Who Built Our Capitol? - Stone polisher

1899,1900, 1902 and 1904 City Directories. Isaac's son, Oscar, was born in Georgia in 1887, worked on the Capitol as a "polisher" in 1904 at the age of 17. Oscar died in St. Paul in 1915.

Address:

886 Park Street Saint Paul, MN, US

Residence from date:

1899

Residence to date:

1904

tag:

Oscar Suddeth

Phelix Arthur

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:14:10 +0000

Last name:

Arthur

First name:

Phelix

Occupation:

Stone worker

Stone polisher

Ethnic group:

Georgia

Felix Arthur boarded at this address along with stone cutters James King, William Hamilton and Peter Diamond. He died on May 4, 1898 when his leg was caught in a belt on one of the machines in the stone cutting shed. Arthur had come from Georgia along with the marble to work on the building and his body was sent to Nelson, Georgia for burial.

Address:

445 Rice St, St Paul, Minnesota, US

Latitude:

44.954582

Longitude:

-93.105894

Fatality:

Yes

CommunityWalk ID:

10173068

Residence from date:

1898

Gender:

Male

Isaac Suddeth

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:14:06 +0000

Last name:

Suddeth

First name:

Isaac

Middle name:

Occupation:

Stone worker

Stone polisher

Ethnic group:

African American

1899,1900, 1902 and 1904 City Directories. Isaac Suddeth (1865-1909) was an African-American from Tate, Georgia where the marble was quarried. He first came here to work on the Capitol alone in 1899 but by 1905 he was living at this address with his wife and five children. Fellow Capitol worked, Judge Jarrett, also lived here in 1905. They stayed here and Suddeth died in in St. Paul in 1909.
Isaac's son, Oscar, born in Georgia in 1887, worked on the Capitol as a "polisher" in 1904 at the age of 17. Oscar died in St. Paul in 1915.

Address:

535 Minnesota St, St Paul, Minnesota, US

Latitude:

44.952532

Longitude:

-93.097604

CommunityWalk ID:

10074904

Residence from date:

1899

Residence to date:

1900

William White

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:14:06 +0000

Last name:

White

First name:

William

Middle name:

Occupation:

Stone worker

Stone polisher

Many other stone cutters lived here including Elliott, Duckett, Haney, Daniel King, and the Gibneys.

Address:

193 W Fuller Ave, St Paul, Minnesota, US

Latitude:

44.95399

Longitude:

-93.109414

CommunityWalk ID:

10075217

Residence from date:

1899

John Dahlin

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:13:53 +0000

Last name:

Dahlin

First name:

John

Occupation:

Stone worker

Stone polisher

John Dahlin ("Delen" in the 1898 CD ) was born in Sweden in 1871 and came to America in 1889. He married Jennie Nelson (1871-1965) on September 14, 1895 in St. Paul. The couple had three children, Oscar Leonard (1896-1988), David H. (born in 1898) and Amy Marie, (born in 1908).

Although John Dahlin is identified as a "polisher" when he was working for Butler-Ryan in 1898, he said he was a carpenter in the 1900 Census. He continued working as a carpenter and raised a family in St. Paul. He died around 1950 at the age of 79.

Nels A. Johnson also lived at this address.

Most of the workers who constructed the Minnesota Capitol belonged to unions. A specific union affiliation has not been found for John Dahlin, though other Capitol carpenters were organized in St. Paul at the time the Capitol was built, so it's probable he was a union member when he worked in that trade. The union membership of stone polishers was in flux at that time, so it's not certain he was in a union while he worked in that job.

Sources: 1900 and 1910 United States Federal Census, St. Paul City Directory

Address:

611 York Ave, St Paul, Minnesota, US

Latitude:

44.96845

Longitude:

-93.074739

Union member:

Likely

CommunityWalk ID:

10010628

Residence from date:

1898