Bio of POWERS, James Melville (b.1836), Wright Co., MN (Partial bio) ======================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Diane Hanson Submitted: April 2004 ======================================================================== 541 HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY James Melville Powers, deceased, was born in Berlin, Ohio, May 8, 1836. He attended the public schools there and received a good education. At the age of nineteen he came to Minnesota with his parents and located with them on a farm at Greenwood, Hennepin county, in 1855. He became interested in agriculture and in 1867 purchased a farm of 160 acres in Rockford township, Wright county, of wild uncultivated land. He began clearing the land, grubbing up trees and breaking the soil. In time he built buildings and developed this tract into a fine farm. In 1891 he sold the farm and retired to Minneapolis, but in 1907 he returned to Wright county and purchased the John Woodward home in Rockford village, where he made his home during the summers for three years, until January 22, 1911, when he died at the home of his son in Winona, where he was visiting. Mrs. Powers still owns the home at Rockford, this place being originally the property of Mrs. Powers' maternal grandfather. Mr. Powers enlisted in the First Minnesota, Volunteer Infantry at the first call by Lincoln. At the end of nine months he re-enlisted for three years in the Berdan Sharp Shooters and went south. After serving nearly three years he became sick with typhoid fever and was honorably discharged and returned to his home in Hennepin county. He was a member of the G. A. R. at Rockford and also a member of the Masons. Mr. Powers was married in 1865 to Lucinda Weston, who died in March, 1882, leaving three children: Lulu, now Mrs. Charles Walters, of St. Paul, who has three children, Margaret, Russell and Robert; Nellie, now Mrs. Edward Darrow of Big Lake, Minn, who has two children, Earl and Lulu; and Fletcher M. D., at Barrett, Minn., who married Belle Lewis and has three children, Pearl, Ruth and Esther. Mr. Powers married a second time, June 20, 1884, Mrs. Sarah (Sleight) Atwood, who survives him. They had no children. Mrs. Sarah Powers was born at Belvidere, Ill., December 18, 1852, and came with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Sleight, to Rockford township, Wright county, in 1856. Mr. William Sleight and his good wife Lydia (Woodard) Sleight came from Illinois in the territorial days and pre-empted a tract of 160 acres of wild land in Rockford township. They worked hard and prospered, and were numbered among Wright county's most prominent citizens. Mr. Sleight farmed there until his death, December 7, 1884, having one of the finest fruit farms of the section. He was an ardent worker and supporter of the Methodist Episcopal church and served as Sunday school superintendent for many years. He was one of the founders of the Wright County Agricultural Society and also of the Old Settlers' Association, in both of which societies he held the office of president for several years. Mrs. Sleight died May 26t 1889. There were five children: Mary, who was born at Belvidere, Ill., 1850, 542 HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY and died at Minneapolis in 1869, being at the time of her death a student at the University of Minnesota; Sarah and John, twins, Sarah becoming Mrs. James M. Powers, John conducting the farm in Rockford until his death, October 26, 1909, his wife, Laura (Workman) Sleight, surviving him with four children; Hettie, who died July 6, 1871; and William, a contractor and decorator of Crookston, who married Pearl Lawton, and has one child, William, Jr. The children of John Sleight are: Fred, a railroad man at Harvey, married to Esther Frederick; and Lottie, Hettie and Lydia, living with their mother at Delano. Previous to her marriage with Mr. Powers, Mrs. Sarah Powers was married, in 1872, at Delano, Minn., to Isaac Atwood, who died December 22, 1881. By this marriage she had two children: Harry, now wire chief for the Northwestern Telephone Exchange at Austin, married to Delia Theil and having two children: Janet and Gilford; and Nellie, now Mrs. Frank Gold, of 2004 James avenue, south, Minneapolis, having one daughter, Sarah Elizabeth. Mr. Gold is connected with the Northwestern Knitting Company, of Minneapolis. Mrs. Powers is living with her daughter in Minneapolis, and is a member of the 0. E. S. and the W. R. C. at Rockford.