Tintype of William C and Carolyn Whiting
CDV of Carolyn Whiting
Large cabinet card of William C and Caroline(Lawton) Whiting with Grand children Lillian,Mabel and Grace
William w/ Grand Children
Volney C Whiting and wife Annie Elizabeth (Alexander)
The Tintype is of Daughter Lillian,I believe the CDV to be her as well
From A history of Montana Volume 2
VoLNEY C. Whiting, a well-known and highly repre-
sentative citizen now
living retired at Whitehall, Jeffer-
son county, has been a resident of the
state of Montana
for nearly a third of a century. Mr. Whiting was born
February 13, 1852, at Lockport, New York, the son of
William C. and Caroline (Lawton) Whiting. The
father was a shoemaker by occupation and in
1854 came west from New York, stopping for a short while in
the state of Michigan, and thence to Pardeeville, Columbia county,
Wisconsin. He enlisted in 1864 in Company
E, Second Wisconsin Cavalry, and was taken
prisonerand confined in a Mississippi prison. His health
became impaired as a result of the prison life, and so continued
tmtil his death, though he lived to an advanced age,
and died at Stillwater,Minnesota.
Volney C. Whiting went to work as a wage earner
at the early age of fourteen years, and thus received
tut a very meager education,attending school two
winters only after he reached that age. _ He was
employed as a farm laborer until his marriage, after
which for threeyears he conducted a farm on shares in
Columbia county, Wisconsin.In the spring of 1880 Mr. Whiting was one of a party
of five toleave the village of Poynette, Wisconsin, for
Montana, one member of theparty being his brother-
in-law. William J. Alexander, now of Whitehall. The
party made the trip up the Missouri river to Fort Ben-
ton, and thenceby wagons, with their household goods,
to Butte, via Deer Lodge. Theyarrived in Butte in
June, 1880. and there Mr. Whiting at once engaged in
teaming, in which business he enjoyed a pleasing meas-
ure of success.On May 28, 1884, in company with Mr.
Alexander, previously referred to, they engaged in a
grocery venture, with establishment located at 64 West
Park street, in Butte, doing business under the • firm
name of Whiting & Alexander. The new firm pros-
pered from the start, and they built up an
enviable repu-tation for integrity and reliable business
dealings. Forfifteen years the business was continued here, when
theydisposed of it and removed to the T. T. Black
ranch in the South BoulderValley in Madison county,
twelve miles from Whitehall, which ranch the firm
hadacquired several years previous. Here the firm of
Whiting &Alexander became extensively engaged in
the raising of vegetables, berries
and small fruits of alldescriptions, their products being disposed of in
theButte market and acquiring a high standard of excel-
lence, atribute to the knowledge and reliability of the
individual mernbers of thefirm.
Messrs. Whiting and Alexander continued success-
fully tooperate their ranch, which they had enlarged
from time to time, until in October, 191 1, it consisted of
1,643 acres, when they disposed of it. Mr.
Whitingpurchased property in Whitehall and has there erected
a finehome, and is engaged in looking after his private
interests. For a number of
years he has also been successfully engaged in mining operations in Silver
Bow, Deer Lodge and Madison counties.
In^ 1876 Mr. Whiting was married in Poynette, Wis-
consin, to Annie E. Alexander, only daughter born
toJohn and Mary (Cutsforth) Alexander, and a sister of
William J.Alexander, of Whitehall. Mr. and Mrs.
Whiting have three daughters, as
follows: Lillian M.,married to George Wotoring. a merchant, and residents
of Boise, Idaho. They have two daughters,— Elizabeth
and Margaret. Mabel C. is the wife of Alexander Hus-
band, and they reside at Tooele, Utah,where ilr. Hus-
band holds the responsible position of cashier of the
International Smelting and Refining Company. Grace
P., the thirddaughter, is the wife of Major W. Smith,
of the well known real estate firmof Wilson, Smith &
Company, of Butte. They have two children, Volneyand Woolridge.
Mr. Whiting is a Republican in politics, but not astrict partisan,
voting for the men and measures that
he deems best,regardless of party affiliations. He is a
member of Butte Lodge, No. 22, A.F. & A. M., of the
chapter, council and commandery at Butte and of Alge-ria Temple of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at
Helena.
Mr. Whiting is a self-made man in the very finest
usage of the term. He hasknown reverses of fortune,
and from a small beginning built up a flourishing
business, the manipulation of which, as a result of his excel-
lent business methods, his unfailing acumen and splen-
did judgment, has won hima competency and enabled
him to retire at middle age and enjoy the fruits of
his labors.
William J. Alexander. For upwards of a third of
acentury William J. Alexander has been a resident of
Montana, and his lifewas one of ceaseless activity until
October, 191 1, when he withdrew frommore active
business interests and is now living retired at White-
hall,Jefferson county, where he is numbered among
the well known and substantialcitizens.
Mr. Alexander was born in Sandusky county, Ohio,
near whatis now the city of Bellevue. on April 12,
1853. He is a son of John and Mary
J. (Cutsforth)Alexander, the father being a native of Sandusky county,
Ohio, while his grandfather was a Pennsylvania Ger-
man, and a pioneerof that section of the Buckeye state
settled largely by Pennsylvanians.
When William J. Alexander was but a small boy his
parents removed toThree Rivers, Michigan, and soon
afterward his father enlisted at Burr Oak.Michigan, as
a private in a Michigan regiment of infantry. He was
takenprisoner in the south and confined in a Salisbury,
North Carolina, prison,and died there. His widow later
in life married Robert Tomlinson, and died
in Butte, onMarch 12, 1912, at the age of eighty-one years. Two children were born to Mr. and INIrs. John Alexander.
1118
HISTORY OF MONTANA
The elder was William J., and
the other, Annie E., is
now the wife of Volney C. Whiting, of Whitehall.
William J. Alexander was twelve years old when his
mother took up
her home at Poynette, Columbia county,
Wisconsin, and as soon as he was able
he went to woi;k
that he might contribute to the support of the family.
His educational advantages were of necessity of a lim-
ited order, but
he thoroughly learned the invaluable
lesson of industry and self reliance,
as well as the full
value of a dollar. He continued as a farm laborer
until his marriage, after which he resided on rented
farms in the
vicinity of Poynette, Wisconsin, until the
spring of 1880, when he came to
Montana as one of a
party that included among other men Volney C. Whit-
ing, his brother-in-law. Their destination was Butte,
where a brother of
Mrs. Alexander, W. H. Young, was
residing. The trip to Montana was made up
the Mis-
souri river to Fort Benton, and thence to Butte by way
of Deer
Lodge, and Mr. Alexander’s sole possessions
consisted of his household
goods, three horses and a
wagon. He arrived at Butte in June, 1880, and
imme-
diately engaged at teaming, which he continued for
four years. He
then became interested in mercantile
lines, on May 28, 1884, entering into a
partnership with
Volney C. Whiting. They conducted a grocery busi-
ness
at 64. West Park street, in Butte, under the firm
name of Whiting &
Alexander, and this partnership has
continued to the present day. While the
line of busi-
ness has changed, it has always sustained its well earned
reputation for strictly honorable business methods, and
the partners are
widely known for men of substance
and the highest integrity. Their business
relations have
ever been most cordial and each has found in the other
those qualities that have contributed to the formation
of a bond of
deepest friendship and regard. Mr. Alex-
ander has been for many years
successfully interested in
mining operations in Silver Bow, Deer Lodge and
Madison counties. In 1912 he erected a handsome home
in Whitehall, on
property adjoining that of Mr. Whit-
ing.
Mr. Alexander was married
in Poynette, Wisconsm,
to Ella Young, of that place. She died in Butte on
Mav 24, 1884, the mother of four children, the first of
whom died in
infancy. The son, John W., who is
engaged in the ranching business near
Pony, Montana,
married Ella Rundell, and they have two daughters.
Martha
A. Alexander, the third child, died at the age
of twenty years, and Ella
also died young. In Febru-
ary, 1893, Mr. Alexander contracted, in Butte, a
second
marriage, when Martha, the daughter of Rev. Slator C.
Blackiston,
of Butte, became his wife. Rev. Blackiston
was for many years rector of St.
John’s Episcopal
church of Butte, and the family is one of prominence
and popularity in that city. Three children have been
born to this
second union. Edward Blackiston, the
eldest, attended the public schools of
Butte, and was
graduated from the Houston School for Boys at Spo-
kane,
Washington, in 1912. The others are Nanruth
and Margaret William.
Mr. Alexander is a Republican in national issues, but
locally is not
bound by party ties and makes it a poirit
to support the best men and
issues. Fraternally he is
a member of Butte Lodge, No. 22, A. F. & A. M.
He
is a member of the chapter, council and commandery,
and has taken the
thirty-second degree in the Scottish
Rite. He is also a member of Algeria
Temple of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine at
Helena. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander and their
two oldest children are members of
the Episcopal
church.
It is obvious to all that Mr. Alexander’s
splendid suc-
cess has been the results of his own well directed efforts,
and like his relative and long-time business associate,
Mr. Whiting, is
enjoying a competence acquired by
industry, economy, fair dealing? and good
business
judgment.
WiLLi,\M J. Johnson. Anaconda has one of
its most
prosperous and public-spirited citizens in the person
of Mr.
Johnson, who is the founder and active head
of the firm of Johnson &
Tuchsherer, the only whole-
sale liquor house in this city. His business
career had
a humble beginning as water boy for a railroad labor
crew,
and from that he has progressed and built up a
very creditable success.
VVilliam J. Johnson was born at Oswego, New York,
October 21, 1S62.
His parents were Christopher and
Catharine (Gwin) Johnson, and his father
was a na-
tive of Ireland and came as a boy to America, settling
at
Oswego, where he became identified with the Oswego
Starch Works, the largest
of the kind in the world,
and was an officer in the company when he died- in
igoo. The mother was a native of Kingston, New
York, and she is also
deceased. William J. was one of
six children, the other five being: Anna,
widow of
William Hartnett, of Oswego, John and Alice, de-
ceased ;
Thomas, of Oswego ; and Catharine, wife of
Leo LaSalle, of Anaconda.
At his native city of Oswego Mr. Johnson spent the
first fifteen years of his life principally in attending the
public schools. Then as water
boy for a railroad gang
he began earning his own way, and for five years
fol-
lowed railroading in various capacities. He then came
to Montana,
and entered the employ of his uncle, Wil-
liam P. Gwin, who had a livery
business at Butte,
and in 1884 was taken in as partner. Mr. Johnson,
after selling his interests at Butte, became a resident
of Anaconda in
1888. and for nearly twenty-five years
has been identified with this city in
increasing busi-
ness and civic capacities. He first established a retail
liquor store, and has developed this into the only
wholesale house of
the kind in Anaconda.
He enjoys a large acquaintance and friendship
among
the prominent men of the state and for a number of
years has taken
an active share in the affairs of his
home city. For two terms he served as
alderman, and
in 1908 was elected on the Democratic ticket for the
office of county commissioner, which he still occupies.
In 1912 he was a
delegate to the Democratic national
convention at Baltimore, and supported
Champ Clark,
for whom the Montana “delegation was instructed, for
45
ballots or until the nomination of Mr. Wilson was
made unanimous. His home
is one of the finest in
the city, and he owns other valuable real estate.
Mr.
Johnson was married at Butte, January 8, 1888. to Miss
Maud
Teitsworth, who was born in Wisconsin. They
are the parents of three
children. Edward C. Anna
Maud and Alice Maud. The family have membership
in the Catholic church.
Edg-\r B. Heagy, who occupies a
representative posi-
tion among the business men of Anaconda, Montana,
where he owns and operates a meat market, is by na-
tivity a Hoosier but
has spent practically his whole life
in Montana and is unswervingly loyal to
it. Its pro-
gressiveness, large opportunities, the energy it irnparts
to endeavor and the recognition it gives to merit are
some of the
characteristics of the state which to Mr.
Heagy give it prestige above all
others.
At Anderson, Indiana, on the 20th of January. 1872,
Edgar B.
Heagy was born to George Heagy and his
wife, Martha Mallory. The father was
also born in
Indiana, was a farmer by occupation, and died in his
native
state in 1874, when Edgar B. was but two years
old. He is interred at the
citv of Anderson, One other
child, a daughter younger than Edgar, had been
born
to this union but is now deceased. In 1880. when but
eight years
old. Mr. Heagy accompanied his mother
to Montana, settling in Deer Lodge
valley, about seven
miles from Anaconda, but in 1890 they removed to An-
aconda, and there the niother passed away in 1892,
when forty years of
age. She was buried at Ana-
conda.
Viewing the Past 