DR. A. J. AMES, engaged in the practice of medicine at Forbes, was born in Hutchinson, Minnesota, March 24, 1866, a son of Dr. Curtis B. and Eliza (Hopper) Ames, the former a native of Roscoe, Illinois, and the latter of Oswego, New York. In his childhood days the father accompanied his parents to Minnesota, the paternal grandfather of Dr. A. J. Ames, being one of the first settlers on the west side of the river in Minneapolis and the first physician to practice in that locality. Dr. Curtis B. Ames was reared to manhood in Minneapolis, pursued a public school education there and afterward entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, from which he was graduated with the class of 1866. He then removed to Minnesota and practiced in Hutchinson for several years, while subsequently he practiced at different periods in Watertown, Rockford and Delano, Minnesota, but at the present time is living retired and has returned to Minneapolis, where he now makes his home. He served for a short time with the Third Minnesota Infantry during the Civil war and on one occasion was captured but was exchanged and later was sent home on account of illness. He then went out with General Sibley to fight the Indians in the Little Crow uprising. His wife, who is also living, was the daughter of a noted Indian scout and pioneer.
Dr. A. J. Ames was reared in Hutchinson, Minneapolis and Delano and attended the public schools in all three cities. He afterward entered Williston Seminary of Massachusetts and subsequently was graduated from Phillips Andover with the class of 1886, For thirteen years he was a portrait artist and then determined to practice medicine. He entered the medical department of the University of Illinois and completed his course with the class of 1901. He practiced two years in Chicago while taking his four-year course. Later he located in Minneapolis, where he practiced for about three years and then removed to Wheaton, Minnesota, where he spent a like period, of time. In 1906 he went to Forbes. North Dakota, where he has since remained in the active practice of his profession. He comes from a family of physicians and is therefore “to the manner born.” He is a member of the Southern District Medical Society, the North Dakota State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
In September 1893, Dr. Ames was joined in wedlock with Miss Dora H. Hartshorn and they became the parents of a son, Ross M., who was born January 5, 1895, and died January 20, 1900.
The Doctor is a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to Ellendale Lodge, No. 13, A. F. & A. M., and Dakota Consistory, No. 1, and he is also identified with El Zagal Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S. He is likewise a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows His study of political questions and conditions has led him to advocate socialistic views and for two years he has done able service for the community as a member of the town council, while at the present writing he is county physician for the western district of Dickey county.
ARTHUR BARTLETT, The city of Oakes numbers Arthur Bartlett among its progressive and public-spirited men. Many evidences of his devotion to the general good can be cited and his fellow townsmen, appreciative of his worth, have called him to the board of aldermen, on which he is now serving. At the same time he is conducting a successful and growing business as proprietor of the City Restaurant. He was born in Edwardsville, Illinois, January 10, 1868, a son of Allen and Elizabeth (McNichol) Bartlett, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania but in childhood accompanied their respective parents on their removal westward to Edwardsville Illinois. They were married in that city just prior to the outbreak of the Civil war and Mr. Bartlett then engaged in farming until about 1869, when he removed to Macon county, Illinois, where he also carried on general agricultural pursuits for several years. On establishing his home in Decatur he turned his attention to the livery business, which he successfully conducted for many years. He passed away August 3, 1887, having for some time survived his wife, who died in 1874, when their son Arthur was a lad of but six years. The father afterward married Miss Jennie Maftell, who passed away seven or eight years later.
Arthur Bartlett acquired a district school education and when about sixteen years of age went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was apprenticed to the nail maker’s trade, being thus employed until the factory was closed down in 1888. That was the last factory in the United States to make cut nails. When the factory was closed in the spring of 1888, Mr. Bartlett came to North Dakota, arriving in Dickey county when a young man of twenty years. Already, however, he had had four years’ experience in the business world and on reaching this state he rented a section of land and began farming on his own account, his sister acting as his housekeeper. In 1903 he filed on a homestead which had been deserted by a former occupant. There were no crops, however, and Mr. Bartlett relinquished his right for one hundred and fifty dollars. The land, however, today is worth sixty dollars per acre. In 1911 he purchased a quarter section twelve miles northeast of Oakes, in Sargent county, and still cultivates that tract. In 1909 he removed to Oakes and purchased the City Restaurant, which he has since conducted. During this period he has enjoyed a very liberal patronage, for the cuisine is excellent and his table offers all that the market affords.
In 1889 Mr. Bartlett was united in marriage to Miss Ruby McCoy, of Ellendale, Dickey county, by whom he had two sons, namely: Harold A., engineer in the city light plant at Mitchell, South Dakota; and Don E., who is employed as a mechanic in a garage at Oakes. The wife and mother passed away about two years after her marriage and in 1893 Mr. Bartlett wedded Miss Minnie E. Falls, also of Ellendale by whom he had four sons, as follows: Reese A., residing in Oakes, North Dakota, who is district manager of the National Casualty Company of Detroit; Clarence, who works in his father’s restaurant; Theodore, who is also employed in the restaurant; and Harry, at home.
In his political views Mr. Bartlett is an earnest republican. He has served repeatedly as a delegate to county and state conventions and has been an earnest factor in the work for better government, being associated with many of the wholesome and purifying reforms which have been growing up in the political system of the state. In 1912 he was elected a member of the board of aldermen and has since been continued by reelection in that position, making an excellent record by the efficient manner in which he works to further the welfare and progress of the city. Fraternally he is connected with Oakes Lodge, No. 40 1.O. O. F.; Oakes Lodge. No. 81, K. P.; and Silver Leaf Lodge, No. 5015, M. W. A. In religious faith Mr. Bartlett is a Methodist, while his wife belongs to the Episcopal church By the consensus of public opinion he is classed with the representative residents of Oakes and Dickey count}’, his influence being ever on the side of material, intellectual, political and moral advancement. A spirit of progress has actuated him at every point in his career and many tangible evidences are cited of his devotion to the general good.
R. M. BLACK, whose position in educational circles, established by the consensus of public opinion, is among the foremost, now makes his home in Ellendale, being president of the State Normal and Industrial School. Throughout his entire career he has been activated by high ideals which have found expression in practical methods. He was born upon a farm in Ashtabula county, Ohio June 18, 1867 a son of Milton and Ruana C. (Hyde) Black, both of whom were natives of Ohio and were of New England lineage.
On the mother’s side the ancestry is traced back to John and Mary Gladding, who came from England in the seventeenth century and were among the founders of Bristol, Rhode Island. On the paternal side the family is equally old, for representatives of the name came from England and settled in the vicinity of Springfield, Massachusetts, at an early period in colonial history. The great-grandfather, Alexander Black, was one of two brothers who were left orphans at an early age, their father probably being killed while serving in the Revolutionary war, after which they were reared by General Mattoon, and Alexander Black eventually became one of the prominent merchants of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Milton Black, father of Professor Black, was a farmer by occupation but at the time of the Civil war put aside all business and personal interests to go to the front in defense of the Union, serving with the rank of corporal in Company C, One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Following the close of hostilities he resumed farming in Ohio, where he lived for many years, his death there occurring in 1905, while his wife passed away in 1911.
R. M. Black at the usual age became a district school pupil and afterward attended the high school at Geneva, Ohio, from which he was graduated with the class of 1890. Later he became a student in the Ohio Wesleyan University, where he completed his course with the graduating class of 1895, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree. He spent the year 1901-2 at the University of Chicago and in 1910 the Ohio Wesleyan University conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. Throughout his entire life he has been closely identified with educational interests. He began teaching in the district schools of Ohio in 1885, and was afterward teacher in the eighth grade of the Geneva (Ohio) schools in 1890-1. During the summers of 1893 and 1894, while attending the Ohio Wesleyan University, he acted as associate principal of a normal academy in Sigel, Pennsylvania, and following his graduation from the Wesleyan University he came to North Dakota in 1895 to accept the position of professor of mathematics and Greek in the Red River Valley University at Wahpeton, there remaining until 1897. For two years thereafter he was principal of the schools of Hamilton, North Dakota, and then returned to Wahpeton, where from 1899 until 1903 he was a member of the faculty of the Red River Valley University. Accepting the proffered position of city superintendent of schools at Wahpeton, he continued in that connection until 1905, when he was elected county superintendent of Richland county and so served until 1909. In the latter year he accepted the position of teacher in the State School of Science, there remaining until 1914, when he was chosen president of the State Normal and Industrial School at Ellendale.
On the 12th of August. 1897, Mr. Black was united in marriage to Miss Lovilla C. Procious, of Sigel, Pennsylvania, by whom he has three children, namely: Ceryl E., who is a senior in the State Normal and Industrial School of Ellendale; Marguerite E., a sophomore in the Ellendale high school; and Wendell R., a grade student. In politics Professor Black maintains an independent course. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, doing all in their power to promote its growth and extend its influence. Through appointment of Governor Hanna he is now serving as a member of the state board of education.
Perhaps no better estimate of his character can be given than by quoting from President Fred E. Smith of the State School of Science, who at the time Professor Black resigned his position in that institution wrote to the State Normal and Industrial School at Ellendale as follows: “I wish to give an appreciation of Professor R. M. Black, a member of the faculty of the State School of Science, recently elected by your board of trustees to the presidency of the State Normal and Industrial School at Ellendale. I have known Professor Black for nearly ten years and during the last four years have been closely associated with him in this institution. In helping work out the new plans of the State School of Science he has shown a keen insight into the problems of industrial education and has been a strong advocate of the combination of a high degree of cultural training with the practical applications of manual arts. During nineteen years’ residence in this state Professor Black has been college professor, principal of a village school, superintendent of city schools, county superintendent and teacher in a trade and vocational school. He has been successful in each position and has left it only when promoted to a better one. The fact that fifteen years were spent in four positions in one city speaks for his standing among his fellow citizens. As a member of the community he is a good citizen, perfectly trustworthy in business relations and a Christian gentleman. His scholarship is accurate and of a wide range. He is inspirational in his teaching and as a leader while county superintendent he was unusually successful in developing an esprit de corps among his teachers. He wins the confidence and holds the respect of his associates. As county superintendent his reputation became state wide. He has been on the programs of the State Educational Association six or seven times in the past nine years; holds active membership in the National Education Association and is a member of the editorial board of the State Historical Society. In 1909, when the governor was authorized to appoint three of the best known and best posted school men in this state to re-codify the school laws, Professor Black was made a member of the School Law Compilation Commission, and again in 1911, under a new law creating a state board of examiners for teachers’ certificates, he was selected by the governor as a member. In public work he was the personal representative of the state superintendent for two summers and delivered addresses at teachers’ institutes and directors’ meetings. He has conducted institutes in several counties, was organizer of the Richland County Teachers’ Training School, has taught in it and will be its conductor during the present summer session. Professor Black has contributed several articles to educational magazines and edited a book of literary selections for language study in the grades, which was published as a volume of the Riverside Literary Series. In 1910 his History of the Constitutional Convention of 1889 was published and it has won recognition as standard authority on that period of our state history. With his mature scholarship, his thorough acquaintance with all school work, his good judgment, his constant desire for professional growth and his sterling character, your people may have every confidence that the State Normal and Industrial School is in tried and efficient hands.”
J. HAMLIN DENNING’S connection with Dickey county dates back to pioneer times and throughout the intervening period he has ranked with the leading citizens and is today numbered among the wealthy residents of his part of the state. He is senior member of the firm of Denning & Dyer, proprietors of the Oakes Steam Laundry, and in this connection has built up a business of large and gratifying proportions, yet it does not cover the extent of his activities, for he is associated with various other business projects which have given him high standing as one of the representative residents of the southeastern part of the state. He was born in Holmes county, Ohio, October 29, 1850, a son of Jacob and Mary (Wiley) Denning, both of whom were natives of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where they were reared and married. In 1836 they removed to Ohio and resided in Wayne and Holmes counties, at length establishing their residence in Stark county, where the father died in 1858. The mother, with their family of six sons and a daughter, removed to Bloomington, Illinois, in 1859 and there passed away in 1907, when in the eighty-fourth year of her age.
J. Hamlin Denning was but a young lad when his father died but was carefully reared by his mother, who gave him excellent educational opportunities and thus qualified him for life’s important and responsible duties. After attending the district schools in McLean county, Illinois, he continued his studies in the Illinois Wesleyan College at Bloomington during the years 1871 and 1872. He was identified with farming interests in McLean county, Illinois, from 1859 until 1883, when he came to North Dakota, settling at Ellendale, Dickey county, which was then the terminus of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, at that time the only railroad that had been built into the county. The earliest settlers of the locality had arrived in 1883 and Mr. Denning, being but little later, was numbered among the pioneer residents and took up a preemption and a tree claim situated on sections 35 and 34, Clement township, respectively. For two years after his arrival he engaged in merchandising at Ellendale and subsequently became interested in the coal, grain and implement business as a member of the firm of Denning Brothers, which association was maintained until 1894, the brother, Samuel R. Denning, looking after the business while J. Hamlin Denning remained upon the farm and gave his attention to the cultivation and development of the land and to the raising of cattle, horses and sheep, which business lie carried on very extensively. From time to time he made other purchases until ho increased his land holdings to eight hundred acres, which property he still retains. In November 1904, however, he gave up active farming and established his home in Oakes, where he has since resided, although during the past four years he has spent the winters elsewhere—one winter in Florida and three in southern California. In addition to his other business interests he became one of the organizers of the Oakes National Bank, of which he has been a director from the beginning and is now second vice president.
In 1874 Mr. Denning was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Etta Price, of McLean county, Illinois, by whom he had seven children, six of whom survive, as follows: Lilly May, who acts as superintendent of the Benson Hospital at Benson, Minnesota; Warren W., an agriculturist of Dickey county, North Dakota; Anna B., who is employed as bookkeeper by the firm of Klein & Sutmer, of Oakes, North Dakota; Ira P., who cultivates a part of his father’s farm; Ina E., who is the wife of H. F. Brown, cashier of the First National Bank of Oakes; and Addison H., at home.
Fraternally Mr. Denning is identified with the Masons, belonging to Hope Lodge, No. 29, A. F. & A. M.; Oakes Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M.; and the Order of the Eastern Star. Mr. Denning and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and their interest in its work and development is not of a perfunctory character. Mr. Denning gives generously to the support of the church and does all in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. His has been an active and useful life, actuated by laudable ambition, characterized by indefatigable energy and crowned with honorable success.
RUSH W. DICKEY, A leading citizen of Ellendale is Rush W. Dickey, who was born in Pine Island, Minnesota, April 25, 1863, a son of Oscar A. and Elizabeth (Burnett) Dickey, who were natives of the Empire state and soon after their marriage removed from New York to Minnesota, settling on a farm in Goodhue county, where the father engaged in general agricultural pursuits throughout his active life. For a short period he was also identified with merchandising in Pine Island. About 1879 he removed to South Dakota and homesteaded in Brown county, twelve miles northwest of Aberdeen, there continuing his residence until death called him about 1904. His widow survives and now resides with her sons in Frederick, South Dakota.
After mastering the district school course in Goodhue county, Minnesota, Rush W. Dickey continued his education in the Pine Island high school and also attended a night school at Pine Island. In 1881 he removed to South Dakota and secured a squatter’s claim in McPherson county, which he held until he attained his majority and then entered it under the homestead act. During those years he worked at the railroad station in Westport, where he picked up a knowledge of telegraphy, and in 1883 he was given a position as a telegrapher on the Milwaukee railroad, while in 1889 he was made station agent at Ellendale, which position he held for eighteen years, being in the service of the Milwaukee system for a quarter of a century. While employed as station agent at Ellendale he also operated a dray line as a side issue, conducted a coal business and engaged in real estate dealing, beside cultivating some of his farm properties. In a word, he is a man that has ever recognized and utilized business opportunities and by his careful management of his interests has won success. In 1908 he built the Dickey Hotel, erecting one of the finest buildings of its class to be found in any of the smaller towns in the state. For five years he conducted the hotel, making it one of the well known and successful hostelries of the state, but in 1914 he sold the property and has since given his attention to the management of his farming interests and to the buying and selling of farm lands. His knowledge of realty values has enabled him to deal most successfully along that line and his business interests are now meeting with a substantial measure of prosperity.
On the 27th of June 1891, Mr. Dickey was united in marriage to Miss Mabel E. Denio, of Ellendale, and they became the parents of four children, of whom three are living: May E., who is a graduate of the State Normal and Industrial School of Ellendale, of the St. Mary’s College of Faribault, Minnesota, and of the Chicago School of Art and is now teaching in an art school in Evanston; Ada G., the wife of William Hecklesmiller, a merchant of Ellendale; and Max Milford, who is still attending school.
Mr. Dickey is a representative and exemplary member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Ellendale Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M.: South Dakota Consistory, No. 4, A. A. S. R., of Aberdeen, South Dakota; and El Zagal Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S., of Fargo. He is also identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. His political allegiance has been given the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and for two terms he served as alderman of Ellendale, being a member of the city council which built the sewer system and electric light plant and also the concrete sidewalks of this city. In a word, he has been a dominant factor in the upbuilding and improvement of the town in many ways and has been most closely and helpfully connected with its interests for a third of a century, his labors being at all times effective and resultant.
W. E. DICKINSON, Important financial interests of Dickey county are in charge of W. E. Dickinson, who is the cashier of the Fullerton State Bank and also manager of the Fullerton elevator. The steps of an orderly progression have brought him to the position which he now occupies as a representative business man of his community. He was born in St. Charles, Minnesota, May 23, 1876, a son of Jerry and Mary (Pike) Dickinson, the former a native of New York and the latter of Illinois. They were married, however, in Wisconsin, to which state they had removed in childhood with their respective parents, both families having been pioneers of Illinois and of Wisconsin. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Dickinson became residents of Minnesota, whore for many years the former was identified with the grain business, while from the farm lands which he owned he received a good rental. Both he and his wife passed away at Balaton, Minnesota.
W. E. Dickinson completed his education in the Balaton high school and in his boyhood worked upon his father’s farm, early becoming familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. At the age of sixteen he took up the study of telegraphy, to which he devoted his attention for four years. He afterward engaged in the hardware and machinery business in Balaton in partnership with George A. Tate and was identified with that undertaking for four years. Through the succeeding year he was employed by the Northwestern Railway Company in the capacity of brakeman and later lie turned his attention to the grain trade in Balaton, where in connection with Mr. Tate he operated an independent elevator for four years.
In 1906 Mr. Dickinson arrived in North Dakota, making his way to Oakes, where for a year he had charge of the Blackenburg elevator, and in 1907 he came to Fullerton as manager of the elevator of the Marshall, McCartney Company. The business was reorganized in 1914 under the name of the Fullerton Elevator Company, Mr. Dickinson remaining in charge after the reorganization and so continuing to the present time. In 1912 he accepted the position of cashier of the Fullerton State Bank and is also serving in that capacity at the present time. He is most faithful to the important interests entrusted to his care and his business ability constitutes an element in their growing success. Individually he owns three hundred and twenty acres of farm land four miles west of Fullerton, which he is converting into one of the highly improved farms of Dickey county.
In 1907 was celebrated the marriage of W. E. Dickinson and Miss Mabel Selle, of Poynette, Wisconsin, and to them have been born four children: Jerry, Gene, Conrad and Joe B. a promising family of young sons of whom the parents have every reason to be proud. Mr. Dickinson belongs to Oakes Lodge. F. & A. M.; and Fullerton Lodge, No. 120, I. 0. O. F., and exemplifies in his life the beneficent spirit upon which those organizations rest. Early trained to habits of industry, economy and perseverance, those qualities have constituted the basis upon which he has built his later success, gaining a creditable place in the business circles of his county.
FOREST B. DILLE, cashier of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Monango, was born in Mina, Dakota territory, now South Dakota, September 29, 1884, a son of Wade B. and Lois (Moore) Dille, the former a native of Necedah, Wisconsin, and the latter of Ontario, Canada. They were married in Aberdeen. South Dakota, the father having arrived in the territory in 1882, at which time he was made station agent at Mina. In 1886 he removed to Monango, becoming the first station agent at that point for the Milwaukee Railroad Company. He continued to act as station agent there for eighteen years, at the end of which time he resigned his position to engage in the lumber business, which he carried on until 1909, when he removed to Washington, establishing his home in Mount Hope, where he now resides. His wife passed away in Monango in 1902.
Reared in the town in which he still resides, Forest B. Dille there acquired a public school education and afterward attended the North Dakota State Normal and Industrial School at Ellendale, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1903. On the completion of his studies he went west to Spokane, Washington, and entered the employ of the Great Northern Railroad Company, with which corporation he was identified for four years in the capacity of assistant cashier in the freight office. In 1908 he returned to Monango and worked in his father’s lumber office until the spring of 1909, when the business was sold and at that time Mr. Dille was offered and accepted the position of assistant cashier of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank. Two years later he was made vice president of the bank and in 1913 Mr. Dille purchased the stock of the cashier of the bank and succeeded to that position, in which important capacity he has since served, largely controlling the policy of the institution, his plans being based upon the careful safeguarding of the interests of depositors as well as upon the development of the business of the bank. He has also extended his connection with banking into other districts, for he became one of the organizers of the Farmers State Bank of Forbes and is a member of its board of directors. For some years he dealt quite extensively in farm lands but at the present writing retains only four hundred and eighty acres in Dickey county and eighty acres in Minnesota.
In 1913 Mr. Dille wedded Miss Ruby Fox, of Monango, who was born in Paynesville, Minnesota, and they have one son, Gordon W. Mr. Dille is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees and his political support is given to the republican party. He is the present treasurer of the school board of Monango but has never been an office seeker, feeling that his business affairs make ample demand upon his time and energies and that success will more assuredly be his if he concentrates his efforts upon those interests which he has undertaken as a means of livelihood.
HON. EUGENE F. DUNTON, a grocer of Ellendale and one of the leading business men of the town, has since starting out in life on his own account been continuously a representative of commercial activity. Moreover, he is one of the pioneer business men of Ellendale, where he settled in 1882. He had at that time just attained his majority, his birth having occurred in Vermont, February 22, 1861, his parents being Stephen and Ellen (Johnson) Dunton, both of whom were natives of the Green Mountain state and representatives of old New England families. The father was a farmer throughout the entire period of his active life, death ending his labors in 1867. His wife afterward married Samuel W. Lord, who later removed with his family to the province of Quebec, Canada, and there Eugene F. Dunton was reared to manhood and obtained his education in the public schools.
When his textbooks were put aside he secured a clerkship in a dry goods store in Sherbrooke, Canada, where he laid the foundation for his later business success, early coming to recognize the eternal principle that industry wins, since which time industry has been the beacon light of his life. Thinking to have better business opportunities in a district which was just being opened up to settlement, he made his way to North Dakota in 1882 and cast in his lot with the pioneer business men of Ellendale. He was accompanied by his brother, Edward H. Dunton, and on their arrival they each preempted a quarter section of land a half mile from the town, while a year later Eugene F. Dunton homesteaded another quarter section. During the three years which he spent upon the farm he and his brother also engaged in the implement business in Ellendale, and in 1885 he established his present store, carrying a large and carefully selected line of staples and fancy groceries. The neat arrangement of the store, the excellent line of goods which he handles, his earnest desire to please his customers and his thoroughly reliable methods constitute the salient elements in his growing success. He still owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres four miles from Ellendale and is accounted one of the foremost men of his town.
On the 1st of January 1889, occurred the marriage of Mr. Dunton and Miss Carrie V. Courtney, of Dickey county, North Dakota, and they have become the parents of two children: Imogene, at home; and Maurel Milton, who is employed in connection with his father’s business. Both are graduates of the North Dakota State Normal and Industrial School at Ellendale and the daughter is also a graduate of the Fine Arts School of Chicago.
Mr. Dunton has membership connections with Ellendale Lodge. No. 17, I. O. O. F., and Ellendale Camp, No. 1420. M. W. A. Since his arrival in North Dakota he has been actively identified with those interests which have made Ellendale an enterprising and progressive city and one that has enjoyed constant growth along substantial lines. In politics he is a republican and his value in citizenship is indicated in the fact that in 1896 he was chosen to represent his district in the state legislature. He also served as a member of the board of county commissioners of Dickey county for four years and has been active along lines leading to local progress as well as to the benefit of the commonwealth. For twenty years he served as a member of the board of education at Ellendale and he is most widely and favorably known there, his circle of friends being coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance. Laudable ambition led him to seek a home in the northwest and the wisdom of his course has been justified with the passing years.
J. O. GLENN, a general merchant and leading business man of Merricourt, was born in Mount Vernon, Iowa, March 12, 1862, a son of James A. and Mary (Morford) Glenn, the latter also a native of Mount Vernon, while the former was born in Wellsville, Ohio. They were married in her native city, to which place the father had removed in early manhood. He became one of the pioneer residents of Mount Vernon, where he engaged in teaching music. In 1877 he removed to Courtland, Kansas, where he turned his attention to farming and where he has since made his home, covering a period of almost forty years. Throughout the entire time his attention has been given to general agricultural pursuits.
J. 0. Glenn was reared under the parental roof and acquired a common school education. On attaining his majority in 1883 he removed from Kansas to North Dakota, casting in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Dickey county. On his arrival here on the 11th of March 1883, he preempted a quarter section of land and took up another quarter section as a tree claim and both of these tracts he still owns. He at once began their development and improvement according to the requirements of the law and his labors in due time brought him his title to the property. In 1888 he removed to Lisbon, where he was employed as cream buyer by the La Moure Creamery Company, which he represented for a year. On the expiration of that period he went to St. Paul, Minnesota, and for three years was general agent for a bond company. Later he returned to Dickey county and for three or four years was extensively engaged in farming a thousand acres of land owned by himself and his mother-in-law. He then began trading and dealing in horses on a large scale and he also purchased and operated a grain elevator in Merricourt. In 1906 he went to Chicago and during the succeeding three years was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade but in 1909 returned to Dickey county and purchased his present mercantile business at Merricourt, giving to it his undivided attention since that time. He has a well appointed store which he is successfully conducting and his trade is steadily growing with the development of the county and as the result of his enterprising and thoroughly reliable business methods. He still owns his original three hundred and twenty acres of land in Dickey county.
In 1896 Mr. Glenn was married to Miss Florence Lord of that county and they became parents of two children, Donald and Edna. In 1913 Mrs. Glenn passed away and on the 13th of March 1914, Mr. Glenn married Miss Maud McMann, of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, by whom he has one child, Thomas Oliver.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Glenn has voted with the republican party, stanchly upholding its principles. He belongs to Ellendale Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M., and makes his life an exemplification of the basic principles of the craft, which rests upon a recognition of the brotherhood of man. North Dakota gained a valuable citizen when in his early manhood he cast his fortune in with that of the state, and in the intervening period he has contributed in no unsubstantial measure to the work of public progress here.
ARTHUR P. GUY, a leading member of the Dickey county bar, practicing successfully at Cakes, was born in Mantorville, Minnesota, May 15, 1872, a son of Augustus L. and Alice (Lewis) Guy, who are natives of Indiana and Kentucky respectively. They were married in the former state, to which Mrs. Guy, who had been left an orphan when a child, had removed with her grandparents. Mr. Guy became a stonecutter and followed that occupation throughout his active life. He served throughout the Civil war as a private in defense of the Union and in days of peace has been equally loyal in citizenship. He and his wife are now residents of Spokane, Washington.
Spending his youthful days in his native state, Arthur P. Guy was educated in the public schools of Sauk Rapids and of Brainerd and later attended the University of Minnesota, which conferred upon him his law degree in June 1898, for he had determined to become a member of the bar and carefully prepared for practice as an attorney. In the summer following his graduation he opened a law office in St. Paul, Minnesota, but the following year came to North Dakota, settling at Wishek, Mcintosh county. At that time the Sault Ste. Marie Railroad had just been completed and the town had scarcely been started. Mr. Guy there remained until 1909, when he removed to Oakes, where he has since successfully engaged in practice, being now accorded a large and distinctly representative clientage. He has ever recognized that industry is just as essential in the practice of law as in the trades or in commerce and he therefore prepares his cases with great thoroughness and care, so that he is never disconcerted by the unexpected attack of an opponent. He presents his case with clearness and force and is recognized in his county as a strong and able lawyer.
In 1899 Mr. Guy was united in marriage to Miss Kate C. Muldoon, of St. Louis, Missouri, by whom he has two children, Kathryn Alice and Arthur Peydon, Jr. Mr. Guy and his wife are of the Episcopalian faith, but as there is no church of that denomination in Oakes, they attend the services of the Presbyterian church. His political indorsement is given to the republican party and he is a prominent Mason, belonging to Hope Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Oakes Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M., while both he and his wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star, Mrs. Guy being a member of the grand lodge of the Eastern Star of the state. Mr. Guy also belongs to Oakes Lodge, No. 81, K. P., and the Modern Woodmen of America and in the former organization is chairman of the committee on laws of the grand lodge. From the foregoing it will be seen that his abilities fit him for leadership and that his associates, appreciative of his worth, have called him to positions of prominence.
HUDSON B. HENDRICKS, is a partner in the firm of Clow & Hendricks, who are leading merchants at Merricourt, where they carry an extensive stock of goods and conduct a most substantial business. Throughout his entire life Hudson B. Hendricks has displayed the spirit of western enterprise. He was born in Olmsted county, Minnesota, November 27, 1859, a son of John B. and Celia (White) Hendricks, who were natives of Vermont. The father followed merchandising during much of his life and upon his removal to Minnesota in 1854 established business at Chatfield, where he remained until 1888 when he sold out and retired from active commercial life. He then removed to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he spent his remaining days, passing away December 22, 1913. For two years he had survived his wife, who died November 2, 1911.
In his native state Hudson B. Hendricks was reared and educated and in 1881 he went to Fargo, North Dakota, and soon afterward to Tower City, this state, where he lived for about two years. In 1882 he removed to Lisbon and in 1883 he went to Minnesota and purchased his father’s store, which he conducted until 1887 and then sold out, returning to Lisbon, where he has since been associated in business with C. D. Clow, who is also his partner in the Merricourt store. The latter was established in November 1908, and the firm owns its own building and carries an enormous stock of goods for a town of this size, drawing its patronage from a wide territory. Its annual sales have reached extensive and growing proportions indicative of the business ability and enterprise of the owners.
On the 4th of February 1903, Mr. Hendricks was united in marriage to Miss Ann White, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Atcheson) White, natives of Ireland. The father died in New York, after which the mother removed to the west and passed away in Minnesota, April 9, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks hold membership in the Episcopal church and he is also a member of the Masonic fraternity in which he has attained high rank, being now identified with the Mystic Shrine.
His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and while living in Lisbon he served as a member of the city council and was defeated by only fourteen votes for the office of sheriff of Ransom county. He has been more or less active in local political circles, but he prefers to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs which are of constantly growing volume and importance, so that he has become recognized as one of the representative merchants of his part of the state.
FRED HEINRICH, prominently identified with financial interests of Dickey county as cashier of the First State Bank of Merricourt, was born in Russia, May 3, 1880, a son of Gottfried and Christina (Sinkbeil) Heinrich, who are also natives of Russia where the father engaged in farming until 1881 when he came to America, settling in Hutchinson county, South Dakota. There he secured a homestead and at once began the development and improvement of his place, continuing the work of farming there until 1889 when he sold the property and removed to Mcintosh county, North Dakota, where he purchased the land upon which he has since lived. He is now sixty-eight years of age while his wife has reached the age of sixty-five.
Fred Heinrich was but a year old when his parents brought their family to the new world and thus to all intents and purposes he is an American. His education was acquired in the schools of South and North Dakota where his early training was that of the farm boy for he remained upon the homestead with his parents until he attained his majority, when in connection with his father he embarked in the general merchandising business at Ashley, North Dakota, where he remained in business for five years. He was then elected register of deeds in Mcintosh county and so acceptably filled the office that he was twice re-elected, thus serving for three terms. On the first of May 1913, in company with others, he purchased the First State Bank at Merricourt and has since served as cashier with T. S. Johnstone as president and Christian Becker as vice president. The bank is capitalized at ten thousand dollars and has a surplus and profits of eight thousand dollars, while their deposits amount to seventy-five thousand dollars. The company has erected a modern bank building on the principal corner of the town and the business is still growing along substantial lines, the policy of the bank being such as to gain the confidence and support of the general public.
In February, 1905, Mr. Heinrich was married to Miss Emma Becker, a daughter of Christian and Carolina (Schlinker) Becker, who are natives of Russia and became pioneer settlers of North Dakota. Mr. Becker is now in charge of the bank at Linton, North Dakota, which is owned by the same people as the First State Bank at Merricourt, and is conducted under the name of the German-American State Bank. Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich have become the parents of three children, of whom two are yet living: Arthur, born January 24, 1906; and Lavinia Irene, born May 15, 1912. They lost one son, Theodore 0., who was born July 7, 1907, and passed away October 24, 1910.
The parents are members of the German-Lutheran church and Mr. Heinrich is a republican in his political views. He has served as town clerk for a year, as school treasurer for two years and as village treasurer and is always alert to the best interests of his community, doing all in his power to further public progress and promote those things which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride.
H. J. JOHNSON, is one of the leading business men of Oakes and ranks high in real state circles in North Dakota. He was born in Denmark, August 23, 1873, a son of Claus and Anna Johnson, who died during the early boyhood of their son, who was then reared by his maternal grandparents, with whom he came to the United States in 1885. They settled upon a farm in Dickey county, North Dakota, where their remaining days were passed.
H. J. Johnson began his education in the public schools of his native country and continued his studies in the district schools of Dickey county. In 1890 he entered the Sauk Center Academy and Business College, from which he was graduated on the completion of a commercial course with the class of 1893. He then began work in a clerical capacity for C. J. Flynn, a general merchant at Beardsley, Minnesota, with whom he was associated for six years, and during the latter part of that period he acted as manager of the business, having previously worked his way upward, winning promotion through the recognition of his ability, loyalty and fidelity.
In the spring of 1899 Mr. Johnson removed to Oakes and opened a real estate and insurance office. In that business he has since continued and both branches have proven profitable, many important realty transfers having been promoted by him. He now controls one of the most extensive real estate businesses in the southern part of North Dakota and no one is better informed concerning property values or knows more thoroughly what is upon the market. Extending the scope of his activities, he began raising and dealing in cattle, horses and hogs and in order to carry on that business he invested in land and today owns forty quarter sections of excellent farm land or sixty-four-hundred acres. He now gives his attention in large measure to his ranch operations and to the raising of horses and hogs and in this connection he has attained to a position of leadership, for his holdings of farm lands place him among the most extensive landowners of the state. In addition to his other interests he owns and manages the Oakes Harness & Saddlery Company, which is one of the leading commercial enterprises of the city, conducting business along both wholesale and retail lines.
In 1909 Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Grace E. Richards, of Arlington, Iowa, by whom he had two children, one of whom survives, Ethel Janet. In politics Mr. Johnson is a republican and is now serving on the board of aldermen at Oakes. He is ever foremost among those who are seeking the welfare and advancement of the city and district and his efforts are of a most practical and progressive character. Fraternally he is connected with Hope Lodge, No. 29, A. F. & A. M.; Oakes Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M.; Oakes Lodge, No. 40, I. 0. 0. F.; and the Order of the Eastern Star, to which his wife also belongs. Mr. Johnson is a most resourceful business man, ready to meet any emergency with a strength that comes from clear insight and a right conception of things. In his entire career there has been nothing sinister and nothing to conceal. His business activities have been ever above board and he has followed constructive methods which have led to the attainment of most substantial and gratifying results, his efforts proving an element in promoting the business development and prosperity of his locality as well as in advancing his individual success.
MARK JOHNSON, manager of the Potter, Garrick & Potter elevator of Fullerton, also actively engaged in farming and well known as one of the representative citizens of Dickey county, was born in Yorkshire, England, March 1, 1875, a son of David and Harriett (Rawling) Johnson, both of whom were natives of the same county, whence they emigrated to Canada in the year 1880. They settled first in Toronto, Ontario, but after five years removed to a farm upon which they lived until they crossed the border into the United States, establishing their home at Ellendale, Dickey county, North Dakota. There the father purchased land on which he engaged in general farming for a considerable period but during the past eight years he has lived retired in Ellendale, enjoying a rest to which his former labors justly entitle him.
Mark Johnson, having acquired his education in the Ellendale public schools, turned to the occupation of farming as a life work on attaining his majority and in 1904 made his first purchase of land, becoming owner of one hundred and sixty acres two and one-half miles west of Fullerton. In 1909 he purchased three hundred and twenty acres adjoining the original tract and continues to operate his farm, which he has brought to a high state of cultivation, employing the most modern scientific methods in the production of his crops and the care of his stock. He is an extensive breeder and raiser of Duroc-Jersey hogs and Galloway cattle and his livestock interests constitute an important feature of his business. In 1909 he further extended his activities by accepting the position of manager of the elevator at Fullerton owned by the Caldwell Elevator Company, which sold to the firm of Potter, Garrick & Potter in 1915. Mr. Johnson has had charge of this elevator for seven years and during 1915 purchased two hundred thousand bushels of grain for the company. He displays marked business enterprise and in matters of importance his judgment is seldom, if ever, at fault.
In 1910 occurred the marriage of Mr. Johnson and Miss Minnie Singleton, of Oakes, North Dakota, and they have many friends in Fullerton and throughout the surrounding district. Mr. Johnson belongs to Fullerton Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., and in politics is a republican, active in the local ranks of his party. For the past twelve years he has been a member of the republican central committee of Dickey county and has at different times served as a delegate to the state conventions of his party, while in the republican caucus of 1916 he was nominated for the office of county treasurer. His opinions carry weight in party councils, for his loyalty is recognized and his fellow townsmen, moreover, appreciate his ability and trustworthiness, knowing that on all occasions he has manifested a public-spirited devotion to the general good.
The information on Trails
to the Past © Copyright may be used in personal family history research, with source citation. The pages in entirety may not be duplicated for publication in any fashion without the permission of the owner. Commercial use of any material on this site is not permitted. Please respect the wishes of those who have contributed their time and efforts to make this free site possible.~Thank you!
|