Powell County - Biography
William C. Spottswood
December 3, 2004

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Submitted by:  Lorene Frigaard
lorfri99@bmi.net






HISTORY OF MONTANA

Stout, Tom, ed. Montana, Its Story and Biography; A History of Aboriginal 
and Territorial Montana and Three Decades of Statehood. Vols. I-III. Chicago 
and New York: The American Historical Society, 1921. 
Pages 326-327:



WILLIAM C. SPOTTSWOOD is vice president, treasurer and manager of the Bonner 
Mercantile Company, one of the largest and one of the oldest mercantile houses 
in Western Montana.  Mr. Spottswood, who has been actively identified with 
this concern at Deer Lodge for the past thirteen years, has a veteran’s experience 
in business and for many years covered the northwestern territory as a traveling 
salesman for one of the largest dry goods houses in the West.

Mr. Spottswood was born at Lake City, Minnesota, May 31, 1859, and comes of a 
family identified with Minnesota in territorial times.  The Spotswood’s are a 
noted American Colonial family of Scotch descent.  One of the first governors 
of the Virginia Colony was Governor Spottswood, a native of Scotland, who was 
sent over by the Crown to govern in Virginia.  One of his three sons moved 
north to Pennsylvania, and from the Pennsylvania branch is descended William 
C. Spottswood of Deer Lodge.

The latter’s father was Charles C. Spottswood who was born in Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania, in 1831.  He grew up at Harrisburg and when he was a boy of about 
fourteen the science of telegraphy was first put into practical use.  He learned 
the art and was the first telegraph operator for the Pennsylvania lines when 
that road was built west from Harrisburg.  For some same he was an operator at 
Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  In 1856 he left the East and gave up railroading to 
identify himself with the Northwest frontier at Lake City, Minnesota.  He served 
as a steamboat agent there for the Diamond Joe Line and also practiced law, having 
been admitted to the bar at Lewistown, Pennsylvania.  He served as a county attorney 
for Wabasha County, Minnesota, and was honored with other local offices.  In later 
years he moved to North Dakota and died at Minot, that state, in 1914.  He was a 
democrat, and of the Episcopal Church.  Charles C. Spottswood married Nancy P. Lilly, 
who was born at Lewistown, Pennsylvania, in 1834 and died at Minneapolis in 1888.  
Lizzie, the oldest of their children is a resident of Minneapolis, widow of Rev. 
James R. Rogers, who was a Presbyterian clergyman.  Anna M. of Minot, North Dakota 
is the widow of George R. Ransom, who was an attorney practicing for a number of 
years at Willmar, Minnesota.  Dr. E.W. Spottswood is a graduate from the medical 
department of the University of Minnesota and is practicing medicine and surgery 
at Missoula, Montana.

William C. Spottswood, the third in the family, was educated in the public schools 
of Lake City, graduated from high school in 1878, and then took the commercial course 
at the State University at Minneapolis, graduating in 1880.  From that time forward, 
a period of forty years, his life has been one of extensive effort in commercial lines.  
He was in the retail hardware business until he sold his store at Willmar, Minnesota, 
in 1883.  For ten years he was traveling representative for the wholesale hardware 
house of Janney, Brooks & Eastman, and then had charge of the sales department for 
thirteen years.

Mr. Spottswood came to Deer Lodge in January, 1906, and has since been the active 
manager of the Bonner Mercantile Company, succeeding in that position C.J. Joslyn who 
had been manager for twenty-one years.  The Bonner Mercantile Company was established 
in 1865 in early territorial times as the E.L. Bonner Company.  It was incorporated 
as the Bonner Mercantile Company in 1906.  This is one of the leading general department 
stores of Western Montana, and maintains a splendid establishment at Main Street corner 
of Missoula Avenue in Deer Lodge.  Carrie S. Bonner of Missoula is the president, 
treasurer and manager, and Mrs. L.B. Spottswood of Missoula, secretary.

Mr. Spottswood is also vice president of the Deer Lodge Electric Light Company.  He is 
a democratic voter, a vestryman in the Deer Lodge Episcopal Church, and is affiliated 
with Lodge N. 14 of the Masons, Valley Chapter No. 4 Royal Arch Masons, Ivanhoe Commandery 
No. 16, Knights Templar, Algeria Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Helena and Valley Lodge 
No. 6 Knights of Pythias at Deer Lodge.

Mr. Spottswood resides at 410 Missouri Avenue.  In 1896 at Minneapolis he married Grace 
M. Perkins, daughter of George D. and Mary I. (Moody) Perkins, both now deceased.  Her 
father for many years was in the real estate and insurance business.  He spent most of his 
life in the Northwest and as a young man was a neighbor and acquaintance of the late James 
J. Hill.  Mrs. Spottswood is a graduate of the Ladies Seminary at Minneapolis.  She is a 
niece of Senator Paris Gibson of Great Falls, Montana.  Mr. and Mrs. Spottswood have two 
children: Donald P., born February 8, 1898, is a student of electrical engineering at the 
University of Minnesota of Minneapolis.  Dorothy, born May 24, 1903, is a graduate of the 
Deer Lodge public schools, and is attending St. Mary’s Academy at Faribault, Minnesota.

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