H. J. HAWLEY.
Mardos Collection
H. J. HAWLEY.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. in 1798, and was a boy of eight years when the family removed to Beaver County. There be grew to manhood and engaged in farming. For some time he and his brothers engaged in building keel boats, which they would sail down the river to Cincinnati or Louisville and there sell them, walking the entire distance back to their home. He died in 1870.
Reared in his native county, our subject engaged in farming and teaming, also spent some time in railroading and boating. Since 1871 he has engaged in ranching in Colorado. In politics he votes the Republican ticket. He is interested in educational matters and has served as a member of the school board.
In 1865 occurred the marriage of Mr. Evans to Miss Mary Dougherty. They became the parents of nine children, now living, namely: Robert, who is interested in farming in Jefferson County; North, also a farmer in this county; Lawrence Colorado, Homer Denver, Elmus Smith, William, Anna, Elmira Jane and Mary Agnes. Two children, Bessie J. and John, are deceased.
J. HAWLEY, of Central City, owns the finest business block in this place and is influential in the public affairs of Gilpin County. His road to success lay through obstacles that would have discouraged a less stouthearted man, but he has proved himself superior to circumstances. He was born near Freeport, Ill., May 13, 1839. His father, Daniel S. Hawley, was a native of Brattleboro, Vt., while his grandfather, Aaron Hawley, was from Connecticut. The family were from England, but came to Connecticut, whence Aaron moved to Vermont, and later to Sangamon County, Ill., where he took part in the Black Hawk war in 1832, and was killed in a battle near Warren, Ill. The father also fought in this war, although but a lad of twelve years when he shouldered his gun. In 1828 he went to Wisconsin, where he followed farming. Later he moved to Oneca, Stephenson County, Ill., then returned to Wisconsin, settling in La Fayette County, where he was employed in farming near Wiota. In 1851 he moved to Argyle, the same county, where he was occupied in the hotel business, milling and farming. In 1873 he went to Evansville, Rock County, where he lived in retirement until his death, in 1893, at the age of seventy-six years. While in Argyle he was recruiting officer. He married Helen Reed, of Brattleboro, Vt., who died in Argyle at the age of fifty-four years. Of the eight children, five grew to adult years. These were as follows: Charles A., a resident of Chicago, who served through the late war in a Wisconsin cavalry; H. J, of this sketch; Louisa, Mrs. Campbell, who died in Argyle; Albert, a stockman of that place and who also served in the army during the Civil war; and Theodore. The last-named enlisted when fifteen in a Wisconsin regiment, and was with Sherman through the war, in his march through Georgia and to the sea; he was accidentally drowned in Eagle River, near Redcliff, Eagle County, Colo., where he was engaged in ranching.
H. J. Hawley was reared in LaFayette County, Wis., and attended the public school at Argyle, and later the Platteville Normal, under Professor Pritchard. When fourteen he obtained a clerkship in Wiota. After the Pike's Peak excitement started he came west in 1860, with an uncle, Louis Seargent, who had crossed the plains in 1849. This trip was made by team all the way. They crossed the Mississippi at Dubuque, the Missouri at Omaha, and traveled up the Platte to Fort Kearney. On the 13th of May they reached Denver and came on to Central City, where they engaged in gulch mining. At the end of the summer the uncle returned home and Mr. Hawley continued his mining operations for eight years. He gave to it his entire time, and like many others he failed. In 1868 he went in debt $800 for a half-interest in a grocery store, his partner being Benjamin Lake. The firm of Lake & Hawley flourished for three years, when it was changed to Hawley & Manville, the latter gentleman having acquired Mr. Lake's interest in the business. This firm continued until 1878. They enlarged their store, added to their stock and were doing a good business when the fire of 1874 swept from them their entire stock and left them in debt to the extent of $10,000.
This would have crushed an ordinary man, but Mr. Hawley possessed an undaunted spirit and a determination to succeed, and the very next morning after the fire he bought the stock of groceries of Roworth & Co. for $20,000, making their total indebtedness $30,000. Business men in Denver tried to discourage him, telling him he
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. never would succeed in his undertaking, but he was determined to pay every dollar that he owed, and to that end increased his debt. They received $3,000, which was paid on the trade, leaving $17,000, for which they gave thirty-four notes for $500 each, drawing interest at one per cent. a month. One note was to be paid each month, and they were happily able to meet each as it became due, besides paying their other indebtedness with ten per cent. interest added. In 1878 he bought out his partner and continued alone until two years later, when he incorporated the Hawley Merchandise Company, of which he has since been president. and is the principal stockholder. He erected the Hawley block, the largest and best in the city, having three store room fronts. His is one of the oldest incorporated companies in the state, and he was the first to send out to take orders and give free delivery. He is interested in twenty patented claims and many mines.
In Central City Mr. Hawley married Miss Annetta Miller, of Ohio, and in 1890 established his family in Denver, on Pearl street, Capitol Hill. He has four children, viz.: Medora (Mrs. Perry), and Mabel (Mrs. Wiley), both of whom reside in Central City; Frank, who is one of the head men with the Morey Mercantile Company of Denver; and Martha, at home. Mr. Hawley was an alderman in Central City for one term during the fire, when the streets were changed and the town laid out anew. He was county commissioner for one term, from 1878 to 1881. From 1882 until 1886 he was a member of the school board. He has been a stockholder of the Gilpin County Mining Association since its organization. Fraternally he belongs to Central City Lodge No. 6, A. F. & A. M., the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Gilpin County Pioneer Society. In politics he is a Republican. At this writing he is candidate on the Republican ticket for state senator from Gilpin County.
AMES GRANT MILNE, a farmer and stockraiser, residing on section 18, township 6, range 65, has one of the best places in Weld County. In 1893 he erected a fine two-story brick residence, also put up a substantial barn, and in 1898 built a brick structure providing sleeping accommodations for the men in his employ.
The water supply for his house and stock is provided by a large windmill. A corral furnishes quarters for feeding his stock and fencing them in when they are not on the range. The yard is neatly laid out with shade trees, giving to the place a homelike and attractive appearance.
Born in Forfarshire, Scotland, April 30, 1857, the subject of this sketch is a son of William Milne, who was a farmer and stock-raiser. He was especially interested in the sheep business, and was one of the best-known sheep-raisers in Scotland, being considered an authority in the business. In political matters he was a strong Liberal. For some years he served as a member of the local school board. He was a member of the Established Church, which he served as an elder.
By the marriage of William Milne to Betsy Grant nine sons were born, one of whom died young. The others are: George, who holds the position of clerk on the Grand Trunk Railroad at Toronto, Canada; William, who was foreman of construction on the Canadian Pacific Railroad, and is now located at Que Apple, in the Northwest Territory; James Grant; David, manager of the old homestead in Scotland; Robert, who is engaged in the stock business in Montana; John, at home; Francis, who is in the Indian civil service of Great Britain; and Charles, a stockman in Montana.
In Scottish parochial schools the subject of this sketch was a student until eighteen years of age. Afterward he acted as manager of the cattle and sheep owned by his father and an uncle. In 1881 he came to America, arriving in Greeley on the 14th of April. He entered the employ of ex-Senator Boyd, who was the superintendent of schools. One year later he began for himself, but was prostrated by a severe illness and for some time lay in a hospital. After his recovery he worked for different persons until the fall of 1888, when he came to his present place, one-half mile west of Lucerne, buying here a tract of one hundred and sixty acres that is conveniently located for irrigating. On the entire place there is not a foot of waste land. The soil is fertile, and large crops of grain, potatoes and alfalfa are raised. His knowledge of the sheep business, gained in Scotland, eminently qualifies him for the handling of sheep, and during the winter mouths he feeds large numbers of them, besides
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 461
buying many for others. The lightest lambs he ever put in the Chicago market weighed an average of eighty-eight pounds, and those shipped in the spring of 1898 averaged ninety-seven pounds, which was the heaviest lot of Mexican lambs ever sold in that market. Being a man of good judgment, he has applied himself closely to whatever work he considered would be profitable, and in that way he has achieved commendable success.
Besides his other interests, Mr. Milne holds stock in the Larimer and Weld Reservoir Company and the Larimer and Weld Ditch Company, and for two years acted as vice-president of the former. He is also interested in the Farmers' Mercantile Company of Greeley. He has also held the position of president of the North Greeley Produce and Storage Company. It was due very largely to his influence and work that the organization of the Boyd Lateral Company was consummated, an enterprise that has been of great benefit to the people, as it provides the proper amount of water for those who deserve it. Another of his public-spirited efforts was in favor of the building of the switch to Lucerne, thus saving the long haul to Greeley. Politically he is a Republican. January 14, 1896, he was united in marriage with Julia M., daughter of John Montgomery, and they have a comfortable home in their new and tastily furnished residence.
The early years of our subject's life were passed on a farm. At the age of seventeen years he secured employment with a street-car company, with whom he remained for seven years. However, his health failed and he was obliged to resign his position and seek a change of climate.
Accordingly, in the spring of 1873, he came west to the mountain regions. After some time spent in Greeley, his health was entirely restored. In 1873 he went to Erie, where he was employed as engineer for a company in coal mines, remaining in their employ until his marriage in 1881. He then settled on his present farm, which he had taken up some time previous. Here he has since engaged in farming and stock-raising, owning two hundred and forty acres of valuable land, under cultivation.
Besides his other interests Mr. Miner is a stockholder in and president of the Hillsborough Ditch Company, in the construction of which he was a leading promoter. He is also a stockholder in the Consolidated Home Supply Ditch and Reservoir Company. In 1893 he constructed a private ditch for his own use, the water being taken from the Little Thompson. At this writing he is president of the board of directors of school district No. 50. Politically he is now independent, but was formerly active in the People's party. Fraternally he is a member of Berthoud Lodge No. 83, A. F. & A. M., in which he has passed all the chairs and is past master. For three years he represented the lodge in the grand lodge. In 1881 he was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Harmon, the daughter of Manning and Julia A. (Rexroad) Harmon, of Boulder County. They are the parents of two children, Nettie and Ray.
LISHA DUNCAN, deceased, one of the representative pioneers of Colorado, was very closely identified with the founding of Weld and Boulder Counties, and helped materially in placing them on the sound basis upon which they now rest secure. He aided in the establishment of schools and churches, the construction of roads, the instituting of local law and order, of protection against the Indians, and was one of the earliest mining operators and ranchmen in Boulder and St. Vrain valleys. At a period when little but the mineral wealth of this country was thought of, he foresaw the great possibilities that were in store for it, by proper irrigation and cultivation of the fertile alluvial valleys and plateaus and very successfully carried on the raising of. cattle and horses.
The founder of this branch of the Duncan
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. family in America was Col. James Duncan, who was a native of Scotland. Early in the seventeenth century he resigned his commission in the army and settled in Virginia. His son, John Duncan, was born in Scotland and with his parents took up his permanent residence in the Old Dominion. John married Miss Sarah Anderson, and their son Robert, born in 1795, was the father of the subject of this article. He became one of the first settlers in Illinois, his home being in Shelby County. Besides cultivating a farm he was interested in the Galena lead mines, in the northern part of the state and in Wisconsin. During the Black Hawk war he was one of the settlers who fought against the Indians, finally subduing them. He died October 19, 1868, near Greenville, Bond County, Ill. His wife, Nancy, born in Virginia January 26, 1805, was a daughter of Abraham and Mary (Whitley) Bateman and granddaughter of Col. William Whitley, a native of England. Mrs. Nancy Duncan died October 1, 1851, in Illinois. One of her sons, John, now of California, came to Colorado in 1860. Another son, James, fought in the Mexican war.
Elisha Duncan, the eldest of his father's family, was born near Greenville, Bond County, Ill., September 13, 1822. When he reached a suitable age he commenced farming, at first in his home county, and later went into Clinton County, Ill. In 1850 he started for California across the plains, by ox teams, and was nearly six months on the journey. For nearly two years he was occupied in mining and prospecting at Mud Springs, and at the expiration of that period he returned home, by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New York City. Then he resumed agricultural pursuits in the Prairie state, and was quite successful in stock-raising. In 1880, having heard glowing accounts of the newly discovered wealth of Colorado, he determined to see for himself, with a view to removing his family to the west. After sending ahead teams and stock, he resorted to a method of crossing the plains which was a very venturesome and hazardous way in those days, but happened to turn out all right for him. Mounting a trusty horse, he proceeded alone, and at a point on the Little Blue River, in Kansas, he camped where, exactly ten years before, when on his way to California, two of his companions had been buried. Arriving safely in Colorado, he and Alfred Tucker, an old schoolmate, engaged in constructing the Golden Gate toll-road in Jefferson and Gilpin Counties. His cabin was at Golden Gate, a mile and a-half above Golden. For part of the time he was also interested in mining in Boulder County, at Gold Hill. In the winter following Mr. Duncan returned home by mule team, and the next spring his family accompanied him to their new western home. From St. Louis to Atchison, Kan., they went by steamer "War Eagle" and, as war had been declared, expected they would be captured and at least detained by the troops of the contending armies, but were not. The Blue River was so high that it reached the wagon-beds when they attempted to ford it, and further on in their journey they found that the Indians were on the warpath, taking advantage of the unsettled state of the country and the removal of western troops to the east, by the government. June 9, 1851, be arrived in Golden Gate with his family.
In 1862 Mr. Duncan sold his interest in the road which he had helped to build, and bought a ranch seven miles east of the present town of Longmont. He became extensively occupied in raising stock and the celebrated Gold Dust horses. At first he had only a quarter-section of land, but to this he added from time to time, until he had a very large ranch of several thousand acres. The depreciation in the price of horses and cattle affected him seriously during the '80s but, nevertheless, he was a rich man at the time of his death, July 3, 1893. In the first few years of his career in this state he was in business partnership with Mr. Tucker; owned a ranch on the Ralston, and raised cattle. In all his dealings with his fellows he was upright and just, and thus commanded their respect. In Illinois he was connected with the Odd Fellows' society.
Mrs. Mary Duncan, widow of our subject, became his wife August 9, 1849, in Bond County, Ill. She bore the girlhood name of Mary W. Myatt, and was born in Pocohontas, Bond County, Ill., March 27, 1832. Her father, Judge Alexander Myatt, was born in Tennessee, February 9, 1802, and was of Welsh extraction. At an early date he settled in Illinois, and for years was county judge of Bond County. His death occurred September 4, 1861, at his home in the Prairie state. His wife, who was Miss Mary W. Chisenhall, died March 27, 1832,
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