HON. C. H. PORTER, is a member of the firm of Porter & Crum, proprietors of the leading department store of La Moure, and is also president of the La Moure State Bank, but it is not alone prominent business connections that have made him widely known. He has been active as a political leader in the state and is now serving as senator from his district.  His birth occurred in Marengo, McHenry county, Illinois, March 25, 1858, his parents being Thomas W. and Julia (Roper) Porter, who were natives of England and in their youthful days came to the United States with their respective parents. Subsequently they were pioneers of McHenry county, Illinois, where they were married and began their domestic life upon a farm, continuing their residence in that locality until called to the home beyond.

Having mastered the branches of learning taught in the district schools near his father’s farm. C. H. Porter attended the high school at Rockford, Illinois, and in 1879 left the farm to enter business circles in Chicago, where he was employed in the wholesale fruit house of Porter Brothers, the members of the firm being his uncles. They advised him to go to California and work in the orchards of that state in order to learn the fruit business from the standpoint of production, promising him that they would afterward establish him in business in Minneapolis, but he made other plans and in the spring of 1881 came to Lamoure county, North Dakota, where he secured a homestead claim in what is now Banner township, after which he devoted fourteen years to general agricultural pursuits. In 1895 he removed to the city of La Moure, where he was soon appointed to public office. He had previously been called upon to fill positions of public trust. In 1881 he had been appointed a member of the board of county commissioners and in 1884 was elected county treasurer, in which capacity he served for one term. In the fall of 1895 he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of county treasurer and at the regular election in the following November was again chosen for that office, while in 1897 he was re-elected, making three full terms and one unexpired term in the position of county treasurer. In the fall of 1899 he sold his farm and engaged in the land and cattle business, in which he operated extensively for three years, and about 1904 he joined C. C. Crum in establishing the present firm of Porter & Crum. They opened a general merchandise store and their trade has developed into an extensive business, so that they now carry a large stock with which to meet the demands of their many patrons. In 1907 Mr. Porter was one of the factors in the organization of the La Moure State Bank and was chosen president of the institution, in which capacity he has since served, his directing force being a salient feature in the continuous and growing success of the institution.

In 1883 Mr. Porter was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Tanner, of McHenry county, Illinois, by whom he had three children, two daughters and a son. The latter is deceased, while the daughters are: Irma, the wife of Arthur Stone, who is clerk of courts in Lamoure county; and Grace, at home. In 1910 the wife and mother passed away, her death being the occasion of widespread regret.

Fraternally Mr. Porter is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Modern Woodmen of America and the American Yeomen. Politically an earnest republican, at the November election of 1914 he was his party’s candidate for state senator and, winning victory at the polls, is now a member of the upper house of the general assembly.  The same spirit of devotion to the public good which he manifested in local offices is characterizing his course in the senate and he is looked upon as one whom neither fear nor favor can swerve from a course which he believes to be right. His position is always carefully considered and no measure receives his endorsement that he does not believe will further the best interests of the commonwealth.

WALTER D. POWELL, who since the fall of 1915 has been engaged in general merchandising at Jud, North Dakota, success attending his enterprising and intelligently directed efforts, was born near Vinton, Benton county, Iowa, April 14, 1870, a son of Joseph and Sarah (Dougherty) Powell, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Indiana. The father, who followed the occupation of farming, removed to Benton county, Iowa, in 1865 and there purchased land which he cultivated and improved until 1879, when he became a resident of Nebraska. He followed farming in the latter state until 1883 and then went to Faulk county, South Dakota, where he secured a homestead. As years passed on he continued the work of further development up to the time of his death which occurred in June 1907. He had long survived his wife who died in September 1881.

Walter D. Powell was reared and educated in Iowa and Nebraska and remained with his father until he reached the age of fourteen years. In 1883, when he was a youth of thirteen, he and his uncle killed the last buffalo bull seen east of the Missouri river in South Dakota, mention of which fact is made in the historical records of South Dakota. He was a youth of fourteen when he left home and began earning his own living as a clerk in a general store. He was employed as a salesman for ten years, spending a part of that time in a wholesale shoe house in Chicago, He afterward went upon the road as a traveling salesman, selling shoes for four years for a Chicago concern while for thirteen years he represented the Foot-Schultz Company of St. Paul, his territory being North Dakota. On the 1st of January 1914, he left the road and rested for a time, but in the fall of 1915 re-entered business circles by establishing a general mercantile store at Jud, North Dakota, where he carries a very large stock of foods and enjoys an extensive and growing patronage.

On the 29th of May 1895, Mr. Powell was married to Miss Maggie Debus, a daughter of Josephine and Matilda (Rohr) Debus, both of whom were natives of Germany. They came to America at an early age and settled near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the father purchased land which he continued to cultivate throughout the residue of his days, his death occurring in July 1898, while his wife died in 1879. To Mr. and Mrs. Powell have been born four children: Dunning, born July 31, 1896; Leslie, who was born June 10, 1902, and died August 21, 1905; Raymond, born October 18, 1905; and Florence, born May 6, 1910.  Mr. Powell is well known in Masonic circles in which he has attained high rank, being now a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is also identified with the Knights of Pythias and the United Commercial Travelers. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he has always taken an active interest in political affairs. It was he who originated the plan of voting by mail in North Dakota. He is a member of the State Historical Society and is interested in everything pertaining to the early records of the state. He is also a collector of Indian relics and has over three thousand specimens. His business and other activities have made him widely known in the state and North Dakota has reason to be proud of him as one of its representative citizens.

HON. ALPHEUS E. RANEY, who has been a member of the state legislature of North Dakota, is extensively engaged in dealing in farm lands and is also president of the First State Bank of Jud, Lamoure county recognizing him as one of its foremost citizens. He was born in Noble county, Ohio, on the 9th of February 1858, and is a son of Elias and Nancy (Poston) Raney, who were also natives of Noble county and were representatives of early families of West Virginia. In 1866 they removed to Jasper county, Iowa, where the father purchased a farm four miles north of Colfax, there remaining for twenty-eight years or until 1894.  when he came to North Dakota and filed on a homestead in Lamoure county. He afterward returned to Iowa with the intention of removing to this state, but became ill and died at his Iowa home soon after his return. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served in the Seventh Ohio Cavalry in defense of the Union.

Alpheus E. Raney, spending his youthful days under the parental roof, supplemented a public school education by study in the Mitchellville Seminary and in the Southern Iowa Normal School at Bloomfield. He afterward took up the profession of teaching and for two years was principal of the city schools of Greencastle, Iowa. His brother Joseph had previously come to North Dakota and had selected two quarter sections of land in Lamoure county in 1882. In April of the following year A. E. Raney suspended his educational work and made his way to this state, after which he and his brother filed on the two quarter sections as preemptions. They lived on these claims for four years and in 1887 they went to what is now Raney township, which was so named in honor of the two brothers. Each took up a homestead and a tree claim and also bought adjoining lands until their holdings comprised two thousand and eighty acres of land, which they operated extensively as a cattle and horse ranch, while later they cultivated five or six hundred acres. The partnership between the brothers was continued until 1906, when they sold out and Joseph Raney went to Arkansas. After roving around the country for a year or more A. E. Raney returned to Lamoure county and settled in Jud. where he has since been engaged extensively in the sale of farm lands. On the organization of the First State Bank of Jud in the winter of 1905-6 he became one of the stockholders and soon after the institution was opened for business he was elected president of the bank, in which office he has since continued, being the directing head of the institution and largely shaping its policy.

Voting with the democratic party, Mr. Raney gives stalwart support to its principles, while his fellow townsmen, appreciative of his worth and ability, have called him to some local offices. For three years he served as county commissioner and for two years was county treasurer of Lamoure county, and then in 1912 still higher political honors were conferred upon him by election to the state legislature, in which his record was characterized by unfaltering devotion to the best interests of the commonwealth, based upon a careful consideration of the vital questions which came up for settlement. Mr. Raney is well known in Masonic circles, belonging to Maple River Lodge, No. 41, F. & A. M., of Edgeley; Dakota Consistory, No. 1, A. & A. S. R.; and El Zagal Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S. Dependent upon his own resources from early manhood, whatever success he has achieved is the result of intelligently directed effort and judicious investment, and his fellow townsmen recognize in him a man of excellent business qualifications.

W. E. RAVELY, The subject of this article and whose picture appears here, was born on a farm near Springfield, Illinois, December 21, 1873, where he resided with his parents until they moved to North Dakota in the spring of 1890, where he, with his father and brothers, engaged in stock raising, until 1905 when he disposed of his interests and took a course in portrait and commercial photography, covering a period of two years. In 1907 he located in Edgeley, North Dakota, as a photographer, and also handled commercial photography, doing all kinds of outdoor and specialty work.

Mr. Ravely has made many pictures of North Dakota, her people and places, which have become a part of the history of the state. Among these is the picture of the Whitestone Hill Battlefield Monument, in Dickey county, North Dakota, which shows the governors of two states and six of the survivors of that battle, being the only picture in existence of that battlefield, together with these survivors.

He is perhaps the best known photographer in the state of North Dakota, his pictures being found in all works pertaining to the biography and history of the state.

ELDRED B. ROSCOE, A valuable farming property comprising seven hundred and twenty acres pays tribute to the care and cultivation of Eldred B. Roscoe, whose home is situated on section 26, Roscoe township, Lamoure county. From pioneer times the family has been a prominent one in that county and Eldred B. Roscoe has five brothers who are successful and enterprising farmers and valued citizens of that locality, while the township in which he lives was named In honor of his father. He was born in Nova Scotia, November 21, 1861, and is a son of Milledge and Susan (Robinson) Roscoe, who were also natives of Nova Scotia. The father was a farmer and in the spring of 1880 brought his family to North Dakota, filing on a homestead in Lamoure county which he developed and improved, converting the wild land into a productive and well kept farm which he continued to cultivate until 1900, when he retired from business life and removed to Dickey, there remaining until his death, which occurred in October, 1905. His widow is still a resident of Dickey and is now seventy-eight years of age.

Eldred B. Roscoe was reared and educated in his native country, where he remained to the age of nineteen years and then came with his parents to North Dakota, lie, too, filed on a homestead and with characteristic energy began the arduous task of breaking the sod and preparing the fields for the plow. Year after year he carefully tilled his farm until 1901, when he disposed of that property and purchased his father’s old home place, adding thereto until his landed possessions comprise seven hundred and twenty acres of fine land. He has since lived upon that farm, which responds readily to the care and labor which he bestows upon it, as his work is at once of a practical and progressive character. His place is pleasantly situated four and one-half miles northwest of Grand Rapids and five miles southeast of Dickey, so that the advantages of town life are easily obtainable.

On the 18th of December, 1888, Mr. Roscoe was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Walter, of Wisconsin, and they became parents of five children: Ena, Milledge, Ethel, Florence and Asenath. The wife and mother passed away October 18, 1900, after three weeks’ illness, her death being deeply regretted by many friends who had learned to esteem her for her admirable traits of character.

Mr. Roscoe gives his political support to the democratic party and has served on the town board, while for a number of years he was also a member of the school board. He was also at one time the democratic nominee for the office of representative to the state legislature and fraternally he is connected with the Masonic order and the Modern Woodmen of America, while his religious faith is evidenced in his membership in the Baptist church, to the teachings of which he loyally adheres, ever attempting to follow the Golden Rule in all his relations with his fellowmen.

JOHN ROSCOE, The student of history cannot carry his investigations far into the annals of Lamoure county without learning of the close and prominent connection of the Roscoe family, whose efforts have been a most potent element in promoting the agricultural development and upbuilding of that section of the state. The family comes from Nova Scotia, the parents being Milledge and Susan (Robinson) Roscoe, mentioned in connection with the sketch of E. B. Roscoe on another page of this work. John Roscoe was born in Nova Scotia, July 23, 1858, and there acquired his education and spent his youthful days.

The year 1880 witnessed his arrival in North Dakota, then a young man of twenty-two years, at which time he filed on a homestead on what is now section 26, Roscoe township, Lamoure county, five miles northwest of Grand Rapids. He at once began the work of improving his place and within a short time furrows had been turned and fields developed, bringing forth substantial crops.  Since then he has added to his holdings whenever his financial resources have permitted and he is now the owner of an entire section of land. After farming for a time he began work for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, acting as section foreman for six years. He then returned to the farm, upon which he has now remained for twenty-four years and has made it one of the finest improved places in the state, adorned with a substantial and commodious residence and large barns and outbuildings. The place is divided into fields of convenient size by well kept fences and the latest improvements in farm machinery are found upon his place, indicative of his progressive spirit. He makes a specialty of raising thoroughbred Poland China hogs and he has met with substantial success in the conduct of his farm owing to his practical and progressive methods. He has become a stockholder in the Farmers & Merchants Bank at Dickey, also in the Dickey Grain Company and in the Farmers Elevator Company.

On the 30th of May 1890, occurred the marriage of Mr. Roscoe and Miss Bertha Seidschlag, and they have become parents of nine children: Arthur; Effie L.; Albert E.; John; Henry; Carl and Milledge, twins; Bertha M.; and Franklin, who is deceased. In religious belief the parents are Baptists, interested in the work of the church and doing what they can to extend its influence. Mr. Roscoe is a thirty-second degree Mason, loyal to the teachings of the craft, and he is also identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. Politically he is a republican and has served as assessor of his township, while for twenty-four years he has been a school director, being deeply interested in the cause of education, recognizing that public instruction is the bulwark of the nation, qualifying the young for larger responsibilities and more efficient service. His own life is characterized by admirable traits which make his record in harmony with that of a family long prominent and honored in Lamoure county.

ROBERT P. ROSCOE, The habit of Robert P. Roscoe is to accomplish what he undertakes and the persistency of purpose which he has displayed in managing his business affairs has been one of the strongest elements in his growing success. After a long and active connection with agricultural interests he is now living retired in Dickey, Lamoure county. His birth occurred in Nova Scotia, March 1, 1863, his parents being Milledge and Susan (Robinson) Roscoe, who are mentioned on another page of this work in connection with the sketch of E. B. Roscoe.

Robert P. Roscoe acquired his education in the public schools of Nova Scotia and on the 21st of September 1880, arrived in Lamoure county in company with his parents, being at that time a youth of about eighteen years. Pioneer conditions existed here at that period and with the work of early development and improvement he soon became associated. In 1886 he filed on a homestead in Roscoe township, which had been named in honor of his father, and thereon he lived for several years, converting the tract of raw prairie into richly developed fields which returned to him a gratifying annual income. During those years he also bought other lands and is now the owner of six hundred and forty acres all in one body. For the past seven years he has rented his land and has made his home in Dickey, his income from his property, however, being of a most substantial character. Into other business fields he extended his efforts, becoming one of the organizers of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Dickey, of which he is now a director. He is likewise a stockholder in The Farmers Elevator at Dickey and for six or seven years he was a number of its board of directors.

Mr. Roscoe has attained high rank in Masonic circles, belonging to Dickey Lodge, No.  63, F. &. A. M., to Edgeley Chapter, R. A. M., to Dakota Consistory, No. 1, A. & A. S. R., and to El Zagal Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S., at Fargo. He likewise belongs to Lincoln Lodge, No. 57, I. 0. O. F., and to the Modern Woodmen of America and his loyalty to these orders finds expression in his exemplification of their principles in his conduct toward his fellowmen.  He believes in the Masonic teachings of mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness and is frequently extending a hand to assist a fellow traveler upon life’s journey.

MRS. CORA E. SABIN, county superintendent of schools in La Moure county, is a native of Platteville, Wisconsin, and a daughter of Thomas and Eliza Jenkins. Her parents were born in England but in childhood came to the United States with their respective parents, both the Sabin and Jenkins families being established in Wisconsin, where the father and mother of Mrs. Cora E. Sabin grew to adult age. They were married and located on a farm in Wisconsin and Mr. Jenkins was one of those who made his way to the California gold fields in 1849. He died in Dickey county, North Dakota, in 1904 and the mother is now living in Wisconsin, making her home among her children.

Mrs. Cora E. Sabin was educated in the schools of Platteville, Wisconsin, and in the State Normal School there, being graduated from that institution with the class of 1901.  Prior to the completion of her course, however, she taught school for one term and in September 1901, she resumed her educational work as a member of the teaching staff of the Blanchardville (Wis.) city schools. In June 1902, she came to North Dakota, settling at Oakes, where she filled in a vacancy for two months as teacher in a country school.  She was then called to La Moure to accept a position in the city schools.

In June 1903, Cora E. Jenkins became the wife of John Leland Sabin, a retail lumber dealer of La Moure, and to them was born a son, Richard Leland. Mr. Sabin died August 8, 1911, and following his demise, or in 1913, Mrs. Sabin resumed the profession of teaching.  In 1913 she secured a leave of absence and spent some months in travel in the West Indies, in Panama and in the northern part of South America. After her return she continued teaching until November 1915, at which time she was appointed county superintendent of schools to fill a vacancy occasioned by the former appointment of the incumbent in that position to the position of assistant state superintendent of schools.  Mrs. Sabin is a member of Bartholomew Chapter. No. 33, O. E. S., at La Moure and belongs to the Civic Improvement League. In fact she is active in all matters of public concern pertaining to the advancement of La Moure and her outlook is broad, her opinions sound and convincing. She has proven a most efficient and popular teacher and in the position of county superintendent is making a splendid record, doing much to advance the standard of the schools and raise the educational interests of the county to a higher level.

JOHN N. SAND, the owner of a farm of six hundred and eighty acres in Lamoure county, his home being situated on section 4, Black Loam township, is a representative of that substantial element in the citizenship of the state that Norway has furnished. He was born August 26, 1876, in that country, a son of Nels and Methe (Sand) Sand, both of whom were natives of the same country, where the father spent his entire life as a laborer. After his death his widow came to America and has since married again.

John N. Sand was reared and educated in Norway to the age of twelve years, when he accompanied his mother to the new world and completed his education in the schools of Lamoure county. North Dakota. He afterward made his home with an uncle until he was old enough to start out in life on his own account, when he began work as a farm hand, being thus employed until 1895. In that year he homesteaded where he now lives on section 4, Black Loam township, and to his original holdings he has added from time to time as his financial resources have increased until he is now the owner of six hundred and eighty acres of excellent land, constituting one of the well improved farm properties of Lamoure county. He has wrought a marked change in the appearance of the place, which he has divided into fields of convenient size by well kept fences, in the midst of which stand substantial barns and outbuildings for the shelter of grain, stock and farm machinery. In addition to tilling his fields he feeds about a carload of cattle each year and his stock raising interests are an element in his growing prosperity.

In November 1895, Mr. Sand was united in marriage to Miss Annie Foss and they have become the parents of eight children, Clara, Alfred, Gust, Signe, Henry, Jennie, Roy and Leo, all of whom are at home with the exception of the eldest daughter, who is now the wife of Carl Holt, a farmer of Gladstone township, Lamoure county.  The family adhere to the faith of the Lutheran church and are loyal to its teachings.  Politically Mr. Sand is a republican and his fellow townsmen, appreciative of his worth as a citizen, have called him to public office. He served as township clerk for ten years and at the present time is a member of the board of county commissioners, while for six years he has been a member of the school board. He is thoroughly dependable when public interests are at stake, standing at all times for progress and improvement and for the further upbuilding and development of the county.

HON. CHESTER H. SHEILS, The city of Edgeley has enjoyed a period of rapid and substantial growth, its advancement being based upon the progressive efforts of a class of enterprising business men who in conducting their interests look beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities of the future and work for later as well as present day interests. Such a one is Hon. Chester H.  Sheils, a member of the real estate and insurance firm of Sheils &, Weaver and the vice president of the First National Bank of Edgeley. He was born in Goodhue county, Minnesota, August 8, 1861, a son of William and Ann E. (Moxen) Sheils, the former a native of Ireland and the latter probably of Scotland. When a lad of fifteen years William Sheils came to America with his brother and in 1855 homesteaded land in Minnesota, being one of the pioneer residents of Goodhue county. His wife died during the early childhood of Chester H. Sheils, so that he had little knowledge of her.

After attending the public schools near his father’s home and mastering the branches of learning taught in a high school of Goodhue county, C. H. Sheils entered the employ of the Forest Mills Company, working in their store for six months, at the end of which time he was placed in charge of their elevator. He remained with that company for two years and then spent a year in the grain trade at Frankfort, South Dakota, where he had charge of the Van Duzen elevator. Subsequently he returned to Minnesota and bought an interest in a store in Dennison and also managed the elevator for W. H. Luce, a prominent grain and commission man of Minneapolis. After two years he removed to Edgeley in 1887 for the purpose of taking charge of the Bagley & Cargill elevator, which he managed for four or five years, but ambitious to engage in business on his own account, he then built an elevator for himself and operated it for three years, at the end of which time he sold out. During that period he was also engaged in the farm implement business and owned the controlling interest in the Edgeley Mail, a weekly newspaper. He likewise owned a butcher shop and was proprietor of a hotel, continuing actively in all these lines of business at the same time. About 1900 he joined George F. Weaver in the real estate business, with which he has since been prominently identified, and in the intervening years has negotiated many extensive and important realty transfers. In 1905, when the State Bank was reorganized, becoming the First National Bank of Edgeley, he purchased stock in the institution and was made its vice president, in which capacity he has since continued, his sound business judgment and energy constituting a salient feature in the growing success of the bank. He was also one of the organizers of the Pomona Valley Telephone Company, of which he is now president, and he is the owner of large tracts of Minnesota and North Dakota farm lands, having made judicious investment in realty, which the economists tell us is the safest of all investments.

In 1892 Mr. Sheils was united in marriage to Miss Martha Schatz, of Edgeley, by whom he has one child, Isley May. In politics a republican, Mr. Sheils is a recognized leader of his party in the southeastern section of the state and indeed has had marked influence in shaping the political history of the state in later years. Three times has he been chosen to represent his district in the general assemble, during which terms he has had much to do with shaping wise and progressive legislation. He has also been postmaster of Edgeley and for four years has served on the state board of the insane asylum. At the present time he is mayor of his city and in the administration of civic business he brings to bear the same sound judgment which has characterized the conduct of his private business interests. He is widely known in Masonic circles, belonging to Maple River Lodge, No. 41, A. F. & A. M.; Dakota consistory.  No. 1, A. & A. S. R. of Fargo and El Zagal Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Fargo. He is likewise identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Ancient Order of United Workmen.

Mr. Sheils and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which they are most active and helpful. He is one of the deacons of the church, in which he has been licensed to preach and perform marriage ceremonies. He was a leader in the building of the new twenty-five thousand dollar church, which was erected in 1915 and is the finest church edifice in Lamoure county. His labors have been of far-reaching effect and benefit and his life is a contradiction of the all too popular belief that a successful business man cannot be a Christian. All who know him bear testimony to his upright life and the evidence of his enterprise in business is seen in his many interests—interests which have not only contributed to his individual prosperity but have been dominant and resultant forces in upbuilding the county.

C. W. SHIEK, engaged in teaming and in the livery business and also in carpentering at Grand Rapids, Lamoure county, is a native of Michigan, his birth having occurred in Kalamazoo on the 18th of September 1871, his parents being Carl and Louisa Shiek, who were natives of Germany. In early life they came to the new world and settled in Michigan. At the outbreak of the Civil war the father proved his loyalty to his adopted country by enlisting for service in Company D, First Regiment of Michigan Lancers and was honorably discharged March 22, 1862. He again enlisted in the Fourteenth Michigan Light Artillery on October 21, 1863, at Detroit, was made second lieutenant March 17, 1865, and honorably discharged at Jackson, Michigan, July 1, 1865. He then went to Kalamazoo and Parma, Michigan, where he engaged in farming until 1883, when he removed to Grand Rapids, North Dakota, and filed on a homestead five miles northeast of the town. He at once began to develop and improve that property and continued its cultivation until his death but resided in the town during that period and in 1883 built a hotel there, freighting everything from Ellendale a distance of thirty-five miles. He died May 26, 1886, and in his passing the community lost one of its valued and representative citizens who had taken an active and helpful part in upbuilding the district. His widow survived him for a long period and died in 1908.

C. W. Shiek began his education in the schools of Parma, Michigan, and continued his studies in Grand Rapids, North Dakota. He was reared in the usual manner of farm lads, early becoming familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist.  He farmed until 1890 and in the fall of that year went to Minnesota, spending the winter at work in Duluth. The following spring he removed to North Branch and rented a farm which he cultivated for a time. He returned to North Dakota in the fall of 1891 and devoted the succeeding eleven years to general farming. In 1902 he went to Seattle, Washington, where he was employed until July 31, 1902, when he removed to Alaska, where he engaged in prospecting for a marble company. He left there in November for Tacoma, Washington, where he was employed until July 7, 1903. He then returned to Grand Rapids and is now engaged in the draying business, in carpentering and in the livery business. In the thirteen years that have intervened he has won a liberal patronage, his various lines of business bringing to him a good living as the result of his industry and close application.

On the 25th of December 1895, Mr. Shiek was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Rungua.  Politically he is a republican and has served as constable for six years, while for a similar period he has occupied the position of township treasurer, to which he was reelected in the spring of 1916 for another two years’ term. He belongs to the Brotherhood of American Yeomen and his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. In matters of citizenship he is thoroughly loyal, as is indicated by his long retention in office, in which he has made a most creditable and satisfactory record.

GEORGE STEELE, cashier of the Nortonville State Bank and a landowner of Lamoure county, was born in Bellwood, Nebraska, in April 1887, a son of Frederick and Emma E.  Steele, who were natives of Illinois. The father, a farmer by occupation, removed to Nebraska at an early period in the development of that state and secured a homestead claim which he improved and cultivated until 1892. He then removed to Edgeley, North Dakota, and purchased land in Lamoure county, his remaining days being devoted to farming.  In 1865, in response to his country’s call for troops, although he was quite a young man he went to the front with an Illinois regiment and throughout his entire life he displayed the same spirit of loyalty in citizenship that he manifested when he followed the stars and stripes on the battlefields of the south. He died in May 1909, but his widow still survives.

George Steele was a little lad of but five summers when brought to North Dakota and was reared and educated in Lamoure county, supplementing his early education by three years’ study in the Ellendale Normal and Industrial School and by a business course in Dixon, Illinois. He afterward spent two and a half years as a stenographer in the employ of Davis &, Warren, attorneys of Lamoure. On the 8^th of September 1913, he removed to Nortonville and assisted in organizing the Nortonville State Bank, of which he has since been cashier. The other officers are: R. A. McMichael, president; and J. R.  Hollingsworth, vice president. The bank is capitalized for ten thousand dollars and its deposits amount to sixty thousand dollars. The institution is housed in a fine modern bank building on Main street. Mr. Steele was also formerly connected with the Independent Elevator Company but has recently sold his interest therein. He now owns a half section of land near Nortonville, which he rents.

In December 1915, Mr. Steele wedded Miss Carrie Ellen Moller, a daughter of James B. Moller, who was a pioneer of South Dakota but now resides in Nortonville, where he has been engaged in the hardware business since 1912. He has also been treasurer of Kennison township, Lamoure county since March 1915.  In his political views Mr. Steele is an earnest republican and keeps thoroughly versed concerning the vital questions and issues of the day. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World, while his religious faith is manifest in his membership in the Presbyterian church. Practically his entire life has been passed in Lamoure county and that his record has ever been a creditable one is indicated in the fact that many of his staunchest friends are those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time.

LUDVIG H. STEEN, county commissioner of Lamoure county and proprietor of the Eidsvold Farm on section 22, Norden township, was born at Eidsvoldverk, Norway, on the 2d of February 1875, a son of Christian Hanson and Petra (Larson) Steen, who came to the United States in 1880, establishing their home at Battle Lake, Minnesota, where they remained for eleven years. In 1891 they came to North Dakota, settling in Logan county, where the father secured a homestead claim on which he lived until 1904, in the meantime converting the wild prairie tract into a highly productive farm. He then retired from active business and removed to Kulm, where he now resides but still retains the ownership of the old homestead, although he sold one hundred and sixty acres of his land on his removal to town.

Ludvig H. Steen was educated in the district schools of Minnesota and remained at home assisting his father until 1900, when he started out to farm independently. In 1899 he had purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land in Logan county and upon that tract be took up his abode, concentrating his efforts upon its further development and improvement.  In 1902 he purchased another three hundred and twenty acres a half mile from his first farm and personally engaged in the cultivation of the entire tract. For the first half section he paid fourteen hundred dollars and for the second three hundred and twenty acres he paid ten dollars per acre. All this land he subsequently sold for forty dollars per acre, thus realizing a handsome return on his investment. The sale of his property placed him in easy financial circumstances and in 1903 he purchased five hundred and sixty acres of land in Lamoure county, a mile from Kulm. Upon this place he has erected new buildings and made it one of the best improved farm properties of the county. He breeds and raises thoroughbred Percheron horses, making this a leading feature of his business.

On the 30th of June 1904, Mr. Steen was married to Miss Laura C. Larson, a native of Eidsvoldverk, Norway, who came to the United States with her parents in 1889, the family home being established in Lamoure county. Her father homesteaded the quarter section of land upon which Ludvig H. Steen now resides and he was one of the well known and valued pioneer settlers of the district. To Mr. and Mrs. Steen has been born a daughter, Dena A.

Politically Mr. Steen is a democrat and is the only representative of his party in Lamoure county who occupies a county office. For several years he filled minor positions, such as township clerk, township supervisor and school treasurer, and in 1912 he was elected to the board of county commissioners, in which capacity he has since served, making a most creditable record in office, for he brings to bear in the discharge of his official duties the same sound judgment and spirit of enterprise which characterizes his management of his private business affairs. He is a member of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen and he and his wife belong to the Norwegian Lutheran church, in which he is serving as treasurer, while in the work of the church they take active and helpful interest. Mr. Steen has won a large measure of success, attributable entirely to his own efforts, thus gaining the proud American title of self-made man. His is a valuable farm property, which he named in honor of his birthplace Eidsvold Farm.

F. H. STURGEON, M. D, physician and surgeon of Kulm, was born at Fairview, Erie county, Pennsylvania, his natal day being July 11, 1872. His parents, Charles J. and Anna C.  (Caughey) Sturgeon, were also natives of the same county and were there reared and married, after which they continued to reside in Erie county until 1885, when they came to Dakota territory and entered a homestead in what is now Walworth county. South Dakota.  In 1888 they removed to Edgeley, Lamoure county. North Dakota, where the father established a drug store, with which he has since been identified, being one of the prominent merchants of the town.

Dr. Sturgeon pursued his education in the State University at Vermilion, South Dakota, and in the State University of North Dakota at Grand Forks. In 1897 he entered upon his medical studies, matriculating in the medical department of Hamline University, now the medical department of the Minnesota State University, from which he was graduated on the 3d of June 1903. Following his graduation he went to Montana and for nine or ten years practiced his profession in Logan, that state. In May 1913, he bought out the practice of Dr. F. G. Benn, of Kulm, where he has since been located. He has taken post graduate work in Chicago at different times and is fully abreast with the advancement that has been made in the medical profession. He keeps in touch with the trend of modern thought as a member of the Southern District Medical Society of North Dakota and the American Medical Association. Fraternally Dr. Sturgeon is connected with Maple River Lodge, No. 97, A. F. & A. M., and has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Dakota Consistory at Fargo.

Pleasantly situated in his home life, he was married on the 26th of December 1901, to Miss Georgia L. Ashem, of Edgeley, North Dakota, and they have one child Vera Mae.  The parents are members of the Presbyterian church and occupy an enviable position in social circles, warm regard being entertained for them by all with whom they have been brought in contact. Dr. Sturgeon gives his political allegiance to the republican party and at the present time is serving as city physician of Kulm, in which connection he is giving excellent service in addition to his private practice.

DAVID TAYLOR, proprietor of the Commercial Hotel at Dickey, is numbered among the pioneer settlers of Lamoure county and with the passing years has contributed much to the development and upbuilding of the district. He was born in Lancashire, England, on the 14th of December 1852, a son of Joel and Elizabeth (Rodgers) Taylor, both of whom have now passed away. The father was a silk weaver and throughout his entire life followed that business.

The educational opportunities which David Taylor enjoyed were very limited. In early manhood he learned the trade of cotton spinning, which he followed in England until 1875, when he crossed the Atlantic to Canada. He spent two years in Ontario and also two years in Winnipeg, where he was employed on the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.  In 1879 he crossed the border into the United States and was employed on the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad in North Dakota from Mandan west. In the fall of that year he removed to Jamestown, North Dakota, where he found employment in the car repair shops of the Northern Pacific Railroad. In August, 18S0, he removed to what is now Dickey, Lamoure county, and in that district has since resided. He first homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land and subsequently took up a tree claim but never proved up on it. He continued to occupy and cultivate the homestead property until 1906, when he removed to Dickey and purchased the Commercial Hotel, which he has now conducted for a decade. He has made it a popular hostelry, liberally patronized, winning his success by reason of the excellent table offered, the comforts afforded his guests and his honorable business methods. He still owns the homestead, to which he has added eighty acres, making it an excellent farm of two hundred and forty acres equipped with many modern conveniences and accessories.

In 1883, in Jamestown, North Dakota, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Emily Williams, who was born in Cornwall, England, and emigrated to the United States with her mother in 1869, the family home being established in Michigan. To Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have been born ten children, eight of whom survive, as follows: William S., who is engaged in farming near Dickey, Lamoure county; Alice M., the wife of George Liebenstein, of Millbank, South Dakota; Sarah E., the wife of Edward Martin, who cultivates the homestead of his father-in-law; John F., a resident of Millbank, South Dakota; Mabel A., who gave her hand in marriage to Joseph Weber, of Berlin, North Dakota; and Susan M., Clarence J.  and Cecil M., all at home. Of the family William S. was the first white child born in Saratoga township, and Alice M. was the first white girl born in that township.

In his political views Mr. Taylor is a republican and in 1904 was elected a member of the board of county commissioners, in which capacity he was continued by re-election for eight years, his fellow townsmen recognizing the worth and value of his official service. He has also been justice of the peace of Dickey for several years and his decisions have been strictly fair and impartial, being based upon the law, the facts and the equity in the case.  Mr. Taylor exemplifies in his life the beneficent spirit of the Masonic fraternity and is a valued member of Dickey Lodge, No. 63, F. & A. M. He also belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and to the Yeomen and both he and his wife are faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was one of the early settlers of the southeastern part of the state and throughout the entire period his life has been so directed as to make him one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Lamoure county.

O. A. THOMPSON, superintendent of the state experimental farm at Edgeley, is in this connection doing a work that is of far-reaching importance and benefit. He was born in New Vienna, Ohio, December 21, 1873, and is a son of William D. and Florence E. (Hiatt) Thompson, the former born March 25, 1850, and the latter January 23, 1854. They were married on the 1st of January 1873, and on the 29th of December of the same year Mrs.  Thompson passed away. Sometime afterward Mr. Thompson married again and removed to Minnesota, where he resided for ten or twelve years and then went to Oregon, where he has lived for the past two decades, being engaged there in fruit growing and stock raising.

Following his mother’s death 0. A. Thompson was taken to the home of his maternal grandparents, by whom he was reared to manhood. He was educated in the country schools of Minnesota, to which state his grandparents removed in his childhood days, and in 1893 he went to Fargo, where for one year he worked at the agricultural college. In the fall of 1894 he entered the college as a student, devoting the succeeding seven years to study, and in the meantime he worked in the creamery connected with the college, thus paying his way through the institution and gaining practical experience along a valuable line. After his graduation in 1901 he spent a short period in the Minnesota pineries and subsequently was employed on a shorthorn cattle ranch in Minnesota for one year. In 1903 he was chosen superintendent of the experimental farm at Edgeley, over which he has since presided. This farm of one hundred and sixty acres was purchased in 1893 with an appropriation made by the state legislature, but lay dormant, nothing being done with it until ten years later. In 1903 another appropriation was made for the erection of farm buildings and Mr. Thompson was placed in charge of the scientific development of the farm, in the work of which he has been very successful. He thoroughly understands scientific farming and all of the practical phases of the work and the results which he has achieved at the experiment station are most gratifying. He is also a stockholder in the First National Bank of Edgeley, is secretary and treasurer of the Pomona Valley Telephone Company and individually owns one hundred and sixty acres six miles east of the town.

In 1907 Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Anna Oakley, of Lamoure county, by whom he has a son, Richard H. Mrs. Thompson is a member of the Presbyterian church, while Mr. Thompson is of the Quaker faith. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and in Masonic circles he has attained high rank, belonging to Maple River Lodge, No. 41, A. F. & A. M.; Edgeley Chapter, No. 22, R. A. M.; Wihaha Commandery, No. 4, K. T. of Jamestown; Adoniram Council, E. & S. M.; and El Zagal Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Fargo. He is likewise identified with Maple River Chapter, No. 27, O. E. S., to which his wife also belongs, and with Pomona Valley Lodge, No. 65, K. P.

JOHN R. TRAPP, junior partner in the firm of Bakke & Trapp, hardware and implement dealers of Marion, was born in Wisconsin in November 1879, a son of Dillman C. and Lena (Greening) Trapp. The father, a native of Wisconsin, is a farmer by occupation and followed that pursuit in the Badger state until 1881, when he went to South Dakota and purchased land in Grant county, thereafter devoting his attention to its improvement and cultivation until 1904, when he arrived in Lamoure county, North Dakota, and invested in land three miles from Marion. This he is still operating, being numbered among the representative agriculturists of his locality.

John R. Trapp was reared and educated in Grant county, South Dakota, and the spirit of western enterprise and progress has found expression in his life throughout his entire connection with the interests of the Dakotas. His youthful days were largely devoted to the acquirement of a public school education and after he attained his majority he purchased land in Grant county, South Dakota, bending his energies toward its further development and improvement. This he continued to cultivate for thirteen years and in the fall of 1906 he came to Lamoure county, where he purchased two hundred and forty acres of land four miles south of Marion. With characteristic energy he began to improve that property and there carried on general farming until 1913, when he rented the place and removed to Marion, purchasing an interest in a hardware business. Selling out in September 1915, he soon afterward purchased an interest in the hardware and implement business of K. A. Bakke, forming the present firm of Bakke & Trapp. His interest centers not only in trying to make sales but he also tries to please his patrons and the prices of the firm are fair and reasonable. In addition to his commercial interests Mr. Trapp is engaged in the insurance business, handling both fire and lightning insurance.

On the 16th of March 1904, Mr. Trapp was united in marriage to Miss Mary Moser and to them have been born three children: Earl, Ethel and Lyle. The parents are members of the German Evangelical church and Mr. Trapp votes with the republican party, believing that its platform contains the best elements of good government.

EMERY H. VOGELSANG, of Grand Rapids, is a partner in the firm of Pence & Vogelsang, owners of one of the leading mercantile establishments of Lamoure county, and in the conduct of his interests he displays the spirit of modern business development. He was born in Faribault county, Minnesota, July 9, 1887, a son of Henry W. and Dorothy E. (Schroeder) Vogelsang, who were natives of Germany, in which country they were reared and married, while two of their children were born there ere their emigration to the new world. When they made the voyage across the briny deep to the United States and crossed the country to Minnesota they settled in Faribault county, where the father purchased land and engaged in farming, he and his wife spending their remaining days in that locality, her death occurring in March 1912, while he survived until January 1916.

Emery H. Vogelsang was reared and educated in the public schools of Faribault county and in the Mankato Business College at Mankato, Minnesota, after which he started out in the commercial world as a clerk in a general store at New Richland, Minnesota. There he remained for three years and in 1904 he came to North Dakota, securing a position in the Chicago Store at Lisbon. A year later he went to Berlin, where he remained for two years, at the end of which time the store was purchased by the firm of Cunningham & Lawrence, of La Moure, and Mr. Vogelsang was retained as manager of the business, in which capacity he capably served for three years. At the end of that time he returned home and assisted his father upon the farm for a year but in 1911 he once more came to North Dakota, where he entered into partnership with C. E. Pence, purchasing the mercantile business of Deisem & Franks at Grand Rapids. Under the management of the new firm the business has been built up to one of the most important mercantile enterprises of the county. They are most careful concerning the personnel of the house, the line of goods carried and the treatment accorded patrons, and their enterprising methods have resulted in the attainment of a large patronage.

In 1908 Mr. Vogelsang was married to Miss Elizabeth C. Remmick, of Berlin, North Dakota, and they have three children, Luverne, Richard and Margaret. Mr. Vogelsang votes with the republican party and fraternally is connected with La Moure Lodge, No. 10, F. & A.  M.; La Moure Lodge, No. 20, I. 0. 0. F. ; and the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife has membership with the Latter Day Saints. His interests reach out along various lines affecting public welfare and his support can always be counted upon to further plans and projects for the general good. In his vocabulary there is no such word as fail, for he recognizes the fact that while opportunities slip away from the sluggard and tauntingly play before the dreamer, they yield their rewards to the man of persistent, earnest effort.

RENARD A. WERNER, president of the First State Bank of Alfred, in which he owns a large majority of the stock, was born in Redwood county, Minnesota, July 13, 1878, a son of August and Lottie Werner, the former a native of Berlin, Germany, while the latter was born near Ripon, Wisconsin. The father came to the United States when a youth of fourteen years, crossing the Atlantic as a stowaway. After three days on the vessel he made himself known and was put to work in the kitchen peeling potatoes, by which means he paid his passage over, the voyage lasting four months, for the ship was one of the old-time sailing vessels. Immediately after his arrival he was paid two hundred and fifty dollars to act as a substitute for a man who had been drafted for service in the Civil war and for three years he rendered military aid to the government, while the money which had been paid him was sent to his mother to bring her and his six brothers to this country.  After the war August Werner went to New Ulm, Minnesota, and two years later removed to Lamberton that state, taking up a homestead which was then sixty-five miles from a railroad.  He immediately began to develop and improve his property and as his financial resources increased he extended the boundaries of his farm until it comprised four hundred and eighty acres. There he carried on general farming until 1911, when he left one of his sons upon the old homestead and removed to Lamberton, where he is now living retired.

Renard A. Werner completed his public school education in the high school at Lamberton with the class of 1898, after which he entered the Northwestern College at Naperville, Illinois, where he won the Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation with the class of 1903.  It was his intention to enter Rush Medical College of Chicago but at that time the college raised its entrance requirements and Mr. Werner gave up the idea of studying medicine.  His college work was pursued after his return from service in the Spanish-American war.  He had enlisted in May 1898, and was held in the detention camps at Chickamauga Park, Georgia, and at Camp Hamilton in Lexington, Kentucky, being mustered out at New Ulm, Minnesota, in the following November.

After his graduation from the Northwestern College at Naperville, Illinois, Mr. Werner came to this state and through the succeeding winter engaged in teaching at Dickey, Lamoure county. He afterward took charge of the implement business of H. D. Mack of Dickey and continued in that position for almost a year, when on a trip to Fargo he met 0. W. Kerr of the 0. W. Kerr Company, investment bankers, and formed plans whereby in connection with Mr. Kerr he established the Logan County Bank at Gackle. He was placed in charge of the institution as cashier and continued in that capacity from the opening of the bank in September 1905, until the 1^st of January 1914, when he severed his connection with that institution and bought a controlling interest in the First State Bank of Alfred, of which he had been one of the organizers in 1909. He became its president and is now at the head of the bank, which has entered upon a successful existence, basing its management upon the rules which govern and safeguard thoroughly reliable banking institutions. He is also an extensive holder of farm lands, owning nine hundred and eighty acres in Stutsman, Lamoure and Logan counties, and from his farm property he derives a most gratifying annual income.

In 1905 Mr. Werner was married to Miss Luella Brunner, of Dickey, and they have become parents of three children: Burnett, Chrystal and Kermit. Mr. Werner exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party, and while never seeking political office, has served as a member of the school board for some years. He is prominent in local Masonic circles as a member of Dickey Lodge, No. 63, F. & A. M., and Edgeley Chapter, R. A. M. He also belongs to Lincoln Lodge, No. 57, I. 0. 0. F., of Dickey. He has a wide acquaintance in the southeastern part of the state, where he has operated in business circles along lines that have led to the advancement of public prosperity as well as individual success.

DAVID WIRCH, cashier of the First State Bank of Kulm, Lamoure county, was born in Russia of German parents on the 20th of October 1885, a son of John and Maria (Tillman) Wirch, both of whom were natives of Germany, whence they removed to southwestern Russia, where their son David was born. In 1889 they sought a home in the United States and settled in Dickey county, North Dakota, where the father took up a claim, on which he still resides, but in the meantime has extended the boundaries of his farm until it now comprises over four hundred acres.

David Wirch was educated in the district schools of Dickey county, in the high school of Ellendale, and in the State Normal and Industrial School at that place. He was but three years of age when brought by his parents to the United States, so that practically his entire life has been passed in North Dakota. When his textbooks were put aside he entered the First State Bank of Kulm as teller and occupied that position for eighteen months. Later he was advanced to assistant cashier and three years afterward was made cashier, in which capacity he still continues, contributing much to the successful management of the bank by reason of his close application and capability and also through his popularity, for the patrons of the bank find him always a courteous, efficient and obliging official, ever ready to further their interests to a point that is not detrimental to the safety of the institution. He also holds an equity in a well improved farm of four hundred and eighty acres four miles south of Kulm.

In 1914 Mr. Wirch was united in marriage to Miss Edith Lange, of Kulm, a daughter of G. Lange, a pioneer merchant of the town, now deceased. In politics Mr. Wirch is a republican, now serving as city auditor, and he is also clerk of the school board, while he and his wife are members of the German Lutheran church. It will thus be seen that he has a deep interest in the educational and moral as well as the material progress of the community in which he makes his home. Although of foreign birth he is thoroughly American in spirit and interests and does everything in his power to advance the welfare of his adopted country.

EDWARD WITHNELL, postmaster of Nortonville and president of the North Dakota League of Postmasters, was born in Lancashire, England, on the 28th of June 1858, his parents being Thomas and Eliza (Nightingale) Withnell. The father died during the boyhood of his son Edward and in 1881 the mother followed two of her older sons to the United States, passing away in Jamestown, North Dakota, in 1915, when she had reached the age of seventy-nine years.

Edward Withnell was educated in the public schools of England and on reaching early manhood found employment in a bleach works as a “maker up” but thinking to enjoy better opportunities in the new world, he crossed the Atlantic in 1885 and made his way direct to Jamestown, North Dakota, where he was first employed as a section hand on the James River Valley Railroad, working in that way for eight days. He then secured the position of material clerk with the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, having charge of the material department. He filled that important position for six years and continued in the employ of the Northern Pacific in other capacities until 1899, when he arrived in Lamoure county and purchased a half section of land two miles west of Nortonville. He then turned his attention to farming, to which he devoted his energies until 1912, when he retired and removed to Nortonville. On the 28th of February 1913, on the establishment of the post office in that town, he was appointed the first postmaster and is still acting in that capacity.

In 1878 occurred the marriage of Mr. Withnell and Miss Anna Haslem, by whom he had five children, of whom three are yet living: Emma, the wife of Arthur Harrington, a farmer of Lamoure county; Alice, the wife of Jacob Vink, who farms in Lamoure county; and May, the wife of Chester Denton, of Wilsall, Montana. The wife and mother passed away in 1908 and Mr. Withnell subsequently wedded Miss Rosena Bingley, of Edgeley.

Politically Mr. Withnell is a republican, believing firmly in the principles of the party, and he has served as a member of the town board, while for several years he was a member of the school board. He belongs to Jamestown Lodge, No. 6. F. & A. M., and to Edgeley Lodge, K. P., and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was honored at the meeting of the Postmasters’ State League convention, held in Fargo the last week of July 1916, by being elected president of the organization, in which connection one of the county papers said: “The honor conferred on Mr. Withnell is a fitting tribute to his executive ability and indeed justly placed. While Mr. Withnell may be pleased by the action of his fellow members in honoring him with the office, his delight could hardly be greater than that of his many Lamoure county friends, who are very proud to know that the honor was conferred upon a fellow citizen.”