52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #16 Charles Brown Bristol - Montana Pioneer

Charles Brown Bristol

1848-1892

Charles Brown Bristol was born in Lima, NY on 22 March 1848 to William and Salome Bristol. He attended school at least to the year 1860 as reported in the census. He married Adrianna Mary Miller on 25 January 1871 and who predeceased him. They had three children, William Augustus born 29 Sept 1873, Mary born about 1872 and Jessie born 8 Oct 1871.6  When the Lima, NY Fire Department was formed, he was an original member. The 1870 and 1880 census lists his occupation as painter. It was also reported that he was a race horse owner while living in Lima. He migrated to the Dakota Territory in 1882 where he was the proprietor of the Commercial House in Grafton. The 1885 Dakota Territory Census lists him as a saloonkeeper. He migrated to Great Falls, Montana from Grafton, N. Dakota in 1890. He formed a partnership with M.J. Place and started the Bristol Hotel located at 111 Second Street S.1 The Bristol Hotel occupied the rooms on the first floor facing Second Avenue and the entire second floor. There were 36 rooms and was run on the European plan. It had baths, modern conveniences and steam heat and opened about 15 June 1890. Smith and Henderson operated a restaurant and beer parlor in the remainder of the first floor. These two businesses comprised the Gibson and Renner block. 2 This block would later be known as the Bristol block. This block is one of the oldest business blocks in the city.3 His son, William and older daughter, Jesse resided with him. His younger daughter lived in Florida. He died suddenly on 10 February 1892 at the Bristol Hotel after a few days illness from erysipelas.4 He was a member of the A.O.U.W. (Ancient Order of the United 5

Workmen) and this group conducted his funeral at the Masonic Hall and at the gravesite. A long string of carriages followed the body to the Old Highland Cemetery in Great Falls. Pallbearers were J.C. Farber, J.C. Johnson, Wm. Dwyer, Jasper Tullock, Joe Keogh and John Anderson.

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6 Bristol Genealogy. Compiled by Warren Edwin Bristol, The Bristol Family Assoc., 1967.

1 The Great Falls Daily Tribune, 11 February 1892.

2 The Great Falls Daily Leader, 26 April 1890.

3 The Great Falls Daily Tribune, 12 February 1910.

4 The Great Falls Daily Tribune, 11 February 1892

5 The Great Falls Daily Tribune, 12 February 1892

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