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I. W. THOMSON. Among the prosperous farmers of Barnes county, the record of whose lives fills an important place in this volume, it gives us pleasure to commemorate the name of this gentleman. for almost eighteen years he has been actively identified with the development and upbuilding of the county and is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits on section 18, township 139, range 58.
Mr. Thomson comes from across the sea, his birth having occurred in Jutland, Denmark, January 13, 1846. His father, Theodore Thomson, spent his entire life in that country, following the occupation of a thatch-roof layer, and there he died at the age of seventy-nine years. Our subject was educated in the schools of his native land, and after laying aside his text books worked on a farm with the exception of two years spent as a soldier in the regular army of Denmark.
In May, 1871, Mr. Thompson came to America and located first in Ulster county. New
York, where he worked in a stone quarry for two years. He then came west and settled in Duluth, Minnesota. Securing a position on the St.
Paul & Duluth Railroad, he worked on that line until the spring of 1882, which witnessed his arrival in Barnes county. North
Dakota, where he has since made his home. He at once filed a claim where he now lives, and has since added to his landed possessions until he now has a whole section of very productive and valuable land, which he has placed under good cultivation- and improved with substantial buildings.
In 1873 Mr. Thompson wedded Miss Mary C. Hoyer, also a native of Denmark, who was born May 17, 1846, and came to the United States in 1872. After six months spent in Ulster county, New York, she, too, went to Duluth, Minnesota , where their marriage was celebrated. Of the ten children born to them, four are now living, namely: Mary, Tyra, Jennie and Edith. They also have an adopted son, Charles. Socially Mr. Thompson is a member of the Yeoman and Royal Arcanum, and politically is identified with the Populist party. He is one of the representative farmers and highly respected citizens of his community, and has been called upon to fill several township offices.
THORKEL A. THORKELSON has the distinction of having won the proud American title of a self-made man. Many of the leading enterprises and business interests of Fingal, Barnes county, bear the impress of his individuality and owe not a little of their success to his ability and capable powers of management. His great determination and energy have enabled him to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles in his path and work his way steadily upward to prosperity.
Mr. Thorkelson was born in Norway, October 8, 1860, a son of Arnfin and Anibjorg (Wangen) Thorkelson, in whose family were two children, our subject being the younger. The father was a school teacher and followed that profession in Norway for forty years. Until twelve years of age our subject was one of his pupils. He was then sent to Christiania, where he entered the high school and later took a course at the Agricultural College, where he completed his education in the fall of 1880.
In October, of that year, Mr. Thorkelson came to the United States and after stopping for a short time in Fayette county, Iowa, he went to Minnesota, where he worked on a farm for some time. In the spring of 1881 he accepted a position with F. A. Theopold, of Faribault, Minnesota, in whose employ he remained until the following spring, which witnessed his arrival in Valley City, Barnes county. North Dakota. His first position in this state was upon a farm and subsequently he was employed as clerk by Parkhouse & Sales, general merchants at Valley City, for some time. On leaving that firm he clerked in the store of O. Paulson for three years and at the end of that time secured a position in the county treasurer's office, where he worked for three years. Later he was again engaged in mercantile business until the fall of 1891, when he came to Fingal with a three-thousand-dollar stock of goods, which he first displayed in a tent until his store building was completed. He finally sold out to Peterson & Ramsett and engaged in the hotel and livery business. For a season he also sold farm machinery with C. W. Paulson. On the 1st of January, 1898, he purchased the stock of goods of H. J. Peterson and has since admitted Mr. Pollock to a partnership in the business, which is now conducted under the firm name of Thorkelson & Pollock. They carry a large and well-selected stock of general merchandise and by fair and honorable dealing have built up an excellent trade.
GEORGE B. VALLANDIGHAM, a leading journalist of Barnes County and the present publisher of the "North Dakota Patriot," was born in New Lisbon, Ohio, October 7, 1843, a son of Dr. George S. and Mary A. (Hamilton) Vallandigham, also natives of New Lisbon. The father died in 1873, but the mother is still living and now makes her home in Los Angeles, California.
Our subject attended the schools of his native village, and at the age of fifteen entered the office of the Ohio Patriot, at New Lisbon, now the third oldest paper in the state, having been established in 1808. He continued to follow the printer's trade until just before the Civil war. In the spring of 1861 he went to Gambier, Ohio, to take a preparatory course, intending to enter Kenyon College, but in October, 1862, he laid aside all personal interests and entered the service of his country as a member of the Eighty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which regiment had been captured at Harper's Ferry and was paroled at the time he enlisted. On the 1st of December, 1862, it was merged into the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which Mr. Vallandigham served until the spring of 1864. After the battle of Resaca he was taken ill and sent north, and in the fall of 1864 was placed on detached duty under General Noyes at Camp Dennison, Ohio, where he remained until the latter part of December. Going to Chicago he joined the Eighth Regiment, Veteran Reserve Corps, and remained there during the winter. In the spring of 1865 he was placed on detached duty at the United States general hospital as clerk and remained there until honorably discharged, July 21. During his service in the south in 1863 he was detailed to take possession of a printing office in the town of Franklin, Tennessee, and assisted in publishing an army newspaper entitled the '"Federal Knapsack." which he carried on for some months. He participated in the battles of Franklin, Tennessee, Chickamauga. Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face and Resaca, and a number of skirmishes and was always found at his post of duty.
Returning to his home in New Lisbon, Ohio, at the close of the war, Mr. Vallandigham remained there until the fall of 1866, when he again entered college at Gambier. On the 25th of December, 1867, he married Miss Maria A. Patterson, a native of New York, and the following year they located in Albany, that state. He continued to work at his trade in different cities in New York until the fall of 1873, when he returned to New Lisbon and purchased a half interest in the Ohio Patriot. Two years later he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and secured a position with the Methodist Book Concern, with which he was connected until June, 1877. Three children had been born to them, two of whom are now living. His wife died on the first of July of that year. In June, 1878, he went west to Minnesota, where he followed his trade until 1879, and then came to Valley City, North Dakota, where he established the "Northern Pacific Times" for Dr. S. B. Coe. In 1884 he started the "North Dakota Democrat," then a Democratic paper, the name of which he changed to the "North Dakota Patriot" in 1891. This journal he still successfully carries on. In 1895 he changed his politics and that of his paper to Republican. .He has been an important factor in public affairs, and shortly after coming to this state was appointed deputy clerk of the court and probate judge in 1879, and in 1886 was appointed deputy collector of internal revenue. Socially, he is a member of the Grand .Army of the Republic, the Knights of Honor and the Knights of the Maccabees.
For his second wife Mr. Vallandigham wedded Miss Mary K. Gordon, of Humeston, Iowa, by whom he has two children.
WILLIAM WANSBROUGH. who is now successfully engaged in the confectionery business at Valley City. North Dakota, is a native of New York, his birth occurring there May 25, 1839. His father, William Wansbrough, Sr., a hatter by trade, was born near the city of London, England, and emigrated to the United States in 1812. When twelve years old our subject moved with his parents to Licking county, Ohio, where he lived on a farm for three years. He then entered a blacksmith shop at Granville. Ohio, as an apprentice, and was there employed for three years, after which he worked for one year in the village of Jersey, the same county. The following year he worked at his trade in Alexandria. Ohio, and then returned to Jersey, purchasing the shop where he had formerly worked as an employee.
While at that place Mr. Wansbrough was united in marriage with Miss Susie Handley, of Jersey township, and to them were born five daughters. Four of this number have on different occasions successfully engaged in school teaching. In 1874 Mr. Wansbrough removed to Pana. Christian county, Illinois, where he conducted a blacksmith and machine shop for two years. He next accepted a position with the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad in their shops at that place, and on leaving there he went to Mattoon. Illinois, where, as a blacksmith, he entered the shops of the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railroad, and he remained for two years. He then lived for one year on a farm in Coles county, near Mattoon, and in 1883 came to North Dakota, settling first at Jamestown, where he worked at the carpenter's trade for some time, having also become familiar with that occupation in Licking county, Ohio, in early life. In 1884 he went to La Moure county, where he took up land and engaged in farming for ten years. During the following year he worked at the carpenter's trade in Fargo, then spent four years as a clerk in a lumber yard at Galesburg, and in March, 1899, came to Valley City, where he is now engaged m the confectionery business. During the Civil war he entered the service of his country, enlisting in Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and is now a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is widely known and highly respected and has made many friends in the various communities where he has made his home.
JOEL S. WEISER. One of the busiest, most energetic and most enterprising citizens of Valley City, North Dakota, is Joel S. Weiser, a prominent merchant and business man of that place. He bears in his veins some of the best blood of our early colonists, being a descendant of Conrad Weiser, of colonial fame, who played an important part in dealing with the British and the Indians in the days when our forefathers were striving to free themselves from the English yoke of oppression, and a man whose deeds were cherished by Washington and those high in authority.
Our subject was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, August 31, 1834, and during early life attended school and assisted his father on the home farm until eighteen years of age, when he came west. After stopping for about thirty days at Danby Station, Du Page County, Illinois, he proceeded to St. Paul, Minnesota, and shortly afterward located in Shakopee, that state, where he made his home for fifteen years, following the trade of a mason.
On the 31st of September, 1864, Mr. Weiser enlisted in Company I, Ninth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and was at once ordered to Memphis, Tennessee, where the regiment was on camp duty until the middle of November, when they moved to Nashville, going through Kentucky on the way. After taking part in the two-days engagement at Nashville, they followed Hood to Pulaski, Tennessee, and then turned to the right, passing through Clifton, on the Cumberland river, on their way to Mississippi. During the march they were engaged in fighting bushwhackers. On the morning of January 17, 1865, they arrived in Eastport, Mississippi, where they went into camp and remained three weeks, during which time they were constantly annoyed by bushwhackers. They next pushed forward to Vicksburg, where they camped five days and then proceeded to New Orleans, where they embarked on a steamer for Dauphin island. After remaining there for about four weeks they went up the Perdido river and on through the pines to Spanish Fort, to which they laid siege and captured April 9. On the 11th they marched towards Montgomery and Selma to destroy the rebel works, but on their arrival found they had been taken by Wilson's cavalry regiment. After camping at Selma three days they went to Marion, where the regiment remained until the close of the war. Returning home they were mustered out August 24, 1865.
Mr. Weiser continued his residence in Shakopee, Minnesota, until 1870, when he removed to St. Paul, and was there engaged in contracting for a period of four years. Later he lived on a farm in Washington County, Minnesota, twelve miles east of St. Paul, for three and a half years, during which time he followed farming, and in the fall of 1877 came to Valley City, where he has since made his home. He erected the second house in the village, known as the Northern Pacific House, which was burned to the ground April 25, 1898. In the spring of 1878 he embarked in general merchandising at this place, and is now the oldest merchant in years of continuous business in the city.
On the 10th of May, 1854, Mr. Weiser was united in marriage with Miss Louisa Clever, of Berks County, Pennsylvania, by whom he has had eleven children, six still living, one son and five daughters, three sons and two daughters being now deceased. The youngest daughter, Lillian, was the second white child born in Barnes County, and is now teaching in the public schools of Valley City. The son, John, is in the store with his father.
Mr. Weiser has been prominently identified with public affairs during his residence in this state. He was a member of the territorial council under Governor Church, also of the second assembly of the state legislature under Governor John Burke, now of Minnesota. During his career in Bismarck he was appointed watchman of the constitutional convention. He was the first treasurer of Barnes County, being first appointed by Governor Howard and later elected to that position for two terms, serving in all five years. He was also mayor of Valley City for four years, and alderman and member of the school board for years. He was given the honor of christening the city in which he now lives, and has borne a very active and prominent part in her up-building and prosperity. He attends the Methodist Episcopal church and is an honored member of the Grand Army post. In business affairs he has met with a well deserved success during his residence here, and he has also won the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens and of all with whom he has come in contact, either in public or private life.
O. H. WEST. A brilliant example of a self-made American citizen and a grand exemplification of the progress that an ambitious foreigner can make in this country of unbounded opportunities, is shown in the case of Mr. West, who is now successfully engaged in the agricultural implement business in Dazey, Barnes county, North Dakota. His singular success is due to his own energy and the high ideal which his lofty and laudable ambition placed before him. Success in any walk of life is an indication of earnest endeavor and persevering effort-characteristics which he possesses in an eminent degree.
Mr. West was born in Norway, December 15, 1857, a son of Halsted and Gertie K. (Wiste) West, also natives of that country, where the mother died when our subject was a small child. The father, who throughout life engaged in farming with marked success, died in 1875, at the age of forty-two years. Our subject first attended school near his boyhood home, but completed his education at Hammers. In 1881, at the age of twenty-four years, he emigrated to America with the hope of benefiting his financial condition. He came direct to Valley City, Barnes county. North Dakota, where he found employment at the carpenter's trade. He also took up a homestead, proved up the same and engaged in farming for a short time. In the spring of 1891 he embarked in his present business at Dazey, and he has met with almost phenomenal success. His patronage comes from a territory many miles in extent, covering a large portion of the northern part of Barnes county, and his trade, which is constantly increasing, now amounts to over fifty thousand dollars annually. He is one of the heaviest dealers in farm machinery in the county.
In Valley City, in 1881, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. West and Miss Lorenza Salberg. who was born in Norway, in 1864. Eight children blessed this union, namely: Gertie, Severin, Oliver, Louise, Hannah, Myrtle, Gladys and one who died in infancy. All were born in Barnes county. Mr. West has found very little time to give to political affairs, but always faithfully discharges his duties of citizenship, and at the poles votes independent of party ties, supporting the men whom he believes best qualified to fill the offices. He is a straightforward, honorable business man who commands the respect and confidence of all with whom he comes in contact, and he has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in Barnes county who esteem him highly for his genuine worth.
JONAH A. WHIPPLE, a prominent farmer of Barnes county and an ex-soldier, has a pleasant home in township 139, range 61, which he has gained by faithful efforts and strict business economy. He is a gentleman of excellent ability, and has spent the greater part of his career in farming, in which pursuit he has met with eminent success.
Our subject was born on a farm in Franklin county. New York, in 1842, and was a son of Nathan Whipple, who was of English descent, and was a farmer by occupation. The grandfather of our subject, Jonah Whipple, was a farmer in New Hampshire. Our subject's mother, whose maiden name was Rachel Farquar, was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, and came to America about 1822. and her father was a farmer.
Our subject was the third in order of birth in a family of eight children, and at the age of twenty years he left home and worked at farm labor four years, and in October, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, Ninety-sixth New York Infantry, and the following spring was sent south with the Army of the Potomac. He participated in the siege of York, Williamsburg and West Point, and spent one year through Virginia. After the battle of West Point he received a sunstroke and was discharged from the service. After the war our subject engaged in farming in Canada until 1882, when he went to Spink county, South Dakota, and entered claim to government land on which he began farming. He erected a claim shanty, 14x18 feet, and a dug-out and sod barn, and engaged in farming there ten years, after which he went to Barnes county. North Dakota, in 1892. and located on the northwest quarter of section 6, township 139, range 61, where he erected buildings and established his residence. He and his unmarried boys have a farm of four hundred and eighty acres, well improved and all necessary machinery, and engage in grain raising mostly, but are interested to some extent in the raising of cattle.
 HARRISON WILSON, an energetic and enterprising farmer living on section 4, township 141, range 58 west, was born in Franklin county. New York, September 18, 1852, and on the paternal side comes of good old Revolutionary stock, his grandmother having had two brothers who fought for American independence, and were killed in the battle of Plattsburg, New York. He is also a direct descendant of the Wilson who came to this country in the Mayflower. His father, Asa Wilson, a farmer by occupation, was born in Vermont, in 1800, and died on the old homestead in the Empire state at the age of seventy-five years, while his mother, who bore the maiden name of Saphrona Corey, was born in New Hampshire, in 1805, and died in New York, at the age of sixty-one.
Our subject was reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys of his day, attending the local schools, and assisting in the labors of the farm until sixteen years of age. He then traveled for a time in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont after which he returned home and remained under the parental roof for two years. Deciding to try his fortune in the West, he accordingly went to Berlin, Wisconsin, and later to Amboy, Illinois, where he remained for six months. He then made a trip to St. Joseph, Michigan, and worked in a sawmill at that place for a short time. Subsequently he returned to Berlin, Wisconsin, and from there went to Linn county, Iowa, where he lived for three years on a farm near Center Point. His next home was in Cass county, that state, where he worked for two summers, and at the end of the second season returned to Linn county, from which place he left for with a drove of horses in 1879. He located at Wilmer and remained there about a year. In 1880 he came to Barnes county, North Dakota, and took up a pre-emption on the northwest quarter of section 4, township 141, range 58 west, but operated rented land for four years. Since then he has given his entire time and attention to the cultivation and improvement of his own farm, and now owns the east half of section 4, and the northwest quarter of section 2, the same township, which he has transformed into one of the most desirable farms of its size in the township.
At Morris, Clinton county. New York, in 1886. was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Wilson and Miss Ida M. Ney, who was born there October 23, 1850. a daughter of Robert and Martha Ney. They now have one son, Benjamin, born October 9, 1888. In his political affiliations Mr. Wilson is a Republican, but devotes very little time to politics. He has served as director on the school board, and is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
E. H. WRIGHT, editor and proprietor of the ''Wimbledon News," is a young man of much force and has gained an enviable reputation in newspaper circles and the community at large in that region.
Mr. Wright was born in Tecumseh, Nebraska, March 31, 1870, and was a son of Daniel K. and Marilla (Mills) Wright, the former a native of New York and the latter of Connecticut. His father was a farmer by occupation and died in Afton, Iowa, in 1895, aged sixty years. The mother survives him and makes her home in Afton.
When a child our subject moved with his parents to Afton, Iowa, where he first attended school and after completing the public schools of that town, entered the Drake University at Des Moines, in 1889. He began the study of law and graduated from that institution in the class of 1891, after which he practiced for a time in Creston, Iowa, and Afton, and then removed to Armour, South Dakota, where he followed his profession two and a half years. He went to Wimbledon, North Dakota, in August, 1899, and purchased the plant of the "Wimbledon News." which paper he has since published. The paper enjoys a wide circulation and under Mr. Wight's management has rapidly grown in strength and is among the bright papers of the locality.
Our subject was married, in Kulm, North Dakota, in 1896, to Cora I. Coleman, a native of Iowa. Mr. Wright is a member of the Knights of Pythias. Politically, he stands for the principles of the Republican party and is a man strong in his convictions.
FRANK P. WRIGHT. The rapid development and almost marvelous growth of North Dakota has, to a great extent, enriched many men by the increase in value of their lands, assisted by their own industry and efforts in farming. Among this class is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. His name is on section 8, township 140, range 58 west, Barnes county. He is not only one of the most prosperous agriculturists of his community, but is also one of its most highly esteemed citizens and an honored pioneer of the county.
Mr. Wright was born on a farm in Genesee county. New York, November 3, 1849, and is a son of Harry and Mary Ann (Pierson) Wright, the former a native of Vermont, the latter of Connecticut. His father became a resident of New York at the age of nine years and there followed farming throughout his active business life. He was born in Rutland, Vermont, January 22, 1806, and died in 1887. The mother was born at Lyme, Connecticut, October 18, 1814, and died May 6, 1891. William E. Wright, a brother of our subject, was a soldier of the Civil war and came very nearly being taken as a prisoner to Andersonville, but succeeding in making his escape, thus avoiding what might otherwise have proved a living death. Amzi Wright, grandfather of our subject, aided in the defense of the country in the war of 1812.
The early life of Frank P. Wright was passed in an uneventful manner upon the home farm until eighteen years of age, attending the district schools of the neighborhood. He then entered Wyoming College, where he was a student for three winters. In 1872 he went to Toronto, Canada, and was foreman of one of the large lumber yards of that city for one year, after which he returned to the old home in the Empire state, remaining there until coming to this state in March, 1874.
Mr. Wright arrived in Barnes county during that month, he found only two shanties and a water tank occupying the present site of Valley City and at that time-the Northern Pacific trains only ran as far as Bismarck, while during the winter they stopped altogether. It was not until the winter of 1876-1877 that regular trains were put on the road. Game, such as deer and antelope, was found in abundance and at any time the hunter had ample opportunity of indulging his love in the chase. Mr. Wright's early neighbors were half-breed Indians, many of whom lived along the river at that time. He filed a claim on the northeast quarter of section 8, township 140, range 58 west, in 1874, and from the unbroken prairie has developed the fine farm on which he now resides. His entire holdings in Barnes county now amount to thirteen hundred acres of land, as he has steadily prospered in. his new home, being enterprising, energetic and industrious. His home is beautifully located in the Sheyenne river, is well supplied with all modern improvements in the way of buildings and machinery and is undoubtedly one of the most desirable pieces of farm property in the county. Being a man of refined taste and a lover of the beautiful wherever found, Mr. Wright justly appreciates his place.
On the 26th of December, 1879. in Valley City, he was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Coe, who was born in Waupun, Wisconsin , April 3, 1859. Her father. Dr. S. P. Coe, published the "Valley City Times," which was the first paper printed in Barnes county, and which is now known as the "Times Record." Our subject and his wife had two children: May, who was born in 1881 and died in 1883, and Harry G., who was born in 1884 and died in 1897. He has acted as president of the state normal school board for four years. He was also a member of the first board of county commissioners of what is now Barnes county, but before the county was organized, being appointed to that position by Governor John L. Pennington in 1874. He has always been found true to every trust reposed in him, either in public or private life and is ranked among the best citizens of his community.
COLONEL GEORGE M. YOUNG, of Valley City, North Dakota, is one of the younger members of the Barnes county bar, but his prominence is by no means measured by his years; on the contrary, he has won a reputation which many an older practitioner might well envy. He was born at Lakelet, Ontario, Canada, December 11, 1870, and is a son of Richard and Jane (Eaton) Young, also natives of that country. The father was born in Leeds county. Ontario, in 1822. and during his active business life was engaged in the lumber trade, in which he was successful. For a time he served as first lieutenant in the Tenth Regiment Volunteers of Canada. He died in 1885, and his estimable wife, who was born in 1832, passed away in 1896. The paternal grand-father of our subject served with distinction as colonel of a volunteer regiment in Canada. He was born in Ireland in 1798, and died in Lakelet, Ontario, at the advanced age of ninety-three years.
George M. Young began his literary education in the public schools of his native land and later attended the high school at Orangeville. On coming to the United States in 1888. he first located at Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he engaged in newspaper work. In the summer of 1890 he commenced the study of law in the law office of Pollock & Young, of Casselton. North Dakota. Later he attended the College of Law of the University of Minnesota, from which college he graduated. In 1893 he returned to North Dakota, where for a year he was in the law office of Hon. O. W. Francis, at Fargo. In November, 1894. he took up his residence in Valley City, where he opened an office and engaged in practice alone until May. 1899. when he formed a partnership with Lee Combs, under the firm name of Young & Combs. They do a general law business, but make a practice of practicing in the state and federal courts, doing more than any other firm in that line in Barnes county. Mr. Young is very popular and influential, and is now a member of the governor's staff.
In January, 1899, at the home of the bride, in St. Charles, Michigan, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Young and Miss Augusta L. Freeman, a daughter of Jared and Caroline M. (Adams) Freeman. The father is a prominent lumber merchant of that place, and the mother is a direct descendant of President John Adams.
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