|
|
||
|
1000 |
|
|
In the public schools at Harrow and the Wimbledon Military school, the subject of this sketch received his education, The latter institution he left just before the time to take the civil service examination. Afterward he operated coal mines at Durham, in the north of England, but not liking the business, he came to America, intending only to visit his brother, H. L., but was so pleased with the climate of Colorado that he decided to locate here. Accordingly he bought the Weymouth ranch, which he has since improved and occupied. In addition he owns a ranch of three hundred and twenty acres six miles south of Fort Collins, which he has improved, irrigated and now rents. Trilby Station, on the Gulf Railroad, is located on the farm.
The marriage of Charles Gilpin-Brown, in Livermore, united him with Miss Helen Poland, who was born in Boston, Mass., and accompanied her father, William Poland, to Livermore, Colo. They have two daughters, Margaret Louisa and Helen. Mr. Gilpin-Brown was made a Mason in Fort Collins Lodge No. 19, A. F. & A. M., to which he has since belonged. Since coming to this country and studying the political issues that confront the people, he has given his allegiance to the Republican party. In religion he adheres to the faith of the Church of England.
ARRY
L. GILPIN-BROWN. In Larimer County, about twelve miles east of
Fort Collins, Mr. Gilpin-Brown located upon coming to the United
States in 1880, from Scarboro, Yorkshire, England, where he was
born October 11, 1860. At once after settling here he embarked in
the stock business and from the first he met with success. After
three years on the same farm he located in Livermore in 1883, and
in 1890 bought the ranch near this place where he has since
resided. Here he has three hundred and sixty acres sown to
alfalfa, while the remainder of the land is devoted to the grazing
of cattle and horses. Many valuable improvements have been made on
his land, the most conspicuous of which is his elegant and
commodious residence, one of the finest in the entire county.
The parentage and ancestry of Mr. Gilpin-Brown are given in the sketch of his brother, Charles. He is a nephew of Governor Gilpin, who was the first governor of Colorado and was a man of prominence and influence throughout the entire mountain region. Of the early youth of our subject, it may be said that he attended the schools of England and had all the advantages which the son of wealthy parents can enjoy. While still a mere youth he came to America and has since made his home in Colorado, by his good management adding to the fortune that he inherited. The cattle business is his specialty, and since 1880 his brand, "Z. U.," has been one of the best known in Larimer County. He raises a fine grade of Herefords and keeps only the best stock. His land is irrigated by private ditches running from Lone Pine Creek. He is a member of the Larimer County Stock Growers' and Protective Association, and he served upon its executive committee. In January, 1898, he was elected a delegate to the National Stock Growers' Convention at Denver. The ranch that he owns was once the property of Jim Baker, the noted scout, and later belonged to George Burnham.
In religious faith Mr. Gilpin-Brown adheres to the doctrines supported by his ancestors for generations back, being identified with the Episcopalian Church. Politically he votes the Republican ticket, but is not active in public affairs, his tastes not running in that direction. His marriage was solemnized January 18, 1893, in Livermore, and united him with Sylvia Swan, who was born in Pleasant Valley, Larimer County, and is a daughter of James H. Swan, a sketch of whom is given on another page. She is popular in social circles and at this writing holds office as president of the Woman's Club of Livermore.
AVID
R. WILLIAMS. Standing conspicuously in the foremost ranks of the
manufacturers of Douglas County is the gentleman whose name
appears at the head of this brief narrative, who is the owner and
proprietor of the largest cheese factory in the county, which is
located at Williamsville, on Cherry Creek, and ten miles from the
village of Greenland. This prosperous and enterprising citizen
embarked in his present business in the year 1889, and has, by his
honest and straightforward dealing, coupled with the quality of
his product, established a large and paying patronage. His
principal shipping points are Denver, Colorado
|
|
||
|
|
1001 |
|
Springs and Pueblo, where his products command a ready sale. He also owns eleven hundred and eighty acres of deeded land and a section of school land leased.
Mr. Williams was born in Barre, Worcester County, Mass., July 1, 1837, and is a son of Bela and Mary (Parker) Williams. His maternal grandfather was Nehemiah Parker, who served throughout the Revolutionary war, and died at the ripe old age of ninety-five years, our subject having a faint recollection of the funeral. Our subject's mother attained the advanced age of eighty-four years, while his father entered the unknown beyond at the age of seventy-three years.
David R. Williams obtained his education in the public schools of his native township, and spent his leisure hours working on his father's farm. Leaving the parental roof in 1857 he went to New York City, where he took the steamer for the Isthmus of Panama, and then crossed to the Pacific Ocean, and took the steamer for San Francisco, Cal. His first three years in that state were spent working at placer mining and stock-raising, and in 1861, with a party of one hundred and thirty people, who had thirty-two wagons, he drove through unexplored lands to the eastern part of Oregon, where the party made rich discoveries. They made a settlement there, which is now Canon City, the county seat of Grant County, and our subject built the first house there. After remaining in that settlement eighteen months, during which time he bought considerable land, he went to the mines at Boise City in 1863, and spent the summer of that year mining, but as the prospects for doing a large business were small, he returned to the settlement in Grant County and sold his property. Continuing to California, he then sold his cattle, which he had raised and which were left in charge of his cousin. He then returned to Oregon, and while en route from the eastern to the western part of the state, with a party of men, their guide became lost, and after following their leader for nine days without any progress, they refused to follow his course any further, and our subject acted as guide. Some of the party suffered so from thirst that their tongues protruded from their mouths, but in less than an hour our subject led them to a body of water. Later they came near getting snowed in, but took refuge in a summer ranch, which had been deserted; they found provisions and a couple of steers left there, which had been overlooked by the former occupants, and they immediately killed one of the steers to appease their appetite.
After our subject had sold out the ranch, he took his cattle, which consisted of one hundred and twenty-five head, to Grant County, Ore., where he remained one year. In 1865 he started east, and after a journey of two hundred miles he took the steamer at the Dalles, Ore., to Portland, thence to Victoria and to San Francisco; there he took the steamer for the Isthmus of Panama and returned to his native town, by the same route by which he had gone; he returned a much wiser and richer man as a result of his various experiences during those eight years. He purchased an interest in a chair manufacturing establishment, and was engaged in that business for a period of seven years; at the expiration of that time he sold his interest in that establishment, and in the fall of 1871 he started west again. He arrived in Chicago the Saturday preceding the great fire, which he witnessed, and later started further west, having bought his ticket through to California. However, reaching Denver, then in the midst of a great boom, he concluded to locate there, and bought a lot on Welton street, and built a house. He then sent for his family, who resided in his native state. Although he made his home in Denver, he rented land on Clear Creek and carried on farming; he was also engaged in the boot and shoe business in Denver. In the spring of 1873 he took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres on Antelope Creek, in Douglas County, and resided there until about 1880, by which time he had some four hundred acres, and then selling his property, he spent a year traveling over the state. In 1881 he purchased two hundred acres of his present homestead, and engaged in farming and stockraising; in 1889 he started a creamery and cheese factory and has conducted the same up to the present time. He has his farm stocked with some seventy-five fine milch cows and one hundred and twenty-five head of other cattle. His factory is the oldest one of its kind in the state, as well as one of the largest.
On Thanksgiving day in 1866 Mr. Williams married Miss Elvira O. Pond, daughter of Jonathan and Eliza J. (Fisher) Pond, of West
|
|
||
|
1002 |
|
|
Medway, Mass. They are the parents of five children, namely: Harry, a native of Massachusetts, who is working on a ranch in this county; Nellie M., who was born in Denver, graduated from the State Normal at Greeley, and is now engaged in teaching in the public schools of Greeley; Carrie E., who is a graduate of the State Normal and the wife of Frederick L. Sparling, of South Omaha, Neb.; Anna, a student at Greeley; and Gertrude, at home. Our subject is a Democrat in politics, and has served nine years as county commissioner of Douglas County. Fraternally he is a member of the Mount Zion Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Barre, Mass. He takes an active interest in all educational institutions, and all measures that tend to advance the interests of the county. He is an honest and upright citizen, and enjoys the respect and esteem of a host of friends. Mrs. Williams is a member of the Congregational Church.
HILIP
KLATT, who is an enterprising business man of Golden, was born
near Cairo, Ill., March 29, 1857, the son of John and Minnie
(Landroth) Klatt, residents of Golden. His father, who was born in
Mechlenburg, Germany, came to America shortly after his marriage
and settled upon a farm in Illinois, but afterward removed to
Chippewa Falls, Wis. Soon after his removal he enlisted in the
Thirtieth Wisconsin Infantry and raised Company K, of which he was
chosen captain. He served for three years in this command, being
honorably discharged in 1864. He then re-enlisted in Hancock's
Veteran Corps, of which he was made first lieutenant, serving in
that capacity until the close of the war, when he was discharged
at Davenport. The exposures of camp life and long journeyings from
one place to another proved very hard upon him and he returned
home with his constitution seriously undermined. In 1868 he
removed from Wisconsin to Colorado and engaged in mining at
Blackhawk, where his family joined him the following year. On
retiring from active work, he went to Golden, his present home. He
and his wife were the parents of six children and all but one of
these are still living, Philip being the oldest son and third
child.
The early boyhood days of our subject's life were spent in Madison and Milwaukee, Wis., but in 1866 he went to Iowa, later spent a short time in Missouri, and in 1869 came to Colorado. For a short time he was a pupil in the Blackhawk schools. In 1870 he came to Golden, where he served an apprenticeship of three years to the blacksmith's trade. Then for several years he worked in Cheyenne and Georgetown, being in business for himself a part of the time. Later he spent two years in Golden, and afterward for eighteen months was employed by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company in Oregon.
Returning to Golden in the spring of 1882, Mr. Klatt embarked in the blacksmith's business with a partner, under the firm name of Klatt & Brennen, but after four months he bought his partner's interest. In the fall of 1884 he bought out the business owned by J. P. Fowler and has since carried on trade at his present location. He does a general jobbing business in shoeing horses and repairing wagons and carriages, and has made a comfortable living for himself and family through his industrious efforts. From B. K. Lee of Denver, he bought a fine residence on Ford street, and, besides this he owns property in Durange, Colo., and Los Angeles, Cal., and is also interested in mining in Clear Creek. Politically a Democrat, he was elected on that ticket as alderman from the second ward and during his term of service he was a member of the park, waterworks and street committees. His marriage, which took place in Clear Creek Valley, united him with Miss Anna E. Shirick, who was born in Nevadaville, Colo., daughter of W. W. Shirick, who came to Colorado in 1862 and is now engaged in farming in Jefferson County. The two sons of Mr. and Mrs. Klatt are Carl and Fred.
OHN PROBERT is the senior member of the firm of Probert & Williams, general merchants, of Erie, Weld County. He was born in Wales in 1848, a son of William and Ann (Price) Probert. The family of which he was a member consisted of thirteen children, seven of whom are living, namely: Howell, who is living in Wales; William, John and Edward, who are in the United States; Zantype, Martha and Mary, in Wales. The father, when young, learned the carpenter's trade, married, and settled down to the pursuit of his chosen occupation, which he followed until his death.
