MILTON MATTHEWS.
Mardos Collection
MILTON MATTHEWS.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 961
The marriage of Mr. Peters took place in the fall of 1892 and united him with Miss Eva Bishop, who was born in Missouri and accompanied her father, John Bishop, to Colorado in 1880, settling upon a farm iii Weld County. Mr. and Mrs. Peters are the parents of two children, namely: Leona, who was born January 1, 1894; and Carl, born January 21, 1896. In religious connections Mr. Peters is identified with the Lutheran denomination, while his wife is a member of the United Brethren Church.
ILTON MATTHEWS is one of the progressive farmers of Boulder County, his fine ranch of four hundred acres lying in one body, being situated about eight miles southeast of Longmont. He has devoted his entire time and attention to the cultivation of this place since it came into his possession, and has made a specialty of raising fine blooded cattle and horses. At present he undoubtedly owns as fine a herd of Hereford cattle as are to be found in northern Colorado, and he also has been successful in raising large numbers of fine Hambletonian and Percheron-Norman horses. In January, 1898, he attended the National Stock Growers' Convention held in Denver, as a delegate from Boulder County.
The parents of our subject were John and Barbara (Symmonds) Matthews, the father a native of North Carolina and the mother of Indiana, her birthplace being within seven miles of Indianapolis. They both traced their ancestry to English sources. Grandfather George Matthews removed from the south with his family at an early day, settling first in Ohio, later in Morgan County, Ind. He was about the first white man to drive a wagon across White Lick Creek, and the Indians were very numerous throughout the country when he located in Indiana. He lived to the good old age of eighty-four years. Grandfather John Symmonds was a native of New England, and was a tall, muscular figure, every inch a man of excellent physical proportions. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died in Hancock County, Ill., when he was in his eighty-fifth year. John Matthews was an agriculturist by occupation, and in his early manhood he owned a farm now a portion of the city of Indianapolis. After selling that place he removed to Adams County, Ill., and engaged in the management of a farm located some sixteen miles north of Quincy. Subsequently he lived in Hancock County, and in 1871 he came to Colorado. When on a visit to his old home in Morgan County some years later he was struck by a locomotive and killed, then being in his eighty-fifth year. His wife died at the age of fifty-three years. Eight of their children lived to mature years. Peter, John and Newton were all in the Union army during the Civil war, the first in a Missouri regiment, the second in an Indiana regiment, and the last-mentioned in an Illinois regiment. Peter died in Weld County, Colo., and his widow is a resident of Boulder. John died in Missouri; Newton lives in Boulder; George, the next younger, is a contractor in Blackhawk, Colo.; Eliza resides in Carthage, Ill.; Margaret lives in Canfield, Colo.; and Sarah A. is deceased.
Milton Matthews was born on a farm about one mile west of the state house in Indianapolis, Ind., February 6, 1837. He was reared upon farms in Adams and Hancock Counties, Ill., and attended district school. When he arrived at his majority he embarked in farming on his own account, and in 1865 he started for Colorado, driving a team for John McWirt. The journey was one of three mouths' duration. From Julesburg to Blackhawk he accompanied John Warner's train. In November, 1865, he took a place as wagon-master of Hocker's train, and traveled through Colorado until 1866, when he commenced freighting, and followed that calling several months. He then engaged in the grocery business at Ralston Crossing, Jefferson County, and in 1868 located at Stage Crossing, on the lower Boulder, in this county, and conducted a store there up to 1871. After his marriage he took up his abode on his present farm on the lower Boulder, near Erie. He first owned a quarter section of land, which he proceeded to improve with irrigating ditches, etc., and later he added two hundred and forty acres to the original tract. In 1883 he built a comfortable house in Longmont, and during the school year his family lived therein, in order to give his children educational advantages. He assisted in organizing school district No. 5. of this county, and served as a member of the board for many years. He is a strong silver man and an adherent of the People's party politically.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. On New Year's day, 1871, Mr. Matthews married Mrs. Martha Brush, who was born in Wapello County, Iowa. Her father, Enoch Way, came to Colorado in 1864, and was a pioneer of Boulder County. The first marriage of Mrs. Matthews was with William Brush, who was killed by the Indians while he and a companion were engaged in harvesting a crop of hay on the Platte River in Colorado, in August, 1868. One child was born to this union, a daughter, Minnie B., wife of Alva J. Mayne, of Evans, Weld County. The two children of our subject and wife are: Carrie, Mrs. Levritt B. Scofield, of this county; and Nellie, Mrs. Thomas F. Johnston, of Longmont, a graduate of the city schools there.
AMES S. NEWELL, one of the substantial citizens of Weld County, is a pioneer of this section of the state. Forty years ago he saw it for the first time, but it was wild and barren, and bore small resemblance to the now fertile, well-cultivated country which it is to-day. During these two score years he has been very prominently associated with the development of this county, and has always considered his personal interests as secondary to the general welfare. He was elected to the office of justice of the peace in the '60s and served for two years, and for twenty years was a member of the school board. School district No. 4 was organized while he was in office, and numerous important measures affecting education were carried through, largely by his influence. Then for eight years he was one of the hoard of trustees of Cache la Poudre Irrigating Company, Ditch No. 2, and was one of the original members of the company which constructed Cache la Poudre reservoir in 1892. In the same year he was elected county commissioner, and upon the expiration of his term was re-elected. Both terms he acted as president of the board. Ever since casting his first vote for Fremont he has been loyal in his support of the Republican party. He is a Mason, belonging to Windsor Lodge No. 69, A. F. & A. M.
Some, perhaps, of the keen business ability possessed by Mr. Newell is inherited from his paternal grandfather, who was a native of Ireland. Our subject's father, Matthew Newell, was born in Pennsylvania, and was married in that state to Miss Anna Anderson, born in the same section of country. James S., of this sketch, was born in Franklin County September 4, 1833, and was but a year old when his parents removed to Richland County, Ohio. They settled upon a farm there, and remained in that vicinity as long as they lived. Their eldest son, William W., came to Colorado with James S. in 1858, and engaged in mining and farming until his death, in 1869, in Weld County. Sarah, the eldest daughter, was the wife of B. F. Roberts, of Huron County, Ohio. Anna B. married Dr. L. Nichols, of Richland County, Wis. Elizabeth became the wife of Leonard Rathbon, a miller, and came to Colorado in 1883. They lived in Boulder County until death claimed them both. Dr. Oliver A. formerly practiced medicine in Ohio, but of late years has operated a farm in this county. M. T., deceased, was a merchant of Carthage, Mo. Agnes M. married Lewis Stone, of Crook County, Wyo. There he was engaged in raising cattle.
J. S. Newell received a good education for a country lad, as he attended a select school and later completed his studies in a commercial college. Going to Dubuque, Iowa, he obtained a position in a wholesale grocery house, and remained there two years. He then took charge of a school in Louisa County, Iowa, and continued as a teacher for two years. When the Pike's Peak excitement was at its height, in 1859, he set out for the west with a caravan going from Louisa County. Upon his arrival here he homesteaded a tract of land on the Poudre River (the farm now owned by B. H. Eaton) and commenced the raising of cattle and grain. In 1872 he sold this place and removed to his present farm, where he had pre-empted eighty acres. Later he bought another eighty-acre tract, thus making his farm one of one hundred and sixty acres. It is located on section 22, township 6, range 67 west, two miles east of Windsor. Mr. Newell has raised a general line of crops and has been particularly successful in dairying and stock-raising, and has also engaged extensively in fruit-growing.
In March, 1871, the marriage of Mr. Newell and Catherine Fulton, of Louisa County, Iowa, was solemnized. Mrs. Newell was a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Fulton) Fulton. She died February 6, 1891. The two children of this marriage were: Edwin E., who died at the age of nineteen years, and Leila, wife of L. F. Kimball,
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 963
of the Greeley postal service. In November, 1897, Mr. Newell married Mrs. F. A. Fulton, widow of Joseph H. Fulton, who was a brother of the first Mrs. Newell.
In 1865 the family removed to Oregon, Ogle County, Ill., and two years later settled in St. Charles, Kane County, where the father engaged in farming. He is now retired and resides in Braidwood, Will County. Our subject was educated in the public schools of St. Charles and Woodstock. He was engaged in the butter and cheese business for eleven years, meeting with success in the undertaking. In 1878 he came to Colorado and settled at Greeley. Soon afterward he settled upon his present farm, where he has since engaged in farming and stock-raising. At the time he settled here there was not a house within five miles of his home, but his foresight told him what the future of the locality would be. He labored industriously, making many friends among those with whom he had business or social relations. Not only has he gained the respect of his associates, but his employes, too, have always honored him, and one man remained on his farm steadily for eight years. His house and barn are substantial structures, while the other improvements are equally valuable. The land is located on the outer edge of the irrigation district, and one hundred and sixty acres are under cultivation, planted to grain, alfalfa and potatoes. The stock, consisting of Polled-Angus cattle about eight hundred feeders), are kept in a fenced pasture of eight hundred acres.
Besides his farm, Mr. Russell has money invested elsewhere. He owns eight shares in the Larimer and Weld Reservoir Company, which owns one of the largest reservoirs in the state; he is also interested in the Larimer and Weld Ditch Company. Politically he votes the Republican ticket and supports, both by influence and ballot, the principles of the party. His first marriage, in 1875, united him with Miss Nora Haight, daughter of Sandford Haight, a prominent merchant of Huntley, Ill. She died in 1880, and six years later he was united in marriage with Lucy Piper, daughter of Thomas Piper, a retired farmer, of Greeley. They are the parents of one daughter, Stella.
ONRAD STOCKFLETH is of the sturdy German race, whose members, wherever found, are noted for thrift and energy. A pioneer of Weld County, he has assisted in developing the agricultural resources of this section of the state, and through his good judgment and industry has not only paid for his homestead near Eaton, but has also been able to put money out at interest. He was born in Hildesheim, Germany, May 3, 1862, a son of George and Helen (Soehlemann) Stockfleth. His father, though having few advantages when young, worked his way to a position of influence in his community, where he held office similar to that of justice of the peace. For years he was employed as a bookkeeper and accountant in an iron and steel factory, where there were fifteen thousand hands. In his family there were four sons and two daughters, namely: Henry, who came to the United States in 1884; Frederica, who married Carl Lohmann and lives in Hildesheim; Conrad; Frederick, a mining director in Germany; George, who is connected with a publishing house in Germany; and Henrietta, wife of Otto Juergens, of Denver, Colo.
The subject of this sketch was a student in the public schools of Germany up to the day prior to his departure for America. He came direct to Denver, where he was employed as a boilermaker and at other occupations. In 1884 he came to Eaton, Weld County, which at that time had comparatively few inhabitants. For a time he worked at gardening, after which he was in the employ of the Eaton Milling and Elevator Corn-party for three years, and then worked for A. J. Eaton for one year. Wishing to be independent, he rented a farm of one hundred and sixty acres
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. and was so successful in its cultivation that, at the end of five years, he was able to buy a portion of the place upon which stand the improvements. In 1801 he erected a brick residence, and six years later built an addition to the house, which he now occupies. On his farm he raises grain, alfalfa and potatoes, and through industry and economy has made a success of his farming operations.
In politics Mr. Stockfleth is a Republican. In the Congregational Church, of which he is an active member, he was treasurer for six years and has also been connected with Sunday-school work. Fraternally he is identified with the Woodmen of the World. Twice he has returned to Germany and renewed the associations of boyhood, the first of the trips being made in 1886 and the second in 1895. His marriage took place January 30, 1896, and united him with Theresa, daughter of Theodore Rempen, who was born near the same place as himself. They have one child, George.
HOMAS O. STEPP, who owns valuable farming property five miles northeast of Longmont, in Weld County, was born near Bloomington, Monroe County, Ind., August 29, 1840, a son of Joshua and Rebecca (Owens) Stepp. He was one of twenty-two children, sixteen of whom attained maturity and seven are now living. They are as follows: Jackson, who was a captain in the Civil war, and is now an upholsterer in Portland, Ore.; William, who is engaged in farming near Golden, Colo.; Sarah J., wife of J. D. Sherman, of Trinidad, Colo.; Thomas O.; Sumilda, Mrs. Byron Markert, of St. Louis, Mo.; Perilda, Mrs. Sayers, who lives in Henderson Mo.; and Paris C., a prominent lawyer of Missouri, and judge of the district including Grundy, Mercer and Harrison Counties.
A native of North Carolina, born in 1800, Joshua Stepp was an infant when his parents removed to Kentucky. There he grew to manhood and married. Shortly after his marriage he went to Indiana and settled upon a farm in Monroe County, where he continued to reside for many years, later removing to Grundy County, Mo. He attained the age of eighty-four years. His wife, who was born in Virginia, died in Missouri when seventy-four years of age. Their son, Thomas O., received a common-school education.
In the fall of 1861 he started for Colorado, coming through with a cousin, and making the trip with an ox-team. They arrived in Denver in October and spent the winter in that city. He and his brother, who had accompanied him here, embarked as farmers in the spring of 1862, staking out a claim on Clear Creek, near Denver, just north of the Jesuit College. In the spring of 1863 he went to the mines at Empire, where he worked until late in the autumn, and then, going to Montana, engaged in mining in Alder Gulch, Summit District, until September, 1864.
With the intention of enlisting in the army, Mr. Stepp returned to Missouri. However, while employed in the mines, he had contracted a severe cold that seriously affected his eyes. For this reason he was rejected when he endeavored to enlist. Prior to his western trip he had taught one term of school, and he again began to teach, this time in Grundy County, Mo. In 1865 he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Swayze, a native of Warren County, Mo., but reared in Canada, whither her parents removed in her childhood. After his marriage Mr. Stepp continued to reside in Grundy County until the spring of 1871, when he decided to go west to Washington Territory, He accordingly closed out his interests in Missouri and made the long journey westward to Kittitas County, becoming one of the first settlers in that region. Since that time the city of Ellensburg has been built upon his former claim. He taught the first school ever held in that county. For seven years he engaged extensively in the stock business, after which, selling his cattle, he turned his attention to the real-estate business, which the large tide of immigration had made important. For seven years he engaged in buying, trading and selling lands.
Coming to Colorado for the second time in 1886, Mr. Stepp began farming on the St. Vrain, six miles east of Longmont, in Weld County, where he had acquired a quarter section of land through trade some eight years before. He continued to reside on that place until 1897, when he sold the property and purchased his present ranch five miles from Longmont. Fraternally he is connected with St. Vrain Lodge No. 32, A. F. & A. M. In religion he and his wife are identified with the Christian Church. They are the parents of eight children, viz.: William O., a teamster at Long-
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