Arthur Chester, "Art" as he was always known, was born and attended grade school in and around Evanston, Illinois. As a junior high school student he attended the Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois. High school was spent at the prestigeous Evanston Township High School. He played football under the direction of Coach Riddell of sports fame. Riddell developed the removeable cleat for football shoes while coaching at Evanston Township School. Riddell would later go onto form the Riddell Sports Equipment Company. After graduation Arthur attended Northwestern University. He was a member of the basketball and swim teams and had joined Sigma Chi fraternity. He graduated in 1924. The History of the Brigham Family book reports him to be working on a sugar plantation in Cuba in 1925. Nothing is known about this time whether he was actually working there or just vacationing. In 1927 he was invited to go on a trip north, to Wisconsin with friend "Megs" (Wise) Allen and several others. Years later she told Tom Brigham that she had gone to college with Art and had a crush on him. She was going to visit some friends (Sallie and Tom Jefferson and Josephine Canfield) in Sparta and stay with them at their brother's cottage called "Polly Falls". Megs knew she was in trouble when Art saw Sallie Virginia Jefferson. He couldn't take his eyes off of her for the entire weekend. Megs was a good sport about it. She and Sallie were good friends and she didn't let a boy get in the way of that. Art and Sallie married 30 June, 1928, Saturday evening, 8 o'clock, at the Congregational Church in Sparta, Wisconsin. Sallie's brother, Tom was his best man and Caryal Bents was Sallie's maid of honor. As Megs use to kid Tom Brigham years later at Polly Falls, "I am the sole reason for your existence. If it hadn't been for me bringing your grandfather to Polly, you wouldn't be here." She liked to take credit for that. Megs incidently married a doctor who ended up working at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She remained friends with the family until her death in 1996.
Art had a number of business ventures throughout his life. At the time of his marriage in 1928 to Sallie he was employed as the city sales manager for the John-Manville Company in Chicago. He and Sallie are living at 730 Reba Place, Evanston, Illinois, a couple blocks from his parent's and sister's homes. Two years later the 1930 census lists his occupation as an insurance broker. They still reside at the Reba Place address. In 1936 Art and Sallie are living in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he worked for Brown and Bigelow, a Marketing and Sales firm. Their only child, Arthur Jefferson Brigham was born there in January 1936. Sallie did not like living so far from her parents. When her mother, Laura died in May of 1936 and they moved back to Sparta. In 1937 Art became the distributer for the Cities Service Gas Stations and owner of the Cities Service Fuel Depot in Sparta, Wisconsin. He had service stations on the west side of Sparta at the intersection of Highway 21 & 27, Cataract and Angello, Wisconsin. In 1951, he and Sallie along with William Hinton "Bill" Jefferson and George W. Hinton, Bill's uncle, purchase the family cottage, Polly Falls from Sallie's brother, Harley W. Jefferson. In December 1956 he purchased Oliver Motors in Sparta, an Oldsmobile and Cadilac dealership. He renamed the business Brigham Motors. That along with the Cities Service business kept him busy. The dealership was destroyed by a hugh fire that started in the lumberyard located behind his dealership. It completely destroyed the dealership and more than half of the lumberyard. It was the biggest fire in Sparta that anyone could remember. He rebuilt the dealership but sold it to focus on the Cities Service distributership. His wife, Sallie Virginia died in August, 1960. He remarried in January 1961 to Mary Jean Jefferson VonderOhe, Sallie's cousin. In 1963 Art sold his share of Polly Falls to John Canfield, Aunt Jo Jefferson's brother. He and Mary Jean retired and moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. Mary Jean died there from emphysema in February 1973 and Art died there in June of 1974. His last request, as was Mary Jean's, that he be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.
Art had a number of business ventures throughout his life. At the time of his marriage in 1928 to Sallie he was employed as the city sales manager for the John-Manville Company in Chicago. He and Sallie are living at 730 Reba Place, Evanston, Illinois, a couple blocks from his parent's and sister's homes. Two years later the 1930 census lists his occupation as an insurance broker. They still reside at the Reba Place address. In 1936 Art and Sallie are living in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he worked for Brown and Bigelow, a Marketing and Sales firm. Their only child, Arthur Jefferson Brigham was born there in January 1936. Sallie did not like living so far from her parents. When her mother, Laura died in May of 1936 and they moved back to Sparta. In 1937 Art became the distributer for the Cities Service Gas Stations and owner of the Cities Service Fuel Depot in Sparta, Wisconsin. He had service stations on the west side of Sparta at the intersection of Highway 21 & 27, Cataract and Angello, Wisconsin. In 1951, he and Sallie along with William Hinton "Bill" Jefferson and George W. Hinton, Bill's uncle, purchase the family cottage, Polly Falls from Sallie's brother, Harley W. Jefferson. In December 1956 he purchased Oliver Motors in Sparta, an Oldsmobile and Cadilac dealership. He renamed the business Brigham Motors. That along with the Cities Service business kept him busy. The dealership was destroyed by a hugh fire that started in the lumberyard located behind his dealership. It completely destroyed the dealership and more than half of the lumberyard. It was the biggest fire in Sparta that anyone could remember. He rebuilt the dealership but sold it to focus on the Cities Service distributership. His wife, Sallie Virginia died in August, 1960. He remarried in January 1961 to Mary Jean Jefferson VonderOhe, Sallie's cousin. In 1963 Art sold his share of Polly Falls to John Canfield, Aunt Jo Jefferson's brother. He and Mary Jean retired and moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. Mary Jean died there from emphysema in February 1973 and Art died there in June of 1974. His last request, as was Mary Jean's, that he be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.
Arthur Chester, "Art" as he was always known, was born and attended grade school in and around Evanston, Illinois. As a junior high school student he attended the Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois. High school was spent at the prestigeous Evanston Township High School. He played football under the direction of Coach Riddell of sports fame. Riddell developed the removeable cleat for football shoes while coaching at Evanston Township School. Riddell would later go onto form the Riddell Sports Equipment Company. After graduation Arthur attended Northwestern University. He was a member of the basketball and swim teams and had joined Sigma Chi fraternity. He graduated in 1924. The History of the Brigham Family book reports him to be working on a sugar plantation in Cuba in 1925. Nothing is known about this time whether he was actually working there or just vacationing. In 1927 he was invited to go on a trip north, to Wisconsin with friend "Megs" (Wise) Allen and several others. Years later she told Tom Brigham that she had gone to college with Art and had a crush on him. She was going to visit some friends (Sallie and Tom Jefferson and Josephine Canfield) in Sparta and stay with them at their brother's cottage called "Polly Falls". Megs knew she was in trouble when Art saw Sallie Virginia Jefferson. He couldn't take his eyes off of her for the entire weekend. Megs was a good sport about it. She and Sallie were good friends and she didn't let a boy get in the way of that. Art and Sallie married 30 June, 1928, Saturday evening, 8 o'clock, at the Congregational Church in Sparta, Wisconsin. Sallie's brother, Tom was his best man and Caryal Bents was Sallie's maid of honor. As Megs use to kid Tom Brigham years later at Polly Falls, "I am the sole reason for your existence. If it hadn't been for me bringing your grandfather to Polly, you wouldn't be here." She liked to take credit for that. Megs incidently married a doctor who ended up working at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She remained friends with the family until her death in 1996.
Art had a number of business ventures throughout his life. At the time of his marriage in 1928 to Sallie he was employed as the city sales manager for the John-Manville Company in Chicago. He and Sallie are living at 730 Reba Place, Evanston, Illinois, a couple blocks from his parent's and sister's homes. Two years later the 1930 census lists his occupation as an insurance broker. They still reside at the Reba Place address. In 1936 Art and Sallie are living in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he worked for Brown and Bigelow, a Marketing and Sales firm. Their only child, Arthur Jefferson Brigham was born there in January 1936. Sallie did not like living so far from her parents. When her mother, Laura died in May of 1936 and they moved back to Sparta. In 1937 Art became the distributer for the Cities Service Gas Stations and owner of the Cities Service Fuel Depot in Sparta, Wisconsin. He had service stations on the west side of Sparta at the intersection of Highway 21 & 27, Cataract and Angello, Wisconsin. In 1951, he and Sallie along with William Hinton "Bill" Jefferson and George W. Hinton, Bill's uncle, purchase the family cottage, Polly Falls from Sallie's brother, Harley W. Jefferson. In December 1956 he purchased Oliver Motors in Sparta, an Oldsmobile and Cadilac dealership. He renamed the business Brigham Motors. That along with the Cities Service business kept him busy. The dealership was destroyed by a hugh fire that started in the lumberyard located behind his dealership. It completely destroyed the dealership and more than half of the lumberyard. It was the biggest fire in Sparta that anyone could remember. He rebuilt the dealership but sold it to focus on the Cities Service distributership. His wife, Sallie Virginia died in August, 1960. He remarried in January 1961 to Mary Jean Jefferson VonderOhe, Sallie's cousin. In 1963 Art sold his share of Polly Falls to John Canfield, Aunt Jo Jefferson's brother. He and Mary Jean retired and moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. Mary Jean died there from emphysema in February 1973 and Art died there in June of 1974. His last request, as was Mary Jean's, that he be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.
Art had a number of business ventures throughout his life. At the time of his marriage in 1928 to Sallie he was employed as the city sales manager for the John-Manville Company in Chicago. He and Sallie are living at 730 Reba Place, Evanston, Illinois, a couple blocks from his parent's and sister's homes. Two years later the 1930 census lists his occupation as an insurance broker. They still reside at the Reba Place address. In 1936 Art and Sallie are living in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he worked for Brown and Bigelow, a Marketing and Sales firm. Their only child, Arthur Jefferson Brigham was born there in January 1936. Sallie did not like living so far from her parents. When her mother, Laura died in May of 1936 and they moved back to Sparta. In 1937 Art became the distributer for the Cities Service Gas Stations and owner of the Cities Service Fuel Depot in Sparta, Wisconsin. He had service stations on the west side of Sparta at the intersection of Highway 21 & 27, Cataract and Angello, Wisconsin. In 1951, he and Sallie along with William Hinton "Bill" Jefferson and George W. Hinton, Bill's uncle, purchase the family cottage, Polly Falls from Sallie's brother, Harley W. Jefferson. In December 1956 he purchased Oliver Motors in Sparta, an Oldsmobile and Cadilac dealership. He renamed the business Brigham Motors. That along with the Cities Service business kept him busy. The dealership was destroyed by a hugh fire that started in the lumberyard located behind his dealership. It completely destroyed the dealership and more than half of the lumberyard. It was the biggest fire in Sparta that anyone could remember. He rebuilt the dealership but sold it to focus on the Cities Service distributership. His wife, Sallie Virginia died in August, 1960. He remarried in January 1961 to Mary Jean Jefferson VonderOhe, Sallie's cousin. In 1963 Art sold his share of Polly Falls to John Canfield, Aunt Jo Jefferson's brother. He and Mary Jean retired and moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. Mary Jean died there from emphysema in February 1973 and Art died there in June of 1974. His last request, as was Mary Jean's, that he be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.
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