Gardiner, John, (page 1030), carpenter and builder; shop on Alleghaney street near Fourth. Business was begun here by Mr. Gardiner in 1857, and he has followed his trade in this city for twenty-six years uninterruptedly. He is a native of County Meath, Ireland; born there in 1834. At thirteen years of age he came to America, to Philadelphia, where he learned his trade, and ten years after his arrival in the new world settled in Wabasha. In 1869 he bought the property he now occupies, which he improved, added to, built upon, and which for twenty-three years has been his home. Business the present season is good, and he keeps four men steadily employed. He was married in this city July 2, 1869, to Miss Kate Cleary. Their children now living are : John, born April 16, 1861, and now firing an engine on Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway; Eduard, born November 27, 1866; George, born July 4, 1870, both of whom are now attending school.
Gardam, Rev. William, (page 1289), rector of St. Mark's church, Lake City, was born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, England, October 18, 1851, and was educated there in the common branches. In 1872 he entered the Headingley College, at Yorkshire, England, where he pursued the study of the classics, mathematics and theology. In 1875 he became a student at the Lincoln Theological College, and at the same time became an under-graduate of the University of London. At the end of two years he was ordained deacon, and, the following year, priest in the Lincoln Cathedral, England, by the Rt. Rev. Christopher Wordsworth, bishop of Lincoln. His first ministerial work was curate of Bourne Abbey church, Lincolnshire, England, where he remained from 1877 to 1879. At this juncture he found himself prostrated with a nervous breakdown, and in October, 1879, came to America with a view to improving his health. In the fall of 1880 he was called to the rectorship of the St. Paul's church at Plymouth,Wisconsin, whence he came to Lake City in May, 1883. He was married December 27, 1881, at Milwaukee, by Bishop Welles, to Miss Mary Chase Smith, a great-granddaughter of Bishop Chase, and daughter of the noted railroad man, H. N. Smith, of Milwaukee. Mr. Gardam's father, James B. Gardam, who is a scientific chemist, now resides at Cleveland, Ohio.
Garrard, L. H., M.D., (page 1323), is a native of Connecticut. His first visit to Minnesota was made in 1854, in company with General Israel Garrard, but his actual residence in the State was not made until four years later - 1858. Dr. Garrard received a liberal education but did not complete a full classical course. He graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1853, and the following year came into Minnesota with his brother Israel, as before stated, intending to go to Puget Sound in Gov. Steven's line of survey. Through some malarrangement they failed to find the military escort and so took a tour through Minnesota, finally bringing up at Frontenac, (then called Western Landing), on Lake Pepin. Here they took up several thousand acres of land, buying claims from the squatters, most of which was afterward settled with half-breed scrip. In 1856 Dr. Garrard went to Europe and spent two years traveling and studying upon the continent, returning to America in 1858. The same year he returned to Minnesota, and from 1858 to 1870 was a resident of Frontenac, engaged in looking after his landed interests there. In the fall of 1859, he was elected a member of the State Legislature and served during the sessions of 1859-60. In 1870 he removed to Lake City, was one of the organizers of the National Bank here that same year, and its president during the first three years of its existence. A man of liberal culture and decidedly interested in all questions of moral reform. He was the candidate of the temperance party of Lake City for Mayor on the no-license ticket in 1876, and was elected on that issue. In 1862, Dr. L. Garrard married Miss Flora, daughter of Mr. Eli Van Vliet. They have two daughters, Edith and Annie, both attending school in Cincinnati. The Doctor is a gentleman of broad views, cosmopolitan in his tastes and ideas, charitable and kindly in his disposition, of genial social temperament, and one of Lake City's most popular and public-spirited citizens.
Revolutionary War
Gates, Stephen K., (page 1165), retired farmer, Lake City, is descended from an old
New England
family of English origin. His father, Isaac Gates, was a native of New
Hampshire, and married
Hannah Kendall, of Vermont. Reuben, father of Hannah Kendall, enlisted in the
revolutionary
army at sixteen, and served through the great struggle. Isaac Gates dwelt with
his family in 1815
at Ackworth, New Hampshire, where the subject of this sketch was born June 30.
When the latter
was thirteen the family went to Windsor, Vermont, where he grew to manhood on
a farm. Mr.
Gates attended an academy one year after he had become of age, and earned
enough to defray the
expense of such a course. He engaged largely in farming in Vermont for many
years, and then
retired to a small estate. In 1855 he visited the west, and purchased land far
from this city, in
Wisconsin, of which he still owns a part. In 1868 he removed to Lake City, and
having decided
to remain here, sold his eastern home two years later. Real-estate dealings
and loans have
occupied his attention somewhat here. In 1841 he married Sarah, daughter of
Oliver and Sally
Hale, all born in Windsor, Vermont. Mr. Gates is skeptical about the divinity
and truth of the
Bible, but contributes liberally to the support of the Episcopal church, which
claims all the other
members of the family. He has always been a consistent adherent to the
principles of the
republican party. Two daughters constitute the offspring of this family. The
elder is Mrs. W. R.
Murray, of this city, mentioned elsewhere; the younger, Hannah Frances,
married Rev. Charles
H. Plummer, now rector of the Episcopal church at Branford, Connecticut.
Gaylord, Albert K., (page 1018), Lake City marshall, was reared on a farm in New York, and received a common-school education, supplemented by several terms at Falley Seminary, in Fulton, same state. His parents, Miner and Elizabeth (Burr) Gaylord, were born, reared and married in Connecticut, and removed to New York. While resident in the town of Butternuts, Otsego county, 1831, a son was born to them, and christened Albert K. When twenty years old the latter left home, and went to Brooklyn, Jackson county, Michigan, where he was employed in a foundry and machine-shop. In the fall of 1856 he came to Lake City, and next spring brought his family. He built the building known for many years as "Gaylord's Hall," which was consumed in 1882, and opened the first furniture store. He also sold various kinds of agricultural implements, manufactured by his former employers. For some years he was employed at carpenter work, and in the foundry here. For three years he owned and operated the mill in the "Cooley," south of the city, in partnership with D. M. Smith. He served as marshal in the years 1874-5-6, and was appointed to fill a vacancy in that office in October, 1881, holding the position ever since. He was a charter member and first past dictator of the Lake City Knights of Honor, and was also connected with the Good Templars lodge while it existed; has taken all the degrees in Odd-Fellowship, and is connected with the Masonic lodge and chapter. Mary A. Bancroft, first wife of A. K. Gaylord, was born in New York, and died here in September, 1868, leaving two children, of whom one survives, born March, 1868, and christened Mary E. The maternal grandparents of the latter were of New England birth, In October, 1877, Mr. Gaylord was united in marriage to Solura I., widow of Elias Sweet, and she still shares his joys and sorrows.
Gaylord, S. H., (page 1031), was born in Gainesville, Genesee county, New York, June 9, 1830, where he remained till the spring of 1857. He was early apprenticed to the daguerreotype business, in the interest of which he traveled through New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio for six and a half years. In 1857 he came to Plainview and settled on one hundred and sixty acres as a homestead, which he has since worked and owned. He was married March 26, 1862, to Mary E. Gaskill, of Owego, New York, by whom he had five children: Emma E., born January 30, 1863; Chas. E., born September 18, 1865; Mary E., born June 13, 1875; Fred. H., born July 9, 1877; Nellie, born May 14, 1882. His father, Elijah M., came to Wabasha county in 1866; died January 13, 1873, and was buried in Plainview.
Note from fellow geneologist: I'm trying to find out more on Henry Sheldon Gaylord, my Great Grandfather. He died 29 years young: October 4, 1880-October 1909. My Grandmother Mildreth Louise Gaylord was born July 18, 1901 and was his only offspring. My grandmother married Emmett Ray or Bailey Easton and they had two children: my father, Robert Morrell Easton and my Aunt Doris Louise Easton. Any further help would be welcomed. Thanks, Robert M. Easton, Jr.
Gearey Henry R., (page 1157 ~ not listed in the index), son of Hamilton B. and Harriet (Macy) Gearey, was born in the city of Hudson, State of New York, on March 18, 1845. When six years old his parents removed to Pompey, in the same state. Here the subject of this sketch spent his youth and received a common-school education, which was supplemented by a term or two in the Manlius Academy. He was married July 3, 1864, to Achsah J., daughter of Ephriam E. and Jerusha (Weston) Brown, a native of Pompey, then in here twentieth year. Four years later Mr. Gearey disposed of his property in Pompey, came to Highland, and bought the place which he still owns, one hundred and sixty acres of section 17. He has been prominent in township and county affairs from the first. At present is one of the county commissioners for Wabasha county, being elected on the democratic ticket; has been township clerk four terms, assessor two years, and a supervisor one year. In state and national politics is a democrat, in local affairs, independent; is a member of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Gearey is the father of four children, viz: George H., born July 4, 1866; James E., October 28, 1868; Susa A., December 3, 1870; Arthur B., November 12, 1872. Mr. Gearey is one of the most enterprising and prosperous farmers in Highland.
War of Rebellion (Civil War)
Gengnagle, Jacob, (page 1124), manufacturer and dealer in furniture, Second street,
between
Pembroke and Bailly; business established where now conducted in 1864, and so
continued. Mr.
Gengnagle is a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany; came to America at
seventeen years of age,
learned his trade in Albany, New York, and after working there five years came
west in 1855,
spending one year in Dubuque, Iowa, and from that city to Wabasha in 1856.
There being no
opening for his trade here, Mr. Gengnagle turned carpenter; worked at that
trade three years, then
went to New Orleans, and was there at the time the war broke out. When Gen.
Butler took
possession of the city he enlisted, June 30, 1862, in Co. L, 3d Mass. Cav.,
and was in the service
eighteen months, until disabled by a gunshot wound in the right elbow, and was
discharged.
Came to Wabasha, and the following year married Helena Affeld, of this city;
date of marriage
November 21, 1865. They have three children, all attending school in this
city: Charles, born
October 17, 1866; Katie, born January 31, 1869; Jacob J., September 8, 1875.
War of Rebellion (Civil War)
Gibbs, Oliver, Jr., (page 1152), horticulturist, Lake City, whose name is familiar
throughout southern
Minnesota, and as well known in the office of the executive of State as in the
humble cottage of
his nearest neighbor, was born in the State of Vermont in 1832. He is a son of
Oliver and Zilpha
(Thomas) Gibbs, and on the paternal side a lineal descendant of Israel Putnam.
Like his father, he
was reared on a farm, where his time was divided between agricultural labor
and attending the
common country schools of the Green Mountain State. He learned the printer's
trade in the office
of the Rutland (Vermont) "Herald," and first started in business for himself
at Prescott,
Wisconsin, in the publication of the "Transcript" in 1855, in company with
Charles Young, now
of Minneapolis. He also served Pierce as clerk for five years previous to the
outbreak of the war,
and in 1861 enlisted as battalion adjutant, 2d Wis. Cav., under Col. C. C.
Washburn. After about
one year's field service he was transferred to a confidential clerkship under
Sec. Stanton, which
he resigned in 1869 on account of failing health, contracted while in military
service. The same
year he removed to Minnesota and permanently located in Lake City, where he at
once engaged
in horticultural pursuits. He is now in his third year's service as secretary
of the Minnesota State
Horticultural Society, being elected at their last meeting, in January, 1884,
by acclamation. He
was the representative of this state at the nineteenth biennial session of the
American
Pomological Society at Philadelphia, in September, 1883, where he was awarded
and returned to
Minnesota the Wilder silver medal for the best collection of apples and grapes
from any part of
North America. In 1884 he was appointed United States commissioner to
represent the State of
Minnesota at the cotton centennial and world's exposition at New Orleans,
Louisiana. The most
important part of Mr. Gibbs' official duty as secretary of the State
Horticultural Society is the
compiling and editing of their annual report, a bound volume of five hundred
pages. This is at
present the only society connected with agriculture in Minnesota which, under
the auspices of the
state, publishes an annual report. Mr. Gibbs was married June 2, 1856, to
Miss Rose Martin, a
native of Vermont. Their children's names, in the order of their birth, are:
Zilphia M., wife of Ed.
R. Converse, of Palatine, Illinois; Lottie, now a clerk in the pension office
at Washington; Nettie
May, now Mrs. Frank Jackson, of Lyon county, Minnesota, and Maggie and Oliver,
Jr., at
home.
Gibson, Peter, (page 1116), retired riverman, has been a resident of this city since 1863. Mr. Gibson was born in Sweden; came to America in 1851, to Michigan, and was in a lumber- mill on the lake, a few miles above Port Huron, owned by Hubbard Bros. until coming to the Mississippi lumber regions in 1855. From that year until 1863 he was engaged in rafting down the river from Stillwater to St. Louis. He married Margaret Dietrich November 24, 1867, whose family were early residents of this county. They have three children: Jerome, born March 11, 1870; William, born July 21, 1871; Peter J., born December 28, 1873.
Giem, William, (page 1338 ~ not listed in the index), settled on section 4, Elgin, in the fall of 1856, and has dwelt there ever since. He endured many privations in those early days to make himself a home, and now enjoys the reward of his labors in a comfortable independence. During the winter of 1856-7 he dwelt in a shanty twelve feet square, with board roof. The snow was so deep that he could not use a team, and he was forced to get wood on his back. The nearest market for grain in those days was Winona; but his first wheat crop having failed, his family was forced to live eighteen months without wheat bread. Corn-meal and buckwheat flour furnished them with bread. Being without money to buy with, he had to put up with what he could produce. Potatoes were plenty, and they lived happily, for they had hopes. William Giem is a son of John Giem, and was born in Prussia, March 14, 1827. When he was ten years old, his mother being dead, his father brought him to America, and settled in Holmes County, Ohio, where William grew up on a farm. He has always been a farmer, and possessed eighty acres of land in Ohio. He was married May 27, 1852, to Elizabeth Miller, a native of Ohio. Mrs. Giem passed away from earth in 1881. She left seven children, resident as below: Jacob, same section as his father; Esther (Mrs. John Nelson), Warren, Minnesota; Samuel, Silas, Melissa, Chauncey, and May with their father. The latter now has a farm of 236 acres, ten of which consists of timberland in West Albany, and raises both grain and stock. He is a Methodist in religious faith and a Democrat.
Gill, William: (page 976), Mrs. Elizabeth Gill, widow of William Gill, is the principal resident partner (of Ingram, Kennedy & Gill Lumber Company, a description of which can be found on Chapter 34 of the 1884 book). Wm. V. Gill, under whom the yards were originally established, a little over twenty-two years since, was a native of Pennsylvania. He came to Wabasha county in 1856, and worked for a time there in a sawmill belonging to Knapp, Stout & Co., of which he had charge the following season, 1857. In 1858 he ran a sawmill in this place for Jarvas Williams, and in the season of 1859 was at Eau Claire in the service of Daniel Shaw, with whom he remained two or three summers, spending his winters in this place, usually clerking. Mr. Gill married Miss Elizabeth Hoggard, of this city, in 1860, and with her removed to Eau Claire. During the summer of 1861, while in the employ of Daniel Shaw & Co., lumbermen, in charge of their large saw, he made a contact with Ingram & Kennedy, lumbermen of Eau Claire, to open a lumber yard in this city, they to supply the lumber, he to manage their business. Accordingly, in the early fall of 1861 Mr. Gill returned to Wabasha, opened the yard, afterward built the planing-mill and factory, and conducted business here until his death, which occurred March 13, 1876, at San Diego, California, to which place he had gone to recuperate his health. He was a man of most methodical business habits, universally respected, and his loss was severely felt by the business circles of the city. He left behind him a family of two sons, one daughter and his widow, all of whom are still residents of this city.
Gillett, Harrison, (page 1004), the great engine-boiler builder and machinist, of Lake City, was born in Coopertown, New York, in 1824, and at the early age of twelve years had developed considerable taste for machinery, especially such as was propelled by steam power. At that age he began running an engine at Syracuse, New York, and two years later went into a machine-shop to learn the art of building. This he completed, and to this day has kept pace with the development of steam machinery and in many ways taken decidedly advanced steps in the science. In 1856 he came to Minnesota and located in Lake City, and at once, in company with Starr, Gaylord & Thompson, built a mill-his connection with this firm, however, was soon severed, he drifting into his old business and also starting a foundry. He run the first heat in this city on July 10, 1869, and erected his large machine-shop at the corner of Main and Dwelle streets in 1870. This building is a massive stone structure in size, 38x120, walls eighteen inches thick, on a substantial foundation, two feet in thickness, fifty feet of the front, two stories high, the entire building covered with an iron roof. The interior is arranged into apartments to suit the convenience of the different branches of work carried on, each room being supplied with new and improved machinery for the molding and making of any article, from a wheelbarrow to a complete steam threshing-machine, capable of being conveyed to the field by its own motive power. In this immense establishment is a thirty-horsepower engine, which not only propels the vast machinery within its own walls, but also furnishes the power for two grain elevators. During the threshing season of 1882 Mr. Gillette had in the field thirteen full-equipped steam threshers, through which was run about five hundred thousand bushels of grain, earning the sum of fourteen thousand three hundred dollars. Suffice it to say that Mr. Gillett is a natural machinist in every sense, and his sons are men of the same stamp. He was married December 31, 1846, to Miss Mary L. Bayard, of the State of New York, who has borne to him eight children, six of whom are still living, whose names in the order of their birth are Frank H., Frances L., James H., Fred H., Addie L., and Asa D.
War of Rebellion (Civil War)
Gilman, Henry W., (page 1301), of the village of Elgin, son of John and Lydia
Gilman, was born in
the town of Anson, Somerset county, Maine, on January 18, 1842. His father was
a farmer by
occupation, and owned a farm in the above town, upon which the subject of this
sketch worked
during the early years of his life, attending the district schools in the
winters. In the fall of 1862
Mr. Gilman enlisted as a private in Co. A., 28th regt. of Maine Vol. Inf. Mr.
Gilman served with
his regiment under Gen. N. P. Banks, and was engaged in the siege of Port
Hudson, being present
at its surrender, July 8, 1863. After this Mr. Gilman was sent to the hospital
at Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, and in the fall of 1863 he was honorably discharged from the
service on account of
sickness, holding at the time the rank of sergeant. In the month of June,
1864, Mr. Gilman went
to California, remaining about six months in the Santa Clara Valley, and from
there he went to
the Canyon City gold mines, situated in the northeastern part of Oregon, and
was there engaged
in mining operations until the fall of 1865, when he returned to California,
and farmed it on the
coast, about forty-five miles south of San Francisco. Here he remained about
one year, when he
returned to Farmington, in his native state. During the year 1867 Mr. Gilman,
in conjunction with
his brother, conducted a hotel at New Sharon, Franklin county, Maine. On
January 18, 1868, Mr.
Gilman was married to Miss Annie O. Porter, daughter of W. B. and Elizabeth
Porter, of
Farmington, Maine, who now reside in Elgin. After Mr. Gilman's marriage he
went out of the
hotel business, and farmed it in Farmington until the fall of 1871, when he
entered the employ of
the Androscoggin Railroad Company, with whom he remained until the latter part
of 1873, when
he came with his family to Elgin. Mr. Gilman has followed the occupation of a
farmer since he
has been here, but for the last three years he has been principally engaged in
the business of
buying and shipping horses to Dakota and the Red River country. Mr. Gilman now
owns a good
property on Main street in the village, upon which he resides. In the spring
of 1880 Mr. Gilman
was elected one of the supervisors of the town of Elgin, and at the expiration
of his term refused
to serve longer, as his business would not then permit him to do so. In the
fall of 1881 Mr.
Gilman was elected one of the trustees of school district No. 57, which
position he now holds,
having been clerk of the board ever since his election. Mr. Gilman is a member
of Elgin lodge,
No. 115, A.F.A.M. in which lodge he now holds the office of J. W. His family
consists of two
children, Fred V., born May 16, 1871, and Lizzie Edith, born August 18, 1872.
In the summer of
1880 Mr. Gilman, accompanied by his family, paid a visit to his native place
in Maine, being
absent three months. While there he saw his mother for the last time, she
having died September
22, 1881.
Ginthner, L., (page 948), merchant tailor, and dealer in ready-made clothing and gents' furnishing goods, south side Main, midway between Allegheny and Pembroke streets. Property fronts twenty feet on Main street, and has a depth of sixty feet. This business was established, as a tailoring establishment, by Mr. Ginthner in 1855, and the ready-made clothing department was added eight years later. Business has been conducted continuously since its establishment twenty-eight years since. Two hands are employed in the manufacturing department. Mr. Ginthner is a native of Baden, Germany, learned his trade as clothier there, came to America in 1852, and after three years, spent principally in the Middle States, came to Wabasha August, 1855. His present store-building was built in 1867; his residence, the finest in the city, corner Allegheny and Third, was built in 1882. It is a modern two-story brick, solid stone basement, sills and caps, plate-glass windows, and finished in first-class style throughout. The main L's, two stories in height, are 24X34 feet and 20x30 feet respectively. Mr. Ginthner was married in 1857, to Lugerde Nord. They have six children: George, born November 22, 1858; Anton, born April 11, 1860; at work in the father's tailoring establishment; Anne, born April 11, 1862, at home; Emma, born March 31, 1866, clerk in the postoffice; Clara, born April 23, 1871; Julia, born September 27, 187_, both attending the Sisters' school in this city.
Revolutionary War
War of Rebellion (Civil War)
Goodenough, John R., (page 1235), broom manufacturer, mason and stonecutter, Lake
City, is a
native of McHenry county, Illinois. He is the son of Stillman and Angeline
(Wood) Goodenough,
and was born April 5, 1839. His parents were natives of the State of New York,
and were married
in Illinois, where the former had settled in 1833. In 1848 the family removed
to Dodge county,
Wisconsin, where the mother died in 1852. The father, after spending over
three years in the war
of the rebellion as a member of the 19th Wis. Vol. Inf., and participating in
all the severe
marches and trying campaigns and battles of that brave regiment, returned to
his home, and some
years later removed to Washington county, Kansas, where he still lives
actively engaged in stock
raising and dealing in real estate. He is a son of Christopher Goodenough, one
of eleven brothers
who secreted themselves on shipboard and took their departure from the
unbearable tyranny of
despotic Russia prior to the American revolution, five of them taking an
active part in that war on
the colonial side. From those brothers, it is believed, descended all bearing
that name in this
country, many of whom have distinguished themselves and are prominently
connected with our
American institutions as disciples of Blackstone, doctors, medicine and
divinity, as well as
politicians. Our subject, John R., came to Lake City in August, 1861, and the
same fall
established a broom factory. His was the first machine ever brought to this
city, and his broom
handles could be obtained at no nearer point than Milwaukee. In August, 1862,
he enlisted in Co.
G, 8th Minn. Vol, Inf., in which he served as a faithful soldier three years
(see 8th Minn.), when
he was honorably discharged and returned to Lake City. Here he at once resumed
the
manufacture of brooms, but the following spring was burnt out, and then
removed to Florence, a
little farther up the lake, and some time later returned to Lake City, Besides
his broom business,
he also devotes much of his time to masonwork and stonecutting, giving
especial attention to
country contracts. He is a thorough mechanic, and master of all his trades. He
was married in
Lake City, in 1866, to Elizabeth Northfield, a native of Cambridge, England,
who came to
America with her parents, John W. and Susan (Littlechild) Northfield, in
infancy. Three
promising children bless this home, whose names in the order of their birth
are: Ada A., Olive R.
and Effie. Mr. Goodenough and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and he is a
substantial member of the republican party.
Graham, Duncan, (page 935), was one of the pioneers of the northwest, who was born in Scotland. He came to this country in the early part of the century, and to Wabasha about 1834. He was engaged for a number of years in carrying the mails between Prairie du Chien and the Red River of the North. His travels extended throughout most of the northwestern states, and one of the island in Devil's Lake bears his name. The occasion of his final location at Wabasha was the residence of a daughter at that place, who had married Joseph Buisson, and Indian trader and voyager, who had established a trading post at the place as early as 1832. An interesting item in the history of Wabasha is the naming of the town by Mr. Graham, who wrote the name of the future city and an account of some of the transactions that had taken place here, sealed them up in a glass bottle and buried the same in the ground near the bank of the river. Over the spot he planted a post, which has been seen by some of the early settlers now living, but it is now gone and the exact location is not known. It is supposed, however, to be near the river bank and just back of the First National Bank building. Mr. Graham was an educated gentleman and kept detailed diaries, in one of which he describes the occasion of the burying of the record, as above stated. He resided here until about 1847, when he removed to Mendota, where he died December 5, of above date, at the age of seventy-five years.
Grannis, George H., (page 1129), manufacturer of and dealer in lumber, Lake City, was born in Madison county, New York, March 10, 1827, and is the son of Sidney S. and Elizabeth (Strobridge) Grannis, natives of Claremont, New Hampshire. Young Grannis was reared as a woolen manufacturer till the age of twenty-one, after which he turned his attention to producing improved machinery for wool manufacturing. He followed this business exclusively till 1857, when he became interested as a partner in a sawmill at Red Win, Minnesota, the firm being Grannis, Daniels & Co. In 1865 he removed with his family to Minnesota, and permanently located at Lake City, where he is extensively engaged in the business of manufacturing lumber, lath and shingles. His yearly cut is on an average about one million feet, for which he finds a ready home market. December 28, 1848, Mr. Grannis was united in marriage with Lucetta S. Blanchard, also a native of Madison county, New York. They subsequently became the parents of two children, George W. and Arthur B. The former was married April 3, 1883, to Miss Grace Edwards, and estimable young lady of Stratford, Connecticut. He is now a partner in his father's business, and is an active and energetic young man. The family are members of the Congregational church, except Mrs. George W., who is an Episcopalian, and are co-workers in all enterprises which have in view the advancement of their adopted city.
Gray, Alexander, (page 1110), was born in Banffshire, Scotland, January, 1826; died October 22, 1869. He was the eldest child born to Alexander and Isabella Gray, and a brother to James Gray, a sketch of whose life also appears. When a young man, he spent several years in Australia, and in 1862 he emigrated to America, coming directly to West Albany township, and soon located on the farm he occupied until his death. He was married in Scotland to Mary Dingwall, of Banffshire, who died October 28, 1880, leaving five children, James E., Alexander D., William, Jeanett and George A. Mr. Gary and wife both belonged to the United Presbyterian church. He was a republican, and at the time of his death was justice of the peace. He left a good farm of two hundred and forty acres, and with his death the community lost one of its best citizens. James E., who is living on the homestead, is a young man of intelligence and promise. He devoted three years to the scientific course of the State University, and for a number of years has been a successful teacher in the neighborhood.
Gray, James, (page 1111), farmer, is a native of Banffshire, Scotland, where he was born September 15, 1832. He was fourth of four children, born to Alexander and Isabella Annaud-Gray. The former was a cartwright, and died when James was a child. At the age of thirteen the subject of our sketch learned the tailor's trade, following it until he was twenty-one, when he went to Australia. The six years passed here were mainly devoted to mining, and after returning to Scotland, he emigrated to this country in 1861, locating on the farm he now occupies. April 26, 1864, he was married to Ellen Perry, a native of Banffshire. Six children were the fruit of this union, viz: Alexander P., Margaret (deceased), James G., Mary A., William W., and Ellen. His wife died February 16, 1876. December 21, 1879, he wedded Hannah McCracken, to whom have been born two children, George S. and Ann D. Mr. and Mrs. Gray are both members of the United Presbyterian church. In politics he is republican. He is now chairman of the board of supervisors, which office he has held several years. He has a rich farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and may be numbered among the best citizens of the township.
Gray, Robert R., (page 1128), gardner, Lake City, is a native of Butler county, and was born November 8, 1821. In about 1828, his parents, Joseph and Elizabeth (Richey) Gray, removed to Montgomery county, Indiana, and settled near Crawfordsville, where the living members of the family still reside. Early in life our subject learned the trade of harness and saddle maker, and followed the business many years in the city of Crawfordsville. In 1865 he emigrated to Minnesota, making the entire trip with two teams and wagons in twenty-one days. On arriving in the borders of Lake City, he camped out a few days till he could secure a house into which to move his family. This done, he turned his attention to carrying out his plans- the purchase of a small piece of land-which he did, and began the business of market gardening. He was married in 1848, to Miss Charlotte Lupton, of Lafayette, Indiana, by whom he has reared a family of ten children, whose names are: Helen A. (now Mrs. R. Foss); Elizabeth A. (wife of P.A. Bartlett); Adda G. (married James G. Hammel); R. Verginia, Joseph W., Robert A., Charles C., Thomas G., Margarett I., Cecile and Vance I. Mr. Gray is a charter member of the I.O.O.F. of this city, and a quiet, unassuming citizen. His home is south of the railroad on Lyon avenue, where he owns a neat little garden-farm, and has resided several years.
War of Rebellion (Civil War)
Greer, Allen J., (page 1176), the junior member of the firm, was born in Mifflin
county,
Pennsylvania, June 14, 1854. His parents, James and Sarah A. (Carson) Greer,
removed to
Jefferson City, Missouri, in 1858, where he was in business at the outbreak of
the late war. In
1861 he enlisted as a private in the war for the Union, and died of pneumonia
at Helena,
Arkansas, February 18, 1862, having risen to the rank of second lieutenant. He
was a native of
Pennsylvania, and a son of Adam Greer, who emigrated from the North of Ireland
to America,
with his wife and elder children, in about the year 1830. Mrs. Greer finding
it unsafe to remain in
a country infested with rebels, Ku-klux and borders ruffians, after her
husband's enlistment,
returned with her three small children to her old eastern home. In 1865 she
came with her family
to Lake City, where she was married in 1869, to the Rev. Silas Hazlett. Here
young Greer began
the rudiments of an education, which he completed with distinction at the
state university at
Minneapolis, where he graduated June 5, 1879, with the degree of bachelor of
science. To Mr.
Greer is due the credit of making his own way through all the branches to the
end of a complete
scientific course, and is the first young man from Wabasha county so
distinguished. After
graduating from the State Normal at Winona in May, 1873, he secured a position
as principal of
the Carver, Minnesota, high school, where he taught two years previous to
entering the State
University. While pursuing his university course, he also (under authority of
the state
superintendent of public instruction) taught county institutes in nearly all
the counties in the state.
In 1879 he was elected to the position of superintendent of schools for
Wabasha county, and
again in 1881, without opposition. Mr. Greer having had from childhood a taste
for the legal
profession, he devoted what little spare time he had, after 1879, to the
reading law in the office of
the Hon. Wm. J. Hahn, and was admitted to the bar in May, 1882, and at once
became Mr. J. M.
Martin's law partner. He was married February 21, 1882, to Miss Mary Dorman,
daughter of D.
B. Dorman, Esq., of Minneapolis, and has one son.
Gregoire, John B., (page 1173), implement dealer, is a native of Belgium, his birth dating February 5, 1853. His father, whose name was the same as his own, emigrated to the United States in 1856, and settled in Calumet county, Wisconsin. Here the subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, receiving a good common-school education in both English and German. In 1870 he came to Chester, this county, and engaged in farm labor. In 1873 he was employed in the sale of farm machinery by C. F. Rogers, of Lake City, and remained in his service four years. In 1878, with J. W. Kingsley, he opened a machinery depot at Mazeppa, and four years later bought out his partner. His sales now exceed twenty-five thousand dollars per year, including the celebrated McCormick machines. He is the owner of a fine residence in the village, and also his warehouse on the principal business street (First). His possessions have been acquired by his own energy in business from a small beginning. On September 10, 1883, he was married to Miss Anna Clemens, of this village. Mr. Gregoire is a member of Mazeppa lodge, I.O.O.F., of which he is now secretary; is also a Freemason; is a member of St. Peter's Catholic church here. In politics he is a republican; was three years village marshal, and is now deputy sheriff of the county.
Gregg, L. M., (page 978), proprietor of Merchants Hotel (a description of which can be found on Chapter 34 of the 1884 book), is a native of New York, and has been a resident of this county since May 22, 1856. He was five years a resident of this city, and then removed to his farm on Greenwood prairie, on Sec 24, T. 109, R. 12, where he purchased a tract of two hundred and sixty acres, since increased to four hundred, and on which he now has forty head of cattle, one hundred hogs and fifty head of Cotswold sheep, it being his intention to convert his farm into a stock ranch. Before removing to his farm in 1861 Mr. Gregg was elected county treasurer and held that office during 1857-8-9. While a resident of the farm he served as county commissioner for the second district from 1867 to 1876. The following year, 1877, he was elected sheriff, and on assuming office returned to this city, which was his residence until the expiration of his second term, December 31, 1881, when he removed to Lake City and opened a hotel there, which he still manages. On the completion of his hotel here he returned to Wabasha, which is likely to become his permanent residence. January 14, 1865, Mr. Gregg married Miss W. Holtzer; they have four children: Bertha L., born July 21, 1866; Maud A., born February 14, 1869; Margaret, born March 10, 1873; James L., August 10, 1876.
War of Rebellion (Civil War)
Grove, Martin A., (page 1168), farmer, county commissioner, was born in 1845, in
Norway. He is
the youngest son of Andrew and Ina Grove, both natives of Norway. When our
subject was five
years old they came to America, Blackearth, Wisconsin. Here Mr. Grove received
his education,
and when nineteen years old he enlisted in the 38th Wis., Co. G, and went to
near Petersburg,
Virginia, in South Side Railroad battle, and other skirmishes before
Petersburg for about two
months, then (April 2, 1865) the taking of Petersburg and Richmond. Here he
was wounded by a
shot through the left arm, below the elbow, which has disabled his arm. He was
discharged and
sent to Madison, Wisconsin. Here, soon as able, he clerked for about three
years. In 1868 he
clerked in Plainvew and Lake City; altogether three years, when he settled on
his present farm in
Oakwood, of one hundred and sixty acres of all cultivated and well improved
land. In Dakota he
has a three hundred acre farm, one hundred and sixty acres cultivated. He is a
member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, A.F.A.M. order, and G.A.R. He has been county
commissioner for
five years. In political belief he is a republican, and one of our most
influential citizens. He was
married in 1869, to Miss Mary Christopher, a native of Norway. They have six
children.
War of 1812
Guernsey, Alonzo T., (page 1071), druggist and bookseller, Lake City, established
business here in
August, 1857. He was born in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, December 21, 1829,
and is the son of
Joseph W. and Ann (Brewster) Guernsey, natives of Chenango county, New York.
His father
served in the war of 1812, in the capacity of captain's clerk, though then
only twelve years of age.
His mother is a direct descendant of the Brewsters who came over on the
Mayflower. Mr.
Guernsey was reared on the farm, dividing his time between labor and school;
he finished his
education with an academic course at Wellsborough, while his father was
serving Tioga county
as sheriff. At the age of twenty years Mr. Guernsey began for himself as a
clerk, and four years
later became the partner of his employer. They carried on a general
merchandise business till
1857, when he sold out and came to Lake City, arriving here July 25. At that
time Lake City was
but a mere hamlet, and needed but small enterprises; so Mr. Guernsey began a
drug business in a
small way, and has kept pace with the city's growth till the present time. In
1867 he associated
with himself Mr. E. J. Megroth, and the company did a prosperous business till
1880. In that year
Mr. Guernsey again became the sole owner of the store, and continued to
prosper till the great
fire of 1882 swept away his entire property. He immediately opened up again on
an adjoining lot,
and is now enjoying a good trade. He was married in 1858, on November 1, to
Miss M. Rowena
Stevens, a native of Michigan, though reared in Massachusetts. To them were
born two sons. The
eldest, Porter B., was drowned while skating on Lake Pepin December 13, 1878,
in the sixteenth
year of his age. His remaining son, Alonzo J., was born May 2, 1872. The
family are members of
the Presbyterian church. Mr. Guernsey is a member of the I.O.O.F., the
American Legion of
Honor, and the A.O.U.W.
War of Rebellion (Civil War)
Guptil, Eli B., (page 1187), farmer and stockraiser, was born in 1845 in Vermont.
He is the second
son of Benjamin R. and Lucy Guptil, natives, the former of Maine and the
latter of Vermont. His
father and mother died when he was about fourteen, when they lived in
Wisconsin. He then lived
with a Mr. Maxwell until 1861, when he enlisted in the 16th Wis. Inf. He was
in the battle of
Shiloh, siege and second battle of Corinth; then started for Vicksburg, but
being cut off by Van
Dorn returned to Memphis, then to Vicksburg siege for a time, then in
Louisiana; then after a
furlough of thirty days at home, under Sherman through to the sea; then to
Beaufort, Columbia,
Goldsboro, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, the great review; then the 17th army
corps were
sent to Louisville, Kentucky, where they were mustered out in July, 1865. For
over two years he
never slept under a roof or ate at a table. After such a remarkably long and
varied service he
returned to Wisconsin, remaining until 1872, when he spent a short time in
Minnesota, but soon
again returned to Minnesota, and bought part of his present farm of one
hundred and sixty-nine
acres, the principal feature of which is fine stock facilities, and which he
intends to develop and
make stockraising a specialty. He has been chairman of the township
supervisors for some time,
and is director of school district No. 44 at present. He is independent in
politics, and has voted
with both parties, and is among our influential citizens. He was married in
1880, to Anna M.
Powell, of Wabasha county. They have one child.