1902 Beam painting payroll. Andrew Becker was a tailor by trade but worked temporarily in the summer of 1902 on scraping and painting steel beams. He was born in Sweden in 1851 and emigrated, along with his wife, Anna, and 4 of their 7 children, in 1884. Becker lived a long life St. Paul working as a taylor and died here in 1931.
1898-1900 and 1905 St. Paul City Directories and 1905 Payroll. John Bedard was a French Canadian stonecutter who was born in Canada 1857 and came to the U.S. in 1881. He was active in the Stonecutters Union.
French Canadian stone cutter Thomas Belair (Bellaire) was born in Canada in 1853 and came to the U.S. in 1866. He died in St. Paul in April of 1910. This is approximately where 131 Robertson would have been located. Note regarding Thomas Belair's residence: 131 Robertson Street in Saint Paul no longer exists. We believe that he lived in the vicinity of 76 River Park Plaza, Saint Paul, Minnnesota instead.
1904 Payroll and City Directories. Born in Sorel, Quebec, Canada on Nov. 15, 1849 (or 1850?) carpenter Henry (Henri) Bellerose (1850-1925) came to St. Paul in 1885. He is listed variously as a carpenter or laborer in the St. Paul City Directory and gave his occupation as "scaffold builder" in the 1900 Census. Bellerose's name is found in an April 27, 1902 Payroll for extra work when he was part of a select crew that spent that day, a Sunday, setting the statues, Courage and Integrity, and getting double time pay.
Wells Bennett worked as a "draughtsman" in Butler-Ryan's office . He was born in La Cross, Wisconsin in 1871 and he returned there soon after the Capitol was completed and became an architect.
1900 City Directory. William Benson was born in Sweden in 1866 and emigrated in 1881. His wife and two youngest children were born in Georgia and he came from there to St.Paul in 1900 to work on the Capitol as a "sawyer,"planer" and "turner".
1903 City Directory. John Berglund worked as a laborer on the Capitol.
Gustave J. Bergman was born in Sweden in 1875 and emigrated in 1889. He raised a large family here in St. Paul while working as a machine operator in the stone industry. Alfred Mortenson also lived at this address in 1899.
John Berrisford was born in Minnesota in 1875 and worked as a stone cutter on the Capitol. Like most stone cutters he traveled with the work and was reported to be clearing into the St. Paul Local from Illinois in February of 1902. He married and raised a family in Minneapolis but later they moved to Indiana.
1904 Payroll and City Directory. August Beyer was born in Germany in 1858 and emigrated in 1884. He worked briefly on the Capitol as a laborer. He was active in the Republican party and had been a janitor at the old Capitol, a patronage job that he also got in the new building.
