Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 49

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 49

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Our subject was married in Monango, North Dakota, June 15, 1885, to Miss Ida M. Ingersoll, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, who was born March 20, 1864. Mrs. Caldwell was a daughter of Henry D. and Harriet Ingersoll. Her father was engaged in the lumber business in Cleveland, and was suc- cessful business man. He died in Cleveland when Mrs. Caldwell was a child, and his widow survives him and makes her home in Monango. Mrs. Cald- well's grandfather, Gould Ingersoll, was one of the

founders of the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Two chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, as follows: William L., born November 7, 1890; and Harriet M., born August 6, 1894. A portrait of Mr. Caldwell appears in connection with this sketch.

HON. ANDREW SANDAGER is one of the most extensive business men of Lisbon, Ransom county, and is widely known as a progressive and public-spirited citizen. He has aided materially in the upbuilding of the city, and its present name as a beautiful residence and business place is due largely to his labors and influence. Mr. Sandager is president of the State Bank of Lisbon, senior partner of the general merchandise firm of Sand- ager & Hangan, and is also connected with the En- terprise Milling Company.

He was born in Winneshiek county, Iowa, Au- gust 31, 1862, and was the fourth in a family of eight children, born to Endre P. and Ragnil ( Hanse ) Sandager, both of whom were natives of Norway. His mother is still living and resides on the old homestead in Iowa, where the family settled in 1850.

At the age of sixteen years our subject entered a drug store in Decorah, Iowa, and became a reg- istered pharmacist. The first business of which he took charge was a drug store in Madison, South Dakota, where he stayed about two years, and in the fall of 1881 went to Grafton, North Dakota, where, with a brother, the engaged in general mer- chandise business until 1884, in which year he pur- chased an interest in a general merchandise busi- ness in Lisbon, which he still retains. The State Bank of Lisbon was organized in 1890, with a capi- tal stock of fifty thousand dollars, and our subject was a shareholder and director in the same, and is now its president. The Enterprise Milling Com- pany was formed in 1893, and the Enterprise Mill was erected and is now in active operation. The capacity of this mill is two hundred barrels, and it is operated by water power and equipped with the latest improved machinery. It is surrounded by a country unsurpassed for the quality of its wheat, and with cheap power the mill competes successfully with the markets of the world.

Mr. Sandager has attained prominence in the political world. He was a member of the constitu- tional convention of 1889, and took a seat in the senate in the first session of the legislature, and as a delegate to state conventions he has become thor- oughly identified with the political interests of the state. He has exerted much effort in beautifying and making attractive the city of Lisbon. He owns a tract of twenty-five acres of land close to the main street, ten acres of which he has opened to the pub- lic as a city park, and Sandager Park is one of the most pleasant little retreats in the state. Our sub- ject is prominent in secret society circles, and is a member of the Masonic Lodge, A. O. U. W., the I. O. F. and the Modern Woodmen of America.

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

ALFRED C. MAYFIELD. One of the best located farms in Stutsman county is owned and operated by this gentleman. He has resided thereon for the past ten years, and has thoroughly improved the estate, and is one of the well-to-do men of town- ship 144, range 64. He is one of the early set- tlers of North Dakota and has become widely and favorably known throughout Stutsman county.

Mr. Mayfield was born in Sauk county, Wis- consin, December 15, 1840. His father, James Mayfield, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and was a farmer and stock raiser in Wisconsin. He was one of the early settlers of that state and fought Indians in the West. Our subject removed to Richland county, Wisconsin, with his parents when a child, and was there raised on a farm and attended the common schools. He enlisted, May 3, 1861, in Company H, Fifth Wisconsin Volunteers, and the regiment was mustered into service July 13, 1861. After going to Washington he was sent south, and when he reached Baltimore was taken sick with measles, and joined the regiment near Washington nearly two months later, after a very severe illness. He spent the winter of 1861-62 close to Arlington Heights, and engaged in a few skirmishes, and in April, 1862, was sent to Fortress Monroe, thence to Hampton Roads, and then participated in the battle at Williamsburg, Virginia, after which followed the battle of Fair Oaks. He was through the Penin- sula campaign and was engaged at Fair Oaks, Sav- age Station, White Oak Swamps and Malvern Hill, and was with the troops that covered the retreat down the peninsula. He then assisted in defending Washington, and was at the engagement at South Mountain, and then Antietam, after which he came to Fredericksburg. He was badly injured while making roads in Virginia, and on account of dis- ability, was discharged in 1862. He returned home and attended school two years, part of the time being spent in the college at Fayette, Iowa. He re-enlisted in 1864, as commissary sergeant of the Forty-fourth Wisconsin Volunteers, and was with them to the close of the war, and was mustered out in August, 1865,. after having given three years of active service in defense of the union. In the last named company he participated in the battles of Nashville and Paducah, Kentucky. After the close of the war he returned to his home in Richland Center, Wisconsin. In 1866 he went to Nebraska and for about two years was engaged in trading with the Indians near Columbus, Nebraska. Then he went to Clarksville, Nebraska, where he engaged in the harness business. He was the first postmas- ter at Silver Glenn, Nebraska, and in 1869 went to San Francisco, California, and soon afterward es- tablished the harness business at Kingsburg, that state, where he was postmaster, and where he re- mained ten or twelve years. He came to North Dakota in 1883 in ill health and settled in Foster county, where he purchased land and began opera- ting a farm. He worked at the harness trade dur- ing the winter of 1883-84, and during the first year

engaged in the buffalo bone business, at which he made from eight to ten dollars per day. He en- gaged in farming in Foster county eight years and owned three hundred and twenty acres of land, which he sold in 1890 and removed to his present location in Stutsman county. He took the north- west quarter of section 6, township 144, range 64. as a homestead, and has since engaged extensively in grain and stock raising. His farm comprises three hundred and twenty acres and runs to the James river, and he cultivates about two hundred acres, and devotes the balance of his farm to pasture and meadow. Discouragements have fallen to his lot from time to time, but taken as a whole he has met with eminent success and is enjoying every comfort in his pleasant home. He has reached the age where he needs rest from active labors and intends soon to retire from farm life.

Mr. Mayfield is an active member of the G. A. R. and Knights of Pythias. He is a strong Re- publican in political faith and has always been an earnest campaign worker. He has served in vari- ous official positions and while in California was appointed by President Garfield as postmaster at Kingsburg. He is also interested in educational matters, and is an intelligent and earnest worker for good local government. He has been twice married and has six children.

OLE HICKS, in whose honor the town of Hickson is named, is a pioneer settler of Pleasant township, Cass county, and has a fine estate in sec- tion 24, which he has accumulated since taking up his residence there, and is one of the honored and esteemed citizens and agriculturists of his locality.

Our subject was born in Sweden, April 21, 1845, and was a son of Hakan A. and Carrie ( Olsson) Hicks. His parents were born in Sweden, and in 1869 the father came to the United States, and was joined by the family the following year. He en- tered a homestead in Clay county, Minnesota, on the Red river, in the fall of 1869, and began work on the land in 1870. His family resided there until the father's death in 1894, and the mother passed away in 1899. Seven sons and three daughters came to the United States, of whom five sons and two daughters are still living, and three sons now reside in Cass county, North Dakota. The parents were devout members of the Luthern church.

Mr. Hicks was reared and educated in Sweden, and came with his parents to the United States in 1870 and entered a homestead in Cass county, North Dakota, on which he now resides. He is the owner of a section and a half of good land, thirty head of cattle and twenty horses, and the improvements of his place are modern in every particular and form a fit habitation, while the buildings and machinery are of the best, and he has made a remarkable suc- cess of his work in North Dakota, and is now ac- corded a prominent place as a farmer of good methods and ideas.

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

Our subject was married, in 1872, to Marit Lar- son, a native of Sweden, and Mr. and Mrs. Hicks are the parents of six living children, named in order of birth as follows: Helma Caroline, Lewis Henry, Clara Helen, Olive Alvera, Annie Lillian and Minnie Viola. The family are members of the Swedish Lutheran church and are highly respected in the community in which they reside. Mr. Hicks is well known as an old settler of Pleasant township, and has done much to further the development and growth of that locality and enjoys the respect of his fellowmen. In politics he is a Republican.

GEORGE O. STROMNER, cashier of the Clifford State Bank, of Clifford, Traill county, North Dakota, is a gentleman of excellent business qualifications and ably conducts the affairs of the institution with which he is connected. He is one of the foreign born citizens who have been won to this country by the wonderful stories of advantages and freedom, and has beccome thoroughly identified with American progress and advancement. He has acquired a comfortable competence by dint of his own efforts, and well merits his high standing as a citizen and business man.

. Our subject was born in Norway, October 25, 1859, and has been a resident of the United States since 1866. He received his education in Wiscon- sin, and in 1881 settled at Mayville, North Dakota, where he engaged in the real estate, loan and col- lection business. He has considerable valuable property in the town of Mayville, including a com- fortable home, and resided there until the spring of 1899, when he removed to Clifford to accept the cashiership of the State Bank of Clifford.

Our subject was married, in 1888, to Mary Jul- son, of Big Springs, Wisconsin. Mr. Stromner has always taken an active interest in local affairs wherever he has resided, and while a resident of Mayville he served as alderman from 1885-88 and again in 1894. He was city treasurer from 1888- 94, and in the fall of 1894 was elected county auditor and served in that capacity four years, and was an especially efficient officer and gained the confidence of the people of Traill county.

DR. ANDREW PAULSON, veterinary sur- geon. Eagle township has few men of equal pres- tige with this gentleman. He has been a resident of Richland county for over a quarter of a century and is the owner of one of the finest estates in that region. His labors have been well rewarded in his veterinary work, and he has a thorough knowledge of that line of work. In the acquisition of his for- tune much credit is due Mrs. Paulson for the share she has borne in the good management from which it has resulted. They make their home on section 12 of Eagle township and enjoy all the comforts of rural life.

Mr. Paulson was born in Norway, April 8, 1843,

and was a son of Paul and Antonette (Langraff ) Erickson. His father was a captain in the Fifteenth Wisconsin Regiment during the Civil war, and was killed in action. His mother died in Norway.

Our subject came to America in 1866, and went to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he spent three years logging on the Chippewa river. Two years later, in 1871, he went to Dakota, and located in what is now Richland county, where he engaged in black- smithing and veterinary work in Abercrombie one year, and then entered claim to a homestead of eighty acres of land on Wild Rice river, in Eagle township. His residence in that locality dates from that time, and he has followed farming and veterin- ary work to the present.

Our subject was married, in Eau Claire, Wis- consin, to Miss Hannah Shaffenberg, who was born in Norway, November 3, 1848. Mrs. Paulson was a daughter of William and Dorothy ( Helgeson) Shaffenberg. Her father, Captain Shaffenberg, died in Norway, and Mrs. Paulson came to America with her mother and maternal grandparents when she was four years of age, and resided in Potter county, Pennsylvania, eleven years, after which they moved to Dunn county, Wisconsin, where she re- sidled until her marriage. Mrs. Paulson's mother died in Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Paulson are the parents of seven children, as follows: Alfred D., Jennie D., Andrew, Palma C., Nettie P., John S. and William P. Mr. Paulson has been a school director for eighteen years past and takes an active interest in the affairs of his community. He is one of the respected and esteemed citizens of Eagle township and well merits his success.

WILL H. CARLETON, county judge of Griggs county, is a gentleman of excellent characteristics, and is highly esteemed throughout that section. He is one of the pioneer settlers of Cooperstown, and has been identified with its financial and social growth, and is deservedly popular as a public- spirited citizen.

Mr. Carleton was born on a farm in St. Clair county, Michigan, December 16, 1853, and was the only son in a family of three children born to Moses F. and Mary (Latham) Carleton. His father was an attorney by profession and was a promi- nent man in St. Clair county. He served two years in the Fourth Michigan Infantry during the Civil war. The mother of our subject was a native of New York.

Our subject was the eldest in the family of chil- dren, and after completing his studies he served as deputy county clerk in his native county for several years, and afterward began reading law in the office of Avery Brothers, at Port Huron, Mich- igan .. He returned to the farm in the late '70s, and remained two years, and in 1882 went to Griggs county, North Dakota. He filed on land soon after his arrival there and became one of the pioneer set- tlers of the county.

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

Our subject was married, in St. Clair county, Michigan, during the late 'zos, to Miss Eliza J. Davis, a native of that county, and a daughter of William H. Davis. Mrs. Carleton's father was a prominent farmer of that county. Mr. Carleton is a man of exceptional ability, and enjoys the con- fidence of the people. He has served as clerk of the village since its organization, and he served two years as district attorney of the county, and was appointed judge of Griggs county in 1899. He is prominent in the Modern Woodmen of America lodge, and is the clerk of the local camp. Polit- ically Mr. Carleton is a Republican.

CAPTAIN CHARLES F. MUDGETT, an honored citizen of Valley City, North Dakota, and one of the heroes of our recent war with Spain, was born in Mercer county, Missouri, November 14, 1869, and is a son of G. C. Mudgett, a native of Ohio, who served through the Civil war as a mem- ber of Company L, Third Iowa Cavalry, under his father, who was a major in that regiment. In 1867 G. C. Mudgett married Matilda Cameron, and they now make their home on a farm in the southwestern part of Barnes county, North Dakota.

At an early age Captain Mudgett accompanied his parents on their removal to Burlington, Iowa, where he attended school until 1883, and then came with them to Barnes county. During his boyhood and youth he assisted his father in the labors of the farm, remaining under the parental roof until 1888, when he accepted a position with the Howell Lum- ber Company in Nebraska, acting as manager for the firm and looking after their yards at different points in that state. On his return to Valley City he took a position with the Gull River Lumber Com- pany, of Minneapolis, and remained in their employ until May 2, 1898, at which time he went into camp at Fargo preparatory to going to the war against Spain. He had previously served as captain of the Valley City Company, and with that rank he entered the United States service. On the 28th of June he sailed with his regiment from San Fran- cisco for Manila. From October, 1898, until April, 1899, he served as collector of internal revenue at Manila. His health failing, he was then sent home and mustered out, for physical disability, June 1, 1899. He is now a member of the firm of Mc- Donald & Mudgett, in the machinery business at Valley City, and is one of the most progressive and enterprising young men of the place.

Captain Mudgett married Miss Nellie McDon- ald, of Jackson, Michigan, by whom he has one child, Margaret. They are well known and highly respected and have a large circle of friends and ac- quaintances in Valley City.

CHRISTEN STENERODDEN. This gentle- man is a representative citizen of Cass county, and has a pleasant home on section 25 of Pleasant town-

ship, where he located during pioneer days, and has been associated with the upbuilding of that region and is widely known as an old settler and energetic agriculturist.

Our subject was born in Houston county, Min- nesota, September 29, 1859, and was a son of Ole C. and Berit (Ericksdatter) Stenerodden. His parents were natives of Norway and emigrated to America in 1851 and settled in Houston county, Minnesota, the same year, and still reside there. The father entered land in that county and was one of its pioneers. Three sons and one daughter con- stituted the family of which our subject is a mem- ber, and all reside in North Dakota with the ex- ception of one brother.

Mr. Stenerodden was reared and educated in Minnesota and in 1877 went to Cass county and pur- chased railroad land and in 1884 purchased the farm on which he now resides. He is proprietor of an excellent estate and his real estate now consists of about three hundred acres, all of which has been brought to a high state of cultivation, and the build- ings thereon are substantial and built with a view to comfort and convenience. Mr. Stenerodden was engaged in general merchandising at Hickson about four years and was one of the well known merchants of that place and enjoyed good success in that line.

Our subject was married, in 1878, to Miss Caro- line Vaaler, a native of Houston county, Minne- sota. Mr. and Mrs. Stenerodden are the parents of eight children, named as follows: Carl O., Bergine A., Martha E., Annie G., Lena J., Ella M., Clara C. and Celia O., all of whom are living. The family are members of the Synod Lutheran church.

Mr. Stenerodden has served as town clerk four- teen years, and in all matters of a public nature is always found standing for the right and promoting every enterprise for the public good. He has a fine home and all the comforts of life and has gained an assured financial position and the highest regard of his fellows.

CONRAD E. WALTERS, proprietor of one of the largest farms in the northern part of Stuts- man county, is a young man of ability and enter- prise. He was among the first settlers of township 144, range 65, and his father's shanty was the first building in that locality. He has steadily pushed forward, and his efforts have met with successs, placing him foremost in his calling.

Our subject was born on a farm in Allegan county, Michigan, August 23, 1869. His father was born in Pennsylvania, of German descent, and his mother was born in Ohio, of English descent, although the families have been in America several generations. Our subject was the older of two chil- dren, and was raised on a farm in his native state, and in the fall of 1881 went to Dakota with his par- ents. He purchased land in 1889, and remained at home until he attained his majority, and about

C. E. WALTERS

MRS. C. E. WALTERS.

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

1890 began farming for himself, and boarded with his parents until 1895. He had two hundred acres of land, on which he conducted grain raising. He is now the owner of thirteen hundred and twenty acres of land, all of which is under cultivation. He erected a new and complete set of farm buildings in the spring of 1898, including residence, barn, granary and blacksmith shop, and he also has a windmill and all necessary machmery. Four acres of forest trees will enhance the beauty and value of the place, and altogether his farm is one of the best equipped in the township. He engages prin- cipally in grain raising, and in 1898 garnered six thousand bushels of wheat, two thousand bushels of oats, two thousand bushels of barley and one thou- sand bushels of flax; and in 1899 he raised seven thousand bushels of wheat, twelve hundred bushels of flaxseed, seventeen hundred bushels of oats and nine hundred bushels of barley. The farm is well stocked with well-bred horses and cattle. He has eighteen head of work horses.

Mr. Walters was married March 16, 1898, to Miss Irene Enos, who was born and raised in Al- legan county, Michigan. Mrs. Walters' father, Joseph Enos, was for many years engaged in farm- ing, and is now conducting a meat market at Jack- son, Michigan. Mrs. Walters is of English de- scent, but her parents were born in America. She is a lady of good education, and was a teacher for three years in Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Walters are the parents of one child, a daughter, Florence. Mr. Walters has living with him a step-son, Harold Cristall. Mr. Walter is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, and takes an active interest in the social affairs of that denomination. He also holds membership in the Knights of the Maccabees. Politically he is an independent voter, lending his influence for good local government. He is thorough and practical, and deservedly popular in the community in which he resides. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Walters are shown in connection with this sketch.

JOHN BIRKHOLZ, one of the leading and wealthy business men of Grand Forks, North Da- kota, went to that state with limited means, and by persistent effort and judicious management has be- come the owner of a fortune. He is a man of ex- cellent business qualifications, methodical and care- ful in all details, possessed of a conservative dis- position and a character of the highest integrity, and is esteemed highly by all with whom he has to do.

Our subject was born in Trenton, New Jersey, December 2, 1855, and was a son of Henry and Bar- bara Birkholz. His parents were born in Germany and came to America in 1850 and settled in New Jersey, and there our subject was reared and edu- cated to the age of fifteen years, when he entered the banking house of E. H. Murphy & Company, of Trenton, New Jersey, and remained with them

five years, and thus received a thorough business training. He then went to Chicago and entered the employ of the McCormick Harvester Company in the collection department and remained there nine years, and in March, 1883, went to Grand Forks and established an insurance, collection and loan business. He continued the insurance and col- lection business until about 1891, since which date. he has followed the investment business entirely. He founded the Ardoch Bank in 1891. The Farmers' Bank, of Emerado, North Dakota, was founded in' 1892, and has a capital stock of $20,000, and the capital stock of the Ardoch bank is $15,000. The Kittson County State Bank of North Dakota was founded in 1896. The Bank of Thompson, North Dakota, and purchased by Mr. Berkholz in 1896 .. and the Bank of Conway was founded by him in 1898. Mr. Birkholz is president of all of the above named institutions, and he is also interested largely in farming in North Dakota and Minnesota, and has prospered in each of the business enterprises with which he has been associated.

Our subject was married, in 1881, to Miss An- drews, of Mitchell, South Dakota, and a daughter of Dr. Andrews. Mr. Birkholz does not lead a public life and has never sought or filled public office. He is devoted to his business affairs and is heartily interested in the welfare of his com- munity and keeps abreast of the times.

JAMES D. BROWN, cashier of the Steele County Bank, is a young man of exceptional busi- ness ability, and is a recognized leader in financial affairs in the county. He is a man of practical business methods, and his thorough knowledge of the intricate affairs of the institution with which he is connected are handled conservatively and with keen foresight.

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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 49

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