Heartaches By The Dozen

Josie Walberg, Parfitt, Rupp, Shoblom was a very strong woman as evidenced by the hardship and grief she experienced early in her life and the manner in which she managed a fortune later. Josie was born in 1890 to John (1858-1936) and Anna Ecklund (1863-1938) Walberg. Her parents married in 1884 in Sweden had immigrated to the United States about 1888. John’s obituary states they lived first in Nebraska and then came to Granite County in the 1890‘s, and staked a homestead on lower Rock Creek. Preceding both of them in death was their son Andrew who died at the age of eighteen on November 9, 1911. Survivors were daughters Josie and Violet (Gormley) and grandchildren, Lucille and Vernon Gormley Jr. 

Anna was also survived by sisters: Mrs. Alex McDonald and Mrs. H.K. Westin, both of Seattle, Washington. Anna’s mother Catherine Ecklund had died on January 25, 1905 in Hall. At the time of Catherine’s death there was five children living: Anna Walberg, Mrs. Fred Westin and Mrs. Charles Weaver, of Philipsburg, Albert, of Hall and Andrew of Lincoln County, Nebraska. 

Anna’s father Albert Ecklund died on December 29, 1929. He started out as a rancher in Hall then changed his occupation to mining in 1899 at Georgetown. Albert followed that occupation for thirty years. He became too ill to work three months before his death and was cared for by Anna at the Walberg ranch. Internment was in the Philipsburg cemetery. 

Josie married Henry “Harry” Parfitt Jr. in 1915 and in their three year marriage five children were born. First she had twin‘s: Betty died shortly after birth and Billy died at the age of five days on January 11, 1916. Then their daughter Vivian Josephine died at the age of five weeks in January of 1917. In November 1917 their last child Thomas was born. The Parfitt family also lost Harry’s brother Tom as the first casualty of WWI in 1918. 

In January,1918 Harry left his job at Huffman Grocery and they moved to the Waldberg ranch on Rock Creek. That fall, Harry became ill with the Spanish Influenza. Josie loaded him up in the family wagon and took off from their lower Rock Creek ranch for Philipsburg. While fording Rock Creek the wiffle tree broke as the team attempted to pull the wagon up the steep bank of the creek. Josie, walked back to a ranch house to get another wiffle tree. Poor Harry, remained in the wagon, while his strong wife took care of the crisis. In town Harry appeared to be getting better, then was stricken with pneumonia and died October 21, 1918. 

After Harry’s death Josie worked hard to support herself and little Thomas. But her grief was still not realized. Two year and nine month old, Thomas died at his Parfitt grandparents home on July 17, 1920. On July 9, Thomas had fallen off a fence at the Waldberg ranch cutting his leg on a hoe and blood poisoning set in. There is no headstone, so my assumption is Thomas was buried in one of the siblings graves and Josie did not have the money for a stone. 

Josie (Waldberg) Parfitt circa 1920

Josie began working for Al Rupp as cook in 1920 at his 3,655 acre Willow Creek Ranch located at the Highway 328 and Willow Creek Road junction. Part of theis property was originally owned by Levi Johnson and bought by Rupp and his partner August Greenheck in 1900. 

The bachelor married his cook on July 6, 1929. Al, a prominent pioneer stockman of Granite county. was born in Fon du Lac, Wisconsin in 1863 and arrived in 1889 in Montana. Handsome and wealthy, Al was sought by local females but managed to stay single while involved in many monetary ventures both by himself and with other county residents. 

News articles abound, such as: “Albert Schuh and Albert Rupp arrived last week from the Flathead where they have been ranging some cattle since early last spring. They made a shipment of beef cattle to Spokane a week ago on which they did very well. One steer in the bunch weighed 2010 pounds.” Rupp and August Greenheck operated butcher stores in Granite until 1893; in Philipsburg before and after 1893 and Drummond in 1896, plus a slaughter house for many years along with the cattle ranch(s). Al had also built on Broadway, housing the Central Café by 1928. 

After the marriage, and in failing health Al lived at their home in Philipsburg, until his death November 21, 1932 and is buried in the Philipsburg cemetery. 

Josie managed the estate very well including the ranch on Willow Creek, the Helm Ranch on Ross’ Fork and many properties in and around Philipsburg. 

Josie married Herman Shoblom December 17, 1934. When Josie died in 1966 the Willow Creek ranch was inherited by her sister and brother-in-law, Violet and Vern Gormley.