Mardos Collection
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 619
and was drowned in the city ditch July 15, 1885.
He was a bright, intelligent and manly boy. Mr. Allies' home is now brightened by the widow of his nephew, Mrs. Edward S. Bixby, and her four children: George P., Joseph A., Alice J. and Edward S., Jr. Mrs. Bixby, whose maiden name was Ella Powell, is a daughter of James S. and Julia A. (Griffith) Powell, of Kentucky, who, in June, 1863, crossed the plains in a wagon drawn by an ox-team and accompanying sixty other teams; they located in Central City, Colo., but returned to Douglas County in 1871. Both are deceased, leaving four children.
AJ. AARON GOVE. The Cove family was founded in America by John Cove, who, with his sons Edward and John, Jr., came to New England in an early day; he died in Cambridge, Mass., in 1682, and his son and namesake died in the same place November 24, 1704. About 1665 Edward Cove moved from Cambridge to Hampton, N. H., and bought from the Indians a tract of land, where he settled and engaged in farm pursuits. In 1660 he had married Hannah Titcomb, who accompanied him to Hampton. His death occurred May 29, 1691. One of their children was Ebenezer, born June 23, 1671, married to Judith Sanborn December 20, 1692; among their large number of children was Jeremiah, whose sons were Joseph, Nathan and John. Joseph's sons were Jeremiah and Ezekiel; the former married Mary Morrill, by whom he had the following children: Jeremiah, Aaron M., Susan, John, Mary, Hannah and Charles. Aaron M. married Sarah Becket Hilton, and had two sons, John Francis and Daniel.
John Francis Gove married Sarah Jane Wadleigh, and they had three children, Aaron, Frank and Sarah J. F. The eldest of these is the subject of our sketch. His father moved from Hampton to Boston, where he engaged in business. About 1850 he came as far west as Rutland, LaSalle County, Ill., and built the first house on the prairie there, with not a single tree for twenty miles around. Later he removed to southern Illinois and from there went to Peoria, where he died January 2, 1895.
The subject of this sketch was born in Hampton, N. H., September 26, 1839. At the age of eight he was taken by his parents to Boston, where he attended the public school. He accompanied the family to LaSalle County, Ill., where his father was a blacksmith for ten years. At the age of fifteen he began to teach school, and while not thus engaged gave his attention to the studies of the Illinois State Normal School. In the summer of 1861 he entered the volunteer service of the United States army, remaining for three years, and during the last two years was adjutant of the Thirty-third Illinois Infantry. Soon after leaving the service he returned to his profession and took charge of the school at New Rutland, Ill. In 1868 he accepted the position as superintendent of schools at Normal. There he remained as teacher for five years, also owned and edited the Illinois Schoolmaster, a state educational journal of high standing. In 1874 he was called to the superintendency of the Denver schools, which position he has since occupied. In 1888 he was given the degree of LL. D. from the University of Colorado.
When a child of only three years Mr. Gove began to attend school and his entire subsequent life, with the exception of the period spent in the army, has been given to educational work. In recognition of his high standing among the educators of the country, Dartmouth College in 1878 conferred upon him the honorary degree of A.M. He is interested in the cause of education and has done much to advance the standard of the schools of Denver. His military experience and tastes have caused his elevation to various positions of honor outside of educational circles. He is a prominent thirty-third degree Mason and has served as grand commander of the Knights Templar of Colorado, also for two years was commander of the military order of Loyal Legion. He is connected with Lincoln Post, G.A.R. For years he has been a member of the board of trustees of the First Congregational Church. In 1888 he was president of the National Educational Association that met in San Francisco and is a life director in the same.
At Andover, Mass., Major Gove married Miss Caroline C. Spofford, daughter of Farnham and Lydia (Coggeshall) Spofford, of the Island of Nantucket. Her father, who was a member of an old-established family of New England, was in early life a schoolmaster and later a tiller of the soil. He was a man of noble character. Mrs. Gove was educated at Andover. By her marriage
26
620
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. four children were born, namely: Frank Edward, a member of the law firm of Yeaman & Gove; Aaron M., whose sketch follows this; Ellen S., wife of Henry Harrington, Jr.; and Caro.
ARON M. GOVE, one of Denver's most successful architects, was born in Rutland, Ill., in July, 1867, and is a son of Prof. Aaron and Caroline (Spofford) Gove. He is the second of four children, his brother and sisters being Frank E., a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1888 and now an attorney; Ellen Spofford, who is married and resides in Denver; and Caro, who is now studying in Europe. When, in 1874, his father accepted the position of superintendent of school district No. 1, in Denver, the family removed to this city and our subject has since made it his home. He was primarily educated in the old Arapahoe street school, where he acquired a fair knowledge of common-school branches. In 1886 he entered the School of Mines, where he was a student for a short time.
Entering the office of Robert S. Roeschlaub in 1887, Mr. Gove there learned the architect's business and spent five years as an employe. In 1891 he entered the Illinois State University, for the purpose of taking a special course in architecture, and after one year he returned to Denver, where he secured employment in the office of. Andrews, Jacques & Rantoul. In 1892 he opened an office for himself in the McPhee building, where he has since remained, being now the senior member of the firm of Gove & Walsh. He has designed some of the finest residences in the city, among them the homes of C. S. Morey, on Sherman avenue, between Colfax and Sixteenth avenues; Jacob Savageau, on Colfax and Gilpin; Frederick Buckley, on Pennsylvania street near Tenth avenue; Mrs. L. M. Gale, on High street, between Thirteenth and Fourteenth avenues; Frank Miller, corner of Thirteenth and High street; John F. Campion, corner of Eighth avenue and Logan street; J. K. Mullin, corner of Ninth and Pennsylvania; and J. S. Brown, Ninth and Grant avenue; and warehouses for Mrs. E. K. Watkins and the C. S. Morey Mercantile Company, on Sixteenth and Wynkoop.
In 1895, in Denver, occurred the marriage of Mr. Gove to Miss Elizabeth M. Farrar, by whom he has one child, a daughter, Margaret. In political views he is independent and has never identified himself with public affairs nor desired the emoluments or honors of public position. He takes an interest in everything pertaining to architecture and is a charter member of the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture. Like his father, he is public-spirited, desiring to do all within his power to promote the welfare of the city where for so long he has made his home.
Honorably discharged from the army, he turned his attention to the study of the law, which, after being admitted to the bar, he followed for some years in Illinois, but in 1872, believing the tide of population would drift westward and build up the Rocky Mountain states, he removed to Denver. He did not come, as have so many, in search of the gold believed to be hidden in the metalliferous mines of the mountains, nor in search of the renewed health so generously bestowed by the salubrious climate; but he came because he believed Denver would in time become one of the great cities on the continent and therefore offered great opportunities to the legal practitioner. He still retains his faith in the future of Denver, which he has seen make marvelous strides in population and commercial importance.
A study of the parentage of any man assists us in gaining an insight into his own character. Mr. Phelps was born in Woodville, Miss., December 4, 1842. His parents were born in New York, but were married in Woodville, where they resided for a few years, and until the death of the mother. They were both opposed to slavery, which they believed to have a debasing influence
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 621
upon both slaves and masters, and for this reason they determined to seek a home in the north, amid more congenial surroundings. The mother did not live to see this plan carried out, but the father gave up his lucrative law business and moved to Illinois, settling upon a farm in Bond County in the spring of 1844. Later he settled in Greenville, the county seat, where he has since practiced his profession until elected county judge.
The boyhood days of Mr. Phelps were passed on the home farm, in the cultivation of which he assisted. In order to secure funds for continuing his studies, he taught a country school and for a time clerked in a store. It had been his intention to enter college in the fall of 1862, but the breaking out of the war changed his plans, and as soon as possible he entered the Federal service, responding to the president's call for three hundred thousand men. In July, 1862, he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Thirtieth Illinois Infantry, which was ordered to Tennessee and from there went to Vicksburg, taking part in the siege of that city. During the early part of the siege occurred the march from Milliken's Bend, and while it was being made the running blockade of the Mississippi by boats took place, after which the army crossed the river and marched to the rear of the city. In this movement, as well as in every part of the siege, Mr. Phelps actively participated, his regiment being incorporated in Smith's Division, Thirteenth Army Corps. Soon afterward he was made sergeant of Company F, and later was detached from his regiment to engage in recruiting colored troops. He was commissioned second lieutenant of the Twenty-fifth Regiment Corps d'Afrique, afterward known as the Ninety-third United States Colored Infantry, and he was chosen first lieutenant of Company I, being its acting commander, as the captain was engaged elsewhere as a staff officer. On the close of the war he was honorably discharged from the service.
Returning north, he took a short course in Illinois College at Jacksonville, and then studied law in Greenville, where he began to practice in the spring of 1867. In company with ex Governor Cooper he came to Denver and for a time the two were partners, but Mr. Cooper turning his attention to other pursuits, Mr. Phelps entered the law office of Charles & Elbert. On the election of Judge Elbert as chief executive of the state, he became a partner of Mr. Charles, but in 1875 entered into his connection with judge Benedict as a member of the firm of Benedict & Phelps. He has never sought office, his tastes not running in that direction, nor, indeed, has he cared to identify himself with political affairs. At one time he was mentioned for the office of attorney-general, but withdrew his name in favor of a gentleman from the southern part of the state. With reluctance he accepted from the Republicans nomination for the first state legislature. He was elected and became a leading member of the lower house, being chairman of its judiciary committee and having a reputation as one of its most eloquent speakers and logical debaters. For a time he was city attorney of Denver and was tendered an appointment as a district judge in the second district, which he declined.
In 1867 Mr. Phelps married Miss Donnell, of Bond County, Ill. They are the parents of four children. The eldest, Horace, graduated from the Northwestern University at Evanston, Ill., and later from the law department of Yale College. He married a daughter of Hon. D. H. Ferguson, ex-president of the Denver Savings Bank. He is now in the employ of the firm of Benedict & Phelps. Already he has gained distinction as a rising young attorney. In 1897 he was tendered the position of assistant district attorney, but declined on account of not desiring to relinquish his civil practice. The elder daughter, Edelle, has been liberally educated, and is a talented musician. The two youngest children are twins, Enid and Harlo, now fourteen years of age and students in the city schools.
HARLES BURKE established his home in Denver in January, 1896, and is engaged in the stock business, being connected with the Union Stockyards here. In October of the same year he started the Grand junction stock and feed yards, of which he has since been the proprietor and which are situated on his ranch at Grand Junction, on the line of the Colorado Midland, Rio Grande Western and Denver & Rio Grande Railroads. He is a large buyer of cattle, making purchases in Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico.
Mr. Burke was born at old Fort McPherson, Neb., near what is now North Platte, Lincoln
622
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. County. His father, John, emigrated from Germany to America in young manhood, and after a short sojourn in Illinois removed to Nebraska, where in 1858 he settled a homestead at Fort McPherson. Two years previous to this he had visited the state and investigated its prospects and opportunities. By government contract he furnished the fort with hay, wood, freight and beef, and also carried the mail from the railroad to the fort. He started the first store on the Platte, on this side of old Fort Phil Kearney, near Fort McPherson. He was postmaster and also had the stage and mail contracts. Indians were troublesome and he took part in many skirmishes with them. In 1872, when he was sixty years old, he was carrying the mail according to contract; freshets had washed away the bridges across the Platte and he attempted to cross by flat boat, but was drowned. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margareta Baurch, was born in Germany and resides at the old homestead near North Platte. At the age of seventy-six she is still physically robust and mentally active. Her family consisted of one daughter and eight sons, of whom all but one are living. Five are in Nebraska and the others in Wyoming, Oregon and Colorado, respectively.
The youngest of the family is the subject of this sketch. He was educated in public schools and Nebraska College in Nebraska City and Lincoln University, from which he graduated in 1881. Meantime he and his brothers had engaged in the cattle business in Lincoln County, the firm of M. Burke & Sons comprising the mother and eight sons. When the youngest son reached his majority the business was divided, but several of the sons have continued together since. Our subject still has cattle interests there and a ranch that is well stocked. In 1890 he established stockyards at. North Platte, Neb., on the Union Pacific, which were incorporated as the Union Stockyards Company, and his stock in this concern he retained until very recently. His brother, John, is now its manager.
In Nebraska, in 1891, Mr. Burke married Miss Mary Hail, who was born in Nebraska City and there grew to womanhood. She was next to the youngest of four children, all living, one of whom, Charles M., resides in North Denver. Her father, Granville Hail, was born in Virginia and in 1854 settled in Otoe County, Neb., where he was a county and state officer for years, but is now living retired. He married Sarah Mahan, who was born in Kentucky and settled as a pioneer of Otoe County, remaining there until her death. Mr. and Mrs. Burke attend the Episcopal Church. They and their children, Margharetta and Evard Hail Burke, reside at No. 2412 Marion street. In political belief he is an advocate of free trade and free silver.
ILLIAM HELM, member of the firm of Thompson & Helm, contractors and builders, of Denver, was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, July 26, 1841, and is a son of William and Margaret (Scott) Helm, also natives of Scotland. His father, who was a son of William Helm, Sr., was a sheep farmer in his native land, and from there came to the United States, in 1879 settling in Burlington, Coffey County, Kan., where he died about 1892, at the age of ninety-two. His wife, who was a daughter of Alexander Scott, of Dumfries, Scotland, was born in 1815 and is still living, making her home in San Marcial, N. M. Of their nine children eight are living, William being the oldest son and next to the oldest child.
In the common schools of Dumfries and Roxburgh shires our subject obtained a fair education. At the age of fourteen he became an apprentice to the carpenter's trade in Edinburgh, what he remained for six years, and then went to England, spending three years on the Tyne. He next shipped as carpenter on a merchant vessel and spent fourteen years on the water, meantime taking three trips around the world. Twice he was wrecked, once on the Mediterranean, when the vessel sank and the crew escaped in boats; again, on the Southern Pacific, when the ship was saved. During his entire period of service he was foreman of the carpenters, or "chips," as they are called at sea, a very suggestive name, as chips float and "chips" at sea are necessary to keep the vessel whole and afloat.
While employed as ship carpenter, Mr. Helm first touched American waters in 1863. In 1872 he settled in this country, following his trade at Joliet, Will County, Ill., for two years, and then going to Emporia, Kan., as contractor. Later he was a salesman for the Chicago Lumber Company, in their yard at Burlington, Kan., and
 |
 |
 |
 |