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Trails to the Past
Steele County North Dakota Biographies
Compendium of History and Biography
of North Dakota
Published by George A. Ogle & CO. in 1900
ARTHUR M. McLAUGHLIN. This gentleman is the fortunate owner of one of the estates of Hope township, in Steele County, and is also identified with the financial interests of the city of Hope, and deals in fuel. He was one of the early settlers of that region, and is well known and highly esteemed.
Our subject was born in LaSalle County, Illinois, March 29, 1857, and was the fourth in a family of ten children born to Augustus and Amanda (Stephenson ) McLaughlin. He resided on the home farm in Illinois until after attaining his majority, when he went to Kansas, and later took land in Buffalo County, Nebraska, where he resided two and a half years. He then returned to LaSalle County, Illinois, and engaged in farming two years, and in November. 1882, went to Casselton, Dakota. He went to Hope, North Dakota, in the spring of 1883, and filed claim to land in Hope township. Steele County. His wife soon joined him in the new home, and he followed farming on the land until 1888, but did not meet with success, and then established a draying business in Hope, and was thus employed until 1896, when he accepted the local agency for the C. N. Nelson Lumber Company at Hope. He continued thus until the spring of 1899 and then established his present business, in which line he has prospered. He owns two hundred and forty acres of land four miles west of the city of Hope, and he rents the land to others. He does an extensive business in the handling of coal and wood, and has a six-horse-power gasoline engine attached to a circular saw for the preparing of the wood for fuel.
Our subject was married in 1882, to Miss Mary Bigelow. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin, as follows: Jesse M., Augustus R.. .Arthur B.. and :Margaret L. Mr. McLaughlin is prominent in secret society circles, and holds membership in the Brotherhood of American Yeomen, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and its auxiliary lodge, the Daughters of Rebekah. He is a member of the Grand Lodge in the Odd Fellows. and was one of the charter members of Hope Lodge No. 19. Politically he is a Republican.
 EDWARD J. McMOHON, is well known as a successful attorney and enterprising citizen of Hope, North Dakota. He is a native of Minnesota and was born in Faribault January 10, 1859.
The parents of our subject, Thomas and Bridget (Shanahan) McMahon, were natives of New York and Maine respectively. His father was a contractor and acted in that capacity in the early days and as foreman on the construction of the Erie Railroad. He afterward removed to Iowa and was superintendent of the stone quarries at Mt. Pleasant, which furnished the stone for building the insane asylum at that place. In the fall of 1856 he went to Minnesota, secured land and engaged in farming near Faribault, where he resides with his wife at the present time. Our subject comes of a prominent family, the illustrious French marshal of that name being his second cousin.
Mr. McMahon was the second in a family of twelve children, six sons and six daughters, and when a boy worked on the home farm and attended the public schools with his brothers and sisters. He later schools with his brothers and sisters. He later attended the Shattuck Military School at Faribault, and graduated there in 1877 and then returned to the farm where he made his home until 1882. From 1880 to 1882 he studied law with Case & Gipson, of Faribault, and was admitted to the bar May 2. 1882. He then went to Hope, North Dakota, and began the practice of his profession, in which he was most successful. He removed to Minneapolis. Minnescota .in 1889. continuing his practice there until the breaking out of the Spanish-American war in 1898. His military ardor was awakened and he joined the Fifteenth Minnesota Infantry as first lieutenant and proceeded with his regiment to Georgia. Their services were not needed in Cuba, however, and he was mustered out April 27, 1899. as a private citizen he proceeded to Florida and from thence to Cuba and spent the summer of 1899 in those places. He returned north the same year and again went to Hope, North Dakota, and resumed his practice, and is permanently located there and enjoys an ever increasing business.
Our subject was married, November 1, 1897, to Ella M. Vedder. of Rochester, Minnesota. Mr. McMahon was the first county attorney of Griggs county, in 1882. and was appointed by the commissioners before the county was divided. He assisted in the organization of Steele county, and was the first register of deeds, when Hope was the county seat of Steele county. He is a Republican in politics, and has attended state, territorial and national conventions on behalf of his party to which he is a stanch adherent. He has a large library of law books, is well educated, a genial gentleman, and deservedly popular with the people.
 WILLIAM J. MILLIGAN, is well known as an early settler and influential citizen of Steele County, North Dakota. He is a man of good business tact, and has met with success as grain buyer, and is the representative in the city of Hope for the St. Anthony & Dakota Elevator Company.
Our subject was born in Burlington County. New Jersey, April 15. 1854. and was a son of William and Alice (Taggart) Milligan, both of whom were natives of County Antrim, Ireland. His parents were married in America, and six children were born to them, our subject being the second child and oldest son. He removed with his parents to Ford County, Illinois, when about nine years of age, and remained with his father on the farm there until about twenty-two years of age, when he learned the blacksmith's trade. He followed the trade about one and a half years, and April 10, 1883, went to Hope, North Dakota, and soon began work at his trade in Colgate, Steele County, and erected the first blacksmith shop in that town. He disposed of his shop in August, and in the fall worked in the harvest field and then returned to Illinois for his wife. He returned to Hope, North Dakota, in January, 1884, and for four years worked at various occupations, and then began grain buying for the company with which he is now associated. He was located in Colgate for about three years, and was then placed in charge of the business at Hope. He was postmaster of Hope from 1891-04, and was again tendered the office, but refused, on account of party sentiment, although supported by members of both political parties. During the early days many amusements were indulged in to while away the time, and Mr. Milligan was a member and captain of a base ball nine during the summer of 1885, known as the Hope Black stockings. The team successfully competed with all amateur teams of the state.
Mr. Milligan was married in 1882 to Miss Mary A. Warner, a native of Ford County, Illinois. Mrs. Milligan is the present postmaster of Hope, North Dakota. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Milligan, as follows: Myrtle M., Edgar, Carrie, Gene, Bert and Mamie. Mr. Milligan is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the blue lodge and lodge of perfection in the Masonic fraternity. He is a stanch Democrat in political faith and advocates prohibition.
RALPH E. MOREHOUSE. While the pioneers of the country are the men who mold her destiny, it remains for the rising generation to carry the work to its desired conclusion, and one of the rising young men of Steele county. North Dakota, who is fitting himself for this great work is the gentleman above named. He has begun a career of usefulness, and is persevering, studious, and possessed of those traits of character which distinguish the worthy citizen and man of business possibilities. He is at present book-keeper and collector in Hope, North Dakota, and is also studying law for admission to the bar.
Our subject was born in Mitchell county. Iowa, February 27, 1880, and was a son of William E. and Mary L. (Thurston) Morehouse. The Morehouse family is of Holland and the Thurston family of English lineage, and both families settled in the state of New York, prior to the Revolution, and both families were represented in that war. Our subject's father fought four years in the Civil war. He enlisted in 1861 as a member of Company K, First Wisconsin Infantry, and re-enlisted the same year in Company G of the Twenty-ninth Wisconsin Infantry. Most of his service was on the Mississippi. He was mustered out in 1865 and received an honorable discharge. Mr. Morehouse was the fourth in a family of six children and received a liberal education. After completing the studies of the Mitchell high school he went to Hope, North Dakota, in 1896, and began the study of law, with his brother-in-law, T. J. McMahon. A portion of his time is devoted to collecting and bookkeeping work for Dr. Philip of that city, and he also teaches school during the winter months.
Mr. Morehouse is a young man who keeps posted on all matters of public importance, and has a bright future in North Dakota. He is a member of the Brotherhood of American Yeoman. In political sentiment he is independent.
 STEEN H. NELSON, one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of Steele county, is successfully pursuing agriculture in Greenview township. He was a pioneer of Dakota, and has aided in the development and growth of the great agricultural interests of the locality in which he has chosen to reside for so many years.
Our subject was born on a farm in Washara county, Wisconsin, November 22, 1854. and was the oldest son and third child in a family of ten children, born to Nels and Anna (Anderson) Nelson. His father is still living on the old home farm, where our subject was reared and labored until his twentieth year. He then worked out in that vicinity and was thus engaged for several years, and then went to Goodhue county and worked there in the woods of Wisconsin until 1880. In the spring of that year he went to South Dakota with a team for the purpose of looking over the country with a view to locating there, and after his arrival' worked on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. He wished to look further before taking land and with several companions crossed the country to Fargo by team. They were young men who had been reared in a wooded country, and the trip across the prairie was not only pleasing but novel in its experiences. So called city after city was passed, though consisting of one or two shanties and the inevitable sign in glaring letters, "land office." Our subject selected the land which comprises his present homestead in the fall of 1880, and tiled claim to the land in the spring of 1881. He then removed to his farm accompanied by his wife and his brother, and he built a 16x20-foot shanty, which was his dwelling until the log house 16x26 feet was constructed. This last named building forms the main part of his present home. He has prospered in his chosen calling, and is surrounded by the comforts of country life.
Our subject was married in the spring of 1880, to Miss Bertha Marum, a native of Norway. Mrs. Nelson died in 1896. She was a lady of true womanly grace, and presided over his household with dignity and kindliness. She was a true helpmeet during the pioneer days and patiently endured the hardships incident to their early life in Dakota, looking to the prosperous times which attended them in later years. She was a christian lady whose labors in the church and charitable cause are sadly missed, and by her exemplary life gained a host of friends throughout that community. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, as follows: Bertha, deceased; Bertha, deceased; Norris, Steven, Arthur, and Lulu. Mr. Nelson has interested himself heartily in all matters pertaining to the advancement of the township and county, and has rendered valuable aid in the affairs of local government. He was elected county commissioner for the second district, in the fall of 1883, and was among the first to fill that position. He was elected county treasurer of Steele county in the fall of 1894 and his popularity and efficient services are best evidenced by the fact that he was re-elected to that office, serving two terms. He is a Republican in political sentiment, and has served as delegate to county and state conventions of his party.
HOMER A. NORTHROP, a prosperous and progressive farmer of Willow Lake township, in Steele county, is one of the pioneer settlers of that locality. His pleasant home is on section 20, and the surroundings meet the approval of the eye, in striking contrast to the monotony of the prairie lands around.
Our subject was born in Fairfield county, Connecticut, May 20, 1840, and was the eldest in a family of seven children, born to Burr B. and Maria (Benedict) Northrop. The Northrop family is of English descent, and their settlement in America dates to Colonial times. Our subject was taken to the state of New York by his parents when he was but an infant, and the family made their home in Onondaga county, where our subject remained on the farm until after attaining his manhood. He enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Forty-ninth New York Volunteer Infantry, September 16, 1862. The first engagement was the battle of Chickamauga, then he served on detailed duty at Gettysburg, after which followed Wauhatchie, Lookout Mountain, Ringgold. Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, and the capture of Atlanta. Thence he went southward to the sea, through the Carolinas, and joined in the Grand Review at Washington. He was mustered out at Syracuse, New York, in June, 1865, after a long and faithful service. After returning from the war our subject obtained land and engaged in farming near his old home, and in the fall of 1881 he disposed of his interests in the East and sought his fortunes in the new West. He went to Tower City, Dakota, in March, 1882, and in company with three other land seekers was shown over Griggs county. Mr. Northrop located in the part of Griggs county which later became known as Steele county. The country was then wild and the prairie scenery monotonous, and our subject chose land on the north bank of a beautiful little sheet of water known as Willow lake, it then contained about ten feet of water, but has since become dry, but the surroundings are pleasant and the farm is admirably adapted to stock raising, affording fine grange and shelter.
Our subject moved his family to the new home in the fall of 1883, and they were installed in a 12x24-foot shanty. Crops as a whole were light until 1891, since which time they have yielded well, and prosperity he has attended the work, and our subject is now the fortunate possessor of one and a half sections of land.
Mr. Northrop was married in 1886, to Miss Lydia M Newton, a native of New York. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Northrop, as follows: Charles N., now farming in Willow Lake township; William H., a graduate of Valley City Normal, a student of McAllister College, and a teacher in Steele county, and also associated with his father in farming; Edwin M., farming in Willow Lake township ; Rida A., a teacher in the schools of Hope, North Dakota, and Mary E., now Mrs. George Smith, of Barnes county. North Dakota. Mr. Northrop takes an active part in public affairs, and is the present township treasurer, and has also served as chairman of the township board of supervisors. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. Politically he is a Republican, but does not mix in party affairs to any extent.
JOHN PATTARSON, is an honored resident of Finley, where he is living retired from active labors in a comfortable home that is the center of true and generous hospitality. He is one of the oldest settlers of Steele county, formerly being one of its successful farmers and is now the owner of one half-section of land, a half-mile from the village in section 6, of Easton township. He is passing his declining years enjoying the fruits of a well-spent career.
Our subject was born in county Down, Ireland, February 1, 1821. His parents, John and Nancy (Hughes) Pattarson, were of Scotch and Irish descent, respectively. Our subject was the third child and eldest son in a family of seven children and was reared to farm work on his native isle until 1852, when he came to America and was engaged at farm work near York Center, New York, and after one year was joined by his wife and four children. He left the Empire state in 1864 and rented land in Ford county, Illinois, and later purchased a small farm in that county. He went to Dakota in the spring of 1882 and entered claim to the land which is his present homestead farm in Easton township. He disposed of his Illinois property in the spring of 1883 and with his family located on his Dakota farm and his was the first family to settle in Easton township and for many years his house was the best in the township. He later purchased another quarter-section of land and is now the possessor of one half-section, the income from which furnished him a comfortable living during his residence thereon and allowed him to lay aside a competence to enjoy in later years. He retired from the farm in 1898 and purchased a comfortable property in the village of Finley where he now makes his home.
Our subject was married, in 1844, to Miss Mary A. Smith, a native of county Down, Ireland, of Scotch extraction. Mr. and Mrs. Pattarson have passed together fifty-five years of married life and have struggled with poverty and finally met with success. They have reared and educated eleven children, all of whom reached maturity and nine of whom are still living. The children were named as follows: Jane T., now Mrs. Charles Crawl: Margaret, deceased; John, engaged in mining in the state of Washington; William J. McC, a farmer of Steele county: Sarah, now Mrs. J. B. Reed, of Illinois; David deceased; Robert D., dealer in wood and coal in Finley; Joseph McR., engaged in farming in Steele county; Mary E., now Mrs. A. Thompson, of Illinois; Elizabeth A., now Mrs. F. Paulson, and Emeline. Now Mrs. John R. Pepper, whose husband operates an elevator in Finley. Mr. Pattarson is a man who keeps pace with the times and in political sentiment is a Republican, but is not a strictly party man. He is highly respected and esteemed throughout that section where he has passed so many years.
HENRY P. PATTEN. In that large class of intelligent and enterprising farmers whose homes are the places of social and mental refreshment, and whose work for the development of the country is a credit to themselves and to the community, the gentleman above named is entitled to prominent mention. He is one of the pioneers of Steele county, and his farm in section 4 of Lincoln township is well improved and his entire estate is conducted by the most approved methods.
Our subject was born in Hancock county, Maine, April 27, 1850. His parents were Bernard and Johann (Hooper) Patten, and his ancestry in America dates prior to the Revolution. He is of Scotch-Irish extraction, and was the fourth in a family of ten children. He remained at home until eighteen years of age, assisting on his father's farm, and then took charge of his grandmother Patten's farm. He went to Minneapolis in 1874 and worked in the woods of Minnesota and later followed contracting. In the summer of 1880 he went to Fargo, North Dakota, and purchased teams, contracting for breaking in Ransom county, North Dakota, and for four years he spent the summers in Dakota and worked in the woods of Minnesota winters. He located land in section 4 of Lincoln township, in the spring of 1881, and the following year removed to land which his wife had homesteaded in the same section and township, and their 12x16-foot pioneer house constitutes a part of their present home. He is now the owner of one and a quarter sections of land, eight hundred acres, and of this tract about seven hundred and twenty are under the plow. He engages in diversified farming, and is devoting attention to the purifying of the Durham Shorthorn cattle. He winters about fifty head of cattle and raises corn and millet for this purpose, and he is contemplating engaging extensively in raising stock and establishing a ranch farther west.
Our subject was married, in 1882, to Miss Abbie L. Ray. Mrs. Patten is a lady of rare musical talent, and was a student of the New England Conservatory of Music and also studied in Boston, and during the winter months, when our subject was working in the woods of Minnesota , Mrs. Patten was engaged in teaching music in Casselton. She passed through pioneer experiences with her husband, and to her is due much credit for the share she has taken in the good management which has resulted in their comfortable circumstances at the present time. Four children were born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Patten, as follows: Mildred, Jean P., Arthur and Augusta. Mr. Patten has held membership in the :Masonic fraternity since 1874, and also affiliates with the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. Politically he is a Populist, and is a man of intelligence and true worth and a close student of the public questions of the day. He is chairman of the township board, and otherwise serves his community and labors for its welfare.
OLE PAULSON, an intelligent and enterprising member of the farming community of Steele county, has devoted the greater part of his life to agriculture. He has been very fortunate in this pursuit and is the proprietor of as fine a farm as can be found within the limits of Primrose township, his homestead being located there on section 35.
Our subject was born in Stange, Heldemarker, Norway, April 11, 1859, and was a son of Christian P. and Oline (Olson) Arstad. He was the second child and oldest son in a family of nine children and when he was eight years of age the family came to America and located in Goodhue county, Minnesota, and after a short time settled near Northfield, in Minnesota. Our subject went to Cass county, Dakota, in the spring of 1881 and worked at farm work and odd jobs in Fargo and led an unsettled life until 1888, working summers in Dakota and winters in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in January, 1888, and at once began the improvement and cultivation of his land. He has since known but one failure of crops and that was due to hail in 1898, the other years each averaging about twenty bushels per acre. He has a handsome residence, erected in 1895, 16x26 feet, with kitchen, a cellar stoned up and having a cement floor, and this together with a stone cistern with capacity of one hundred and fifteen thousand gallons, make a country place unexcelled by any in that vicinity. The house furnishings are exceedingly fine and evidence the good taste of the occupants of the home.
Mr. Paulson was married, in 1889, to Miss Sella Eide. Mrs. Paulson died in 1898 and was the mother of four children, as follows: Oscar, Clara, Selmer O. and Albert, deceased. Mr. Paulson was married to Bertha R. Anderson, December 19, 1898. Mrs. Paulson was a native of Norway and came to America in 1883, joining her sister in Walsh county, Dakota. She there became a teacher at the age of twenty years and was employed thus in Walsh, Steele and Traill counties until her marriage. Twins have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Paulson, who bear the names of Albert C. and Alvin M. Mr. Paulson is a member of the Lutheran church. He is chairman of the township board and for several years has served on the school board. Politically, he is a Republican and is well known at county conventions of his party. He is held in the highest esteem by his many friends and well merits his success.
JOHN P. PEASE, belongs to that better class of farmers, whose labors as developers of the country have been given heartily and faithfully toward the present solid prosperity enjoyed and are a credit alike to themselves and the community in which they reside. He is successfully pursuing agriculture in Easton township, in Steele county, and his pleasant home is on section 6.
Our subject was born in Waldo county, now known as Knox county, Maine, February 27, 1833, and was the sixth in a family of eleven children born to William H. and Jerusha (Packard) Pease. The Pease family in America dates to about 1630, when three brothers of that family came to this' country from England and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Packard family is also a colonial family and from that side our subject inherits a strain of Scotch blood. The father of our subject owned and operated a grist-mill in Maine and there our subject grew to manhood and was employed at farm work and in the mill and at the age of sixteen years went to Natick, Massachusetts, where he was apprenticed to the shoemaker's trade and followed the same in Natick and Woburn about fifteen years. He enlisted in Company E, Fifty-ninth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, in 1863, and was detailed as musician with the Ninth Army Corps and served till the end of the war. After his return from the service he became foreman of a shoe factory at Woburn, Massachusetts. He established in the merchandise business in Portland, Maine, in 1873, but owing to the stringency of the times the business proved unsuccessful and in the spring of 1882 he went to Dakota and there amid a striking contrast to his former pursuits and an entire change of scene he began to gather about him the comforts which he now enjoys. He has a well-developed farm of one half-section, and is retired from active farm work, enjoying in his declining years the fruits of a well-spent life.
Our subject was married, in 1857, to Miss Elsie J. Brasbridge. One son, Frank E., has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Pease. He is a professional musician and is now traveling as clarinetist with Walter L. Maine. He bears a state reputation as an artist in his line and is well known among the musicians of the Northwest.
Our subject is a man of intelligence and keeps abreast of the times in all public affairs. He was elected county commissioner in the fall of 1888 and served one term. He was a member of the Farmers' Alliance and was a well-known organizer in the early days of the Populist party, with which party he is now identified and has twice served as a delegate to Populist state conventions and has been a member of the Populist central committee.
 EARL J. PEPPER. As an all around prominent man of Steele county Mr. Pepper is well known, and justly deserves the title of an intelligent business man. He has charge of the elevator and feed mill at Finley. North Dakota, for the St. Anthony & Dakota Elevator Company, and his career has been marked throughout by faithful efforts. He has a pleasant home in the outskirts of the village, near his business.
Our subject was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, February 22, 1866, and was the elder of two sons born to Henry J. and Caroline R. (Brooks) Pepper. His mother is now residing in Aneta, Nelson county, North Dakota. The family located in Livingston county, Illinois, when our subject was about one year old, and after a residence there of two years removed to Piper City, Ford county, Illinois and there he passed his youth. The father became interested in land in Dakota in the fall of 1881, and made a trip to the country, and in the spring of 1882 went to Dakota, accompanied by our subject, who was at that time about sixteen years of age. He secured land in Highland township in Steele county, and our subject was duly established thereon in bachelor's quarters, developing the farm with hired help. Antelope grazed around his shanty, and elk were occasionally seen in the vicinity. The father established in business at Hope, North Dakota, in the spring of 1884, and our subject joined him there, after which the father survived but about one year. Our subject and the mother went to the farm to live in the spring of 1886, and the first season's work was discouraging, and in 1887 he entered the employ of the Red River Valley Elevator Company, and was established at Hope, remaining there two seasons, and then was associated with Cargill Elevator Company at Colgate and other places, and in 1891 was again stationed at Hope, where he remained until 1897, in which year he located near Finley in his present position.
Our subject was married, in 1893, to Miss Emma Pattarson. Two children have been born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Pepper, named as follows : Lloyd A. and Harry J. Mr. Pepper is a member of the Masonic fraternity and its auxiliary lodge, the Eastern Star. He is an enthusiastic lover of sports, and was a member of the locally famous Black Stocking base ball nine. He has spent many years in the vicinity of Hope, and is well known throughout Steele county and highly respected in business and social life. Politically he is a Republican and is an earnest worker for the principles of his party.
NELS R. PETERSON, proprietor of one of the fine farms of Riverside township, in Steele county, is a man of wide experience and has made a success of his vocation as a farmer. He is one of the very few Sheyenne river settlers and among the oldest of the pioneers of Steele county. He resides on section 2i~ and his possessions cover two hundred and eighty acres of land, one hundred and fifty acres of which are under cultivation, balance grass land. His farm was well chosen in the early day and is admirably adapted to diversified farming, in which he is engaged.
Our subject was born in Norway, October 26, 1847, and was the fifth in a family of six children born to Roald and Annie (Larson) Peterson, both of whom are deceased. His father was a carpenter by trade and as a boy our subject began working with his father and learned the trade and when twenty-four years of age he borrowed money and came to America in search of a fortune and a broader field for labor. He worked at farm work three years and then in a saw-mill in Wisconsin two years and then returned to Illinois, where he first resided, and after a short stay went to Iowa and engaged in farming in Clay county. He and two companions, Charles Palfrey and Samuel Lowe, in the spring of 1881, went to Dakota from Iowa overland. The high water and spring floods made traveling dangerous and in some places almost impossible and from Watson, Minnesota, to Fargo the trip was made by rail. After arriving at Steele county our subject selected his present farm and located thereon as a homestead. His companions took land farther from the valley on the wild prairie and after all had secured their land there was not ten dollars to be raised among them. Our subject has his team and wagon, but no other resources. They built a board shanty on Mr. Lowe's place and then all constructed a log house for our subject, consisting of oak logs, and was 18x20 feet. This forms the main part of Mr. Peterson's dwelling at present and is in a state of good preservation. Mr. Lowe later returned East and our subject and his other companion lived together and our subject worked on the railroad and on the Dalrymple farm and later was engaged in breaking land and during the season of 1882 raised a few acres of oats and then lived alone on his farm three years and increased his cultivated acreage each year. He devotes himself at present to diversified farming, his farm furnishing good timber shelter and hilly land and watered by flowing springs. Our subject has a well-cultivated tract and enjoys prosperity.
Mr. Peterson was married, in 1884, to Miss Isabelle Johnson. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have been the parents of one son, Robert, now deceased. Mr. Peterson is a member of the Lutheran church and is a gentleman who is held in the highest esteem by his fellow men. Politically, he is a Republican.
 WILLIAM H. M. PHILIP. M. D. The medical profession is so well represented throughout the state of North Dakota that it is difficult to determine who stands in the foremost rank. It is an undisputed fact, however, that the gentleman whose name heads this personal history has a high standing as a physician and surgeon, not only among his people, but among his medical brethren, and he has become well known as an honest and painstaking practitioner. He is the oldest resident physician of Steele county and has his office and home at Hope.
Our subject is of Scotch birth and was born September 24, 1852. He was the eleventh in a family of twelve children born to Charles and Eliza (Read) Philip. His father was a sugar merchant in his native country and his fortune was diminished by heavy losses at sea, and while our subject was still an infant the family came to America in search of better times. They resided on a farm near Chicago Heights, Illinois, and there remained fourteen years, when they removed to Metamora, Woodford county Illinois.
At the age of twenty years our subject began reading medicine and in the fall of 1878 entered Rush Medical College, Chicago, graduating from that institution in the class of 1881. In the class there were one hundred and seventy-two graduates, fifteen only receiving certificates of honor, among whom was our subject. In July, 1882, he went to Hope, North Dakota, where he has been eminently successful and has steadily built up an extensive practice.
Our subject was married, on October 3, 1889, to Miss Libbie Curry, one of Steele county's most successful teachers. Five children have been born to Doctor and Mrs. Philip, as follows : Charles, deceased ; Frank R.; Glandys M.; Ruth E., deceased, and Randall Hunter, deceased. Dr. Philip is a man of exemplary character and holds membership in the Congregational church. He also affiliates with the Masonic fraternity. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Brotherhood of American Yoemen and Modern Woodmen of America. For several years he has been a railroad surgeon for the Grand Northern Railroad and is a member of the International Association of Railway Surgeons, American Medical Association and State Medical Society, and was a member of the first state board of medical examiners and served four years, and is the present president of the county board of insanity and superintendent of the county board of health. He does not seek public favor, but is a man of sound judgment and one who keeps pace with the world on all matters of importance, and is outspoken in his opinions and influential as a citizen. In political sentiment he is a Republican.
SEVER K. PLADSEN. Among the gentlemen who are engaged in agriculture in Primrose township, Steele county, none are more useful in sustaining and extending its farming interests than Mr. Pladsen. He is one of the successful and substantial farmers and a man well versed in the best and most approved methods of operating a farm, and is the owner of one section of land, three hundred and twenty acres of which is in Melrose township, and his home farm in Primrose township, where he resides on section 26.
Our subject was born in Bruflath, Norway, September 27, 1858, and was a son of Knudt and Ingeborg (Sorndatter) Pladsen. He was the second in order of birth in a family of several children, and when nineteen years of age left the home of his childhood and came to America, his oldest brother having been in America about two years, sending him the money with which to pay his passage. With his brother, in the spring of 1879, and with several others he drove overland to Dakota. Our subject worked at farm labor about one year and in 1880 secured land. He had nothing with which to make a start and built a board shanty with a hay roof and lived alone. The roof of his dwelling was soon destroyed by fire, and he had to replace it by a better one. He has steadily pushed forward to his present comfortable circumstances, and by his own efforts has accomplished much.
Our subject was married, in 1883, to Miss Karn B. Evenson. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Pladsen: Ingar O., Karl H., Emma P., Clara, Ida, Helga, Alma and Tilda. Mr. Pladsen is well known as a man of good ideas, and an active worker for the welfare of his community. He has served on the school and township boards, and has otherwise promoted the growth of that locality. Politically he is a Populist and has attended numerous county conventions of his party and was present at the organization of the same in Steele county. He is a member of the Lutheran church.
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