St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-14
copyrighted.
PEN PICTURES.
The Early Days of St. Paul, With Biogra-
phies and Anecdotes of Some
Old Settlers.
Matters Transp1ring in 1896, WIN
Sketches of George Scotten-
Joseph A. Vervais. 81
A Vigilance COMMUNICATIONS Ros'
ers--James Davenport--W1 WILL
lam @. FonSeca.
BY T. NJ. NEwSoN.
GEORGE SCOTTEN.

Mr., Scotch was born in England IN iooo'
educated in the old country; emlgrateo ~
America in 1887; learned the trade OF q pooh-
binder, and at one time published DeIlo-
cratic newspaper in Ontario county, New
York: came to st. Paul in 1854; clerkeu IoI
Starkey and Pettys; was notary puoilc
and dealt somewhat in real estate; III Aoou
opened a brewery for the manufacture u
ale. at the foot of Dayton'S bluff, ana tne
firm was Drewry & Scotch; ran IL lour
wears. when he sold out, and purchaser III
1879 four acres on the Hastings road, one
mile and half from the Merchants hotel,
for $40 per acre; worth now $40, O00. Upon
part of this land he started nursery and
has it largely in grapes
THE MAN HIMSELF.
Mr. Scotch is a short, somewhat chunky
man. yery energetic in his movements and
is upright in all his dealings. He has
large head, and is noted even now IN his
advanced age for his quick step. had
not met him for ten years, when l. Iounu
him at the age of II in his garden, cult
waiting his fruits, as active and as vigorous
as man OF 90.
JOSEPH A. vERVAIS.
DIR, Vervqis was tall, slender and OF med
ium size, with a well-set head upon MS
shoulders, and gentleman OF great uroan-
itv of manners. He was good surgeon
and good physician, and l remember nun
as he moved energetically about and
promptly answered to the calls OF MS pa
fients. He was very kind-hearted and
ObIicing. and was much esteemed by those
who knew him intimately. He was born III
Quebec, Can, in 1922; studied and COM
pleted course of physics and surgery IN
McGilI college, in 1913; attended college
also at Geneva, n. Y, where he received
his diploma as NJ. D.; returned to Canada
in 1914 and engaged in the practice OF med
icine: came to st. Paul in 1856 and eStab-
lished himself in his profession; was county
physician of Ramsey county in 1859; in
1862 was assistant surgeon OF the Fifth
Minnesota volunteers; resigned IN
consequence of i'll health; was sur
geon of the Second cavalry in 1864, and
served until the close of the war. He died
in October, 1869, leaving widow, three sons
and daughter.
JOSEPH o. VERVAIS.
Mr.. Vervais was born in Quebec in 1916,
and received collegiate education in Mis-
souri, and also at Niagara, n. y; came to
st. Paul in 1856: was employed in the post
Office department in 1869; was appointed
deputy register of deeds in 1870; was assist
ant abstract clerk in 1872; received the ap-
pointment of abstract clerk in 1885.
Mr.. Vervais is pleasant, obliging, quick,
social, and possesses all the elements OF
popularity; is fully competent to perform
his duties, and is a very worthy gentleman.
He is of medium size, with clear COM
plexion, quiet in his disposition, and very
ous-characteristicsw which commend
him as man and citizen.
7. A. vERvAIS
was born in Canada in 1913; came
to st. Paul in 1856: was educated at
the high school and commercial college of
this city; was with Cariveau Fontaine for
eleven years, when he entered the post
Office and has been there ever since. He is
very much like his brother, and is an excel
lent young man.
FIRST MILITARY COMPANY.
The Minnesota Pioneer guards were Or
ganized this year, 1850, with A. c. Jones,
captain; e. G. Palmer and Lyman G. Day
ton as lieutenants. This was frst-class
company, and the first organized in the
state, but the war for the Union absorbed
its members and its organization ceased.
SOME OF THE EVENTS OF 1856.
The legislature met this year for the sew
enth time, but no special acts were passed
for the benefit of the city. st. Paul Lodge
of Masons No. 3 was instituted; C. S. Cave
succeeded w. II. Forbes as postmaster; Rob
ert Smith was appointed county treasurer;
Edmund Rice was elected county commits
sioner; board of education created; brass
band for the Pioneer guards was organized,
fourteen members, with j. G. Terry as
leader: a long row of wooden buildings on
the bluff. erected by J. II. Stewart and j.
W. McClung, was burned; corner stone of
the present cathedral laid; German Catholic
Assumption church built; first priest, Rev.
D. Marogna; city hall completed; Metho-
dist church. Jackson street, erected; Damas-
Gus commandery, Free Masons, instituted;
Minnesota Grove No. 1, U. A. o. Druids
chartered; st. Paul Typographical union
organized: st. Paul bridge commenced, and
Myers & Willius opened banking business.
HIRAM ROGERS.
Dir. Rogers was born in Pennsylvania in
1906; when twenty years of age he removed
to Philadelphia and carried on the manufac-
ture of morocco quite extensively; emgrated
to GAINESVILLE, o., in 1886, where he was
largely engaged for some twenty years in
the production of leather and boots and
shoes; returned to Philadelphia in 1856,
and in company with his son, opened a
house similar to that in GAINESVILLE;
came to st. Paul in 1856; purchased a
strip of bluff property on Third street, and
erected what is now known as Rogers
block; in the basement of this building he
engaged in the tanning and leather business,
when he retired from the trade and gave his
attention to his real estate. He built an
other block of brick, adjoining his stone
one, and also erected the building formerly
occupied by the Ninety-nme-cent store, on
eli 10 Of no OF,
PERSONALLY
Mr. Rogers was very active man. of
medium size, and very industrious, but a
man of strong prejudces and of quick i'm
pulses He was public spirited; earnest
and sincere in what he did; always busy.
and was valuable member of the chamber
of commerce, as well as the Baptist church.
He never asked and never held any public
position, unless for a short time while sec
rotary of the chamber of commerce but
sought pleasure and comfort in the home
circle. Although man rising three score
and ten, he was very active, and was a
pushing, busting business operator I'D to
the time of his death, which occurred in
1879.
WIN. D. ROGERS,
his son, came to ST. Paul in 1855: born in
GAINESVILLE, o., about 1880; was engaged
with his father for many years; was at one
time mail agent on the Duluth road; was
secretary of the chamber of commerce
for two terms; succeeded his father in bust
ness afterlhis death; kept hotel for several
months; engaged in real estate; ran as a
Pullman car conductor, and is now in Cali
fornia.
Billy" as he was generally called, pos
sessed all the stirring and business elements
Of his parent, but he didn't seem to have the
same bulldog grip. He was small man,
very quick in his movements and very social
in his nature, quite as impulsive as his
father, butnOt as careful or as prudent.