneer experiences and hardships before he reached the turning point toward success. He now has three hundred and twenty acres of land, all of which is highly improved, and on his home farm has erected a complete set of substantial and comfortable buildings and conducts the farm in the miost approved manner.

Our subject was married, in Canada, to Eliza-

beth Batte. Mrs. Anstett is a native of Canada, and was of French-German parentage. Thirteen children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Anstett, who are as follows : Cecelia ( deceased ), Brigit, Mary Ann ( deceased ), John B., Annie, Frank A., Regina, Mary T., Joseph H., Albert L., George W., Fredrick A. and Ellen E. The family are members of the Cath- olic church and are respected and esteemed in their community. Mr. Anstett has served as assessor and clerk of the township since 1887 and is now also school treasurer and is widely known in public matters. He is identified with the Democratic party politically and is firm in his convictions.

JUDGE ROBERT M. CAROTHERS, county judge of Grand Forks county, North Dakota, is a learned and influential member of the legal frater- nity of the state. He was born in Allegheny coun- ty, Pennsylvania, April 16, 1859, and is a son of Rev. Robert and Emeline E. ( Milligan) Carothers.

The parents of our subject were natives of Penn- sylvania, and the father was a Presbyterian minis- ter. He was educated in Jefferson College, at Can- nonsburg, and in Western Theological Seminary, of Allegheny City, and his first charge was in Cedar county, Iowa. He remained there six years, and in 1866 returned to Pennsylvania, and in 1877 assumed charge of the Iowa College for the Blind, at Vinton, Iowa, and died there in 1882. The grandfather of our subject, Hon. Robert Carothers, was a farmer in Pennsylvania, and at one time a member of the legislature of that state. Our subject has one brother, now assistant secretary of the Northwest- ern Fire & Marine Company at Grand Forks, who was a member of the constitutional convention of North Dakota.

Mr. Carothers was educated in the Western University of Pennsylvania and in the schools of Vinton, Iowa, and in 1883 came to Dakota, locating in Mekinock township, Grand Forks county, and there taught school for some time. He located per- manently in Grand Forks county in 1886, and in 1887 entered the University of Michigan and gradu- ated from the law department of that institution in 1889. He began the practice of his profession the same year in Grand Forks, and continued his prac- tice until 1800, when he was elected county judge, and is now ably and faithfully discharging the du- ties of that office, having held the same continuous- ly since 1890.

Our subject was married, in 1895, to Helen R. Fulton, a native of Clinton county, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Carothers are the parents of one child, who bears the name of Ruth R. Mr. Carothers is prominent in secret society circles and holds mem- bership in the Masonic fraternity, in which order he has filled the office of grand master of North Da- kota, being elected to that office six years after tak- ing the degrees of the order. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Foresters. Mr. Ca- rothers has been a life-long Republican, and by

Ambarothers

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voice and deeds has furthered the interests of his party and its principles. Integrity and judgment are marked upon his portrait, which the reader will consult with interest.

WILLIAM ORR. Among the gentlemen who are engaged in agriculture in Stevens township, Ramsey county, none are more useful in sustaining and extending its farming interests than Mr. Orr. He is one of the substantial and successful agri- culturists and a man well versed in the most ap- proved methods of operating a farm, and he has a pleasant home in section 28 of Stevens township.

Our subject was born in Egremont, county of Cumberland, England, August 21, 1843, and re- sided in his native place until June,- 1854, when he left the old home and came to the United States with his parents. He first lived in Lancaster conn- ty, Pennsylvania, about one year, and then went to Henry county, Illinois, where his parents removed, and he resided there until February, 1857, and then took up his residence in Peoria county, Illinois. He continued his residence there until August, 1872, and then removed to Springfield, Illinois, in which city he resided for over ten years. He came to North Dakota in the spring of 1883 and has since resided in Ramsey county. He settled on a elaim in Stevens township and at once began the improvement of the land, and now has a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres. He has devoted his entire attention to agriculture since taking up his residence in North Dakota, and has made a suc- cess of his work and now has a valuable estate from which he obtains a good income and is pro- viding for his declining years.

Our subject was married, in Peoria, Illinois, April 25, 1869, to Miss Catherine Tracy, who was born in county Galway, Ireland, in 1843. Mr. and Mrs. Orr are the parents of three children, as fol- lows: Mary E., who is now the wife of Henry Medelman, a sketch of whose life appears else- where in this work; William F .; and Elizabeth R., now Mrs. T. P. Walsh. Mr. Orr and family are members of the Catholic church and are held in high esteem in the community in which they have resided for so many years. Our subject is a man of active publie spirit and is deservedly popular with the people. He has been called upon to serve in various local offices and has performed his duties faithfully and well.

BARDI G. SKULASON. Intelligence and true worth are readily recognized and given due acknowl- edgment by the members of a community in which a man chooses his home. The subject of this review is yet a young man, and has resided in Grand Forks, a comparatively short time, but he is recognized as a leading citizen and well-read attorney. He is en- gaged in general practice in that city, and has al- ready gained a good patronage, and his earnest ef-

forts and progressive spirit bespeak a prosperous fu- ture for him.

Mr. Skulason was born in the northeastern part of Iceland, January 19, 1871, and was the son of Gudmundur and Gudridur (Gudmundson ) Skula- son, who were also natives of Iceland. The family moved to the island in the close of the ninth century. The father was of pure Norse descent, while on the mother's side there is a strain of Irish blood. The father of our subject was a farmer by occupation, and moved to Manitoba in 1876, and to Pembina county, North Dakota, in 1880, where he still re- sides. Our subject, one brother and three sisters are the only children living of the family.

Mr. Skulason was reared and educated in North Dakota, attending the State University, from which institution he graduated in 1895, in both the classical and normal courses. He then began the study of law with Tracy Bangs, and later with Judge Tem- pleton, both of Grand Forks, in the meantime teach- ing school, and was principal of the schools at both Tower City and Hillsboro. He was admitted to the bar in 1897, and at once established himself in his profession, meeting with success.

Mr. Skulason was married, in September, 1896, to Charlotte H. Robinson, a native of Missouri. He is a member of the Order of Foresters and Modern Woodmen of America, and is a prominent young man throughout the locality in which he lives.

ALFRED STEVENS. Among the honored residents of Stevens township, Ramsey county, North Dakota, may be mentioned Alfred Stevens. He is a gentleman of enlightened views, and wide experience, and has labored for the upbuilding and advancement of that region, and has gained an as- sured position among the agriculturists of his com- munity.

Our subject was born in Oswego county, New York, December 23, 1831, and was reared to man- hood on a farm, and in 1864 began farming for him- self in Oswego county, where he continued about two years, and in 1866 went to Wisconsin. He settled on a farm in Jackson county, that state, and continued his residence there until 1878, and then removed to Humbird, Clark county, Wisconsin, where he embarked in mercantile pursuits, and fol- lowed the same there about four years. He removed to North Dakota with his family in 1886, but had located land in Grand Forks county, near Larimore. in 1881. He has been a resident of North Dakota since 1881, and in 1882 located land three miles northeast of Devils Lake, which claim he afterward lost, and in 1883 located the elaim in Stevens town- ship on which he now makes his home. He has placed valuable improvements thereon, and has pro- vided every arrangement for the economical conduct of the place, and has a fine farm of two hundred acres, most of which is tillable.

Mr. Stevens was married in Oswego county, New York, May 24, 1864, to Miss Frances L. Wil-

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

der, who was born in Oswego, New York, May 24. 1844. Three children, two of whom are living, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, as follows : Loring D. and Fred R. A son, William A., died at the age of two years.

Loring D. Stevens was born at Oswego, New York, August 13, 1865. He went to North Dakota, in the spring of 1883, where he has since been a resident.

Fred R. Stevens was born in Jackson county, Wisconsin, July 9, 1869.

JOHN P. GALBRAITH, one of the best known and most highly esteemed attorneys of Grand Forks, North Dakota, is a gentleman of intelligence and true worth as a citizen and business man. He is in- terested in various financial institutions of the city, and is active in local affairs pertaining to the social and business life of his community.

Our subject was born in Sauk county, Wiscon- sin, September 9, 1865, and was a son of Andrew and Marsella (Fox) Galbraith. His parents were natives of Ireland, and emigrated to America about 1848, and settled at Rochester, New York, and from there moved to Wisconsin, and in 1880 to Nebraska, and the father died there in 1888. He was a farmer by occupation, and six sons and two daughters con- stituted his family of children. Our subject has one brother residing in North Dakota.

Mr. Galbraith was reared and educated in Wis- consin and Nebraska in the public schools, and in 1888 he entered the State University of Minnesota, and graduated from the law department of that in- stitution in 1891. He had previously studied law in Nebraska, and immediately following his graduation he established an office at St. Paul, and remained there until May, 1893, when he went to Grand Forks, and has been there continuously since that date, and has engaged in general practice with un- bounded success. He is interested in the Fargo Hardware Company, of Fargo, being vice-president of the same, and is also a stockholder in the Wall Hardware Company, of Fairbault, Minnesota. His legal business is extensive and lucrative, and he is one of the well equipped practitioners of the state.

Mr. Galbraith is a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters, and politically he is a Democrat. He keeps pace with the times, but has never sought public office, and devotes himself untiringly to his profession.

EDWARD KAVANAUGH, residing on section 8, in Odessa township, Ramsey county, is one of the well known and enterprising agriculturists of that region. He occupies a pleasant home, and culti- vates a remunerative tract of land, and enjoys the comforts of rural life in his declining years.

Our subject was born in county Wexford, Ire- land. October 18, 1831. He left his native isle in April, 1853, and emigrated to Canada, where he re-

mained until the fall of 1881, and then removed to Grand Forks, North Dakota. He resided there un- til June, 1882, and then went to Ramsey county, North Dakota, and located in Odessa township, where he began the improvement of a farm, and has since resided. He has erected substantial and com- modious buildings on his place, and has provided every means within his power for the perfect culti- vation of the land and the easy garnering of his crops, and has made a success of his calling in North Dakota. He now owns eight hundred acres of land, and engages in diversified farming with most pleas- ing results.

Our subject was married in county of Lanerick, Canada, to Miss Ann Devine. Mrs. Kavanaugh was born in county Longford, Ireland, in 1839, and when four years of age came with her parents to Canada, where she was reared. Mr. and Mrs. Kavanaugh are the parents of eleven children, as follows : Mary, widow of D. W. Brown ; Ellen, now Mrs. John Mul- len ; Patrick J .; Bridget A., now Mrs. M. D. Ma- honey; Michael D .; Kate M., now Mrs. W. G. Lamb; Mathew J. ; Annie T., now Mrs. G. H. Lamb; James L., Elizabeth J. and Charles A. Edward J. died January 26, 1897, when nearly twenty-five years of age. Mr. Kavanaugh is actively interested in lo- cal affairs, and has served as a member of the board of supervisors of Odessa township, and school treas- urer for thirteen years, and also township treasurer. His efforts for the advancement of his community, socially and financially, commend him to the high- est esteem of his fellow men.

WILLIAM BRUCE DOUGLAS, a well-known attorney of Fargo, North Dakota, has for eighteen years been prominently identified with the business interests of that city, and as the result of his untir- ing labors, his enterprise and well-directed efforts, he is to-day the possessor of a handsome compe- tence.

A native of Lockport, New York, he was born June 29, 1849, and is a son of Asa W. and Mary L. ( Bruce) Douglas, also natives of that state, where both died. Two sons were born to them, but our subject is the only one now living. The father was a pioneer merchant, miller and lumberman of west- ern New York, and assisted in building the Erie canal. He was a captain of the war of 1812, partici- pated in the battle of Lundy's Lane and engagements on the New York frontier, and was wounded in one of the Indian wars in New York. The grand- father. William Douglas, served as a soldier in the colonial army during the Revolution, and his father took an active part in the French and Indian war.

Our subject was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1871, and from Union University, of Al- bany, New York, in 1875. For six years he en- gaged in the practice of law at Lockport, New York, but after coming to Fargo, North Dakota, in 1881, he gave up practice for some years on account of ill health, spending his time in looking after his

WILLIAM BRUCE DOUGLAS.

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farming interests and city property. He founded the old Fargo Water & Steam Company, of which he was secretary for some years, but in 1892 the company sold out to the city. He also installed the fire alarm system of the city of Fargo as a private enterprise, and assisted in organizing other com- panies at this place, and has been a prominent fac- tor in commercial circles. In 1897 he resumed the practice of law, to which he now gives the greater part of his time and attention. He is successfully engaged in general practice, and is attorney and director of the Northwestern Mutual Savings & Loan Association, of which he was one of the or- ganizers, and which is now the largest company of the kind in the state. He has never held official positions nor sought public office, preferring to give his undivided attention to his business interests and professional duties. He has met with marked success in his undertakings. Socially, he is a thirty-second-degree Mason, and also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Patriotic Order of Elks.

In 1878 Mr. Douglas was united in marriage with Miss Flora R. Newhall, a daughter of Daniel Newhall, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they have one daughter, Maie Bruce. His portrait is a valua- ble addition to this personal history, and will be found elsewhere by the interested reader.

CHARLES J. MURPHY. Among the many prominent members of the legal fraternity in Grand Forks, North Dakota, it is not easy to determine who stands in the foremost rank, but it is safe to place the subject of this review among those who have gained an assured position, enjoy a liberal and remunerative practice and are held in the highest es- teem by the people of North Dakota. Mr. Murphy is a native of Meeker county, Minnesota, and was born April 15, 1871.

The parents of our subject, John and Sarah (Breen) Murphy, were natives of Ireland, and came to America about 1845 and settled in Minnesota in 1865. The father is a farmer by occupation.

Mr. Murphy was reared and educated in Min- nesota, and began the study of law in the State Uni- versity in 1889, and in 1891 went to North Dakota, settling in Grand Forks in the spring of 1891. He entered the office of J. M. Cochrane as clerk, and later entered the office of Bangs & Fisk, and was admitted to the bar in 1893, and soon afterward be- gan practicing his profession with this firm, and re- mained with them until July, 1895, and then asso- ciated with Tracy R. Bangs as assistant United States attorney for that district, and served as such until July, 1890. He then became associated with Mr. Burke Corbet in the practice of his profession. July 1, 1900, the partnership was dissolved, and since that time our subject has been practicing alone.

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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 156

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