AUGUST ALBRECHT, who entered Dakota as a pioneer settler of Stutsman county, has successfully followed agricultural pursuits, and is now the fortunate proprietor of one of the best farms in township 143, range 63. He was born in Germany, April 9, 1844. When he was but about one year of age his father, who was a farmer and millwright by trade, died, and the mother, Caroline Albrecht, remarried when our subject was eleven years of age. With his stepfather he came to America in 1857, and the family settled on a farm in Cook county, Illinois.

Our subject remained at home until eighteen years of age, when he went to Chicago and worked in that city five years. He engaged in the grocery business in Chicago, in 1871. and after about four years established a wholesale hay and feed business, in which he was engaged until 1883. In the spring of that year he went to Stutsman county. North Dakota, and took the north half of section 26. in township 143, range 63, and purchased land in section 27. He erected a 12x40-foot shanty and a barn of boards and hay. and with a small lot of farm machinery began the cultivation of his land. His eldest daughter accompanied him to the new home, and in 1885 the family all joined them, when our subject disposed of his' interests in Illinois. Prairie fire destroyed a threshing rig and two hundred and fifty bushels of wheat, October 14. 1884. entailing a loss of over one thousand dollars. Mr. Albrecht engaged principally in cattle raising in the early days, and also sheep, but later drifted into grain raising. He now has a farm of eight hundred acres, half of which is under cultivation, and on his home farm has a complete set of substantial and commodious buildings, including a barn 56x60 feet, with shelter for sixty head of stock, a five-thousand-bushel capacity granary, and a poultry house 12x30 feet, and also has all necessary machinery and an abundance of excellent water. He and his partner. Carl Schrader, were the first settlers in township 143. range 63, and their nearest neighbor was east of them three and a half miles.

Our subject was married, early in life, to Miss Louisa Acoff, who was born and raised in Germany, and came to America with her parents about 1856. Mrs. Albrecht's father, John Acoff, was a farmer and merchant, and settled in Morgan county, Illinois. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Albrecht, as follows: Martha, born November 24. 1860: Edward, born April 10, 1864; Paulina, born September 12, 1866: John, born September 1, 1868: Ida. born November 4, 1870; August, born January 1, 1873: Clara, born May 23, 1875, and Nora, born September 18, 1877. Mr. Albrecht is a member of the Lutheran church, and is a gentleman who is highly esteemed throughout that locality. He has served on the school board for the past nine or ten years, and takes an active part in local affairs. Politically he is a Democrat.

EDWARD ALBRECHT. In whatever vocation engaged the successful man is the persistent man. One who has acquired a comfortable competence and an enviable reputation by the exercise of this characteristic, is the gentleman above named. He is now the proprietor of one of the well improved and carefully cultivated tracts of land in Durham township, and is one of the substantial young men of Stutsman county.

Our subject was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1864, and was a son of August Albrecht. His father was a native of Germany and came to America at the age of twelve years. In a family of eight children our subject was the second in order of birth, and was raised in his native city and attended the German schools. He conducted his father's hay pressing business in Chicago during his stay in Dakota from 1883 to 1885, when the family removed to the Dakota home. Our subject entered claim as a homestead to the southwest quarter of section 26, township 143, range 63, during that year, and borrowed machinery, teams, etc., to begin the cultivation of his tract. He worked for his father for about five years and also worked some for others, and in 1889 erected a house, barn and granary on his farm. He lost about fifty tons of hay by prairie fire in 1895. He now has a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, equipped with residence, barn, machine shed, granary, windmill, and all necessary machinery, and engages in grain and cattle raising. He now has about thirty head of cattle, and keeps six farm horses. When he located in Dakota his nearest neighbor was three and a half miles distant, and all supplies were hauled from Jamestown, twenty-two miles.

Our subject was married, in the spring of 1890, to Miss Maggie Fried, a native of Wisconsin. who was raised in that state. Mrs. Albrecht's father is an old settler of Dakota and has resided there since 1880. Five children, four of whom are now living, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Albrecht. as follows: Liddie, Alice, Elmer and Janette. The family are members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Albrecht is a Democrat in political sentiment and is strong in his convictions for right.

TRUMAN J. ATWOOD. the efficient postmaster and prosperous general merchant of Courtenay. is one of the pioneers of Stutsman county and is a young man in whom the people repose every confidence. He owns valuable farming lands near the village and is a man of financial strength and excellent characteristics.

Our subject was born in Hartford. Connecticut, July 30. 1860, and was a son of Truman W. and Mary R. (Blue) Atwood. The family have been in America many generations and his father is a Yankee. He was a general merchant during the greater part of his career, but has spent the past seventeen years in farming in Richland county, Wisconsin.

Mr. Atwood was the fifth in a family of seven children and was reared in his native place and when fourteen years of age went with his parents to Ghent, New York, and when seventeen years of age the family located in Richland county, Wisconsin, where the father purchased a farm. After attaining his majority our subject accepted a position as agent and operator on the Milwaukee & Northern Railroad and was with that company three years in Wisconsin, after which he spent nine years as operator and agent on the Chicago. Milwaukee & St. Paul, in Minnesota. He was the first agent at Courtenay, North Dakota, for the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault St. Marie Railroad and held the office from 1892 until 1896, resigning to attend to his mercantile business, which he had established in 1895. He served as assistant postmaster at Courtenay as soon as the office was established in 1892 and was appointed postmaster in December, 1897. He took land as a homestead one mile from the village of Courtenay, in August, 1895, which property he now owns.

Our subject was married, in 1886, to Ella J. Cornell, of Mapleton, Minnesota. Mr. Atwood is a member of the Masonic fraternity. Politically, he is a Republican and is prominent in public affairs. He has served his party as a member of the county central committee and is president of the Republican League.

HUGH BOLE, one of the earliest settlers of Stutsman county, and a prominent farmer who has gained a comfortable competence and an enviable reputation by earnest and persistent efforts. engages principally in the raising of wheat, in which he has been eminently successful. He has a wide knowledge of his vocation and has aided in the transforming of that locality from a wild waste to a highly cultivated country. His farm is supplied with every convenience and the buildings thereon are of the most substantial and modern construction.

Our subject was born on a farm in Winona county, Minnesota, in 1858, and was a son of John and Margaret (Crooks) Bole, both of whom were natives of Ireland. The mother had been previously married, her first husband being Mr. Conlin. By this marriage a son, Henry, was born and is now living in Minnesota. His father was a farmer by occupation and was raised in the north of Ireland and came to America but a short time prior to his marriage in 1857. The paternal grandparents of our subject were well to do in their native land and spent their lives in Ireland. Our subject was the eldest of the children and was raised in his native state on a farm, and after attaining his majority went to Stutsman county, North Dakota, in 1880, and worked at farm labor. He entered claim to the northwest quarter of section 10 in township 140, range 63, and erected a 12x16-foot shanty, and the following year broke thirty acres of land. He purchased a team and wagon and in the spring of 1881 earned money by working out with which to buy a breaking plow, and did not engage extensively in farming his land until 1883. Jamestown was at that time a mere village and there was not a building in sight from his place. He now has a farm of six hundred acres and annually crops about four hundred acres, and is also interested to some extent in the raising of cattle.

Our subject was married, in 1884, to Miss Minnie Johnson, who was born and raised in Winona county, Minnesota, and was of Swedish descent. Her father, Sween Johnson, was a farmer in Minnesota. Two children' have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bole, as follows: Elmer and May. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Bole are contained in this work. Mr. Bole is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Ancient Order of United Workmen. He takes an active part in the affairs of his township and county and has served as school director. Politically, he is a Republican.

FRANK M. BROWN. Stutsman county. North Dakota, is not without her well-regulated farms, and one of these carefully cultivated tracts is the property of the gentleman above named. He is extensively engaged in wheat raising in township 137, range 65, and has met with eminent success in his vocation. He also operates a steam threshing rig, and is the owner of a fine new outfit for this line of work. His home farm is one of the best improved in the locality, and every convenience of modern farming and the newest patterns of machinery are used to facilitate the work.

Our subject was born in Oswego county. New York, in August, 1862. He was raised in his native place on a farm and attended the common schools, and at the age of twenty-one years left home and went to North Dakota. He located at Edgeley, then known as St. George, in the spring of 1884, where he rented land, and he and his brother filed claim to government land. Our subject took the southeast quarter of section 10, in township 137, range 65, and later took as a homestead the northwest quarter of section 10, township 137, range 65. He erected a 12.x 16-foot shanty in which he lived alone three years, and also built a stable 12x16 feet. His brother took government land on the southwest quarter of section 10, township 137, range 65. Our subject erected a larger dwelling about 1888, and has since built a complete set of farm buildings of the most approved style at a cost of two thousand dollars. He has a convenient residence, barn, two granaries, and all machinery for the economical conduct of the place, and for the past twelve years has operated a threshing outfit and has at present a twenty-horse-power steam rig. He has lost crops by hail and fire and met with many other discouragements, but has been successful in most of his work, and is now one of the substantial men of that region, and is the owner of nine hundred and eighty acres of land, of which he cultivates about seven hundred acres. He has ten acres of forest trees and his place is one of the pleasant farms of the locality.

Our subject was married, in 1888, to Miss Florence L. Hart, of Oswego county. New York. Mrs. Brown's father, A. A. Hart, was of English-Scotch descent, and was a miller by trade. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brown, as follows: Eva, born May 11, 1894; and Ella, born March 13, 1899. Mr. Brown is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Politically he is a Democrat, and is a man who keeps pace with the times, and is well known and highly respected in his community.

JOHN Y. EASTERBROOK, one of the pioneer settlers of Stutsman county, has made a success of the pursuit of agriculture, and is now one of the substantial men of his locality, and the owner of a well-improved tract of eight hundred acres. He is possessed of excellent ability and business tact, and despite many discouragements which he has encountered, he has steadily progressed in his work, and now enjoys a comfortable home and the highest esteem of his associates.

Our subject was born on a farm in Ontario. Canada, in 1854, and was the fourth in a family of seventeen children, and was a son of George Easterbrook. His father was born in Devonshire. England, and was a tailor by trade, and came to America with his parents when a boy, and the family settled in Halton county, Ontario. Canada. The grandfather of our subject. Elias Easterbook. was a farmer by occupation. The mother of our subject was born in Yorkshire, England, and came to America with her parents when a girl, and her father was a farmer by occupation.

Our subject was raised on his father's farm in Ontario, and received a country school education. After attaining his majority he rented one of his father's farms and engaged in farming there four years, and in the spring of 1881 went to Nebraska and bought railroad land. He did not meet with success there and in March, 1882, went to North Dakota, and settled near Jamestown. He rented and purchased land and engaged in farming in several localities in Stutsman county, and in 1893 located on the "Greene farm," on section 19, township 140, range 64, where he now resides. He and his brother-in-law, George Fletcher, farmed together ten years, and also operated a threshing machine, which our subject still operates and has an outfit now of his own, and for the past fifteen years has followed that line of work each season. He is now the owner of eight hundred acres of land, and has five hundred and ten acres under cultivation. Part of his machinery, hay, feed and so forth, with the exception of his shanty and household goods, were destroyed by prairie fire in 1882, and his separator, valued at two hundred dollars, was lost by fire in 1896. He now has a well-improved and well-stocked farm, and has made a success of his calling.

At the age of twenty-three years our subject was married to Miss Mary Fletcher, who was born and raised in the same county as himself. Her father was a native of England, and came to America , where he engaged in farming. Mr. Easterbrook and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and our subject is class leader and choir leader, assistant Sunday school superintendent and instructor of the Bible class, and takes an active part in the social affairs of that denomination. Mr. Easterbrook is an independent national voter, and favors the Prohibition principles.

GOV. FREDERICK B. FANCHER. In studying the lives and characters of prominent men we are naturally led to inquire into the secret of their success, and the motives that have prompted their action.

Success is oftener a matter of experience and sound judgment and thorough preparation for a life work than it is of genius, however bright. When we trace the career of those whom the world acknowledges as successful and of those who stand highest in public esteem, we find in almost every case they are those who have risen gradually by their own efforts, their diligence and perseverance. These qualities are undoubtedly possessed in a large measure by the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, and added to these is a devotion to principle that may well be termed the keynote of his character.

Governor Fancher was born in Orleans county, New York, April 2, 1852, a son of E. Tillotson and Julia A. (Kenyon) Fancher, also natives of that state, as was the grandfather, Richard Fancher, who spent his entire life there engaged in agricultural pursuits. The father followed farming and stock raising in New York until 1867, when he removed to Washtenaw county, Michigan, and made his home there until going to Washington, D. C, in 1880, where he now resides. In his family were only two children.

Governor Fancher was reared on the home farm and was educated in the common schools and in the State Normal of Michigan. In 1871 he went to Chicago, where he was engaged in fire under-writing until coming to North Dakota in 1881. He took up a claim in Stutsman county, proved up the same and engaged in farming for some time, making a specialty of wheat. He also managed farms for other parties. In 1889 he organized the Alliance Hail Association, of which he was president for six years, and was also president of the board of trustees of the North Dakota Hospital for the Insane for the same length of time.

In 1874 Governor Fancher married Miss Florence S. Van Voorhies, a native of New Jersey, and a daughter of John J. Van Voorhies. Socially our subject is a prominent Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine. Politically he has always affiliated with the Republican party, and has taken a very active and prominent part in public affairs, joining all in his power to insure the success of his party and advance its interest. In 1889 he was elected to the constitutional convention of North Dakota, and made president of the same. In 1892 he was nominated for insurance commissioner and was defeated, but in 1894 he was re-nominated and elected and re-elected in 1896. Two years later he was the nominee of his party for governor and elected to that office, which he is now so creditably filling.  Never were the reins of government in more capable hands, for he is a progressive man, pre-eminently public-spirited, and all that pertains to the public welfare receives his hearty endorsement.

WILLIAM FARLEY, one of the leading farmers of Stutsman county, is a pioneer settler of that region, and has met with eminent success in his calling after many discouragements. He now enjoys all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of a country home, and his estate is one of the finest in the county. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising, and also conducts dairying and butter-making. His residence, recently erected in township 139, range 62. is one of the best dwellings jn the locality, and bears evidence of prosperity and the artistic taste of its occupants.

Our subject was born on a farm in the northern part of Ireland in April, 1859. His father, Thomas Farley, was born and raised in Ireland, and was a farmer by occupation, as was also the grandfather of our subject, John Farley. Both the paternal and maternal great-grandfathers of our subject went to Ireland from Scotland. The mother of our subject, who bore the maiden name of Eliza Black, was a daughter of a farmer.

William Farley was the fourth in order of birth in a family of seven children, and was raised on a farm in his native place, and attended the national schools of Ireland. He left home at the age of twenty years and went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, landing there December 12, 1879, after a nine-days' voyage. He traveled through Lower Canada four months, and then worked at farm labor in Jackson county, Michigan, and April 14, 1881, located in Fargo, North Dakota. He soon afterward went to Valley City, and from thence to Jamestown. He filed claim to land in section 14. township 139, range 62, and then had but seventeen dollars, ten of which he afterward had stolen from him at Spiritwood. He worked the greater part of three years on the farms of Cuyler Adams, near Spiritwood, and improved his homestead as fast as circumstances would permit. His 12 x 12-foot shanty was the first south of Spiritwood, and there was but one other shanty in sight when he erected his. He made a trip to his native country in the fall of 1883, and returned to his farm in North Dakota, April 10, 1884, when he put in seventy-five acres of grain, and also erected a small dwelling. He had two horses, a wagon, and some second-hand machinery, and the following year lost all his grain by hail, and in 1886 the average yield was but ten bushels per acre. He lost forty tons of hay and one hundred and twenty acres of grain-his entire crop-by hail in 1887, and the winter following he had but the vegetables, meat, butter, eggs and chickens on which to depend for a livelihood; but these afforded a comfortable living, by careful management. During that winter he was returning from Jamestown the day of the great blizzard and stopped five miles from home. The following morning he attempted to reach his home, and, after repeated efforts and great suffering, he found a familiar ridge of grass and was enabled to find his way to his starting place of the morning. It was three days before he could get to his home. An early frost in August, 1888, destroyed one hundred and forty acres of his crops, and in July of the following year hail completely swept one hundred and seventy acres. 1890 was an excellent year, and the yield was bountiful, and our subject invested in machinery and teams. He built up a meat business in that locality and was prospering, when, in the spring of 1892, the state veterinarian shot six of his horses on account of glanders, and quarantined his farm for three months, which so seriously interfered with his business that he decided to go to his native land and locate. After taking the trip there he decided that he could conduct farming more profitably in North Dakota, and accordingly returned, since which time he has continued farming and cattle raising. He now owns five quarter-sections of land, and cultivates about five hundred acres. His residence, one of the largest in that vicinity, was erected in 1898, and he also has two commodious barns, one with basement below and granary above, and all other farm buildings necessary for conducting the farm, and which he keeps in the best condition in every particular. His home farm affords plenty of small fruits and other comforts, and on his place he also has a cream separator, and markets annually about five thousand pounds of butter and engages extensively in dairying.

Our subject was married, in 1883, to Mary Agnes McCann, who was born and raised in county Antrep, five miles from Belfast . Her people were of Scotch descent, and her father, John McCann, was a flax buyer. Mr. and Mrs. Farley have been the parents of ten children, as follows: Mary E., born December 5, 1884: Maud A., born July 23, 1886; Margarette L., born November 1, 1887; Grace E.. born March 8. 1889; Walter A., born September 16, 1890: Ruby W., born March 31. 1892 ; William, born November 13, 1893; Beatrice, born January 6, 1896; Chester McKinley, born March 27, 1897, and Edith Frances, who was born March 6, 1899. Mr. Farley and wife are members of the Baptist church, and are active in church affairs. and Mr. Farley holds membership in the Ancient Order of United Workmen and Modern Woodmen of America. Politically, he is a Republican, but lends his influence for the man who in his opinion will best serve his community.

GEORGE F. FLETCHER, the enterprising and successful farmer of township 140, range 64, in Stutsman County, is one of the early settlers of that locality, and is well and favorably known. He was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1853. 

The father of our subject, Jeremiah Fletcher, was born and raised in Yorkshire. England, and was a farmer by occupation, and was the youngest in the family. When but a boy he came to Canada with his father, William Fletcher. The mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Darby, was born in England, and came to America when a girl, and her father was a carriage blacksmith.

Our subject was the third in the family and was raised on a farm, and worked with his father on his extensive estates until the spring of 1880, when he went to Nebraska and took charge of his father's farm there, and in the summer of 1882 disposed of his effects and made a visit to North Dakota, when he rented land in Stutsman County. He and his brother-in-law, John Y. Easterbrook. entered into partnership and rented land until 1885. They purchased the south half of section 29. in township 140, range 64, in 1882, and three years later erected buildings and made a home for the two families and our subject's brother, and for several years they all resided there, when our subject bought his brother's and Mr. Easterbrook's interests, and now owns four hundred and eighty acres of land and controls fourteen hundred and forty acres by ownership and lease. In addition to the above he has since purchased three hundred and sixty acres in partnership with John Y. Easterbrook. The firm operated a threshing machine from 1886 to 1892, and were well-known threshers of that locality, and did an extensive business in that line. Our subject engages mostly in wheat raising, and has met with success in that line, and on his estate he has erected a complete set of substantial farm buildings and his place is fully equipped with machinery of modern pattern. 

Our subject was married, March 21, 1894. to Miss Catherine Rudsdale, who was of English and Scotch descent, and was born in Perth, Ontario, Canada.   Her parents. William and Margaret (McKerracher) Rudsdale were both born in Canada.  Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher, named as follows: Ewert Rudsdale, born April 3. 1895; and Frederick William, born April 4, 1898; both were born in North Dakota. Mr.  Fletcher has held numerous township offices of trust and labors for the advancement of his community.  He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and takes an active part in the social affairs of that denomination, and is a firm supporter of the society.  He also holds membership in the Modern Woodmen of America, and is deservedly popular with the people among whom he has resided for so many years.

ANTON FRIED, one of the earliest settlers of Stutsman county. North Dakota, occupies a prominent position as a well-to-do farmer and public-spirited citizen. He went to Dakota with no means for the improvement of his financial condition except the indomitable will, and capacity for well-directed labor with which nature endowed him, and he has risen steadily to an enviable position. He is one of the most extensive farmers of township 142, range 62, and his home farm is supplied with all the conveniences and buildings necessary to conduct a model farm.

Our subject was born in Buffalo county, Wisconsin, December 8, 1861. His father was a native of Switzerland, and came to America in 1847, and located in Wisconsin, where his death occurred when our subject was fifteen years of age. The mother of our subject went to North Dakota after the death of her husband, and she died in that state in 1891.

Mr. Fried was the youngest in a family of seven children, and was raised on a farm and attended the common schools. His second oldest brother took charge of the farm soon after his father's death, and our subject and the mother moved to Arcadia, Wisconsin, where he attended the high school, and during the summer months worked at farm labor. He went to Jamestown, North Dakota, in the spring of 1879, with his older brother, and took land and our subject purchased railroad land, the north half of section 35, township 142, range 62. He erected a claim shanty, and the first year lived alone and broke the land. During that season he broke about forty acres for other parties, a portion of which is the site of the present Stutsman county court house. He engaged in breaking land for others for five or six years, but improved his own farm also as fast as circumstances would permit. He engaged in shipping stock into the state, and was a successful buyer. He took his farming implements from Wisconsin, and after the first year gave up farming with oxen and purchased horses. He and his mother settled on the farm in 1880, after he had erected a small house and a sod barn. After attaining his majority he entered claim to land in township 142, range 62, as a homestead and tree claim, and he has since added to his possessions from time to time and is now the owner of ten hundred and forty acres of land, and also leases six hundred and forty acres for pasture. He has about six hundred acres under cultivation, and engages in grain and stock raising. He keeps about seventy-five head of cattle, and has ample shelter and convenient arrangements for that line of farming. He has a complete set of excellent farm buildings, and all necessary machinery, and also owns an interest in a threshing rig and does his own threshing. He formed a partnership with A. Y. Moore, of Wimbledon, in 1894, in the machine business at Wimbledon, North Dakota, under the firm name of The Wimbledon Machine Company. This partnership continued until 1897, when Mr. Fried bought out his partner's interest, and at once formed a partnership with Anton Feckler, and the business was continued under its original title. It is the only machine firm in the town, and Anton Feckler has full charge of the business and enjoys an extensive trade. Our subject also owns residence property in Wimbledon, which he rents out.

Our subject was married, in February. 1886, to Miss Susan Schlag. who was born and raised in Morrison county, Minnesota. Mrs. Fried's father, Frederick Schlag, was a farmer for many years, and is now a resident of Royalton, Minnesota. Her parents are natives of Germany. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fried, as follows: Margaret M, Federick O., Annetta A., Hildegard U. and Florence E. Mr. Fried is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen of America. He takes an active interest in local affairs, and has served as school treasurer for the past sixteen years, and is one of the trustees of the North Dakota hospital for the insane. Politically he is a Republican, and has attended as a delegate numerous county and state conventions, and is an earnest worker for the principles of his party.  A portrait of Anton and Susan Fried is above.

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