Fifty Years In The Northwest by William H. C. Folsom
1843. He settled in Stillwater in 1844, and removed to his farm in
1858 words | Chapter 42
1846, where he has been successful in raising apples and smaller
fruits. His wife died in 1851. His second wife was Jane Willey. Mr.
Ramsdell has been a quiet, good citizen, reliable and trustworthy.
CHARLES MACY.--An orphan at thirteen years of age, Mr. Macy's early
life was full of changes, adventures and vicissitudes. He was born in
Canada East in 1821. He lived a somewhat wandering life until 1845,
when he came to Fort Snelling, and shortly after to Stillwater, where,
in 1846, he made a claim which became his permanent home. He was
married in 1854.
JONATHAN E. MCKUSICK.--There was no more genial, pleasant, off-hand
man than Jonathan E. McKusick. He was the life of public gatherings.
His remarks, full of wit and sentiment, would keep his audience in a
pleasant frame of mind. At old settlers' meetings his fund of
anecdotes, historical incidents and reminiscences were in the highest
degree interesting and entertaining. Mr. McKusick was born in Cornish,
Maine, in 1812; was married to Minerva King in 1836, and came up the
Mississippi on the ice, in December, 1845, to Stillwater, which he
made his home until his death, which occurred Aug. 21, 1876. He took
an active interest in the welfare of the city and held many offices of
trust. He served his country during the war of the Rebellion, and in
1863 was appointed quartermaster with the rank of captain, which
position he held until mustered out at the close of the war.
JOHN MCKUSICK.--Prominent amongst the pioneers of the St. Croix
valley, and deserving of special mention for his enterprise and public
spirit, is the subject of this sketch. He was born in Cornish, Maine,
in 1815; received a common school education; came to Illinois in 1839,
and to St. Croix Falls in 1840, where he engaged in the lumbering
business, getting logs to the Falls mill, and sawing them. Through
industry and economy he saved enough to enable him to become part
owner and builder of the first mill in Stillwater. He has held many
positions of trust. He served as state senator in 1863-64-65 and 66.
He was active in aiding to secure the land grant to build railroads
into Stillwater, in the welfare of which city he has ever manifested
the deepest interest. He has been one of the largest proprietors, and
most liberal in improving and adorning the city, has encouraged a
sound system of finances, and has steadily opposed the bonding system.
Mr. McKusick was married to Phebe Greely in 1847, who soon afterward
died. He married his second wife, Servia Greely, in November, 1849. He
has three children living, Newton, Chester and Ella. Mrs. McKusick
died Feb. 18, 1887.
[Illustration: John McKusick]
WILLIAM MCKUSICK, a younger brother of Jonathan E. and John McKusick,
came to Stillwater in 1847, and engaged in lumbering. He was a member
of the fifth territorial house, and a senator in the second, sixteenth
and seventeenth state legislatures. In 1870, with the firm of
McKusick, Anderson & Co., he built the large saw mill at Houlton,
opposite Stillwater. In 1882 he made his home upon a farm at Big Stone
Lake.
NOAH MCKUSICK, another brother, came to Stillwater in 1847, followed
lumbering some years, removed to Oregon, and died there in 1886.
ROYAL MCKUSICK came to the valley in 1848, and died a few years later,
leaving a large and respectable family.
IVORY E. MCKUSICK.--Ivory E., brother of John and J. E. McKusick, was
born in Maine, July 2, 1827. In 1847 he came to Stillwater, with which
city he has since been permanently identified. He spent two years
working in the old mill, the first built at Stillwater, and then
engaged in lumbering until 1859. In 1862 he was appointed prison
guard, and served two years. In 1864 he was in the service of the
government, and helped build Fort Wadsworth, Dakota. He served as
surveyor general several years, and later has engaged in the
forwarding and commission business. He was married to Sophia A.
Jewell, Feb. 9, 1854. He is a man of probity and merit.
CHARLES E. LEONARD.--The subject of this sketch was born Feb. 25,
1810, at Worthington, Massachusetts. His father died when he was four
years old. In his early life he experienced some vicissitudes. He
tried farming and hotel keeping, but owing to poor health was obliged
to give up these employments. He started West in 1846, remained awhile
in Hancock county, Illinois, and in 1847 came to Stillwater, where he
engaged in mercantile pursuits. He removed to St. Anthony in 1850, to
St. Paul in 1855, to Point Douglas in 1866, to Sioux City in 1880, and
to Princeton, Mille Lacs county, in 1881. Mr. Leonard has held several
official positions. In 1852 he was appointed territorial treasurer,
and in 1857, serving four years; was a member of the Democratic wing
of the constitutional convention. He did some military service during
the Indian outbreak in 1862. He was married to Catherine Yendes, of
Rodman, New York, January, 1835.
DANIEL MCLEAN.--Mr. McLean was born in the north of Ireland in 1800
and came to America in his youth with his brothers. He lived
successively in Philadelphia, Indianapolis and St. Louis, whence he
embarked for St. Croix Falls in 1839, in the employ of the Falls
Manufacturing Company. He came to Stillwater in 1848. Through industry
and economy he accumulated a handsome fortune, which, at his death, he
left to his heirs in Stillwater. He was an upright christian man. He
died in Stillwater in 1873.
ROBERT SIMPSON.--Mr. Simpson was born in Sussex, England, in 1815. He
married Mary Ann Shelley in 1840 and came the same year to the United
States. After spending two years in New York and other places, he came
to St. Croix Falls in 1842, where he followed lumbering until 1850,
when he came to Stillwater. He belonged to the firm of Simpson,
Anderson & McComb, lumbering and merchandising, and engaged in other
branches of business. He was a member from Stillwater of the first
state legislature. He is a quiet, unobtrusive gentleman, greatly
esteemed by those who know him. Mrs. Simpson and an only child died in
Stillwater in 1856.
WILLIAM H. HOOPER.--This gentleman attained considerable notoriety in
later life as an influential Mormon and a delegate to Congress from
Utah from 1859 to 1868. He was a man of unquestioned ability and an
eloquent speaker. His plea for "religious liberty," made against the
Cullom bill, is said to have been one of the most eloquent speeches
ever delivered in Congress. Mr. Hooper was born in Warwick Manor,
Maryland, Dec. 25, 1813. In 1835 he moved to Galena and engaged in
mercantile business. In the panic of 1838 Mr. Hooper and his partner
failed to the amount of $200,000, but, after years of struggling, the
debt was entirely paid. In 1843 Mr. Hooper engaged in steamboating as
clerk on the steamer Otter, on the Upper Mississippi and its
tributaries, and was well known at Stillwater. His boat in 1843 landed
the mill irons for McKusick & Co.'s mill. In 1844 he built the steamer
Lynx and several other boats, the last being known as the Alex.
Hamilton, of which he was part owner. This was burned at St. Louis in
1849, which left him again penniless. In 1850 he emigrated to Salt
Lake and there in his business enterprises greatly prospered. Although
he espoused Mormonism and became one of its leaders, he was opposed to
polygamy. He died in Salt Lake City.
JAMES H. SPENCER.--James H. Spencer came to Stillwater in 1845, a boy
of sixteen. His educational privileges had been limited, but he was
ambitious and studious, and by his own unaided exertions acquired a
practical business education. He followed lumbering and exploring, and
was employed as state timber agent for fifteen years. He was born in
Boone county, Missouri, in 1829, and was married to Rose M. Winters,
in Stillwater, in 1869.
JOHN T. BLACKBURN.--The brothers Blackburn were born in Cincinnati,
Ohio, John, the elder, in 1823. He came to Stillwater in 1844, and has
since been actively engaged in lumbering. His home has been at
Stillwater, Marine, Taylor's Falls, and Shell Lake, where he now
resides.
JOSEPH T. BLACKBURN.--Joseph, the younger brother, was born in 1834,
and in 1847 came to Stillwater. He has followed lumbering and Indian
trading. He has made his home at Stillwater, at Taylor's Falls, and,
since 1860, on Totogatic river, in Douglas county, Wisconsin, ten
miles from Gordon. Mr. Blackburn enjoys wilderness life, is eccentric
in manner, and attends strictly to his own business.
HORACE K. MCKINSTRY.--We have no data of Mr. McKinstry's early life.
He came to Stillwater in 1846. His family consisted of his wife, three
daughters, and son, John, who afterward married the eldest daughter of
Anson Northrup. Mr. McKinstry was a justice of the peace in 1847 and
1848, and was engaged in mercantile business the two succeeding years.
He removed to Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, a year or two after and died
there March 12, 1884.
SETH M. SAWYER.--Mr. Sawyer was born in Skowhegan, Maine, in 1822. He
came to Stillwater in 1846, followed lumbering, and afterward engaged
in building a saw mill in the firm name of Sawyer & Heaton. In 1850 he
was married to Eliza McKinstry. Mr. Sawyer left Minnesota in 1866 for
an extended sojourn in the Southern States, and engaged in business
there, but nothing is known positively of his present whereabouts.
HENRY SAWYER.--Henry, the younger brother of Seth, came from Skowhegan
to Stillwater in 1849, and engaged in mercantile pursuits for two
years in partnership with Horace McKinstry. In 1856 he built the first
stone block in Stillwater, on lot 2, block 27. In 1857 he built the
Sawyer House, a four story hotel. Mr. Sawyer married Lucy Noyes. He
died in Stillwater, Dec. 27, 1865, and his remains were buried in the
Kah-ba-kong cemetery, at Taylor's Falls.
ALVAH D. HEATON.--Mr. Heaton was the partner of Seth Sawyer in
building the second saw mill in Stillwater. He came to St. Croix in
1847 and worked at the Osceola mills some time. He was a partner in
logging with O. H. Blair and afterward with Wm. Kent. He was a
brother-in-law to Hon. Cyrus Aldrich, representative in Congress from
Minnesota. In after years he removed to Idaho.
JOHN MCKINZIE.--Mr. McKinzie was born at Inverness, Scotland, in 1818,
and came to America in 1841. He located in Stillwater in 1846, and
followed lumbering until 1856, when he removed to a farm in the Lyman
settlement. He married Rose Carlton in 1872 and removed to Miles City,
Montana, in 1879.
GEORGE MCKINZIE, a younger brother of John, came to Stillwater in
1851, and engaged in lumbering and exploring. In 1885 he was adjudged
insane and sent to the St. Peter's hospital, from which he was soon
released. He afterward visited California, where he was drowned in San
Francisco bay. He was unmarried.
HENRY KATTENBERG.--Mr. Kattenberg was born in Prussia in 1821, and
married to Arnebia C. Silova, at Kemper, on the banks of the Rhine, in
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