WILLIAM MYERS.
Mardos Collection
WILLIAM MYERS.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 789
Ebert was identified with the Republican party, but later he became an adherent of the Democracy and a firm friend of the silver cause. He has never sought office and has held no position save that of member of the school board. His time has been closely given to the improvement of his place, which is well irrigated by a ditch running through the land. Among his improvements are a large and substantial barn and a comfortable house.
ILLIAM MYERS is a progressive agriculturist of Arapahoe County, his finely improved farm being situated on section 10, township 2 south, range 67 west. He bought this property in 1871. It might then have been appropriately named Cactus Hill, so barren and wild a piece of land did it appear, but in 1875 the owner erected a commodious brick house, then almost a wonder in the community, and at once set diligently to work to institute sweeping improvements. To-day he has one of the model homesteads in this locality. In 1887 the Burlington Ditch was constructed, and Mr. Myers worked on the enterprise for nearly two months, taking his pay in stock in the company. His land is splendidly irrigated and on the place is an artesian well. His original purchase comprised one hundred and sixty acres, to which he later added another eighty acres, but he afterwards sold a part of the farm and now retains one hundred and eighty acres.
The birthplace of William Myers was in Berks County, Pa., and within the same county his parents, Henry and Hannah (Kohler) Myers, were also born. The paternal grandfather of our subject was a native of Germany, but came to America in colonial days. Henry Myers, the father, was born May 6, 1784, and offered his services in the war of 1812, but was not called into battle. He was a carpenter and builder and also owned and cultivated a small farm. He was a Democrat and held several local offices in his borne district. He lived to be seventy-three years old, dying in the county where his birth had taken place. He was the father of fourteen children, of whom but three survive. Obed, the eldest, is carrying on the old homestead, and Frank resides in Reading, Pa.
William Myers was born March 18, 1834, and in the schools of his home neighborhood received a good education. At seventeen he began learning the blacksmith's trade. He was paid $25 a year for two years, his board being also furnished. Then for one year he worked as a journeyman in Lancaster County, Ohio, earning meantime $10 a month and his board, and later he was paid $2 a day in Shelbyville, Ill. Another year was spent by him in Iowa City, Iowa and in 1860 he and three other men drove through to Denver with a horse team. They were thirty-five days on the way and crossed the Missouri River at Plattsmouth. Arriving in Denver June 9, Mr. Myers worked as a journeyman blacksmith until fall, when he went into partnership with the man who had been employing him. The following year, however, our subject started an independent shop and continued to run it until 1876. At the same time he sold wagons and farm implements. He invested in his farm, as previously stated, in 1871, but did not remove thereto for several years. He formerly supported the Republican party, but now stands by the Prohibitionists. That he is an earnest friend to the public schools may be seen by the fact he has served as a school director for fifteen years. He was reared in the Lutheran faith, while his wife was identified with the Congregational Church when young, and now both are members of the Presbyterian Church.
In 1867 Mr. Myers went to Geneseo, Ill., on a visit, and there became acquainted with the lady who is now his wife, their marriage having taken place in Denver September 9, 1869. She was Hannah E. Kinsey before her marriage. The five children born to this worthy couple are: Elsie C.; Herbert W.; Orville K., who died when six years and five months old; Robert A. and Henry L. Mrs. Myers is a daughter of Amos and Charlotte (Engle) Kinsey, natives of Bucks County, Pa., and granddaughter of Edmund and Elizabeth (Briggs) Kinsey, also Pennsylvanians.
The first of the Kinsey family to settle in America was one John Kinsey, a Quaker from England, and one of the commissioners for the settlement of New Jersey under the purchase of Edward Byllinge. John Kinsey arrived on the ship "Kent," June 16, 1677. The majority of the passengers on this boat settled at what is now Burlington, N. J., but John Kinsey made selection of three hundred acres of land on the east side of the Delaware, above the mouth of the Schuylkill,
790
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. and near the spot afterwards famous as Penn's Treaty tree, and the city of Philadelphia. The land mentioned was bought from Peter Cock, a Swede, but before the actual transfer of property was consummated, John Kinsey died. However, at a court held at Upland (now Chester) the said Peter Cock appeared before the justices and made formal acknowledgment of his deed of conveyance of said land to Elizabeth Kinsey, widow of John Kinsey. John Kinsey, the second, son of John and Elizabeth, it appears, did not accompany them to America in 1677, but came the next year and took charge of his mother's business affairs. He afterwards became distinguished in public services, and his son John, likewise a Quaker, became chief justice in Pennsylvania.
Edmund Kinsey, son of John Kinsey and his wife, Elizabeth, and brother of Chief-Justice John Kinsey, was the ancestor of Mrs. Myers, in direct line. Edmund Kinsey married Sarah Ogborn or Osborn, by permission of the Society of Friends, at the house of Nathaniel Fitz Randolph, in Woodbridge, N. J., August 8, 1708. The young couple at first resided in the town referred to, but in August, 1715, with her three children and personal effects, and accompanied by Jane Fitz Randolph (the widowed mother of Mrs. Kinsey) they removed to the untried wilderness, now Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pa. They were guided to their new home by friendly Indians. Edmund Kinsey was deeply interested in the spiritual welfare of the people among whom his lot was cast, and that his labors were appreciated is shown by the fact that at a meeting of the ministers and elders, in November, 1717, he received commendation in public. He was one of the founders of Buckingham Meeting in 1720. One of the foremost mechanics of his day, he had a scythe and ax factory in Buckingham, and, what was remarkable at that time, he owned a trip or tilt hammer, operated by water power. He was the father of nine children, of whom the eighth, Benjamin, was the great-grandfather of Mrs. Myers.
UGUST MATSCHKE, a prosperous farmer of Arapahoe County and the owner of an improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres here, was born in Brandenburg, Germany, November 3, 1858, a son of August Matschke, Sr., who died in middle life leaving two sons. One of these, Ernest, is a cabinet-maker of Denver. After the death of his father and mother our subject was taken into the home of his grandmother and uncle, and there he remained for a few years. At the age of fourteen he began to learn the cabinet-maker's trade, which he followed in Germany for ten years and traveled all over Germany, mostly on foot, seeing much and learning many valuable lessons in life.
In 1883, at the age of twenty-five, our subject came to this country and settled in Louisville, Ky., but after a very short time he came to Denver. In 1884 he took up a homestead, which is now a valuable ranch of one hundred and sixty acres. This he has fenced and improved and upon it he still makes his home. In 1883 he married Frieda Rebien, by whom he has two sons and two daughters, namely: Elsie, Otto, Carl and Martha.
Politically Mr. Matschke favors the principles of the Republican party. He is interested in educational matters and has served two terms as a member of the school board. He is too busy, however, to give much attention to politics or official positions, preferring to devote himself entirely to the management of his farm. All the improvements on his place, fences, house, barn, etc., speak much for his industrious labors in the past, and his success is commendable, especially when it is considered that he was left an orphan in early life and came to this country without friends or means to assist him in getting a start.
ETER F. LITTLE. No one in Boulder is more thoroughly respected as a business man than is the subject of this article. Prompt and faithful in meeting every obligation, pleasant and genial in manner, enterprising and energetic in disposition, he deserves the friendship which he so freely enjoys among his acquaintances. He has been a resident of Boulder about eight years and is interested in everything relating to the progress and improvement of the place.
Born in the northern part of Ireland, near the famous Giant's Causeway, our subject is one of the thirteen living children of Patrick J. and Ellen (McGovern) Little, who, with their family, still reside on their homestead in the Emerald
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 791
Isle. Peter P. is the only one of the family in America at the present time. He received a good education in the national schools, and in 1880 crossed the Atlantic, going to Helena, Mont. In 1881 he located in Boulder County, and engaged in mining and prospecting, in the Sugar Loaf, Sunshine, Ward and Gold Hill districts, for some time. Later he opened a hotel in Ward, and was quite successful in this enterprise.
In 1890 he started in the livery business in Boulder, and now has the most flourishing concern in the county in this line. His livery is situated at the corner of Fifteenth and Pearl streets. It is equipped with a full line of carriages and vehicles and about one hundred horses are kept on hand. In 1893 Mr. Little embarked in a new enterprise. He began running a stage to Ward, and afterward extended the route to Eldora and Gold Hill. Thus his stages stop at the chief mining camps in this section, and bring the outside world within reach of those who are necessarily absented from the mails, etc. He has not lost his interest in mining operations and is one of the lessees of the Morning Star mine at Ward and the Golden Age mine at Jamestown. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he takes his stand firmly on the side of silver, regardless of party lines.
The marriage of Mr. Little and Miss Sarah J. Sale, a native of Kentucky, was solemnized in Boulder, August 13, 1889. They are the parents of two little daughters, namely: Catherine and Ramona. The family have a pleasant home and their friends in this community are legion.
HARLES DAVIS, who has been a resident of Colorado for over a quarter of a century, is one of the most successful mine operators of Boulder County. His beautiful home is situated on the corner of Pine and Thirteenth avenues, Boulder, and for the past eight years he has been a resident of the county-seat, and thoroughly identified with its upbuilding and improvement He is a self-made man, having been thrown upon his own resources at an early age, and is entitled to great credit for what he has accomplished. He is respected and honored by all who know him, and stands high in the Masonic order, belonging to Columbia Lodge No. 14, A. F. & A. M.; Chapter No. 7, R. A. M.; Mount Sinai Commandery No. 7, K. T., and El Jebel Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Deliver.
In 1871, when entering upon his nature life, Charles Davis decided to come to Colorado. He came across the plains with stockmen whose names, many of them, are now well known in this portion of the west: Todd and Pusey; Wilford and Money. He remained near Rocky Ford, on the Arkansas, until 1872, when he went to Colorado Springs. The same year he engaged in prospecting and mining in Park County, both in California and Buckskin Joe Gulches, and in the fall of 1873 went to Caribou, where he was similarly occupied. He was one of the first to engage in mining in Sunshine at the time of the excitement over the New American mine.
In 1889 Mr. Davis embarked in a new enterprise, for, going to Lake City, Colo., he carried on a hotel for a season, and when the railroad was put through to that point he opened the American House, which he managed successfully. In 1890 he took a lease on Golden Fleece mine, a patented prospect, and "struck it rich" soon afterwards. Later he sold out to the present owners, the Golden Fleece Mining Company, which has developed as rich a mine as can be found in that section of the state. For eight years Mr. Davis has been prospecting and mining in Boulder County, and in April, 1896, bought the Victoria Group of Mines, which he has since operated with marked success. The mines are, without doubt, among the best producing ones in this county; are situated in the Gold Hill district, and average a very high ratio of the precious metal to the ton. In two years the owner has made numerous openings and shafts and levels (over thirty altogether); has placed the most approved modern mining machinery on the property and now has everything in excellent running order. He has patented six different claims, and bids fair to soon retire with a snug little fortune, should he so desire. He gives his personal attention to the management of the Victoria mines, the practical experience he has gained in his former mining ventures being of untold benefit to him now. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat.
In February, 1876, Mr. Davis married Miss Mary Griffin, of Boulder. She is a daughter of
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. one of the pioneers of this region, and at one time lived in Canon City, Fremont County. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Davis has been blessed with a son, Ralph G. They have a very pleasant home and their many friends are always certain of a cordial welcome within their hospitable doors.
ERDINAND KUEHN owns a large ranch of six hundred and forty acres about fourteen miles from Denver, and is one of the substantial farmers of the county of Arapahoe. He was born in Schoenlanke, Prussia, July 2, 1832, and is a son of David Kuehn, who, for thirty-five years was treasurer of the city of Schoenlanke, Germany. He died in 1863. His wife, Carolina Len, died when Ferdinand was but twenty-seven days old, leaving beside him a daughter, who is now Mrs. Amalia Mittelstadt, a widow living in Berlin. Germany.
Mr. Knehn grew to manhood in his native country, was educated in her schools, and from the age of eighteen to twenty served in the volunteer army, in which his uncle, August Len, was captain. When twenty-four he sailed for America, on the ship "Oder," under Captain Swanson. He first went to Chicago, where he stayed for one year, when he went to St. Louis and lived until he received his naturalization papers, and became a citizen of this country. In 1861 he went west to Wyoming and was connected with the Ben Holliday stage line for a year. He then returned to Germany for a ten months' visit, coming back to this country about the time gold was first discovered in Montana, in 1863. He was in the gold mines for three years and then freighted a year from St. Joe, Mo., to Montana. The next year he went to St. Louis and freighted between that city and Denver until the fall of 1886 when he moved to Sand Creek, Colo., and the following year settled on the place now occupied and owned by him. He raises stock and hay, and has improved his farm himself, putting on it just such improvements as he desires.
He was married in 1882 to Helene Wolter, a German lady; whose father, Peter Wolter, was a teacher in that country, and an old man when he crossed the ocean to come to this country. Mr. Kuehn is a Republican, and has been a reader of the New York Tribune ever since 1868. He organized the district school here, and has been on the school board for years. He is affable and pleasant, a shrewd, keen man of business, whom every body knows and likes.
ARCELLIN PINEAU came to Colorado in September, 1865, and settled in Denver, where he worked at the tailor's trade. After a time he located on Coal Creek, Arapahoe County, where he now owns a valuable ranch of four hundred and eighty acres. The place is fenced and contains the usual improvements of house, barn, etc., while a part of the land is used for pasturage and the remainder planted to corn and hay that is used for feed. The results are due to his energy and perseverance, for he has worked untiringly to secure needed improvements on the place and has used every precaution in purchasing stock to secure only the best grades.
A native of Chouviney, Middle France, Mr. Pineau was born June 5, 1824, a son of John and Jane (De Chain) Pineau. The parents remained until death in their native land, the former dying there in 1863. In his family there were two sons and one daughter. Peter was a grain dealer in France, but is now deceased. Mart married Louis Repeaux and is living in France. Our subject spent his early life in his native country, where he was educated in the schools. At the age of nineteen he started out for himself, having previously learned the tailor's trade. He remained in Paris until 1855, when he crossed the ocean, settled in Chicago, and for seven years carried on business in that city. After coming to Colorado he worked at his trade until coming to his ranch. He pre-empted, homesteaded and made a timber claim. The former he sold and later bought one hundred and sixty acres more. He is married and has one son, Lucian Marcell, who is in the Colorado Iron Works.
Since becoming a citizen of this country Mr. Pineau has been loyal to the welfare of the nation and its interests. Politically he believes in Republican principles and votes the straight party ticket. In his school district he has served as treasurer, and it was through his efforts that the first school was started here. In religion he is a Catholic. He has been a very successful business mail and is one of the best-known stockmen in this vicinity. For a time he lived in Central City and managed the Central City Hotel while there.
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