Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 159

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 159

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Our subject was married in Norway, April 14, 1871, to Miss Martha Christopherson, who was born in Norway, October 7, 1847. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the parents of six children, named as follows : Maria, now Mrs. Paul Iverson ; Albert ; Caroline, now Mrs. Carl J. Arneson : Robert, Car- rie, Louise. Mr. Anderson takes a hearty interest in local affairs of importance, and has served as a member of the township board of supervisors and a member of the school board. He keeps pace with the times, and wields an influence for good in his community and sustains good local government.

BENJAMIN F. WARREN, who resides on sec- tion 23, Mekinock township, is one of the prominent and influential citizens of Grand Forks county, and is generally regarded as one of the lead- ing farmers of Grand Forks county. He was born in Joliet, Illinois, March 10, 1854, and spent the early years of his life in his native county.

When he was about fifteen years of age he accompa- nied his parents to Benton county, Indiana, where he spent the next ten years. He was educated in the public schools, and at the State Normal School at Valparaiso, Indiana, and when it came time for him to select a life vocation he devoted himself to agriculture. He dwelt in Indiana until the spring of 1880. That year he came to North Dakota, and settled upon the homestead where he is still to be found. It was then wild prairie, and his title runs directly from the government.

Mr. Warren was not satisfied with doing what was absolutely necessary to the improvement of his place. He has adorned and beautified it in every way possible consistent with his means. He has set out numerous trees, erected good buildings, and is now the proprietor of a productive and well-kept farm of eight hundred acres, and takes high rank among the successful farmers of North Dakota. Mr. Warren and Mrs. Christina J. Hempstead were married in Grand Forks, June 18, 1880. She was born and reared in Will county, Illinois, and is a lady of much more than the ordinary character. They have two children : Charles B. and Estella M. He has taken an active interest in educational matters since coming to Dakota, and has served upon the township board of education for many years. He has also held other local offices, and has exerted con- siderable influence in his neighborhood. He and his wife are identified with the Presbyterian church, and are much esteemed as members and workers in that body.

CHARLES H. DOYON. This gentleman is well known as proprietor of "The Doyan Farm," one of the most extensive tracts of land in Ramsey county, under one ownership. The farm is located in Ramsey and Nelson counties, and consists of two thousand four hundred acres, and is skillfully oper- ated by our subject. Mr. Doyon and family reside on their farm two miles south of Doyon, and are held in high esteem in their community.

Our subject was born in Milton, Chittenden county, Vermont, April 10, 1871. When he was about seven years of age he removed with his par- ents to Madison, Wisconsin, and he was educated at the University of Wisconsin, graduating with the class of 1893. He went to Grand Forks in the sum- mer of the same year, and was teller in the Second National Bank of that city for two years. He set- tled on his farm in Ramsey county in the spring of 1896, and made valuable improvements thereon, erecting substantial buildings and providing for the easy cultivation and garnering of the crops. He has recently platted and laid out the town site of Doyon, on the main line of the Great Northern Rail- road, between Bartlett and Crary. He was the first postmaster appointed at that place.

Our subject was married at Larimore, North Da- kota, in the fall of 1898, to Miss Alice Ashbrook, a native of Kentucky. One child has been born to

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Mr. and Mrs. Doyon, upon whom they have be- stowed the name of Mary Owen. Mr. Doyon is a member of the Order of Elks and is active in affairs of the lodge. He is a young man of excellent busi- ness training, intelligent and enterprising, and is one of the rising young business men of North Da- kota. His career has been marked throughout with persistent and faithful efforts to advance the inter- ests of those for whom he labored, as well as his personal interests, and he has been rewarded by the acquisition of an excellent property and a high repu- tation.

ANDREW VEITCH, whose pleasant and at- tractive home is on section 11, Mekinock township, Grand Forks county, is one of the older settlers of North Dakota, and has done not a little in the way of improvement and progress for his adopted state. He. was born on a farm in St. Lawrence county, New York, November 13, 1852, and received his early education and his preparation for the cares and responsibilities of life in that community. He remained on the parental homestead until 1875, when he went to California and had his first engage- ment in that state weighing wheat during the sum- mer on an extensive farm. He remained in the employment of the man who first gave him work for four years, and then returned to his parents' home in St. Lawrence county, New York. His stay in the east was brief, and in 1880 he came to North Dakota, and took up a homestead on section 4, Meki- nock township, which was his home until 1890. That year he settled on the farm, where he now resides.

For twenty years Mr. Veitch has been a resident of the Dakota country. During that time he has worked hard, practiced economy, and is now the owner of nearly one thousand acres of land, which is becoming more and more valuable with every passing year. He was married in Grand Forks, North Dakota, June 22, 1887, to Miss Bell Nelson. She was born in Ontario, and is a lady of many at- tractions. They have two children, Mildred and Edith. Mr. Veitch has been treasurer of Mekinock township for sixteen years. In 1898 he was a candi- date in the Republican convention. He is a men- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, be- longs to the Presbyterian church, and is one of the trustees of that order. He is an able and honorable man, and has many friends throughout the county.

CAPT. EDWARD E. HEERMAN is one of the well-known pioneers of North Dakota, having set- tled in Devils Lake, Ramsey county, in 1882, and he has been associated with the financial interests in the line of navigation since that date. He has built several well-konwn steamers, and his long service on the Mississippi river and Devils Lake entitle him to rank among the best versed men of his calling in the northwest.

Our subject was born in Salem, Orleans county,

Vermont, April 19, 1834. He went west with his parents in 1840, and after living some years in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, he went to Iowa and lived on his father's farm near Burlington, Iowa, until he was sixteen years of age, when he began boating on the Mis- sissippi river. He had full charge of a side-wheel steamer at the age of nineteen years, and followed his calling on the Mississippi until he went to North Dakota, during which time he built several boats and did an extensive business. Soon after locating at Devils Lake in 1882 he began building the steamer Minnie H., which was built to ply on the lake, and he has continued his business there since that time. He also built the Rock Island, a vessel of thirty tons burden, and the Minnie H., a boat of one hundred and sixty tons. He also built a smaller boat, the Maria Teresa, of about six tons burden. In this work Capt. Heerman has done more to build up the country tributary to Devils Lake than has any other enterprise unless it be the railroads which pass through that region. In the early days he bought a "squatter's" right for one thousand dollars to land where the Chautauqua grounds are now located.

Our subject was married at Hastings, Minne- sota, in 1856, to Miss Halicia Hanna, a native of Rensselaer Falls, New York. Mrs. Heerman died at Hastings, Minnesota, in 1866. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Heerman, of whom but one daughter now lives, named Minnie E. Our sub- ject is a genial, broad-minded man, devoted to his life work, and takes just pride in his labors, and is actively interested in the general welfare of his town and county. He has been mayor of Devils Lake, and one of the city aldermen for several years, and occupies a high station in the minds of those with whom he has to do.

CHARLES H. COOPER, who resides on sec- tion 22, Mekinock township, Grand Forks county, is among the number of those who were brave enough to seek a new home in the Dakota country, even though somewhat advanced in years, and the results have amply justified his enterprise. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, January 4, 1844, and was reared on a farm in Ashtabula county, not far from his birth place. His education was given him in the public schools of the state, and though it was not very wide nor deep, yet it was thorough, and he is a man of more than the usual intelligence. He continued to live in Ashtabula county until 1879, with the ex- ception of some three years spent in the Federal army. Mr. Cooper enlisted September 18, 1862, in the first Ohio Light Artillery, and served nearly three years. He had an extensive military expe- rience, and made a record of which he may justly be proud. He received a painful injury while being transferred at Jeffersonville, Indiana, from one hos- pital to another. The ambulance in which he was being conveyed was upset, and Mr. Cooper received

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a dislocation of the hip from which he never recov- cred, and is still lame from the effects.

In March, 1879, the subject of this writing came to North Dakota to find a home for his family. For two years he rented a farm three miles south of Grand Forks; and then, feeling assured of his liking for the country and climate, he took up a homestead where he now lives, and which has been his resi- dence to the present time. Here he has made many improvements, and owns four hundred and eighty acres that may be compared in most important re- spects with an equal acreage in the older east. He was married to Miss Celestia Viets, at Geneva, Ohio. She was born in Ashtabula county, in that state, and is the mother of three children : Herbert D., Lottie A. and Mona V. Mr. Cooper has been called to fill important local positions by his fellow townsmen, and his common sense views and business ability have commanded respect. He is now chairman of the township board, and has taken part in all affairs of local interest for many years. He is identified with the Presbyterian church of Grand Forks, and is counted among its best workers and supporters. He belongs also to the Grand Army of the Republic, and is affiliated with the Post at Larimore.

FRANK PITCHER, proprietor of "Pitcher's Grove Farm," is a man of honest industry and has gained an assured position among his fellow men. He has made a success of farming and has aided in sustaining and extending the great agricultural in- terests of that region. His home is in section 3, in Lake township, and he conducts one of the large farms of Ramsey county.

Our subject was horn in Chautauqua county. New York, January 3, 1846, and was reared and educated in Cattaraugus county, and resided there until about 1867. He then went to Iowa, and re- sided in Butler and Buena Vista counties and was engaged in farming and other occupations ten years. He then returned to Cattaraugus county and six months later again took up his residence in the west, settling in Barron county, Wisconsin, and there en- gaged in the livery business and contracting and lumbering until August, 1882, when he removed to North Dakota. He settled on his farm one mile south of Devils Lake, where he has since been a resident. He has added valuable improvements to his place and the farm affords a home of great com- fort. He owns and operates nine hundred acres of land in Ramsey county, and is one of the solid men of Lake township.

Our subject was married in Chicago, Illinois, to Miss Susie Knowlton, who is a native of De Kalb county, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Pitcher are the par- ents of two children, named as follows: Grace K. and Ida. Two sons are now deceased, as follows: George C., died July 6, 1899, aged nearly sixteen years, and Gordon, who died in infancy. Mr. Pitcher is a man of broad mind and his interests are centered in his community, and he wields an in-

fluence for good wherever he makes his home. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a mem- ber of the Lodge of Perfection, Scottish Rite, and Chapter.

JAMES BARRETT, whose home is on section 29, Chester township, Grand Forks county, is still in the prime of life, and well deserves an honorable place among those whose brains, courage and en- durance have converted a wilderness into the great state of North Dakota. He is active and industri- ous, and his integrity has commanded respect. He was born on a farm in St. Croix county, Wisconsin, August 15, 1862, where he was reared and educated, receiving such educational advantages as the com- mon schools of the community afforded him. He lived at home until 1890, and the fall of that year struck out in life for himself. He came to North Dakota, and for two years was employed as a farm laborer. He settled in 1892 on the farm where he now lives, and by unremitting care and attention has made it one of the most complete in this section of the county. He owns four hundred and eighty acres, and operates nine hundred more, and as may be imagined is an exceedingly busy man.

Mr. Barrett and Miss Theresa Pash were mar- ried in Bell River, Minnesota. July 3, 1891. She has ably seconded all her husband's efforts, and as she was born and reared in Minnesota, she knows the requirements of a western home. They are the parents of two children, Henry J. and Alice, and have a delightful home. Mr. Barrett is a man of considerable influence at home, and has been a men- ber of the township board for several years. He is a member of the Catholic church, and is highly esteemed in that society.

JOHN E. TRUAX, clerk of the district court, is one of the prominent officials of Cavilier county, and has resided in Langdon for the past thirteen years, in which time he has gained a host of friends and the highest esteem of his fellows. The reader of this sketeli will do well to consult his portrait, which will be found in these pages.

Our subject was born in Miami county, Indiana, March 31, 1851, and at the age of five years moved to Scott county. Minnesota, where he was reared and educated. He was then employed as clerk in a store in Le Sueur county, Minnesota, for about five years and in 1876 was appointed deputy auditor of Le Sueur county, which office he held until May, 1882. He was then appointed register's clerk in the United States land office at Grand Forks, North Dakota, and remained in that office until January, 1886, at which time he was appointed deputy auditor of Grand Forks county. He held the position until January 1, 1888, and at that time was appointed clerk of the district court of Cavilier county, by Judge McConnell, of Fargo, and has held the office continuously since that date. He took up his resi-

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dence in Langdon early in January, 1888, and has lived here since and taken an active interest in the upbuilding of the town.

Our subject was married in Le Sueur county, Minnesota, in 1874, to Miss Mary Travis, who died in Le Sueur in November, 1875. One son was born to this union, named Robert E. Mr. Truax was married to Miss Clara V. Stiles in 1880 and Jan- uary 25, 1897, he was again called upon to mourn the loss of his life companion. Mr. and Mrs. Truax were the parents of two children, Viola C. and Constance A. Our subject is a stanch advocate of Democratic principles and an earnest worker for his party, with which he has always been iden- tified, and he wields a wide influence. His repu- tation for integrity and uprightness is without a flaw and he is one of the most highly-reputed men of the county and enjoys the confidence of all. He is a thirty-second-degree Mason and member of the Mystic Shrine and Elzagel Temple of Fargo, mem- ber of Uniform Rank, Knights of Pythias, and has passed all the chairs in the subordinate lodge of this order. He is one of the oldest Knights of Pythias in the West, having joined the order in 1874. He is also a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and Independent Order of Foresters.

GEORGE McDEVITT, a prosperous merchant of Grand Harbor, North Dakota, is a gentleman of wide business experience and has made a suc- cess of his life work. He is an old settler of Ramsey county, and has aided materially in its advancement and his name is associated with many of the public enterprises which make that country well known.

Our subject was born in Olmstead county, Min- nesota, October 13, 1862, and was reared in the city of Rochester, Minnesota, and educated in the public schools and high school at Grand Meadow in Mower county and also took a course at Curtis Business College in Minneapolis. He then dealt in horses in Minneapolis from 1879 until 1881, and in No- vember of that year went to Fort Totten and after a short stay there returned to Minnesota. In the following spring he again went to Fort Totten and entered the employ of Peck & School, who were the post traders there and remained in their en- ploy five months, after which he returned to Min- nesota. In the spring of 1883 he again located in North Dakota, and soon afterward engaged in farm- ing in the vicinity of Devils Lake. He followed that occupation until the spring of 1889, when he en- gaged in the mercantile business at York, Benson county, and continued there until the fall of 1891. He then went to Grand Harbor, Ramsey county, and erected the building in which he now conducts the business and has since followed mercantile pur- suits there. Mr. McDevitt was appointed post- master of Grand Harbor in June, 1894, under Pres- ident Cleveland, and held the office until June, 1899, proving himself an efficient officer and gaining the confidence of the people of Ramsay county.

Our subject was married in York, Benson county, North Dakota, to Miss Frances Roney Buckley, a native of Rochester, Minnesota. Mrs. McDevitt died in Grand Harbor, North Dakota, June 7, 1900. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. McDevitt, two of whom are living, and bear the names of Lucile F. and George L. Esther died at the age of about three years. Mr. Mc- Devitt is prominent in local affairs, and has served as chairman of the board of supervisors of Grand Harbor township and has filled other minor offices in his township. He is a man of ability and ener- getic effort and is deservedly held in high esteem by all.

EBENEZAR SMITH, deceased, was one of the old residents of North Dakota, and is remembered by those who were in Grand Forks county during the '8os as a man of force and character. He was born near Hamilton, Ontario, and was the oldest child of John and Margaret ( Kirton) Smith. He accompanied the family in its removal to Will county, and Kankakee county, Illinois. He was afterwards a farmer in Indiana, and came to North Dakota in the spring of 1880, and located on section 14. Mekinock township, Grand Forks county, and engaged very earnestly in the working of convert- ing the wild prairie into a fertile farm. He died in the month of January, 1887, and left behind him a good name. He was married in Kankakee county, Illinois, to Miss Susan Hempstead, a native of Eng- land. She is still living. They were a congenial couple, and took much interest in neighborhood and social matters, and were regarded as one of the leading families of the township.

LOUIS H. MILLER, a substantial and influen- tial business man of Grand Harbor, has been a resi- dent of Ramsey county since its early settlement, and has much to do with the political history and business development of his section of the state of North Dakota.

Mr. Miller is a native of Norway, where he was born January 2, 1858. He was reared and educated in the land of his birth, and grew to maturity there. In 1880 he came to America, landing in New York in October of that year. He first went to Chicago, where he remained two years, and then, in April, 1882, came to Ramsey county, and took up land near Graham's Island. He remained there only about one year, when he went to Norway township, in 1883, and took up land and began permanent improvements. He put his farm in a good state of cultivation and followed farming successfully about nine years. He then came to Grand Harbor, in 1893, in the early spring, and opened a hotel, and also. engaged in the lumber business. The hotel he conducted about one year, then sold it, and put in a line of farm machinery in connection with his lumber business, and has since handled these

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two lines of business together with great success. He has an extensive trade, and is constantly increas- ing his business. He also operates his farm and stock business. He is the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of valuable land in Norway town- ship, and he has, by careful and judicious manage- ment and hard work, secured for himself and family a comfortable home and ample competence for after years.

Mr. Miller was married at Devils Lake to Miss Anna H. Larson. Mrs. Miller was born in Wiscon- sin. To this union six children have been born, five of whom are living, named as follows: Alfred S., George MI., Thomas, Clarine W. and Louise. They lost one son, Leander, when he was two years old.

Mr. Miller has taken an active interest in public affairs and has always been interested in matters of an educational nature. He was one of the organ- izers of Norway township, and is thoroughly ac- quainted with the history of Ramsey county, and is entitled to mention among those who have developed its resources and prosperity.

TRACY R. BANGS, district attorney for the district of North Dakota, is a man who has steadily risen to prominence and is now a leader of the bar of state. His practice has brought him in contact with the most learned members of the profession in the state and he is recognized as one of the leading lawyers of North Dakota. He is earnest in his con- victions, a well-equipped practitioner, and able advo- cate, and enjoys an extensive and lucrative business.

Our subject is a native of Le Sueur county, Minnesota, and was born April 29, 1862. His par- ents, Alfred W. and Alma ( Baker) Bangs, were natives of Pennsylvania and his father was born July 29, 1830. He was reared and educated in Pennsylvania where he began the study of law. He was admitted to the bar in that state and practiced his profession in Scranton, Pennsylvania, until 1860, when he removed to Minnesota and practiced in Le Sueur, Le Sueur county, until 1882. He was prosecuting attorney of the county for fourteen years, and in 1882 went to Grand Forks, where he remained until 1889, when he moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, where he is still located. He served as county attorney of Grand Forks county, North Dakota, and also of the county where he now resides. He was chairman of the territorial Democratic committee from 1886 to 1888, and also a delegate to the national convention at St. Louis in 1886. He was twice married, his second wife bearing the maiden name of Sarah Plowman. This marriage occurred in 1866. Four sons and one daughter were born of this union. A portrait and sketch of A. W. Bangs will be found elsewhere in this volume.

Tracy R. Bangs was educated in Minnesota in the high schools, and began the study of law with his father, and went to Grand Forks, North Da-

kota, in 1882, as cashier of the United States land office. He was admitted to practice in 1885, and practiced with his father until 1889, and then formed a partnership with C. J. Fisk, which existed until 1892, when his brother, George A. Bangs, became a partner and they continued together until 1895. Our subject was appointed district United States attorney in 1894, and the following year withdrew from the firm. He was city attorney in 1888, and elected state's attorney in 1892, resigning that po- sition to accept his present position. He is sec- retary of the County Bar Association. He holds membership in the Masonic fraternity, the Elks, and the Knights of Pythias, and in the last named is a member of the committee on law of the suprenie lodge. He is an earnest advocate for the principles of the Democratic party and "stumps" the state for his party. He is yet a young man, but his ex- perience has been of a wide nature and he has ac- quired a knowledge of his profession becoming one of more mature years.

HON. TREADWELL T. TWICHELL. This gentleman, whose home is in Durbin township, Cass county, is one of the best-known citizens of his locality and his public spirit and excellence of char- acter have never been called in question. He has aided in the upbuilding and development of the community in which he has resided for over twenty years, and every need has been anticipated by him and relieved by his influence and good work. He is serving as senator from the tenth district, and his efficient labors gain him a high standing among his fellow men. His occupation is that of farm- ing and he is proprietor of a fine estate comprising four sections of land, on which he conducts grain raising with marked success. His portrait in these pages is that of a man capable of much labor and able to sustain heavy responsibilities.

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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 159

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