DAVID ORROCK.
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Entering upon the study of veterinary dentistry, our subject became a student in Craig's Veterinary Dental College of Chicago, from which he graduated in 1883, with the degree of V. D. After his graduation the college sent him out, as an expert dentist, into different parts of the country. For about three years he traveled in this capacity, spending a short time on Leland Stanford's ranch in California, also visiting Kentucky, Illinois, Montana, Iowa and Indiana. In the meantime, in 1885, he established his headquarters in Denver, where he married Miss Alice Fitzgibbons, a native of Utica, N. Y.
In 1893 Dr. Dunleavy entered the Chicago Veterinary College, where he took the regular course of study, graduating April 28, 1896, with the degree of M. D. C. Returning to Denver, he resumed his practice, and has since given attention to both departments of his profession, surgery and dentistry, having his office at No. 47 West Colfax avenue. For years he has been given the city veterinary dental work and has also done considerable work in the line of surgery. He is active in the Woodmen of America and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and is popular in social circles of the city.
AVID
ORROCK was founder and president of the Orrock Carriage Company in
Denver and had the reputation of building the finest, best and
most durable vehicles of any manufacturer here. His death, which
occurred January 8, 1898, was a loss to the business interests of
the city, which he had so honorably represented and with which he
had been so intimately connected. The company with which his name
is connected was organized in November, 1896, and incorporated,
with himself as president, under the laws of the state of
Colorado. The building he occupied was erected under his personal
supervision in 1887 and was 50x70, two stories in height, the
first floor being used for a blacksmith shop and for woodwork and
trimming, while the second floor was a painting department. For
years he did most of the work for the fire department, Colorado
and Denver Packing Companies, Metropole stables and other
prominent concerns, and he also made a specialty of the
manufacture of express spring wagons, his being the best of the
kind made in the city.
Near Dundee, in Farfarshire, Scotland, the subject of this article was born March 24, 1858, the descendant of an old family, some of whose members were in the war of the Picts and Scots. His father, Alexander, and grandfather, John Orrock, were born in the same shire, where the latter became wealthy in business as a contractor of turnpikes and macadamized roads; he died when ninety-seven years of age. Alexander Orrock was a large general contractor, but later became chief forester of the Farthingham estate, and held that position until his death, which was the result of an accident. He married Cecelia Smith, daughter of Alexander Smith, both natives of Farfarshire, where the latter, a farmer, died at the age of ninety-eight. Of their four children only one is now living, Betsy, wife of George Johnson, of Denver.
At the age of thirteen David Orrock began to work upon a farm and continued in that occupation until he was eighteen, when he was apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade near Dundee. At the expiration of three years, his time of service, he engaged in journeyman work and six months later was made foreman in a shop. In 1880 he came from Glasgow to New York on the steamer, "Devonia," of the Anchor line, leaving Glasgow July 17 and arriving at the old frame depot in Denver August 1, at 8 A. M. At once after coming to this city he secured employment with Warren Purcell, but one month later he entered the Union Pacific shops at South Park as a blacksmith, remaining in that position for nineteen months. His next employment was with Mr. Reed, whose partner he became in the shop on Market, between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets. Later he bought his partner's interest and continued in the same location until 1887, when he bought the property at No. 1840 Market street, where he continued in business until his death.
Fraternally Mr. Orrock was past officer of Union Lodge No. 1, I. O. O. F., and a member of the Grand Encampment and Patriarchs Militant. In Denver he married Miss Carrie Davidson, who was born in this city, being the daughter of Joseph and Mary C. (Davies) Davidson, natives respectively of Glasgow, Scotland, and South Wales, England. Her mother emigrated to America in 1856, landing in Boston April 6. She accompanied her parents, David and Mary
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Davies, to Iowa City, Iowa, where her father died. In the autumn of the same year the family passed through Denver and located at Tulo Valley, Utah, where they remained until the spring of the following year. They then returned to Denver, where the home of the family has since been. After the death of Joseph Davidson, who was a prominent citizen of Denver during the war, his widow was married to Llewellyn Rees.
Mr. and Mrs. Orrock had two children, Cecelia Smith and David. Mr. Orrock was a man who had the respect of his entire circle of acquaintances and his death was mourned as a loss to the city of which he had been an honored and honorable resident.
HARLES
J. REILLY came to Denver in the spring of 1880 and after having
been in the employ of others for four years he embarked in
business for himself, becoming a contractor for steam and hot
water heating and ventilating. In February, 1888, he removed to
the building he had just completed at Nos. 1425-27 Curtis street,
where he has a store 25xI00 feet, and two stories in height.
Afterward increasing business made his quarters inadequate to his
needs, and he built a one-story structure, of the same dimensions,
adjoining, thus giving him three floors for business. Among the
contracts he has had are those for heating the State building,
Equitable, Cooper, Railroad and Pioneer buildings, Cooper block
and East Denver high school; the Turk terrace, and residences of
J. W. Barker, John F. Campion, Dr. Stedman, Dr. Whitney and others
of the fine residences of the city. In the fall of 1894 he started
the Denver Engineers' Supply Company at Nos, 1429-31 Curtis, where
he carries on a wholesale and retail business in that line. He is
also interested in the Onderdonk Air Valve Company, of
Philadelphia.
Mr. Reilly is of Irish parentage. His father, Philip, was born in Dublin, but immediately after his marriage he settled in Massachusetts, where he engaged in general contracting. For more than fifty years he made his home in Westfield and there he died at the age of seventy-nine. His wife, Ellen, was born in Ireland and died in Westfield. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters, all of whom are living. Charles J., who was next to the oldest, was born in Westfield in 1843, and at the age of nineteen came as far west as Chicago, where he was apprenticed to the steam and hot water heating trade with the firm of Walworth, Hubbard & Co. After the expiration of his time he worked at his trade there. In 1869 he became an employe of John Davis & Co., with whom he remained for more than fifteen years, being promoted from time to time until he became superintendent. They chose him to represent them in Denver, when in 1880 they decided to open a branch house here, and accordingly he came in their interests. In 1881 the firm name was changed to Davis, Creswell & Co., and he continued as superintendent until March 1, 1884.
He then opened a store of his own at No. 417 Arapahoe street, later removed to No. 404 Arapahoe, then to No. 1421 Lawrence street, and finally, in 1888, to his new building at No. 1425 Curtis street.
In Chicago Mr. Reilly married Miss Caroline Emelia Stacy, who was born in Silver Creek, N. Y., of French-Canadian descent. They have four children: John J., of Denver; Mrs. Nellie C. Dougherty, of this city; William C., who is in business with his father; and Charles J., Jr. Mr. Reilly was made a Mason in Union Lodge No. 7, A. F. & A. M., and is also a member of Denver Chapter No. 2, R. A. M., Colorado Commandery No. 1, K. T., El Jebel Temple, N. M. S., and the thirty-second degree Consistory, S. R. He is also connected with the Woodmen of the World, the Knights of Honor and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Politically he is a silver Republican. He is a charter member of the Master Builders' Association of Denver and has been identified with the Master Steam and Hot Water Fitters' Association of the United States, all of whose national meetings he attended prior to 1893.
EV. WILLIAM O'RYAN. St. Leo's parish, of Denver, was organized in 1887 and now has a handsome church building, parochial residence and the other equipments of a modern parish. Much of the growth of the work is due to the efficient oversight of its pastor, Father O'Ryan, who has been the spiritual adviser of the congregation since 1892 and who has the reputation of being one of the most brilliant orators and intellectual priests in the city.
The parents of Father O'Ryan are Michael and
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Ellen (Maher) O'Ryan, natives of County Tipperary, Ireland, where they still reside. A number of relatives of the family are members of the clergy in Ireland and the United States, among them Archbishop Ryan, of Philadelphia, and Bishop Scanlon, of Salt Lake City. A brother, Rev. Philip O'Ryan, of the Cathedral, San Francisco, is licentiate of theology of the Catholic University, Washington, D. C., and editor of the San Francisco Monitor. An uncle, Rev. T. Maher, is one of the oldest priests of the Notre Dame University, South Bend, Ind.
The subject of this sketch was born in the city of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland, February 23, 1861. He was educated in the national schools until twelve years of age, and then studied in a private academy for three years, after which he read rhetoric and philosophy in Thurles College, Ireland, for three years. The next four years were spent in the study of theology in the Royal College of Maynooth. He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Manning, in London, October 1 1884, and for two years afterward served under that eminent cardinal, but failing health obliged him to seek a change of climate. He had heard much of the healthfulness of Colorado and decided to come here, which he did in 1887. He received an appointment in the Cathedral of Denver, where he served for five years, and in 1892 was transferred to his present pastorate. He holds the diocesan offices of fiscal procurator (similar to that of prosecuting attorney), defender of the marriage tie and examiner of the clergy.
EV.
MARIANO LEPORE. The Mount Carmel Italian Church, of Denver, was
organized March 18, 1894, by the gentleman who has since held the
pastorate. Through his influence property was purchased and an
edifice built and furnished, $4,000 of the same being provided for
by himself through his own gifts and personal solicitation of
others. The congregation owns seven lots on the corner of Painter
avenue and West Thirty-sixth avenue, and is now practically free
from indebtedness. Two hundred and forty-seven families hold
membership in the church, and there are also one hundred and fifty
other families who live at too great distance to attend services
regularly. In 1898 a school was built and it is the intention of
the pastor to erect a hospital as soon as the necessary funds are
arranged for.
The subject of this sketch was born near Naples, Italy, September 16, 1868, and is the youngest of five children, there being three daughters and two sons. The latter is with his brother as manager of the papers published here. The father, Dominic Lepore, was born near Naples, where for some years he engaged in merchandising, but is now living retired; he married Louisa De Blasio, who was born in Italy and died there in 1889. Our subject pursued the study of the classics, theology and philosophy in the College of Santa Marie, Naples, and was ordained to the priesthood September 19, 1891, in the Pride de Chapel, by Bishop Cosenza. Immediately after his ordination he made preparations to come to America.
Arriving in New York City in May, 1892, a month later he was made pastor in St. Anthony's Church in Northvale, N. J., a congregation of American worshipers. Though he was unfamiliar with the English language, yet a mouth after becoming pastor he was able to read the gospel in English. He filled that pastorate for fourteen months and then accepted a call to Denver, where he started the congregation of which he has since been the head. In addition to his regular work in the church he is the editor of three Italian papers: La Nazione, a weekly newspaper founded in 1894 and now published in Denver; The Catholic, a monthly paper published in Denver; L' Italian, a weekly published in Kansas City, Mo., and circulated through Missouri and Kansas. These papers are widely read among the Italian residents of the United States, and bear witness to the ability and intellectual attainments of their editor.
ALTER FINLAY. A resident of Denver since 1890, Mr. Finlay is now one of the well-known business men of the place. Soon after coming here he embarked in the livery business as the active member of the firm of W. Finlay & Co., but in 1896 he bought the entire interest and now has sole charge of the enterprise. The barns are located at No, 1432 Arapahoe street, where he has a building, 50x125 feet in dimensions, and adapted to the general livery and boarding business.
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The Finlay family probably originated in Scotland, but the subject of this sketch, his father, John, and grandfather, Alexander, were natives of Belfast, Ireland, the last-named being a manufacturer of soap there. The father removed to Brighton, England, in 1864, and remained there until his death. His wife, who still makes her home in England, was Elizabeth Finlay, but, though bearing the same name, she was a member of a different family from that to which her husband belonged. She was born in County Down, Ireland, and was a daughter of Rev. Charles Finlay, who for years was pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Lake View, County Armagh. Of her seven children, four are living, Walter and Alexander in Denver, and two daughters in England.
At the age of eight the subject of this notice became a pupil in the public school of Brighton, England, but ten years later he returned to his birthplace in Ireland, where he learned the linen business with the company doing the largest business in that line of any in Belfast. He remained with the firm for eight years, and during the last eighteen months represented the company in London, England, but finally resigned and embarked in the tea business in Belfast. Coming to America in 1884, he located at Raton, N. M., where he engaged in the cattle business. Hard times and depreciation in the price of cattle unfortunately made his enterprise a failure, and he sold out in 1890 and came to Denver.
The Republican party receives the support of Mr. Finlay and its candidates rely upon his vote. Fraternally he is connected with the United Moderns and the Woodmen of the World. He was married in this city to Miss Annie Leigh, a native of Manchester, England, and daughter of John Leigh, an old cattleman and wholesale butcher residing in Boulder, Colo.
AMES
RAE, who is proprietor of a carriage factory and general
blacksmith works at No. 1640 Wazee street, Denver, was born in
Chatham, N. B., October 29, 1857. His father, James Rae, Sr., a
native of Scotland, crossed the ocean in young manhood and settled
in New Brunswick, where he followed the blacksmith's trade. When
quite advanced in years he retired in the enjoyment of the
competency his honest efforts had accumulated. He still resides in
Chatham and is sixty-nine years of age, having been born in 1829.
By his marriage to Mary Ann Gillis, a native of Chatham, he has
four sons now living.
The next to the youngest of this family is our subject. He attended the Chatham public school and made that place his home until seventeen, meantime having learned the blacksmith's trade under his father. From Chatham he went to St. Johns, where he completed his trade. In 1879 he came to Denver, where for four years he was employed in the shop then owned by Campbell & Welsh. In 1883 he bought out his employers and has since continued the business at the old stand, having by honest application and good management secured a good trade and built up a profitable business. He makes a specialty of horse shoeing, though he is proficient in every line of work connected with his trade. He has not identified himself with political matters, but is a stanch Republican in belief.
In Denver he married Miss Anna Marshall, who was born in Rock Island County, Ill., and of whom mention is made in this volume. They are the parents of two children, Arthur Lester and Ethel Frances.
RS.
ANNA MARSHALL RAE, M. D., of Denver, is a member of a family
prominently connected with the history of America. Her great-uncle
was one of the first chief justices in the United States and was a
man of great influence and prominence. Her uncle, James Wilson
Marshall, is illustrious as having been the original discoverer of
gold in California, having found a nugget weighing six
pennyweights January 19, 1848. The news of this discovery and the
subsequent hastening of men toward that El Dorado is a matter of
history. In recognition of this discovery a monument has recently
been erected to the memory of Mr. Marshall and stands on a tract
of one hundred and sixty acres in Corona.
The father of Dr. Rae, Hon. William Marshall, was born in Trenton, N. J., November 22, 1815. In 1837 he settled in Cordova Township, Rock Island County, Ill., where the family owned and operated a sawmill. During the early days he represented his district in the state legislature for
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two terms. To him belongs the credit of securing for Rock Island both the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul roads, as it was the adoption of his suggestions and the use of his ideas by men of money that rendered possible the innovation of railroads. His initiative step in railroad development was made in Cordova, Ill., at the home of William Marshall, and was the organization of a company known as the Rockford, Rock Island and St. Louis Railroad Company, which was later bought and operated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Subsequently he planned the Western Union (now the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul), extending the track from Freeport to Rock Island.
The mother of Hon. William Marshall was Catherine, daughter of James Larrison, and a descendant of John Larrison, a Danish nobleman, who took part in the war of 1665 between the king and the nobility, but was defeated and his property confiscated. Soon afterward he went to Scotland and from there came to America, where he bought a tract of land on Long Island. Two of his sons were killed by Indians, and another, who went to New Jersey, was James, grandfather of Mr. Marshall.
Mention has before been made of a member of the Marshall family who attained prominence in the early history of our country. This was Judge John Marshall, son of Col. Thomas Marshall, who commanded a regiment of Virginia troops in the Revolution. He was born in Fauquier County, Va., in 1755, and, like his father, served valiantly in defense of the cause of independence, being a commissioned officer in the colonial army. Afterward he was elected to congress, later served as secretary of state under John Adams, and January 31, 1801, was appointed chief justice of the United States, which position he held until his death thirty-four years later.
The mother of Dr. Rae was Rebecca Ennis, a native of Collinsville, Ind., and now (1898) seventy-two years of age. In her family there were five children, namely: Mrs. Viola McCormick, of Pueblo; Mrs. Florence Willett, of Comanche, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Phillips, who died in Illinois in 1895; Anna; and Norman, a graduate of the Jefferson Medical College, and now a successful eye, ear and throat specialist in Clinton, Iowa. Our subject was educated in Illinois, graduating from Mount Carroll Female Seminary in 1883. Six years later, in Colorado, she became the wife of James Rae, whose sketch appears in this work. Under the preceptorship of her brother she first began the study of medicine, and later continued her studies in Gross Medical College, from which she graduated in 1897, with the degree of M. D. She has since engaged in the practice of her profession in Denver.
EV.
J. J. GIBBONS. In every pastorate which he has held Father Gibbons
has shown the greatest zeal in the discharge of his duties. He has
faithfully followed the apostolic command, "Preach the Word; be
instant in season and out of season." To whatever charge he has
been called, it has been his earnest aim to promote the welfare of
the congregation, increase its membership and advance the
interests of the church. Nor have his labors been in vain. The
record of his ministerial career is a record of congregations
built up and the spiritual and financial interests of the church
promoted. Called to Denver November 16, 1892, he organized the St.
Francis de Sales' Catholic Church, which held services at first in
Russell hose house. However, the church was completed within four
weeks after the organization of the church, and services have
since been held in it; later a parsonage was built for the
priest.
The parents of Father Gibbons are James and Anna (Wade) Gibbons. The former removed from Rhode Island to Walworth County, Wis., and settled near Clinton, where he engaged in farming. Later he went to Iowa and settled near Waterloo, where he has since resided. He and his wife are the parents of fourteen children, eleven of whom are still living, our subject being next to the oldest. He was born in Providence, R. I., in 1855, but was taken to Wisconsin in infancy, and from that state accompanied his parents to Iowa in 1868. At the age of nineteen he began to teach school, which occupation he followed for four years, carefully saving his earnings in order that he might have better educational privileges. For a time he attended the Iowa State Normal, and for two years was a student in St. Francis Seminary at Milwaukee, Wis., after which he taught school for eighteen months. He completed his classical studies in
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St. Joseph's College, Dubuque, Iowa, where he studied for three years. Afterward he spent two years in the study of theology at St. Mary's, Baltimore, but was obliged to discontinue his work there on account of illness. On recovering his health he came to Illinois and soon entered the seminary at Kankakee, Ill., where he was ordained to the holy priesthood of the Catholic Church. June 5, 1886, in Chicago, Bishop (now Archbishop) Feehan ordained him for the Denver diocese, and he soon began preparations for work in his new field. He reached Denver June 17, 1886, and has been constantly "in the harness" ever since, having never spent more than twelve weeks out of the diocese. He was an assistant in the Cathedral for six weeks, after which he filled a vacancy in the Georgetown pastorate until October 3, 1886, and then went to Leadville as assistant to Father Robinson, continuing there until August, 1888. His next field of labor was in Ouray, but his work was by no means limited to that town. Altogether, his assignments included four counties, San Juan, Ouray, San Miguel and Dolores, comprising the charges at Silverton, Rico, Telluride, Trout Lakes, Placerville, Ridgeway and Ironton (where he built churches), Red Mountain and Sneffles, all of which congregations, excepting those at Ouray and Silverton, were organized through his personal efforts. Much of his time was spent in saddle, riding from one mission to another, over the mountains where the roads were rough and travel was hard. Frequently he rode sixty-five miles in a day, in order to meet his appointments for services.
After four and one-half busy years in this part of the state, Father Gibbons was made pastor of St. Francis de Sales' Church in Denver, his present charge, the growth of which is due to his unwearied labors and excellent management. He is connected with the different societies of the church, and is chaplain of St. Joseph's Commandery, Knights of St. John, and of St. Patrick's Benevolent Society, C. M. B., as well as St. Teresa's Auxiliary.
Father Gibbons is the author of a book entitled "In the San Juan." The San Juan is a section of Colorado which is very little known to eastern people. It is a region of surpassingly beautiful and sublime scenery. Indeed, in comparing its grandeurs with those of the Alps, the tourist hesitates as to which of these two wonderful regions deserves the allotment of superiority. The book consists of a series of sketches in which the author relates his wonderful experiences of five years in that country. It is written in a pleasing and simple style. Father Gibbons shows throughout the entire work great sympathy with nature. The habits and customs of the miners are accurately described, and the sketches are enlivened by interesting anecdotes. Prominent features of the work are several pieces of poetry, notably those written on the mummy and the burro. The work is the first of the kind produced in Colorado and will be read with eager interest not only in the state, but it is certain to find many admirers elsewhere. Its moral tone will be found to be of the highest order.
HARLES
E. WINGATE, a general contractor and builder located at No. 1106
Eighteenth street, Denver, is of English birth and descent. His
paternal grandfather, John Wingate, owned the ground and was the
first to build upon the present site of Kingsbridge, where the
fast clippers were afterward constructed. The maternal
grandfather, Thomas Toms, was a farmer and cattle dealer at
Cornwood, Devonshire, where his daughter, Mary, was born. In early
womanhood she became the wife of Charles Wingate, a native of
Kingsbridge and by trade a carpenter, who for thirty-five years
has been employed by the government as foreman of works and now
holds that position in the Davenport dockyards adjoining Plymouth.
He is now sixty-five years of age and his wife is two years his
junior.
Their only child, our subject, was reared in Plymouth and attended the public schools of this, his native city. When a youth he became an apprentice to William Ham, with whom he remained for seven years, learning the carpenter's trade and then for two years as an employe. Later he was employed by a cousin for two years. Meantime he had been reading much about Denver, its wonderful growth, its remarkable climate and the opportunities it offered to men of moderate capital. He determined to come here and investigate for himself. Accordingly in May, 1889, he came to this city and so well was he pleased that he has since made it his home. In
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1891 he became a sub-contractor, in which capacity he was employed by several contractors. Afterward he was a member of the firm of Toogood & Wingate, but their partnership was dissolved by mutual consent and he began in business alone. While with others or by himself he has had the contracts for the Morey Mercantile warehouse, Jackson building, Governor Baxter's residence, the Babcock and Young residences, etc.
While in Plymouth Mr. Wingate was made a Mason in Brunswick Lodge No. 159, in which he was junior deacon. He is now a member of Denver Lodge No. 5, Denver Chapter No. 2, R. A. M.; also of South Side Camp No. 71, Woodmen of the World. In national politics he is a Republican and in religious belief an Episcopalian. Before leaving Plymouth, England, he married Miss Lucy, daughter of John Elliott, a traveling salesman. They are the parents of three children, the eldest of whom, Byron, was born in England, and the others, Lillian and Dorothy, in Denver.
OHN
J. BITTER has resided in Denver since 1879 and is well known among
the efficient, successful business men of the city. Beginning as
contractor in 1883, he has since given his attention to the
erection of public buildings and private residences, among his
contracts being those for Hon. Fred Walson's residence, on
Eighteenth and Grant avenues; the Thompson building, on Fifteenth
and Boulder streets; and the Garfield school, on the north side.
His office is located at No. 118 Seventeenth avenue, and his
residence at No. 445 Ogden street.
The Bitter family is of German origin. Christian Bitter, who served in the German army during youth, later was occupied as an architect and draughtsman in Oldenburg, where he died in 1849, at the age of more than fifty years. His son, J. F. W., our subject's father, was born in Oldenburg, but went to Amsterdam at the age of fourteen and there learned the carpenter's trade. After his marriage to Sophia Elizabeth Hauthonsen, a native of Amsterdam, he came to America and settled in Albany, N. Y., where he followed his trade for two years. Removing from thereto Ohio, he settled in what is now Toledo, and in 1853 purchased a tract of land included in the present corporate limits of that city. This land he tilled and cultivated, but later sold and retired from active business. He and his wife are still living, as are also seven of their eight children.
The subject of this sketch was born in Toledo, Ohio, February 20, 1853, and was the fourth among the children born to his parents. When a boy he worked on the home farm and attended private schools, where he obtained a fair education. When quite young he was handy with tools and had a taste for carpentering. At the age of twenty he became an apprentice in Toledo and for seven years remained with the firm of Custer & Byer, assisting during that time in the erection of the chamber of commerce and many churches and large office buildings in that city. In 1879 he came to Denver, where he worked for others until 1883, but since that year has been in business for himself.
In Toledo, Ohio, occurred the marriage of Louisa Samson to Mr. Bitter, and five children, now living, bless their union: Fred, a carpenter assisting his father; Herman, who also works with his father; Arthur, Gertrude and Clara. One daughter, Elsie, died at three years of age. Mrs. Bitter is a daughter of Herman Samson, who was at one time the largest contractor in Toledo and died here in 1892.
Fraternally Mr. Bitter is connected with the Woodmen of the World. He is a charter member of the Carpenters & Builders' Association. Identified with St. John's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, he has been a member of the board of trustees for nine years; he was one of the nine who organized the church in 1880 and was the architect and contractor of the new church, erected in 1896, at the corner of Fifth avenue and Evans street. He also assisted in establishing the missions at Brighton and Littleton, Colo.
ALCOLM McCRIMMON came to Colorado in 1873, arriving at Georgetown on the 27th of March and embarking in business as a. blacksmith and wagonmaker. In January, 1877, he opened a shop at Lawson and continued the two for six months, when he sold the newer enterprise. Meantime he began to be interested in mining, a considerable portion of his earnings being invested in mining property. During the
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period of his residence in Georgetown he served as an alderman for two years. May 12, 1886, he came to Denver, where at first he carried on a shop situated on Blake street, but in 1889 he sold out and embarked in the grocery business on the corner of Twelfth and Larimer streets. For twenty-two months he was a grocer, but then sold out and resumed work as a blacksmith, locating at No. 1730 Wazee street. His horse-shoeing and wagon shop is now located at No. 1706 Wazee.
As his name indicates, Mr. McCrimmon is a Scotchman. he was born in Inverness in 1838, and his father, Kenneth, and grandfather, Duncan McCrimmon, were natives of the same shire, the latter being a farmer and the former a stonemason by trade. During the dull seasons in building, Kenneth McCrimmon engaged in fishing, having a number of small boats that he used for this purpose. In 1849 he removed with his family to Canada, where he followed his trade until he died, at sixty-six years of age. His wife, Annie, was a daughter of Donald McClure, of Scotland; she died in 1838, and of her nine children Malcolm is the sole survivor. After her death Mr. McCrimmon married again and two children were born of that union.
When the family settled in Canada our subject was a lad of eleven years. He remained at home until August 14, 1857, when he began an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade at Lancaster, and served until September 14, 1860. Five days later, on the 19th, he came to the States, settling in Rutland, Vt., where he worked at his trade. April 15, 1861, he came further west, and for two months engaged in the hotel business at Bloomington, Ill., later working at his trade until October of the same year, when he secured employment as a teamster in government employ. He worked in Sedalia, Mo., until February 1, 1862, when he accompanied the military command to Commerce, Mo., remaining there two weeks. He then went to St. Louis, and from there to Fort Leavenworth, where he again worked as a teamster for the government, hauling supplies between Forts Riley and Leavenworth. July 1, 1862, he went to Fort Scott, Kan., as a blacksmith for the government, and two years later removed to Mapleton, Kan., where he opened a blacksmith shop. In 1866 failing health induced him to stop work at his trade and engage in farming; after a year as an agriculturist in Neosho County, Kan., he returned to Mapleton and again engaged as a blacksmith, continuing in that place until his removal to Colorado, March 25, 1873.
While in Fort Scott, Kan., Mr. McCrimmon married Miss Amy Ann Wells, who was born in Lincoln County, Tenn. They are the parents of six children now living, viz.: Archie and Edwin P., who are engaged in the grocery business; Annie, Lulu M., Malcolm and Milton H. For some years, while in Georgetown, Mr. McCrimmon acted as an elder in the Presbyterian Church, of which denomination he is a member. Fraternally he is connected with Washington Lodge No. 12, A. F. & A. M., at Georgetown, and politically he is a silver Republican.
ETER
C. SCHAEFER. Among the natives of other countries who have sought
homes in Denver and have, by their industry and perseverance,
contributed to the progress of the city, mention belongs to the
subject of this notice, who is engaged in business here as a
blacksmith and carriage manufacturer. He is a son of Peter and
Catherine (Weimer) Schaefer, and was born upon their farm at
Dehrn, Hessen-Nassau, Germany, in 1862, being one of twelve
children that attained years of maturity. The members of this
family are now scattered in different parts of the world, only two
of them being in the United States.
The third of this large family was the subject of our sketch. He received his education in the public schools of his native place and followed the common custom of leaving school to learn a trade at the age of fourteen. For three years he was apprenticed to a blacksmith and in this way gained a thorough knowledge of that trade. In the spring of 1880 he took passage at Bremen for New York, from which place he proceeded west to Chicago, but after working at his trade there for three months, he came still further west and settled in Denver. Here he remained working at his trade until 1883, when he went to Cheyenne, Wyo., and was employed there for fourteen months.
On his return to Denver Mr. Schaefer at first worked for others, but in 1886 started in business
