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JAMES STRANG was born
September 11th, 1849, in Clydesdale, Scotland, and received his
education in his native town and in the city of Glasgow. He is the
descendant of an old and distinguished Scottish family and can trace his
ancestry back 400 years. Many of his ancestors were eminent in their day
in theology, the law, arts and agriculture. One of them, James Strang, for
whom our subject was named, was for years Principal of the University of
Glasgow. Another, Christopher Strang was beheaded in 1666, during the
Convanter trouble. After attaining his majority, our subject represented a
large wholesale wooden house of Glasgow as traveling salesman, for twenty
years, which kept him on the road all the time and enabled him to become
thoroughly conversant with the customs, habits and conditions of the
people in all parts of Scotland. In 1874 he married Jane Warnock, of
Lanarkshire, who bore him two sons, Christopher and James W. Strang. She
died in 1879. Ten years later he married Annie r. Meikle of Stranraer-Wigtownshire,
Scotland, who has born him one son, Robert M. Strang, of Timnath,
Colorado. Mr. Strang came from Scotland to Fort Collins in 1888, and
settled first on a farm near that city, moving in 1890 to his present home
near Timnath, engaging in farming, and cattle raising in which he
prospered. He is an ardent admirer of Robert Burns, the poet and his
works, and in 1888 was instrumental in organizing a Burns Club, of which
he was made the first President. The club is now known as the Caledonian
Club, and it meets annually on the 25th of January and St.
Andrews day to commemorate the anniversary of Scotland’s famous bard. Mr.
Strang’s hobby is music and art, and he is also a great lover of a good
horse. In his youth, he was noted as an amateur athlete, there being but
few better in all Scotland. He paid a visit of several months to his old
home in Scotland in 1910, and was royally entertained while there by the
friends of other days. He is one of the most genial and companionable of
gentlemen, generous and hospitable to a degree, a student of history, has
traveled much, and is a good raconteur and his companionship is much
sought after. |
