| Summary: | 7t<4 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. quarter of section 14, in Wheatland township, Cass county, as a pre-emption, and has made his home there since that date. He has added modern im-provements, and conducts a model farm in every particular, and has provided all conveniences and comforts. Uur subject was married in Canada, in 1S56, to IMargaret ^IcKenzie. The followins; children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. McGregor: Donald, Farquhart, John Kenzie, deceased Alexander, Duncan, Kenzie, Rebecca and Ann. Mrs. AIc- Gregor died in 1891, leaving many friends to mourn her demise. Air. McGregor is a man who keeps pace with the times, and m political sentiment is a Democrat. BJORX F. WALTERS, deputy sheriff of Pem-bina county, stands among _the rising young men of Xorth Dakota. He has gained an assured posi-tion as a public-spirited citizen, and is a man of ability and practical nature, and has gained his rep-utation through honest industry and strict adherence to justice, and is a representative man of the commu-nity in which he makes his home. Our subject was born in Iceland, October 7, 1869, and is the third in a family of four children born to Josafat and Gudny (Gudlogsdottir) Walt-ers. The father farmed in Iceland, and our subject received a good education and studied English some in his native place. The family emigrated to the United States in 1885, and located in Dakota ter-ritory, where one of the daughters had resided two years. The father was aged, and the support of the family fell upon our subject, then tifteen years of age. He located the family at Pembina, and began work-ing out at farm labor among the agriculturists of that locality. He never attended the English schools, but read books of all kinds, and well remembers read-ing twice the first book he attempted before he mas-tered the sense of what he read. He began work for the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1888, as assist-ant agent, and in 1890 established a dray line in I'enibina, and later again entered the employ of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. He was ap-pointed deputy sheriff of Pembina county in 1896, and served one year, and in 1897 went to Winnipeg, and founded an Icelandic paper, known as "Heims-kringla," (The Globe). He became deputy sheriff' again in Pembina county in 1899, and is now serv-ing in that position and is ably discharging the du-ties entrusted to him and gaining popularity with the people. Our subject was married, in 1889, to Miss Sophia Halldorson. Four children have been born to iMr. and Mrs. Walters, named as follows: Jo-hannes. Svava, Halldora Asta, and Haraldur Oscar. Mr. Walters has mixed in public affairs since his early manhood and has a strong following in his com-munity. He holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and Modern Woodmen of America, and politically is a Democrat, and is an earnest worker for party principles. He has made a success of his career in Xorth Dakota and is deservedly popular. EDWARD A. WILLIAMS, county treasurer of Wells county, is one of the early settlers of that re-gion, and is proprietor of one of the fine farms of township 147, range 69. He has been identified with the interests of his township since its organiza-tion, and in all matters pertaining to the civil gov-ernment, or in any way relating to the welfare ot the township he has taken an active and leading part. He has gained many friends, and is held in high es-teem, and enjoys the confidence of the people among whom he has chosen to reside. Our subject was born in Herkimer county, New York, Xovember 30, 185 1, on a farm, and was a son of Edwartl and Elizabeth (Evan) Williams, the former of English-Welch and the latter of Welch descent. His father was born in England, and came to America in April, 1851, and settled in Xew York state. Mr. Williams was the second child and eldest son in a family of five children, and was early put to farm work. He attended school in winter till eighteen years of age, and later attended White-stone Seminary at Whitestone, New York, and after attaining his majority he traveled through Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Alissouri, for four years, working at the carpenter's trade or any work which he could find. He then returned to Xew York, and remained two years and assisted on the farm, and April 6. 1882, arrived at Fargo. Xorth Dakota, and April 20 went to Jamestown where he worked at his trade thirteen months and then took land in Wells county, in township 147, range 69, and built a sod shanty. He began farming in the spring of 1883, and bought oxen, a plow, wagon, walking plow and harrow, and had no barn till the fall of that year. He lived alone in Dakota the first nine years, and experienced pioneer life. The lum-ber in his shanty cost eighty-eight dollars per thou-sand, and he paid twenty dollars per ton for hay and hauled it twenty-two miles, and for the first two or three years he broke land for others. He en-gaged in wheat, fla.x and cattle raising, and at one time was largely interested in hog raising, and had over one hundred head, and si.xty head of cattle. He now has a farm of one thousand one InuKlretl and forty acres, about eight hundred acres of which is under cultivation, and on his home farm he has a complete set of good farm buildings, and all ma-chinery necessary for the operation of a model farm. He has about two hundred acres of meadow land, and his farm is admirably adapted to general farm-ing. Mr. Williams has a pleasant home with his sis-ter as housekeeper, and their father resides with them on the farm. Our subject was elected county treasurer of Wells countv in 1898. and is now ably discharging the duties of that office. He is a mem- Internet Archive
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