Bio of George W. STOKES (b.1850), Wright Co., MN ========================================================================= 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. Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Rebecca B Frank ========================================================================= Bios from: Mitchell, William Bell, History of Stearns County, Minnesota. Volume II. Chicago: H.C. Cooper, Jr. and Co. 1915. Page 967 + 968 George W. Stokes, a prominent citizen of Lynden township, was born in the Bronx, Westchester county, New York, August 26, 1850, son of Luke Hillis and Mary (Weilding) Stokes. He was reared in New York state and there received his early education. At the age of sixteen he was brought to Stearns county by his parents, and here he completed his schooling. He was taught pioneer framing by his father, and was still a youth when he purchased a farm of eighty acres in section 16, Lynden township. To this he has later added eighty acres in section 17, and forty acres in section 9, making a good farm of 200 acres. He also erected a complete set of sightly and commodious buildings. He broke the land and brought it to a high degree of cultivation. He was a prosperous and active farmer, and well deserved the success which rewarded his strenuous efforts. He continued farming until April, 1913, when he purchased his present home in the village of Clearwater, where he is now reaping the fruits of his years of toil. He has ever taken an active interest in town affairs. For twenty years he was a member of the town board and for ten years of that time he was chairman. For eight years he was clerk of School District No. 78. When his property was placed in District No. 169 he became treasurer. And so remained until he retired in 1913. He still owns the home farm. It is operated by his sons, David and Roscoe. The family faith is that of the Methodist Church. George W. Stokes was married April 24, 1881, to Mrs. Eliza Beilstein Carlile, and to them have been born four children: Hattie, Roscoe, David and Gertrude. Hattie took a course in the St. Cloud State Normal School, and is now a proficient teacher. Roscoe and David, as noted, live on the home farm. David married Annie Hansen. Gertrude is a student in the St. Cloud Normal School. Eliza Beilstein, now Mrs. George W. Stokes, was born in New York state, February 6, 1857, daughter of Adam and Catherine (Fetters) Beilstein. Mr. and Mrs. Beilstein were born in Germany, and come to America in 1856. They lived in New York state until 1866, and then came to Minnesota and located in Wright county, where they took a homestead. In 1867, Mrs. Beilstein died. Soon afterward Mr. Beilstein took a farm in Clearwater township, in Wright county. Four years later he traded this farm for one in section 8, Lynden township, on which he lived for a short time, after which he took up his home with Mr. and Mrs. George w. Stokes, with whom he lived for over twenty-five years. He died February 8, 1906. To Mr. and Mrs Beilstein were born two children: Eliza and Minnie. Eliza is now Mrs. George W. Stokes, of Clearwater. Minnie is now Mrs. Fred Ponsford, of section 27, Lynden township. Eliza was first married, October 11, 1875 to H. G. Carlisle, who died November 4, 1876, leaving one child, Frederick Edwin Carlile, a farmer of Wright county. Frederick Edwin Carlile married Louise Lyons and the have two children, Lulu and Floyd.