George Alexander Stillman, a pioneer settler in Barnes county, was born February 23, 1854, at Harbor Creek, Pennsylvania. At the age three, he moved with his parents, Frank and Clarissa Elliott Stillman, to Rosendale, Wisconsin, where he grew to young manhood. On February 24, 1881, he married Hattie May Jackson, and one year later took his bride to North Dakota, arriving at Tower City on the 27th of March, 1882. They had loaded all their possessions on a railroad car at Rosendale, Wisconsin. A friend named Jim Montgomery met them at the train station and took them to his home in Barnes County. Mr. Stillman gave this account; "After a stormy week, I moved on to Southwest ¼ 24-141-57, which was called the Dr. Humphrey place, owned by J. B. Robbins of St. Paul, which I rented for the season of 1882. In June of the same year, I took a preemption on Section 6, 141-56 and built a house and stable, and did some breaking. Moved in that fall." While they lived on the Robbins place, Maude (Mrs. W. J. Porter), May (Mrs. S. K. Stillings), Alex and Ora (Mrs. R. L. Taylor) were born. Then they lived in the Pease house where Leon was born. When Leon was 9 days old, they burned out. From there they moved to the Stillman tree claim, Southwest ¼ 24-141 Range 56. There Marnie (Mrs. A. J. Deede) and Lewis were born.
October 20, 1892, Hattie May Stillman died of typhoid fever at the age of 32 years.
On Christmas day of 1894, G. A Stillman married Myra Peck. Eleven children were born to this union:
Clara (Mrs. John Bohm),
Edna (Mrs. Burton Stiltner),
Frank,
Glenn,
Eva (Mrs. Howard Fear),
Mark,
Angeline (Mrs. Arthur Stillman),
Dail,
Vera (Mrs. Robert Shotwell),
Verna (Mrs. Frank Crothers), and
Shirley (Mrs. Julius Wolff).
The family moved to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota in 1907, and returned to Barnes County in 1911, where they remained until 1916, when they moved to Washburn. G. A. Stillman died November 28, 1933, at Washburn, North Dakota. Myra Stillman died December 26, 1951, at Centralia, Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Stillman were active in civic affairs and community betterment. They were religious people and always active in church work. He was a successful farmer.
Leon Stillman, son of George A. and Hattie May Stillman, married Lettie Schroeder, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred C. Schroeder, of Barnes County, on April 1, 1916. They lived on a farm located 12 miles Northeast of Valley City, in Noltimier Township. There they built a home, barn and silo. Five children were born to them in Barnes County: Leona (Mrs. Joel Rennells), Carl, Grace (Mrs. Fred Dahl), Eva (Mrs. J. M. Reddick), and Margaret (Mrs. Wallace Cordell). In 1938, the family moved to Minnesota, and in 1943, to Washington.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 238