Mardos Collection
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interfered with his duties, and, proving quite severe and weakening, he decided to try a change of climate. This occurred in the winter of 1894, since which time he has made his home in Boulder. He is a member of the Alumni Association of Columbia College, New York City, and is the examining physician of the local lodges of the Knights of the Golden Eagle and of the Foresters. Politically he is a silver Democrat. He was initiated into the mysteries of Masonry in Watertown, N. Y., and still holds membership with Watertown Lodge No. 4, A. F. & A. M., the one to which ex-Governor Flower belongs.
The marriage of the doctor and Miss May Frances Gordon was solemnized it New York City, September 25, 1893. Her father, Edward Gordon, is a well-known business man of Columbus avenue, New York. The marriage of Dr. Rice and his estimable wife has been blessed by the birth of a little daughter, Ethel.
OHN ISRAEL BREWER enjoys the distinction of being one of the best farmers and business men of Arapahoe County. His homestead, located on section 18, township 2 south, range 6 west, is a model one in every respect, and can be excelled by few in this portion of the state. In the year 1864 he entered fifty acres of it from the government, it then being entirely unbroken and unimproved. From time to time he purchased more, until he owned four hundred and forty acres. He sold eighty acres of this later, and deeded some to his sons until he has now but one hundred and thirty acres left, though this is ample for his needs. It is well irrigated, and the owner is a stockholder in the Colorado Agricultural Ditch Company, having served as its secretary five or six years and for several years as its president, while he has been a director from the organization of the concern.
On both sides of the family Mr. Brewer comes of patriotic ancestry. His grandfather, John Brewer, a native of New Jersey and of English extraction, was about seventeen years old when the war of the Revolution came on. He enlisted and served under General Washington at Schnylkill, Valley Forge and other notable places. His two brothers, George and Paul, were killed in the Revolutionary war. Adam Hinkle, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was a soldier of the Revolution and was in the branch of the army commanded by General Greene. After the war he settled in Frederick County, Va., where he had located previously, upon arriving in this country from Germany, his native land. He married in Virginia and there his children were born.
James H. Brewer, father of our subject, was born on an island in the Susquehanna River, in Union County, Pa. He was educated for the Presbyterian ministry and went to Virginia in that capacity. He there met and married Mary Hinkle, by whom he had ten children. He died March 13, 1833, when our subject was but fourteen, and the latter, being the eldest son, felt that the family was thus left to his charge in large measure. For eight years they kept together, living on a small farm which had belonged to the father. The mother then married a second time, and James H., who had manfully contributed his earnings to the support of the family, at last felt that he was free. His education had materially suffered, for, whereas his father had had college advantages he had only had a subscription-school education.
John I. Brewer was born in Frederick, Va., February 25, 1819. He picked up the carpenter's trade after his father's death and worked at building barns, sheds and at whatever he could find to do. In 1849 he joined a party of men who were going to California after gold. The company was in charge of Frank Washington, who was a nephew of President Washington. As Mr. Brewer had some business affairs to settle he allowed the others to precede him and intended to overtake them on the way. Cholera was abroad in the land and he almost decided not to leave home, but finally did set out, and had proceeded to a point beyond Evansville, Ind., when he was taken sick with the mumps, and not knowing what was the trouble he did not continue his westward trip. He spent the next two years in Aurora, Ind., thence going to Harrison County, Ky., where he was married. Later he moved to Carrollton, Ky., and in December, 1860, went to St. Joseph, Mo. About a year afterward he came to Colorado with the intention of going into the mines here. Instead he worked for James M. Broadwell, of Denver, for a short time and then rented a farm near his present home-
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. stead. At the end of a year he rented another place, and in 1863 went back for his family, driving through to Colorado with them. Then, in 1864, as previously related, he located on the land where he still dwells.
From his early manhood Mr. Brewer has been a Democrat. He was nominated for county commissioner here, but was not elected, and when a resident of Kentucky he was tendered the nomination for the legislature, but declined the honor. He served as a justice of the peace for two years. In Aurora, Ind., he joined the Masonic order, and when he moved to Carrollton, Ky., he became a member of the Odd Fellows' society and took the fifth degree.
December 15, 1850, Mr. Brewer married Miss Hannah C. Zilar, a native of Fleming County, Ky. Her parents were Jacob and Esther (Chadwick) Zilar, of English and Irish descent respectively. The great-uncle of the mother was Sir Andrew Chadwick, who was knighted for saving the life of Queen Anne on one occasion when her horses were running away. The faithful wife of Mr. Brewer, his kind and helpful companion through joys and sorrows, died on Thanksgiving day, 1896, and was placed to rest in Riverside Cemetery. Their five children, all born in Carrollton, Ky., where Mr. Brewer kept a hotel for several years, are as follows: John Randolph, born in 1851, is unmarried and lives with his father; Mary Ellen, Mrs. F. S. McKay, lives in Irondale and has six children; James M., born in 1855, died November 8, 1897, and left ten children; Jefferson Z., unmarried and wealthy, is now living in Billings, Mont., and for thirteen years was manager of a large cattle ranch; and Louise Ada is the wife of John B. Zilar, of Weld County, and is the mother of seven children.
HARLES SNYDER, superintendent of the Kilton Gold Reduction Company, a flourishing business enterprise in Boulder, is a young man of marked talent and executive ability. He is connected with other local industries, is interested extensively in mining operations and has investments in real estate. With the brilliant start he has already made in the commercial world, it is safe to predict for him a prosperous future.
The father of our subject is A. G. Snyder, who is represented elsewhere in this volume. The senior Mr. Snyder is a native of Berne, Switzerland, and came to the United States with his parents at an early age. They settled in Carthage, N. Y. on a farm, where the lad grew to manhood. During the war of the Rebellion he enlisted in the Twentieth New York Cavalry, and served with fidelity and bravery until after the close of hostilities, when he was granted an honorable discharge, and returned home. Some time subsequently he went to Missouri, where he took up a homestead in Caldwell County, and operated the place for a few years, then coming to Colorado. Locating in Logan County, near the town of Sterling, he conducted a farm and raised stock quite successfully from 1887 until 1891, when he took up his residence in Boulder. Since that time he has been engaged in the real-estate business and other enterprises. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Pierce, conies of the same family as B. F. Pierce of this city, and is a native of Pennsylvania. Her father was Charles Pierce, a native of Vermont and a life-long agriculturist. Two children came to bless the home of A. G. Snyder and wife, namely: Maude and Charles, of this sketch.
The birth of Charles Snyder occurred in Kingston, Mo., August 2, 1872, and his early recollections are of life on a prairie farm. When he was about ten years of age he accompanied his parents on a visit to New York state, and for several years he pursued his studies in the excellent schools of Carthage. Eleven years ago he came to Colorado, continued his course in the school at Sterling, Logan County, and finally graduated with honors from the Sterling high school. He then matriculated in the University of Colorado in 1891, and passed two years very profitably in that well-known institution of learning. At the close of his sophomore year he left his studies to engage in business.
Ever since he has had the right of franchise, Mr. Snyder has wielded his ballot on behalf of the Republican party. In 1893, when but little past his majority, he held his first public office, being made deputy county treasurer under B. R. McNaughton. He proved thoroughly capable and trustworthy and continued to occupy the position of deputy with L. H. Smith until 1896, when he resigned in order to give his whole time and attention to a new enterprise. The
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Kilton Gold Reduction Company, formerly the Kitten Gold Extraction Company, was then just starting its plant in Boulder, and Mr. Snyder was made the assistant manager of the concern. In May, 1897, he resigned, and three months later accepted the superintendency of the reorganized and consolidated company, under its present name. The Boulder, Breckenridge, Idaho Springs, Florence and Victor Companies were all merged into the Kilton Gold Reduction Company. Mr. Snyder has been the superintendent of the Boulder plant since its beginning. In December, 1896, the Chlorination works were added to the original establishment. All kinds of minerals and ores are bought and treated here, and the company handles the bulk of ore taken out in this county. Mr. Snyder is the sole owner of the Cash mine near Gold Hill, and owns a stamp mill there also.
Socially Mr. Snyder is very popular in Boulder. He is a member of the Boulder Club and is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is kind-hearted and liberal, being always ready to lend a helping hand to those who are in need of assistance.
ILLIAM J. IREDALE, who has been the proprietor of the Capitol Livery Stables for about five years, is one of the energetic, popular business men of Boulder. His establishment, which he is managing with ability, is one of the oldest in the county in its line, and receives a large patronage. Mr. Iredale is very prominent in the local fraternities; is a member of the Boulder Brass Band and is one of the oldest members, in years of service, in the A. J. Macky Hose Company. He belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen; the Knights of the Maccabees, and the Knights of Pythias (Uniform Rank).
In a family that originally numbered thirteen children, W. J. Iredale is the eldest of three sons and five daughters who survive, and is the only one residing in Colorado. His father, Thomas Watson Iredale, is a native of Harfordshire, England. He was married in that country and soon afterwards came to America. He settled in St. Mary's, Ontario, Canada, where he pursued his trade of milling, and later removed to Manitoba. He is now the postmaster of the little town of Dolphin, in that province. His wife bore the maiden name of Rebecca Game, and both are members of the Episcopal Church.
W. J. Iredale was born in St. Mary's, Ontario, September 20, 1856, and was educated in the public and high schools of that town. He obtained a position in a hardware store after he had completed his studies, and learned the tinsmith's trade. The Centennial year he came to Colorado, being then in his twentieth year, and easily found work at his trade in Boulder. Eighteen months later he embarked in mining operations in this county, and continued in that line of enterprise for about a year. Since then he has been engaged in freighting goods up the mountains, farming, etc., and for the past few years has been the manager of the Capitol stables and a dealer in horses. He is also concerned in real-estate transactions, and owns a one-third interest in the Newland Addition to Boulder. Politically he is a Democrat, and religiously an Episcopalian.
The marriage of Mr. Iredale and Miss Ida M. Newland took place in this city September 20, 1883. Mrs. Iredale was born on the site of Leadville, Colo., in pioneer days, and is one of the four children of William and Mary E. (Harris) Newland, the others being: Ivanhoe, who is occupied in mining enterprises; George W. a newspaper man of Albuquerque, N. M.; and Alonzo, of Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Iredale have three children, Thomas Watson, Katie and Mary E.
William Newland, who, from 1871 to the time of his death, August 14, 1886, was a prominent citizen of Boulder County, was one of the early pioneers of Colorado, coming here across the plains in the year 1860. In tracing his history, we find that he was born in Adams County, Ill., March 7, 1833, his parents having been John and Nancy (Irvin) Newland, of Adams County. William was the eldest of six children, and a brother, James, made the trip to this state in 1860, and is now living in Deadwood, Dak. When he was a lad of but ten years his father died, and he helped his mother what he could in the farm work up to the time of his marriage, in 1858. His wife was a native of Missouri, daughter of George W, and Aurelia Harris, the former of whom died when Mrs. Newland was a little girl. The mother was a daughter of a hero
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. of the war of 1812, who was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and also an Abolitionist, though his people had been slave-holders. He was an early settler in Jefferson City, Mo., and later lived in Adams County, Ill., his death occurring in Columbus, Ill.
In 1860 William Newland located in California Gulch, Colo., and in the fall returned to Missouri for his family. In the following spring they started with mule-teams, proceeding up the Platte River, and upon reaching their destination, Buckskin Joe, near Leadville, Mr. Newland turned his attention to mining. His health becoming poor he settled on a farm near Colorado Springs. Then for seven years he mined at Breckenridge, after which he took contracts for work on the Union Pacific Railroad west of Cheyenne. His wife was a faithful helpmate, keeping restaurants for people on the line of the railroad, and assisting in various ways. Then for two years Mr. Newland operated a cattle ranch in Texas, but from 1871 onward was engaged in farming and dairying on his three-hundred-acre ranch in Boulder County. He was interested in mining during the Black Hills excitement for two years. His numerous enterprises resulted in the accumulation of a large and valuable property, which has been managed since his death by his widow, who is an excellent business woman. She sold the old homestead to an English company, but soon bought it back, and has greatly increased its value by judicious improvements.
DWARD KOSSUTH STAFFORD is the popular city clerk of Boulder, to which position he was appointed in 1892 for the first time. He was re-appointed in 1893, and when the state legislature made the office an elective one, he was nominated on the Republican ticket and was duly elected for a term of two years. Upon the expiration of that period he was reelected without opposition, and again, in 1898, when he received a flattering majority, leading the ticket. His present term expires April 1, 1900. He is a true and tried Republican, and a firm believer in the policy of that party.
In noting the birthplaces of several generations of the Stafford family it will be observed that they, as a family, have been steadily moving westward. The great-grandfather of our subject, John Stafford, was born in England, and was an early settler in Vermont, where his son, Edward, the next in line of descent, was born. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and later went to New York, locating in Franklin County, where he carried on a farm. His son, Col. Edward Stafford, father of our subject, was born in Franklin County, and with the family removed to Erie County, Pa., where he was reared to maturity. Edward, Sr., passed his last years in Burlington, Iowa.
Col. Edward Stafford was a talented man and an ardent patriot, daring to do and say, during and after the Civil war, what few men would have ventured in those stormy times in the south. He was strong and fearless in his convictions and was thoroughly respected, even by his political enemies. He was a lawyer by profession and practiced in Aurora, Ill., and New Boston, Ill., prior to the war. While that struggle was in progress he located in St. Louis, Mo., and there organized a regiment of militia or home guards, being then commissioned colonel of the same by the governor of the state. They were called into service in the southern part of Missouri, serving for about a year. At the end of that time the colonel was honorably discharged, and, returning to St. Louis, remained there until after peace had been declared. He then accepted an appointment as deputy United States revenue collector of a district (East Scooba) in Mississippi, and held the post for two years. Going to Jackson, Miss., in 1868, he started the first Republican newspaper ever published in the state after the war - the Mississippi Pilot. Both in his journal and in public speeches he nobly stood by the government and the Union. The governor of Mississippi appointed him major-general of the state militia and afterward appointed him chancellor of a district (or judge of the district courts) at Greenville. He held that office most efficiently for four years and in 1884 came to Boulder. Here death came to him when he was three score and ten years of age, his busy and useful career having been well rounded out. His wife, who had died at Greenville, Miss., with the yellow fever, was a Miss Mary Merrill in her girlhood. She was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, where her father, Isaac F., was an early settler, having gone there from his former home in New England.
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