Washburn County WIGenWeb Project

People Histories

Partelow Miles
(20 Apr 1848 - ? ¹)

-As transcribed from the "COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF THE UPPER LAKES REGION"

by J. H. Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1905

pages 271 - 272

Partelow Miles, one of the successful pioneers of Northern Wisconsin was born at St. Mary's, now Gibson, New Brunswick, April 20, 1848, the son of James A. and Sophia (Harding) Miles.

The paternal grandfather was born in Connecticut, of English descent; a Loyalist in sentiment, at the close of the Revolution he decided to leave his home rather than remain under the new government, and hence removed to New Brunswick, where he was one of the pioneers in the vicinity of Frederickton. He left a large family, many of whom still live in that region. One son, Thomas O., was a member of the legislature of New Brunswick for a number of years. James A., the father of Partelow, was a prominent farmer and lumberman, and even more active in political and military affairs, his official rank being that of captain of a company of militia. His death occurred in 1866, in his seventy-ninth year, while his wife, a native of County York, New Brunswick, passed away a few years later, at the age of seventy-four. The maternal grandfather was John Harding, a capitalist and a man of rugged health, who attained the age of ninety-two years, and whose death even then was accidental, caused by a fall.

Partelow Miles was educated in a private school and also took a course in civil engineering. When he was seventeen he went to Portland, Maine, and learned the trade of a ship carpenter, which he followed for five years in various port along the Atlantic. In 1870 he went to Stillwater, Minn., and in the fall of that year located at Amick, now Gordon, in Douglas county, Wis. For several years he was in the employ of the St. Croix Dam Company and was occupied in getting out timber and building dams, for the purpose of controlling the stream and getting timber to Stillwater. Later he was engaged in logging and filled many contracts on the St. Croix river. Still another interest of Mr. Miles was a homestead claim which he took up, where he was extensively engaged in stock raising and in growing the feed for the stock. He was also for some time a timber cruiser, locating timber lands for different parties. This work he has continued in to a considerable extent, and has been engaged to estimate timber lands all over Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. So much of an expert in that line has he become, that n 1901 he was sent to Oregon and Idaho, where he spent a month in locating timber claims. He also deals in copper lands on the Minong range.

Soon after going to Gordon Mr. Miles was married. His wife was a Miss Agnes Gordon, daughter of Antoine and Sarah Gordon. The former had settled there in 1856, and the village took its name from him. Mr. Gordon was a half-breed Frenchman, born near Lake Superior, who engaged in the fur trade and kept a stopping place for the lumbermen of northern Wisconsin on the line of the first mail route between St. Paul and Bayfield. His daughter, Agnes, was born at La Pointe, Wis. Mr. and Mrs. Miles were married Feb. 14, 1871, and are the parents of five children, as follows: Philip D., who married Cora Huff, has three children and resides in Gordon, Wis.; Vivian, Hester, Annie and Florence. For some years the family lived a most isolated life, as they were located int he northern part of Washburn county, about eight miles from the village of Gordon, which lies in a rather sparsely settled region, and their nearest neighbors among white people were several miles away. Since October, 1900,t heir home has been in the city of Superior.

In their church connections both Mr. and Mrs. Miles are faithful to their early training; the latter is a member of the Catholic church, while Mr. Miles attends the Methodist. Socially he is a member of the Spooner Lodge, No. 260, A. F. & A. M. For his political principles he has always been a stanch Republican, and amid all his other duties has found time to take some active part in local matters. For a number of years he was a member of the board of supervisors for Washburn county, and in a variety of way has proved himself a valuable citizen.

1 - Editorial Note - No further information could be found regarding Mr. Miles' death or burial location.