Biographies

North Dakota History and People
S. J. Clarke Publishing Company Chicago, Ill. 1917

B. C. ANDERSON. The activity of many energetic, enterprising men has made North Dakota a great agricultural state. Cass county contains rich farming land owned and occupied by various progressive agriculturists, among which number is B. C. Anderson, who lives on section 6, Pleasant township. He was born in Norway on the 19th of May, 1846, a son of Anders and Karu (Anderson) Anderson. The maternal grandfather lived to the very remarkable old age of one hundred and three years. The parents of B. C. Anderson came to the United States a year or two after his arrival and about a twelve months later the father passed away, after which the mother made her home with her son.

At the usual age B. C. Anderson began his education in the public schools of Norway, continuing his studies until he had mastered the high school course, and while in his native land he acquainted himself to a slight degree with the English language. Attracted by the favorable reports which he heard concerning business conditions and opportunities in the new world, he sailed for America in 1866, when a young man of twenty years, and after landing on the eastern seacoast crossed the country to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he hired out to a Methodist minister who was the owner of a farm. His first wage was fifteen dollars per month, with the privilege of attending school during the winter months. Mr.  Anderson remained in the employ of the minister for a year, after which he secured a position with W. L., Benning, president of the first railroad built from St. Paul to Duluth. He worked around the house, took care of the team and drove the surrey for the family. After the completion of the railroad he was given a position in the engineering corps and served in that capacity until the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad was begun toward Red river in 1869.

At that time or about 1870, B. C. Anderson and his brother Andrew came to the west in advance of the railroad to look over the country, having heard much talk to the effect that “where ever the Northern Pacific crossed the Red river would be built another Chicago.” In 1871 their brother John came to Cass county and worked on the steam boat Salt Creek, Captain Griggs, on the Red river. He was accidently drowned near Pemberton, North Dakota, and his body was never found. B. C. and Andrew Anderson were probably the first white men in Cass county.  After their visit here they returned to St. Paul and B. C. Anderson worked on the same railroad on which he had previously been employed. On the 12th of April, 1870, however, he took up his abode upon his present farm and afterward filed on a quarter section as a preemption. He was the first man in the township to break five acres of land, he early became familiar with every phase of pioneer life and with every kind of work incident to the development of a new farm. He afterward bought school lands and railroads lands until his holdings aggregated five hundred and sixty acres, and he has resided upon his farm continuously for forty-six years. Great indeed have been the changes which have occurred during this period. At the time of his arrival one could look abroad over the country for miles. There were rolling prairies stretching far and wide, with little token of the plow, and with no barrier fences, spangled in June with a million flowers and in December covered with an unbroken sheet of dazzling snow. Today the countryside has been divided into farms which are the homes of a contented and prosperous people and the land has been made to yield richly, for the soil is naturally productive and responds readily to the care and labor bestowed upon it.

In 1874 or 1875 Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Nilson, a native of Norway who came to the United States in 1868. Prior to her marriage she worked at Fort Abercrombie for General Crittenden. Mr. Anderson was well acquainted with General Crittenden and his son, who were killed by the Indians at the Custer massacre. Our subject and his wife have seven children, as follows: Albert, who cultivates a portion of the home farm: Petra, who is the widow of T. H. S. Egge and makes her home in Moorhead, Minnesota; Nellie, the wife of J. P. Larson, of Clyde, North Dakota; Laura, who gave her hand in marriage to John B. Bye, of Greenbush, Minnesota; William, who cultivates part of the home farm; Henry, who lives at home and is engaged in farming in association with his two brothers; and Milla. also at home.

In his political opinions Mr. Anderson has always been a republican and has closely adhered to the principles of the party, he has served as school treasurer for sixteen years and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He and his wife are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and he was one of the prominent factors in the building of the church, which was erected upon his farm and which is the oldest west of Willinar, Minnesota. In other ways he has contributed to the material, intellectual and moral progress of the community and no history of Cass county would be complete without mention of this honored pioneer, who has done so much to further the upbuilding of the county and who stood in the front rank in the vanguard of the civilization of this part of the state.

E. D. ANGELL, engaged in the real estate and investment business, has been a resident of Fargo since August, 1881 and in the interim has taken a deep interest in the development of the state. His business affairs have been conducted along large and growing lines and he is now operating extensively in real estate in Canada.  Mr. Angell is a native of New York, his birth having occurred in Lapeer, Cortland county, December 30, 1855. His parents being Erasmus D. and Sarah (Lake) Angell, both of whom were natives of New York, where they spent their entire lives, the father there following the occupation of farming.

E. D. Angell is indebted to the public school system of the Empire state for the early educational advantages which he enjoyed. He afterward attended the State Normal and Training School at Cortland, the Cazenovia Seminary and the Syracuse University and was graduated from the last named institution with the decree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1880. He afterward taught for a year in the Soldiers Orphanage School in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, and in 1881 sought the opportunities of the new and developing northwest, making his way to Fargo, where he arrived in August, he spent a short time with a threshing crew and subsequently accepted a clerkship in the general store of Hubbard & Parlin of Casselton, remaining with them, however, for only about a month, he next went upon the road as collector for N. K. Hubbard, driving over Cass and Richland counties when there were only trails through the country, roads having not yet been laid out. In December of the same year he located permanently in Fargo and has since been engaged in the real estate business, he has acquired extensive farm lands in both North Dakota and in Canada, his larger operations in recent years having been in Canada. He. is one of the oldest real estate dealers in years of continuous connection with the business in Fargo and in all that he does displays a spirit of enterprise that has carried him into important relations.  He has negotiated many extensive realty transfers and has gained a large clientage.

In 1889 Mr. Angell was united in marriage to Miss Jennie C. Burns, of Phelps, New York, who was a university classmate. They had one son, who is deceased. Mr. Angell gives his political allegiance to the republican party, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the First Methodist church, in which he is serving on the board of trustees and to which his wife also belongs. His business activity, his public-spirited citizenship and his devotion to the general welfare combine to make Mr. Angell one of the representative and leading residents of Fargo. He has been associated closely with the city’s interests for a third of a century, his memory forming a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present.

EDWARD ARNOLD, manager of the Northwestern Elevator Company’s elevator at Everest, is also engaged in merchandising there and is well known throughout Cass county. He was born at Lockport, New York, on the 18th of March 1874, a son of George P. and Kate (Hilderman) Arnold, both of whom were natives of New York state. The father learned the hatter’s and furrier’s trades in his youth and devoted a number of years to work along those lines. In 1883, however, he came to North Dakota and took up a homestead and a preemption claim of one hundred and sixty acres each in Moraine township, Grand Forks county.  In due time he proved up on his land and continued to reside there, devoting his attention to farming until 1910, when he sold out and removed to Larimore, where he engaged in the fur business for several years. Previous to taking up his residence in Larimore he had spent a number of winters there working at his trade.

Edward Arnold was educated in the common schools and passed the days of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof. When twenty-one years old he apprenticed himself to the miller’s trade, at which he worked for five years, but in 1900 he became identified with the grain business, becoming second man in the Northwestern elevator at Larimore, and in the intervening years has gained an enviable reputation as an enterprising and astute business man. Since 1914 he has engaged in the merchandising business in Everest on his own account and that undertaking has proved profitable.

On the 14th of June, 1909, Mr. Arnold was married to Miss Theresa Tritchler of Casselton, by whom he has two children, Elwood G. and Ralph.

Mr. Arnold is a republican but has never been an office seeker. He is identified with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Yeomen. Both he and his wife belong to the Catholic church, the influence of which they seek to extend in all possible ways. They have gained many warm personal friends and are held in high esteem because of the integrity of their lives.

ISAAC T. BARNETT is acceptably filling the office of postmaster of Ayr and is also conducting a confectionery and stationery store there. His birth occurred in Columbus, Ohio, on the 16th of November 1853, and he is a son of Isaac and Alice (Bolton) Barnett, both of whom were natives of England but came to America in 1849. The father followed railroading during the greater part of his life and for twenty-seven years was a locomotive engineer.  In 1856 he removed to Kentucky, whence he later went to Vincennes, Indiana, where both he and his wife passed away.

Isaac T. Barnett remained at home until he attained his majority and in addition to attending the common schools he took a course in a business college. In 1876 he went to Minnesota, where he lived until 1879, when he became a resident of Cass county, North Dakota, and began farming land which he took up as a claim. He lived there for three years and then sold that place and purchased another farm in Eldred township, which he disposed of after living on it for two years. He next went to the vicinity of Buffalo and in 1897 removed to Ayr and engaged in the restaurant business for eight years. He is now, however, the owner of a confectionery and stationery store and is meeting with gratifying success in the conduct of his interests. He is also postmaster of Ayr, which office he has held since 1907, and the systematic way in which he discharges his duties has won him the commendation of his fellow citizens.

Mr. Barnett was married in 1883 to Miss Eliza M. Boston, who was born in Pennsylvania of the marriage of Christopher and Hannah A. (Mead) Boston, both natives of the Keystone state. The father served in the Union army during the Civil war and died while at the front. The mother subsequently remarried, becoming the wife of William Smith, and removed with her husband successively to Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin and Tennessee, where her demise occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Barnett are the parents of four children, namely: Alice, the wife of Frank Young, a resident of Morden, Manitoba; Bertha I., who died on the 30^th of May 1906, and was laid to rest in the Buffalo cemetery; Chester A., who was married June 1, 1916, to Miss Margaret Alice Collins, of Mandan, North Dakota, and is now engaged in the grain business at Harmon, this state; and Ida L., who died June 13, 1906, and was buried in the Buffalo cemetery.

Mr. Barnett is a stanch republican and for a quarter of a century has served his district as a member of the school board. Fraternally he belongs to Colfax Lodge, No. 7, I. O. O. F., at Casselton, and the Modern Woodmen of America, in which he has filled all of the chairs.  He and his family attend the Presbyterian church, and his wife takes part in the various activities of that organization. Mr. Barnett had practically nothing when he came to North Dakota but he was not afraid to work hard and gave much thought to the management of his affairs and as the years have passed his capital has increased until he is now in comfortable circumstances.

W. H. BARNETT, Among the practitioners at the bar of Fargo, W. H. Barnett is well known and contemporaries and colleagues accord him a prominent and enviable position in the profession.  He has been a resident of the capital since 1880 and in the intervening years has practiced law, his ability bringing him prominently to the front in a calling where advancement is secured only through individual merit. He was born in Wisconsin on the 23d of July 1856, and is a son of William D. and Julia A. (Huntley) Barnett, both of whom were natives of the state of New York. The father went to Wisconsin in 1846 and there passed away in the year 1868. His widow still survives and makes her home with her son, W. H. Barnett, in the eighty-sixth year of her age. Although she has now advanced far on life’s journey she is still enjoying excellent health. She was the mother of three children, two of whom survive.

W H. Barnett was reared and educated in Wisconsin and supplemented his public school course by a course in the law department of the State University at Madison, from which he was graduated with the class of 1880. He then sought a favorable field for practice and came to Fargo, where he opened a law office and has since followed his profession. He served as assistant state’s attorney for two years and was then elected states attorney, which position he occupied for four years. He also filled the office of assistant United States attorney by appointment for a term of five years. Through all the intervening period since his arrival in Fargo his practice has been extensive and of an important character. Along with those qualities found indispensable to the lawyer—a keen, rapid, logical mind, plus the business sense and a capacity for hard work—he brought to the starting point of his legal career certain rare gifts—eloquent language and a strong personality, an elegant presence, an earnest, dignified manner, marked strength of character, a thorough grasp of the law and the ability to correctly apply its principles, are features in his effectiveness as an advocate.

In 1883 Mr. Barnett wedded Miss Lelah Tillotson, and in the city of their residence they are widely and favorably known, occupying a prominent position in social circles. Mr. Barnett is an earnest republican and has served as police magistrate of Fargo for eleven years.  His interests, however, chiefly center in his profession and his devotion to his clients’ interests has become proverbial. He has been retained in connection with much of the most important litigation tried in the courts at Fargo and the records bear testimony to his ability and success.

A. L. BAYLEY was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, June 10, 1874, the son of S. E. and Melissa (Sanford) Bayley, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Wisconsin.  His parents were married in Wisconsin, whither the father had gone as a young man, and where they continued to live until the year 1880, when they joined the pioneers then emigrating to Dakota territory, settling on a government homestead in Cornell township, Cass county, near Buffalo, which the father proved up and operated for more than two decades.  The mother passed away in 1890, and some years later the father went to live with his son, R. E. Bayley, with whom he still makes his home.

A. L. Bayley attended the public schools and supplemented the education so acquired by taking a business course and a year’s preparatory course in Fargo College and by study in the State Agricultural College. He left the latter institution in the year 1898, when in his sophomore year, and accepted a position with S. G. More of Buffalo, North Dakota, as assistant cashier of the Bank of Buffalo, which bank was later nationalized, becoming the First National Bank of Buffalo. In the year 1903 Mr. Bayley severed his connection with the First National Bank of Buffalo to accept the cashier ship of the then newly organized State Bank of Alice and as such officer has since assisted in directing the financial policies of that institution until it has grown to be one of the sound and prosperous banks of the state. He is also interested in agriculture as he owns two hundred and forty acres of good land near Alice.

On June 8, 1907, Mr. Bayley was married to Miss Maud A. Dickinson, a daughter of Hon. and Mrs. F. H. Dickinson of Ayr, North Dakota. Her father served two terms in the state legislature and is at present residing with his wife on a fine farm near Ayr, North Dakota. To Mr. and Mrs. Bayley have been born four children, three of whom are living, namely: Howard E., Douglas D. and Edgar L.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bayley are members of the Moravian church of Alice and of Aurora Chapter, No. 59, 0. E. S. of Buffalo, North Dakota. Mr. Bayley also holds membership in the Ancient Order of United Workmen; the Modern Woodmen of America; Buffalo Lodge, No. 77, A. F. & A. M.; and Enderlin Chapter, No. 19, R. A. M.

LEMUEL BEATON, who is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits on section 17 Barnes township, Cass county, was born in Prince Edward Island, April 2, 1846, a son of John and Ann (McAdam) Beaton, also natives of that province, where their entire lives were spent. The father was a farmer by occupation.

Lemuel Beaton was reared under the parental roof and attended the local schools, his educational opportunities being somewhat limited, however, as all of the schools at that day were subscription schools. When fourteen years of age he went to work in a shipyard and there learned the shipbuilder’s trade, at which he worked for about twenty years. On leaving Prince Edward Island in the fall of 1867 he went to Calais, Maine, where he worked in the shipyards. In 1869 he removed to Chicago and continued to follow his trade there until the spring of 1871, when he went to Duluth, Minnesota. The following fall he joined the bridge building gang of the Northern Pacific Railway, which was then building in Fargo, and worked on the bridge across the Red river between Moorhead and Fargo. He was employed on the construction of the Northern Pacific for about a year and a half, following which he engaged in boat building on the Red river. In March 1873, he filed on a preemption claim on section 10, Barnes township, Cass county, but did not locate on his land at that time, as he continued to work at his trade until 1877. He then took up his residence upon his claim where he lived for fifteen years, after which he sold that place and bought his present home farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 17, Barnes township. His sons now own a half section, and they and our subject are farming in partnership. They follow improved methods and use up-to-date machinery in their work, and the sale of their crops yields them a good profit.

Mr. Beaton was married in 1872 to Miss Mary Lyons, of Mirmisih, New Brunswick, Canada, by whom he has eleven children, James, Frank, John, Charlie, Joseph, Daniel, Mary, Theresa, Alice, Anna and Walter.

The republican party has a stanch adherent in Mr. Beaton and for a number of years he has served as a member of the board of township trustees and as a member of the school board, proving capable and conscientious in the discharge of his duties. Both he and his wife are communicants of the Roman Catholic church, being members of the cathedral at Fargo, to the support of which they contribute. Mr. Beaton has resided in the northwest for many years and is entitled to honor as one of the pioneers of North Dakota whose labors have made possible the present prosperity of the state.

MONS BERDAL. deceased, was a well-known farmer residing on section 34, Barnes township, Cass county. He was born in Norway on the 15th of April 1848, a son of Engebrit Berdal, who passed his entire life in that country. Our subject was reared at home, received his education in the public schools and continued to reside in Norway for a number of years after reaching maturity. In 1878 he came to the United States with his wife and three children, making his way direct to Cass county, North Dakota, where his sister, Mrs.  Ole Headland, had resided for three years. He purchased a quarter section of land, which became his home farm and on which he lived continuously until his death January 27, 1910.  He at once began the work of its development and as the years passed made many improvements thereon, at the same time carefully conserving the fertility of the soil. He added one hundred and sixty acres to his holdings, becoming the owner of three hundred and twenty acres, and his labor was rewarded with bountiful crops, the sale of which yielded him a good income. He also owned stock in the Farmers elevator of Sanders and in the Sanders Telephone Company.

In 1872, in Norway, occurred the marriage of Mr. Berdal and Miss Synneve Headland, who died in 1900. To them were born seven children, Andrew, Albert, Gertrude, Ella, Mary, Clara, and John, deceased. The three elder children were born in Norway and the four younger in this country. Andrew is now administrator of the estate left by his father, while Albert acts as manager and Gertrude as housekeeper.  Mr. Berdal was a republican in politics but never took an active part in public affairs, although he was never remiss in any of the duties of citizenship. He was a communicant of the Norwegian Lutheran church, whose influence he sought to extend and whose teachings guided his life.

HANS E. BJERKE was living retired at Kindred, Cass county, North Dakota, when he passed away March 24, 1910. He was a factor of no small importance in the agricultural development of his section and owned eleven hundred acres of excellent land, he was born in Norway on the 14th of November 1840, a son of Even and Martha (Knaterud) Bjerke, both natives of that country. The mother died there, but in 1870 the father emigrated to the United States, where he passed away. To them were born nine children but only three are now living.

Hans E. Bjerke attended school in Norway and continued to reside there until 1802, when he crossed the Atlantic to the United States. After living in Wisconsin for a year he was a resident of Chicago for a similar period and then went to Houston county, Minnesota, where he remained until 1872. In that year he removed to Cass county. North Dakota, and located upon land on section 14, Normanna township, which was then a tract of wild prairie.  As soon as possible he erected a log cabin covered with a sod roof and there he resided for a number of years. At length, however, he replaced this primitive structure with a large and up-to-date residence and he also erected excellent barns and outbuildings. He manifested his firm faith in the value of Dakota land as an investment by buying farms from time to time until he owned eleven hundred acres, which is in a high state of cultivation and is well improved. He gained financial independence because he was quick to recognize and prompt to utilize opportunities and he managed his affairs in accordance with sound business principles, he believed in the value of organization and cooperated effort and was a stockholder in the Farmers elevator at Kindred.

In 1869 Mr. Bjerke was united in marriage to Miss Martha Stenhjem. who was born in Wisconsin, and they became the parents of nine children, namely: Maria, Andrew, Hannah, Emma, Edward, Oscar, Selma, Hjalmar and Ella.

Mr. Bjerke gave his political allegiance to the republican party. He held membership in the Lutheran church, to which his wife belongs, and furthered its work along various lines. He was recognized as a factor in the moral advancement of the community and his many admirable qualities gained him high place in the regard of those who were associated with him. The marked success which Mr. Bjerke won as a farmer is all the more notable in that he was dependent upon his own resources and was what in this country we term, a self-made man.

ELIAS BOWMAN is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Cass county. For almost forty years he has been a witness of the growth and development of this part of the state and has aided largely in promoting its progress, particularly along agricultural lines.  He is still busily engaged in farming and is accounted one of the wide-awake and progressive farmers in his district, he was born in Sweden December 6, 1853, a son of Carl and Fredericka (Johnson) Bowman, both of whom wore natives of that country. The father there passed away, after which the mother with her three sons came to America in 1876, settling in Reed township, Cass county, North Dakota, where she spent her remaining days.  Elias Bowman was a young man of twenty-three years when he crossed the Atlantic to the new world with his mother and came to this state, he afterward worked for eleven years for his brother, F. Bowman, and then took up his abode upon the farm where he now resides in Raymond township. In the intervening years he has made a marked change in the appearance of the place, converting its wild land into productive fields, from which he annually gathers rich harvests, while to his farm he has added many improvements that show him to be a progressive man and one whose efforts are entirely practical. He has planted a fine grove and now has one of the good farms of his part of the county.

In 1888 Mr. Bowman was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Johnson, a native of Sweden and a daughter of Nels and Helena Johnson, also natives of that country. The father is still living in Sweden, but the mother has passed away. To Mr. and Mrs. Bowman have been born four children: Ida E., at home: Helen W. the wife of A. N. Lindsay; and Carl J. and Esther M.. both at home. The wife and mother passed away in 1901, leaving a husband and four children to mourn her loss, her death was a matter of deep regret to many friends, for she had gained the good will and kindly regard of all who knew her. Mr.  Bowman is a self-made man who has gained all that he possesses since coming to the new world, he has worked persistently and energetically as the years have gone by, realizing that industry is the basis of all honorable advancement. He supports the republican party at the polls and for two terms has served as a member of the school hoard and has made a highly creditable record in that capacity. Although his private affairs make heavy demands upon his time and attention, he always finds opportunity to cooperate in movements seeking the general welfare.

F. BOWMAN, living in Reed township, Cass county, is familiar with every phase of pioneer life in this part of the state from the time when he aided in breaking the sod with ox teams, trudging on day after day after the slow treading oxen in order to prepare the land for cultivation. Many changes have occurred since that time and as the work of progress has been carried forward Mr. Bowman has gained prosperity and is now a well-to-do citizen.  He was born in Sweden on the 31st of March 1849, a son of Carl and Fredericka Bowman, mentioned in connection with the sketch of Elias Bowman on another page of this work.

In the schools of his native country F. Bowman pursued his education and was a young man of twenty-three years when he left his old home and came to the new world, settling in North Dakota. This was in the year 1872. After landing on the Atlantic seacoast he continued his journey across the country and made a settlement on section 30, Reed township, Cass county. There he built a log cabin and by hand sawed the lumber which he used for the floor, doors and roof. For eight years he occupied that primitive little home and during the first two years of his stay upon the farm he worked in Fargo, walking from his farm to the city each morning and returning at night. It was necessary for him to do this in order to gain the ready money which would enable him to develop his land, as he came to the new world practically empty handed. With ox teams he broke the sod and put in his crops, which in due time brought forth good harvests. To his original holdings he has added until he is now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of good land well improved. He has built thereon an attractive residence and has modern equipment and the latest improved machinery upon his farm to facilitate the work of the fields. In addition to his other interests he is one of the directors of the telephone company.

In 1875 Mr. Bowman was united in marriage to Miss Anna E. Johnson, a native of Sweden who came to America at the same time that Mr. Bowman crossed the Atlantic. Having no children of their own, they have, out of the kindness of their hearts, reared and educated five boys, the eldest of whom is now deceased, while one of the number is still with them.

Mr. and Mrs. Bowman are members of the Lutheran church, in the work of which they are actively and helpfully interested, Mr. Bowman serving as one of the directors and as treasurer of the church. His political support is given to the republican party and he is now serving as chairman of the town board, while for twenty-five years he has been school treasurer. For twenty years he has owned and operated a threshing machine and his work in that connection has made him widely known. His life has been a most active and busy one crowned with a substantial measure of prosperity. In all his business dealings he has been found thoroughly reliable and, while he has given most of his attention to his farm work, he has yet found time to cooperate and aid in measures and movements for the public good.

NILS O. BRAKKE, Among the excellent citizens whom Norway has given to North Dakota is Nils 0.  Brakke, one of the extensive landowners of Normanna township, Cass county, he has not only been prominent in the agricultural development of his county, but has also been active in public affairs, having served acceptably as a member of the state legislature. His birth occurred on the 12^th of September 1845, and his parents were Ole N. and Berget S. (Swenson) Brakke, both of whom were also natives of Norway, where their entire lives were spent.  Six of the eight children born to their union are still living.

Nils O. Brakke was reared at home and received his education in the public schools of his native land. In 1869, when about twenty-four years of age, he was determined to try his fortune in the United States and became a resident of Houston county, Minnesota. After working as a farm hand there for three years he removed to Cass county, North Dakota, in 1872 and located upon his present home farm on section 26, Normanna township. From time to time he has invested in more land and now holds title to nine hundred acres, all of which is well improved and productive. Although he is now one of the wealthy men of his section of the state he was without capital when he came to this country and for several years had to practice close economy, His first home in North Dakota was a log cabin, and he resided therein until 1900, when he erected a fine modern residence, he gives careful attention to the management of his extensive farming interests and receives a handsome financial return from his land, he also owns stock in the Farmers elevator at Kindred, of which he is a director.

In 1869 Mr. Brakke was married in Minnesota to Miss Liv Olson, who was also born in Norway and who crossed to the United States on the same ship as her future husband. They have eight children, Bergert, Olaf, Olena, Oscar, Carrie, Engebert, Nels and Selma.  Mr. Brakke is a stanch adherent of the republican party, in whose principles he firmly believes, and he was elected as a state representative in 1908 on that ticket. He is especially interested in the welfare of the public schools and for thirty years has been a member of the school board, doing much in that time to promote educational progress in the community.  Both he and his wife are communicants of the Lutheran church, the teachings of which govern their conduct in all relations of life. He has a wide acquaintanceship throughout his section of the state and is recognized as a leading citizen of his county.

CHRIST O. BRINK was one of the first settlers of Cass county and for many years was actively identified with the development of this region, first as a farmer and later as a merchant. He is now living retired, however, on his farm on section 18, Stanley township, and is enjoying a period of rest and leisure which is richly deserved. He was born in Norway on the 10th of July 1845, a son of Ole and Carrie (Nelson) Hanson. The father passed away in Norway but the mother subsequently came to the United States and made her home with a daughter living in Davenport, Cass county, this state, until called by death.

Christ 0. Brink pursued his education in the common schools of Norway and after putting aside his textbooks continued to reside in that country until 1867, when, as a young man, he came to the United States. He first settled in Houston county, Minnesota, where he worked as a farm hand, and on leaving that county he turned his attention to the river service, working on steamboats plying between St. Paul and St. Louis. In 1872 he arrived in North Dakota and located upon his present home farm on section 18, Stanley township, Cass county. Subsequently he filed on eighty acres, which was all the law allowed at that time as a homestead, took up eighty acres on soldier’s scrip and purchased eighty acres from the railroad. He at once began the cultivation and development of his land and later, when his resources permitted, bought an adjoining tract of land, his holdings now totaling four hundred and twelve acres. About 1890 he removed to Horace and engaged in merchandising, continuing to conduct a store there until 1900 in partnership with his son-in-law, H. H. Thue, who is now the sole proprietor of the business, Mr. Brink having retired. He was as successful as a merchant as he had been as a farmer and was recognized as one of the foremost business men of Horace. He is still one of the stockholders in the Farmers Elevator at Horace.

Mr. Brink was married in Norway to Miss Carrie Hanson, and they have had five children, four of whom survive, namely: Ole, who is operating his father’s home farm; Carrie, the wife of H. H. Thue, a merchant of Horace; John, a farmer of Baker county, Minnesota ; and Mary, who married Ole Adsero, a business man of Fargo.

Mr. Brink is a stanch supporter of the republican party, believing firmly in the wisdom of its policies, and for thirteen years he has served as a member of the board of trustees, during the greater part of which time he has been chairman of that body. While living in Horace he held the office of postmaster for ten years and proved capable and conscientious in the discharge of his duties. He and his wife hold membership in the Scandinavian Lutheran church and conform their lives to high standards of ethics. When they came to this country there was little evidence of civilization and the most farsighted could not predict the great and rapid change which has come about in the intervening years, making this a prosperous and highly developed farming section in which all of the comforts and conveniences of modern life are enjoyed.  (***note from the administrator of this site, notice the last name of this person and the last name of his parents, then notice the last name of that persons wife)

H. G. BROTEN, who is serving as postmaster of Davenport, and is also engaged in merchandising there, is a native of Cass county, born on the 29th of May 1884. His parents, Ole A. and Lena (Brink) Broten, were both natives of Norway, where they remained until 1865, in which year they emigrated to the United States. After residing for about fifteen years in Minnesota they removed to Cass county, North Dakota, and took up their residence on a farm. The father passed away in 1909, but the mother is still living. Our subject’s paternal grandfather also survives and has reached the advanced age of ninety-five years.

H. G. Broten is one of a family of four children, all of whom are living and all are married. He passed the days of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof and attended the common schools in the acquirement of an education. On beginning his business career he became a clerk in a store at Davenport, in which connection he continued for two years.  He was then assistant station agent at that place for a time, after which he was a brakeman on the Great Northern Railroad for two years. He next engaged in the flour and feed business at Davenport, with which he is still connected. In 1911 he established a newspaper, known as the Davenport News, which he conducted for a time. He now holds the office of postmaster and is systematic and accurate in the discharge of his duties. He also conducts a store in connection with the post office and owns a good business block in Davenport.  Although comparatively a young man he has gained a measure of success that many of his seniors might well envy.

Mr. Broten was married in 1911 to Miss Edna Zimmerman, who was born in Canada of the marriage of Jacob and Elizabeth (Brill) Zimmerman. Her parents are still living and reside upon a farm in Cass county, this state.

Mr. Broten is a republican and takes a keen interest in everything that affects the general welfare. He is now serving as chairman of the village board and manifests the same care and thought in directing the affairs of the municipality as he does in managing his private business interests. Fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and has many friends in that order and in the community at large.

ANDREW A. BRUCE, Rising above the heads of the mass are many men of sterling worth and value who by sheer perseverance and determination have conquered fortune and by their own unaided efforts have risen from the ranks of the commonplace to eminence and positions of respect and trust; but the brilliant qualities of mind which mark the great lawyer and successful jurist are to a certain extent God-given. The use of time, talent and opportunity, however, determine the position of an individual in any chosen walk of life, and that Judge Bruce is accounted one of the foremost lawyers of the Mississippi valley is due no more to his keen and brilliant mind than to his close application, his thorough study and his conscientious regard for the responsibility that devolves upon him.

Judge Bruce was born at Nunda Drug, Madras Presidency, India, April 15, 1866, a son of General Edward Archibald and Anne Young (McMaster) Bruce. The Scotch nativity of his parents led to their return to Europe and the education of their son there. He was a student at Holmesdale House, in Sussex, England, from 1874 until 1879 and in the latter year matriculated in Bath College at Bath, England, where he remained for two years.

On the death of his parents, in 1881, he came alone to the United States and after working on a farm for some years he entered the University of Wisconsin, from which he won the B. A.  degree in 1890 and the LL. B. degree in 1892. He was valedictorian of his class and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. In 1890 he was appointed secretary to the justices of the supreme court of Wisconsin, which office he filled for two years, after which he became chief clerk in the law department of the Wisconsin Central Railway Company, so continuing until 1893. He was then made attorney for the state board of factory inspectors of Illinois, remaining in that position for two years, and in 1893 he also entered upon the private practice of law in Chicago, continuing a member of the bar in that city for five years. In 1898 he was called to the University of Wisconsin as assistant professor of law, remaining in that position until 1902, and was professor of law from 1902 until 1911, in the University of North Dakota, acting as dean of the College of Law from 1904 until he severed his connection with the institution. His elevation to the supreme bench came in November 1911, when he was elected an associate justice of North Dakota. A man of well-balanced intellect, thoroughly familiar with the law and practice and possessed of comprehensive general information, he combines therewith an analytical mind and a self-control that enables him to lose his individuality, his personal feelings and his peculiarities of disposition in the dignity, impartiality and equity of the office. His reported opinions are monuments to his profound legal learning, showing a thorough mastery of the questions involved, a rare simplicity of style and an admirable terseness and clearness in the statement of the principles upon which the opinions rest.

On the 29th of June 1899, in River Forest, Illinois, Judge Bruce was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bacon Pickett, a niece of General George Pickett and a daughter of Joseph D. Pickett, who was superintendent of public instruction in Kentucky. Judge and Mrs.  Bruce have a daughter and son, Glen and Edward McMaster.

In religious faith Judge Bruce is an Episcopalian, while fraternally he is identified with the York Rite Masons, the Mystic Shrine and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Delta Upsilon, Phi Delta Phi and Phi Beta Kappa societies. He is a republican. His work in behalf of his profession has been of wide scope. He has been a close student of the science of government and of the grave problems which have to do with the political, economic and sociological conditions of the country. He took a leading part in the enactment and enforcement of the child labor and sweat shop laws of both Illinois and Wisconsin. He has been in much demand as a public speaker and has been a frequent contributor to magazines and newspapers, his writing covering many subjects bearing upon his profession and others of more general interest, including a book on “Property and Society.” He is an ex-president of the state board of bar examiners of North Dakota and he was a delegate to the universal congress of lawyers and jurists in St. Louis in 1904. He belongs to the American Bar Association, in which he has served as a member of the general council and a manager of the comparative law bureau. He has been honored with the presidency of the North Dakota State Bar Association, was made a commissioner on uniform state laws for North Dakota, and has served on the executive committee of the national conference. Nature endowed him with marked ability and he has used his talents wisely and well, leaving the impress of his individuality upon the laws and upon the judicial history of the states in which he has lived.  To an understanding of uncommon acuteness and vigor he has added a thorough and conscientious preparatory training, while he has exemplified in his practice and upon the bench all the higher elements of the truly great lawyer and jurist.

CHARLES J. BUCK, the popular and efficient young cashier of the Embden State Bank, has been connected with banking since beginning his career and has advanced steadily in his chosen work. He was born in Chaffee, Cass county, April 13, 1883, of the marriage of Fred and Dorothea (Theile) Buck, both natives of Germany, where they resided until 1875. In that year they emigrated to the United States and, making their way to the middle west, settled in Dearborn, Michigan, which is now within the city limits of Detroit. After remaining there for two years they removed to Fargo, North Dakota, which was then about as large as the village of Embden is at the present time. The father was made section boss on the Northern Pacific Railroad, with which he was connected for five years, after which he took up a homestead in Walburg township and turned his attention to farming. He bought other land and his holdings in time totaled six hundred and forty acres. In 1898, however, he removed to North Carolina and made investments in land there, which proved unfortunate, as he met with financial reverses. He then returned to North Dakota and bought a half section of land in Gill township, Cass county, which he still owns. For the last five years he has lived retired in Fargo.

Charles J. Buck was reared at home and acquired his education in the public schools and in the Dakota Business College at Fargo, where he took a business course, graduating from that institution with the class of 1905. He then secured a position as assistant cashier in the Medina State Bank at Medina, North Dakota, remaining with that institution for one and a half years, after which he became cashier of a bank at Chaffee which was owned by the same people as the Medina State Bank. Nine months later, however, the bank at Chaffee was sold to a number of the leading farmers of the district and Mr. Buck, in February, 1908, removed to Embden, becoming assistant cashier of the State Bank at that place which had been established the previous September. As the cashier, C. A. Wheelock, was a non-resident, Mr. Buck assumed the duties of that office and directed the policies of the institution, discharging his important duties with discretion. In 1912 the bank was bought by the local farmers and Mr. Buck was formally elected cashier. He makes the safeguarding of the interests of the depositors and stockholders his first concern, but also promotes the legitimate trade expansion of the community by a judicious extension of credit.

Mr. Buck was married on the 11th of October 1910, to Miss Nora Corcoran, of Chaffee, by whom he has a son, Vincent J. He is identified with the Modern Woodmen and with Jamestown Lodge No. 995, B. P. 0. E. In politics he is a stalwart republican, but although he takes a praiseworthy interest in public affairs, he has never sought official preferment.  He has concentrated his energies upon his banking business and has gained recognition as one of the leaders in local financial circles.

I. M. BUNN, who owns and operates an elevator at Buffalo, is well known throughout that section of the state as an expert grain buyer and excellent business man. A native of Minnesota, he was born in Goodhue county on the 25th of September 1862, of the marriage of Isaac M. and Cynthia (Cryle) Bunn, both natives of Pennsylvania, where they grew to maturity and where their marriage occurred. They continued to reside there until the ‘50s, when, with their three children, they removed to Goodhue county, Minnesota, and located upon a farm, where they resided until called by death.

I. M. Bunn passed the days of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof and attended the common schools in the acquirement of an education. He also learned the carpenter’s trade and after removing to Mayville, Traill county, North Dakota, he engaged in carpentering independently. On the 2d of January 1890, he went to Lake Superior, Wisconsin, where he followed his trade for two years, after which he returned to North Dakota and identified himself with the grain business, entering the employ of the Amenia & Sharon Land Company. He was given charge of their elevator at Amenia, where he remained for ten years, but in 1900 he went to Ward county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land ten miles north of Minot. He proved up on this farm but in 1903 sold it and returned to Cass county, again engaging in the grain business. He was manager of Armour’s elevator at Page until 1904, when he took charge of the Farmers elevator at Chaffee. On the 1st of July 1916, he resigned that position and purchased an elevator at Buffalo, North Dakota, where he is now engaged in business. He is an excellent judge of grain and keeps in close touch with the market, and has therefore steadily prospered.

In 1883 Mr. Bunn was married at Larimore, North Dakota, to Miss Nellie Stull, by whom he had four children. Three of the number survive: Maud, the wife of S. T. Sonsterud, of Grand Forks, this state; George B., who is manager of a grain elevator at Myra, Cass county; and Iva, a stenographer at Fargo. The wife and mother passed away in 1900, and two years later Mr. Bunn was united in marriage to Miss Daisy Carroll, of Goodhue county, Minnesota.

Mr. Bunn is a democrat in politics, but although he takes the interest of a good citizen in public affairs, he has never sought nor desired office, his business interests requiring his undivided time and attention. In all relations of life he conforms to high ethical standards, and he is not only respected as a man of ability but is also highly esteemed because of his integrity and his pleasing personal qualities.

HON. EDWARD T. BURKE, associate justice of the supreme court of North Dakota, was born near Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 5, 1870, a son of John H, and Elizabeth B, (Boyle) Burke, natives of Ireland. The father’s birth occurred in 1847 and when less than a year old he was brought to the United States, being reared in Iowa, where he engaged in railroad construction work. About 1871 he made his way to Dakota territory and afterward turned his attention to railroad contracting. Later he became a resident of Highland township, Cass county, North Dakota, where he established his home upon a farm, and in connection with the cultivation of his land he engaged in the publication of a newspaper at Sheldon.  He was a prominent factor in the development and progress of his community and filled several local offices, including that of county commissioner. In early manhood he wedded Elizabeth B. Boyle, who was born in Ireland in 1849. In 1912 he retired from active business life and now resides in Minnewaukan.

In the pursuit of his education Judge Burke attended the high school of Fargo, the University of North Dakota and the University of Minnesota, being graduated from the law department of the last named institution with the class of 1894, at which time the LL. B. degree was conferred upon him. He at once entered upon the practice of law at Valley City, where he remained for ten years or until elected district judge of the fifth judicial district in 1904 for a term of four years. On the expiration of that period he was reelected and served for two years more. In 1910 he was elected judge of the supreme court and was made chief justice. In 1916 he was again the candidate of the republican party for the office. He is one of the most distinguished jurists that has ever graced the court of last resort. His ability is pronounced. The limitations which are imposed by the constitution on federal powers are well understood by him. With the long line of decisions from Marshall down, by which the constitution has been expounded, he is familiar. He is at home in all departments of the law, from the minutiae in practice to greater topics wherein is involved the consideration of the ethics and the philosophy of jurisprudence and the higher concerns of public policy; but he is not learned in the law alone, for he has studied long and carefully the subjects that are to the statesman and the man of affairs of the greatest import—the questions of political economy and sociology—and has kept abreast with the best thinking men of his age.

Judge Burke was married at Valley City, December 25, 1900, to Miss Florence Getchell, a daughter of George and Lois (Stiles) Getchell, who were pioneers of this state, having removed to North Dakota from Afton, Minnesota, in 1878. Judge and Mrs. Burke have three children: Charles Getchell, born December 4, 1903; John Edward, born January 24, 1905; and Robert Eugene, born May 1, 1912. They lost a daughter Lois, who died in infancy.

Judge Burke is a Knight Templar Mason, holding membership in Valley City Lodge, No. 7, F. & A. M., and Valley City Commandery, No. 5, K. T., and is a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is also identified with Jamestown Lodge, No. 995, B. P. O. E. His residence in North Dakota dates from 1871, covering almost the entire period of his life, and throughout all the ensuing years he has been deeply interested in the welfare and progress of the state, cooperating with all those forces which have worked for its upbuilding and the promotion of its standards. The pronounced ability which he displayed in the practice of law led to his selection for judicial honors and in this connection merited distinction has come to him.

CARROLD L. BUTTLES, superintendent of the Riverside cemetery at Fargo, North Dakota, was born in Rochester, Minnesota, on the 19th of July 1873, a son of Orin F. and Elizabeth (Wright) Buttles. the former a native of New York state and the latter of Nebraska. The father, who was a carpenter by trade, removed to Iowa in pioneer days and at the time of the Civil war enlisted in a town regiment, remaining at the front for four years, he was married in that state and subsequently removed to Minnesota, whence in 1880 he came to North Dakota, locating at Fargo. There he was in the employ of the Barnes & Magill Elevator Company until his demise, which occurred in 1884.

Carrold L. Buttles was reared under the parental roof and attended the public schools in the acquirement of an education until he reached the age of sixteen years, he then became a wage earlier, securing employment us a clerk in a grocery store. For fifteen or sixteen years he worked for T. E. Yerxa but subsequently engaged in farming for about seven years. Since 1911 he has been superintendent of the Riverside cemetery at Fargo and has concentrated his energies upon full discharge of his duties in that capacity.

In 1897 Mr. Buttles was united in marriage to Miss Ida Deed, of Jamestown, this state, by whom he has two children: George, who is attending the Fargo high school; and Frances, a grammar school student.

Mr. Buttles is a stanch adherent of the republican party, believing in the wisdom of its policies. Fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen and the Royal Arcanum, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Broadway Methodist Episcopal church.

HON. JOHN A. BYE was a member of the first state legislature of North Dakota and has been active in shaping the history and molding the policy of the district in which he lives. He is numbered among the representative farmers of Cass county, his home being on section 34, where he owns a valuable, productive and extensive tract of land. A native of Norway, he was born September 27, 1847 and is a son of Ole and Petronelle (Detlefson) Bye, who came to the United States in 1853, taking up their abode in Houston county, Minnesota, where they resided until called to their final rest.

John A. Bye was a little lad of five summers at the time of the emigration to the new world and the public school system of Minnesota afforded him his educational privileges but his opportunities in that direction were somewhat limited, as it was necessary that he begin work upon the farm at an early age. In his youthful days he was trained to habits of industry and economy—habits that have borne rich fruit in his later years. On the death of his father he became the heir to one hundred acres of the home farm in Minnesota but in 1871 he left that state and came to North Dakota on a prospecting trip. Pleased with the country, he removed his family to Cass county in 1872, homesteading his present farm, upon which he has since lived. He also secured a tree claim and a preemption claim and subsequently bought railroad land and school land, being now the owner of eight hundred and seventy-five acres of very valuable farm property in Pleasant township, Cass county, together with two hundred and forty acres in Manitoba, within twenty-eight miles of Winnipeg. He has carefully and persistently carried on his farm work, with the result that he has brought his fields to a high state of cultivation and that his property is now most valuable and desirable. The practical and progressive methods which he has followed have converted his land from wild prairie into highly productive fields and upon his farm are all modern equipment in the way of buildings and machinery. Mr. Bye is also a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company at Hickson and in the Hickson Bank.

In 1867 Mr. Bye was united in marriage to Miss Mathea Olson, who died in 1881, leaving seven children: Carl J., of Nailsville, Minnesota; Nellia J., the wife of L. Walhus, of Bremen, North Dakota; Ole J., of Ryder, North Dakota; Tillie J., the wife of Olof Smerud, a resident of Kent, Minnesota; Fred J., who makes his home in Cass county, North Dakota; Henry J., of Williams county, this state; and Ida J., the wife of George Wotszler, of Ryder, this state.  Mr. Bye was married a second time, in 1883, to Miss Mathilda Borderud, a resident of Norman, Cass county, and this union was blessed with four children but all are deceased.

Mr. Bye holds membership with the Sons of Norway and with the Norwegian Lutheran church and his life has ever been guided by high and honorable principles. In politics he is Independent, voting for men and measures rather than for party. For many years he has been active in community affairs, holding various township offices, to which he has been called by the vote of his fellow citizens. Moreover, he was a member of the first state legislature of North Dakota, serving through the double session of 1889 and 1890. He took an active interest in shaping the laws of the state during the formative period in its history and brought keen insight and a recognition of needs and opportunities to bear in the discharge of the important duties which devolve upon him as a member of North Dakota’s first general assembly.

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