■iiiiiiilM^^^^^^^ iiiil ■i iili Oass Book- COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY AND THE TOWNS OF CHAMPLIN AND DAYTON IN HENNEPIN COUNTY MINNESOTA BY ALBERT M. GOODRICH MINNEAPOLIS HENNEPIN PUBLISHING CO. 1905 ^ LIBRARY of CONGRESS Two Copies rteceiveu APR 21 jyub OUiSS ^ XXc. Nw //3,6 7'g COPY a. Copyright 1905, by Albert M. Goodrich. PREFACE. In the preparation of this volume information has been supplied from so many sources that to specify a few would seem to be invidious. Old settlers who are still resident and many who are now dead or who have removed elsewhere, have ^iven many hours of their time to going over the facts within their knowledge. Files of old newspapers of St. Paul, St. Anthony and Minneapolis, as well as those of Anoka, have been con- sulted with considerable care, and have been invaluable ■} fixing dates. Thanks are due to the librarian and osistants of the Minnesota Historical Society and of the Minneapolis Public Library for their uniform cour- tesy in furnishing necessary books and newspaper files. Valuable information has been supplied by Capt. S. P. Folsom, of St. Paul, and by Daniel Stanchfield, C. D. Dorr, Colonel Francis Peteler, and the late Colonel John H. Stevens, of Minneapolis. Thanks are also due to Mrs. George H. Wyman and Mrs. I. A. Caswell for the articles contributed by them on the Philolectian Society and the Public Library, respectively. The task of collecting biographical sketches has proven to be one involving an immense amount of labor. No doubt many names have been omitted which are quite as worthy of mention as those which have been included, but this has been due in large part to the neglect in supplying us with tlie necessary information on the part of those to whom blanks were sent. Nevertheless, the sketches here given are believed to be fairly representative of the people of the county, past and present. Those who have aided the enterprise by subscription will have the sat- isfaction of knowing that their assistance has made pos- sible the preservation in permanent form of the early annals, as well as the early pictures, before they should have been wholly lost or destroyed. CONTENTS. Chapter I. Prehistoric i The First White :\len 3 Chapter II, Carver and I 'ike 13 The Battle of Rum River 19 Chapter III. The I'irst House 23 Chapter I\', Traders and Prospectors 37 The First Colony 43 Permanent Settlement 45 Chapter \'. Xamini^- the Town 51 The First Store 57 Another Indian Battle 62 Chapter \l. Prosperity in "Fifty-five" 65 The First Fourth of July Celehration 68 A Period of Speculation 75 Chapter VII, The Panic of ■"b^ifty-seven" 79 Ginseng 87 Chapter \'III. The Last Indian Battles 89 I 'olitical 93 A Tilt with Kinii: Alcohol 94 Beginning of the Civil War 97 The Eighth Regiment 101 Chapter IX. Returning Prosperity 105 Farming in Anoka County 107 Reclaiming Marsh Land no Education 113 Crime 1 18 Chapter X, City of Anoka 120 The Philolectian Society, by Mrs. George H. Wy- man 141 The Anoka Public Library, by Mrs. I. A. Caswell. 146 Town Organizations 155 Champlin 170 Dayton 175 Chapter XI. Biographical 177 ILLUSTRATIONS. Anoka in 1869 147 Anoka in 1879 148 Anoka Street Fair, 1904 131 Baptist Church, Anoka 135 Catholic Church, Anoka 136 CathoHc Church, Centreville 168 Colonial Hall 142 Company A, Eighth Regiment 104 Congregational Church, Anoka 134 Cooper, James H., Residence of, Bethel 160 Dr. Kline's Sanatorium, Anoka 138 Father Hennepin's Picture of a Buffalo 7 First Church in Anoka County 127 First Stores East of Rum River 129 Goodrich, George H., Residence of 143 Immigrants at Anoka, 1868 130 Irving School, Anoka 117 Lake George 1 56 Lincoln Mill 126 McLean, T. G., Residence of 145 Main Street from First to Second Avenue, 1863. . . . 129 Same in 1868 130 Same During Street Fair, 1904 131 Methodist Episcopal Church, Anoka 132 Old Catholic Church, Anoka 127 Old Flour Mill, Anoka 104 Old Hay Market, Anoka, 1872 154 Public Library, Anoka 151 Red River Carts at Anoka, 1870 41 "Shuler Building" 58 St. Francis Scene 166 St. Stephen's Church, Anoka 136 Washburn Saw Mill, Anoka 125 Westward Ho ! 130 PORTRAITS. Aldrich, Dr. A. G 181 Aldrich, Dr. Flora L. S ' 183 Bean, John R 74 Belanger, Joseph 27 Blanchard, Frederick A 187 Bond, Dr. S 188 Branch, George W 74 Branch, Mrs. George W 44 Bruns, Louis H 190 Cady, Captain John S 102 Carlson, Dr. H. H 193 Caswell, Arthur A 195 Chase, Roe G 196 Chase, Wilbur F 198 Clark, Josiah F 118 Cutter, Ammi 85 Cutter, Oscar L 122 Davis, Mrs. Judson (Georgia Taylor) yj Eastman, Alvah 208 Edgarton, Charles J 209 Elwell, James T 1 1 1 Engel, J. C. H 211 Folsom, Frank L 214 Folsom, Simeon P 33 Fridley, Hon. A. M 163 Foster, Mrs. Geo. A 44 Frost, Abigail (Mrs. C. L. Norton) y-j Frost, James C 59 neckles, T. T 220 Gicldings. Dr. A. \V 61 Goififon, Rev. Joseph 169 Goodrich, George H 223 Goodrich, George D 225 Goodrich, Rev. Moses 115 Goss, John 226 Green, Charles E 228 Groat, Hannibal G jy Hagaman. Dr. G. K 232 Hale, :^rajor \V. D 179 Hall. Reuel L 108 Hart, Frank 234 Harthorn, I. A 236 Johnson, C. L 241 Johnson, Henry C 242 Johnson, Charles H 243 Kline. Dr. J. F 140 Loehl. Henry C 250 Lowell, Richard M 171 McCann, James 124 McCauley, George A 253 McGlauflin. John S 67 McGlauthn. Eugene 255 McLean, T. G 261 McLaughlin, Daniel W 74 Miller, Robert H 173 Miller. Mrs. Robert H 173 Miller. O. S 173 Miller, Mrs. ( ). S 173 Milliman. .Samuel C jy Molander, Alfred 260 Morton, Thurman W 264 Nelson, Charles A 266 Nelson, P. J 267 Norris, Alfred E 269 Norton, Mrs. C. L. (Abigail Frost) TJ Olson, N. P 271 Page, Charles H 273 Paine, Mrs. S. S 44 Pease, Granville S 274 Peet, Ed L 2^6 Peteler, Colonel Francis 99 Porter, Robert B 57 Porter, Clarence B 279 Putnam, George W 106 Ridge, Joseph 286 Robbins, Silas C 63 Seelye, Henry E 291 Shumway, Fernando 17 Shumway, John 44 Shumway, Mrs. John 44 Steadman, Dr. Guy B 296 Sterling, Henry W 298 Stockwell, Sylvanus 74 Stockwell, S. A 301 Swanson, C. J 165 Taylor, Horace W 74 Taylor, Georgia (Mrs. Judson Davis) ^ Taylor, Matthew F 49 Ticknor, H. L 7° Varney, Angus W 77 Veidt, Henry 3°? Washburn, Hon. W. D 178 Wyman, George H 314 Yost, Yost 162 SOME FIRST THINGS. 1. First explorer — Louis Hennepin, 1680. 2. First mention of Runi river — By Jonathan Car- ver, who visited it in 1766. 3. First white residents — Joseph iielanoor and asso- ciates, i8-}4. 4. First house — A tradings: post huilt by Joseph Belang-er and associates for Wilham Aitkin, 1844. 5. First road — The Red River trail, crossing Rum river at the Upper Ford. 6. First potato crop — Raised by Capt. S. P. Folsom, 1848. 7. First corn crop — Raised by William Noot near Kingf's island, 1848. 8. First breaking for permanent cultivation — Six acres in front of I. W. Patch's house in the town of Ramsey. Broken by Cornelius Pitman, 1850. 9. First ferry across Rum river, 185 1. 10. First ferry across the Mississippi river — At Rice creek about 1854. 11. First ferry across the Mississippi at Anoka — Launched Sept. 11, 1855. 12. First bridge across Rum river — Built by Grin W. Rice, 1853. 13. First bridge across the Mississippi — Built by Horace Hcrton, 1884. 14- First sermon — Preached at the funeral of Mrs. Penuel Shumway, Jr., in July, 1851. 15. First resident clergyman — Rev. Royal Twitch- ell, who held services in the old trading post where he lived in 1852. 16. First religious organization — A Methodist class organized December 10, 1854. 17. First church — Built by the Congregational Soci- etv in 1857. It stood on the present site of St. Stephen's church. 18. First school — Taught by Miss Julia Woodman in the ''Old" Company Boarding House, winter 1853-4. 19. First school house — The "Third Avenue School House," built just south of the present Library Building, fall of 1855. 20. First dam on Rum river — Begun about August I, 1853- 21. The first saw mill — Began running in August, 1854. The power was supplied by the Anoka dam. The same year Charles Peltier built a saw mill in Centreville. 22. First flour mill — Begun about June i, 1854; completed in January, 1855 ; burned Feb. 24, 1855. 23. First store — That of Edward P. Shaw, built in the spring of 1854. Mr. Shaw sold goods to some extent, however, at his father's house in the fall of 1853. 24. First advertisement of a business concern — That of Edward P. Shaw's store, printed in the St. An- thony Express, June 17, 1854. 25. First singing school — Taught by Josiah F. Clark in the winter of 1855-6. 26. First Cornet Band — Organized in 1861. In- cluded in the membership were James Miller, W. W. Waterman, Harvey F. Blodgett, J. F. Clark, C. H. Houston, L. H. Hubbard, Elias Pratt, N. W. Curial and W. T. Miller. 27- First Library Association — Organized about May, 1859. 28. First newspaper — Anoka Republican, published by A. C. and E. A. Squire. The first issue appeared August 25, i860. 29. First white child born in the county — Fernando Shumway, born March 22, 1851. Died March 25, 1900. 30. First postofiice — Established at Itaska in May, 1852. 31. First postoffice at Anoka — Established in the winter of 1853. 32. First wedding — Harvey Richards and Laura Nichols, in the winter of 1855-6. History of Anoka County and towns of Champlin and Dayton. CHAPTER PREHISTORIC. The ancient inhabitants of North America generally known as ]\loun(l Builders have left nimierous traces of their existence in Anoka county and vicinity, but among these there are no ruined fortifications, such as exist in some parts of the country. This would seem to in- dicate the absence of enemies and perhaps a somewhat sparse population. Where the population was denser, as along the ]^Iississippi a few hundred miles farther south, there have been foimd some elaborate defensive works. The mounds which are found in this county are all constructed near a lake or a river, and seem to have held a place in some sacerdotal ceremony. One mound stands near the shore of Round lake in the town of Grow. Another mound covered with sturdy oak trees stands near the western shore of Boot lake in the town of Linwood. Several other mounds are found in Centreville. Two mounds were found in 2 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. ChampHn — one of them near the mouth of Ehn creek. In Isanti county there is a chain of nine mounds. Most of these mounds have been opened and found to con- tain skeletons of human beings as well as various relics of the past. The early settlers questioned the Indians in regard to these mounds, but here, as elsewhere, the latter denied all knowledge of their origin. The Indians did, however, sometimes use the mounds as burial places for their own dead. The Indian skeletons are usually not difficult to distinguish from those of the Mound Builders, as they are usually not deeply interred and are frequently accompanied by trinkets or old gun bar- rels, indicating traffic with white people. The idea that the Mound Builders were of the same race as the Indians seems to be gaining ground, but it is evident that their mode of life was totally different from that of the great majority of Indians existing in the United States at the time of the advent of the white race. We seem no nearer to fixing even an approximate date for this ancient semi-civilization than were those explorers who first noticed the earth works a century and a half ago. We can do little more than guess how the Mound Builder, without any beast of burden or knowledge of wheelbarrows, heaped up the earth, toiling up the slope with a basket on his back; what rites he celebrated upon the summit to propitiate the gods of the lake or stream; what quantities of the corn he tilled were taken from hinii by a ruling caste; and how at last the gathering tribes of the wilderness — ^barbarous but free — smote this incipient civilization to its downfall. THE riRST WHITE MEN. 3 THE FIRST WHITE MEN. The first white men known to have visited the land inchided in the present state of Minnesota were two French traders, Medart des Groselliers (pronounced Gro-zay-yay') and his brother-in-law, Pierre Radisson. Groselliers kept a diary of his travels, but on one oc- casion his canoe was upset and the record lost. Whether these two men ever set foot in Anoka county is not certain, but at all events they were very near it. In 1659 they journeyed from Quebec to La Pointe (now P)ayfield) on the south shore of Lake Superior, after- ward visiting the Huron villages between the Black and Chippewa rivers in what is now Wisconsin. They then made their way to the Sioux villages in what is now Kanabec county, Minnesota, where they spent the winter. They are also known to have crossed the Mississippi river not far from St. Anthony falls, either on this expedition or a few years later. [n 1662 they returned to Quebec, where their ac- count of their explorations excited a great deal of interest. In 1668 Groselliers and Radisson piloted an English vessel into Hudson's bay in the hope of dis- covering the long sought Northwest passage to the Pacific. This expedition led to the formation of the Hudson Bay Company in 1670. In 1665 a French priest. Father Claude Allouez, visited the western shores of Lake Superior and car- ried back to Quel:)ec the knowledge of a great river which the Chippeways called "Messipi." At this time the Oiibwavs or Chippeways, as they were universally called by the white settlers of later days, lived around the shores of Lake Superior and the other great lakes, Minnesota soil was almost wholly the "land of the Da- 4 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. cotahs" or Dakotas, as they called themselves. Their hostile neighbors, the Chippeways, called them Nad- ouessionx, which the white traders speedily shortened to Sioux (Soo), and by this name they continue to be popularly known, despite all attempts to revive the name Dakota. In 1679 Daniel Greysolon Du Luth entered Min- nesota by way of Lake Superior to trade with the In- dians and make explorations. The following spring Father Louis Llennepin, a Franciscan priest, and two companions, who had been sent by La Salle to explore the upper Mississippi, discovered St. Anthony Falls. The falls may have been seen by Groselliers and Rad- isson, but at all events it was Hennepin who made them known to the outside world. According to Hennepin's account he and his com- panions, Michael Ako (or Accault) and Picard Du Gay, were captured by a war party of about 120 Sioux while preparing a meal on the bank of the ^Mississippi somewhere below Lake Pepin. Not being able to understand a word of the Dakota tongue, they came near being murdered. But finally their captors decided to spare the lives of the three white men and to take them home and make slaves of them. The Sioux villages were at Mille Lacs. The red men and their captives paddled up the Mississippi to "within five or six leagues" of St. Anthony Falls, where the Indians hid their own canoes in a creek, destroyed the canoe belonging to the white men, and made the remainder of the journey on foot, much to the disgust of Hen- nepin, who nearly perished from fatigue on the way. He says : "Eight Leagues above the Fall of St. Anthony we THE FIRST WHITE MEN. 5 met with the River of the Issati or Nadouessians [Rum river], which is very narrow at the mouth. It comes out from the Lake of the Issati [Mille Lacs], lying about seventy Leagues from its Mouth. We called this River The River of St. Francis ; and it was in this place that we were made Slaves by the Issati."* The portioning out of the newly made slaves and most of their belongings probably took place within the present limits of Anoka county — possibly in Isanti cci.nty. The Indians made the division here because thf}- lived in villages at considerable distances apart, and those who lived farthest on were anxious to make sure of their portion before the nearest villages were rejiched. Otherwise the other Indians, reinforced by their friends at home, might claim the lion's share. The Isantis were a branch of the Dakota tribe. The captives arrived at Mille Lacs some time in May, 1680, and remained there until early in July, when they accompanied a party of Indians who were going down the Mississippi on a buffalo hunt. This time they camped opposite the mouth of Rum river on the present site of Champlin. and found the hunting in the vicinitv very p('Or. Hennepin says : "Four Days after our Departure to hunt the W'ild- Eulls the Barbarians made a Halt some eight Leagues alcove the Fall of St. Anthony of Padua, upon an Em- iu'-nce over against the River of St. Francis. The Savage Women prepar'd little Docks to build the new Cnrow's in. against the return of those who were gone for Bark. The Youth in the mean time went out to hunt tiK, Stag, the Wild-Goat and the Castor [beaver] ; but with so little Success that the Prey they brought home •English edition of Father Hennepin's Travels, London, 1698 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. was SO dispnoportionable to the Number that were to feed on't, that we had hardly every one a Mouthful. Happy the Man that once in four and twenty Hours ccvi'd get so much as a Sup of Broath. "This put the Picard and my self upon hunting after Gooseberries, and other wild Fruits, which often did us more harm than good. * * * This extreme Want made us take a Resolution, upon Michael Ako's refusing to accompany us, to venture ourselves in a little sorry Canow as far as the River Ouisconsin, which was at no less distance from us than 130 Leagues, to see if the Sieur de Salle had kept his Word with us ; For he had promised us positively to send men with Powder, and Lead and other Merchandizes, to the place which I have already mentioned : And of this he assured me more than once before his departure from the Illinois." The account goes on to describe the trip to the Wisconsin river, which was accompanied by many hard- ships and ended in disappointment, as no trace of any of ,La Salle's men could be found. However, after re- turning some distance up the Mississippi, the two white men fell in with the Sioux, who had had a successful hunt on the Buffalo river. After this Hennepin says the Indians descended the Mississippi about eighty leagues, hunting as they went. On July 28th they were much surprised to learn that there were five other white men in the vicinity. The strangers came where Hen- nepin and his party were, and proved to be Du Luth and his companions, who had made a portage from a branch of the St. Louis river to a branch of the St. Croix river, and by following the St. Croix to its mouth had reached the Mississippi. Du Luth was anxious to see the country of the Isantis, and all of the eight white 8 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. men accompanied the Sioux back to Mille Lacs. Here, according to Hennepin's narrative, was gathered the first crop sown by white men in the far west. He says : "We arrived at the Villages of the Issati on the 14th of August, 1680, where I found my Chalice very safe, with the Books and Papers which I had hid under- ground, in presence of the Savages themselves. These Wretches had never had so much as a thought to meddle with them, being fearful and superstitious in relation to Spirits, and believing there is Witchcraft in every thing they cannot apprehend. The Tobacco which I planted before our Departure, was half choak'd with Grass. But the Cabbage, and other things which I had sown, were of a prodigious growth. The Stalks of the Purslain were as big as Reeds : but the Savages were afraid so much as to taste them." Towards the end of September an agreement was made with the Indians that the white men should return to Canada and make arrangements for .a trading station somewhere on the Mississippi. At first the Indians were inclined to send some of their tribe with the ex- plorers, but on reflecting that the route lay through the country of their enemies, the idea was abandoned. Hen- nepin says : "In fine, Ouasicoude, their chief Captain, having con- sented to our Return in a full Council, gave us siome Bushels of Wild-Oats [wild rice], for our Subsistance by the way, having first regal'd us in the best manner he cou'd, after their fashion. We have already ob- serv'd, that these Oats are better and more wholsom then Rice. After this, with a Pencil, he mark'd down on a sheet of Paper which I had left, the Course that we were to keep for four hundred Leagues together. THF. FIRST WHITE MEN'. 9 Jn short, this natural Geographer described our Way so exactly that this Chart serv'd us as well as my Compass cou'd have done. For by observing it punctually, we arrived at the Place which we design'd, without losing our way in the least. "All things being ready, we disposed ourselves to depart, being eight Europeans of us . in all. We put our selves into two Canows, and took our leaves of our Friends, with a VoUy of our Men's Fusils, which put them into a terrible Fright. We fell down the River of St. Francis [Rum river] and then that of the Ales- chasipi. Two of our Men, without saying any thing, had taken down two Robes of Castor, from before the Fall of St. Anthony of Padua, where the Barbarians had hung them upon a Tree as a sort of Sacrifice. Hereupon arose a dispute between the Sieur du Luth and my self. I commended what they had done, saying. The Barbarians might judge by it, that we disapproved their Superstition. On the contrary, the Sieur du Luth maintan'd. That they ought to have let the things alone in that Place where they were, for that the Savages wou'd not fail to revenge the Affront which we had put upon them by this action, and that it was to be feared lest they shou'd pursue and insult us by the Way." lidwover. no ill results followed from the indis- creet conduct of the men. and the whole party reached the Wisconsin river in safety. From the Wisconsin thcv made a portage to the Fox river, and floated down the latter to Green Bay. On account of the ice ihey found it necessary to pass the winter at Machilimachinac (]\rackinaw) strait. In the spring Hennepin and his two original companions made their way through the sreat lakes bv canoe to the Niagara river and thence 10 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. to Fort Front enac on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, which was at that time the extreme western outpost of the French government in Canada. In 1685 De la Barre, then governor of Canada, sent Nicholas Perrot with twenty men to the upper Mis- sissippi. They spent the winter on the bank of the river above the present site of La Crosse, and in the spring built Fort St. Antoine on the east shore of Lake Pepin. Like all the early western forts, it was not a very formidable affair — a log house, surrounded by a stockade. The next year Perrot was with Du Luth at the Detroit river assisting in preventing English traders from entering the country west of Lake Michigan. In 1689 he returned to Lake Pepin and took formal pos- session of the country in the name of the king of France, but the same year Frontenac became governor of Canada, and the small garrison at Fort St. Antoine was ordered to be withdrawn. In the year 1700 Pierre Le Sueur, who was prob- ably with Perrot on Lake Pepin in 1689, ascended the Mississippi river from the Gulf of Mexico with about twentv-five men in a long boat provided with sails. He visited St. Anthony falls, and proceeded up the St. Pierre [Minnesota] river to the vicinity of the pres- ent site of Mankato. He built a fort on the Blue Earth river, which he named Fort L'Hullier, and drove sharp bargains with the Sioux who came to exchange furs for knives, tobacco and bullets. In the spring he loaded canoes with two tons of bluish-green mud, under the impression that it was copper ore, and transported it to the mouth of the Mississippi, whence it was shipped to' France. The next year (1702) Fort L'HulHer was THE FIRST WHITE MEN. II abandoned on account of the failure of supplies to reach the garrison and the hostility of the Sioux. During the first half of the Eighteenth century French traders frequently traversed the upper Missis- sippi valley, and Lake Pepin continued to be a favorite trading place. Exploration in the north was pushed to Rainy lake, to Lake of the Woods, and finally to Red river, where a fort was built in 1738. The English had established flourishing agricultural colonies along the Atlantic • coast. But the French had been more suc- cessful in gaining the friendship of the Indians, and the lucrative trade in furs was falling more and more into French hands. Most of the French traders took Indian wives, partly for safely and partly because there were no white women in the country in which they passed their lives. The half-bloods born of these mar- riages took naturally to the trade of their fathers, and cemented the ties which bound the Indians to the French. New France had spread not only over the valley of the St. Lawrence and the borders of the great lakes, but over the vallevs of the Mississippi and the Ohio. The English-speaking settlers chafed under the growing French encroachments, and war broke out at last. Brad- dock suffered a crushing defeat in 1755, and his army was only saved from destruction by the energy of Wash- ington. But the English occupation was of a more compact and solid character than that of their adversaries, and under the leadership of better generals the English cause began to mend. Quebec fell in 1759, and French supremacv received its death blow as Wolfe and Mont- calm poured out their life blood on the plains of Abra- ham. CHAPTER 11. CARVER AND PIKE. The Northwest was now opened to Enghsh explorers and traders. The treaty of peace was signed in 1763, and three years later Captain Jonathan Carver, a native of Connecticut, who had been in the provincial anny, started on an exploring tour to the upper Mississippi. He followed the usual canoe route by w-ay of Green Bay and the Fox river and thence by portage to the Wisconsin river. A few miles above the junction of the Wisconsin river with the Mississippi the Indian tribe of Foxes had built a considerable town, to which the French had already given, the name of Prairie du Chien. From this place Carver proceeded up the Mississippi in a canoe. He was accompanied by a Canadian trader and a Mohawk Indian. November 17th, 1766, the party had reached St. Anthony falls. Carver says : "As the season was so advanced, and the weather extremely cold, I was not able to make so many ob- servations on these parts as I otherwise should have done. It might however, perhaps, be necessary to ob- serve, that in a little tour I made about the Falls, after travelling fourteen miles, by the side of the ^Mississippi. I came to a river nearly twenty yards wide, which ran from the north-east, called Rum river." Carver undoubtedly translated the Chippewav name. It can hardly have been "called Rum river" by any 14 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Others than the Indians, as Carver states that no one but himself and Hennepin had ever explored the Mis- sissippi as far north as the mouth of the "St. Francis" river. The Chippeway name for the river is usually written Isko de Wabo, but the pronunciation as pre- served by white settlers sounds more like Skoot-a-wau'- boo, and its meaning is broader than Carver's transla- tion would indicate, viz. : liquor ; broth ; or any beverage. However, Carver's name has persistently stuck to the stream, notwithstanding some determined efforts to change it. The weather being cold, Carver mistook a stream or lake some forty miles further north for the river which Hennepin had named St. Francis. He also says that he explored the St. Pierre [Minnesota] river tO' a distance of two hundred miles above its mouth. Carver conceived a plan for some extensive trading operations. He expected to build a fort on Lake Pepin and thought he might be able to reach a branch of the Missouri river by following the Minnesota river to its source, and thence by portage get into the "Oregon" or some stream which flowed into the Pacific ocean. He went to England in search of financial assistance, but before the necessary funds could be raised the whole plan was overthrown by the news that a battle had been fought at Lexington and that the American col- onies were ablaze with revolt. In 1803 the province of Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France. That part of I^^in- nesota west of the Mississippi river was a part of that province. President Jefferson determined to send an expedition up the Mississippi. The man selected for CAR\ER AND PIKE. 1 5 chief of the party was a young lieutenant named Zeb- ubn M. Pike. September 21st, 1805, Pike had reached the present site of St. Paul. Two days later he had a conference with the Sioux, at their village near Mcn- dota, and received from them a grant of a large tract of land for military purposes, including the present Fort Snelling reservation and extending above St. Anthonv falls. He then procured a barge from a trader on the Min- nesota river. His men were two days dragging the barge around St. Anthony falls, but it w^as finally launched in the river above. September 30th he camped on Nicollet or Hennepin island, and preparations were made for a trip up the river. Many of the streams and lakes which he visited in the wilderness were already known by the names which they still bear. Pike makes no mention of Rum river on the upward trip, but October 4th he says he was opposite the mouth of Crow river, where he found a canoe cut to pieces with tomahawks and with paddles broken, and concluded that there had been a fight between Sioux and Chippeways. Pike erected a block house near Swan river in what is now Morrison county, at which he left his barge and part of his baggage in charge of a sergeant and a squad of men. In December he pushed on with sleds to the Indian villages on the northern lakes. During the century and a quarter which had elapsed since the visit of Du Luth there had been a considerable change in the location of the Indian tribes. In Du Luth's time the Chippeways dwelt around the shores of Lake Superior and eastward. The northern lakes from Sandy lake and ]\Iille Lacs to Leach and Cass lakes and prob- ablv to Red lake, were the home of the Sioux. Xortli of l6 HISTORY OF AN-QKA COUXTV. them were the Assiniboines. The French traders who followed Groselliers and Du Luth on Lake Superior taught the Chippeways the use of the white man's weap- ons, and when a sprinkling of the latter had procured guns, they fell on their Sioux neighbors and fiercely renewed that deadly feud which kept the two nations in almost constant war imtil the wave of white settlement swept between and around them and put an end to the conflict. Armed for the most part with the ancient bows and arrows, the Isantis and the other Sioux tribes in the region of the "thousand lakes" were unable to cope with the invaders, and retreated to the south.ward, and a considerable body of them are said to have established diemselves on Rice creek in what is now the town of "^ridley and thence eastward toward the St. Croix river. In what is now Centreville and Columbus and in Chi- sago, Washington and north Ramsey counties they found rice lakes similar to those in the region from which they had retreated. The loss of the "thousand lake" region was a serious blow to the Dakota tribes. The importance of the rice lakes in the Indian economy was well expressed at a much later time by a Chippeway orator who was urged to sign an agreement for the removal of his tribe from one of the northern lakes to the White Earth reserva- :ion. This lake, he said in substance, is our pantry. It supplies us with rice, and also with fish. It is the home of the ducks and the geese, which eat the rice which we are unable to gather. It is the home of the musk rats, which furnish us with furs, and, if meat is scarce, with food. And then dropping into a characteristic train of thought, he continued : CARVER AND PIKE. \J "I shall not g-o to White Earth. Not unless the white men can move the lake down there. And if they should try that I am sure they would spill the water all out. I will never sign the agreement." At the time of Pike's visit the Mille Lacs region was all included in the Chippeway country. At a later period the Sioux passed still farther southward, occupying- the valley of the Minnesota river. Pike found Sioux as far north as his block house near Swan river. Sioux would not have been likely to venture into that region in 1845. After the middle of the century Sioux were seldom found east of the Mississippi. During the winter Pike had conferences with the Chippeways, who promised to accede to his requests, one of which was that they should make peace with the Sioux. In the spring (1806) Pike started on his return trip down the river. The principal trader on the j\Iis- sissippi above St. Anthony falls at this time was Rob- ert Dickson. April loth Pike sailed past the mouth of Rum river at seven o'clock in the morning and an hour later found one of Colonel Dickson's clerks with a band of six or seven lodges of Fol Avoins (a branch of the Chippeway tribe), who had passed the winter on Rum river. In 1813 a colony sent out by Lord Selkirk and con- sisting at first mostly of Scotch immigrants, settled on Red river just north of the American boundary line. The Northwest Company, which at that time was the prin- cipal trading company in that region, became alarmed at the prospect of competition in the trade with the Indians, and made desperate attempts to break up the colony, When otlier means of getting- rid of the new comers failed several of them were killed, and the rest so bar- l8 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. riecl that they agreed to leave the country. But most of the colonists afterward returned, and were joined later by some Swiss immigrants who had been induced by Lord Selkirk's agent to try their fortunes in the far west. In 1818 the land east of the Mississippi and north of the new state of Illinois was included in the territory of Michigan, and in October of that year Governor Lewis Cass by proclamation fixed the boundaries of the immense county of Crawford, which contained a consid- erable portion of the present states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The county seat was at Prairie du Chien, at which point there was a fort called Fort Crawford. The next year Colonel Leavenworth of the United States army was ordered tO' garrison Fort Crawford and then to proceed to the mouth of the St. Peters (Minnesota) river, and there construct a fort on the land secured from the Indians by Lieutenant Pike. The new fort was at first called Fort St. Anthony, but the name was after- ward changed to Fort Snelling in honor of Colonel Snell- ing, who was for some years its commandant. In 1 82 1 soldiers from the temporary barracks near Mendota cut pine logs on Stanchfield brook about a mile above its mouth in the present county of Isanti, which were floated down the Rum and Mississippi rivers and over St. Anthony falls, and used in the construction of the buildings at the fort. About the same time a government mill was constructed on- the west side of St. Anthony falls, but was not completed in time to assist in cutting the lumber for the fort. In 1823 this mill was fitted up with a run of stone for grinding corn and wheat. THE BATTLE OF RUM RIVER. I9 In 1820 Governor Cass set out with a party of about forty persons to make some explorations in the western part of his territory. He proceeded by boat to the west end of Lake Superior and thence by canoes to Sandy lake. July 21st the party reached a lake which was at that time supposed to be the source of the Mississippi, and which was named Cass lake in honor of the dis- tinguished visitor. Descending the Mississippi, the 28th of July was spent in a buffalo hunt between Little Falls and Elk river. THE BATTLE OF RUM RIVER. In the spring of 1839 some eight hundred Chippe- ways assembled at Fort Snelling. Believing that they were to receive their annuities at that point, the men had brought their wives and children with them. Find- ing that the annuities were not fortlicoming, they made preparations to return home. Meanwhile the Sioux liv- irtg in the vicinity of the fort visited the Chippeway camp, and were hospitably received and invited to par- ticipate in the feasting, drinking and dancing going on, which invitation was accepted. July first the two tribes smoked the peace pipe and the Chippeways began their homeward journey, some ascending the Mississippi river and some going by way of the St. Croix. Among the Chippeways were two young men whose father had been murdered by some Sioux near the fort the previous year, and they took advantage of the opportunity to visit and weep over their father's grave. The thoughts of their murdered parent kindled a desire for vengeance, and on the night of July ist they placed themselves in am- bush on a trail which led past Lake Harriet. Early 20 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. the next morning they shot and scalped a Sioux known as "Badger." The friends of the victim soon heard of the occurrence and brought the body home, wrapped in a blanket. Yeetkadootah, a relative of the dead man, removed the ornaments from the corpse, kissed it, and said he would die for it. His appeals for revenge roused the war spirit, and in a very short time he found him'self at the head of a party eager for the fray, each member of which bound himself to take no captives, but to kill all whom his weapons might reach. The warriors crossed the Mississippi at Fort Snelling and followed the trail of one of the Chippeway bands up that river on the east side to Rum river, which they reached on the third day of July. The Chippeways were not expecting any trouble. They probably had not even heard of the mur- der, which had been committed after their departure from the fort. Their camp was pitched northwest of Round lake on ground now occupied by the farm upon which Andrew J. Smith lived many years. Here, within sight of the mound which told of the people who had lived beside the beautiful lake centuries before, occurred one of the bloodiest battles that marks the long feud between the Sioux and Chippeway tribes. The fight took place before sunrise on the fourth of July, and the appearance of the ground when first seen by white men would seem to indicate that the Chippe- ways were surprised in their sleep, and that many of themi were butchered where they lay. Those who were able to grasp their weapons made a desperate resistance, but succumbed to overwhelming numbers. Yeetkadoo- tah galloped on horseback to a wounded Chippeway and dismounted to take his scalp, but the injured warrior THE BATTLE OF RUM RIVER. 21 summoned all his remaining strength and succeeded in shooting the Sioux leader through the neck. It is related that during the stay of the Chippeway band at Fort Snelling a young Sioux brave had been enamoured v^^ith a Chippeway maiden, and that in the midst of the battle he found his arm upraised to slay her to whom he had paid his devotions. She begged to be his captive, but he had taken an oath to take no captives. He pressed forward to avoid the harsh alter- native, and in a moment the girl's head was cleft by the tomahawk of one behind him. About ninety Chip- peways were killed and wounded in this battle. Daniel Stanchfield, the pioneer lumberman, accident- ally discovered the battle field while exploring for a road up Rum river in September, 1847. The skeletons were somewha.t blackened by prairie fires and most of them lay in little groups, where hand to hand encoun- ters seem to have taken place. Mr. Stanchfield gathered forty or fifty skulls and piled them up in the form of a pyramid. Silas C. Robbins went over the ground in the sum- mer of 1856. Many blackened bones were still visible, and J\Ir, Robbins found one complete skeleton of a war- rior with the head still resting upon the arm. Beside the skeleton lay the gun (an old flint lock) the charred rem- nant of a paddle, a knife, and the remains of a bead sack about a foot square, containing a bullet mold, a few three-cornered arrow heads, a pair of scissors, a big iron spoon and an extra flint for the gun. Mr. Rob- bins took the gun home, had it remodeled for percus- sion caps and the half burned stock renewed, and it did excellent service in after vears. CHAPTER III. THE FIRST HOUSE. Early residents of Anoka remember a log house which stood on the east side of Rum river near its mouth. Several cellars are still visible near the spot where it stood. This was the first house built in Anoka county. It was built in the fall of 1844 for an Indian trading- post, by direction of Wililam Aitkin, who had been for many years a trader of the upper Mississippi and who at that time had his headquarters at Sandy lake. The building was constructed by a French trader named Josei)h Belanger, assisted by George Cournoyer, Pierre Crevier, Joseph Brunet and Maxime Maxwell. The men cut the logs on the point between the two rivers and car- ried them on their shoulders to the place where the house was to be built. The house was divided by a partition, one room being designed for a living room and the other to be used as a store room for the goods. In October Mr. Aitkin came to inspect the new post, and left his clerk, Mr. Crebassa in charge of the stock of goods, which had been procured from H. H. Sibley's trading post at Mendota. Neighbors were few and far between in those days. The nearest house on the north was probably Allan Morrison's trading post at Crow Wing. Back from the Mississippi the country had not yet been explored. Aside 24 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. from the Indian traders and the soldiers at Fort Snell- ing, there were very few white people within the pres- ent limits of Minnesota in 1844. There were a few white settlers in the valley of the St. Croix river, and a few around Mendota and the fort. There were two claim shanties on the east side of St. Anthony falls and no other building near except the ruin of the old gov- ernment mill on the west side. On the present site of St. Paul were two or three log shanties, whose occu- pants were principally engaged in selling whiskey to the Indians. Mr. Belanger and his four assistants made the Rum river post their headquarters during the winter. The work was very hard. The men carried the goods out on their backs in great packs held in place by a strap passing around the forehead. A man was expected to carry two "pieces" (240 pounds), and his load must be at an appointed spot before daylight the next morning. Some "pieces" were more difficult to carry than others. For instance, a keg of powder in a "piece" would be likely to render it very unwieldy. If a man foimd it impossible to carry more than one "piece," he would have to make another trip during the night with the second one, in order to be ready for the next day's jour- ney in the morning. Two men always traveled together for safety, and the fifth man stayed with the clerk at the post. In this way a large section of country was cov- ered, the men trading sometimes as far away as Mille Lacs. The boundary line between the Sioux and Chip- peways had been fixed by treaty at "Choking creek," (wherever that may be), one day's march north of the mouth of Rum river, running thence westward to the Mississippi at the mouth of the Watab river a few miles THE FIRST HOUSE. 25 above Sauk Rapids, and eastward to the St. Croix and thence to the Chippewa river in Wisconsin. But the Indians paid no attention whatever to these boundary Hnes. For all practical purposes Anoka county was then Chippeway country, later becoming a sort of neutral ground, in which members of neither tribe dared remain for any length of time unless on the war path. Con- sequently wild game congregated within its limits, and the earliest white settlers found it an unexcelled hunt- ing ground. Sioux territory could hardly be said to extend farther north than the Minnesota valley, and Sioux seldom crossed Crow river. The trading was, therefore, almost entirely with Chippeways. If the trad- ers came to a teepee whose owner was absent, this fact Vv"as not necessarily permitted to interfere with commer- cial operations. The scale of exchange was pretty well es- tablished — so much powder and shot and lead for so many furs of a certain kind — and the owner on his return would be perfectly satisfied to find his p^lts gone and the proper proportion of ammunition left in their stead. The trading post itself was often surrounded by tepees, numbering from half a dozen to twenty or more, whose owners had come in to trade. In the spring the trading post was abandoned for the time being, but during the next winter was again oc- cupied by Mr. Belanger and his associates, trading as before in the interest of Mr. Aitkin. The second winter a shanty was erected on the bank of Rum river near the place where the railroad bridges now cross it. This was used by the men as a temporary stopping place on long excursions. Xo goods were ever stored here. After the second winter Mr. Aitkin gave up his Rum river enter- 26 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. prise, and the men repaired to Mendota in the spring, where they were paid off and discharged. Joseph Belanger, who built the first house in Anoka county, and who may in a certain sense be called its first settler, was born at St. Michel d'Yamaska, Province of Quebec, June loth, 1813. In 1836 he joined a party of ninety-three men, who were going west in the service of the American Fur Co. Norman W. Kittson, then fifteen or sixteen years of age, also formed one of the party. The means of transportation were but little improved since the time of the expeditions of La Salle and Hen- nepin, and the party made the journey to the Mississippi in canoes over the route which Father Hennepin had taken on his return trip. The canoes crept along the shores of Lake Ontario to the Niagara river, and a portage was made around the falls. Having entered Lake Erie, persistent paddling day after day brought the voyageurs to the Detroit river, through which they passed to Lake St. Clair, and through the St. Clair river and Lake Huron to Mackinaw strait. At this point three men deserted. The others kept on down Lake Michigan, through Green Bay and up the Fox river to Fort Winnebago, where another portatge was made to the Wisconsin river, after which the canoes floated without much effort on the part of their occupants down to the Mississippi. At Prairie du Chien the traders drew lots for sta- tions and Mr. Belanger drew a station on Lake Superior. One of the men who had drawn a ticket for the Yellow- stone river was greatly disheartened at the idea of being sent into that remote and almost unexplored region, and when the young and venturesome Belanger offered to JOSEPH BELANGER. First white resident of Anoka countj-. 28 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. trade tickets with him, he gladly consented to turn over the two suits of clothes allowed him by the company as a partial consideration for the exchange. After two years in the wilderness of the far West Mr. Belanger re- turned to the Mississippi river. In i'842, when the Amer- ican Fur Company failed, he was in Prairie du Chien. The traders who had lost their hard-earned wages wanted to kill Joseph Rolette, who was then the company's agent at that point, and Rolette concealed himself for more than two months on an island in the river, where Mr. Belanger occasionally took food to him secretly. After his engagement with Mr. Aitkin at the Rum river trading post Mr. Belanger crossed into what is now Wis- consin, and built the first house in Chippewa Falls. Later he engaged in rafting lumber from Stillwater to St. Louis, and then acted as a steamboat pilot on the Mis- sissippi river for some twelve years. Mr. Belanger was a continuous resident of Minnesota from 1856 until the time of his death. He was a man without education, except such as comes from contact with the frontier. The portrait shown in this volume is from a photograph taken in 1900, at the age of eighty-seven. When seen bv the writer in that year his eyesight had begun to fail. It seemed pathetic that the intrepid trader who had found his way through trackless wilds swarming with hostile Indians to the Yellowstone valley in 1837, should be unable to find his way about the streets of St. Paul without a guide. In 1846 Peter and Francis Patoille repaired the old trading post at Rum river and began trading with the Indians. Just how long they remained is uncertain. Thomas A. Holmes was the next trader to try his fortune rt the mouth of Rum river. He came there THE FIRST HOUSE. 29 in the spring of 1847. It is possible that the old Be- langer house had been destroyed by this time and that Holmes erected a new log house on the same site, but it is more likely that he repaired and enlarged the build- ing which was already there, erecting a wing on each side, which gave him quite a commodious residence. Late in the summer Aaron Betts and wife lived in the house with Holmes. The same year John Banfil made a claim on Rice creek and kept a tavern for the accom- modation of travelers. William Noot located just below King's island (known then as the "big island") during the summer of 1847, ^"^^ living with him was a German count who had fled from the old country for political reasons. During this year also Franklin Steele, who had acquired the water power on the east side of St. An- thony falls partly by preemption and partly by purchase, decided to build a dam and saw mill at that point. Caleb D. Dorr, who was then one of the half dozen residents of St. Anthony village, went up the Mississippi to pro- cure timber to be used in constructing the dam, and on the first day of September Daniel Stanchfield started with a crew of men from St. Anthony to go up Rum river for a like purpose. While exploring for a suit- able road up Rum river, Mr. Stanchfield came upon the Indian battle field of 1839, ^^ already stated. He cut the logs in what is now Isanti county about a mile above the mouth of the stream which has since been known as Stanchfield brook. Mr. Stanchfield got his logs to the mouth of Rum river the first week in November. Mr. Dorr cut his timber on the Mississippi about three miles below Little Falls, and got back to Rum river on the same day that Mr. Stanchfield arrived there. William A. Cheever also stopped at the Rum 30 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. river post that night. Anchor ice had begun to run in the Alississippi, and during the night snow began to fall. Suddenly the whole party were roused by the breaking of Stanchfield's boom, and rushed out in time to see the logs whirling and grinding against each other in a mad race for the open Mississippi, Mr. Dorr was more fortunate with his timber, most of which he saved and delivered safely at the St. An- thony dam the next spring. In the winter Holmes sold the Rum river post to Patrick Caine ; and Captain Simeon P. Folsom, who was then living in St. Paul, purchased half of Caine's interest and moved to the place with his wife about the middle of February, 1848. Provisions were scarce and high. Captain Folsom paid $4 for a barrel of po- tatoes at Fort Snelling in the spring of 1848. He pared them carefully so as to preserve the eyes, and after eating the potatoes planted the parings near his home at Rum river. On a small patch of ground, half the size of a city lot he raised forty bushels of potatoes, which grew from these parings. Mr. Noot also raised some very good corn and a few beans at King's island. These were the first crops raised in Anoka county. In the spring of 1847, the count heard of an uprising in his native country, and left in haste for Europe, leaving a valuable horse and some other property with the Noots. In 1840 the Winnebago Indians had been removed from their ancient home in what is now Wisconsin be- yond the Mississippi to land since included in the state of Iowa. But white men were now casting longing eyes upon this land also, and after much persuasion and negotiation the Chippeways had been induced to grant THE FIRST HOUSE. 31 land in the vicinity of Long Prairie in what is now Min- nesota for the use of the Winnebagoes, and the latter had agreed to remove thither in 1848. But when the time came for the removal the Indians were very re- luctant to go. Edmund Rice had undertaken the task of transferring them to their new home. Mr. Rice suc- ceeded in getting most of them as far as the Sioux vil- lage presided over by Chief Wabasha, by steamboat. The old Dakota chief sympathised with the new comers and finally sold them the site of the present city of Winona. Here the Winnebagoes camped and refused to move another rod. Troops were hastily summoned from Fort Snelling, and after a considerable show of force those of the Indians who had not run away were bundled into steamboats and taken to St. Paul. From this point the Winnebagoes and their military escort marched up the Mississippi on foot. The Indians had heard of Rum river and believed that intoxicants must be plentiful there. Consequently, those who were provided with ponies pushed on ahead, and reached the river before the main body had got much beyond St. Anthony falls. Captain Folsom understood the Win- nebago language and recognized a number of the In- dians, whom he had known in 1840 at the time of their former migration. But he had nO' whiskey for them. At the "big island" they had better success. Noot had two barrels of whiskey ; but as soon as the Indians found he had it they proceeeded to help themselves without ceremony. They locked Noot in the barn and his wife and child in the house, and then proceeded to get riotously drunk. 2,2 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. , Noot had a yoke of oxen, and had agreed to haul some hay for Captain Folsom. The latter went up toward the island in the morning to see about hauling the hay and met Indians in all stages of intoxication. They had whiskey in all sorts of receptacles. One had a pan half full before him on his horse, and every few minutes bent his head down and took a drink. An- other had filled up an empty powder can. One had two cans tied at the ends of a rope thrown across his horse's neck, and these clanked together at every step. It took considerable courage to face a mob of drunken savages, but Captain Folsom was determined to ascer- tain what had become of the Noots. When he came in sight of the cabin he heard Noot and his wife calling for help. Just then there came up a chief named Whis- tling Thunder, whom Captain Folsom had known in Wisconsin, and Folsom said to him : "What is going on here?" "You mustn't go down there," said the chief. "See here, chief," said Captain Folsom in the Win- nebago tongue, "no brave man will ever lock up a woman." "We-chook-a-nig-era says no brave man will lock up a woman," repeated the chief to his followers. This appeal to the Indians to save their reputation for courage proved effectual, and the cabin door was im- mediately unfastened. Mrs. Noot came out with her child, and ran oi¥ into the brush. As a means of gaining the good will of the redskins Captain Folsom set before them the remainder of the whiskey in the barrel which they had seized. One of the Indians, who was in an advanced state of intoxication was recklessly firing his gun, to the imminent danger THE FIRST HOUSE. 33 of everybody within range. Captain Folsom succeeded in convincing the others that this ought not to be per- mitted, and so the offender was tied up in such a man- ner as to put a stop to this form of .hilarity. Folsom next visited the barn, where Noot was mak- ing piteous appeals to be released. SIMEON P. FOLSOM. "That door has got to be opened," said he firmly. Finding that Folsom was thoroughly in earnest, the Indians went away, and the captain unfastened the door of the barn where Noot was confined. He then pro- cured an ax and stove in the head of the remaining 34 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. barrel of whiskey. Noot was disposed to bemoan the loss of his liquor, but Folsom said to him: "You are very foolish to begrudge an old barrel of whiskey. Don't you know that your life is at stake here?" Noot ran over on the island calling to his wife, but Captain Folsom finally found her at the mouth of Rum river, whither she had fled with the heavy child in her arms. The only boat Folsom had was a leaky birch bark canoe, and before he could get Mrs. Noot and the child into it the Indians appeared. They were firing their guns in drunken glee. Some of them tried to enter the canoe, but the captain ordered them away, push- ing one back forcibly, and finally succeeded in getting his canoe launched. Having safely landed Mrs. Noot and the child near his own house he heard Noot calling from the shore he had just left: "Meester Folsom! Meester Folsom!" There was nothing tO' be done but to make another trip, and try to save the man from the reckless savages. When the captain got back to the west shore he found that Whistling Thunder had also arrived. Again a half drunken Indian attempted to enter the boat. But the rebuke of his chief was forcible and eflfective. Whis- tling Thunder gave the bending figure of the savage a sound kick under the chin, which sent him sprawling on his back, and Folsom sped away with his passenger to the east side. Then Whistling Thunder himself decided that it would be very much safer to put the river between him- self and his unruly followers until they had had an op- portunity to sleep ofif their debauch, and begged Folsom THE FIRST HOUSE. 35 to come and get him. The captain was not at all averse to the presence of so stalwart an ally, and again braving the river in his crazy craft, he brought the chief over in safety, and the whole party slept that night in Captain Folsom's house, exhausted with their exertions, but feeling tolerably safe from the intrusion of the drunken crew who were making night hideous on the farther shore. Noot's experience with the W'innebagoes seems to have dampened his enthusiasm for frontier life. He afterward went to St. Paul, where he became possessed of eighty acres of land. This having risen hi value on account of the growth of the city, he became quite well oft. Some time later he served a term in the legislature. Captain Folsom cut a great deal of hay in the sum- mer of 1848, which he sold at a profit of some $6,000. All the supplies for the Winnebagoes had to be hauled to Long Prairie. A considerable amount of these sup- plies had been stored at r'anfil's, on Rice creek. The teams had to be fed. Captain Folsom had the best hay on the upper Mississippi and the most of it, and could command a gcod price. In the fall of 1848 he removed to Elk river. Captain Folsom and Caleb D. Dorr were both pres- ent at the Anoka street fair in 1904, and regaled the citizens with many anecdotes of pre-territorial days. The settlement of the Winnebagoes at Long Prairie greatly increased the amount of travel up and down the river, and there sprang up along the route between that point and St. Paul a series of taverns and trading posts, many of them with farms attached. Bloodgood settled on Coon creek. Joseph Brown located at Big lake, and Burgess at Big Meadow, eight or ten miles 36 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. north of Big lake. There was also a settler at Clear lake still farther north, and there were a number of settlers at or near Sauk Rapids. Allan Morrison was still at Crow Wing, where he had had a trading post for some twenty years. The Winnebagoes were very much dissatisfied with their home at Long Prairie. They complained bitterly of the scarcity of game, and often large bands of the tribe would descend the Mississippi to Crow river for the purpose of hunting and fishing on the neutral lands between the Chippeways and Sioux. In order to keep the Indians under some sort of restraint, the govern- ment decided to establish a fort on the upper Mississippi, and in 1848 Gen. George M. Brooks located the new fort between Sauk Rapids and Crow Wing. It was first known as Fort Marcy, but later as Fort Gaines, and finally as Fort Ripley. A considerable band of Winnebagoes established themselves at and near the mouth of Crow river, from which place they roamed through the adjacent country in search of sustenance. One of their trails ran through the northern part of what is now the town of Ramsey, crossing Rum river about a mile and a quarter above Trott brook and below the mouth of Cedar creek, and running thence to Lake George, where the fishing was excellent, and where deer came to feed in great numbers. Some parts of this trail were afterward used as a road bv the earlv settlers, and it was visible for manv vears. CHAPTER IV. TRADERS AND PROSPECTORS. The first lumbering done on Rum river was in the winter of 1848-9. The work was done by Daniel Stanch- field, with Sumner W. Farnliam as foreman of one of his two crews. The logs were cut on Stanchfield brook to the amunt of 2,200,000 feet, and driven down to the St. Anthony mill. Mr. Stanchfield found the ruins of the old camp where the soldiers had cut logs for the construction of Fort Snelling in 1821, and located one of his own camps within a hundred feet of it. In 1846 Congress had authorized the calling of a constitutional convention in Wisconsin territory, prepar- atory to the admission of the state of Wisconsin into the Union. W' hen the convention met a number of its mem- bers wished to make Rum river the western boundary of the new state. The influential citizens of St. Paul and the St. Croix valley were alarmed at the prospect of thus becoming a tail of the Wisconsin kite, and a memorial was hastily prepared and forwarded to Wash- ington, protesting against the proposed boundary, with the result that the St. Croix river became the w^estern boundary of Wisconsin. A convention to represent what w^as left of the old A\'isconsin territory was called to meet at Stillwater in August, 1848, and H. H. Sibley was elected as delegate to congress. In this convention N. B. Ferrell and P. Flvnn were admitted as delegates 38 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. from "Rum river." The absurdity of their position will be appreciated when it is understood that there was probably not a single white resident anywhere on Rum river at this time, Captain Folsom having moved to Elk river and William Noot to St. Paul. The two as- sumed delegates lived at St. Anthony. In the fall of 1848 or spring of 1849 Antoine Robert (pronounced Ro'-bare) established himself with his fam- ily in the Rum river trading post, and associated with him was William Dahl, who came down from Red river. An act of Congress organizing the teritory of Min- nesota was passed March 3d, 1849. St. Paul was made the capital, and Alexander Ramsey of Pennsylvania ap- pointed governor. In April James M. Goodhue printed the first newspaper in the territory, the St. Paul Pioneer. Population poured in with every steamboat arrival. April 27tli John H. Stevens, who afterward built the first house in Minneapolis (west of the Mississippi), came with a dozen of his neighbors from Rock River, Illinois. Ascending the Mississippi from St. Paul, they could find no place where they could stop for the night at St. Anthony, and were obliged to push on to Banfil's on Rice creek in order to find sleeping accommodations. At noon the next day the party arrived at Rum river and were ferried across by William Dahl, who directed them to "the big island" (King's island) as a suitable camping place. During the afternoon members of the party searched the shore of the Mississippi down as far as Rum river for bottom lands and hay meadows. Of course they found no hay, and they shook their heads at the sandy soil over which they passed. Stevens acci- entally discovered some remains of Noot's farming op- erations the previous year, and a little search disclosed TRADERS AND PROSPECTORS. 39 part of the crop hidden under a brush pile. The claim hunters were surprised to see such large ears of corn. "Upon this discovery," says Mr Stevens, "I made up my mind that the soil might be light, but if it pro- duced such corn it was good enough for me." Most of the party still protested against locating on such light soil, and all but Mr. Stevens and one other returned in disgust to Illinois. And yet a more thorough investigation would have led to the discovery that one man had made $6,000 from the hay crop in that vicinity the previous year. Mr. Stevens returned to St. Paul and hunted up Noot and gave him $200 for his claim, which laid the foundation of a considerable fortune which Noot afterward acquired. Mr. Stevens, however, never received much value for his money. He cut a few logs on the island, but soon after located on the Minneapolis town site, and his riglits in the King's island property were suffered to lapse. In the fall of 1849 John R. Bean and John Simpson established a camp on the island since called Cloutier's island in the Mississippi opposite the present town of Ramsey, for the purpose of traffic with the Winnebago Indians. They carried on a lively trade and the next spring built a log house on the main land near the river upon what is now the farm of C. G. Richardson. Thomas A. Holmes and James Beatty visited the trad- ing post on the island, observed the thriving business, and determined to secure a share of the trade. They accordingly 1)uilt a log house the same fall (1849) "i-'ar the present station of Itaska and put in a stock of goods suitable for the purpose. The Winnebagoes were an oflfshoot of the Sioux tribe, and all of the Indians were aware of that fact. 40 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. They were settled upon land which had been obtained as a concession from the Chippeways. But race prejudice was SO strong among them that in petty disputes between the two large tribes they were constantly inclined to side with the Sioux. Finally a Chippeway was killed by Win- nebagoes and a sanigviinary conflict seemed imminent. The Winnebagoes hastily transferred their families or a large number of them from Long Prairie to Itaska, where they dug deep pits and threw up breastworks on a piece of ground covering several acres, upon what was afterward the farm of Charles E. Bowers. The spot was upon a steep bank of the Mississippi and com- manded a view of the river from both directions. The earth works are still plainly visible. The trouble was finally adjusted and no battle took place. An unfailing object of interest to new comers in the territory was the Red river cart, which was the only vehicle, and its track the only road, through hundreds of miles of the northern wilderness. This cart was a two- wheeled contrivance made entirely of wood and green hides, fastened together with thongs and sinews. No iron or metal of any sort entered into its composition. Two poles from which the bark had been stripped served as thills, and between these was harnessed a pony, or more frequently an ox, always driven single. Moving in caravans of fifty to two hundred carts, in single file, fording and swimming the rivers, and following a tort- uous trail at a pace set by the foremost ox, the Indians and half-breeds of the Red river country conveyed their furs and buffalo hides, tongues and pemmican to St. Paul, where traders were eager to outbid the grasping Hudson Bay Company. The sound produced by wooden wheels turning on wooden axles, without the smallest 42 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. particle of grease to ease the friction, can only be com- pared to that proceeding from a group of swine whose lunch is half an hour overdue. Remembering that wheels, unlike pigs, are under no obligation to stop for breath, and multiplying the shrill and long drawn out wail by a hundred and upward, one may form a tolerably accu- rate idea of the music which heralded for miles around the approach of the Red river train. The trail ran from St. Anthony up through what is now Fridley and the town of Anoka, leaving the river near the old Jared Benson place, and striking across the prairie to the Upper Ford, where the State Insane Asylum buildings are now located. Thence it struck into what is now the river road just below where I. A. Harthorn's house now is. During the time of the Civil War railroads began to creep over Minnesota and the Red river caravans grew shorter and less numerous, and finally ceased altogether to visit St. Paul and Minneapolis about 1868. During the summer of 1849 the fur company whose Minnesota representative was Henry M. Rice constructed a tow boat to run above St. Anthony falls, and several trips were made by this boat, conveying a hundred bar- rels of flour up the Mississippi to the company's trading posts at each trip. The next spring a steamboat which was named the "Governor Ramsey," was built by St. Anthony people, and made its first trip to Sauk Rapids the last week in May, 1850. Till-: FIRST COLONY. 43 THE FIRST COLONY. In the spring of 1850 the first colony to locate within the present limits of Anoka' county made their homes in what is now the town of Ramsey. The colony con- sisted of Daniel Harthorn, John, Emerson and Penuel Shumway, Penuel Shumway, senior, and Cornelius P^it- man, with their families and Nathan Shumway and Eber Harthorn. The two last named being single men, made the first trip to spy out the land, and Nathan Shumway erected a log house where the home of Mr. Hanson now stands (E. ^ N. E. 34 section 35). This was the fifth house built in the county. The rivers were very high. Robert's ferry across Rum river near the mouth, had not yet progressed beyond the row boat stage, and when some of the new settlers attempted to cross, the boat was upset. Mr. Pitman, being unable to swim, came near drowning, but finally reached the shore without further damage than a thorough wetting and the loss of his hat. In June the families of the colonists arrived on the steamboat Governor Ramsey. The new comers landed opposite the present residence of I. A. Harthorn, the Mississippi being bank high at that point and pro- ceeded to the house of Nathan Shumway. One small log house proving rather inadequate for the shelter of eight men and six women, to say nothing of the children, some of the colonists were obliged to sleep out of doors the first few nights. The men at once began the erection of houses. Emerson Shumway built a house where I. A. Harthorn now lives (lot 4, section 34), and John Shum- way built on the river bank in front of it, near what was then the steamboat landing. Eber Harthorn erected a house on what was afterward known as the F. A. Edgar- ton place (S. W. Yj^ section 35). Daniel Harthorn built A PIONEER FAMILY. Mrs. Geo. A. Foster. Mrs. Geo. W. Branch. Mrs. S. S. Paine. John Shtiraway. Mrs. Jolin Shumway. I I'ERMAXEXT SETTLEMENT. 45 on the present Ridi^e place (W. Yz of N. E. ^, section 35), Penuel Shumway built , where Herbert Wilson's house now stands (N. Yz S. E. y^, section 35), and Cor- nelius Pitman built his house where his son A. I. Pitman still lives (S. y> S. W. 54, section 25). The first breaking for farming purposes in Anoka county consited of six acres directly in front of the pres- ent residence of I. \V. Patch, and was made by Cornelius Pitman. None of the first settlers had any great amount of worldly possessions. ]\Ir. Pitman's account of stock disclosed a cow, a small quantity of flour, and fifty dol- lars in money. He procured the roof boards for his house at St Anthony and placed them in a small boat which he poled up the river. A week after their arrival John Shumway and his wife were both taken sick with typhoid fever. The near- est physicians were at St. Anthony, and the settlers were inclined to be skeptical in regard to the qualifications of frontier physicians in general. Herself a skillful nurse, Mrs. Shumway directed as best she could the treatment which should be given in her own case and that of her stricken husband, and both recovered. PERMANENT SETTLEMENT. In 1849 '^'^ energetic young man named George W. Branch found his way to Rum river, coming thither from New Brunswick. IR' and another man explored Rum river to its source, poling a boat up the river to Mille Lacs. The next year he returned to Xew Bruns- wick and induced his brother-in-law, Plorace W. Tay- lor, to come to Minnesota. Taylor made a claim and built a house on the west side of Rum river north of 46 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. the present railroad tracks on what was afterward -known as the McCann farm, upon a part of which the driving park is now located. This was in July, 1850. When the land was surveyed Mr. Taylor found himself on a school section and moved to a point directly across Rum river, upon land now occupied by the state insane asylum, where he continued to reside until the time of his death in 1893. Taylor located at this point which was the ford- ing place of the old Red river trail, thinking that a town would grow up there. In 1850 also F. W. Traves settled in what is now Centreviile. The same year Oliver H. Kelley settled in what is now Elk River a short distance above the pres- ent station of Itaska. In the fall of 1850 three Chippeways took passage on Antoine Robert's row boat ferry on Rum river. They had imbibed somewhat freely of fire water and declined tO' pay any fare. A quarrel arose in consequence, and one of the Indians stood up in the boat, threatening Robert's life. Robert struck him a heavy blow on the head with a paddle, breaking his neck. The two other Indians sprang overboard and swam ashore. A large band of Indians were encamped not far away. Robert took the body ashore and buried it in the sand, and then hastily made his way on horseback to the home, of Pierre Bottineau at St. Anthony. Several years later the skeleton of the Indian was disinterred bv Dr. A. W. Giddings, who had it [)reserved for the purpose of an- atomical study. Robert's brother, Louis Robert of St. Paul, took possession of the trading post, put in a swing ferry on Rum river large enough to carry loaded teams, and hired a well behaved and inoffensive half breed named TERMAXENT SETTLEMENT. 47 Logan to run it. This boat was probably put in ser- vice in the spring of 1851, but from its appearance it had evidently been in use elsewhere previous to that time. At all events it was quite an old looking boat in the fall of 1 85 1. Logan's wife was a Menomonee squaw. In May, 185 1, Richard M. Lowell landed in St. An- thony, and in company with Simon Bean started in a batteau with supplies for the Rum river log drivers. He was frequently at Rum river and Elm creek there- after, but did not make his home in this section until several years later. In the first days of November, 1851, George W. Branch went to St. Anthony to meet a party of rel- atives who had come from the East. The}- were his sister, Mrs. Thompson, and her three children, his father, Samuel Branch, and Matthew F. Taylor, then a lad of fourteen, who had never seen an}i:hing of frontier life. The party got into a batteau, which the men proceeded to pole up the Mississippi. They had to break the ice near the head of Nicollet island in order to make the start. At Coon Rapids they were joined by Horace Taylor. It was quite dark when they reached the mouth of Rum river, and a band of Winnebagoes were hold- ing a pow wow around their camp fires near Elm creek and sending out whoojxs that were anytliing but reas- suring to the new comers. George Branch bought land on the west side of Rum river running from what is now Fremont street north- ward to Division street. Samuel Branch took the claim immediately north of Horace Taylor's claim, afterward owned by John Broadbent and now included in the insane asylum grounds. As soon as he was of age 48 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Matthew F. Taylor took up the farm in the town of Dayton where he still lives. The first white child born within the limits of Anoka county, so far as known, was Fernando Shumway, a son of Penuel Shumway, Jr., who was born March 22, 1851. His mother died July 9, 1851, and Rev. Charles Secomb from St. Anthony preached her funeral sermon. This was the first sermon in the county. Land on the west side of Rum river had been pur- chased by Henry M. Rice. His brother Orin Rice broke the land for a crop and in 1852 built a substan- tial house of hewn logs on what is now the southwest corner of Ferry and Fremont streets (lot 7, block 45). This was the second house built within the present city limits of Anoka. Many years later it was moved to another lot near by and covered with modern siding. A few years ago it was torn down. The third house was begun shortly after by George W. Branch. It stood on the north side of Main street about half way between Ferry street and the bridge, about where C. J. Edgarton's gro- cery now stands. This building developed into a hotel of considerable dimensions. Branch sold it while still un- finished, and it was kept as a hotel by Silas Farnham in 1854 and later years, and known as the Farnham House. Still later it was known as the St. Lawrence Hotel and finally as the Kimball House. It was de- stroyed by fire Aug. 23, 1870. Another hotel, also known as the Kimball House, was soon after erected near the same site on the corner of Ferry and Main streets. This sec6nd Kimball House was also burned some years later. In the spring of 1852 Logan wanted to move away, and made arangements with George Branch to take the I'EKMAXENT SETTLEMENT. 49 ferry oft' his hands. During that summer the ferry was run during the day by Samuel Branch and during the night by Matthew Taylor. Most of the traffic con- sisted of the "^''pply trains of Borup & Oakes. The drivers never paid am'thing, the ferriage being charged up to the company. When they came back with empty MATTHEW F. TAYLOR. wagons they usually forded the river in order to save the ferry charge. In the fall of 1852 came Jacob Strout and took up the farm so long owned by Aranda Giddings in the town of Anoka. He lived in some sort of a shanty during the winter, meanwhile hauling lumber for a 50 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. more substantial dwelling, which he erected the fol- lowing spring. About the middle of October, 1852, came Rev. Royal Twitchell with his wife, and a son and daughter. Humphrey B. and Lois C. They moved into the old trading post. The same autumn Jacob Milliman arrived and took a claim on the east bank of Rum river above that of Samuel Branch. Fifty Indians camped that fall among the burr oaks standing between the site of the State Bank and the river. During this year a settlement was made in what is now Centreville. The Centreville lakes had long been a paradise for hunters and trappers, but no permanent dwelling had been erected until the arrival of F. W. Traves in 1850. In the spring of 1852 came Francis Lamott, and in the fall Qiarles Peltier, Peter Cardinal and F. X. Lavallee. These four settled in section 23. Joseph Houle lived there during the same year, but did not make a claim until some years later. During the winter Oliver Dupre arrived and the next vear came Paul and Oliver Peltier. In 1852, also, Charles Miles settled on the present site of Champlin. CHAPTER V. NAMING THE TOWN. Congress appropriated $40,000 for the construction of military roads in the territory of Minnesota, and of this amount $10,000 was to be applied in the con- struction of a road beginning at Point Douglas, at the mouth of the St. Croix river, and extending up the east bank of the ?^Iississippi to Fort Ripley. Charles L. Emerson had charge of the survey for this road, and it soon became apparent that his line would strike Rum river neither at the old trading post nor at the ford of the Red river trail, but at some point between the two. The crossing was finally made where the Main street bridge at Anoka is still located. Sealed proposals for the construction of this road were advertised for in June, 1852, and during the summer bridges were built across Rice and Coon creeks and the road constructed to some point northward from the latter stream. As soon as the exact location of the proposed Rum river bridge became known measures were taken looking toward the location of a town site near it. In Septem- ber Xeal D. Shaw hunted up Antoine Robert and ob- tained from him a deed to 154 acres of land situated partly east of Rum river and south of the proposed mil- itary road (now Main street) and partly on the west side South of Park street. Later Dr. S. W. Shaw bought from Henry M. Rice 160 acres on the west side touching the Mississippi, part of which was afterward 52 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. platted as Shaw's Addition to Anoka. Caleb and Wil- liam Henry Woodbury, brothers, came from the East with money to invest in improvements, and joined hands with William L. Lamed, Sumner W. Farnham, George W. Branch, Neal D. Shaw, and his sons. Dr. S. Wheeler Shaw and Jndson B. Shaw, in laying out the new town. Some surveying was done in 1852, but no plats were filed until two years later. Meanwhile the boundary line between Ramsey and Benton counties had been moved to Rum river, and consequently the new town was partly in each. Anoka is a Dakota word or a part of a Dakota word signifying "on both sides." The Dakota Dictionary, published by the Smithsonian In- stitution, contains these definitions : A-no'ka, adv. On both sides. Used only in anokatanhan. A-no'ka-tan-han, adv. On both sides, from both sides. Anoka is also a Chippeway word, meaning "work." "labor." Joseph Belanger, the first white resident of the place translated the word, "river that works." In- asmuch as the harnessing of the water power was a main factor in causing the location and growth of the city, the Chippeway word would seem to be even more appropriate than the Dakota word. The writer submitted Mr. Belanger's translation to J. B. Bottineau and his uncle, Charles Bottineau, both well versed in the Chippeway language. Their con- clusion was that while the ordinary meaning is "labor," the word might also be made to bear the interpretation which Belanger gave it. There are two^ Chippeway words closely resembling Anoka. An-o-kav'. Having it done, or has it done. NAMING THE TOWN. 53 An-o-keh'. He is working or is at work; or com- manding' some one to carry a message or do an errand for him. There was a tradition among the Chippeways that the main river commanded its tributaries to flow toward it. An-o-keh=:they are commanded to flow. The river therefore works and commands its tributaries to work. This is the foundation for Mr. Belanger's translation. However, it would seem that those who were instru- mental in giving the new town its name were quite un- aware of its meaning in the Chippeway tongue. In the St. Paul Press of Jw'y 31. ^873. appears an article bearing on this matter, written by L. W. Ford, who was at that time associate editor of the Press. Mr. Ford wrote : "Some twenty years ago, while passing down Third street I was invited into the crockery store of Richard Marvin, and introduced to an elderly looking stranger from the state of Maine. Mr. Shaw, the new comer,' and myself were soon on good terms, as he bore a letter to me from relatives in Troy, N. Y., where he had been to visit one of his sons, who was a physician and a res- ident of that city. * * "After .spending some time in St. Paul and St. An- thony, which with the old town of Stillwater constituted the major portion of Minnesota in those days, Mr. Shaw visited the country about Rum river, and soon arrange- ments were made to secure the site for his new Lowell. "During the next winter I was not infrequently a guest at the temporary home of the Shaws at St. An- thony. The name for the new town was a topic of no little interest, and the writer had something to do in its selection. It was decided to give it an Indian nnme. 54 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. The Dakota Lexicon, just published, and of which I was the owner of a copy, was not infrequently consulted, and at length the euphonious name Anoka was decided upon for the second New England town in Minnesota. It was said to mean 'on both sides,' when rendered into less musical English, and to this day the name is by no means inappropriate, as the. town is growing up and extending on either side of the beautiful but badly named river." Having purchased the Orin Rice house, Neal D. Shaw moved into it in the spring of 1853. Up to that time the few people who claimed the new town site as their home were content to answer "Rum River," when questioned as to their place of residence. M'ay 25th, 1853, Edward P. Shaw stopped at the old St. Charles hotel in St. Anthony, and registered as usual : E. P. Shaw, Rum River. Three days later, on the 28th of May, Neal D. Shaw arrived at the same hotel with a party of nine, and when he laid aside his pen the infant town had been christened. The entry on the register was like this : N. D. Shaw, Anoka. L. Stewart, " A. M. Knox Miss Condav " Miss Rollins Henry Morris " Lewis Blum " Chas. Blum " S. B. Garvie " The contract for the government bridge was awarded to Orin W. Rice and he began work on the abutments in July, 18=^3. The bridge was built of wood, was single arched and only 140 feet in length. Repeated washouts NAMING THE TOWX. 55 of the dam have widened the river considerably since that time. Three other bridges — one of wood and two of iron and steel — have successively spanned Rum river at this ixjint. The present bridge (1905), is 200 feet in length. About the first of August, 1853, the owners of the town site began the construction of the first dam on Rum river at the point where the present dam is located, and an immense amount of timber was consumed. Work was also begun on a saw mill, which was to be run by water power. The company built a boarding house on Van Ijuren street between Second and Third avenues for the accommodation of the men working on the dam. This was the fourth house in Anoka. Tamarac logs for piling were cut in swamps near Round lake, hauled to solid groinid by means of long ropes and then conveyed to the river to be floated down to the phice where the dam was building. The first superintendent of construc- tion proved unsatisfactory and was summarily discharged by Mr. Larned, the companv's agent, and a Mr. Getchell was then employed. Jacob Alilliman helped to get out the piling. In August came among others Joseph C. \'arney to work on the dam. Sept. 4 brought James C. Frost, who was found to l:)e a valuable acquisition. Mr. Varney built the fifth house on the northeast corner of Van Buren street and Third avenue (lot 7, block 11). After being remodeled and enlarged it was the home of Mrs. Whitney for many years and is still standing on its original site. Mr; Frost built the sixth house. The seventh was probably the new company boarding house, built on the present site of the Anoka National Bank. Robert B. Porter also found employment on the dam that fall. William E. Cundv arrived after the dam was 56 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. finished. Lumber for the houses was obtained at St. Anthony, and at Elk River, where Ard Godfrey had es- tabhshed a saw mill. Joseph B. and Augustus Holt made claims where the village of Champlin now is in 1853, the latter of whom built the first frame house on that side of the Mississippi during the summer. John K. Pike and Richard M. Lowell located above the present village on the river. Rev. Lewis Atkinson, Benjamin E. Messer, Mr. Ste- vens, Job Keniston, Robert H. Miller, Hiram Smith, Stephen Howes, Colby Emer\' and William Milhollin made claims in the vicinity. John Shumway, finding his farm in Ramsey reduced to a small fraction by the survey, sold out tO' Moses Brown and joined the Elm creek settlement. In 1850 a group of speculators and politicians pos- sessed themselves of a considerable body O'f land below Elk River and largely in the present town of Ramsey. A towm site was platted and named Itaska. A sub- stantial hotel was built in 1852 and J. C. Bowers se- cured as landlord. A postofifice was established in May, 1852, with Mr. Bowers as postmaster, a position which he held for twenty-five years. The proprietors of the town site, Ramsey, Wilkinson, Beatty and Hatch, and others who owned land in the vicinity made a deter- mined effort to remove the state capitatl from St. Paul to this point ; and the bill at one time seemed likely to pass, but by a piece of sharp practice the bill is said to have been placed in hiding by its enemies until the leg- islature had adio'Urned. THR FIRST r(^RE. 57 THE FIRST STORE. As early as August, 1853. Edward P. Shaw began to deal in merchandise in a small way at his father's house (the Orin Rice house) in Anoka," among his sales ^"^ ^^H|^\; /i^^jp- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Ml^^^i' K# ROBKKT l\. PORTER. being some nails for J. C. Varney's house. Although the incipient village was bustling with activity, few of the men had brought families with them, and only four children played among the oak trees that stood in the square where the fountain now is, or hid in the hazel brush which ran along Main street where McCaulev's 58 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. grocery now stands. These were Eliza Randolph, Frank Randolph, Nancy Fairbanks and Alice Frost (Mrs. W. E. Ciindy.) James C. Frost brought the first cow to the settle- ment, and sent a little of the first milking to all the neighbors. In the spring of 1854 building operations at Anoka were vigorously resumed, and the foundation for a THE "SHULER BUILDING." Photo, by Johnson, 1904. flouring mill laid. Edward 1'. Shaw built the first store. It stood on Main street near the corner of Ferry street, where it still stands. It was afterward enlarged and be- came known as the "Shuler building." That part of it next to the Baptist church is the original store. After its enlargement it was used as a court house, and it was in this building that the first enlistments for the Civil War were made. THE FIRST STORE. 59 In the latter part of May, 1854, water worked its way under the dam, and in a few hours the whole river was pouring through the opening. The river bed was gullied out to the depth of thirty feet or more, and into this chasm the longest logs plunged and reappeared JAMES C. FROST. helow. I huulrcds of logs were left stranded in the dry bed of the mill pond. James C. Frost and A. P. Lane (who arrived in May) took the contract of repairing the dam. The timl^ers were cut away over the (>])ening, and great loads of brush and timbers weighted with stones were graduallv low- 6o HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. ered into the seething water until at last the hole was filled and the entrance plugged up with bags of sand. In August the saw mill began running, with one up-and-down saw and the demand for lumber was so great that the proprietors did not succeed in getting the roof boards of the mill itself in place until some time in October. Nobody waited for lumber to dry, and the man who could get green boards or slabs enough to build a shanty before cold weather set in counted himself lucky. One of the most substantial houses erected at this time was that of Frank B. Dunn, built on the corner of Park and Branch streets. It now forms a part of the residence of F. L. Pinney. A school was started in the old company boarding house. The teacher was Miss Julia \\'oodman ( Mrs. Hamm). This was the first school in Anoka county. The new company boarding house was turned into a hotel, which was kept by W. B. Fairbanks. In August came Robert H. Miller, and the following month D. W. McLaughlin, both of whom settled later near Elm creek. October 31, 1854, Dr. A. W. Giddings, at that time fresh from a medical college, arrived from Ohio and began his half century of practice in the new town. A week later he wrote his impressions of the place to his 1/rother Aranda, who was then at Williamsfield, Ohio. An extract from the letter reads as follows : "The city was owned and laid out by a company from Maine — energetic men who have laid out $40,000 erect- ing saw and grist mills, planing machine, lath factory, &c., &c. Now we have two public houses, one larger and furnished as well as any in Williamsfield [The Farnham House]. The other accommodates fifteen boarders and two families of six each. The landlad\- is a half breed. AXOTJIKK INDIAN I'.ATTLE. 6t One boarding house, sixteen dwelling houses, one stable, all in the short space of three months. There are about three families in .each house. This is pioneering — move the family onto the ground and build the house around them as lumber can be procured. But for my own part DR. A. W. GIDDINGS. A practicing physician at Anoka for fifty years. I am as pleasantly situated as I could wish. I am board- ing at Mr. Shaw's — very kind New Englanders. The old gent is a very refined, inquisitive old Yankee. His son and wife, two men and one maid servant compose the family. The house is made of logs hewed, two storys hig'h, with a dining room and kitchen back. ])arlor in 62 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. front. All the rooms except the kitchen are papered and carpeted. There is a nice piano in the parlor ; indeed the house is as richly furnished as any in your own town. But a very different state of things exists from what one might suppose. All are getting rich. People make nothing of doubling their property once in five or six months. Everything is very high here — enough to frighten one at first ; but I have become accustomed to the charges, which are equal to those in any of our east- ern cities. One dollar per day for board at the hotel — horse three dollars per week." October i8th, 1854, brought James W. Groat, who found employment on Farnham's hotel, which was not yet finished. ANOTHER INDIAN BATTLE. About this time (1854) another battle between the Sioux and Chippeway tribes took place. The Mille Laco Chippeways planned a formidable expedition against the Sioux. Kegwadosia, a Atille Lacs chief, said there were 300 canoes that came down Rum river. After making due allowance for Indian exaggeration, there is no doubt that there was a large body of warriors. They expected to strike the Sioux at their encampments beyond the Mississippi. But by some means their enemies were warned of the approaching danger, and took measures to avert it. The Sioux cautiously assembled a deter- mined band in what is now the northern part of Oak Grove and threw up earthworks on the river bank upon what is now the farm of H. E. Seelye. The position was admirably chosen. Rapids in tlie river would pre- vent their enemies from turning back when once within range, wliile the steep bank niade the place safe from ANOTHER INDIAN BATTLE. 63 assault from that direction. The Chippeways were routed with great slaughter. Less than a dozen Sioux skeletons were found on the top of the hill by the white settlers who came there the next summer. The victorious Sioux passed down to Rice creek, where they obtained food at the hotel kept by Isaac Kim- SILAS C. ROBBINS. Photo, by Nelson. ball, afterward proprietor of the Kimball House at An- oka. John Goodspeed was in charge of a ferry at this point, and the Indians crowded upon the boat in such numbers that it began to sink and the ferryman ordered them ashore. They obeyed without protest, taking up their march to St. Anthony. Each warrior was decked with a rosette of cotton batting on the top of his head, 64 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. and they carried a banner upon which was fastened a fresh Chippeway scalp. Although there was such enmity between the Indian tribes, that any chance meeting between Siuox and Chip- peways meant a battle to the death, they were not dis- posed to pick any quarrel with white people, and rarely did them any harm except to steal from them. Chickens and pigs and any article of food they seemed to con- sider lawful plunder, to be begged or bartered for if convenient, but otherwise to be taken without leave. CHAPTER VI. PROSPERITY IN "FIFTY-FIVE." November 30th a special election was held in St. Anthony, Manomin ( h'ridlev ) and Anoka, on account of a tie vote at the general election between M. W. Getchell and A. M. Fridley, who were rival candidates for representative in the territorial legislature. At the special election twenty-six votes were cast in Anoka — twenty-one for Fridley and five for Getchell. The flour mill was completed about Feb. ist. 1855. It was located just north of the east end of the bridge. When it started to grind there was nothing like wheat enough in the territory to keep it running. Francis Pet- eler, John Hunter and John West hauled 6000 bushels of wheat from St. Paul to Anoka to supply the mill. The wheat came up by steamboat from southern Iowa and Wisconsin. February 24th, 1855, the mill was totally destroyed by fire, entailing a loss of about $12,000. This was the heaviest loss by fire which had ever occurred in Minnesota territory, and as there were as yet no insur- ance companies doing business in this region, the loss fell entirely upon the owners (Caleb and William H. Woodbury and A. P. Lane). Nevertheless, preparations were immediately made for rebuilding. In March, 1855, E. P. Shaw sold his stock of goods and leased the store building to R. Ball, a merchant of St. Anthony, and the latter sent Samuel McCray to take charsre of the Anoka store. 66 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. 1855 was a very prosperous year in Minnesota. The crops gave early promise of an abundant harvest and im- migration into the territory was large beyond all prec- edent. During the spring months every steamboat from down the Mississippi brought all the passengers it could accommodate to St. Paul. Five hundred was not an uncommon number and some brought as high as eight hundred persons. Citizens of St. Paul used to wonder what would become of the crowds which swarmed up from the steamboat landing, and the problem of beds and provisions sometimes threatened to become serious. But the crowds melted away almost as rapidly as they came — hastening in every kind of conveyance and often on foot, up the Minnesota river or the' Mississippi to the opening opportunities for work and investment. A gen- tleman traveling from Sauk Rapids to St. Paul in April counted seventy immigrant teams on the way. In April Thurber started a tri-weekly stage between St. An- thony and Monticello. About the same time Joseph B. Holt opened a store at Elm creek, and Warren Samp- son started another at Bottineau Prairie (Osseo). On the 8th of May Silas C. Robbins was sent by Mr. Ball tO' assist and ultimately to supersede Samuel IMcCray in the Anoka store. The old trading post gave temporary shelter to many of the early settlers. When Elder Twitchell moved otit to take a claim just over the line of Grow, A. P. Lane moved into it. and when Lane's house was up D. Y. Smith took possession, sharing it during the following winter with Daniel Robbins, and taking S. C. Robbins as a boarder. In 1855 came John S. McGlaufhn, who conducted a blacksmith shop in the town for many years. All through the country the trees were covered with PROSPEKITV l\ I'll'TY-FIVE. 67 notices posted up by claimants who made little or no pretense of living on their claims. But rather than waste time in law suits the settlers pushed farther on. About 1854 Joseph Trott settled in Ramsey beside the brook- to which his name was given, and a little later came A. [. M'cKinnev and Sanuicl Littlcficld. Francis JOHN S. MiGLAUFLIN. retcler and John (ilynn settled in (irow, and the former persuaded Jacob Milliman. whose farm had laecn largely flooded when the d?m was built, to locate near him. He also ponitcd cut desirable locations to D. Y. Smith, John Mayall and S. C. Rol)bins in the same town, which they took. Rnlibins still managed the store, but contrived to 68 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. stay on his claim enough to hold it. Nathaniel Small also settled in Grow in 1855. I" May, 1855. Moses S. Seelye, Sr., with his son, H. E. Seelye, Jarvis Nutter and John McKenzie made claims in the northern part of what is now Oak Grove. In June David Rogers also settled in Oak Grove. Joseph Sausen took a claim in the southeast corner of Linwood in 1855, and J. H. Batzle made a claim near by m the northeast corner of Columbus the same year. The following year Yost Yost settled in Col- umbus. The water in the rivers was low and logs for the St. Anthony mills were hung up in Rum river and at Coon rapids all summer. There were plenty of logs at Anoka, however, and the demand for lumber taxed the capacity of the saw mill to the utmost. In June a second up-and- down saw was placed in position, but still the demand for lumber exceeded the output. The steamer H. M. Rice lay tied up at Anoka all summer on account of low water, and the citizens turned it into a temporary church, hold- ing religious services on board every Sunday. When the rains came late in September and the steamer went into active service, the new flour mill was utilized for a like purpose. THE FIRST FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION. "Fifty-fivers" relate with pleasure the events attend- ing the first celebration of the Fourth of July in their new home. A picnic dinner was spread under the shadt of a little grove on the bank of the Mississippi a block or more west of Ferry street. Dr. Giddings owned the only horse and buggy in town, and in this equipage he drove to the residence of Deacon J. F. Wheeler, and took Mrs. Wheeler to the groye. where she directed the TIIK FIRST FOrKTII oF jl'LV CELEIIKATK )X. 69 arrangemciit of the tables. "Elder" Twitchell. as he was universally called, was the owner of a wagon, which served tolerably well for hauling hay and wood, but was hardly fitted for passenger service, and on this oc- casion it was not used. Thomas B. Richards, a recent arrival, had a yoke of oxen, and these he hitched to a sled, upon which kitchen chairs had been placed for seats, and by driving on the grass he brought to the scene of festivities a considerable party of the more favored ones in a style which doubtless aroused the envy of all beholders. Settlers about Elm creek crossed the Mississippi in row boats and took an active part in the proceedings. Jo- seph B. Holt, the Elm creek merchant, read the Declara- tion of Independence, and Rev. Winthrop Hayden de- livered the address. In the midst of his speech Mr. Hav- den was interrupted by the firing of an anvil, which son.c enthusiastic patriot had set off. "\\'e had hoped," said the speaker when he could be heard again, "that we had gotten far enough west so that we could celebrate the Fourth of July without the aid of rum or gunpowder." His auditors laughed at this sally, and Mr. Hayden continued his speech without further interruption, dwell- ing chiefly upon temperance and slavery — the two topics which were then u]^permost in the ]niblic mind. The same week an unusually long Red river train made its appearance from tl-.e north. There were 300 carts in the train and twenty-six days had been consumed in making the trip. About the first of .\ugust (T855) E. H. Davis started a hardware store in Anoka. A few^ weeks later Heman L. Ticknor opened a dry goods and grocerv store. Up 70 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. to this time all the merchants had located on the west side of Rum river, hut having looked over the situation with some care, and noting the strong trend of settlement toward the lands afterward included in the town of Round Lake (Grow). Mr. Ticknor came to the conclu- HEMAN L. TICKNOR. sion that the east side would eventually be more favor- able for trading ])urposes, and accordingly made over- tures to the town site proprietors for the purchase of twenty-five feet on the corner of Main street and First avenue, now occupied bv the grocery of McCauley Broth- THE FIRST FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION'. Jl ers. The spot was still covered with its primitive growth of hazel brush. A high price was named, and Mr. Tick- nor declined to pay the amount, securing an inner lot, upon which a building was erected. Some years later Mr. Ticknor bought the lo't where the Goodrich & Jen- nings drug store stands, and put up another building, into which he moved his stock. During the summer of 1855 ^^""^ "Elm Creek and Anoka Ferry Company," organized by J- B. Holt, James W. Groat and others, prepared to make use of the fran- chise which was granted to them by the county com- missioners of Benton and Hennepin counties. Mr. Groat built the ferry boat and it made its first trip across the Mississippi Sept. 11, 1855. In November the first school house was built. It stood on Third avenue just south of where the new Library building now stands at a point about opposite the front door of the court house. Besides being used for school purposes, this building was utilized as a place of worship by all denominations that held religious ser- vices. November 22, 1855, a description of the town of An- oka appeared in the St. Anthony Republican, from which a very fair idea of the place as it then existed may be gathered. Doubtless some allowances should be made for the evident desire on the part of the writer to make a favorable showing, both as to the size of the town and the capacity of the various mills and factories. The es- sential parts of the article are as follows : "The first blow was struck here in the summer of 1853; but in consequence of a break in the dam the work was not completed nor the saw mill running until August, 1854, from which time the town with propriety might y2 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. date its growth. The proprietors, Messrs. Woodburys, Shaws and Farnham, have expended a large amount of money on the dam and mills. "In the dam are four apertures for mills. "On aperture No. i Messrs F. B. Dunn & Co. have in operation an upright saw cutting from 6,000 tO' 8,000 feet of lumber daily. A siding and flooring mill with all its equipments, a lath mill, a shingle mill, and a w'ell arranged rotary saw for fitting materials for lath mill and cutting the blocks for the shingle mill while all ref- use timber is cut into stove wood. "On aperture No. 2 the Messrs Woodburys have an upright saw, which manufactures from 6,000 to 8,000 feet of lumber per day, and a lath mill for working their slabs into laths. "Aperture No. 3 is unoccupied and belongs to S. W. Farnham, who is one of the owners in No. i and the mills attached. "On aperture No. 4 Mr. J. P. Woodbury has erecied a saw mill frame which will be finished and put in run- ning order as soon as possible and will aid in supplying the demand at this place for lumber, which during the low stage of water the past summer has been very great, from St. Anthony, Minneapolis, and the settlers in the northern part of Hennepin county, as well as those in and around Anoka. "Aperture No. 5 supplies a race twenty feet in width and several hundred feet long, which will ultimately be lined with the various kinds of machinery, which the accessibility of both pine and hardwood timber must in- duce. "First on the race stands the shingle manufactory of O. A. Smith, who has a newly patented machine which THE FIRST FOl'RTH OF JULY CF-LEHKATIOX. 73 makes a shing;le nearly as smooth as if planed, and to all appearances as good as the common shaved shingle. Next is the establishment of t). Smith & Co.. with its turning lathe, bedstead machine, planing mill and man- ufactory of sash, doors and blinds. "At the lower end of the race is located the new flouring mill of W'oodburys and Lane, which in appear- ance and the thoroughness of its construction and finish would do no discredit to any town in the Northwest. Less than nine months ago a flouring mill was burned to the ground, subjecting the owners to a loss of some $12,000. besides being no inconsiderable loss to the place and the surrounding countr\-. On the ruins the present mill is erected .and in all its appointments is full hit)- per cent better than its ill fated predecessor, whose short existence had enabled it to secure a reputation second to none in the territory. * * * "On the west side of the river stands the Farnham House, a large and commodious hotel ; also the post- office, three stores — dry goods and groceries by J. Foster, groceries and provisions by E. P. Shaw, and dry goods and clothing by ; a livery stable is kept by Mr. Shuler, which with one physician's, two shoemakers' and one tailor's signs, greet the hungry, the naked, the weary and the sick. Here twenty-one buildings in a town of scarcely fifteen months' age, enliven the western banks of Rum river. * * * "On the east side of the river are located the mill, the Anoka House, kept by Mr. Lufkin — and formerly presided over by W. B. Fairbanks — ^the hardware store of E. H. Davis & Co., the dry goods and grocery of H. L. Ticknor & Co., which with dAvellings, &c., swell the number of buildings to fiftv and over in the town. * * 74 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. A comfortable school house is in process of erection, for which we are indebted to the public spirit of C. Wood- bury." During the fall Dwight Woodbury began the erection of a dam and mill at "the new town," which had been A GROUP OF PIONEERS. started but not yet surveyed or named, at "Rum river rapids." After a time the name "Otona" was applied to it, but the place was more commonly referred to as "St. Jonathan." It was several years later that St. Francis was finally fixed upon as the official name. A PERIOD OF SFECULATIOX. 75 Notwithstanding the abundant crops, it began to be apparent early in the winter (1855-56) that there would be a scarcity of provisions in the territory. After nav- igation closed in the fall no further supplies could lie obtained from without, and the population had so largely increased that what to the dealers in those days seemed large stocks melted away with astonishing rapidity. Corn at Anoka brought $1 to $1.50 i^er bushel and salt pork $25 to $30 a barrel. At Ball's store Dwight Wood- bury bought from S. C. Robbins seven bushels of beans at $7 per bushel, for the use of his men w^ho were at work on the new mill at "St. Jonathan," and was u.- clined to be angry because he could not buy all there was in the store at that price, until Mr. Robbins explained to him that he had promised to keep some beans for his cus- tomers. A PERIOD OF SPF-CULAilON. The large profits which had accrued to those who had put in crops in 1855, arising from the unusual combina- tion of bountiful harvests and very high prices, presaged a great increase in farming operations for 1856. Many farmers hastened to put their last season's profits into horses and machinery, and the new comers bid eagerly for chances to get at the land. Prices of farm lands rose by leaps and bounds, and the high prices which had been demanded for town lots were marked up another notch. For example, George W. Branch held the five lots on Branch street between Park and Main streets, where John S. McGlauflin afterward built his home, at $500 each. The country generally had been enjoying a decade of prosperous times. Railroad l)uilding had been very ex- tensive, and it frequently happened that more money 76 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. was made by those who bought the land along a proposed route and held it for sale until the railroad brought pop- ulation and consequently purchasers of the land, than by those operating the road after it was built. This fact had a tendency to induce the building of railroads for the purpose of increasing land values, with little reference to the actual demands of trade. Heavy mortgages must usually be given both on the lands and on the railroads, and the prompt payment of interest in such cases de- pended on an immediate influx of population. Sometimes immigrants were capricious and chose to go elsewhere. In such cases adroit financiering must be resorted to in order to ward off bankruptcy until population could be attracted. Speculation in farming lands went on with increas- ing intensity as population advanced. An old device which consisted in hiring men to take up land and theti buying their rights was extensively practiced. After 1854, when the laying out of town sites was seen to be a profitable speculation, towns with and without inhab- itants multiplied with surprising rapidity. In 1855 Captain James Starkey of St. Paul under- took the task of building up the village of Columbus. It was situated in the southern part of the present town of that name. A saw mill was built, and also a commo- dious hotel. In 1857 the place was large enough to poll 69 votes. Twenty years later only a few decaying logs in the brush and a cellar full of rubbish served to mark the spot. Much less of a reality was the town of "Glencarey," "Glen Carie" or "Glen Garey," as it- was variously writ- ten, which was located in the southern part of what is now Ham Lake on land now owned bv Rersfer Titterud. A PERIOD OF SPECULATION. n A few houses were erected, and elegantly engraved lith- ographs proclaiming the names of streets and numbers of blocks circulated in the cities ; and titles to lots and mortgages on lots were offered for sale, and no doubt FIRST WHITE CHILDREN BORN IN ANOKA COUNTY. Fernando Shumway, born March 22, 1851; Georgia Taylor (Mrs. Jndson Davis), born July 24-, 1851; Samuel C. Milliman, born March 19, 1854-; Abigail P'rostCMrs. C. L Norton), born Oct. 1, 1854; Angus W. Varney, born Nov. 19, 1854: Hannibal Groat, born Jan. 3, 1855. found purchasers. A bill to remove the county seat to Glencarie was introduced in the legislature, but was killed by the timely opposition of a delegation of citizens of Anoka. "Lexington," "Manchester," and "Riverside," were 78 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. some of the paper towns which were laid out on Rum river above St. Francis, and "Sterhng" was platted on the southeast shore of Mille Lacs. This is but a sample of tendencies w^hich were at work throughout the West. Mortgages based on inflated values, and often on practically no values at all, drifted eastward into the hands of trust companies and private investors, and across the ocean. For a time interest charges might be met by making bigger mortgages, but there could be but one ending to such a state of affairs — a financial panic. During 1857 grasshoppers spread over the greater part of the state and Anoka county settlers were among the worst sufferers. The insects flew over in such num- bers as to hide the sun from view. In a single day they would strip a wheat field bare of kernels, and while a few billions, more or less, lingered to cut up and lunch on the straw, the rest invaded the farmer's garden and door yard in search of dessert. Corn fields were left with bare straight stalks standing. Pumpkin, squash, melon and potato vines disappeared like magic, and cabbages were devoured down to tne stem. Where the farmer's wife threw out dish water they crawled over each other two inches deep to get a taste. Matched lumber being an unknown luxury, the walls of many cabins had been covered with old newspapers, pasted on to cover the cracks. The grasshoppers ate the cracks out clean again to get the jjaste, and thus let in their brother pests, the mosciuitoes. The grasshoppers even attacked articles of wood in some cases, and boards were often found with edges rounded off. In 1858 they dis- appeared as suddenly as they came, reappearing to some extent in states farther south. CHARIER VII. IHt PANIC OF "FIFIY-SEVEiN." Before the settlers had l)eguii to recover from the effects of the grasshopper raid, the financial panic of 1857 was upon them. A recent writer thus describes the beginning of the panic in the East : "In August the suspended blow fell : on the 24th the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company of Cin- cinnati and New York failed, with reported liabilities of $7,000,000. The announcement of the failure on the New York Stock Exchange caused a panic ; stocks fell ; many bankers and brokers were unable to meet their engagements. Money rose to three, four and five per cent a month. * * * "All eyes were on New York. During the first part of October the Illinois Central Railroad company made an assignment, the notes of the New York and Erie Railroad went to protest and the Michigan Central Rail- road company suspended payment on its floating (lcl)t. Amid wild excitement, a heavy run began on all of the New York banks, it was impossible for them to stand the drain. October 13. at half past ten in the evening, the New York Cily banks resolved to suspend specie payments on the following day." A contributing cause of the panic lay in the unsat- isfactory condition of the currency. A great part of the circulating medium of the country consisted of bank notes, secured onlv bv the assets of the bank itself, and 8o HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. these were almost universally tainted with the prevailing infection of inflated values. The panic did not reach Minnesota immediately. But the first week in October two banks in St. Paul sus- pended, and a meeting of the merchants of that city was held to devise means of relieving the financial difficulties. In Minneapolis and St. Anthony, where an attempt was made to keep the bank notes in circulation, "wildcat" money drove all other forms of currency nearly out of circulation. Under the pre-emption law settlers had to pay for their claims at the rate of $1.25 per acre within a certain time or forfeit their rights. Interest rates had risen to three per cent, a month and more. An Anoka county farmer living on Cedar creek found it necessary to raise some money to make a payment to the government, and is said to have gone to a money lender in St. Paul, a certain Colonel M' , to borrow $100. Five per cent. a month was demanded, and the borrower decided that he must have it even at that rate. He signed the note and was handed $40. "What is this for," he asked. It was explained to him that the interest amounted to $60, which was collected in advance. "Well now," said he. scratching his head, "if I'd borrowed $200, I'd be owin' ye somethin', wouldn't I?" On October 8th the St. Anthony News said : "Financial. — There are no new failures reported in to-day's papers. We judge things are more 'quiet/ as we met a man on the street to-day who had half a dollar in cash — all in twenty-five cent pieces. They looked very lonely, were round, and about the color of silver spoons. We heard of another eccentric genius THE PANIC OF "fIFTV-SEVEN/' 8i yesterday who paid his note when it became due. Prob- ably a case of mental aberration. With these excep- tions the market is without any change." But the situation very soon became too serious to joke about. Before the month was out tlie News printed this comment : "Never since Alinnesota was 'discovered' was cur- rent money so scarce as now. Almost everybody has a pile of bills, but the banks which issued them have suspended or failed, and the paper pictures no longer represent the 'tin.' The West w-as sound, Minnesota sounder, and St. Anthony and Minneapolis soundest until the great banks of the East slammed their iron doors in the long faces of creditors, but now confidence has gone down and the whole country is afloat like the deck-lumber of the Central America. Every man is overboard, struggling manfully with the waves, and though one of the wrecked may succeed in getting upon a larger plank than his fellows, yet all are straining their eyes for a light at the foretop of some rescue ship ahead. The United States of America has suspended payment. Thousands arc thrown out of employment throughout the country, and many will go to bed supperless before an- other April. Men chase each other up and down the streets to collect 'bills payable,' and honest debtors who own $50,000 worth of land, cannot raise money enough to pay foot-toll at the bridge. What we are coming to we are unable to say, but one thing is evident — however unpalatable the aggrafian fact may be, 'Tight Times,' is mowing the financial acres East and West with a keen scythe, and the beggar and thf broker will change coats before Spring without either losing his respect- abilitv." 82 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. "Gosport," "Tekama," "Omaha City," "Platte Val- ley," "Florence," De Soto," "Lyons City Scrip," and "Western Exchange Fire and Marine Insurance Co.," were some of the bank notes which circulated largely in the territory. But banks were failing in all directions, and as soon as the failures became known notes of these banks were refused. Notes of banks that were under suspicion cir- culated at discounts which often increased with alarming rapidity. Smiley & Woodbury, who operated the flour mill at Anoka, sent three ten-dollar bank notes one after the other to St. Anthony for the purpose of making some small purchase. The messenger was unable to pass any of them at par, and on the third trip was ordered to take what he could get. He finally succeeded in passing the last bill for $8.50. But this was mild compared with some discounts that quickly followed. In the spring of 1858 Frank Zahler worked with a surveying party in the Sauk Valley and received for his services $84 in state bank notes. He paid his hotel bill and stage fare to Anoka out of the amount and a few days later went into a store in Anoka to make some purchases. He picked out some shoes and wearing ap- parel tO' quite an amount, and the proprietor asked about the pay. "Oh, I have got the money," said Zahler, pulling out his roll. "I don't doubt that you have the money," said the proprietor, "but what kind is it?" Zahler displayed one of the bills, and the storekeepe remarked : i i THE PANIC OF "fIFTY-SEVEN/' 83 "That money is only worth fifteen cents on a dollar this morning." A "bank detector" was issued frequently from New York, showing which bank notes were worth their face, which notes were at a discount and how much, and which notes were worthless. But the quotations fluctuated more and more violently, and merchants received daily reports whenever possible. Sylvanus Stockwell bought a yoke of oxen from a man named Nicholls, paying him $110 in "Glencoe money." Nicholls succeeded in passing the money, but very soon after the "Bank of Glencoe," which had issued it, was reported to be wholly without assets, and its bills became worthless. Harvey F. Blodgett bought a cow of Jacob Milliman for $35 or $40, and before Milliman could get to town to spend the money the bank had failed, and he could not buy his dinner with the entire amount. S. C. Robbins taught school in the town of Grow in the winter of 1857-8, and in the spring got his entire winter's pay in money which was only valuable for kindling a fire. Matthew F. Taylor worked several months for Staples & Hersey at Stillwater in the spring of 1858, for fifty cents a day and board. Plenty of men out of work were eager to take the places of any who were dissatisfied with these wages. Fie received his pay in state bank notes. He succeded in purchasing a pair of boots from Daniel Robbins on the basis of $4 of good money, and Mr. Robbins took some of these state bank notes for the amount at about sixty per cent, discount. That was all Taylor ever got for his money, as the notes soon after became worthless. The newspapers printed long lists of broken banks 8q? HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. WH6se i^otes wefe refused ' by merchants. People were afraid to go to bed at night with money in their pockets, for fear it might be worthless next day. The oiily safety w^^Ho deposit it in a solvent 'bank, 'if biiie'^could be found, oi^'tidnvert it into merchandise of some sort at the earliest opportunity. Some Canadian iiioney circulated at twenty per cent, premium. .->".■ jai bun .nhijiui/ t>ij.a .*: In December, 1857, the Qiicago TrtWh^ said: "St/' Anthoily and Minneapolis appear to be the headquarters ol'fhfe^'Uiicurrent 'monei^r in -Miririesota. Largfe quantities ' of the broken 'Farmers- Bank of Noi-'th Ca:ro1ina,' quoted' in Chicago at 75 per cent, discount, circulate at par up tM*e.<2^'€!tiz^s^'-BankV*'Whicil=i % 'b^if'^tefl-^^T^k^hi^^ 6i Nebraska',* which is a swindle ; and ' Flbre'nce, which is little better; together with Fontenelle, constitute about all the currency' in ^'circulation north 5f St, P'^ul The same villainous trash has spread over many of the west- ern counties, and driven out every dollar of current " moneyi^C) io a :ri ioorlDa JrigufiJ -* 'An attenipt was made on the paft of certain brokers td' bo3'cott the St. Anthony Republican, which had the temerity to repi'int the above paragraph. But the' nia- ' jofityof people soon came to the conclusion that the wretcli^d substitute for mdney would reach zero sooner or later- ' and that those who clung to it longest would be the greatest sufferers. •''■'•'' =•-'•■■' l^^ii^i^--'^' -^'^^// Having paid out the "wikc^'^"Jhd{iB)^^ ^s'^fong ai'^ anybiody could be found who wouM' receive it, the people were lett practically withbut A circulating medium. Trade toc^k the form of barter. The merchants traded their goods for farm products'', ' and the wholesale merchants were obliged to takelheir pay iri'thfeSe' of m^ke no" sales. But^' wholesale grocers foiind it inipossible 'to 'sto<^k up i i THE TAMC OF FIFTV-SEVEN. 85 except for cash, and the grocery trade came almost to a standstill. Farm products were largely traded for dry goods. Ammi Cutter, who was operating a tub and pail fac tory on the east side of Rum river at Anoka, near where the railroad bridges now are, made strenuous eflforts to 1 ' f; AMMI CUTTER. keep his factory going. He also had a general store, and paid his men chiefly in store orders, whereat some of them grumbled. But nothing better could be done. On one occasion when the men complained that they were without meat he traded goods out of the store for a hog and having cut it up. divided the pork among them. 86 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Business men were often driven to the greatest strait.-> for a little cash. A man came down from Elk River to get some lumber planed at Frank Blodgett's planing mill at Anoka. Blodgett told him that if he would advance sixty-five cents to buy machine oil for the mill he would do the work — otherwise it would be impossible. Another man who had considerable property borrowed ten cents on one occasion from S. Stockwell to buy some crackers for a meal for himself and wife. One of the Woodbury brothers, a man with large property interests, said one day to a friend : "We do not pretend to pay our taxes, and we don't know where the money is coming from to buy the next sack of flour." When such was the condition of the well-to-do. the situation of the poor may be imagined. Happy the man who could get together cash enough to buy a pound or two of brown sugar, a little salt and a box of matches. Corr' spondence between relatives lingered for months for want of postage stamps. Wheat was browned as a substitute for coffee. As for tea, it might as well have stayed in China. Ammi Cutter came to the rescue and began cautiously to give out groceries in exchange for farm products. Other grocers followed haltingly. Ten thousand dollars in citv and countv scrip was issued in St. Anthony and Minneapolis ; but it disap- peared like rain in the ocean. The state of IMinnesota was admitted to the Union in 1858, and immediately found itself without funds and unable to pay orders on the treasury. State orders went down to twenty-eight cents on the dollar. Unpaid orders on the Anoka town treasurv were quoted at thirtv-two cents. The o-overnor GINSENG. 87 of Minnesota refused to call the legislature together, and the session of 1859 was accordingly missed because there was no money to pay the salaries of members and officials. Slowly a little coined money began to appear. French five-franc pieces circulated at eighty- four or eighty-five cents. A little Mexican silver began also to be seen, Ammi Cutter finally succeeded in making some arrange- ments for coin, and paid approximately fifty cents a bushel in gold for wheat at Anoka during the winter of 1857-8. For wheat sown by hand and cut with a cradle, this price was very low, but there was no danger that the farmer would find his money on the list of "rejected" the next time he came to town. GINSENG. About 1858 the discovery was made that the Big Woods contained in considerable quantities a plant known as ginseng. Moreover, this wonderful plant could be traded for groceries and even sold for good coined money. Boys whose time had heretofore been counted nearly worthless had been known to make as much as two dollars a day digging "sang," as it was popularly called. There was a grand exodus to the woods, and a knowledge of the appearance of the plant having been acquired, sacks were brought into service and the tall timber scoured in all directions. The next year digging ginseng became a regular busi- ness, and in consequence gold found its way into many a home where it had long been a stranger. Boys and women became very successful diggers. Agencies for the purchase of the plant were establishd at Minnetonka in Hennepin county, Rockford in Wright county, and 88 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Watertown in Carver county. Considerable quantities of the root were also purchased in Anoka. The price sank to eight cents a pound for washed "sang" and six cents for unwashed, but even at these rates boys and women made what seemed to them excellent wages, and even men often found the work a very convenient thing to fall back on. In the spring of i860 the "sang" hunters were once more out in force, and there was reported to be abundance of money at hand to pay for all the roots they might find. The fall of that year P. Sheitlin of Minneapolis shipped forty tons of ginseng to New York. Up to 1863 ginseng digging held its place as a valuable industry. II CHAPTER Vlll THE LAST INDIAN BATTLES. About 1851 Henry C. Miller JDined Pierre Bottineau and other hunters in the region stretching out along Coon and Rice creeks and over toward the St. Croix valley. In this border land between the two great Indian tribes game was very abundant, even after the white people had built considerable towns within an easy day's walk. About 1856 ^fr. jNIiller one day secured a four-ox team from U. W. Hank and hauled forty buck deer into St. Paul in one load. It was a marvelous sight even for those days, and a great shout went up from the residents of the capital city when the load appeared in the market. It sold for $400. It was perhaps a little later than this that a party of half a dozen squaws from a Chippeway camp near by appeared at the home of Mr. Powell on Coon creek and wanted to trade pumpkins for hay for their ponies. The squaws had the pumpkins in sacks which they carried on their backs and, when the lot was deposited it made quite a pile of pumpkins. !\Ir. Powell told them they might take what hay they could carry in exchange. But he had forgotten that the squaw is the Indian's beast of burden. The delegation proceeded to the stack to which thev had been directed, and when each in turn had b<='en buried under a horse load of hay and been lifted upon her feet by the others, they staggered oil single file with pretty nearly the whole stack. Mr. 90 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Powell presently discovered that he had the bad end of the bargain, and started after them shouting: "Come back ! you've got too much !" But the only answer was, "Kaw-win," and a pro- testation in forcible Chippeway idiom that a trade is a trade. At one time Mr. Miller, in company with two young men named Walker, pitched his tent in what is now Ham Lake at the fork of Coon creek. A party of a score or so of Sioux appeared in the neighborhood and offered to pay liberally in venison for permission to stay in the camp and hunt. The white men were at first somewhat afraid of their guests, and took turns keeping watch at night, but later they grew accustomed to their presence, and took their accustomed sleep. After about three weeks the Indians hung up their venison and said they did not want to hunt any more. One of them told Miller he could have the venison and they would take the hides to tan. He then asked if there were any Chip- peways near, and Miller told him there were some near Coon lake. Two of the Sioux jumped on ponies and rode north at full speed, and in about an hour and a half came back, saying that they had killed a Chippeway. There '| were twenty or twenty-five Sioux, and they became much excited and soon rode away, shouting the war whoop. A large company of Chippeways soon appeared and made inquiries. On being told that the Sioux had gone south, they immediately started in pursuit, but the Sioux got across the Mississippi just below St. Anthony Falls, and after firing some shots across the river at each other, the Chippeways returned, not daring to cross, as it was Sioux territory on the other side, and they did not know how many there might be there. The dead THE LAST INDIAN BATTLES. QI Chippewa}- was buried on Coon creek with Indian cer- emonies, a speech being made by a chief. A fight between Sioux and Chippeways took place in the fall of 1857 just over the line of Bethel in Isanti county. There were some forty or fifty warriors on each side, and the Chippeways were the victors. For a num- ber of years thereafter the Chippeways used to assemble on th.e spot and celebrate their victory by hanging up a white flag, to which were attached some knickknacks made of cedar wood and painted with blood. Around this they performed their ceremonies, and then went away, leaving the flag to flutter imtil it should be de- stroyed by the wind and the little cedar blocks be blown away or abstracted by relic-huntin<^- white boys. In the spring of 1858 occurred the last battle in Min- nesota between the Sioux and Chippeway tribes. The aggressors were the Millc Lacs Chippeways, who were still smarting under the defeat of 1854. About 150' of them came down Rum river to Anoka. Here they held a war dance on the east bank of Rum river at about the foot of Harrison street. The white boys turned out in large numbers to view the spectacle as if it had been a circus performance, little thinking in what deadly earn- est the Indians were. The next day the red men went their way, and no more was thought about the matter until it was learned that there had been a battle. Early on Thursday morn- ing, .May 27, 1858, the Chippeways appeared opposite the Sioux vilage, not far from the town of Shakopee, on the Minnesota river. A Sioux was sitting on the bank of the stream fishing. Presently a Chippeway was seen skulking in the brush, and creeping — creeping slowly toward the lone fishcrmaiL Suddenly a shut was fired. 92 HISTORY. OF ANOKA COUNTY. the war whoop sounded, there was a moment's struggle, the body of the Sioux tumbled into the river, and a bloody scalp was waved defiantly in the air. The Sioux warriors gathered in haste and m.ade a rush for the ferry boat for the purpose of crossing to avenge their dead comrade. They surrounded the ferryman, and he obeyed their commands in terror. The Chippeways lay in ambush, but feared to fire on the boat for fear of killing the white man. The instant the boat touched the bank the Sioux scattered into the brush and the battle began. About ten o'clock the Chippeways withdrew. Three Chippeways were killed in the fight and one died near Lake Minnetonka. Seven of the wounded arrived at St. Anthony that night, where their wounds were dressed by white physicians, and the next afternoon they were placed on board the steamboat Enterprise for trans- portation to Anoka. Meanwhile those uninjured arrived on foot and held another war dance on the spot where the previous dance had been held. The chief explained the particulars of the battle, and vaunted the prowess of himself and his followers, in his own tongue, and an in- terpreter explained the purport of the speech to the as- sembled crowd. Only a few words of his speech have been remembered. "Them Sioux," he said, "creeped round just like snakes in the grass." The next day the Chippeways took up their march for Mille Lacs, accompanied by all the wounded who were able to walk. They procured dinner from M. S. Seelye, and Mrs. Seelye made gruel for one of them who had had the greater part of his tongue shot away. POLITICAL. 93 POLITICAL. One of the early acts of the first territorial legislature, which convened in 1849. ^^'^^^ ^^^c organization of eight counties, viz. : Ramsey, l>enton. Washington, Itasca, Wabasha, Wahnata, ]\lahkahto. and Pembina. Rum river was the dividing line between Ramsey and Benton counties, and hence the territor\- now embraced in Anoka county was partly in each. In 1856 Sherburne county was detached from Benton, and that portion of territory lying east of Sherburne county and west of Rum river was also detached and became a part of Ramsey county. By an act of the Territorial Assembly passed May 23, 1857. so much of Ramsey county a« is embraced within the following described limits, was organized into a separate county, to be called Anoka county : "Beginning at the southeast corner of section thirty- six, township thirty-one, range twenty-two west ; thence west on the township line between townships thirty and thirty-one, to the middle of the Alississippi river ; thence up said river to the township line between ranges twenty- five and twenty-six ; thence north along the ttbundary line between the counties of Ramsey and Sherburne to the south boundary Hue of the county of Isanti ; thence east along the boundary line between the counties of Isanti arid Ramsey, to the boundary line betweeen the counties of Chisago and Ramsey; and thence south along the boundary line between the counties of Ramsey, Chisago and Washington, to the place of beginning." The seat of justice was fixed at Anoka. '''On the same day an act was passed creating the county of INTanomin. This county was identical with the present town of Fridley. 94 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. The governor appointed as the first board of com- missioners of Anoka county, E. H. Davis, J. P. Austin and Silas O. Lum. These commissioners met at Anoka June 30, 1857, and appointed the following county offi- cers : Sheriff, James C. Frost ; treasurer, James M. McGlauflin ; coroner, Joseph C. Varney. At another meeting July 6, 1857, Daniel Robbins was appointed assessor for district number one, Francis Peteler for district number two, and S. L. Guice for district number three. The county contained but three election precincts : St. Francis, Columbus and Anoka. Eight townships were created : Anoka, Watertown, Round Lake, Bethel, Columbus, St. Francis, Oak Grove and Centreville. The name of Watertown was soon after changed to Dover and a little later to Ramsey. A TILT WITH KING ALCOHOL. Temperance sentiment Was very strong in Minnesota in territorial days. The first territorial legislature (1849) passed a prohibitory liquor law, but this act was nullified by the supreme court on the somewhat extraordinary ground that it had been submitted to the people, and that congress had vested the law-making power in the legislature and not in the voters of the territory. After this decision was promulgated public drinking saloons began to manifest their existence in various parts of the territory. When the sherifif of Nicollet county seized a quantity of liquor, and was arrested and put upon trial for this act, public sentiment showed itself very strongty in his favor. At Faribault two barrels of whiskey were destroyed by citizens in April, 1855. A saloon was wrecked at Winona, and two others destroyed at Man- kato during the same year, by residents of those places. A TILT WITH KING ALCOHOL. 95 The indignation which greeted the estabhshment of the "Empire Saloon" in Anoka by Daniel D. Dudley in the spring of 1858 can readily be imagined. It was located on west Main street on the lot west of the "Shu- ler building." A public meeting was called to meet In the school house on the 5th of April to discuss measures for ridding the town of the intruder. Speeches were made by various citizens, some advocating moral suasion, and others advising a resort to force, m case of the failure of milder means. A committee of seven was appointed to wait on the saloon keeper and learn whether he could be induced to close his establishment. This embassy failed to produce any result, and a month later resort was had to heroic measures. A vigilance committee with faces disguised broke in the door with a heavy timber (or a tamarac pole as some say) on the night of May 6th and seized, gagged and bound Dudley as he lay asleep en a sofa. They then proceeded to break open casks and bottles, and very soon the liquor merchant's stock in trade had all been spilled in the street. Dudley swore out warrants for the arrest of James McCann, A. P. Lane, Benjamin Shuler and eight or ten others, charging them with the destruction of his property. His attorneys were J. B. Sanborn of St. Paul and Lawrence of Minneapolis. The case came on for trial before R. M. Johnson, justice of the peace. The prisoners had been allowed to go on their own recog- nizance, and great diflficulty had been experienced in getting them all together again at one time, causing nu- merous delays and postponements. When the trial finally began A. P. Lane made a vigorous plea against reopen- ing the case, and the proceedings dragged intolerably. Finally Benjamin Shuler got on his feet and made a g6 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. motion to adjourn, which motion lie proceeded to put to a vote of the spectators. The astonished justice rapped for order, but Shuler declared the motion carried, and the crowd, including the prisoners, filed out of the court room. Attorney Lawrence looked 'stern and Attorney Sanborn was convulsed with laughter, but the proceed- ings had been efifectually broken up and do not appear to have been resumed. Dudley cautiously recommenced business at the old stand and continued to serve his patrons until May ii, 1859, when his saloon caught fire and was burned to the ground. John S. McGlauflin's house which stood twelve feet wes;t had the siding all burned off on the exposed side and was only saved by extraordinary efforts on the part of the citizens. The site of the burned saloon remains vacant to this day. No one doubted that the fire had been set purposely. Dudley's wrath was terrible. He is said to have sworn that he v/ould burn the town. Two months later, on the 14th of July, the Methodist church, then nearing completion and awaiting its steeple and some inside furnishings, was totally destroyed bv fire. Many members of the Methodist denomination had been active in their opposition to Dudley, and some of his associates were believed to have set fire to the church in retaliation. But the war was not yet over. Dudley moved into the barn on the rear end oi his lot, and began selling whiskey in jugs. Some time later he was arrested on a charge of stealing from Thomas Dailey a hog which had just been butchered, and stayed in jail several months awaiting the next session of the district court. At* the trial his attorney, Mr. Sanborn, made the plea that he had already served a sui^cient sentence even J BEGINNING OK THE CIVIL WAR. 97 though he should be found guilty, and he was accordingly discharged. Notwithstanding these interruptions Dudley resumed operations again. Then his uncle died, and Dudlev put in a claim against the estate in the shape of a note osten- sibly signed by the deceased. Instead of having his claim, allowed, Dudley was placed under arrest, charged with forging the note. With public opinion at white hpqt. the chances were all against the prisoner. What the character of the evidence was does not fully appear, but he was bundled off to state's prison without much delay. After his release he visited the town, apparently with the intention of again taking up his residence therein ; but friends pointed out to him the hostile reception he would certainly receive, and recommended other fields of labor. He finally took their advice and gave up the contest. For a considerable time thereafter any traffic in in- toxicants which may have gone on was conducted with a good deal of secrecy, and it was a number of years before any one had the temerity to open a public saloon in Anoka. BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR. Immediately after his inauguration President Lincoln called a conference of the governors of loyal states to consult upon the measures to be taken for the preserva- tion of the Union, and when the news of the firing upon Fort Sumter was received Governor Ramsey was in Washington. The president decided to issue a call for 75,000 troops. Gov. Ramsey immediately offered a reg- iment of Minnesota men, which was promptly accepted, and he telegraphed to Lieutenant Governor Ignatius 98 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Donnelley and also to Ex-Governor Willis A. Gorman the substance of his offer. Gorman, who was a Mexican War veteran, was in Anoka attending the session of the district court, which was being held in the "Shuler build- ing." When the telegram reached St. Anthony it was placed in the hands of a messenger who carried it on horseback with all speed to Anoka. A recess of the court was taken, Gorman addressed the assembled peo- ple, and called for volunteers. Aaron Greenwald was the first to- record his name, and in all probability he was the first man in America to volunteer for the defense of the Union under the president's call. James W. Groat and five others were enrolled at the same time. Josias R. King and others signed a similar paper agreeing to enlist at a meeting- in St. Paul on the evening of the same day. Marcus O. Butterfield, an Anoka attorney, made an attempt to organize the volunters at Anoka and vicinity into a company. He secured the services of Francis Peteler, a Mexican War veteran then living at Round lake, as drill master, and the men were drilled in the St. Lawrence Hotel. The company was not accepted, but Aaron Greenwald, James W. Groat, Thomas D. Hen- derson, Alonzo C. Ha}-den, William E. Cundy, Matthew F. Taylor, Charles Leathers, James Mahoney and others joined other companies of the First Regiment. Soon after the departure of the First Regiment Mr. Peteler obtained permission from the Secretary of War to organize a company of sharpshooters from among the Minnesota frontiersmen. The test of membership was five shots oft'-hand at 125 yards. Captain Peteler chose as his first lieutenant Benedict Hippler, of Dayton, who had served several years in the German army. The BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR. 99 men were drawn from all over the state. Owen Evans from the Quaker settlement in Bethel went into the com- pany as a corporal and became its captain before the close of the war. James A. Kerr, and his two brothers, Wil- liam S. and John, Henry C. McGaffey, David P. Craig and Joseph Pierce were also members. LIEUTENANT COLONHI. FRANCIS PETELER. This company was expected to form Company F of the First U. S. Sharpshooters, but having reached Wash- ington Oct. lo, 1 86 1, the commanding officers were so greatly pleased with them that they were mustered in as Company A of a Second Regiment, of which Cap- tain Peteler became Lieutenant Colonel. J-.ofC. lOO HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. In Aug'ust, 1862, came the news of a terrible mas- sacre by Sioux Indians in the frontier counties of Min- nesota. August 19 an attack was made on New Ulm, btit the Indians were beaten back. The same night Judge Flandrau arrived in the .town with over a hundred armed volunteers, and vigorous preparations were made for the defence of the place. On the 20th, 2ist and 22d of August furious attacks were made on Fort Ridgeley, but the Indians were re- pulsed. By this time Little Crow, who was in command of the hostile Sioux, had augmented his force to about one thousand warriors, and on the 23d made a second attack on New Ulm, but was agam repulsed. Meanwhile the whole population of southwestern Minnesota had been murdered or had fled to the larger settlements eastward. Bands of Sioux too small or lack- ing the desire to kill, penetrated a? far east as Wright and Hennepin counties, helping themselves to goods and provisions abandoned by panic stricken settlers. Little Crow had dispatched embassies to the Sioux bands of the far west and even to his old time enemies, the Mille Lacs Chippeways, with the word that now or never was the time to strike for the recovery of their lost hunting grounds. What the response of the Chip- peways might have been, had New LTlm fallen, no man can say. At all events the younger Chippeways were excited and quarrelsome, and it was from this direction that Anoka county was principally exposed to attack. Settlers in St.. Francis, Oak Grove and Bethel hastily "^ removed their families to Anoka and Minneapolis. Im- agination hid a hostile savage behind every tree and thicket, and many ludicrous spectacles were presented in the precipitate flight. One settlement in Grow was THE EIGHTH REGIMENT. lOI forgotten, and its people only heard of the ()utl)reak after the greater part of the county had been depopulated. The news reached them while a hunting party of Chip- peways were in the vicinity, and they beat a hasty retreat to Anoka. At Dayton the people crowded upon a flat boat in such numbers that it could not be pushed off, which was probably a fortunate circumstance, as it would doubtless have sunk, if it had ever reached deep water with such a load. After the first fright was over the people began to return to their homes, but in most communities they assembled nightly in the strongest log house, and posted guards while they slept. THE EIGHTH REGIMENT. In the fall of 1862, John S. Cady, a man who had greatly endeared himself to the people of Anoka county, began to organize a company of volunteers in response to a fresh call from the government. This company was destined to become Company A of the Eighth Regiment. Major Hippler, of Colonel Peteler's Sharpshooters, was secured as drill-master, and rapid progress was made in putting the company in condition for service. Before the regiment had been mustered in, its several companies were hastily sent to the frontier to protect the settlers against the Sioux, and were occupied in patrolling the western counties until the spring of 1864. In this service the captain of Company A lost his life. At the time of his death Captam Cady was accom- panied by Edward S. Clinch and Elias W. Pratt. The Indians had stolen some horses at Silver Creek in Wright county, and a detachment of Company A had followed their trail to Kandiyohi lake. Here several of them were overtaken by Captain Cady and his two companions. In an effort to escape, one of them galloped through an I02 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. exposed spot clinging to the further side of his horse. As he passed, the Sioux fired under the horse's neck, killing Captain Cady instantly. A return fire hit the horse in the jaw and made him unmanageable, but the Indian escaped by jumping into the brush. Clinch and CAPTAIN JOHN S. CADY. Co. A, Eighth Minn. Regiment. Photo, by Wm. H. Cook. Pratt brought the body of their dead captain back to Anoka. In May, 1864, the Eighth Regiment was mounted for the purpose of taking part in an expedition against ( THE EIGHTH REGIMENT. 103 the Sioux. The regiment marched to the Missouri river, where it joined General Sully's command. A severe battle took place at Killdeer Mountain, and then the Indians v^^ere pursued through the Bad Lands and into Montana and Wyoming, and thoroughly whipped and demoralized. In October tlie regiment was ordered south, and saw a great deal of severe service before the close of the war. CAPTAIN CADY S RESIGNATION. Capt. Cady resigned the office of school district treasurer upon taUng coininand of his company. This document in Capt. Cady's hand writ- ing was discovered in a rubbish heap in 1904. The original is now in the possession of J. S. Cady Post, G. A. R. (Reduced to abouthalf size.) Following is a roster of Company A : Clinch. Edward Captain. John S. Cady. killed by Indians June 11. ISfiS. First Lieutenant, Mareu.s Q. Butterfield. promoted Captain. Second Lieutenant. Nathaniel Tibbetts. promoted Urst Lieu- tenant. First Sergeant, Martin V. Bean, promoted Second Lieutenant. Abbott, Hadley T.. wagoner. Atckison, Michael. Austin. Julius D. Ballard. Amos B.. transferred to Third Minnesota Battery May 1, lSi;3. Beck. William B.. corporal. Bird. Frederick T. Bird. Jeremiah. Brown. Charles A., Brown. Nathan R., Brown. Albert. Brockwa\- Isaac D. Cates. Wm. C. Cheatham. Thomas .T. Clark. Jopiah F.. musician; pro- moted chief musician and transftrred to Non-Com. Staff. corporal, corporal. S., corporal; promoted sergeant. Clark, George A., promoted cor- poral. Clough, Gilbert, detailed as or- derly. Cook. Joseph H. Cooper. John. Cooper, WMIliam. wounded in battle of Cedars. Curial Nathan W"., sergeant. Damon. Albert B. Donnelly. Hugh. Downs. Joseph. EJastland. Olaf. Edwards. Wililam, sergeant; killed bv Indians in Meeker county. Sept. 11. 180.3. Fogg, Frederick K., promoted hospital steward. Fuller, Eben E., wounded at Cedars. Gallagher, Patrick. Gaslin. John W. Gay. Walter D. Giliigan. John. Greer. George TN'. Hancock. Chancs H. I04 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Hathorn. Isaac N. Heath, Albert H., corporal; pro- moted sergeant. Heath, Alden B. Henderson, George L. Hollar, John A. Hunter, John. Ives, William P., sergeant; pro- moted first sergeant. James, Alfonso. Johnson, Christian. Jones, James T. Keyes, Hartwe'U C. Keene, Alvin !<'., musician. Lee, Thomas. Leyerlv. itobert U. Lyman, Thomas. Mansur. Henry. Mason, Timothy D., corporal. Malverhill, John. McCormick. Daniel W. McDonell, John, transferred to Third Minn. Battery May 1, 1863. McLaughlin, Charles E. McClellan, Acton. McKenzie, Benjamin. Merrill, Abraham A., sergeant. Morton, Thurman W. Moses, Charles A. Mountain Benjamin. Murphy. James ±<\, corporal. Nutter, Jarvis. Parker, Henry L. Payne, John. Pemberton, Henry A. CUMl'.V.W A, KIGHTH MINNESOTA REGIMKNT. In the public square, Anoka. 1862. The old flour mill in the background. Photo, by Wm. H. Cook. I Pitman. Ira P. Pratt, Eiias W., promoted ser- geant. Robbins. Andrew B. Rogers, David. Scully, Michael. Secoy, George J. Seelye, William ±0. Sevey, Warren T. Shea, Charles. Small. George M. Smith, P^eeman A. Smith. George. Smun. John C. Smith, Matthias, promoted cor- poral. Snider. Russell. Snow, George T. Snow, Grin, promoted corporal. Starkey. John M. Stiles. Clark T. Strong, John H., corporal. Taplin. Amos U., promoted cor- poral. Tibbetts, Joshua. TiDbetts, James W. Tiloen. Cassius M. Twitchell. Louisville, promoted hospital steward. Walker, 'i homas S. Weaver, George D. Webb, Thomas E. Wiley Henry H.. promoted cor- poral. CHAPTER IX. RETURNING PROSPERITY. Recovery from the panic of 1857 was more rapid llian from aii}' similar convulsion since the settlement of the West. Energies which had long been wasted in land speculation were quickly turned into productive channels. Crops in Minnesota were generally poor in 1858, but in Anoka county they were above the average, and after the harvest of 1859, the economic pinch had largely passed. According to the census returns, Anoka county in 1859 produced 34,734 bushels of potatoes, 40,411 bushels of corn, 8.762 bushels of wheat, 9,917 bushels of oats, and 315 bushels of rye. This bountiful crop placed the people generally in a fairly prosperous condition once more. The secession of southern states brought an- other financial flurry in the fall of i860 and there were a number of business failures in the west, but the trouble was of short duration and hardly reached the mass of the people. Coin disappeared a second time with the advent of the greenbacks in 1861, but this occasioned no economic disturbance save a rapid rise in the cost of commodities. On the night of May 31, 1863, a serious fire occurred at Anoka. The fire started in the shoe store of Colbath Brothers from the upsetting of a lamp. George C. Col- bath and Thomas G. Henderson, who were in the store at the time were so badly burned that Colbath died soon after, and Henderson carried the marks of the conflagra- tion to the day of his death. Adjoining buildings were io6 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. saved, but Colbath's store and contents were destroyed. This disaster was made the more serious by the fact that Colbath was county treasurer at the time, and most of the books and papers of his office were destroyed. The county commissioners appointed H. L. Ticknor as his successor, and so well did the latter succeed in adjusting- GHOKGE \V PUTNAM. the accounts that no complaint was ever made of his settlement of the matter. The office of the Anoka Re- publican was badly damaged and the paper came to an end. The forms and most of the type were saved how- ever. The bed of the old press still does duty in the Union office as an imposing stone. FARMINC; IX ANOKA COUNTY. 10/ About 1857 George W. Putnam started a store near the present site of the Lincohi mill. He afterward en- gaged in the hardware business, and for many years was county auditor. Following is a war-time market report, published in the Anoka Star, Jan. 28, 1865 : Hour, per barrel, $8.00 to $8.75; wheat, per bushel. $1.00 to $1.25; corn, $1.00 to $1.10; oats, Vii cents; potatoes, 50 cents; beans, $2.75 to $3.00; hay, per ton, $8.00 to $10.00; wood, per cord. $.3.00 to $5.00; salt, per barrel, $7.00; eggs, per dozen, 30 cents; butter, per pound, 25 to 30 cenis; tea, per pound. $1.50 to $2.00; vinegar, per gallon, 50 to 80 cents; hams, per pound, 15 to 20 cents. FARMING IN ANOKA COUNTY. The banner crops of 1859 consisted largely of pota- toes and corn, but the high price of wool tempted many into sheep raising the next \car, and there was a ten- dency to return to the raising of wheat, which had been the main crop before the panic. The census enumerators were able to find only fifty sheep in the county in i860. In 1870 the number had risen to 1745. In 1866 the Col- orado beetle, better known as the potato bug, made its appearance for the first time, and the following year the potato crop was badly damaged by the pests. Children were sent out to knock them ofif the vines with sticks, and they were gathered in pails into which hot water was poured. In 1867 a few venturesome people tried poisoning the bugs with Paris green, but others shook their heads over this treatment, and feared the potatoes would also be poisoned and rendered unfit for food. The idea got abroad that the bugs themselves were also poi- sonous. The bugs never disappeared like the grasshop- pers, and the problem of fighting the pests was renewed year by year. P.y [869 the potato crop of the county had fallen to less than half the amount of ten years previous, while the wheat crop had tripled in quantity. Ciradually io8 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. improved methods of applying Paris green came into use, and by 1879 the potato crop had reached 68,000 bushels, which nevertheless was not much of a showing when compared with t 2 1,000 bushels of corn and 94,000 bush- els of wheat raised the same year. In 1882 there came to Minnesota from Maine, a REUEL L. HALL. young man whose advent was a matter of great moment to the people of this and other counties of the Northwest. He went to work at lumbering on the Medway river in the northern part of the state, and while there became acquainted with a man of means and unfolded to him a plan which had long been forming in his mind. The J FAKMING IN AXOKA COUNTY. IO9 young man was Reuel L. Hall, and his nionied friend was C. F. Leland. Having interested Mr. Leland in the matter. Mr. Hal! returned to Maine, where he had already acquired a knowledge of the method whereby starch could be extracted from potatoes. With consid- erable difficulty he obtained new facts and figures per- taining to the business, and at that time formed the plans of the factory wliich he afterward built in Anoka on* the bank of Rum river. When returning from Maine to Minnesota, he stopped in Uoston to talk over with the largest starch dealer in the United States, the advisability of engaging in such an enterprise in Minnesota. This firm handled nine- tenths of all the foreign and domestic starch used in this country. Much to his surprise, these Uoston men threw cold water on his project, and among other things, said that there was all the potato starch being manufactured that could be sold, and further stated that western po- tatoes did not contain sufficient quantities of starch to warrant starting such a business. But Mr. Hall knew the method of testing potatoes for starch, and his tests convinced him that the starch was thert, and that he could get it out. Shortly after his return to Minnesota, the firm of Leland & Hall built at Anoka, in the summer of 1886, the largest potato starch factory in the United States, and the first in the West, at a cost of $25,000. Then Mr. Hall's troubles began. With a large plant on his hands and in a community not accustomed to raising potatoes in large quantities, the result was that the fac- tory lay practically idle the first two years, and not until the third year did it have anything like a decent run. This crop, while not a large one. convinced those who planted no HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. that the potato crop, even at factory prices, paid much better than any other crop raised. From that time on, Mr. Hall had no trouble in securing acreage. When this fact became fully demonstrated, the value of land doubled and in some instances trebled in price. The large pro- duction of potatoes through this section, brought in ship- pers from all over the country, thereby giving the farmers two chances for marketing their fields of potatoes. Two years later, Mr. Hall built a factory at Monti- cello, and within a year or two, one at North Branch and one at Harris, Minnesota. All of these factories proved successful and of great benefit to the farmers — so much so that people from other localities investigated and built factories. There are now over twenty factories in the West, as a direct result of Mr. Hall's enterprise ; consequently potato raising has become a large business in the West and is increasing every year. The potato crop of Anoka county has jumped from 68,000 bushels in 1879 to 421,000 in 1889 and to 717,000 in 1899. It was probably close to the million mark in 1904. Anoka county potatoes have become famous for their excellent eating qualities, and have been shipped to ev- ery state in the Union, meeting with a ready sale every- where. RECLAIMING MARSH LAND. About 1884 the first public ditch was constructed in Anoka county. The work was done under a recent act of the legislature, permitting the cost to be assessed against the benefitted property. O'Connell Twitchell of Centrcville. who had lately been a member of the board of county commissioners, was its principal champion, and finally succeeded in persuading the board to order RECLAIMING MARSH LAND. Ill the ditch. It was in the western part of Centreville, and was known as the Penouc ditch. There was a large tract of low, marshy land running through the eastern part of the county, too wet to raise hay to any extent and practically worthless. Soon after the completion of the TVnonc ditch Montgomery & Mor- JAMES T. El.WELI,. ley bought a considerable amount of this land and be- sought the commissioners to order more ditches. A few ditches were ordered, and some land reclaimed. But it was not until James T. Elwell became interested in the matter that any great amount of progress was made. Mr. Elwell had had some previous experience with drain- 112 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. ing- wet land. He had some years before platted several additions to Minneapolis upon land which had been waste land until he put in some miles of box drains and drain tile. About 1886 Mr. Elwell purchased 8500 acres of Montgomery & Morley's land in eastern Ham Lake. He then purchased from the Great Northern and St. Paul & Duluth railroad companies and the Jay Cooke estate all the lands which they owned in the towns of Linwood, Bethel, Columbus and Ham Lake. He next purchased irom Parker & Johnson about 6000 acres in Blaine, and various other pieces which connected these various tracts. He succeeded in getting the intervening lands to such an extent that his properties were all connected. In all he acquired 52,700 acres. About 200 miles of ditch were then constructed. At his own expense Mr. Elwell built a road in an air line eight miles long, connecting his Oak Leaf stock farm in Ham Lake with his Golden Lake stock farm in Blaine. It was made with a ditch on each side and is still known as the Elwell Grade. Part of the work was done in the winter so that it could be more easily han- dled. It was all let by contract to the lowest bidder, and cost about $1000 a mile. It served to demonstrate the feasibility of an air line road through a country full of marshes. Not only, was Mr. Elwell's land reclaimed from the bog, but ditches multiplied rapidly, and vast tracts of adjoining lands, and wet lands throughout the count\ were drained and made productive. A large part of the towns of Linwood, Columbus, Ham Lake, Bethel and Blaine have been benefitted in this manner. Mr. Elwell placed extensive buildings on his two great stock farms and built miles of barbed wire fence. EDUCATION. 113 Most of the land has been disposed of, but Mr. Elwell still retains between 2,000 and 3,000 acres. The total amount invested by him was about $625,000. Many air line roads have been constructed in Anoka county since the Elwell grade was made. EDUCATION. The first school in Anoka couiily was a private school taught by Miss Julia Woodman (Mrs. Hamm) during the winter of 1853-4. It was kept in the "old" Companv Boarding House, which stood on Van Buren street just east of Second avenue. This building was afterward moved out on ]\fain street and was for years in use as a barn in the rear of Charles Qiurch's residence. It shouM not be confused with the "new" Company Boarding House, which was built somewhat later and stood on the present site of the Anoka National Bank. The next winter (1854-5) there was no school in the village, and the older pupils repaired to Nathan Shumway's house in the town of Ramsey, where Miss Sarah C. Bowen (Mrs. Moses Brown, Minneapolis), kept a private school. During the summer of 1855 -^ school was kept by Sarah Lufkin in a small building on the southwest corner of Van Buren street and Third avenue. This building was afterward used as a dwelling. In the fall a larger and more substantial building was erected just south of the present library building and about opposite the front door of the present court house. This building was ready for occupancy early in Decem- ber, 1855, and became known later as the Third Avenue School House. The first teacher was George W. Smiley. There were forty-five or fifty pupils, more than half of whom are still living within the state. How the flame 114 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. of interest awakes when that school is mentioned to one of its old-time attendants ! These were some of them : Hannah Robhins, Andrew B. Robbing (Robbinsdale, Hennepin Co.), John Robbins, Orin Smith, William Smith, Emily Smith (Mrs. Alfred Whitten), Ada J. Smith (Mrs, George Fairbanks), Matthew F. Taylor, Loretta Smith (Mrs. Chase, Princeton. Minn). Smith (Mrs. Frank Brown), Freeman A. Smith. Lucia Fuller (Mrs. T. F. Pratt), Sophronia M. Taylor (Mrs. M. S. Hutchins), Alexia A. Taylor, Sabin Rogers, Alice Ford (Mrs. Angus McLeod), Ford (Mrs. Dem- arest), Edwin Soper, John Soper, Alonzo Hayden (killed in the terrible charge of the First Minnesota at Gettys- burg), Melissa Hayden (Mrs. Prentiss Hills, Spokane, Wash.), Emily Thorndyke (Mrs. S. O. Lum, Minneapo- lis), Charles Thorndyke, Irenas Atkinson, Columbus Lamb, George Tourtelotte, Daniel King, Helen Ripley (Mrs. George Hills), Cundy (Mrs. Graham), Cundy, Frank Randolph, Randolph (daughter of W. G. Randolph), Alice Frost (Mrs. William E. Cun- dy), Howard Lufkin and his sister Lufkin, Char- lotte Rogers, Kate Rogers, Horatio Earned, Lois Clarin- da Twitchell, John Mayall, Sarah M'ayall. The following summer (1856) the school was taught by Miss Lizzie Putnam. The first county superintendent of schools appears to have been William B. Greene, who died Dec. 13, 1865, while in ofifice, and the county commissioners appointed Rev. Moses Heath, a Baptist clergyman, as his successor. j The next superintendent was Rev. A. K. Packard, who was appointed about 1867 by the county commissioners. He was succeeded some two years later bv Rev. Moses EDUCATION. 115 Goodrich. His successor was Rev. J. P.. Tuttle, who served one teriTi. and then Mr. Goodrich again became superintendent, and served continuously until his death. Dec. 18, 1880. His son George D. Goodrich succeeded him and served until 1887. Since that time countv su- perintendents of schools have served as follows : S. C. Page, 1887 to 1889: A. P.. Clinch, 1889 to 1893: George KKV. MOSliS GOODRICH. D. Goodrich. 1893 to 1897; L. P. Storms, 1897 to 1899; George D. Goodrich since 1899. There are now sixty- eight school districts in the county, employing about ninety teachers. The winter of 1856-7 the teacher of the school at Anoka was a Mr. Payne, a retired Presbyterian minister. A later teacher vi'as Sewell A. Waterhouse. After the organization of Anoka county in the summer of 1857 the Il6 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. village of Anoka west of Rum river was placed in an- other district and a school house built not far from the Mississippi river, which became known as the "Robbins School." In 1866 this building was purchased by John S. McGlauflin and converted into- a dwelling. It is still standing on west Main street. About 1858 Rev. Lyman Palmer started a private school in some rooms of the St. Lawrence Hotel, and a lady whose name is thought to have been Tififany started a school about i860. Many of her pupils enlisted when the Civil War broke out. Then came Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Ailing, who kept a school for girls in the Shuler Building from 1862 to 1864 and perhaps later. Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Greene kept a pri- vate school later — also in the Shuler Building. In the summer of 1866 Miss Loretta Smith (Mrs. Chase j taught in the Robbins school. In 1866 the two districts at Anoka were united and joined in the construction of a four-room school house, which was known in after \ears as the Irving school. This building was the only school house in the village for six years, and was in continuous use until IQ04, when it was moved away to make room for the new high school buildinc- The old Third Avenue School House was sold to H. L. Ticknor, who moved it to the back of his store, where it was finally destroyed by fire. R, B. Abbott was the first principal of the Irving school, and Miss Sophonia Taylor (Mrs. M. A, Hutch- ins) was in charge of the primary room. Aliss Taylor was the first normal school graduate in the count\-, hav- ing graduated from the Winona normal school. The next year (1867-8) all four rooms were in use for the first time. Mr. Abbott was retained as ])rincipa!, the grammru- (Ujiartnient was in charge of Miss Lucia EDUCATION. iiy Fuller, the intermediate department was taught by Mis.>i Loretta Smith and the primary department by Miss So- phronia Taylor. The next principal was Mr. Gilson and his assistants were Miss Jennie Powell, Miss Taylor and Miss Smith. Next came Robert D. Carvill as principal, with Miss Marv POwoll, Miss Romans, Miss Alice T'^rdan and IKVI.NG SCHOOL, AN()K.\. Built in 1866. Removed in 3 904-. Photo, by Ralph Bruns. Miss Urown. as assistants at (liti\'rent times. Succeed- ing' princi])als and sujxTintenck'nis were James H. Gates, R. D. Carvill again, D. W. Sjirague (afterward account- ant at the University of Minnesota), James H. Gates. J. II. Cnmmings, Mr. King. M. A. .^tone, Z. M. Vaughn. J. TT. Torrcns, and the present superintendent. Frederick J ."^licrrv. ii8 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Josiah F. Clark was the first teacher of vocal music north of St. Anthony. He taught the first sing-ing school at Anoka in the winter of 1856-7. CRIME. The first person known to have been killed by a white man in Anoka county was the Chippeway Indian struck JOSIAH F. CLARK. on the head with a paddle by Antoine Robert in 1850. This homicide was unintentional. A man was shot at Columbus on election day about 1858, but recovered. In January, i860, Michael Durgin, who kept a saloon at Pleasure creek, was killed bv two hunters named CRIME. 119 Tripp and Dumphy. who accused him of stealing their furs. Both went to the penitentiary for a few years. Dec. 26, 1874. Louis Bleau was stabbed and killed at a dance in the town of Centreville. His assailant served several years at Stillwater. In June, 1875, P- ^I- Daly of Burns was shot and killed in his field by a neighbor, who was sentenced to the penitentiary for life. On Sunday evening, May 27, 1900. a terrible trag- edy occurred at the home of William Wise in the town of Grow. While members of the family were sitting around a table they were repeatedly fired upon through a front window with a Winchester rifle and a shot gun loaded with buck shot. Willie Wise, aged seven, was instantly killed. Eliza Wise, the mother, was shot sev- eral times through the body and died two days later. William Wise, the father, was pierced by probably thirty buck shot, but survived in a crippled condition, and has steadily improved during the past four years. Joseph Wise, aged eleven, was shot through the right lung and lost two fingers, but recovered. Two daughters. Eliza, aged thirteen, and Martha, aged fifteen, were in another room, and were uninjured. The authorities made strenuous efforts to fix the re- sponsibility for the nnu-(icr. .\ftor following up various clues, two young men who had been keeping company with the girls were arrested and charged with the crime. At the trial Eliza and Martha Wise testified that they had agreed with the two young men that their parents should be killed so that they might inherit the farm and a sum of money in the bank, after which they were to marry the two young men. The jury found the defendants not guilty. I20 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. In November, 1904, a saloon at Columbia Heights was the scene of a hold-up, in which a nine-year-old bo-^ named Freddie King was killed by the robbers. CHAPTER X. CITY OF ANOKA. Two abortive attempts were made to incorporate the City of Anoka. The first act authorizing; incorporation was passed by the legislature in 1858, but the chartu- was rejected by popular vote. A charter authorized by act of March 5, 1869, met with a like fate, and it was not until March 2, 1878, that the city was set off from the township of the same name. The first city election was held March 12, 1878. and resulted as follows : Mayor, George W. Church ; clerk, John S. McLeod; treasurer, H. E. Lepper; Justices of the peace. W. W. l-'itch and E. S. Teller; aldermen. L. G. Browning, J. H. Pierce, D. H. Lane, D. C. Dunham, A. Davis. H. N. Seelye ; ccnstables. Xorman McLean and George Geddes. rOSTOFFICE. The first pcstoffice in Anoka county was established at Itaska in May, 1852. Rut Itaska dwindled after the bill to move the capital failed, while Anoka grew. It was inconvenient to get mail at Itaska. During the fall of 1853 Mr. Lavned used to get the mail at St. Anthony and bring it up in his hat. Some time that winter (1853- 4) a postofiice was established at Anoka and George W. Branch was named as ])ostmaster. His successors to the present time have been : R. M. Johnson. E. H. Davis, J. C. Frost. S. M. \''arney, George Colbath, G. A. Jenks. ^T. O. Butterfield, R. C. Mitchell. S. P. Star- rett, Mrs. Johnson. R. M. Taylor.. J. A. Foote. James 122 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. C. Frost, J. A. Foote, T. M. Ryan, Mrs. T. M. Ryan, I. A. Caswell. FIRE DEPARTMENT. A volunteer fire company was fomied in 1857, arid a few years later was incorporated under the name of "Protection Hook and Ladder Company No. i."' A hook OSCAR L. CUTTER. and ladder truck was built by members of the company. The year 1877 was a disastrous year for conflagrations, and immediately after the incorporation of the city in the spring- of 1878, the fire department was reorganized, and steps were taken looking toward the purchase of more modern apparatus. A steam fire engine was bought CITY OF ANOKA. I 23 and arrived Oct. 3, 1878. After the big fire of 1884 a chemical engine was added. The first officers of the city fire department were : Chief. O. L. Cutter ; first assistant, R. M. Lowell; second assistant, L. H. Bruns. NVATER WORKS AND ELECTRIC LIGHT. The plant of the Anoka Water Works, Electric Light and Power Co., was installed as a result of an election held in the fall of 1889. Its franchise runs thirty-one years from Jan. i, 1890. The city rents 66 hydrants and 25 twelve hundred candle power arc lights for which it pays $6,336 per annum. The stand pipe is twenty feet in diameter and 115 feet high. There are seven and one- half miles of water mains. INDUSTRY. Aside from agricultural pursuits, the saw mills and flour mill furnished employment to the greater number of Anoka residents previous to the Civil War. Ammi Cutter built two ill-fated saw mills and a tub and pail factory, all of which were destroyed by fire. In i860 James McCann purchased the water power and all the mills run by it except the flour mill, and three years later, equipped a much better saw mill than the place had theretofore contained, raising the capacity to twenty thousand feet of lumber per day. In 1868 A. and L. B. Martin built a steam s;iw mill on the west side of Rum river with a daily capacity of one hundred thousand feet of lumber, and employing over one bundrod nun. In 1870 another steam i^aw mill was built on the opposite river bank on the site of the burned Cutter mill, which gave employmtnt to fifty men, and had a capacity of 75,000 feet. In 1872 W. D. Wash- burn & Co. purchased James McCann's milling interests and immediately began the erection of a large steam saM 124 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. mill with an annual capacity of sixteen million feet oi lumber and employing about 125 men. Logs for this large output were obtained on the upper waters of Rum river and its branches and from Mille Lacs and floated down the river to the mills. The lumber industry had attained its highest point when the country was swept by the panic of 1873. 'The lumber companies failed one JAMBS McCAiNN. after the other. W. D. AX'ashbum & Co. managed to keep afloat until Nov. 3, 1874, when they also made an assignment. Wages of common labor went down to a dollar a day and less. Recovery from this crisis was very slow throughout the country. The Alartin mill passed into the hands of the St. Paul Lumber Co. and some years later into those of Reed & Sherwood. The smaller mill became the ]Trnpcrty of the Anoka lAimber CITY OF AXOKA. 125 Co., and later of Page Brothers, and W. D. Washburn succeeded in reorganizing his business under thr naii: of the Washburn Mill Co. But credit was shaken and markets restricted, so that it was several years before the mills were back to anything like their old lime < ut]nu. In the eighties it -began to be apparent that logging on Rum river was ncaring its end. and a board of trade WASHBURN SAW MM.L. Built in 1872. was organized for the purpose of encouraging other industries to locate in Anoka to take the place of tho waning lumber business. In 1886 Leland & Hall buili the largest potato starch factnry in tb.e country at Anoka, and the same year a shoe factory from Lynn, Mass., was induced to locate in the place. There are now two starch factories at .\noka. 126 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. The Anoka shoe factory is now operated as a branch by the North Star Shoe Company of MuineapoHs, who took possession of it Sept. 15, 1897. It has a capacity of 800 pairs of shoes per day, and a product valued at about $300,000 per annum. It employs about eighty men. In 1880 the Washburn Mill Company built the Lin- LINCOLN MILL. Built in 1885. coin Flouring Mill, with a capacity of 600 barrels of flour per day. This mill was burned in the great fire of August 16, 1884, but was immediately rebuilt with im- proved machinery. It was sold to the Pi 11 sbury- Wash- burn Flour Mills Co. Feb. 19, 1890. The mill now has a capacity of 1600 barrels of flour per day. CITY OF AX OK A. 127 The first bank at Anoka was organized April i, 1874, by Walter Mann, W. R. Merriani and C. E. Blake of St. Paul, and was called the Rank of Anoka. Jt was reor- I-IKST CHlKCli IN ANOKA ClJlNTY. Built by the Congregational Socictv on Jackson str»^et, Anoka, in 1857. Purchased by the Catholic Church in 1866. Removed in 1888 to make room for the new St. Stephens church. ganized as a national bank in 1881, and called the First National Dank. It was discontinued in 1889. 128 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. The Anoka National Bank was organized in 1883, with W. D. Washburn as the principal stockholder. The present officers are : John Coleman, president : A. D. Howard, vice president ; L. J. Greenwald, cashier. The State Bank of Anoka was organized in February, 1892. Its present officers are : John Goss, president ; Henry Lee, vice president ; R. W. Akin, cashier. NEWSPAPERS. # The first newspaper in Anoka county was established Aug. 25, i860, by A. C. and E. A. Squire. May 31, 1863, the office was damaged by fire and there appears t:) have been no further publication of the paper. Thera are now no copies of this paper known to be in existence. In September A. C. Squire sold the printing material and subscription list to A. G. Spaulding, who changed the name to Anoka Star, and the first issue of the new paper appeared Oct. 3, 1863. Many of the advertise- ments which had been running in the Republican reap- peared in the Star, printed with the same type. Nov. 5, 1864, the Star appeared with Chas. W. Folsom and Ed. H. Folsom as editors and publishe's. In March, 1865, the Star passed into the hands of a stock companv composed of citizens of Anoka, who voted to change the name to Anoka Sentinel. The first number of the Sen- tinel appeared April 8, 1865, with Chas. W. Folsom and J. M. Thompson as editors and publishers. The last issue of the Sentinel which can now be found is that of June 23, 1865. Probably the paper was discontinued at that time or soon after. August 31, 1865, the Anoka Union was started by George Gray. Many of the advertisements which had been appearing in the Sentinel were continued in the Union, but Mr. Gray began liis pa]:)er as \^nl. i. No. i. I30 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. April 5, 1866, the name of Granville S. Pease appeared as one of the publishers, and in June Mr. Pease became sole proprietor, having purchased all the stock of the company previously in control. The paper has never since changed ownership. The Union is widely quoted, and Mr. Pease has come to be one of the best known men in the state. \V I -■ i \\ ' l- I ' Immigrants going west with on ttarns in 1S68. Main street from First to Second avenue, showing Ticl> were lield in tlie [t^wn hall for a \-ear. ]\Iean while ( CITV OF ANOKA. 135 work was being: pushed on the present church, which was completed in i86(j. Extensive repairs were made in 1885. The present pastor is Rev. Edwin Ewcll. Baptist. — The Eirst Baptist Cliurch was organized BAPIIS'I- CMlKCll, A.MiKA. March 2^, 1856, in tlie Third Avenue School House. Meeting^s were infrequent in the beginning, but Jan. 3, 1857, Rev. Lyman Palmer was called to the pastorate. In 1858 the construction of a church was begun on lower 136 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Ferry street, and it was dedicated March i, 1859. This church was several times enlarged, and was sold a few years ago and the present fine brick church bnilt on the ST. STEPHENS CHURCH, ANOKA. Dedicated July, 1889. Photo, by Nelson. corner of Main and Ferry streets. The present pastor is Rev. F, R. Leach. Protestant Episcopal. — Services were first held in the Robbins School House on the west side of Rum river. CITY OF ANOKA. 137 The first meeting for the organization of the parish was held at the office of C. T. Curtiss, an attorney, Sept. 17, 1858. The church was erected on its present site in i860 and dedicated July 1 1 of that year. Soon after the church was moved to Third avenue, south of the site of the present Library Building, where it remained until 1880, when it was returned to its original site. The present pastor is Rev. R. R. Goudy. Catholic. — The first mass was celebrated by Father Earth at the residence of Peter Donnelly, Aug 15, 1856. As adherents of the church increased the services became more regular, and in 1873 Father McDermott became the first resident priest. In October, 1866. the old Congre- gational church was purchased, and this church was utilized until 1889. when the present fine St. Stephens church was erected, the dedication taking place in July, i88(). The church maintains a school in connection with St. Ann's convent. The present pastor is Rev. Oliver Dolphin. L'xTVKK.SALiST. — The L'niversalist church was organ- ized Feb. 10, 1867. J. J. Couchman, John Mavall and L. H. Lennon were the first trustees, and Rev. Moses Good- rich the first pastor. S. Stockwell was elected treasurer. Tn 1871 a church was projected and was ready for ded- ication Feb. 15, 1872. The present pastor is Rev. W. F. Trussell. Swedish Evangelical Lutheran. — This church was organized Jan. 11, 1870, and reorganized in 1871 by Rev. Jonas Osland. The first deacons were Jonas No- rell, J. Edsberg, P. Englund. Trustees : A. Petterson, Ohf Petterson and Jonas Xorell. The present pastor is Rev. P. I'.. I'redlund. This society has a substantial clnuxh edifice located on l-'ourth avenue. i.^S HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. DR. KLINES SANATORIUM. This popular home for the sick, which is beautifully located on south Ferry street on a rolling tract of fifteen acres abutting- on the left shore of the Mississippi river and on the right bank of the Rum river at the forks of the two streams above the mouth of the latter, was es- DR. KLI.NK S S.\.\ATOKlLiVI. ANOKA. tablished in the spring of 1892, and has been under the personal medical supervision of Dr. James Franklin Kline, the owner, from the beginning. Tlie grounds have been lavishly laid out, and the landscape effects prove to any observer that the doctor is an expert not only in his own profession, but also in the field of landscape gar- deninii-, for here we find trees and shrubl)er\-, Imildings CITY OF ANOKA. 139 and all located just w'.icre llu'v should lie to secure charming- views up and down the great river and over the smaller stream — desiderata so essential to the many indisposed who find heneficial treatment and rest at the Sanatorium. The main building itself is a three story structure with mansard roof and is constructed of pressed brick, with partition walls and joists fitted in with solid concrete, thus making it as nearly fire proof as possible without the usi- of structural iron. It has fifty- four rooms all adequately heated b\- steam and lighted with electricity. For utility and convenience the interior arrangeu'ient of Dr. Kline's Sanatorium is with- out a superior in the Northwest, and it was designed to meet everv emergency in niedical and surgical treatment. Housed within this institution Dr. Kline has all tlie remedies known to the medical profession, skillfully placed for immediate use, and a crnijilete assortment of surgical instrimients and appliances for quick or care- fully planned operations. Xothing seems to be lacking fcr medical or surgical treatunnt. Tn addition to the above, the ])atient who is atllicted with neurasthenia — or nervous disorrlers — will find in Dr. Kline's Sanatorium one of the best ef|ni]ipcd elect' ical outfits in the state. The very latest practice in electrical applications is carried out, not only in the treatment of nervous troubles, bul also of many other afflictions inv which clectricitv has been demonstrated to he of advan- tage. For catarrh and diseases of the respiratory organs conrplcte sprayirg outfits are at band. 1 laths in all forms, massage and Swedish movements are adminis- tered. ; nd trained nurses are in constant attendance. Just a word for ]^\\ Kline bim.self. He was born in Kichville, Pennsvlvania, January 4, 1862: was educated 140 HISTORY OF ANOKA COIINTY. in the common schools of his native state. He grad- uated from Bryant & Stratton's Business College in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1879, ^"^ l^ter took a special busi- ness course at Archibald's Minneapolis, 1884-5. He took the medical course at the University of Minnesota, grad- uating 'in Homeopathy in \Sx;2. He came to Anoka in JAMES F KLINK. M. D. 1893, since which time he has been in contmuous prac- tice. Dr. Kline was health officer for the City of Anoka several years, and for nine years has been surgeon for the Great Northern Railroad Company. He is a mem- ber of the Royal Arcanum, Woodmen, Royal Neighbors, Workmen, and Degree of Honor, and is examiner for CITY OK ANOKA. I4I the local lodges of tliese orders, and is also examiner for the New York Life Insurance Co. Dr. Kline was mar- ried Sept. 15, 1885, to Miss Anna Grififith. and there have been born to them Stella, Jessie and Harrv. THE PHILOLECTIAN SOCIETY. BY MRS. GHOKGK H. WY.MAN. During the fall of 1899 several prominent ladies of Anoka met at the home of Mrs. G. S. Pease for the pur- pose of organizing a club to Ix? known as the Ladies' Social Club of Anoka. A simple plan of organization was agreed upon, the idea being to make the club almost wholly social in its character. The number of members was first limited to fifteen, Init was afterwards changed to twenty-five, only married ladies being eligible to mem- bership. The club met at the homes of its members once in two weeks from three to five o'clock on I'Tiday after- noons. The only officer was a secretary, the hostess al- ways acting as chairman, and the only committee an executive committee, whose chief duty was to arrange for a place of meeting. The ladies brought their work, and chatted or listened to the reading of some interesting article. In the spring of 1890 a few of the members com- menced agitating a more complete organization, with a more definite object and an increased membership. A committee was finallv apjiointed on constitution and by- laws, their report being read and adopted at a meeting held at the residence of Mrs. C. H. Tasker, June 20. 1890. Only a few of the rules and regulations, governing The Ladies' Social Club remained unchanged. The member- ship was increased to thirty-five ; the name changed to The T'hilolectian Society ; the object, the social and men- 142 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. tal improvement of its members, and an admission fee of fifty cents and dues of twenty-five cents quarterly were charged. New members were elected by ballot, three votes against excluding. The following officers were elected for one year, their term of office to date from the first Friday in June : President, Mrs. Flora L. S. Aid- rich, M. D. ; first vice pres., Mrs. Cassimer Cutter; sec- ( p 148 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. in 1892, as previously described in this volume, the ladies of the Philolectian Society took, the matter in hand, with the gratifying^ result that a one mill tax for the estab- lishment and support of a public librar}' was granted, and the city council appointed the following members of the library board : PI L. Reed, G. H. Wyman, A. E. Gid- dings, E. E. Hammons, W. A. Greenwald, IM'rs. W. P. JNIacomber, Mrs. A. G. Aldrich, Mrs. P. S. Rose, and ]\Iiss Mary D. Woodbury. In organizing, the board elected Mr. Reed president, Mrs. Aldrich vice president, and Miss Woodbury, secretary and treasurer. The board rented the second story rooms in the Ticknor block, at the corner of Main street and Second avenue, appointed Mrs. Rose librarian; and bought nearly one thousand volumes, which, in addition to many books pre- sented by private individuals, made a total of about 1500 volumes, beside 1700 of Congressional records and public documents contributed by Senator C. K. Davis. The library was opened in 1894, and was eagerly patronized from its Ijeginning. The number of books issued month- Iv was at first about 800 a month, and the demand has steadily grown larger, until in 1904 an average of 1600 a mionth was issued, 200 of these being history, biography, travels, etc., and the remainder fiction. There were, ex- clusive of the public documents, about 3500 volumes in the library in 1904, of which 1634 were fiction for adult readers, 518 juvenile fiction, 177 biography, 164 history, 146 travel, 159 reference, 58 sociology, 87 bound period- icals, while the rest are theology, philosophy, poems, and unclassified books. In 1903 Mr. J. E. Douglas of Anoka, wrote to Mr, Andrew Carnegie, asking if he would give Anoka a public library building. Receiving a favorable answer, r50 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUN'TV. Mr. Dfiiiolas, wlio was a member of the library board, turned the correspondence over to Mr. Warnes, its sec- retary, who was active in closing the negotiations on the subject. Mr. Carnegie's only condition to his generous gift was that the city should agree to supply $1250 per year for ten years for the sup]:)ort of the library. This was agreed to, and he assured the board that $12,500 would be sent in such installments as the building ex- penses should require. The site selected by the city council was the corner of Jackson street and Third ave- nue, and the board at once proceeded to the consideration of plans, selecting one furnished h\ R. D. Church, arch- itect, and employing Mr. Fransen, a St. Paul contractor. The building was finished the first week in December, 1004. It is a f\\^c structure of gray Columbus brick. ^^•illl trimmings (^f r)edford stone. The portico, with its four liaii(l.--omi,' pillars of stone, and tile flooring, faces the corner, with walks leading on each side to the streets. The entrance leads up the steps of Georgia marble to the circular space l)cncath the dome, which is surr(^unded l)v ])ill:irs anrl faced by the librarian's desk. On the north side is the children's reading room, with a hand- souH' grate and mantel, and on the north the general reading room, the stack room being in the southwest corner, behind the desk, and the remainder of the s])ace on the main lloor occuiiied b\ the librarian's room and toilet rooms The building is steam heated, and finished in red 0:1k-. with a cork floor covering. The furniture is of red oak and golden oak of good design. The large room in the l)asement has a ma])le fl<^or. and is lighted, like the rest of the building, with electricity, but was not furnished at the time of the completion of the building. It was expected that it might be often used by the Phi- 15^ lilSTOUV OF ANOKA COUNTY. lolectian society, which has always retained its interest in the Hbrary. The building was formally opened on the evening of Dec. 6, 1904. The library board at this time was G. H. Goodrich, president, Airs. T. A. Caswell, vice president, J. H. Niles, secretary and treasurer, Dr. J. H. Frank, C. L. Johnson, W. H. Jordan, Mrs. L. J. Green wald, Mrs. J. C. H. Engel, and Mrs. A. C. Frau- man. The librarian is Airs. O. C. Bland. Tho^ who have contributed money to the library, beside the tPhilo- lectian Society, are E. L. Reed, who twice gave $100 for books, and the following gentlemen, who, on the solic- itation of G S. Pease, gave as follows : J. J., Hill, $200; W. D. Washburn, $50 Tc. A. Pillsbury. $25 ; J. S. Pills- bury. .'?25; Thos. Shevlin, $25; J. B. CTilfillan. $25; S. D. Works, $25; F. II. I^eavy, $25; and P. B. \Mnston, $25. CONFLAGRATIONS. Anoka suffered severely from fires in its earlier days. The destruction of the flour mill Feb. 24, 1855, was the first of these. The loss was $t 2,000, the heaviest loss by fire in Alinnesota up to that time. The hotel of J. R. M'cFarlan was burned on the night of June 18, 1856, the boarders barely escaping with their lives. On May 31, 1863, occurred the fire which caused the death of George C. Colbath and burned the records of the county treasurer's office. The mill of Stowell & Co. btu-ned Aug. 12, i8f)4, entailing a loss of $10,000. April 18, 1867, Cutter's mill, together with his tub and pail factory, were destroyed by fire, and in Se])tember of the same year Houston & Prescott's sash and door factory and Sias & l''omeroy's furniture factory were burned. On the night of March 13, 1869, fire caught in the rear of the dry goods store of James J. Couchman on Main Cn\ OF ANOKA. I 5 J Street near First avenue and ten stores were destroyed, with a loss agg'rej2:ating nearly $20,000. Au" 23. 1870, the old Kimball House burned. 1877 was a disastrous year for fires. On Aug. 20, fire eaught in the lumber yard of W. D. Washburn & Co. and destroyed nearly $100,000 worth of lumber and buildings. The fire smouldered in the edgings which had been piled along the east river bank, and was not entirely extinguished for several weeks. The last spark had hardly l)een quenched when Reed & Sherwood's lumber yard on the west side caught fire, causing a loss of some $30,000, and in November the sash and door factory of Bergsma & Co. was burned, entailing a loss of $25,000. This fire also swept away the old town 'hall, which stood near the present site of T>a Plant's feed store. The great fire of Aug. 16. 1884, destroyed the Lin- coln mill and laid the whole business part of the city in ashes from Rum river east to Third avenue. Eighty- six buildings were burned, and the loss amounted to more than $r)00,ooo. • SOCIETIES AND LODGES. Frekmasons. — Anoka Lodge Xo. 30, A. V. and A. M., was organized Oct. 21, 1859. with .twelve charter members. The first officers were \\\ Al.. Owen Evans; S. W., J. F. Clark: j. \V.. 1. II. Martin; Trens.. J. P.. Lufkin; Sec. J. Tl. Colbath : S. D., X. Small; j. D.. T. P. Strout; Tiler, Geo. M. Small. The first mason in- itiated was Albert Woodbury, and he was also the first to be raised to the degree of master mason. Knights of Pythias. — ]^[innesota Lodge No. 8, was organized Dec. 26. 1872, with nineteen members. The first officers were: C. C, M. V. Bean: V. C. D. C. Dun- ham; P., R. D. Carvill; \1. E.. S. P.. Shehlon ; M. F.. 154 UlSroKV OF AXOKA COUNTY. O. L. Cutter: K. R. and S., W. W. Fitch; M. A., C. P/ Cutter: T. G.. E. L. Cnrial : O. G., H. E. Lepper; P. C, J. B. Tuttle. Graxd Akmy of the Rf.purlic. — J. S. Cady Post was organized Oct. 28, 1880. The first officers were: Post Commander, J. W. Pride; senior vice, W. E. Cun- dy; junior vice, J. H. Cook; officer of the day, D. M. I'arkcr: ( fficer of the guard, I. L. Twitchell ; quarter- master, W. F. Chase ; chaplain, S. C. Robbins ; sergeant, S. R. A\'akefiekl : adjutant, N. C. Simmilkeir; sergeant Tiili OLli H.W MARKIiT, ANOKA, 1872. majnr. S. ^^^ Lent ; second A[. sergeant. J. ^^^ \\^ells. Tlie ])Ost now niniil)ers about a hundred members. A, O. U. W. — Anoka Lodge No. 8. Ancient Order of United Workmen, was organized INIarch 6, 1877, with fifteen members. The first officers were : Master, J. L Giddings ; past master, F. A. Bergsma ; foreman, H. W. k'eatherstone : overseer, X. C. Simmilkeir: g^uide, O. AfcEall : receiver, Henry Webster; finance, H. C. Loehl; recorder. C. L. Parsons. T(»\\X ()K<; AXI/.AIIONS. 155 I'liL I\()\;il Arcanum. Dcijree of Honor. Modern AX'ooduK-n and Royal Neighbors also have organizations. TOWN ORGANIZATIONS. Ramskv. — The carlv settlement of this town has al- ready been described. The town was organized in 1857. and the first' officers were: supervisors. Jared Renson. cliairnnn. Isaac Varney and Cornelius I'iluMn ; clerk, David Whiting; treasurer, William Tennyson: collector, Joseph C. Varney. Population: 1860 — 192: 1870 — 265; 1880 — ^Sy \ 1890 — 398; 1900 — 490. Burns.— -The first settler of R.urns is said to .have been a Afr. Deriqan, who made his home on section 29 about 1853. Tn 1854 Charles M. Ford made a claim in sectii n 35 and <;'ave his name to the brook whicli II1 werl through his land., although he spent much of iiis time for some \ears at Anoka, where he started the tirst lilack- smith shop. In 1855 canie Charles ^Merrill and I'ranklin Demarest. The first wedding was that of Thrnias Web!) and Edith Flint in 1857. The first white cliild Ixirn in the town was Robert J. Demarest. son of Franklin Dem- arest, who was born in August. 1857. The first religious service was in i8s8, held at the house of M. Montfort. The first school was taught by Miss Clara ^^'akefield in ^^(\^. The town o\ r)urns was organized in i8f»(). it ba\ing jireviously formed a part of St. h'rancis. 'I"he first o.fficers were su[K'rvisors, John D. Keen, chairman. John A. Muzzey and W. D. Laclair: assessor. Jionier McAlister: treasurer. James Kelsey ; clerk. William D. Cheever. Fo]ndation : 1870 — 340; 1880 — ^=,2: 1890 — 650 : T 900 — 920. C)\K Ckovf. — The first settlers in r)ak Grove were Afoses S. Si'eKe. .^r., lar\is .Vutter and |ohn M. McKen.- 1^6 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. zic. who niadc claims in May, 1855. •-^^^- Seelye was ac- companied by his son H. E. Seelye, who assisted in breaking the first sod and w^io still lives on a farm ad- joining" the original claim. Close behind these came Da- vid Rogers, who arrived in June of the same year; and a little later John C. Smith made a claim. Gilbert Leath- ers assisted the settlers in breaking land during the sum- mer and put up a -hou^e for himself, and in the fall Photo, by Ralph Bruns. LAKE GECJRGE. Franklin Whitney arrived. The next spring brought John F. Clements, and during 1856 Alden W. Norris, (iraft;n .X'orris, Justus Seelve, Thcnuas (laslin and John Cundy settled in the town, west of Rum river. In Oak Grove east of the river there was a considerable settle- ment (luring 1856, including George Small, Stephen Sias, David Sias. l\~)mcroy witli his three sons, George, TOWN ORGANIZATIONS. 1 57 John and Elwin. \\'illiani Yye, Benjamin Grinnells, Jona- than Emerson, James ^[urphy. David Moore (now living in Burns). ATcDonald. Patrick Corrigan and GilHgan. In 1857 came Thurman \\'. Morton (now hving in Burns), Charles and Michael Atckison, Copeland. and Patrick Gallagher. Rehgious services were held in Oak Grove in 1857 hy Rev. Lyman Pahner, and a Baptist church was organized not long after. In the same year Miss Nora Orton taught the first school. The first white child horn in the town was RosaHa B. Smith, daughter of John C. Smith, who was born Oct. 16, 1S57. The town of Oak Grove was organized in 1857, and the first officers were: supervisors, A. \V. Nor- ris, chairman. Dennis E. Mahoney and Peter Brennan : clerk, Erank Lane; collector, John C. Smith; justices of the peace, !\Ioses S. Seelye and 1). ]\lahonev; assessor, Thomas B. Richards. Population : i860 — 231 ; 1870 — 198; 1880 — 305: 1890 — 293; 1900 — 494. Grow. — The first settler in Grow was probably Rev. Royal Twitchell, who took a claim just over the line from Anoka about 1852. Sanmcl Branch made a claim just above ihc UpjxM- Lord and in 1853 John Glynn made a claim above Branch. In 1854 came Erancis Peteler, a Mexican War veteran, who settled at Round lake, and Jacob ^Tillinian abandoned his claim on Rum river and settled near Peteler. He was soon followed by Thomas McCiraw and Patrick Tiemey. By 1856 there was quite a settlement in the town, including besides those already named, ]\I. D. Lapham, Peter Kelsey, Walter Gay, Gay (father of Walter Gay), Stephen Libby, Isaac Bar- stow, v. W. Hank, Deacon J. E. Wheeler, Joseph McKinney. William Staples, D. Y. Smith, John Mayall, Edwin Davis. Captain Xathaniel Small. Hiram Prouty. 158 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY, Charles W'liitehonse. Jared Haskell, Eli Rogers. !Major Riplev (afterward postmaster at Champlin), John Star- key, Silas C). Liim, Edward Stack, Andrew Talbot. Dan- iel Shannon. Harvey Richards and John De Lacy, This town was organized in 1857, with the name of Round Lake. The name was changed to Grow in 1859 in honor of Galnsha A. Grow, who spoke at Anoka in the political campaign of that year. The present town of Ham Lake was included in the organization until 1871. The first school was taught by John Giddings in the house of James W. Groat about 1857. The first child born in the town was Da\id Glynn, son of John Glynn, wdio was born in December, 1853, ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ year.s later. Population: i860 (including Ham Lake)— 330; 1870 (including Ham Lake) — 396; 1880 — 419: 1890 — 485; 1000 — 721. Bt.mnr. — T'le first ])ermanent settler appears to have been Philip Laddy, wlm came there about 1862. George Townsend came soon after, and Green ChamlDors settled on To'wnsend's claim after the latter had gone in 1865. Up to 1877 this town formed a part of the town of Anoka, The first town officers were : supervisors, Moses Ripley, chairman. George Tisdale and Richard Delong: clerk, (i. F. ^hrrtll ; assessor, H. P. Winder; justices of the peace. Thomas Schleif and Thomas Conroy. Pop- ulation: 1880 — 128: 1890 — 205; 1900 — 374. Ham Lake. — The craze for laying out town sites was manifested in this town before it had acquired any permanent i^opulation. In 1856 the tow-n of Glencarie or Glen Gary was platted on land now owned by Berger Titterud. Seven or eight houses were built and the place v^'idely arlvertised as a future city. One day after the panic of 1857 the houses were destroyed by a prairie TOWN OUGANIZATION'S. I 59 fire. Some of llio iiiliahitants baroly escaped with tlieir lives, and witli the scanty lot of lionsehold effects saved from the flames they t(X)k their departnre, and the em- bryo mctro])oHs came to an end. Jolin Scnlly. a native of Ireland, made a claim on section _^i in March. iS5ear on the farm where he still lives. The saw mill ran during the winter of 1856-7, but the next year was shut down on acount of financial troubles and May 2. 1865. it was burned. Captain Starkey spent large 1 62 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. sums of money in trying to make Columbus a city, but finally gave up tbe struggle, and moved away. The town of Columbus was organized in 1857. Capt. Starkey was probably chairman of the board of super- visors, and Mr. Somers was a town officer of some kind, A postoffice was established in 1858, but was discontin- ued a few years later. jMary Yost (Mrs. Edward Ry- YO.ST YOST. 1864. oux) was the first wliite child born in the town. Pop- ulation: i860 — 119; 1870 — 71; 1880 — 92; 1890 — 262; 1900 — 484. Fridley. — John l^)anfil settled in what is now Frid- ley in 1847, ^^"^^ '"^'^'Pt a stopping place for the accommo- dation of travelers. Two years later Henry INI. Rice ac- quired consideralile laud and liuilt a country residence at TOW X ( )R(;.\ \ I/.\l" ION s. 163 Cold Spring's, giving- liis name to the creek which flows through the town. In tin- spring of 1853 came Isaac Kimball, who purchased the hotel from IJanfil, and a little later Job Eastman settled in the place. A ferry across the Mississippi river was established about 1854. May 23, 1S57, the county of Manomin was organized, with the same limits as the present town of Fridley HON. AKUAIIAM M . FKIUl.KY. (including Coluni])ia neiglits). A. .M. iM-idley was made chairman of the board of county commissioners. This miniature county of eighteen sections of land, continued to exist until i870,.when it became a part of Anoka county, as the town of Manomin. In 1879 the name was changed to Fridley. The first officers of the town of 164 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTV. Manoinm wtre : 'sUpet-visors; John Sullivah-, G.- W. Thur- ber and Thom&s Casey;' clerk, G. R. Weeks;' treasurer, John Sullivan. ' ■• : ■., '■^^he foUowiUg corresporidehcie ekplains the circurh- statitts connected with the formation and discontinuance of INianomin' count}- : -'State of Minnesota. District Court, Second District. Saint Paul, April 8, 1899. Major Fridley, Fridley. Minn. My clear Major : — In connection with my lectures at the University of Minnesota pn "Taxation" I want to ^ive a brief statement of the history' of Manomin county. To that end will you be good enough to give me what knowledge you have on this subject and refer me to authorities where ithat knowl- edge can be supplemented/ Hoping to see you soon in St. Paul, and with pleasante^lrecollections of our transactions while I was at the bar, I remain, A^ery cordially yours, Edwin A. J.\gg.\rd. Fridlej^ Minn., Apr. 18, 1899. Judge Edwin A. Jaggard, Court House, St. Paul, Minn. Dear Sir: Your favor of 8th inst. was dulj^ received, re- questing information concerning Manomin county. It was or- ganized by an act of the territorial legislature approved May 3, 1857, and abolished by constitutional amendment adopted Nov. 2, 1869. The bill passed by both houses embraced, in addition to the territory comprising the present town of Fridley, the town of Mound View, both taken from Ramsey county ; but by skulduggery, presumably by a Ramsey county politician. Mound View was omitted in the enrollment of the bill presented to the Governor (an uncle of mine), who approved it without discovering the emasculation. Of course, a county of so small an area and sparsely populated was unable to maintain an organ- ization without embarrassment and liability of being subject to exorbitant taxation, should its political management fall TOWN ORGAN IZATIOXS. I6s into incompetent hands. It \v:is "an elephant on our hands," difficult to get rid of, because of the constitutional provision against reducing counties below four hundred square miles, hence the constitutional amendment was submitted and adopted as the only way out of the dilemma. With best wishes for your con- tinued success and iirnsperity, I remain, Very truly yours, H. C. Fkidley. #?- S\\ ANSON. One of the nio.st iinpdrlant industries in Anoka comity is the Northwestern P'ireprooting Works, situated just north of the ]\Iinneapolis city Hmits. The proprietor, C. J. Swanson, started in the business of brick making at Camden Place in 1875. and tour years later purchased the i66 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. present site east of the river, upon which buildings were erected in 1880. Large quantities of hollow brick and hollow tile fire proofing are manufactured and shipped to all ]:!arts of the W^est. About seventy-five men are employed at the works, and as many more on buildings. Population: i860 — 104; 1870 — 103; 1880 — 257; 1890 — 476; 1900 (including Columbia Heights) — 566. St. Francis. — George Armsby, E. Fowler and Smith L. Gale were the first settlers to take up their residence in SCliNIC AT ST. FRANCIS. St. Francis. This was in 1855. J. P. Austin, \\'. P. Clark and others followed the next year. The first school was taught by Miss Hattie Waterhouse at the house of E. Fowler. The present flouring null at St. iM'ancis is ■the property of the St. P>ancis Milling Co. It is a five- story building, and was erected in 1888. It has a capac- ity of 2*0 barrels of Hdur ])er day. The bulk of the outjiut is shipped to Chicagi!. The St. l-'rancis ."^tarch TOWX ()K(, AXIZATIONS. l6y Manufacturing' Co. has licon doing business since 1895. Tlie first vcar the ooiupany made 600 tons of starch. 'I'hc axcramc run ])vr animni since has liecn about 300 tons, varyino- ^vith the cliaractcr of the season and the price of potatoes. I'hcre are about 140 stockholders. nearly all of whom are farmers. The starch is shipped to Chicago and Boston. The St. Francis Canning Fac- tory has run four seasons. Corn is the only product canned. The last two years about 2500 cases have been turned out in a season. In a good year the factory should turn out double that amount. Population: i86(^ (includ- ing Burns) 153; 1870 — 166; 1880 — 2/0: 1890 — 324; i()oo — 483. CENTRKvrLT.E. — The early settlement of this town is descrilicd on jiage 50. In 1854 Charles Peltier built a saw mill, and in CDmjiany with l*". X. Lavellee and Fran- cis Lamotte, ])lattcd the village of Centreville. The set- tlers in the village and vicinity were mostly Freneli. and tl;is came to be known as llie I-rench settlement. ( )li\er Dupre, A. Gervais. Joseph Forcier. Paul and Oliver Pel- tier, Stephen \\'ard and L. Burkard were among the first eiMuers. Mi ;!n\v!iile ( ierman settlers had lieen making claims near the home of F. ^\'. Traves in the western part of the town, among them Henry \\'enzel. who came in 1855, and this place .was known as the German settle- ment. The town of Centreville was organized August II, 1857. The first officers so far as known were: Oliver Peltier, chairman. Francis Lamott ; clerk, Charles Pel- tier; treasurer, Stephen Ward; justice of the peace. Fran- cis Lamott. The first religious service in the town was at the res- idence of Francis Lamott, where mass was said by Father Kaller in 1854. who continued to visit the place occasion- CATHOf-IC CHURCH AT CENTREVILLE. Photo, by Johnson. TO W X ORG A M Z A J U » X S. 169 ally for several years. He was succeeded by Father Robert, and in 1861 Rev. Joseph Goiffon was placed in charge of that parish and that of Little Canada, a po- sition which he held for many years. His successors have KHV. JOSKl'H C.OU-KON. been Rev. Francis Combette. Rev. H. Bonnefous. Rev. A. \'an den Uosch. Rev. Peter A. Ouesnel, and the present pastor, Rev. Marcil Masl. The Church of St. Genevieve of Paris was erected in 1859. 170 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Population: i860 — 351; 1870 — 687; 1880 — 876; 1890 1 134; 1900— 1 175. CHAMPLIN. The first settler in Chaniplin was Charles Miles, who built a house near the Mississippi a few rods below Elm creek in 1852. The following^ springy Joseph B. and Augustus Holt took claims on the present site of the village. Augustus Holt erected a frame house in the summer of 1853 — the first in the village. Richard M. Lowell, a brother-in-law of Miles, had been here as early as 1851. but did not make a claim until 1853, when he located above the village near the river. Rohert H. Miller, John K. Pike and Benjamin Messer also settled above the village, and here also came John Shumway, who had sold his fractional claim in Ramsey to Moses Brown. IMr. Lowell soon sold his claim to a Mr. Stevens, and made another claim in section 30. Colby Emery also located in section 30 that year, and William Milhollin and Rev. Lewis Atkinson settled in section 33. Stephen Howes made a claim in section 2g. and Hiram Smith settled en the south line of the town. The year 1854 saw a considerable accession of pop- ulation. Rev. Wentworth Hayden settled in section 24 and gave his name to the lake near by. Daniel W. and Horace IMcLaugblin and \\'. ^^^ Cate made claims on the prairie below the village. Samuel Colburn made his claim this year, and James ^McCann built a log house on the north bank of Elm creek. To section 25 came John 1. Giddings. and in tlic southern part of the town LIenr\ L. Cheever, James D. Hervcy, Benjamin Bond. Charles B. 1 lale and E. P>. Lowell made claims. Erancis Tliornd\kc settled above the village near the river. CIIAMPLIX. 171 In 1855 came Samuel D. Lceman. David S. McCon- nell and John D. Hank. In May John Martin bought out John I. Giddings, and Alvah Hills and his son George A. Hills settled in section 31. William Davenport, James W. Dyson, Fredolin Zopfi and Terrance Donnelly settled between Leeman and Havden lakes. KICIIARI) M. L0\VI;L1.. In 1856 John Stockton bought Mr. Stevens' farm. James 11. Trussell came from Brooklvn township in 1857. The first birth was that cf a child of Mr. and Mrs Stevens and the second a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Ibilt. The first death was that 'if Stci)lieTi Grant in 1/2 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. 1856. In tlie summer of 1855 ^ shanty was erected near t!ie west line of the town for a school house. The first school was taught by Miss Emily Thorndykc (Mrs. S. O. Lum). and the second school by ^Nliss Mary Nel- son (\\Irs. (i. G. Crowell). The first wedding was that of Cyrus Rollin and Aliss Lucretia Clark, which took place in 1857. In 1858 the township of Marshall was organized, em- bracing" the present territory of Champlin and Dayton. The officers elected served only one year, and the two towns were separately organized the following spring, under the nahies which they now bear. At the first town meeting for Cham])lin, held April 5, 1859, the following officers were elected : Supervisors, "Rev. Wentworth Hav- den, chairman, Samuel C. Griggs and Samuel D. Lee- man: clerk, Joseph B. Holt; assessor, Jackson A. Lin- scott ; collector. Job Keniston ; overseer of poor, John D. Hank: justices of the peace, Samuel Colburn and Alvah Hills: constables, Joseph Downs and George A Hills. • ' The village of Champlin was platted by Joseph B. Holl. Samuel Colburn and John B. Cook in 1854, but the ])lat was not filed until two years later. George Ivollin started a hotel in 1855. Joseph Downs conducted ihc hotel from 1857 to 1859. Other early settlers w^ere John Dei)ue. ^^'illiam Brander, Charles I. Clark, Wil- liam A. Messer, Alonzo Cook, Christian Stahlberg, E. A. Linscott, and Franklin Wood. In 1859 ^ school house was ])uilt in tlie village 'on l)lock 43. Nicholas Faber o])ened a general store in 1866. which he conducted for many years. In i8^)7 A. P. Lane and Colonel 1). H. Lane built the first ilour mill on the north bank of b'.lm creek, bur CIIAMI'I.IX. l/S not long' after it was undcrniiiicd by extraordinary hig^h waters was organized in the old school house by Rev. John Stafford, with George D. ]Miars as leader. The next year a small church 32 by 50 feet was erected. In 1900 the present church was built at a cost of $3,200. The present pastor is Rev. J. H. Buttelman. The present trustees are, Mrs. O. S. Miller, Miss Sarah Ricker, G. W. Nicholls, John Allison and James AA^atson. A postoffice was estalilished in 1858. with J B. Holt as postmaster. Early postmasters were Samuel Golburn, J. A. Linscott, R. H. ^^liller, F. Thorndyke. and N. Faber. The present postmaster is Arthur J. Miller. Population: i860 — 198; 1870 — 292; 1880 — 456; 1890 — 620; 1900 — 653. DAVTOX. 175 DAYTON. The first settlers of Dayton were Paul Gurn & Co. they began the erection of a large and thoroughly equipped saw mill at Anoka in 1872. (See illustration, page 125.) This mill had an annual capacity of sixteen million feet of lumber, and, with its complement of planing mills, dry kilns, etc., furnislu'd employment to about 125 men. For seventeei; years logs from the head waters of Rum river and its trilmtaries were floated down to this mill, and the product manufactured therefrom was shipped far and wide throughout the North- west. About 1875 the company was organized as a corporation under the name of the Washburn Mill Company, with sub- stantially the same ownership, and in 1880 the Lincoln Flour Mill was constructed, with a capacity of 600 to 700 barrels of flour per day. In the great fire of August 16, 1884, the Lincoln mill w^as destroyed, but owing to the elaborate precautions of F. L. Pinney, its superintendent, the saw mill and lumber yards were saved. A new Lincoln mill quickly rose from the ashes of the old mill, equipped with the latest improved machinery, which still continues to furnish employment to many residents of Anoka. The new mill has a capacity of 1600 barrels of flour per day. (See illustration page 126.) Hon. Willi \m Drew W.asiiburn is a native of Maine, and the youngest of eleven children, two of whom became govern- ors of states and members of congress, and two others became United States ministers to foreign countries. Mr. Washburn graduated from Bowdoin college in 1854. and after taking a law course came to St. Anthony in 1857. Soon after his arrival he became agent for the Minneapolis Mill Company, which 178 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. owned the water power on the west side of the falls. The energy and business acumen with which he guided the company's business through the financial depression following the panic of 1857 won the confidence of men of means and no doubt in large measure laid the foundation for the immense enterprises, involving millions of dollars of capital, in which he afterward engaged. The projection and building of the Minneapolis & HON. WII.LTAM D. WASHBURN. St. Louis Railroad and in later years of the MinneapoliL, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic, better known as the "Soo" Railway, were in large measure his work. Anoka county citizens have numerous reasons for remembering the aid given by him to worthy enterprises in their midst, and his kindly advice has been frequently sought by her business men in cases of emer- gency. In addition to his milling interests, Mr. Washburn was the founder of the Anoka National Bank, and also built an RIOGRAPHICAL. 179 opera house at Anoka, which was destroyed in the fire of 1884. With all the pressure of private business, Mr. Washburn has found time to devote to public affairs. He was twice elected to a seat in the Minnesota legislature, and in 1878 became i member of congress from the district embracing Anoka county, serving three terms in the national House of Representatives. In 1889 he was elected United Statc> Senator from Minnesota MAJOR WILLIAM D. HALE. in which capacity he served six years. As a director of the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company Senator Washburn still retains an interest in the Lincoln mill. William Dinsmore Hale was born at Norridgewock, Maine, Aug. 16, 1836. He came to Minnesota in 1856. locating first in Goodhue county. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he en- listed as a private in Co. E, Third Minnesota Regiment In July. 1862, he was captured and parolled, returning to Minnesota l80 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. and taking part in Colonel Sibley's campaign against the Sioux. Having been exchanged, he was again ordered south, and par- ticipated in the capture of Vicksburg and Little Rock. Later he became major of the Fourth Regiment of Colored U. S. Artillery, and served in that capacity until the close of the v^rar. After the war he came to Minneapolis and entered the employ of W. D. Washburn & Co., and in 1876 became a partner in the company and manager of its growing business. Here his extraordinary talent for details found an abundant field for development. Every part of the Lincoln mill at Anoka, from the piling under the foundation wall to the weather vane on the pinnacle of the flagstaff was the product of his care and fore- thought, and his ability in the selection of fit assistants re- duced the complicated combination of manufacturing and mar- keting both lumber and flour to a system which ran as smoothly as one of their own Corliss engines. Miajor Hale's connection with Anoka business affairs terminated with the transfer of the Lincoln mill to the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Co., but he still holds a high place in the respect and esteem of her citizens. Major Hale has held various official positions of trust, and at the present time is postmaster of Minneapolis. Thomas J. Abbett, head packer in the Lincoln mill since 1892, was born June 10, 1867, in Dakota county. His early schooling was in Hastings, but at the age of twelve his parents removed to Minneapolis, where he finished his education. He was later employed in the Pillsbury and Washburn mills until 1892. He then came to Anoka, and has filled the position of head packer at the flour mill in Anoka ever since. He was married in 1892, on the 20th of September, to Vernie D. Byers, of Minneapolis. He has occupied the position of president of the Anoka Street Fair Association since its inception some five years ago, and is affiliated with the Maccabees, K. P. and R. A. fraternities, while Mrs. Abbett is treasurer of the Anoka school district, having been chosen in 1902. Children, Gladys and Ruth. Alanson George Aldrich, M. D., was born in Adams, Berk- shire county, Massachusetts, the son of John Rexford and Lois A. Randall Aldrich, and is the grandson of David Aldrich, a well known New England Quaker preacher. He was educated BIOGRAPHICAL. i8i in the public schools of Adams and under the private instruction of Rev. Geo. Harmon, now of Tufts college, Boston, Mass. Dr. Aldrich began the study of medicine under the precep- torship of Dr. H. M. Holmes of Adams, and attended his first course of lectures at the medical department of the University of Vermont. He later entered the College of Physicians and Sur- geons, Baltimore, Maryland, receiving his degree therefrom in A. G ALURICH, M. D. 1879. He practiced medicine in Massachusetts for three years, when he married Flora L. Southard of Westford, New York. In a trip to the Northwest a few months later, when visiting friends in this locality he decided to remain here for a few years. The few years have merged into many, and Dr. Aldrich is still an enthusiastic admirer of the North Star state, making Anoka his home with offices in Minneapolis and Anoka. l82 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Dr. Aldrich devotes his practice exclusively to the specialt}' of the eye, ear, nose and throat, and is ably assisted by his wife. Dr. F. L. S. Aldrich. His preparation for this work has been extensive and thorough. In 1887 he took special instruc- tions under Dr. F. C. Hotz at the Chicago Eye and Ear Infirm- ary, and in a few months thereafter another course in the same city. In 1888-9 he took the best courses obtainable in this country at the Manhattan Eye and Ear Infirmary and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, also special work at the New York Post Graduate Hospital. In 1896 he was appointed clinical assistant to the Royal Ophthalmic Hospital, London, Eng., and to the Royal Ear Hospital, and the Central London Throat Hospital under the renowned Lennox Browne. This was followed by advanced private courses in the hospitals of Paris, Vienna, and other European cities. Dr. Aldrich is a member of the Hennepin county Medical Society, the State Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. He is a frequent contributor to journals of Oph- thmology. He is a thirty-two degree Mason and a Shriner. He is an enthusiastic lover of field sports and of country life. His home, "Colonial Hall," at Anoka is largely maintained in order to bring him nearer the pleasures he so much enjoys. His private kennel always contains the finest breeds of hunting dogs, all well trained. Both he and his wife are advocates of the simple life ; both are enthusiastic students of natural sciences, and their home life is ideal. Dr. Aldrich politically is a radical Democrat and an independent thinker. Among his friends he is known as "a royal good fellow at all times." Flora L. S. Aldrich, M. D., was bom in Westford, Otsego county, New York. Her ancestors were of the class known as the old Knickerbockers, residents of the Hudson river valley, and the Sutherlands of Otsego county. Her mother was the daughter of Isaac Sutherland, a gentleman of wealth who be- stowed upon his daughter the best education procurable in those days, and their home, "Sutherland Place," was throughout her life a favorite visiting place for the educated and distinguished of the times. Here Doctor Aldrich and hef only brother were born, and three generations previous in which were only one son and one daughter in the same family. BIOGRAPHICAL. 183 Her father, S. Wesley Southard, is still living and is a gentle- man of the old school, a type of which is now fast passing away. On the eve of young womanhood Dr. Aldrich was bereft by death of this estimable mother's love and care, and her edu- cation which had been largely looked after by her mother, became academic and was procured at the local academies. Her FLORA L. S ALDRICH, M D collegiate training was largely private, taken almost entirely under men and women who were specialists in each department. Such careful training, together with the associations of her childhood and young womanhood, has developed a quality of mind and heart which every one of "Mrs. Dr. Aldrich's" acquaintances can testify to as standing for the highest ideals in everything. 184 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. In 1883 she was married to Dr. A. G. Aldrich of Adams, Berkshire Co., Mass., and immediately took up the study of medicine. In the autumn of that year they visited the Northwest, and through the influence of friends decided to locate in Anoka. She at once went on with her medical studies with her husband, and within three years received her degree from what is now the medical department of the State University. This was followed by two complete courses in the New York nospitals and in the Post Graduate Medical School and Hos- pital of New York city. In 1896, she together with her husband, spent nearly one year in the hospitals of Europe. From the beginning of her practice she has not only had a large clientelle in Anoka and vicinity, _ but great numbers from other North- western localities. She is a successful physician and a highly respected woman. For the last two years she has been an able assistant to her husband in the special work of eye, ear, nose and throat, and has become very proficient in this line of professional work. She is a writer of beginning note in medical literature. She is a contributor to various medical journals, and has written a book for mothers, "My Child and I," which has a steady sub- scription sale by a Philadelphia publishing hou&e. She is a member of the State Medical Society and the American Med- ical Association. She is a member of the Episcopalian church. In her domestic life she is fortunate and happy, the wife of an able physician who is her co-worker and constant companion. Their home, "Colonial Hall" at Anoka, is one of unusual com- fort and elegance. William J. Annon was born in Ireland Jan. 7. 1867. He came to America at the age of thirteen. He received his edu- cation partly in Ireland and partly in New York city. He came west in 1893 and to Anoka in August of that year, as business manager of the Anoka Water Works, Electric Light and Power • Co., which position he still holds. Mr. Annon was married Jan. 2, 1850, to Jennie Shortt. Children: Walter T. and Charlotte Isabel. Daniel R. Bean was born Dec. 26, 1862, in the town of Ramsey, Anoka Co. Attended the common and high schools at BIOGRAPHICAL. 1 85 Anoka. He worked as a clerk in various stores and about 1884, engaged with H. A. Harrington in the hnie and coal business, which continued for several years. He was then engaged in the breaking and sale of western horses at New Brighton for a few years. About 1895 he purchased his present farm in section 25, town of Burns. He has 85 acres of land, about 35 of which are under cultivation. He was married in March, 1883, to Edith Sanger. They have three children : Florence E., Earl and Donald. John R. Be.\n was born April 25, 1830. in Enfield, Maine. Attended common schools in Oldtown and Bangor. When still a boy he went on a whaling voyage to the Pacific ocean, which took him around Cape Horn and back to New Bedford, Mass., consuming three years and three months in the cruise. He made two shorter sea voyages and then found employment in a cotton factory at Salmon Falls, New Hampshire. He came to St. An- thony, Minn., in September, 1848, and w^orked about the saw mills there until the fall of 1849, when in company with John Simpson he made a camp on the island in the Mississippi now called Cloutier's island about opposite the farm of C. G. Richard- son in the town of Ramsey. At this camp a lively trade was carried on with the Winnebago Indians, who had not kept very closely upon their reservation at Long Prairie and were scattered all along the Mississippi above Itaska, and even as far south as the present site of Champlin. In the spring Mr. Bean built a log house on the main land on the present Richardson farm. .■\.bout 1853 Bean and Simpson made a trading trip to Pembina, where they remained one year. On one occasion Mr. Bean got across the British boundary and was captured by agents of the Hudson Bay Company, but luckily escaped without having his furs confiscated, being put back across the boundary with a warning to trade only south of the forty-ninth parallel. Mr. Bean then lived several years in St. Anthony, working in the saw mills. In 1855 he built a permanent dwelling on the present Richardson farm, where he lived continuously with the exception. of eighteen months, until 1870, when he purchased his present home in Anoka, where he has since lived. Mr. Bean was married Jan 7. 1855. to Julia A. Mathison. Children: Mary E. (Mrs. William Boistridge, St. Francis, l86 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Minn.), Ida E. (Mrs. George L. Rathbun) and Daniel R. (See group picture, page 74.) Martin V. Bean was born in Dexter, Maine, Jan. 14, 1831. He engaged in farming until 1855, when he came to Anoka and worked at lumbering until 1862. In that year he enlisted in Co. A, Eighth Minnesota Regiment, serving as first sergeant and afterward as second lieutenant of that company until the close of the war. In 1872 he formed a partnership with C. S. Guderian and engaged in the hardware business. Some years later he purchased Mr. Guderian's interest, and has now associated with him his son, W. M. Bean. M. V. Bean was married in 1862 to Louisa McFarlan. Their daughter. Miss Edna Bean, is engaged in newspaper work, principally for Chicago papers. John T. Benson was born at Sarpsborg, in the southern part of Norway, Jan. 24, 1849. At the age of eleven he went on a sea voyage, and followed a sailor's life for some ten years, visiting England, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Argentine Re- public, Japan, China and Egypt, in which last named country he enjoyed a bath in the Nile river. He came to America in 1870, and at Buffalo, shipped for a lake voyage to Chicago. He served as first mate on lake vessels for five years. About 1871 he purchased 80 acres in section 11. town of Burns, Anoka Co., but did not take up a permanent residence here until 1882. He was married in Chicago Dec. 18, 1879, to Clara M. Mattson. Children : Jennie T., Theodore C, Frederick J., Walter, Lydia, Leonard and Hazel P. Frederick A. Blanchard was born at Charlotte, Washing- ton Co., Maine, Dec. 8, 1840. June 14, 1861, he enlisted in the Sixth Maine Regiment, which was attached to the Army of tho Potomac. He was with McClellan in his seven days' fight be- ginning with the battle of Mechanicsville and closing with the battle of Malvern Hill. Mr. Blanchard was soon after trans- fered to the Veteran's Reserve Corps, and was quartermaster sergeant and did clerical work in the War Department. He came to Minnesota in 1870, and settled in Ham Lake. About 1873 he took a homestead in section 34, town of Ham Lake, where he has since lived. At the age of sixteen he made his first political speech, which was for Fremont in 1856 at Charlotte, Me. He served three years as chairman of the board of supervisors of BIOGRAPHICAL. 187 Ham Lake ; was also town clerk three years and clerk of the school district about thirty years. For nine years he has been secretary of the Anoka County Sunday School Association. Mr. Blanchard was married March 19, 1870, to Bessie R. Hill. Chil- dren: Hill (died in infancy). Maud L. (Mrs. C. R. Skil- lings, Bay Lake, Crow Wing Co.), Henry A. (Minneapolis), Charles E. (died about 1899), Frederick W. (with Wyman, Part- FRKDERICK A. ULANCHAKD. Photo, by Thibodeau. ridge & Co.. Minneapolis), Alan L., Edith B., Lawrence E., and David. John C. Bowers was a native of Blair Co., Penn., obtain- ing his education at the Academy of Harrisburg, Penn. In 1850 he came to Minnesota and in 1851 to Itaska, Anoka Co., where he kept a hotel from 1853 to 1855. He held variouj 1 88 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. town offices and was postmaster for twenty-five years, having served previously as postoffice clerk at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. During the years 1851-2 he was messenger in the Territorial Legislature. He also served for twelve years following the fall of 1864 as station agent at Itaska. His wife's maiden name was Isabel Trapierre. Children: Cecelia (Mrs. W. D. Brimmer), and Charles E. S. BOND, D D. S. Photo, by Nelson. Scipio Bond, D. D. S., was born April 28, 1859, in Dayton, Hennepin county, Minn. His ancestors on both sides were Quakers. He attended the common schools of Hennepin county, and graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Denta' Surgery at Philadelphia, Pa., in 1889. In 1892 he took a post graduate course in the dental department of Northwestern Uni- versity at Chicago. He has been engaged in the practice of BIOGRAPHICAL. 1 89 dentistry at Anoka some twenty years. He is a member of the State Dental Society, and is at the present time (October, 1904) the presiding officer of the Anoka lodge of Knights of Pythias. Dr. Bond was married in December. 1886, to Laura A. Burrill, of Minneapolis. Tliey have one daughter, Dorothy. Ch.\rles E. Bowers (son of John C. Bowers) was born at Williamsburg. Blair Co., Penn., July 4. 1844. At the age of nine his parents came to Minnesota, settling at Itaska, Anoka Co., June 8, 1853. For the first few years his playmates were Win- nebago Indian boys, members of that tnbe being encamped at Itaska and vicinity. After obtaining a common school edu- cation, he took up farming. In Septeml>er, 1862. he enlisted in Minnesota Mounted Rangers, Company C, serving for thirteen months. For fifteen years he served as town treasurer of Ram- sey. ' April 29, 1896, he was married to Lucy E. Faherty. Chil- dren : C. Warren. Walter Donald, and Frederick J. Howard H. Bradeen was born at Biddeford, Maine, June ig, 1867. The family removed to Minnesota and to Anoka in May, 1877. After leaving school Mr. Bradeen took up the work of an accountant, and is now employed in that capacity at the Lincoln mill. In April, 1902, he was elected city treasurer, re-elected in 1903 and again in 1904, and is still serving in that position. Mr. Bradeen was married Feb. 20, 1889, to Belle C Stone. They have one son, Leon E. William Brander was born on Prince Edward's Island Jan. I, 1837. He came to Champlin in February, 1863, where he engaged in blacksmithing. In 1866 he was married to Almiri Parker. They have one daughter, Ella F. (Mrs. James Leach). Sanford Broaddent (son of Thomas Broadl)ent) was born in South Walpole, Mass., April 18, 1835. He first worked in a sash and door factory in Southbri&ge, Mass. He enlisted July II. 1862. in the Thirty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment. Ha was severely wounded at the battle of Newmarket, Va. He was taken prisoner and was confined in Andersonvillc for a number of months. After the war he lived in Jefferson county, New York, until 1869. when he came to Anoka Co.. and purchased his faim in the town of Lin wood a vear later. 190 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Thomas Broadbent (deceased) was born at Saddleworth, Lincolnshire, England, Oct. 2, 1810. After coming to America he worked in the woollen mills in Massachusetts. In 1872 he came to Minnesota and to Anoka county, and purchased a farm in the town of Grow. He was married to Esther P. Carroll. Children: Julius (deceased), Sanford (Linwood), John (de- ceased), Julius (kilkd at battle of Antietam), Emily T., and Sarah A. LOUIS H. BRl'NS. Photo, by Ntlson. Louis H. Bruns was born in Chicago Nov. 28, 1852. He learned the trade of a watchmaker and jeweler, and in 1872, came to Anoka. Here he worked at his trade for a short time and then engaged in the jewelry business on his own account, in which business he is still engaged. He is also a skilled op- tician. Mr. Bruns was married April 15, 1875, to Lizzie A. Leeman. Marcus Q. Butterfield was born in Farmington, Maine, Apr. 7, 1815. He graduated from the Farmington Academy and BIOGRAPHICAL. IQI in 1845 went to Ohio, finally settling at Dayton, where he lived until i860. He worked first as a shoemaker, bnt afterward studied law and was acjmitted to the bar in 1853. He came to Anoka in i860, and in 1862, enlisted in Co. A, Eighth Min- nesota Regiment. Upon the death of Captain Cady he became captain of the company, in which capacity he served until the close of the war. He was county attorney of Anoka county several terms, and mayor of the City of Anoka in 1880 and 1881. He was married three times. His first wife was Elizabeth McKechnie, to whom he was married in 1845, and who died in 1852. In 1856 he was married to Lucy Beal, who died in 1868. In 1876 he was married to Mrs. Amanda Johnson. Mr. But- terfield died Dec. 15. 1886. Arthur Tubal Caine, M. D., graduated from both the old and new courses of the Medical Department of the Minnesota State University, and soon after was chosen interne at the St. Paul City and County Hospital ('98-99). After practicing at Lake Preston for a couple of years, he came to Anoka in March, 1901. He received his earlier training in the schools of Stillwater, Minn., and graduated from the high school of that city in 1892, and later entered the academic department of the Minnsota State L^niversity, where he spent two years. Dr. Caine was appointed health officer in March. 1904, and later in the same year, coroner of Anoka Co., and is surgeon for the Northern Pacific Railway. During the Spanish-American war Dr. Caine enlisted in the Red Cross work and was sent to Cuba. He is a member of the Masonic order. Woodmen, Yeomen, Hibernians, Royal Neighbors and Maccabees. Dr. Caine was born in St. Paul, Minn., May 24, 1875. Cyrus W. Campbell (deceased) was born at Bedford, N. H., Mar. 23, 1828, and came to Anoka just before the Civil War, where he engaged in the sash and door business and later farmed. He was married in 1851 to Julia Emery. Children: Ella, John W., Charles, C. Newton (Boston, Mass.), and Ar- thur (died 1884). Mr. Campbell died Dec. 17, 1903. Fred A. Campbell was born Dec. 14, 1859, at Dow^agiac, Michigan. After a short residence in Chicago he came to Anoka in the early seventies, and soon commenced the printer's trade in 192 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. his father's printing office — the Republican office. At the present time he is employed in the Union office. He was married Apr. 30, 1881, to Ida Guderian, and there have been born: Hazel, Frank, Phoebe (died Mch. i, 1903), Mona Alan, Meryl, Don- ald, Mildred and Kenneth. John T. Campbell was born in New Lenox, Will Co., Ill, Oct. 27, 1866. From the age of sixteen he worked in a general store in his native town. Four years later he bought the business and conducted the same until 1892. He afterward ^vorked for the Rock Island Railway Co. and as superintendent of Shawneetown Electric Light Co., Shawneetown, 111. In 1859 he was married to Anna Grace Gillett. He came to Anoka Co. in September, 1902, and in August of the following year assumed charge of the exchange of the Northwestern Telephone Exchange Co. at Anoka. Children : Anna Grace, Marie, Harold, L'aisy and John. Charles H. Card was born at Woodstock, N. B., August 25. 1859. Came to Minnesota with his parents in 1866. He has lived in Anoka most of the time since. Received a common school education and learned the trade of a blacksmith, and later practiced as a veterinary surgeon. Served in the fire department for twenty-one years, part of the time as captain of the engine company. May 11, 1882, he was married to Augusta L. Molloy of Anoka. Children : Ethel, George, Susan, Arthur, Charles, Esther and Rebecca Bernice. Stephen A. Carlisle was born at Calais, Maine, Mar. 15, 1866. At the age of fourteen his parents removed to Minneap- olis, Minn., where he attended the public schools. After leaving school he went into the fish and oyster business, which he con- tinued some ten years. In 1897 he purchased considerable tracts of land in the town of Linwood and actively entered the business of dealing in Anoka county lands. He has undoubtedly been the means of bringing more people into Anoka county than any other man during the past eight years. Mr. Carlisle has been quite active in politics, and in 1900 he was chairman of the Republican county committee. He has served two terms as member of the school board, and was postmaster at Linwood from 1898 to 1904, when a rural delivery route was established and the office discontinued. Mr. Carlisle has two land offices. niOGRAI'IIlCAL. 193 one at Wyoming, Chisago county, and the other at 654 Temple Court, Minneapolis. He was married Nov. 19, 1887, to Nettie L. Johnson, of Brooklyn, Hennepin Co. They have two chil- dren, Clifford A. and Fisher A. Hamphen Henry Carlson, D. AI. U., was born in Meeker ccuntx, Minn., Oct. 29, 1876. He graduated from the Litchfield 11. H. CARLSON, D. M. D. high .school in 1896, and for a time was eng iged in farming and teaching school. In 1900 he graduated from the denta' department of the University of Minnesota, and July 9th of thai year, came to Anoka, where he has since been engaged in the practice of his profession. Dr. Carlson was married June 26, 1901. to Grace Williams. They have one daughter, Harriet Elizabeth. 194 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Daniel P. Carlstedt was born at Orstad, Wermland, Swe- den, Dec. 12, 1844. He engaged in farming and mining, coming to America and to Minnesota in 1872. He worked in Min- neapolis at bricklaying. Dec. 22, 1888, he settled on his farm in siection 2, town of Burns, where he has since lived. He was town supervisor one year and a member of the school board from 1891 to 1897. He was married Dec. 3, 1887, to Mrs. Paulina Moline. They have three living children : Martin Hjalmar, Helga v., and Arthur. Mrs. Carlstedt has two living children by a former marriage : Amy N. R. C. Moline and Andros R. A'loline. Mrs. Carlstedt's father, Andros J. Joiinson, repre- sented Kalmar in the Swedish Rigsdag for sixteen years. Lewis J. Carpenter was born in Chautauqua Co., New York, Jan 28, 1836. His father removed to Michigan in 1844, where he attended the common schools and worked at farming. He came to Anoka Co., Apr. i, 1861, settling in section 28, town of Ramsey. He has held various town offices. He enlisted in 1864 in Hatch's Independent Battalion of Cavalry and served until mustered out in August, 1865. He was married Feb. 14, i860, to Ann Prankish. Children: Elmer E. (died 1896), Frank S., Herbert (died 1897), Albert (Missoula, Mont.), Clinton C. (now a physician at Bird Island, Minn.), and Annette (Mrs. A. W. Gardner). Albert J. Caswell was born in Brompton. Canada, Jan. 15, 1835. At the age of 16 his father removed to Vermont, where he remained! until 1856, when he came west and located at Mannannah, Meeker Co. In 1859 he went overland to Cal- ifornia, where he remained three jears. He then returned to Mannannah, and after one year removed to Coon creek, town of Anoka, where he resided up to the time of his death Feb. 29, 1892. In 1864 he was married to Martha Hayden. Chil- dren : Arthur A., Irving A., and Herbert. Alonzo M. Caswell was born in Melbourne, Lower Canada, Oct. 2, 1833. Came to Minnesota in 1854, and to Anoka Co. in 1863. Died at Minneapolis, May 6, 1902. Arthur A. Caswell was born at Coon creek in the town of Anoka, Sept. 30, 1867. He "attended first the school in dis- trict 15, and graduated from the Anoka high school in 1886. BIOGRAPHICAL. 195 While attending the high school he learned the printer's trade. In 1889 in partnership with his brother, I. A. Caswell, he leased and later purchased the Anoka Herald, which he edited for two years, selling his interest to his brother in 1892. He published a paper at Excelsior, Hennepin Co.,* two years, and then became editor of the Princeton Union, which position he held six years. In 1898 at the time of the Spanish war he enlisted in Co. M, Fourteenth Minnesota Regiment, and served with that company as first lieutenant until the regiment was mustered out at the close of the war. In 1901 he returned to Anoka, where he has .\KTinu A c.\swi:ll. since resided. In 1904 he was elected county auditor. In 1891 he was married to Alice M. McLeod. They have six children : Alice M., Keith P., Robert K., .Arthur D., Leigh. Beth. Irving A. Caswell was born* in the town of Anoka, Feb. 25, 1870. He received his education at the Anoka high school and the University of Minnesota. In 1892 he purchased the .Ailoka Herald and was its owner for some ten years, and during the greater part of the time its editor. He was postmaster at Anoka from 1901 to 1505. Mr. Caswell was married June 3, 1899. to Mary D. Woodbury. They have one son, Dwight Woodbury Caswell. 196 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Roe Giddings Chase was born at Anoka, Jan. 16, 1878, where he attended the high school. He entered the University of Minnesota in the spring of 1897, graduating with the class of 1901. After leaving college Mr. Chase devoted himself to ROE G. CHASE. Photo, by Nelson. illustrating for newspapers and magazines, his work takmg him into nearly every state in the Union in the search for articles and pictures of interest. After a year spent in this BIOGRAPHICAL. 197 work his ambitions outran his physical strength and his sight began to fail. He was compelled to give up this line of work and recuperate among the trout streams and the deer licks of the far west. Returning to Anoka in 1902, he purchased the Anoka Herald, and has since edited the paper. Personally Mr. Chase is fond of outdoor sports — fishing, hunting and yachting. He owns a fine summer cottage at Lake George, where he spends the summer. His sail boat is the largest and fastest on the lake, and has frequently vanquished the lesser craft in sail- ing matches. He is an active member of the Methodist church and a member of fraternal lodges, notably the Knights of Pythias and the Masons. Ch.\rles E. Chase was born in Lincoln county, Maine, May 14, 1846. He was engaged in mercantile business at an early age, and came to Anoka about 1871, where he was engaged in the grocery business until 1877. Later he had charge of the shingle mill of W. D. Washburn & Co., and is now manager for the Reed & Sherwood Company at Anoka. Mr. Chase was mar- ried May 27, 1876 to Lina M. Giddings. They have two sons^ Roe G. and Raymond P. Ch.vrles B. Church was born at Lebanon, Xew York, March 24, 1838, where he received his education. He lived ip Wayne Co., N. Y., several years, and then engaged in the meat business at Tecumseh, Mich., where he remained from 1856 t') 1866. Li 1867 he came to .-\.noka. where he has since resided. He has always, taken an interest in musical matters, and in the later seventies was president of the Anoka Musical Association and also leader of the cornet band. He was mnrried in i860 to Mary A. Ayer. They have had one child, Hattie B., who died May 11, 1866. Jo.^EPH C. Clark was born in Perry. Washing Ion Co.. Me., Nov. 28, 1836, where he learned the trade of a shoemaker. His health failing, he came west, first to Illinois for a year and then to Minnesota, where he arrived in 1870, and bought a farm in section 3, town of Grow, where he lived up to the time of his death, July 6, 1897. He was married Nov. 28, 1861, to Mary E. Anderson, who died in 1886. He was again married Feb. 11. 1888, to Esther J. Hunter. Children: Mary, Joseph C, Clyde W. and Eleanor. igS HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Wilbur F. Chase was born in Lincoln, Maine, June 6, 1842. Soon after the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted in the Second Maine Regiment, but was discharged for disability after nine months' service. He afterward served in the Six- teenth Maine Regiment, and was taken prisoner June 6, 1864, and confined in Libby prison, and transferred thence to Ander- sonville, and remained a prisoner until the close of the war. After the war Mr. Chase came to Minnesota, and to Anoka WILBUR F. CHASR. Photo, by Nelson. about 1872. Mr. Chase has been engaged in the lumber business during the greater part of his residence here, and has served several terms as county commissioner. Francis T. Clark (son of Josiah F. Clark) was born June 14, 1851, at Brooks, Waldo Co., Maine. He came to Anoka with his parents when a small child and received his education in tlie Anoka schools. He served a few months as BIOGRAPHICAL. 199 deputy county auditor under L. C. Bixby. He afterward re- moved to a farm in section 13, town of Burns, where he lived until the time of his death, March 25, 1898. He was married Sept. 25, 1875, to Ada F. Norris. Children : Cecil L., Effie A., Thomas Alonzo, and Ada May. JosiAH F. Cl.\kk was the first probate judge of Anoka county after the organization of the state. This was in 1858. His official career thereafter was considerable. In the fall of 1866 he was elected county treasurer, taking charge the following March. He continued in this capacity for four years. He held several other important offices, among which were justice of the peace, and clerk of the school board for four years. Mr. Clark was born in China, Kennebec Co., Maine, Mar. 9, i82j, where he completed his education in the China Academy. He came to Anoka county April 18, 1854, 'ind pre-empted a claim two miles above Champlin. Two years thereafter, having proved up on his farm, he moved to Anoka and worked at hia trade, carpentering, but many years after returned to farming. In 1902, however, he removed again to Anoka, where he still lives. He taught a singing school at Anoka in the winters of 1855-6 and 1856-7. He was the first teacher of vocal music north of St. Anthony. He enlisted in 1862 in Co. A, Eighth Minn. Regiment, and was made chief musician, serving until the war closed. Judge Clark was married July 2, 1842, to Louisi Brown. Children: Augusta (died 1865), Georgiana (Mrs. Nor- ris, Anoka), Francis T. (died 1891), and Josiah W. (See por- trait, page 118.) John F. Clements was born at Monroe, Maine, Apr. 10, 1826. Worked at farming and lumbering until his removal to Minnesota in the spring of 1855, landing in St. Paul May ist of that year. Worked in St. Anthony one year and in the spring of 1856 took up a claim in section 18, town of Oak Grove, where he has since resided. He was married May 3, 1849, to Margaret Davis, who died Jan. 28, 1903. Children: Silas W. (Hibbard, Fremont Co., Idaho), Eugene P. (Hibbard. Idaho). Margaret W. (Mrs. Frank Moulton, Anoka), Flora J. (Mrs. H. S. Miller). Edgar S. Clinch (son of Edward S. Clinch) was born in Anoka Aug. 4, 1865. Attended the common schools. Worked 200 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. in the saw mills about four years. Since then he has worked in the pineries. Has been foreman of logging crews for several Minneapolis firms. Kept a hotel at Milaca, Minn., two years. Bought his present home in section 14, town of Ramsey in 1897. Mr. Clinch was married Sept. 24, 1895, to Scleda B. Sproul. Edward S. Clinch was born in St. George, N. B., July 4, 1828. Came to St. Anthony about 1857, lived there about a year, then came to Anoka Co., and took up a claim on Crooked brook in the town of Grow. Lived there until he enlisted in 1862 in Co. A, Eighth Minn. Regiment. Was \\ith Captai.i Cady wdien he was killed and with the assistance of Elias W. Pratt brought Cady's body to Anoka. Was manied in 1850 to Anna Brockway. Children: James, (died 1877), Anthony B. (Rush City, Minn. J, Maria (Mrs. A. C. Hay, Oaksdale, Wash.), Augusta J. (Mrs. Joseph Dye, Duluth, Mum.), Nellie May (Mrs. Joseph Thayer, died Jan., 1900), Alice (Mrs. Alex- ander Frazer, Drinkwater, Assiniboia), Edgar S., Fred G. (died Dec. 1903), Bessie (Mrs. Frank Webster, River Falls, Wis.), Jennie (Mrs. Harry Wheeler, Duluth, Minn.), Carleton W. (Courtney, N. D.). Guilford D. Coleman was born at Vasselboro, Maine, Feb. 22, 1832. In 1855 he was married to Ellen C. Webber, and the following year he located at Anoka, where he conducted a blacksmith shop almost continuously until his death Nov. 30, 1903. Mrs. Coleman died in October, 1881. leaving six children: Dana S. (Hankinson, N. D.), Esther F. (Mrs. Fit/., Monterey, Minn.), Eleanor J. (Mrs. King. Bozeman, Mont.), Ammi C. (Great Falls. Mont.), Lucy E. (Mrs. Russell. Lewiston, Mont.), and Nellie W. (Kendall, Mont.). Mr. Coleman's second wife was Mary J. Woods. Ammi Cutter Coleman was born in Anoka, Minn., June 16, 1867, and was educated in the common schools and high school of Anoka. After leaving school he took up telegraphy and bookkeeping. Feb. 15, 1890, he went to Great Falls, Mon- tana, wher^ he has been registrar of water works for fifteen years. He is unmarried. Oliver Conforth was born in Waterville, Kennebec Co., Maine, Sept. 12, 1820. When gold was discovered in California I BIOGRAPHICAL. 201 in 1849 he went there as a miner. In 1855 he came to Minne- sota and in 1884 to Champlin, where he worked at lumliering. He was married in 1841 to Hannah Corson. Children : James. A., Clarence (deceased), Grace (Mrs. W. H. Gay), Ida (Mr«. W. H. Miars). Albert D. Cook (son of Alonzo Cook) was born at Manati- nah. Meeker Co., Minn., Jan. 21, 1862. In August of the same year the family left Mannannah on account of the Sioux Indian massacre, and settled at Coon creek in the town of Anoka. The father died in 1863, and the family moved to Aiioka in 1867. Albert received his education in the Anoka schools. He worked at logging and lumbering, chieHy for the Washburn Mill Co. until August, 1887, since which time he has been employed in the office of the Surveyor General of Logs and L-imber for the Second District of Minnesota, and has lived in Miiuicapolis. Alonzo Cook was born in Milan. New Hampshire, Oct. 16, 1831. Came to Minnesota in 1856, settling at Mannannah, Meeker Co. In .August of that year he came to Anoka county and settled on a farm at Coon creek in the town of Anoka, where he died Apr. 27, 1863. His wife was Alma J. Caswell, daughter of Moody Caswell. One son is living, Albert D. Cook (Minne- apolis). Ch.-\rles I. Cook was born at Anoka, Jan. 17, 1865. After leaving school he engaged in printing and publishing, and for a few years was half owner and editor of the Anoka Herald. Ho served as alderman from the Second ward from 1S99 to 1901, when he resigned. Joined Company B, Third Regt. Inf. N. G. S. M. in 1887; was elected second lieutenant in 1890, first lieuten- ant in 1894, and regimental quartermaster in 1895. Was back in Co. B as first lieutenant in 1897, and at the call for troops for the Spanish-American war, was with Co. B, mustered into the U. S. service as a part of the Fourteenth Minn., Vols., April 8, 1898. Was honorably discharged from the U. S. service Nov. 18, 1898, and from the state service in 1900. Mr". Cook was married Aug. 16, 1884, to Harriette May Stewart. They have three daughters: Florence Emma, B. Frances and Cecil I Joseph H. Cook was born in Crawford Co.. Pa., and came to .■\noka in 1857. He found employment in Smiley & Woodbury'^ 202 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. flour mill, and remained in Anoka until the fall of 1862, when he enlisted in Co. A of the Eighth Minnesota Regiment and served until the war closed. After the war he re<^urned to Anoka, whero he was employed in the flour mill manj' years. He was mar- ried in 1861 to Margaret Van Nes-s. Children : Mrs. A. D. How- ard, Mrs. Wesley Field, Juha Cook and George Cook. James Cooper was born near Belfast, Ireland, June 24, 1805. He came to America about 1834, locating at Quebec, where he worked at shipbuilding about three years, removing thence to Philadelphia, where he lived some four years. Aljout 1841 he established a colony of residents of Philadelphia in what was then a wilderness in Bradford county, Pennsylvan'a, where he built a saw mill to manufacture the lumber for the houses of the colonists. There he lived some fifteen years. In October, 1856, he came to Minnesota, and took a pre-emption claim in sections 29 and 32 in what is now the town of Bethel. The next spring he brought his family to their new home, which they reached June 24, 1857. About 1863 he was appointed post- master at Bethel, which office he held some fifteen years. About 1876 Hugh Spence started a store near Mr. Cooper's nouse and the place began to be known as Cooper's Corners. The store afterward passed into Mr. Coopers hands and he conducted it until his death, April 2, 1893. He was married in 1831 to Isabel Neill, who died in 1849. Children: Rachel (died at two years of age), Sarah (Mrs. William Tennison, died 1883), John (St. Cloud, Minn.), William (died 1882), Isabel (Mrs. Benjamin Grinnols, Fairhaven, Stearns Co.), Elizabeth (Mrs. George Se- coy, died about 1868), Margaret A. (Mrs. T. C. Hyatt, Fair- haven), and James H. Mr. Cooper's second wife was Nancy Minard, who died in 1865, leaving two children, Roxie (Mrs. Stephen Dyer), and Samuel F. His thi.-d wife was Rebecca P. Milligan, who died in June, 1900, leaving three children: Evaline A. (Mrs. C. H. Gangelhoff, Long Lake, Hennepin Co.), Mary B. (Long Lake) and Laura J. (Mrs. George W. Wyatt). James H. Cooper (son of James Cooper) v.as born in Bradford Co., Pa., Aug. i, 1847. When ten years of age his father came to Minnesota and settled in sections 29 and 32 town of Bethel, where Mr. Cooper still lives. In January, 1882, he was appointed postmaster at Bethel, which office he retained BIOGRAPHICAL. 203 until 1893, during which time he also kept a generul store. Mr. Cooper still owns the original pre-emption claim of 160 acres which his father took up in 1856, and still lives in the house which his father built in 1859 with lumber sawed by hand. Mr. Cooper was married in August, 1869, to Rebecca P. Dyer, who died Feb. 18, 1883, leaving four children: Leland J., Le- vina J. (Mrs. John Dawson, Jr., Fridley), William Guy, and Stephen J. Mr. Cooper was married, second, Dec. 29, 1886, to Sarah L. Mitchell. Children : Elizabeth R., Beatrice L., Olive E., Leah Isabel, Charles H. and Gordon A. John Cundy was born at St. George, New Brunswick, Jan. 14, 1814. He had a good common school education, acquired in his. native province, and took up the business of lumbering, which he followed throughout his life. He came to Anoka, Minn., in 1853, just as the town was being started, and lived there until the time of his death. Mr. Cundy was married Nov. 16, 1837, to Mary E. Gilmor. Children : Wiliam E., Sarah M., Mary E. (Mrs. .-Alexander Graiiam, Spokane, Wash.), O'ive L., and Frederick G. William E. Cundy (son of John Cundy) was lorn at Char- lotte, New Brunswick, Aug. 13, 1838. He attended the schools at Baring, Maine, where he also got his first insight into the lumber .business. In 1854 he came with his parents to Minne- sota, arriving at Anoka October 12th of that year. The family lived at the Fairbanks boarding house until a house could be constructed. Mr. Cundy first went to work at the saw mill of Dunn & Farnham, and worked successively for A. P. Lane, James McCann, Ammi Cutter, W. D. Washburn & Co. and Reed & Sherwood. He enlisted in April 1861, at St. Anthony in Company E, First Minnesota Regiment, and was discharged with his regiment at the close of the three years term. Mr. Cundy participated in the battle of Bull Run, and at Antietam, where he was wounded and captured. He was afterwards ex- changed and took part in both battles of Fredericksburg and the battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Cundy was married Sept. 22, 1864, to Alice D. Frost. Children: Ernest W., .\lice S. (Mrs. Fred- erick Godecke), Narcissa L., George B. and John G. John Curry (deceased) was born in Belfast, Ireland. Oct. 1816; of Scotch Irisli extraction. Married Marv Hunter in 204 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. May, 1845. Children : Mary J., John W., Nancy A., and Esther. Came to N. Y. fall of 1845, living at Dansville, N. Y., where all the children were born. Moved to Minnesota in 1856, settling on a farm in section 24, town of Grow. He died July 2j, 188.3. He was a Mason of high standing in the old country. John W. Curry was born May 26, 1849, in Dansville, Liv- ingstone Co., N. Y. Came to Minnesota with his parents and family in June, 1856, and lived on the farm in sec. 24, town ot Grow, until about 1903. Married Sarah E. Sheppard Feb. I. 1880. Children: Clara E., (died July 25, 1884), Ada J. Mr. Curry served on the town board almost continuously after 1880. Ammi Cutter (deceased) was born at Westbrook, Maine, May 23, 1819. At the age of twenty he went to Lovell, Maine, where he became sherifif of the county and also a member of the governor's council. In September, 1857, he came to Anoka, where he engaged in dry goods, grocery and lumber business, afterward adding the manufacture of flour and pork barrels and pails and tubs. In 1862 he enlisted in the Seventh Min- nesota Regiment, and was, afterward captain and assistant quar- termaster in the United States Volunteers. After the war he went through a series of disasters. His saw mill, sash and door and tub and pail factories, upon which there was iiO insurance, were burned, and his grist mill was swept away by a flood. He continued in the grocery business and later in the dry goods business, for some years. In 1879 he purchased the Sun and Republican,- and changed the name to Herald, which he sold after a few years to Alvah Eastman. Later he developed great talent as a megnetic physician, and opened an office in St. Paul, where he was very successful until his de?1:h, July 24, 1896. At the age of twenty-one he was married to Olive C. Eastman, who died in 1902. Children: Jennie R. (Mrs. A. Ross, Glen Ellen, Cal.), Henry H. (Palocedro, Cal). Mary S. (Mrs. O. L. Cut- ter), and Charles H. (Oakland, Cal.). (See portrait, page 85.) Oscar L. Cutter (deceased) was born in Westbrook, Me., in 1846. He came to Anoka in 1865. He was a man of ex traordinary popularity, and served in some public capacity almost his whole life. He was county auditor several terms, judge of probate, deputy county treasurer, city clerk, alderman, mayor, city assessor, treasurer of school board, chief of fire department,. BIOGRAPHICAL. 205 and secretary of the state senate in 1887 ^nd 1880. For some yenrs previous to his death he was cashier of Anoka State Bank. Mr. Cutler was married about 1868 to Ella Butterfield, who died as the result of an accident, leaving one son, Marcus C. (St. Paul). His second wife was Mary S. Cutter, to whom he was married Jan. i, 1878. Children; Carl (died Oct. 30, 1885), Harlan (died May 20. 1889), Edward B. and Ross. Mr. Cutter died Sept 4. 1898. Mrs. Cutter is at the present time clerk of the Board of Education. (See portrait, page 122.) Az.\Ri.\H D.wis was born in Butli.T county, Ohio, Oct. 23, 1819. He was reared on a farm and continued to follow farming until he came to Anoka in 1870. Here he was engaged chiefly in real estate and brokerage business, until the time of his death, Dec. 8, 1893. He was married Oct. 3, 1842, to Caroline Monday. They had one daughter. Mrs. B. D. Woodmansee. GusT.WE H. DoMNiNG was born in East Prussia, Germany, Sept. 3, 1850. He came to America and to Minneapolis in i86y. He worked at dairying two years, and afterward at inason work. He also worked two years in the North Star Woollen Mills. In 1889 he purchased forty acres in section :i6, town of Blain°, where he still resides. He was married Dec. 14, 1874, to Car- oline M. Hohler. Children: George (New Brighton, Ramsey Co.). Carrie M., Josephine (Mrs. Russell Austin), Julia (Mrs. Albert Hughes, New Brighton P. O.), Edward J. (First Ave. Hotel, Seattle, Wash.), Jacob O.. Louisa A., Laura J.. Frederick R. .\LnEKT DooiES was born in Cronnan, Holland, Sept. 25, 1866. He came to St. Anthony with his parents in 1869, and moved in 1884 to the farm in the town of Fridley, where he engaged in farming and dairying and where he now resides. He was mar- ried Jan II. 1894, to Imma Algauer. J.\MES M. Douglas w^as born at Riveirc du Loup (now Louis- ville), about three miles from the St. Lawrence river, in the Province of Quebec, Canada, Jan. 17. 1828. About 1850 he went to Lowell, Mass., where he worked in the wood working department of a large cotton mill. In 1855 he came to Min- nesota, and located first at Winona, and a year later moved to Minneiska. in Wabasha countv. where he made his home 2o6 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. until 1869. He enlisted early in February, 1864, in the Tenth Minnesota Regiment, and a few days' later was detailed for office work at Fort Snelling. He was in charge of the office during the summer. In Sep'tember he was assigned to Com- pany F of the Fourth Minnesota Regiment, which he reached in time to take part in the battle of Altoona Pass, and was with Sherman in his march to the sea. He was mustered out with his regiment July 19, 1865. In 1869 he came to Anoka and opened a furniture and undertaking establishment, which busi- ness he continued until he sold it in June, 1903. He was a member of the city council one year and was elected mayor of Anoka in 1884. He was married Dec. 27, 1852, to Minerva J. Simpson. There are three living children : Frederick H. (Au- burn, Placer Co., Cal.), James E. (1814 Reid St., Los Angeles, Cal.), Kenneth V. (216 Winsted St., Los Angeles, Cal.). William Morrill Dowlin was born at Bradford, New Hampshire, April 24, 1838. He received his education in the schools at Bradford, the high school at Lowell, Mass., and Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. He came to Minnesota in the spring of 1866, arriving at Champlin in April, where he has been employed as bookkeeper and time keeper. He has been supervisor and was constable from 1874 to 1877. Mr. Dowlin was married July 2, 1870, to Louisa C. Kimball. Chil- dren: Winnie 'E., Susan (Mrs. Arthur J. Miller), Albert U., Charles M. and Floyd E. Arthur Z. Downs was born at Champlin, Nov. 30, 1858. Re- ceived his education in the schools of Champlin and Dayton. About 1871 his father purchased a farm in section 16, town of Dayton, where he resided until 1900, since which time he has been a resident of Minneapolis. Mr. Downs has been twice mar- ried. His first wife was Cora Fullerton, to whom he was married Nov. 14, 1883, and who died Oct. 2, 1887, leaving one son, Joseph. His second wife was Helen R. Laflin, to whom he was married in 1891. They have two children : Clifford R. and Anna E. Joseph Downs (deceased) was born at Orland, Maine, Jan. 15, 1823. He lived in Maine until 1853, removing in that year to Evans Center, New York, and came to Minnesota m 1854. He located upon a farm in the town of Dayton near Diamond BIOGRAPHICAL. 207 lake, where he lived two winters. In the spring of 1857 he opened a hotel at Champlin, which he conducted for two years, and then lived on farms in Champlin and Dayton until the be- ginning of the Rebellion. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. A, Eighth Minnesota Regiment, and remained with that regiment until the close of the war. After the war he returned to farming in the town of Dayton, and died there about 1878. He was married at Albion, Maine, to Anne Wiggins. Children: Octavia J. (Mrs. Stockton, died in June, 1885), Walter T. (Minneapolis), Nancy J. (Mrs. N. Colburn. Champlin), Arthur Z. (Minneapolis), and Ellen M. (Mrs. Walter Green, now living in Maine). RuFUS T. Downs (deceased) was a native of Maine. He came to Minnesota in 1854, and purchased a fine farm on the bank of the Mississippi river in the town of Ramsey, where he lived during the remainder of his life. He serA-ed several terms as county commissioner, and during a portion of the - time was chairman of the board. Zelotes Downs (deceased) was born at Orland, Maine, June 15, 1814. He attended the academy at Bucksport, Maine, and on leaving school engaged first in lumbering. He camo to Minnesota April 19. 1854, and lived for some years on a farm in the town of Brooklyn, Hennepin Co., whence he moved to .A.noka in May, 1870. He was for a time in the hardware business at Anoka, and later purchased the old Trott iavm in the town of Ramsey. He served ns justice cf the peace and clerk of the school board. Mr. Downs was twice marrie'l. His first wife was E. A. Burrill, to nhom he was married Dec. 9, 1838, and who died in Maine. His second wife was Catherine Farnham, to whom he was married Aug. 31, 1852. Children: Carrie (deceased), Mary (Mrs. Livingston L. Este.", Brooklyn, Hennepin Co.), George (died in the army), and Flora (deceased). Job E.\stm.\n was one of the earliest settlers of Anoka county, having arrived at Rice creek from his native town, Lovell. Maine, in the fifties. He was in the lumbering business until the late si.xties, later conducted the old Kimb?.ll House at Anoka, and was after that in various enterprises. He was married .-Kug. 14, 1857, to Kate M. Kimball, at Cnnwny. N. H. 208 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. The following children were born: Alice (Mrs. Alvah East- man, St. Cloud, Minn.), Kate M. (Mrs. H. W. Gehr, Wadena, Minn.), Charles C. (Wadena, Minn.), Phillip K., (Wilton, N. D.), Robert M. (Chicago). John W. (Tincf River Falls, Minn ;. and Calvert S. (Wilton, N. D.). Alvah Eastman was born in Love!] Centre, Maine, Aug. 22, 1858. He received his education in the public schools ami ALVAH EASTMAN. the academies at Fryeburg and North Bridgton, Maine. Came to Anoka in 1880, where he owned and edited the Anoka Herald until 1891. He was a presidential elector on the Republican ticket in 1888, member of the Minnesota legislature in 1889, and U. S. internal revenue agent three years. In 1892 he purchased the St. Cloud Journal-Press and established the daily edition. Mr. Eastman is receiver of the U. S. land office at St. Cloud and president of the Minnesota State Normal Board. He BIOGRAPHICAL. 209 was married Sept. 15, 188.S, to Alice M. Eastnrm of Anoka. They have two children, Maurice W. and Katherine K. Charles J. Edgarton (son of Festus A. Edgarton) wis born at Oriskey Falls, New York, May 11, i860. He attended the graded schools in Chicago two years and later the schools in Ramsey, Anoka Co. He came to Anoka Co. with his par- ents Apr. 9, 1874, settling in the town of Ramsey, and worked at farming from that date until 1886. After one year in a CHARLES I. EDGARTON. Photo, by Johnson. saw mill and one year in the Pillsbury-Vvashburn flour mill, he worked five years in the grocery of George Wethern. In the spring of 1893 he started in the grocerv business on his own account in which business he is still rrgaged. He served as city treasurer from 1899 to 1901. " He w:is married June 8, 1884, to Cora E. Lepper. Children: Ralph F.. Karl O., Ruth (died Oct. 13, 1894), and Faith. Mrs. Cora Edgarton was born at St. Joseph. Mo.. Sept. 25. 1862. Came to Anoka in 1867. where 210 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. she lived for thirty j'ears. She graduated from the Anoka high school and taught school in the county three years. She worked in the grocery store with her husband eight years, and stayed and helped all the time she could outside of her housekeeping until her death Feb. ii, 1903. She died very suddenly, having been sick only seven Jays. Festus a. Edgarton (deceased) was born at Oriskey Falls, Oneida Co., New York, Jan 27, 1828. He received his edu- cation in the days when schoolmasters believed in whipping. He worked sixteen years for the state on the canal, repairing boats and building stone locks in the winters. He came to Minne- sota and to Anoka county Apr. 3, 1874, purchasing a farm in the town of Ramsey, where he lived until 1900, when he moved to Anoka. He died at Anoka in 1904. He was town clerk ■' f Ramsey eight years. His wife was Rebecca M. Smith, a native of Vermont. Children: Parker L., Frances E. (Mrs. Henry E. Storrs, Cleveland, O.), Franklin A. (Indianapolis, Ind.;, Ida M. (Mrs. J. W. Wilson) and Charles T. William Eberley, manager for the Minnesota Potato Starch Co. at Anoka, was born June li, i860, at Audeh, Switzerland, where he received his school training. He was a farmer in his native country, but in 1882 came to Anoka, where he worked in the saw mills several years. In 1889 he took charge of the starch factory on the west side of Rum river, which position he still holds. Mr. Eberley was married in Switzerland in 1882 to Rochelle Jenning, who died Aug. 2, 1898. The children born to them are William T., Eugene E., and May M. J. C. Heraian Engel was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Dec. 30, 1864. His education was received in the public schools at Anoka, to which place he came August 25, 1873. From 1879 to 1883 he was a clerk in a grocery ctore. and afterward en- gaged in the grocery business at Anoka on his own account as a member of the firm of H. Gaslin & Co., in which business he remained until 1888. In 1888 and 1889 he read law in the office of Hammons & Hammons and was admitted to the bar in September of the latter year. He has been engaged in the prac- tice of law at Anoka since January, 1890. Mr. Engel was court commissioner in 1890, and the next year was appointed judge BIOGRAPHICAL. 211 of probate by Governor Merriam ; in 1894 he was elected judge of probate and served three terms until 1901. lie has been a member of the board of education since 1897. was treasurer of the board three years, and has been its president since Sep- tember, 1902. Judge Engel was married June 29, 1898, to Maud Thompson of Minneapolis. Children: Dorothea Maud and John Herman. J. C. HERM.W KNGEL, Photo, by Nelson. James T. Elvvell was born July 2, 1855. in Ramsey county, Minn., on a farm adjoining Hennepin county. When an infant his father removed to Morrison county, where he platted a townsite. There the family remained until the Indian outbreak in 1862, soon after which they removed to Cottage Grove, Wash- ington Co., where Mr. El well grew tD manhood. After at- 212 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. tending the common schools he took a course at Carlton col- lege at Northfield. About 1871 he invented a spring bed, and going to [Minneapolis, began its manutacture on the present site of the Windom block. The business soon grew to large proportions, and extensive buildings were erected in East Min- neapolis. The Minneapolis Furniture Co., now owned by George H. Elwell, and the Mineapolis Bedding Co., owned by C. M. Way, the largest concerns in their lines in the West, were the outgrowth of that business. In 1882 Mr. Elwell platted El- well's Addition to Minneapolis, consisting of 240 lots, and later platted some 500 lots in subsequent aditions besides building some fifty or sixty houses thereon within a short time. A few years later he purchased immense tracts of marshy land in the eastern part of Anoka county. The wonderful trans- formation which took place in this region after Mr. Elwell had demonstrated the possibilities of drainage on a large scale is described elsewhere. Mr. Elwell was married in 1882 to Lizzie A. Alden. They have nine children: James T., Margaret, Ed- win S., Alden, Elizabeth, Ruth, Mary, Lawrence and Watson. (See portrait, page iii.) Merton A. Elsmore was born Apr. 5, 1871, at Machiao, Maine, and at five years old was brought by his parents to Anoka. When seven years old he went to live with Azaria'i Davis, with whom he made his home until the latter's death in 1893. He has conducted a barber shop at Anoka since 1892. Mr. Elsmore was married in August, 1894, to Sarah Adams. George B. Epps was born April 13, 1S63, in St. George, New Brunswick. Attended common school in St. George. Learned the trade of a stone polisher. There are very extensive quar- ries of red granite at St. George, and the polishing of this stone furnishes employment for the inhabitants. When about twelve years of age he shipped for 1 coasting voyage, and spent a year in seaman's work. Came to Minnesota about 1879. Followed logging and lumbering for about twelve years. Th>;n worked in Reed & Sherwood's sash and door factory until 1901. In the latter year he purchased his farm in section 3, town of Ramsej', where he has since lived. Mr. Epps was married Sept. 25, 1886, to .\deline Cook. They have one adopted son, Harry. laOGRAPHICAL. 21 3 Nicholas Fader was born at Befort, Luxemburg, Maj' 24, 1840. In August, 1852, lie came to Minnesota. He enlisted April 19, 1861, in Co. A Pioneer Co. Mo. Vols.; was mustered out in St. Louis, Sept. i, 1861. He reenlisted in August, 1862, and served in Co. B, New York Massive Artillery ; was taken prisoner near Kingston, North Carolina, in DecemlKr. 1863, and was taken to Libby prison in Richmond, where lie remained a number of months. After the war he came to Champlin, ar- riving there in 1866. He conducted a general store at Champ- lin for many years and was postmaster eighteen years. He also served two terms on the school board. Mr. Fabcr was married July 24, 1862, to Catherine Jane Kinser. Children: Harry F., Frederick N.. John P. (deceased), Adonis J., Minn'e C. (Mrs. James H. MilhoUin). Henry E. Fahertv was horn April i. 1863, in the town of Grow. Anoka county. He still lives on the farm in section 6 which his father purchased in i8Cx), and wiiere ho was born. Mr. Fahertv was married June 15. 1892. to Mary C. Murphy. Children : James P., Joseph L., Susan ^\., Eugene R., and Lucy A. Joiix W. Fai!ertv was born in Newburyport, Mass.. Sept. 22, 1855. Attended district school in Grow and Anoka high school. He was engaged in logging for W. D. Washburn Sc Co. and others up to 1892, when he moved upon his present farm in section 25, town of Burns. He has Uxd acres, about 40 of which are under cultivation. He was nicirried June 20, 1892. to Christina Daly. Mrs. Faherty is the earliest contiiuious resident of the town of Burns. Patrick Faherty was born in .\rraii. GalwaN- Co.. Ireland, in April, 1819. He came to America about 1839, and located first at Newburyport, Mass.. where he worked in ship yards. He came to Minnesota and to Anoka in the spring of 1856, and took a claim the same year in section 8. town of Grow, where he lived about five years, and then bought a farm on the west side of the river in section 6 of the same town, where he lived until his death. Oct. 29. 1894. He was married al^out 1849 to ^Lary Faherty. Children: John \\'.. .\nn:i M. (died March, 1863). Joseph F. (Anoka). Lucintla (Mr-. Chas. Rowers). Eliza 214 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. died 1863), Edward (died 1863), Henry E., Margaret A. (died Jan. I, 1885), and Agnes (died August, 18/7). Frakk L. Folsom was born in Danville, Maine, March 13, 1858. Until the age of nineteen he lived en a farm, after which he went to Boston and worked in a furniture factory eight years. He came to Minnesota in 1884, and worked in Smith & Wy- FKANK L. r-OLSOM. man's sash and door factory two years. About 1897 he entered the employ of the Cable Piano Company at Minneapolis, and in 1901 opened a branch store of the Cable Company at Anoki, which business he still conducts. Mr. Folsom was married March 10, 1886, to Addie R. Moses. Children : Lester M. and Florence A. BIOGRAPHICAL. 215 Simeon P. Folsom was born in Lower Canada near Quebec, Dec. 27, 1819. His father was a native of New Hampshire. S. P. Folsom came west in 1839, and settled first at Prairie du Chien. Not long afterward he was engaged as clerk for Henry M. Rice at Fort Atkinson. In 1841 he returned to Prairie du Chien and for several years acted as surveyor of county lands. In 1846 he volunteered as a soldier in the Mexican War, but instead of being sent to the front, was ordered to Fort Craw- ford for garrison duty in order to relieve the regulars, who were sent to Mexico. On July 25, 1847, he landed in St. Paul, and during the following winter purchased a half interest in the Rum river trading post from Patrick Caine and removed here with his wife about the middle of February, 1848. The fol- lowing spring he bought a barrel of potatoes at Fort Snelling for four dollars. He pared them rather thick, and having eaten the potatoes, planted the parings on a little patch of ground near his dwelling and raised forty bushels of potatoes. This was the first crop of potatoes raised in what is now Anoka county. In the fall he removed to Elk River, taking the potatoes with him for his winter's supply. Mr. Folsom surveyed the original site of St. Paul and also of St. Anthony. At the latter place he was given permission to use iiis own discretion to a considerable extent, and it is largely to his foresight that Min- neapolis owes her wide streets. Mr. Folsom is the oldest rail- road man in the state, both in years and time of service, having begun his career with Edmund Rice in 1854, some four years before the first track was laid. When James J. Hill secured possession of the old St. Paul and Pacific railroad Mr. Folsom was displaced for a time, but after a few years Mr. Hill sent for him, and he has been in the employ of the great railroad man- ager through all the mutations and changes which have sin:e occurred. Mr. Folsom at the age of eighty-five is still one of the attorneys for the Great N,orthern Railroad. (See portrait, page 33-) Simeon A. F.\rrington was born Sept. 28, 1825, at Stowe, Maine. He made his home there until the fifties, but traveled considerably from city to city as a musician. In the early fifties he came to Coon creek, where his wife's parents had located, his wife and two children following a year later. He 2l6 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. had been married Jan. 28, 1848, to Mary Kimball, and the two children born in Maine were Florence (Mrs. Frank Herrick, Bayfield, Wis., died Sept. i, 1903), and Carrie (Mrs. A. I. Pitman). Those born since are: May (Mrs. Wm. King, Skagway, Alaska), Alice (Mrs. Chas. Merrill, Burns), Simeon (died Aug. 2, 1863). The first year in Minnesota Mr. Farring- ton in connection with a partner, engaged in lumbering on the west branch of Rum river and was quite successful. He then went to Maine and returned with his family. He located at St. Anthony, and followed the profession of musician, play- ing much in theaters throughout the country in after years. In 1862 Mr. Farrington enlisted in Capt. Merriman's company, in the Sixth Minnesota Regiment, and was appointed principal musician b}' Colonel Crooks. He was with Col. Sibley in the Indian campaign, afterwards going to the south. After the war he was stationed in Kansas.. In 1867 he purchased a farm in Ramsey, where he lived until 1807, when he moved to Anoka. Wii'.TAM W.\i LACi: Frn II was born in Mahoniing county, Ohio. May 29. 1832. He was married in 1857 to Lucy J. Green- ough. In 1866 he moved to Anoka, wiicre he resided up to the time of his death. April ig, igoo. He was judge of the Anoka municipal court for a nuni])cr of years. He was a vet- eran of the Civil War, having enlisted in the First Wisconsin Heavy Artillery. Children: Orlo H. (died 1884). Caroline E. (Mrs. Frank Gordon. Blaine. Anoka Co.), Ora A. (Mrs. D. B. Allen, 2g30 Tyler St., X. E.. Minneapolis). J.\MES W. FoKD, Ph. 1)., WIS burn at Lowell, Mass., Dec. 20, 1S46, and was fitted for college in the Lowell high school, graduating in 1869. His course of study at this school, which usually covered four years in the e.xperience of other graduates, was completed by Mr. Ford in .just half the time. He was valedictorian of his class. He later attended Hamilton Uni- versity (New York), now Colgate University, and graduated in the course of theology in 1873, taking the three degrees, A. P).. -A.. M. and Ph. D., in two years' time. He taught Latin and sciences in the New London (N. H.) Literary and Scientific Institution one year, and Latin in the Cook Academy. Havana, BIOGRAPHICAL. 21 J X. Y., one yonr. He then returned to tlte preparatory depart- ment of Colgate as teacher, and for six years was principal of this department up to 1889. For one year thereafter he was treasurer of all aepariments of Colgate Academy. Later in that year he was chosen principal of Pillshury Academy. Owatonna, Minn., which position he occupied until June, 1904. During the summer of 1904 Dr. Ford became a resident of Anoka, having purchased a half interest in tiie Pratt green-liouses. Dr. Ford was married June 28, 1876, to Catherine E. Jone.-^. Children: Elizabeth K. (Mrs. \Vm. A. Slu-dd. Belmont. Cal. ). Jamc^ W.. Jr.. Grace G.. Pmu! P... Hugh P. and Neal K. GF.ORfiF. Alfred Fo.stkk was born at Fairtirld. Maine, July 30, 1835. He attended the schools in bis mti\c town and came 10 Anoka Co., Mini;., Xovcmbor 16, i85(\ where be has ever since been engaged in farming in tlie town n\ Ramsey. He has served as town tresaurer and is still a member of the town board. He was married Feb. 10, 1861 to Lucindi Jane Sluun- way. Children: Mary E. (Mrs. Jedlika), ]\Iinnij Jeanctte (Mrs. Raymond Goodrich. Champlin). Helen B. (Mrs. Frank Johnson, Champlin), Alice Maud (deceased). J.VME.s H. Fr.wk. "SI. D., was born in Lev.is Co.. New York, Tan. I, 1853. He attended Fairfield Seminary, and graduated in medicine at the ^finneapolis College Hospital in 1881-2, and at the Americ:ui Medical College at St. Louis. 1882-3. He prac- ticed medicine first in Carver county, and afterward in Min- neapolis, and again in Carver county until 1894. when he came to .Anoka. He served as health officer six years, coroner two years, county physician several y.-ars. on tlu- board of pension examiners, and i> physician to the .Stale Insane Asylum at Anoka. He is also :i member of the .\noka Liiirary Board. .\xTunx C. FR\i>r.\x was born in Germany December 2^, 1837. He came to America in 1863. and three years later tc Minnesota, Plating at Anoka, where he opened a small tailoring establishment. The business prospered, and in 1871 he added furnishing goods and ready made clothing. For many years he was one of the leading business men of the place. He was married in 1872 tn ^[aggie Sanger. Childron : Charles and George. 21 8 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY, Andrew Freef-orn was born in Jonkoping, Sweden, March 6, 1837; came to .America in 1869. Married in 1883 to Christine Swanson, and two years later settled on the farm in section 7, town of H'am Lake, where he still lives. Children : Hannah Elfie (deceased), Ada and Una. The late Abkaiiaji McCormick Fridley was born May i, 1817, at Corning, Steuben county, New York. His parents were Pennsylvanians of German descent. After leaving school he was appointed at the age of twenty-one deputy sberifif of Steuben county, and was afterward collector of tolls at Corning. In April, 185 1, he was appointed by President Fillmore agent for the Winnebago Indians, then at Long Prairie, Minn., with the rank of major. This appointment, as Major Fridley was always proud to explain, came not through a congressman or any political influence, but was the result of a personal summons to Washington, by President Fillmore, who tendered him the position. In 1853 he removed to St. Paul and was elected sheriff of Ramsey county, in which capacity he performed the first legal execution in the territory, the hanging of an Indian convicted of murder. A little later he removed to Manomin (now Fridley), and was elected a representative in the territorial legislature of 1855 and also of the state legislatures of 1869- 70-71 and 1879, serving also four years as regent of the Uni- versity of Minnesota. For many years he was land agent for the great Northern Railroad Company. He was a personal friend of James J. Hill, and was frequently consulted upon matters of importance. Major Fridley was in many respects a remarkable man. He was a courageous and aggressive pioneer in the early days of Minnesota, and was very active in public life, and did a great deal for the development of the state. In politics Major Fridley had been a Whig, and later acted with the Democracy. In i860 he was a delegate from Minnesota to the national Democratic conventions at Charleston and Bal- timore, and was always an influential man in the party. His son, Henry C. Fridley, still lives in the well built house con- structed in territorial days on the old homestead in the town of Fridley. (See portrait, page 163.) CH.^RT.K.s H. Fridi.ev was born at St. Anthony (now East Minneapolis) July 19. 1848. After le;;\ing school he learned BIOGRAPHICAL. 219 denlislry with Dr. J. A. Bowman of ^Minneapolis, and later took a dental course at the College of Pennsylvania. Sept. 22, 1880, he came to x\noka, where he has since been engaged in the practice of his profession. Dr. Fridley was married Nov. 27, 1S84, to Ella M. Morton, who died Feb. 9, 1904. James C. Frost (deceased) was born at Rumford, Maine, Nov. II, 1816. He came to St. Anthony in 1852 and to Anoka Sept. 4. 185.3, whcrt he resided up to the time of his death. He was first employed on the dam, and then engaged in lumber- ing, leaving that_to enter the employ of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Co. as land commissioner, which position he held until 1873. He was a member of the territorial legislature, and upon the organization of Anoka county was appointed as its first sheriff. He was elected and re-elected sheriflf so many times that he came to be looked upon as a permanent fixture in the office. He served four years as postmaster during the later eighties, and was then elected judge of probate, which office he filled until [a-i. i, 1895. His official career was the more re- markable from the fact that he was a lifelong Democrat, while Anoka county hr.s always been a Republican county. Mr. Frost was married three times. His first wife was Sarah Dearmon, who died leaving one child, Alice (Mrs. Wni. E. Cundy). Hi: second wife was Mary Arety, who died leaving five children: Abigail (Mrs. C. H. Norton, Sioux Falls, S. D.), Belle (]\[rs. Clark. Milbnnk. S. D.). Ada (Mrs. John Munson, Madison, S. D.), Ida (Mrs. Frank Whitten, Anoka), and Maud (Mrs. Harry Parmelcy, Sioux Falls, S. D.). Mr. Frost's third ■wife was Sarali Slcanc, who still makes Anoka her home. Chil- dren: Lena S. (Mrs. L. J. Greenwald), and May (Mrs. S. Webber, Minneapolis). Mr. Frost died May 24, 1896. (See portrait, page 59.) JosF.rii L. G.-^SLm was born at Livcnnorc, Androscoggin county, Maine, Nov. 27, 1836. At the age of two his parents removed to Reedfield, same state and in 1854 he went to Nelson county, Kentucky, wliere he joined two brothers in railroad contracting. In 1855 he came to Anoka county and purchased 400 acres of lalid in sections 6 and 7. Oak Grove township. He was married Nov. 14. 1859, to Celestia Jane Stevens, a teacher. 220 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. who came from Danville, N. H., to conduct one of the neigh- borhood schools, and the family resided on the farm until 1894, when a home was purchased at Anoka. In 1902. however, they returned tc the farm for a year. In the fall of 1904 they purchased a pUce in Champlin. on which they anticipate spend- ing the remainder of their days. Children: Isabella (Mrs. Henry Bogett), William Elmer (died June 10, 1885), George A., Charles H. (died Oct. i.s, 1866), Nettie (died Mch. 17, 1870), Ella T. T. GEDUKS. Photo, by Nelson. Augusta (dief the .A.noka National Bank for some years. He was married Aug. 24. 1862, to Phebe A. McFar- lan, a native of New Brunswick, and there were born: Ida (Mrs. F. A. Campbell), Mary A. (died Jan., 1872), John C. (died 1874), Hiram A. (died Jan.. 1872), Roscoe (died Jan., 1872), Henry Edward (Farmdale, Florida), Paul G., Fred A. (Cam- bridge, Minn.), Phoebe A. (Cambridge, Minn.), and John O. (died Aug., 1884). . Rel'ei. L. H.m.l was born at Patten. .Maine, Nov. 4, i860. He attended the schools and the academy of his native town, and before he attained his majority had acquired a pretty good idea of the lumber b>i5iness as it was carried on in Maine. In Aroostook county there are many starch factories, snd Mr. Hall also got an insight into the potato starch business before leaving Maine. Coming to Minnesota in 1882, he first engaged m log- ging on the Medway river in the northern part of tlie stite. There he becmic acquainted with Mr. Lehmd and interested him in the stnrch business. A large starch factory was built by ihcni at Anoka, and later Mr. Hall built other factories at Monticcllo. Noilh Branch and Harris. He also started a flour- ishing general store at North Branch. Failing health and the necc-sity for '•i'st. and an unfaithful employe, coupled with a disastrou'; lire, bronght business reverses, and the factories passed out (if Mr. 11, ill's hands, hut he continues to reside at Anoka. A more detailed account of the inception of starch making in Minnesota through Mr. Hall's initiative appears elsewhere. Mr. Hall wa> niarriod Oct. 17. i88g. ot Edith I. Stvw.-irt, a school 232 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY, teac'iier and graduate of the Normal Scliool at Winona. Chil- dren: Reiiel R., Joseph G., Ralph S., and Lura Ruth. (See portrait, page 108.) George Ketcha m Hagaman, M. D., is a graduate of the medical department of the Minn(^ota State University, class of 1903. His scliooling prior to entrance in the University was obtained in his native town, Pennington, Mercer county, New GEORGE K. HAGAMAN, M. D. Photo, by Nelson. Jersey, where he was born December 9, 1875, coming to Minne- soin in 1888 ami gra.duating in the class of 1895 of the St. Paul Central high .'^chi o!. During the last year of his university experience he occupied the position of inti>rne at Dr. Abbott's ITos]iit;!l, Miu'icapdhs. and the following year was interne at the St. Paul City and Cnunt\ Hospital. Prior to taking up the ];h»;rai>[IICAl. 2^^^ litud}- of medicine ii! a regular way he devoted his aspirations to ihc study of law at the same institution from which he later graduated in tije medical department. This was in 1898-9. On July 19, 1904, he was appointed cnunty ])liysician and county coroner, after a residence in Anoka only since June 7th. the same year. He is a menil)er of .\. O. U. \V. and Woodmen of the World, and is examiner for the latter. Dr. Hagaman was mar:ied to Mary Wilscn Fac4undus, September 14. 1904. Bev.t.\.\iin F. H.\t.i, was born Aug. 7, 1854, at Patten, Maine. He attended the public schools and also Patten Academy, after- ward engaging in farming and lumbering. He came to Minne- sota, Apr. 29, 18S9, where he w^as a partner with his brother. Reuel L. Hall, in starch factories in Anoka, Chisago and Wright counties. He was n^irried Nov. 19, 1881, to Abbie Joy. Chil- dren: FJmer F. (Minneapolis). Herbert R.. Grace (died ]\Iay 4, i8S(,). lua vdied July 3. 1888). Jo.-Krn S. FIali. was born at Falmouth, Maine, July i, 1827, where he conti'uied to reside until February, 1890, when he removed to Anoka, where he still lives. He was engaged in farming and lumbering in his native state. He was married in 185,2 to Caroline Lovejoy. who died Apr. 25, 1896. Children: Benjamin F., Lydia Ella (Mrs. Wm. Chase. Lead, S. D.), Fred- erick (died 1861), Emma J. (Mrs. E. C. Joy), Reuel L., Jo- .seph E. (Lead. S. D.), Ida Belle (Mr^. W. .\. Xye. Denver. Col.). HiR.\M A. Harktngtox was born in Anoka Aug. 19, 1861. He spent a couple nf years in the early seventies in Maine, and six years ( i8^^9 to 1875) in South Boston. Mass.. where he took advantage of the schools in that place. He returned to Anoka late in the year 1875. where he has continuously resided ever since, except a year (1889) spent at Eugene, Oregon. He all but graduated from the Anoka Business College, being de- prived of that pleasure only by the closing of the school. He was appointed on the police force during Mayor Goodrich's first term, and was chosen chief of police during the second term of Mayor Goodrich. He has served on the police force four years all told, up to Dec. 31. 1904, on which date he stepped into the oflice of register of deecN, to which he had lu^en elected on the 234 HISTORY OP ANOKA COUNTY. Republican ticket. Before his connection with the police force he had been in the coal and lime business, and was in a survey- ir!g force for the Brook Park cut-off (now a part of the Great Northern). Mr Harrington has been married twice; first to Alpharetta Wheeler, in July, 1890, who died in February, 1896, leaving one.hoy, Charles Augustus; second, to Bessie F. Webber, and there have been born Horace Adelbcrt, Florence M., and Hiram Harv-v. ^^^^M 5 . f\. m 1 i 11 ^ KK.XNK HART. Frank Hart was born in Rochester, N. Y., Dec. 23, 1854. He was educated in the schools in St. Faul, Minn. He came to Minnesota with his parents in 1856. In October. 1858, he came to Ham Lake, v.-hcre his father settled in section 6. He was census enumerator in 1880, 1890, 1895, and clerk of the district court from 1897 to the present time. He has been an auctioneer for abdut Iwotily year>. Imlding auctions all over Anoka county BIOGRArHICAL. 235 and nmiy in Hennepin and Isanti conntie?. Mr. Hart was mar- ried 3^Iar. 27. 1878, to Ada L. Purniort. Children: Irving E. and Una AI. JosiAH Hart (deceased) was born in Rutland, Vt., Aug. 27, 1807. The first business which he tok up was that of carpenter and builder. He came to Minnesota in 1856 and to Anoka Co. about October, 1858. He settled on section six in what is now Ham Lake, where he farmed and rais.^d stock. In 1864 iie was U. S. enrolling officer and held numerous town offices. His wife was Laura Butman. His only child was Frank Hart of Anoka. Ai.oxzo C. H.wi'F.x (son of Rev. Winthrop Hayden) was born in Maine, and came to Minnesota with his parents in the summer of 185.1, settling at Elm Creek. In 1861 he enlisted in Company D of the First ^Minnesota Regiment, and was killed in the terrible charge of that regiment on the field of Gettysburg. Rev. Wextwortu Hayden was born in Ma3'field, Sommerset Co., Maine, Oct. 28, 1813. He was educated in the college at Waterville, Maine, pnd entered the ministry of the Free Will Baptist church. In 1854 he came to Champlin, Minn., where he was pastor of the church for some years. From 1858 to i860 he served in tlie state legislature. He was married to Lavina Ames April 13, 1837. Children: Alonzo, Hiram, Melissa (Mrs. T. P. Hill), David. Charles Sirah (Mrs. John Pomeroy), Ella, Lilla (Mrs. Wm. Seelye), Edith (Mrs. John French). Mr. Hay- den was a direct descendant of John .Vlden. He was one of the organizers of the Free Will Baptist church at ^Minneapolis, Champlin and Elk River. b.'Ac H. H.ARTHORX (deceased) was born at Milfurd, Maine, Scpi. 18, 1822. He came to Anoka county in 1865 and soon after purchased a farm in the town of Ramsej', where he lived up to the time of his death. He was married IMarch 14, 1849. Chil- dren : Joseph Reed (died Feb., 1872), Charles B. (died Mar. 22, 1870), Isaac A., Cyrus M. (Portland, Ore.), Anni B. (Mrs. Orrin Pitman), Orrin A.. George W. (Tacoma, Wash.), Elsie A. (Mrs. Willi?.m Balow. Tower City. N. D.). Joiix Hektv wa^ born in Schwanden. Switzerland. Oct. 7, 1848. He cani.e to Minnesota in May. 1854. and tn Chimplin 236 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. March 6, 1835. He worked in W. D. Washburn's saw mill from 1873 to 1889. During the years 1883-4-5 and 1896-7-8 he was a member of the board of supervisors. He served on the school board in 1805-6-7. Mr. Hefty was twice married. His first wife was Anna Wild, to whom he was married Nov. 15, 1875. His second wife was Agatha Wild, to v/hom he was married Nov. 10, 1878. Children. ]\Iaggie B., Rose K., and H. C. Dahlgren. 1. .\. HARTHORN. I'holo. by Johnson. Isaac A. TT\rtuok\" (son of Isaac H. Harthorn) was born in the county of Penobscot, Maine, Dec. 27, 1854. He came to Ramsej', Anoka county, in 1865, where he has been a success- ful farmer. He has one hundred and forty acres of land in sections 27 and 34, about 80 of which arc u.nder cultivation. Mr. Harthorn has been town clerk for about twelve years, and BIOGRAPHICAL. 237 director of the school board about seven years. He was mar- ried Aug. 30, 1S82, to Loretta Wilson. Children : Maud L. and Le Roy Mearl. Christian Heil (son of John Heil) was born in the town of Columbus, Anoka county, Mardi 10, 1859. He worked on his father's farm in that town until he was of age, and in 1884 he purchased eighty acres in section 11, town of Columbus, wiicre he still lives. He also owns eighty acres near the Linwood line. He was married May 13, 1884, to Anna Moore, daughter of Charles H. Moore of Centreville. Cliildrcn : Jennie M., Florence G., Wildie B., and Henry C. John Heil (deceased) was born in Germany in 1813. He came to America al)out 1847. He kept a meat market in Chicago several years, moving to St. Paul a few years later, where he also conducted a meat market. About 1857 he came to Anoka county, settling in the town of Columbus. He bought 160 acres on the shore of Howard lake and lived there until his death in 1897. He was married about 1840 to Marion Hoffman. Three children are still living : Christian, Anna and Emma (Mrs. Frank Hauble, Hugo, Washington Co.). JoHX Newton Hexrv, M. D., was born at Johnston. Ohio, Apr. 28, 1822. He received an academic and college education, coming to Minnesota in 1872. In November, 1877, he located at Champlin, where he has been engaged in the practice of med- icine. Was justice of the peace during 1903 and 1904. Dr. Henry was married Sept. 20, 1847, to Diana Mercliant. Giildren : Hulda (]Mrs. Lewis Van Dake). Harriet (Mrs. P. C. Richard son), William (deceased), John. Charles, Mary (Mrs. C. M. Goss), Jenny (Mrs. U. G. Herrick), Albert (deceased), James and Sumner (deceased). David L. Herrick was born in Sandersficld. ^lass., Dec. 4, 1808. He was married Dec. 30, 1829, to Almira Cargill, follow- ing which time he lived in Ohio. In 1856 he came to Minnesota, settling in the town of Dayton, and remained there until about 1867, when he removed to Champlin. In 1898 he removed to Sauk Rapids, where he died Jan. 19, 1899. Mr. Herrick was twice married. His first wife died at Champlin, and about six years later he v/as married to Susan W. Fuller. He left three sons at his death : James X. B., Nelson and Ben.ianiin F. 238 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. James Van Burex Herrick was born in Sandcrstield, Mass., July 25, 1830. He v.'as educated in an academy at Chester, Ohio. The first business which he took up was blacksmithing. He came to Minnesota in October, 1854, and to Champhn in 1866, where he engaged in mason work, shoemaking and farming. He has been assessor and town clerk of Champlin at different times. He was married in 1852 to Martha S. Tuttle. Children : Viola (Mrs. E. N. Edwards), Rollin J.. Truman W., Nora (Mrs. Charles Wolley). Nelson Herrick was born in Sandersfield, Mass., Feb. 11, iSti3. He was educated in the high school and Gauga Seminary in Ohio. The first business which he took up was blacksmithing. He came to Champlin in May, 1855. where he was employed in carpenter work. He enlisted Aug. 12, 1864^ in Company F, Eleventh Regiment, from which be was discharged at the close of the war. In 1853 he was married to Sarah Ann Talcott. Chil- dren : George, Lily (jMrs. Sannie! Goodrich, deceased), Ulysses. Joseph B. Hick.man w:as born in Wayne Co., Pa., in April, 1833. He came to Anoka in 1865. He was married August 12, .i860, to Jane McTlveen. Children: Frank B.. William J., Mary A. and Mabel F. (Mrs. O. W. Brodhcad). George Du.^can Hir.LiARn was born at St. George, N. B., March 7, 1862, and at eighteen came to Anoka with his grand- parents. He graduated from the Anoka Business College about the year 1884. He was in the grocery business until 1890, since which time he has been a traveling salesman ten years with McCusick & Copelin, and later with Paris, Murton & Co., of Minneapolis. He wfs married in 1888 to Martha Gow. Chil- dren: J. Clyde, Florence and Catherine G. Ard a. Hilton vv^as I)orn in Stark, Somerset county, Maine, in 7843. He came to Minnesota in 1872. He was deputy county auditor for several vears and in 1876 was elected register of deeds, serving several terms. In 1888 he engaged in the grocery business at Anoka, which was continued until 1901. Charles N.xttiak Hinklev was •born in Dayton. ]Minn., Oct. 6, 1855. He attended the district school? until twelve years of age, the Minneapolis pul)Iic schools for three years and the State University for two years. In 1873 he came to Champlin, BIOGRAPHICAL. 239 settling on a fjrm in section 25i- where lij still lives. He has held various lown offices since 1878, being chairman of the board of supervisors in 1884 and on tJie board again in 1892 and again chairman in 1902-3. He was married to Ruth Margaret Adcock Dec. 25. 1893. Children : INIarian Lucilc, Robert James, Charles Orange and Delia Louise. Freem.vx C. Hog.vxs was born July 2, 1831, in Jamestown, N. Y., on a farm on the shore of Chautauqua lake. At six years of age he moved with his parents to Meadville, Pennsylvania, thence to Conr.oautville, where he lived on a farm until fifteen years of age, when he started to learn the shoemaker's trade. Worked at shot-making in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. Returned to Penn.sylvania about 1853, and went into the shoe business near the old place, ^foved to Anoka m 1865, and carried on the manufacturing and dealing in shoes many years. In i860 he married Mrs. Rachel Elliot, a widow with three children, Washington. Catherine Salome (Mrs. A. G. Morgan), and .-\rthur J. Mrs. Elliot's maiden name was Sterling. Mr. and Mrs. Hogans have had two children, Luzern (deceased) and Florence Lorinda (Mrs. Irving Baker, Seattle). Mr. Ho- gans' grandfather settled on Gen. Van Rensselaer's lands in the county of the same name, where he leased of the ^^^n Rensselaers a farm for ninetN'-nine years. Edwix p. Kugiies was born in Jackson county, Ohio, July 31, 1842. Taught school in Wisconsin and was admitted to the bar in Wisconsin in 1866 and in Minnesota in 1877. He came to Anoka in 18S4, where he continued the practice of law. Was district attorney of St. Croix Co., Wis., for some years, superin- tendent of citv schools of Hudson, Wis., about 1869 and 1870; city judge for several years in Hudson, also city attorney of Hudson ; city attorney of Anoka three years, city justice of Anoka for several years, judge of municipal court of Anoka for one year. He was married Oct. 19. 1870, to Cecilia A. Andrews. One child was born, Mabel L. (Mrs. Paul Giddings). John Hiinter was born at Antrim, Ireland, Jan. 19, 1844. He received his education in the schools in Livingston county. New York, and in Anoka county, Minn. In 1856, the family came to Minnesota, locating in the town of Grow, where Mr. 240 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Hunter lived for many years on section 22. Aug. 20, 1862, he enlisted in Co. A, eighth Regiment, and was present in all the battles and skirmishes participated in by that regiment, including the Minnesota Indian war, the Nashville campaign and Johns- ton's surrender to Sherman. He received his discharge Aug. i, 1865. Mr. Hunter served seven years as county commissioner (1876-1883), and was supervisor and assessor twenty-eight years. He was married in 1875 to Addie Hank. Children : Forest H. and Bazel. Moses Augustus Hutchins was born at Avon, Franklin Co., Maine, June 3, 1839. He attended school at Minot, Maine,^ and worked at milling. He came to Minnesota in 1856 and to Anoka Co. in 1872, where he has been engaged as a stationary engineer. He was married July 4, 1868, to Sophronia M. Taylor. Children: Herman A. (deceased), Horace B., Emma M. (Mrs. A. R. Woodmansee), Grace L. (Mrs. J. A. Wasson), Jessie E.,. Almon Neal, and Helen M. Mrs. Hutchins came to Anoka when a child and was one of the early teachers of Anoka county. She v/as the first normal school graduate in the county, having grad- uated from the Winona Normal School. ^Marshall L. Inman was born at ]\Iilford, Maine, June 15, 1848, at eighteen came to Minneapolis, and at twenty-three to St. Francis, where he farmed; later removed to Anoka, Where he is oiler in the Lincoln mill. Mr. Inman was married June 10, 1872, to j\Iary A. Wilbur, and there have been born : Marchie,. (Mrs C. A. Stewart, ^linneapolis), and John M. John Ives was born July 31, 1838, at Aurelius, Cayuga county. New York. Less than two years thereafter his parents removed to Chautauqua count}'-, and in 1855 to Port Byron, same state. In the latter place he learned the tinner's trade, and was married there Sept. 13, 1859, to Polly M. Main. The following year the couple removed to Newark, same state, and in 1866 came to Anoka. Mr. Ives conducted a hardware and grocery store, in company with G. W. Church, but the latter afterward sold out his interest to G. Townsend. The store was located in the ill- fated block on Main street which was burned out March 13, 1869. After this Mr. Ives went to farming, and is now living about one mile east of Anoka on his farm. The children born are: Roy S. (Excelsior, Minn.), Stella (Mrs. H. Groat), Samuel,. I5I0GRAPHICAL. 241 Jessie (Mrs. L. L). Howard. TTamilton, Mont.), and Etta (Mrs. A. L. Barstow). Carl L. Johnson was born in Sweden May 21, 1862. He came to America in 1882, and found employment at Anoka with Peter Brant, having learned tailoring in his father's shop in Sweden. In :888 he went into business for himself, and now has a merchant tailoring establishment at Anoka employing from five to twelve people and also one at Cambridge. Minn., employ- ing three or four. The Cambridge store is managed by H. C. CARL L. JOHNSON. Dahlgren. Order.s are received from St. Paul, Minneapolis and many other places outside the county. Mr. Johnson was a member of the city council in 1894 and 1895. He was appointed a member of the library board in 1903 and reappointed for three years in 1904. Mr. Johnson was married Nov. 2, 1887, to Alice Johnson, of Rockford, III, who died in June, 1891. He was married a second time in 1893 to Augusta B. Anderson. They have two girls, Rachel Cecilia and Maria Augusta Theresia. 242 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Henry Clay Johnson was born in Milford, Indiana, March 10, 1856. In October, 1865, he came to Anoka county, and re- ceived his education in the Anoka schools. After leaving school he was a clerk in the Anoka postoffice for a number of years. Later he was employed for a time in a grocery and finally as an accountant. In this latter capacity he has been with the Pills- HENRY C. JOHNSON. bury-Washburn Flour Mills Co. at Anoka for many years. He was elected alderman of the first ward of the City of Anoka in April, 1895, and re-elected in 1897. In September, 1899, he re- signed, but was again elected to the same office in April, 1903, and still hold's this position. Mr. Johnson was married Sept. g, 1890, to Helen Burk. Two daughters have been torn to them, Mary and Gertrude (deceased). IJIOGKAl'lilCAL. 243 Charles H. Johnson was born March 13, 1850, in Gains- ville, Wyoming Co., N. Y. He came to Minnesota in March, 1880, and to Anoka March 6, 1888, where he nas conducted a photograph gallery. Mr. Johnson has been thrice married. His first wife was Alice Nourse, to whom he was married Mar. 14, 1876, and who died June 15, 1878. His second wife was Belle Lowell, to whom he was married Aug. 14, 1884, who died Dec. 19, 1897, leaving two children, Jay W. and Forest. Mr. Johnson was again married Apr. 22, 1900, to Lena Slayback. CHARLES H. JOHNSON. Ole Jesperson (deceased) was born in Norway, Aug. 26, 1845. Came to America in 1867, reaching St. Paul July 10 of that year. Settled on a farm in Ham Lake in 1874, where he lived up to the time of his death. He served on the board of super- visors about half the time he lived there and as county com- missioner from the fourth district from Jan. i, 1895, to Jan. 1, 244 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. 1899. Married Lena Peterson July 9, 1870. Children : Peter W., Jesper B. (Cedar), Andrew W. (Lindstroni, Chisago Co.), Ida G. (Mrs. O. J. Thorssen, Grantsburg, Wis.), Emma, Melville A., and an adopted daughter, Olga. Mr. Jesperson died March 11, igo2. Peter William Jesperson was born at Fridley, Anoka county, Nov. 21, .1871. He attended the public schools and afterward the Minneapolis Normal College. He took up farming in sec- tion 33, town of Sethel. of which town he was chairman of the board of supervisors, and was also a member of the school board in district 53. He is at present travelling salesman for the J R. Watkins Medical Co., of Winona, Minn. Mr. Jesper- son was married June 7, 1899, to Matilda H. Titterud, who died, leaving one son, Harris O. Louis Jepson was born in Darum, Denmark, March 5, 1856. He came to this country in 1878, settling in Minneapolis. He was married in 1881 to Andrea Martha Borre, and moved to a farm in the town of Blaine, where he now lives, and where he has made a business of dairying and fine stock raising. He has been a member of the board of supervisors and was town treas- urer fifteen years. Children: Maggie and Andrew. John W. Johnston wa; born at St. George, New Brunswick, June 23, 1832. He received a high school education and engaged in farming and lumbering. He came to Minnesota in 1855 and three years later to Champlin. where he has been variously en- gaged in farming, lumbering, merchandise and meat market, and also in the hotel business. He was treasurer of school district 37 for a number of years. Mr. Johnston was married Nov. 3, 1861, to Rebecca L. Davis. Children: George W. (deceased), John F., Grace (Mrs. A. Bickford), Alice (deceased), Jesse Winn (de- ceased), Mav (Mrs. Thompson), Laura (Mrs. N. A. Nason), Belle (Mrs. C. T. Peppard). Frederick, Irene (Mrs. M. J. Don- ahue), Hester and Ruby D. Fred W. Johonnett was born in Palmyra, Somerset Co., Maine, Feb. 17, 1842. Worked at farming until November, 1861, when he enlisted in Company E, Fourteenth Maine Infantry, m which he served unf,il February, 1863, when he was discharged for ciiyabilitv. }n '•lovember of the same vear he re-enlisted BIOGRAPHICAL. .^45 in Company I, SecMul Maine Cavalry, and served until December, 1865. He was in t!ic Department of the Gulf during the entire period. After the war he returned to Maine, and came to Anoka county in the spring of 1869. He bought ito acres in section 8, town of OaU Grove, where he still lives. He was married in December, 186S. tc Cynthia E. VVethern, who died Nov. 28, 1902. One daughter is living: Gertrude (Mrs. William O. Leathers). Mr. Johonnett was town clerk ten years. Has also served several terms as town treasurer and school director. Lewis C. Johoxnot was bnrn in Newport, Elaine, May 3, 1857. Spent four years at the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, !87C)-i883. Tn 1883 he came to Minneapolis, where lie became assistant superintendent of music of the Minneapolis public schools, .\fterward he took charge of tne music at the old Centenary Methodist and other churches. In 1884 he came to Anoka, where ho was director of the .\noka Choral Union three years. For the past fifteen years lie has lived in tlie town of Oak Grove. He has composed a number of vocal pieces, one of which, "The Girl Behind the Dough," was published in 1892. iNIr. Johonnot was married Jan. 13. 1903, to Harriet L. Seymour. Edwin Josi-in was born in ^laple Grove, Sept. 25, 1872. Moved to Ham Lake with his parents, in which town lie has been engaged in farming. Aug. i, 1896, he married Grace Uren. Children : Alice, William and Gladys. WiLLiA.M Penn Joslin was born at Lynboro, New Hampshire, Nov. 30, 1842. He grew up en a farm and learned the carpen- ter's trade. He came to Anoka county in ]March. 1881, and settled on a farm in section 28, in the town of Ham Lake. He was married Sept. 11. 1871, to Georgiana Morehouse. Children: Leona (Mrs. Adam Hollingsvvorth), William Edwin, Alice (Mrs. John Bell), Alta L., (Mrs. B. Meister), Levi K, Charlotte Eliz- abeth (Mrs. Edwin Lawson), Allen Marcellus, Helen May, Orrice Edna (adopted), and Clyde Remmington. CvRENESS K.\RKER was boni Oct. 13, 1853, at Cobleskill. New York, wdiere he was educated and lived until 1887, when he came to Minneapolis. Here he was in the employ of Mr. Fletcher in the wholesale hardware trade. On the 5th of May, 1889, he came to .\noka and was thereafter in the employ of F. F. 246 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Fletcher, a son of his MinneapoHs employer, for a period of nearly ten years, but on March 11, 1898, in conjunction with H. C. Loehl established the present firm of Loehl & Karker, hardware dealers. He was married Feb. 24, 1895, to Agnes O'Keefe. The family comprises Mr. and Mrs. Karker, Florence L. Kenney and Agnes Beck. Mr. Karker is guardian for the latter. James C. Keillor (son of William Keillor) was born in the province of Ontario, Canada, July 4, 1860. Obtained his education in New Brunswick and worked on his father's farm until 1881, when he removed to Anoka Co., where he assisted his brother-in-law, James Hunt, in the management of the latter's farm in Ramsey until the death of Mr. Hunt, since which time he has had its sole management. Mr. Keillor now owns 80 acres in section 10, where he stilb resides. He was never married. William E. Kefllor was born in Chatham, New Brunswick, Oct. 31, 1836, where he lived until the age of nineteen. He spent twelve years in Nova Scotia and Ontario, and then lived again in New Brunswick until 1891, when he removed to Anoka Co. He taught school in Canada for about seven years, and then his health failing, he went to farming, a congenial occupation which he has since follov,'ed. In 1901 he purchased forty acres in section 3, town of Ramsey, where he now resides. He was mar- ried Jan. 26, 1856, to Mary J. Crandall. Children: Mary E. (Mrs. James Hunt), Rebecca E., James C, Thomas T. (Albert, New Brunswick), Elizabeth J. CMrs. Herbert B. Crandall), Amelia J. (Mrs. Aibin Loucks, Malmo, Aitkin Co., Minn.), and Alfred L. Frank Kelsey (son of Peter Kelsey) v/as born at Ashtabula, Ohio, Oct. 23, 1854. The next year his parents removed to An- oka county, settling at Round lake in what is now the town of Grow. From 1869 to 1880 he was engaged in brickmaking with his brothers, afterward spending five years in the mines in the Black Hills. From 1888 to 1893 he was in the grocery busi- ness, and from 1805 to 1900 was chief of police of Anoka. He is now engaged in raising small fruits on east Main street. He was married Sept. 1, 1881, to Ida Allen. They have three chil- dren : Guy, Stanley and Francis. George Kelsey was born April 2^. 1827, in New York, move'l to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he v/orked at shoemaking, r.ioc.RAPiiiCAi.. 247 afterward moving to Pennsylvania and engaging in the man- ufacture of boots and shoes, and was married in 1851 to Lydia Sterling. About five years after this event he located at Round lake, and two years later at Anoka, where he went into the boot and shoe business, from whicli he later retired and en- gaged in the sewing machine business. He was a county com- missioner in the early days. Children: Clarence (died 1853J, Melvin (died 1865), Lydia Jeanette (Mrs. W. P. Macomber, Wilton, N. D.) Ella (Mrs. Magson), Hiram A. (deceased) and Georgia (Mrs. Woodworth). Peter Kelsev (deceased) was born in New York state in 1825. He came to Anoka county in 1855. settling at Round lake in what is now the town of Grow. He engaged in farming until 1862, when he removed to New York, returning in 1865 to his farm at Round lake, where he died the same year. His wife was Miss Lucy Giddings of Ohio, who died at Round lake in 1886. Children: Claudius L (Eugene City, Oregon), Minnie (Mrs. M. Burns, Grand Forks, N. D.), Porter, Frank, Frances (died 1894), Jackson (drowned in Round lake, 1883). Charles Wood Kerr was born in St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 7, 1870. When an infant his parents removed to Anoka, where he received his education at the .A.noka high school. He has been for some years cmplo3'ed in the postoffice department. His home is in Minneapolis. J.\MES Allen Kerr was born in .\llegheny. Penn., March 15, J838. He came to Minnesota Sept. 15, 1855, settling in Hen- nepin county, and followed lumbering for a livelihood. Oct. 5. 1861, he enlisted in Peteler's Minnesota Sharpshooters, which became Co. A of the Second United States Sharpshooters. He was wounded in the Wilderness and also at Petersburg. He was nuistered out Nov. 6, 1864. He c:me to Anoka county June 7, 1871, and worked at lumbering for some years. Mr. Kerr was married Aug. 4, 1868, to Emma Parslnw Ghostley. Chil- dren : Charles W. and Maude M. Wtlli.\m F. Ktesel was born at Lingenhagen, in Pommern, Germany, June 10, 1859. Attended the common schools ; came to America at the age of twenty-four and spent six years in gar- dening near St. Paul, and then carried on a farm in Maple Grove four years, living meanwhile in Champlin. Tn 1895 he purchased 248 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. a farm in section 35, town of Burns, where he still lives. He has 80 acres, about 45 of which are under cultivation. He was mar- ried. Feb. 21, 1886, to Rachel Blesi. Children: Anna M., Emma F., Katherine E., Rosa B., Frediline A. EsTES A. Kjng was born in Charlton, Mass,. July 29, 1817. He early learned the blacksmith's trade, and having come to Anoka county in 1856 he started a blacksmith shop in Anoka two year later, continuing in that business until about 1875, when he went into the real estate business, which he followed until 1895. He held many school and town offices in the early days. He was twice married.. His first wife was Ann Mclntyre. who died leaving one daughter, Mrs. H. M. Lambert. His second wife was Lucy Buss, i:nd they had one son, Frank.. now a resident of Linwood. Mr. King died March 31, 1900. Rev. Frederick R. Leach, pastor of the First Baptist Church, was born Feb. 14, 1864, at Hamburg, N. Y. At about twent> years of age he entered Hamilton (now Colgate) University where he remained four years, after which he attended the Roch- ester Theological Seminary, graduating therefrom in 1891. He was married in 1893 to Mary Gaylord. Children : Gaylord, Har- old and Donald. Charles LI. Leathers was born in Maine in 1836, and in 1854 came to Minneapolis and later located in Oak Grove. In 1861 he enlisted and served in Co. H, First Minnesota Regiment, participating in various engagements and being wounded at Bristow. At the close of his three years term of service he was mustered out with the regiment. In 1871 he was married to Ouisa Barrett. Children: Alonzo C. (died 1895), John W. (died 1893), George F. (deceased), Lucinda (deceased), Charles (de- ceased). Gilbert H. Le.-^thers was born in New Hampshire, Dec. 12, 1824, in the town of Nottingham. At two years of age his parents removed to Maine. In 1854 he came to Oak Grove town ship, later removing to Anoka. Henry G. Leathers was born in Oak Grove, Anoka county, Dec. II, 1858. He was educated in the Anoka high school and at Carleton College, Northfield, Minn. The first business which he took up was farming. In 1883 he started a general store at BIOGRAPHICAL. 249 St. Francis. IMr. Leathers has held various town offices and was appointed postmaster at St. Frarcis Sept. i. i(>04. He was married to Rose Earden Sept 19. 1888. Children: Robert E. and Blanche L. Li.'THER H. Lkxxox (deceased) was born in Knox, ^lame. .\ngiist 9, 1814. He was reared in his native state and learned the trade of a carpenter and millwright. wOiich he followed the greater part of hir, life. In 1854 lie came to St. Anthony and in 1862 to Ancka. He served several terms as supervisor, assess- or and member of the school board. He was married in 1837 to Diana C. Stront. Children: Priscilla N., Isaac P. (Minneapolis), Flora E. (Mr<. L. W. Gcrr\erg), was born at Anoka April 12, 1874. He received his education at the Anoka high school and was employed in his father's tailoring establish- ment. He graduated from the cutting school at Chicago in 1902. Mr. Moberg has been city clerk of .\noki --ince October, 1901. 264 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Thurman W. Morton was born July 13, 1833, in Addison, Vermont. Attended common schools in New York and Smith- port Academy in McKean Co., Pennsylvania. He then learned the carpenter's trade with his father, and worked at carpenter work and millwrighting for about forty years. He came to Anoka county in August, 1857, and took a claim at Lake George in the town of Oak Grove, and lived there until the I THURMAN W. MORTON. Photo, by Nelson. Civil War broke out. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. A, of the Eighth Minnnesota Regiment. The company was about eight months in pursuit of the Sioux Indians who took part in the massacre of 1862. Two severe battles were fought, one at Kill- deer Mountain and the second in the Bad Lands. At the con- clusion of the Indian war the company went south and took part BIOGRArillCAL. 265 in the battles of Murfrcesboro and Stony River. Mr. Morton was mustered out witli his company in August, 1865. He then lived at Anoka, following his trade until 1878, when he moved to his present farm in the town of Burns. He now owns 145 acres in section 24. about Co acres of which are under cultivation. He was married Aug. 13, 1855. to Rhoda Tripp. Children: Amadore, Frederick H. (Minneapolis), and Edward. James F. Murphy was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, about 1831. Came to Minnesota about 1855, living during the summer at St. Anthony. He engaged in logging and lumbering a few years. In March, i860, he went to Pike's Peak, where he staid a year. Returning to Anoka, he enlisted in Co. A. Eighth Regiment, and served with that regiment throughout the war. In 1865 he bought a half interest in the shoe store which John McDonnell had just purchased from Kelsey & Kelley. A year later Thomas M. Ryan purchased Mr. McDonnell's interest, and the firm of Murphy & Ryan continued in the shoe business until Mr. Murphy's death, Dec. 26, 1878. He was married Oct. 29, 1859, to Susan M. McGuigan. Children: Mary C. (Mrs. Henry E. Faherty), Sophia (died in infancy), Annie (died in 1874), Aloysius P.. Eugene F. (Western Pa. Hospital, Pittsburg, Pa.), James F. (State Hospital, Pueblo, Col.). John H. Niles, attorney at law, Anoka, is a graduate from Dartmouth (1880), and from the law department of the Iowa State University (1882). He was born in Bethlehem township, Albany county. New York, Nov. 27, 1857. His father died when lie was four years of age, and the family removed a few years later to Albany, where Mr. Niles graduated from the high school in 1876. After this he studied law in the ofifice of Hand, Hale & Bulkeley at Albany, juSt before his entrance to the Iowa State University. He spent one year in the hw office of Wilson & Lawrence, Minneapolis, and in the spring of 1883 came to Anoka and opened a law office, and has been in contin- uous practice ever since. In connection with his legal work he conducts an abstract office. Mr. Niles has been on the school board for eight years, and was president of this body for several years. He is secretary of the library board, and has taken an active part in the erection of the fine new library building. Mr. Niles was married Nov. 22, 1887, to Zale Ticknnr. and one 266 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. daughter, Natalie, was born to them. Mrs. Niles died Feb. 20, 1902. Charles A. Nelson was born in Sweden Dec. 17, 1861. He came to America and to MinneapoHs in 1881. He first found employment on a dairy farm, and for a short time in 1884 worked in Canada for the Canadian ' Pacific Railroad Co. Returning to Minnesota, he purchased a dairy in the town of Fridley, which CHARLES A. NELSON. he has conducted for eighteen years. He has been president of the Minneapolis Dairymen's Union several years, and was also treasurer of the Minneapolis Dairymen's Creamery. In i8g8 Mr. Nelson was elected a member of the board of county commissioners of Anoka county, and in January, 1905, became chairman of the board. He has also served as a member of the board of supervisors of Fridley and as a member of the council lUOCRAI'HICAL 267 of the village of Fridley Park. He has always been a Republican in politics. Mr. Nelson was married Nov. 25, 1885, to Lizzie Dermott, who died in 1893, leaving four children : Nels A., Jen- nie L., Hattie A. (deceased), and Arthur W. (deceased). He was married a second time in 1894 to Amanda Danielson. Chil- dren : Bernard B., Raynidud 11., .\gncs A., Hattie C. E., Carl A. W. and Theodore. p. J. NELSON. Peter J. Nelson was horn in Sweden, June 16, 1869. He came to Minnesota in 1888, and after leaving school took up pho- tography. April 18, 1903. he came to Anoka, and established a photograph gallery, which very soon acquired a thriving busi- ness. Mr. Nelson now has branch galleries at Princeton, Milaca and Lindstrom, Minn. He was married in May, 1895, to Mary Hanson. They have one soil Paul R.. born Nov. 28. 1903. 268 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Hans Nelson was born in Sweden Jan. 25, 1846. He came to Minnesota about i8(:8, settling first in Minneapolis and after- ward -at Anoka. His occupation has usually been that of a me- chanic. He has also at times conducted religious services. He was elected a member of the Board of Education of the city of Anoka in 1903 and re-elected in 1904. He also served in the city council in 1891. Mr. Nelson was married in 1873 to Christine Swanson. Children : Theodore, Emil, Ella, Edwin Arthur. Ch.\rles Le.-witt Noggle (deceased) was born at Freeport, 111., Tan. 16. 1842. He received his education in Illinois and Wis- consin, and after living two years in Kansas, came to Faribault, Minn., where he enlisted Feb. 14, 1862, in the Second Battery of Light Artillery. This battery was ordered south and partic- ipated in several hot engagements. Mr. Noggle was wounded three times the last time being at Stone River, Dec. 31, 1862, where he was shot through the body and a Dortion of the sesophagus carried away, necessitating the insertion of a silver tube, which he carried during the remainder of his life. In June, 1863, he was able to leave the hospital and came to St. Paul, where he had charge of an omnibus line for ten years. About 1874 he purchased the old Ford farm in section 36, town of Burns, to which his parents removed, Mr. Noggle coming there himself to live a few years later. He never entirely re- covered his health, but took an active interest in public affairs. He was county commissioner four years and held various town and school offices. Mr. Noggle was twice married. His first wife was Emma Wallace, of Faribault, who died Feb. 10, 1870. His second wife was Anna L. Sproul, to whom he was married Dec. 26, 1882. Mr. Noggle died May 2, 1901. Olof Norell was born in Sweden Sept. 24, 1845. and came to America in 1866. He worked for some years as a lumberman on the St. Croix river, and saved enough from his wages to enable him to attend school each winter, principally in St. Paul. In 1873 he came to Anoka, and after working a few months in the store of Cutter & Co., engaged in the grocery business on his own account. Within a few years he had the largest gro- cery in Anoka, and erected several good buildings. In 1885 he retired from the grocery business. He has spent his summers at Crooked lake for the past twenty years. Mr. Norell was BIOGRAPHICAL. 269 married Feb. 2S, 1874, to Kate Anderson, who died in MarciT, 1502. Alfred E. Norris (son of Alden W. Norris) was born in Oak Grove, Anoka Co., Aug. 3, 1861. He attended the public schools and worked on his father's farm in section 6. His father died in 1893, since which time he has farmed on the oM ALFRED E. NORRIS. Photo, by Nelson. homestead. He has 240 acres in Oak Grove and Burns, about 100 of which are under cultivation. Mr. Norris has been town supervisor of Oak Grove four years and school district treasurer eighteen years. He was married Aug. i, 1889, to Sarah Magson. Children : Bernard A., Thomas Raymond, Nettie, Harold E., Amy, Mildred. Ada and EfFie. 2/0 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Alden W. Norris was born in Maine, Oct. 3, 1815. He came to Minnesota in 1856 and bought 128 acres in section 6, town of Oak Grove, where he lived until his death July 30, 1893. He was at one time county auditor and held various town and school offices. He was married Feb. 25, 1842, to Sarah N. Gaslin. Children: La Forest G. (died June 18, 1884), Thomas A. (died Jan. 8, 1878), Henry H., Ada F. (Mrs. Francis T. Clark), Alden (died Nov. 20, 1877), Willis E., Alfred E.. and Hannah E. (Mrs. Guilford Frazer). Willis E. Norris (son of Alden W. Norris), was born June 6, 1858, at Norris lake in the town of Oak Grove. He worked on his father's farm until seventeen years of age. He went to Minneapolis in 1879, where in partnership with D. D. Sher- man he conducted a feed business for about eleven years. In 1897 he came to his present farm in the town of Burns. He has about 152 acres, 45 of which are under cultivation. He was twice married. His first wife was Clara L. Plummer, who died Nov. 15, 1893, leaving three children : Archibald B. ' Bellingham, Wash.), Hallie B. (Mrs Chester B. Pierce, St. Francis), and Roy P. Mr. Norris" second wife was Mary M. Steinmetz, to whom he was married June 6, 1503. Erick Olson was born in Snulmark in the southwestern part of Sweden, Feb. 11, 1848. He worked on his father's farm until the age of twenty-one, when he came to Red Wing, Minn., near which place he remained about three years. He went to Minneapolis in 1872, and made that city his home until 1876, when he came to Anoka Co., and a year later purchased a farm in the town of Burns. He now owns 80 acres in section 11. He was married Oct. 12, 1877, to Sophia J. Olson. Children: Mary H. (Mrs. Charles J. Swar.son, Minneapolis). Charles H. (died May 31. 1502). N. P. Ol.son was born in southern Sweden Feb. 2^. 1854. He came to America with his parents at the age of ten. After living two years at Lansing, Iowa, the family moved to Meeker Co., Minn., where his father took a claim. There he lived until six- teen years of age, when he took a course at the University of Minnesota. About his first newspaper experience was with the Litchfield Ledger. In 1876 he took charge of the Hutchinson HFOGRAPHFCAL. 271 Enterprise, which he moved to Glencoe, where it is still published. Later he started the Meeker Co. Tribune. In 1894 he l>ecanie connected willi the Minneapoli.s Daily Penny Press, and was pro- moted to cilv editor and finally to managing editor, which position he luld until about the time the paner was discontinued. N. P. OLSON. He then started the Minneapolis Democrat, which he moved to Anoka in 1901, changing the name to Anoka Free Press. The paper gained rapidly in circulation, and was soon placed on an enduring basis. Mr. Olson was married Feb. 20, 1878, to Frederika Pfaflf. Children: Florence M. (died in October, 1003), Alice C. August H., Elmer W. and Fred H. 272 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Rev. Samuel S. Paine was born in Anson, Somerset Co., Maine, Aug. 10, 1831. Attended first the common school and afterward the academy at Anson, finally taking a course at thj theological school at New Hampton, New Hampshire. Came to Minnesota in April, 1861, and lived first at Dayton village. During his stay there he had charge of a circuit of Free Will Baptist church organizations at Champlin, Trott brook, Dayton, Otsego and Orono. He enlisted in Company D, Second Minn. Cavalry as a private, and was shortly afterward elected chaplain of the regiment, in which capacity he served until the end of the Civil War. After the war he lived some twenty years at and near Fargo, N. D. He came to nis present home in the town of Ramsey in 1903. Mr. Paine has been twice married. His first wife was Mrs. Elizabeth Moore, who died in October, 1861. His second wife was Rebecca Shumway, to whom he was married Jan. 20, 1865. The living children are : Ella Fran- ces (Mrs. O. Dickinson, Helena, Mont.), Almyra (Mrs. Otrad- ovec, Anoka), Lula M., Edgar R. Ira Wallace Patch was born in Prairie du Chien, Wis., Sept. 19, 1852. He was brought to Ramsey in infancy on account of the death of his mother, and lived with his grandfather, Cornelius Pitman. In 1881 he bought eighty acres of the old Pitman farm in sections 25 and 36. For about seven years he peddled dry goods, clothing, etc., all over the state. He was town clerk for six months, supervisor for two years, assessor for four years, member of the school board for about eighteen years, and town treasurer for three years. He was married to Anstress R. Ruffcorn Sept. 19, 1883. Children: Lewis (died Oct. 28, 1885) and Edith L. John G. Payne was born March 27, 1832, at Smithfield, Rhode Island, and came to St. Francis, Anoka Co., in 1857, where he took up a claim but gave it up later. He enlisted in Capt. Cady's company of the Eighth Regiment, and was in the Indian campaign, and in the fall of 1864 went south with the company. Since the war he has been engaged as cook in several mining camps. Mr. Payne was married June 7, 1852, to Ann Rebecca Moore (died 1872), and the following children were born to them: Emma (Mrs. J. M. Reddy, Tacoma, Wash.), lUUGRAPHICAL. William Mills, an Ada (Mrs. T. H. Moore, Dayton, Minn.), adopted son, is now residing at St. Francis. Charles H. Page, now in the ice business at Anoka, was born at Burlington, Maine; March 15, 1845, where he spent his boyhood days, being educated in the schools of his native town. In 1868 he located at St. Paul, Minn., for a few months, but for about three years thereafter he changed about, and finally CHARLES H. PAGE. Photo, by Nelson. located in Anoka in 1872. For a period of three years here he followed lumbering, later entering railway service, continuing at this work until recently, when he engaged in the ice business. Mr. Page has been married twice ; first in 1876, to Abbie L. Chase of Wisconsin, who died in 1884, leaving one son, Guy C. Page, of Everett. Washington. On Nov. 12, 1901, Mr. Page was married to Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Connant (nee Hammond). 274 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Simeon C. Page was born in Burlington, Maine, Dec. lo, 1847, and was married at Waterville, Maine, to Nancy Gonyer. He came to Anoka in 1881, and resided here continuously until his death, May 28, 1900. He was employed by his brothers in the lumber business after his arrival, and later acted as book- keeper for Sawyer & Co. and M. J. Scanlon & Co. He also served one term as county superintendent of schools. Children: Irving, George, Viola, Margaret, May and Louise. GRANVILLE S. PEASE. Granville S. Pease was born Sept. 15, 1845, in Albany, New York. In 1857 his parents removed to St. Paul, Minn., where he attended a school taught by Harriet E. Bishop, an author of some note. His father, R. M. S. Pease, was a lineal descendant of Roger Sherman, and entered the banking busi- ness at St. Paul as a member of the firm of Bostwick, Pease & Co. — afterward Pease, Chalfant & Co. The firm |l I BIOGRAPHICAL. . 2/5 weathered the panic of 1857, but the burden of losses finally became too great and the bank failed about February, 1859. Young Pease was then obliged to leave school and go to work, and he learned to set type in the office of The Mmnesotian, of which T. M. Newson was proprietor and Richard Bradley fore- man. Later he worked for William S. King on the Minneapolis State Atlas, where he was employed until he came to Anoka, April 2, 1866. The Anoka Union was then about seven months old and was owned by a stock company. Mr. Pease purchased all the stock and became sole proprietor, a position which he has maintained through all the mutations and changes of nearly forty years. The Union's pungent paragraphs are frequently quoted in the daily press, and Mr. Pease has come to be one of the best known men in the state. He was president of the Minnesota State Editorial Asociation in 1892-3. Mr. Pease was married Oct. 17, 1867, to Lucinda Belle Jones, a daughter of T. G. Jones. They have four living children: T. G. J., Carrie A. (Mrs. U. S. Dick, Seattle, Wash.) Mary R. (Mrs. John F. Jackson), and Lura Belle. T. G. J. Pease was born in Anoka July 12, 1870. He is a graduate of the Anoka high school and since leaving school has been engaged in printing and reportorial work. He is now local editor of the Anoka Union. Oct. 26, 1892, he was married to Mary Bertena Chase. Children : T. G. J., Jr., and Mary Ber- tena. Herman G. Perske was born in Stettin, Prussia, Dec. 8, 1852. Attended the common schools of his native town. Came to America in September, 1872, and lived at Berlin, Wis., about two years and at Ripon, Wis., about four years. At the latter place he learned the cooper's trade. Came to Minneapolis in 1878. He had charge of a cooper shop in Minneapolis belonging to Michael Pauly employing some sixty-five hands. Was su- perintendent two years for David Syme, a manuafacturer of coop- erage supplies at River Falls, Wis. Through the recommenda- tion of Mr. Syme, he was employed in 1882 to take charge of the cooperage department of the Washburn Mill Co., at Anoka, which position he held almost continuously until the new mill was turned over to the Pillsbury- Washburn Flour Mills Co. about 1891. At that time he engaged in the cooperage business 2/6 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY, on his' own account, which he continued until 1897, when the continued depression in the miUing business and alHed industries compelled him to make an assignment. In i8g8 he was elected register of deeds, and filled the place with remarkable fidelity for six years. Ed L. Peet was born at Oneota (Duluth), Minn., Aug. 7, 1859. His father, Rev. James Peet, was a Methodist minister, and the family came to P)r(i()klyn Center, Hennepin county. ED L. PEET. the following year, and thence to Anoka. After several more removes they returned to Anoka, where the father died in 1866. Mr. Peet received his education chiefly at the Anoka high school, and worked variously as a printer, farmer and traveling showman in several states. He has been editor and part owne"* of several newspapers at Minneapolis and elsewhere in the state. About 1895 he purchased the Grantsburg Journal, Grants- burg, Wis., of which he was editor until January, 1905, when he sold the greater part of his interest in the paper. He has served CKXIRAPHICAI,. 277 two terms as president of the Northern Wisconsin Press As- sociation, and in 1904 was chosen as a presidential elector for the state of Wisconsin, and was further honored with the task of delivering the vote of the state in Washington. Mr. Peet was married Nov. 25, 1893, to Nettie E. Montgomery. They have four boys. Lieutenant Colonel Francis Peteler was born in Bavaria, Germany, April 19, 1828. and came to New York in June, 1840. He enlisted in Company A, Eighth United States Infantry, and was sent to Mexico. His uncle had been in charge of govern- ment forests in Bavaria, and lie was accustomed to the woods. Although but twenty years of age, lie was promoted corporal on the field of Vori Cruz, the adjutant who read the order being Pickett, afterward a Confederate general. Longstreet, another Confederate general, was first lieutenant of Company A. After the war Mr. Peteler lived in New York until 1853, and then came to Minnesota, finding employment in August on the Anoka dauL In tlie spring of 1854 he took a claim near Round lake. At the outbreak of the Rebellion he drilled recruits at Anoka in the St. Lawrence Hotel, and soon after received per- mission from the secretary of war to raise a company of sharp- shooters, receiving his appointment as captain Sept. 17, 1861. This was the second body of troops to leave the state, and con- sisted of the most expert hunters and frontiersmen. It became Company A of the Second Regiment, United States Sharp- shooters, of which Captain Peteler was made Lieutenant Colonel. After the second battle of Bull Run Colonel Peteler was granted a furlough on account of the Indian outbreak in Minnesota. During the winter of 1862-3 he was in command of Fort Aber- crombie. After the war he purchased a farm in Bloomington, Hennepin Co., where he lived until 1871, when he began the manufacture of dump cars. In 1871 he graded the first six miles of tlie M. & St. L. Railway. He was president and owner of the Peteler Car Works at Minneapolis until Jan. i. 1905, turn- ing the business over to his sons on that date. Colonel Peteler was married in May, 1853, to Margaret Heines. Children : Ed- win, Philip, Frank C. (died Nov. i. 1903), Minnie (Mrs. Edwin Ellingsen, Bloomington Ferry), and Charles. (See portrait, page 9Q) 2/8 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. John F. Perkins was born Feb. 24, 1842, at South Berwick, Maine. He worked first in a slate quarry. Was rejected on presenting himself for enlistment at the opening of the Re- bellion, but soon after found employment on the supply and ammunition train, where he remained in the government service during the war. Came to Minnesota in 1868; followed lum- bering and farming ever since ; served on the school board in district 38. Settled in 1891 on the farm in section 9 where he now lives. July 17, 1875, he was married to Alice E. Varney. Children : Vernard T., Fay, Roy E., Almeda, Charles C,. and Arthur. Ara E. Pitman was born in Ramsey, Anoka Co., Nov. 3, 1853. At the age of sixteen he went to work in the pineries, working in the woods and on the river for about eight years. He then took a claim in Pope county, where he lived for six years. He now lives on his father's old farm in sections 25 and 36, town of Ramsey, where he owns eighty acres. He has been on the board of supervisors about ten years and a member of the school board about fifteen years. He was married April 7, 1883. to Carrie E. Farrington. Children: Max F., Hazel M., Paul D., Marion L. Henky S. Plummer (deceased) was born in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1829. At the age of nineteen he began his mer- cantile career in his native town. In 1852 he came to St. An- thony, where he engaged in mercantile business and was also interested in lumbering and in real estate. In 1874 he came to .A.noka and established a dry goods store, and for many years was one of the leading merchants of the place. Mr. Plummer was married June 6, 1856, to Charlotte A. Ham, who died ten years later, leaving one son, Henry W. Mr. Plummer was again married in April, 1869, to Susie D. Stevens of Concord, New Hampshire. Children : Charlotte A. and Frank L. Henry W. Plummer (son of Henry S. Plummer), was born May 23, 1862, at Minneapolis, Minn. In 1875 he came with his parents to Anoka, where he attended the Anoka high .school. After leaving school he was associated with his father in the dry goods business, and since the death of the latter has continued the business. He was married in 1888 to Hattie F. Beal. Children: Clare (died 1891), Julia, Flora (died 1896). BIOGRAPHICAL. 279 Clarence B. Porter (son of Richard B. Porter) was born at Anoka March 7, 1865, where he attended the public schools. He has been engaged in farming practically all his life. He has eighty acres just inside the city limits of Anoka and eighty acres in section 22, town of Ramsey. Both tracts are substan- tially all under cultivation. Mr. Porter has been county com- missioner for the past two years, his term expiring Jan. i, 1907. He was married May 13, 1888, to Flora M. Wall. Children: Daisy M., Charic?, Alice, Stella, Edna and Clarence Richard. CLARENCE B. PORTER. Richard B. Porter, one of the pioneers of Anoka county, was born at Dansville, Livingston county, New York, Feb. 18, 1821. He attended the schools at Dansville and Orshon in that state, and became a farmer. He arrived in Minnesota territory Sept. i, 1853, and Dec. 24, of that year began the construction of a house in section 34 of what is now the town 28o HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. of Ramsey. He worked on the tirst dam at Anoka ; but in the fall of 1854 returned to New York, where he stayed until October, 1856, when he returned to Minnesota and soon after located at Paynesville, where he lived seven years. After the Civil War broke out he enlisted in Hatch's Battalion, and served throughout the war. In 1880 he purchased eighty acres of land just inside the city limits of Anoka, where he lived up to the time of his death. Mr. Porter was married Feb. 27, 1845, to Jane Henderson. Children: Catherine (died Sept. 27, 1893), Lunette (Mrs. John W. Hall), and Clarence B. (See portrait, page 57.) Stephen Jasper Powell was born in Seneca, Mich., Feb. II, 1845. He came to Anoka May 11, 1857,' living here about a year and then moving to a farm in section 25, town of Grow. He enlisted in October, 1862 with Henderson's Com- pany of Mounted Rangers, served one year on the frontier in the Sioux Indian war ; he then went south with Company I, Second Minn., Regiment, and served until the end of the war, including the march to the sea with Sherman. He served as supervisor and constable in the town of Grow and also served on the school board in district number eight. He was married to Adeline Haskell, Dec. 18, 1876. Children: William J.. Wil- bur Hersey (deceased), June and Alfred. Albert Fuller Pratt was born in Anoka, Sept. 25, 1872. He attended the Anoka high school, graduated from the Uni- versity of Minnesota in 1893, and from the University of Min- nesota Law School in 1895. He served as city attorney in 1899 and 1500, as county attorney 1900-1906; as second lieuten- ant of Company B Fourteenth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry from May 8, 1898, to July 20, 1898 ; as first lieutenant of Com- pany H, Fourteenth Minn. Infantry from July 20, 1898, to Nov. 18, 1898. Married Nov. 26, 1897, to Olive Belle Graham. Children : Robert Graham, Lucia Fuller and Thomas Franklin. David O. Pratt (son of Elias W. Pratt), was born at Anoka in 1868. Attended the Anoka high school and grad- uated from the Anoka Business College in 1889. He studied engineering and worked in Goss & King's machine shop two years, then two years for the Anoka Boot and Shoe Mfg. Co., and two years in a grocery. He then drove the Standard Oil BIOGRAPHICAL. 281 wagon nine years. He started the D. O. Pratt greenhouses in 1899. He and his wife worked exceedingly hard to get the business started, but it soon assumed large proportions, and Dec. I, 1903 he sold a half interest to Dr. James W. Ford, who resigned the position of president of Pillsbury Academy at Owatonna to take part in the business. Mr. Pratt was married March 23, 1898, to Harriet E. Van Ness. They have one daughter, Helen Van Ness Pratt. Edwarh E. Pratt was born in Greenfield, Mass., and edu- cated at the Academy at Barnardstown, Mass. He came to Minnesota in May, 1856, and to Bethel, Anoka Co.. about Sep- tember, 1856, settling on a farm in section five. In 1881 he was county commissioner, and in 1887-8 a representative in the state legislature. He was married in 1868 to Frances E. Dyer. Children: Minnie S. (Mrs. C. A. Clowes), Harry G.. Frank F., John D., Charles L., Sumner W.. Celia J. and Charles L. (de- ceased). Eli.vs W. Pr.\tt was born at St. George, New Brunswick, Aug. 18, 1834. He came to Anoka about i36o, and made this place his home until his death, March 29, 1902. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. A, Eighth Minnesota Regiment, and served through the war. He was with Captain John S. Cady when the latter was killed by Indians and with Mr. E. S. Clinch, brought the body back to Anoka. He was married about 1855. Children : Mrs. Marie Gow, Mrs. Clara Middlebrook, Elmer, David O., Uriah and Elias. James T. Pribrle was born in Kennebec Co., Maine, April 19, 1828. He lived in this county until 1856, when he came to Minnesota, arriving at St. Anthony May 25. He has lived in Hennepin county constantly since that date being engaged in teaching and educational work during nearly the whole time. He was town superintendent of schools of the town of Brook- lyn, and when the law was changed became district examiner of schools. The law creating the office of county superin- tendent of schools was passed during the session of 1861-2. and under that law Mr. Pribble was .ippointed by the county commissioners as the first superintendent of schools of Hen- nepin comity on Oct. 10, 1862. He served six years in this 282 PITSTORY OF .\NOKA COUNTY. position. Since that time Mr. Pribble has been engaged in teaching school in Hennepin county until 1901. Mr. Pribble was married Nov. 25, 1854, to Almira L. Norris. Children: Edwin B. (North Yakima, Wash.), Ada J. (Mrs. C. F. Foster, Minneapolis), Charles A., David N. and Josephine (Mrs. Guy Boynton, Minneapolis). Milton B. Pullen was born Nov. ii; 1856, in Augusta, Maine. In 1867 he removed with his parents to Corinna, Wright Co., where he worked on his father's farm until 1878. In the latter year he went into the grocery business with R. H. Broat in Minneapolis, where he remained one year. He spent two years as a letter carrier in Minneapolis, and afterward was vice president and secretary of the Minneapolis Bottle Manufacturing Co. about two years. For nine years he was associated with A. B. Everts in the loan and insurance business, and then engaged in the same business two years on his own account. In i8q7 he went on a farm at Minnetonka and m 1899 bought his present farm in the town of Ramsey. He has 160 acres in section 22, about 100 acres of which are under cultivation. He was married Oct. 4, 1882 to Mary J. Walker. They have three living children : Stanley C, Courtland W., and Forest K. William Henry Pulver (deceased) was born in Columbus county. New York, Dec. 27, 1836. In 1855 he came to Iowa and the next year visited Minnesota. August 12, 1861, he enlisted in the Fourteenth United States Infantry, and served three years. Returning from the war, he resided five years in Baltimore, coming thence to Minnesota in 1869, and soon after- ward settled on a farm in the town of Columbus, Anoka Co., where his son, Philip A., still lives. He served one term as county commissioner and held various town and school .offices. Mr. Pulver was married Oct. 29, 1862, to Catherine Gable. Children: William H., Peter S., G. W., Jacob E., Lydia (Mrs. Andrew Johnson, Forest Lake), Alice (Mrs. John Reiou.x, Forest Lake), Fanny (Mrs. L. W. W. Lippy, Seattle, Wash.), Philip A., Nora E., Ida L, Frank L. (Seattle), Harry (For- est Lake) and Guy L. (Forest Lake). Mr. Pulver died in March, icov BIOGRAPHICAL. 283 Philip A. Pulver was born Feb. 13, 1877, in the town of Columbus. With the exception of a few years spent in the states of Iowa, Wyoming and Washington, he has always lived on his father's farm. He has carried on the farm since his father's death in 1903. He was married June i, 1904, to Nettie Scrvis. Abner D. Purmort was born at Georgia, Franklin Co., Vermont, Jan. 24, 1830. He obtained his education in the schools at Franklin, Fairfax and Milton in that state, and taught school eight years in Vermont and Pennsylvania. He came to Minnesota in 1856, locating in Dayton township near the Hne of Maple Grove, where he farmed fourteen years. In the spring of 1871 he purchased a farm in sction 10, town of Bethel, where he lived until 1884, when he moved to Anoka, where he has since lived. He was postmaster at Maple Grove P. O. five years, also chairman of the board of supervisors and assessor of Dayton. He was town clerk of Bethel ten years. Mr. Purmort was married Apr. i, 1854, to Ella A. Evans. Children: John E. (Cedar), Ada L. (Mrs. Frank Hart), Kate M. (Mrs. H. A. Shorrocks, Stacy. Chisago Co.) Lucy E. (died Sept. 4, 1893) Abner A., Pearl (died 1875), Mark E. (St. Paul), and Governor W. Abner A. Purmort (son of Abner D. Purmort) was born June I, 1868, in the town of Dayton, Minn. He was educated in the common school in Bethel and in the Business College at Anoka. For three years he worked in a grocery store, and then went to farming in Linwood. He removed to his present farm in section 36, town of Ramsey, April i, 1901. He was married Nov. 29, 19CO, to Jessie Holden. George Whittemore Putnam (deceased) came to Anoka in April, 1856, from his native state, Massachusetts, where he was born Aug. 11, 1827, at Oxford, Worcester Co. He had obtained his schooling at the Sutton, Mass., high school. He was in the lumber business with the firm of Cutter & Stowell for several years, and was interested in a pail and tub factory. In 1871 ho engaged in the hardware business with E. T, Ai- ling and W. Q. .\dams, and later as a member of the firm of Putnam. Chesl?y & Lindsay. In 1857 he was appointed reg- 284 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. ister of deeds holding that office four years. From 1869 to 1873 he was county treasurer, was a member of the legislature in 1877, 1878 and 1881, and for fourteen years was county auditor. Mr. Putnam was married April 30, 1851, to Cath- erine Whitney Hall, and there were born : Kate (Mrs. K. G. Staples, Portland, Oregon), Carrie ('died Dec. '28, 1859) George Hall, Addie Lillian (died July 27, 1873), and Lena Whitte- more (Mrs. Chas. R. Russell, Crookston, Minn.). Mr. Put- nam died Dec. 23, 1898. (See portrait, page 106.) James F. Quimby was born Feb. i, 1833, in Phillips, Frank- lin Co., Maine. Came to Minnesota in 1855, arriving in Still- water Nov. 17, and to Anoka Co. the following year. He followed lumbering, working in the woods and saw mills at Anoka. He was in the Woodbury saw mill some six or seven years. Came to his present farm in the town of Ramsey in 1862. He has 200 acres in sections 10 and 15, about 60 of which are under cultivation. He was married Oct. 4, 1871, to Char- lotte S. Rogers. Children: Julia R. (Mrs. T. Harry Rand), and Susan J. Harry Rand was born on a farm two miles south of Elk River, Sherburne Co. Feb. 11, 1868. Attended the common schools and worked at farming in Sherburne Co. until March, 1903, when he rented the farm of James Quimby in section 11, town of Ramsey. He was married Feb. 11, igoi, to Julia R. Quimby. Children : James H. and Rebecca. George L. Rathbun was born Feb. 18, 1861, in Minneapolis, Minn. Attended the public schools in the town of Brooklyn, Hennepin Co. Worked on his father's farm until 1881, when he was engaged as a clerk in the grocery of Wesley Neil! in Minneapolis. From 1882 to 1889 he worked almost continu- ously for the Washburn Mill Co. at Anoka. In the latter year he purchased a farm of 120 acres in sections 21 and 28, town of Burns, afterward seUing it and purchasing 100 acres in section 29, which he still owns. March i, 1902 he entered the government service as rural free delivery letter carrier on route No. 2, Anoka. June 11, 1904, at the Mankato meeting Mr. Rathbun was elected president of the Minnesota Rural Letter Carrier's Association. He was married Dec. 5, 1888, to Ida E. Bean. They have one cliild, Dora E. mOGRAPHICAL. 285 George R. Richards was born in Kent. Litchfield Co.. Conn., May 8, 1861. Worked on liis father's farm until the age of nineteen. In 1880 he came to Spring Valley, Minn. He worked at farming in different states until about 1897, after which he lived three years in Minneapolis. In 1900 he bought 74 acres in section one town of Burns, where he still lives. He was married May 7. 1890. to Elzina R. Livingston. Chil- dren: Sarah E., Ruth M. and Margaret A. Am ASA Richardson was born in the northern part of Mas- sachusetts in 1810. When a small boy his father moved to Kennebec Co., Maine, where he received his education and engaged in farming until his removal to Anoka Co. in 1870. He lived on the farm now occupied by his son, C. G. Richard- son, until his death in 1900. He was marriea about 1835 to Sophronia Sanboufn, who was born in Freedom, Maine, about 181 5. They had but one child. Charles G. Charles G. Richardsox (son of Amasa Richardson) was born at Vassalboro, Kennebec Co., Maine, May 26, 1840. He attended the common school and afterward Vassalboro Acad- emy. Worked first on his father's farm. At the age of nine- teen he went out with a peddler's cart and followed the vocation of a peddler for some nine years. Then he began the wholesaling of notions and fancy goods, dealing with country stores and millinery stores. He came to Minnesota in 1869, locating first in Goodhue Co., and a year later moved to the town of Ramsey, Anoka Co., where he still resides. For the past twenty years he has dealt extensively in cattle, sheep and horses. He was county commissioner four years .and has been assessor and town supervisor for many years. He was married Nov. 22, 1870, to Georgia A. Trask, who was a native of the same county in Maine as himself. August Ringhand was born July 12, 1850. in Zempelburg. East Prussia. Germany. Came to America in 1870. Spent three years in New Jersey and Pensylvania. Then went to Illinois, where he farmed for about fifteen years. Came to Anoka Co. about 1889 and two years later purchased 80 acres in sec- tions ID and 16, town of Ramsey, where he still lives. He was married in 1871 to Susanna Miller, who died June 28. 1904. 286 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Children: William E., Mary (Mrs. James Prodger), Henry C. (St. Paul), Emma (Mrs. Henry Zopha, Osseo, Hennepin Co.), and Howard. William E. Ringhand (son of August Ringhand) was born Jan. 23, 1872, in Cumberland Co., Pa. In 1873 his par- ents removed to Illinois, where he remained some fifteen years. Came to .\noka Co. in 1889. In 1902 he purchased 80 acres ^^^ ' ^^ \ \ €SS^I V J H * <\ ^^^H JOSEPH RIDGE. Photo, by Nelson. in section 15 town of Ramsey, where he still resides. He was married July 16, 1902, to Elizabeth Buchholz. They have one child, Helen B. Joseph Ridge was born at Sutton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England, Sept. 3, 1838. Came to America in 1848. Stayed in Albanv two vears. 'J'he familv moved to a farm in the Gen- BIOGRAPHICAL. 287 ne.ssee valley, where they lived four years. Then moved to a farm at Aurora, Illinois, where they lived ten years. In June, i860, his father came to Anoka county, and located in the town of Linwood. He taught school at Bethel in the winter of 1860-1. He enlisted May 20, 1861, in Company H, First Minn. Regiment. He was never sick nor off duty a single day during his term of service. He was discharged with his regiment in 1864. He fired the first shot at Bristow Station and was in the battle of Bull Run. At Gettysburg he was detailed at division headquarters and so missed the deadly charge. Later he took part in the battle at Antietam. In 1864 he bought 160 acres in section 2, town of Bethel. He dealt in real estate consider- ably and lived on various farms in Bethel until his removal to the town of Ramsey about 1886. About 1892 he moved to Anoka, where he has since lived. In the spring of 1904 he formed a partnership with Josiah Vrooman in the manufacture of concrete sidewalks, and over a mile of the walk was laid during that season. Mr. Ridge was married Sept. 4, 1864, to Grace Mitchell. Children: Eva (Mrs. George McKeen, Maple Lake, Hennepin Co.), Walter B., Ada (Mrs. Wm. E. Bolls, New York city), George W., Addie E. (Mrs. John Woods, Oregon City, Ore.), Ella L. and Wayne. Daniel Robbins was born Jan. 21, 1807, in Winthrop, Maine. At the age of ten his parents moved to Phillips in the same state. He learned the tanner's trade, and came to Anoka in 1855. For a time he operated a portable steam mill near the mouth of Rum river. He afterward engaged in mer- cantile pursuits, and was in the grocery business for a number of years. Mr. Robbins was married Nov. 7, 1831, to Polly R. Shaw. Children: Daniel M., Emily F. (Mrs. John W. Henion), Andrew B., Hannah, (Mrs. H. G. Croswell), John S., Dora (Mrs. W. J. Miller, died about 1903). SiiAS C. Robbins was born at Phillips, Franklin Co., Maine, Nov. II, 1834. He received his education at the common school and high school at Phillips, and learned cabinet making. He also taught school. In October, 1854, he came to Minnesota, and in May of the following year he came to Anoka, and was employed in the first store in the place, which was then owned by R. Ball of St. Anthony. Soon after he took a claim in 288 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. section 8. town of Grow, and also taught the school in the same town. Later he engaged in buying and selling horses and cattle, and was four years in the grocery business. Since 1895 he has been engaged in the manufacture of fracture splints. During the Civil War he enlisted in Co. E, First Min- nesota Heavy Artillery and served as corporal. He was also first lieutenant of state militia in 1863, and has been deputy sheriff, constable and on police duty at various times. He was county coroner two terms, 1894 to 1898, and a member of the Anoka city council from 1895 to 1899. Mr. Robbins has been twice married. His first wife was Roseltha Libby, to whom he was married in March, 1857 and who died April 16, 1871, leaving three children: Charles O. (deceased), Mary A. (Mrs. Eugene Coggins), and Carrie B. (Mrs. C. H. Moul- ton). His second wife was Ella M. Lishness, to whom he was married March 27, 1878. Children: Fannie I. (Mrs. R. F. Pomeroy), Silas Edwin and Frank Orlando. (See portrait, page 63.) David Rogers was born in York countj-, New Brunswick, Oct. 5, 1829. He came to Minnesota in 1854, and worked that winter logging on Rum river. Took a claim in section 18, town of Oak Grove, about June, 1855. In 1861 he bought 165 acres in section 31, where he still lives. He was married Oct. 30, 1865, to Bethana Davis. Children: Ida M. (Mrs. David H. Rogers), George W. and Walter D. E. Sabine Rogers was born at Brownsville, Maine, Oct. 5, 1839. At the age of fifteen he came to Anoka, where he at- tended the schools and learned the trade of a carpenter, settling later on a farm in section 21, town of Grow. He has been a member of the school board the greater part of the time since 1861, was chairman of the board of sunervisors in 1876-8, and town clerk from 1891 to 1895. Mr. Rogers was married Nov. 20, 1867, to Frank Isabelle Legg. The following chil- dren are still living: Harriet F., Charlotte C, Mary E. (Mrs. Frank Rand), Frank S., Harrison D., Wallace A., Charles W. Thomas M. Ryan was born in Ireland, Dec. 25, 1847. He came to Anoka in 1863, and soon after became the partner of James F. Murphy in a shoe store. After Mr. Murphy's death in 1878 he continued the business alone. In the spring of BIOGRAPHICAL. 289 1896 he was appointed postmaster at Anoka, vvhicli position he held until his death Feb. 11, 1897. Mr. Ryan was twice married. His first wife was Margaret Green, who died in 1877. leaving two daughters, Emily and Margaret. He was married in 1879 to Mary Kinna. Children : Cecilia and John. H.ANs Sanderson was born near Christiania, Norway. In his native country he worked at the butcher's trade and at lumbering. He came to Quebec in 1878, and to Anoka Co. two years later. He lived in the city of Anoka until 1893, when he bought his present farm in Ramsey, where he owns 160 acres. In 1853 he was married to Gertrude Belspid. Chil- dren : Mary A. (Mrs. John Phalen, Minneapolis), Alexander (Everett, Wash.), Eric (Anoka), Anna (died Aug. 5, 1890), Ole C. (Anoka), Hans A., George H., Julius, and Eliza (died 1881). Julius Sanderson (son of Hans Sanderson) was born in Christiania, Norway, March 27, 1877. He graduated from the Anoka high school in 1899, and attended the University of Minnesota for two years. He came to the town of Ramsey in 1881. He worked on his father's farm in Ramsey for about two years and taught school one year. WiLLL^M E. ScANLON was elected mayor of the city of Anoka at the spring election of 1903, and was inducted into this important office April \. He was born Sept. 13. 1873, at Lyndon, Juneau county, Wis., and graduated from the high school of Mauston, Wis. He taught school for some time, and came to Minnesota March i, 1893. On June 28, 1897, he came to Anoka and has been a resident of the city ever since. He has been for some time and is now in the lumber business, being a member of the firm of Scanlon-Gipson Lumber Co., Minneapolis, catering to both the retail and wholesale trade. Mr. Scanlon was married Nov. 30, 1899, to Mary A. Foley, and Mary, Irene and Helen have been born to them. Jacob Schw'ab was born at Mohlen, Berne, Switzerland, Mar. 24 1837. He learned the trade of brickmaking, and came to Minnesota in 1857. He was a school director at Osseo, Hennepin Co., in 1868, and in Otter Tail Co. in 1872, and was county commissioner of Otter Tail Co. from 1873 to 1876. He 290 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. came to Anoka Co. July 26, 1877, settling in section 14, town of Anoka, where he served successively on the school boards of districts 2 and 50 for some eleven years, and on the board of supervisors three years. He enlisted Oct. 9, 1861, in Co. B, Twelfth U. S. Infantry, re-enlisted in 1864 in the same com- pany, and was mustered out as Q. M. sergeant Mar. 18, 1867. He was wounded at Gaines Mills and again at Tolopteny creek, Va. To Mr. Schwab's efforts is due the organization of school district No. 50, he having given much time to the matter and to the building and equipping of the school house. He was married Dec. 28, 1867, to Angeline Myers. Children : John J., Henry H., WilHam B., Clara A. (Mrs. Harry Taylor), C. O., and Nelly E. (Mrs. Lee French). Henry Humboldt Schwab (son of Jacob Schwab) was born Jan. 9, 1870, at Brooklyn, Hennepin Co. He was educated in the common schools of Anoka county and the Anoka Busincs College. The family came to Anoka Co. in July, 1877, settling in section 14, town of Anoka. Mr. Schwab worked at farming and later taught school. Since July, 1902 he has been clerk of school district 16. He was married to Alvina J. Jentsch Nov. 8, 1899. Children : Erma Margrete, and Bernice Winnie. Daniel Shannon was born at Roscarbery, County of Cork, Ireland, about 1819. He worked as a laborer until he came to 'America about 1847. He worked as a longshoreman at New- buryport, Mass., and was married there about a year later to Ellen Smith. He removed to Minnesota about 1856 and took up 160 acres on Cedar creek in the town of Grow, where he remained until 1868, when he removed to a claim of 160 acres in section 14, town of Burns, where he has since resided. There ^re six living children : Mary E. (Mrs. William Duffee. Minneapolis), John (Anoka), Rebecca (Mrs. William Ward, Anoka), Julia A. (Mrs. Michael McCarthy, Anoka), Daniel E., Dora E. (Mrs. John H. McDonald). Daniel E. Shannon (son of Daniel Shannon) was born in the town of Grow, Anoka Co., May 7, 1863. At the age of five his parents removed to the town of Burns, where he has since resided. He owns 107 acres in section 14. He was mar- ried Nov. 4, 1903. to Margaret T. McDonald. He has been BIOGRAPHICAL. 291 town clerk of Burns for twelve years, and a member of the school board some seven years. Henry E. Seelye (son of Moses S. Seelye, Sr.) was born Jan 4, 1839, at St. George, New Brunswick. At the age of seventeen he removed with his parents to Minnesota, and in May, 1855, he went with his father upon his claim in sections 7 and 8 town of Oak Grove, and has since made his home there HENRY E. Photo, by Nelson. and on his own farm on the adjoining section 5. From 1855 to 1862 he was in the pineries and on the log drive. August 16, 1862, he enlisted at Fort Snelling, in Co. A, Ninth Minne- sota Regiment, and the company immediately started in pur- suit of the Indians who had been engaged in the massacre which had just taken place. At Camp Release (near the present site of 292 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Montevideo) 120 women and children were released about October. The company wintered at Fort Ridgeley, 1862-3. As soon as the grass started they went northwest as far as Bis- marck, fighting seventeen battles on the way. In the fall of 1863 the troops drove the Indians across the Missouri river General Sully's command then took charge of the Indian fight- ing, and Sibley's command returned to Fort Snelling. About Nov. I, 1863, the company went south. Half the regiment was lost at the battle of Guntown, Mississippi. Mr. Seelye was wounded and captured at that battle. He was a prisoner seven months and was then exchanged. He was mustered out May 29, 1865. Worked at lumbering several years. Kept a hotel at St. Francis four years, beginning in 1880, since which time he has lived on his present farm, known as Woodlawn farm. He has 80 acres in section 5, a part of the original McKenzie claim. Mr. Seelye has been twice married. Aug. 16, 1865, he was married to Minnie Pease, who died five months later. His present wife was Jennie Bogart, to whom he was married Nov. 20, 1867. They have two children, twins : Jennie E. (Mrs. Am- adorus Morton), Minnie E. (Mrs. Edward Morton). Mr. Seelye is the earliest living settler of Oak Grove, having turned the first sod and assisted in building the first house in the town. JusTU.s Seelye (deceased) was born at St. George, New- Brunswick, Nov. 2, 1814. He came to St. Anthony in 1855, and took a claim in Oak Grove, Anoka Co., in March, 1856, where he lived up to the time of his death, Nov. 13, 1897. He 'was married October 4, 1849, to Phoebe Reed. There are four chil- dren still living: Maria J. (Mrs. A. J. Woodruff), Julia A. (Mrs. Martin Bodine), Jessie (Mrs. W. W. Coburn), and Eva (Mrs. W. P. Boobar). Moses S. Seelye, Sr., (deceased) was born in Charlotte Co., New Brunswick, in 1810. He went to California in 1849. He was a millwright, and he built mills and dams to turn the streams. Stayed in California five years. Returning to New Brunswick, he removed with his family to Minnesota in the spring of 1855, and in November moved to his claim in section 7, town of Oak Grove, where he lived until his death in June, 1869. He was married about 1835 to Eunice Linton (died in BIOGRAPHICAL. 293 1868). Children: Rebecca (Mrs. George R. Longley, died about 1888), Henry E., Eliza (Mrs. David Stewart), Moses S.. John M. (died in June. 1864), George A., David Lorenzo (died in 1868). Moses S. Seelve. Jr. was born at St. George, New Bruns- wick, Mav 24. 1844. In May, 1855 his father came to St. Paul, and the family lived at Richfield, Hennepin Co., during the summer. About Sept. i, 1855, they came to their new home in what is now. Oak Grove. Mr. Seelye owns and stid lives on his father's original homestead. He has 160 acres m section 7, town of Oak Grove. He was married May 14, 1870, to Claia Smith. Children: Bertha (Mrs. Albert H. Shadick, St. Fran- cis), Linton S., Flortnce, George E. (Minneapolis), Ella M., Eunice IL, Jesse M. Mr. Seelye has held town and school offices about half of the time during his residence in Oak Grove. James Shokrocks was born in Manchester, England, in 1813. He received a good common school education and learned the trade of a brushmaker. At the outbreak of the Civil War he offered himself as a volunteer, but was rejected at the medical examination. He settled on a farm in section 26, in what is now linwood in September, 1862, where he has since lived. He was town clerk for many years while the town was still a part of Bethel. He was married to Martha L. Head. Children : Sol- omon H., Walter B. (enlisted in 'i'hirteenth Wisconsin Reg- iment and died in Georgia in 1864), Adelia M. (Mrs. G C. Capron, deceased), Samuel P., Sarah L.. (Mrs. Frank J. Daw- son), Henry A. and William James. John Siiumvvav (deceased) was born in Maine Dec. 31, 1806. He received a common school education and learned the trade of a carpenter. He came to Anoka county in 1850 and built a house on the bank of the Mississippi river opposite the present residence of 1. A. Harthorn. He afterward lived in Champlin. He was married in 1837 to Betsy Trask. Children : Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. George W. Branch), Rebecca T. (de- ceased), Lucinda Jane (Mrs. George A. Foster), Rebecca S. (Mrs. S. S. Paine), Steward L. (New Whatcomb. Wash.), and John (deceased). Mr. Shumway died Oct. 15, 1896. (See group picture, page 44.) 294 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. George M. Small was born in St. Stephens, New Brunswick, July 25, 1834. He came to Minnesota in 1855, and soon after settled in Oak Grove, where he lived until the outbreak of the Civil War. Aug. 13, 1862, he was mustered in as a member of Co. A, Eighth Regiment, and remained with that regiment until Feb. 2, 1864, when he was discharged for disability. He was then employed in lumber manufacture until 1872, when he removed to his present farm in section 23, town of Burns. Mr. Small was married to Rebecca M. Hill, who died Oct. 4, 1872, leaving one child, Relieffa A. Mr. Small's present wife was Mrs. Mary J. Andrus, to whom he was married Oct. 20, 1902. He has 200 acres in section 23. Mr. Small is an active member of the Masonic fraternity. John C. Smith was born June 26, 1829, at St. George, New Brunswick. He worked at farming and lumbering until 1855, when he removed to Minnesota, taking a claim in sections 17 and 18, town of Oak Grove, where he lived until his death Dec. 26, 1899, with the exception of three years spent at Anoka. He was the first collector of taxes for the town of Oak Grove, and served six years as town supervisor and two terms as county commissioner of Anoka county. He was cruiser for the St. Paul & Duluth R. R. nearly twenty years, and government estimator of timber lands about four years. He was married Dec. 23, 1852, to Elzard R. Nutter. Children: Henry N., Mary J. (Mrs. J. J. McFeters, xA.noka), Rosalia B. (Mrs. Lycurgus Weldon, Seattle, Wash.), Theodore J. (Athens, Isanti Co.), Eunice E., Annie M., E. Rosell. Walter L. Smith was born July 4, 1871, at Maple Ridge, Isanti county. He came to Anoka County with his parents in 1875,. living in Grow and Anoka. In 1898 he purchased 65 acres in section 30, town of Bethel, where he has since resided. He was married May 28, 1898, to Mary Ritzel. Children : Alice M., Casper W.*, and Henry O. Webster R. Smith was born in Bethel, Anoka county, Jan. 6, 1880. Moved to Anoka in 1888 and attended public schools until he graduated from the Anoka high school with the class of 1899. He is a devotee of baseball, tennis and sports of all kinds. Played with Anoka ba.se ball team for six years. Was employed with T. T. Geddes for three years after leaving school. BIOGRAPHICAL. 295 With B. C. Smith he started Smith Bros. Clothing shop March 1st, 1004. WiLLi.\M Smith was born at Stow, Gloucestershire, England, Oct. 22, 1827. He came to America with his brother in 1849. He taught school one term in Monroe county, New York, and then moved to Michigan, where he farmed five or six years. In 1856 he removed to Kansas, and took an active part in the anti- slavery struggle, having his cabin burned seven times by border ruffians. He was with John Brown many times at Ossawatomie. He was a member of the first free state constitutional conven- tion of Kansas, which was dispersed by Colonel Sumner under orders from the Pierce administration. He was president of the Indianola squatters' court during most of his time of res- idence.. A few years later he and his brother took contracts for grading on the Winona & St. Peter railroad in southern Minne- sota, but the railroad company failed, and they lost everything they had. In August, 1867, he removed to Maple Ridge, Isanti county, where he was postmaster some eight years. He was also judge of probate of Isanti county one term. In 1875 he removed to Anoka county, living in the towns of Grow and Anoka several years. He has lived since 1883 almost contin- uously in section 30, in the southwest corner of Bethel. He was married in 1865 to Mrs. Sophronia A. Stearns. Children : Or- ville A. Tdied March 8, i8c)o), Alva John (died July 20, 1879), Walter L., Alice (Mrs. H. P. Aye, Anoka), Jonas F., Frederick W. (died Sept 6. 1882), and Sabin. Orin Sxow was born in Newburgh, Maine, Aug. i, 1829. In the spring of 1856 he came to St. Anthony and a little later to Anoka county, and took up 160 acres in section 18, town of Oak Grove, which he still owns, and where he lived until three years ago. He enlisted in 1862 in Co. A of the Eighth Minnesota regiment, and served until the regiment was mustered out in 1865. He served four years as county com- missioner and two terms in the state legislature. He was married in April, 1859, to Eliza Hutchins. Children : Charles B., Arthur L., Dana B. (Wyoming, Minn.), John A., Angie (Mrs. Albert Rickmire, Wyoming, Minn.), Arlita M. (Mrs. William Aney. Wyoming, Minn.). 296 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Dewitt Clinton Sours was born at Tronpsville, Canan- daigua county, N. Y. He received his education at Hannibal, Mo., and then learned telegraphy. He came to Minnesota in 1879 and was appointed station agent for the Great Northern Railroad Co. at Anoka Sept. 12, 1886, which position he still holds. He was married in 1880 to Florence I. Thompson. They have one child, Le Roy. GUY B. STEADMAN, D. D. S. Guy Benjamin Steadman, D. D. S. Before engaging in the practice of dentistry in Anoka, Dr. Steadman had spent his whole life in the city of Anoka, excepting that portion occupied in taking the dental course at the Minnesota State University, where he graduated in 1904. As a ground work to his university course he received his training in the schools of Anoka, graduating from the high school in 1901. Dr. Stead- man has a well earned reputation as a musician, has taught the violin for eight years, and is a leader in musical culture. BIOGRAPHICAL. 297 He was born at Anoka Jtme 12, 1880. His dental i)arlors arc located in the Phoenix Block, Anoka. William Sowden was born in Tavistock, Devonshire, Eng- land, July 14, 1829. He came to America at the age of fourteen and made his home at Stockbridge, Mass., where he learned the trade of a machinist. In 1856 he moved to Milwaukee and three years later to St. Paul, finally settling in Anoka in 1871. where he lived until his death Dec. 12, 1900. He was, during almost the entire period, superintendent of the Reed & Sherwood saw mill. Mr. Sowden was married Oct. 10, 1850, to Anna Webb, who died some years later. July i, 1865, he was married to Maria Stocking. Children: C. T. (Louisiana), George (Min- neapolis), F. T. (Montana), Mrs. J. C. Houston. Mrs. George Beardsley (Fergus Falls), William (St. Paul), H. B. (Walker, Minn.), James C. (Grand Rapids, Minn.). Wii i.i.x.M John Si'ei.sek was horn June 29, 1839, in Germany. Followed farming in his native country, and served in tiie German army from iSfo to 1866, seeing service in the war between Ger- many and Austria in 1866. Came to America immediately after his discharge in the fall of 1866, stopping first in Indiana, then in Michigan and Wisconsin and finally coming to Minnesota and to Centreville in the fall of 1868, settling on the farm in section 29 in October, 1874. He served on the school board in district 52 over twenty years. On the 22d of July, 1870 he married Ro- sina Messersmith of Wurtemburg, Germany. Children : Wil- helmina (deceased), Henry J.. Henrietta (deceased), Matilda (decease' Elizabeth Shumway. Mr. Branch died in Shasto Co., California, Jan. 4, 1892. Samuel Branch was a veteran of the war of 1812. He came to Minnesota in 1851 and took a claim on the east side of Rum river on land now included in the Insane Asylum grounds. He died at Anoka and was buried in the Anoka cemetery. John C. Bro.\dbent was born in Southbridge, Mass., and was reared on a farm in Jefferson county. New York. In i86y he came to Anoka, where he was employed in the lumber mills, a considerable portion of the time as engineer. Later he purchased a farm in the town of Grow, where he lived up to the time of his death. Mr. Broadbent was married Jan. 20, 1858, to Caroline C. Leonard. MosES Brown was born at Milford, Maine, Feb. 13. 1823, and came from there to Anoka in 1852, purchasing a farm in the town of Ramsey, where he lived until 1866, removing thence to Minneapolis, where he lived until his death in 1904. Mr. Brown was married in 1855 to Sarah C. Bowen, one of the first school teachers in the county. Children: Jennie (Mrs. R. H. Steeves, Chelan. Wash.) and Adelaide E. (Mrs. J. J. McHale. Minneapolis). Nathan W. Ccrial was born in Philadelphia Feb. 22. 1822. His father died when he was five years old, and he was put at hard work on a farm and could only see hi? mother at long intervals. He learned the carpenter's trade, and for a time operated a shingle mill in Maine. He came to Anoka in 1854. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. A, Eighth Minnesota Regiment. He was promoted sergeant and was discharged for disability in 1865. After the war he returned to Anoka and engaged m the meat, grocery and provision business with Har\ey Richards. 3l8 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. He was married May 29, 1850, to Mary S. Thorndyke. They had one son, Edward L., who is still a resident of Anoka. Mr. Curial died May 14, 1897. George E. Cotton was born at Derry, New Hampshire, Nov. 17, 1836. He learned the trade of a tinsmith and followed this business during most of the time of his residence at Anoka, where he came in 1872. Mr. Cotton was elected mayor of Anoka in 1879. About 1890 he removed to St. Paul. He vv'as married Feb. 27, 1863, to Mary H. Gove. Mr Cotton died Jan. 27, 1892. D. C. Dunham, M. D., was born at Brownhelm, Ohio, July 13, 1841. He took the scientific course at Oberlin College, and graduated at the Cleveland Medical College in 1867. He practiced medicine at Anoka a few years and later engaged in. the lumber business, and in the manufacture of sa^h and doors. He was for many years a member of the school board an(} served several terms in the city council. Ezra C. Greenfield was born in Edinburg, New York, in 1830. When a small boy his parents removed to Bleecker, Fulton County. In 1853 at Bleecker he married Miss N. J. Vanness. Four years later they removed to Illinois, where they remained until i860, when they came to Minnesota and located at Anoka. Mr. Greenfield followed the trade of a plasterer during the greater part of the time that he lived at Anokn. He died Nov. 30, 1891, from the effects of a fall. Children : Edward, Frederick and Clarence. Edwin Q. Haskell was born in Eaton, Maine, in 1850. Cana* to Anoka in 1868, where he worked two years at farming, and during the remainder of his residence at lumbering. In 1876 he married Leonora A. Hammons. He "served two terms as alderman of the first ward. He died at Nickerson, Minn., from the effects of a fall in June, 1896. T. G. Jones (deceased) was born at Eastport. Maine, in 1818. For several years he was cashier of the Bank of Farm- ington, Maine, and served two years in the legislature of that state. In 1855 he went to Dubuque, Iowa, and to Anoka in 1858. He was collector of internal revenue under president.^ Lincoln and Johnson and was chosen as a presidential elector BIOGRAPHICAL. 319 in 1868. He was for many years agent for the Phoenix Life Insurance Co., with offices at Anoka and later at Alinneapohs. He died Aug. 13. 1869. D. H. Lane was born at Ashbumliam, Mass., coming at an early age to Kenosha, Wis., where he was engaged in flour milling and real estate. When the Civil War broke out he organized a company at Kenosha, which became a part of the First Wisconsin Regiment. Mr. Lane was made Lieutenant Colonel, and was in command of the regiment during the greater part of the war. After the war he came to Anoka and was interested with A. P. Lane in the flour mill at Champlin which was washed into the river. In association with a Mr. I'nderwood he was the inventor of the first rotary plow. Mr. Lane died about 1880. J.\MES AIcGregor was born in Glasgow, Scotland, April 12, 1848. He came to Minnesota with his parents in 1858 and re- sided in Linwood up to the time of his death, Feb. 10, 1897. He served one term as county commissioner, was town treas- urer twelve years and justice of the peace fourteen years. He was married in 1877 to Mary F. Putnam. Children : Mary. Fergus, Annie and James. Edw.\rd Morton (son of Thurman W. Morton) was born Jan. I, 1866, at Anoka, where he attended the public schools. He worked on his father's farm until 1882. He then went to Rosebud. Monl., where he engaged in sheep raising with his brother Frederick, remaining there three years. He then returned to Anoka Co., and has since resided on his farm 'm the town of Burns. He has 120 acres in section 24. He waj married Oct. 18, 1894. to Nora Tripp, who died in 1897. leaving one child. Morris. Mr. Morton was again married Marcli i~, 1901. to Minnie Seelye. J.JiRVis L. Nutter (deceased) was born at Lubeck, Maiuv-^, July 4. 1834. In 1853 lie came to Anoka county and two yeais later took one of the first claims in the town of Oak Grove. In 1862 he sold his farm and enlisted in Co. A, Eighth Min- nesota Regiment, and served throughout the war. After tht war he purchased a farm in the town of St. Francis, wher-: he lived until the time of his death. 320 HISTORY OF ANOKA COUNTY. Henry B. Scholbrock was born near Berlin, Germany, iii 1854. The same year his father removed to Racine Co., Wis., where he remained seven years, removing thence to Winnieshiek Co., Iowa, where he lived until 1878. In that year Mr. Schol- brock came to Burns, Anoka Co., working in the pineries and on the river and farming until about 1888, when he removed to his farm in section 15, where he resided up to 1904. He is unmarried. Theodore H. Scholbrock was born at Wheatland, Wis., Dec. 15. 1851. While an infant his father removed to Win- neshiek Co., Iowa, where he remained until twenty-one years of age. In 1872 he purchased 40 acres of land in the town of Burns, where he still lives. Mr. Scholbrock has dealt in cattle and wholesale meats for some twenty years, besides carrying on his farm. He was married in 187 1 to Matilda Richter. They have four living children: Anna L. (Mrs. Merriam W. Smith, Nowthen, Anoka Co.), Amelia G. (Mrs. Albert Bra- deen, Anoka) Lucy and Charlotte. Russell Whiteman, M. D., was born in Essex, New York, where he lived until fourteen years of age. He graduated from Union College, Philadelphia, in 1844. In 1857 he came to Minnesota and took a claim in Meeker county. At the time of the Sioux Indian outbreak he escaped with his family to an island in Cedar Lake, where he remained six weeks, going ashore at night for provisions. In 1864 he cam.e to Anoka, v/here he practiced medicine until his death, Feb. 26, 1893. Dr. Whiteman was married in 1849 tO' Mary Cheever, who died in 1865, leaving six children : George R., Mary F., Anna R., William C, Minnie L., Charles C. Dr. Whiteman was married again in 1867 to Sarah A. Mayall, who died in 1879. leaving three children : Harry, Jessie and Warren. Francis Robert Wyatt was born in Lee Mill Bridge, Devonshire, England, June 23, 1859. For some time he worked in a paper mill. He came to Anoka Co. in 1877, settling on a farm in section 28, town of Bethel. He was married to Harriet Clarkson April 13, 1882. Children: Maude (deceased), Edith, Jennie, Thomas and Mary Ann. Current lEvcnte. Current Events. Current lEvente, Current Events, Current lEvente. Current levente. Current lEvcnte, \ Current Evente. Current levente. Current levcnts. Current lEvcnts. Current jEvents. Current levente. Current invents. Current lEvents* APR 27 1905 ^y^.^.^,,j ^^^^^^^