The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-01
He BUILT FRONTIER FORTS
JESSE HI. POMEROY, WHO DIED
LAST NIGHT AT HIS HOME
HERE
RIDGELY AND RIPLEY HIS
He Was a Pioneer Contractor, and
Built the Barricades That Stood
Guard Over the Early
Settlers.

Another of st. PauTs old settlers has
been claimed by the grim reaper This
time the one to respond to the cali was
Jesse H. Pomroy. Of 6S3 Jackson street,
well known in the city as a pioneer
builder and lumber dealer. Mr.. Pomroy
died last evening after a short siege of
kidney trouble
Mr.. Pomroy was born in New York in
1871, in the town of Hopkinton, St Law
renee county. He attended a common
school and taught school for a while,
when he learned the carpenter trade, and
worked at it for a brief period in Ohio.
He came to Saltwater in 1916, and re-
moved to st. Paul in 1916, where ne car
ried on his business. and built not only
the first house, but the first ten or
twelve houses in this place. Mr.. Pomroy
formed a partnership with Mr.. Foster,
and the firm built the first frame building
in the city for Louis Robert which stood
on Bench street, near the corner Of Rob
ert. This was burned down. but it was
rebuilt by the firm in 1917. and later was
removed to Sixth street. back of the
Chamber of Commerce building.
In 1S49 and in 1851 Mr.. Pomroy built
Fort Ripley and Fort Ridgely. They were
erected under the immediate control Of
the war department. Mr.. Pomroy at one
time owned considerable property in St.
Paul. but sold almost all of it some time
prior to his death. He owned lot, fifty
feet front, on Third street. between Jack
son and Robert, one on Fifth street,
known as Baptist hill, one at Fourth and
Jacks n streets, where the Davidson bio K
stands, and several more. On his re-
turn from Fort Ripley he went into the
grocery business, in which he continued
about one year, when he returned to his
trade as carpenter for a few years, and
then entered the furniture business, in
which he remained ten years. From this
he drifted into buying and selling hard
wood, with a lumber yard at Jackson
street and University avenue.
Mr.. Pomroy erected the first school
house, which stood on Third street above
st. Peter, and also the first printing Of
fee, in which the first paper appeared
He brought the first lumber to st. Paul
to sell, and in the early history of the
city erected not less than thirty houses
He built the first boat in the Northwest
in 1S47 or 1S48, which was used to take a
pdHcTdH1tC view OIL the upper hiSSlSSlppIb
and was considered a first-class vessel Of
it kind.
In Pen Pictures Maj. Newson says:
Mr. Pomroy was d rugged son of toll,
weather beaten and iron bound from the
effects of frontier life He was very
undemonstrative, and had little tact for
conversation, and yet when he started
talking about the early days Of frontier
life he was an agreeable entertainer. No
body could drive him; nobody could scare
him. In the early days his sister cried
out to him in the middle of the night:
Jesse, the Indians are coming!"
"W-e-l-l, let them GOMEZ he re-
piled, and turned over in bed and went on
sleeping This shows the character of
the man; cool. brave, honest. quiet, in
dustrious, muscular, unpretending. A
kind, pleasant, amiable gentleman and a
good citizen Although much Interested
in politics. Mr.. Pomroy was never
known to make political speech. He be-
longed to no secret societies. but was a.
reliable and unpretending pillar Of Plyn-
outh church. He was a member Of the
Old Settlers society.
The deceased was twice married and
leaves three children and a wife. Ed
win Pomroy, a child of the first wife
is living in this city, mechanic Frank
b. Pomroy, a st. Paul plumber, and Mrs.
James F. Jackson, wife of the secretary
Of the state board of corrections and
charities, survive him. being children of
the present Mrs. Pomroy.
The funeral arrangements have not
been made as yet. The funeral will prob
ably take place Thursday afternoon.