Sheldonites have heard of Ed Pierce but what about him, what did
This obituary showed in the Enderlin Independent newspaper - December 8, 1927
EDMUND PIERCE MEMORIAL SERVICE HELD TUES.
Many Prominent Men From Different Parts of the State Take Part
Memorial services in honor of Edmund Pierce, who died Nov. 24 while en route to Florida were held in Sheldon Tuesday in the St. Mary's church and the Sheldon community hall.
Despite the hard wind and snow, which made travel difficult, three hundred people gathered, some coming many miles to take part in the ceremony which honored the memory of the late community leader.
The services opened at 10:30 a. m. when requiem high mass was said in the church. Father J. H. Mulvuney, local priest, was in charge of this service.
At 1 p. m. all stores, business houses and schools in the city closed so that everyone might be able to attend the services in the Community hall which began at 1:30 p. m.
O. M. Johnson, president of the Sheldon Commercial club, which arranged the memorial services, presided at the afternoon ceremony.
Judge George M. McKenna, district judge in this judicial area, was the first speaker at the service. He was followed by J. C. Harper, Enderlin, Ransom county business man, Dr. James P. Aylen, Fargo, and L. B. Hanna, former governor of North Dakota, each of whom eulogized Mr. Pierce.
Judge McKenna paid particular attention to the work of Mr. Pierce as a lawyer and a friend. The judge knew Mr. Pierce for many years, he declared, and had an intimate acquaintanceship with the late lawyer.
Mr. Harper discussed characteristics which made Mr. Pierce one of the outstanding businessmen of the state. He paid a tribute to the memory of the dead man from the residents of Enderlin and Ransom county.
The service was opened with "Processional" by Mrs. P. W. Froemke. Invocation was given by Rev. B. A. Burns, pastor of the Sheldon Methodist church.
Sheldon school children look a part in the memorial program with the singing of the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee."
A violin solo, "In the Garden," was played by Marian Boyle and "Crossing the Bar" was sung by the Sheldon Ladies quartet.
Dr. Aylen, a friend of the late "leader of Sheldon," dwelth briefly on the qualities of Mr. Pierce which made him a leader of men and which earned for him his position in the eyes of his multitude of friends.
Mr. Hanna dealt particularly with traits of character which Mr. Pierce exhibited in numerous trying situations. His recounting of incidents in the life of the Sheldon banker-lawyer, summed up in the closing of his talk, showed in an outstanding manner "that Ed Pierce, as I knew him, was a kind husband, a splendid neighbor, wise counsellor, a business man of integrity, and a loyal, true friend."
…
“Edmund Pierce was born July 6, 1863, in Huron County, Ontario. He was only thirteen years of age when the family moved to the West, locating at Barnesville, later at St. Vincent, Minn., and he came into Dakota in 1879. He entered the office of S. N. Sanford of Sheldon, in 1885, and began the study of law. While he was yet a student he identified himself with the development that was going on around the country and when he was admitted in 1888 he was fairly entered on his life work. Before he was admitted he was interested in banking, as one of the organizers of the Citizens Bank of Sheldon and he has always been identified with finances, first incidentally, but later in a large way. He is president of the First National Bank, of Sheldon, president of the Enderlin State Bank, of Enderlin, and, for some years, was president of the Northern Trust Company, of Fargo.
The great work of his life in inducing immigration was undertaken in the early years of the last decade of the nineteenth century. In 1892 he bought the townsite of Enderlin and developed it. That lead him to the general field of immigration and he showed real genius in convincing residents in other states that there was assurance of prosperity in Ransom County. The movement he started he carried on for years, latterly through the Ransom County Immigration Association, now one of the strongest real estate and financial concerns of the state.
In 1902 Senator Pierce was induced to enter the political life and was elected to the senate. With his knowledge of the state and its people he proved a valuable member of that body, was re-elected in 1906.
In Sheldon, where Senator Pierce has a beautiful home, he has large interests and some fine property, and his large concerns in the field of finance make him an important figure in the larger affairs of the state. Senator Pierce was married to Margaret Doran at Fargo, January 25, 1903.”
The beautiful home mentioned still stands, and when I was in Sheldon recently I saw carpenters working on the exterior. Who owns the property now?
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