Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 172

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 172

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Our subject was born on a farm in Lafayette county, Missouri, November 18, 1850. The parents removed to Allen county, Kansas, in the spring of 1857, and located on a farm, where our subject grew to manhood. He resided there until 1874, when he, went to his native county in Missouri, and was there engaged in farm labor until 1883. In the fall of that year he went to Ramsey county, North Dakota, and at once made claim to land in Lake township, on which he located and has since been a resident. He has been fortunate in pursu- ing his calling and now owns and operates four hundred acres of choice land and on his home farm he has placed valuable improvements and made such arrangements as are to be found on a model farm. His buildings are substantial and modern in design and finish, and he enjoys the comforts of rural life.

Our subject was married, in Ramsey county, North Dakota, to Miss Viola Casady, who was born in Washington county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt are the parents of three children, named as follows: Perley H., Grant J. and Florence S. Our subject is a gentleman of active public interest and has been a member of the school board and has also served as a member of the township board of supervisors. The family are members of the Pres-

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byterian church and are widely known and most highly esteemed in the community in which they have resided for so many years.

ANDREW REDWING, a prosperous · farmer and merchant of Grand Forks county, whose home is in Gilby township, is one of the pioneers of the township in which he resides and one of the best- known men in the county.

Mr. Redwing was born in Winneshiek county, Iowa, July 18, 1857. His parents, Alfred and Betsey (Haugen) Kedwing, are natives of Norway and came to the United States in 1848 and settled in Winneshiek county, lowa. From there they went to Fillmore county, Minnesota, where they now re- side. They had eight sons and five daughters, but Andrew is the only one of the children residing in North Dakota. Andrew Redwing was born in lowa and reared chiefly in Minnesota, and received his education in the public schools. In 1879 he came to North Dakota and found employment at Fargo for two years. He then came to Grand Forks county and took a homestead claim on section 20, in Gilby township. In 1888 he purchased the land where he now makes his home. He is at present the owner of five hundred and sixty acres of excel- lent lands, well improved with good buildings and conveniences.

Mr. Redwing was married, in 1885, to Miss Bertha J. Knudson, who was born in Wisconsin. Three children were born to this union, named as follows: Alfred D., Dora .B. and Elmer C. The wife and mother died August 19, 1895. Mr. Red- wing was married, in 1897, to Miss Ida T. Knud- son, a sister of his first wife, and to them two chil- dren have been born, namely : Bertena J. and Edgar A. The members of the family are all communi- cants of the Lutheran church. Mr. Redwing is a Republican in political sentiment and is at present school treasurer. He has a pleasant and attractive home and is well known and enjoys the esteem and confidence of all who know him.

FRANK E. FRIE is classed among the most energetic and capable farmers of Page township, Cass county. His career has been marked through- out by persistent efforts to advance the interests of the community in which he resides as well as his personal interests and he has been rewarded by the accumulation of a fine estate and the highest es- teen of his associates. He was one of the early settlers of Page township and is now the owner of a well-improved and valuable farm.

Our subject was born in Kalamazoo county, Michigan, October 19, 1857, and was a son of John and Mary ( Myres) Frie, both of whom were natives of Germany. The parents emigrated from Ger- many to America and settled in Michigan, where the mother died and the father now resides and fol- lows farming. They had seven sons, five of whom

are now living, but our subject is the only member of the family in North Dakota.

Mr. Frie was reared and educated in Michi- gan and followed farming there until 1882, when he entered a homestead claim in section 18, of Page township, where he has since resided. He has added to his possessions and is now the owner of a section and a half of choice land, which is made to yield abundantly and provides a comfortable com- petence.

Our subject was married, in Cass county, North. Dakota, in 1889, to Myrtie Buck, a native of Illinois. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Frie, named as follows: Ethel B., George and Walter J. Mr. Frie is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and in political sentiment is independent. He takes an active interest in the affairs of his township and has held various local offices. He is widely known as an enterprising agriculturist and worthy citizen and well merits his high standing. A group portrait of our subject and his family appears in this work.

ROBERT B. STEWART, of Bottineau, drug- gist and retired farmer, is one of the best-known men in Bottineau coutny. He was among its earliest settlers and the extent of his farm operations and his success, together with his prominence in public af- fairs, have placed him in the front ranks as a citizen and member of the community.

Mr. Stewart was born on a farm in Ontario, Canada, October 7, 1859. He was the third child in a family of nine children born to Alexander Stew- art and Margaret (Ferguson) Stewart, the former a native of Scotland, who came to Canada at the age of five years, and the latter born in Canada, of Scotch parentage. Robert B. Stewart was reared on a farm in Canada, in a timbered country, and worked at picking stones and grubbing and attended school in the country. At the age of twenty-three years he came to North Dakota, arriving in Bot- tineau county May 19, 1883. He at once located a squatter's claim two miles from the old village of Bottineau, put up a claim shanty and started farnı- ing, "batching it" for the first eighteen months. He made the first trip overland in covered wagons, there being four in the party and they all settled in the same locality. Provisions had to be hauled from Devils Lake, a distance of one hundred and eight miles. During 1885 and 1886 he spent much time working in the Red river valley and spent one year in Canada. He returned to Dakota in 1887, in the fall, bringing his parents and brother and sisters. They took government land and began farm- ing. In 1888 our subject took a homestead claim and began farming again, and continued for ten years. His greatest crop was obtained in 1895, when his wheat yield was forty-two bushels to the acre and his oats yielded one hundred bushels per acre, his entire grain yield being ten thousand bushels with an expenditure of thirty-six dollars in

FRANK E. FRIE AND FAMILY.

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all for help during the year. This small sum was paid for help in harvest. He is now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of fine lands, two hundred and fifty of which are in cultivation an- nually and the balance in pasture. He devotes most attention to grain. He has a well-improved farm, equipped with all modern machinery and with ample farm buildings for housing grain, implements and stock. He engaged in threshing for seven years, owning a thresher with sixteen-horse-power engine. His highest threshing record was in 1895, when in one day he threshed thirty-five hundred bushels of grain. He was engaged in threshing fifty days that season, turning out one hundred and twenty-five thousand bushels of grain.

In 1898 Mr. Stewart's health failed and he took a trip for the purpose of recuperating and resting. He traveled through fourteen states and visited the Pacific coast, where he spent two months, returning to Bottineau county in August, 1898. In May, of the following year, he purchased the drug business of D. B. McArthur, in Bottineau, and has since con- ducted this business. This business was first es- tablished by Jerry Kelsey and Dr. Fisk, of Willow City. The business now occupies a building 35x40 feet, and is prospering.

Mr. Stewart was married, in 1890, to Miss Cath- erine McArthur. Mrs. Stewart was born in Bruce county, Ontario, Canada, her father, Duncan Mc- Arthur, being one of the old settlers of Bottineau county. To Mr. and Mrs. Stewart three children have been born, named as follows: Gladys, Luella and Irene. Mr. Stewart is a Democrat in po- litical faith and has been active in public affairs of the county. He was chosen a delegate to the state convention of his party at Grand Forks in 1900. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and an old settler in the county. He filed for record the first deed recorded in Bottineau county.

CLARKSON A. HALL, county superintendent of schools of Nelson county, is one of the efficient educational workers of North Dakota. He is a na- tive of Wyoming county, New York.

Mr. Hall was raised on a farm and educated in the common schools, at Pike Seminary, Cazenovia and Alexander. He began teaching at rather an early age, but continued attending school five or six year later. He enlisted in Company D, One Hun- dred and Thirtieth New York Volunteers, and did his best for the flag that he had been teaching his former pupils to love and defend. Returning from the front, being unable to perform maual labor, he resumed teaching, his experience in this work being in Michigan, Iowa and New York. In the last named state he held the office of county commis- sioner of schools, which corresponds to county su- perintendent of schools in North Dakota, for nine years, removing with his family at the close of his term of office, to Nelson county, North Dakota. 50

Since settling in North Dakota his life has been a busy one. Landing in Lakota in March, 1888, he seeded one hundred and thirty-five acres. The great frost harvested the field in a night. He hired a man and had every acre plowed back, just as he had agreed to do by the terms of the lease, but him- self taught the Bartlett school from October, 1888, until June, 1889. The Lakota school was offered him and together with his daughter, Jennie, he taught here three years, when he was elected to the office of county superintendent of schools, which office he now fills.

The records of the state association and of the county associations show that Superintendent Hall has been active in school affairs. His institutes are always provided, not only with a leading conductor, but also an instructor in primary work, he believ- ing that the little ones should be started right. The superintendent gives his whole time and attention to his school work. He believes in North Dakota people, North Dakota soil and North Dakota op- portunities ; has secured control of a half-section and delights to plant a tree or shrub or willow cut- ting, to enhance the beauty of the prairie farms in the years that are coming. He delights in beauti- ful tree, a bird's song, a flower, a good horse, a promising boy or girl and cares more to be useful than to be rich.

WILLIAM H. LATTIN, a prominent merchant and stock raiser, residing in Towner, North Da- kota, is a pioneer settler of McHenry county. He was born in a village in the state of New York, December 22, 1853.

The father of our subject, John Lattin, was an American and followed contracting. He was born in Chemung county, New York. The grandfather of our subject, Lewis Lattin, was born in Connecti- cut and was a canal boatman in New York. His great-grandfather was Bijah Lattin, born in Con- necticut. Our subject's mother bore the maiden name of Orpha Wells, and she was born in New York and was of American parentage. Her father, Peter Wells, was a hotel keeper. The parents were married in New York and of their seven children our subject was the eldest. When he was twelve years of age the family moved to Wisconsin by team and settled in Jackson county, and there the father worked on the Black river and the Missis- sippi. The family moved to Eau Claire, Wiscon- sin, in 1869, and after about five years there again removed, locating in Red Wing, Minnesota. They later moved to Herman, Minnesota, and in 1883 to South Dakota, and there located on a ranch on the Missouri river above Forest City. Our subject and his father engaged in cattle raising on the ranch three years. In the meantime our subject hauled ten thousand feet of lumber, the first hauled into Ipswich, South Dakota, and he hauled the stock for the first lumber yard at Labeau on the Missouri river and also followed farming. The father and

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son went to Towner, McHenry county, North Da- kota. in 1886, taking the trip by team as all pre- ceding trips had been made. They camped out and slept under the wagon and many times had nothing but roast potatoes to eat. In 1886 they started in the ranch business on the Mouse river, and our subject also teamed and hauled supplies from Devils Lake to Towner and later to Minot. He built the first hotel in Towner and followed that business for some time and then devoted himself to ranching. The family moved to Towner in 1900 and our subject and his brother, Fay Lattin, purchased the mercantile business of A. N. Eidsness and put in a large stock of general goods and now have a good patronage. Mr. Lattin in 1900 built a brick hotel, 40x60 feet, and this is the finest building of Towner. He and his brother have a ranch of four hundred and eighty acres and have made a success in North Dakota. The father died at Towner in December, 1897, at sixty-eight years of age.

Our subject was married, in 1888, to Miss Mar- garet Taylor, who was born in Indiana and came to Illinois, where she was raised. She is of American birth and parentage. Mr. Lattin is a Republican in political faith and is prominent in local affairs and has held various offices, proving himself a worthy citizen and gentleman of ability and enterprise.

JULIUS G. GORDON, county auditor of Nel- son county and a resident of Lakota, is one of the most popular othcials of the county and has to his credit thirteen years of public service in county af- fairs. He is a gentleman of unassuming character, is conservative and is possessed of a strong mind and good sense of humor. In social life he is popu- lar with all who know him.

Our subject was born in Huntington county, Quebec, Canada, December 17, 1850, and was the eldest in a family of seven children born to Charles and Ann B. (Edwards) Gordon. The father was a native of Canada and the mother was born in Scot- land. The paternal great-grandfather of our sub- ject, Thomas Gordon, was a soldier of the Ameri- can Revolution and the grandfather, Daniel Gor- don, was a soldier of the war of 1812, and later he settled in Canada. The Gordon fam- ily have now all drifted back into the United States. The father was a carpenter and railroad contractor. Mr. Gordon was reared on a dairy farm until eighteen years of age and then he was employed a year in clerking and then followed railroad work six months and then entered Bryant & Stratton's Business College at Montreal, from which institu- tion he received a diploma and he was then employed as timekeeper and paymaster with a construction gang and also contracted some until 1880. In the spring of that year he went to Grand Forks, North Dakota, and entered land on the Minnesota side of the Red river in Polk county, and in 1883 worked on the Canadian Pacific Railroad and was thus en- gaged two years. He went to Michigan City in

the spring of 1885 and entered claim to land as a tree claim and homestead in Michigan township, and followed farming there until 1890. He was then elected county commissioner for district No. 5 in 1887 and served nine successive years, dur- ing six years acting as chairman. From 1890 to 1899 Gordon Brothers operated a store in Michigan City and our subject was engaged as manager and the business was a success. Mr. Gordon was elected county auditor in 1897 and is ably filling that office. Heis interested in twenty-four hundred acres of land, known as the Gordon Grain and Stock Farm, which is one of the most extensive farms of the county.

Our subject was married, in 1877, to Miss Eliza Richardson, a native of Canada. Mr. Gordon is a member of the Congregational church and he holds membership in the Ancient Order of United Work- men. He is non-partisan in politics, but has been identified with many of the movements of the Popu- list party and favors reform principles.

HUGH BOLE, one of the earliest settlers of Stutsman county, and a prominent farmer who has gained a comfortable competence and an enviable reputation by earnest and persistent efforts, engages principally in the raising of wheat, in which he has been eminently successful. He has a wide knowl- edge of his vocation and has aided in the transform- ing of that locality from a wild waste to a highly cultivated country. His farm is supplied with every convenience and the buildings thereon are of the most substantial and modern construction.

Our subject was born on a farm in Winona county, Minnesota, in 1858, and was a son of John and Margaret (Crooks) Bole, both of whom were natives of Ireland. The mother had been previously married, her first husband being Mr. Conlin. By this marriage a son, Henry, was born and is now living in Minnesota. His father was a farmer by occupation and was raised in the north of Ireland and came to America but a short time prior to his marriage in 1857. The paternal grandparents of our subject were well to do in their native land and spent their lives in Ireland.

Our subject was the eldest of the children and was raised in his native state on a farm, and after attaining his majority went to Stutsman county, North Dakota, in 1880, and worked at farm labor. He entered claim to the northwest quarter of section 10 in township 140, range 65, and erected a 12×16- foot shanty, and the following year broke thirty acres of land. He purchased a team and wagon and in the spring of 1881 earned money by work- ing out with which to buy a breaking plow, and did not engage extensively in farming his land until 1883. Jamestown was at that time a mere village and there was not a building in sight from his place. He now has a farm of six hundred acres and an- nually crops about four hundred acres, and is also interested to some extent in the raising of cattle. Our subject was married, in 1884. to Miss Minnie

HUGH BOLE.

MRS. MINNIE BOLE.

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Johnson, who was born and raised in Winona coun- ty, Minnesota, and was of Swedish descent. Her father, Sween Johnson, was a farmer in Minnesota. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bole, as follows: Elmer and May. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Bole are contained in this work.

Mr. Bole is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Ancient Order of United Work- men. He takes an active part in the affairs of his township and county and has served as school di- rector. Politically, he is a Republican.

CARL N. FRICH, one of the young men of North Dakota who has succeeded in winning for himself a high place as a citizen and attorney, is now serving in the capacity of state's attorney for Nelson county and enjoys a good practice in the city of Lakota. He is a native of Wisconsin, and was born in Lacrosse August 4, 1867.

Our subject is the second in a family of five children born to Professor John B. and Caroline ( Nelson) Frich, who are now residents of Hamlin, Minnesota. His parents were natives of Norway, although the family name is German. The father was president of the Norwegian Lutheran Semi- nary at Hamlin. Our subject attended the high school at La Crosse and also attended Norwood St. Olaf's College, and spent two years at the Luth- eran College at Decorah, Iowa. He was then a reporter on the "Republican Leader" at La Crosse, Wisconsin, and was thus engaged about two years. He entered the State University at Minneapolis and was graduated from the law department with the class of 1896, and in July of that year established a law office at Lakota, North Dakota. He has suc- ceeded in building up a good practice and has fast become one of the prominent men of his profession and is one of the rising young men of the state. He was elected without opposition in 1898 to the office of state's attorney for Nelson county, and is ably and faithfully performing his duties in that capacity.

Our subject was married, in 1891, to Miss Mary Hurley. Mr. Frich is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church and is an exemplary citizen and an earnest worker for the better interests of the com- munity in which he makes his home. Politically he affiliates with the Republican party and is a man of broad ideas and firm in his convictions of right.

THE BANK OF GILBY, one of the leading institutions of its kind in Grand Forks county, was organized in January, 1887, by H. L. Whithead, of Grand Forks. Mr. Whithead was president, M. S. Titus, of Minto, was vice-president and F. L. Streit was cashier and the directors were the above named gentlemen. Mr. Whithead continued president until 1898 and Mr. Titus retired in 1895, in which year Mr. Streit also resigned and the latter was succeeded by W. I. Forbes, the present cashier. Mr.

C. C. Rutherford succeeded Mr. Whithead and is the present president. The original capital of the institution was twenty thousand dollars, which was reduced to ten thousand dollars in January, 1892, and remains that amount. The bank is now owned by Mr. Rutherford and Mr. Forbes, the former as president and the latter as cashier. The bank is a state bank and has a surplus of over six thousand dollars and deposits of over sixty-seven thousand dollars. They do a general banking business and also handle first mortgage loans and real estate.

W. I. FORBES, cashier of the Bank of Gilby, is a young man of excellent education and business training and ably conducts the affairs of the insti- tution with which he is connected. He is a native of Ontario, Canada, and was born October 11, 1875. His father, Adam G. Forbes, was a native of Scot- land and emigrated to Canada and settled in On- tario in 1862. He was a graduate of Princeton College and was a Presbyterian minister. In 1881 he removed to Minto, North Dakota, and resided there until his death in 1897. Our subject has two brothers in North Dakota.

Mr. Forbes was reared and educated in Minto and in the University of North Dakota, and began teaching in 1893. He went to Gilby, Grand Forks county, as assistant cashier of the bank with which he has since been associated, and in 1896 became cashier and owner of a half interest.

Mr. Forbes is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen of America. He has risen rapidly in business cir- cles and is one of the solid business men and most highly respected citizens of Grand Forks county.

ANDREW JOPP, one of the early settlers of Stark county, conducts an extensive general mer- chandise store in Gladstone and enjoys prosperity. He was born in a village in the eastern part of Ger- many, November 9, 1839.

The father of our subject, Andrew Jopp, was a carpenter by trade. The mother of our subject was of Polish descent and bore the maiden name of Justina Broniewski. The parents were married in Germany and of their family of eight children our subject was the fifth in order of birth. He was educated in his native village and at the age of fif- teen years was apprenticed to learn the tailor's trade, which required five years, after which he spent three years in the German army, being a member of the Fifty-eighth German Infantry. He came to Amer- ica in 1865, landing at Castle Garden, New York, and was engaged in that locality at truck gardening for about six months, and then followed his trade in New York city fifteen years, the last two years of which time he conducted a business for himself. He went to Wisconsin in March, 1881, and spent fif- teen months in search of a good location there for business, and in April, 1882, went to Gladstone, North Dakota, and entered claim to land. He es- tablished a small tailor shop in Gladstone and built

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the first comfortable house in the town, and in con- nection with his tailor business kept a small line of gents' furnishings. He has erected a good-sized store, and carries a general line of goods and enjoys a good patronage.

Our subject was married, in July, 1888, to Miss Louisa Vandt, who was born in the same vil- lage in Germany as our subject, and came to Amer- ica alone in 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Jopp are the par- ents of three children, named as follows: Elsie, born in 1891 ; Grover, born in 1893; and Gretchen, born in 1894. Mr. Jopp was elected county com- missioner twice, and has served as such six years. He was appointed postmaster of Gladstone under Cleveland's administration, and served from May, 1896, until July, 1898. He is active in public af- fairs, and is identified with the Republican party politically.

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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 172

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