USA > Wyoming > History of Wyoming, Volume II > Part 36
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can party, which he has supported since he received the right of franchise. He served as justice of the peace for a number of years and was chairman of the board of county commissioners for several years. He is loyal and progressive in all matters of citizenship and while his business affairs have constantly grown and developed he has ever found time to aid in measures and movements for the general good.
HANS LARSEN.
A record of continuous advancement and successful achievement is that of Hans Larsen, who is well known as a lumber dealer and as a contractor and builder of Rawlins. He was born May 19, 1867, in Jetsmark, Denmark, a son of the late Lars Christian Swenson, who was also a native of Denmark, where he followed agricultural pursuits throughout his active life. He passed away in 1908 at the age of seventy-eight years. His wife died in Jetsmark in 1884 at the age of fifty years. They were the parents of two children, the daughter Marie being still a resident of Denmark.
Hans Larsen was the other member of the family and was educated in the public schools of Jetsmark to the age of fourteen years, when his textbooks were put aside and he began to earn his own livelihood. He was first appren- ticed to the carpenter's trade, serving a four years' term of indenture, after which he followed the trade for several years in his native country. He then emigrated to the new world, crossing the Atlantic in 1887, and making his way to Nebraska City, Nebraska, ere he terminated his journey. There he engaged on section work on the Burlington & Missouri Railroad, working at the time the company built its first bridge across the Missouri river at Nebraska City. He was employed on the construction of the bridge and continued to work for the railroad company for eighteen months. He then went to Nysted, Nebraska, and there attended school for one winter's term, thus completing his education. He afterward removed to Rawlins, where he arrived in April, 1889, being at the time a comparative stranger. On his arrival he took up carpentering, which he followed as a journeyman for two years, and then entered the contracting business on his own account. He has since been active along that line and many important contracts have been awarded him, so that he has been closely associated with building operations in Rawlins. He is today the leading con- tractor of this section of the state, having a very extensive patronage. He erected the Elks' building in Rawlins and was a subcontractor on the high school building, on which he did all of the stone and cement work. He fur- nished the stone for building the postoffice at Cheyenne, the Ogden ( Utah) postoffice and other important structures of the state. The stone material which he used has been supplied from quarries which Mr. Larsen owns and which are located in Carbon county, close to the city. There is no phase of building operations with which he is not familiar and his activities along that line have been of an important character. He likewise conducts a hardware store and lumberyard and in the latter is found every kind of building material, his business by reason of its volume and importance making him the leading dealer in that line in his section of the state.
Mr. Larsen was married in Rawlins, Wyoming, to Miss Mary Schmidt, a native of Germany, who came from Schleswig-Holstein, which was at one time under Danish government. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Larsen: Louis Christian, trained at American Lake, Washington, training camp, for active military duty and now in France, a member of the Twentieth Engineers of Forestry ; Katherina, who is the wife of C. L. Haynes, a resident of Rawlins; Lorenze Peter, who is a carpenter and works with his father in Rawlins ; Henry Schmidt, who is attending the Rawlins high school; John William, also attend- ing high school; and Elsie Marie, who is still in the public schools. The eldest
HANS LARSEN
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son spent three years in the University of Wyoming, leaving in the senior year for military duties.
Politically Mr. Larsen is a democrat and served for one term as mayor of Rawlins, while for six years he occupied the position of city trustee. He was twice a candidate for the state legislature. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks, the Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church. He came to America on borrowed capital, a poor boy, and today he is one of the substantial and progressive men of Carbon county, respected by all, not alone because of what he has achieved, but also by reason of the straightforward business principles which he has ever followed in his undertakings.
HON. JOHN C. FRIEND.
The fortunes of war brought Judge John C. Friend to Wyoming and choice has continued him as a resident of this state. Having enlisted for service in the Civil war as a member of an Ohio regiment, his command was ordered to the western frontier and he became so interested in this section of the country that he decided to remain and has since been one of the honored settlers of Wyoming. He is acquainted with every phase of pioneer life in this part of the country and has lived to see the remarkable changes which have occurred as the years have passed on. In fact, he has borne his full share in the work of general progress and development and is today one of the honored and valued citizens of Rawlins, where he is serving as justice of the peace and as notary public and is also engaged in the conduct of an insurance agency.
He was born in Chandlerville, Cass county, Illinois, July 16, 1847, and is a son of Ezekiel Friend, a native of Pennsylvania. The founder of the American branch of the family was John Friend, who came from Prussia in 1790 and set- tled in the Keystone state, taking up his abode at Germantown, near Philadel- phia. He was a baker by trade and after coming to the new world followed merchandising. In 1830 he migrated westward with his family, taking up his abode in Cass county, Illinois, and later he became a resident of Mason county, Illinois, where he followed farming until his demise, which occurred in 1860, when he was between seventy-five and eighty years of age.
Ezekiel Friend was reared and educated in Philadelphia and took up the pro- fession of medicine as a life work, preparing for active practice as a student in the University of Pennsylvania, from which he was graduted on completing a course in the medical department. He then accompanied his parents to Illi- nois, where he entered upon the practice of medicine and surgery and also devoted a portion of his time to farming. He remained in Mason county from 1854 to the time of his death, his life's labors being ended in 1892, when he was seventy- eight years of age, his birth having occurred in 1814. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Ann Elizabeth Rhea and was a native of Kentucky. She was descended from a family of Scotch descent that was represented in Virginia and in Kentucky from early pioneer times. The death of Mrs. Friend occurred in Illinois in 1849 at the birth of the younger of her two children.
Judge Friend of this review, the only surviving member of the family, spent his youthful days upon the old home farm in Illinois to the age of sixteen years. when he started out to provide for his own support, but any personal ambition that he may have had was put aside, for the country needed his services and his patriotic spirit was aroused. He was a youth of but sixteen years when on the 3d of August, 1863. he enlisted at Benton Barracks as a member of Company G, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry, with which he served for three years. His regiment was sent to the west and he participated in the battle of Platte Bridge, Wyoming, on the 24th of July, 1865. With his company he was then sent to Fort Laramie in September, 1865. Before this in the summer of 1864 he was
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stationed at Deer Creek and also at Platte Bridge. The command was also sta- tioned for a time at Sweetwater Bridge and at other points in the state in order to suppress the uprisings of the Indians. During this period Judge Friend par- ticipated in a number of engagements with the Indians but was never wounded. After leaving the army he continued in the west learning the vocation of a teleg- rapher, and was first stationed for telegraph duty at Deer Creek, Wyoming. He was later at Horseshoe and arrived at the former place on the 6th of August, 1866. and was there when the ranch and buildings were destroyed by the Indians. In the following winter he went to Horseshoe and he continued in the telegraph service for ten years. Subsequently he settled at Big Laramie, where he spent the winter of 1867, and was at Sherman in 1868. He then went east. but in 1869 returned to Rawlins, where he continued in telegraph work, taking charge of the Rawlins office in 1870 and continuing in that capacity for two years. Later in connection with others, he opened the Rawlins paint mines, shipping the ore to Salt Lake. He was associated with W. M. Masi, John C. Dyer, Harry Roach, P. T. Devald and others, who were the original locators of their placer mining claim. In this business they were quite successful and Mr. Friend was identified with mining interests for a number of years, or until railroad freight rates became so exorbitant that the owners of the mine and others incorporated the Rawlins Metallic Paint Company and the product of the mine was then manu- factured into mineral paints. In 1874 Judge Friend sold one carload of paint to Sidney Dillon, president of the Union Pacific Railway Company, which was shipped to the east, and was the first used on Brooklyn bridge. The business was carried on for a number of years but eventually the plant was destroyed by fire. Judge Friend conducted his mining claim until 1882, when he sold the prop- erty to the Union Pacific Railway Company that has since further developed it. Later he entered the field of journalism and was a partner of W. T. Shaffer in the establishment and publication of the first paper in Carbon county in 1878, called the Carbon County News, Judge Friend remaining active in the conduct of the paper for a short period.
In public affairs Judge Friend has long figured prominently. He served in the second, third and fifth territorial legislatures of Wyoming, first representing Carbon county in the house in 1871. He represented Carbon and Sweetwater counties in the council in 1873 and again represented Carbon county in the house in 1877. He has also filled the office of deputy county clerk and deputy county treasurer, acting in those capacities for many years. He has been a most earnest and stanch supporter of the democratic party, doing everything in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. In November, 1879; he purchased the Carbon County Journal, of which he was editor and manager, conducting that paper until September, 1892. The following year he went to Casper, where he was manager and editor of the Derrick for three months, and from 1897 until 1903 he was employed in the shops of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. At the latter date he was chosen for the office of city marshal at Rawlins and continued to act in that capacity until 1907. In 1908 he was elected justice of the peace and with the exception of two years spent in travel he has since served as presiding judge over the justice court, in which he has rendered decisions strictly fair and impartial, "winning him golden opinions from all sorts of people." He has also engaged in the insurance business since 1912 and writes a considerable amount of insurance each year, thus adding materially to his income.
On the 7th of August, 1882, in Evanston, Wyoming, Judge Friend was united in marriage to Miss Leah Welch, a native of Ogden, Utah, and a daugh- ter of Charles and Elizabeth (Newey) Welch, who were of a pioneer family of Utah. Mrs. Friend passed away in Rawlins, February 4, 1894, at the age of thirty-three years. By her marriage she had become the mother of five children, four of whom are living. The eldest, Claude Edward, who was born in Rawlins, passed away in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was then residing. The others are: Margaret Elizabeth, the wife of J. H. Jacobucci, manager of the Rawlins
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electric light plant and a dealer in automobile supplies ; Mabel Grace, the wife of Harley Williams, an automobile dealer residing at Big Timber, Montana; Fred Cleveland, who is connected with the Union Pacific at Rawlins; and James Eugene, who is general foreman for the Texas & Pacific Railroad and resides at Baird, Texas.
Fraternally Judge Friend is connected with Custer Post, No. I, G. A. R., at Laramie, and also belongs to the Knights of Pythias, being for many years the representative of the local lodge in the grand lodge. As an honored veteran of the Civil war, he is widely known and even more widely as one of the pioneers of Wyoming. For fifty-five years he has resided in this state. It seemed that the work of progress and development had scarcely been begun at the time of his arrival. In fact, he came to subdue the Indians, who were a menace to all life and property on the western frontier at that time. He has witnessed all of the changes which have occurred and the work that has been done toward reclaim- ing this region for purposes of civilization. A marked transformation has been wrought and in the development of the county Judge Friend has taken an active and helpful part. Those who know him esteem him highly and he has a very extensive circle of friends. No history of Wyoming would be complete without reference to him because of the important part which he has played in promoting the development and upbuilding of Wyoming.
EDWARD IVINSON.
The history of Wyoming or that of any state is the record of the lives of those people whose activities have had to do with its upbuilding and develop- ment. Judged by this standard, there are few, if any, men living in Wyoming today whose life record constitutes a more important chapter on the pages of Wyoming's history than does that of Edward Ivinson, pioneer banker, philan- thropist and a most honored and beloved resident of Laramie.
He was born on the St. Croix River Estate, West Indies, September 20, 1830, his parents being Thomas J. and Sarah ( Hewiston) Ivinson. The father was born in Cumrew, England, and from there went to the West Indies, where he became a well known sugar planter, spending his remaining days in that group of islands, his death there occurring in 1850, when he had reached the age of sixty-six years.
Edward Ivinson was educated in England at Craft-House Academy, Bramp- ton, and on entering upon his business career there served an apprenticeship at the dry goods trade. He came to America when a young man and in New York city was in the employ of Lord & Taylor, well known importers and merchants in the wholesale and retail dry goods trade. After a few years in New York, Mr. Ivinson removed to the west, settling in Evansville, Indiana, where for some time he was paymaster for the Evansville & Crawfordsville Railroad. It was while acting in that capacity that he was presented on the 3d of November, 1857, with a handsome solid gold watch and chain by the employes of the road. He treasures this timepiece highly, even though it is more than sixty years since it was presented to him, and while it is of considerable intrinsic worth, its value as a matter of sentiment would be difficult to estimate.
Previous to locating in Wyoming, Mr. Ivinson was for a time connected with mercantile interests and also with the cotton trade in Memphis, Tennessee. Sub- sequently he became interested in the business of contracting for supplies for camps along the Union Pacific line, which was then building. In 1867 he went to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and in February, 1868, arrived in Laramie, at which time trains were not yet in operation for passengers. Mr. Ivinson erected a store building on the lot adjoining what is now the Albany County Bank on Second street, and soon afterward offered a general line of merchandise to the shifting population of a "thirty-day town," as most of the towns springing up
Edward Joinsom .In his eightyseventh year
Jam Seinen
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at that time were then called. In addition to merchandising he was engaged in the tie business, furnishing ties for the Union Pacific Railroad. Whatever he undertook he carried forward to successful completion, for in his vocabulary there was no such word as fail. Mr. Ivinson disposed of his mercantile interests and in 1871 established the first private bank in Laramie, which he conducted two years. This he later merged into the Wyoming National Bank, in which he was the prime mover and became the sole proprietor. In later years, when the Wyoming National was absorbed by the First National Bank, Mr. Ivinson was one of the heavy holders in the latter institution and its president for a number of years. In fact, under his careful and able management it became one of the foremost financial institutions in the state. Mr. Ivinson was for eighteen years president of the Merchants National Bank of San Diego, California, in which city he was extensively interested along business lines, maintaining a winter resi- dence there for a number of years. Since 1916 he has retired from active business to the extent that retirement is possible for one of his wonderful activity and extensive private interests.
On the 21st of April, 1854, in Jersey City, New Jersey, Mr. Ivinson was united in marriage to Miss Jane Wood, a native of West Riding, Yorkshire, England. This happy event in his life contributed largely to his success, as he was most fortunate in his selection of a wife. Theirs was largely an ideal com- panionship. Whatever was of interest to one was of vital importance to the other. Their plans and purposes relative to everything that came into their lives were freely discussed and they worked together for the accomplishment of given ends, the sound judgment and keen insight of Mrs. Ivinson often supplementing and rounding out the business experience of her husband. Thus as the years passed on their mutual love and confidence increased as they shared together in the joys and sorrows, the adversity and prosperity which checker the careers of all. They celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on the 21st of April, (904. when at Maennerchor Hall they held a reception for their friends, and later a banquet was served in the Union Pacific Hotel. This was a most impor- tant social event in the life of the city, and the high esteem in which they were held is shown by the large number of people who were present on that occasion. On the 21st of April, 1914, their sixtieth wedding anniversary was celebrated. when more than two hundred and fifty citizens of Laramie and the state called to pay their respects and express their happy felicitations to this worthy couple, who for six decades had traveled life's journey as man and wife, gathering all that was best and noblest from their experiences and shedding around them much of life's sunshine. Mrs. Ivinson had come to Laramie in May, 1868, a few months after her husband, and was a passenger on the first regular passenger train into the city. She was a woman of great force of character and strong individuality. From the first she assisted in the work of the church in Laramie, in the organization of the first Sunday school and in the first lodge among women, having become a charter member of the Rebekah Lodge of Laramie. Her philanthropies were broad, her benevolences many and yet so unostentatious was her giving that many times only she and the recipient knew of the kind act. She was always prominent in the charity work of the community and had her part in every movement that had for its object the uplift of her fellowmen and the upbuilding of the city. When death called her on the 9th of November. 1915, one of the local papers said editorially: "The death of Mrs. Edward Ivinson on Tuesday has caused sorrow all over the city and county. Few persons have more closely associated their lives with the intimate life of the community than have she and her husband. They came when the city was so new that there was not a wooden building here, and with the exception of brief intervals they have made their abiding place here. It can be truthfully said of both that they brought their whole lives into the midst of the living here and long ago became a part and parcel of the great throbbing heart of the city. Mrs. Ivinson will be sadly missed. Her cheery smile, her kindly word of greet- ing. her indomitable spirit of having a prominent part in every undertaking that Vol. II-18
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made for the betterment of the community, her desire to alleviate suffering, and above all, her disposition to see that the city was properly regarded by the transient visitor, have made her a woman that can ill be spared at this time. Her individuality asserted itself on many occasions. Nothing was ever started that would tend to help in the social, religious, intellectual and economic for- warding of the people toward a higher goal that she was not interested in, and if she was not personally associated with the movement, her aid, her counsel and her purse were often at the call of those who were. Mr. Ivinson has filled an important place in the city's growth and everybody who respected and revered his wife is extending to him the wish that his life may be spared many years. To the members of the family the community owes a certain debt of gratitude and there is not one of us who will not wish for the bereaved husband and daughter every good gift within the power of the Most High to bestow. As the community will miss the wife and mother, so will it bestow upon those left behind the benisons of well wishes and earnest prayer for their guidance and comfort." Only those who have suffered such bereavment could understand the loss to Mr. Ivinson, so closely was his life and that of his wife intertwined in their interests, their activities and their ideals. Her splendid counsel, sound advice and inspiration were of great help to her husband. They were perfectly at one in their plans for philanthropy and as a memorial to his wife he erected the Ivinson Hospital in Laramie, making it one of the leading institutions of the kind in the state.
He has been prominently identified with philanthropic work, has been treas- ยท urer of the State Union and very active in church work. He erected the tower on St. Matthew's Episcopal church of Laramie and installed therein the chimes and clock. According to the terms of his will, his beautiful residence in Laramie will be given to the state as an old ladies' home upon his death. His improve- ments upon the Episcopal cathedral alone have cost thirty-five thousand dollars. He has given most generously to aid the needy aside from his splendid benefac- tions to the Old Ladies' Home and the Ivinson Hospital and is continually extending a helping hand to those who need assistance or encouragement. This is done not from any sense of duty but from the keenest interest in the welfare of his fellowmen. No man more fully recognizes the teaching of the brother- hood of man and throughout his entire life, although his business interests and cares have been many, he has ever found time to go about doing good. Various other interests have profited by the efforts, energy and co-operation of Mr. Ivinson, who has been a member of the board of trustees of the University of Wyoming since it was created and who was the first treasurer of the university, in the affairs of which he has ever taken a most active and helpful part.
Mr. Ivinson was an early member of Laramie Lodge, No. 2, I. O. O. F., and has filled all the offices in that lodge. In the church, too, he was called to official position, serving for many years as senior warden in St. Matthew's Epis- copal church. His association with Laramie dates from its earliest inception and covers connection with almost every enterprise of importance to the city, whether commercial, religious or social. He has always been prominent in affairs of the state, though not as a politician or seeking such reward, but as a business man and citizen. At any time that he has become active in political affairs it was been at the request of his friends. While never holding important office, his advice has been sought by those who have, and he has had not a little to do with shaping that activity which resulted in separating from what was then Dakota the territory of Wyoming and which has led in time to the develop- ment of the state, admitted to the Union in 1890. For more than half a century he has also been a well known figure in the financial circles of Wyoming and thus his life along many lines has been of great worth to the community.
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