| Summary: | club for two years. She is attending North Dakota State University, Fargo, majoring in home economics. David, born September 23, 1961, in Fargo, attended Chaffee High School and was graduated in 1978. He was active in sports and chorus and was a member of the Gill Livestock 4-H Club for several years. He is attending NDSSS, Wahpeton, majoring in diesel mechanics. His hobbies are hunting, fishing and swimming. Paul was born April 2, 1965. He is a freshman at Chaffee High School. He is active in sports and band. He was a member of the Gill Livestock 4-H Club for several years. He enjoys trapping, hunting, fishing, camping, swimming. Gretchen is a member of the Quads Homemakers Club. She is the treasurer of Gill Township, and has served as chairman and secretary of Rebecca Circle. She taught Sunday school for many years. Her hobby is traveling. In 1975 Gretchen, and her children, Rebecca, David, and Paul, accompanied her parents on a six weeks tour to Europe. They purchased Eurail tickets which provided train traveling to thirteen European countries. The Martins are members of St. John Lutheran Church, Embden. PHILIP R. MARTIN and MARY BERRY Philip R. Martin, always known as "P.R.," came to Michigan from England as a boy in 1859. When a young man he moved to Illinois and there was connected with the blooded draft horse business. He first came to Buffalo, North Dakota, in 1879 and filed on land near the R. S. Lewis farm. Land was of so little demand that they held this piece by piling a little lumber on it until he could bring his family (wife, two small sons, and sister-in-law Gracie Berry) back in 1880. Philip's specialty was fine horses, and he was always buying and selling horses. He was the only horse doctor the area had for many years. The Northern Pacific Railroad recognized him for bringing in a whole trainload of immigrants. He helped them settle in the new town of Page. The Martins had five children: Charlie, a veterinarian at Valley City; Walter, who went to Nome, Alaska, during the Gold Rush and remained on the West Coast; Ross, who homesteaded in Burke County; Clarence and Eva, who both went to Montana. The Martins had suffered their share of pioneer hardships, but in spite of problems their family had good educations; they lived well and came through with considerable property. LEON W. MASON and NETTIE MACK Leon Mason was born in Ottertail County, Minnesota, December 26, 1872, of pioneer parents. While still a boy going to school, Leon learned to drive a team of oxen on his father's farm. After finishing school, he taught one year at Bluffton, Minnesota. He came to Buffalo, North Dakota, in 1892 to work for his uncle, Frank Fellows, in an elevator. While working in the elevator, he purchased a telegraph key and studied telegraphy. In December of that year he went to work in the Northern Pacific Depot as telegraph operator. Later he transferred to Dickey, North Dakota, as agent. There he met and married Nettie Mack, a daughter of pioneers of that Mr. and Mrs. Leon W. Mason community, Charles and Rosilla Mack. In 1898 he returned to Buffalo, serving as agent until his retirement January 1, 1943. Mrs. Mason, born February 3, 1880, was herself a school teacher for several years prior to her marriage. At Buffalo she served as helper at the depot, and in 1943 and 1944 she taught in the School of Telegraphy at Jamestown, North Dakota. The Masons gave unselfishly of themselves to church and community activities and were always active participants. Leon served as treasurer of the Presbyterian Church for over forty years. He played in the city band and sang in the church choir and quartet for as many years as he was able. Nettie, a loyal church worker, taught Sunday school, played the piano for Sunday school, sang in the church choir and worked in ladies aid of which she was a charter member. Leon and Nettie always attended school activities, even though they had no one involved. Mrs. Mason presented the Buffalo School with a loud speaker system in memory of Leon Mason. In retirement they spent their summers here looking after their farming interests and they spent their winters in Florida. After a long illness, Leon died in 1958 at age eighty-five. Nettie survived in good health and after a long, fruitful, busy, creative life in which no minute was left to idleness, Nettie died in her home November 1973. The Masons had one son, Sidney, who married Clara Bond of Almont, North Dakota. From 1926 they resided in Fargo, North Dakota, where he was in the insurance business. Clara worked as Juvenile Court Reporter and eventually succeeded to the office of Cass County Juvenile Commissioner. She died in September 1967 and Sidney died in September 1969, leaving two children, Jean and Bob. Jean resides in Bismarck, North Dakota, with her husband, William L. Guy, former North Dakota Governor from I960 to 1972. Jean is currently active as a member of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education. They have five children: William, Moorhead, Minnesota; James, Amenia, North Dakota; Deborah, Bismarck; Holly, Willmar, Minnesota; and Nancy, Fargo. Bob resides in Fargo with his wife, Evelyn. She is part owner of a ladies ready to wear shop in Moorhead. Bob is in the life insurance business. They have five children: Craig, Moorhead; Peggy, West Fargo, North Dakota; Jeff, Fargo; Michael, Cliffside Park, New Jersey; and Kristina, Midland Park, New Jersey. 268 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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