Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 42

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

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In Duluth, Minnesota, Mr. Satterlund was mar- ried, in 1877, to Miss Charlotte Peterson, of Clay county, Iowa, and they now have a family of four children, one son and three daughters: Hilda, Lulu, Florence and Floyd. In business affairs Mr. Satter- lund has met with marked success and has large landed interests in this state. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and is a prominent representa- tive of the Republican party, having served to all the county and state conventions since coming to North Dakota. Besides the offices already men- tioned he filled that of county commissioner of Bur- leigh county in 1882 and was deputy United States marshal for four years from 1883. In 1898 he was made receiver of the United States land office at Bismarck and is now most creditably and accept- ably filling that position. His public and private life are alike above reproach and he stands high in public esteem.

GEORGE H. SANBORN. This gentleman has for over a quarter of a century been engaged in farming in Barnes township, Cass county, and has gained an enviable reputation as a citizen and in- cidentally laid aside a competence to tide him through his declining years. He has an estate covering eighty acres of land and makes his home in sec- tion 24.

Our subject was born in Rochester, New York, September 18, 1831, and was the third in a family of ten children born to William and Permelia ( Black) Sanborn, both of whom were natives of New York. When our subject was a child his par- ents removed to Erie, Pennsylvania, and settled on a farm, where he was reared to th age of seventeen years and then went with his father's family to Meadville, Pennsylvania, to which city they removed on account of the educational advantages. Our subject attended the Allegheny College in that city for two years, and then went to Erie, Pennsylvania, and was employed as clerk in a general merchandise establishment one year and later clerked in his fa- ther's store at Wattsburg two years and then went to what is now Winona, then Wabasha, and was

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engaged in the mercantile and real estate business. He continued his residence there from the spring of 1853 to the fall of 1860, when he removed to Texas, but after a few months removed to Ontario, Canada, and was engaged in the oil business about fifty miles from London. After two years he lo- cated in Chatham, Ontario, and engaged in the lum- ber business from the spring of. 1863 to August, 1871, when he located in Dakota, about twenty miles north of Fargo. The following June he settled on his present farm in section twenty-four, of Barnes township, Cass county, and has engaged in farm- ing continuously since, and for two years also con- ducted a livery business in Fargo. He is now the owner of eighty acres of land, one mile from the city limits, and has added such improvements as are found on the model farm.

Our subject was married, in Chatham, Ontario, February 19, 1868, to Miss Sarah A. Mckellar, who was born in Kent county, Ontario, March 13, 1845. Mrs. Sanborn was the fifth in a family of ten children born to Archibald and Lucy ( McNabb) Mckellar, both of whom were natives of Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn are the parents of one daughi- ter, named Permelia Anna, now Mrs. E. D. Naylor. The family are attendants of the First Presbyterian church of Fargo, of which denomination Mrs. San- born is an active member. Mr. Sanborn is a wide- awake and well-to-do farmer and attends strictly to his work and is highly esteemed throughout his locality.

ALMON L. LOOMIS, a leading representative of the business interests of Fargo, North Dakota, is the junior member of the firm of March & Loomis, a well-known liveryman of that place. Of excellent business ability and broad resources, he has attained a prominent place among its substantial citizens and is a recognized leader in public affairs. He has won success by his well-directed, energetic efforts, and the property that has come to him is certainly well merited.

Mr. Loomis was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, January 3, 1854, a son of Almon and Amelia (Mor- gan) Loomis, who spent their entire lives in that state, the father dying when our subject was only two years old, the mother five years later. In his native state the son passed his boyhood and youth, attending the Grand River Institute of Austinburg and the Orwell Normal Institute of Ashtabula county. In 1874 he went to Chicago, Illinois, and filled the position of traveling salesman for five years. He came to Fargo, North Dakota, in 1879, and for three years was employed as clerk in the postoffice at this place. Subsequently he spent a short time in Montana, but in the fall of the same year returned to Fargo, where he was employed as bookkeeper and was in the real estate business for some time. In the spring of 1887 he embarked in the livery business, which he has since most suc- cessfully conducted and now as a member of the

firm of March & Loomis is doing a large and profit- able business.

Socially Mr. Loomis is a prominent member of the Masonic order and politically is an ardent Re- publican, taking an active interest in political affairs. In 1890 he was elected to the state legislature from Cass county for a period of two years, and in 1891 was appointed deputy United States marshal, in which capacity he served for eight years. He was appointed postmaster of Fargo in May, 1898, and is now filling that office in a most efficient and sat- isfactory manner.

PETER ROBERTS occupies a prominent place as a well-to-do and progressive member of the farm- ing community of Foster county, and he has a fine farm in township 147, range 67. He is now re- tired from active labors and has accumulated a com- petence to tide him through his declining years.

Our subject was born in Wales, in 1844, and was a son of David and Mary Roberts, both of whom were natives of Wales. His father was one of the early settlers of Wisconsin, and took government land there. He spent the last of his career in his native land, and the mother of our subject died in Wisconsin at the age of eighty-three years. Mrs. Roberts' maiden name was Hughs. The Hughs family was quite a prominent family of England and were professional men, bankers, etc.

Mr. Roberts was the fourth in a family of nine children and at the age of three years came to America with his parents and was reared on a farm in Wisconsin. He was given a good common-school education and attended two terms at Lawrence University at Appleton, Wisconsin. He began for himself at the age of sixteen years and after hiring out one year followed lumbering eight years and traveled from Warsaw, Wisconsin, to St. Louis, Missouri, for many years, and while raft pilot made seven dollars per day. He began farming in Win- nebago county, Wisconsin, in 1871, and owned eighty acres of land, part of which was timber land. He made this a pleasant home and from the farm gained a comfortable competence, and when he dis- posed of his interests there was able to begin in Dakota with some means. He went to Foster coun- ty, North Dakota, in 1883, and entered claim to land as a pre-emption and tree claim in township 147, range 67, and erected a house and small barn. He had about four thousand dollars and had all necessary machinery and began farming on an ex- tensive scale. He and his children now own to- gether seven hundred and twenty acres of land, on which he has erected a complete set of substantial buildings. His farm is within two miles of the sta- tion and a school building is erected on the land, and he has one and a half acres of forest trees and plenty of good water. Mr. Roberts was stricken with paralysis after completing arrangements for the economical conduct of the farm and the enjoy- ment of his fortune, and for the past two years has

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been an invalid and the farm has been in charge of his sons since 1897.

Our subject was married in 1870 to Miss Ma- tilda Edwards, of Welsh descent. MIrs. Roberts' father, Hugh Edwards, was a farmer by occupa- tion. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Roberts: M. Louisa, Edward W. and M. Pierce. The youngest child died in infancy. Mrs. Roberts was an invalid for ten years and her deatlı occurred in 1892. Mr. Roberts has always taken an active interest in the welfare of his community and has held numerous township offices. Politically he is a Populist and is a man of worth and highly es- teemed by his fellow men.

HON. CHARLES A. SANFORD. As an all round prominent citizen no man in Stutsman county is more entitled to mention in a volume of this nature, than Mr. Sanford. He has aided mate- rially in the upbuilding of that region, and his pres- ent high position among the business men and pub- lic-spirited citizens of his community has been ac- corded him as a fitting tribute to his labors. Aside from extensive land interests in North Dakota, he is proprietor of the "Countenay Gazette," and is also established in the real estate, insurance and collec- tion business, in which he has built up a lucrative and ever-increasing business. A portrait of Mr. Sanford is shown in connection with this sketch.

Our subject was born in Washtenaw county, Michigan, in 1838, and was a son of Ezra and Al- mira (Chamberlain) Sanford. His parents were of American descent, and his father was born in Ver- mont, and was a farmer by occupation. He settled in Michigan in 1837, and when our subject was but seven years of age the mother died, and the family moved to Indiana, and after two years returned to Michigan.

Our subject was the youngest in a family of twelve children, and was reared on his father's tarm, and at the age of fourteen years he went to Indiana to make his home with his sister. After three and a half years there he returned to his native state and three years later attended the State Normal School and then taught one term of school, after which he entered the Ypsilanti high school, and entered the classical department of the University of Michigan in 1861. He attended this institution three and a half years, and during his junior year he was for several months employed in the office of the auditor- general at Lansing, Michigan, and returned to school in the fall of '64. He was appointed pay- master's clerk in the United States volunter service in February, 1865, and went to Washington where, in addition to his clerical duties, he continued his studies without instructors, and returning to Ann Arbor in the fall he passed private examinations be- fore his several professors, and was graduated from the University with the class of 1866, with the degree of A. B., and later took the degree of A. M. He

then engaged in the lumber business in the Saginaw valley, but fire soon destroyed his mill, and he lost about four thousand six hundred dollars. He spent two years as principal of the ward schools of Lansing, Michigan, and in 1876 was elected superin- tendent of the Lansing city schools, which position he held nearly seven years, when he was compelled to resign on account of failing health. He went to North Dakota in the spring of 1883, and raised one crop on land east of Jamestown, and the following fall filed claim to the south half of section 26, town- ship, 144, range 62, and built a claim shanty and a board barn and began farming. He moved onto this land in the fall of 1884, where he resided until the spring of 1898. He purchased section 35, town- ship 144, range 62, in 1889, and has added to his possessions from time to time since, and is now the owner of extensive and valuable tracts. His home farm consists of six hundred and forty acres, and in 1899 he purchased nine hundred and thirty-four acres of land in the southwestern part of Griggs county. The last named tract is yet uncultivated, but is valuable property. Mr. Sanford engaged in stock-raising and dairying largely while on his farm, and has every convenience on the farm to facilitate the work. His articles on dairying were widely copied in state reports and dairy journals. He retired from farm labors in the spring of 1898 and removed to Courtenay, where he erected the finest residence in that locality, and has since made his home. He established the "Counte- nay Gazette" in October, 1897, and the following spring assumed charge of the paper.

Mr. Sanford is an influential citizen, and takes an active interest in affairs of a public or religious nature. In 1896 he was commissioned from the Fargo presbytery to the general assembly of the Presbyterian church of the United States, which met in Saratoga. He is secretary and treasurer of the Jamestown Presbyterian College. For several years he has been a director in the Alliance Hail As- sociation of North Dakota. He was elected as a representative to the state legislature of North Da- kota in 1898, and is at this writing, March, 1900, chairman of the committee on education, occupies a place on the committee on appropriations, commit- tee on irrigation and on the joint committee on char- itable institutions and the joint committee on edu- cational institutions. During Roger Allen's admin- istration he was a member of the state board of ag- riculture. In 1897 Governor Briggs appointed Mr. Sanford delegate to the farmers' national con- gress which convened at St. Paul. He did very efficient work and his public spirit is always mani- fest. He occupied a very eligible seat in the parquet in Ford's theater on the night of April 14, 1865, when President Lincoln was assassinated by J. Wilkes Booth whose escape he witnessed with pro- found regret.

He has been treasurer of the school district since 1893. Politically Mr. Sanford is a Republican and has attended as a delegate, numerous conventions

HON. CHARLES A. SANFORD.

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in the county and state. He holds membership in the Masonic fraternity, and is a member of the Owls and Delta Kappa Epsilon (college) fraternities.

JOHN E. HEADLAND. The lands beyond the seas are well represented in the agricultural dis- tricts of the West and Cass county, North Dakota, owes much to these foreign-born citizens who are found in the possession of well cultivated tracts and are working for the better interests of the country which they have chosen as their home. The subject of this review has resided in Cass county for over a quarter of a century and at all times has been found standing on the side of right and justice and laboring to upbuild his community, and his efforts have been crowned by the acquisition of a good estate and a wide reputation as a public-spirited and energetic citizen. He makes his home on section 1 in Stanley township.

Our subject was born in Sogn Bergen Stift, Norway, July 30, 1837, and was reared on a farm and continued his residence there till April, 1869, when he left his native land for America and landed at Quebec in May, of that year. He went with his wife from Quebec to Red Wing, Minnesota, and later to Goodhne county, Minnesota, and worked there one year at farm labor and then worked in Rice county one year. He went to Cass county, North Dakota, June 9, 1871, and settled on the farm where he now lives. He has added to his posses- sions from time to time and is now the owner of one hundred and ninety acres of well improved land, and he has erected good buildings and completed every arrangement for lessening labor and disposing more easily of the products of the farm. He is a thorough, practical farmer and his estate bears evi- dence of careful management and painstaking care in its operation.

Our subject was married, in Norway, April 15, 1869, to Miss Solvei Ousen, who was born in Nor- way May 27, 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Headland are the parents of six children, as follows: Ella M., Andrew J., Carrie G., Emil J., Anna S. and Herman N. Mr. Headland takes an active interest in edu- cational affairs, and hos served as a member of the school board for many years. The family are mem- bers of the Norwegian Lutheran church.

ANDREW A. FRISKOP, an influential and well-to-do farmer of Sargent county, has acquired his fortune by dint of his own efforts. He is a foreign-born citizen, but has become thoroughly identified with American progress and is one of the leading men of his community. He has a fine farm in Hall township and his home on section 24 fur- nishes all the comforts of rural life.

Our subject was born in Norway September 28. 1850. He resided in his native land until the spring of 1877, when he came to America and lo- cated in Winneshick county, Iowa, where he re- 14

mained five years, working at farm labor. He went to Sargent county, North Dakota, in the spring of 1882 and entered a homestead claim to land on section 24, of Hall township, where he located and has since been a resident. He has erected a com- plete set of farm buildings of substantial and com- modious form and his farm bears every evidence of good management. He has added to his posses- sions and is now the owner of five hundred and sixty acres of land.

Our subject was married, in the spring of 1883, in Winneshiek county, Iowa, to Helmine Gilbert- son, who was born in Winneshiek county June 17, 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Friskop are the parents of six children, as follows: Edwin, Albert, Nora, Alma, Henry and Clara. Mr. Friskop is an active church worker and is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church. He takes much interest in local affairs of a public nature and works earnestly for the better interests of his community. He has served as township assessor two years, school treas- urer thirteen years, township treasurer six years and county commissioner six years. He was a candidate on the Independent ticket in the fall of 1898 for the state legislature and is one of the leading men of Sargent county. He is a gentleman of true worth and highly respected wherever he is known.

O. J. OLSON, one of the worthy citizens that Norway has furnished the new world, is now an honored resident of Fargo, North Dakota, and is efficiently serving as auditor of Cass county. He was born near the village of Krageroe, Norway, August 12, 1851, and during his early life remained in his native land, where his education was acquired. On leaving school in 1869 he came to the United States and first located in Amherst, Portage county, Wisconsin. He made his home in that state for some years and for five years engaged in clerking for Hon. James J. Nelson. In 1876 he removed to Minnesota and during his residence there was in- terested in the pump and windmill business.

In November, 1878, Mr. Olson came to Fargo, North Dakota, and for some time was employed as clerk in the office of P. P. Nokken, then county treasurer. Later he was engaged in various occu- pations until 1880, when he started a store at Nor- man. Subsequently he removed to Kindred and conducted a store and hotel at that place until 1884, when he was elected assessor of Cass county and served in that capacity for two years. In 1887 he was appointed city assessor of Fargo, under Major A. W. Edwards, mayor of the city, and in 1889 was made clerk of the probate and county courts, which position he most creditably filled for seven years. In 1896 he was selected by the Republican central committee, five days before the election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John C. Miller, nominee for county anditor, and was elected to that office. He was re-elected in 1898 and is

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now filling that position in a most capable and sat- isfactory manner.

In 1881 Mr. Olson was united in marriage with Christine Thorson, a native of Iowa, and to them have been born four children, who are still living, namely : Bessie L., Alice G., Charles N. and Ethel L. Since becoming an American citizen Mr. Olson has affiliated with the Republican party and he has served as secretary of the county central commit- tee. Socially he is a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine; is past master of Fargo Lodge, A. O. U. W., and also belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America. He is well known and highly respected and has proved a very popular and efficient officer.

ANDREW A. BARBO. In whatever vocation engaged the successful man is the industrious man. Among those who have added to their possessions and have gained a goodly competence by the exer- cise of that characteristic the gentleman above named is entitled to mention. He is now the owner of one of the best farms in Eagle township, Richland county, and has acquired his estate through honest industry. He is well-known as a man of good char- acter, and is highly esteemed. .

Our subject was born in Norway, December 28, 1845, and was the only child born to Andrew O. and Randi Barbo. His father died in Norway in the winter of 1897, aged eighty-three years, and his mother died in 1896, aged ninety-six years.

Our subject was reared on his father's farm, and was educated in his native land. He continued his residence there until April, 1871, when he emigrated to America, landing in New York, in May of that year. He went at once to Menomonie, Wisconsin, where he was employed nine years by the Knopp- Stout Lumber Company. He went to Richland county, North Dakota, in June, 1880, and entered claim to one hundred and sixty acres of land as a homestead. He is now in possession of this farm, on which he has erected a complete set of substan- tial and commodious farm buildings, and added every convenience of modern farming. He is the fortunate possessor of four hundred and eighty acres of land and engages in general farming.

Our subject was married in Norway, in the fall of 1870, to Engar A. Oinm, a native of Norway. Mr. and Mrs. Barbo have one daughter and one son, as follows: Mary A. and Albert R. Mr. Barbo takes much interest in local affairs and has served as one of the board of supervisors of Eagle town- ship, chairman of the board, and in various school offices, and is an earnest worker for the development and advancement of his community.

LOUIS L. BRAKKE. Among the foreign-born residents of Cass county, North Dakota, who are thoroughly identified with American civilization and progress, may be noted Mr. Brakke. He is the

owner of a fine farm in section 30, in Stanley town- ship, on which he has placed good improvements, and is surrounded by all which goes to make country life pleasant. He has spent nearly a quarter of a century in North Dakota, and is known throughout Cass county as a progressive, enlightened farmer, who is an earnest supporter of every good cause, and enterprise which tends to the general welfare of his community.

Our subject was born in Bergen Stift, Norway, May 20, 1842, and was reared in his native land and received a good education. He was raised on a farm till seventeen years of age, when he started to earn his own livelihood, and he followed sea coast- ing for several years till he emigrated to America in the spring of 1871. He settled in Goodhue county, Minnesota, and worked at farming and carpentry :n that county about seven years, and in 1878 went to Cass county, North Dakota, and purchased two hun- dred and forty acres of land, in section 30, in Stan- ley township, where he has since resided. He is now the owner of two hundred and thirty-three acres of choice land in North Dakota, and four hundred in Minnesota, and follows general farming, and has met with eminent success.

Our subject was married in Cass county, North Dakota, in June, 1878, to Miss Agnetta Paulson, who was born in Norway, December 23, 1857. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brakke, as follows: Albert C., Leonard O., and Emma O. The family are members of the Nor- wegian Lutheran church. Mr. and Mrs. Brakke and two children spent the summer of 1899 in Nor- way, and Mr. Brakke previously paid a visit to his native land. He is a gentleman of wide experience and practical nature, and highly estreemed by his fellowmen. He has served as a member of the board board of supervisors of Stanley township, and lends his influence for good local government.

A. H. GRAY. The prosperity of any commu- nity depends upon its business activity and the en- terprise manifest in commercial circles is the foun- dation upon which is builded the material welfare of town, state and nation. The most important factors in public life at the present day are therfore men who are in control of' successful business interests and such a one is Mr. Gray, the leading lumber dealer of Valley City.

He was born in Branch county, Michigan, Octo- ber 7, 1840, and is a son of B. D. Gray, a native of Hinesbury, Vermont, who came west in the early 'thirties, and in 1849 made the trip overland to California. For some time he was engaged in con- tracting and building in San Francisco, and many of the important buildings of that city were con- structed by him. Our subject attended school at Constantine and Coldwater, Michigan, and at the age of fourteen began his business career as a clerk in the general store of Miles & Cult, with whom he re- mained for three years. Ile then accepted a posi-

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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 42

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