Harry Sykes
History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894
USGENWEB Montana Archives,maintained by burns@asu.edu

Harry N. Sykes, a Montana pioneer of 1864, now an esteemed 
resident of Helena, who has done his share toward developing 
the resources of his vicinity and advancing the general 
welfare, was born in Niagra County New York, December 4, 
1830. His ancestors came from England to America in an 
early day, settling in New England in the hisotry of 
which they played a prominent part and from which place 
their hardy descendants have spread over the United 
States,carrying with them that determination and ability 
so characteristic of their forefathers, to whom and their 
co-partneris largely due to the present status of this 
country among the nations of the world. Great grandfather 
Nathaniel Sykeswas born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 
1730, his life being passed amid the stirring scenes of
Revolutionary times; and knowing the independent character 
of the family it is hardly necessary to state that he took 
his part with the colonists in freeing themselves from the 
yoke of monarchial domination. The musket with which he 
fought the British at Lexington is still a treasured 
heirloom in the family, while that spirit which it 
represents is also their heritage. This noble ancestor 
died in 1791 after having witnessed the fruition of his 
hopes in the independenceof the American colonies. His 
son, Francis Sykes, grandfather of the subject of this 
sketch, was born in Manchester,New Hampshire, in 1763. 
He married Rose Bishop, a descendant of an old and 
wealthy New England family and in 1794 they moved 
westward to Springfield New York which town they 
founded and where they resided until their death, 
Francisin 1823 and his worthy wife in 1840. Of their 
eight children, Nathaniel Sykes, father of the 
subject of this notice,was born in Whitingham Vermont 
in 1794 and was carried by his mother on horseback to 
New York. Nathaniel was the second child and was reared 
in Springfield and married in Cheningo in 1817 to 
Elizabeth Seeber. She was born in Schoharie County 
New York in 1795 and was a descendant of the Dutch 
Knickerbockers, belonging to one of the oldest
families of the Mohawk Valley. Her grandfather, 
Jacob Seeber was killed in the Revolutionary War 
while fighting forthe freedom of the colonies. In 
1835 the parents of the subject of this sketch 
removed to Chautauqua County New York whence they 
went in 1846 to Van Wert County Ohio. In 1857 they 
again moved west, going to Missouri where the wife and
mother died in 1862. Harry Sykes continued to reside 
there until his death in 1872 at the good old age of 
seventy-eight. He was an influential and worthy 
citizen, prominent in good works and universally 
respected. For many years he acted as Justice of 
the Peace and during the late war was a strong 
advocate of the Union. Of his four sons and three 
duaghters there now survive three sons and one 
daughter, Eliza died aged eleven; Charlotte became 
Mrs. Perry Hull and died aged twenty-five; Francis 
was an officer in the Union Army, and was severely 
wounded at Fort Donelson--he died in 1876. George 
resides in Miles City Montana; Lorenzo lives in 
Vina, California, Harry N. is the subject of this 
sketch and Jeanette, the youngest, who now resides 
in Montana.Jeanette has had a most remarkable and 
eventful career which savors of fiction but is 
intensly real. She was born July 29, 1833 and was 
married in Van Wert County Ohio in 1872 to Joseph 
W. Decamp. She removed with her husband in 1855 to 
Minnesota and thence in 1861 to Fort Ridgely on 
the Indian reservation, where in 1862 the great 
indian massacre occurred. On August 17 of the last 
mentioned year, Mr. Decamp left the fort for St. 
Paul and on the following day Mrs. Decamp and her 
three children were captured by the indinas. On 
the 19th of the same month Mr. Decamp returned to 
Ft. Ridgely, which was for two weeks in a state of 
siege by the indinas. He was one of acompany sent 
out to bury the dead--about 1000 men, women and 
children who had been killed. While out on this 
mission this company was attacked by indians and 
on September 1st the batatle of Birch Cooley 
occurred in which all but eighteen of the white 
men were killed. Mr. Decamp was wounded and carried 
back to the fort where he died.After Mrs. Decamp had 
been in captivity for two weeks, she was enabled by 
the aid of a friendly indian to escape with her 
children in a canoe down the river and returned to 
her parents in Missouri. Some years later she married
Rev. Joshua Sweet at one time Chaplain of Ft. Ridgely 
and in 1867 they removed to Glencloe, Minnesota where 
Dr. Sweet founded a church. He died in St. Paul in 
1874, greatly mourned by all who knew him. He was a 
man of talent and education, a prominent minister of 
the Prostestant Episcopal Church who did much toward 
disseminating the Gosepel in the Northwestern wilds. 
Mrs. Sweet has had five sons, three by her first 
marriage and two by the lastone. Wellington Decamp, 
the eldest is an esteemed resident of Spokane Washington, 
Joseph Warren is a miner in Helena; Benjamin E. lives 
in California; Charles N. is also in Spokane and Harry 
Whipple is now in Helena. Mrs. Sweet has borne her 
trials and vicissitudes with Christian fortitutude. 
She is a lady of marked refinement and culture and 
enjoys universal esteem.Harry N. Sykes, the subject 
of this biography, who has for a moment been obscured 
by his sister's virtues, was reared to manhood in the 
grand state of New York, his young life being passed on 
the home farm and in attending the public schools of 
his vicinity. He accompanied his parets to Van Wert 
County Ohio in 1846 where he marriedHenrietta DeCamp,
 a native of Licking County, Ohio. In 1855 this young 
couple accompanied Joseph W. Decamp and wife to 
Minnesota where Mr. Sykes settled on government 
land in the vicinity of Shakopee. Two years later, 
in 1857 Mr. Sykes and family returned to Ohio where 
he engaged in lumbering and later laid out the town 
of Middlepoint.In 1858 he went to Missouri whither 
his parents had preceded him, leaving his famliy in 
Knox County that State. In the spring of 1859 he 
went to Pike's Peak, Colorado where he remained a 
season prospecting for gold. He then returned to 
Missouri, where he remained until the last day of 
February 1864. He then started across the plains a 
second time; coming with Captain James Fisk and a 
small company to Montana. On arriving at the Little 
Missouri River the emigrants were attacked by a 
large number of Indians and for three days the white 
men traveled and fought, twelve of the company being 
killed. The men were finally surrounded but during the 
night some of the company stole away and succeeded in 
reaching Fort Rice, where General Sully had troops. He 
sent 800 men to the relief of the emigrants and the 
indians were driven off. Sixteen days elapsed before 
the soldiers arrived, duringwhich time the emigrants 
suffered greatly.Mr. Sykes then went down the Missouri 
River to Sioux City, Iowa, where he took a steamer to 
Omaha, Nebraska, thence crossing the plains to Virginia 
City, Montana, where he arrived in the fall of 1864. He 
mined here until 1865 and then came to Helena and in 
1866 took up a ranch of 160 acres in Prickly Pear Valley, 
seven miles northeastof the capital. Until 1868 Mr. Sykes 
was engaged in freighting from Fort Benton and other 
places to Helena. At this time his wife and two daughters 
came out to him and after their arrival they settled on 
his farm near Helena.They were eighty-seven days in 
making the voyage up the Missouri River owning to the 
shallow condition of the stream.His daughters, Lottie 
and Ida are now married, the former to B.J. Townsend, 
a respected citizen of Helena and the latter to J.J. 
Ellis, a prosperous resident of Great Falls. Harry E. 
Sykes was born on the farm near Helena and is now managing
that place for his father. The family made their home 
on this farm for a number of years, being greatly 
prospered, the father adding 160 acres to his original 
purchase and making substantital improvementson both 
farms. In 1887 the father bought a brick residence in 
Helena, where he and his wife now reside, surrounded 
by comfort and in the enjoyment of the society of 
their children and friends.

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