The worthy gentleman whose record these few lines will preserve for unnumbered generations of future existence is a native of the town of Van Wert, Ohio, where he was born on May 22, 1864. He is the son of John and Nancy (Morton) Clendenning both natives of the state of Ohio. His father was long engaged in agricultural pursuits and was also largely interested in the elevator business in his native state. He was a man of prominence in the community where he resided and lived to the hale old age of eighty-two years. The mother passed away from life at the age of seventy years. The paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch was Charles Clendenning who was a native of Scotland who immigrated to America in the days of his early vigorous manhood. H. M. Clendenning was the eldest of their family of four children, of whom two were boys and two were girls. His education was diligently acquired in the public schools of Van Wert, Ohio and upon the completion of his education he secured employment as an apprentice in the machinist line for the purpose of learning that trade. He served in this occupation for a period of four years and acquired a through knowledge of that pursuit. In 1884 desiring to seek his fortune in the West he left his home in the state of Ohio and came to the then territory of Wyoming where he engaged in ranching and stockraising. In 1897 he came to the vicinity of the place where he now resides and located 320 acres of fine bottomland, embarked in the business of raising graded cattle and now is the owner of a fine herd of Herefords. He has met with a gratifying success to his business and is constantly adding to his holdings of both land and cattle. He is one of the progressive businessmen and property owners of Fremont County and is interested in all measurers calculated to advance the interest of that section of the state. He is the president of the local stockgrowers association and was recently appointed as the postmaster at Union, Wyoming where he resides. On January 5, 1896 Mr. Clendenning was united in marriage at Evans, Colorado to Miss Barbara Finger also a native of the state of Ohio and the daughter of Christian and Margaret (Rentz) Finger, both natives of Germany. Fraternally Mr. Clendenning is affiliated with the order of Red Men and is a leader in the social and fraternal life of the community where he resides. He is one of the leading businessmen of Western Wyoming progressive and public-spirited and is held in high esteem by a large circle of friends and appreciated acquaintances.
