Some notable Madison County People. Taken from The History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894

ALLEN, ZADOCK MONTGOMERY Submitted by: Donita Allen Hamilton dahamilton@surfnetnc.com Zadock Montgomery Allen was born Feb. 7, 1824 in Casey Co., Kentucky to James and Frances Jones Allen. He had three brothers and six sisters. His father was the county surveyor and owned a plantation on the Green River. He married Rachel Mann Oct.28, 1845 at Lincoln, Casey Co., Kentucky. She was the daughter of John and Sarah Bryant Mann of Green Co., Kentucky. She had eight brothers and four sisters. Zadock and Rachel's first two children, William (Feb. 4, 1847) and Sarah (Feb. 6, 1849) were born in Kentucky. Zadock and Rachel moved to Newton, Jasper Co., Iowa. They bought land there. He is listed on the 1850 census as a farmer, he also did survey work, and was part owner of a store. James was born Nov. 20, 1851 and John Flowers Aug. 4, 1854. Rachel died Nov. 20, 1854. After Rachel died Zadock sent the two younger boys back to his parents in Kentucky. On Sept. 21, 1857 Zadock married Almira Osborn, daughter oz Samuel and Hanna Meekens Osbsorn. Their first three daughters, Inez, Julie and Francis were born in Iowa. During this time Zadock made five trips West, taking supplies to the mining camps in Colorado and Montana. In 1866 Zadock brought his children back from Kentucky. In May they loaded the whole family in wagons and headed west, probably with the Dr. Woodruff train. Zaddock was an advisor during the entire trip because of his experience as a freighter on earlier trips. He was referred to as "Dad" Allen and it was because of his insistence that the train used oxen to pull the wagons. There were 15 wagons in the train. Leaving Newton, Iowa they crossed the Missouri River at Council Bluffs on the ferry, then they followed the Oregon Trail West. They followed the south bank of the Platt to Forts Kearney and McPherson then crossed and followed along the South bank of the North Platte River to Scotts Bluff. At Fort Laramie they joined the Army train and headed North on the Boseman Road. They left the Army train at the Big Horn River. From there they crossed the Clarks Fork River then the Yellowstone at Bensons Landing and went over the Boseman Pass to Boseman and on to Willow Creek. They arrived in Jefferson City, Mont. October 9, 1866. That night their daughter Helen was delivered by a neighbor woman in the log home of a friend of Zadock's. The winter of 1866-67 they lost all of their cattle. His oldest daughter Sarah taught school that year. She was the first school teacher in Jefferson. The next winter they moved to Unionville where they kept a boarding house for about 60 men. After two years they moved back to Jefferson City. Two sons were born there, Luman in 1868 and Charles Edward in 1869. Zadock then decided that they should move to Salt Lake, Utah. When they got to Silver Star the men there coaxed him to stay and work as a blacksmith. They promised to build him a house. They never went to Salt Lake. The next year Zadock was able to get 360 acres for a homestead. Their last four children were born on the ranch. He was listed on the 1870 Census: Post Office. Virginia City, Madison Co., Mont. as a Blacksmith. His wife, Almira and 10 children are listed. The first home on the homestead was a four-room log cabin with a slat roof, it burned to the ground in 1878 and was replaced with a two story log home. The second structure was still in use in 1980 having been remodeled. In 1873 three of his children, Sarah, John and Inez, and a friend Alfred Meyers went through Yellowstone Park. The entire trip was made by saddle horse and took two months. It is possible that the two sisters were the second white women to visit the park. Mrs. H. H. Stone was the first in 1872. In 1877 his son John F. Allen was one of the local civilian volunteers at Virginia City who served as packers and guides through the park. They transported horses and supplies that had been purchased by Gen. O. O. Howard to the Army at Henry Lake. Zadock maintained his blacksmith business at Pony until the mines were worked out of placer. In 1879 he sold the business and moved back to the farm. He died there Aug. 14, 1888.

BENNETT, ALDEN J. History of Montana, 1898 US Genweb Montana Archives Among the prominent early settlers of Virginia City and most highly reliable businessmen we find the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He has long been connected with, and is now the manager of the Hall and Bennett Bank. Mr. Bennett is a native of New York, born in Delaware County, June 25, 1847. His ancestor, Robert Bennett, emigrated from England to Rhode Island in 1630 and was a resident of Newport in 1639. On the other side of the family the ancestry can be traced in a direct to George Soule, who landed from the Mayflower in 1620 and Anna (Becket) Soule who landed from the Ann three years later. They became the parents of one of the influential families of early times. One representative of the family fought in King Phillip's war and other distinguished themselves in the Colonial Army during the Revolution. The Bennett line of ancestry is as follows: 1st, Robert who died at Newport, Rhode Island, about 1690, 2nd, Robert who died at Portsmouth, same State in 1722, 3rd, Robert who died at Tiverton, that State in 1746, 4th John who died at Dartmouth, Massachusetts in 1769; 5th Alden who was captain of a vessel and died at sea in 1798 (vessel, crew and cargo lost); 6th Isaac who died at Harpersfield, New York in 1812, 7th, Phineas I., who died at York Pennsylvania in 1892 and 8th Alden J. His great grandfather, Isaac Bennett, was born in Dutchess County New York, June 22, 1780, married March 6, 1803 to Anna Losee and both were members of the Society of Friends. Immediately after their marriage they removed to the wilderness of Delaware County where they were among the pioneers. They had five children, of whom Phineas Lounsbury Bennett was the second. He was born in Harpersfield, New York, February 15, 1806 and died at York, Pennsylvania February 5, 1892. He married December 23, 1840, Minerva Hakes (daughter of Judge Lyman Hakes of Delaware County NY) who survives. Phineas L. and Minerva had four children: Mrs. Frances Dennis, widow of Hon. Rodney Dennis at Hornellsville, NY; Lyman Hakes Bennett, an attorney of Wilkes Barre, Pa; Isaac Bennett, a merchant of York Pennsylvania; and Alden Joseph Bennett. After receiving an education as a civil engineer in his native State, Alden J. Bennett came to the west and was employed in the engineering department of the Union Pacific Railroad until the completion of its line. He then went to White Pine, Nevada and was engaged in milling and mining until 1870. That year he came to Virginia City. Here he became identified with the educational affairs of the county, teaching school for some years and also serving as County Superintendent of Schools. In 1876 he accepted the position of bookkeeper in Henry Elling's Bank. This position he filled three years. In 1879 the banking firm of Raymond, Harrington and Company was formed and Mr. Bennett became a member of the company, serving as manger of the company until November 1889. At that time the company was re-organized under the firm name of Hall and Bennett and he has since continued to serve as the active manager of the bank. On the 28th of February 1892, Mr. Amos C. Hall, the senior member of the firm died, and the name of the firm did not change. On the first of November 1878 Mr. Bennett was married to Miss Mary Prout, daughter of Rev. Henry Hedges Prout, an Episcopal minister. He was a missionary in North Carolina and she was born there. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have three children-Minerva Maria, Henry Phineas and Lyman Hakes. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

BIRD, JESSE J. History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 May be copied for non-profit purposes. USGENWEB Montana Archives Jesse J. Bird, one of Montana's worthy pioneers, is engaged in ranching eight miles northwest of Virginia City. Mr. Bird was born in Patrick County Virginia June 2, 1831, son of Benjamin and Lucy (Gradey) Bird, both natives of the Old Dominion. Benjamin Bird was a soldier in the War of 1812. He died many years ago, leaving a widow and five children. All the latter are still living The mother reached the advanced age of ninety-five years and passed away in 1893. Jesse J. is their oldest child. He remained in his native state until his nineteenth year. Then he went toIllinois and worked for wages and remained there until 1864, when he crossed the plains to Montana, coming direct to Virginia City. Gold had been discovered there a year before and it was then a busy mining camp. He at once secured employment, helped to put in the water works and for this received $100 per month. After that he engaged in mining and spent five years there. Then he prospected a year. Next we find him settled on a ranch half a mile below his present farm. In 1873 after having worked this place three years he sold out and took up his abode where he now resides. Here he owns 130 acres of fine land. In 1878 Mr. Bird married Mrs. Elizabeth Morgan, a native of Canada. Their only child died in infancy and in 1885 Mrs. Bird was called to her last home. Mr. Bird's aged mother lived with him up to the time of her death, since which his sister Ann has been his housekeeper. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

BLAKE, JUDGE HENRY N. History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 USGENWEB Montana Archives May be copied for non-profit purposes. Judge Henry N. Blake was born in Boston Massachusetts, June 5, 1838. The progenitor of the Blake family in America emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1630 and became one of the prominent factors in the early history of Dorchester. He served as Recorder and Clerk of "ye Writs" of Suffolk County. Several of his descendants were also prominently identified with the early history of the colonies and one of the third generation of the family, James Blake Jr, wrote a book entitled "Blake Annals," a history of Dorchester from 1630 to 1753. Jonathan Blake, the great-grandfather of our subject was an adjutant in the Revolution and served in five campaigns in that war. His family consisted of nine children, of whom the oldest, James Blake, was Judge Blake's grandfather. Down to the third James Blake, the men of the family had all been Deacons and Elders. James Howe Blake, our subject's father was born December 7, 1804. He was engaged in the milling business most of his life and his death occurred in 1864. November 26, 1829 he married Mary Nichols, with whom his life was happily blended until the time of his death. She survived him until 1885. They had five children. One of their sons, William Edward, lost his life while in the Union ranks serving in defense of his country. Their daughter, now Mrs. Frank Farington, resides in Boston. Having briefly sketched his ancestry, we now turn to the life of Henry N. Blake, who was the fourth born in his father's family. Henry N. Blake graduated in the Dorchester high school and also in the Law School at Harvard, receiving the degree of LL.B. from the latter institution in 1858. He began the practice of his profession in Boston. In April 1861 when the first call was made for volunteers to put down the rebellion, he enlisted in Company K, Eleventh Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and rose successively from the rank of private to that of Sergeant, First Sergeant, Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant and Captain. He continued in the service until June 1864 when he was mustered out, having during that time participated in twenty of the battles in which the Army of the Potomac was engaged. At the first battle of Bull Run he was slightly wounded and May 12, 1864 at the battle of Spottslvania Courthouse, he was wounded severely, his serious injuries resulting in his being mustered out of the service. In 1866 Mr. Blake moved to Montana. He came up the river to Fort Benton and from there went to Virginia City where he took up his abode and entered upon the practice of his profession and where for twenty-three years he was engaged in the practice of law, except when he served as Judge--August 1866 to January 1867, and when he was editor of the Montana Post. The Judge has decided literary talents. Soon after the war he wrote "Three Years in the Army" it being a history of his regiment and a very interesting one. January 27, 1870 Judge Blake was married in Boston to Clara J. Clark, a native of Massachusetts and a daughter of Benjamin F. and Mary (Choate) Clark of that State. They have two daughters, Bessie M. and Nellie A. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

BOATMAN, ROBERT T. Madison County History of Montana, Sanders, 1913 As one of the representative agriculturists and stockmen of his native county, Mr. Boatman merits special considerations in this publication and he is one of the well known and highly esteemed citizens of Madison County as well as a scion of one of its leading pioneer families. His extensive ranch is situated in the beautiful Centennial Valley and is about twenty-two miles distant from Monida, which is his post office address. Reared under the pioneer conditions of the great West, Mr. Boatman has had many interesting experiences in connection with activities in Montana and other sections and through his well ordered enterprise has contributed to the civic and material development and progress of the state in which the major part of his life has been passed. On the old homestead ranch of his father, near Laurien, Madison County, Montana, Robert T. Boatman was born on the 21st of April 1866 and he is a son of George T. and Harriet L. (Johnson) Boatman, the former of whom was born in Kentucky, about the year 1831, a representative of one of the old and honored families of the South and the latter of whom was born in Ohio about 1835. The marriage of the parents was solemnized in the state of Missouri and they continued there until 1865 when they came to Montana, making the journey across the plains with ox teams and arriving at Alder Gulch, the site of Virginia City in September of that year. There they passed the winter and in the spring they removed to an embryonic ranch situated between Laurien and Sheridan, Madison County. There the father entered vigorously upon the work of developing his pioneer ranch and there he remained until the autumn of 1887 when he sold the property and removed to the village of Dillon where he and his wife still maintain their home and where they are numbered among the sterling pioneers of this favored section of the state. In addition to reclaiming a valuable farm, George T. Boatman was at one time owner of the Silver Springs flour mills, which he operated about seven years. Of the eight children, Robert T. was the fourth in order of birth and the first to be born in Montana. Of the other children, three sons and four daughters are now living. In his boyhood, Robert T. Boatman learned the lessons of practical industry in connection with the operations of the pioneer farm, and he attended the common schools of his native county until he had attained to the age of fifteen when he initiated his independent career by going to British Columbia, where he remained seven years. He assisted in driving a herd of cattle into northwest Canada and for two years thereafter he was engaged in freighting operations, after which he was in the employ of I.G. Baker and Company about five years, with headquarters at Fort Benton from which point he freighted supplies into Canada. In the winter of 1887-8 he returned to Madison County, Montana, and here he continued to be successfully engaged in the buy8ing and shipping of horses until 1907. Since that time he has given his attention to agricultural pursuits and the raising of live stock. From 1898 until 1907 he had charge of the Home Park Ranch, in the upper Ruby Valley and in his independent operations he now has a fine ranch of four thousand acres, in the Centennial Valley where he conducts a large and prosperous business in the feeding and sale of cattle and in the raising of the various crops best suited to the soil and climate. He is well known in his native county, is alert and progressive as a businessman and citizen and is one of the representative farmers, stock growers of Madison County. From the time of his birth until the present Mr. Boatman has maintained his home continuously in Montana, save for the interval of about seven years passed in British Columbia. In the year 1906 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Boatman to Miss Elizabeth J. Peterson who was born in the Upper Ruby Valley of Madison County and who father Ferdinand Peterson was one of the honored pioneers of that section of the County, whither he came from Oregon and where both he and his wife continued to reside until their death. Mr. and Mrs. Boatman have two children--Thornton T. who was born on February 10, 1907 and Harriet E. who was born May 10, 1910.

DAVIS, JOHN H. History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 USGENWEB Montana Archives May be copied for non-profit purposes. Captain John H. Davis, the oldest and most prominent hotel man of Virginia City came to Montana in 1866, just after having served his country faithfully and well in the great Civil War.Captain Davis is a native of Kentucky, born near Sterling, August 28, 1829. His father, Job Davis, was born in Ireland and when a boy came to America and settled in Kentucky where he married Eliza Rama, a native of Virginia and a member of one of the old families of that state. They became the parents of eleven children, all of whom are still living. He was a Kentucky farmer and Methodist preacher, spent the whole of his life in that state and died in 1886, in the eighty-third year of his age. Captain Davis is the oldest of the family. He was reared and educated in his native state and remained there until he was twenty-three years of age, when he emigrated to Illinois, then a new country, and with a warrant given him by his father, took claim to a tract of land near Taylorville, which he improved and on which he resided until the spring of 1858. In 1858 he sold out, and with a mule team crossed the plains to Colorado. Denver was then in its infancy, and this whole western country was wild and unsettled. Obtaining a mining claim, he went to work and continued there successfully until the spring of 1861 when he returned to Kentucky to visit friends. It was while he was visiting in Kentucky that Fort Sumter was fired upon. The whole country was in the highest degree of excitement. He returned to Illinois and enlisted in Company A, Eighth Illinois Infantry, for a term of three months, and after that term had expired he again enlisted, this time in Company B, Forty-first IllinoisVolunteer Infantry. Of this company he was elected First Lieutenant and was with it in all the engagements in which it participated. At the capture of Fort Donelson he had command of the company and at the battle of Shiloh he received a musket ball in his shoulder. This ball he still carries. At the battle of Vicksburg he was wounded in the thigh by a shell, from the effects of which he is slightly lame, and from which he still suffers. For gallant service at Vicksburg, he was promoted to the captaincy. He was at the capture of Atlanta and was in command of a pioneer corps that went in advance of Sherman's forces in the memorable march to the sea. The war over, he went to Chicago, from whence, in 1866 he came with his private conveyance to Montana, and selected Virginia City as a place of location. For five years he was engaged in mining, meeting with the usual reverses and successes of the miner. During his best year in the mines he took out $6000. The last claim he worked became flooded with water and after abandoning it he leased some stock and a ranch on the Upper Ruby. This stock ranch he ran for about five years, raising a great many cattle but finally selling them on a declining market. Then he again turned his attention to mining, and still owns mining interests. In 1880 he engaged in the hotel business at Puller Springs. In 1888 he returned to Virginia City and took charge of the Madison House which he conducted successfully five years, and since 1893 has been proprietor of the Easton House. His generous and genial nature, especially fit him for this business. He knows how to run a hotel in a way to gain the good will and patronage of the traveling public and such has been his life in Montana that he enjoys the esteem and confidence of all who know him. Captain Davis was married in Kentucky in 1850 to Jane Bolton, a native of his own town. She died in Illinois in 1857, in the twenty-seventh year of her age, leaving two children, Thomas W. and Viola, both now residents of Kansas, the latter being the wife of Jesse Cox. In December 1866, Captain Davis married Minerva Tuller, a native of Indiana. They had five children, Blanch, wife of James Cowan; Jessie, wife of Robert Cowan; Olive, wife of Amos Wiles and John Arthur--all residents of Montana. The mother of this family died in 1884 and in 1888 Captain Davis married Mrs. Amelia North, sister of his second wife, and widow of Robert North, who lost his life in the Union army. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

HAMILTON, ROBERT STAVELY History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 May be copied for non-profit purposes. USGENWEB Montana Archives Robert Stavely Hamilton, a respected Montana pioneer of 1864 was born in County Antrim, Ireland in 1839 a descendant of Scotch ancestry. Mr. Hamilton came to America in 1852 to make his own way in the world, at that time being a boy of thirteen years. He first located in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he served an apprenticeship to the hardware business and where he resided until 1856. In the spring of that year he came west as far as Minnesota, first stopping at Minneapolis and soon afterward going to Little Falls. At the latter place he engaged in the hardware business on his own account. He was also Postmaster there during President Lincoln's administration. He had made some investments in real estate, but as property declined in value and the town seemed dead, he closed out his business. From Little Falls, he went to Henry County Illinois and March 23, 1864 was married to Miss Mary Anges Fergus, daughter of James Fergus. Her father had come to Montana in 1862 with the Fisk expedition and settled at Bannack. The rest of the family, mother, three daughters and a son and Mr. Hamilton followed him soon afterward. Mr. Hamilton brought with him a set of tinner's tools and a small stock of hardware. He had two wagons and eight yoke of oxen and his mother-in-law also had a great number of ox teams and wagons. That year of overland emigration was large. Mr. Hamilton and his party chose the route up the Platte by Bridger's cut-off to Virginia City. After leaving the Platte they lost a number of their oxen, their cattle dying from the effects of poison weed they had eaten along the way. As the emigrants were in such large number the Indians made no attempt to molest them. After his arrival in Virginia City, Mr. Hamilton at once opened up his stock of goods and engaged in business. Prices were high and he made money on his hardware. From the first he became identified with the early history of the country, taking a hand with the law and order of the state and doing his part to rid the country of the road agents and murderers who infested it at that time. He remained at Virginia City until 1870 when he sold out and came to Helena. Here for a time he was engaged in loaning money. In 1875 he returned to Little Falls being accompanied on this trip by his family and while there traded his Little Falls property for 225 head of cattle that were on the Madison. This was the commencement of his large cattle business in which he has since continued. Although his operations have at times been attended with losses, his business has proved a success and has resulted in an ample fortune to him. Today he is ranked with the wealthy men of Montana. His sons are with him in business and so large are the herds that roam over their broad acres that they scarcely know how many cattle they have. Mr. Hamilton has also bred a large number of horses and is now giving special attention to the breeding of Norman-Percheron stock. For fifteen years Mr. Hamilton has been on of the directors of the First National Bank of Helena. While he has a nice home in the city of Helena, his lands and stock are in Fergus county, where he also has another fine home. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have the following children, all born in Montana: Mary A., now the wife of Frank E. Hawksworth and resides in Helena; Robert Emmet, Thomas Moore and Robert S. Jr. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

HERMSMEYERS, FREDERICK History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 May be copied for non-profit purposes. USGENWEB Montana Archives Frederick Hermsmeyer, one of Sheridan's leading citizens, is a native of Prussia German, Born April 13, 1832, his parents being natives of that country. The Hermsmeyers were a family of farmers and mechanics--industrious and respected people. Frederick Hermsmeyer's father served in the German army during the war against Napoleon and his sufferings in that campaign were such that the result was his death. At the time of his father's death our subject was seven years old. He received his education in his native land and remained there until he was twenty years of age, at which time he emigrated to the United States, landing in New York and going from there to Cincinnati, where he had relatives. For a year and a half he worked at the carpenter's trade in Cincinnati. In 1854 he went to California, making the journey by way of the Isthmus of Panama and landing at San Francisco sick with the Panama fever. After he recovered he began work at his trade there and continued thus occupied for five years and a half. Then for some time he was engaged in mining at Goddy's bar in Sierra county. While he was successful in the mines and took out considerable gold, he had the misfortune to lose it in an enterprise that proved a failure. In 1860 he went to the State of Nevada and turned his attention to farming, making hay and pasturing stock. After a residence of four years and a half in Nevada he came to Montana arriving at Alder Gulch on the 2nd of July 1866. At Alder Gulch Mr. Hermsmeyer purchased a mining claim and for eight years he was successfully engaged in mining, during that time taking out about $80,000 in gold. His mining operations, however, were expensive. The next enterprise in which he embarked was sawmilling. Purchasing the third mill that was build in Montana, he remodeled it and ran it for ten years. This mill was located on Mill Creek, six miles from Sheridan, and supplied the whole valley with lumber during the time he ran it. In 1890 he sold his mill, retired from the business and came to Sheridan, where he invested in town property and began to aid in the upbuilding of the place. He purchased and improved a pleasant residence and also uilt the Ruby Hotel and in addition to dealing in real estate he is loaning money. Mr. Hermsmeyer was married in the spring of 1870 to Miss Minnie Willmire, a native of Germany and since 1866 a resident of Montana. They have two interesting daughters, Rosie and Annie. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express written permission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

LAURIN, JOHN B.   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 May be copied for non-profit purposes.USGENWEB Montana Archives John B. Laurin, the pioneer settler of the Ruby Valley and the founder of the town of Laurin, the county seat of Madison County, forms the subject of this article. John B.Laurin is a native of Canada. He was born in St. Martin, twelve miles north of Montreal, August 21, 1821 and is of French descent. His parents, Paul and Margaret (Charthran) Laurin were both born in Canada. The father was a merchant and farmer. He died at the age of eighty-nine years and his wife passed away in her seventy-ninth year. They were devout Catholics. Their family was composed of thirteen children, seven of whom, four daughters and three sons,still survive.John B. was the sixth born in this family. He was reared at his native place, his boyhood days being spent at work on the farm and in the store with his father. When he was sixteen he began learning the tanner's business and after working at it three years opened a leather and shoe supply store in the city of Montreal. This store he conducted two years. His next venture was in the Serefena Hotel, which establishment he ran five years, with fair success. In 1849 he crossed the plains to Utah. There he opened a store and also engaged in the stock business, raising, buying and selling,and for eleven years had a large and remunerative trade with the Indians.In 1863 it was that Mr. Laurin came to his present location in the Ruby Valley, Montana, his arrival being on the 15th of July. He was among the first settlers in this beautiful valley. Here he at once opened a miner's supply store and soon found himself doing a successful business. Prices were high and goods in demand. In 1865 he wold flour for $160 per sack of 100 pounds, and he gave a good horse for a firkin of butter. The pioneers lived chiefly on beef and bread. When the land was surveyed he took a homestead and a pre-emption claim, together amounting to 320 acres and afterward from time to time as he prospered he added to his landed estate until he became the owner of 1700 acres in different parts of the valley. He continued in the mercantile and stock business until 1886. For forty years he was a successful merchant, a portion of the time conducting two branch houses in connection with his main business. As above stated, he founded the town which bears his name. From 1867 until 1886 he was its Postmaster and until 1875 he ran a hotel in the town. His stock business has already been referred to. At one time he had as high as 7000 head of sheep and he also had large droves of Shorthorn cattle. He still owns some fine horses of the Clydesdale breed.Mr. Laurin was married June 9, 1855 to Mrs. Adaline Boothe, a native of Canada and the daughter of Antone LaGris. She started to cross the plains with her husband, Mr. Boothe, in 1854 and while on their journey he was accidentally shot on the 16th of October and died on the 22nd of the same month. Her only child by her first husband died at the age of nine months. She and Mr. Laurin have reared fourteen foster children who are all alive and doing well. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

McCRANOR, DAVID  History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 USGENWEB Montana Archives,maintained by burns@asu.edu David McCranor, one of the earliest settlers and best known citizens of Montana, now of Madison County was born in Germantown, Ohio, January 8, 1838, son of James and Elizabeth (Bender) McCranor. His father who was a cabinetmaker by trade, died when David was seven years old, and thus deprived of a father's care, young McCranor was early in life thrown upon his own resources, and ere long not only provided for himself but also assisted in the support of the family. Growing up under these circumstances, his schooling was of a necessity limited. In 1856 while still in his teens, ambitious and eager to see the world and made a fortune, Mr. McCranor went to California and began mining. He mined on Johnston's bar and made some money. He had been there eighteen months when the Pike's Peak excitement broke out in Colorado and the news of the gold discovery at that place spread all over the country. He was among others who made a rush for that place and IN Russell Gulch he mined until the following year, 1860. In 1863 the Salmon River gold find brought him to Montana but he came only as far as Bannack. He afterward began mining in Alder gulch where he made money and remained until 1870. That year he turned his attention to merchandising at Silver Bow, where he conducted business two years, after which he again came to Madison County, this time settling at Sheridan. For ten consecutive years he has successfully engaged in mercantile pursuits at Sheridan. In 1882 he again began mining, which he continued successfully until failing health compelled him to dispose of his property and retire from active business operations.While he calls Madison County his home he spends his winters in the genial climate of sunny California. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

McKAY, ALEXANDER   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 USGENWEB Montana Archives May be copied for non-profit purposes. Alexander McKay, one of Virginia City's earliest and most respected pioneer miners and citizens, was born in Glasgow Scotland, May 15, 1832. His remote ancestors were Highlanders, but later generations of the family lived in the lowlands of Scotland. He was reared and educated in his native town and there learned the trade of plasterer,at which he worked in that city until 1854.In 1854 Mr. McKay came to the United States. He landed in New York City and worked there, in Canada, and in the Southern States and was in Kansas during the troublous days immediately preceding the Civil War. In 1860 we find him en route to Colorado, crossing the plains with oxen. He spent two years at Denver, then a small town, and also for a while was at California Gulch. When gold was discovered at Bannack, and the news spread over the country, he, in company with about 130 men, started with horse teams and thirty-two wagons for Bannack, marking out their own road and fording the streams and rivers. Arriving at Bannack they found the mining camp a scene of great activity. Mr. McKay mined there until the discovery of gold at Alder Gulch, to which place he directed his steps in July 183_, finding that camp also full of miners bent on securing the precious metal. He paid $500 for a fourth interest in a claim and worked hard until winter set in, during that time taking out $3,000. Then on account of the scarcity of water, he sold out, receiving $750 for his share. Since that time a deal of gold has been taken from the claim. In July 1864, he came to Bevin's Gulch and purchased 200 feet of land for $500 and here he became permanently located, succeeding well and from time to time adding to his claim. Now his claim extends for a length of two miles, and in its operation he employs usually about fifteen men. He had invested largely in lands, owns a comfortable home in Virginia City and loans his surplus funds. Mr. McKay was married in Kansas in 1860 to Caroline Hanson, a native of Germany. She has been with him in all his meandering and has proved herself a true and faithfulhelpmate. They have two daughters: Flora, the elder, was born on the plains between Denver and California Gulch, in the spring of 1861 and is now the wife of Dr. C.A.McNulty.The other daughter, Mary, was born in Virginia City on the last day of 1863. She is the wife of R.H. Herhold. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

McLEAN, SAMUEL THE HONORABLE SAMUEL McLEAN OF MONTANA This material was compiled and written by Dan Wilson <dan.wilson@asu.edu> Copyright, 1997 by Dan Wilson. This file may be freely copied for non-profit purposes. All other rights reserved. Dan Wilson has also placed a query on the MTGenWeb Project pages in both the Madison Co. and the Beaverhead Co. pages. If you think you might have further information on Hon. Samuel McLean, please refer to the query. ============================================================= THE HONORABLE SAMUEL McLEAN OF MONTANA and Summit Hill, Carbon County, Pa. Samuel McLean was the prosecuting attorney for Carbon Co., PA in the period 1855-1860. He was born at Summit Hill, PA on August 7, 1826, he attended the select schools of Wyoming Valley, PA and then Lafayette College in Easton, PA, where he studied law. In 1849, he was the first Carbon County native to be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar after which he established a practice in Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe), PA. He read law in the offices of Andrew H. Reeder. In 1852, he moved briefly to California, then returned to marry Jane Gray Wilson of Easton on January 23, 1855. They settled in Mauch Chunk on November 27, 1857. After his term as prosecuting attorney for Carbon Co., he moved west and in 1860, Samuel McLean was the attorney-general of the provisional Territory of Jefferson (later Colorado), and it is believed he resided in Denver [Wolle (1963), pp. 61]. In 1862, he moved to Bannack, Montana where he joined the Montana Territory gold rush. According to Wolle (1963), it was the discovery by John J. Healy and George Grigsby in 1861 of the placers on the Salmon River near Florence, Idaho Territory, that brought men to the area, including Samuel McLean, who at the time was in Denver, then part of the Jefferson Territory. He organized a party of men and set off for Idaho by way of the Overland Trail and Fort Hall. Another party, organized by Captain Jack Russell, also left Denver about the same time, and eventually met McLean's party at Fort Hall. The two parties went together to Fort Lemhi, Idaho Territory, and while they were still more than 125 miles from Florence they discovered that the Salmon River was too wild to use to go downstream to the placers. Thus they joined about a thousand other miners who were also stranded in the Lemhi Valley. [Wolle, Muriel Sibell (1963), MONTANA PAY DIRT: Guide to the Mining Camps of the Treasure State. Denver: Sage Books]. When Montana entered statehood in 1864, Samuel McLean was elected as a Democrat to the 38th and 39th Congresses of the U.S. and served from January 6, 1865 to March 3, 1867. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1866. He was president of McLean Silver Mining Co. in 1870, and after expiration of his term in Congress, he returned to Easton, PA seeking local investors in his McLean Silver Mining Company. After living in Montana several years, he moved to Virginia in 1870 and settled on a plantation near Burkeville, Nottoway, Co. He died in Burkeville, VA on July 16, 1877 at the age of 51 years, and was interred in the churchyard of the Presbyterian Church there. [U.S. Government Printing Office, House Document No. 442, (1961), BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF THE AMERICAN CONGRESS, 1774-1961, pp.1310-1311; Lavelle, John P. (1996) "The Hard Coal Docket," pp. 203]. A review of the map of Burkeville, VA shows a street named McLean as well as a street named DIMMICK. There is a Dimmick Memorial Library in Jim Thorpe, PA where Samuel McLean practiced law. While in Montana, Samuel McLean lived in Bannack and in Virginia City where he was known as "Colonel" McLean. James Knox Polk Miller, in his diary, edited by Andrew Rolle (1960), includes an entry for September 1, 1865: "For five hours last evening I wrote a copy of the Montana Territorial Laws Regulating Elections, without intermission finishing at one o'clock this morning, for which I received from Col. McLane [McLean], the Democratic candidate for Congress, 7th District, $7.00 in gold dust." [Rolle, Andrew (1960) THE ROAD TO VIRGINIA CITY: The Diary of James Knox Polk Miller, pp.80]. Spence (1889) claims that as a member of the 39th Congress, Samuel McLean was known as Montana's "Talking Delegate," a hard-drinking, fun-loving, and "gay old boy." He was reported to weigh 300 pounds. [Spence, Clark C. (1975), TERRITORIAL POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT IN MONTANA, 1864-1889, pp. 41-42]. Dimsdale, in Chapter 12, in discussing the settlement of Virginia City and the discovery of gold at Alder Gulch says: "Colonel McLean brought the first vehicle to the Gulch." He doesn't say what kind of vehicle, however. Samuel McLean may have been connected with the McLeans of the Dunboe District, Co. Londonderry, Ireland through James McLean of Summit Hill, PA, who is believed to have been a brother or a cousin to Alexander McLean, founder of the First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre. As a young man, Alexander McLean emigrated from the Dunboe District of Co. Londonderry, Ireland ca. 1820, and settled at Summit Hill, PA where he joined the First Presbyterian Church of Mauch Chunk, then under the leadership of Rev. Richard Webster. Alexander McLean was an early contractor of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company (LC&N) and before the advent of the Switchback Railroad, Alexander McLean hauled coal by mule team from the mines at Summit Hill to the Lehigh River at Mauch Chunk (Jim Thorpe) where the coal was floated downstream to markets south. He eventually became a mine operator under contract with the LC&N and became wealthy as a result. He retired to Wilkes-Barre where he and his sons founded the First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre. One of his sons, James McLean, was elected the first president of the bank, but he served only a short time before being killed in a railroad accident between Summit Hill and Wilkes-Barre in January of 1864. He was succeeded by Alexander Gray of Wilkes-Barre, who also had coal interests [Harvey, (1930)]. Jane Gray Wilson, wife of Samuel McLean, may have been related to Alexander Gray, second president of the First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre, and to Rev. John Gray pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Easton 1822-1866, and of long time elder of the Church, James Wilson of Easton [Records of the First Presbyterian Church of Easton, PA]. She may also have been related to Rev. Thomas McKeen Gray, pastor of the Bridge-Hampton Church. She is listed in the records of the Brainerd Presbyterian Church, Easton, PA, and those records indicate that she transfered to the Presbyterian Church of Burkeville, VA. in 1874, so that'sprobably when Col. Sam also moved to Burkeville. Obituary -------- The following obituary on Samuel McLean appeared in the HELENA WEEKLY HERALD, May 29, 1879. "Col. Samuel McLean, our Delegate in Congress from 1864-68, died in Nodaway county,Virginia, August 16, 1878. It is a strange comment on the mutability of human affairs and a striking example of the tireless whirl and restless activity of the American People, that the First Delegate from Montana, who represented it for three years in the Congress of the United States, should have passed so utterly out of the sight of our people in four or five years, and whose death ten or eleven years later should remain unknown to our _____[illegible] for months after that event occured. Col. McLean was a native of Pennsylvania, whence he came to Colorado, and in 1862 to what is now Montana. He was widely known among the early settlers of the mountains, was engaged in various mining enterprises, and by a fortunate turn in affairs was elected in 1864 and again in 1865 to Congress. Without great mental activity, he was nevertheless a genial, kindly man with a noble impulse(?) and his death will come to the knowledge of his old friends with sincere regret. He had become the owner of a considerable tract of land about thorty miles west of Richmond, where in recent years he resided, and where his estimable wife and children now are." ----- REFERENCES Davies, Edward J.(1985). THE ANTHRACITE ARISTOCRACY: leadership and social change in the hard coal regions of northeastern Pennsylvania, 1800-1930. DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois Univ. Press, pp.56. Dimsdale, VIGILANTES OF MONTANA, pp.59, 63. Harvey, Oscar Jewell and Smith, Ernest Gray (1930). A HISTORY OF WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, Volume VI. Mark, Rev. James, B.A. (1936). THE FIRST DUNBOE: AN HISTORICAL SKETCH. Coleraine: Chronicle Office, Abbey Street. McCaughan, Alison A. (1988). HEATH, HEARTH AND HEART: THE STORY OF DUNBOE AND THE MEETINGHOUSE AT ARTICLAVE. Castle Rock, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland: Dunceithern Publishing. Hayes-McCoy, G. A. (1969) IRISH BATTLES: A MILITARY HISTORY OF IRELAND, Belfast: Appletree Press. Hayes-McCoy, G. A. (1937) SCOTS MERCENARY FORCES IN IRELAND. Helena Montana Herald, obituaries, May 29, 1879. Rolle, Andrew (1960) THE ROAD TO VIRGINIA CITY: The Diary of James Knox Polk Miller, pp.80. Norman, Oklahoma: The University of Oklahoma Press. Spence, Clark C. (1975), TERRITORIAL POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT IN MONTANA, 1864-1889. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. Stout, Tom (ed.)(1921), MONTANA ITS STORY AND BIOGRAPHY 3 vols., Chicago: vol I pp. 207, 218-19, 281-82, 286; U.S. House of Representatives (1961), BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF THE AMERICAN CONGRESS, 1774-1961, House Document No. 442, (1961), pp.1310-1311. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Wolle, Muriel Sibell (1963), MONTANA PAY DIRT: A Guide to the Mining Camps of the TReasure State. Denver: Sage Books.

METZEL, ALEXANDER   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 May be copied for non-profit purposes. USGENWEB Montana Archives Alexander Metzel, a pioneer of 1863 to Montana, and now owning one of the finest stock ranches in the state at Puller Springs, Madison County, is a native of York Pennsylvania; born on the 14th of January, 1835 of German ancestry on his father's side and of English on his mother's. His father, Thomas A. Metzel also a native of Pennsylvania married Miss Hannah Mathews and they continued to reside in York until their death. They owned andconducted the Metzel House there for many years. He died in 1858, in the sixty-second year of his age and she lived to be eighty ears old, department this life in 1893. Mr. Metzel was married twice; by his first wife hehad six children and by the second, eight. Only five of the family now survive.Alexander, a member of the second family, was reared in York until 1857, attending the common school and afterward learning the butchers trade. In 1857 the year before his father died, he went to Iowa City Iowa and was employed there at $15 per month until 1860; and then crossed the plains to Pike's Peak. He carried on the butchers business at Denver for several months, returned to Iowa City and proceeded on to Rock Island, where he obtained work astrimmer in a packing house. Returning to Iowa City again, he purchased teams and took the family of his employer, who was then at Denver, across the plains to that city in the spring of 1861 and was employed there until thefollowing winter. Then he returned to Iowa and at Indianola married Miss Anna Spicer, a native of Pennsylvania. Soon afterward he started with his bride across the plains to Denver, where he was re-employed by the same man he had been workingfor during the preceding season.In 1863 he came to Montana and engaged in the butchering business at Nevada City near Alder Gulch. July 15, 1864 having seen much of the good work done by the "vigilantes" and having participated with them to some extent, he returned to Denver for his wife, whom he had left there and on arriving there he concluded to remain awhile. He had a stock of 200 head of cows, which, by the cold of the preceding winter, had been reduced to four head. As a reminiscence of his work in Montana there he states that he bought and dressed the first hog that was killed there, which cost 75 cents a pound when dressed and it weighed 300 pounds. He sold it at a dollar a pound. He made considerable proportion of it into sausage which was mixed with beef and sold at $1 a pound.Next Mr. Metzel returned to Nevada City and engaged in his trade there until 1872 and then moved to his present location at Puller Springs, fifteen miles southeast of Virginia City, where he now has 6,000 acres of land, withlarge and capacious buildings and everything necessary for conducting a first-class stock farm. On this property he raises large quantities of oats and cuts from 600 to 800 tons of hay annually. He has six children: Frank S, born in Colorado and now in the sawmill business and a member of the stock company which his father organized by giving each of his sons a thousand head of calves, each head being considered a share of the stock. The next son, Charles Montana, was one of the first white boys born in the Territory; he is now at Livingston engaged in the butchering business. Thomas A. is a stock broker having offices in Chicago and New York. The younger sons William O and Lewis Albert are at home with their father in the stock business and one daughter Clara May, died January 26, 1880.Mrs. Metzel, the beloved wife and kind and indulgent mother, died on the 9th of May 1878 and her husband speaks of her as the noblest of women. Since her death Mr. Metzel has remained single. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express written permission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

MILLS, JAMES H.   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 Montana GenWeb Archives May be copied for non-profit purposes. Captain James H. Mills, one of Montana's representative citizens, who has been identified with this part of the county from its earliest settlement, is a native of New Lisbon, Ohio, born December 21, 1837. Captain Mills escended from English and Holland ancestors, seven generations of the family having been born on American soil--in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Both his maternal and paternal ancestors participated in the Revolutionary War. As far back as can be traced the Mills family have been members of the Presbyterian Church and they were for the most part artisans. Captain Mills' father, George S. Mills, was born in Pennsylvania in 1815. His mother, Susan Davis, also a native of Pennsylvania, was a daughter of John Davis of that state, who removed to Ohio about 1814. The father died in his 64th year, the mother's untimely death occurring when she was 28, their only child being James H. After the death of his mother, the subject of our sketch went to live with a relative, by whom he was reared and educated, his schooling being received in Eastern Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pa. In early life he was inured to farm work, later engaged in mercantile and mechanical pursuits, and finally engaged in the timber business and was thus employed in Jefferson County, Pa when the Civil War broke out. April 27, 1861, in response to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers, he enlisted in Company G, Eleventh Pennsylvania Reserves, Fortieth Infantry. He entered the service as a private, participated in twenty-seven general engagements, his regiment being a part of the Army of the Potomac. He was successively promoted as Corporal, First Sergeant, First Lieutenant and Captain and for "gallant conduct" in the battles of the Wilderness and Bethesda Church (the latter occurring the last day of his term of service) was commissioned Brevet Major and Brevet Lieutenant Colonel. The regiment remained on duty nearly two months after his three years term of service had expired, and he was mustered out with it at Pittsburgh, June 13, 1864. During the entire service he passed through unscathed, notwithstanding many "close calls," seeming almost to possess a charmed life. This is the more remarkable, considering that of the more than two thousand regiments in the Union armies during the war the Eleventh Pennsylvania Reserves sustained the eighth heaviest loss. After the war Captain Mills engaged in the wholesale leather business at Pittsburgh, where he remained until thespring of 1866. At that time he came to Montana and first turned his attention to mining, operating on the Yellowstone river. In company with several others, he was interested in the opening of a hydraulic claim at Emigrant Gulch. Provisions were high and very difficult to obtain at any price. He and his party gave their money to a packer to buy provisions at Bozeman and bring them to the mines, and after some weeks of anxious waiting for his return they learned that he had gambled away the money and left for parts uknown. They were thus obliged to abandon their claim. Captain Mills had sunk his money in the venture, and when he arrived in Virginia City, in November 1866 had just 10 cents in postal currency. He at once, however, secured employment there as a bookeeper for a party who had frieght trains, a "corral" and a little hotel. An aritcle which he had written for an Eastern journal soon afterward accidently came to the notice of Mr. D. W. Tilton, and through it Captani Mills was offered the editorship of the Montana Post, which he accepted, and thus became the editor of the first paper published in the Territory of Montana, succeeding Professor Dinsdale and Judge Blake. He entered on these duties in December, 1866. The Post was removed to Helena in 1868 and Captain Mills continued with it until 1869. In July of that year he founded the New Northwest in Deer Lodge of which he was editor and publisher until November 1891, a period of twenty two years during which time he as a prominent factor in all that pertained to the welfare of Montana, and has been as thoroughly acquainted with her history, development and progress as perhaps any of her citizens. Captain Mills has been a life-long Republican and as such has served the party and the state in various positions. He was a member of the First Constitutional Convention of Montana. Upon the election of General Hayes to the Presidency, he appointed Captain Mills Secretary of the Territory, in which capacity he served five years, at the end of which time he declined a reappointment. In 1889 he was again nominated for a member of the convention to formulate the State Constitution. This nomination he resigned to accept an appointment as Collector of Internal Revenue for the district, including Montana, Idaho, and Utah, in which position he served until February 28, 1893,when he resigned and accepted the appointment of State Commissioner of the bureau of Agriculture, Labor and Industry. This bureau had just been established by an act of the Legislature. His appointment is for a period of four years, and such have been his opportunities for information on these subjects that he is eminently fitted for the position to which he is now devoting his whole time. In 1875 Captain Mills married Ella M. Hammond, a native of Wisconsin and a daughter of Martin Hammond of that state. She came to Montana in 1865. They have three children--Mary E., Nellie G., and James H. Jr,--all natives of Montana. Captain Mills is a Companion of the Loyal Legion, Past Senior Vice Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic,Past Grand Master Workman of the A.O.U. W. and in 1894 Senior Grand Warden of the A.F. & A.M. of Montana. In his religious views he partakes largely of that liberality which characterizes the people of the west. Mrs. Mills became a member of the Presbyterian Church in 1876. both are favorably known throughout the state where they have so long resided. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express written permission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

O'BRIEN, WILLIAM   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 MONTANA GENWEB ARCHIVES May be copied for non-profit purposes. William O'Brien, one of the enterprising businessmen of Sheridan, Montana, was born in Washington County, New York, January 20, 1856. He is of old Irish ancestry, his father being Michael O'Brien, a native of the Emerald Isle, who emigrated to the United States when a very young man, as early as 1830. Michael O'Brien settled in Washington County New York where he was subsequently married to Ellen Ryan, also a native iof Ireland. They purchased land in Washington County, where they were successfully engaged in farming and where they reared a family of three children. Mrs. O'Brien still resides at the old homestead, her husband having died in 1859. William O'Brien is now the only one left of the three. In 1877, on attaining his majority, he decided to seek his fortune in the far West and accordingly came overland to Montana, making the journey in company with two other young men. This was just after the Custer massacre. Many of the Indians were on the war path, and traveling through their country at that time was extremely hazardous, especially for small parties. They traveled in a wagon until they reached the Red Cloud Agency, when they purchased ponies which they rode the rest of the way. After several encounterswith the Indians and numerous hairbreadth escapes, they resched their destination safely. For two years Mr. O'Brien was employed at farm work, receiving his board and $40.00 per month. In 1881 he established himself in business in Sheridan, the little building he at first occupied being only 16 x 20 feet, but he met with prosperity from the start and in 1883 purchased his present property which he has since greatly improved, now having a good business place and enjoying the good will and patronage of the best people in the valley. He has built a good residence in Sheridan and in the course of his business career has invested in mines and mining. Mr. O'Brien returned to New York in 1879, and was married to Mary Dooley, one of his old schoolmates. They have three children: Anna M., born in New York, Mary E. and Leah Rosalie. Politically, Mr. O'Brien is a democrat. He was elected one of the first Aldermen of Sheridan and is now serving as one of its School Trustees. He is a member of the A.O.U. W. and is Past Master of the lodge at Sheridan. During the whole of his residence at this place he has taken a lively interest in all the affairs of the town, and has everbeen ready to aid in its growth and improvement. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

PARMETER, ORVILLE F.  History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 USGENWEB Montana Archives,maintained by burns@asu.edu Orville F. Parmeter, another one of Sheridan's successful merchants, has been a resident of Montana since 1867. Mr. Parmeter was born in China, Kennebec County, Maine, May 31, 1840, a descendant of English ancestry, who were among the early settlers of Massuchusetts. Both his paternal and maternal grandfathers fought in the Revolution.Grandfather Caleb Parmeter was born in Massachusetts. After his service in the Revolution he settled in the state of Maine, where he spent the residue of his life on a farm and where he died at the age of eighty years. His wife was seventy-six at the time of her death. They left a family of five children, one of whom, Draper Parmeter, the father of Orville, was born in Massachusetts in 1803. He married Eliza Soule, a native of Maine, born in 1806, and a daughter of Peleg Soule, who served as an officer in the Continental army during the Revolution. This Peleg Soule was a descendant of John Soule who landed from the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock. Draper Parmeter and his wife had a family of five children, all of whom are living. In 1856 they removed to Wisconsin, where soon after the father's death occurred, and from whence in 1858 the rest of the family removed to Woodford County, Illinois. The mother survived unti 1892, when she died at the age of eighty-six.Orville F. Parmeter, the youngest in the family, was sixteen years of age when they left Maine and went to Wisconsin. He was in Illinois when the Civil War broke upon the country in all its fury, and inspired by the same spirit that actuated his Revolutionary grandsires, he responded to Mr. Lincoln's call for volunteers to put down the rebellion, and in July 1861, he became a member of Company I, Forty-seventh Illinois Volumteer Infantry. He served with his regiment in the Western Department, participating in the battle of Shiloh, the engagement at Island No. 10, the Vicksburg campaign and the Red River expedition. Twice he was slightly wounded and he had many close calls, but he escaped all serious injury and was mustered out of the service at Springfield, Illinois, in November, 1864.After his return from the army, Mr. Parmeter was in the grocery and hotel business until 1867, at which time he decided to try his fortune in Montana. His journey hither from the Missouri River was made on foot. Upon his arrival in Montana, he located in Boulder Valley and for nearly three years was engaged in placer mining. In 1869 he came to Ruby Valley and located a ranch which he afterward sold and with the proceeds purchased another farm a mile and a half northeast of Sheridan. There he was for a number of years successfully engaged in raising cattle and horses. In 1886 he sold his stock and ranch and embarked in the mercantile business at Sheridan, being in partnership with Henry Elling and others up to 1893, at which time he severed his connection with the firm and organized the Sheridan Mercantile Company, with Mr. T. Bentolighter as his partner, Mr. Parmeter, however, being the active member of the firm. They kept a large stock of general merchandise, much of which they wholesale through the various mining camps. Mr. Parmeter is also quite largely interested in mines and mining. Since coming to Sheridan he has taken an active interest in the growth and improvement of the incorporation of it as a city, which occurred in October 1893. To him belongs the distinction of being its first Mayor. Mr. Parmeter was married December 7, 1864 to Sarah Taylor, a native of Illiinois and a daughter of Sidney Taylor. They have three children: Herbert, who is employed in his father's store; Emma, wife of Alexander Nesbit, of Sheridan; and Helen, who is at home with her parents. Mr. Parmeter built their present home in Sheridan.Ever since the organization of the Republican party he has given it his support. In 1886 he was elected Assessor of Madison County and served one term. He has passed all the chairs on both branches of Oddfellowship, is Past Master of the A.O.U.W. and is Commander of Custer Post, No. 5, G.A.R. Thoroughly informed upon all general topics, genial and courteous in his manner, and a businessman of the highest integrity, Mr. Parmeter is justly ranked with the leading citizens of Sheridan. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

PEMBERTON, WILLIAM YOUNG   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 USGENWEB Montana Archives May be copied for non-profit purposes. William Young Pemberton, Chief Justice of Montana, is a native of Tennessee, born at Nashville, in the year 1843. He comes from English and Scotch ancestors who were early settlers in the colony of Virginia. His parents were Williamand Martha (Brooks) Pemberton and he is one of their four sons, two of whom died in childhood. He is their youngest child and is now the only survivor of the family. Judge Pemberton was reared in Missouri by his aunt, Mrs. Rebecca E. Williamson, with whom he remained until his twenty-first year. He was educated at Masonic College, Lexington, Missouri, and graduated at the Cumberland Law School, Lebanon, Tennessee, with the class of 1861. In 1863 he came west and located in Virginia City Montana and engaged in the practice of his profession, his practice at that early day extending to all parts of the Territory. In 1865 he took up his abode in Helena, becoming one of its early settlers. He did not, however, remain in the town long, for in 1868 he returned to Missouri and in that state and in Texas he resided until 1880. In 1880 he came back to Montana and has since made his home in Butte City. In 1882 he was elected District Attorney of the West Side District, being re-elected to succeed himself n 1884. In March 1891 he received the appointment of District Judge of the district, including Butte, in which capacity he served until January 1, 1893 when he entered upon the duties of his present office, that of Chief Justice of Montana, to which he had been elected the previous fall. Judge Pemberton was married in 1865 to Clara M. Hutchison, a native of Missouri and a daughter of John C. Hutchison. The Judge and Mrs. Pemberton have three sons and two daughters: Warren T., John W., Alice M., Early P., and Lulu. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

RAYMOND, WINTHROP  History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 May be copied for non-profit purposes.USGENWEB Montana Archives Winthrop Raymond landed in Montana in 1865 and has since been identified with its interests. As one of the representative stockmen of the Ruby Valley and as the founder of the town of Sheridan, he is entitled to more than a passing notice of his work. Winthrop Raymond was born in Cincinnati Ohio October 22, 1848. Of his ancestors be it recorded that some of them camefrom England to America in 1632 and settled in Connecticut on a grant of land they had received from the Crown. They were prominent in the early history of the country, among them being successful farmers and eminent lawyers and doctors. Grandfather Christopher Raymond married Rachel Hillhouse, she too being a descendant of a Connecticut family. She died in the sixty-sixth year of her age and he lived to be seventy-three. There were thirteen children in the family.Their son Daniel Fitch Raymond was born September 12, 1786. By his first wife, nee Sara Amos, he had two children and by his second wife whose maiden name was Deliah Mattock, he had six children. Four of the latter are still living and three of them are prominent citizens of Montana. Daniel Fitch Raymond died in Cincinnati Ohio June 1849 leaving a widowwho at this writing is in her eighty-first year. Daniel was a lawyer and gained eminence at the bar.Winthrop Raymond is the youngest in the family. His early life was spent in Missouri, then in 1865 in his sixteenth year he crossed the plains with his mother, brother William H and sister making the journey at the same time. They hadtwo yoke of oxen, a yoke of cows and a span of horses. The oxen pulled the wagon on which they brought their provisions and the horses were attached to a light wagon which the mother and sister rode. They were nine months making the journey. Some of the trip was very enjoyable and at other times it was attended with great danger and often troublesome. On part of the journey they traveled ninety miles without water and during this time some of the members of the train as well as some of their cattle died. It on was the 7th of September 1865 that they landed safely in Virginia City. There, the brothers opened a wholesale grocery house and conducted it successfully for a number of years. Later they engaged in banking under the first nameof Raymond, Harrington and Company and they had the honor of being the first bankers of the town. The banking businessthey sold to Mr. Hall and it is now known as the Hall-Bennett Bank. They also owned Bellmont Park, were engaged in importing and breeding blooded horses and were thus prominent factors in this line and to them is due the credit of having been the importers and owners of several of the finest trotters in Montana. After being engaged in this business for a number of years, the subject of our sketch sold his interest in it to his brother, who still carries it on successfully. In 1889 Mr. Raymond came to his present place in the Ruby Valley. Here he became the owner of 1,080 acres of choice land. The party who had formerly owned it had in 1885 platted a part of the town of Sheridan and since then Mr. Raymond has platted, improved and sold lots. He still owns a large portion of the town and rents a number of buildings which he has erected. On his ranch he raises hay and stock horses and cattle. He also loans considerablemoney in a private way.February 28, 1876 Mr. Raymond married Miss Hannah E. Bateman who was born near Detroit Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Raymond have three children, all natives of Virginia City, their names being Carrie Bell, Daniel Walcott and Deliah Ellen. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

SHULTZ, FREDERICK J.   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 USGENWEB Montana Archives,maintained by burns@asu.edu Frederick J. Shultz, propietor of the Sheridan Hotel and an early settler of Montana, is a native of the province of Pummar, Prussia, born October 13, 1840, of Prussian ancestry. His parents were William and Mary Koupp Schulz. Early in life he was deprived of a father's aid and protection and when he was fifteen he accompanied his uncle to the United States, landing in New York city and going thence to Winconsin. In Wisconsin he worked at farming, his first wages being $3.00 per month and his board. He continued at farm work in Wisconsin until 1866 at which time he crossed the plains to Montana. He drove a team of oxen for his passage and walked nearly twice the distance. On this journey they saw plenty of game, deer and buffalo and were at times in danger of being run over by the latter as they came over the plains in great droves. Mr. Schulz shot a buffalo on one of these occasions. The Indians too, often menaced the party, but, the emigrants being provided with a Government escort, the Indians were kept at bay. After a journey of over five months, they arrived safe at Bozeman, Montana. Mr. Schulz remained there during the winter, he having secured a contract to dig a mill race. In the spring of 1867 he came to Alder Gulch and at firstworked in the mines for $5.00 per day. Later he got an interest in a claim and took out considerable gold. In this way he got his start. In 1869 he prospected without success at Gold Creek, worked for wages there for a time, then went to German Gulch in Deer Lodge County and secured a claim. This claim, however, did not prove a very profitable one, and his next move was to Ruby Valley, where he purchased a squatter's right to 160 acres of land twenty miles below Sheridan. After working it a year he sold out at a small advance over the price and in 1876 came to Sheridan. Here he formed the acquantance of Mrs. Julia McCoy, widow of Jesse McCoy, who had built the first hotel in Sheridan.She was the daughter of Mr. Philpat, a native of Southampton, England and when a little girl crossed the plains withher parents in the "hand-cart" emigration. This was in 1857. On the journey they got out of provisions and endured untold sufferings. Both her parents died of cold and hunger. Through the kindness of other members of the party she was taken to Utah, where she subsequently became the wife of Oliver Thomas, with whom she came to Montana in 1865. They had five children, namely, William; John, Katie, now Mrs. J. Moore; Ellis, wife of George Copp, County Commissionerof Madison County, Montana; and Rita, wife of Alexander Scott. Soon after the death of Mr. Thomas she became the wifeof Mr. McCoy, by whom she had two children, Gilbert and Charles, both at home with her. She and Mr. Schulz were married September 15, 1878 and they have four children, Harry, Burtie, Minnie and Frankie. Mr. Schulz has enlarged and improved the hotel and is managing it successfully, sparing no pains to make his guests comfortable and at home. In connection with the hotel, he also owns and runs a livery stable.Politically, Mr. Shulz is a Republican. He was elected on of the first Alderman of the city and is also a schooltrustee. He is a Past Master of the A.O.U.W. and has been the Finacier of his lodge during the past six years. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

STEMPLE, JOHN A.   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 May be copied for non-profit purposes.USGENWEB Montana Archives John A. Stemple, a successful miner and an early settler of Montana, was born in Preston County West Virginia, March 16, 1834. His ancestors were early settlers of Virginia and were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. His father Martin Stemple, was born in Virginia July 27, 1796. The latter married Miss Caroline Bishop, a native also of thatState, and they had eleven children, six of whom still survive. The mother died when our subject was a small boy and the father departed this life November 25,1888. They were members of the Presbyterian Church. John A. Stmeple, the fourth child in order of birth, remained with his father until twenty-two years of age. In 1856 he went to Iowa, in the spring of 1860 he crossed the plains by way of Ogden to Oregon, and then to California. During the journey they had much trouble with the Sioux Indians, and on the Sweetwater River were attacked by 100 Indians. The emigrants corralled their wagons and succeeded in driving off the Indians. One emigrant was killed, but as the Indians carried off their dead and wounded it was never known how many were killed. After traveling through California, Mr. Stemple returned to Baker County, Oregon and engaged in mining near the Snake River. He afterward went to Portland, next to Victoria, thence to San Francisco, returned to New York via the isthmus, wentto Iowa in the winter of 1866 and the following spring came up the Missouri River to Montana. After following placer-mining at Trinity for a time, Mr. Stemple prospected in the Virginia Creek country and was elected to the office of Recorder, serving in that capacity until 1871. Later, while hunting at the head of Silver Creek, in the Gloster and Empire mills, he discovered quartz, located several valuable mines, built a ten stamp mill at the Whippoorwill Mine but in 1877 sold his interest there for $12,000. He next went to the head of Virginia Creek, where he erected what is now called the Stemple Mill, and that district was also named in his honor. In the fall of 1882 Mr. Stemple again sold his interest for $12,000. He is now connected with the Pigeon Company. He discovered the mine in 1876 and it is now considered one of the best in the mining district.Mr. Stemple was married January 4, 1876 to Miss Amanda Ann Miller, a native of Pennsylvania, but was reared from childhood in Iowa. She is a daughter of Peter Miller. They had four children, all born in Montana--Harry, Oscar, Eddie Roy and Mabel Alice. The eldest child, Carrie, died when seventeen months old. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.

WORD, SAMUEL   History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894 USGENWEB Montana Archives,maintained by burns@asu.edu Samuel Word, Helena, Montana, is one of the most prominent pioneers of the State. He is a native of Kentukcy, born in Barboursville, Knox County, January 19, 1837. His ancestors came to this country from Scotland and were among the early settlers of South Carolina, previous to the American Revolution. From two brothers who came from Scotland and settled in South Carolina, sprang the stock of Words scattered through Virginia and most of the other Southern States. His more immediate ancestors settled in Virginia and Tennessee. William Word,Samuel's father, was born in Powell's valley, Tennessee, in 1808. He went with his father and family to Knox County,Kentucky where he was reared and where he married Susan Boyd Banton, and where their son Samuel was born. William Word afterward resided for a number of years in Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky and in 1856 removed from thereto Kansas thence to St. Joseph Missouri where his death occurred, in the seventy-third year of his age. His wife survived him a few years, when she passed away, also at about the age of seventy-three. Both were devout christians and firm believers in the teachings of Alexander Campbell. By occupation Mr. Word was a farmer, and at one time alsoowned and operated a tannery.Their son Samuel early developed a taste for the study of law, and read in the office of Andrew J. James, afterward Attorney-General of the state of Kentukcy. While reading law young Word began to feel the need of a higher education. In order to obtain the funds with which to secure a college education he engaged in school teaching, meanwhile keeping up his law studies. After this he entered Bethany College, Virgniia, where he remained until his health failedand he returned home. After recuperating for a while, he entered the office of Silas Woodson, of Missouri, afterward Governor of that State and under his instructions continued the study until August 1858. At that time he obtained a license to practice law and enetered upon his professional career at Oregon Holt County,Missouri where he became a partner of Colonel James Foster of that place. While he was successfully engaged in the practice of law there he became acquainted with the daughter of his partner, Sarah Margaret Foster, to whom he was married. She was born in Clay County, Missouri, a descendant of Irish and Scotch ancestry, her father being a native of Ireland and her mother,nee Hannah J. Thompson, of Scotch descent.Soon after his marriage Mr. Word set out for Idaho Territory and landed at Alder Gulch in the summer of 1863, and there engaged in placer mining. Alder Gulch at that time was the Mecca of everyone who had heard of its golden wealth. Hundreds of miners were working day and night in this gulch. Mr. Word, however, did not continue his mining operations long, but turned his attention to the practice of his profession in Virginia City as Alder Gulch was afterward called. A year later he returned to Missouri, settled up his affiars there, and again made the trip to Virginia City, this time being accompanied by his wife. Since that date, he has been a resident of Montana and his professional career here has been one of eminent success. He has become especially noted as a criminal lawyer. It has been said of him by another that he detested the quibbles and technicalities of the law, but hadhigh and profound respect for justice. He has been known to enter upon the prosecution of an alleged criminal with the proviso that should he through the course of the trial become convinced of the innocence of the prisonerhe would be allowed to withdraw from the case. As an orator, Mr. Word has great power and appears at his best before a large audience, where his eloquence rises with the occasion and holds his hearers spellbound. In 1865 Governor Edgerton appointed Mr. Word Prosecuting Attorney for an unexpired term for the First Judicial District of Montana. After serving his time he was elected for the suceeding term of two years. For nine years he was the counsel for the Union Pacific Railroad Company. It was Mr. Word who conceived the project of putting the famous Drum Lummon Mine on the market. He secured its saleto an English syndicate. To the judgement and ability of Mr. Word, Mr. Jefferson Lowrey and Mr. Mallory is due thecredit of giving an impetus to the mining industry of the Territory in 1884-5 their efforts gaining for it a world-wide reputation and bringing to the Territory a vast amount of wealth to be utilized in the develoment of her mines, thus affording employment to thousands.To Mr. Word also largely belongs the development of the coal industry in Montana. The people of the Territory had for years relied upon the forests for their fuel and no effort had been made to prospect the country for coal, goldand islver mining being the all absorbing industry. Mr. Word and Hon. Walter Cooper came into possession of the Rocky Fork coal fields and immediately set to work to utilize them. They succeeded in securing the co-operation of the following gentlemen: Samuel T. Hayser, Henry Villard, Thomas F. Oakes, James L. Platt and James B. Hubbell. They secured the building of a railroad fifty miles in length from Laurel on the Northern Pacific road to Red Lodge, where the coal fields are located. Thus a new industry was opened up and there sprung into existence large energies directed in a channel hitherto undeveloped in Montana. Since then other coal fields have been opened up and are being occupied. Mr. Word has all his life been identified with the Democratic party, has been an active worker in its ranks and through his earnestness and eloquence has done much to bring victory to his party in Montana. Mr. and Mrs. Word have four children: William, born in 1862, married Alice Cowan of St. Joseph Missouri; Robert Lee, born in 1866, is a graduate of the Law Department of the Columbia College, New York, Charles F., born in 1871 is a graduate of Yale College, and May, the only daughter was born in 1875. Their home, which Mr. Word had built in accordance with his own ideas, is the embodiment of elegance and luxury, the grounds, the edifice and the furnishings all combinbing to make an ideal home. Mr. Word is one of Montana's best citizens, one of her ablest lawyers and one of her most genial and social gentlemen. He has not only accumulated a fine fortune, but what is best he is also liberal with it and with it makes others happy and knows how to enjoy it himself. This brave pioneer has well earned and richly deserves his prosperity and it is pleasant to know that while hehas done so much to develop the resources of the great state in which he has so long resided that she has returnedto him such ample reward. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.