In approximately 1891, according to historical accounts, William Bailey settled in the Hartford area — and over the next few years, the town emerged around his home. The Jan. 12, 1895 edition of The Pioneer reported that Bailey had finally torn down his original house, which sat in the middle of the community’s Main Street, and built a new one on the west side of the roadway.
Other early Hartford settlers left their marks on the area. There was Dan Halford, for one. Jefferson County Sheriff Alexander P. Gilliam appointed Halford a deputy sheriff, according to the Jan. 12, 1895 edition of The Hartford Pioneer. He later moved to Boulder and worked as the county jailor. Today, Halford Street in Clancy — actually closer to the historical Lump City — bears his name.
Although Halford and Bailey have long since vacated their Hartford homes, modern day residents continue to live in the area. Below are their stories.
The Haab Family
On March 29, 1869, a couple in Murteurbury, Germany gave birth to a son and named him John Johnson Haab. At 16, Haab immigrated to Philadelphia before moving to Chicago to become a butcher.
Eventually, Haab traveled west to Butte to work for the Great Northern Railroad. In 1887, Haab returned to the family trade and worked at a butcher shop in East Helena.
Meanwhile, in St. Paul, Minnesota, in St. Paul, Minnesota, an Irish couple gave birth to Cathern Connolley on April 6, 1871. By the late 1880s, Cathern had moved to East Helena and began working at the Cobby House, an Austrian bed and breakfast. Haab married Catherine on July 5, 1897. And in December of that year, The Clancy Miner reported that the pair had moved into a house in town. Here Haab opened the Clancy Meat Market.
On Oct. 8, 1898, The Miner reported the birth of John J. Haab Jr., which took place five days prior. However, the family’s records list Oct. 1 as his birthday. The family records also list the births of Thane Haab and August “Gus” Joseph Haab on April 11, 1900 and Aug. 5, 1904, respectively.
In 1902, a fire originating at Leary’s dance hall swept through Clancy, causing $500 worth of damage to the Haabs’ meat market. The family only had $300 worth of insurance. The fire damaged meat market was replaced with a stone building in downtown Clancy. The stone building still stands today next to the Clancy General Store.
The Haab family’s record shows that Cathern gave birth to two more sons: William Roger Haab on June 18, 1908, and Fred Elmer Haab on April 12, 1910.
With five boys in tow, the Haabs moved to a homestead west of Prickly Pear Creek and a mile from Hartford’s former location. In 1914, the family commissioned the Wonders to build a home for them. In this home, Cathern gave birth to her sixth son, Albert “Bunchy” Haab. This same year, the Haabs built a barn with space for four workhorses.
Desiring to have storage space for their hay, the Haabs moved a hay barn from McCullen Creek and situated it near their horse stable. “In the spring of 1936, the family moved their home, to be closer to the barns and to create a larger hay field,” states the Haab family’s historical records. “With the help of the community, the house was moved to its present location. This process took out a week as it was done with logs, ropes and a single horse.”
Eight months before moving the home, a drunk driver struck and killed John Haab as he crossed the highway after milking his cows. According to the Haab family historical records, this incident was the first DUI in Jefferson County, and possibly the first in Montana too.
In 1937, Fred Haab, the second youngest of the Haab boys, purchased the Clancy Cash Store and married Emma Schiavon. The pair had three sons together: Robert John Haab, Sept. 10, 1941; George Richard “Dick” Haab, Nov. 29, 1943; and Robert “Bob” John Haab, May 20, 1947.
In 1970, the newly constructed interstate had divided the Haab’s 1250-acre property in half, making it harder for the family to manage. The acreage was sold to several parties and is now known as Blue Sky and Forest Park.
Once graduated from Jefferson High School, Bob Haab attended Western Montana College, now known as the University of Montana Western, and the University of Montana to earn a master’s degree. Bob Haab started his first teaching job at Clancy School using an emergency teaching certificate. After five years at the school, Bob Haab left teaching behind to join the Army Reserves as a medic and supplier for twelve years. When he returned to Jefferson County, he worked as a carpenter.
On June 2, 1972, Bob Haab married Jackie Shipton, a former Three Forks area resident. The couple had two children together, Cassidy and Jennifer Haab. He eventually returned to school to obtain his teaching degree. After finishing another five-year teaching period and a short span as vice principal at Clancy School, Bob Haab accepted a teaching job at Jefferson High School. While there, he continued driving a school bus and taught the school’s math, health science, physical education and drivers’ education classes. He also helped coach the school’s track and field, basketball and wrestling teams.
Today, Bob and Jackie Haab live only a short drive from his family’s now historic barns and homestead on the family ranch, which he received from his uncle, Bunchy Haab. Other descendants of the Haabs live in Clancy and several others reside in nearby Helena and East Helena.
The Gruber Family
The Gruber family originally moved from the Crow Creek Valley near Toston, Montana, to the Clancy area, near the historic Hartford location, in 1944, when Frank Gruber’s father Edward took a job at the Mount Washington Mine running the mill. It has been their home ever since then.
When Frank Gruber was young, Clancy looked different than what one would see today. At this time, students still attended the Old Red School House and trains continued to roll through Clancy — the Old Red School House hosted classes until 1993. Gruber grew up watching his six brothers serve in World War II. On Aug. 5, 2017, Gruber witnessed the proper burial of his older brother William, who died in 1942 as a prisoner of war in the Philippines.
Since Gruber was a young boy, his family name had gained much notoriety. Several members of the family had been the proprietors of various local businesses, including Gruber Masonry and Gruber Excavating. Building and construction were trades close to the family.
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Bill Gruber, one of Frank Gruber’s nephews, started working in the local mines while he was in high school. In TK, he went overseas to work as a Navy SeaBee in Vietnam. When he returned home, he helped construct the Montana interstates and road systems.
In 1983, Bill Gruber founded Gruber Excavating in Clancy. Since it first opened, Gruber Excavating has seen much growth. In 2014, the business received the honorable Small Business of the Year Award.
Members of the Gruber family still reside in the Clancy area and some of their children attend the Clancy school just as Frank Gruber did. The family continues to play a role in the growth of the small town where Frank Gruber was brought up in.
