Fifty Years In The Northwest by William H. C. Folsom
CHAPTER XIII.
2074 words | Chapter 120
BIOGRAPHICAL.
JESSE TAYLOR, the first permanent settler of Taylor's Falls, came to
the Falls in 1838, as narrated in the general history of the village.
Nothing is known of his life before coming to the Falls, except that
he was originally from Kentucky, and lived at Fort Snelling, where he
was employed as a stonemason. By the death of his associate, B. F.
Baker, he came into possession of the mill property and its
belongings. This he sold to Joshua L. Taylor in 1846, and removed to
Stillwater, where he took a contract for stone work on the prison
walls. His name appears as a member of the house from Stillwater in
the territorial legislature for 1851 and 1852. He was married in 1844
to Abigail, daughter of widow Edwards, of Stillwater. He left
Stillwater in 1853.
JOSHUA L. TAYLOR was born in Sanbornton, New Hampshire, in 1816. In
1836 he removed to Alton, Illinois, where he lived until 1840, when he
came to Taylor's Falls in the employ of the St. Croix Falls Lumber
Company. In 1846 he purchased the property of Jesse Taylor. He engaged
in logging until 1849, meanwhile pre-empting portions of the site of
Taylor's Falls. In the fall of 1849 he went to California, and was
fairly successful in his mining ventures. He returned to Taylor's
Falls in 1852, where he has since resided. He was married in October,
1856, at Skowhegan, Maine, to Clarinda Wyman. Mrs. Taylor died May 4,
1860, leaving no children. Mr. Taylor built a fine residence in 1856,
on block 1, River street, Taylor's Falls, commanding a beautiful view
of the river. Mrs. Gilmore, a sister of Mr. Taylor, and her daughter
Mary, lived with him many years. Mrs. Gilmore died in 1868. Mary
Gilmore was married to D. G. Sampson in 1881 and now lives in Ashland.
Mr. Taylor had many opportunities of entering public life, but, with a
solitary exception, declined them. At the organization of the
territory of Minnesota, in 1849, he was appointed United States
marshal, but declined. He was afterward appointed warden of the
penitentiary at Stillwater, and served two years.
NATHAN C. D. TAYLOR, elder brother of Joshua, was born in Sanbornton,
New Hampshire, in 1810; removed to Alton, Illinois, in 1832 and was
for several years in the employ of Godfrey, Gilman & Co., merchants of
Alton. Mr. Taylor came to St. Croix Falls in 1846. He was one of the
original pre-emptors of the site of Taylor's Falls. In 1852 he engaged
with Patrick Fox in the mercantile business. They carried on an
extensive trade in goods and logs until 1858. The firm of Taylor & Fox
erected a good store building on lot 16, block 15. He was a member of
the house in the fifth and seventh territorial legislatures, and
speaker of the fifth. In 1866 he was elected county treasurer of
Chisago county, and thereafter to the same office continuously for ten
years. Mr. Taylor never married. He died at Taylor's Falls, March 20,
1887.
THOMAS F. MORTON was born in South Carolina. He came to St. Croix
Falls in 1840. In 1850 he settled on a farm adjoining Taylor's Falls,
known as the Jerry Ross claim. He pre-empted the southwest quarter of
section 25. In 1852 he was married to Mrs. Margaret Boyce, his second
wife, mother of Silas Boyce, of Amador. He followed farming
successfully a few years, and in 1862 enlisted in his country's
service, as a private in Company C, Seventh Minnesota Volunteer
Infantry, and along with his friends Colby and Guard did noble
service, participating in several battles, in one of which, the battle
of Nashville, he was wounded by the bursting of a shell. He remained
with the regiment, however, until, disabled by his wound and by
sickness at the siege of Spanish Fort, he was compelled to return
home. He never recovered his health, but in 1867 peacefully passed
away. He was a good man, a brave soldier, and an exemplary Christian.
HENRY N. SETZER.--Mr. Setzer is a descendant of a North German family.
He was born in Montgomery county, Missouri, Oct. 6, 1825, and received
his education at home, which he left at the age of fourteen years,
and afterward at St. Charles College, Missouri. In 1843 Mr. Setzer
came to the St. Croix valley, where he engaged in lumbering for
himself and others, and devoted some time to public affairs. From 1843
to 1854 he resided alternately at Stillwater, Marine, Taylor's Falls
and Chengwatana. Mr. Setzer represented the Fourth district, including
Marine, Rush Lake, Rice River and Snake River precincts, in the house
of the first territorial legislature, and the First district,
including the counties of Washington, Itasca, Chisago, Superior and
Doty, in the council of the seventh and eighth territorial
legislatures. He was a member of the Democratic wing of the
constitutional convention in 1857. In 1857 he was appointed warden of
the state prison at Stillwater, which position he held until 1860,
when he was appointed register of the land office at Cambridge, Isanti
county. He held this position until April,1861. Having devoted his
leisure time to the study of law, and having been admitted to practice
in the supreme court of Minnesota, he concluded to devote himself
entirely to practice. He established a law office in Taylor's Falls
with L. K. Stannard. He removed to Superior City in 1869, to Duluth in
1874, and returned to Taylor's Falls in 1877. He has served as town
and county attorney in Chisago county for many years, and has an
extensive practice in the higher courts.
PATRICK FOX was born in Tipperary county, Ireland, in 1819; came with
his parents to America in 1823, and to Davenport, Iowa, in 1836. In
1841 he came to St. Croix Falls, where he lived three years, moving
thence to Stillwater, where he engaged in logging until 1851, when he
removed to Taylor's Falls and engaged in lumbering for a year, then
entered into a mercantile partnership with N. C. D. Taylor. The firm
closed business in 1858. Mr. Fox has been a public spirited citizen,
contributing freely of his means for the improvement of the village,
aiding in opening roads, building levees and bridges, and school
houses, before such enterprises could be paid for out of tax revenues.
Mr. Fox represented Chisago county in the second legislature, 1860.
Mr. Fox is a good neighbor, industrious and temperate. He was married
at Davenport, Iowa, to Elisabeth Riley. They have three sons and two
daughters. The eldest daughter is the wife of Clarence Peaslee; the
second daughter became the wife of Winfield P. Larcy, of Dakota, in
1886.
W. F. COLBY was born in Whitefield, Maine, June 12, 1818. In his early
life he was a sailor. He came to St. Croix Falls in 1843. He was
married to Salina De Attly in 1849, and removed to the west side of
the river, where he located on the Otis farm which he had previously
bought. He followed lumbering and farming and kept a lodging house for
travelers. He built a good house, and the first frame barn in Chisago
county. He sold his property, consisting of one hundred and sixty
acres and improvements, for $8,000. In 1862 Mr. Colby enlisted in
Company C, Seventh Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and served until the
close of the war as sergeant. Mr. Colby is a bluff, square, outspoken
man, hearty in his manner, and somewhat sailor-like in his expressions
though almost a lifetime has passed since he trod the deck of a
vessel.
OSCAR ROOS was born in West Gothland, Sweden, in 1827. He came to
America in 1850, and located in Taylor's Falls, where he has since
resided continuously, taking an active part in public affairs, and a
deep interest in everything pertaining to the growth of the village
and county. Mr. Roos was postmaster at Taylor's Falls 8 years,
register of deeds 8 years, register of the land office 5 years, and
county treasurer 8 years. He is engaged in exchange, loaning money,
etc., and has a branch office in Centre City. He was married to Hannah
Swanstrom in 1870.
SAMUEL THOMSON, a Pennsylvanian by birth, came to Taylor's Falls in
1851, and in company with Ansel Smith built the Chisago House, a
notable enterprise at that time, as neither the resources of the
village or surrounding country had been developed in such a way as to
give any assurance of success. Mr. Thomson removed in 1854 to Polk
county; and settled on a farm in Osceola, where he made himself an
attractive and pleasant home. His farm has long been celebrated for
its trout pond. Mr. Thomson has given much attention and been quite
successful in fish culture. The farm was sold in 1885, and Mr.
Thompson removed to Arkansas, where he died Nov. 5, 1886.
SUSAN THOMSON, sister of Samuel Thomson, taught the first school in
Taylor's Falls, in 1852. She had just come from Pennsylvania, and had
traveled on horseback from Stillwater, there being no carriage roads
above Marine. She was married to Daniel Mears, of Osceola, in 1852.
GEORGE DE ATTLY, a native of Virginia, came to St. Croix Falls with
his family in 1847, and removed to Taylor's Falls in 1851, locating in
section 25, and making a pre-emption. He was a carpenter. He raised a
large and respected family. One son is in the Black Hills, Dakota
Territory. His oldest daughter is the wife of Wm. F. Colby, of
Taylor's Falls. His second daughter was the widow of Jacob Markley.
His third daughter is the wife of Alvah Brown. One son, George,
resides in Taylor's Falls. Mr. De Attly died in Nebraska.
JACOB MARKLEY came from Virginia to the St. Croix valley in 1847,
settling first at St. Croix Falls, and in 1851 locating at Taylor's
Falls, where he pre-empted the northeast quarter of the northeast
quarter of section 24. He went to Montana in 1869, where he died a
tragic death. His widow and two children reside in the Black Hills,
Dakota.
JOHN DOBNEY was born in England in 1820; came to America when a child,
to Stillwater in 1845, and to Taylor's Falls in 1852. He followed
logging for many years, and made himself a permanent home on a farm in
Amador, on the banks of the St. Croix river, in 1858. He was married
to Eveline Page, in Michigan, in 1859.
WILLIAM DOBNEY, younger brother of John, came to Taylor's Falls from
Michigan in 1852, and engaged, with characteristic energy, in
lumbering and selling goods until his death, which was the result of
an accident, he having been thrown violently from a wagon which he was
driving, in the spring of 1871. He was married in 1855 to Fanny M.
Gray, who with two children survives him. The oldest, a son, is
married and resides in Minneapolis. The daughter is the wife of Dr.
Greely Murdock, of Taylor's Falls.
HENRY H. NEWBURY came to St. Croix Falls in 1849, and to Taylor's
Falls in 1852. Mr. Newbury is a practical surveyor and explorer. He
served as county surveyor and commissioner many years. He was married
first to Sarah Ayers, widow of E. R. St. Clair, who died in 1874. In
1880 he was married to Fanny M. Gray, widow of Wm. Dobney.
EMIL MUNCH was born in Prussia in 1831; came to America in 1849, and
to Taylor's Falls in 1852, where, until 1857, he worked at the
carpenter's trade, when he removed to Chengwatana, Pine county, and
engaged in lumbering and dealing in pine lands. He served as register
of deeds in Pine county, and represented Washington, Chisago, Pine and
Kanabec counties in the house of the third legislature in 1861. He
enlisted at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, Oct. 16, 1861, as a private in
the First Minnesota Battery, and was chosen captain on the following
month; was wounded at Shiloh, April 5, 1862; returned to his battery
in September of the same year, took part in the battle of Corinth,
October 4th and 5th, and in the after campaign was appointed chief of
artillery, in October, 1862, and from effects of exposure on the march
was forced to resign in the December following, but again entered the
service to fight the Sioux Indians on the Minnesota frontier in May,
June and July, 1863. He entered the Veteran Reserve Corps in August,
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