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ployment is furnished two hundred and sixty-five men. It is a remarkable fact that the Dives Pelican mines paid more taxes in 1897 on gross output than all the mining interests of Clear Creek County. In addition to this business, Mr. Robeson owns interests in mines in the Dailey mining district, and is a prosperous and extensive miner.
In the Democratic party Mr. Robeson is a local leader, and also exerts an influence upon the party in the state, being a member of the state central committee and the state executive committee. In 1897 he was chairman of the county and district convention, and frequently he has been chosen a delegate to the state convention. At this writing he is chairman of the county central committee. April 4, 1898, he was elected mayor of Georgetown by a majority of one hundred and thirty-eight, and is filling this responsible position in a manner highly creditable to himself and satisfactory to people of all political parties. He was married in Idaho Springs to Miss Nettie Rose Smith Williams, who was born in Warsaw, Ind., and they have had two children, Chester Woodson and Lawrence Jerome, but the older of these sons died at four months.
In fraternal relations Mr. Robeson is past master of Georgetown Lodge No. 48, A. F. & A. M., and is also identified with Georgetown Chapter No. 4, R. A. M.; Georgetown Commandery No. 4, K. T., and holds membership with the Red Men and the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
PTON
P. SMITH, treasurer of Douglas County and a well-known citizen of
Castle Rock, was born in Monroe, Waldo County, Me., September 22,
1843, and is a son of Gustavus Watson and Rosilla (Pattee) Smith.
His paternal grandfather, Daniel Smith, who it is thought was born
in New Hampshire, settled in Waldo County, Me., about 1800, and
there the father was born and reared, later becoming one of the
most prominent citizens of the town of Monroe, which he served as
selectman. His fellow-townsmen would have gladly elected him to
the legislature, but he refused to accept the nomination, not
desiring the office.
When our subject was thirteen years of age, his father having married again and removed to another county, he went to make his home with a cousin, and there remained about four years, meantime attending the country schools and later the academy at Newburgh for one term. For one year he was employed as a messenger for the high sheriff of Penobscot County. In May, 1861, at the first call for three months' service, he enlisted, but the company was not accepted under that call. On the 28th of the same month he again enlisted, becoming a member of Company H, Sixth Maine Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. Among the engagements in which he took part were those of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Cold Harbor, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Rappahannock Station, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and many skirmishes. Though always at the front he was neither wounded nor captured. After a service of three years he was honorably discharged at Portland, Me., and returned to Levant, where his father had removed. At Bangor the sheriff appointed him a deputy. After three months, feeling the need of a better education, he entered the academy at Searsport and a year later went to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he took a business course in Eastman's College, graduating in April, 1867.
For one term Mr. Smith taught school in Saddle River, Bergen County, N. J. He then went to New York City, and for a year was employed by the Brooklyn City Railway Company as a conductor. While there he met Parker N. Savage, who had mines in Colorado and who was coming west. Mr. Smith accompanied him to Colorado, arriving at Central City March 1, 1869, after staging from Cheyenne. He prospected at first, but was not fortunate, and in September, with a brother who had recently come from Maine in company with Newton S. Grout, he went on a surveying expedition. In the fall of 1869 he entered from the government one-quarter of section 26, township 8, range 68 west, which he improved and still owns. Later he added four hundred acres, making a total of five hundred and sixty acres.
Returning to Maine in 1872, Mr. Smith was married in the town of Monroe, November 3, to Miss Sarah E. Grout, who was born in Jackson Township, Waldo County, Me., a daughter of Robert C. and Elizabeth (Stowers) Grout, they are the parents of four children, namely: Hattie Avis, who was born on the home farm Novem-
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ber 2, 1873, and is the wife of Thomas Hall, of Douglas County; Edwin W., who was born February 19, 1878, attended the State Agricultural College at Fort Collins and now carries on the home farm; Guy W., born October 7, 1885; and Roger Putnam, born October 3, 1887. There is one grandchild, of whom naturally Mr. and Mrs. Smith are quite proud. The youngest son was named Putnam in recognition of the fact that his paternal grandmother was a direct lineal descendant of Israel Putnam of Revolutionary fame.
The first presidential vote cast by our subject was in 1864, when he supported Abraham Lincoln. Ever since then he has been a stanch Republican, active in politics. In 1897 he was nominated by the silver Republicans for county treasurer and elected. Fraternally he is a member of Castle Rock Lodge No. 27, A. O. U. W., at Castle Rock, and Blunt Post No. 6, G. A. R., of which he was the first commander and served as such for two terms, besides filling most of the other offices. He is deeply interested in educational matters, and has served as secretary of his school district for many years. The success that has come to him in life is not the result of accident, but comes from hard, careful and long-continued werk (sic). When in the army he was accustomed to send $10 home to his father every month, and when he returned home the money was given back to him that he might use it in obtaining an education. All that he has made from that time to this has been accumulated through his unaided efforts.
LFRED
F. STOTT, sheriff of Douglas County, and an influential citizen of
Castle Rock, was born at Milton, Ulster County, N. Y., December
10, 1868. He is a son of Charles E. and Elizabeth (Place) Stott,
natives respectively of Virginia and Brooklyn, N. Y., and now
residents of Milton, N. Y. His father, who is an expert
pharmacist, and for years an employe of Tilden & Co.,
wholesale druggists in New York City, held a government position
under President Cleveland as appraiser of drugs for the port of
New York.
After receiving his education in the Milton public schools and Pelham Institute, at the age of eighteen our subject became an employe in the Chemical National Bank of New York, but his health soon failed and for three successive years he was obliged to spend the winter months in Florida. On his return he was employed for eighteen months as bookkeeper for Ginn & Co., a publishing firm of New York City. In the fall of 1890 he came to Castle Rock, Colo., and for one winter was employed in a hardware store, after which he carried on a meat business for a year, and then embarked in the drug business at Castle Rock; the latter business he sold in 1897 to C. W. Todd. July 17, 1895, he married Miss Alma Belle Calkins, of Evanston, Ill., whom he first met at Castle Rock and married at Colorado Springs. She is a daughter of Willian (sic) T. Calkins and by her marriage has two children, Charles Edwin and Helen Elizabeth. In religion she is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, while Mr. Stott inclines toward the Episcopalian faith, in which he was reared.
Politically a Democrat, our subject voted for Cleveland in 1892, his first presidential ballot. In November, 1893, he was appointed postmaster at Castle Rock and held the office until January 1, 1898. In 1897 he was elected by the Democrats and silver Republicans to the office of sheriff, which he is now ably filling. In the Woodmen of the World he has served as banker and is now consul of Castlewood Camp No. 303.
EONARD
WALTERS. The Standard Meat and Live Stock Company, of which Mr.
Walters is secretary and treasurer, is the largest concern of its
kind, not only in Denver, but in the entire west, carrying on a
business that extends through many states and involves large
financial transactions. In addition to their establishment in
Denver they have headquarters at Rollins, Wyo.; Manti, Utah;
Almena, Kan.; and St. Paul, Neb. At one time they owned large
tracts of land in New Mexico and now have a ranch at Fort Morgan,
Colo.
In this business Mr. Walters is associated with his brother, John, whose sketch appears upon another page. Leonard is the oldest child born to the second marriage of his father, Leonard, Sr., which united him with Louisa Sihler, now a resident of Buffalo, N. Y. The other children are named as follows: Fred, who is superintendent of live stock with the Standard Meat and Live Stock Company; Charles, who died in boyhood;
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William and Louisa, who are in Buffalo. Leonard was born in Buffalo October 25, 1858, and received a public-school education in that city. In 1876, at the age of seventeen, he secured a position with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company, being employed as car reporter for two years.
Coming to Denver in 1878, he became an employe of his brother, John, but after a year became interested in the business and opened a branch house in Idaho Springs, under the firm name of Walters & Co. In 1881 the firm became John Walters & Bro. During that year he returned to Denver and was given the financial management and oversight of the business. The firm name was changed to Walters, Aicher & Walters in 1887, when F. X. Aicher was taken into partnership, and after three years under that title, the business having meanwhile assumed quite proportions, it was decided to incorporate under the name of the "Standard Meat and Live Stock Company."
Politically Mr. Walters is a Republican. He is a member of Schiller Lodge No. 41, A. F. & A. M., Denver Chapter No. 2, R. A. M., Colorado Commandery No. 1, K. P., Colorado Consistory and El Jebel Temple, N. M. S. In Denver, in 1883, he married Miss Ida Hensler, and they are the parents of four. children, Frank, William, Lillian and Mabel. Mrs. Walters was born in Milwaukee, Wis., being the daughter of William Hensler, a member of a Wisconsin regiment during the Civil war and by trade a cabinet-maker.
ON.
JACOB J. ELLIOTT. The history of Idaho Springs and Clear Creek
County could not well be written were the name of this sterling
citizen omitted from its annals for any reason. For over a score
of years he has been intimately connected with the development of
this region and has neglected neither means nor effort in placing
it upon a sure basis of prosperity. Active and interested in all
public improvements and enterprises; far-seeing and judicious in
meeting every duty, whether to his fellow-citizens or to his near
friends and associates, he commands the esteem and high regard of
all. A man of strong convictions, he hesitates not to take issue
with the popular opinion when he deems best, even though he is
well aware that he may be in a hopeless minority. In short, he is
the embodiment of the rule which he has followed throughout life,
"do the right and fear no man."
One is not surprised in tracing the antecedents of Mr. Elliott to learn from what a sturdy, patriotic stock he is descended. His paternal grandfather, in whose honor he was named, was a lieutenant on the staff of General Stark in the Revolutionary war. He was wounded at the battle of Bennington, a bullet passing through his powder horn and entering his body, and was cared for while lying on the field of battle by an Indian girl. He survived about forty years thereafter, dying in Chester, N. H., at the advanced age of ninety odd years. He owned a large farm and kept the best and most commodious inn between Concord and Boston, it being located in Chester. The Elliotts originally came from England and some of the family drifted to Selma, Ma., though many of them dwelt in New Hampshire. A brother of the aforementioned Lieut. Jacob J. Elliott, John, was a Revolutionary soldier, enlisting in New Hampshire, and died on a prison ship of the British, in Halifax harbor.
James M. Elliott, the father of the subject of this article, was born on the old homestead near Chester, about twenty-three miles north of the Massachusetts state line, and after his father's death he succeeded to the property and managed the old tavern. When the Civil war came on he enlisted in the Eighth New Hampshire Volunteers and subsequently was a lieutenant in the Eleventh regiment of that state. He died in 1872, aged over threescore years. To himself and wife, Abigail R., four children were born, of whom two survive. Mrs. Elliott, like her husband, a native of Chester, was a daughter of Josiah Morse, a ship carpenter, and was an own cousin of Professor Morse, the inventor of the telegraph.
The birth of Hon. J. J. Elliott took place in Chester in 1843, and in the public schools of that locality he laid the foundations of knowledge. After leaving the Chester Academy he entered the United States navy and served on the good ship, "Pensacola", in the gulf squadron, under Admiral Farragut. Later he was assigned to the Atlantic squadron, and participated in the James River campaign. At the close of over three years in the navy he was honorably discharged. Returning to his native state he enlisted in the First New Hampshire Artillery, Battery K, and served
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until the close of the war. He took an active part in the siege of Petersburg and Richmond and other illustrious maneuvers and was in the grand review at Washington. He was mustered out in the fall of 1865, but soon entered the government quartermaster's department, being under the orders of General Haskins at Camp Distribution until November. His service in this branch of the nation's business extended over a year, following which he was employed in the navy department up to 1870, his home being in Washington in the meantime.
In 1876 Mr. Elliott came to Colorado to cast his fortunes with the infant state, that year admitted to the Union. He engaged in mining and milling enterprises in Georgetown for about a year, but in September, 1877, came to Idaho Springs. Here he pursued the same occupations, also doing assaying. For some time he ran Miles mill on Clear Creek, and ultimately he, in company with John O. Roberts and the Miners' Smelting Company, erected the large mill which stands on the site of the old one. It is now known as the State Sampling Works. Mr. Elliott has developed a number of important mines, among which is the celebrated Specie Payment. Since 1881 he has had his assaying office at its present location, but his business in this line has extended over a score of years in this town and has brought him into close relationship with a great many people interested directly or indirectly in mining. Nor have his energies been confined to one channel. He was the builder and owner of the bridges between Idaho Springs and Georgetown. These were started on the toll system and were really the first of any importance erected in the county. From the inception of the local electric light plant, incorporated n February, 1887, and placed in operation the following June, he has been president and manager of the same. He was also a founder and is a director in the First National Bank here; was mayor of the place for one term and was president of the school board for six years.
From his early manhood Mr. Elliott favored the principles of the Republican party and was an earnest advocate of its policy until a monetary issue brought about a division of sentiment in the minds of many. He was one of the delegates to the national Republican convention in St. Louis in 1896, who with Senator Teller withdrew, to march under the silver banner. In the Grand Army of the Republic he has always taken great interest and has not only been commander of E. D, Baker Post No. 30, but has served as an aide in department and national committees of the organization. In February, 1898, he established his family in Denver. His wife, whom he married in Washington, D. C., in 1867, was then Miss Emma J. Williams, a native of that city. They have nine living children, one of whom, William, is in the cattle business on Bear River, in Routt County.
ON.
SAM VAN CORT NEWELL, of Central City, is not only one of the most
prominent men in mining circles of Gilpin County, but of the state
of Colorado. His name, used in connection with any enterprise,
lends weight to the same and is a synonym for success. Jovial,
kind-hearted, generous and sincere, he is very popular with his
associates and hosts of warm friends and acquaintances. The
Republican party of the state holds him as one of its most
influential champions. He officiated often as chairman of local
and county committees, and has served on the state Republican
central committee. In 1884 he was elected to the state
legislature, and in 1886 was honored by being elected to the
Colorado senate. While holding that responsible office, from 1887
to 1889, he was chairman of the finance committee and acted on
numerous other committees, winning laurels for his earnest and
disinterested labors on behalf of his constituents. Several terms
he has been one of the city fathers here, and was mayor for one
term, always using his power to the lasting welfare of his
fellow-citizens.
In the spring of 1872 S. V. Newell cast in his fortunes with the people of Colorado, then a territory. He arrived in Central City on the 6th of April and at once entered the employ of his cousin, William T. Newell, a lumber merchant of this place. With this relative the young man continued in business for five or six years, after which he and his brother opened a coal and feed establishment. In the meantime he had been making investments in mining property, and had become much interested in the occupation. He developed several mines in Summit and Pitkin Counties and took out about $700,000 from mines
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on the Hidden Treasure and California veins in Gilpin County, before he sold them. He has incorporated and promoted the Americus Gold Mining and Milling Company, of which he is vice-president; the Bates and German Gold Mining Company, of which he is president; and the Concrete Gold Mining Company, of which he is vice-president. These concerns are all in fine working order and have mills in connection with the mines. The Penn Milling Company and the Iron City Mill Company, both having Mr. Newell as vice-president, are capitalized at $50,000 each. Their mills each have a capacity of two thousand tons per month. The Penn mill is equipped with automatic feeders, "thirty-five slow or Gilpin County stamps and ten rapid-drop stamps," and is provided with both steam and water-power. The Iron City mill is strictly modern in all appointments; automatic twenty-five-stamp, rapid drop and runs by steam-power. Both of the aforementioned mills are connected with the mines by the Gilpin County Tramway, a two-foot gear steam railroad. All of the mining and milling companies mentioned above (with the exception of the Bates and German) have branch offices in the Carnegie building, in Pittsburg, Pa. Mr. Newell has been ably seconded in his great undertakings by his brother, Lyne Sterling Newell, Jr. They lately organized the Gilpin County Gold Securities Investment Company. It is capitalized at $700,000, and handles strictly gilt-edged mining stocks and other securities. S. V. Newell is president of the company, while L. S. Newell is secretary. The brothers are men of the highest standing in the business world, their unusual genius and executive talents, as well as their honor and fairness in all financial dealings, being above question.
Born in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1854, S. V. Newell is one of the four children of Lyric Sterling and Esther (Miller) Newell. The father, who is a native of Findlay, Ohio, became blind when he was six or eight years old, as the result of illness, and when grown was given a position as superintendent of the blind asylum in Indianapolis. He was a man of fine education and genuine ability, and was professor of music in the institution, in addition to being manager. Now about seventy years of age he is passing his declining years in his old home in the state capital of Indiana. He is of remote Scotch-Irish descent, as his great-grandfather, Hugh Newell, came from the northern part of Ireland to America and, buying land from William Penn, became one of the first settlers of Washington County, Pa. His son, Hugh, next in the line of descent, lived and died on a farm in Washington County. The father of L. S. Newell, Sr., the third Hugh Newell, was a native of Washington County; married Sarah Thrift, of an eastern Virginia family, and went to Ohio. He lived in Knox County at first, but later went to Hancock County, and for years was a merchant in Findlay, in which city he died. The mother of S. V. Newell was born in Penn Yan, Yates County, N. Y., and died in Indianapolis in 1859. Her father, Samuel Van Cort Miller, was a descendant of the pioneer Holland-Dutch stock of the Empire state. He reared a family of thirteen children on his home farm in Yates County, NY. Alice, the only sister of our subject, lives in Indianapolis, and his elder brother, Hugh Arthur, died in Findlay, Ohio, when twenty-one years old.
After his mother's death, when he was five years old, S. V. Newell lived with relatives in Penn Yan, N. Y., for two years, after which he made his home with John Newell, a brother of his grandfather, Hugh Newell. In 1869 the youth returned to Findlay, Ohio, and at the end of eighteen months he went to Indianapolis, where he became a clerk in a mercantile establishment, and remained in that employment until the year that witnessed his arrival in Colorado. He was married in the Presbyterian Church of Central City in 1878. Mrs. Newell, formerly Elizabeth N. Bolthoff, was born in Burlington, Iowa, and is the only daughter of Henry Bolthoff, a member of the firm of Hendrie & Bolthoff, of Denver. The only child of this marriage is Herbert C., a member of the class of '98, Michigan Military Academy, Orchard Lake, Mich. In 1896 Mr. Newell established his family in Denver, and spends a portion of his time in that city, though his main business interests are in Central City. Fraternally he is a member of Blackhawk Lodge No. 4, K. of P., and of Central City Lodge No. 16, A. O. U. W.
During the administration of President Harrison S. V. Newell was the collector for the United States land office here, and continued to act in that capacity until the office was removed to Denver. He has been greatly interested in
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railroad legislation, and in 1885, when a member of the house, succeeded in getting a bill through, to establish a commission with power to make rates. This bill, however, was rendered about useless by the senate, which provided one commissioner, without such power. When a member of the senate Mr. Newell made strenuous efforts to carry his point in this matter, but was again unsuccessful. With a few other statesmen he was largely responsible for the defeat of a bill calling for a constitutional convention, the main object of this measure being the reversal of the present state constitution, in the interest of corporations.
Since the above was written Mr. Newell has been again elected to the state senate from Gilpin County, now the twenty-sixth, formerly the fourth senatorial district of Colorado, upon the Teller silver Republican ticket, in opposition to which the straight Republican, Democratic and Populist parties each ran candidates for the same office, making the contest very warm and determined. Mr. Newell, however, was successful by a handsome plurality.
ON.
DAVID F. RANEY, who died September 19, 1892, was one of the
honored old settlers of Weld County, being respected and loved by
a large circle of friends and acquaintances throughout northern
Colorado. He was a man of sterling character, upright and just in
all his transactions and, progressive and enterprising in all his
ideas. It was often said of him, in his official life, that he and
Judge Hammitt, of this county, were two men of the legislature who
could not be bought or sold - that they were positively above
suspicion of bribery. Mr. Raney was elected to the Colorado
assembly in 1877 on the Republican ticket and served as a member
of that honorable body for one term. He took an active part in
temperance and educational work, and always kept before him the
highest ideals of living.
Mr. Raney was a native of Greene County, Ohio, born in the vicinity of Jamestown, December 24, 1832. He was a youth of perhaps fourteen years when his parents removed to Van Buren County, Iowa, settling near Birmingham. The father was a cooper by trade, and pursued that calling throughout his life, the parents died about the same time, and left a large family, of whom only two survive: John, a resident of Villiska, Iowa, and Mrs. Johnson Birdsell, of Frankfort, Kan. After the death of his parents our subject made his home with Rev. Dr. Peter Walker, of Van Buren County, Iowa.
In the spring of 1850 Mr. Raney joined a company of men bound for California, and crossed the great plains with ox-teams. Arriving in the neighborhood of Sacramento he engaged in mining there and at Shasta City for nine years, meeting with fair success. January 24, 1861, having returned to Iowa, he married Lucinda M. Drake, who had been born in Ohio and reared in Iowa. Her parents were David and Mary (Brewer) Drake, natives of Ohio and New York respectively. Just three months after their marriage Mr. Raney and his bride started on their long journey across the plains, with oxen and wagons and a herd of thirty dairy cows. Their trip took from March 24 to June 9, and upon their arrival in this county they took up a squatter's claim on section 1, three miles south of Platteville.
This property, known as Clear Spring farm, on account of the fine springs which are thereon, was regularly entered as a homestead by Mr. Raney when the land was opened and surveyed. He became extensively interested in stock-raising and dairying, and gradually acquired a comfortable fortune. He had a partner for a few years, but eventually bought him out and continued his enterprises alone. Up to the time of his death he owned a large herd of cattle, but for the last nine years of his life he was obliged to delegate to others the oversight of his affairs. He was stricken with paralysis and for nearly a decade was an invalid, though his mind was as clear and active as ever and he exercised a general supervision of his business.
As they were not blessed with
children Mr. and Mrs. Raney adopted a daughter, when the child was
but eight years old. This daughter is Ella J. Howe, wife of George
F. Raney, a nephew of Mr. Raney, and son of his brother John. The
nephew now carries on the ranch and attends to all the numerous
duties of the place. A few years prior to his death Mr. Raney
built his comfortable residence in Platteville, and here his widow
lives with her aged mother, a well-preserved old lady. Though he
was not identified with any denomination, Mr. Raney was a liberal
contributor to
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the Methodist Episcopal Church of Platteville. For several years he served as president of the school board of his district, and was always sure to be on the side of better educational facilities for the young.
ON.
THOMAS M. PATTERSON. The life which this narrative sketches began
in Ireland on the 4th of November, 1840. The Pattersons were from
the north of Ireland, where James Patterson, grandfather of the
subject of this sketch, was a large stock dealer and prominent
citizen. In his family there were five children, one of whom,
Thomas, a midshipman, was killed in the battle of Trafalgar.
Another son, James, was born at Cavan and for some years engaged
in business as a merchant and jeweler there, but, going to
England, settled in Liverpool, where he carried on business for
twelve years. By his marriage to Margaret, daughter of Alexander
and Margaret (McDonald) Montjoy, he had three children: James, who
fell in the battle of Winchester during the Civil war; Catherine
and Thomas M.
During the summer of 1853 the family emigrated to America, landing in New York in November of that year. At that time the subject of this narrative was a boy of thirteen, energetic, determined, quick to learn and prompt in action. After a few years in the city of New York he moved west with the family to Crawfordsville, Ind. His education was an excellent one and was procured largely through his own efforts, for at the age of fourteen he began to work in a printing office and afterward he assisted his father in the jewelry business. He spent one and one-half years in Asbury (now DePauw) University and two years in Wabash College, where he took the regular course of study. The degree of A. M. was conferred upon him by Asbury University.
On completing his literary studies, Mr. Patterson read law with M. D. White, M. C., of Crawfordsville, and upon his admission to the bar he formed a partnership with Judge J. R. Cowan, with whom he continued as long as he remained in Indiana. In December, 1872, he came to Denver, where he became connected with C. S. Thomas. In April, 1873, he was elected city attorney and the next year was re-elected. He soon became a leader of the Democratic party here, and his talents led to his selection, by the party, as candidate for important offices. In the summer of 1874 he was chosen territorial delegate to Congress, being the first Democrat ever elected to that position in the then territory. Although at the time of his nomination he was still a comparative stranger to the people, having been a resident of Denver for less than two years, while his antagonist, Judge H. P. H. Bromwell, was well known and highly esteemed, yet Mr. Patterson was elected by a large majority, carrying nineteen of the twenty-five counties in the territory. This election made him a delegate to congress at a most important time, for Colorado was applying for admission to the union as a state. Grant was then president. The senate was Republican, the house Democratic. Hence, there was a division as to the advisability of admitting Colorado. Mr. Patterson had been successfully elected on the Democratic ticket,, and the senate feared to admit a state that would possibly give a presidential Democratic majority. In this crisis Mr. Patterson did effective work and it was due to his judicious labors, seconding the influence of Senator Chaffee, that a bill to admit Colorado finally passed both congress and senate. On the 4th of July, 1876, the day of admission, he sent this message from Washington, D. C., to the people of Denver: Through you I greet the Centennial state, the latest but the brightest star in the political firmament. I am proud of the consciousness of representing the grandest state, the bravest men and the handsomest women on the continent."
Mr. Patterson served in the forty-third and forty-fourth sessions of congress, retiring in 1878 and resuming the practice of law in Denver. About that time occurred the discovery of the great Leadville silver mines, which resulted in more litigation than had ever existed in a mining camp. He was connected with almost all of the great mining suits that originated there, among them the mines of the Silver Mining Company, whose claim he contested against other mining companies with success. His party placed him in nomination for governor in 1886, but the ticket met with defeat. In 1892 he retired from the practice of law, in which he had so long and so successfully engaged, and bought the controlling interest in the Rocky Mountain News, of which he has since been the owner. In 1892 he was delegate to the national convention of the Demo-
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cratic party in Chicago, that nominated Grover Cleveland for a second term as president. In that convention he, with almost no support, made a brave fight in behalf of free coinage, endeavoring to secure its recognition in the party platform, but he was disappointed. However, four years later the plank was introduced in the platform. Meantime, he had given his support to the Populist party and in 1896 was its delegate to the St. Louis convention, where Bryan was endorsed for president. He took the stump in favor of free silver and under the auspices of the national committee canvassed Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Kansas and Nebraska, doing all in his power to promote the success of the measure which he was convinced would mean enhanced prosperity to America, and especially to the great west. He is, in fraternal relations, identified with the Masonic order.
In Watertown, N. Y., July 23, 1863, Mr. Patterson married Miss Kate Grafton, a granddaughter of Alexander Campbell, whose name is indissolubly associated with the establishment of the Christian Church. They have an only daughter, Margaret, who is the wife of R. C. Campbell, formerly of Wheeling, W. Va., now of Denver.
While Mr. Patterson has more than once, at the head of his party, suffered defeat in the support of principles he has espoused, yet his has been a most successful life; for the influence of a gifted mind, in molding thought and giving direction to events, cannot be measured by official position, but is as enduring as time itself. The mental qualities that brought him eminence as a lawyer have made him a power in the newpaper (sic) world, a leader in the journalistic field, for he not only has the telescopic quality of mind, winch enables him to grasp things beyond the ordinary vision, but he also has the microscopic quality that enables him to examine into little details, so often neglected by great minds. His interest in the welfare of Colorado is that of active patriotism, which works tirelessly to promote the prosperity of the people and secure the development of local resources. He has adhered with steadfast and zealous support to the principles of free coinage and free trade, when one less devoted to principle might have swerved for policy's sake. To every worthy cause he has come to the aid with a generous response, and much of the beauty and attractiveness of Denver is due to his liberal and active enterprise. Generosity, whether to public-spirited projects or to the needy and destitute, is a prominent trait of his character, and his benefactions have been large and unstinted. While many with greater opportunities than he had in youth gained for themselves neither wealth nor position, yet he, by the force of an indomitable will, by reliance upon himself and his own ability, has advanced step by step until he has attained a position among the illustrious men of the state.
YRON
ALBERTUS WHEELER, M. D., has been a prominent factor in the
organization of various professional and political movements for
the benefit of his city and state. On his motion the Homeopathic
Club was founded and he officiated as its first president. He bore
an active part in the establishment of the Denver Homeopathic
Academy, in which he was warmly interested. In the organization
and re-organization of Colorado State Homeopathic Medical Society
he took an active part, and afterward occupied various official
positions in the society. He assisted in organizing the Denver
Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital Association, of which he
has been president since the spring of 1895 and in which he also
occupies the chair of mental and nervous diseases. In politics,
too, he has been interested. Believing that certain reforms must
be instituted before the welfare of the people could be promoted,
he called together delegates from different labor organizations in
the state, and the result was the formation of the Populist party.
He was made secretary of the new movement, but the president being
in enfeebled health, the responsibility fell almost entirely upon
the secretary, who, in justice to other duties, was finally
obliged to resign the position.
In Prairieville (now Waukesha), Wis., Dr. Wheeler was born January 30, 1842, the son of Truman and Irene (Whittier) Wheeler. The Wheeler family was established in New York in an early day by representatives from Holland, who belonged to the famous old Knickerbocker stock, Truman Wheeler was born in the central part of the state and in youth learned the wheelwright's trade, becoming a pioneer wheelwright in the territory of Wisconsin. He settled at Fond du Lac, and built the first mill there, but,
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while still a young man, he was killed in the woods when getting out the last piece of timber for the mill. His wife, who was born at Greenville, near Montpelier, Vt., was, like himself, a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and died when still young. They were the parents of two children who reached maturity, Lucius Nathan and Byron Albertus. By a former marriage he had a son, Norman W., who died in New York City. Lucius N., who was a foreign missionary of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, established the first Methodist mission in Pekin, China, and also the first mission in western China, at the headwaters of the Yang Tse Kiang River. Twice failing health compelled him to return to America, but each time, as soon as he had sufficiently recovered, he returned to his post of duty, and he finally died in China. His daughter, Frances, is still a missionary there.
While our subject was teaching school in Wisconsin the Civil war began, and when a call was made for seventy-five thousand men he enlisted, becoming a member of Company I, First Wisconsin Infantry. At the expiration of his time, three months, he returned home and taught school one winter, but in the spring again enlisted, joining Company I, First Wisconsin Cavalry, in which he served until the close of the war. He entered the army as a private and was discharged as ordnance sergeant of the regiment. He participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Atlanta and Resaca, as well as many minor engagements, but was never wounded. While in the three months' service he took part in the battle of Falling Waters, Va., resulting in the capture of Martinsburg and Harper's Ferry by the Union forces.
Returning to Wisconsin at the close of the war he took up the study of medicine under Dr. T. J. Patcher, of Fond du Lac, and in the fall of 1865 entered Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago, from which he graduated in March, 1867. He opened an office in Byron, Fond du Lac County, Wis., but less than a year afterward, his wife's health being poor, he decided to seek another location where the climate would be more favorable. He then went to Boone County, Iowa, and built up a good practice, but his own health failing after four years of labor, he decided to come to Colorado. He reached Denver on the 1st of January, 1872, and in April of the same year opened an office on Larimer street, near Fourteenth. His next location was on the corner of these two streets, but afterward he moved his office to No. 1447 Stout street, and then to his present location at No. 1441 Stout street. Fraternally he is a life member of the blue lodge and also belongs to the Knight Templar Commandery in Denver.
In Bryon, Wis., August 20, 1865, Dr. Wheeler married Miss Frances Amelia Noyes. They have seven children: Maude L., wife of Amos L. Miks, of Topia, Durango, Mexico; Mary K, wife of Lieut. C. H. Hilton, of the First Colorado Volunteers, who participated in the occupation of the Philippine Islands; Pearl B., who is a physician; Ernest T.; Vera E., wife of H. C. Korfhage, of Sinaloa, Mexico; Irene W. and Lucius B. Wheeler.
IMOTHY
WILLIS MILES, M. D., of Denver, was born near Cleveland, Ohio,
January 30, 1849. He represents the third generation of the Miles
family in America. His grandfather, Timothy Miles, who was a
native of England, crossed the ocean to the new world in company
with two brothers, Thomas and Abner. Thomas settled in
Pennsylvania, and among his descendants is General Miles, of the
United States army. Abner became a sea captain. Timothy, who
settled in the colony of New Hampshire, served as a soldier in the
Revolution and was taken prisoner by the British, being held for a
time in a British ship in New York harbor. After the war he
settled upon a farm in Vermont, where he continued to reside, with
the exception of a few years spent in Canada, until he passed from
earth.
The wife of Timothy Miles was Theda, daughter of James and Theda (Woldbridge) Blodgett, and the descendant of English ancestors who settled in Salem and Bromfield, Mass. Her father was born December 21, 1723, in Massachusetts, where he spent his entire life; he had a family of five sons and three daughters. Timothy and Theda Miles were the parents of five daughters and four sons, namely: Theda; Marcia, Mrs. Daniel Moulton, whose granddaughter became the mother of the present secretary of war, Gen. Russell Alger; Lucia, Dolly, Almira, Timothy, John, James and Justin.
Born in Vermont January 25, 1791, James
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Miles followed various occupations in life, being a farmer, cooper physician and an ordained minister in the Christian Church. He was a man much beloved by his acquaintances and honored by all who knew him. Brave, upright and public-spirited, his influence was always for good. When a young man he moved as far west as Ohio, settling near Cleveland and engaging in the clearing and cultivation of a farm. There, May 14, 1823, he married Sophia Waite, a relative of Chief Justice Waite, and a granddaughter of Benjamin Waite, known in history as Benjamin the Brave, on account of his valor and success in fighting the Indians. Her father, Benjamin Waite, Jr., married Zylphia Hayward, of which union she was born. She died in 1857, at the age of fifty-three, while her husband, surviving her for ten years, passed away in Iowa, Christmas, 1867, at the age of seventy-seven. They were the parents of thirteen children, ten of whom reached mature years, viz.: Harriet, Edward, James A., Lydia S., Marcia, Justin, Daniel, Mary, Timothy W. and Prances Grace.
The early education of our subject was received in Jackson County, Iowa, and he attended college at Cornell, that state. Later he was a student in the Bennett Eclectic Medical College of Chicago, and the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, from which he graduated in 1875. He opened an office at Joplin, Mo., but after three years in that place removed to Schell City, Mo., and from there came to Denver in June, 1882. He spent the summer of that year in travel through the state, and in October opened an office in Denver, where he met with success in his profession. He has his office in the Toltec building, on Seventeenth and Stout streets, and his residence at No. 1544 Franklin street. He is secretary of the Colorado State Eclectic Medical Association, and second vice-president of the National Eclectic Medical Association. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias, Woodmen of the World and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically he is a silver Republican.
In Cincinnati, in 1883, Dr. Miles married Miss Cornelia Scudder, by whom he has a son, Robert Willis. The family are members of the Central Christian Church, of which the doctor is a deacon. Mrs. Miles is a descendant of English ancestors. The American progenitor of the family, Thomas Scudder, was born in or near London, and emigrated to Salem, Mass., in 1633. He was familiarly known as "Goodman" Scudder. His son, Thomas, left Salem in 1631 and settled in Huntington, L. I. Next in descent was Benjamin, who moved to New Jersey in 1740, and became a large land owner. The latter's son Enoch moved west from Westfield, N. J., but his son John returned to the old home in that place. The latter had a son John, who was the father of Lieut. Robert Scudder, of the Army of the Cumberland during the Civil war, and was also the father of Mrs. Miles. His brother, Dr. John M. Scudder, of Cincinnati, was the founder of the eclectic system of medicine in Cincinnati, and the author of many valuable medical works, being for years dean of the Eclectic Medical Institute. Mrs. Miles is also a descendant of the Fords and Kitchells, of Morristown, N. J., the original William Ford coming to Plymouth on the ship "Fortune" in 1861. On her mother's side Mrs. Miles traces her lineage to the Scotch family of Holland, who fled to Ireland in 1641 on account of religious persecution. She is a graduate of the Woodward high school and the Cincinnati Normal School, and possesses a broad education, together with the faculty of imparting knowledge to children in an interesting and successful manner. For thirteen years she has been identified with the East Denver schools, and is now principal of the Broadway school. She is a member of the Woman's Club of Denver, and is also identified with the State Historical Society.
AJ.
JACOB DOWNING. It would be impossible to write a history of
Colorado without making frequent reference to Major Downing. In
early clays in a military capacity, and later as a citizen, he has
been intimately connected with the development of the state.
Especially has he been inseparably associated with the growth of
Denver, one of whose avenues is named in his honor and also one of
the suburban towns. Within a mile of the city limits he has a
ranch of about two thousand acres, with irrigation ditches,
sewerage and a commodious brick residence. Here general farm
pursuits are carried on, and cattle and horses are raised.
In the introduction of improvements Major
