part in politics. He represented his district at two different
times in the state legislature; for several years served as county
treasurer, and his record as an official was highly creditable alike
to his ability and his public spirit. He was always called upon with
a certainty of response for aid in carrying out projects for the
development of Walla Walla city and county and his demise, which
occurred July 12, 1889, was recognized as a great loss to his community.
His widow survives and resides in one of the handsomest residences
of the city, in which she takes great pride, for it was built in
accordance with plans drawn by herself. After the death of her husband
she carried on the business of the estate. She is one of the honored
pioneer settlers of Walla Walla and her reminiscences of the early days
when the present rapidly growing city was a little frontier settlement
are much appreciated by the younger generation, who find it hard
to realize that conditions have changed so radically within a half
century. When she came to this region there were not more than twenty
white women in the valley and she is one of the very few of the number
now living.
JOHN H. ROMAINE.
John H. Romaine, who has been engaged in farming in Columbia county,
was born in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, April 15, 1857, a son of
Garrit Romaine, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Our
subject grew to manhood in his native state and there received a good
common school education. When twenty years old he accompanied his
parents to Washington and not long after his arrival in this state took
up a homestead on section 25, township 11 north, range 38 east. He
brought his land to a high state of development, and gained recognition
as a progressive and capable farmer. He raised both wheat and stock
and his annual income reached gratifying proportions. He added to his
holdings as the years passed until he owned fourteen hundred acres of
fine land but sold out in the fall of 1917 and purchased a ranch of
seven hundred and fifty-five acres in Umatilla county, Oregon, nine
miles south of Walla Walla, Washington, on which he expects to locate.
In 1882 Mr. Romaine was united in marriage to Miss May McKellips and
following her death married Miss Ella Davis, a daughter of Cyrus and
Nancy (Holly) Davis, natives respectively of Vermont and Ohio. They
removed to Old Walla Walla county and here her father passed away in
1910. Her mother survives and makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Romaine.
The latter have become the parents of four children: Jean M., deceased;
one who died in infancy; Garrit; and Jean Henry.
Mr. Romaine gives his political allegiance to the republican party
but has never sought office, his farming interests requiring his
undivided time and attention. His wife belongs to the Congregational
church and takes much interest in its work. During the forty years of
his residence in Old Walla Walla county Mr. Romaine has witnessed a
remarkable transformation and has kept pace with the development of the
county, at all times giving his support to progressive measures.
ZIBA DIMMICK.
For a quarter of a century Ziba Dimmick has been a resident of Walla
Walla county and is now numbered among its most prosperous farmers,
being extensively and successfully engaged in the growing of wheat. His
place is situated on section 27, township 8 north, range 34 east of W.
M. He is a western man by birth, by training and by preference, and the
spirit of western enterprise finds exemplification in his life. He was
born at The Dalles, Oregon, on the 8th of March, 1868, and is a son of
H. R. and Ann (Cooper) Dimmick, the former a native of Illinois, while
the latter was born in Scotland. It was in the year of 1853 that the
father crossed the plains with ox teams, meeting all the hardships and
privations of that strenuous trip in the early days. He located first
on the Umpqua river in southern Oregon, where he lived with his parents
until the spring of 1862, when he and his wife moved to The Dalles.
His remaining days were spent in that state, and his widow, who still
survives is now a resident of Hood River county, Oregon. In her family
were ten children, of whom Ziba is the eldest son and six of the number
are now living.
Ziba Dimmick was reared and educated in Oregon, no event of special
importance occurring to vary the routine of life for him in the days
of his boyhood and youth. At the age of sixteen years he started to
work for the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company, where he
learned the blacksmith's trade, at which he worked until 1892. When
a young man of about twenty-four he came to Walla Walla, Washington,
and commenced his career as a farmer, working for different men,
until 1900, when he invested his savings in the farm upon which he
now resides. He today owns seven hundred and twenty acres of rich and
productive wheat land and has always made a specialty of raising that
crop, for which the soil and climate are particularly adapted. Success
has therefore attended his efforts, for in all of his methods he is
practical and progressive and through the summer months the broad
fields of waving grain give promises of abundant harvest in the autumn.
In addition to this property Mr. Dimmick owns one hundred and ten acres
of valuable land in Hood River county, Oregon, where he is engaged in
raising alfalfa and clover.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Dimmick is a Woodman of the World and
an Odd Fellow, politically a republican. His energy and determination
have made him what he is today--one of the prosperous farmers of Walla
Walla county, and his substantial traits of character have won for him
the warm regard of all with whom he has been brought in contact. Walla
Walla county gained a substantial citizen when he removed from Oregon
to this state, for his labors have contributed much to its agricultural
development.
FRANK S. DEMENT.
It was in the quaint and picturesque little city of Oregon City,
Oregon, that Frank S. Dement, prominent miller and grain dealer of
Walla Walla, was born November 3, 1853, a representative of one of the
oldest and most prominent families upon the Pacific coast. His father,
W. C. Dement, came to Oregon from Virginia in 1843 in the train with
Marcus Whitman. He engaged in merchandising at Oregon City, the little
town that was founded above the falls of the Willamette river, and he
was one of the four who built the railway around the falls at Oregon
City, which was one of the first, if not the first railway on the
Pacific coast. With many events which shaped the pioneer development
and later progress of that section of the country he was closely
associated. He served as captain of volunteers in the Rogue River
Indian war in 1856 and there was no phase of frontier development with
which he was not thoroughly familiar. He became a resident of Oregon
before the city of Portland was established and he lived to witness
many remarkable changes as the work of settlement was carried forward.
His wife, who bore the maiden name of Olive Johnson, came to Oregon
in 1845 and was a daughter of the Rev. Hezekiah Johnson, a Baptist
missionary of that state.
Frank S. Dement, spending his boyhood days under the parental roof,
acquired his education in the Oregon City Seminary and in early life
took up the printing business, learning the trade, after which he
engaged in general printing and in publishing of the Oregon City
Enterprise. He figured prominently in public affairs in that locality
and served as county treasurer of Clackamas county, Oregon, which
position he resigned in 1879 and removed to Walla Walla on account of
his health. In the following year he organized the Dement Brothers
Company and has continuously served as its president. He and his
partners purchased the Eureka flour mills of the firm of Welch &
Schwabacher Brothers in 1880. These mills had a capacity of one hundred
and fifty barrels daily and something of the growth of the business
is indicated in the fact that the present capacity is six hundred
barrels daily. In a word they have developed one of the most important
milling industries of this section of the state and they are also well
known as extensive grain dealers. It was Frank S. Dement who in 1882
imported the first bluestem seed wheat from New Zealand to the Pacific
northwest and it is today the leading wheat grown in this section of
the country. Through this channel and his other business activities
he has contributed in marked measure to the material development and
consequent prosperity of his section of the state. In the conduct of
his business affairs he has amassed a considerable fortune, much of
which he has invested in Walla Walla real estate, thus indicating his
faith in the future of this district.
[Illustration: FRANK S. DEMENT]
In Oregon City, Oregon, on the 1st of August, 1877, Mr. Dement was
married to Miss Frances Miller, a daughter of Captain J. D. Miller,
who was a pioneer steamboat operator on the Willamette and Columbia
rivers. To Mr. and Mrs. Dement have been born two sons: Charles F., who
is county auditor of Walla Walla county; and Frank Bingham, who is now
in the National army at Camp Lewis. He was graduated from the Shattuck
Military School of Minnesota in 1914 and was a student in Whitman
College with the class of 1918.
Frank S. Dement has long been a recognized leader in republican circles
in his county and was chairman of the county republican central
committee. He has done much to further the interests of his party,
believing firmly in its principles and recognizing the duties and
obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship; yet he has never
sought nor desired office as a reward for party fealty. Fraternally
he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and is a
prominent Mason, having taken the degrees of both the York and Scottish
Rites. He is a member of Oriental Consistory, A. & A. S. R., of Spokane
and of El Katif Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. For the past thirty years
he has been a very active and prominent member of the Commercial Club
of Walla Walla and is now one of its directors and the treasurer.
He stands for progressiveness in all public affairs and his efforts
in behalf of general progress and improvement have been practical,
far reaching and effective. Men who know him--and he has a wide
acquaintance--speak of him in terms of the highest regard both as to
his relationship with business affairs and in matters of citizenship.
JOSEPH LEDGERWOOD.
Joseph Ledgerwood, deceased, spent the last years of his life in
honorable retirement from business in Pomeroy, enjoying the fruits of
his former labor. For many years he had been identified with farming
in southeastern Washington and his well directed business affairs
brought to him a very substantial competence, enabling him to enjoy
all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life and also to leave
his family in very easy financial circumstances. He was born in Clay
county, Missouri, July 17, 1836, and was a son of Joseph and Rachael
Ledgerwood, who were natives of Tennessee and afterward became pioneer
settlers of Clay county, Missouri.
Joseph Ledgerwood acquired his education in the common schools of
Clay and Daviess counties of Missouri and on reaching manhood took up
the occupation of farming. In 1864, with little money to outfit him
for so hazardous and extended a journey, he started across the plains
for the Pacific coast country, and while he endured many hardships
and privations while en route, he ultimately in safety reached the
Umpqua valley, where he made a home for his family and continued to
reside until 1877. He then disposed of his property in that region and
removed to Garfield county, Washington, settling about nine miles east
of Pomeroy. There he prospered and from time to time, as his financial
resources increased, he added to his land until at his death he was the
owner of about one thousand acres of valuable farm property. In the
later years of his life he retired from active farm work and removed
to Pomeroy, where he spent his remaining days in the enjoyment of the
fruits of his many years of successful labor. For a long period his
life had been one of untiring industry and perseverance, during which
he was watchful of every opportunity and indication pointing toward
success. At all times he based his advancement upon the sure foundation
of industry and persistency of purpose.
In 1859 Mr. Ledgerwood was united in marriage to Miss Louise O'Keef,
a native of Illinois, who was a faithful helpmate to him and shared
with him in all of the hardships and privations of pioneer life, when
Oregon and Washington were still frontier states. She still survives
her husband and cherishes his memory, for he was most devoted to the
welfare and happiness of his family. To Mr. and Mrs. Ledgerwood were
born nine children, seven of whom are yet living, as follows: William
T.; J. Joseph; John T.; Lou Emma, who is the wife of W. A. DeBow, a
grain dealer of Pomeroy; Martha R., who is the widow of James B. Carter
and resides in Pomeroy; Rosa, who gave her hand in marriage to Lou
Jurgens, of Asotin county, Washington; and Clara B., the wife of Edward
Davis, of Okanogan county, Washington.
Mr. Ledgerwood was a very progressive man, public-spirited in all
that he did, and his aid and cooperation could ever be counted upon
to further public progress. He aided many movements for the general
good, and while he was never a politician in the commonly accepted
sense of the term and never would consent to hold office, he gave
earnest support to the democratic party because of a firm belief in
its principles. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity and to the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was a consistent Christian man,
both he and his wife being lifelong members of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Mrs. Ledgerwood occupies a handsome home in Pomeroy, surrounded
by all the comforts and conveniences which make life worth living.
REME DE RUWE.
Among the successful sheep raisers of Columbia county is numbered Reme
De Ruwe, who was born in Belgium, September 15, 1882, a son of Peter
and Julia De Ruwe, also natives of that country, where their entire
lives were passed. To them were born fifteen children. The subject
of this review is indebted for his education to the schools of his
native land, and remained at home until he was about twenty years old.
Then, in 1902, he decided to try his fortune in the United States and
located in Walla Walla county, Washington, where he at once turned his
attention to raising sheep. He has since continued in that occupation
on an extensive scale. He pastures his sheep on a ranch comprising
twelve hundred acres of land in Columbia county. The success which
he has gained in fifteen years is quite unusual, demonstrating his
ability to adapt himself to a new condition, his sound judgment and his
enterprise. His ranch is well improved and is a very valuable property.
In 1914 Mr. De Ruwe was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Kregger,
and they have a son, Marvin, and have also adopted three children. Mr.
De Ruwe casts his ballot in support of the republican party, whose
principles accord with his political beliefs. He was reared in the
Catholic faith and consistently gives his influence on the side of
moral advancement. He has gained many friends since coming to eastern
Washington, his salient characteristics being such as never fail to
command respect and win regard.
CHARLES L. WHITNEY.
Charles L. Whitney, who is living retired on section 6, township 6
north, range 36 east, Walla Walla county, is now enjoying a period of
well merited leisure made possible by his former successful labors
as a nurseryman and horticulturist. He was born in Erie county,
Pennsylvania, January 26, 1857, of the marriage of William G. and
Marcia M. (Pettis) Whitney, the former a native of Onondaga county, New
York. They removed to California in 1879; two years before their son
Charles L. had made his way to the Pacific coast, and after residing
there for one or two years they came to Walla Walla county, Washington.
Here the father, in partnership with his son Charles L., bought the
farm where the latter still resides. This place was the site of the
Sims mill, which was the first mill built in the state and possibly the
first in the northwest. The date of its erection was 1858 and there
was also a distillery operated within the limits of the farm. In the
early days pack trains, numbering one hundred animals were sent to the
outlying camps loaded with flour, bacon and whiskey, and the farm is
indeed one of the historic places of the state. The father established
the Home nursery and the son the North Western nurseries, and both
proved successful in that business. The father remained active in the
management of his affairs both as a nurseryman and as a farmer until
his death in 1912. The mother passed away in 1910.
Charles L. Whitney was reared in Pennsylvania and after attending the
common schools became a student in the Edinboro (Penn.) State Normal
school and in Austinburg College at Austinburg, Ohio. Later he took up
the study of medicine at the Eclectic Medical College at San Francisco,
California, but left that institution a year before the completion
of his course. It was in 1877 that he removed to California and he
was one of the first settlers of the town of Whatcom. He devoted some
time to timber cruising and for a number of years he traveled through
California, Oregon and Washington, becoming familiar with practically
every part of the Pacific coast. In 1880 he came with his parents to
Walla Walla county and established the North Western nurseries, which
he conducted for years. He was one of the first men to enter that line
of business in this section and his success in the growing of fruit
trees determined the possibilities of this region in the production of
fruit. He also engaged in general farming to some extent and found that
likewise profitable. For four years he was county fruit inspector and
later was for a similar length of time state fruit inspector and was
generally recognized as an authority on everything pertaining to fruit
and its production. About 1907 he gave up the nursery business and has
since rented his land for gardening, although he still resides upon his
farm, which comprises one hundred and-fifty-two acres two miles south
of Walla Walla, in the most fertile part of the valley. His home is a
handsome country residence, provided with all modern conveniences.
In 1883 Mr. Whitney was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth McCaslin,
who was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, but was teaching in the schools
of Omaha, Nebraska, at the time of her marriage. They have become the
parents of five children, of whom four survive, namely: Elizabeth May,
the wife of Ned McLean, of Walla Walla; Bertha, who married L. F.
Turman, of Willows, California; Charles B., who is first sergeant with
the Washington Field Artillery, under Major Weyrauch; and Marguerite,
the wife of Fred Houghton, of Attalia, this county.
Mr. Whitney's political views accord with the principles of the
republican party and he gives it his stanch support but has never
taken a very active part in politics. However, he has always felt the
keenest interest in the upbuilding of his county and his influence has
been felt in its development along horticultural, agricultural and
civic lines. He was a member of the board of commissioners that had
charge of the Walla Walla exhibit at the Lewis and Clark Exposition
held in Portland in 1905 and took a great deal of pride in the fine
showing that the county made. He has a number of fraternal connections,
belonging to Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M.; Walla Walla
Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M.; Walla Walla Commandery, No. 1 K. T.; El Katif
Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Spokane; to the Shrine Club at Walla
Walla, of which he is president; to Alki Chapter, No. 25, O. E. S., of
which he is past patron and of which his wife was the second matron,
to Enterprise Lodge, No. 2, I. O. O. F., of which he is past grand; to
the Ancient Order of United Workmen; and to Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287,
B. P. O. E. His high standing in the Odd Fellows society is further
indicated by the fact that he holds the lodge jewel.
EDWARD H. NIXON.
Edward H. Nixon, one of the earliest of Walla Walla's pioneers now
living and for many years a dominant factor in civic affairs, was born
in Guyandotte, West Virginia, on the 26th of May, 1842. When he was ten
years of age his parents removed to Jackson county, Iowa, settling on
a farm about eight miles west of Sabula. He was there educated in the
district schools and at his mother's knee, she having been educated for
a teacher in the Massachusetts schools in early life. Subsequently she
went west to teach in the West Virginia schools and it was there that
she was married. After mastering the early branches of learning Mr.
Nixon continued his studies in the high school at Maquoketa, Iowa, and
at the age of twenty years he was elected to the office of constable in
his district, but the commissioners refused him a commission because
he was not of legal age. He began reading law at Maquoketa, Iowa, and
advanced sufficiently to try cases before a justice of the peace.
[Illustration: EDWARD H. NIXON]
In sentiment he was strongly anti-slavery at the beginning of the
Civil war and as his sympathies were with the north, he determined he
would not fight for any country that would uphold slavery, but after
the Emancipation Proclamation he offered his services to the country
and was accepted in December, 1863, being mustered into the service as
a member of Company A, Ninth Regiment of the Iowa Veteran Volunteer
Infantry, with which he served for one year, five months and eleven
days. He then received an honorable discharge, the war having been
brought to a close. He had participated in the battles of Snake Creek
Gap, Resaca, Dallas and New Hope Church, Ackworth or Big Shanty, and
the seven days' siege of Kenesaw Mountain and many skirmishes. He was
also in the battle of Atlanta on the 22d of July, 1864, in the battle
of Ezra Church and many others, taking part in every engagement in
which his regiment participated until the fall of Atlanta. At close of
the war he received an honorable discharge and returned to his home
with a most creditable military record, having nobly done his part to
preserve the Union. He afterward pursued a course in Eastman's Business
College at Poughkeepsie, New York, and subsequently he engaged in
farming until 1873, when he started for the far west with Walla Walla
as his destination. He arrived here on the 16th of March of that year
and took up the profession of teaching. He also engaged in farm work
and in fact accepted any employment that would yield him an honest
dollar.
On the 2d of April, 1876, Mr. Nixon was united in marriage to Miss Kate
Stewart, a daughter of Daniel and Margaret Stewart, and to them have
been born three children, two daughters and a son: Stella, now the
wife of H. L. Wilson, who is state highway contractor and a resident
of Walla Walla; Laura, the wife of H. H. Hadley, who is engaged in
the automobile business in Dayton, Washington; and Edward S., who is
associated with his father in the real estate and insurance business
under the firm style of E. H. Nixon & Son.
In 1877, soon after his marriage, Mr. Nixon removed to Whitman county
and took up a homestead and tree claim and preempted another one
hundred and sixty acres of land. He also rented a section of school
land and for eight years or more was extensively and successfully
engaged in farming. He laid out the first road ever laid out in Whitman
county and was well known as the pioneer settler of that county,
instituting much of the progressive work which has brought about its
present-day progress and prosperity. In 1885 he returned to Walla
Walla, and while he has disposed of his landed interests in Whitman
county, he still owns valuable farm property and since 1892 he has
conducted a real estate and insurance business, the firm of E. H.
Nixon & Son maintaining an office in the Jaycox building. For many
years Mr. Nixon was one of the most conspicuous figures in the civic
affairs of Walla Walla. He served as road overseer, was also United
States deputy postmaster, was justice of the peace two years and was
police judge one year. He was also city assessor one term and was a
member of the city council and at all times exercised his official
prerogatives in support of many well defined plans and measures for
the general good. He looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the
opportunities and possibilities of the future and labored not only for
the welfare of the passing hour but for future time as well. He was
responsible for the establishment of the perpetual care system in the
city cemetery and later the same system in the Odd Fellows cemetery,
serving as president of the cemetery committee for a number of years.
Mr. Nixon has long been a faithful and prominent member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, in which he has filled all of the offices in the
local post. He has also been honored with the position of assistant
adjutant general and assistant quartermaster general of the Department
of Washington and Alaska. He has membership in Blue Mountain Lodge,
No. 13, A. F. & A. M., and is a member of Washington Lodge, No. 19, I.
O. O. F., in which he has filled all of the chairs, including that of
noble grand. In 1890 he joined with F. W. Paine and others in forming
the Interstate Building Loan & Trust Association, and he is a member
of its board of trustees and vice president of the association. In
a word his activities are broad and varied. He is a liberal minded
man, recognizing the duties and obligations of the individual to his
fellowmen and to his country. At all times he has been actuated by a
progressive spirit and in business affairs has been stimulated by a
laudable ambition. His purposes have been well defined and promptly
executed and the course which he has pursued has at all times measured
up to the highest standards of manhood. His work has been of great
benefit to the community at large as well as a source of individual
success, and Walla Walla county honors him as one of her best known
pioneers. His religious faith is that of the Unitarian church.
S. S. MORITZ.
S. S. Moritz, who since 1914 has held the office of postmaster
of Dayton, was formerly prominently identified with its business
interests, first as a merchant and later as a real estate operator.
He was born in Victoria, British Columbia, August 28, 1863, a son
of Moses and Adeline (Greenenburg) Moritz, natives respectively of
Alsace, France, and of Groesenadar, Germany. The mother came to the
Pacific coast by way of the Panama route in young womanhood and joined
relatives living in San Francisco. The father emigrated to this
country in early manhood and after spending some time in the middle
west made his way to the California gold fields in 1849. He acquired
some valuable mining properties but later lost them through reverses
in fortune. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in
San Francisco in 1855 and subsequently went to Portland, Oregon, where
he was married, the lady who became his wife having in the meantime
removed to that city, where she made her home with relatives. Mr.
Moritz engaged in merchandising there until the discovery of gold on
the Fraser river in the British possessions. He then removed with his
family to Victoria, where they resided for two years, after which they
returned to Portland. Later they became residents of Centerville,
Idaho, where the father was well known as a general merchant. At length
he removed to Boise City with the view of giving his children better
educational advantages and remained there until 1873, when he went to
Salt Lake City, where he was active in business until 1890. He then
retired and spent his last days in the home of his son, S. S. Moritz.
He passed away September 23, 1913, when in his eighty-eighth year. He
was a man of vigorous constitution and retained the full use of his
faculties up to the time of his death. His widow survives.
S. S. Moritz received his education in the schools of Boise City and of
Salt Lake City and during vacations received business training which
stood him in good stead in his later years. For several years before
leaving school the summers were devoted to clerking in various stores
in Salt Lake City, chiefly the clothing business, and in the spring
of 1885, when a young man of twenty-one years, he came to Dayton,
Washington, to accept a position with Duzenbury & Stencil, general
merchants. For a year he had charge of their clothing and furnishing
department and then engaged in business for himself, establishing a
clothing and furnishing store. For eighteen years he conducted that
store and became a dominant factor in the commercial life of Dayton,
his resourcefulness, energy and keen insight into business conditions
causing him to be generally recognized as a leader. In 1904 he sold
his store, as he desired to give his undivided attention to his other
interests. For a number of years he had been investing heavily in real
estate and he it was who laid out the Syndicate Hill subdivision of
Dayton, which is now recognized as the finest residence district of the
city, and for a decade his entire time was given up to looking after
his real estate interests, but in 1914 he became postmaster of Dayton
by appointment of President Wilson. During the intervening three years
he has held that position and has performed his duties in the same
capable manner that he managed his private affairs.
Mr. Moritz was a stanch republican in his political views until 1896,
but in that year he became convinced of the wisdom of the policies
advocated by William Jennings Bryan and gave his support to the
democratic party, with which he has since been identified. He has taken
an active part in public affairs and many improvements in Dayton have
been brought about largely through his indefatigable work in their
behalf. Notable among these is his achievement in securing the paving
of the business district in spite of much indifference and determined
opposition. His interest in good roads has found further expression
in the arterial highway law, a very significant piece of legislation,
which is based upon a plan conceived by Mr. Moritz. When it became
necessary to change the city charter in conformity with the state
regulations he led the movement for a charter that would meet all
the needs of Dayton and was largely instrumental in securing such an
instrument. He has been one of the most active members in the Dayton
Commercial Club since its organization and has had a large part in its
effective and farreaching work for the city. Fraternally he belongs
to Dayton Lodge, No. 3, K. P. His position as one of the foremost
residents of Dayton is secure and his personal friends are many.
T. F. DICE.
T. F. Dice, residing on section 2, township 9 north, range 36 east,
Walla Walla county, holds title to a large amount of land but is
renting the greater part of it and is thus enjoying comparative
leisure. His birth occurred in Pennsylvania, February 15, 1859, a son
of William and Susan (Redrick) Dice, who passed their entire lives in
the Keystone state. Five of their seven children are still living.
T. F. Dice grew to manhood in Pennsylvania and supplemented the
education acquired in the public schools by attendance at Mercersburg
college in Mercersburg. On leaving his native state he went to
Savannah, Georgia, where he spent three years, and then in 1889 he came
to Walla Walla county, Washington, for the benefit of his health and
here he purchased a farm on which he resided for three years. He next
bought his present home place on section 2, township 9 north, range 36
east, and for many years personally operated the five hundred acres
comprised in the farm. At the present time, however, he rents all the
land but an eighty acre tract, which is in alfalfa and which he looks
after himself.
In 1884 occurred the marriage of Mr. Dice and Miss E. A. Spangenberg.
The latter was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter
of Frederick A. and Fanny Anna Spangenberg, both also born in
Pennsylvania. The father, who successfully engaged in the practice of
law for many years, is now deceased, but the mother survives. Mrs.
Dice had exceptional musical training and her talents along that line
have been a source of great pleasure to her family and friends. Mr.
and Mrs. Dice have four children: William T., who lives in California;
Lee R., who is teaching in the University of Montana; Frances E., the
wife of the Rev. Robert M. Hood, now a resident of Idaho; and Carl E.,
a student of Mount Tamalpais Military Academy, San Rafael, California.
During the years of his residence in Walla Walla county Mr. Dice has
become widely and favorably known, his many excellent qualities gaining
for him many warm friends.
W. H. BARNHART.
The field of opportunity finds its boundaries only in the limitations
of the individual. When energy and ambition lie dormant the path of
advancement seems closed, but to the man who believes that there is
a chance for every individual and who is willing to take his chance
with others, there always comes a time when he can take the initial
step that will lead on to fortune. That Mr. Barnhart recognized the
opportune moment is shown in the fact that he is now one of the
leading business men of Starbuck, where he is widely known as the vice
president and manager of the Sprout & Barnhart Mercantile Company and
also as a member of the board of directors of the Bank of Starbuck.
Iowa claims him as a native son, his birth having occurred in Wapello
county on the 11th of October, 1871, his parents being Henry and
Elizabeth (Johnson) Barnhart. The father was a native of Tennessee,
while the mother's birth occurred in Ohio, and in Iowa their marriage
was solemnized. They had accompanied their respective parents to the
last mentioned state in childhood and were there reared. Mr. Barnhart
turned his attention to farming and railroading, which he followed in
Iowa until 1889, when he removed westward to Oregon and for a number
of years was employed by the Oregon & Washington Railroad & Navigation
Company in the capacity of engineer. He thus took part in the early
development of railway operations in the west. He died in December,
1915, and is survived by his widow, who resides on a ranch near
Spokane.
[Illustration: W. H. BARNHART]
W. H. Barnhart, spending his youthful days under the parental roof,
completed his education in the high school at Albia, Iowa, from which
he was graduated with the class of 1889. The following year he came
to Oregon and for a number of years successfully engaged in teaching
school, imparting readily and clearly to others the knowledge that
he had acquired. He also worked in a store at La Grande, Oregon, and
subsequently he became a student in Armstrong's Business College at
Portland. Later he took up railroading as an employe of the Oregon
& Washington Railroad & Navigation Company and was employed by that
corporation for thirteen years. During the last seven years of that
period he ran an engine and in 1907 he resigned his position with the
company and purchased an interest in the mercantile establishment of W.
E. Sprout of Starbuck. The following year the company was reorganized
and incorporated, with Mr. Barnhart as the vice president and manager
of the business, and Mr. Sprout as the president. They have a spacious
and well appointed store, carrying an extensive line of goods, and they
always maintain the highest standards in the personnel of the house, in
the stock carried and in the treatment accorded patrons. Their business
has therefore gradually increased as the years have gone on and has
become one of the profitable commercial interests of southeastern
Washington.
In September, 1901, Mr. Barnhart was united in marriage to Miss Bessie
A. Wright, of Starbuck, and they have become parents of two daughters,
Grace M. and Blanche L. Mr. Barnhart is a loyal representative of
the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Tucanon Lodge, No. 106, F. &
A. M., of which he is now worshipful master. He is also identified
with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and has served as chief
engineer in the order. In politics he is a stalwart republican and
is now mayor of Starbuck. He had previously served for several years
as a member of the town council and his fitness for further and more
responsible public duties led to his election as chief executive. His
wife and two daughters are members of the Episcopal church and Mr.
Barnhart is serving on its board of trustees. His aid and influence
are always given on the side of progress and improvement as related to
the material upbuilding and also the social, intellectual and moral
advancement of the community. Those who know him, and he has a wide
acquaintance, esteem him as a man of genuine worth who well merits the
success that has crowned his efforts since he started out in business
life empty-handed.
IRA D. BRUNTON.
Among the native sons of Walla Walla county who have elected to
continue residents thereof is Ira D. Brunton, who is engaged in farming
on section 30, township 8 north, range 36 east. He was born in that
township, May 11, 1876, and is a son of W. H. H. and Sarah A. (Lewis)
Brunton, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. He was
reared upon the home farm, and his boyhood and youth were spent in the
acquirement of a district school education and in helping his father.
He further pursued his studies in Whitman College and at the old Empire
Business College at Walla Walla, thus fitting himself for his later
life.
After his marriage Mr. Brunton began farming for himself, operating a
part of the homestead in partnership with his father, this relation
being continued until his father's death, after which Mr. Brunton of
this review and his brother Frank managed the entire estate of seven
hundred acres for five years. At the end of that time Ira D. Brunton
took over the operation of four hundred acres and his brother Garfield
became responsible for the cultivation of the remaining three hundred
acres. In 1903 our subject purchased one hundred and sixty acres
adjoining the home farm and he now operates both places and also four
hundred acres of rented land, or nine hundred and sixty acres in all.
It is thus evident that his interests are extensive and make heavy
demands upon his time and energies, but he is industrious, progressive
and systematic in his work and his affairs are kept well in hand.
Mr. Brunton was married October 10, 1897, to Miss Bessie L. Ramseur, a
daughter of David W. Ramseur, who removed to Walla Walla county from
North Carolina in 1892. To Mr. and Mrs. Brunton have been born five
children: Elsie M., the wife of Clyde Garland, of Walla Walla; and
Reese R., Lucille B., and Miles and Melvin, twins, all of whom are at
home.
Mr. Brunton's political views are in accord with the principles of
the democratic party and he supports its candidates at the polls. In
1908 he was his party's nominee for sheriff and polled a large vote.
Fraternally he is connected with Mountain Gem Lodge, No. 136, K. P.,
and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is held
in high esteem as a citizen and as a man, and his success as a farmer
entitles him to rank among the leaders in the agricultural development
of the county.
JOSEPH CLARK FAIR.
Joseph Clark Fair, an independent grain buyer and one of Dayton's
foremost business men and representative citizens, was born in Benton
county, Arkansas, February 26, 1874, a son of Joseph A. and Martha
Ann (Russell) Fair, the former born in Sullivan county, Tennessee,
and the latter in Barry county, Missouri. The parents were taken by
their respective parents to Benton county, Arkansas, and there grew to
manhood and womanhood. They continued to reside there following their
marriage, with the exception of four years spent in Texas, up to the
time of the mother's death, which occurred in June, 1899. The father
devoted his active life to farming but is now a resident of Centerton,
Benton county, Arkansas, where he is living retired. He is a local
Methodist minister and was often importuned to join the conference but
refused, saying he knew he could make a living farming but did not
know whether he could as a minister or not. His parents, Ellis and
Nancy Hamilton (Easly) Fair, were representatives of old families of
Tennessee. Mr. Fair was killed by Indians at the time of the Civil war.
The parents of Mrs. Martha Ann (Russell) Fair were Elijah and Louisa
(Bell) Russell, natives respectively of Missouri and Tennessee. Mr.
Russell went to the California gold mines in 1849, crossing the plains
with ox team, and returned to the east in 1852 by sailing vessel. At
the time of the Civil war he was killed by bushwackers.
Joseph Clark Fair was reared at home, and in the acquirement of his
education attended the common schools of Arkansas and the Elm Springs
Academy, in Washington county, that state. For two terms he engaged in
teaching in Benton county, Arkansas, but because of the low salary paid
teachers gave up the profession. In 1898 he decided to try his fortune
in the far west and located at Condon, Gilliam county, Oregon, where he
was connected with lumber interests. He remained there for five years
and during the last year helped to build the courthouse. During that
time he acquired title to seven hundred and twenty acres of land, which
he has since sold at a profit. In 1903 he became a resident of Dayton,
Washington, where he has ever since remained, and he is well known
throughout Columbia county as a grain-buyer. He is expert in judging
wheat and keeps in the closest touch with the grain markets and has
been very successful in his business affairs.
Mr. Fair was married in 1908 to Miss Nellie Virginia Gregg, who was
born in Washington county, Arkansas, but at the time of her marriage
was county superintendent of schools of Columbia county. To them
was born one child, who, however, is deceased. Mr. Fair is a stanch
democrat in politics and has served with ability as a member of the
town council. He is well known in fraternal circles, belonging to
Alki Lodge, No. 136, I. O. O. F., of which he is past grand; Franklin
Encampment, No. 13, I. O. O. F., of which he is past chief patriarch;
Dayton Lodge, No. 26, F. & A. M., of which he is now worshipful master;
and Dayton Lodge, No. 3, K. P., of which he is past chancellor. His
religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congregational
church, and in his business dealings, as well as in the private
relations of life, his conduct measures up to high moral standards. He
feels that his decision to come to the west was one of the wisest that
he has ever made and he is confident that a greater future is in store
for this section.
CHARLES CLAGUE.
Charles Clague, a prosperous farmer residing on section 2, township 9
north, range 36 east, Walla Walla county, was born on the Isle of Man
in March, 1860, a son of Richard and Isabella (Quirk) Clague, also
natives of that island, where their entire lives were passed. Our
subject's education was received in the public schools and he remained
in his native country until he attained his majority but in 1881 came
to the United States. For six months he worked in a grocery store in
Olean, New York, after which he decided to see the west. There for a
month he worked in Colorado and then continued his journey, arriving
in San Francisco on Christmas day, 1881. He only remained in that city
for two days, however, and then came to Walla Walla county, Washington.
He took up a homestead two miles south of Prescott and for twenty
years lived upon that place, which he operated successfully. He also
purchased other land, becoming the owner of seven hundred and eighty
acres. In 1902, in partnership with T. F. Dice, he bought five hundred
acres of land and later they purchased the old Samuel Erwin home farm,
where both have since resided. Mr. Clague has sold his homestead and
the land adjoining and has also disposed of the equity of the five
hundred acre tract but retains his interest in the farm of eighty
acres, where he and Mr. Dice reside. He also is the owner of fifty-two
acres of irrigated land near Patterson, Stanislaus county, California.
He has gained financial independence and, having disposed of the
greater part of his holdings, is now enjoying a period of comparative
leisure.
Mr. Clague is a progressive republican in politics and has always been
most loyal to the interests of his adopted country. He belongs to the
Presbyterian church and in its teachings are found the principles
which guide his life. For thirty-six years he has resided in Walla
Walla county and has done his part in bringing about the wonderful
development that has taken place during that time. He has a wide
acquaintance and a large number of warm personal friends.
FRANK W. PAINE.
Frank W. Paine is a capitalist of Walla Walla whose name is inseparably
interwoven with the history of city and state. Coming to the west in
pioneer times, he is familiar with every phase of frontier life and
with the processes of development which have brought the state from
pioneer conditions to its present stage of progress and prosperity. His
individual labors have contributed much to the results achieved, and no
account of Walla Walla's development would be complete without extended
reference to him.
Mr. Paine was born August 31, 1839, in Mercer, Somerset county, Maine,
and has therefore passed the seventy-eighth milestone on life's
journey. His father, William Paine, was born in Hingham, Massachusetts,
September 5, 1801, and died December 4, 1883, while the mother,
who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Wentworth Pike, was born in
Somersworth, New Hampshire, December 29, 1804, and passed away February
14, 1872. Both parents were of English Puritan stock. Among the early
representatives of the Paine family were men of title who belonged to
the nobility of England, and in New England representatives of the
name loyally served their country in the struggle for independence and
as statesmen aided in formulating the policy of the commonwealth with
which they were connected. In religious faith the parents of Frank W.
Paine were Congregationalists. In political faith William Paine was
first a whig and afterwards a republican, and by occupation he was a
farmer. To him and his wife were born six children, who were reared
more in the fear than in the love of God, but for their day they were
on the firing line, both in good works and exemplary lives.
Frank W. Paine began his education in a little unpainted schoolhouse
of one room, which stood at the forks of the road on Beech Hill,
in the town of Mercer, Somerset county, Maine. He at first had the
opportunity of attending school for about eight weeks in the summer and
ten weeks in the winter season until he was ten or eleven years of age,
when he no longer found it possible to continue his studies through
the summer but was enabled to attend school through the winter until
his eighteenth year. He then began teaching in the country districts
through the winter months, while the summer was devoted to farm work.
On leaving the schoolroom, however, he did not consider his education
complete, for his strong desire for learning has led him to read and
study systematically and he always has near him good books on history,
literature, science and poetry. Such books have also constituted a part
of his continuous reading and thus he has obviated his lack of early
training and become a most well informed man. Moreover, in the various
positions of public trust which he has filled he has always found
it to be of the greatest assistance to resort to the most reliable
authorities treating on the matters in hand and in these ways he has
been able to accomplish something of what a liberal education might
have done for him. He has many times so keenly felt his deficiency in
the lack of school and college training that upon an analysis of his
educational shortcomings he determined that his most serious lack was
a fuller understanding of history, literature and Latin, and he has
wherever possible urged young men to prepare along those lines.
[Illustration: FRANK W. PAINE]
[Illustration: RESIDENCE OF F. W. PAINE]
As school teaching and farming seemed to offer small opportunities
in Maine, Mr. Paine resolved to go west and chose California as his
objective point, arriving in that state in October, 1861, with a letter
from the late Judge E. D. Sawyer of San Francisco to an old friend
of his at Mokelumne Hill. He was soon on the ground of the "Jumping
Frog of Calaveras county" and found the addressee of his letter to be
the proprietor of a provision store and his affairs much run down at
the heel. Early in the spring of 1862, therefore, Mr. Paine went to
Dogtown, in Shasta county, to join two friends who were preparing to
go to the newly discovered mines on Salmon river in Idaho. He became
the third member of the party, whose route, as contemplated, lay over
the Siskiyou mountains to southern Oregon, then to Portland and on by
way of Walla Walla, but at Jacksonville they were advised to cross the
Cascade mountains down the east side to Klamath lake and on to Walla
Walla. After many days of weary walking they arrived in Walla Walla
late in June 1862, and there met the returning tide of miners from
Salmon river and Florence, which discouraged the three young men from
going further in that direction.
Under the stress of necessity Mr. Paine made haste to find employment
and after two or three months by precarious work of different kinds
he secured a situation in the Baker-Boyer store but was soon detailed
to take charge of the Spray warehouse at Wallula under Dr. Baker's
direction. In the spring of 1863 a mad rush for the Boise mines carried
Mr. Paine along. As a measure of economy he engaged with a mule pack
train owned by the firm of Johnson & Stratton, serving as off side
packer and learning to "throw the diamond hitch." The wealth which
Mr. Paine accumulated in that mining venture consisted mainly in
experience. In the fall of 1864 he returned to Walla Walla and at once
was reinstated in his former position with the Baker-Boyer firm, there
remaining until the spring of 1866, when another attack of mining fever
took him to Montana with a stock of clothing made for the California
miners' trade, which stock of goods was readily sold at a good profit.
After enjoying a few weeks of summer on the summit of the Rockies he
returned to the land of his adoption, and to be safeguarded against
another "call of the wild," on his return he accepted the proffer of a
partnership made by William Stephens, a merchant conducting business
at the corner of Main and First streets. The business prospered and
at the end of a year Mr. Paine purchased the interest of his partner
and admitted his brother John to a partnership, removing the stock to
the corner of Second and Main streets, where they conducted a very
substantial business. After about two year opportunity enabled Mr.
Paine to succeed by purchase to the Baker-Boyer business, then located
on the present site of the Baker-Boyer Bank. Miles C. Moore joined him
as a partner under the style of Paine Brothers & Moore, which firm soon
became widely known for its business enterprise and also for its local
political influence. During the existence of the firm they established
branches at Waitsburg and at Dayton and built a fine steamboat, The
Northwest, to ply in wheat carrying on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
The war department, however, leased the steamboat to transport troops
and munitions during the war with the hostile Willowas, under the
notable Chief Joseph, in 1878. Soon after the boat was taken over
by the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company. After nearly ten years
of pleasant and profitable partnership Mr. Moore withdrew from the
firm. In the meantime they had concentrated their attention upon farm
implements and machinery and this business was conducted under the
style of Paine Brothers. In 1879 they built the three-story brick
building, which was then the finest business block in the northwest
outside of Portland. Upon its completion and upon the organization of
the First National Bank it took up its home in this building, where it
has since continued.
While for many years Mr. Paine figured most prominently in commercial
circles, he also became a leader in the public life of the community as
well. His first public office was that of councilman, which he filled
in 1878 and 1879. He afterward served as city treasurer in 1883 and
1884 and was mayor of Walla Walla through the two succeeding years.
All of these offices came to him unsought. During his mayoralty term
he signed the ordinance prohibiting stock from running at large in the
streets and this executive act lost him his reelection. He recognized,
however, the value of such a course to the city and followed the
dictates of his judgment and his conscience notwithstanding the
contrary advice of his friends who desired his reelection. In 1880 Mr.
Paine was elected school director in District No. 34, the western part
of the city. In 1882, by act of the legislature, Districts No. 34 and
No. 1, the latter the eastern part of the city, were united in one
and the two boards of directors acted as one until the next election,
when Mr. Paine was elected one of the three directors for the combined
district. He was reelected at each succeeding election until 1906 and
during his incumbency, covering more than twenty-five years, he was
chairman of the board, which from time to time had to meet increasing
requirements by the erection of two frame and three brick schoolhouses.
To do this the legal maximum levy of five per cent was not exceeded.
The educational work done and the standing of the schools was equal to
the best in the state.
In 1887 Governor Watson C. Squire, at the request of many of Mr.
Paine's friends, appointed him superintendent of the new state
penitentiary which had been recently erected at Walla Walla, with
orders to establish rules and regulations and to conduct the
institution on a similar plan to that of the Oregon state penitentiary.
After some hesitation he accepted the appointment, and as the
legislature, after providing an appropriation to erect the buildings,
had neglected to make any appropriation for its maintenance, it became
necessary to secure a citizens' pledge of five thousand dollars on
which to draw for incidentals for the ensuing year or until the next
legislature should meet. This done, he took six good men as guards
with him to Seatco, where the old contract prison built of logs was
located and where the convicts divided their time between working in
a sash and door factory, working their way out of prison and being
worked back by a reward or a bloodhound. Governor Squire met Mr. Paine
at that place and after getting a record of the convicts, as a measure
of economy for the state, he pardoned sixteen whose terms were nearly
completed, leaving ninety-seven to be transferred to Walla Walla,
which was accomplished without loss of any member. The next problem
was to produce work for the prisoners and Mr. Paine soon succeeded
in establishing and operating successfully a brickyard, which proved
greatly beneficial to the prisoners. At the close of his term and on
the convening of the legislature he reported to the governor, then
Governor Semple, giving account of the amount required to cover all
indebtedness incurred. The legislature readily made the appropriation,
supplemented by a complimentary resolution. Two years later, under a
new legislative enactment, Mr. Paine was made chairman of a commission
of three members appointed by Governor Elisha P. Ferry, consisting of
P. A. Preston, F. M. Lowden and Mr. Paine. With the ready compliance
of his colleagues, Mr. Paine proceeded at once to establish a jute
mill, having at his personal expense visited and investigated the San
Quentin and Oakland jute mills, where he learned of their methods and
was advised of their profits, thus becoming convinced of the economy
of the measure and of what was of much greater moment, the providing
of employment for the inmates of the institution. The establishment of
the mill was strenuously opposed by the labor element, as had been the
brickyard, but the objection to convict labor has been largely overcome
in view of the importance to the health and morals of the inmates of
all such institutions. With the advanced views of the day Mr. Paine
gladly sees the passing of another most degrading abuse from which this
particular institution suffered at times in its earliest history--that
of making it a base for political operations of a most scandalous
character and its offices a reward for political jobbery.
Another field of activity into which Mr. Paine entered was that of the
Building Loan & Trust Association, which he was largely instrumental
in organizing in February, 1890. It was called the International
Building Loan & Trust Association of Walla Walla and soon built up a
prosperous business. It has continuously paid its patrons a good rate
of interest, has built many comfortable homes in and around the city
and is today one of the leading institutions of the kind in the state.
It is strictly mutual, makes money only for the stockholders and the
only salary paid is that to its secretary, together with a small fee
to its board members for each regular monthly meeting. The business
methods are highly commended by the state examiner. Of this association
Mr. Paine has been the president since its inception, covering a period
of more than twenty-seven years. One of the most greatly appreciated
honors that has come to Mr. Paine has been his appointment on the
board of overseers of Whitman College and he is further honored in the
position of chairman on the college loaning board.
In the late '70s Mr. Paine assisted in organizing the first Board
of Trade at Walla Walla. At that early date it was thought to be of
questionable value to the business community, so that it was with
difficulty that funds could be secured to pay a secretary. In fact
the body's activities and even its existence was at times of an
intermittent order. In time the Board of Trade became the Chamber of
Commerce and eventually the Commercial Club, and it fell to the lot
of Captain P. B. Johnson of the Walla Walla Union and to Mr. Paine to
keep alive the last named organization, the former acting as secretary
and the latter as president. They answered correspondence, mailed
descriptive circulars and other literature and in this way induced
at least some settlers to come to the valley. All this occurred long
before the inception of the present very much alive commercial body.
Mr. Paine not only figured in the business and public activities of
the city but also in its social organizations. He became a member of
the Inquiry Club on its organization twenty-six years ago, a club
which is still in vigorous existence. Its membership has included many
of the brightest minds in Walla Walla--men from various professions
and callings in life. Whitman College has been largely represented
on its roster. The workings of the club certainly have a great charm
for its members, for its discussions cover the widest possible range
of subjects and any member called upon expresses his views upon the
subject under discussion with entire absence of restraint and accepts
with good grace whatever he may get in return. Mr. Paine was also
connected with an association of gentlemen of literary attainments
which was organized in 1877. Among its members were Dr. George M.
Sternberg, later surgeon general of the United States army, Judge J.
K. Kennedy, Dr. J. E. Bingham, Colonel H. E. Holmes, Ex-Governor M.
C. Moore, Colonel W. H. Miller, J. F. Boyer, Major R. R. Rees, F.
W. Paine and a number of other prominent citizens. The objects of
this association, as expressed in its articles of organization, were
to maintain a scientific and useful library, to promote science and
to cultivate and improve its members. Mr. Paine is also a member of
the Archaeological Association of Walla Walla, which under Professor
Anderson maintains a good degree of activity, bringing to the city many
able lecturers on arts and sciences. On the list of the members of the
Symphony Orchestra is also found the name of Frank W. Paine, who has
been its honored president for many years, an association which has
done much to cultivate and promote musical taste in Walla Walla.
Most pleasantly situated in his home life, notwithstanding the extent
and importance of his business and public and social activities, the
interest of Frank W. Paine, yet has ever centered in his home. He
married Ida B. Illsley, a daughter of Jonathan H. Illsley, a merchant
of Harrison, Maine, the wedding being celebrated in the Presbyterian
church on Capitol Hill in Washington, D. C., April 3, 1876. After a
brief visit to their old homes in Maine they turned toward Walla Walla,
visiting the Centennial at Philadelphia while en route and thence
proceeding to San Francisco, to Portland and on to their destination,
where they arrived on the 6th of July, being soon domiciled in the
home which they yet occupy. Mrs. Paine comes of a family of superior
musical and literary talent, finding its highest exponent perhaps in
her eldest sister, the late Mrs. Caroline A. Tolman, who possessed
unusual literary ability and devoted much time and talent to advocating
the emancipation of women, contemporaneous with Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
Susan B. Anthony and Abigail Scott Dunniway. They labored to make a
place for woman side by side with man. Theirs was scant praise in their
day but already the harvest of their labors is being garnered.
To Mr. and Mrs. Paine were born four daughters. Elizabeth, the eldest,
passed away at the age of twenty-four years. Josephine became the wife
of Timothy A. Paul, a graduate of the University of Virginia and now
a resident of Walla Walla, by whom she has three children, two sons
and a daughter. Mary became the wife of Ben G. Stone, a real estate
and insurance man and farmer of Walla Walla, and they have two sons.
Frances is the wife of R. Douglas Ball, who is engaged in the wholesale
paper business in Seattle, and they have three children, a daughter and
two sons. Mr. and Mrs. Paine are happy in the possession of their three
daughters, their generous, manly husbands and their promising children.
They stand to them a full measure of reward for any and all sacrifices
it may have been their duty and pleasure to make for them and an ample
assurance of continued happiness in them, for all of which they duly
return thanks to the "giver of every good and perfect gift."
JOHN N. FALL.
John N. Fall was one of the pioneers of Walla Walla county who reaped
the reward of his labors, being at the time of his death the owner of
large tracts of fine wheat land, the operation of which he supervised,
although a resident of Walla Walla. He was born in Indiana, September
13, 1836, a son of Asa and Agnes (Davis) Fall, the former a native of
North Carolina. Both parents passed their last years in Walla Walla
county.
John N. Fall received the education usually afforded boys in pioneer
communities and remained with his parents until he reached mature
years. In 1861 he decided to take advantage of the opportunities
offered the ambitious young man in the Pacific northwest and crossed
the plains with ox teams. He at once settled in Walla Walla county,
buying a farm on Mill creek, on which he resided until 1867. He then
removed to Walla Walla but continued to operate his farm and, although
as the years passed his holdings increased rapidly, he never ceased to
exercise direct personal supervision over his agricultural interests.
He was at once practical and progressive, being ready to adopt any
new method or implement whose value had been reasonably well proven.
He gave careful study to the problems of increased production, the
conservation of soil fertility and advantageous marketing, and it was
recognized that he was an authority on everything pertaining to wheat
raising.
Mr. Fall was married in Missouri in 1858 to Miss Sarah E. Williams,
a daughter of Benjamin and Mary Williams, both of whom were born in
Kentucky, but for a number of years resided in Missouri, whence they
finally removed to Iowa, where the father passed away. The mother then
came to Walla Walla county, where she spent her last years. To Mr. and
Mrs. Fall was born a son, Dr. E. E. Fall, who died in February, 1917,
leaving a son, Edmond E.
Mr. Fall supported the democratic party at the polls and manifested the
interest of a good citizen in public affairs. Fraternally he belonged
to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of
United Workmen, and the spirit which characterized his life was that
of fraternity and consideration for others. He passed away in 1900 and
was laid to rest in Mountain View cemetery. He was a consistent member
of the Presbyterian church, to the support of which he contributed
generously, and his sterling worth gained him a warm place in the
regard of those who were closely associated with him. Mrs. Fall was
also a member of that denomination and was likewise keenly interested
in its various activities. After the death of her husband she owned and
personally managed the operation of two thousand and forty acres of
wheat land and two hundred and forty acres on the mountain, a part of
which was wheat land and a part pasture. In looking after her extensive
interests she manifested an executive ability and keen insight into
business that was far above the average and she was recognized as a
factor in the development of the county along agricultural lines.
ELMER L. WOODS.
Elmer L. Woods, who resides on section 7, township 9 north, range 27
east, is one of the leading horticulturists of Walla Walla county,
his apple orchard comprising almost four thousand trees of the finest
varieties. He was born in that township, November 4, 1888, and is a son
of Joel and Viola M. (Hull) Woods, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere
in this work. He was reared at home and during his boyhood and youth
attended the Waitsburg public schools, thus receiving a good education.
On reaching man's estate he became associated with his father in the
operation of the home farm, and this relation was continued until
the father's death. In 1911 forty acres were planted to apple trees,
ninety-six to an acre, by Walter & Morris, the administrators of the
estate. This orchard of three thousand eight hundred and forty trees is
now bearing, and is one of the finest fruit orchards in the county. At
the time the estate was settled Mr. Woods of this review acquired title
to the orchard, and it yielded about two thousand boxes of apples in
1917. He has given the orchard the most thorough and systematic care
and is ever businesslike in solving problems of packing and marketing.
Mr. Woods belongs to Delta Lodge, No. 70, K. P., of Waitsburg and is
in hearty sympathy with the ideals of the fraternity upon which that
organization is based. He possesses in marked measure the enterprise
and self-reliance characteristic of the western man, and he has the
utmost confidence in the future of his county and state.
FRANK SINGLETON.
There are few residents of Walla Walla who can claim connection with
the city from 1857. The memory of Frank Singleton, however, harks back
to the period when this was a frontier fort and the work of progress
and civilization had scarcely been begun in all this section of the
country. The Indians were more numerous than the white settlers and
only here and there had some venturesome spirit penetrated into the
western wilderness to plant the seeds of civilization. Frank Singleton,
who is now extensively interested in mining and is engaged in the
real estate business in Walla Walla, was but six years of age at the
time of his arrival in Washington. He was born in San Antonio, Texas,
November 7, 1850, and after the removal of the family to the northwest
pursued his education in the public and parochial schools of Walla
Walla. On reaching manhood he engaged in the live stock business, with
which he was prominently identified for many years. At one time he
was a heavy holder of farm lands, but in 1916 he sold his farm north
of Prescott, comprising six hundred acres, which was the last of his
farm possessions. For the past twelve years he has been prominently
identified with mining and has large holdings in mining property. For
six years he has been engaged in the real estate business in Walla
Walla and has negotiated many important realty transfers. In a word,
he is a progressive business man, alert and energetic, his activities
guided by sound judgment, while his laudable ambition has brought to
him gratifying success.
In July, 1907, Mr. Singleton was united in marriage to Mrs. Martha
White, who in her maidenhood was Miss Kidwell, a daughter of James
Kidwell, who in 1863 cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of
Walla Walla. By her former marriage Mrs. Singleton had two sons;
Walter, who is engaged in farming in Walla Walla county; and Vivian,
who is a farmer of Franklin county. Mr. and Mrs. Singleton are widely
and favorably known in the city and surrounding country, having an
extensive circle of friends, while the hospitality of the best homes is
freely accorded them. With every phase of pioneer life and of the later
development and progress of the county they are familiar, having been
interested witnesses of the growth and upbuilding of this section of
the state from early pioneer times.
WILLIAM D. PAUL.
William D. Paul was successful as a farmer and his personal qualities
were such that he made and retained friends readily. He was recognized
as a man of worth and there was much sincere regret when he passed away
at his home in Walla Walla. His birth occurred in Walla Walla county,
October 21, 1864, and his parents were Thomas and Susan F. (Ellis)
Paul, both of whom were born in Iowa. In 1861 they crossed the plains
with ox team to Washington, and the father took up a claim in Walla
Walla county, on which they resided until called by death.
William D. Paul was reared under the parental roof and in the
acquirement of his education attended the pioneer schools. His entire
life was devoted to farming and he became in time the owner of three
hundred and twenty acres of fertile land, from which he received a
gratifying income. He made many improvements upon his place and was
careful and systematic in the conduct of the farm work. He also held
title to valuable city property and for a number of years resided in
Walla Walla.
In 1895 Mr. Paul was married to Miss Kate Loney, a native of Canada
and a daughter of Charles and Charlotte (Cole) Loney, who were born
in Ireland but emigrated to Canada in young manhood and womanhood. In
1880 they came to Walla Walla, Washington, and here they passed their
remaining days. To Mr. and Mrs. Paul were born four children: Thomas
N., who is farming in Walla Walla county; Winifred and Ruth, both high
school students; and Geneva.
Mr. Paul endorsed the principles of the republican party, and gave
his loyal support to its candidates at the polls. His religious faith
was the determining principle in his life and he gave freely of his
time and means in furthering work of the Baptist church, in which he
held the office of deacon and also that of treasurer. He passed away
August 24, 1916, and was laid to rest in the Mountain View cemetery.
His unswerving integrity and his consistent regard for the rights
and feelings of others gave him a place in the warm regard of many,
and those who were privileged to know him intimately still cherish
his memory. Mrs. Paul owns the family residence in Walla Walla and
there makes her home. She rents the farm and personally attends to
the management of her affairs and displays in that connection unusual
business qualities. She, too, is a faithful and active member of the
Baptist church and is a woman of many admirable qualities.
WILLIAM S. CLARK.
William S. Clark, who is living retired in Walla Walla save for the
management of his extensive farming interests, has passed his entire
life in the northwest and is a son of pioneers who came to "Old Oregon"
in 1843, when this region was wild and uninhabited save by Indians and
fur traders and when it was still a mooted question whether it was
British or American territory. The birth of William S. Clark occurred
in Portland, Oregon, April 9, 1857, and his parents were Ransom and
Lettice Jane (Millican) Clark. The father was born near St. Johnsbury,
Vermont, July 22, 1810, and was descended from a long line of Puritan
ancestors. The first one of the family to emigrate to America was
Lieutenant William Clark, who became one of the first settlers of
Dorchester and Northampton, Massachusetts. Smith College at Northampton
is situated upon land that was a part of his homestead.
[Illustration: RANSOM CLARK]
Ransom Clark received his education in Vermont and remained there
for a considerable period after reaching mature years. At length,
however, he manifested the pioneer spirit that had characterized
his ancestors and removed to the west, where he believed there were
better opportunities. He first located in Wisconsin and then went to
St. Louis and later to New Orleans. He was in St. Louis in 1843 at
the time Lieutenant Fremont was fitting out his company for his trip
to the Pacific coast and although the greater part of his men were
French and Canadian frontiersmen, Mr. Clark and about a half dozen
other Americans enlisted for the expedition. Mr. Clark remained with
the Fremont party until The Dalles were reached and then, with two
other Americans, left the command and joined the American emigrants
just coming into the country. In the spring of 1844 he took up his
residence upon a farm near Lafayette and was successful in adapting
himself to the conditions of that frontier locality, growing good crops
and also engaging in stock raising. The Oregon Spectator of July 4,
1846, contained the following advertisement: "Ransom Clark, at his
home on Yamhill river, offers for sale wheat, oats, corn, white beans,
peas and potatoes, also bacon, salt pork, hogs and breeding sows." At
the time of the discovery of gold he went to the mines in California,
where he spent two years, after which he conducted a hotel in Linn,
Oregon, and still later became one of the proprietors of the Columbian
Hotel in Portland. In 1855 he went to the Colville country, in which
gold had been discovered, and returning by way of Walla Walla, took
up a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres just south of the
present site of Walla Walla. However, the country had not yet been
formally opened for settlement and he was compelled to leave by Nathan
Olney, Indian agent. In 1888, however, he learned that the country
would soon be opened up and in that spring went to his claim with a
full outfit of farming implements, fruit trees, nursery stock, etc. He
took with him John Haley to fence and care for his place and, leaving
him there, soon returned to Oregon. The following spring he again came
to this region, and this time was accompanied by his son, Charles W.,
whom he left on the place. In May he returned to Portland to make final
arrangements for removing to his land, but while there became ill and
died on the 24th of May, 1859, at the early age of forty-nine years. He
was a member of the famous Lyceum and Debating Society of Oregon City
and, as he wrote to a friend, "always advocated those principles which
are best calculated to promote the cause of education, to promote the
greatest good to the greatest number." He was quite prominent in civic
affairs, served as a member of one of the early legislatures and in
1844 was one of three commissioners to view out and survey a road from
the Willamette falls to the falls of the Yamhill river. He realized
that a great future was in store for this section and was among the men
who laid broad and deep the foundation for its future development.
Ransom Clark was married in 1845 to Miss Lettice Jane, the eldest
daughter of Elijah and Lucinda (Crisp) Millican. She was born in
Canehill, Arkansas, October 3, 1830. In 1843 the family joined the
Whitman train and after a journey of weary months reached Oregon. The
following year the Millican family settled near the town of Lafayette,
Yamhill county, and there in 1845 Lattice J. Millican became the
wife of Ransom Clark. Following the death of her husband in 1859,
she made the journey to Walla Walla in order to make arrangements
for subsequently locating upon the farm which Mr. Clark had taken
up and which was known for many years as the Ransom Clark donation
claim. She was given a place in the government ambulance from Wallula
to Walla Walla and her first night in the latter place was spent in
the fort. The following morning she was driven out to her claim and
remained there for two weeks. She then returned to Portland, where
the birth of her daughter occurred the following summer. In October,
1859, she again came to Walla Walla in company with her family. They
were passengers on the first stage from The Dalles to Walla Walla,
with John F. Abbott as driver. Later she received a letter from Judge
E. D. Shattuck of Portland advising her to sell her claim for two
hundred and seventy-five dollars and abandon the idea of developing it.
However, she disregarded this advice and continued to reside upon the
farm with her children. On the 23d of May, 1861, she married Almos H.
Reynolds, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. She was one
of the earliest pioneer women at the head of a ranch in Walla Walla
county and the fact that she had been privileged to witness more of
the growth of the northwest than others seemed to give her an added
interest in everything pertaining to public welfare. She contributed
much to the upbuilding of the various institutions of the city and by
reason of her force of character and her many liberal and well advised
benefactions she was recognized as a most prominent citizen of Walla
Walla. The erection of the Young Men's Christian Association building
was made possible by a twenty thousand dollar donation from her and
after its completion she was one of the chief contributors toward
its upkeep. At the rally and jubilee held when the association had
raised the forty-five thousand dollars necessary to pay off its debt
the speech that she made expressing her great joy in the knowledge
that the association was free of all debt will long be remembered by
all who heard her. She was also a loyal friend and patron of Whitman
College, contributing generously at various times to the support of
the institution and paying off a debt of six thousand dollars on the
girls' dormitory, which is named in her honor Reynolds Hall. She was a
woman of the highest ideals and also had the keenness of intellect and
strength of character to realize her ideals and the memory of Lettice
J. Reynolds will long be held in honor in Walla Walla.
William S. Clark received his education in the public schools and
Whitman Academy, his parents realizing the value of liberal training
and giving their children the best advantages possible. After leaving
school he went to work in the drug store of Dr. J. H. Day of Walla
Walla, and there studied pharmacy. Later he was for two years clerk in
a drug store in Portland and then returned to Walla Walla and continued
to engage in the drug business here until 1877. He was then employed
for some time on the railroad from Walla Walla to Wallula, owned by Dr.
Baker. The latter recognized that with the settling up of the country
land would rapidly increase in value and advised Mr. Clark to invest
his savings in land. Accordingly he began buying farm lands, to the
operation of which he gave close personal supervision for many years.
He now, however, leaves all the actual work of cultivation to others,
confining his attention to the business management of his properties.
On the 6th of June, 1900, Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Ella
H. Seelye, a teacher for seventeen years in the Walla Walla public
schools. She was born in Minnesota and is a daughter of Stuart Seelye,
who had the distinction of building the first lumber, shingle and flour
mills in Little Falls, Minnesota. The Seelye family have been prominent
in educational circles in the east, Julius Seelye being president of
Amherst College and Clark Seelye president of Smith College. To Mr. and
Mrs. Clark has been born a daughter, Evelyn.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark are members of the Congregational church and its
work profits greatly by their material and moral support. Mr. Clark is
a republican in politics and has taken quite a prominent part in public
affairs. He was assistant secretary of the constitutional convention of
Washington territory which met in 1878 and has never ceased to be an
earnest student of the questions and issues of the day. For two years
he was president of the Farmers Union of Walla Walla and in 1873 he
was a member of the party under the leadership of Major Truax which
surveyed the land around Colfax. He also saw military service, serving
in the Nez Percé Indian war in 1877 and in the Bannock war in 1878.
His record proves that he is in all respects worthy of his ancestors.
among whom were numbered soldiers of the Revolutionary war, and he
has taken advantage of the privilege which his descent affords of
joining the Sons of the American Revolution. The first member of the
family in America, Lieutenant William Clark, who came to this country
in 1630, also participated in Indian fighting, taking part in a war
which occurred in the year of his arrival. Mr. Clark is a member of the
different Masonic orders. He feels the greatest loyalty toward his city
and state and nothing gives him more pleasure than to cooperate with
movements for the public benefit.
JOHN SINGLETON.
John Singleton was one of the earliest of Walla Walla's pioneers,
arriving here in 1857, and to the time of his death he was prominently,
actively and helpfully associated with the work of development and
progress in this section of the state. He was born in County Cork,
Ireland, in 1824, and was educated under private tutors. On the 22d of
April, 1847, he was married in Queens county, Ireland, to Miss Frances
Jane Gowan and two years later they crossed the Atlantic to the United
States, settling in New York, where he at once enlisted for service in
the army. He was sent to Texas as quartermaster's clerk under Major
Bilger and the command was stationed in the Alamo at San Antonio,
Texas, his office being in the very room where Colonel Davy Crockett
was killed. He remained in Texas in the service of the government for
six years and was then honorably discharged, after which he returned
to Washington, D. C. Subsequently he occupied a clerical position for
six months in the old arsenal. He then went to Baltimore, Maryland.
In 1856 Mr. Singleton again enlisted in the army for service on the
Pacific coast, believing that the change of climate would benefit his
failing health. He made his way westward by way of the Isthmus of
Panama and thence northward to Vancouver, Washington, where he was
stationed for ten months. His company afterward took part in the war
with the Yakima Indians, having several sharp engagements with them in
the Cascade mountains. His command was led by Captain Winder and the
Indians by Chief Camiachan. After subduing the red men Captain Winder's
command built a fort and remained in the Cascades for about a year,
but later was transferred to The Dalles, Oregon, and in the spring of
1857 arrived at Fort Walla Walla, where Mr. Singleton remained in the
service until 1861, when he was honorably discharged, his term having
expired. While he was still engaged in military duty here the Indians
from several tribes joined in hostilities to prevent Captain Mullen
opening a military road across the Rocky and Coeur d'Alene mountains
to the Columbia river. Mr. Singleton was in Colonel Steptoe's command,
which met the allied tribes in the memorable engagement of Steptoe
Butte, which was of several days' duration. The whites, being greatly
outnumbered, suffered a disastrous defeat and were driven back to the
Snake river in great disorder. In this engagement Mr. Singleton had a
very narrow escape from death. He became separated from his comrades
in the retreat and after wandering around nearly all night came upon a
band of friendly Nez Percé Indians, who conducted him to the Clearwater
river, ferried him across and directed him to the camp of his company,
who had reported to his wife that he had died. Colonel Wright soon came
up from The Dalles with a thousand men, and being thus reenforced, the
troops began an active campaign against the Indians. In a short time
the American army had scattered, captured or killed the entire tribe.
Some were hanged in the mountains but the most noted leaders were
brought to Walla Walla, where seven of them were hanged in the public
square in the rear of the garrison. During his service in Fort Walla
Walla, Mr. Singleton did most of the work of keeping the records of
the post, in the performance of which duty he was compelled to use an
old-fashioned quill pen.
Mrs. Singleton had purchased a squatter's right from Captain Pierce,
and on Mr. Singleton's discharge he retired to the homestead, which has
been the place of residence of the family continuously since. It is
said that the money which Captain Pierce obtained for his squatter's
right enabled him to open the Orofino mining district, of which he was
the first prospector.
Mr. Singleton died at the old home on December 28, 1893, and there his
widow and two daughters still reside. Mrs. Singleton is now in her
ninetieth year but for some time past has been an invalid. To Mr. and
Mrs. Singleton were born six children: Catherine, who is the widow of
Thomas Tierney and resides in San Francisco; Frank E.; William H.,
who is deceased; Elizabeth and Eudora M., who are at home; and Esther
Belle, who gave her hand in marriage to J. W. Brooks, a prominent
attorney of Walla Walla.
Not only as one of the Indian fighters of the northwest but also as one
of the progressive farmers of Walla Walla county did John Singleton
leave the impress of his individuality upon the history of southeastern
Washington. His worth as a man and as a citizen was widely acknowledged
by all who knew him. There was no phase of pioneer life in this section
of the country with which he was not familiar and he rejoiced in all
that was accomplished in the way of introducing the evidences of modern
civilization. His labors wrought good results and his name should be
inscribed high upon the roll of those who have reclaimed this great
region, making it a habitable and safe place in which civilization may
be still further advanced.
GARRIT ROMAINE.
Garrit Romaine was for many years engaged in farming on a tract of
three hundred and twenty acres of excellent land six miles north of
Dayton, in Columbia county, and it was recognized that the county had
lost a valued citizen when he was called to the home beyond. He was
born in New York city, March 7, 1829, a son of Benjamin and Charity
(Hopper) Romaine, also natives of the eastern metropolis. Subsequently
the family removed to New Jersey, and thence to Fond du Lac county,
Wisconsin, where both parents passed away. All their eight children are
also now deceased.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. GARRIT ROMAINE]
Garrit Romaine was reared at home and obtained his education in the
public schools of New York city. When twenty years old he went west
to Wisconsin, where he remained for many years, or until 1877, when
he removed to California. After remaining there for a short time he
took up his residence in Harrisburg, Oregon, but in 1881 removed to
Old Walla Walla county, Washington, locating in what is now Columbia
county, on a farm six miles from Dayton. He at once began the
improvement and development of his place, which he continued to operate
until called by death. It comprises three hundred and twenty acres of
good wheat land, and his industry and good management were rewarded by
large crops, from the sale of which he derived a good income.
Mr. Romaine was married in Wisconsin in 1852, to Miss Martha L.
Harbaugh, by whom he had seven children: William B., deceased; John
H., a farmer; Jerome W., now a resident of Bellingham, Washington;
Franz Sigel, a farmer; Charity, who is the wife of Newton James, and
has three children, Louis Homer, on the old farm, Lois, now Mrs. H.
L. Gritman of Columbia county, and Frida Ellen, now the wife of A. W.
Munford of Ironwood, Michigan; Freeman C., deceased; and Rachel, the
wife of Henry James, of Dayton.
Mr. Romaine gave his political allegiance to the republican party,
and while not an office seeker was always keenly interested in
everything affecting the general welfare. No project looking toward the
advancement of his community failed to receive his heartiest support
and cooperation, and he was particularly interested in the upbuilding
of the local schools. Fraternally he was connected with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and took an active part in the work of the lodge.
He passed away October 23, 1900, and was laid to rest in the Dayton
cemetery, leaving to mourn his loss, besides his family, many warm
friends. Mrs. Romaine resides with her daughter, Mrs. Newton James, and
holds title to the homestead. She belongs to the Christian church and
has exemplified its teachings in her daily life.
CHARLES F. KIBLER.
Charles F. Kibler, one of the prominent farmers and stockmen of Walla
Walla township, is with his brothers operating forty-four hundred
acres of fine land. He is a native son of Walla Walla county and has
resided here throughout his entire life. He was born September 24,
1874, of the marriage of Jacob and Louise (Buroker) Kibler, natives
respectively of Virginia and Iowa. The father removed to Missouri when
a young man and in the early '50s made the long journey overland to
California, where he resided for five years. In 1858 he came to Walla
Walla, Washington, and for some time worked as a farm hand. He then
took up land on Mill creek but for several years gave the greater part
of his time and attention to freighting by ox team. Subsequently, when
the country became more thickly settled and there was not so much
need for freighting supplies from a distant market town, he began the
cultivation of his land. His farming operations yielded him a good
profit and he acquired additional land, being at the time of his death
the owner of fifteen hundred acres. He made excellent improvements upon
his place and was one of the substantial men of the county. He passed
away in 1908 and is survived by his wife, who has reached the age of
sixty-six years. Five of the six children born to their union survive.
Charles F. Kibler passed the days of his boyhood and youth in his
native county and attended the district schools in the acquirement of
his education. Through working for his father he received thorough
training in the best methods of farming and stock raising and on
attaining his majority he began farming on his own account. He and
his brothers have added to their holdings from time to time and now
own forty-four hundred acres of good land finely improved. They have
systematized their work and conduct their ranch in the same careful
manner that a business man manages his interests. Their progressiveness
and good judgment are manifested in the excellent return which they
receive from their land and they have never had occasion to regret
their choice of an occupation.
Charles F. Kibler was married in 1898 to Miss Marie Clodius, a native
of Illinois and a daughter of H. F. and Catherine Clodius, who removed
to Walla Walla county in 1881 and are now residents of Waitsburg. Mr.
and Mrs. Kibler have a son, Albert F., who was born October 21, 1900,
and is still at home.
Mr. Kibler casts his ballot in support of the men and measures of
the democratic party but has never sought office as a reward for his
loyalty. He is thoroughly imbued with the characteristic western spirit
of enterprise and optimism, and any project for the benefit of his
county or state receives his heartiest approval and most energetic
support.
ALLEN H. REYNOLDS.
Allen H. Reynolds occupies an enviable position in professional and
financial circles as a leading lawyer of Walla Walla and as the
president of the Farmers Savings Bank. He was born January 24, 1869,
in the city where he still makes his home, his parents being Almos
H. and Lettice J. (Clark) Reynolds, who are mentioned at length on
another page of this work. He has spent his entire life in Walla Walla,
acquiring his early education in a private school conducted by the
Rev. P. B. Chamberlain. He afterward matriculated in Whitman College
and thus laid broad and deep the foundation upon which to build the
superstructure of professional learning. When his collegiate course was
completed he decided upon the practice of law as a life work and then
entered the law department of the Boston University, from which he was
graduated with the class of 1893. Soon afterward he returned to his
native city, where he opened an office and entered upon the practice
of law, becoming associated with W. H. Kirkman. Some time later that
partnership was dissolved and he joined his brother under the firm
style of Reynolds Brothers, but in the spring of 1900 he entered into
partnership with Andrew J. Gillis in a relationship that continued
for some time. He is now a partner of Grant S. Bond, with offices
at No. 6½ Main street. His success in a professional way affords
the best evidence of his capabilities in this line. He is a strong
advocate with the jury and concise in his appeals before the court.
Much of the success which has attended him in his professional career
is undoubtedly due to the fact that he prepares his cases with great
thoroughness and must be convinced of the absolute justice of his
client's cause. Aside from his activities in the profession of law,
Mr. Reynolds is well known in banking circles, having served as vice
president of the First National Bank of Walla Walla until November,
1913. At the present time he is president of the Farmers Savings Bank,
having succeeded the late W. P. Winans, who had been president for
twenty-eight years.
On the 7th of November, 1894, Mr. Reynolds was married to Miss Fanny
Kirkman, a daughter of William H. and Isabella Kirkman, well known
residents of this city, where Mrs. Reynolds was born. They have become
parents of three children: William Allen, born November 19, 1895;
Almos, born May 19, 1898; and Ruth Sarah, born February 3, 1901.
Mr. Reynolds is treasurer and one of the trustees of Whitman College
and has been the president of the Young Men's Christian Association
since its organization. There is no plan or movement for the benefit
and upbuilding of the city in which he is not helpfully concerned,
standing at all times for progress and improvement in municipal as well
as in private affairs.
HENRY OSTERMAN.
Henry Osterman, a member of the firm of Osterman & Siebert, leading
architects of Walla Walla, and one whose efforts along professional
lines have found expression in the erection of some of the finest
buildings not only in this city but elsewhere in the state, was born in
Germany, about three miles from Essen, on the 20th of January, 1862, a
son of William and Mary (Wusthoff) Osterman, both of whom spent their
entire lives in Germany, where the father followed the occupations of
farming and milling.
Their son, Henry Osterman, was reared under the parental roof and
acquired a college education in Essen, Germany. He served three years
in the German army and after reaching his majority took up the study
of architecture in Dusseldorf, Germany. In May, 1889, he decided
to try his fortune in the new world, hoping here to find excellent
professional opportunities. He accordingly came to the United States
and on the 15th of June of that year he arrived in Walla Walla,
Washington, where he has since made his home and practiced his
profession. Having little knowledge of the English language and of
building conditions in this country, which he found somewhat different
from those in his native land, he did not immediately apply himself to
architectural work but became associated with building operations and
for a time worked as a carpenter. Shortly afterward, however, he took
up contracting and building on his own account and was prominently
identified with building operations for eight years. In 1899 he began
the practice of his profession, opening an architect's office in the
old Baker-Boyer building. He associated with him in this undertaking
Victor E. Siebert, who was a former employe of Mr. Osterman and
had later gone to the east, where he was graduated from the Boston
School of Technology in 1912. The following year he was admitted to
a partnership, forming the present firm of Osterman & Siebert. Among
the many buildings for which Mr. Osterman has drawn the plans and also
superintended the erection are the courthouse, the city hall, the Young
Men's Christian Association building, the high school building, the
Jefferson, the Green Park and the Sharpstein schools, the city library
and practically all the important business and office buildings in the
city, together with many of the finer residences. All these stand as
monuments to the enterprise, the skill and the professional ability of
Mr. Osterman, whose thorough preparatory training and subsequent study
and experience have placed him in the front ranks among the architects
of the northwest.
In 1902 Mr. Osterman was united in marriage to Miss Geneva Cooney, of
Coon Rapids, Iowa, and to this marriage have been born five children,
Bernardina, Henrietta, Hugo, Ruth and Betty.
Mr. Osterman gives his political endorsement to the republican party.
Fraternally he is connected with Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A.
M.; Walla Walla Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M.; Washington Commandery, No. 1,
K. T.; the Consistory of Spokane; and El Katif Temple, A. A. O. N. M.
S., also of Spokane, while both he and his wife are connected with the
Order of the Eastern Star. He is also identified with Trinity Lodge,
I. O. O. F., and both he and his wife are consistent members of the
Congregational church, guiding their lives according to its teachings.
Mr. Osterman has never had occasion to regret his determination to come
to the new world, for here he has found the business opportunities
which he sought and in their utilization has made steady progress. Not
only does he rank with the leading architects of Washington, but is
also a prominent figure in financial and commercial circles. He was
one of the organizers of the Third National Bank, of which he is now
a director, and he is also one of the organizers and a member of the
board of directors of the Gardner Company, which owns and controls
Walla Walla's largest mercantile establishment. His identification
with these interests is the expression of his well directed energy and
thrift, his close application and his persistency of purpose, ever
guided by a laudable ambition. Step by step he has worked his way
upward and his course should serve to inspire others who must start out
in life empty-handed. The wise use which he has made of his time, his
talents and his opportunities has placed him in the creditable position
which he fills today in business and professional circles of Walla
Walla.
ALMOS H. REYNOLDS.
LETTICE J. REYNOLDS.
Almos H. Reynolds was for many years one of the prominent financiers
of the northwest, becoming a factor in the establishment of the first
banking business in Walla Walla and figuring for many years as one of
the principal stockholders of the First National Bank. He was born
in Madrid, St. Lawrence county, New York, October 21, 1808, and in
early life learned the millwright's trade. In 1838, when a man of
thirty years, he removed westward to Illinois and subsequently became
a resident of Iowa, where he remained until 1850. He then crossed
the plains to California, attracted by the gold discoveries on the
Pacific coast, and in May, 1859, he came to Walla Walla, where he
resided until his demise, which occurred thirty years later, or on
the 21st of April, 1889. He was prominently identified with milling
interests in this section, erecting many mills throughout the territory
of Washington, two of them being in the immediate vicinity of Walla
Walla. He also built and for several years owned a woolen mill at
Dayton. He was associated with Dr. J. H. Day in establishing the first
banking business in Walla Walla, opening a private banking institution,
which they carried on under the firm style of Reynolds & Day. He was
alert and energetic, constantly watchful of opportunities pointing to
success. Eventually he became one of the principal stockholders in the
First National Bank and was largely instrumental in its organization.
Mr. Reynolds was a man of keen insight which enabled him to readily
recognize a favorable business situation and his laudable ambition
prompted its immediate use. Whatever he undertook he carried forward
to successful completion and the integrity of his business methods was
above question.
[Illustration: ALMOS H. REYNOLDS]
[Illustration: MRS. LETTICE J. REYNOLDS]
On the 23d of May, 1861, Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage to Mrs.
Lettice J. (Millican) Clark, the widow of Ransom Clark, who first
crossed the plains to Oregon with Dr. Whitman in 1843. She was born
in Canehill, Arkansas, October 3, 1830, and received her education
in her native town. In 1843 the family joined the Whitman train and
after a journey of weary months reached Oregon. The following year the
Millican family settled near the town of Lafayette, Yamhill county,
and there in 1845 Lettice J. Millican became the wife of Ransom Clark.
Following the death of her husband in 1859, she made the journey to
Walla Walla in order to make arrangements for subsequently taking up
her home upon the farm which Mr. Clark had taken up and which was known
for many years as the Ransom Clark donation claim. She was given a
place in the government wagon from Wallula to Walla Walla and her first
night in the latter place was spent in the fort. The following morning
she was driven out to her claim and remained there for two weeks.
She then returned to Portland and, after the birth of her daughter
the following summer, she took up her permanent home on the claim in
Walla Walla county. Soon after doing so she received a letter from her
Portland lawyer advising her to sell her claim for two hundred and
seventy-five dollars and abandon the idea of developing it. However,
she disregarded this advice and continued to reside upon the farm with
her children. On the 23d of May, 1861, she married Almos H. Reynolds.
She was the earliest pioneer woman residing in Walla Walla county and
the fact that she had been privileged to witness more of the growth
of the northwest than others seemed to give her an added interest in
everything pertaining to the public welfare. She contributed much to
the upbuilding of the various institutions of the city and by reason
of her force of character and her many liberal and well advised
benefactions she was recognized as a most prominent citizen of Walla
Walla. The erection of the Young Men's Christian Association building
was made possible by a twenty thousand dollar donation from her and
after its completion she was one of the chief contributors toward
its upkeep. At the rally and jubilee held when the association had
raised the forty-five thousand dollars necessary to pay off its debt,
the speech that she made expressing her great joy in the knowledge
that the association was free of all debt will long be remembered by
all who heard her. She was also a loyal friend and patron of Whitman
College, contributing generously at various times to the support of
the institution and paying off a debt of six thousand dollars on the
girls' dormitory, which is named in her honor Reynolds Hall. She was a
woman of the highest ideals and also had the keenness of intellect and
strength of character to realize her ideals, and the memory of Lettice
J. Reynolds will long be held in honor in Walla Walla.
To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Almos H. Reynolds were born two sons:
Harry A., who was born October 14, 1863; and Allen H., who was born
January 24, 1869.
JOHN R. GOSE, M. D.
It is believed that few men possess the ability to attain success
along both professional and agricultural lines, but Dr. John R. Gose,
living on section 33, township 8 north, range 37 east, in Walla Walla
county, has made a creditable name in both connections. He was born
in Missouri, November 16, 1861, and is a son of John M. and Hannah J.
(McQuown) Gose, the former a native of Kentucky, while the latter was
born in Virginia. In 1864 they removed westward, settling at Boise,
Idaho, where they spent the winter, and in the following spring they
arrived in Walla Walla county, Washington, taking up their abode upon a
ranch, where they are still living. They are one of the most venerable
couples of the county, the father having attained the age of ninety-one
years, while his wife is eighty-five years of age. In their family were
seven children, of whom three are living.
Dr. Gose was not yet four years of age when his parents crossed the
plains, so that he was reared upon the western frontier. He pursued
his education in the schools of Walla Walla county and after having
completed his preliminary course he determined to enter upon the
practice of medicine and with that end in view returned to the east,
matriculating in Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, from which
in due course of time he was graduated. He then returned to Washington
to engage in the practice of his profession, which he followed in
Pomeroy, Garfield county, for fourteen years and also in the city of
Walla Walla for three years. He then withdrew from the active practice
of his profession, in which he had won substantial success and made for
himself a most creditable name. Removing to a ranch near Dixie, he has
since devoted his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits
and has proved most capable in the management and conduct of his
farming interests.
In 1889 Dr. Gose was united in marriage to Miss Minnie S. Aldrich, a
representative of one of the old pioneer families of this section of
the state. She was born upon the farm where she now resides and is a
daughter of Newton and Anna M. (Shoemaker) Aldrich. Her father was a
native of the state of New York, while her mother was born in Iowa.
Mr. Aldrich came to Washington in 1861 and was here married to Miss
Shoemaker, who had crossed the plains in 1864. They took up their abode
upon the farm which is now occupied by Dr. and Mrs. Gose and upon that
place they spent their remaining days. At the time of his death Mr.
Aldrich owned seven hundred and twenty acres of land, of which Mrs.
Gose inherited three hundred and sixty acres. He had gained a most
substantial place among the agriculturists of this section of the state
and his genuine personal worth had endeared him to all with whom he
came in contact. To him and his wife were born three children: Mrs.
Gose; Ida, who has departed this life; and Clara E., who is the wife of
G. L. Bailey.
To Dr. and Mrs. Case have been born five children: Roberta L., who is
a college graduate; Kenneth A., who is living upon the home ranch;
Carl, who has passed away; Anna M., who is a high school graduate; and
John Newton, who is now attending high school. Dr. Gose belongs to
the Modern Woodmen camp in Dixie. His political allegiance is given
to the republican party and while he was a resident of Pomeroy he
served for two terms as mayor of that city. Mrs. Gose belongs to the
Congregational church, in the work of which she takes an active and
helpful part. They are very prominent people in this section of the
state and the hospitality of the best homes is freely accorded them.
They have a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of
their acquaintance and they are both representatives of worthy pioneer
families of the northwest, having resided in this section of the
country for more than half a century. They have therefore witnessed the
greater part of the growth and development of Walla Walla county, have
seen tiny hamlets grow into prosperous cities, wild land converted into
productive farms and all the natural resources of the country utilized
for the benefit of man. Their aid and influence are always given on the
side of progress and improvement and they advocate as well all those
high standards which work for civic betterment.
CHARLES E. NYE.
Charles E. Nye, who is engaged in the harness and saddlery business in
Walla Walla, winning for himself a creditable position in commercial
circles, was born in Germany on the 3d of June, 1848, his parents being
John N. and Elizabeth (Baker) Nye. They came to the United States in
1853, when he was a little lad of but five years, the family home being
established in Marietta, Ohio, where the parents resided until they
were called to their final rest, the father following the occupation of
farming as a life work.
Charles E. Nye was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm and
early became familiar with the work of the fields, to which he directed
his attention during the summer months, while in the winter seasons he
attended the common schools of the neighborhood. When his textbooks
were put aside he found employment in a harness and saddlery shop at
Marietta, Ohio, where he served a regular apprenticeship, and at the
age of twenty-one years he started for the west, following the advice
of Horace Greeley. He worked as a journeyman at his trade in Kansas,
Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, California and Oregon, thus working his
way westward by successive stages until he reached the Pacific coast.
In Oregon he was for a time engaged in business on his own account,
conducting a harness and saddlery establishment at The Dalles. In 1878
he was in Walla Walla but did not locate permanently until 1883, at
which time he engaged in business independently here and for the past
thirty-five years he has been a dominant factor in the trade circles of
the city. In all of his commercial relations he has been actuated by a
progressive spirit and the excellence of the goods which he handles and
the work he turns out has insured him a liberal patronage.
In 1890 Mr. Nye was married to Miss Tennie Brown, of Walla Walla. Mr.
Nye is well known and popular in fraternal circles, holding membership
in Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M.; Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287,
B. P. O. E.; and Columbia Lodge, No. 90, K. P. He is also a member of
the Walla Walla Commercial Club and cooperates in all of its plans and
measures for the upbuilding of the city and the extension of its trade
relations. His political allegiance is given the republican party,
which he has supported since reaching adult age. His long residence
in Walla Walla has made him largely familiar with its history and
with its commercial development he has been closely and prominently
associated. Those who know him, and he has a wide acquaintance, speak
of him in terms of high regard, for he has been found thoroughly
reliable in business; loyal and patriotic in citizenship and faithful
in friendship. His life work has been intelligently directed and he has
always continued in the line in which he embarked as a young tradesman,
never dissipating his energies over a broad field but so concentrating
his efforts and attention that substantial results have accrued.
W. D. LYMAN.
W. D. Lyman, author of this history, is a "native son of the Golden
West," having been born at Portland, Oregon, on December 1, 1812.
His father and mother, Horace Lyman and Mary Denison Lyman, came
to California around Cape Horn, in a sailing ship from New York,
in 1848-9. After a few months in California in the midst of the
excitements of the gold discoveries they removed to Portland, then a
straggling village on the edge of the dense forest which bordered the
Willamette river. It is recalled by the children of the family that
their mother told them about how in those early days she had heard the
cries of the wolves and cougars in about the location of the present
Portland Hotel and other stately structures of the present city.
As a boy Professor Lyman went with his parents to Dallas in Polk
county, Oregon, and then to Forest Grove, Oregon, where his father was
for a number of years a professor of mathematics, and later of history
and rhetoric, in Pacific University, a pioneer college of those early
days. Brought up in those pioneer surroundings, in the midst of the
unconventional life and the sublime scenery of his native state, he
received a permanent impress which has led him throughout his life to
find his greatest interest in travel, mountain-climbing, investigation
of the native and pioneer life of Old Oregon, and in writing and
lecturing upon themes drawn from those early experiences. The old
Oregon of Professor Lyman's boyhood was typically American--free,
unconventional and sincere, and the wilderness about and the stimulus
to adventure and enterprise implanted in the minds and spirits of
the boys and girls of that pioneer region, as it has throughout the
great west, is a certain union of the romantic and imaginative with
the practical which has resulted in placing the Pacific states in the
forefront of American communities.
[Illustration: W. D. LYMAN]
Having completed a short college course at Pacific University in 1873,
the young man, after a few months spent in teaching, went east and
in 1877 graduated at Williams College, Massachusetts. While there he
was known for his interest in debating, oratory and literature, as
well as for his informal and independent western way of considering
political, social and religious topics. Upon returning to Oregon in the
fall of 1877, he entered upon what proved to be his life work, that of
a college teacher, writer and public speaker. He became professor of
history, oratory, and English literature at Pacific University, where
he continued until 1886. During that period he laid the foundations
of his subsequent literary career by spending his summer vacations
in mountain journeys and explorations of the rivers and wildernesses
of the northwest and in embodying the results of his adventures in
articles which appeared in various newspapers and magazines, east and
west. During this time he became a skillful amateur photographer and
has acquired a large collection of views, many of which were the first
to be taken of some of the wild scenes which he might be considered the
first to make known to the world.
During that period of his life the very important event of marriage
occurred. In 1882 Professor Lyman was united in marriage to Miss Mattie
Clark of Vancouver, Washington. Mrs. Lyman has become known in Walla
Walla and throughout the region about as one of the leaders in social,
intellectual and philanthropic life. Four children have been born to
Professor and Mrs. Lyman, two sons and two daughters. The oldest,
Hubert, born in 1883, is now engaged in business in the Philippine
islands. The second, Marjorie, born in 1885, is the wife of Ridgway
Gillis, a state highway engineer in charge of an important section of
the Pacific highway, with present residence at Kalama, Washington. The
third, Willena, born in 1889, is living with her parents.
The fourth, Harold, is now engaged with the Walla Walla Bulletin.
Professor Lyman severed his connection with Pacific University in 1886,
and for nearly three years was engaged mainly in literary work. During
that period he spent some time at Fresno, California, endeavoring to
start a raisin ranch. He was for a time at Santa Fe, New Mexico. In
1889 he became head of the department of history at Whitman College,
Walla Walla. He has been thus engaged continuously to the present, with
the exception of the year 1891, when he was in Spokane. During these
twenty-nine years he has seen Whitman College grow from a struggling
frontier institution, largely of a preparatory grade, to a well
equipped college supported by a good endowment and by a loyal body of
enthusiastic alumni, among whom may be reckoned some of the foremost
men and women of the northwest.
During his long residence in Walla Walla, Professor Lyman has been in
frequent demand as a speaker and lecturer on many pulpits and platforms
throughout the three northwest states, and has thus come to have a
very extensive acquaintance. He has been active in political life and
has been a candidate, though an unsuccessful one, as a democrat, for
the national congress. Brought up as a republican during the Civil war
and reconstruction periods, he became a liberal in political views
and finally a democrat. As an ardent supporter of Woodrow Wilson for
both of his terms, he labored with voice and pen for the election of
that statesman whom he regards as in the same class with Washington,
Jefferson and Lincoln.
During all his active life a member of the Congregational church,
Professor Lyman has become known among his students and friends as
very liberal in religious views and has associates among all faiths.
He has been active in all forms of municipal betterment, in the
prohibition and woman suffrage causes, and since the opening of the
great war has made many addresses and written articles of a patriotic
character. He firmly believes that it is the God-given mission of the
United States to "make the world safe for democracy."
While living in Walla Walla, Professor Lyman has continued his
practice of mountaineering. He has been a member of both the Mazama
and Mountaineers' Clubs, and in the course of his life has made nine
ascensions of the great snow-capped volcanoes of the Cascade range and
four of the Olympics, besides many lesser peaks. He has traveled almost
the entire length of the Columbia river and many miles of the Snake and
other tributaries. The results of these journeys he embodied in what he
regards as the most highly literary and artistic of his various books,
The Columbia River, published in 1909 by G. P. Putnam's Sons and now
entering upon its third edition.
Professor Lyman has become something of a specialist in local
history. He was one of the principal writers of The History of the
Pacific Northwest in 1889. In 1901 his history of Walla Walla county
appeared. In 1906 he wrote the narrative part of a history of Skagit
and Snohomish counties. Having witnessed with his own eyes most of
the remarkable development of this section and having partaken of the
social, industrial and political life of the section in which he lives,
he has been able to write sympathetically of the struggles and the
triumphs of the pioneers. As a side issue in his life, Professor Lyman
has been much interested in waterway transportation. He has been for
many years director of the Rivers and Harbors Congress for the state of
Washington and has seen many improvements in waterways as a result of
the labors of that organization. Opposed on principle to monopoly and
special privilege, he has deemed waterways and water power as among the
great agencies for preserving the freedom of the people.
HOWARD E. BARR.
That Howard E. Barr enjoys in unusual measure the confidence and
respect of his fellow townsmen is indicated in the fact that he is
now serving as mayor of Dayton, a position to which he was called by
popular vote and in which he is discharging his duties with marked
capability and fidelity. He was born in Tennessee, March 18, 1876,
a son of Hugh and Emeline (Parker) Barr, who were also natives of
Tennessee, in which state the death of the mother occurred. The father
afterward removed to Texas, where he is still living. In their family
were four children, all of whom survive.
Howard E. Barr was but seven years of age at the time of the removal of
the family to the Lone Star state and there he was reared and educated,
supplementing his public school training by a course in a college.
He was a man of thirty-one years when in 1907 he arrived in Dayton,
Washington, where he has since made his home, covering a period of a
decade. He here established a barber shop and is still engaged in the
business. In community affairs he has taken a helpful interest and on
the citizens' ticket he was elected in 1916 to the office of mayor of
Dayton, in which capacity he is now serving. He has closely studied
the needs of the city, its opportunities and the possibilities for
improvement and is giving to the city a businesslike and progressive
administration.
In 1909 Mr. Barr was united in marriage to Miss Maud Babb, a native
of Texas, and to them has been born a daughter, Geneva R., whose
birth occurred July 4, 1912. The family occupies an attractive home
in Dayton, where Mr. Barr owns two residences. Mrs. Barr is a member
of the Christian church and in his fraternal relations Mr. Barr is an
Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias, in both of which lodges he has
filled all the chairs, showing his high standing among his brethren of
the two fraternities. He is a man of genuine worth, alert, energetic
and progressive not only in his business connections but also as a
public official. He stands for whatever he believes to be best for the
community and Dayton has benefited by his administration of her affairs.
ARTHUR H. HALLE.
Arthur H. Halle is prominently connected with hotel ownership and
management in the northwest. He is well known as a progressive
business man of Walla Walla and before coming to this city was closely
associated with hotel interests in various sections of the country. He
is, however, a native of Germany, his birth having occurred in Leipzig
on the 19th of April, 1877. His father, Paul Halle, lived and died in
that country, where he was engaged during his active business career
as a traveling salesman. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Laura
Muenzner, still resides in Germany.
Arthur H. Halle is one of a family of four children and is the only one
residing in America. He pursued his education in the schools of Germany
and came to the United States in 1897, when a young man of twenty
years. He first made his way to New York and afterward to Chicago,
where he was employed in the Grand Pacific Hotel for ten years. Later
he removed to Lewiston, Montana, and was afterward located at different
periods in Miles City, Billings and Missoula, Montana. He then came
to the "garden spot of the northwest," arriving in Walla Walla in
1911. Here he established the Grand Hotel, after which he returned to
Missoula to look after his hotel interests in that city. Three years
later he again came to Walla Walla to take up his permanent abode. He
is associated with Charles Mullemer and J. S. Rick in the ownership of
the hotel at Missoula and of the Grand in Walla Walla, the latter being
one of the finest hostelries of this city. The Palace at Missoula is of
equal rank and both are liberally patronized because of the excellent
service rendered to the public. Mr. Halle and his associates maintain
the highest standards in hotel management and conduct and displayed
something of the spirit of the pioneer in that they have initiated new
methods which add to the success of their business and to the comfort
of their guests.
In Chicago, in 1901, Mr. Halle was united in marriage to Miss Alice
Rick, who was born in that city, a daughter of J. S. Rick, who is yet
living, while her mother has passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Halle have
become the parents of two children, Laura and Dorothy. In the social
circles of Walla Walla Mr. and Mrs. Halle are widely and favorably
known, the hospitality of the best homes being freely accorded them.
Mr. Halle has made steady progress since coming to the United States,
advancing step by step in the business world, and his enterprise
and perseverance have made him one of the successful hotel men of
the northwest. His membership relations include connection with the
Lutheran church, the Elks and the Commercial Club.
WILLIAM CHARLES PAINTER.
The days of chivalry and knighthood in Europe cannot furnish more
interesting or romantic tales than our own western history. Into the
wild mountain fastnesses of the unexplored west went brave men whose
courage was often called forth in encounters with hostile savages. The
land was rich in all natural resources, in metals, in agricultural
and commercial possibilities, and awaited the demands of man to yield
up its treasures. But its mountain heights were hard to climb, its
forests difficult to penetrate and the magnificent trees, the dense
bushes or jagged rocks often sheltered the skulking foe, who resented
the encroachment of the pale faces upon these "hunting grounds."
The establishment of homes in this beautiful region therefore meant
sacrifices, hardships and ofttimes death, but there were some men,
however, brave enough to meet the red man in his own familiar haunts
and undertake the task of reclaiming the district for purposes of
civilization. The rich mineral stores of the northwest were thus added
to the wealth of the nation, its magnificent forests contributed to
the lumber industry and its fertile valleys added to the opportunities
of the farmer and stock raiser; and today the northwest is one of the
most productive sections of the entire country. That this is so is
due to such men as William Charles Painter, whose name is inseparably
interwoven with the history of the region. No story of fiction contains
more exciting chapters than may be found in his life record. He was one
of the most prominent of those who engaged in Indian warfare and for
many years he was also a leading figure in the agricultural development
of this section of the state. Walla Walla numbered him among her most
honored and valued citizens and his death was the occasion of deep and
widespread regret.
William C. Painter was born in St. Genevieve, Missouri, April 18, 1830,
and there the earliest years of his life were passed. His paternal
ancestors came from Mercer county, Pennsylvania. His mother, who bore
the maiden name of Jean Moore, was a daughter of Major Robert Moore,
a veteran of the War of 1812 and well known in connection with the
early history of Oregon. In 1850 the father with his family started
for Oregon, but when the Little Blue river was reached the father and
two of the sons died of cholera. The mother and the surviving children
continued the journey westward with sore hearts but with undaunted
courage and finally reached Washington county, Oregon, where donation
land claims were secured.
[Illustration: WILLIAM C. PAINTER]
There William C. Painter resided until 1863 and was prominently
identified with the early development of that section. At the time of
the Indian war of 1855 he was one of the first to enlist, becoming a
member of Company D, First Oregon Mounted Volunteers, which command
fought the Indians for four days near Walla Walla, finally routing the
red men, who retreated to the Palouse country. In this and many other
engagements of the Indian war Mr. Painter distinguished himself for
bravery. He remained with his company until the close of hostilities.
In 1855 certain young ladies of the Forest Grove Academy, now the
Tualitin Academy and the Pacific University, presented the company with
a flag. Mr. Painter's comrades in arms voted that he should become
its bearer and the starry banner finally came into his exclusive
possession and is still carefully preserved in the Painter household
as a priceless relic. Upon its field there are but twenty-one stars
and on the flag, inscribed in large letters, are the words, "Co. D,
First Oregon Vol., 1855-6." In the war against the Bannock and Piute
Indians in 1878, Mr. Painter again engaged in fighting the red men.
He was appointed by Governor Ferry captain of a company of forty-two
men and was assigned to duty on the gunboat Spokane under command of
Major Cress of the regular army. The first engagement in which he
participated was at Long Island in the Columbia river below Umatilla,
in which the whites were successful. Major Cress, in a letter to
Mr. Painter written from Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, under date
of April 15, 1897, speaks very highly of the assistance which the
latter rendered. After this engagement, in recognition of his valuable
service, he was made aid-de-camp on the staff of Governor Ferry, with
the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was placed in command of forty-two
men. He was then sent to eastern Oregon to assist in defending the
people against the Indians who had recently been defeated by General
O. O. Howard. He passed south of the retreating bands to Camas
Prairie with a view of intercepting the retreat. The hostile savages,
learning of his position, by a circuitous route passed around him and
escaped, but he captured enough horses to pay the entire expenses of
his command. Although no battle was fought in that campaign, it was
considered so hazardous that an offer of ten dollars per day for guides
was not sufficient to cause anyone to accept and run the risk. In his
official report, General O. O. Howard, quoting Captain John A. Cress,
said "Captain William C. Painter and the forty-two volunteers from
Walla Walla deserve praise for good conduct and bravery, not excepting
my Vancouver regiment and Captain Gray, with officers and crew of the
steamer Spokane, who stood firmly at their posts under fire."
When the country no longer needed his military aid Captain Painter
became a clerk for Flanders & Felton of Wallula, and when the senior
member was elected to congress in 1867, Captain Painter took charge
of the business. He also became postmaster of Wallula and the agent
for the Wells Fargo Express Company. Returning to Walla Walla, he was
appointed deputy collector of internal revenue for eastern Washington
and in November, 1870, he resigned that position, although his
resignation was not accepted until the following May. After retiring
from office he made some unfortunate mill investments, in which he lost
everything that he had saved. With courageous spirit, however, he again
became a wage earner and was thus employed until 1876, when he was
appointed receiver of the United States land office and occupied that
position in most satisfactory manner until 1878, when he was elected
county auditor. He served for four consecutive terms in that position
and the Waitsburg Times of March 11, 1887, in speaking of him at his
retirement from office, designated him as "the best auditor Walla Walla
county ever had." He ever regarded a public office as a public trust
and it is well known that no trust reposed in Captain Painter was
ever betrayed in the slightest degree. Upon his retirement from the
position of county auditor he concentrated his attention on farming,
having fifteen hundred acres in the Eureka flats. While thus engaged he
still occupied the old home on South Third street in Walla Walla, where
the family still reside. He was thus extensively engaged in general
agricultural pursuits and continued his farming operations until about
two years prior to his death.
On the 7th of January, 1864, Captain Painter was married to Miss
Caroline Mitchell, the only daughter of Judge I. Mitchell, of Multnomah
county, Oregon, and their children are: Philip M., a resident of
Walla Walla county; Charles S., of Montana; Maude M., the wife of
Garrett D'Ablaing of Ellensburg; Harry M., a Congregational minister
of Seattle; Bonnie Jean, the wife of R. F. MacLane of Walla Walla;
Marguerite M., the wife of Herbert Gall of Sascatoon, Canada; Roy R.,
deceased; Rex M., of Walla Walla county; Caroline M., the wife of H.
J. Wolff of Seattle; and Bruce I., of San Francisco. The family circle
was broken by the hand of death when on the 4th of December, 1900,
Captain Painter died of paralysis. For some time he was a vestryman of
the Episcopal church which the family attend. His political allegiance
had always been given to the republican party from the time of its
organization and he was a most faithful follower of its principles.
It is said that at every demonstration of a patriotic nature Captain
Painter was called upon to take his place among the leaders, with
his battle-scarred Indian war flag. His patriotic sentiments led him
to take a prominent part in the Pioneer Association of Oregon and he
always made a special effort to be present at its meetings. He was also
active among the Indian War Veterans and was the first grand commander
of the organization. For years he belonged to the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. He gave devoted loyalty to every cause which he
espoused and his is a most notable and honorable record of a pioneer, a
valiant soldier and one of nature's noblemen.
WILLIS E. L. FORD.
No history of the pioneer development of Walla Walla county and of the
vast west would be complete without extended reference to the Ford
family, for Willis E. L. Ford and his father have been particularly
active in advancing development along those lines which have meant
much to the upbuilding and progress of this section. He was born near
Oregon City, Oregon, November 29, 1855, a son of Nineveh and Martha
Jane (Simpson) Ford. The father was a native of North Carolina, while
the mother's birth occurred in Missouri. He crossed the plains in 1843
with Marcus Whitman, making the journey with ox teams, and he built
the first tannery in Oregon City and in fact in that entire section
of the country. He continued its operation for several years and also
conducted a shoe store there. In 1848 he was one of the volunteers who
enlisted for service against the Indians and traveled all over this
section of the country in pursuit of the red men. It was at this time
that the massacre of the white people at Walla Walla occurred. All that
the soldiers had to eat for thirty days was the meat of a cayuse pony
without salt. His travels over this section of the country brought
to Nineveh Ford a good knowledge of the land and its possibilities
and in 1859 he removed with his family to the Walla Walla valley,
settling upon a farm upon which he resided to the time of his death.
It was a wild tract of land when it came into his possession but with
characteristic energy he began to break the sod and till the fields.
His wife was the first white woman in the valley outside of the
garrison. Mr. Ford built a log cabin with puncheon floor and doors
and stick chimney and in true pioneer style began his life in Oregon
territory. The latchstring of his cabin always hung out, assuring
the traveler of a hearty welcome, and the stranger was always free
to partake of whatever the table afforded. He worked diligently and
persistently in the cultivation of his land and in the course of time
his fields brought forth abundant harvests and his once wild tract was
converted into a valuable farm. Moreover, he was one of the recognized
leaders of the democratic party in this section of the state. He gave
to that party his stalwart support, never faltering in his allegiance
thereto, and twice he was called upon to represent his district in
the state legislature while a resident of Oregon. Fraternally he was
connected with the Masons and in his life exemplified the beneficent
spirit of the craft, for he was continually extending a helping hand
where aid was needed.
Willis E. L. Ford was one of a family of eleven children, seven of
whom are now living. He shared with the family in all of the hardships
and privations incident to frontier life. Such a life develops a
self-reliance and force of character which count for much in the later
struggle for existence and business supremacy. He supplemented his
early education by study in the seminary in Walla Walla and afterward
settled upon a farm in Whitman county, taking up his abode there in
1877. For thirty-five years he lived upon that place, ranking with the
leading and representative agriculturists of that section of the state.
When more than a third of a century had been passed there he sold his
property and in a considerable measure retired from active business
life. He purchased a farm of twenty-four acres in College Place and has
since lived there, giving his attention to the raising of fruit and
also to the conduct of a dairy business. His interests are carefully
managed and are bringing to him a substantial measure of success.
In 1886 Mr. Ford was united in marriage to Miss Rhoda A. Andross, who
was born in Minnesota, a daughter of William H. and Sophronia (Winigar)
Andross, the former a native of England, while the latter was born in
the state of New York. They removed westward on leaving Minnesota and
became residents of the Walla Walla valley, where both the father and
mother passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Ford have become the parents of six
children: Grace, who is now a nurse in Los Angeles, California; Frank,
also living in California; Edna, who was a college graduate and taught
school for one week, after which she was killed by an electric car in
Spokane, Washington; Orley, who is a missionary in South America; and
John and Orpha, both of whom are at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Ford hold membership with the Seventh Day Adventist
church and take an active part in its work, doing all in their power
to advance its growth and extend its influence. In politics Mr. Ford
maintains a liberal course, not caring to bind himself by party lines.
He served on the school board for several years and has ever been a
champion of the cause of public education. There are few residents
of Walla Walla county more familiar with the story of pioneer life
and conditions in this section of the state than he. He was only four
years of age when brought to Walla Walla county. In 1877 he served as
a volunteer in the Indian war and had his horse killed by his side.
He thoroughly understands the red man, his nature and his problems.
He has lived to see this section of the country no longer under the
dominion of the savage and has witnessed its transformation as the
work of modern day progress and improvement has been carried forward,
whereby the natural resources of the country have been utilized and its
wealth and progress thus greatly enhanced. The name of Ford figures
prominently in connection with the history of the Inland Empire and
Willis E. L. Ford indeed deserves mention among the honored pioneers.
CHARLES PLUCKER.
Charles Plucker was one of the honored citizens of the Walla Walla
valley. He attained the age of eighty-two years but at the time of
his death was still giving personal direction to his extensive and
important farming interests. His life experiences were varied and
prominently connected him with the upbuilding and development of this
section of the country. He was born in Germany, November 9, 1835, and
was a son of Carl and Mary Plucker, who were also natives of that
country, where they spent their entire lives. They had a family of
eight children, four of whom are now living.
Charles Plucker, whose name introduces this review, was reared and
educated in Germany, spending the first seventeen years of his life
in that country. He then determined to try his fortune in the new
world and become a resident of America. In 1854, therefore, he made
the voyage across the Atlantic and for two years remained a resident
of New York. In 1856 he enlisted at the age of nineteen years in the
army of his adopted land and was located on Governors island. In 1857
he went to Fort Simcoe as a soldier and was on active military duty
there for five years. He was later sent to Fort Colwell and in 1861
he received an honorable discharge, having for five years rendered
active aid to the United States government in its efforts to protect
American interests and the lives and property of the people upon the
northwestern frontier.
Mr. Plucker was then honorably discharged and came to Walla Walla,
where he opened a paint shop. He continued in active business in that
city for fourteen years and in 1875 he turned his attention to general
agricultural interests, purchasing a farm on the Touchet river on
section 14, township 8 north, range 33 east. He continued to reside
upon that property until his death, being the owner of ten hundred
and eighty acres of rich and valuable land which he greatly improved,
adding thereto many commodious and substantial modern buildings and all
the accessories and conveniences of the highly improved farm of the
present day. Few men of his years remain in such active connection with
business affairs as did Mr. Plucker. He was, however, a well preserved
man physically and mentally and seemed much younger than the record
indicated.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. CHARLES PLUCKER]
On the 7th of October, 1868, Mr. Plucker was united in marriage to
Miss Katherine A. Hauer, also a native of Germany, who came to the
United States in 1868. She is a daughter of Christian and Augusta
(Lüder) Hauer, who were born, reared and married in Schleswig-Holstein,
The father, who was a hatter by trade, died there August 6, 1866. In
1880 the mother came to America with a nephew and her daughter, Mrs.
Frederika Roehl Behl, who located in San Francisco. After spending
a few months in that city Mrs. Hauer came to Washington to make her
home with another daughter, Mrs. Charles Plucker, and here she passed
away April 29, 1881, at the age of eighty years. She was the mother
of six children, all of whom are now deceased with the exception of
Mrs. Plucker. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Plucker, namely:
Frederick and Charles, now deceased; W. H., who died at the age of
forty-five years; Magdalena, the wife of Peter Conrad; and F. C., at
home with his mother.
After a useful and well spent life Mr. Plucker passed away on the 30th
of October, 1917. In his political views he was a democrat, supporting
the party from the time he became a naturalized American citizen. He
served on the school board but did not seek office, preferring to
concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs. He
especially deserves mention among the self-made men of the state, for
he started out in life empty-handed and all that he possessed was
acquired through his persistent, earnest and honorable effort. The
family is one of prominence here and has been widely and favorably
known in the valley since early days.
A. F. ANDERSON.
A. F. Anderson is a retired farmer living in Prescott. He has been
closely identified with agricultural interests and is still the owner
of valuable farming property, from which he derives a gratifying
income, but at the present time he is largely leaving the management
and operation of his land to others, for he is enjoying a rest which he
has truly earned and richly deserves. He was born in Sweden, September
23, 1844, and was there reared and educated, spending the period of his
boyhood and youth in that country. He was also married in his native
land and in 1869, when a young man of twenty-five years, he crossed
the Atlantic to the new world, making his way first to Kansas, where
he resided for about twelve years, or until 1881. He then came to the
northwest with Washington as his destination and was section foreman
in this state for fifteen years. He also took up a homestead of one
hundred and sixty acres and later he purchased one hundred and sixty
acres more. His half section is all wheat land and has been brought
under a high state of cultivation, large crops being annually gathered.
Excellent improvements have been placed upon his farm and there is no
accessory or convenience of the model farm property that is not found
there. He owns a fine residence in Prescott and his surroundings are
indicative of his life of well directed energy and thrift.
In 1869 Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Mary Carlson, a
native of Sweden, and they have become parents of eight children:
Hilma; Augusta; Charles, who is now deputy sheriff at Wallula;
Wilhelmina; Ada; Edith; Harry; and Genevieve.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are well known residents of Prescott. His
political allegiance is given to the republican party and he has served
as justice of the peace and as school director, while at the present
time he is one of the aldermen of the city. His political activity
has always been characterized by the utmost devotion to the general
good and he has been most true and faithful in his official positions,
discharging his duties with marked capability and promptness. Moreover,
he is a self-made man and one who deserves great credit for what he has
accomplished in a business way. He came to the new world empty-handed
when a young man of twenty-five, but he possessed the substantial
qualities of courage, determination and industry and has utilized
these qualities as the basis of his growing success. Undeterred by the
obstacles and difficulties in his path, he has steadily worked his way
upward and is now one of the prosperous residents of Prescott.
JOHN A. ROSS.
In the death of John A. Ross, Walla Walla county lost a representative
agriculturist, a loyal citizen and a man whose worth in every relation
was widely acknowledged. He was born in Pennsylvania, July 16, 1860,
and was reared and educated in that state. He there remained until
1879, when, at the age of nineteen years, he bade adieu to friends in
the east and started for the Pacific coast. On reaching Walla Walla
county he here took up his abode and remained a resident of this
section until life's labors were ended in death.
It was in the year 1882 that Mr. Ross secured a faithful companion and
helpmate for life's journey in his marriage to Miss Florence Cauvel who
was also born in Pennsylvania and was a daughter of John and Matilda
(Ketner) Cauvel, who always remained residents of the Keystone state.
In their family were fifteen children, of whom eleven are yet living.
Following his marriage Mr. Ross purchased a farm near Pendleton,
Oregon, and the family resided upon that place for some time.
Eventually, however, he sold that property and removed to Camas
prairie, where he again purchased land and followed farming for two
years. On the expiration of that period he sold the property and
invested in a farm at Sunnyside, where he made his home for five years.
Once more he disposed of his property and this time bought a farm near
Walla Walla comprising fifty acres, to the further development of which
he at once bent his energies, his labors being attended with excellent
results. He added many improvements to the place, erected fine
buildings thereon and his labors wrought a marked transformation in
the property. He was progressive in all that he did, was an energetic
farmer and his labors were at all times intelligently directed and
characterized by sound business judgment.
The family of Mr. and Mrs. Ross numbered five children: Winifred, who
is the wife of George Calhoun; Mabel, the wife of Dale Babcock; Carl,
who is now in Idaho; Royal, who is with his mother; and Pauline, the
youngest of the family.
The family circle was broken by the hand of death when in July, 1912,
Mr. Ross passed away, his remains being interred in the cemetery in
Walla Walla. His death was the occasion of sincere and widespread
regret of the many who knew him and of deep sorrow to his immediate
family, for he possessed attractive social qualities, a genial
disposition and a kindly manner that endeared him to those with whom he
was brought in contact. He belonged to the Modern Woodmen of America
and he gave his political allegiance to the democratic party. He was
also a consistent member of the Congregational church, with which his
wife is connected, and in the work of the church they ever took a most
active and helpful part. Mr. Ross was a man whom to know was to esteem
and honor for his life was ever upright and straightforward in its
purposes and in its dealings and he was a worthy representative of high
standards of manhood and citizenship.
P. B. HAWLEY.
P. B. Hawley is engaged in farming on section 27, township 7
north, range 33 east, and is regarded as one of the representative
agriculturists of Walla Walla county. He has been in former years a
leading factor in political circles and has been called upon to fill
various offices, the duties of which he has discharged with promptness
and fidelity. Throughout his entire life he has been a resident of the
northwest.
Mr. Hawley was born in Umatilla county, Oregon, on the 30th of June,
1862, a son of Philip L. and Sarah J. (Roberts) Hawley, both of whom
were natives of Illinois. They were married, however, in Ohio and in
1861 they crossed the plains to Walla Walla, Washington, attracted
by the opportunities of the growing northwest. Subsequently the
father removed with his family to Umatilla county, Oregon, where he
took up a homestead near Pilot Rock, and thereon resided for two or
three years. He then turned his attention to the lumber business, in
which he engaged in connection with George H. Reed, forming the Reed
& Hawley Lumber Company. They operated mills in Umatilla county and
had lumberyards in Walla Walla. The father was identified with this
business throughout the remainder of his active life but his labors
were terminated in death in 1878. His widow survived him for only a
brief period, passing away in 1879.
P. B. Hawley after attending the public schools continued his education
in the Whitman College and thus became well qualified for life's
practical and responsible duties. In partnership with his brothers,
L. R. and W. B. Hawley, he purchased extensive farm lands in Walla
Walla county, built irrigation ditches and for seven years the three
brothers were most closely associated in the conduct of their farming
enterprises. In recent years, however, their holdings have been divided
and P. B. Hawley now owns in his home place two hundred and fifty acres
of rich and valuable land which he has carefully and persistently
cultivated, bringing his fields under a very high state of development,
so that he annually gathers good crops. He displays keen sagacity and
business discernment in the management of his interests and success in
large measure has attended his labors.
In 1905 Mr. Hawley was united in marriage to Miss Lillie Hunziker, of
Walla Walla, and to them has been born a daughter, Alida F. He belongs
to Trinity Lodge, No. 121, I. O. O. F., of which he became a charter
member, and he also has connection with the Modern Woodmen of America.
He and his wife are members of the Community church of Touchet and
their aid and influence are always given on the side of progress and
improvement. He is a well known and representative citizen of Walla
Walla county and there are various chapters in his life history well
worthy of emulation. He is genial in manner, social in disposition and
is cordial but never to the point of familiarity. These qualities have
won him personal popularity, while his enterprise and diligence have
gained him prominence in business circles.
WILLIAM KIRKMAN.
William Kirkman, deceased, one of the honored pioneers of Walla Walla
county, was prominently identified with stock raising interests
for a considerable period and previous to that time was engaged in
prospecting for a time. His activities were of a character that
contributed to the progress and prosperity of the district in which
he resided and Walla Walla numbered him among her most honored and
valued residents. He was born near Manchester, in Lancashire, England,
December 7, 1832, and received his education and grew to manhood in
his native country. When about twenty years of age he came to the
United States. He had been identified with the firm of Grant Brothers,
proprietors of woolen mills in Lancashire, England. It is supposed
that these brothers were the originals of Dickens' characters of the
Cherable brothers. They had designed a fancy Marseilles vesting and
Mr. Kirkman came to America to introduce the goods. For two years he
resided in Boston, Massachusetts, after which he made his way westward
by the Isthmus of Panama route. He spent some time in the gold mines
of California and then proceeded by sailing vessel to Australia and
to the Sandwich Islands, but returned to the American continent when
the news was received of the discovery of gold in paying quantities on
the Fraser river in British Columbia. He proceeded to the gold fields
there and for a number of years divided his time between the mines
in that region and in California. After making and losing what in
those days amounted to several small fortunes he determined to engage
in a more stable business and, accordingly, in 1862, he returned to
San Francisco and the next year purchased cattle in Oregon, which he
drove to the market at Boise, Idaho. He there established himself in
the stock business. In 1866 he took an eighty-mule team pack from
Walla Walla to Montana, where he disposed of all of his goods. He
then became interested in a milk ranch and dairy business, but in
1870 he disposed of his ranch and stock and returned to San Francisco
with the intention of making that city his permanent home. However,
he afterward came to Walla Walla and entered into partnership with
John Dooley for the conduct of a cattle business. Their cattle range
extended from Pasco to Spokane and from Sprague to the Snake river
and was known as the Figure 3 Ranch. This firm was the first to ship
cattle out of the territory to Montana and elsewhere. At a subsequent
period Mr. Kirkman became heavily interested in the sheep industry and
for many years he was an extensive raiser of both cattle and sheep.
During all this time he maintained his partnership relation with Mr.
Dooley, their connection continuing for about twenty years. He also
invested in farm lands, becoming in time the owner of twelve hundred
acres. In 1891 he retired from active life and the year 1892 was spent
by him in travel in Europe. He had hoped that freedom from business
cares and the pleasure of travel would enable him to regain his health,
which had become quite seriously impaired, but this expectation proved
futile, as he died at Stevens Point, Wisconsin, April 25, 1893, when on
his way home. Mr. Kirkman was a man alive to all public interests and
opportunities. He was one of the early contributors to Whitman College
and paid the tuition of various students there in order to help them
and the institution. When the receipts of the college were too small
Mr. Kirkman joined with John F. Boyer to make up the deficit. He was a
man of many substantial qualities and thereby gained many friends. He
contributed much to the development of the northwest along material,
social, intellectual and moral lines, his influence always being on
the side of progress and improvement for the individual and for the
community.
[Illustration: WILLIAM KIRKMAN]
[Illustration: MRS. WILLIAM KIRKMAN]
On the 4th of February, 1867, in San Francisco, Mr. Kirkman was united
in marriage to Miss Isabella Potts, a native of Ireland and a daughter
of Robert and Agnes (Evans) Potts, who passed their entire lives on the
Emerald isle. Mrs. Kirkman came to the United States in her girlhood,
going to San Francisco to join her two sisters who were already
residing there. The four surviving children of Mr. and Mrs. Kirkman are
William H., Fannie A., Myrtle B. and Leslie G. The eldest son was horn
in Idaho in May, 1868, and pursued his education in Whitman College and
in the Boston University, from which he was graduated on the completion
of a law course in the class of 1893 and then located for practice in
Walla Walla, where he followed his profession for two years. He wedded
Maud Ashley, who passed away in 1905, leaving one son, William Leslie,
who was born in 1901. William H. Kirkman resided in Walla Walla and
filled the office of clerk of the federal court for a year. He was
also a member of the city council and a member of the school board.
Fraternally he was connected with the Masons as a member of the York
Rite and of the Mystic Shrine, and he also held membership with the
Elks, in which he filled all of the chairs of the local lodge. Fannie
A. is the wife of A. H. Reynolds, a prominent attorney and president
of the Farmers Savings Bank of Walla Walla. The youngest son, Leslie
G., was born in Walla Walla in June, 1881, and pursued his education
in the schools of his native city. He married Mabelle E. Hawman and
they have one child, Leslie Gilmore, who was born in 1916. Leslie G.
Kirkman is an Elk and a Mason. He resides in Walla Walla and he and
his brother are engaged in farming, the latter having retired from law
practice, and they are now devoting their attention to the cultivation,
development and further improvement of the old homestead property which
was left by their father. Myrtle B. Kirkman resides with her mother in
Walla Walla.
William Kirkman was very prominent in civic affairs and exerted great
influence on many interests that had to do with the upbuilding and
progress of Walla Walla. His political allegiance was given to the
republican party and he was a delegate to the national republican
convention which was held in Minneapolis in 1892 and nominated Benjamin
Harrison. He was appointed on the committee with William McKinley to
notify Mr. Harrison of his nomination. Mr. Kirkman served on the first
board of directors of the penitentiary upon its establishment and was
a member of the board of education in Walla Walla, contributing much
to the development of its school system. As previously stated, he was
closely associated with the welfare and progress of Whitman College
and was still a member of its board of directors at the time of his
demise. He was a man of sterling qualities, possessing a kindly, genial
disposition that endeared him to those who came in contact with him,
and was charitable to a fault. Although not a member of any church, he
was a liberal contributor to the support of various religious bodies
of the city and no worthy cause appealed to him in vain. His interests
were broad and embraced all that was worth while in life, yet his
greatest care and his fullest devotion were always given to his home
and family.
CLEMENT O. BERGEVIN.
Clement O. Bergevin, who is actively engaged in farming on section 35,
township 7 north, range 34 east, was born on the old Bergevin homestead
in this part of Walla Walla county, his natal day being March 16, 1891.
He is a son of Damase and Mary P. (Allard) Bergevin, the former a
native of Canada and of French extraction. He is mentioned elsewhere in
this work.
Clement O. Bergevin spent his youthful days in his father's home and
acquired his education in the old French town school. In 1912 he began
farming on his own account. He had been reared to that occupation and
early became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and
cultivating the crops. He thus brought broad experience to his work
when he started out independently. He is now cultivating three hundred
and twenty acres of land, upon which he now resides and which is a part
of his father's estate. He also owns a third equity in a farm of three
hundred and twenty acres elsewhere in the same township and a third
equity in a five hundred acre tract. His farming interests are thus
extensive and important and in all of his business affairs he displays
marked energy and determination. His industry has enabled him to
overcome obstacles and difficulties in his path and capable management
has brought him substantial reward.
On the 12th of May, 1915, Mr. Bergevin was united in marriage to Miss
Hazel Johnson, of Walla Walla, a daughter of Edward Johnson, one of the
prominent coal dealers of that city. Mr. Bergevin is a member of the
Catholic church and is identified with the Knights of Columbus. He has
comparatively few outside interests, however, preferring to concentrate
his efforts and attention upon his business affairs. He is yet a young
man who has only passed the twenty-sixth milestone on life's journey,
but already he has made for himself a place in business circles that
many a man of twice his years might well envy. He displays good
judgment in all that he does and his careful management of his property
and his progressive methods of farming are bringing to him merited
success.
NELSON McSHERRY.
Nelson McSherry made for himself a creditable position in the business
and political circles of Prescott, so that his death was the occasion
of deep and widespread regret when on the 27th of July, 1916, he passed
away. He was then but sixty-one years of age, his birth having occurred
on the 31st of July, 1855. He was a native of Pennsylvania and a son of
J. J. and Margaret (Mitchner) McSherry, both of whom were natives of
the Keystone state. At an early day they removed with their family to
Missouri, settling near Warrensburg, where they spent their remaining
days, and there Nelson McSherry was reared and educated. He was a young
man of twenty-five years when in 1880 he was united in marriage to Miss
Mary E. Harvey, of Warrensburg, and to them were born five children:
Lulu, who is the wife of J. D. Walter; Robert, who is living in Nevada;
Joseph C., whose home is in Prescott; Urie D.; and Hester.
Mr. and Mrs. McSherry began their domestic life in Missouri and there
resided until 1888, when they came with their family to the northwest,
establishing their home in Prescott, where Mr. McSherry embarked in
business as proprietor of a small mercantile establishment. He adapted
himself and his affairs to this part of the country and the conditions
here existing and in the course of years he built up a growing and
gratifying business. He closely studied the needs of the people in
relation to the line of goods which he carried and by reason of his
carefully selected stock, his reasonable prices and his straightforward
dealing he won a very liberal and well deserved patronage, so that his
business became one of the profitable enterprises of the town.
In public affairs Mr. McSherry also took a deep and helpful interest.
His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, elected him the
first mayor of Prescott. He was always ready to advance the interests
of the town in every possible way and stood at all times for progress
and improvement. Fraternally he was connected with the Woodmen of
the World and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was reared a
Methodist, but Mrs. McSherry is a member of the Presbyterian church.
In 1913, because of failing health, he retired from active business
and turned the management of his store over to his sons. Death called
him in 1916 and at his passing deep regret was felt for he was a
progressive business man, a loyal and patriotic citizen, a faithful
friend and a devoted husband and father. He counted it his greatest
happiness to provide for the welfare and comfort of his wife and
children and in every relation of life he manifested those sterling
qualities which command respect, confidence and honor in every land and
clime.
GEORGE E. LAMBDIN.
George E. Lambdin has been actively and prominently identified with
farming and stock raising interests in the northwest and is now
carrying on general agricultural pursuits on section 22, township 7
north, range 32 east, in Walla Walla county. He was born on the 27th
of September, 1870, in Montana, his parents being Samuel and Mary
E. (Spade) Lambdin. The father was a native of Delaware, while the
mother's birth occurred in Ohio. They were married in Iowa and at the
time of the opening up of the gold fields in Montana, in 1865, they
crossed the plains with ox teams to that state. The father worked
in the mines in Deer Lodge valley and also in the Butte mines for
six years and the family went through the usual experiences of the
mining camp in the west. In 1872 they removed to Walla Walla county,
Washington, where Mr. Lambdin preempted a quarter section of land just
across the line in Oregon, on the present site of Freewater. Ten years
later he crossed the border into Washington and took up a homestead on
section 30, township 7 north, range 32 east, in Walla Walla county. He
then lived in this immediate vicinity until the time of his death and
during the later years of his life made his home with his son, George
E., whose name introduces this review. He passed away April 20, 1908.
George E. Lambdin spent his youthful days upon the home farm and
acquired a district school education. As early as his seventeenth year
he began his career as a sheepman, starting with twenty-five head.
While working for H. C. Adams as a sheep herder he accumulated a small
number of sheep and his herd multiplied rapidly, so that about 1900 he
was in a position to operate for himself on a larger scale and began
independent activities. In the intervening years he has acquired from
three to four thousand acres of grazing land and while he has recently
sold off his own flock, he is associated with C. W. Stevelan in
operating sheep interests under lease. In this connection he is among
the most prominent sheepmen of the county. His business affairs are
wisely and carefully directed. His long experience in connection with
the sheep industry has taught him exactly how to care for his flock so
that the best results will be achieved. There is no feature of sheep
raising with which he is not familiar and his intelligently directed
interests have brought very substantial results.
In 1903 Mr. Lambdin was married to Miss Catherine A. Bradley, of Walla
Walla county, and they have become the parents of three children:
Samuel Allen, Mary Isabelle and Margaret Elizabeth. In politics Mr.
Lambdin maintains an independent course, although he is inclined
to give his support to the republican party. He belongs to Attalia
Lodge, No. 294, I. O. O. F., of Attalia, Washington, and he also has
membership with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the Royal
Neighbors. He is true and loyal to the teachings of these organizations
and exemplifies in his life the beneficent spirit which underlies
the different societies. As a business man his position is one of
prominence and his capability is widely recognized. He deserves much
credit for what he has accomplished, for from an early age he has been
dependent upon his own resources. As the years have gone by his labors
have brought substantial results and he is today accounted one of the
foremost sheepmen of the northwest.
HON. ELGIN V. KUYKENDALL.
Hon. Elgin V. Kuykendall is a member of the state senate of Washington
and is one of Pomeroy's foremost attorneys. His record reflects
credit and honor upon the district which has honored him. He has done
splendid work both as lawyer and lawmaker and has become prominently
connected with a profession which has ever been regarded as having
much to do with the stability, prosperity and upbuilding of every
district, standing as the stern conservator of the rights, privileges
and liberties of the individual. His entire life has been spent in the
west with its boundless opportunities and limitless resources, and with
him opportunity has ever been the clarion call to action. He was born
in Oakland, Oregon, October 8, 1870, a son of Dr. G. B. Kuykendall,
a foremost citizen and leading pioneer physician of Pomeroy, who is
mentioned at length on another page of this work.
[Illustration: HON. ELGIN V. KUYKENDALL]
Elgin V. Kuykendall was educated in the public schools of Garfield
county and has learned many valuable lessons in the school of
experience, for he has ever been a close and attentive observer of men
and of measures. Determining upon a professional career, he took up
the study of law in 1892, pursuing his reading under the preceptorship
of Samuel G. Cosgrove of Pomeroy, who was afterward governor of
Washington. In 1894 Mr. Kuykendall was admitted to the bar but did
not immediately take up the active practice of the profession but
continued to give his attention to educational work, in which for some
time he had been engaged. He had proven a capable teacher, imparting
readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he had acquired, and
in 1894 he was elected county superintendent of schools, in which
office he served for one term. During the last year of his incumbency
in that position he was appointed to fill out an unexpired term of
six months as principal of the Pomeroy high school. In 1897, however,
he concentrated his efforts and attention upon the practice of law
and in 1898 was elected prosecuting attorney of Garfield county, in
which position he served for one term. In 1900 he was elected mayor
of Pomeroy and occupied that position for one term, giving to the
city a businesslike and progressive administration characterized by
needed reforms and measures of public improvement. At the same time he
continued in the practice of law independently until February, 1898,
when he entered into partnership with Judge Mack F. Gose under the
firm name of Gose & Kuykendall, a relationship that existed until the
appointment of the senior partner to the supreme bench in 1900. Mr.
Kuykendall then practiced alone for two years and in 1911 the present
law firm of Kuykendall & McCabe was formed, C. Alexander McCabe being
admitted to a partnership that still maintains, the firm occupying now
a very prominent position in the legal circles of the state. Their
practice is extensive and of an important character and in the conduct
thereof Mr. Kuykendall has displayed talent, learning, tact, patience
and industry. His legal learning, his analytical mind, the readiness
with which he grasps the points in an argument all combine to make him
a strong advocate and a wise counselor. In connection with his brothers
he has fourteen hundred acres of land held in equity.
In 1896 Mr. Kuykendall was joined in wedlock to Miss Marguerite Scully,
a daughter of Matthew Scully, who was one of the pioneer farmers of
Asotin county, Washington, and now resides near Twin Falls, Idaho.
Mr. and Mrs. Kuykendall have become the parents of four children,
as follows: Matthew Lorraine, a student in the Washington State
College; Ruth Lenore, who attended the State Normal School at Cheney,
Washington, and is now engaged in teaching in Garfield county; Berdina
Claire, a high school student at Pomeroy; and Jerome Kenneth, who is
attending the graded schools.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Kuykendall are members of the Methodist church and
she is president of the Ladies' Aid Society of that church and also
president of the Civic Improvement Club of Pomeroy. She is likewise a
member of the Red Cross Society.
In his political connection Mr. Kuykendall has always been a stalwart
republican and in November, 1916, he was chosen to represent
his district in the state senate, where he was made a member of
a sub-committee for framing a new probate code. He has been a
conspicuous figure in the legislative halls and has served repeatedly
as chairman of the state central committee of the republican party,
thus taking active part in guiding the destinies of his party in the
northwest. While serving as mayor of Pomeroy he was instrumental in
establishing the present city park, which the city purchased from
Governor Cosgrove. Fraternally he is connected with Garfield Lodge,
No. 25, K. P., and has been quite active in the affairs of that
organization. He has been a member of the grand judiciary committee of
the state for sixteen years, a longer period than that of any other
incumbent in the position. He is also identified with the Woodmen of
the World. His interests are broad and varied and in relation to the
great sociological, economic and political problems of the country he
keeps abreast with the best thinking men of the age. He is forceful and
his ability and initiative have made him a dynamic power in the public
life of southeastern Washington.
J. U. STRAHM.
At a period when the government owned most of the land in Washington
and the work of progress and development seemed scarcely begun, J. U.
Strahm and his wife came to Walla Walla county and cast in their lot
with its pioneer settlers. They here underwent many of the hardships
and privations incident to establishing a home on the frontier, but
with resolute spirit they met all these and in the course of years
came to enjoy the comforts of modern day civilization. Mr. Strahm was
born in Switzerland, July 30, 1827, and was but six years of age when
brought to America by his parents, the family home being established in
Ohio. They afterward removed to Iowa and in 1849 J. U. Strahm removed
to California, attracted by the discovery of gold on the Pacific coast.
There he remained for three years, after which he returned to Missouri,
where in 1864 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Jane Farley, a
daughter of Harvey and Elizabeth (Bruett) Farley, the former a native
of Ohio, while the latter was born in Indiana. The father was killed
while serving as a soldier in the Civil war and the mother afterward
passed away in Tennessee.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Strahm resolved to try their
fortune in the far west and made their way across the country to Walla
Walla county, where he took up a homestead near Dixie. There was
little to indicate the wonderful changes which were still to occur
as the white settlers penetrated into this region and reclaimed its
rich resources for the purposes of civilization. The greater part of
the land was still unclaimed and uncultivated and the most farsighted
could scarcely have dreamed of what the future held in store for this
rich district. Mr. Strahm became actively identified with its farming
interests and bent his energies to the development of his place,
bringing his fields under a high state of cultivation and therefore
annually gathering rich harvests.
To Mr. and Mrs. Strahm were born fourteen children, eleven of whom
are now living: Ann J., the widow of John Byrd; William H., who is
deceased; Elizabeth, the wife of John Glynn; Rosa D., the wife of Tom
Hastings; Mary E., the wife of Eldon Buroker; Nora J., the wife of Joel
Chitwood; John E.; Nannie V., who is the wife of Alfred Brown; Lucretia
R., the wife of Alvin McElvain; Viola, the wife of Fred Wells; Edna,
at home; Alma B., the wife of Jene Green; and two who are deceased.
The death of Mr. Strahm occurred February 11, 1895, at which time his
remains were interred in the Dixie cemetery. He had been a devoted
husband and father and had put forth every possible effort to aid in
promoting the welfare and happiness of his family. His widow still
occupies the old homestead, having eighty acres in her farm near Dixie,
and the careful development and improvement of the property insures to
her a substantial annual income.
CHARLES C. LONEY.
Prominent among the real estate men of Walla Walla is Charles C. Loney
of the firm of Loney, Ginn & Kerrick. He was born in Toronto, Canada,
on the 7th of June, 1876, a son of Charles and Charlotte (Cole) Loney,
both of whom were natives of Belfast, Ireland. They came to Canada
in childhood with their respective parents and were there reared to
manhood and womanhood. In 1883 they came to the United States, arriving
in Walla Walla on the 19th of August of that year. Here the father
engaged in farming and became one of the leading agriculturists of
Walla Walla county, having extensive interests. He acquired some two
thousand acres of valuable land near the city and for a long period
gave personal supervision to the further development and improvement
of his farm. For several years prior to his death, however, he lived
retired from active work, turning his farms over to his sons. He then
took up his abode in the city and throughout his remaining days enjoyed
a well earned rest. He died in 1907, having for a considerable period
survived his wife, who passed away in 1902. Both were consistent
members of the Baptist church and were earnest Christian people whose
well spent lives are worthy of emulation.
Charles C. Loney was educated in the Walla Walla high school, from
which he was graduated with the class of 1896. Following the completion
of his studies he cooperated with his father in the management and
operation of his extensive farming interests until the father's
retirement in 1901, at which time Charles C. Loney took charge of the
farm, continuing its further cultivation and improvement until 1911.
In the meantime he had purchased the property of his father and in the
year designated he sold the home place and became a resident of Walla
Walla, where he opened a real estate and loan office. He has since
been prominently identified with that business and places many loans,
while at the same time he negotiates many important realty transfers.
Since 1911 he has purchased one hundred acres of land in Umatilla
county, Oregon, and eight hundred acres in Columbia county, Washington.
This property he still owns and rents. He also has three hundred and
thirty acres on Dry creek, near Walla Walla, on which he is engaged in
breeding and raising thoroughbred Percheron horses. He thus ranks with
the leading agriculturists and stock raisers of this section of the
state, while at the same time he has won for himself a most creditable
position as a real estate dealer.
On the 12th of January, 1917, Mr. Loney was united in marriage to Miss
Hazel Velma Wright, of Walla Walla, a daughter of Robert Wright, who
is a native of Umatilla county, Oregon, and for many years has been a
prominent farmer of Walla Walla county.
Mr. Loney holds membership in Enterprise Lodge, No. 2, I. O. O. F., and
also in Walla Walla Encampment, No. 3. He votes with the republican
party and is interested in all matters of progressive citizenship,
cooperating in every plan and measure which he deems of value and
benefit to the community. The greater part of his life has been spent
in this section of the state and he has become imbued with the spirit
of western enterprise that has led to the rapid and substantial
upbuilding of this section of the state. This spirit has been the
dominant factor in the attainment of his own success, a success that
now places him with the men of affluence in his adopted county.
HON. OLIVER T. CORNWELL.
Hon. Oliver T. Cornwell is a dominant factor in the agricultural,
commercial and financial circles of Walla Walla and the Inland Empire
and has also exerted a marked influence over public thought and action
as a member of the state senate, in which he is now representing the
eleventh senatorial district. It was Mr. Cornwell who in large measure
introduced the commission form of government here and in all his
public work he has been actuated by a spirit of progress, improvement
and of marked devotion to the general good. He is indeed prominent as
a man whose constantly expanding powers have taken him from humble
surroundings to the field of large enterprises and continually
broadening opportunities. Bringing to bear a clear understanding that
readily solves complex problems, he has been able to unite diverse
interests into a harmonious whole with results that indicate his keen
sagacity and unfaltering enterprise.
Mr. Cornwell is a native son of Walla Walla county, his birth having
occurred upon a farm six miles north of the city of Walla Walla on
the 22nd of March, 1863. His father, James Madison Cornwell, became
one of the Walla Walla pioneers of 1861 and is mentioned elsewhere
in this work. The son was reared on the old homestead with the usual
experiences of the farm bred boy and acquired his early education
in the district schools, after which he became a student in Whitman
College. When nineteen years of age he assumed the operation of the
home place and continued to cultivate its fields for three years as
a renter. After reaching his majority he went up into the Palouse
country, in Whitman county, and there engaged in the raising of cattle
and horses. He remained in Whitman county for eight years, after which
he returned to Walla Walla and in company with H. S. Stott founded
the drug house of Stott & Cornwell, with which he was identified for
three years. He then resumed active connection with farming and stock
raising interests and also began buying and shipping cattle, with which
business he has since been closely associated, being one of the most
prominent representatives of agricultural interests in this section of
the state. He now owns fourteen hundred acres of wheat land in Walla
Walla county and he also has heavy holdings in Alberta, Canada. Mr.
Cornwell is a man of forcefulness and resourcefulness and has by no
means limited his activities and energies to a single line. In fact,
as extensive as are his agricultural activities, he has also made for
himself a notable place in commercial and financial circles. About
1903 he was one of the dominant factors in the organization of the
Walla Walla County Lumber Company, of which he became president, and
in that capacity he has since continued, his intelligent direction of
the affairs of the company being one of the most potent elements in
his growing and continued success. He was also one of the organizers
of the Peoples State Bank of Walla Walla and was made a member of its
board of directors, which position he has since filled. He has also
been identified with interests of a public and semi-public character
that have had much to do with promoting general progress. He served for
a number of years as president of the Farmers Union and while acting in
that capacity the Walla Walla Farmers' Agency was organized, of which
Mr. Cornwell was elected president, and reelection has continued him in
that position to the present time.
[Illustration: OLIVER T. CORNWELL]
[Illustration: MRS. OLIVER T. CORNWELL]
On the 19th of August, 1888, occurred the marriage of Mr. Cornwell and
Miss Ella Crowell, of Walla Walla, a daughter of Henry A. and Mary
A. (Thurman) Crowell, who came to Walla Walla from Iowa in 1874. The
mother was a niece of Allen G. Thurman, the great democratic leader,
who was long known as "the Old Roman." To Mr. and Mrs. Cornwell have
been born three children, Lessie L., Ethel L. and Olive E.
Mr. Cornwell holds membership with the Masonic fraternity, belonging
to Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 7, F. & A. M.; to Walla Walla Chapter,
No. 1, R. A. M.; to Walla Walla Commandery, No. 2, K. T.; to Oriental
Consistory, No. 1, A. & A. S. R, of Spokane; and to El Katif Temple;
A. A. O. N. M. S., also of Spokane. He likewise has membership with
Washington Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F., and with the Walla Walla
Encampment of that order.
His chief activity aside from business has been as a supporter of
the republican party and a recognized leader in its ranks. The first
position to which he was called was that of city councilman of Walla
Walla in 1897. In 1900 he was chosen to represent his district in the
Washington state senate, where he served for four years with honor
and ability. In the November election of 1915 he was again chosen a
member of the state senate and during his present term has been called
upon for much important committee service. He is now a member of the
committees on municipal corporations, on education, on industrial
insurance, on irrigation and arid lands, public utilities, roads and
bridges, rules and joint rules, banks and banking. He has done much to
shape the policy of his party and for eight years was chairman of the
republican county central committee and has been a member of the state
central committee. It was Mr. Cornwell who organized and successfully
carried through the campaign establishing the commission form of
government in Walla Walla. His career has at all times reflected credit
and honor upon the people that have honored him. The universality of
his friendships interprets for us his intellectual hospitality and the
breadth of his sympathy, for nothing is foreign to him that concerns
his fellows. Anyone meeting Mr. Cornwell face to face would know at
once that he is an individual embodying all the elements of what in
this country we term a "square" man--one in whom to have confidence,
a dependable man in any relation and any emergency. His quietude of
deportment, his easy dignity, his frankness and cordiality of address,
with the total absence of anything sinister or anything to conceal,
foretoken a man who is ready to meet any obligation of life with the
confidence and courage that come of conscious personal ability, the
right conception of things and an habitual regard for what is best in
the exercise of human activities.
SAMUEL LOVE GILBREATH.
Samuel Love Gilbreath, an honored pioneer of Columbia county,
Washington, became a resident of Old Walla Walla county when there
were few white settlers within its limits, and took up a homestead
three miles from the city of Dayton, although it was a number of years
later that the town was laid out. He was a successful farmer, loyal
friend and a public-spirited citizen, and his demise was the occasion
of sincere regret. He was born in McMinn county, Tennessee, March 25,
1825, and was of Scotch descent. He was a representative of one of the
old families of the south, being a grandson of Archibald Rowan, the
third governor of Tennessee. His education was that afforded by the
common schools and he remained in his native state until he became
of age. He then determined to try his fortune in the far west and,
crossing the plains, settled in Yamhill county, Oregon. For a number
of years he farmed there and then went into the cattle business, which
occupied his attention until 1855, when the Cayuse Indian war broke
out. He enlisted for six months' service in the First Oregon Mounted
Cavalry Regiment, which did good work in putting down the uprising
both in Oregon and Washington. He was later for six months assistant
wagon master and one of his duties was the gruesome task of hauling
the bodies of the dead back to The Dalles, from which point they were
shipped to relatives in the Willamette valley.
Following his marriage in 1859 Mr. Gilbreath drove a herd of cattle
to Old Walla Walla county, Washington. At that time the city of Walla
Walla comprised but a very few buildings and the settlers in the
county were few and far between. He took up a homestead three miles
southwest of the present city of Dayton and built a log cabin with
puncheon floors, which remained the family home for a number of years.
There were many hardships to be endured in those early days but the
lot of the pioneer was lightened by the spirit of hospitality and
cooperation which prevailed. Travelers were welcomed at every log cabin
and the service of each settler was at the disposal of the others.
Mr. Gilbreath worked hard and gave careful attention to his business
affairs and as time passed his resources increased. The first crude
buildings upon his farm were at length replaced by substantial and
commodious structures and the place was brought to a high state of
development. At the time of his death he owned two hundred acres of
fine orchard and alfalfa land, of which his widow has since sold one
hundred and twenty acres, still owning eighty acres, which is valued at
a high price per acre.
Mr. Gilbreath was married in 1859, in Oregon, to Miss Margaret H.
Fanning, of Albany, and they became the parents of thirteen children,
ten of whom survive, namely: Nancy E., a teacher; Mary, the wife of
J. O. Mattoon; Lee, a resident of Columbia county; Joseph, a resident
of Seattle; Susie, the wife of E. E. Martin; Rose, who is teaching in
Seattle; Charles, a resident of Walla Walla; Grace, the wife of T. O.
Morrison; James, an instructor in the University of Washington; and
Fred, a graduate of West Point and a captain in the United States army,
now with the American embassy in London.
Mr. Gilbreath was a prominent factor in public affairs in the early
days and was chosen the first county commissioner of Old Walla Walla
county and the first sheriff of Columbia county. He was a firm believer
in the value of higher education and sent several of his children to
college. In many ways his influence was felt in the advancement of his
community, and personally he was held in the highest esteem because of
his unswerving integrity and his great capacity for friendship. His
wife had the distinction of being the first white woman to take up
her residence in the four counties comprised within Old Walla Walla
county, and she, too, proved her courage and perseverance in performing
cheerfully and efficiently the many and arduous duties that fell to the
lot of the pioneer wife and mother.
CHRIS H. ROMMEL.
Chris H. Rommel is residing on section 35, township 14 north, range
41 east, Garfield county, and is operating one thousand acres of
land, being therefore entitled to rank among the extensive farmers of
Garfield county. He grew to manhood in Manchester, Michigan, and is
indebted for his education to its public schools. When nineteen years
of age he started out in life for himself and in 1893 came to Garfield
county, Washington. For some years he rented a farm, during which time
he carefully saved his money with the purpose of buying land as soon as
possible. At length he purchased his present home farm and has extended
its boundaries until he now owns one thousand acres.
Mr. Rommel was married in 1893 to Miss Anna Smith, a native of
California, and they have three children: Fred C., a high school
graduate; Mary P., who is also a high school graduate and is now
teaching; and Ena M.
THOMAS A. RUSSEL.
Thomas A. Russel, deceased, was for a number of years actively engaged
in farming on section 3, township 6 north, range 35 east, Walla Walla
county, and met with gratifying success. He was born in Ohio, September
26, 1831, and there grew to manhood and received his education. In
1849 he accompanied his father John Russel, to California, crossing
the great unsettled plains of the west by team, a long, tedious and
dangerous journey, and again in 1852 he came to the coast by the
overland route, but each time he returned to Ohio, where he maintained
his residence until 1864. In that year he went with his bride by horse
team to the Sacramento valley of California, where he lived for three
years, during which time he taught school. They then removed to Bowling
Green, Missouri, and for twenty-one years he was a resident of that
state. During that time he engaged in the practice of law, successfully
appearing in most of the more important trials of his district. In
1888, however, he removed with his family to Walla Walla county,
Washington and the remainder of his life was devoted to agricultural
pursuits.
Mr. Russel was married in 1864 in Ohio to Miss Mary C. Willman, also a
native of that state. To their union were born ten children: John B.
and William, both of whom are deceased; Frank; Thomas and Anna, who
have passed away; Phoebe L.; Lincoln and Grant, twins, and Leslie, the
two latter being deceased; and Joseph, who resides in Canada.
Many interesting experiences came to Mr. Russel in his long life, and
from the time he accompanied his father to the west in 1849 until his
death he was much interested in this section of the country, even while
still residing in the east or middle west. He found great pleasure in
watching the process of development that has made the west a rival of
the east in all that pertains to the highest civilization, and his
influence was invariably cast on the side of progress. He passed away
in January, 1901, and was laid to rest in the Mountain View cemetery.
HON. F. M. WEATHERFORD.
Hon. F. M. Weatherford is now living practically retired in Dayton but
for many years was actively and extensively connected with farming
interests and is still the owner of much valuable wheat land in this
section of the state. Moreover, he has been prominently connected with
public affairs and has been called upon to represent his district in
the general assembly. He was born in Missouri, November 12, 1855, and
is a son of Alfred H. and Sophia (Smith) Weatherford, both of whom were
natives of Virginia and at an early day removed westward to Missouri,
where their remaining days were passed. They had a family of nine
children but only three are now living.
While born in the middle west, Hon. F. M. Weatherford has spent the
greater part of his life in the Pacific coast country. He crossed the
plains in 1864, when a lad of but nine years, and became a resident of
Linn county, Oregon. The trip was made with ox teams and wagon and he
was six months en route, experiencing many hardships and privations as
the party traveled over the barren plains, the hot sandy desert and
across the mountain ranges. He took up his abode with a brother in
Oregon and there remained until 1872, when he made his way northward
to Walla Walla county, Washington. The following year, when a youth
of eighteen, he rented a farm nine miles southwest of Dayton in the
section known as Bundy Hollow. Later he bought land east of Dayton and
occupied that farm for twenty years, his labors bringing about a marked
transformation in the appearance of the place, for when the land came
into his possession it was wild and undeveloped. With characteristic
energy he began to cultivate it, breaking the furrows, planting the
seed and in due time gathering rich harvests. Year by year the work
of operating the farm was carried on and as his financial resources
increased he made other investments in property, adding to his holdings
from time to time until he is now the owner of sixteen hundred acres
of fine wheat land in Columbia county. He was also at one time vice
president of the Farmers Exchange at Waitsburg, which he aided in
organizing. He has now put aside the more active work of the fields,
leaving that to others, while he is enjoying a well earned rest, having
taken up his abode in Dayton. His farm property yields to him a most
gratifying annual income and his energy and sound business judgment
have brought him success.
[Illustration: HON. F. M. WEATHERFORD]
In 1878 Mr. Weatherford was united in marriage to Miss Harriet A.
Turner and they have become parents of five children: William M.; J.
C., who is living upon the home farm; Mary S., who is the wife of Elmer
Dunlap; Clara L., the wife of W. E. Bruce; and Arthur M., who is also
upon the home farm.
In his political affiliation Mr. Weatherford is a democrat and has
taken an active part in advancing the interests of the organization.
His fellow townsmen, appreciative of his worth and his devotion to
the party, elected him to represent them for one term in the state
legislature. The cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion
and he has done effective work in behalf of the schools as a member
of the school board. Fraternally he is connected with Dayton Lodge,
No. 136, I. O. O. F., and both he and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, South, and in its work take an active and
helpful interest, doing all in their power to extend its growth and
promote its purpose. Mr. Weatherford deserves much credit for what he
has accomplished. He started out in the business world empty-handed,
yet he has passed many another traveler on life's journey whose start
was perhaps more advantageous. His success is the direct result of
indefatigable industry intelligently directed, and, advancing year by
year, he has become one of the prominent and prosperous men of Columbia
county.
HON. DAVID H. COX.
Hon. David H. Cox has back of him an ancestry honorable and
distinguished. Upon the family records appear the names of several
who have been active in connection with framing state or national
legislation. His own career has been cast in harmony with the family
record and he is now a member of the state senate of Washington. For
many years he has figured conspicuously and honorably in agricultural
and commercial circles and is still actively identified with farming,
his attention now being given to the management of his farm property.
A native of eastern Tennessee, he was born December 28, 1865, a son
of Elbert S. and Mary Louise (Beyers) Cox, both of whom were natives
of Tennessee, where they spent their entire lives. The mother was a
niece of John Severe, who was the first governor of Tennessee and a
brother of her mother. Elbert S. Cox was for many years one of the
leading merchants of Jonesboro, Tennessee, and was also extensively
engaged in farming, having near the town a large tract of land which
he successfully and wisely cultivated. He was also prominent in public
affairs of the community and served for one term as member of congress
from his district. He took a most active and helpful part in public
thought and action and all that he did was characterized by a spirit
of progressiveness that made him one of the most valued residents of
Jonesboro. He passed away July 3, 1881, the day on which President
Garfield was shot, in the Pennsylvania Railroad station at Washington,
D. C.
David H. Cox supplemented his public school education by study in
Milliken College of eastern Tennessee and when nineteen years of age he
started out in the business world on his own account, going to Texas,
where he remained for a year. In 1885 he came to the northwest with
Walla Walla as his destination. Here he arrived on the 6th of October
of that year, possessed of courage and determination but of no funds.
His financial condition rendered it imperative that he obtain immediate
employment and he soon secured a position on a farm. He willingly
accepted any employment that would yield him an honest living. He
proved so capable in his farm work that his employer, recognizing his
ability, offered to loan him the amount necessary to enable him to
engage in business for himself. He took up the occupation of farming
and for a considerable period rented land. Since that date he has never
been without farm land of his own and for many years has been a most
prominent figure in agricultural circles in this section of the state.
In 1889, while still continuing in his farming operations, he became
identified with the Pacific Coast Elevator Company and managed the
business from 1889 until 1901. He then became associated with Walter S.
Barnett and established the mercantile house of Cox, Barnett & Company,
under which firm name they transacted an extensive grocery and hardware
business, their sales amounting in later years to between twenty-five
and thirty thousand dollars per month. They continued the business in
a very successful manner until 1910, when Mr. Cox, in company with
Hugh A. Martin, organized the Independent Grain Company, under which
title they carried on business successfully for four years. Since then
Mr. Cox has given his undivided attention to the management of his
farming properties, which represent judicious investments and are the
expression of well directed business ability.
In 1890 Mr. Cox was united in marriage to Miss Decima E. Yeend, of
Walla Walla county, a daughter of William Yeend, one of the pioneer
farmers of this section of the state, who came to Washington from
England in 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Cox have become the parents of two
children: Arthur E., who is farming his father's land; and Dessie, at
home.
The family occupies a very enviable position in social circles and the
hospitality of the best homes of Walla Walla is freely accorded them.
Mr. Cox is a stalwart republican in his political views and has done
much to further the interests and promote the success of the party. He
served for several years as member of the Walla Walla city council and
in 1908 was elected to the state senate, serving as a member of the
upper house of the general assembly for four years. In 1912 he was a
candidate for state treasurer, and while he carried thirty-four out of
the thirty-eight counties, he was defeated by the Pierce county vote.
In 1916 he was again elected to the state senate, in which capacity he
is now serving. He is an earnest working member of the upper house,
carefully considering the vital questions which come up for settlement,
and his position in support or opposition of any measure is never
an equivocal one. He stands loyally for what he believes to be the
best interests of the commonwealth and in his political record he has
ever been willing to subordinate personal interests to the general
good. Mr. and Mrs. Cox are consistent and faithful members of the
Methodist church and he has had the honor of representing his church
at the general conference for three successive terms. He is chairman
of the board of trustees of the church and does everything in his
power to advance its cause and extend its influence. While he has won
notable success he has never made the attainment of wealth the sole
ambition of his life. He has recognized his duties and obligations in
other connections and has stood at all times for that which is most
worth while in citizenship and in the moral development of the people
at large. His life record is characterized by many honorable phases
and should well serve as a source of encouragement to others and
constitute an example which others may profitably follow. Coming to
the west empty-handed, he has here intelligently directed his efforts
with a result that has been most notable and gratifying, but winning
prosperity has been but one feature of his activities, for his course
has been so directed that he has gained not only material success but
an honored name as well.
DAMASE BERGEVIN.
Damase Bergevin, whose success from the time that he made his initial
purchase of land in Walla Walla county was rapid and substantial,
so that he became one of the prosperous farmers of this section of
the state and at his death left his family in comfortable financial
circumstances, was born near Quebec, Canada, on the 31st of March,
1840. He came of French ancestry. He was there reared with no
educational advantages except those found in the school of experience.
In 1865 he came to Walla Walla county, Washington, after spending a
year in St. Joseph, Missouri. On reaching the northwest he located in
what was then known as French Town, about nine miles west of Walla
Walla, on the Walla Walla river. Two brothers had preceded him here and
Mr. Bergevin worked for a time for one of them. Between the years 1875
and 1878 he was in the employ of Dr. Baker and built the narrow gauge
railroad from Wallula to Walla Walla, this being the first railroad in
the state of Washington. Mr. Bergevin cut the ties for this road and
drove them down the Yakima river.
It was not until 1880 that Mr. Bergevin made his first purchase of
land. At that time he and his brother Clement bought an eighty acre
farm and a year later the brothers divided their interest and from that
time forward Mr. Bergevin operated independently. His success from
that time forward was rapid and he proved not only a very enterprising
and progressive farmer but a man of excellent ability in managing his
financial interests. As his resources increased he kept adding to his
holdings until he had acquired sixteen hundred and twenty-one acres of
land in the home farm and also owned six hundred and forty acres five
miles north of Walla Walla and a tract of one hundred and sixty acres
at Rulo Station on the Northern Pacific Railroad. His investments were
most judiciously made and his business affairs carefully managed. He
seemed to readily recognize the essential in all business transactions
and his sound judgment and indefatigable enterprise brought to him a
very gratifying measure of success. In 1892 he was stricken with total
blindness, but though thus incapacitated in a large measure for the
management of his property interests he was surrounded by the loving
care of his wife, while his four sons assumed business duties and
responsibilities and as the years have passed on more has been added to
the family holdings until the Bergevin interests in Walla Walla county
are most extensive.
It was at St. Rose's Catholic Mission church at Frenchtown, July 3,
1881, that Mr. Bergevin was united in marriage to Miss Mary P. Allard,
a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, who came to Walla Walla county with
her parents, Oliver and Leo Cadie (Forest) Allard, in 1862. They
crossed the plains with ox teams, meeting the usual experiences of such
a trip, and at length located in the little hamlet of Walla Walla. The
father was a carpenter by trade and assisted in large measure in the
upbuilding of the town in the early days, erecting many of the first
buildings in the city. Mrs. Bergevin is now residing in Walla Walla.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bergevin were born six children: Leona P., now the wife
of Philip Remillard, a farmer of Walla Walla county; Joseph Damase,
who resides on the homestead farm; Arthur A., also engaged in farming;
Clement A., who, lives on the old Bergevin home farm; Clarence C., who
was married September 26, 1917, to Miss Lois Reavis, and is farming
in Walla Walla county; and Augustine A., the wife of Elmer Markham, a
farmer of Walla Walla county. There are also twelve grandchildren. At
one time Arthur and Clarence Bergevin were engaged in the cultivation
of thirteen hundred and fifty acres of land, owning five hundred and
twenty acres of that amount, but have since divided their interests.
The former was married September 27, 1916, to Miss Margaret Gohres.
He is a member of the Loyal Order of Moose and, like the others of
the family, is an adherent of the Catholic church. He has one of the
best improved farms in the county on which is a large, substantial and
beautiful residence with extensive farm buildings, all new, modern and
thoroughly equipped. In a word, the name Bergevin has come to stand for
progress and improvement in Walla Walla county.
In his political views Mr. Bergevin of this review was a democrat and
while he never took an active part in politics he was interested in
the welfare and progress of his community and gave his support to all
measures which he deemed of public benefit. He died on the 31st of
July, 1911, honored and respected by all who knew him. His had been
a most active and useful life and one which was crowned with a very
substantial measure of prosperity. In fact his record should serve as a
source of encouragement and inspiration to others, showing what may be
accomplished through determined purpose, unfaltering industry and sound
judgment.
CHARLES MOORE.
Charles Moore was an early settler of Walla Walla county and for
a number of years was prominently identified with agricultural,
commercial and transportation interests here, but in 1882 removed to
Moscow, Idaho, where he spent much of the remainder of his life, but
passed away in Walla Walla. His widow in 1907 resumed her residence in
Walla Walla and is now well known in the city. The birth of Mr. Moore
occurred in Ohio, October 1, 1841, his parents being Amos L. and Mary
(Monroe) Moore, the latter's father being a cousin of President James
Monroe. The father was born in Delaware and the mother in Pennsylvania,
but they removed to Ohio at an early day and later to Wisconsin, whence
in 1869 they came to Walla Walla county, Washington, where they resided
until called to the home beyond. To them were born five children,
of whom only one now survives, ex-Governor Miles C. Moore, of Walla
Walla.
[Illustration: CHARLES MOORE]
[Illustration: MRS. JULIA A. MOORE]
Charles Moore was reared in Wisconsin and his early education was that
afforded by the district schools, while later he attended an academy
or seminary, and subsequently became a college student. In 1861, when
twenty years of age, he enlisted in the Union army and went to the
front in defense of the stars and stripes. In 1862 he was wounded at
the battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, and because of his injuries
was honorably discharged. He then returned to the north and entered
the Wesleyan College of Delaware, Ohio, thus resuming his interrupted
education. Later he was drafted for service but because of the wound he
had previously sustained was discharged and went to Wisconsin. He was
married there in 1864 and in 1865 he and his wife crossed the plains
to the Pacific northwest by mule team and after reaching Walla Walla
county both engaged in teaching school. Several years were devoted to
that profession, but in 1870 Mr. Moore was appointed postmaster of
Walla Walla under President Grant and held the office for four years.
In the meantime, in 1872, he purchased the old Dr. Whitman Mission Farm
and engaged in its operation until 1878, when he established a farm
implement business in connection with his brother, Miles C. Moore,
at Almota, in Whitman county, to the conduct of which he devoted the
greater part of his time and attention. He was also agent for the
Oregon Steam Navigation Company of Portland, Oregon. Mrs. Moore was
the active assistant and helper of her husband, doing clerical work
in connection with the conduct of the postoffice, and the business
identified with freight navigation. Soon he became interested in the
building of a telegraph line from Colfax to Ulmota, on Snake river, and
went up the river and assisted in rafting the poles down to be used in
the construction of the line. Subsequently he with others owned the
telegraph line from Dayton to Walla Walla, which was connected with
government telegraph lines. In 1882 he removed to Moscow, Idaho, where
with his brother, Miles C., later governor of Washington territory, he
erected a grist mill. Mr. Moore of this review maintained his residence
in Moscow for a number of years. He became a heavy landowner, his
holdings including a large tract on the Snake river in Garfield county,
Washington, five hundred acres of which is still in possession of
his widow, and two hundred acres near Moscow, Idaho. He was a man of
unusual soundness of judgment in business affairs and his advice was
often sought by others.
On the 13th of October, 1864, Mr. Moore was united in marriage in
Wisconsin to Miss Julia A. Kneen, a native of the state of New York
and a daughter of John and Margaret (Teare) Kneen, both of whom were
natives of the Isle of Man. In young manhood and womanhood they
emigrated to America and settled in the state of New York, whence in
1846 they removed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while subsequently they
became residents of Kilbourn City, Wisconsin. The mother's death
occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but the father survived until 1878.
To them were born four children, of whom Mrs. Moore is the only one now
living. By her marriage she became the mother of four children: Harry
K., a resident of Walla Walla; Flora P., at home; F. Cushing, who is a
mining engineer now in British Columbia; and Edna L., the wife of D. F.
Baker, of Walla Walla.
Mr. Moore gave his political support to the republican party and
carefully studied the questions and issues of the day, but was not a
narrow partisan. Whatever he undertook he carried forward to successful
completion and won not only financial independence but also a high
place in the esteem of his fellowmen. In early manhood he was a member
of the Masonic fraternity and exemplified in his life its beneficent
purpose.
Since her husband's death Mrs. Moore has successfully managed the
estate and general business interests connected therewith and in 1909
she erected her present modern and attractive home on Alvarado terrace
in Walla Walla. In the meantime, however, following her husband's
demise she removed to California with her children in order that they
might have the benefit of educational instruction there and later she
established her home in Evanston, Illinois, that they might continue
their studies in the Northwestern University. In 1896 she returned to
the old home in Moscow, Idaho, and in 1907 removed to Walla Walla,
where she has since resided, two years later building her present home.
She is a member of the Reading Club, one of the oldest clubs of Walla
Walla, and is active in connection with those interests which work for
intellectual progress and cultural value.
G. B. DAGUE.
G. B. Dague, one of the leading agriculturists of Walla Walla county,
where his holdings embrace fourteen hundred and seventy acres of
valuable land, resides on section 25, township 8 north, range 35 east.
His birth occurred in Kansas on the 31st of December, 1871, his parents
being Henry H. and Mary Elizabeth (Poorman) Dague, the former a native
of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. Soon after their marriage,
which was celebrated in the Buckeye state, they removed to Jefferson
county, Kansas, there residing until the spring of 1872, when they took
up their abode in western Kansas. There the mother passed away in 1881,
and the father's last years were spent with his children.
G. B. Dague was reared under the parental roof and attended the common
schools in the acquirement of an education. In 1889, when a youth of
eighteen years, he made his way westward to the state of Washington
and for a number of years thereafter he worked for others. In 1898 he
located permanently in Walla Walla county and began farming on his
own account, renting a farm near Prescott. Five years later he bought
his first land, coming into possession of two hundred and forty acres
near Hadley Station, while two or three years afterward he purchased
an adjoining tract of one hundred and sixty acres. In May, 1908, he
purchased what was known as the old Sergeant Smith place of six hundred
and fifty-three acres and in 1911 he became the owner of what was
known as the Geaney place of four hundred and seventeen acres, which
is his present home farm. His holdings in Walla Walla county embrace
altogether about fourteen hundred and seventy acres, all located in
township 8 north, range 35 east, much of this being of the very best
and most valuable land in the county. Mr. Dague also has heavy land
holdings in Morrow county, Oregon, and in Benton county, Washington.
His record is indeed commendable and one that should serve to inspire
and encourage others, showing what may be accomplished by industry,
perseverance and determination. Twenty-two years ago he was driving a
header wagon over the land which he now owns and was earning, but a
dollar and a quarter per day. His present financial condition clearly
indicates the progress he has made, for, actuated by laudable ambition,
he has worked his way steadily upward to a position among the most
substantial agriculturists of the county.
On Christmas day of 1901 Mr. Dague was united in marriage to Mrs.
Bertha L. (Prather) Washburn, by whom he has two children, Georgia E.
and George Byron.
He is independent in politics and for thirteen years has ably served
as clerk of the school district. Fraternally he is identified with
Washington Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F., of Walla Walla, and he also
belongs to the M. W. of P. His life has been an active, useful and
honorable one, winning for him the high regard and esteem of all with
whom he has been brought in contact, so that the circle of his friends
is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance.
FRANK MILLER.
Frank Miller, starting out in the business world as a farm hand when
a young lad in his teens, is now one of the prosperous citizens of
Starbuck, where he has extensive realty holdings. He is also the owner
of much valuable property and is otherwise connected with the business
interests of southeastern Washington in a most active and extensive
way. He was born in Germany, June 24, 1858, and is a son of John and
Louisa Miller, who were also natives of that country, whence they
came to America in 1867. They established their home upon a farm in
Wisconsin, where they spent their remaining days, being long identified
with the agricultural interests of that locality. They had a family of
nine children, but Frank Miller and his sister Josephine are the only
ones now living.
Reared and educated in Wisconsin, he is indebted to the public school
system of that State for the opportunities which he had to prepare
for life's practical and responsible duties through the work of the
schoolroom. He went to Illinois when a lad of fourteen years and there
secured employment as a farm hand, in which work he engaged until he
reached the age of twenty-two. He then left the Mississippi valley and
made his way to the northwest, arriving in Walla Walla county, after
which he secured a situation in a brewery in Walla Walla, where he
remained for four years. He then took up the work of gardening at Walla
Walla, which he followed for a year, after which he rented a farm and
for six years was engaged in its cultivation. He took up a homestead
two miles and a half or three miles south of his present home. This
he proved up on and lived there eight years, after which he sold the
place. He then bought five hundred acres, mostly wheat land, much
of which is irrigated, and he also has thirty-five acres planted to
alfalfa and to fruit, having one of the fine orchards of his part of
the state. He is likewise a stockholder in the bank at Starbuck and
he has made extensive and judicious investments in real estate, owning
very large property interests in the village. His business affairs have
brought him very substantial success, for his investments have been
judiciously made and his untiring industry has also brought splendid
returns.
In 1882 Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Nettie Sack, a native
of Illinois, and they became the parents of nine children, namely:
Louisa, the wife of Charles Krause; Simon; Eva, the wife of H. H.
Foster; George, who married Hazel Schultz; Fred, now in Camp Lewis with
the American army; and Jesse, Ida, Frank and Grace, all yet at home.
The wife and mother died September 30, 1917, and was laid to rest in
Starbuck cemetery. She was loved and respected by all who knew her.
In his political views Mr. Miller is a democrat and gives stanch
support to the party and its principles, although he does not seek or
desire public office. He is a self-made man, for he started out to
provide for his own support with no capital whatever and all that he
has achieved and enjoyed is attributable to his persistent purpose and
well-directed energy. He has been both the architect and builder of his
own fortunes and has builded wisely and well.
WILLIAM S. MALLOY.
William S. Malloy, a retired agriculturist residing in Walla Walla,
where he has the finest home on Washington street, is still the
owner of twenty-four hundred acres of wheat land which is now being
cultivated by a renter. His birth occurred in New Brunswick, Canada, on
the 17th of June, 1844, his parents being John and Catherine (Sutton)
Malloy, the former a native of County Wexford, Ireland, and the latter
of New Brunswick. John Malloy was a young man of eighteen years when
he left the Emerald isle and took up his abode in New Brunswick, where
he was married. In 1853 he and his wife crossed the border into the
United States, establishing their home in Stillwater, Minnesota, where
Mr. Malloy and two sons, Robert and James, were prominently identified
with the lumber industry for many years. It was there that his demise
occurred in 1871, and the mother passed away in 1884. In their family
were the following children: George, John, Robert, James and William
S., of this review.
William S. Malloy, who was a lad of nine years when he accompanied his
parents on their removal to Minnesota, acquired his education in the
common schools of Stillwater, that state. In 1864, when a young man of
twenty years, he left the parental roof and made his way westward to
Montana, and for about six years he was employed in the mining fields
of Virginia City and in Deerlodge county. The year 1870 witnessed his
arrival in Walla Walla county, Washington, and here he embarked in the
cattle business, in which he became extensively interested, his large
herds roaming the plains on the Columbia, Palouse and Snake rivers.
At the end of six years, cattle having gone so low in price that the
business was not promising, he disposed of his cattle and for a period
of twenty months gave his attention to mining in southern Utah. He
then returned to Washington, locating in Columbia county, where he
became engaged in farming and in the stock business, his undertakings
in that connection being attended with prosperity that enabled him
to add to his holdings from time to time until they now embrace
twenty-four hundred acres of valuable wheat land. In the cultivation
and development of this extensive tract he was actively engaged until
1917, when he put aside further business cares and is now living
retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest. In the fall of 1894 he
had established the family home in the city of Walla Walla and there
it has been maintained to the present time. Realizing that the public
domain will soon be gone Mr. Malloy went to Toole county, Montana, in
1917 and purchased in the northwest part of that state, east of the
Rocky Mountains, twenty-seven hundred acres of land in one body, which
he is now breaking and seeding and making other improvements with the
intention of converting it into a farm.
[Illustration: WILLIAM S. MALLOY]
In 1874 Mr. Malloy was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary P. Lyons, a
daughter of Dan Lyons, of Lyons Ferry. The seven children of this
marriage were as follows: William Lee, Robert Ralph and Ernest
Lyons, all of whom are deceased; Elizabeth, who is the wife of
Oscar Drumheller, of Walla Walla; Minnie F., at home; Thomas D., an
agriculturist residing in Columbia county; and Angeline M., at home.
The wife and mother passed away in May, 1916, and her demise was the
occasion of deep and widespread regret.
Mr. Malloy is a democrat in his political views but has never sought
nor desired office as a reward for his party fealty and in fact has
always refused official preferment. Fraternally he is identified with
the Masons and with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He has now
passed the seventy-third milestone on life's journey and his career has
ever been such that he can look back over the past without regret and
forward to the future without fear. His memory compasses the period of
pioneer development and later progress here, and he has ever borne his
share in the work of upbuilding and improvement.
O. Z. SKINNER.
With the development of a district, town or city, real estate activity
has much to do and one of the most important factors in substantial
growth and progress is the real estate dealer who wisely directs
purchases and sales and thus adds much to the beauty and development of
the city in which he operates. A notable record of success is that of
O. Z. Skinner, senior partner of the firm of O. Z. Skinner & Company,
real estate and insurance agents in Walla Walla. He was born in Havana,
Mason county, Illinois, December 12, 1853, a son of Orlando and Martha
(Roeder) Skinner, who were natives of the state of New York and of
Illinois respectively. They were married in the latter state, to which
the father had removed in early manhood. He was a well known minister
of the Universalist church and devoted his life to that cause. In 1910
he came to Walla Walla, where he lived retired, making his home with
his son, O. Z. Skinner, up to the time of his demise, which occurred on
the 8th of June, 1914. For a considerable period he had survived his
wife, who died in February, 1897.
O. Z. Skinner was educated in the district schools of his native state
and in the Jefferson Liberal Institute at Jefferson, Wisconsin. After
completing his education he was for some years engaged in merchandising
in Durand, Wisconsin, and still later turned his attention to the drug
business, which he conducted in Fairmont, Minnesota, for a number of
years. He was afterward for thirteen years identified with the lumber
industry in northern Wisconsin, acquiring extensive farming lands there
also, which during these years he operated in connection with the
conduct of his lumber interests. The year 1898 witnessed the arrival
of Mr. Skinner in the northwest. In that year he became a resident of
Walla Walla and entered the manufacturing field, concentrating his
efforts upon the manufacture of mattresses and furniture. He continued
active along that line for five years and then turned his attention to
the real estate and insurance business, with which he has since been
prominently identified. He owns extensive timber land in Union county,
Oregon, and in the summer of 1917 began cutting timber therefrom. He
realizes what this state has to offer and has improved its natural
resources, thereby advancing his individual interests while promoting
general progress and prosperity.
On the 18th of September, 1881, Mr. Skinner was married to Miss Ella
M. Young, of Dunn county, Wisconsin, who was a teacher in the public
schools of that county for a number of years. To this marriage have
been born three children, Arthur, Leslie C. and Ethel V.
Mr. Skinner gives his political endorsement to the republican party
and is well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He stands
for progress along political lines and does everything in his power
to advance the success of the party, yet does not seek or desire
office. He belongs to Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M., and is
a faithful follower of its teachings. Those who know him in a business
way speak of him as a dominant factor in the upbuilding of Walla Walla
and as one who has made for himself a notable place especially in real
estate circles.
ALFRED L. WICKERSHAM.
Alfred L. Wickersham, a leading farmer and stock raiser of Walla Walla
township, Walla Walla county, holds title to two valuable ranches and
is meeting with signal success in the management of his affairs. He
was born in Walla Walla county, February 7, 1871, a son of John and
Christina (Albertson) Wickersham, natives of Ohio, who removed to this
county in 1862. For a number of years the father devoted his time and
attention to freighting, as there were then no railroads in this entire
section, hauling freight from Wallula to the mines at Umatilla Landing,
Boise and many other points, also the fort at Boise, to Fort Lapwai and
Fort Colville. At length he purchased eighty acres of land, including
the site of the present race track at Walla Walla and followed farming
during the remainder of his active life. He passed away September 19,
1906. The mother, however, is still living and makes her home with a
son. Ten children were born to their union but only five survive.
[Illustration: JOHN WICKERSHAM AND FAMILY]
Alfred L. Wickersham grew to manhood in his native county and his
education was that afforded by the public schools. By the time that he
reached man's estate he was a good practical farmer, having received
training in the cultivation of the soil and the care of stock from his
father. He purchased the farm on Mill creek in Walla Walla township,
where he still makes his home and which comprises three hundred and
fifty-five acres. He also owns three hundred and twenty acres of fine
pasture land and in addition to growing wheat and other crops suited to
this section he raises stock on an extensive scale and has found that
business likewise profitable.
Mr. Wickersham is a stanch democrat, his political belief coinciding in
large measure with the principles of that party. Although he has never
failed to do his part in furthering the progress of his community, he
has not taken a prominent part in politics, having no desire to hold
office. He is a man of unassuming disposition and of genuine worth and
his energy, his sound judgment and his unquestioned integrity have
gained for him the respect of his fellowmen.
JONATHAN PETTIJOHN.
Jonathan Pettijohn, who was an honored pioneer settler and valued
citizen of Walla Walla county, was born in Ohio, January 13, 1827, but
when still a boy emigrated with his parents to Edgar county, Illinois,
where he remained until he was twenty-three years of age. He assisted
his widowed mother in rearing the family of children, of whom he was
the eldest. In the year 1850 the lure of gold attracted him to the
west. He and three companions started for California on horseback, and
as some of their horses died en route they walked much of the way. On
reaching the Golden state, Mr. Pettijohn at once went to work in the
mines, where he met with fair success, there remaining for two years.
He then removed to Oregon, settling in Harrisburg, Linn county, where
he was married to Miss Hannah Warner in the year 1853. They took up
their abode on a claim and Mr. Pettijohn followed farming. In 1859 he
came with his family to Walla Walla county, Washington, and settled on
a claim in the beautiful Touchet valley. He spent the winter of 1859
and 1860 here and early in the spring went to the Willamette, after
which he removed his family to this valley. Their home was situated a
few miles below the present town site of Prescott. He erected a log
cabin which still stands as a monument to the early days. He brought
with him to this county a band of fine horses and some cattle and, like
most of the early settlers, engaged in stock raising. Starting with one
hundred and sixty acres of land, during the course of years he kept
gradually acquiring more land until finally he owned about thirty-four
hundred acres of valuable farming and pasture land, on which he had
large herds of fine horses and cattle. Later in life, when the stock
business began to wane on account of the disappearance of the free
range, he plowed up his holdings and became a wheat farmer in earnest.
Mr. and Mrs. Pettijohn reared a large family of seven sons and two
daughters, namely: Thomas, Amas, Eli and John H., all of whom were
born in Oregon; and Huldah, A. L., Sherman, Calvin and Mary, who were
natives of Washington. All are now living but two, Eli and Mrs. Huldah
Richmond. Of those surviving all are married except the youngest son,
and are fairly prosperous, enjoying the possessions bequeathed them by
their frugal parents. All are still residents of Walla Walla county.
Mr. Pettijohn assisted three territories over the threshold into
statehood by voting for the state constitutions of California,
Oregon and Washington, and he was a delegate to the constitutional
convention of Washington. In the way of public education he was indeed
a benefactor. Public money for school purposes was often inadequate to
meet the teacher's salary. He felt that the school must be maintained
at any cost so he often paid most of the amount of the salary out of
his own pocket. He believed in the employment of thoroughly efficient
and competent teachers and some of the best teachers that the country
afforded taught in that little country school near his home and
received a salary equal to any. Another work in which Mr. Pettijohn
deserves creditable mention was in connection with a scheme that was
put forth to bond Walla Walla county for three hundred thousand dollars
to subsidize a railroad company. Mr. Pettijohn with a number of others
enjoined the county from making the appropriation, although many were
in favor of the issue. There was a very wordy war between the two
factions and every inducement was brought to bear upon Mr. Pettijohn,
the leader, to change his course, but with characteristic determination
he stood for what he conceived to be right and and won out. In after
years many thanked him for the stand he had taken, as time has
justified the wisdom and value of his position.
Mr. Pettijohn was of a very sturdy type of manhood and a splendid
representative of the class of hardy pioneers, who helped to make this
county what it is--a land of fine schools and beautiful homes. Along
in the early '60s mines were discovered in Idaho, Montana and Oregon
and supplies were necessary for the miners in the various camps. So the
settlers fitted out pack trains or freight wagons and packed or hauled
freight to all points where needed, the pay being sufficient to make it
very profitable. Mr. Pettijohn chose the ox team and freight wagon for
his and for a number of years spent much time on the road freighting.
His wife remained at home caring for her family amid the dangers and
hardships incident to pioneer life. She was a woman of rare courage,
going calmly about her duties with hordes of half-savage Indians camped
at her very door. On occasions they would creep up and peer in at
the window as she sat at her work. She pretended not to notice them,
knowing that if she showed fear or concern they would become insolent.
Not one of these noble women but met with experiences that would make
the bravest heart quail, yet they never complained, for it seemed a
part of life's duties to endure without a murmur.
Mr. Pettijohn passed away in June, 1913, at a ripe old age, joining
that large number who have left very thin the ranks of the real
pioneers remaining. His memory, however, is enshrined in the hearts
of many who knew him and long years will pass before his work in the
community will be forgotten.
ELLERY J. NELSON.
Ellery J. Nelson is engaged in general farming on section 30, township
8 north, range 36 east, Walla Walla county, and it was upon this
farm that he was born on the 22d of August, 1871, a son of Hiram and
Sarah (McInroe) Nelson. He was educated in the Valley Grove district
school and also in the Walla Walla Business College, thus becoming
well equipped for life's practical and responsible duties. His youth
was also largely devoted to farm work and he early became familiar
with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops.
After reaching young manhood he continued to assist his father in his
extensive farming operations and was thus engaged until 1900, when
he began farming on his own account. He is now operating a portion
of his father's landed holdings and is ranked among the successful
and progressive agriculturists of the county. He pursues the most
thoroughly up-to-date methods in caring for his fields, and in the
cultivation of his crops is meeting with excellent success, annually
gathering substantial harvests.
On the 1st of July, 1915, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss
Julia Kane, of St. Louis, Missouri, and to them were born two sons,
Ellery J., Jr., deceased, and Joseph Vincent. In his political views
Mr. Nelson has always been a republican since attaining his majority,
and while he does not seek nor desire office he is always loyal to the
best interests of the community and gives active aid and cooperation
to many measures for the benefit of town and county. He concentrates
his efforts and attention upon his farming interests, which are wisely
and carefully directed, and as the years pass by he is meeting with a
gratifying measure of success.
WILLIAM E. GROSS.
William E. Gross, a resident farmer of Walla Walla township who is
engaged in dairying and stock raising, was born in Davis county, Iowa,
on the 15th of February, 1858, his parents being B. H. and Julia A.
(Rice) Gross, the former a native of Illinois, while the latter was
born in Ohio. They resided for some time in Iowa and then determined
to cross the plains, making the journey with ox teams. This was in the
year 1862. They first settled in Nevada, where they resided for eight
years, and then removed to northern California, where they remained for
a decade. On the expiration of that period, or in the fall of 1880,
they came to Walla Walla county, Washington, where they took up their
abode upon a farm which continued to be their home until a few years
before they were called to their final rest. They moved to Walla Walla,
where they passed the last years of their lives. They had a family of
nine children, of whom six are now living.
William E. Gross was largely reared and educated in Nevada and in
California, his opportunities being those offered by the common
schools. He studied through the winter months and in the summer
seasons aided in the farm work. When his textbooks were put aside he
concentrated his entire attention upon farming and became identified
with the agricultural interests of Walla Walla county, where he owned
nine hundred and sixty acres of valuable land. He afterward disposed of
the more extensive tract and bought the farm upon which he now resides,
comprising one hundred and sixty-seven acres. This he has since
improved with fine buildings. He now makes a specialty of dairying and
has an excellent herd of Holstein cattle. His dairy is well equipped
in every particular and he has the most sanitary arrangements for the
care of the milk and the handling of his products. He also engaged in
raising Duroc Jersey hogs and his live stock interests as well as his
dairying constitute important features of his business.
On the 11th of December, 1881, Mr. Gross was united in marriage to Miss
Mary E. Cusker, who was born in Walla Walla county and is a daughter
of James and Clementine (Hayworth) Cusker, the former a native of
Washington, D. C., while the latter was born in Indiana. The father
made his way westward to Oregon when a youth of but thirteen years and
later he became a resident of Walla Walla county. Over forty years ago
he settled upon the farm now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Gross and both he
and his wife died upon this place. To Mr. and Mrs. Gross have been born
six children: Elsie R., at home; Mabel A., the wife of E. Fluke, who
has now departed this life; James B., at home; Orien W.; Myron W.; and
Myrtle Irene.
Mr. Gross holds membership with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and
is a member of the Christian church, guiding his life by its teachings
and conforming his actions to its principles. He has been progressive
in all that he has undertaken and in his business affairs has shown
sound judgment and keen discrimination. He has never been afraid of
hard work nor of close application and is numbered among those who,
taking advantage of the great natural resources of the northwest, have
won success, gaining a place among the most substantial citizens of
this part of the state.
HON. CHESTER F. MILLER.
Hon. Chester F. Miller is judge of the superior court of the district
which embraces Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties of Washington. He
resides in Dayton and is one of the honored and distinguished residents
of the southeastern part of the state. He has lived in the same voting
precinct for fifty-seven years and has thus been closely associated
with the development and progress of his section of the state from
pioneer times to the present. Nature endowed him with keen intellect
and he has constantly developed his powers until he is recognized as
the peer of the ablest jurists who have sat upon the bench of the
superior court in the northwest. He was born in Linn county, Oregon,
January 6, 1860, a son of George W. and Sarah E. (Ping) Miller, both of
whom were natives of Indiana. The father was born in Crawfordsville,
that state, on the 6th of April, 1830, and was a son of John Miller,
a native of Tennessee, who in turn was a son of John Miller, a
Revolutionary war soldier. George W. Miller crossed the plains with
his parents to Oregon in 1851, the journey being made with ox teams
and wagon. The family home was established on a donation claim in Linn
county and George W. Miller also took up a claim near Albany, where
the parents settled. He served in the Indian wars of 1855 and in 1860
he came to Washington, taking up a homestead where the city of Dayton
now stands. Later he sold that property and removed to Garfield county.
His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah E. Ping, crossed the plains
with her parents in 1852, the Ping family settling in Linn county,
Oregon.
[Illustration: CHESTER F. MILLER]
Judge Chester Franklin Miller was an infant of but six months when his
parents arrived at what is now Dayton. He acquired his early education
in the district school, being a pupil in the little old schoolhouse
on the hill, and he attributes much of his later success in life to
the thoroughness of his instruction at that period, his teacher being
the Hon. Oliver C. White, who was then a country school teacher.
Subsequently Judge Miller attended a private school in Dayton for two
years and there prepared for college under the preceptorship of the
Hon. J. E. Edmiston, who was at that time one of the instructors in
the Dayton College. Mr. Edmiston and Judge Miller were afterward law
partners, their association being maintained for nine years. In 1878
Judge Miller entered the Willamette University at Salem, Oregon, where
he continued his studies for a year and still later became a student in
the Oregon State University, from which he was graduated with honors
in the class of 1882. Three years later his alma mater conferred upon
him the degree of Master of Arts. Following his graduation he returned
to Dayton and while acting as deputy clerk of the district court he
read law under the direction of Colonel Wyatt A. George, the nestor of
the Columbia county bar, who was known as "Old Equity" by his fellow
practitioners.
In 1886 Judge Miller was admitted to the bar by Judge Langford on the
recommendation of T. J. Anders, D. J. Crowley and R. F. Sturdevant,
his examining committee, and soon afterward entered the office of M.
A. Baker and commenced the practice of law. In 1889 he formed a law
partnership with the Hon. J. E. Edmiston, which continued until the
close of the year 1890, when Mr. Edmiston was elected prosecuting
attorney. Judge Miller and his brother-in-law, Charles R. Dorr, then
became partners and in 1892, upon the death of Mr. Dorr, Judge Miller
again entered into partnership relations with Mr. Edmiston, with whom
he continued to practice until the latter's death in 1900. No dreary
novitiate awaited Judge Miller. Almost from the onset he was accorded
a liberal practice which constantly grew in volume and importance as
the years went on. He won for himself very favorable criticism for the
careful and systematic methods which he followed. He has remarkable
powers of concentration and application and his retentive mind has
often excited the surprise of his professional colleagues. As an orator
he ranks high, especially in the discussion of legal matters before the
court, where his comprehensive knowledge of the law is manifest and
his application of legal principles demonstrates the wide range of his
professional acquirements. It was but natural that the ability which
he displayed in his profession should win for him the recognition that
demanded his service in public office. In 1893 he was elected mayor of
Dayton and he served at different periods as city attorney and clerk of
the city of Dayton. In 1900 he was elected to the office of superior
judge and was reelected to that position in 1904 by a greatly increased
majority. Reelection has since continued him upon the bench of the
superior court, where he has displayed a masterful grasp of every
problem presented for solution. Moreover, his decisions indicate strong
mentality, careful analysis, a thorough knowledge of the law and an
unbiased judgment.
On the 24th of May, 1888, Judge Miller was united in marriage to
Miss Nettie Dorr, a daughter of Dr. J. C. and Ellen R. Dorr, who
were among the earliest settlers of California, and in 1879 came to
Columbia county, Washington. The father was a member of the California
Legislature of 1864 and later became recognized as one of the
prominent and distinguished citizens of this state. Judge and Mrs.
Miller are the parents of six daughters, namely: Haidee, Sarah, Hilda,
Conchita, Luneta and Alice.
There is an interesting military chapter in the life record of Judge
Miller, who was captain of Company F of the First Washington Volunteer
Infantry during the Spanish-American war, being mustered into the
United States service with his company on the 11th of May, 1898. He
sailed with his regiment for the Philippines in October of that year
and there acquitted himself with credit until incapacitated by illness,
when he was sent home and on the 12th of May, 1899, was honorably
discharged from the service. Judge Miller is a past commander of Dayton
Lodge, No. 3, K. P.; a past master of Dayton Lodge, No. 53, F. & A. M.;
a past high priest of Dayton Chapter, No. 5, R. A. M.; a past grand of
Patit Lodge, No. 10, I. O. O. F.; a past chief patriarch of Franklin
Encampment, No. 13, I. O. O. F.; and past grand master of the grand
lodge of Odd Fellows of the state of Washington. He also has membership
with the Woodmen, the Workmen, the Eastern Star, the Rebekahs and the
Rathbone Sisters. Such in brief is the record of Judge Miller, one of
the oldest of the pioneer settlers of Columbia county who can claim to
be a native son, one of the most progressive citizens and one of the
most eminent jurists of southeastern Washington. His name is written
high on the roll of honor in Columbia county and his seventeen years'
service on the bench indicates that he possesses the broad-mindedness
which not only comprehends the details of a situation quickly but
also which insures a complete self-control under even the most
exasperating conditions. He has made a splendid record in the discharge
of his multitudinous, often delicate, duties and is spoken of by his
colleagues and contemporaries as a man of well rounded character,
finely balanced mind and of splendid intellectual attainments.
CLARK WALTER.
In this day of international warfare one is apt to think back over
the history of the country to see what is the American record in
times of strife. History presents many tales of heroism, showing that
the American character is one that measures up to full standards
of loyalty, of duty and of courage. Among those who fought for the
preservation of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war was
Clark Walter, who is now a retired farmer residing in Walla Walla.
Mr. Walter was born near South Bend, Indiana, on the 7th of April,
1841, a son of Lucius and Adaline (Fellows) Walter, the former a
native of the state of New York, while the latter was probably born in
Connecticut. They were married in the Empire state and became parents
of two children there before they removed to Michigan about 1839 or
1840. The mother's people had preceded them to that state but after a
brief period passed in Michigan, Mr. and Mrs. Walter went to Indiana,
establishing their home near Notre Dame. At a later period, however,
they returned to Michigan, where the death of the mother occurred in
1853. The father afterward married Miss Anna Dopp and continued to
reside in Michigan until called to the home beyond.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. CLARK WALTER]
Clark Walter was reared in that state and pursued a common school
education there. He was twenty years of age when in April, 1861,
he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting for three
months as a member of the Second Michigan Infantry. It was soon seen,
however, that the war was to be no mere holiday affair and he offered
his services for three years, joining the army on the 30th of July,
1861, in response to the call for three years' men. He was mustered
in as a member of Company A, Sixth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and
at Baltimore, Maryland, was assigned to General Dixie's command. The
army remained in Baltimore until February, 1862, when they were sent to
Fort Monroe and afterward to Ship Island in the Gulf of Mexico for the
attack on New Orleans. After General Farragut's capture of New Orleans
they went on transports up the river to Vicksburg and later returned to
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On the 14th of October, 1862, Mr. Walter was
honorably discharged from the service on account of disability. He had
participated in a number of important engagements and at all times had
proven his marked loyalty to the cause which he espoused.
After receiving an honorable discharge Mr. Walter returned to Michigan
and in 1864 he crossed the plains to California, making the trip
for the benefit of his health, which was still impaired because of
the rigors of his military service. In the fall of 1865 he returned
eastward as far as Minnesota, taking up his abode in Dakota county.
He afterward removed to Sibley county, that state. He had married in
Michigan in 1864, prior to crossing the plains, and with his family
he continued his residence in Minnesota until 1877, when he once
more crossed the plains, this time accompanied by his wife and three
children. Arriving in Oregon, he settled near Athena in Umatilla
county, where he purchased a quarter section of railroad land and
began farming. He had used his homestead right in Minnesota, but the
grasshopper scourge which continued for four years in that state
caused him to lose all that he had, so that he came to Oregon with
but very little money. He acquired two hundred and forty acres in his
home place, on which he resided until 1898, when he removed to Walla
Walla in order to give his children the advantages offered by the city
schools. He has here since made his home and is one of the valued and
respected residents.
On the 7th of March, 1864, Mr. Walter was united in marriage to Miss
Hannah B. Kinsey, and they became the parents of eight children, six
of whom still survive, namely: Mabel L., who is the wife of Dr. J. A.
Moffitt, of Sacramento, California; Charles A., who follows farming
in Walla Walla county; Edith, who is a Sister of St. Francis in the
convent at Pendleton and is a painter and musician of ability, teaching
both arts at the convent; John C., who operates a farm of his own and
also his father's place in Umatilla county, Oregon; Francis H., who is
a resident of Pierce county, Washington; and Gertrude, who is the wife
of Elmer T. Matheny, of Walla Walla.
Mrs. Walter is descended from Revolutionary stock, her maternal
great-grandfather having served for seven years in the war for
independence. His sister, Deborah Sampson, also served as a common
soldier in that war, being disguised as a man and known by the name
of Robert Shurtliff. She carried a gun and participated in numerous
battles, being twice wounded, once through the arm and later through
the breast. She recovered and subsequently married. She was received
by General Washington, who conferred honors upon her, and she was one
of the few women given a life pension by our government. Mrs. Walter's
grandfather Sampson was a soldier of the War of 1812.
In his political views Mr. Walter is a stalwart democrat, and while
never an aspirant for public office, he has repeatedly been honored
in local affairs. He was elected to the board of county commissioners
of Sibley county, Minnesota. He served as justice of the peace, as
town clerk and as assessor in Sibley county and after his removal
to the west was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board of county
commissioners of Umatilla county, Oregon, and was twice thereafter
regularly elected thereto, serving for six years. He was a member of
the board and one of the leading factors in the building of the new
one hundred thousand dollar courthouse of Umatilla county. He served
continuously as a member of the school board almost from the time
of his arrival in Umatilla county until his removal to Walla Walla.
Fraternally Mr. Walter is connected with Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13,
F. & A. M., with A. Lincoln Post, No. 4, G. A. R., and is most loyal
to the teachings and purposes of these organizations. Through his
connection with the latter he maintains pleasant associations with
his old army comrades and proudly wears the little bronze button that
proclaims him as one of the "boys in blue." There is in his life record
nothing spectacular but his career is one that places him with the
substantial citizens of the northwest--men who have consistently done
their duty year by year and in the legitimate advancement of their
own fortunes have contributed to the upbuilding and prosperity of the
district in which they live.
CHARLES COYLE.
Charles Coyle is a partner in the firm of Coyle Brothers, well known
dairy farmers of Walla Walla county. His home is on section 27,
township 7 north, range 35 east. He was born in Oregon, September
14, 1865, and is a son of James Coyle, who is mentioned elsewhere in
this work in connection with the sketch of Byrd Coyle. He came to
Walla Walla county when but a year old, the parents removing with
their family to this state. He has since lived upon the farm which
he now occupies and which is therefore endeared to him through the
associations of boyhood as well as those of later years. He acquired
a common school education and when not busy with his textbooks his
attention was given to the work of the fields, for he was early trained
to the tasks of plowing, planting and harvesting. He remained at home
until he attained his majority, since which time he and his brothers
have carried on farming together and have long made a specialty of
dairying. In this business they are very successful and for that
purpose they keep a large herd of fine cattle. Everything about their
dairy is in excellent condition. Their arrangements are of the most
sanitary and the products of their dairy find a ready sale on the
market.
In 1911 Mr. Coyle was married to Miss Lela Truitt, a native of
Missouri, who in 1909 became a resident of Walla Walla, where her
parents are still living. To Mr. and Mrs. Coyle have been born three
children, Inez M., C. Bruce and Maxine. The parents are members of
the Christian church and in politics Mr. Coyle is a democrat. He has
served as school director and as school clerk in his district and
is interested in all that tends to promote educational progress. In
fact he stands for advancement and improvement along all lines and is
acknowledged a man of worth, highly esteemed wherever known and most of
all where he is best known.
CLYDE H. BROWN.
Farming interests of Walla Walla county find a worthy representative in
Clyde H. Brown, who is living on section 4, township 9 north, range 36
east. He was born in Waitsburg, this county, on the 18th of June, 1877,
a son of Albert N. and Justina (Kent) Brown. The father was a native
of Iowa and the mother of Illinois, but they were married in Kansas,
where they had lived for some years, each removing to that state with
their parents. In 1876 they came to the Pacific coast, making their
way westward by train to San Francisco and thence by boat to Portland.
The following fall and winter were spent in the Willamette valley
and in the spring of 1877 they came by wagon and team to Walla Walla
county, Washington, taking up their abode upon a homestead claim two
miles north of Waitsburg. The father proved up on this property and
there resided for five years. He afterward removed to a small place
one mile west of Waitsburg, upon which he also spent five years. At
the expiration of that period he sold the property and purchased the
Bolles Junction ranch of four hundred and twenty acres half way between
Waitsburg and Prescott. Upon that place he lived for thirteen years and
then disposed of the property and purchased the farm upon which his
son Clyde H. now resides, adjoining the city limits of Prescott. Here
he owned nine hundred acres of land which he continued to cultivate
and improve up to the time of his death in January, 1911. His widow is
still living and makes her home with her son Clyde.
A western man by birth, training and preference, Clyde H. Brown
displays in his life the spirit of enterprise and progress which have
ever been a dominant factor in the upbuilding of this section of the
country. He was educated in the Bolles Junction school and in the
Waitsburg public schools and was early trained to the work of the farm,
assisting in the tasks of plowing, planting and harvesting from early
boyhood. On account of his father's ill health the management of the
farm devolved upon him when he was yet a young man and he has since
continued in control, carefully and wisely directing the development
and further improvement of the place. He has brought the fields under
a high state of cultivation and upon the farm there are substantial
buildings which indicate the care and supervision of the owner. He
seems to lose sight of nothing that should be accomplished in the work
of further developing his place and his labors have brought substantial
results.
On the 15th of September, 1899, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to
Miss Ethel Miller, of Bolles Junction, and to them have been born two
sons and a daughter, Myrle, Duane and Iris.
In his political views Mr. Brown is a stalwart republican. He belongs
to Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M.; Walla Walla Chapter, No. 1,
R. A. M.; Washington Commandery, K. T., of Walla Walla; and El Katif
Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Spokane. He also has membership with
Prescott Lodge, No. 46, I. O. O. F., and he and his wife are members
of Waitsburg Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Brown is
also connected with the Methodist Episcopal church. They are widely
and favorably known in their part of Walla Walla county and have an
extensive circle of warm friends who esteem them highly. Their social
qualities, their loyalty in citizenship and their devotion to the best
interests of the community insure for them an enviable position in the
public regard.
ANDY TAYLOR.
Andy Taylor, one of the extensive wheat growers of Walla Walla county,
within the borders of which he has resided for the past three decades,
makes his home in the city of Walla Walla. For some years he engaged
in the cultivation of seven hundred and ninety-seven acres of land
nine miles north of Prescott and also operates a tract of two thousand
acres under lease. His birth occurred in Greene county, Tennessee, on
the 15th of July, 1857, his parents being William and Susan (Carey)
Taylor, who were also natives of that state. In 1889, one year after
the arrival of their son Andy, they made their way to the Pacific coast
country and for a time resided in Oregon. Subsequently, however, they
took up their abode in Walla Walla and here spent the remainder of
their lives.
Andy Taylor spent the first nineteen years of his life in the state of
his nativity and about 1876 removed to Petersburg, Illinois, where he
was actively engaged in general agricultural pursuits for more than a
decade. It was in 1887 that he came to Walla Walla county, Washington,
and here he was employed as a ranch hand for a period of five years. At
the end of that time, in 1893, he took up a homestead ten miles north
of Walla Walla, residing thereon for five years or until he established
the family home in the city of Walla Walla, where it has since been
maintained. In the fall of 1917 he disposed of his tract north of
Prescott. The prosperity which he now enjoys is indeed well merited,
for he has ever manifested industry, enterprise and keen discrimination
and in the management of his extensive interests has been notably
practical, persistent and progressive.
[Illustration: ANDY TAYLOR]
[Illustration: MRS. ANDY TAYLOR]
In 1884 Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Mollie C. Ragsdill,
of Menard county, Illinois, by whom he has two sons: Lowell Oakley, a
successful agriculturist of Walla Walla county; and Brooks Andy, who
engages in wheat growing with his father. Although a grandmother Mrs.
Taylor is now a student at St. Paul's School, where she expects to
complete the school work begun in her girlhood, having a great desire
for a higher education than she could obtain at that time. This is very
unusual for a woman past fifty years of age but shows her strength of
character and perseverance. Mr. Taylor gives his political allegiance
to the republican party, which he has supported since age conferred
upon him the right of franchise. Fraternally he is identified with
the following organizations: Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A.
M.; Walla Walla Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M.; Enterprise Lodge, No. 2,
I. O. O. F.; Walla Walla Encampment, No. 3, I. O. O. F.; and Walla
Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E. Mr. Taylor and his two sons are all
thirty-second degree Masons as well as members of the Odd Fellows lodge
and encampment, while his wife and sons are identified with the Order
of the Eastern Star, and Mrs. Taylor is a member of the Daughters of
Rebekahs. Mr. Taylor is also a member of the Farmers Union and is
widely and favorably known in Walla Walla county, where he has won
friends and fortune.
ALBERT R. MATTOON.
Albert R. Mattoon is a representative farmer of Walla Walla county who
deserves mention among the self-made men. He had no assistance when he
started out in the business world but early realized that energy and
effort will bring substantial results and by reason of his unfaltering
diligence he has gained a place among the leading farmers of his
section of the county. He was born in Oregon, July 12, 1853, and is the
only child of Aruna and Eliza A. (Trullinger) Mattoon. The father was a
native of the state of New York, while the mother was born in Indiana.
It was in 1847 that they crossed the plains, making the journey with ox
teams and taking up their abode near Oregon City, Oregon. Mr. Mattoon
secured a donation claim, upon which not a furrow had been turned nor
an improvement made, and there he built a log cabin. The family lived
in true pioneer style, for the work of progress and development had
scarcely been begun in that region. The Indians far outnumbered the
white settlers; the forests stood in their primeval strength; the
streams were unbridged and the land uncultivated. Only here and there
had some venturesome spirit penetrated into the wildernesses of the
west in order to found a home and engage in business. Mr. Mattoon began
the development of his farm and continued his residence in Oregon until
his demise, but his widow afterward removed to Washington and spent her
last days in Walla Walla county.
Albert R. Mattoon was reared and educated in Oregon and remained a
resident of that state until 1878, when, at the age of twenty-five
years he came to Washington and has since made his home in Walla Walla
county save for a brief period. After taking up his abode in the city
of Walla Walla he was there engaged in the implement business for
fifteen years, ranking with its leading and representative merchants.
He then sold his store and returned to Oregon, going first to Riddle,
where he engaged in merchandising for seven years. He then disposed of
his store at that place and removed to Portland, where he engaged in
the real estate business until 1913, when he returned to Walla Walla.
He then took up his abode upon the farm on which he now resides, having
sixty acres of land on which is raised corn, hay, wheat and garden
produce. At the present time, however, he rents most of his land and is
now practically living retired.
On the 7th of November, 1880, Mr. Mattoon was married to Mrs. Nancy
Jane Knight, a native of Missouri, and to them have been born two sons:
Arthur R., who is now living in Portland, Oregon; and Fred V., who is
successfully engaged in the hotel business at Wenatchee, Washington.
By her first marriage Mrs. Mattoon has one son, P. B. Knight, who
resides in Walla Walla. She is a daughter of William Bartlett and Mary
(Weaver) Braden, natives of Kentucky and North Carolina respectively.
They were married, however, in Tennessee, and from that state removed
to Illinois about 1838. Ten years later they went to Missouri, where
Mr. Braden died in 1866. In 1870 Mrs. Braden came with her daughter to
Walla Walla county, Washington; and here she passed away at the home of
Mrs. Mattoon in 1887. She was the mother of twelve children, but only
three now survive. In 1873 her daughter, Nancy Jane, became the wife of
William C. Knight, who died about a year later.
In his political views Mr. Mattoon has always been a stalwart
republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and
he represented Douglas county, Oregon, for two years in the state
legislature, during which period he was instrumental by his vote in
electing John H. Mitchell to the office of United States senator. For
some years he served on the school board and the cause of education
has ever found in him a stalwart supporter. He also belongs to the Odd
Fellows lodge at Roseburg, Oregon, and his life is an exemplification
of its teachings concerning the brotherhood of man and the obligations
thereby imposed. In all of his business career he has shown ready
adaptability and resourcefulness, combined with energy and enterprise,
and whatever he has undertaken he has carried forward to successful
completion. The record which he has made is a very creditable one and
his life history shows that success and an honored name may be won
simultaneously.
HORACE G. HART.
Horace G. Hart is spoken of by friends and neighbors as a man of high
purpose that has found expression in his daily conduct. He is now
engaged in general farming on section 3, township 9 north, range 36
east, in Walla Walla county. He was born in Macon county, Missouri,
on the 7th of September, 1858, a son of Horace and Margaret E.
(Mercer) Hart. The father was a native of Connecticut and the mother
of Kentucky. The former first crossed the plains in 1846, making his
way to Spalding's mission at Lapwai, Idaho, Mr. Spalding's first wife
having been his sister. In the fall of 1848, when gold was first
discovered in California, he went to that state and subsequently he
crossed the continent four times, twice by way of the Isthmus route
and once around the Horn. He was married on the 22d of November, 1855,
and in 1864 he brought his family across the plains, making his way to
the Touchet valley, where he established his home about twenty miles
north of Walla Walla. There he became actively identified with farming
and stock raising and acquired two hundred and forty acres of land,
upon which he spent his remaining days, passing away September 1, 1892,
when in his eightieth year. His experiences were broad and varied,
acquainting him with all phases of mining life and with all phases of
pioneer life in the far west. On the 29th of May, 1893, his wife passed
away when sixty-nine years of age.
Horace G. Hart was reared under the parental roof upon the western
frontier, having been but six years of age when the family came to
Washington. His education was acquired in the district schools and as
early as his eighteenth year he began farming on his own account,
operating his father's farm, which he continued to manage until after
his father's death. In the meantime, on attaining his majority, he
filed on a homestead adjoining his father's place and continued its
cultivation in connection with the further development of the old
homestead. Following his father's demise he came into possession of
the farm on which he still resides, but has sold much of the land,
retaining one hundred acres as a home. His career has been that of
a very busy man. He has closely applied himself to the care and
management of his property interests and he has long ranked with the
leading and representative agriculturists of his section of the state.
On the 28th of March, 1881, Mr. Hart was united in marriage to Miss
Ollie L. McKinzie, of Walla Walla, a daughter of Isaac McKinzie, one
of the early settlers of the county. To this union have been born
ten children: Myrtle A., the wife of Daniel Callahan, a farmer of
this county; Carl E., of Waitsburg, Washington; Ralph H., a farmer of
Walla Walla county; Lulu P., the wife of Arthur Coe, a farmer residing
at Milton, Oregon; Mabel, the wife of Herbert E. Carr, of Prescott;
Dorsey, a resident of Detroit, Michigan; and Mary, Lester, Loverne and
Horace, Jr., all at home.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Hart has given stalwart allegiance to
the republican party but has never been an aspirant for public office.
He, however, allowed his name to be used on the prohibition ticket
for the office of county commissioner. He has always been a staunch
advocate of temperance and does everything in his power to advance the
cause. He belongs to Prescott Lodge, No. 46, I. O. O. F., and to the
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He and his wife are members of the
Federated church at Prescott and his aid can always be counted upon to
further any movement that tends to uplift the individual or advance the
best interests of the community. His standards of life are high and
those who know him have come to recognize the fact that his word is as
good as his bond.
ALEXANDER PRICE.
Alexander Price was a most prominent and progressive farmer of Columbia
county for many years and in his death the community lost one of its
valued citizens. He was born in Missouri, November 3, 1847, a son of
Joseph S. and Sarah (Williams) Price, the former a native of Kentucky,
while the latter was born in Indiana.
Alexander Price was reared and educated in Missouri and was a youth
of seventeen years when he crossed the plains, traveling with ox team
and wagon after the primitive methods of the period. There were no
railroads across the country at that time and with the slow-plodding
oxen only a few miles could be covered every day. Thus the trip
lengthened out over weeks and months but eventually they reached their
destination and Mr. Price became a resident of Yamhill county, Oregon.
There he secured employment as a farm hand, remaining in that state
until the fall of 1870, when he came to Walla Walla county and took up
a homestead nine miles southwest of Dayton. Upon that farm he lived
for seven years and his labors wrought a marked transformation in the
appearance of the place. His widow still owns that property, which has
now become very valuable.
In 1873 Mr. Price was united in marriage to Miss Clarinda J. Anderson,
a native of Missouri and a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Power)
Anderson, who were natives of Indiana. They removed from that state to
Missouri, where the father died in the year 1850. The mother afterward
crossed the plains with her family in 1865, spending her last days in
Washington. To Mr. and Mrs. Price were born seven children: George F.;
Martha, at home; Celestia, the wife of James J. Edwards; Susan M.;
Alice L., who has passed away; Homer E.; and Joseph W.
The death of the husband and father occurred in 1906 and he was laid
to rest in Dayton cemetery, leaving a widow and six children to
mourn his loss. He had been devoted to their welfare and by reason
of his capable business management and wise investments, combined
with indefatigable energy and industry, he was able to leave his
family in very comfortable financial circumstances. Mrs. Price and
her children now own more than five thousand acres of valuable wheat
land in Columbia county, all of which is improved, and she also has an
attractive residence in the city of Dayton, where she is able to enjoy
all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. She belongs to the
Congregational church and takes an active interest in its work. In
fact, she is ever ready to endorse those plans and measures which tend
to uplift the individual or uphold the betterment of the community at
large. For many years the Price family has lived in this section of the
state, coming here long before Washington was admitted to the Union,
and they are prominent not only as pioneers but in those social circles
where true worth and intelligence are accepted as the passports into
good society.
HON. WILLIAM FARRISH.
In the front ranks of the columns which have advanced the civilization
of Washington, Hon. William Farrish has led the way to the substantial
development, progress and upbuilding of Asotin county, being
particularly active in the growth and progress of the district in
which he still makes his home. His memory goes back to the time when
the entire Pacific coast was but sparsely settled, when much of the
land had not been reclaimed for purposes of civilization but remained
in the primitive condition in which it came from the hand of nature.
He has lived in the same house in three different counties owing
to the division of the old county necessitating change of name and
installation of new county governments. He has seen the forests cut,
the streams bridged and the work of development carried forward and at
all times has borne his part in the general advancement and improvement
which has brought Asotin county to its present condition. He was born
in Richibucto, province of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, August 9, 1835,
a son of William and Catherine (Smith) Farrish, who were natives of
Scotland. The father was a lumberman and thus provided for his family.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM FARRISH]
Hon. William Farrish was the second in order of birth in a family of
three sons and three daughters, of whom only three are now living. He
acquired his early education in the paid schools of New Brunswick,
which he attended for about three years. He left home in 1853, when
eighteen years of age, and made his way to Wisconsin, settling in Grand
Rapids, that state, after which he worked in the lumber camps, cutting
logs and sawing lumber, which was then rafted down the Mississippi
and sold. Part of the time he worked for others and during a part of
the time engaged in business there on his own account. He continued
a resident of Wisconsin until 1878, when he removed to the west,
traveling by rail to San Francisco and thence by boat up the coast and
up the Columbia river until he took up his abode in Columbia county,
Washington, establishing his home in that section which is now Asotin
county. He made his way by stage from Walla Walla to Dayton and on to
Pomeroy and to Columbia Center, where his wife's people lived. From
that point he came to Asotin, where he embarked in the lumber business
in connection with his father-in-law, T. G. Bean. They were thus
associated in business for twenty years, on the expiration of which
period Mr. Farrish purchased his partner's interest and conducted the
business alone. He came to Washington territory in the spring of 1878,
when there were a number of Indian uprisings occurring in various
sections. There were only about twenty families living in the Anatone
country at that time and there was great fear among them because of
the possibility of an outbreak of Indian hostility at any time. Some
of the men began to build a stockade in the hills and Mr. Farrish sent
two of his men to help them cut logs and build the stockade, into
which all of the families were taken. The Indians, however, did not
attack them although the people were expecting an attack daily. The
association which existed between Mr. Bean and Mr. Farrish was ever
most harmonious and their business affairs were carefully, wisely and
successfully conducted. They would haul the lumber from the mountains
by team and then raft the lumber down the Snake river. They furnished
the lumber for the famous Truax interests, used for the building
of the big warehouses, and also the lumber for the Columbia county
plank road. They had a lumberyard at Ilia, in Columbia county, now
Garfield, as well as at Asotin, and sold lumber throughout old Walla
Walla county. They sold the lumber for the old grist mill at Almota,
the frame of which is still standing although it was erected in 1878.
After coming to Washington, Mr. Farrish lived in the timber for about
five years. Later he removed his home on the ranch, where he remained
for about fifteen years, when his residence was destroyed by fire. He
then took up his abode in the town, where he had another home that
had been erected several years before. He has always been actively
identified with the lumber interests during the period of his residence
in Washington and has done much to develop the lumber resources of this
section of the country and has thus added materially to the wealth,
development and progress of the state. He owns a ranch of eight hundred
acres, half of which is under cultivation and is now being managed by
his son, Harry H.
Mr. Farrish was united in marriage to Miss Content V. Bean, who was
born April 14, 1847, in Union county, Wisconsin, a daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. T. G. Bean, who were pioneers of Washington. On removing
westward from Wisconsin they settled for a time on the Walla Walla
river, where the father conducted a shingle mill. The marriage of Mr,
and Mrs. Farrish was celebrated in Plover, Wisconsin, on the 31st of
March, 1869, and to them were born seven children: William Thomas,
born in Port Edwards, Wisconsin, February 14, 1870, and now a resident
of Walla Walla, married Georgia Bradley and to them were born four
children. Frank A., born in Port Edwards, Wisconsin, December 16,
1873, is now a resident of Anatone and operates the sawmill there. He
married Nellie Smelcer and to them were born three children who are
living and one who died in infancy. Harry H., born in Port Edwards,
Wisconsin, April 16, 1876, and now ably conducting the home ranch,
married Carrie Evans and they have two children: Gervais, who died in
infancy; and Colin. The younger children of this family were all born
in the same house although in different counties, owing to the various
divisions which were made in the counties at that period. Arthur,
who was born in Columbia county July 7, 1878, is now conducting his
father's interests in the lumber business and lives at home. Grace was
born in Columbia county June 25, 1880, and is the wife of George N.
Ausman, a prominent rancher of Asotin county and a son of one of the
early and honored pioneer settlers mentioned elsewhere in this work.
They have six children. Robert Bruce was born July 14, 1883, and now
occupies a homestead ten miles from the town of Asotin, in Asotin
county. He married Maud Trent and they have become the parents of two
daughters. Edith, born August 8, 1886, in Asotin county, is the wife
of E. R. Downen, who served two terms as county treasurer and is now
county assessor, and they have two sons. The wife and mother passed
away in Asotin, November 14, 1906, and her death was the occasion of
deep and widespread regret, for she had endeared herself to many with
whom she had been brought into contact. She was a consistent member of
the Methodist church, to which Mr. Farrish also belongs.
In politics he is a staunch republican and represented his district
in the state legislature in the first, second and third sessions
after Washington was admitted to the Union. He was made a Mason in
Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, in 1852 and holds membership in the Royal
Arch Chapter in Lewiston. He is the only living charter member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Anatone.
FREDERICK J. FLEISCHER.
Frederick J. Fleischer occupies a central place on the stage of
business and political activity in Prescott. Important public and
private interests have been controlled by him to the benefit of the
public and he well deserves the position of leadership which is
accorded him. He is vice president and the cashier of the First State
Bank of Prescott and is now serving as mayor of the city. He was born
in Madison, Wisconsin, on the 16th of May, 1871, and is a son of John
A. and Elizabeth (Miller) Fleischer. His paternal grandfather, Knute
J. Fleischer, was of German descent on his father's side, although of
Norwegian birth, and he came to the United States as Norwegian consul.
John A. Fleischer, father of Frederick J. Fleischer, was born in 1846
and was but five years of age when brought by his parents to the new
world, so that he was reared in Madison, Wisconsin, where the family
home was established. He was a youth of seventeen when, in response
to the call of the country for troops to service in the Civil war, he
enlisted in a Wisconsin regiment and through the following two years
rose to the rank of second lieutenant. The war having ended, he was
then honorably discharged and returned to Madison, Wisconsin, where he
was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Miller, a native of that city,
the wedding being there celebrated in 1868. They began their domestic
life in Madison, where they continued to reside until 1872, and then
removed to Pelican Rapids, in Otter Tail county, Minnesota, where the
father secured a homestead and engaged in farming for thirty-four
years, being thus ranked for more than a third of a century with the
representative and honored residents of that part of that state. In
1906 he came west and settled first in Lewiston, Idaho, where he
remained for five years, and after a year or more spent in Seattle
and in Portland he came to Prescott, Washington, where he has since
resided. He is now living retired, enjoying the fruits of his former
toil, for his years of indefatigable industry and perseverance have
brought to him a substantial competence that enables him to rest from
further labor.
Frederick J. Fleischer, whose name introduces this review, was reared
upon the home farm in Ottertail county, Minnesota, with the usual
experiences of the farmbred boy. He supplemented his public school
training by a business course received in Dixon, Illinois, and until
his twenty-seventh year remained upon the home farm, assisting his
father in its cultivation through the summer months, while in the
winter seasons he engaged in teaching. In 1898 he accepted a position
as bookkeeper in the J. P. Wallace State Bank of Pelican Rapids and
three years later he became one of the stockholders in the bank and was
made a member of its board of directors. He was also elected cashier
of the bank, in which position he continued to serve until 1906, when
he sold his interest in that institution and came to the west with his
father, making his way to Lewiston, Idaho. On the 1st of January, 1907,
he went to Moscow, Idaho, to accept the cashiership of the Moscow State
Bank. During the following year the bank changed hands and in January,
1908, Mr. Fleischer went to Spokane, Washington, where he resided
until the 1st of August of that year, when he came to Prescott. On the
1st of January following he purchased stock in the First State Bank
and assumed the cashiership. This bank had passed through some severe
financial reverses and the task of rebuilding it devolved upon Mr.
Fleischer. How well this task has been performed is told in the present
condition of the bank's affairs. When he took charge the deposits
amounted to about thirty thousand dollars. Today and for several years
past the deposits have averaged about one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars and the affairs of the bank are in splendid condition in every
way. Mr. Fleischer brought to his work long experience, keen sagacity
and notably sound discrimination and his close application and careful
management have brought most satisfactory results.
On the 26th of June, 1901, Mr. Fleischer was united in marriage to Miss
Charlotte G. Hicks, of Milnor, North Dakota, and to them have been four
children, of whom three are living, Ernestine Lois, Frederick J. and
Hugh Warren.
Mr. Fleischer is a republican but not a narrow partisan. On the
contrary he is a man of broad and liberal views, but is unfaltering
in his allegiance to a principle in which he firmly believes. He has
served as a delegate to the republican state conventions of Minnesota
on two different occasions and he was city treasurer of Pelican Rapids
for a number of years. Since coming to Prescott he has also been
called upon to fill positions of public honor and trust by his fellow
citizens, who recognized his splendid ability as a business man and
desired that the city might benefit by that ability. He was made a
member of the city council, in which he served for a number of years,
and for two years he has been mayor of Prescott. His administration
is businesslike and progressive. It has resulted in bringing about
various improvements and while he avoids all useless expenditure he
also equally avoids that retrenchment which blocks public progress. In
a word his sound judgment discriminates between the essential and the
non-essential in regard to municipal affairs just as surely as it does
in relation to the interests of the bank, which has grown so steadily
under his direction.
Mr. Fleischer is well known in Masonic circles, holding membership in
Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M.; Walla Walla Chapter, No. 1, R.
A. M.; and Washington Commandery, No. 1, K. T. He is also identified
with El Katif Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Spokane, and he belongs to
Whetstone Lodge, No. 157, K. P., of Prescott, in which latter he has
held all the chairs. He and his wife are members of the Order of the
Eastern Star at Waitsburg and both are actively identified with the
Federated church of Prescott, taking an active and helpful interest
in all that pertains to the improvement and upbuilding of their city
along material, intellectual, social and moral lines. Without invidious
distinction Mr. Fleischer may well be termed one of the foremost men of
Prescott, loyal to every interest of general benefit, while his course
in private affairs marks him as a man of high honor.
JOSEPHUS M. MOORE.
Josephus M. Moore came to Walla Walla county in 1870 and during the
many years of his residence here became widely and favorably known. He
was born in Rock Island, Illinois, September 17, 1838, a son of Amos L.
and Mary Moore, both of whom were natives of Ohio, whence they removed
to Illinois when the Prairie state was still but thinly settled. Still
later they removed to a new frontier, coming to Walla Walla county,
Washington in 1868, and here both passed away. To them were born five
children.
Josephus M. Moore received his education in the public schools of
Illinois and remained with his parents during his boyhood and youth.
He continued to reside in the middle west until 1870, when he decided
to try his fortune in the Pacific coast country, concerning which he
had heard excellent reports. He arrived in Old Walla Walla county,
Washington, in July, 1870, and turned his attention to farming in
what is now Garfield county. This occupation claimed his time and
energies throughout his remaining days. He was energetic and resolute
and overcame all obstacles that lay between him and success, gaining a
substantial competence.
Mr. Moore was married in Ohio to Miss Louisa Prescott, by whom he
had one daughter, Mary, now the wife of Walter Preston, of Portland,
Oregon. On coming to Washington Mr. Moore was accompanied by his wife
and daughter, and Mrs. Moore died here some years later. In 1894 Mr.
Moore was again married, his second union being with Miss Eva Abbott,
a native of Ohio. Her parents, S. J. and Chloe (Russell) Abbott, were
born respectively in Vermont and Ohio, but in 1862 made the long
journey across the great plains to California, where they remained
until 1880. In that year they came to Walla Walla county, Washington,
and both are still living here, the father at the age of eighty-three
years and the mother at the age of eighty. Both are still keen of
mind and active of body and they are one of the most highly esteemed
couples in the county. Four of the seven children born to them survive.
To Mr. and Mrs. Moore was born a son, Amos A., who was graduated from
the military academy at Staunton, Virginia; later was a student in the
State University of Washington, at Seattle, and is now a student at
Walla Walla Business College.
[Illustration: JOSEPHUS M. MOORE]
[Illustration: MRS. JOSEPHUS M. MOORE]
Mr. Moore was a stanch advocate of republican principles and served
with much satisfaction to his constituents in a number of local
offices. The principles of conduct which guided his life were found
in the teachings of the Masonic order, to which he belonged. His
death occurred September 24, 1901, and he was buried in Mountain View
cemetery. He was a man of many admirable traits and those who knew him
well still cherish his memory. Mrs. Moore makes her home in the city of
Walla Walla, where she owns a fine residence situated on five acres of
ground.
ROBERT O. SANDERS.
Robert O. Sanders is living retired in Waitsburg, although for a long
period he was actively identified with farming interests in Walla Walla
County, and his capable management of his business affairs brought to
him the measure of success which he is now enjoying. He was born in
Jefferson county, Illinois, October 8, 1852, and is a son of Jacob and
Mary (Breeze) Sanders. The father was a native of Indiana, while the
mother's birth occurred in Illinois, where for many years they resided
and where both passed away. In their family were seven children, four
of whom are yet living.
Robert O. Sanders spent the period of his boyhood and youth upon the
home farm in Illinois with the usual experiences that fall to the lot
of the lad who divides his time between the duties of the schoolroom,
the pleasures of the playground and the work of the fields. When he was
sixteen years of age his father died and he continued to assist his
mother until he attained his majority, when he began farming on his
own account. In 1888 he removed to Walla Walla, since which time he
has resided in the northwest, his connection with this section of the
country now covering a period of almost thirty years. He began farming
here and first rented land and while thus engaged he carefully saved
his earnings until his industry and economy had brought him sufficient
capital to enable him to purchase a farm. That he has prospered as the
years have gone by is indicated in the fact that he now owns three
hundred and twenty acres which he has greatly improved. It is wheat
land and is cultivated according to the most progressive and scientific
methods of crop production. His work has always been carefully
performed and his industry and diligence have brought substantial
results. He continued personally to cultivate his place until 1902,
when he retired from active farm life and removed to Waitsburg, where
he is now living.
On January 29, 1874, Mr. Sanders was married to Miss Eva Harned, a
native of Indiana, and they became the parents of seven children:
Addie, the wife of O. W. Abbey; Maud, who married J. W. Cram; Samuel
C., living in Oregon; Alva H., who occupies his father's farm; and
three who died in infancy.
Fraternally Mr. Sanders is connected with the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, belonging to Touchet Lodge, No. 5, while both he and his wife
are connected with the Rebekahs. In politics he is a republican, having
always been a firm believer in the principles of the party. He has
served as school director for ten years and it is his earnest desire
that excellent educational advantages shall be given to the youth of
this section of the state. He and his wife are consistent members of
the Christian church and have guided their lives according to its
teachings. They are influenced by high principles of conduct and their
genuine worth has commended them to the friendship and regard of all
with whom they have been associated. The record of Mr. Sanders should
serve to inspire and encourage others, showing what may be accomplished
when one has the will to dare and to do, for he started out in life
empty-handed and whatever success he has achieved or enjoyed has been
won through his persistency of purpose, his unremitting diligence and
his business integrity.
EMERY FLATHERS.
Emery Flathers, who followed farming on section 31, township 10 north,
range 36 east, is a representative of one of the old pioneer families
of Walla Walla county. From an early period in the development in this
section of the state the family has taken an active part in the work of
general progress and improvement and is particularly well and favorably
known in connection with the agricultural development of this section.
Emery Flathers was born on the old homestead farm adjoining the town of
Prescott, March 27, 1872, a son of Benjamin F. and Melinda S. (McQuown)
Flathers. The father was a native of Louisville, Kentucky, while the
mother was a native of Virginia.
Upon the old homestead Emery Flathers was reared and in the schools of
Prescott he pursued his education. In 1905 he entered into partnership
with his brothers, John and Charles, and for five years they were
associated in farming operations. In 1910, however, Emery Flathers
withdrew from the firm and since that time has rented his land and
lived retired. He owns two hundred acres, constituting a valuable
property, and his rental returns to him a very gratifying income.
On December 23, 1908, Mr. Flathers was married to Miss Rae E. Dunlap, a
daughter of John K. Dunlap, who has passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Flathers
became the parents of two children, a son and a daughter, Howard and
Frances. Mrs. Flathers departed this life July 17, 1915, and her death
was deeply regretted not only by her immediate family but by many
friends.
Mr. Flathers is independent in politics, voting for the men and
measures he considers of the best interest of all the people. He keeps
well informed on the questions and issues of the day but neither seeks
nor desires office. He is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity,
belonging to Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16. A. F. & A. M.; Walla Walla
Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M., of Walla Walla and Washington Commandery,
K. T., also of Walla Walla. He has likewise crossed the sands of the
desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, being a member of El Katif
Temple of Spokane. He is a substantial citizen, widely and favorably
known by reason of his business ability, his loyalty in citizenship
and his personal worth. For forty-five years he has been a resident
of Walla Walla county, witnessing its growth and development. He has
lived to see its pioneer cabins replaced by commodious and substantial
residences, its wild lands converted into productive fields, its
hamlets developed into thriving cities, and as the years have gone
by he has ever willingly cooperated in any plan or movement for the
general good.
ALFRED J. BOLTER.
Alfred J. Bolter is a retired farmer living in Dixie. For a long period
he was actively and prominently connected with agricultural interests
and acquired several hundred acres of valuable land, from which he
derived a very gratifying annual income as a result of the care and
labor which he bestowed upon the fields. Moreover, his life record
shows what may be accomplished by determined effort and perseverance,
for he started out empty-handed and is now the possessor of a very
substantial competence which enables him to rest from further labor. He
was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, in September, 1853, a son of
Ziba and Christina Bolter, the former a native of Massachusetts, while
the latter was born in the state of New York. They spent their entire
lives in the east and there they reared their family of ten children,
nine of whom are yet living.
Alfred J. Bolter passed the days of his boyhood and youth in
Massachusetts and is indebted to the public school system of that
state for the educational opportunities which he enjoyed. In 1875,
when a young man of twenty-two years, he came to the west and first
settled in Dallas, Oregon, where he remained for three years. In 1878
he removed to Walla Walla county and took up a homestead sixteen miles
north of the city of Walla Walla. With characteristic energy he began
its development and improvement and occupied that place for ten years,
during which time his labors wrought a marked transformation in its
appearance. He then disposed of that property and invested in two
hundred and eighty acres near Dixie. From time to time he extended the
boundaries of his farm until it now comprises seven hundred acres, all
of which is improved land and returns to him a most substantial annual
income. He continued actively to develop his fields until 1902, when
he retired, and since that time he has rented his land, while he is
enjoying a well earned rest.
Mr. Bolter was married in 1876 to Miss Elsie A. Crystal, a native of
Iowa, and they have become the parents of three children: Madie, the
wife of S. M. Jones, now a resident of Spokane; Maud, who is the widow
of Burt Roff; and Homer, who is engaged in merchandising in California.
Mr. Bolter belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has
filled all of the chairs in Welcome Lodge, No. 117, in which he has
membership. He has also been called to all of the different offices in
the Knights of Pythias lodge and is true and loyal to the teaching of
these societies. He and his wife are members of the Christian church
and endeavor to follow closely the Golden Rule. Their lives have been
well spent, fraught with good deeds and actuated by kindly purposes.
Many good things are spoken of them by friends and neighbors, who have
enjoyed their companionship and who recognize their sterling worth in
all the relations of life.
HON. JAMES EWEN EDMISTON.
High on the roll of Washington's distinguished citizens appears the
name of Hon. James Ewen Edmiston, deceased, who was for many years a
resident of Dayton. His ideals of life were very high and in early
manhood he displayed conspicuously the traits of character that made
his career brilliantly successful. He performed all the duties that
devolved upon him, however humble and however small the recompense
might be, conscientiously and industriously. He gave proof of his
ability to cope with intricate problems of the law and his natural
industry prompted him to prepare his cases with great thoroughness and
care, so that he ever entered the courts well equipped to combat any
attack or position of the opposing counsel. He lives in the memory
of his friends enshrined in the halo of a gracious presence and of
pronounced power in the legal profession.
Mr. Edmiston was born in Washington county, Arkansas, March 29, 1849, a
son of Alexander E. Edmiston, who was a native of Virginia and removed
to Arkansas early in the nineteenth century. He was a veteran of the
Mexican war, serving as a lieutenant in his company under Colonel
Yall. A forceful man of unquestioned integrity, he won a substantial
financial success and left a valuable estate to his widow and four
children, of whom James E. Edmiston was the eldest. A few years prior
to his death, becoming convinced that the principle of slavery was
wrong, he liberated all of his bondsmen. During the Civil war the
vicinity of his home was the scene of great atrocities by both northern
and southern renegades. He died in the year 1858.
James E. Edmiston, when a lad of fourteen years, enlisted in 1863
in the Confederate army, in which he had five uncles fighting for
the cause. After the close of hostilities he returned to his home in
Arkansas and remained long enough to assist in putting the plantation
again into shape. He then went to Bentonville, Arkansas, where he
attended the Bentonville College for two years, and while a student
there he also taught school. In 1870 he went to Omaha, Nebraska, whence
he made his way to the Pacific coast. He taught school for a time in
Oregon and also pursued a course in the Corvallis College, from which
he received his degree in 1873.
[Illustration: JAMES E. EDMISTON]
On the 13th of March of the same year Mr. Edmiston was united in
marriage to Miss Helen E. Lacey, a native of Clackamas county, Oregon,
and a daughter of Lewis A. Lacey, who was of French-Huguenot stock,
his ancestors having fled to the new world because of religious
persecution early in the seventeenth century. The paternal grandfather
of Mrs. Edmiston was an officer under Washington and Lafayette in the
Revolutionary war and he lost two of his fingers in the battle of
Bunker Hill. His son, Lewis A. Lacey, came to the northwest in 1852,
making his way to Oregon accompanied by his wife, Leonora (Herring)
Lacey, who was a native of Swansea, Wales, their marriage ceremony
having been performed at Mount Morris, New York. The services were
completed about fifteen minutes before they started on their westward
journey to Indiana and from there they traveled with ox team and wagon
to Oregon. Mr. Lacey's brother, his brother's wife and child died of
mountain fever while en route and many other members of the party were
buried by the side of the trail. They suffered on account of hostile
Indians and the journey was a most hazardous and difficult one. On
reaching the Willamette valley Mr. Lacey took up a donation claim and
gave his attention to farming and stock raising, spending his remaining
days upon the old homestead at Springwater in Clackamas county, where
he passed away in 1899, at the notable old age of ninety-four years.
His widow died on the 1st of March, 1900, at the age of seventy-one
years.
Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Edmiston removed to Colfax,
Washington, where for three years he was engaged in teaching school.
In 1876 he took up his abode in Dayton, where for some years following
he devoted his attention to teaching and then engaged in selling
farm machinery. He also operated a large sawmill and was identified
with various other business interests which have contributed to the
material development and progress of this section of the state. Mr.
Edmiston had been educated with a view to entering the ministry but
subsequently turned his attention to law and pursued his reading under
the preceptorship of John Y. Ostrander. In 1885 he was admitted to the
bar and entered upon the practice of his profession, becoming one of
the prominent lawyers of Columbia county. He then continued in active
practice until a short time prior to his death, which occurred on the
8th of May, 1900. In his law practice he was long associated with Judge
C. F. Miller and their friendship relations were very close. Their
practice was extensive and of an important character. Mr. Edmiston
was remarkable among lawyers for the wide research and provident care
with which he prepared his cases. At no time was his reading ever
confined to the limitations of the questions at issue. It went beyond
and compassed every contingency and provided not alone for the expected
but also for the unexpected, which happens in the courts quite as
frequently as out of them. His legal learning, his analytical mind, the
readiness with which he grasped the points in an argument all combined
to make him one of the capable attorneys at the bar of Columbia county
and the public and the profession acknowledged him the peer of the
ablest regarding him as a jurist of exceptionally rare ability.
Aside from his professional connections Mr. Edmiston figured very
prominently in the public life of the community. At one time he
served as superintendent of schools of Columbia county. He first came
prominently into public notice when elected a member of the upper house
of the Washington territorial legislature and for many years he was a
member of the state central committee of the democratic party. In 1894
he was offered the nomination for governor but refused to become a
candidate. While undoubtedly not without that laudable ambition which
is so valuable as an incentive to public service, he nevertheless
regarded the pursuits of private life as in themselves abundantly
worthy of his best efforts and with remarkable fidelity he labored for
the interests of his clients. It is said that he never lost a case
which he appealed to the supreme court. In 1886 he was prosecuting
attorney of Columbia county.
Mr. Edmiston was considered the highest authority on Masonic
jurisprudence in the state and was chairman of that committee in the
grand lodge for ten years. He was past grand master of the state of
Washington and past grand patron of the Eastern Star. There was a
close relationship between him and Dr. Van Patten, who was his family
physician from 1884 until his death and has continued as such to Mrs.
Edmiston. They were the best of friends and while not associated
together in business often consulted one another on business matters.
Mr. Edmiston was leader of the choir in the Presbyterian church for
many years and in this work was also associated with the Doctor and
together they often took vacation trips. It was the earnest desire of
Mr. Edmiston that Dr. Van Patten allow himself to be put in line for
higher Masonic honors, which eventually resulted in the latter becoming
grand junior warden in 1901 and grand master in 1904.
For a long period Mr. Edmiston was collecting data for a history of
southeastern Washington but died before the completion of the work. He
was president of the board of regents of the Washington State College
at Pullman and on the day of his burial the college was closed in
respect to his memory. Every business house and the schools of Dayton
were also closed and the day was given over to sincere mourning by
the entire community. He was buried with Masonic honors and the Grand
Lodge of Washington took charge of the funeral services, the Hon. Levi
Ankeny, past grand master of the state, officiating. The bar of Dayton
passed appropriate resolutions and every mark of respect that could
be shown, both in a public and a private way, was evidenced. He was a
lifelong member of the Presbyterian church and was a teacher in its
Sunday school for many years. Much more might be said in eulogy of this
man, who was loved by all who knew him and whose influence was always
for the betterment and uplift of mankind. His memory is enshrined in
the hearts of those who knew him and remains as a blessed benediction
to those who were his associates while he was still an active factor
in the world's work. Mrs. Edmiston still lives in the old home in
Dayton. She is a past grand matron of the Order of the Eastern Star and
is now in charge of the Dayton Branch of the Red Cross, in which work
she is very active, giving freely of her time and energies as well as
her means and efforts to improve the conditions under which the young
men of the country must serve in a military capacity. She was formerly
president of the Monday Reading Club and has long been foremost in
social circles and in welfare work in the northwest. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Edmiston belong to that class who shed around them much of the sunshine
of life.
JULES DE RUWE.
Jules De Ruwe is the owner of one of the best improved farms of his
section of the country, having an extensive acreage near Turner,
Washington. He was born in Belgium, July 17, 1885, and is a son of
Peter and Julia De Ruwe, who were natives of that land. Educated in
Belgium, Jules De Ruwe acquired a good education there and in 1905,
when a young man of twenty years, crossed the Atlantic to the new
world, making his way direct to Washington, where he became identified
with the sheep industry, conducting business on a large scale in
connection with his brothers, prominently known as leading sheep men of
this section of the state. They finally dissolved partnership, however,
and each is now conducting his business interests individually. In the
fall of 1917 Jules De Ruwe purchased his present ranch, comprising
eleven hundred acres of land twelve miles north of Dayton on the
Tucanon river. This is one of the best improved ranches in his part of
the county and Mr. De Ruwe is now equipping it with a thoroughly modern
set of buildings, in which he is installing electric light and running
water. In fact, he is adding every modern equipment and comfort and his
farm work is being conducted along progressive and scientific lines.
His sheep are of the Rambouillet breed and are among the best to be
found in the state of Washington.
On the 17th of October, 1917, Mr. De Ruwe was united in marriage to
Miss Mabel Davidson, a daughter of Daniel and Ethel Davidson, of
Starbuck, Washington, who were also ranch people. Mr. De Ruwe is a
member of the Catholic church, while his wife holds membership in the
Christian church. While he has been on this side the Atlantic for only
a few years he is thoroughly American in spirit and interests, having
a strong attachment for the government and the institutions of the new
world. It often seems that native born citizens come by the privileges
of American life too easily to appreciate them in the fullest degree.
At least some of those who have sacrificed and suffered to obtain them
value their blessings more highly than those to whom they come as a
matter of course. Mr. De Ruwe is among the loyal residents of the
northwest and in the utilization of the opportunities which have come
to him he has made for himself a very creditable position among the
successful business men of Washington.
F. E. MOJONNIER.
F. E. Mojonnier, a prominent and representative business man of Walla
Walla county, is conducting his interests under the name of the
Walla Walla Hothouse Vegetable Company. He is engaged in growing and
wholesale shipping of hothouse and garden vegetables. He established
this business in 1909, with no previous experience along this line
to aid him, but he bent every energy toward acquainting himself
with every phase of the business, studying the methods of the most
successful houses of similar character in the east, and through this
method and through study he has developed an enterprise of extensive
and profitable proportions. He was born at Highland, Madison county,
Illinois, on the 4th of October, 1874, and is a son of Samuel and Clara
(Robert) Mojonnier, both of whom were natives of Switzerland and were
of French descent. They came to the United States in childhood with
their respective parents, the families establishing their homes in
Madison county, Illinois. The father was a carpenter by trade but gave
his attention largely to agricultural pursuits in Illinois. In 1886 he
removed with his family to Los Angeles, California, where he engaged in
carpentering up to the time of his death, which occurred about 1892.
His widow is still living in that city.
F. E. Mojonnier was reared at home, acquiring his education in the
public and high schools of Los Angeles. He was a youth of but twelve
years when the family removed to California. After his textbooks were
put aside he worked for some time in a grocery store in Los Angeles
and in April, 1895, came to Walla Walla, Washington, where he entered
the employ of the Walla Walla Produce Company. In 1900 he became a
stockholder of the company and was identified with the conduct of the
business until 1914, when he sold his interest in order to give his
sole attention to his present business, which he had established in
1909. At that time he had no practical experience to assist him in its
conduct, but he closely applied himself to the work and visited the
largest plants of similar nature throughout the east, and since then he
has built up one of the most modern establishments of the kind in the
country. He has three acres under glass and he is producing high grade
vegetables and, in fact, he is known as one of the leading hothouse
vegetable growers in the northwest. His business has been thoroughly
systematized, carefully managed and wisely conducted and his patronage
has grown to extensive and gratifying proportions.
On the 1st of January, 1900, Mr. Mojonnier was united in marriage to
Miss Mathilde Delepine, of Walla Walla, who was a student in the State
College at Pullman at the time of her marriage. To them have been born
three children, Claire, Harold and Elaine.
Mr. Mojonnier gives his political allegiance to the democratic party
and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day, but
has never been an aspirant for office. He is regarded as one of the
representative citizens of Walla Walla county, actuated by a spirit
of enterprise and progress in all that he does. Well defined plans
and purposes have carried him forward and each step in his career has
brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. He has ever been
actuated by a laudable ambition that has caused him to reach out along
still broader lines and his position in business circles is now a most
creditable and enviable one.
HON. FREDERICK STINE.
Hon. Frederick Stine, who passed away in Walla Walla in 1909, had been
a resident of the city for more than four decades and was most widely
and favorably known. He was one of the early settlers of his section
of the state and was largely instrumental in promoting the development
and upbuilding of his city. He thus gained a wide acquaintance and was
esteemed by all who knew him. He was a recognized leader in many lines
and his strength of character and excellent judgment were features that
brought beneficial results. A man of action rather than of theory,
whenever opportunity called he made ready response.
[Illustration: MRS. FREDERICK STINE]
[Illustration: FREDERICK STINE]
Mr. Stine was born in Union county, Pennsylvania, November 24, 1825.
His father was a blacksmith by trade and in 1839 removed with his
family from the Keystone state to Greene county, Ohio, settling in
Fairfield, where he engaged in farming and also followed blacksmithing.
With those pursuits Frederick Stine became thoroughly familiar, as he
assisted his father in the work of the fields or of the smithy. In
the spring of 1852, in company with his brothers, John and William,
he started for the Pacific coast. Their departure was a great event
to the family, which numbered eight sons and six daughters. Travel at
that time to the western coast was by means of wagon or by way of water
route and many months elapsed ere the journey was completed. It was
indeed a serious undertaking, much more difficult than a trip around
the world at the present time. The three brothers left St. Louis,
Missouri, on the 1st of May, 1852, and on the 2d of July arrived in
Sacramento, California. This was a record trip at the time. The train
with which they traveled numbered twenty-six men, of whom Frederick
Stine was chosen captain. The three brothers went to Marysville,
California, where they began work, but after a few days Frederick
Stine was prostrated with typhoid fever and for sixty days had a great
struggle for his life. Eventually, however, the disease reached its
crisis and it was said that he would live. When he recovered he began
business for himself, but in 1854 met with losses through fire and the
following year he removed to Yreka, California, where he concentrated
his efforts and attention upon farming and blacksmithing, thus
returning to the occupations to which he had been reared.
Selling his Yreka property on the 6th of February, 1862, Mr. Stine then
started for the north and on the 12th of May arrived in Walla Walla,
where he afterward made his home until called to his final rest. Within
four days of his arrival he had opened a place of business on Main
street and as the years passed he prospered. On the 3d of November,
1863, he went by way of Portland to San Francisco, traveling by stage
to the latter city and thence by boat and the Panama route to Ohio on
a visit to his family and his old home. On the 18th of April, 1864,
he started again for the Pacific coast and this time made the trip by
stage to Walla Walla, where he resumed blacksmithing and wagon making,
maintaining a first class shop of that kind until September 1, 1873,
at which date he retired from business. He had spent about a third of
a century at his trade and was always industrious and conscientious
in his work. In 1872 he erected the Stine House, which was the first
brick hotel in Walla Walla, and in 1880 he purchased a farm of five
hundred and sixty acres in Umatilla county, Oregon, about six miles
south of Walla Walla. This he extensively improved and cultivated and
to his holdings he added from time to time as his financial resources
increased until he held in that vicinity over nineteen hundred acres of
choice land. In 1905 his wheat crop was thirty-seven thousand bushels,
raised upon one-half of his land, the other half being summer fallowed.
His business affairs were wisely and carefully controlled, his
investments most judiciously made and his enterprise brought to him a
very substantial measure of success. The most envious could not grudge
him his prosperity, so honorably was it gained, so worthily used.
In 1870, in Walla Walla, Mr. Stine was united in marriage to Mrs.
Mary (Megrew) Silverthorn, a widow, and to them was born a daughter,
Elizabeth, who became the wife of John Casper, of Walla Walla. Mrs.
Stine was born near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1836, a daughter of
Archibald Megrew. In 1836, when Mrs. Stine was three months old, the
father removed with his family to Ohio and when she was a little maiden
of thirteen she lost her mother. In 1852 the father removed with the
children to Iowa and there his last days were passed. It was in Iowa
that Mary Megrew became the wife of John Silverthorn and they, with
others, crossed the plains in 1864, making the trip with mules and
horses and spending three months en route. They settled in Walla Walla,
where the death of Mr. Silverthorn later occurred. Mrs. Stine now
resides in a fine home on Catherine street, where for more than ten
years she has lived.
Throughout the period of his residence in Walla Walla, Mr. Stine was
an active worker for the upbuilding and development of the city. In
politics he was an active democrat and in 1869 was chosen to represent
his district in the lower house of the territorial legislature, while
in 1873 he was elected a member of the senate. He made his presence
felt there by his earnest support of all well devised plans and
measures for the improvement of the commonwealth. His keen judgment was
of great benefit in many instances. In 1865 he was chosen one of the
members of the city council of Walla Walla and during the following
year was made chairman of the council and thereafter was reelected many
times. He exercised his official prerogatives in support of various
plans and measures for the general good and his work was of great worth
to the city. Many important measures for the benefit of Walla Walla
originated with him and were carried forward to successful completion
because of his endorsement and labor. In 1868 he succeeded in having
established a Masonic lodge at Walla Walla and for ten years thereafter
acted as its master. He was also a member of the chapter and was always
an earnest worker and he labored untiringly for the advancement of
Masonic interests in this locality. When death called him in 1909 he
had been a resident of Walla Walla for more than forty-five years. His
personal qualities were such as won for him the warm regard of many and
there was sincere grief felt throughout the city at his passing.
WILLIAM THOMAS PETTIJOHN.
William Thomas Pettijohn has since 1905 resided upon his present farm
on section 2, township 9 north, range 35 east, in Walla Walla county,
and here has six hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, constituting
one of the fine farms of this section of the state. Long before,
however, he had become a resident of the county and in fact was one of
the earliest settlers. He arrived here in 1859, when but five years of
age, having been brought to Washington by his parents.
Mr. Pettijohn was born in Linn county, Oregon, July 26, 1854, a son
of Jonathan and Hannah (Warner) Pettijohn. The father was a native of
Ohio, while the mother's birth occurred in Indiana. In 1850 Jonathan
Pettijohn crossed the plains to California and after spending a year
or more in the gold fields of that state he went to Oregon, settling
in Linn county, where he was employed for some time in the sawmills
and also worked at barn building. He became familiar with all of the
hardships and privations incident to life on the frontier. He had
encountered also many difficulties while crossing the plains. The
cattle with which the party started on leaving the east died en route
and much of the distance during the latter part of the trip, their
provisions having run short, they lived for days upon flour and water.
Mr. Pettijohn traveled much of the distance on foot. After living
for a number of years in Oregon he sold his interests there in 1859
and came to Walla Walla county. He first visited the county in the
summer of that year, bringing with him some cattle, after which he
returned for his family. He entered a homestead in townships 9 and 10,
range 35 east, Walla Walla county, and thereon built a log cabin. His
remaining years were spent in that immediate neighborhood and he was
very successful. While he experienced many of the difficulties incident
to the settlement of the frontier prosperity attended him as the years
went by and he acquired three thousand acres of valuable land. From
1860 until 1866 or 1867 he was engaged in freighting with ox teams to
the Idaho mines and later he gave his attention most successfully to
the raising of cattle and horses. His business affairs were most wisely
and successfully managed and he became the possessor of a very handsome
competence, passing away June 13, 1913. His wife had crossed the plains
with her parents in 1852, at which time the family home was established
in Linn county, Oregon, where her marriage to Mr. Pettijohn afterward
occurred. She passed away in January, 1893, and in the death of these
two worthy people Walla Walla county lost an honored pioneer couple.
They were respected and esteemed by all who knew them and most of all
by those who knew them best, a fact indicative of their well spent
lives.
William T. Pettijohn spent his youthful days upon the old homestead
and acquired a district school education. In 1877 he went to Idaho,
where he used both his preemption and homestead rights in the Potlach
country, filing the first homestead right in that section. There he
remained actively identified with farming and stock raising until
1905, when he left Idaho and returned to Walla Walla county, taking up
his abode on his present home farm, which now comprises six hundred
and fifty acres of rich and productive land. In addition he owns five
hundred and sixty acres in another township. His landed possessions
are thus extensive and he is actively and prominently identified with
the farming interests of Walla Walla county. His business affairs are
carefully directed and wisely managed. He utilizes the most modern
methods carrying on the farm work and upon his place he has put many
improvements which rank his farm with one of the model farm properties
of the twentieth century in this section of the state.
On the 12th of December, 1883, Mr. Pettijohn was united in marriage to
Miss Ella Humphrey, of Idaho, and to them have been born five children,
four of whom are still living, namely: Ada, the wife of Frank Davis,
who is operating one of the farms belonging to his father-in-law;
Jonathan N., who is now operating the home farm; Ollie, the wife of
Robert L. Temple, of Prescott, Washington; and Harry Elbert, who is
in the United States army. For some, time the two sons operated the
home farm together and proved progressive young business men by their
capable direction of the interests which have come under their charge.
In politics Mr. Pettijohn has always followed an independent course
but has never taken an active part in public affairs. He has always
preferred to concentrate his time, efforts and attention upon his
private business interests and by reason of his diligence and
determination, his perseverance and his honesty he has won a very
substantial measure of success. He is justly numbered among the honored
pioneers of the northwest, having for fifty-seven years lived in this
section of the country. Born in Oregon, reared in Washington and a
resident for a time of Idaho, there is no feature of the development of
the northwest with which he is not familiar and he has lived to witness
a remarkable transformation, for the country has grown so rapidly
that the story of its development seems almost magical. The result,
however, is due to the earnest labors, the persistency of purpose and
the indefatigable energy of such men as Mr. Pettijohn, who, unafraid of
the hardships and privations of pioneer life, has utilized the natural
resources of the country and has thus placed the wealth upon a par with
the older east.
COLONEL WILLIAM HAVENS MILLER.
Colonel William Havens Miller, whose life was spent in the military
service of his country, was under all circumstances an officer and
a gentleman. He was born at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, January 31, 1849,
and on the 14th of June, 1872, was graduated from the United States
Military Academy at West Point and was assigned to duty with the First
Cavalry. While with that regiment he participated in all the Indian
wars in the Rocky mountains and on the Pacific coast and won frequent
promotion in recognition of his efficiency and gallantry. Among the
important campaigns in which he took part were: the Modoc war, which
lasted from November, 1872, until June, 1873; the Nez Percé war, from
June to October, 1877; the Bannock campaign, from June to September,
1878; and a minor engagement at Meacham's, in the Blue mountains of
Oregon, in August, 1878. He was promoted to first lieutenant in the
First Cavalry, March 4, 1879. From May, 1877, to March, 1887, he served
as quartermaster in the field and in garrison and during the greater
part of that time, or from August 15, 1878, to March 31, 1887, he
was regimental quartermaster. On the 28th of February, 1890, he was
brevetted first lieutenant for "gallant services in action against
Indians at the Lava Beds, California, April 17, 1873, and gallant and
meritorious conduct during the Modoc war." In 1896-7 he was employed
in the designing and building of Fort George Wright, a military post
at Spokane, Washington, being in charge of the work until December,
1898, at which time the post was ready for one battalion of infantry.
During the greater part of 1899 and 1900 he was in Cuba and built the
four company military post at Paso Caballos at the mouth of the harbor
of Cienfuegos, Cuba, and finished the cavalry post, Hamilton barracks,
at Matanzas, Cuba. Colonel Miller was in campaigns and garrisons in
the northwest until September, 1890, being stationed a part of the
time in northern California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Montana,
and was then appointed captain and assistant quartermaster in the
United States Army and was on duty as follows: Quartermaster at United
States Military Academy, West Point, New York, from October, 1890, to
November, 1894; quartermaster at Fort Riley, Kansas, from November,
1894, until July, 1896; constructing quartermaster at Spokane,
Washington, from July, 1896, to December, 1898; appointed major and
chief quartermaster in United States Volunteers, August 15, 1898;
division chief quartermaster at Southern Camp; Anniston, Alabama,
from December, 1898, to March, 1899; chief quartermaster, Departments
of Santa Clara and Matanzas at Cienfuegos and Matanzas, Cuba, from
March, 1899, to July, 1900; depot quartermaster, Boston, Massachusetts,
from October, 1900, to August, 1901; depot and chief quartermaster,
Department of the Lakes, Chicago, Illinois, front August, 1901, to
August, 1905; in charge of the general depot of the quartermaster's
department, New York city, from November 20, 1905, to May, 1907; chief
quartermaster, Philippine Division, Manila, from September 2, 1907, to
June 14, 1909; quartermaster at Seattle, Washington, and in charge of
the United States transport service on Puget Sound from July, 1909,
until retired at the age of sixty-four years, January 31, 1913. He was
promoted to major and quartermaster, United States Army, August 12,
1900; to lieutenant colonel and deputy quartermaster general, August
15, 1903; and colonel and assistant quartermaster general, October 31,
1909. The title was changed to colonel, Quartermaster Corps, United
States Army, by act of congress approved August 24, 1912. On the 5th
of July, 1906, he was especially commended to the secretary of war by
the inspector general of the army for efficiency. All work that was
given to him to do was well done, for, holding himself to the strictest
standards, he refused to accept anything less than the best work from
those under him, but at the same time he was scrupulously just and held
the respect of his men. He upheld the high traditions of the American
army, was a constant student of military science and kept in close
touch with the change in methods necessitated by new conditions of
warfare. To him the army was a profession that demands all a man has
to give but that makes abundant recompense in the knowledge of worthy
service rendered the nation. He had the capacity for deep friendship
characteristic of men of unusual strength of character and the place
which he held in the esteem and affection of those who knew him
intimately is indicated in the following tribute to his memory by his
friend, G. P. Monell.
[Illustration: COLONEL WILLIAM H. MILLER]
"'He was my friend, faithful and just, to me." This Shakepearean saying
of Marcus Antonius over the body of dead Caesar, best describes the
dominant characteristic of Colonel Miller's life. Faithful and just,
tender and true, might well be inscribed upon the stone that marks
the spot where he sleeps till the final reveille. These qualities,
covering all that is knightly, all that is noble, went to make up the
daily routine of the life he lived for the glory and honor of his
country. No promise that he ever made, however lightly, was too small
to be faithfully remembered and religiously fulfilled. No fault that
he observed was too great or too trivial to meet with less or more
than exact justice. Officially he had no friends; those who gave best
service were best rewarded, regardless of his personal predilections.
Looking back over the past four years of close and intimate friendship,
they seem to reflect back his past and sound out his whole life
as embodied living truth; even in his lightest moods he scorned
exaggeration as beneath the dignity of his manhood. Deeply learned in
all the intricate business of army life and regulations, quick to see
the right and wrong of any question, recognizing no middle course,
his decisions were instant and final and his reasons unassailable.
Officially he was a dignified, gallant and knightly soldier. In
private life he represented the highest type of American gentleman.
Hospitable, kindly, witty, he made those who visited his home feel that
they belonged 'right there' and his friends were part of himself. His
character, always straightforward and intensely honest, presented so
many sides and all so simple and unassuming that those who knew him
best loved him most.
Colonel Miller was married in Walla Walla, November 20, 1879, to
Miss Anna Abbott, a daughter of John F. Abbott, who was a well known
resident of Walla Walla, and a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this
work. Colonel Miller passed away at the General Memorial Hospital in
New York, April 13, 1913. To him and his wife were born three children,
of whom the eldest died in infancy. Harlan Abbott, born at Fort Walla
Walla, is now a rancher in Umatilla county, Oregon. Margaret Isabelle
is the wife of Julian Foster Humphrey, chief officer of the Transport
Crook, U. S. N.
HON. DENNIS COOLEY GUERNSEY.
Hon. Dennis Cooley Guernsey, whose history is closely interwoven with
the records of Columbia county, is now extensively engaged in the real
estate, insurance and loan business in Starbuck. He has at different
periods figured prominently as a bank official, as the incumbent in
public office in the county and as representative of his district in
the territorial legislature of 1879, and with many business interests
he has been closely associated, so that his labors have contributed in
marked measure to the material development and to the upbuilding of
the state. He was born in Janesville, Wisconsin, on the 13th of April,
1845, a son of Orrin and Sarah (Cooley) Guernsey, who were natives of
Connecticut. They removed to New Hampshire in childhood days with their
respective parents and were there reared and married. In 1843 they
migrated westward, establishing their home in Janesville, Wisconsin,
where they spent their remaining days. In early life the father was
engaged in merchandising and in later years became identified with the
insurance business.
Dennis C. Guernsey, whose name introduces this review, was educated
in the Janesville schools, completing a high school course. He was a
youth of but sixteen years when the Civil war broke out and in the
fall of 1863, when but eighteen years of age, he enlisted for service
and was assigned to duty with Company E of the Twenty-second Wisconsin
Volunteer Infantry, which became a part of the Second Brigade, Third
Division, of the Twentieth Army Corps, commanded by Colonel Joe
Hooker. He was with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea and
after returning to Washington, following the close of hostilities, the
members of Sherman's command were recruited and formed the temporary
division of the Fourteenth Army Corps, which was sent under Jeff C.
Davis to Louisville, Kentucky, Van Dorn of the Southwestern Department
having not yet surrendered. They were mustered out at Louisville,
Kentucky, on the 18th of July, 1865, and later Mr. Guernsey returned
to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he engaged in the insurance business.
Three years afterward, or in 1868, he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
where he became a dealer in wood and coal, continuing in that business
until 1870. In January, 1871, he was appointed an officer of the reform
school at Waukesha, Wisconsin. In the meantime, however, following his
return to Janesville, he had done other military service. Major General
Starkweather, who had gone out with the First Wisconsin as colonel
and who rose to the rank of major general of volunteers, took command
of the Milwaukee Light Guards, of which he had been captain at the
outbreak of the war. Mr. Guernsey joined the Light Guards and was with
that command at the inauguration of Governor Fairchilds at Madison in
January, 1869. After spending a few months as an officer in the reform
school in Waukesha, Wisconsin, he again went to Janesville, where he
accepted a position with a hardware firm as bookkeeper. The lure of
the west, however, was upon him and on the 14th of October, 1871, he
turned his face toward the setting sun and on the 9th of November
reached Walla Walla, having traveled by rail as far as Keton, Utah, and
thence through Boise, Baker, LaGrande to Walla Walla by stage. After
spending ten days in that city he proceeded to Dayton, the town having
been platted only a few days before, and on Mr. Guernsey's arrival
there were but two buildings in the town, one being the residence of
J. N. Day, while the other was known as the "red store," the property
of Kimball & Day. On the 1st of December Mr. Guernsey succeeded Ralph
Kimball in the store and was employed by the firm until the fall of
1874, when he became a partner in the business under the firm style
of Day, Guernsey & Company. In the fall of 1875 he withdrew from that
organization and formed a new company, entering into partnership with
F. G. Frary, superintendent of the Dayton Woolen Mills, and A. H.
Reynolds, of Walla Walla, who was the only banker this side of The
Dalles. The new firm was organized under the style of D. C. Guernsey &
Company. In 1876 Mr. Frary and Mr. Reynolds withdrew and Mr. Guernsey
was joined by H. H. Wolfe under the firm name of Guernsey & Wolfe. He
thus continued active in merchandising in Dayton until 1880, when he
sold out. From the beginning of his residence there he took active part
in the upbuilding and progress of the new town.
[Illustration: D. C. GUERNSEY]
In 1876 Mr. Guernsey was instructed by the commissioners of the new
county of Columbia--F. G. Frary, G. T. Pollard of Huntsville and E.
Oliver of Pomeroy--to call a special election for the purpose of
choosing county officers. Mr. Guernsey was elected county treasurer
for one year and at the first biennial election was chosen for a full
term at a salary of three hundred dollars per year, the officers being
required to serve at a "moderate salary" inasmuch as this was an
infant county. In 1878 he was chosen to represent his district in the
territorial legislature and on the 31st of July, 1880, he succeeded
L. F. A. Shaw in the office of deputy collector of internal revenue
under Major James R. Hayden. He occupied that position for three years
and then surrendered the office to H. W. Fairweather. On the 4th of
May, 1884, Mr. Guernsey entered the Columbia National Bank of Dayton
as cashier and had complete charge of the bank's affairs through the
following sixteen years, at which time his brother, F. W. Guernsey,
became cashier, while D. C. Guernsey was made vice president and
manager of the institution. He successfully carried the bank through
the panic of 1893, although he closed one Saturday night with but five
hundred and fifty dollars in the bank. However, he most carefully
safeguarded the interests of the institution and managed to weather
the financial storm which swept over the entire country in that year.
He remained in his official capacity with the bank until 1900, when he
retired, the institution at that time having deposits of three hundred
and seventy-four thousand dollars. He then turned his attention to
the real estate, insurance and loan business in Dayton and in 1904 he
took charge of a mining camp on the Omnaha in Willowa county, Oregon,
for the Eureka Mining Company, his position being that of managing
director. While there he built the wagon road down Deer creek from
Dobbins Cabin to Snake river. He occupied the position of director
of the mining camp for two years, after which he returned to Dayton
and through the succeeding two years gave his attention to the real
estate and insurance business. In 1908 he removed to Starbuck to assist
in straightening out the affairs of the Bank of Starbuck, of which
institution he was made cashier, occupying that position for a period
of two and a half years. He then resigned and established his present
business, with which he has since been prominently identified, being
today one of the foremost real estate, loan and insurance agents in
this part of the state. One of the local papers said: "D. C. Guernsey
has been a most important factor in the development of Columbia county
and the moulding of civilized life in the great state of Washington.
During the early history of Columbia county, hardly a business
transaction was carried through or a public enterprise launched that
was not inspired by the brain or fostered by the public-spiritedness of
Mr. Guernsey." He helped to organize and was the first president of the
Dayton Electric Light Company and built many of the buildings in that
city in the block in which the Columbia National Bank is located. He
organized the Dayton Hotel Company, which built the hotel, and was its
president for several years.
Mr. Guernsey has also left the impress of his individuality in marked
manner upon the political history of the state. In politics he has
always been a stanch republican and was a leader in the party from
the time when there were but twelve republicans who went from Walla
Walla to Lewiston. In 1879, when he became a member of the territorial
legislature, he became a member of what was known as the bunch grass
delegation, which became the controlling factor in the general
assembly. He was made chairman of the ways and means committee and did
important work in that connection. In 1890 he was appointed a member
of the state harbor line commission by Governor Ferry, the first state
governor, and was active in the work of the commission, which located
all the harbor lines in the state and submitted the plans to the United
States war department. Mr. Guernsey also became identified with the
military interests of the northwest. He assisted in organizing the
Dayton Grays, which merged into Company F of the First Washington
Regiment for service in the Philippines. He was also paymaster and
battalion adjutant of the Second Washington Regiment under Colonel Pike.
On the 23d of September, 1873, Mr. Guernsey was married to Miss Harriet
E. Day, a daughter of Dr. W. W. Day, who was the first physician in
Dayton, where his son and grandson are now practicing, so that the name
of Dr. Day has always been associated with that city. To Mr. and Mrs.
Guernsey have been born five children, four of whom are yet living:
William Day, a journalist connected with a newspaper of Schenectady,
New York; Frank Day, a mining man of Jerome, Arizona; Minerva G., the
wife of George F. Price, of Dayton; and Helen G., the wife of Frank E.
Girton, of Covello, Washington.
In fraternal relations Mr. Guernsey has occupied a very prominent
position. He was made a Mason in Independence Lodge, No. 80, F. &
A. M., of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in November, 1869, and was made a
Royal Arch Mason in Walla Walla Chapter, No. 1, in 1880. He became a
charter member and is a past master of Columbia Lodge, No. 26, F. &
A. M., of Dayton, and on the formation of Dayton Chapter, No. 5, R.
A. M., he also became a charter member of that organization and is a
past high priest. He is likewise a member and past eminent commander
of Washington Commandery, No. 1, K. T., is a member of the Lodge of
Perfection and the Chapter of Rose Croix in Walla Walla and of the
Knights of Kodosh and of Spokane Consistory, A. A. S. R. He likewise
has membership with the Knights Commander Court of Honor. He was the
first chancellor commander in Organization Lodge, No. 3, K. P., and is
the oldest chancellor commander in the state. He also has connection
with various other fraternal organizations and has been very prominent
in that connection for many years. His has been a guiding hand in
shaping the history of southeastern Washington in its material, social
and political progress and at all times he has been actuated by high
ideals, looking ever to the benefit and upbuilding of his section of
the state. Great indeed have been the changes which have occurred
since his arrival in Columbia county. The seeds of civilization had
scarcely been planted when he reached Dayton and from that time forward
he has cooperated in all movements which have been instituted for
public benefit, and without invidious distinction he may be termed the
foremost resident of Starbuck.
DICK HARPER.
Dick Harper, who is filling the position of county auditor in Columbia
county, Washington, and makes his home in Dayton, was born August
12, 1863, in Washburn, Woodford county, Illinois. His father, James
D. Harper, was a native of Sullivan county, Indiana, born in 1838,
and when quite young removed to central Illinois, where his boyhood
and youth were passed. He was a graduate of Eureka College, Eureka,
Illinois, and devoted his entire life to educational work. He married
Marion A. Jenkins when twenty-five years of age and passed away in
Dayton, Washington, in February, 1901. His wife is a representative of
a pioneer family of New York and is now living in Dayton at the age of
eighty years and is splendidly preserved. She lived for a few months in
the same house with Abraham Lincoln during the famous Lincoln-Douglas
campaign. She has a brother living at the age of ninety years, who was
an officer in the Civil war, holding the rank of first lieutenant.
Dick Harper acquired a common school education in Missouri and also
attended the State Normal School at Warrensburg, Missouri. In 1885,
when a young man of twenty-two years, he took charge of a drug store
for his brother-in-law at Rich Hill, Missouri, and successfully managed
the business for a period of seven years, after which he came to the
Pacific coast, arriving in Portland, Oregon, in the spring of 1892.
In the fall of that year he came to Dayton, where he was identified
with farming and with the grain trade until the spring of 1903, when
he established a furniture store in Dayton and soon won for himself a
place among the active and representative merchants of the city. In
1906 he purchased the Day drug store at Dayton, which he conducted
successfully for seven years.
On the 27th of October, 1886, in Butler, Bates county, Missouri, Mr.
Harper was united in marriage to Miss Laura A. Floyd, a daughter of
John H. and Sarah A. Floyd. They have a daughter, Florence Marion, who
is the wife of Lloyd R. Terwilliger, who is living in Walla Walla and
is employed in the First National Bank of that city.
Mr. Harper has long been an active and helpful member of the Christian
church and he has membership with the Odd Fellows, the Knights of
Pythias and the Masons. For a number of years he served as secretary of
Dayton Chapter, R. A. M., and in his life has always exemplified the
beneficent spirit of the craft. He belongs to the Dayton Commercial
Club and is a member of its governing board. In politics he is a
democrat. In 1898 he was made county auditor of Columbia county by
popular vote and in 1910 and 1911 served as councilman at large. He was
chairman of the street and public property committee and also of the
light and water committee. In 1912 he was elected mayor of the city
and in 1916 was appointed police judge. He has thus long continued in
public office and those who read between the lines will recognize the
important part which he has played in public affairs in Dayton, winning
for himself a most creditable position in commercial and political
circles. In a word, he has exercised much influence over public thought
and opinion and has done much to advance public progress in his adopted
city.
CALDER H. WHITEMAN.
No class of Walla Walla's citizens is more highly esteemed than the
many retired farmers who here make their home and among them is
numbered Calder H. Whiteman, who was born in Keokuk county, Iowa, April
29, 1851. His parents, John B. and Eliza G. (Colville) Whiteman, were
natives of West Virginia and Kentucky respectively but were married in
Indiana. In 1850 they became settlers of Iowa but later returned to
Indiana, where the mother died. The father was subsequently married
twice. In 1874 he made the long journey to Oregon and four years later
took up his residence in Umatilla county, that state. He died in Milton
October 5, 1910.
Calder H. Whiteman, who is an only child by the first marriage,
remained with his father until he attained his majority and received
his education in the common schools. On beginning his independent
career he rented a farm near Salem, Oregon, having decided to devote
his life to the occupation to which he had been reared. After farming
that place for three years he removed to Umatilla county and took up a
homestead, the operation of which occupied his time and attention until
his removal to Walla Walla in 1901. In the intervening years he brought
the place to a high state of cultivation and made many improvements
thereon, making it one of the most up-to-date and valuable farms in
that locality. In 1911 he sold the Umatilla county property and bought
a farm in Whitman county, Washington, near Lacrosse, which he still
retains. He and his son now own fourteen hundred and forty acres, all
fine wheat land, well improved, and their holdings place them among the
large landowners of eastern Washington. Mr. Whiteman of this review
makes his home in Walla Walla and his residence here is commodious,
pleasing in design and thoroughly modern in its appointments.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. CALDER H. WHITEMAN]
Mr. Whiteman was married in 1874 to Miss Ella M. Dorman and they became
the parents of four children, of whom three survive: Jessie L., the
wife of F. E. Allison of Lind, Washington; Clarence C., a resident of
Pendleton, Oregon; and Calder Otis, who is his father's partner in his
farming interests. The wife and mother passed away in 1896 and in 1897
Mr. Whiteman was married to Mrs. Mary M. (Jackson) Morton, a native of
Canada. By her first marriage she had two children, both of whom have
passed away.
Mr. Whiteman endorses the principles of the republican party and gives
his loyal support to its candidates at the polls. For four years he
was a member of the city council of Walla Walla and his record in that
office is one of unusually capable work in behalf of the welfare of
the municipality. For twenty-two years he has been a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he also belongs to the Woodmen of
the World and the women's branch of that organization, known as the
Women of Woodcraft. Both he and his wife are active members of the
Christian church, of which he is an elder, and he is also president
of the board of directors of the Northwest Christian Home of Idaho,
Montana, Oregon and Washington at Walla Walla. It is under the
supervision of the Benevolent Association of the Christian church,
which organization is designed to erect homes and hospitals for the
young, old and needy of that church, and Mr. Whiteman gives much of his
time to looking after the affairs of that institution. The prominence
which he has gained establishes beyond question his ability, for his
advancement has at all times come as the direct result of his own
efforts and he is indeed a self-made man.
P. B. DOWLING.
The average farmer is apt to think of Washington as a great forest
country, and while there are wonderful tracts of timber land, making
this one of the leading centers of the lumber industry on the
continent, there are also great stretches which are most splendidly
adapted to farming and particularly to wheat raising, so that
Washington has come to be known as one of the great wheat producing
states of the Union. Among those who in following farming have devoted
their attention to wheat culture in Walla Walla county is P. B.
Dowling, who in 1887 arrived in this section of the state and who is
now the owner of one hundred and forty acres of land, constituting
one of the best farms in the Walla Walla valley. He was born in
Springfield, Illinois, March 14, 1860, and is a son of William and
Margaret Dowling, who were natives of Ireland. They came to America in
early life and established their home in Illinois, but afterward both
returned to Ireland and their last days were spent in that country.
P. B. Dowling was accordingly reared and educated in Ireland, where
he had good opportunities for developing his intellectual powers,
being given a college education. He was graduated from the London
Veterinary College and engaged in the practice of his chosen profession
with success for a number of years. In 1886, however, he determined
to return to his native land and crossed the Atlantic to America,
first establishing his home in De Kalb county, Illinois. He came to
the northwest with W. L. Elwood, a well known importer of horses,
and in 1887 brought the first carload of Percheron horses that was
shipped into the valley. He afterward purchased the farm whereon
he now resides, comprising one hundred and forty acres of very rich
and productive farm land, upon which he has placed many modern
improvements. Here he has lived continuously since and has long been
numbered among the representative and successful agriculturists of this
part of the state.
In 1890 Mr. Dowling was united in marriage to Miss Katherine Rourke,
who was born and reared upon the farm where Mr. Dowling now resides.
The wife passed away, however, in 1903, and was laid to rest in
Mountain View cemetery. She left a husband, two brothers and three
sisters to mourn her loss and there were many friends who deeply
regretted her passing.
Mr. Dowling gives his political allegiance to the republican party and
is thoroughly informed concerning the questions and issues of the day.
He is a self-made man who owes his business advancement entirely to
his own efforts. He is recognized as one of the prominent men of the
valley, being forceful and resourceful in his business connections,
while in matters of citizenship he stands with patriotic loyalty for
all that tends to advance the welfare and progress of this section of
the state.
HENRY A. KAUSCHE.
Henry A. Kausche devoted his active life to farming in Garfield
county but at the time of his death was living retired in Pomeroy.
His birth occurred in Germany, February 16, 1839, and he was a son of
Christopherson and Hannah Kausche, who were born in Germany and there
remained for a number of years after their marriage. In 1851, however,
they came to America and for a short time lived in New York. They then
removed to Michigan, which remained their home for more than twenty
years. At length they came to Washington to make their home with their
son, Henry A., and both passed away in Garfield county. All of their
three children are likewise deceased.
Henry A. Kausche received the greater part of his education in Germany,
as he was twelve years of age when brought by his parents to the
United States. He grew to manhood in Michigan and lived there for five
years after his marriage. At the end of that time he went to Johnson
county, Missouri, but after residing there for six years cast in his
lot with the Pacific northwest, settling in Linn county, Oregon. Some
time later, in 1878, he came to Garfield county, Washington, and took
up a claim. He resided upon that place continuously until 1902 and as
the years passed he brought his farm to a high state of development.
He extended its boundaries by purchase, becoming the owner of eight
hundred acres, from which he derived a gratifying income. In 1902,
feeling that he had earned a period of leisure, he retired and removed
to Pomeroy, where he passed away July 4, 1903.
[Illustration: HENRY A. KAUSCHE]
Mr. Kausche was married June 8, 1865, to Miss Paulina Lohrbert, who
was born in Ohio and is a daughter of Frederick and Katherine (Rock)
Lohrbert. The father was born in Germany but in young manhood came to
the United States and took up his residence in Ohio, of which state
his wife was a native, and there their marriage occurred. In 1860 they
removed to Michigan, where they lived until called by death. All of
their five children still survive. To Mr. and Mrs. Kausche were born
eleven children, of whom five are living, namely: Laura, the wife
of Andrew J. Brown, of Spokane, Washington; Evelyn, who married Leo
McMullen and now resides in Canada; Ida A., the wife of George McCarty;
Alvina, the wife of Henry Freeborn; and Charles A., who is operating
the homestead.
Mr. Kausche was a democrat in politics and felt the concern of a good
citizen for the public welfare but was never an aspirant for office.
His life was a busy and useful one and his labors were felt as a factor
in the agricultural development of Garfield county. He had made many
friends and his demise was the occasion of deep regret.
ROBERT KENNEDY.
In the great wheat growing belt of eastern Washington lies the farm
of Robert Kennedy, his place being situated on section 15, township 7
north, range 36 east, Walla Walla county. It is a valuable tract of
land of nine hundred and twenty acres, all of which has been brought
under a high state of cultivation and annually the great wheat yield
returns to him a most gratifying income. Mr. Kennedy still gives
supervision to the work, of the place although he has now passed the
eighty-seventh milestone on life's journey. He was born in Rush county,
Indiana, June 20, 1830, a son of John and Margaret Kennedy, both of
whom were natives of Tennessee. Removing northward to Indiana, they
resided in that state for a time and later became residents of Shelby
county, Illinois, where both passed away.
Robert Kennedy started out in life on his own account when a youth
of but fourteen years and in 1851, when twenty-one years of age, he
crossed the plains to the Pacific coast, attracted by the opportunities
of the great and growing west. He made his way to Oregon, where he
settled on a farm and continued a resident of that place for eight
years. In 1859 he arrived in Walla Walla county and settled on Dry
creek, where he has since made his home. As the years have passed he
has added to his possessions, his industry and determination bringing
to him larger resources. His investments in farm property have made him
the owner of nine hundred and twenty acres of valuable wheat land and
upon his place are many substantial improvements. His farm presents
a very neat and thrifty appearance and is supplied with all modern
conveniences.
Mr. Kennedy has been married twice. He first wedded Miss Anna Smith
and they became the parents of three children of whom only one is now
living, L. L. Kennedy, a resident farmer of Oregon. The wife and mother
passed away in 1876 and in 1879 Mr. Kennedy was again married, his
second union being with Mrs. Margaret (Jackson) Dennison. Mrs. Kennedy
is a cousin of William Dennison, who was governor of Ohio. To Mr. and
Mrs. Kennedy have been born seven children: Rebecca, the deceased wife
of Professor R. E. Stafford; Martha, the wife of John Connell; Robert
P.; Edna; William B.; B. H.; and Edith May, who has passed away.
In his political views Mr. Kennedy is a republican, having supported
the party since its organization. He has served on the school board
and the cause of public education finds in him an earnest advocate.
Fraternally he is connected with the Masons, although of late years
he has not been active in lodge work. He and his wife are active and
consistent members of the Christian church and Mrs. Kennedy is now
the oldest member of the church at Walla Walla. Their lives have been
guided by its teachings and their many excellent traits of character
have won for them the warm regard and high esteem of all who know them.
Mr. Kennedy is one of the venerable citizens of Walla Walla county and
can look back upon the past without regret and forward to the future
without fear, for his has ever been an honorable life. Fifty-six years
have come and gone since he arrived in the west and therefore he has
been a witness of the greater part of its growth and progress.
E. H. LEONARD.
E. H. Leonard, who has long been known as a prominent representative
of milling interests in the northwest, is now the vice president of
the Preston-Shaffer Milling Company and active manager of its mill at
Waitsburg. He was born in Walla Walla, May 16, 1873, and is a son of
Thomas S. and Sarilda R. (Herren) Leonard. The father was a native of
the state of New York, and the mother of Oregon having been one of
the first white children born in that state. The date of the father's
birth was April 25, 1840. He acquired a good education in the schools
of that early period and in 1860 removed westward to Illinois, where
for three years he engaged in teaching school, spending a part of the
time also in Iowa. In 1863 he enlisted in the government service,
being made a member of an organization for the purpose of rendering
assistance and guidance to emigrant trains crossing the plains. On
reaching the Boise river his train, feeling in comparative safety,
disbanded and Mr. Leonard continued his journey to the coast, arriving
in Portland, Oregon, late in November, 1863, when that now populous
and progressive city was a town of but three thousand inhabitants. He
afterward drifted to various points in the northwest and subsequently
again took up educational work, teaching in the vicinity of Salem,
Oregon, where he remained until about 1871. In the fall of that year
he came to Walla Walla and in the spring of 1872 he removed to Dayton,
where he has since resided. In the fall of that year he and his wife
took charge of the Dayton school and in the spring of 1873 removed to a
government land claim. In 1876 Mr. Leonard assisted in the organization
of Columbia county and was elected the first county superintendent of
schools. On the expiration of his term in that office he returned to
the homestead and has since been engaged in farming. He has taken an
active and important part in promoting the development of county and
state along material and intellectual lines and has left the impress
of his individuality for good upon the history of the community. In
1868 Mr. Leonard was united in marriage to Miss Sarilda R. Herren, a
daughter of John and Docia (Robbins) Herren, who crossed the plains
from Kentucky to Oregon in 1845. They settled near Salem, among
the very early pioneers of that section. On her mother's side Mrs.
Leonard comes of a family represented in the Revolutionary war, her
great-grandfather, William Robbins, having been a participant in that
struggle which led to the attainment of American independence. T. S.
Leonard is one of the prominent citizens of Dayton and has for many
years taken a prominent and helpful part in the development of Columbia
county.
E. H. Leonard was reared to farm life and his education has been
practically self acquired. He worked in his father's fields until
his twenty-fifth year and in 1898 he became connected with milling
operations as an employe of the North Pacific Flour Mills Company at
Prescott. In March, 1900, he was made foreman of the mills and in
July of the same year, when the mills were acquired by the Portland
Flouring Mills Company, Mr. Leonard was made manager, which position
he continued to fill until 1904. In that year he was advanced to the
position of district manager with the Portland Flouring Mills Company
and in that connection had supervision over the mills of Dayton and
Prescott and later also of Walla Walla. He continued in that capacity
until January 1, 1916, at which time, having acquired an interest in
the Preston-Shaffer Milling Company at Waitsburg, he was made assistant
manager and removed to Waitsburg. This company also owns mills at
Athena, Oregon. At the first meeting of the directors after his removal
to Waitsburg, Mr. Leonard was elected to the vice presidency of the
company in recognition of his marked ability and his long experience
in the milling business. There is no phase of flour manufacture with
which he is not familiar and in the operation of the plants of the
Preston-Shaffer Company he utilizes the latest improved machinery
and the most modern processes, displaying marked enterprise in the
control of the business. While thus extensively engaged in milling
for nineteen years he has also continued his farming operations and
now owns and operates two farms in Walla Walla county, comprising
twenty-five hundred acres. He has thus become one of the prominent
wheat growers of the Inland Empire. Either one of his business
connections are sufficiently extensive and important to rank him with
the representative business men of this section of the country. He
is both forceful and resourceful and readily recognizes and utilizes
opportunities which others pass heedlessly by. He is fortunate in that
he possesses character and ability that awaken confidence in others and
the simple weight of his character and his ability have carried him
into important relations.
In November, 1900, occurred the marriage of Mr. Leonard and Miss Minnie
Belle Lieuallen, of Portland, Oregon, and they have become the parents
of three children: Mineta Belle, who is attending high school; Edgar
Hugh, a student in the graded schools; and Joanna Jeanne.
Mr. Leonard is a republican in his political views and fraternally is
connected with Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, A. F. & A. M.; Dayton Chapter,
No. 5, R. A. M.; and Walla Walla Commandery, No. 1, K. T. He also has
membership with El Katif Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Spokane, and
belongs to Whetstone Lodge, No. 157, K. of P., of Prescott. His record
is an inspiring one, for out of a struggle with small opportunities he
has come into a field of broad and active influence and usefulness.
Quick discernment and the faculty of separating the important features
of any subject from its incidental or accidental circumstances have
been strong phases in his career. His business has ever balanced up
with the principles of truth and honor. He has ever been possessed of
sufficient courage to venture where favoring opportunity is presented
and his judgment and even-paced energy have carried him forward to
the goal of success. His quietude of deportment, his frankness and
cordiality of address, with the total absence of anything sinister
or anything to conceal, foretoken a man who is ready to meet any
obligation of life with the confidence and courage that come of
conscious personal ability, right conception of things and an habitual
regard for what is best in the exercise of human activity.
JOHN F. BREWER.
Twelve years have passed since John F. Brewer was called to his final
rest, but his memory is cherished by many who knew him, as he stood as
a high type of manhood and citizenship and was devoted to the welfare
and progress not only of his family but of the community in which he
lived. He was born in Scotland county, Missouri, November 9, 1842, a
son of David and Susan (Small) Brewer, who crossed the plains with an
ox team in 1853, reaching Salem, Oregon, where they established their
home. Their son, John F., was then a little lad of ten years and he
completed his public school training in Salem, while later he pursued
a course of study in Sublimity College, some fourteen miles from
Salem. He then took up the profession of teaching, which he followed
in the public schools for many years, imparting readily and clearly
to others the knowledge that he had acquired. In 1872 he removed to
the Walla Walla valley, where he engaged in farming. His agricultural
interests were carefully and successfully conducted and for many years
he concentrated his efforts and attention upon the development of the
fields. At length, however, he left the farm and removed to Walla
Walla, building a handsome home on Boyer avenue. In 1876 he purchased a
large tract of land east of the city and became one of the leading and
extensive farmers of Walla Walla county. In 1890 he removed to Seattle,
where he platted a tract of land which he called the Walla Walla
addition but in this enterprise he was not successful and returned to
Walla Walla, where his investments were judiciously made, his business
affairs capably managed and his enterprise brought to him a very
gratifying and substantial measure of success.
In March, 1872, Mr. Brewer was united in marriage to Miss Adora D.
Stanton, a native of Oregon and a daughter of Benjamin and Matilda
(Baldwin) Stanton. Her parents were natives of Kentucky and crossed
the plains by wagon in 1852, settling near Salem, Oregon. They had a
family of eleven children, of whom seven are still living. Mr. and
Mrs. Brewer became the parents of nine children, namely: John, who is
manager of the Commercial Club at The Dalles, Oregon, but is now in the
government service at Portland Oregon; Merton, a practicing attorney at
Auburn, Washington; Ada, who has passed away; Frank, living in Walla
Walla county; Maud, the wife of Charles Ulm, of Ritzville; Bertha, who
is the widow of Eugene Dunbar and now lives in Anchorage, Alaska; Dora,
who is the wife of Fred Snedecor, of Corona, California; Roy, who is a
sergeant in the United States army with the First Illinois Infantry;
and Luella, the wife of Frank Harlow, of Los Angeles, California.
[Illustration: JOHN F. BREWER]
[Illustration: MRS. JOHN F. BREWER]
Mrs. Brewer owns a fine residence on Boyer avenue in Walla Walla, where
she resides, and in addition she has five hundred and twenty acres of
valuable wheat land near the city and another tract of eight hundred
acres in Franklin county. She is an active and prominent member of
the Sunshine Club and is also connected with the Eastern Star and
church organizations. Mr. Brewer left his family in very comfortable
financial circumstances when death called him on the 21st of February,
1905. He was one of the valued and respected citizens of this section
of the country. He took an active part in the development of Walla
Walla county and never withheld his support from any enterprise that
he believed would prove beneficial in any way. He was intensely
patriotic and he stood for all that was progressive in relation to
public affairs. He served for several terms as alderman of his city
and at the time of his death was filling the position of councilman
for his ward. To him belongs the honor of being the father of the
paid fire department of Walla Walla, which has proven successful and
satisfactory even beyond his confident predictions. Fraternally he was
connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of
Pythias. the ancient Order of United Workmen and the Royal Arcanum,
while his religious faith was indicated by his membership in the First
Presbyterian church.
His home paper, in writing of his death, said: "In the death of
John Brewer, Walla Walla loses one of her best and most progressive
citizens. No citizen of the town had more warm personal friends, and
his demise has brought sadness to many a home. As private citizen and
public official he always strove to do his full duty. He endeavored to
be just to all men and he spoke ill of no one. He was broad-minded and
conservative, generous and public spirited. It would be hard to find
a man in the community with fewer faults and more virtues. His home
life was ideal and it is no wonder that those nearest and dearest to
him find it so hard to reconcile themselves to the loss of a kind and
loving husband and father."
"I cannot say and will not say
That he is dead, he is just away;
He has wandered into an unknown land
With a cheery smile and a wave of the hand;
And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be, since he lingers there."
VICTOR E. SIEBERT.
Victor E. Siebert is a member of the firm of Osterman & Siebert, known
as Walla Walla's foremost architects, in which connection he has
developed skill of the highest degree, and his patronage is indicative
of the high order of his work. He is a native son of Walla Walla,
born October 3, 1884, his parents being Chris and Minnie (Nahen)
Siebert, the former a native of Berlin, Germany, while the latter was
born in Red Bluff, California. The father was reared to manhood and
pursued his education in his native country and served throughout the
Franco-Prussian war. Following that conflict, in 1875, he came to the
United States, making his way to Oconto, Wisconsin, but after a brief
period there passed he removed westward to Washington, establishing his
home in Asotin county, where he took up a homestead claim and lived
for a few years. He later removed to Walla Walla county and purchased
a farm six or eight miles east of the city of Walla Walla, on which he
resided for some time. He next removed to the city, where he now makes
his home. He is still active in farming in a small way but in a measure
has put aside the arduous duties of life.
Victor E. Siebert, whose name introduces this review, was educated
in the Baker school of Walla Walla and when eighteen years of age he
began the study of architecture in the office of Henry Osterman, with
whom he thus remained for three years. He then went east to complete
his education and entered the Boston Technical School in the fall of
1906. There he pursued a special course in architecture, attending the
institution for four years. After completing his studies he entered
into partnership with Peter F. McLaughlin and established business
in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, under the firm style of McLaughlin &
Siebert. This relationship existed for two and a half years, at the
end of which time the partnership was dissolved and in the fall of
1912 Mr. Siebert returned to Walla Walla and entered into partnership
relations with Mr. Osterman, his former preceptor. They are well known
architects of this city, the firm of Osterman & Siebert occupying a
very creditable and enviable position in professional circles. Many of
the most important buildings of the northwest have been designed and
erected by them and stand as monuments of their skill, their enterprise
and business ability.
In 1910 Mr. Siebert was united in marriage to Miss Mary Hoelzel, of
Adams, Massachusetts, and they have become the parents of two children,
Henry and Gretchen. Mr. Siebert is a consistent member of Blue Mountain
Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M., and also belongs to Columbus Council of the
Knights of Kadosh, No. 6, of Walla Walla, and to Oriental Consistory,
No. 2, A. & A. S. R. He is also connected with El Katif Temple, A.
A. O. N. M. S., of Spokane. His political allegiance is given to the
republican party. He belongs to the Walla Walla Commercial Club and
is one of the city's representative men, his aid and influence being
always given on the side of progress and advancement, reform and
improvement. He and his wife are members of the Christian Science
church and their genuine personal worth has gained for them a circle
of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance.
Thorough preliminary training has constituted the basis of Mr.
Siebert's success in a professional way and fidelity to the highest
standards of business has actuated him at every point in his career.
The northwest is fortunate in having his services in connection with
its important growth and development and Walla Walla is proud to number
him among her citizens.
WILLIAM T. LANE.
William T. Lane is a Civil war veteran and a retired farmer who is
now living in Starbuck. He was born in Tennessee, December 27, 1841,
and is a son of Tidence and Rebecca (Huhn) Lane, who were natives of
Tennessee. The father was killed in that state by a falling tree. The
mother afterward removed to Missouri, where her last days were passed.
They had a family of three children but William T. is the only one now
living.
Through the period of his boyhood and youth William T. Lane remained
a resident of Tennessee but in 1865, when twenty-four years of age,
went to Missouri and established his home in Johnson county. In 1880 he
came to Columbia county, where he rented a farm for two years and later
he invested his savings in land, becoming owner of a place four miles
south of Starbuck, comprising four hundred acres. He occupied that
farm for twenty years, devoting his time and energies to its further
development and improvement with the result that he converted it into a
most valuable and productive agricultural property. At length he sold
the place and settled in Starbuck, where he now resides, and through
the intervening period he has lived retired, enjoying a well earned
rest.
In 1870 Mr. Lane was united in marriage to Miss Nettie Oliphant, a
native of Missouri, and they became the parents of seven children:
Nancy E., who is the wife of C. A. Gregory; Hattie E., who is the wife
of W. E. Phillips; and five who have passed away. The wife and mother
died in December, 1908, and was laid to rest in the Starbuck cemetery.
She left a husband and two daughters to mourn her Loss. She was devoted
to the welfare of her family and had many excellent traits of character
which endeared her to all with whom she was brought in contact.
Mr. Lane is a member of the Christian church. He is a veteran of
the Civil war, having enlisted in 1861 as a member of Company C,
Sixty-first Tennessee Regiment. He was paroled at Vicksburg and
came out without a scratch although he had taken part in several
hotly contested battles. His life has been a busy and useful one,
largely devoted to farming interests, and by unfaltering industry and
determination he has advanced steadily on the highroad to success. He
is one of the leading men of the valley in which he resides and is
enjoying a prosperity which is the merited reward of his labors.
J. W. CLODIUS.
J. W. Clodius is a well known representative of farming interests
in Walla Walla county, where he is now engaged in the cultivation
of thirteen hundred acres of land. He makes his home on section 34,
township 9 north, range 37 east, and his well directed energy and
careful management are bringing to him substantial success. He was born
April 28, 1889, in the county where he yet resides, his parents being
Hans F. and Catherine (Rhode) Clodius, who came to Walla Walla county
in 1881. They were both natives of Germany, where they were reared
and married, and about 1870 they crossed the Atlantic to the United
States, settling in Illinois, where they remained until they came to
Washington. On removing to the northwest they established their home
in Walla Walla county and the father acquired land from time to time
until he owned thirteen hundred acres. He settled on Mill creek and
about 1897 removed to the home farm, upon which his son, J. W. Clodius,
now resides. There he continued to live until 1913, when he put aside
the active work of the fields and removed to Waitsburg, where he is now
located. He is numbered among the honored and valued pioneer settlers
of his section of the state and made for himself a creditable record
in business circles, for through his individual effort, persistency of
purpose and honorable dealing he gained a most substantial competence.
J. W. Clodius acquired a public school education and through the period
of his boyhood and youth remained at home, assisting his father in the
operation of the farm. Upon the latter's removal to Waitsburg he then
took charge of the home property and is now engaged in cultivating
thirteen hundred acres of rich land. He is thus numbered among the
leading agriculturists of the community. The methods which he pursues
are most practical and progressive. He is systematic and methodical
in all that he does, he employs the latest improved machinery to
facilitate the work of the fields and by energy and persistency of
purpose is winning success.
On the 8th of November, 1911, Mr. Clodius was united in marriage to
Miss Ina Mary Harkins, of Waitsburg, a daughter of James Harkins,
who is now deceased. Her mother, who bore the maiden name of Anna
Elizabeth Harris, is now living on a farm in Bolles Junction. She was
born, reared and married in Illinois, though her husband was a native
of Davenport, Iowa. Shortly after their marriage they came west and
located in Lane county, Oregon, where they remained until 1898 and
then removed to Waitsburg, Washington, where the death of Mr. Harkins
occurred. In their family were eight children, seven of whom are still
living. Both Mr. and Mrs. Harkins held membership in the Christian
church. Mr. and Mrs. Clodius have become the parents of two children,
Emory W. and Brenda M.
Fraternally Mr. Clodius is connected with Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287,
B. P. O. E. In politics he maintains an independent course, voting
according to the dictates of his judgment. He is yet a comparatively
young man but has made for himself a most creditable position in
agricultural circles and the extent and importance of his farming
interests are indicative of his business ability.
THEODORE GROTE.
Theodore Grote, one of the foremost farmers of Columbia county,
Washington, owning ten thousand acres of fine wheat and pasture land,
was born in Germany, July 5, 1881, a son of John and Anna (Dryer)
Grote, also natives of that country. In 1882 they emigrated to America
with their family and took up their residence in Ohio, whence three
years later they removed to Kansas. They resided in that state for
three years and then came to Washington, first locating in Whitman
county. In 1893, however, they removed to Walla Walla county, and there
the father passed away in 1915, while the mother survives.
[Illustration: THEODORE GROTE]
Theodore Grote, who is one of a family of five children, was brought
to Washington when a child and in the acquirement of his education
attended the common schools. In 1897 he began farming in partnership
with his father and brothers, operating eighteen hundred acres of
leased land. He devoted six years to that work and then removed to
Canada, where for a year he was in the sheep business. He then returned
to Walla Walla and purchased fifty-five hundred acres of land and
leased six thousand acres. Four years later he sold his property to
his brother Ben, but after a period of two years he again purchased
land, becoming the owner of a valuable tract in Columbia County on
section 10, township 11 north, range 38 east. He has since added to
his holdings and is now the owner of ten thousand acres, of which
forty-three hundred acres is wheat land and the remainder pasture land.
He has a herd of six hundred head of cattle and his stock raising
interests are very profitable. As a wheat grower he met with unusual
success, and he is always among the first to adopt a new method or
implement of value. He is systematic and businesslike in the management
of his affairs, realizing that the day of haphazard, unthinking farming
has passed.
Mr. Grote was married in February, 1911, to Miss Matie C. Baumann,
who was born in Washington. He is an advocate of the principles of
the republican party but confines his participation in public affairs
to the exercise of his right of franchise. He belongs to the Elks at
Walla Walla and is a member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 106 F. & A.
M., at Starbuck and of the Royal Arch Chapter at Dayton. His ability
stands out as an unquestioned fact and it is generally recognized that
he is an important factor in the development of Columbia county along
agricultural and stock raising lines.
A. G. LLOYD.
Fifty-eight years ago A. G. Lloyd became a resident of Walla Walla
county and in a little log cabin began life in true pioneer style. He
had, however, been a resident of the west for a much longer period,
the family home having been established in Oregon in 1845. He was born
in Missouri, July 25, 1836, his parents being John and Nancy (Walker)
Lloyd, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. At a very early
period they removed westward to Missouri and in 1845 crossed the
plains with ox teams, making the long wearisome journey across the
hot stretches of sand and over the mountains, three years before gold
had been discovered in California, at which later time the trails to
the west were more definitely marked and more easily followed. They
located in Benton county, Oregon, where the father took up a donation
claim of six hundred acres. There he built a log cabin covered with
a clapboard roof and the chimney was built on the outside of the
primitive dwelling. Hardships and privations fell to their lot but with
stout hearts and undiminished courage they put forth every effort to
establish a home on the western frontier and were active with those
who were planting the seeds of civilization in Washington. The mother
died while the family resided upon the homestead farm and the father
afterward removed to Colfax, Washington, where he passed away in 1875.
In their family were nine children, but one of whom is now living.
A. G. Lloyd was reared and educated in Oregon, having been but a little
lad of nine summers at the time of the removal to the west. There was
no phase of pioneer life with which he was not familiar. He served in
the Indian war on the Walla Walla river and was in the Seven-Day fight.
He became familiar with all of the methods of treacherous warfare
practiced by the savages and he aided in reclaiming the region for
the purposes of civilization. He was mustered out in July, 1856, and
returned to the work of the farm.
In 1858 he was united in marriage to Miss Lois Jasper, a native of
Kentucky and a daughter of John and Mary (Heath) Jasper, who were also
natives of the Blue Grass state, whence in 1842 they removed to St.
Joseph, Missouri. The father died in that state and the mother with
her family of six children afterward, in 1854, crossed the plains and
became a resident of Benton county, Oregon. In the family were eight
children, of whom three are now living.
Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd began their domestic life in Oregon, but in July,
1859, removed to Walla Walla county, Washington, where he secured a
homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres two and a half miles
from Waitsburg on the Touchet river. Upon his land he built a log
cabin with puncheon floor and door. The home was most primitive but
it sheltered stout hearts and willing hands. They bravely faced the
conditions of pioneer life in order to secure a home for themselves and
for eight years they lived upon that place without change. At the end
of that time Mr. Lloyd was able to purchase more land and his widow
now owns two hundred acres, for some of which she has been offered
three hundred dollars per acre. The rapid settlement of this section
of the country, together with the improvements made upon the farm,
have greatly enhanced the value of the property, which returns to Mrs.
Lloyd a very gratifying annual income. In his business career Mr. Lloyd
displayed marked diligence and determination and his farming interests
were wisely and carefully managed, so that he became recognized as one
of the foremost agriculturists of this section of the state. As the
years went on eleven children were added to the family, of whom six are
now living, namely: J. C., who is in California; G. M., a resident of
Waitsburg; Wesley A., who is occupying the old homestead; Gilla Ann,
the wife of C. C. Milinger, of Spokane, Washington; Ralph G., also
living in this state; and Angeline, the wife of F. G. Aldridge.
The death of the husband and father occurred January 5, 1915, since
which time Mrs. Lloyd has personally managed the farm. Mr. Lloyd not
only figured as one of the leading representatives of agricultural life
in Walla Walla county but was a most prominent and influential factor
in other connections. He attained the thirty-second degree of the
Scottish Rite in Masonry and held all of the chairs in the different
Masonic branches with which he was affiliated. His political allegiance
was given the democratic party and he was one of its recognized
leaders. His opinions carried weight in its councils and his efforts
were an element in advancing its success. Five times he was elected to
represent his district in the general assembly of Washington and he
left the impress of his individuality upon many important legislative
measures which were enacted during that period. He closely studied the
questions and issues of the day and gave his aid and support to any
measure or movement which he believed would promote the interests of
the commonwealth and stood with equal firmness in opposition to any
cause which he believed would be detrimental to the welfare of the
community at large. His position was never an equivocal one and he
loyally supported every measure in which he believed. None questioned
the integrity of his opinions or of his actions. He served as a
delegate to both county and state conventions and did much to mold
public thought and opinion. Mrs. Lloyd is a member of the Eastern Star
and also of the Rebekah lodge and in these organizations has filled all
of the chairs. She is a consistent member of the Presbyterian church,
while Mr. Lloyd was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He
was prominent as a man whose constantly expanding powers took him from
humble surroundings to the field of large enterprises and continually
broadening opportunities. He was reared upon the western frontier and
the effort required to live in those ungenerous surroundings, the
necessity to make every blow tell and to exercise every inventive
faculty developed powers of mind and habits which made him a forceful
and resourceful business man and citizen. The early rising, the daily
tasks, the economical habits of the country boy prepared him for the
struggle that most precede ascendency and step by step Mr. Lloyd gained
success in business and prominence in public life.
W. M. TAYLOR.
W. M. Taylor resides in Waitsburg but is identified with farming on
section 31, township 9 north, range 38 east, in Columbia county. He
has resided in this state since reaching the age of eighteen years. He
was born in Johnson county, Missouri, January 31, 1861, and is a son
of Simon and Harriet (Burgess) Taylor, who are mentioned in connection
with the sketch of his brother, Charles M. Taylor, on another page
of this work. The public school system of his native county afforded
him his educational privileges. He made good use of his time and
opportunities in that direction and when not busy with his textbooks he
was assisting in the work of the home farm and thus learning valuable
lessons in the school of experience. He had reached the age of eighteen
years when he came to Washington, after which he remained at home,
cooperating with his father in the development and improvement of a
new farm up to the time of his marriage. In the meantime, however, he
and his brothers, G. B., J. W. and J. F. Taylor, bought eight hundred
acres of land, which they cultivated in partnership, and they also
operated one thousand acres belonging to Whitman College. This they
leased and the four brothers continued their farming interests together
until about 1907, when a division of their holdings was made, and W.
M. Taylor acquired three hundred and sixty acres of the land that
had been held conjointly before. He has since purchased two hundred
and forty acres adjoining his other tract, so that his home farm now
comprises six hundred acres and constitutes one of the valuable wheat
ranches of Columbia county. The soil is particularly adapted to wheat
raising and the crops produced are most extensive and gratifying, for
the methods which Mr. Taylor follows in the development of his fields
are practical. All of the work on the farm is systematically done and
is guided by his sound judgment. He uses the latest improved machinery
to facilitate the work of the fields and there is no equipment of the
model farm property of the twentieth century that is not found upon his
place.
On September 18, 1889, occurred the marriage of Mr. Taylor and Miss
Flora Kinyoun, of Johnson county, Missouri, who came to Washington
to teach music in 1887. By her marriage she became the mother of
two children: Harriet E., the wife of R. B. McElroy, of Spokane,
Washington; and Laura E., the wife of Theodore Holsey, of Spokane, this
state. The wife and mother passed away in 1897 and on November 29,
1899, Mr. Taylor was again married, his second union being with Mrs.
Lillian Devall, née Pinkley, who was a teacher in the public schools
of Walla Walla and Columbia counties. To this marriage has been born a
daughter, Florence G.
Fraternally Mr. Taylor is connected with Touchet Lodge, No. 5, I. O.
O. F., and he also belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen. His
political views are in accord with the principles of the democratic
party. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church and their
lives are guided by its teachings and its principles. Aside from his
farming interests Mr. Taylor became one of the incorporators of the
Exchange Bank of Waitsburg, of which he is still a stockholder. He has
made for himself a very creditable position as a substantial farmer
and representative citizen of Columbia county. After the harvests are
gathered he takes up his abode in Waitsburg, where he has an attractive
city home and there spends the winters. The extent and importance of
his business interests have made him widely and favorably known and his
life record should serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement
to others, indicating what may be accomplished through persistent and
honorable effort. He has aided in demonstrating the possibilities for
grain farming in this section of the state and the worth of his work,
both as a source of individual success and of general prosperity, is
widely acknowledged.
CHRISTIAN STURM, SR.
Christian Sturm, who one of the best known and most highly esteemed
pioneers of the Walla Walla valley, was born in the kingdom of
Wurttemberg, Germany, April 14, 1834. At the age of seventeen,
accompanied by a brother, he came to the United States, the ocean
voyage taking forty-two days.
He enjoyed telling a good joke on himself which occurred when he landed
in New York with little of this world's goods. He met with a traveling
Jew who said to him: "Carry these bags and suit cases for me several
blocks and I'll pay you twenty-five cents." He accepted the offer and
carried the luggage blocks and blocks until, finally in the heart
of the city, they entered a building and climbed several flights of
stairs. On one of the top floors the Jew took the luggage and asked him
to wait a few minutes and he would return and pay him. He waited and
waited patiently but the generous Jewish gentleman never returned. It
was some little time before it dawned on him that he was "stung." It
was a lesson, for the errand caused him to miss his boat and, also, his
brother whom he never saw again. That night he spent sight seeing about
New York, and while standing about admiring what was a most wonderful
building to him he was thrown into jail where he was compelled to
remain until morning and he often remarked, "his first and only time in
jail was his first night in America."
[Illustration: CHRISTIAN STURM, SR.]
[Illustration: MRS. CHRISTIAN STURM, SR.]
After finishing his education in New York, he moved to Delaware and
after spending two years in that state he went to Philadelphia where he
enlisted in the service of the U. S. army in 1857. Shortly afterwards
his company was moved to Newport, Kentucky, and then to New York; then,
by the isthmus of Panama route to San Francisco and from the last
named place to Astoria. Astoria at that time had but few buildings.
Soon after he was stationed at Vancouver and a little later at the
Cascades. With his company he walked to the upper Cascades and took the
boat to The Dalles and from there he marched with his troop to Fort
Walla Walla. He was five years in the army and during his enlistment he
was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. In the army he saw much real
fighting. In 1858 he was in the expedition to Colville, which was in
command of Colonel Wright. They encountered the Indians, nearly twelve
thousand strong, who opened fire on the troops, and the famous battle
of Steptoe was fought. During this battle Captain Taylor was killed.
Captain Taylor was wearing a silk sash which he took off and presented
to Lieutenant Sturm of whom he was very fond. The sash he always kept
in memory of momentous hours of danger and as a sacred memento of a
true friendship, and it now hangs in its familiar place in his widow's
home. The Indians that fought at Steptoe consisted of the Yakimas,
Colvilles, Palouses, Spokanes and Coeur d'Alenes. In this famous battle
the troops fortified themselves on Steptoe Butte and how bravely they
fought history tells. During the battle many Indians were dispatched
and as many as one thousand Indian ponies were killed.
After retiring from the army as lieutenant, acting as assistant
quartermaster, First Cavalry United States of America, 1862, at Fort
Walla Walla (the same fort that President Wilson ordered used in
1917 for a training camp for the Washington State Field Artillery,
under command of Major Paul Weyrauch) the wonderful opportunities of
the Inland Empire country made a strong appeal to Mr. Sturm. After
spending a year mining at Orofino, Idaho, he returned to Walla Walla
and went into the livery business with Fred Kraft. After a short time
he disposed of his interest in the livery and engaged in the general
merchandise business with O. B. Brechtel for a partner. Their store
was one of the first in Walla Walla; it was a headquarters for miners
returning from the Orofino placer mines; the miners would deposit their
gold dust with Messrs. Sturm and Brechtel for safe keeping, there being
no banks at that time in Walla Walla. After remaining in the mercantile
business for five years Mr. Sturm bought one hundred and sixty acres
of land from H. M. Chase two and one-half miles from Walla Walla and
engaged in farming. He acquired another adjoining one hundred and sixty
acres; also homesteaded one hundred and sixty and preempted one hundred
and sixty; then, in later years, he bought five hundred acres more. He
was one of the most successful wheat and stock raisers in the valley.
Mr. Sturm was married in 1865 to Miss Marietta Roff. Four sons and
two daughters were born to this union, and two sons and two daughters
survive. Mrs. Sturm was born September 12, 1844, a daughter of
Frederick Roff. Her girlhood was spent in Illinois, but in 1864 she
with her parents left Quincy, that state, and they crossed the plains
and mountains, using ox and horse teams, the crossing requiring six
months. Many were the hardships they endured. Among others, their oxen
got on a "poisoned meadow" and died. During the last part of their
journey they traveled with a government train and arrived in Walla
Walla, October 16, 1864. Mrs. Sturm's father, Frederick Roff, was
perhaps the first man to take up a homestead in the valley, filing on
one hundred and sixty acres about two and a half miles east of Walla
Walla. He there resided until his death, August 2, 1890. Mrs. Sturm
survives her husband and resides at the old Sturm home in Walla Walla.
More extended mention in regard to the family of Frederick Roff is
made in connection with the sketch of Oliver DeWitt, whose wife is a
sister of Mrs. Sturm.
Mr. Sturm, who died on January 11, 1909, was one of the foremost
pioneers of the western country. Taking up his abode in the northwest
when Walla Walla boasted but a few log buildings and the tributary
country was but a wilderness, he was one of those sturdy, upright
characters who did his full share to help develop the country and make
it the success it is today. At all times public spirited and keenly
alive and devoted to the interests of the community he was one of the
country's true builders. As one of the distinguished pioneers of the
country--as a man who performed many good deeds in his day--his name
will always be remembered and ever held in the highest respect.
WILLIAM M. SCOTT.
William M. Scott belonged to that class of honored pioneers who have
laid broad and deep the foundation upon which has been built the
present prosperity and greatness of the state of Washington. He was a
resident of Walla Walla from 1905 until his death and for many years
was prominently identified with the wheat industry in Umatilla county,
Oregon. He was born in McLean county, Illinois, December 29, 1837, and
was a son of John B. and Rena (Halsey) Scott. During his infancy he was
taken by his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Halsey, with whom he
remained until his ninth year, when his uncle, Dr. A. K. Scott, became
his foster father, and with him William H. Scott remained until 1855,
when at the age of eighteen years he started out in life independently.
He went to Coffey county, Kansas, where he remained for one year and
then started to return to Illinois but stopped off in Daviess county,
Missouri, and decided to remain. He there continued until 1859, when
he again went to Kansas and in 1860 he started across the plains for
the western country, his objective point being the Walla Walla valley,
of which he had heard much. The lure of the California gold fields,
however, drew him as a magnet and his course was diverted. He was
one of the party to which J. L. Stubblefield belonged. The company
subsequently divided but Mr. Scott and others proceeded to California.
After spending several months in that state he came, in 1861, northward
and located at McMinnville, Oregon, where he attended college for a
time. In 1862 he engaged in freighting with ox teams from Wallula to
Lewiston and subsequently from The Dalles to the Idaho mines. In the
fall of 1863 he went to Salem, Oregon, where he resided for seven
years. He then crossed the mountains, locating near Prineville, where
he was engaged in the live stock business for eight years. In 1878 he
removed to Umatilla county, Oregon, where he took up a homestead and
a timber culture near Helix. One of these claims subsequently sold
for two hundred dollars, but later he bought it back for forty-two
hundred dollars. He acquired a full section of six hundred and forty
acres of the best land in the wheat belt and engaged in farming eight
hundred acres, leasing a quarter section adjoining his place. One year
he harvested sixty-six bushels of wheat to the acre upon his farm and
he averaged from year to year from forty to forty-five bushels. He
experienced all the hardships and privations of early pioneer life
and twice in the year 1878 was forced to leave Helix on account of the
hostility of the Indians and seek refuge in Fort Walla Walla. However,
he persevered and his determination and energy overcame the obstacles
in the path of material advancement, while changing conditions, brought
about by the settlement of the country, soon obviated the necessity
of protecting against Indian attack. In 1905, after many years
successfully devoted to farming, he retired from active agricultural
life and removed to Walla Walla, where he remained until called to his
final home, on January 18, 1915.
Mr. Scott was united in marriage to Miss Anna D. Caplinger, a daughter
of Jacob and Jane (Woodside) Caplinger, of Salem, Oregon. They crossed
the plains from Fulton county, Illinois, to Oregon in 1845 and settled
in Oregon City but after two years removed to Marion county, that
state, taking up their abode on the prairie four miles east of Salem,
where they remained until called to their final rest. The father died
on the 20th of June, 1904, and the mother survived only until the
26th of July of the same year. In 1845, on their journey across the
plains, which was made by way of the Mount Hood route, they were there
snowbound for more than three weeks with no food but coffee for several
days.
Mr. and Mrs. Scott became the parents of nine children, namely: Mary
L., who is the wife of J. M. Richardson, of Rosalia; Emma J., who gave
her hand in marriage to Dr. E. A. Mann, of Portland, Oregon; John A.,
who resides in Lacrosse, Washington; Ira C., who operates the home farm
for his mother, now residing in Walla Walla; Ray W., who passed away
in 1902, when sixteen years of age; and Alexander, Charles, Walter and
Bertha, who are also deceased.
In his political views Mr. Scott was a stalwart democrat and in 1890
he was a candidate for county judge of Umatilla county. His life was
that of a consistent Christian and for more than twenty years he was an
elder in the Church of Christ at Helix. He was also a public-spirited
citizen and a factor in the advancement of the county's welfare and
interests along many lines. Death called him January 18, 1915. A modern
philosopher has said: "Not the good that comes to us, but the good
that comes to the world through us, is the measure of our success";
and judged by that standard Mr. Scott was a most successful man, for
he went about doing good, extending a helping hand to the poor and
needy, assisting in the work of general improvement and shedding around
him much of life's sunshine. His widow now occupies a beautiful home
on South Division street in Walla Walla. She, too, is a member of the
Church of Christ and gives liberally to its support and in charitable
work, her benevolences being many.
CHESTER J. WOODS.
Chester J. Woods, a representative agriculturist of Walla Walla county,
was born April 23, 1883, on a farm adjoining the one on which he
now resides, on section 7, township 9 north, range 37 east. He is a
son of Joel Woods, mentioned elsewhere in this work. He pursued his
education in the public schools, supplemented by study in the academy
at Waitsburg, and through the period of his boyhood and youth he aided
largely in the work of the home farm, so that he was well qualified
by actual experience to take up farming on his own account when he
attained his majority. At that time he purchased land on section
8, becoming the owner of seven hundred acres, all of which is now
improved. The fields are carefully cultivated and the buildings upon
the place indicate the progressive spirit of the owner. He has always
engaged in wheat raising and also in raising stock and both branches of
his business are proving profitable. He is also a stockholder in the
Self-Oiling Wheel & Bearing Company of Walla Walla.
On the 30th of March, 1910, Mr. Woods was married to Miss Jennie
Caplinger, who was born in Umatilla county, Oregon, a daughter of T. W.
and Marie Caplinger, who are also natives of that place. They are now
residents of Walla Walla. Both Mr. and Mrs. Woods hold membership in
the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is one of the trustees, and
they take an active part in its work. Mrs. Woods is a graduate of the
Waitsburg high school and Ellensburg Normal School and for seven years
successfully engaged in teaching prior to her marriage.
In politics Mr. Woods is a democrat and has served as school director
and as clerk but has not been an active worker along political lines.
He stands for progress and improvement in public affairs, however, and
is willing to support any measure that tends to uphold civic interest.
Both he and his wife are held in the highest esteem because of their
genuine worth and the hospitality of the best homes in the county is
freely accorded them.
PETER McCLUNG.
Peter McClung, of Pomeroy, editor and publisher of the East
Washingtonian, was born in Clarke county, Washington, a son of Mathew
and Catherine (Wigle) McClung. He was one of four children, the others
being: Mrs. Susan Shoemaker, now living in Gresham, Oregon; Mrs. Jennie
Buchanan, of Portland; and Edward A., living in Bakersfield, California.
Peter McClung was the third in order of birth and was educated in
Clarke and Columbia counties of Washington, attending the schools of
Dayton. He learned the printer's trade and as a compositor became
connected with the Washingtonian in 1885, his brother-in-law, E.
T. Wilson, having founded the paper in 1881. Eight years later, or
in 1889, Mr. McClung purchased an interest in the paper and became
associated in the business with E. M. Pomeroy, then publisher. Three
years afterward he bought out Mr. Pomeroy and has since been owner and
publisher thereof. In later years he has been assisted by his son, who
pursued a special course in journalism in the State University and who
now practically manages the paper.
In 1886 Mr. McClung was united in marriage to Miss Alva E. Pomeroy,
a daughter of Joseph M. Pomeroy, who was the founder of the town
which bears his name. Mr. and Mrs. McClung have become the parents
of two sons: Ray, who has charge at Washington, D. C., of the weekly
newspaper publications under the direction of the committee on public
information; and Hugh, who is with his father in business.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. PETER McCLUNG]
Fraternally Mr. McClung is an Odd Fellow, and he and his family
are connected with the Christian church. In politics he has always
maintained an independent course and has the distinction of having
published for more than a quarter of a century an absolutely
independent paper. His entire life has been passed in the west and with
the development and progress of his section of the state he has been
helpfully associated.
GEORGE E. KELLOUGH.
Characterized by a spirit of undaunted enterprise, George E. Kellough
has won a place among the most substantial and progressive business
men of Walla Walla, where he now figures in financial circles as
the president of the Third National Bank. He was born in Ontario,
Canada, on the 9th of May, 1872, a son of William H. and Ann Grace
Kellough, both of whom were natives of Canada. The former was of Irish
extraction, while the latter was of French lineage. They spent their
entire lives in Canada, residing for many years in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
where they were among the pioneer settlers.
George E. Kellough, reared in Winnipeg, there pursued his education in
the public schools and at the age of nineteen years, attracted by the
broader business opportunities which he felt he might find across the
border, he came to the United States and made his way to the western
part of the country, reaching Walla Walla county, Washington, in July,
1891. He started in business life here as a ranch hand, but ambition
actuated him at every point in his career and continually lured him
on to better things. Subsequently he took up a homestead and in time
acquired other land, for as his financial resources increased he made
judicious investment in property and for some six years was actively
and successfully engaged in farming. He then turned his attention to
business interests of the city and in 1899 took up his abode in Walla
Walla, where he established a clothing and furnishing goods store.
He was prominently identified with that business for a decade and
built up an extensive trade, ever endeavoring to please his patrons,
while his honorable business methods constituted one of the strong
features of his growing success. Then a still broader field seemed to
open before him and in February, 1910, he made his initial step in
financial circles, becoming connected with the Third National Bank
as president of the institution, over whose financial policy he has
since presided. His plans are well formulated. The business under his
direction has been carefully systematized and he has ever recognized
the fact that the bank is most worthy of support which most carefully
safeguards the interests of depositors. While extending every possible
courtesy of the bank to patrons, he has never erred on the side of
ultra progressiveness, his actions at all times being tempered by a
safe conservatism. His name, therefore, has become a synonym for sound
judgment and thorough reliability and he today occupies a central place
on the stage of banking activity in Walla Walla county.
In 1893 Mr. Kellough was united in marriage to Miss Viola Purdy, a
daughter of Orlando Purdy, who was a Michigan farmer. Mr. and Mrs.
Kellough have become the parents of two children, Lance E. and Erma
G. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Kellough
has given consistent and loyal support to the republican party and has
been an earnest and active worker in its ranks. His fellow townsmen,
appreciative of his worth and ability, have called him to public office
and for two terms, in 1906 and 1907, he served as mayor of Walla Walla,
giving to the city a businesslike and progressive administration. He
is a member of the Commercial Club, in the work of which he has taken
a most active and helpful interest and for one term he served as its
president. In this connection he promoted many activities looking to
the further development of Walla Walla, the extension of its trade
relations and the promotion of its civic standards. He has been very
prominent as an Odd Fellow, holding membership in Trinity Lodge, No.
121, I. O. O. F. He has passed through all of the chairs in both the
local lodge and in the state organization, and few in Washington have
equalled him in active and effective service for the upbuilding of the
organization. In fact he is one of the best known Odd Fellows in all
the northwestern country. He is likewise connected with the Woodmen
of the World, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. He is actuated by a spirit of progressiveness in all
that he does. There are in his life few leisure hours. He is constantly
busied with some interest either for the benefit of his own fortunes or
for the upbuilding of the district with which he is connected, and his
labors have been effective, beneficial and resultant.
MARCUS ZÜGER, JR.
Prominent among the most alert and progressive farmers of Walla Walla
county is numbered Marcus Züger, Jr., who is the owner of extensive
and valuable holdings in Walla Walla and in Garfield counties. He was
born January 1, 1878, in the county where he still resides, being a
son of Marcus Züger, Sr., of whom mention is made elsewhere in this
work. His youthful days were spent in the usual manner of farm bred
boys and the habits of industry and close application which he early
developed have constituted the foundation of his present success. He
remained under the parental roof until he had attained his majority
and at the age of twenty-five years, at which time he was married, he
began farming for himself on the old homestead, comprising fourteen
hundred and sixty-eight acres of land. He has since been prominently
and extensively identified with agricultural interests in Walla Walla
county and in addition to the old homestead tract he is now the owner
of eleven hundred and seventy acres in Garfield county, which is
highly improved and which brings to him a gratifying annual rental. He
follows the most progressive methods in all of his farm work, utilizes
the latest improved machinery and upon his place is found every
convenience and accessory of the model farm of the twentieth century.
He has closely studied scientific methods of wheat raising, whereby he
has greatly enhanced the productiveness of his fields. Aside from his
farming interests he is connected with the Exchange Bank at Waitsburg
as one of its directors.
In 1904 Mr. Züger was united in marriage to Miss Jennie L. Woodworth,
a native of New York, and they have become parents of four children,
Margaret D., Arthur Frederick, Kenneth and Erma. Mrs. Züger is a member
of the Christian church, while Mr. Züger fraternally is connected with
the Masons and with the Knights of Pythias and in his life exemplifies
the beneficent spirit on which these organizations are based. His
political allegiance is given to the republican party and he has served
as county commissioner for two years. He has also proved his friendship
to the cause of public education by active service as a member of the
school board. He stands for progress and improvement in all things
relating to the public welfare and has never allowed personal ambitions
or interests to dwarf his public spirit or activities. His views have
ever found expression in prompt action rather than in theory and he is
a man of stable purpose, accomplishing what he undertakes.
ALFRED LARSON.
Alfred Larson, head miller of the mill of the Portland Flouring Mills
Company at Dayton and thus prominently identified with the industrial
activity and development of southeastern Washington, was born in
Sweden, May 13, 1856, a son of Edward and Margaret Larson, both of whom
spent their entire lives in Sweden, the father following the occupation
of farming there.
Alfred Larson was reared in his native country and its public schools
afforded him his educational opportunities. In 1878, when a young
man of twenty-two years, he crossed the Atlantic and made his way
to Minneapolis, Minnesota. He had previously learned the miller's
trade in Sweden, having entered upon an apprenticeship to that work
when a youth of but fifteen years. After coming to the new world he
secured employment in the flouring mills of Minneapolis and during two
different periods devoted seventeen years to that business in that
city, spending the entire time with two companies. In 1891 he first
came to the far northwest, making his way to Salem, Oregon, where he
was employed as head miller by the Portland Flouring Mills Company. He
remained in that position in Salem for four years and then returned to
Minneapolis, where he spent the succeeding seven years as second miller
in one of the city's most important milling plants. In 1902 he again
came to the west, this time accepting the position of head miller in
the Creston Mills at Creston, Washington, where he resided for three
and a half years. He then went to Condon, Oregon, where he took charge
of the plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company, which he managed
for five years. He was transferred to the Albino Mills, owned by the
same company at Portland, Oregon, and a year later he resigned his
position there to engage in the real estate business in Portland. That,
however, proved an unsuccessful venture and he returned to the milling
business, accepting the position of head miller of the plant of the
Portland Flouring Mills Company at Dayton. In this important position
he has since continued and the success of the business at this point is
attributable to his skill, enterprise and close application. He has won
a substantial position among the foremost millers of the northwest.
In 1882 Mr. Larson was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Corlstrom,
who was born in Sweden and emigrated to the United States with a
sister when a maiden of fourteen years. Mr. and Mrs. Larson have become
the parents of three children, two of whom are living, namely: Mabel,
the wife of C. N. Lockridge, who is serving as county clerk of Gilliam
county, Oregon; and Wallace, a mechanical engineer and miller who is
assisting his father in the mill.
Mr. Larson gives his political allegiance to the republican party
and fraternally is identified with the Masons, belonging to Creston
Lodge, No. 123, F. & A. M.; Davenport Chapter, No. 25, R. A. M.; Zion
Commandery, No. 2, K. T.; and Al Kader Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.,
of Portland, Oregon. Mr. Larson's record is that of one who through
orderly progression has reached a creditable position in the business
world. Coming to America when a young man of twenty-two years without
capital save energy, ambition and a knowledge of his trade, he has
steadily worked his way upward and among his marked characteristics
should be mentioned his fidelity and loyalty to the interests which he
serves. This is indicated by the fact that he continued for seventeen
years in the employ of but two companies in Minneapolis and that he
has been gladly received back into the ranks of the representatives
of the Portland Flouring Mills Company, with which company he has
been associated for twenty-five years and with which he now occupies
a position of responsibility and importance. There is no phase of the
milling business with which he is not thoroughly familiar and he is
thus well qualified to discharge the onerous duties that devolve upon
him in his present connection. Dayton numbers him among her foremost
citizens and accords him a high measure of respect and goodwill.
CANTREL R. FRAZIER.
Cantrel R. Frazier is a retired farmer residing at No. 305 Newell
street in Walla Walla. He has passed the eighty-sixth milestone on
life's journey and well deserves the rest which has come to him, for it
is the reward of persistent, earnest and intelligently directed effort
in former years. He was born in Barren county, Kentucky, February 15,
1832, a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Marshall) Frazier. The mother
died in Kentucky, after which the father removed to Missouri in 1846.
There his remaining days were passed, his death occurring in that state
in the early '70s.
Cantrel R. Frazier in young manhood, or in 1853, when twenty-one years
of age, crossed the plains with a drove of cattle belonging to the firm
of Packwood & Lewis of San Jose, California. He was accompanied on the
trip by his brother William and five months were spent upon the road
ere they reached their destination. After the cattle were delivered to
their employers they took up a homestead in Tulare county, California,
after which they paid ten cents per pound for seed wheat. They planted
fifteen acres and harvested six hundred bushels, for which they
received six cents per pound. For two years they remained in the Golden
state and then returned to Missouri.
[Illustration: CANTREL R. FRAZIER]
[Illustration: MRS. CANTREL R. FRAZIER]
In 1857 Cantrel R. Frazier was united in marriage to Miss Salitha
Shubert and in 1864 he again crossed the plains with Walla Walla as his
destination. He made the trip with one yoke of oxen and a small wagon
and brought with him his wife and two children, one of the children
being born in Colorado while they were en route to the Pacific coast.
After reaching Washington, Mr. Frazier homesteaded one hundred and
sixty acres of land on Dry creek, about nine miles east of the city of
Walla Walla, and upon that farm he resided until his removal to Walla
Walla in 1907. He had there lived for forty-three years and his labors
had wrought a marked transformation in the appearance of the place. He
had planted a variety of fruit and nut trees upon his farm as well as
various kinds of grain. Chestnut trees planted in 1884 are now seven
feet seven inches in circumference. His fields were most carefully
cultivated and the results attained were very gratifying. On the
completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad into this section of the
state, Mr. Frazier and his wife went back to the old Missouri home on
a visit. When he again came to the northwest he brought with him some
shell bark and some bull hickory nuts, also some butternut trees and
black walnut trees. He likewise has persimmon trees upon his place and
one of his apple trees is perhaps the largest apple tree in the state.
It measures more than seven feet and seven inches in circumference
around the base and has a spread of fifty-seven feet, while in height
it has reached forty-two feet. In 1907 it yielded a crop of one hundred
and twenty-six and a half boxes of fruit of Frazier's prolific variety.
From this old tree a number of gavels have been made by the Commercial
Club and one was presented to Mr. Frazier. He owns one hundred and
seventy acres of land and his place has been brought under a very high
state of development and improvement, so that it yields to him a most
gratifying annual return.
Mr. and Mrs. Frazier reared a family of six children; namely Florence,
who is the wife of Samuel Philips, formerly of Weston, Oregon, but now
of Walla Walla; Benjamin, a cattle man living in northern Washington;
Jane, who is the wife of Joseph Gwin, of Walla Walla county; Armeda,
who gave her hand in marriage to Samuel McHenry, of St. Francois
county, Missouri; John, who follows farming in Walla Walla township;
and Dora, the wife of Daniel Neiswanger, of Bend, Oregon. The wife and
mother died in 1907 after a happy married life of half a century.
Mr. Frazier was again married in 1907 to Mrs. Missouri Ann Wightman,
a native of Wayne county, Missouri, and a daughter of Thomas J.
and Lucinda Swezea, the former born in Tennessee and the latter in
Missouri. In 1859 the parents, accompanied by their six children,
started across the plains with two hundred head of cattle, which
dwindled down to about one hundred head before reaching Walla Walla.
Mr. Swezea purchased a claim about eight miles from the city on
Cottonwood creek. On the 8th of July, 1860, a son, Charles L., was
added to the family, he being the first white child born in Walla
Walla. Mr. Swezea died at the age of seventy-seven years and his wife
at the age of seventy-five. Of their nine children only four are now
living, namely: Mrs. Nancy J. Harer, of Walla Walla; Missouri Ann, now
Mrs. Frazier; Smith W., a resident of Harrison, Idaho; and Charles
L., of Walla Walla county. Mrs. Frazier was a girl of fifteen years
when she came to this state and on reaching womanhood married William
Wightman, by whom she had one child, Elizabeth, the wife of William
Wiseman, of Tacoma.
In his political views Mr. Frazier is a democrat, which party he has
supported since reaching adult age. He belongs to the Christian church,
while his wife is a member of the Presbyterian church. They are people
of genuine personal worth, enjoying in large measure the friendship
and kindly regard of those with whom thy have been brought in contact.
Their own home is noted for its warm-hearted hospitality and is the
scene of many delightful social gatherings. For fifty-three years Mr.
Frazier has resided in this county and has been a witness of much of
its development and improvement. His own labors have demonstrated in
large measure what can be accomplished in the way of raising fruits
and nuts in this section. He has ever been progressive in his work and
the practical methods which he has followed have brought substantial
results. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to try
his fortune in the northwest. He here found conditions favorable to
the man who is willing to work, for the land is rich in its natural
resources and Mr. Frazier accordingly brought his diligence to play
with the result that he is today the possessor of a handsome competence
which surrounds him with all of the necessities and comforts of life
and some of its luxuries.
HENRY S. COPELAND.
Henry S. Copeland, deceased, was one of the early pioneer settlers of
Walla Walla county, arriving here in 1862. He found a largely unsettled
and undeveloped region in which the work of improvement had scarcely
been begun. The Indians in the state far outnumbered the white settlers
and only here and there had been founded a little town, showing that
the seeds of civilization had been planted on the western frontier
which were later to bear fruit in the development of one of the most
progressive commonwealths of the Union.
Henry S. Copeland was born in Vermont in 1824 and was a son of Thomas
Copeland, who came from Ireland to Canada in young manhood. Later he
crossed the border into the United States, establishing his home in
Vermont, where he resided up to the time of his death. Both he and
his wife died when their son Henry was a small boy. He was born upon
a farm and continued to work at farm labor through the period of his
youth, dividing his time between the tasks of the fields and attendance
at the district schools through the winter months. At an early age he
began farming on his own account and 1857 found him in Sacramento,
California, while in 1859 he was in the Willamette valley. In 1862 he
crossed to Walla Walla, believing that the growing community there
would offer him the best opportunities. It was not long thereafter
until he had purchased a home and subsequently he took up a homestead
claim, southeast of Walla Walla. For many years he was prominently
identified with the agricultural interests of this county and from time
to time purchased other land until his holdings were very extensive.
He utilized every chance for judicious investment and never lost faith
in the future of this district, for he readily appreciated the fact
that nature was kind to this region and had placed before man many
opportunities for successful business in this section.
Mr. Copeland was united in marriage, in the Willamette valley, to
Miss Mary Ann Morton, a daughter of William and Catherine Morton, of
Illinois, and they became the parents of nine children, four of whom
survive. The wife and mother passed away in April, 1957, while the
death of Mr. Copeland occurred twelve years earlier in February, 1905.
He was very prominent in Masonic circles as well as in his business
connections and in his life exemplified the beneficent spirit of the
craft. He was ever ready to extend a helping hand to a brother of the
fraternity or to aid any fellow traveler on life's journey. He was
broad-minded and liberal in his views and had many qualities which made
him worthy of the high regard in which he was uniformly held.
JOHN W. BROOKS.
For almost a quarter of a century John W. Brooks has been actively
engaged in the practice of law in Walla Walla and throughout that
period has steadily forged to the front until he has long since
occupied an enviable position in the foremost rank of the attorneys
of Washington. He was born in Asheville, North Carolina, September
9, 1870, a son of Charles and Elizabeth (Cagle) Brooks, both of whom
were natives of that state, where they spent their entire lives. The
father died in the same building in which he was born, passing away in
his ninetieth year, after having devoted his entire life to general
agricultural pursuits.
John W. Brooks was reared upon the home farm and the public schools
afforded him his early educational privileges. Being desirous of
preparing for the bar, he afterward entered the University of North
Carolina, which conferred upon him his degree as a lawyer upon his
graduation with the class of 1892. He was admitted to the bar on the
24th of September of that year and following his admission he opened
an office in Asheville, North Carolina, where he remained in practice
until the 15th of February, 1893. Thinking that the west offered still
better business opportunities, he then left the Atlantic coast to make
his way to the Pacific seaboard and eventually arrived in Walla Walla,
where he has since practiced independently. He is an able lawyer,
possessing comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence
and is seldom if ever at fault in the application of such principles
to the point in litigation. His reasoning is sound, his deductions
clear and his arguments convincing. For twenty-four years he has now
practiced in Walla Walla and has long been accorded a position of
leadership among the attorneys of this section of the state.
On the 18th of July, 1898, Mr. Brooks was united in marriage to Miss
Esther Belle Singleton, a daughter of John Singleton, a pioneer of
1857, who for many years was closely identified with the development
and progress of Walla Walla county, where he passed away in 1893. His
widow still survives at the notable old age of ninety-one years. To Mr.
and Mrs. Brooks has been born one child, Virginia, now deceased.
Fraternally Mr. Brooks is identified with Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287,
B. P. O. E., with Washington Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F., and with the
Modern Woodmen of America. He has always been deeply interested in the
welfare and progress of the section of the state in which he lives
and he has proven his faith in Walla Walla county and its future by
making extensive investments in farm lands. The sterling traits of his
character have gained him wide acquaintance and he has an extensive
circle of friends, who entertain for him the warmest regard by reason
of his personal qualities as well as for his professional achievements.
GEORGE TOMPKINS POLLARD.
George Tompkins Pollard is a resident farmer of Columbia county, living
on section 6, township 9 north, range 38 east. He is the oldest settler
in that district and has been identified with the Inland Empire, its
pioneer development and its later progress, since 1855. He was born
in Linn county, Missouri, June 15, 1835, a son of Roger B. and Sarah
C. (Smith) Pollard. The father was a native of Richmond, Virginia,
while the mother's birth occurred in Rockingham county, Virginia. They
were married in Shelby county, Kentucky, to which district they had
removed in young manhood and womanhood. They began their domestic life
in Shelby county, where they remained for a number of years, and about
1820 they established their home in Linn county, Missouri, where they
lived for two decades. They afterward moved to the Platte Purchase,
settling near St. Joseph, Missouri, where both passed away.
George T. Pollard acquired a district school education in his native
state and at sixteen years of age left the parental roof to start out
in life on his own account. In the spring of 1852 he crossed the plains
with an ox team to California and for three years was engaged in mining
on the Cosmos river in what is now Amador county. In July, 1855, he
made his way northward into Oregon to visit a brother and while on that
visit enlisted in the service to fight the Indians. He took part in
the Yakima Indian war and later for three years was engaged in packing
supplies for Colonel Rice and Colonel Steptoe and was in the latter's
employ when he was defeated by the Indians. Mr. Pollard was in Wallula
on the 20th of December, 1855, and on the 22d or 23d participated in
the fight with the Indians near Whitman Station. He is the oldest
settler now living in this part of the state and there is no one more
familiar with every phase of pioneer life and experience than he. His
military service made him acquainted with every phase of Indian warfare
and later he met all of the hardships and privations incident to the
task of developing a new farm. On the 6th of August, 1859, he filed
on the homestead where he now lives and upon that place has resided
continuously since, covering a period of fifty-eight years. As his
financial resources increased he purchased more land from time to time
and now owns four hundred and ninety-five acres.
In 1860 Mr. Pollard was united in marriage to Miss Harriet L. Wiseman,
of Walla Walla county, who crossed the plains with her father, John
Wiseman, in 1852, settling in Linn county, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs.
Pollard became the parents of the following children, namely: Melissa;
Ann; John B., who is deceased; Mary; Oliver; Etta; Bettie; Ella and
Cordelia, who have passed away; Frank; Robert; and Roy.
[Illustration: G. T. POLLARD]
In politics Mr. Pollard is independent, never caring to bind himself
by party ties. He was appointed a member of the first board of county
commissioners after the organization of Columbia county and was a
member of the school board for more than thirty years. At different
times he has been urged by his friends to accept nomination for various
important political offices but has always refused, preferring to do
his public duty as private citizen. He and his wife are members of
the Methodist church and their well spent lives have been guided by
its teachings. When the state of Washington was yet cut off from the
advantages and comforts of the east by the long stretches of sand and
the high mountains, he made his way across the plains, braving all the
trials and hardships of pioneer life in order to make a home in the
Inland Empire, rich in its resources yet unclaimed from the dominion of
the red man. As the years have come and gone he has borne his part in
the work of general progress and improvement and has been a prominent
factor in promoting agricultural development. The days of chivalry and
knighthood in Europe cannot furnish more interesting or romantic tales
than our own western history.
CHARLES ALEXANDER McCABE.
Charles Alexander McCabe, a well known attorney at law of southeastern
Washington, practicing in Pomeroy as a member of the firm of Kuykendall
& McCabe, was born June 18, 1889, in the city where he still resides,
his parents being Charles A. and Mary (Bohan) McCabe. The father was
a native of Ireland and the mother of Pennsylvania. The former came
to the United States in 1848, as a boy of eleven years, in company
with his parents, who settled in Pennsylvania, where the son attained
his majority. About 1864 he determined to try his fortune on the
Pacific coast and made his way westward to Walla Walla, after which
he operated a pack train and also engaged in prospecting and mining,
thus becoming familiar with pioneer experiences and lines of business
such as are common in frontier districts. In 1865 he removed to
Garfield county, where he turned his attention to the sheep industry
and through the following twenty years, except for a few years in
Montana, was prominently identified with sheep raising in this
section of the state. He subsequently became postmaster of Pomeroy,
which position he occupied for several years, discharging his duties
with promptness, fidelity and capability. He was also engaged in the
jewelry business and for many years ranked with the prominent business
men and progressive citizens of Pomeroy, contributing much to its
upbuilding and progress along material and other lines. He was married
in Pennsylvania in 1888 and passed away in 1913, Mrs. McCabe having
preceded him in 1901.
Charles Alexander McCabe, whose name introduces this review, was
educated in the public schools of Pomeroy and in Gonzaga College at
Spokane. In the fall of 1909 he took up the study of law, reading in
the office of Gose & Kuykendall, and in the spring of 1911 he was
admitted to practice. Immediately following his admission he entered
into his present partnership relations with Mr. Kuykendall, whose
former partner, Mack F. Gose, had been elected to the bench. The firm
of Kuykendall & McCabe has since been engaged in practice and their
clientage is extensive and of a very important character. Mr. McCabe
carefully qualified for the practice of law and in the conduct of his
cases has shown notable resourcefulness combined with marked ability
to accurately apply the principles of jurisprudence to the points in
litigation.
In June, 1911, Mr. McCabe was united in marriage to Miss Anna Mock, of
Columbia county, Washington, and to them have been born two sons and a
daughter: Charles Patrick, Kathleen and Robert Alexander. The parents
are communicants of the Catholic church and Mr. McCabe is identified
with the Knights of Columbus and also with the Woodmen of the World.
Both Mr. and Mrs. McCabe are well known socially in Pomeroy, occupying
an enviable position in those circles where true worth and intelligence
are accepted as passports into good society.
THOMAS COPELAND.
Thomas Copeland, whose extensive landed possessions aggregate more
than three thousand acres, makes his home on section 12, township 6
north, range 36 east, Walla Walla county, where he is extensively
engaged in farming and stock raising. He is one of the most progressive
agriculturists of this part of the state and his intelligently directed
activities have brought him a gratifying measure of success. He is a
native son of the west and possesses the spirit of western enterprise.
His birth occurred in McMinnville, Oregon, November 26, 1861, his
parents being Henry S. and Mary Ann (Morton) Copeland, the former a
native of Vermont, while the latter was born in Pennsylvania.
It was in 1849 that Henry S. Copeland crossed the plains to California,
attracted by the discovery of gold on the Pacific coast. He remained
in that state for a brief period and then made his way northward to
Oregon, where he afterward met and married Miss Mary Ann Morton. They
took up their abode upon a farm in that state and for a considerable
period resided at McMinnville, but in 1863 they came north to
Washington and settled in Walla Walla county, where the father secured
a homestead, upon which he built a log cabin covered with a clapboard
roof. They occupied that primitive dwelling for several years and
experienced all the hardships and privations of pioneer life, but as
time passed their labors brought substantial reward and they were able
to secure more of the comforts of modern day civilization. The little
log cabin was replaced by a commodious and substantial residence and
other good farm buildings were added to the place, while the fields
were brought under a high state of cultivation. In his later years Mr.
Copeland retired from active farm work, having become possessed of a
comfortable competence that was sufficient to supply him with all of
the necessities and some of the luxuries of life through his remaining
days. He and his wife removed to Walla Walla and there continued to
make their home until called to their final rest. They had a family of
ten children, four of whom are yet living.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. THOMAS COPELAND]
Their son Thomas Copeland was but two years of age when the family
came from Oregon to Washington, so that he was reared and educated in
Walla Walla county. He pursued his studies in one of the old-time log
schoolhouses of that early period. The methods of instruction, too,
were somewhat primitive and thus his opportunities in that direction
were restricted but his training in farm work was of an extensive
character. He remained at home until he attained his majority, after
which he purchased the farm upon which he now resides, and adding to
his possessions at intervals as his financial resources have increased,
he has become the owner of over three thousand acres of rich, arable
and valuable land. He has made a specialty of raising wheat and also of
raising stock. He keeps full bred Hereford cattle and also Clydesdale
and Percheron horses upon his place. His stock raising interests have
become an important feature of his business and add materially to his
annual income. Moreover, his farm is situated in the rich wheat belt
of the Inland Empire and his yearly grain crop is a most satisfactory
one. In addition to his other interests Mr. Copeland is a stockholder
in the Third National Bank of Walla Walla, of which he was one of the
organizers.
In March, 1887, Mr. Copeland wedded Miss Minnie Harman, who was born
in the state of New York, a daughter of William Harman, who came to
Walla Walla at a very early day and continued his residence here until
called to the home beyond. To Mr. and Mrs. Copeland have been born four
children: Ralph and Clara, at home; Martha, who died at the age of
nineteen years; and Glenn, who completes the family.
In politics Mr. Copeland is a stalwart republican and while not an
office seeker he has served for twenty-seven years on the school board,
the cause of education finding in him indeed a stalwart champion. He
belongs to Washington Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F., and in his life
exemplifies the spirit of the organization, which is based upon the
recognition of man's obligations to his fellowmen. His life has been
well spent and has gained for him the goodwill and honor of his
fellowmen. In business affairs he has always displayed sound judgment
and keen discrimination and has readily discerned the essential
elements in the successful conduct of any business transaction. His
plans have ever been well defined and carefully executed and he never
stops short of the accomplishment of his purpose, for he recognizes
the fact that when one avenue of opportunity seems closed he can carve
out other paths which will lead to the desired goal. He has become
connected with a number of important enterprises in this county aside
from his farming interests and his business activity makes him a valued
and substantial citizen of his district.
THE WALLA WALLA UNION.
One of the pioneers of Walla Walla, getting younger and more vigorous
with the passing of years, is the Walla Walla Union, established
in 1869 and published continuously ever since. A little four-page
weekly, hand set, and with a small circulation at that time, the Union
has developed into a metropolitan daily, carrying full, leased-wire
Associated Press service and is equipped with modern linotypes and
fast rotary presses. The Union has been a part of the community life
of Walla Walla for nearly a half century and while in the struggles
of early pioneer life it suffered many hardships in common with many
of the citizens that it has served during a lifetime, it has grown
in strength with the community until today it is a part of the solid
worth of the Inland Empire. The Union is the only morning newspaper
published within a radius of nearly one hundred miles of Walla Walla.
The Union is published by a corporation of which E. G. Robb is
president, D. W. Ifft business manager and B. E. La Due managing editor.
JOHN L. WALLACE.
For almost ten years John L. Wallace has been engaged in the abstract,
real estate, loan and insurance business in Dayton, where he conducts
his interests as a partner in the firm of the Weatherford-Wallace
Company, ranking with the leading business men and representative
residents of the city. He was born in Harvey county, Kansas, on
the 16th of August, 1874, his parents being John T. and Hannah J.
(Frederick) Wallace, who came west to Washington in 1886, settling
in Whitman county. The father was engaged in educational work for
twenty-three years, teaching in Kansas and Missouri, and after coming
to Washington he identified himself with mercantile interests and for
a number of years was engaged in business in Albion. Subsequently
he resumed the profession of teaching and became connected with the
schools of Lincoln county, where he was located at the time of his
death, which occurred about 1906. For several years he had survived his
wife, who died on Christmas day of 1900.
John L. Wallace had the usual advantages of the public schools and
in 1892 entered the Portland (Oregon) Business College, where he
pursued a commercial course. In the summer of 1893 he was offered
and accepted the position of manager of a grain warehouse in Albion
and in 1894 and 1895 he was a student in the Washington Agricultural
College at Pullman, now the Washington State College. Subsequently
he went to Hailey, Idaho, where he was employed for two and a half
years in a grocery house. He then returned home but after a year he
went to Portland, Oregon, in 1898 and became one of the teachers in
the Portland Business College, there spending seven years. While thus
engaged he took up the study of law, attending night school, and in
1901 he was admitted to the bar in the state of Oregon. He continued
teaching, however, in the business college until 1904, when he returned
to Whitman county, Washington, and through the succeeding two years
devoted his attention to merchandising in Albion. In the fall of 1907
he was appointed deputy county prosecutor of Whitman county and on the
1st of July, 1908, he came to Dayton, where he bought a partnership
in the Geo. B. Baker Company, an abstract, real estate, loan and
insurance business. He has since been engaged in this line and has won
for himself a prominent position, having a very large clientage. He
has negotiated many important realty transfers, has placed many loans
and has written a large amount of insurance, so that his business has
reached a most gratifying figure.
On the 4th of June, 1902, Mr. Wallace was united in marriage to Miss
Sophia A. Schmidt, of Portland, Oregon, by whom he has one child, Dean
Leslie. Mr. Wallace was a stalwart supporter of republican principles
for many years but in 1912 left the ranks of the party and followed
Roosevelt in the organization of the progressive party. He has since
been a stanch advocate of progressive republicanism and is recognized
as one of the political leaders of this section of the state.
Fraternally he is connected with Dayton Lodge, No. 26, F. & A. M.;
Dayton Chapter, No. 5, R. A. M.; Alki Lodge, No. 136, I. O. O. F.; and
the Dayton Lodge of the Knights of Pythias, while both he and his wife
are members of Rainbow Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
For the past seven years Mr. Wallace has served as city clerk of Dayton
and has made a most excellent record as a public official, being
careful and systematic in the discharge of his duties and at all times
prompt and faithful to the trust reposed in him. He has many admirable
traits of character, is loyal to the public good, is thoroughly
reliable in all business dealings, holds friendship inviolable and is
devoted to the welfare of his family. His pronounced characteristics
have gained for him a high position in public regard, while his
enterprise and indefatigable energy have placed him among the leading
business men of his adopted city.
LEON B. KENWORTHY.
Leon B. Kenworthy is actively engaged in the practice of law in Dayton
and in a profession where advancement depends entirely upon individual
merit and ability he has made for himself a creditable position. He was
born in Salem, Oregon, February 16, 1874, a son of James and Lydia A.
(Williams) Kenworthy, both of whom were natives of Indiana. In the year
1872 they removed westward to Oregon, settling upon a farm where they
resided until 1879. In that year they went to what was then Walla Walla
county and took up their abode in Huntsville, where the father secured
a tract of land and again engaged in farming, spending his remaining
days upon that place, his death occurring October 23, 1911. The mother
died October 23, 1917. In their family were ten children, seven of whom
are yet living.
Leon B. Kenworthy was reared and educated in Washington, having been
but five years of age at the time of the removal of his parents from
Oregon to this state. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded
him. After completing his common school course he matriculated in
Pacific College at Newberg, where he won the Bachelor of Arts degree
upon his graduation with the class of 1900. He then pursued his law
course, which he completed in 1902, graduating from the law department
of the University of Washington. He was admitted to the bar and entered
upon active practice in Dayton in 1904. Through the intervening period
he has steadily advanced until he now occupies a foremost position
in the front rank of leading attorneys in Dayton. He prepares his
cases with great thoroughness, is skillful in the presentation of his
arguments, is logical in his deductions and sound in his reasoning.
In 1909 Mr. Kenworthy was united in marriage to Miss Alice M. Spurgeon,
a native of Illinois, and to them have been born two sons: Jack
Garry, deceased; and Max Spurgeon. The parents are members of the
Congregational church and in his fraternal relations Mr. Kenworthy is
connected with the Knights of Pythias and is a member of the D. O.
K. K. in that order. Politically he is a republican, giving stalwart
support to the party, and for a number of years he has acceptably
filled the office of city attorney, most carefully safe-guarding the
legal interests of the city in that position. He stands for progress
and improvement in all public affairs and has ever displayed marked
devotion to the city's welfare and upbuilding. He owns a fine residence
in Dayton and the family occupies an influential position in social
circles.
JOSEPH J. ROSE.
Among those whom death has called and who were contributing factors
to the agricultural development and improvement of Columbia county
was Joseph J. Rose, who while still active in the world's work made
his home on section 5, township 9 north, range 39 east, in Columbia
county. He was born in Oregon, on the present site of the town of
Milton, June 12, 1860, a son of Eli and Catherine (Boldman) Rose, who
crossed the plains from Iowa with ox teams in 1859. One child was born
to them on their journey. On their arrival in Oregon they camped on
the present site of Milton and it was there that the birth of Joseph
J. Rose occurred. Not long afterward the parents removed with their
family to Washington, taking up their abode in what is now Walla Walla
county, about three miles from Dixie. There they lived for many years,
giving their attention to agricultural pursuits, but ultimately removed
to Dayton, at which time Mr. Rose retired from active business life,
having in the intervening years acquired a comfortable competence that
was sufficient to supply him and his wife with all of the necessities
and some of the luxuries of life.
Joseph J. Rose assisted his father until he reached his twenty-third
year and for about two years thereafter operated his father's farm.
His youthful experiences were those of the farmbred boy who divides
his time between the duties of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the
playground and the work of the fields. No event of special importance
occurred to vary the routine of life for him in that period. After
cultivating his father's land for two years he removed to Columbia
county in 1885 and purchased a portion of what is now his old home
place about a mile and a half south of Dayton. His first purchase made
him owner of two hundred and twenty acres and subsequently he bought
other land from time to time, thus adding to his holdings until he
had fourteen hundred acres at the time of his demise. The farm which
he left is one of the most productive and valuable farms of Columbia
county. The soil is naturally rich and careful cultivation has added
much to its value. Good buildings have been put upon the farm and the
place has been divided into fields of convenient size by well kept
fences.
Mr. Rose was married twice. In 1884 he wedded Miss Ida Williams, of
Walla Walla county, by whom he had three children, namely: Lena, who
is now the wife of T. O. Webster, of Walla Walla; Zelma, who gave her
hand in marriage to Earl Harting, of Walla Walla county; and Zenobia,
a resident of Walla Walla. In July, 1900, Mr. Rose was again married,
his second union being with Miss Mary Brockman, a daughter of W. J.
Brockman, who came to Columbia county, Washington, in 1887 and has
since passed away. By his second wife Mr. Rose had two pairs of twins,
the first of whom died in infancy, while the surviving are Joseph Eli
and Emma Catherine.
[Illustration: JOSEPH J. ROSE]
Mr. Rose gave his political allegiance to the democratic party and he
served for several years as a member of the school board but was too
busy to give much attention to politics and never sought or desired
political preferment. He belonged to Columbia Lodge, F. & A. M., and
was a faithful follower of the teachings of the craft. He was also
a consistent member of the Christian church and died in that faith
December 7, 1916, leaving to his family not only the fruits of earnest
toil but also the priceless heritage of an untarnished name, which the
wise man of old said is more to be chosen than great riches. Mrs. Rose
not only possesses those qualities which are essentially womanly and
which everywhere command respect, but she is also a capable business
woman. Upon the death of her husband she immediately took up the
heavy responsibilities in connection with the operation of a farm of
fourteen hundred acres and in her management of affairs has proven
herself one woman in a thousand. She is now operating the farm on an
extensive scale and is meeting with excellent success by reason of her
careful management, her systematic methods, her keen sagacity and her
enterprise. She occupies one of the prettiest country homes in the
county and by reason of her business management is enabled to enjoy
not only all of the comforts but also many of the luxuries of life.
She belongs to Waitsburg Chapter, No. 9, of the Order of the Eastern
Star, and is a devoted member of the Christian church, guiding her life
according to its teachings.
J. A. DARBY, M. D.
The northwest with its pulsing industrial activity and its limitless
resources is constantly drawing to it men of enterprise and ability who
find here opportunity for the expression of their dominant qualities.
Among the number who have come from the Mississippi valley is Dr. J. A.
Darby, now successfully engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery
in Pomeroy.
J. A. Darby was born in Hunnewell, Shelby county, Missouri, on the
16th of October, 1874, and is a son of James A. and Mattie B. (Cox)
Darby. The father came to Washington with his family in 1885, settling
in Pomeroy, where he established a hardware store, with which he was
identified until about a year prior to his death. He passed away in
1905 and is survived by Mrs. Darby, who is yet living in Pomeroy.
Dr. Darby was a lad of eleven years when his parents came to Washington
and his education, begun in the public schools of Missouri, was
continued in the public schools of Pomeroy. After leaving the high
school he became a student in the Spokane Business College and still
later, having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work,
he matriculated in the University of Oregon as a medical student and
was graduated from that institution with the M. D. degree as a member
of the class of 1909. Following his graduation he opened an office in
Pomeroy and in the intervening eight years has built up an extensive
and lucrative practice.
On the 18th of February, 1916, Dr. Darby was united in marriage to
Mrs. Bessie McWilliams, of Walla Walla, and to them has been born a
son, James A. Dr. Darby holds membership in Garfield Lodge, No. 25,
K. P.; also in Lewiston Lodge, No. 896, B. P. O. E., and with the
Woodmen of the World and the United Artisans. In politics he maintains
an independent course but believes in republican principles. He does
not seek nor desire office, preferring to concentrate his time and
efforts upon his practice, the duties of which he discharges in a most
conscientious and able manner. He is interested in everything that
tends to bring to man the key to the complex mystery which we call
life and by further reading and study is continually broadening his
knowledge and promoting his efficiency. Colleagues and contemporaries
acknowledge his ability and rank him with the progressive physicians of
this part of the state.
JOHN J. ASHBY.
John J. Ashby was a pioneer of Garfield county and a citizen of worth
whose passing was deeply regretted by many friends. He was held in high
regard by those who knew him as a representative business man, as a
progressive citizen and one who was faithful to the ties of home and
friendship. A native of Illinois, he was born March 12, 1847, and was
a great-grandson of a distinguished officer of the British army whose
wife was a French lady. The ancestral line of the Ashby family can be
traced back for over two hundred years and upon the records the names
of many prominent men appear.
John J. Ashby was a son of Solomon and Jane (Ripley) Ashby, the former
a native of Montreal, Canada, while the latter was born in the state
of New York. They became residents of Stephenson county, Illinois, in
the '40s and there resided until 1865, when they crossed the plains
with teams and wagons and settled in the Willamette valley of Oregon.
There they resided until 1873, when they became residents of Old Walla
Walla county, making their home near the present site of the city of
Pomeroy. The district was then largely wild and undeveloped, but with
characteristic energy Mr. Ashby began the cultivation of his land,
converting his place into a well improved farm, upon which he and his
wife spent their remaining days. They had a family of three children
but only one is now living.
John J. Ashby was a youth of eighteen years when he crossed the
plains with his parents. The trip was a long and arduous one, fraught
with many difficulties and hardships, but day after day they slowly
proceeded on their way until the western coast was reached. He remained
with his parents in the Willamette valley for a time and was married
there in 1872 to Miss Mary Denny, a daughter of John F. Denny, whose
birth occurred in Indiana in 1819. He crossed the plains in 1852
and settled in Marion county, Oregon, upon a donation claim. There
he built a typical log cabin with puncheon floor and door, through
which a string was inserted that was fastened to the latch in order
that the traveler might pull the string and open the door. Such was
the hospitality of that period. The little pioneer cabin also had a
mud and stick chimney and its furnishings were perhaps as primitive
as the exterior. In that little home the Denny family lived for
several years. The father was a lifelong republican and was chosen to
represent his district in the territorial legislature. In 1860 he was
ordained to the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church by Bishop
C. W. Clark and thus he became actively identified with the moral
development of the state as well as with its material and political
progress. The grandfather of Mrs. Ashby was also a prominent figure in
the northwest. He served in the War of 1812 under Colonel M. Johnston
and was appointed by President Lincoln as governor of the territory
of Washington in 1861, thus becoming prominently identified with the
development of the northwest. He had two sons who were prominent
citizens of the northwest. A. A. Denny was called "The father of
Seattle," and D. T. Denny was the first to erect a white man's home
where that city now stands.
[Illustration: JOHN D. ASHBY]
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. J. J. ASHBY]
[Illustration: JENNIE ASHBY]
To Mr. and Mrs. Ashby were born two children: Jennie, who died at the
age of twelve years; and John Denny, whose biographical sketch follows
this. It was in the year 1874 that Mr. and Mrs. Ashby took up their
abode upon the farm in Garfield county and from that time until his
death, which occurred November 10, 1914, he devoted his attention to
general agricultural pursuits, becoming the owner of four hundred
and eighty acres of fine wheat land. He also owned a very attractive
residence in the city of Pomeroy, which is still the property of his
widow. He was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in
the work of which he took an active and helpful part, and he was always
ready to lend a helping hand to the poor and needy, his assistance
being given in most generous manner. He was a great worker in behalf of
the cause of temperance and assisted all church activities both by his
moral and financial support.
JOHN DENNY ASHBY.
No death in Garfield county has been more deeply deplored than that
of John Denny Ashby, who was born in this county, February 8, 1876.
Spending his youthful days in the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
John J. Ashby, he attended the public schools until graduated from the
high school at Pomeroy in 1895. He was afterward graduated from the
Montana Wesleyan University with the class of 1899, winning the degree
of Bachelor of Arts. During his student days there he was a member of
the college debating club, was captain of the military company and
president of the Young Men's Christian Association, thus showing his
active connection with all the varied interests which constitute the
commendable phases of college life. In 1900 he was honored by an offer
of two positions, one as instructor of science and higher mathematics
at his alma mater, the other a government position in China. At the
persuasion of his parents he accepted the former. Speaking of his work
in the schools, Professor Tenny, president of the Montana University,
said: "I have had the very best men associated with me in the school
work that I could hope for, but I have never found a man who was so
unselfishly loyal to me, loyal to himself, loyal to God."
In 1901 Denny Ashby entered the New York Homeopathic College & Hospital
as a member of the class of 1905. During his freshman year he served
as senator for the class and he also won the freshman prize, while
at the end of the junior year he won the Fiske prize for the highest
standing in three years' work, the prize consisting of a valuable set
of surgical instruments. On the 2d of August, 1904, while in bathing
on the beach at Oak island, near Fire island, he was caught by a big
wave and drowned while attempting to go to the rescue of a trained
nurse. His death was deeply deplored by all who knew him for he was a
young man of unusual promise and ability. At the age of fourteen years
he united with the Methodist church and his life was dedicated to the
work of a medical missionary, but death intervened and his remains were
sent home from New York and laid to rest by the side of his sister
in the Pomeroy cemetery, where his grandparents are resting and also
his father. Of him it may well be said that he has joined "The choir
invisible of those immortal dead who live again in lives made better by
their presence."
From all parts of the country came letters and expressions of sympathy
to Mr. and Mrs. Ashby, showing profound regret at the loss of one so
richly endowed with God's best gifts to humanity. Clayton C. Ferguson,
who had been his classmate in the medical college wrote: "The first
hard grind of the year is over. As many grains growing luxuriously
by the wayside owe their origin to seeds blown or dropped from some
passing wagon laden with the harvest, so in reviewing this course I
find that many of my present developed ideas have sprung from seeds
sown by Denny's fruitful pen along the margins of books once loved
by him, and which you kindly gave me. Some of these thoughtful seeds
flowering have lined the pathway with fragrance; others have caused
me at times to pause and admire their beauty; still others, bruised
and broken by the rude blast, have given me moments of pain as in the
contemplation of their destruction my thoughts reverted to a like
condition of their creator. Among our family household seeds others
than those sown on paper were sprinkled along life's pathway by the
same loving hands during those happy days of association." In another
letter the above writer says: "I have taken Denny's drugs and placed
them in my desk, praying with God's help to use them as my dear loved
one would have, always ready to help the suffering. Do accept my thanks
for them and remember that I am at your service at all times to do
for you anything in my power. Call upon me if you want medicine for
yourself or anybody else. * * * You will never know the sorrow felt in
our home, unless you had been in it when Denny was a part of it. No one
can fill his place at the table, nor will anyone ever be allowed to sit
there." One of his boy friends said: "If ever a soul reached heaven
Denny Ashby is there," and another said: "If ever anybody could make
a Christian of one by the good life he lived and the example he left,
Denny Ashby was that one." At the opening of the college the dean,
Dr. King, paid a glowing tribute to the memory of his former pupil,
saying: "The class of 1905 has suffered a great loss through the death
of John Denny Ashby," and made especial mention of his modest, retiring
nature, which to a large degree obscured his "massive mental capacity."
The class of 1905 passed the following resolution: "Realizing that by
the death of your only son the class of 1905 of the New York Medical
College has lost not only a man who has distinguished himself as a
student, but also by his daily life proved himself to be a young man of
most exemplary character. We, the class of 1905, do hereby extend to
you in this hour of your great affliction our most heartfelt sympathy.
We one and all feel that we have lost a true friend and brother
physician." A beautiful and merited tribute was expressed by Dr. C. F.
Sibly, who wrote: "His death bound east and west in mourning. There is
a bright side, however, which we must not overlook. When his body was
recovered at daybreak, August 3d, its appearance was like that of a
hero and conqueror; his hands were folded defiantly across his breast,
his characteristic peaceful smile was very manifest. It was evident to
the observer that as he had lived a conqueror's life, so he had died a
conqueror's death. For him death had no sting, the grave no victory.
There was no moaning of the bar or midnight darkness when he put out to
sea, but a glorious ushering in to the presence of that great company
of just souls, robed white, washed clean by the blood of the Lamb--an
introduction to the throng, arrayed with palms of victory and crowns of
glory."
JAMES OTTO LONG.
James Otto Long, a well known grain dealer of Pomeroy, who was formerly
extensively engaged in farming and stock raising, is a typical citizen
of the golden west, alert, energetic, progressive and resourceful.
He was born in Lane county, Oregon, August 15, 1864, and is a son of
Ransom and Rosetta (Clark) Long, the former a native of Virginia, while
the latter was born in Indiana. They were married in Fulton county,
Illinois, having removed to that state with their respective parents in
childhood days. After their marriage they became residents of Iowa and
in 1852 crossed the plains with ox teams to the Willamette valley of
Oregon, where they remained for about twenty years. In 1872 they came
to Washington and spent the first year on the Patit creek near Dayton,
after which they moved northward into what is now Garfield county and
located on the Pataha prairie, seven miles south of the present site
of Pomeroy. Here the father used his homestead and preemption rights
and upon that place which he secured continued to make his home until
the death of his wife. He later resided at the home of his children
and passed away on the 5th of April, 1898, having for twelve years
survived his wife, who died on the 27th of June, 1886. In politics he
was a republican and was a progressive citizen, interested in all that
pertained to the public welfare.
James O. Long was educated in the district schools and when about
twenty-two years of age left the home farm, after which he devoted
eight years to prospecting and mining but failed to find the proverbial
pot of gold at the foot of the rainbow, as he desired. He then decided
to return to agricultural life and on the 1st of October, 1895, he
was united in marriage to Miss Mettie Williams, of Garfield county, a
daughter of Nicholas Williams, who came to the county in 1873.
Following their marriage Mr. Long purchased a farm on the Pataha
prairie and occupied the place for ten years. On the expiration of
that period he took up his abode in Pomeroy in 1905 and for a decade
gave his attention to the live stock business, owning a stock ranch
halfway between Pomeroy and Lewiston, on the Alpowa, where he made a
specialty of grazing sheep. His live stock interests were profitably
conducted but about two years ago he disposed of his ranch and turned
his attention to the grain business, establishing and operating a
grain warehouse in Pomeroy. He is now prominently known in connection
with the grain trade and has developed a business of extensive and
gratifying proportions. He is a man of determined purpose and resolute
will and whatever he undertakes he carries forward to successful
completion.
Mr. and Mrs. Long have become the parents of eight children, seven of
whom survive, as follows: Lois, the wife of Ray Gimlin, who follows
farming in Garfield county, Washington; and Florence, Willena, Clark,
Lewis, Marian and Burton, all at home.
Mrs. Long and her daughters are members of the Congregational church
and the family is prominent socially in the community where they
reside. In politics Mr. Long is a republican and keeps well informed on
the questions and issues of the day but does not seek public office.
His life has been one of diligence and his labors have been crowned
with a substantial measure of success.
J. W. HARBERT.
J. W. Harbert, of Small township, whose residence in Walla Walla county
dates from 1859, is one of the earliest pioneers of this section now
living. He was born in Fountain county, Indiana, September 25, 1835,
a son of Richard J. and Mary (Zumwalt) Harbert, natives respectively
of Havre de Grace, Maryland, and Cynthiana, Kentucky. Their marriage,
however, was celebrated in Indiana, where they resided until 1844, when
they removed with their family to Dubuque, Iowa. Three years later
they went to Mount Vernon, a college town in Linn county, Iowa, which
remained their place of residence for many years. The father came to
Walla Walla in 1878, but after spending over a year in this locality
returned to Iowa, where his wife died in 1888. Immediately after her
death he again came to Washington and made his home with his son, J. W.
Harbert, until his death, which occurred about a year later, in 1889.
J. W. Harbert was reared at home and received his education in the
common schools. In 1859 he decided that the west offered the most
favorable opportunities for an ambitious young man and accordingly
made the long overland trip to Walla Walla county, driving an ox team
for another man in exchange for the privilege of having his provisions
transported. Following his arrival here he worked for Charles Russell
for two years and then devoted eight years to freighting from Wallula
and Umatilla Landing to the Idaho mines and to other points in this
part of the country. When the railroad was built through, the need for
freighting by team ceased and he turned his attention to farming. He
worked hard, gave careful attention to the management of his affairs
and in time acquired fourteen hundred acres of the finest farm land
in the county. He was quick to recognize and take advantage of any
unusual opportunity and one of the chief factors in his success has
been the close personal supervision which he has given to his work. In
1863, while hauling a load of freight from Wallula to Idaho City, he
camped on the night of July 2d on the site of Fort Boise, the officers
choosing that site the following morning for a fort. In 1864 he hauled
one hundred and seventy-five thousand feet of lumber from the mountains
to Boise city and watched the loading and unloading of every board. His
natural vigor and strength have been conserved by wholesome outdoor
life, and today, at the age of eighty-two years, he superintends all
his farm work and is as active as most men twenty-five years his
junior. When he arrived in Walla Walla county he had but three dollars
and the financial independence which is now his is the direct result of
his own labors.
[Illustration: J. W. HARBERT]
[Illustration: MRS. J. W. HARBERT]
On the 13th of July, 1866, Mr. Harbert was united in marriage to Miss
Emma Evans, a daughter of G. W. Evans, who came to Walla Walla county
in 1861. To this union were born six children, three of whom survive,
namely: Ida H., the wife of Thomas Paine, of Richland, Washington;
Floy, who married Frank Holman, of Freewater, Oregon; and Liberty, the
wife of Julius Jensen, of this county. On the 8th of January, 1878,
Mrs. Harbert passed away and on the 8th of April, 1884, Mr. Harbert
married Miss Lizzie D. Groff, a native of Iowa. They have two living
children, Clifford G. and Hazel, both at home.
Mr. Harbert supports the republican party at the polls and for twenty
years has served as school director, his continuance in the office
indicating his ability and trustworthiness. Although he does not hold
membership in the church his religious belief is in the main that of
the Methodist Episcopal church and he contributes liberally to its
support and also to various charitable projects. His many admirable
qualities are generally recognized and there is no resident of the
county more highly esteemed than he.
FRED M. YOUNG.
Fred M. Young, who since starting out in life on his own account at
the age of sixteen has been continuously connected with the florist
business, is now senior partner of the firm of Young & Lester,
prominent florists and nurserymen of Walla Walla, where they conduct
an extensive business. He was born in Cass county, Iowa, April 26,
1879, a son of Salathiel and Martha M. (Caughey) Young, both of whom
were natives of Ohio. They were married in Iowa, however, having
removed to that state in childhood with their respective parents. At
the time of the Civil war the father responded to the country's call
to arms, enlisting as a member of Company C, Eighth Iowa Volunteer
Infantry, with which he served for more than four years, participating
in many of the hotly contested battles which finally resulted in the
winning of victory for the Union. With a most creditable military
record he returned to his home in Iowa after the war was closed and
there he engaged in gardening and fruit growing at Grove City. In 1900
he removed to Denver, Colorado, and in the fall of 1916 he sold his
Denver home and returned to Iowa, residing with a daughter in Council
Bluffs up to the time of his death, which occurred in February, 1917.
His widow survives and yet makes her home with the daughter in Council
Bluffs.
Fred M. Young had the benefit of educational training in the public
schools until sixteen years of age, when he left the parental roof and
went to Council Bluffs, entering the employ of his brother-in-law, J.
F. Wilcox, a florist of that city. It was under his instruction that
he acquainted himself with the florist business, gaining comprehensive
and accurate knowledge in every department and in every connection.
After three years he went to Chicago, where he was identified with
the firm of Bassett & Washburn, well known florists, with whom he
continued for a year. He next went to Denver, Colorado, where he was
in the employ of the Colfax Floral Company for three years and on the
expiration of that period he went to Pueblo, Colorado, as manager of
the George Fleischer Floral Company, in which capacity he served for
eighteen months. He was afterward in Salt Lake City, where he occupied
the position of manager of the Huddard Floral Company, with which he
remained for three years. He then spent a short time in San Francisco
and still later went to Seattle, where he became head gardener at the
Bremerton navy yards, occupying that position for about six months.
At that time his sister, who was living in Walla Walla, persuaded him
to come to this city and he arrived here with the intention of going
into business but was disappointed in raising the necessary capital.
He went to work for James Wait, a florist with whom he continued for
ten months, and later removed to Portland, Oregon, where he was in the
employ of Martin & Forbes, with whom he remained for about a year and
a half. In November, 1907, he resigned this position and returned to
Walla Walla, opening a small flower store at No. 7 East Main street
known as Bedell's Bazaar. On the 1st of May following Hampton Huff,
who had a small greenhouse property on the present site of the Young
& Lester greenhouses and who had become too old to work proposed to
Mr. Young to go into business with him. Their capital was limited
and Mr. Young gave Mr. Huff his note for seven thousand dollars for
a half interest in the business. Thus he started out independently.
They made enough money that spring to build another greenhouse and
put in a new boiler. The following year they were able to build three
more greenhouses and in the succeeding year Mr. Huff retired and Mr.
Young secured a lease on the whole property with an option to buy. In
1913 he sold Clyde Lester an interest in the business and the present
firm of Young & Lester was thus formed. The business has developed
rapidly. Their plant is strictly modern and up-to-date. They have
eight and three-fourths acres of land under cultivation, with about
twenty-five thousand square feet under glass. Their city store is at 19
East Main street and is one of the most modern and attractive florist
establishments in eastern Washington. There is no phase of the business
with which Mr. Young is not thoroughly familiar. He has made a close
study of plant development and propagation and everything in the line
of growing plants and blooming flowers that can be raised in this
section of the country is found in his establishment.
[Illustration: RESIDENCE OF J. W. HARBERT]
In 1914 Mr. Young was united in marriage to Miss Effie Morrison, of
Walla Walla, and in the social circles of the city they are widely
and prominently known. Mr. Young is a stalwart republican, giving
unfaltering allegiance to the party and its principles. He belongs to
Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E.; to Enterprise Lodge, No. 121,
I. O. O. F.; and to Columbia Lodge, No. 8, K. P. He is also identified
with Alki Temple of the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan at
Walla Walla and the Knights of the Maccabees and the Knights and Ladies
of Security. He belongs to the Commercial Club and is interested in
all of its plans and purposes for the upbuilding and development of
the city. His wife is a member of the Christian church and Mr. Young
gives his aid and influence on the side of all those forces which work
for the upbuilding and progress of Walla Walla along material, social,
intellectual and moral lines. In an analyzation of his life record
it will be seen that concentration of purpose along a single line
of business has been one of the salient features in his success. He
started out as a florist and has continued in that field of activity.
He has never allowed difficulties nor obstacles to bar his path but
has overcome these by determined effort and has ever recognized that
satisfied patrons are the best advertisement. He has sought earnestly
to please his customers and his establishment, presenting everything
that is most attractive, unique and beautiful in the line of floral
culture, has been most liberally patronized.
THOMAS P. GOSE.
Thomas P. Gose, attorney at law practicing in Walla Walla as senior
partner in the firm of Gose & Crowe, was born in Sullivan county,
Missouri, May 11, 1855, a son of John M. and Hannah J. (McQuown) Gose.
The father is a native of Kentucky, while the mother's birth occurred
in Virginia. They were married, in Missouri, to which state they had
removed with their respective parents in childhood days. The father
was among the argonauts who started in search of the golden fleece
to California in the year 1849. He made the overland trip by way of
the Santa Fe trail and spent five years in the Golden state. He then
returned to Missouri in 1854, crossing the plains, after which he
continued his residence in Missouri until 1862, when he went to Denver,
Colorado, again making a trip in quest of gold. He spent about one year
there, after which he once more took up his abode in Missouri. The
lure of the west, however, was upon him and in 1864 he removed with
his family to Boise City, Idaho, where he arrived in August. The city
was at that time a frontier village, far removed from civilization to
the eastward or to the westward. Prices were so high that during that
winter he was obliged to pay about fifty dollars for a fifty-pound sack
of flour. In July, 1865, he came to Walla Walla and began farming in
the vicinity of the city. Both he and his wife are still living, Mr.
Gose having reached the notable old age of ninety-two years, while his
wife is enjoying good health at the age of eighty-six years. They now
make their home with their son, Thomas P. Gose, who is looking after
their comfort and welfare and thus with filial devotion is repaying the
love and care which they bestowed upon him in his youth.
Thomas P. Gose was a lad of about ten years when the family arrived
in Washington and much of his education was therefore acquired in the
public schools of Walla Walla, supplemented by study in the Whitman
Academy. In the spring of 1886, having determined to engage in a
professional career, he took up the study of law and in 1889, after a
thorough reading of the principles of jurisprudence, he was admitted to
the bar. In the fall of 1890 he opened his law office in Walla Walla
and in the intervening period, covering twenty-seven years, he has had
several law partnerships, being now senior member of the firm of Gose
& Crowe, which was formed in August, 1914. This firm ranks with the
foremost at the Walla Walla bar. Mr. Bose is devotedly attached to his
profession, is systematic and methodical in habit, sober and discreet
in judgment, diligent in research and conscientious in the discharge
of every duty. An earnest manner, marked strength of character and
a thorough grasp of the law, with ability to accurately apply its
principles, make him an effective and successful advocate and he is
also a safe and wise counselor.
On the 20th of December, 1893, Mr. Gose was united in marriage to Miss
Clara Crowe, of Freewater, Oregon, by whom he has five children, as
follows: Cecile, who was graduated from Whitman College with the class
of 1916 and is now a teacher in the high school at Kalama, Washington;
Gladys and Marjorie, both of whom are attending Whitman College; Vera,
a high school graduate; and Thomas P., who is a high school student.
Mr. and Mrs. Gose are members of the Congregational church and are
interested in all that pertains to individual uplift and community
betterment. Mr. Gose votes with the democratic party and has served
as deputy prosecuting attorney, while for four years he was a member
of the Walla Walla board of education. He is the present chairman of
the democratic county central committee and for years past has been a
dominant factor in the affairs of his party, doing much to mold public
thought and opinion and putting forth earnest and effective effort to
secure party success. The limitless possibilities of the west have
ever stirred his ambition and his energy, intelligently directed, has
carried him into important professional relations.
BREWSTER FERREL.
Brewster Ferrel now occupies an attractive home at 336 South Palouse
street in Walla Walla, where he is surrounded with all of the comforts
and many of the luxuries of life. For many years he was prominently and
actively identified with farming, taking up that work in Walla Walla
county in early pioneer times and meeting with all of the hardships and
privations which were incident to the settlement of the frontier. He
was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, August 22, 1838, a son of Edward and
Rosella (Fish) Ferrel, the former a native of Pennsylvania, while the
latter was born in Ohio. They were married in the Buckeye state and in
1854 removed to Iowa, where both resided up to the time of their death.
Brewster Ferrel was a lad of sixteen years when his father removed
to Iowa and in the public schools of that state he supplemented the
educational training which he had already received in Ohio. He was
trained to farm work, early becoming familiar with the tasks of
plowing, planting and harvesting, and he early developed habits of
industry and perseverance which later constituted very important
elements in the attainment of his present-day success.
In 1861, Brewster Ferrel was united in marriage in Iowa to Miss
Caroline Bott, a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, whose parents had
removed to Iowa when she was a little maiden of ten summers. The young
couple began their domestic life in the middle west but in 1864 left
their Iowa home and started across the plains with a team of mules and
a prairie schooner. They joined a wagon train and, traveling after
the slow and tedious method of that period, at length arrived in
Walla Walla on the 3d of August, 1864. For some time after reaching
the northwest Mr. Ferrel, like many other of the pioneers, engaged
in freighting and continued in that business up to the advent of the
railroad, when freighting by team was no longer profitable. He then
concentrated his energies upon farming. It was in 1864 that he had
homesteaded and secured the farm property which he still owns. The
first year after his arrival there was little wheat raised and so great
was the demand for it in the mining regions of the Rocky Mountains that
he sold all he had for a dollar and a quarter per bushel, which was
considered a very high price in that day. The following year, however,
the eastern demand fell off and the farmers were obliged to market
their product in Portland, where the wheat brought only sixty cents
per bushel. Stock could be ranged easily in the mountains and for a
time Mr. Ferrel engaged in raising stock, driving his cattle to the
different mining camps, where he would sell them. Eventually, however,
he disposed of his live stock interests entirely. To his original farm
of two hundred acres he gradually added four hundred acres and finally
more and more, paying for his last tract a hundred dollars per acre--a
tract that could have been bought at the time of his arrival for a
dollar and a quarter per acre. Mr. Ferrel has always been actuated
by a spirit of enterprise and progressiveness in anything that he
has undertaken. He was among the first to build a barbed wire fence
in Walla Walla county. Up to this time he had hauled rails from the
mountains and tied them to posts by means of rawhide, thus using the
otherwise useless hides to help fence his crops from the ranging herds.
For the first barbed wire he paid eighteen cents per pound and it was
a very crude article compared to that manufactured at the present
time at that. The most improved farm machine was the old McCormick
reaper, bearing little resemblance to the binders and headers of the
present time. Mr. Ferrel even cradled large portions of his wheat crop
in those early years and all the farmers would unite to harvest and
thresh. At that day many believed that the Walla Walla valley would
be abandoned as soon as the mines to the eastward were exhausted and
many refused to take up land and settle. At times Mr. Ferrel may have
become discouraged but with stout heart he pressed on and his diligence
and determination have at length secured a substantial reward. His
crops today bring ten per cent on an investment rated at one hundred
dollars per acre and he and his sons have built up a grain growing
business that is as carefully, methodically and successfully managed as
any mercantile establishment. The old homestead is located on Russell
creek, about eight miles east of Walla Walla, and thereon Mr. Ferrel
resided until 1902, when he took up his abode in the city, where he has
one of the most handsome homes to be found in southeastern Washington.
In the meantime he had added to his possessions until he became the
owner of three thousand acres of farm land, which make him one of the
county's most substantial and prosperous citizens. All that he has
acquired in the course of an active and busy life has been won since he
came to Washington and most of it has been made in the past twenty or
twenty-five years.
Mr. and Mrs. Ferrel became the parents of eight children, seven of whom
survive, as follows: Thomas J., who is engaged in farming in Walla
Walla county; Rosella E., the wife of Walter Barnett, an agriculturist
of Walla Walla county; Seth A., David B. and Joseph W., all of whom
follow farming in Walla Walla county; Fidelia C., the wife of Charles
Maxson, who is a farmer residing in Walla Walla; and Myrtle M., who
gave her hand in marriage to Thomas Jones, an agriculturist of Walla
Walla county.
Mr. Ferrel gives his political allegiance to the republican party,
which he has continuously supported since age conferred upon him the
right of franchise. He and his wife are consistent members of the
Methodist church and have ever been loyal to its teachings, while to
its work they have been generous contributors. They are among the most
highly esteemed citizens of Walla Walla, where they have resided since
early pioneer times, and there is no phase of the county's development
and improvement in all the intervening years with which they are
not familiar. In his business affairs Mr. Ferrel has ever displayed
indefatigable energy, close application and persistency of purpose
and his record indicates that success and an honored name may be won
simultaneously.
FRANK FITZGERALD.
Frank Fitzgerald, who is devoting his time and energies to the
operation of an excellent farm on section 34, township 13 north, range
42 east, Garfield county, was born in Tennessee, April 17, 1855, a son
of Alford and Temperance (Bradshaw) Fitzgerald, natives respectively of
Virginia and North Carolina, who were married, however, in Tennessee.
In 1860 the family removed to Missouri and later in the same year the
father passed away. The mother continued to reside in that state until
her death in 1906. All of their four children survive.
Frank Fitzgerald passed the greater part of his boyhood and youth in
the state of Missouri, as he was but five years of age at the time of
the removal there, and his education was that afforded by the public
schools. In 1887 he removed to Garfield county, Washington, and for
thirteen years operated rented land but in 1900 bought his present farm
of three hundred and twenty acres on section 34, township 13 north,
range 42 east. His success has been based upon the sure foundation of
hard work and the most rigorous attention to the task in hand.
Mr. Fitzgerald was married September 23, 1880, to Miss May Temple, who
was born in Wisconsin, and they have eleven children, namely: Pearl,
the wife of S. E. Fanning; Harold, Frank and Justin, all now in the
United States army; Letta, the wife of Emery Dye; Alford; Otto; Opal;
Louise; and two deceased.
Mr. Fitzgerald supports the republican party at the polls and for years
has been a member of the school board, in which connection he has been
instrumental in securing gratifying progress in the educational system
of his locality. He is well known and highly esteemed and his personal
friends are many.
LEE BARNES.
Lee Barnes, who is now filling the position of sheriff in Walla Walla
county, was born in Boone county, Missouri, July 20, 1866. His father,
John S. Barnes, is a native of Sangamon county, Illinois, born in
February, 1828, and is still a resident of Oregon, having reached
the ninetieth milestone on life's journey. His life has been devoted
to the occupation of farming. His wife, who bore the maiden name of
Lucinda J. Sims, was born in Kentucky and is deceased. In their family
were seven children who are still living: M. C., who is a resident of
Boone county, Missouri; J. T., living in Touchet, Washington; C. H., a
resident of Yakima, Washington; Lucy J., the wife of John W. Parks, of
Freewater, Oregon; W. W., also a resident of Freewater; Lee, of this
review; and Joseph S., of Kansas City, Missouri.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. FRANK FITZGERALD]
Lee Barnes largely obtained his education in Saline county, Missouri,
and afterward became a barber, following his trade at various places in
his native state for seventeen years. On the expiration of that period
he turned his attention to the confectionery business in Touchet,
Washington, and has since made his home in Walla Walla county. He
served for four years as deputy sheriff under Michael Toner and in
1914 was elected to the office of sheriff, in which position he is now
serving for the second term, discharging his duties with promptness and
fidelity and without fear or favor.
In 1859 Mr. Barnes was married to Miss Ollie N. Doty, a native of Iowa
and a daughter of Lyman Doty. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have become the
parents of two children: Walter S., who married Vela Burns and has two
children, Mildred and Audrey; and Lottie, the wife of Elvin Galloway,
of Touchet, Washington, by whom she has one child, Elaine. On March 6,
1902, Mrs. Barnes passed away, sincerely mourned by her family and her
many friends.
In politics Mr. Barnes has always been a stalwart advocate of
democratic principles and has given earnest support to the party. He
holds membership in the Baptist church and his life has been guided by
its principles. Those who know him esteem him highly, for his marked
characteristics of manhood and citizenship are those which commend him
to the warm regard, the confidence and the goodwill of those with whom
he has been brought in contact.
ROY ROBERT CAHILL.
Well qualified for his chosen calling, Roy Robert Cahill has made for
himself a creditable position among the able attorneys of Dayton.
Moreover, he deserves representation in this volume as one of the
native sons of Columbia county, where his birth occurred June 19, 1884.
He is a son of Alph P. and Irene M. (Starr) Cahill. The father is now
cashier of the Broughton National Bank and a leading and influential
business man of this section of the state.
Roy Robert Cahill was educated in the public schools of Dayton, after
which he attended Whitman College at Walla Walla, there winning the
degree of Bachelor of Arts upon the completion of a classical course in
1909. He thus laid broad and deep the foundation upon which to build
the superstructure of professional learning. After his graduation from
Whitman he entered the law department of Columbia University and there
won his law degree as a member of the class of 1912. Following his
graduation he returned to Dayton, where he opened an office and entered
upon the practice of his chosen profession, which he has since followed
independently.
In 1913 Mr. Cahill was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Criffield,
a daughter of W. R. Criffield, of Walla Walla. He belongs to Dayton
Lodge, No. 26, F. &. A. M. and he gives his political allegiance to the
republican party. He is widely known as a representative young business
man, possessing marked ability and enterprise, and that his has been
a well spent life is indicated in the fact that many of his stanchest
friends are those who have known him from his boyhood to the present
time.
REV. ALEXANDER WALTER SWEENEY.
After a useful and well spent life Alexander W. Sweeney passed away on
the 28th of November, 1903, honored and respected by all who knew him.
He was born in Savannah, Hardin county, Tennessee, January 25, 1825,
but before he was five years of age accompanied his parents on their
removal to Arkansas, the family locating near Fayetteville, which was
then a frontier settlement with no educational advantages. Being unable
to attend school he was taught the elementary branches by his father
until the latter's death, which occurred in 1833 when our subject was
still quite young. The father had a contract with the government to
carry the United States mail and during his illness the son often took
the mail.
After his father's death Alexander W. Sweeney started out to make
his own way in the world and was apprenticed to a tanner, whose
cruelty soon forced him to leave and seek the protection of an older
brother. During the autumn of 1839 while attending a camp meeting near
Fayetteville, he joined the Cumberland Presbyterian church and desirous
of becoming a minister, was received under the care of the Arkansas
Presbytery as a probationer when about eighteen years of age. A school
of academic grade had been established in the community and Mr. Sweeney
became a student there, in the meantime working for his support and
doing his studying at night.
When in his nineteenth year he was licensed to preach and according to
the custom of his church was put on the circuit to preach a part of
each year. During a period of six months of continuous service on the
circuit he received only two dollars and forty cents in money, one pair
of home knit socks and had his horse shod free. For four or five years
he continued to attend school as opportunity afforded while preaching
and in that time made sufficient progress in his studies to enable
him to enter the sophomore year in college. Accordingly he went to
Princeton, Kentucky, where he attended Cumberland College until 1850,
and then returned to the Arkansas Presbytery, where he was at once
ordained to the ministry at the age of twenty-five years, having spent
eight years in preparation for his chosen work.
Soon after his ordination Rev. Sweeney joined a company of gold hunters
who with ox teams crossed the plains and arrived at a gold camp on the
American river in California, August 26, 1850. The following Sunday
he preached to a company of miners that collected under the shade
of a live oak tree, thus beginning a ministry on the Pacific coast
which lasted until his physical health failed him. In 1851 he went to
the Willamette valley in Oregon and was present as a visitor at the
organization of the Oregon Presbytery, November 3, 1851. For seven
years he preached throughout the Willamette valley, exerting a strong
moral influence wherever he went.
[Illustration: MRS. ALEXANDER W. SWEENEY]
[Illustration: REV. ALEXANDER W. SWEENEY]
On the 15th of July, 1852, Rev. Sweeney was united in marriage to
Miss Angeline Allen, of Marion county, Oregon, a daughter of Samuel
and Sarah (Benson) Allen. Of the three children born to Rev. and Mrs.
Sweeney, Adelia, the eldest, died at the age of fifteen years. Those
still living are Samuel B. and Mrs. Adna Sharpstein.
On account of throat trouble Mr. Sweeney and his family went to
California in 1858 and remained in that state for about four years,
during which time he taught school for a year and a half at Sonoma,
being principal of the female department of a Presbyterian college. In
1862 he again came north, going with the gold seekers to Clearwater,
Idaho, where he devoted his time to the work of the ministry and to his
duties as justice of the peace. In 1867 he removed to Umatilla Landing
on the Columbia river in Oregon, where he not only engaged in preaching
but also taught school. There was no organized church at that place but
he was paid about six hundred dollars by popular subscription, which
was the best salary he had ever received for his ministerial services
up to that time. For one year he served as superintendent of schools
for Umatilla county.
In 1869 Mr. Sweeney returned to California, traveling by way of the
Columbia river and Pacific ocean, and during his sojourn in that state
taught school under supervision of the church at Collegeville, about
eight miles from Stockton, in San Joaquin county for a year and a half,
and on his retirement from that work returned to Oregon, spending
two years at Albany. From there he came to western Washington about
1872 and did considerable missionary work among the pioneers of this
region, traveling over a large territory, more than one hundred miles
in extent. He started the first Presbyterian church in Walla Walla
with but two members. He preached in Waitsburg, Dayton, Pomeroy and
Colfax and often held services in school houses and groves throughout
the country. Failing health at length caused him to retire from the
active work of the ministry after thirty-five years of most faithful
service. He preached occasionally up to the year 1900. His wife was
a most competent help and by her good management made the sunset of
his life much easier financially. His unselfish life and devotion to
the work of the Master gained him the unqualified regard of all with
whom he came in contact. Although now eighty-one years of age, Mrs.
Sweeney is still well preserved, being strong and active and able to do
considerable work, including the care of her own garden. Her intellect
seems unimpaired and she appears to be much younger than she really is.
She was always a faithful wife, a capable financier and a hard worker,
being able to support herself and children and secure the property
which kept Mr. Sweeney in comfort during his declining years.
GUY S. DEMARIS.
An excellent farm of one hundred and thirty acres pays tribute to
the care and labor bestowed upon it by Guy S. Demaris, whose place
is situated on section 12, township 7 north, range 37 east, in Walla
Walla county. He was born November 4, 1885, on the farm where he now
resides, his parents being Orlando and Mary (Lewis) Demaris, who are
mentioned elsewhere in this work. His youthful days were spent under
the parental roof and he early became familiar with the best methods
of tilling the soil and caring for the crops, dividing his time between
the acquirement of an education in the district schools, the pleasures
of the playground and the work of the fields. He also had the advantage
of a business course in the Empire Business College at Walla Walla
and after completing his studies he worked for his brothers, Fred and
David, in connection with their farming operations. In 1912 he began
farming on his own account and has since given his attention to general
agricultural pursuits. He took charge of the old home place of one
hundred and thirty acres, which he is now cultivating, and the neat and
thrifty appearance of his place indicates his careful supervision and
his practical and progressive methods. The farm is divided into fields
of convenient size by well kept fences, there are substantial buildings
upon the land and he utilizes the latest improved machinery in carrying
on the work of the fields. He annually harvests good crops and is
winning success as the years go by.
On the 25th of December, 1906, Mr. Demaris was united in marriage to
Miss Gertrude Tash, a daughter of Andrew J. Tash, one of the pioneers
of Walla Walla county, still living on Mill creek. To this marriage
were born two children but both have passed away.
In his political views Mr. Demaris is a democrat but not an office
seeker. He belongs to Welcome Lodge, No. 117, I. O. O. F., of Dixie,
and to Walla Walla Encampment, No. 3, and is also a member of the
Uniformed Rank, Canton No. 1, of Walla Walla. He and his wife hold
membership in the Presbyterian church and in social circles they occupy
an enviable position, many of the best homes of their section of the
county extending to them warm-hearted hospitality and welcome. Their
good qualities are many and in matters of friendship they are always
loyal and true.
JAMES T. ALLEN, D. M. D.
Among the able practitioners of dentistry in Washington is Dr. James T.
Allen, who follows his profession in Dayton, his native city. He was
here born on the 26th of December, 1877, and is a representative of one
of the old pioneer families established in this section of the state
in 1874. His parents were Albert O. and Sarah B. (Allen) Allen, the
former a native of Tennessee, while the latter was born in Oregon. The
father was reared in the state of his nativity and in 1872, at the age
of twenty-three years, he made his way westward, remaining for about a
year in Texas and then continuing his journey toward the Pacific coast.
He spent another year in San Francisco and in 1874 arrived in Dayton.
Subsequently he took up his abode upon a farm six miles east of the
city and in the years that followed he acquired four hundred and eighty
acres of excellent land. He continued upon his farm for some time,
bringing his fields under a high state of cultivation and annually
gathering good crops, which brought to him a very gratifying income.
At length he retired from farm work and took up his abode in Dayton,
where his remaining days were passed, his death occurring in 1899. He
was quite prominent in public affairs, serving as deputy sheriff under
Al Weatherford and while in that capacity he assisted in the capture of
a notorious band of cattle thieves that had been raiding the country
around for some time. His death was occasioned by being thrown from a
horse and dragged for a considerable distance while in the mountains
after an outlaw. His widow is still living and makes her home with her
son James.
To the public school system of Dayton, James T. Allen is indebted for
his early educational training. He passed through consecutive grades to
his graduation from the high school with the class of 1897 and later
he became a student in Whitman College, where he spent two years.
In the fall of 1899 he entered the North Pacific Dental College at
Portland, Oregon, and there won his D. M. D. degree upon graduation
with the class of 1902. After completing the course he opened dental
offices in Waitsburg, where he practiced for two years but in 1904
returned to his native city, where he has since been in continuous and
successful practice. He is recognized as one of the skilled dentists of
southeastern Washington and has been accorded a very liberal patronage.
In 1906 Dr. Allen was united in marriage to Miss Zada Estelle Baldwin,
of Dayton, a daughter of Daniel Baldwin, now deceased, who was one of
the pioneers of Columbia county. Dr. and Mrs. Allen have one child,
Grace Corinne.
Fraternally Dr. Allen is connected with Dayton Lodge, No. 26, F.
& A. M.; and Dayton Lodge, No. 3, K. P. His political endorsement
is given to the democratic party but he does not seek nor desire
office. On November 7, 1917, Dr. Allen was honored by appointment of
Governor Lister to the position of member of the State Board of Dental
Examiners, a recognition which justly reflects his high professional
standing. His life stands in contradistinction to the old adage that
a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, for in the
city of his birth Dr. Allen has made for himself a most creditable and
enviable position in professional circles and enjoys a practice that
many an older representative of the profession might well envy.
FRANK FAURE.
Frank Faure, proprietor of the McFeely Hotel in Walla Walla, has been a
resident of this city since 1902 and has made for himself a creditable
position in its business circles. He was born in France, August 13,
1884, a son of Jean and Marie (Grant) Faure. The father was a farmer
by occupation and spent his entire life in his native country, where
he and his wife reared a family of three children, Jean and Leon
being now soldiers of the French army. Frank Faure acquired a common
school education in France and afterward attended the Superior school
of La Mure Isère. After putting aside his textbooks he sought the
opportunities offered in the new world, crossing the Atlantic in 1902,
when a young man of eighteen years. Making his way westward to Walla
Walla, he here became engaged in the hotel business and now owns and
conducts the McFeely Hotel, located at Fourth and Alder streets. He has
made of this a popular hostelry, catering to high-class trade, and his
business has steadily grown because of the comforts which he affords to
his guests.
In 1911 Mr. Faure was united in marriage to Miss Mary Daffis and
they have a daughter, Frances. In his political views Mr. Faure is a
democrat. Fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks and with the Knights of Columbus, his association with
the latter organization indicating his membership in the Catholic
church. For fifteen years he has resided in Walla Walla, where he has
become widely and favorably known, and he has never had occasion to
regret his determination to try his fortune in the new world, for he
here found good business opportunities and in their utilization has
worked his way steadily upward.
ALBERT E. CORBETT.
A well spent life was that of Albert E. Corbett, whose industry and
integrity in business affairs won him success and the respect of his
fellowmen. He possessed many sterling traits of character, so that his
death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret among those with
whom he was associated. He was born in the province of Ontario, Canada,
December 7, 1855, and was a son of John and Jane (Lewis) Corbett.
Albert E. Corbett was reared at home and under the direction of his
father learned the miller's trade. In 1889 he left his family in
Ontario and came to the west, looking for an opening that would give
him better opportunities to attain success and to establish a home
for his wife and children. He first located in Columbia county, where
he secured a position as night miller in the Touchet Flouring Mills,
then owned by Henry Richardson. Two months later, however, the mill
closed down for the winter and Mr. Corbett went to the coast, looking
for work. Not finding suitable employment in Seattle or Tacoma, he
went on to Victoria, British Columbia, where he secured a situation
in a sawmill. In May of the following year he was there joined by his
brother, Judson A. Corbett, who also found employment in the same mill.
While working there Mr. Corbett was writing to friends in Columbia
county, Washington, and learned of a chance to buy the Touchet Mills.
In the fall of 1892 he made his way to Huntsville therefore, and in
company with his brother, Judson A., bought the mill. They had saved
about five hundred dollars each from their wages and this amount was
used as the first payment on the purchase price of the mill. Within
the following two years they paid off the entire indebtedness on the
property, which was thus free from all encumbrance. In the spring
of 1890 Mr. Corbett sent for his wife and family, who joined him in
Victoria, coming to the west with his brother, Judson A.
It was in April, 1885, that Mr. Corbett was united in marriage to
Miss Hannah Baker and to them were born four children, three of whom
are still living, namely: Lewis, who is engaged in the automobile
business in Dayton; Gertrude, who is a teacher in the schools of Dixie,
Washington; and Florence, at home. The wife and mother passed away in
May, 1895, and in May, 1899, Mr. Corbett was united in marriage to Miss
Laura Baker, a sister of his former wife. She is a graduate of the
Normal School of Ottawa, Canada, and is a woman of liberal education
and of broad culture and refinement. By this marriage there were born
two children, Helen and Emma, both at home.
[Illustration: ALBERT E. CORBETT]
For many years Mr. Corbett continued successfully in the milling
business and as his financial resources increased he invested in
property, becoming the owner of a farm in a section of land in Alberta,
Canada and also acquired an interest in a farm in Ontario. Mrs. Corbett
still holds both these places. His carefully managed business affairs
and his judicious investments enabled him to leave his family in very
comfortable circumstances. He was a member of the Woodmen of the World
and also held membership in the Episcopal church, to the teachings of
which he was most loyal. His wife and children also belong to the same
church. In that faith Mr. Corbett passed away December 10, 1906, his
death being the occasion of deep and widespread regret not only to his
immediate family but also to the many friends whom he had won during
the period of his residence in the northwest. Mrs. Corbett survives
her husband and has proven herself a capable business woman, wisely
managing the property left to her. She is widely and favorably known in
this section of the state.
MRS. MARY C. NICHOLS.
Mrs. Mary C. Nichols, of Dayton, is widely and favorably known as one
of the worthy pioneer women of Columbia county, where she owns valuable
farm property from which she derives a gratifying annual income. She
was born in Wisconsin in 1854 and is a daughter of A. C. and Oral A.
(Pelton) Woodward, who were natives of Wisconsin, whence they crossed
the plains to Washington in 1860, settling in Old Walla Walla county,
near Dayton. They became identified with the farming interests of that
locality and upon their ranch spent their remaining days. In their
family were eight children, four of whom are yet living.
Their daughter, Mary C., was a little maiden of but six years when
the trip was made to Washington, so that practically her entire life
has been passed in the northwest. She was but sixteen years of age
when in June, 1870, she gave her hand in marriage to Isaac Wallace
Monnett, a native of Ohio, who came to Washington in 1869 and settled
on a farm ten miles southeast of Dayton. Mr. and Mrs. Monnett became
the parents of three children: Oral, who is the wife of Grant Lowe;
Elizabeth, who has departed this life; and A. A. Monnett, who is a
hardware and implement merchant of Dayton. The husband and father
passed away in 1876 and for nine years Mrs. Monnett remained a widow.
In 1885 she became the wife of F. J. Nichols and to them have been born
four daughters: Minnie, who is the wife of C. C. Kifer, of California;
Grace, who is a graduate of the Walla Walla high school and is at home;
Mary L., who is the wife of J. B. Thompson; and Hazel E., the wife of
C. E. McQuary.
Mrs. Nichols still owns what is known as the old Monnett homestead
of five hundred and sixty acres, all of which is fine wheat land. It
is a valuable property from which she derives a gratifying annual
income. She also owns an attractive residence in the city of Dayton
and she is numbered among the worthy pioneer women of this section of
the state. For fifty-seven years she has lived in Washington and has
therefore witnessed the greater part of the growth and development of
the commonwealth. Events which to others are matters of history are to
her matters of personal knowledge and she can relate many interesting
incidents of the early days when the great stretches of land were
unclaimed and uncultivated, when forests were uncut, when rivers were
unbridged and when the work of progress seemed dim and distant in the
future. The most farsighted at that time could not have dreamed of
the wonderful changes which were to occur and transform southeastern
Washington into a well settled and populous district in which are to be
found all of the advantages and all and more of the opportunities of
the older east. Mrs. Nichols is a member of the Congregational church
and her many excellent traits of character have gained for her respect
and popularity among her many friends.
L. L. HUNT.
L. L. Hunt is familiar with the methods of Indian warfare in the
northwest, as he early became connected with the army in this section
of the state. Since then he has been active in business along various
lines and step by step has progressed until he is now in possession of
a handsome competence that enables him to live retired. He makes his
home in College Place, Walla Walla county, and has important farming
interests on section 36, township 7 north, range 35 east. His career
in many respects has been an eventful one. The width of the continent
separates him from his birthplace, for he is a native of Maine. He was
born on the 2d of August, 1855, his parents being George and Mary Ann
(Prescott) Hunt, both of whom were representatives of old families
that sent forth soldiers to the Revolutionary war. Both the father and
mother spent their entire lives in the Pine Tree state.
L. L. Hunt was reared under the parental roof until he reached the age
of sixteen years, when he left home and went to Boston, Massachusetts,
where for four years he was engaged in railroading. The opportunities
of the west, however, attracted him and he left New England, making
his way to Nevada. Locating in Carson City, for more than a year he
there worked in the timber region, and in 1876 he went to San Joaquin
county, California, where he engaged in driving a team during the
following winter. In 1877 he came to Walla Walla, where he worked for
the government during the Joseph Indian war, driving a team used for
transportation of supplies. A year later he became identified with Joe
Woodworth in the operation of the old Cayuse stables in Walla Walla.
He was connected with the conduct of this business for about three
years and then turned his attention to farming on the Eureka Flats,
becoming one of the large operators on the flats. He homesteaded,
preempted and also took up a timber claim and he likewise purchased
railroad land, owning at one time seven quarter sections. He farmed
altogether seventeen hundred acres of rented land and he remained on
the flats for about twelve years. He next removed to Walla Walla but
after a year took up his abode at College Place, where he engaged in
gardening. Subsequently he organized the L. L. Hunt Fruit & Produce
Shipping Company and built up the business to extensive proportions,
his interests becoming one of the chief industries of this section. He
managed his affairs wisely and well and prosperity resulted. He now has
retired from active business life and is enjoying a rest which he has
truly earned and richly merits.
In 1888 Mr. Hunt returned to Boston for his bride and was there married
on the 21st of October of that year to Miss Olivia Crosby. She was born
in Nova Scotia and came to the United States at the age of sixteen
years, her parents continuing in Nova Scotia, where they passed away.
Mr. Hunt brought his bride to the west and they have since been widely
and favorably known in this section of the state. They are consistent
members of the Presbyterian church, in the work of which they take an
active and helpful interest, and Mr. Hunt is now serving as one of
the elders of the church. His political endorsement is given to the
republican party and while living on the Flats he served for two years
as postmaster. He also belongs to Trinity Lodge, No. 121, I. O. O. F.
Both he and his wife hold membership in the Pioneers Association and
are honored as among the early settlers who have contributed in marked
measure to the upbuilding and progress of this section of the country.
Mr. Hunt has led a most busy, active and useful life. From the time
when he became connected with a military post on the frontier he has
done everything in his power to further the interests and development
of this section of the country and his business affairs, too, have been
of a character that have contributed to public progress and improvement
as well as to personal success. His memory compasses the period when
the majority of homes in this section of the state were little cabins,
when few roads had been laid out, when the forests were uncut and the
streams unbridged. He has lived to witness many changes since those
days and in the work of transformation has borne his full share.
GEORGE F. PRICE.
George F. Price is actively identified with farming interests in
Columbia county, while making his home in Dayton. He is one of the
native sons of the county, his birth having occurred within its borders
January 7, 1874. His parents were Alexander and Clarinda J. (Anderson)
Price, who are mentioned elsewhere in this work. He spent his youthful
days under the parental roof and mastered the branches of learning
taught in the district schools, supplementing his early education by
a commercial course in the Empire Business College at Walla Walla. He
also attended the Gem City Business College at Quincy, Illinois, and
when his studies were completed he became the active assistant of his
father in farming enterprises. This association was maintained until
the father's death, after which George F. Price operated the lands that
constituted the family estate for several years. He is the owner of six
hundred and forty acres of rich and valuable land and, also cultivating
other tracts, is now successfully engaged in farming three thousand
acres. This places him among the principal agriculturists of the county
and in managing his business affairs he displays sound judgment,
unremitting industry and notable perseverance. His record is therefore
one crowned with success.
In 1903 Mr. Price was united in marriage to Miss L. Minerva Guernsey, a
daughter of Dennis C. Guernsey, who took up his abode among the pioneer
settlers of Columbia county and now resides in Starbuck. Mr. and Mrs.
Price have two children, Dennis Alexander and Elizabeth Jane.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Price is a Knight of Pythias, belonging
to Dayton Lodge, No. 3. His political endorsement is given to the
democratic party and he is serving at the present time as a member of
the city council and also as a member of the Dayton school board. He
is much interested in everything that pertains to the public welfare
and cooperates heartily in those measures and movements which are a
matter of civic virtue and of civic pride. His wife is a member of
the Congregational church and their influence is always felt on the
side of reform and improvement. It is as a business man, however, that
Mr. Price is perhaps best known and aside from controlling mammoth
agricultural interests he is a director of the Columbia National Bank
and a director of the Edwards-Hindle Company, which controls the
leading mercantile establishment of Dayton. The call of opportunity
is ever to him a call to action and one to which he readily responds.
His power has grown through the exercise of effort. He has readily
adapted himself to changing conditions in the business world and as he
has progressed step by step he has gained a broader outlook and wider
opportunities.
CONRAD HENRY KASEBERG.
Conrad Henry Kaseberg, a well known retired wagon maker residing in
Walla Walla, was born in Germany, March 10, 1834, a son of Johannes and
Mary Christina (Rumpf) Kaseberg, also natives of Germany, where they
passed their entire lives.
Conrad Henry Kaseberg passed his boyhood and youth in his native
country and there received his education. In 1857, when a young man,
he crossed the Atlantic on a sailing vessel which docked at Baltimore,
Maryland. From that city he removed to St. Louis, Missouri, whence,
after a few weeks, he removed to Weston, Missouri, where his brother
lived, and some three months later he went to St. Joseph, Missouri,
where he remained from October, 1857, to June, 1859. The following two
years were spent in St. Louis, after which he went to California. In
1867 he left the Golden state and returned to St. Louis, where he was
married and where he continued to live until 1871, his business being
across the river in Venice, Illinois. It was in that year that he came
to Walla Walla county, Washington, and purchased the home where he
still lives in the city of Walla Walla. He worked at the wagon maker's
trade, which he had learned in Germany, having a shop at Second and
Alder streets, until 1887, and he then bought seven hundred acres of
fine wheat land on Dry creek, eleven miles out of Walla Walla, which
he operated for a time and which he still owns, deriving a gratifying
income from its rental. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Savings Bank.
Mr. Kaseberg was married on Christmas day, 1867, to Miss Augusta D.
Timmermeister, also a native of Germany, and they became the parents of
one child, who, however, died in infancy. Mrs. Kaseberg passed away in
February, 1912, and was laid to rest in the Mountain View cemetery. She
was an active member of the Lutheran church and her life was that of a
devout Christian.
[Illustration: CONRAD H. KASEBERG]
[Illustration: MRS. CONRAD H. KASEBERG]
Mr. Kaseberg also belongs to that church and has never failed to give
both his moral and financial support to its work. Fraternally he is
a member of the Odd Fellows lodge of Walla Walla. He is a republican
in politics but his interest in public affairs is only that of a
loyal citizen, though he served one year on the city council. He is a
self-made man, having come to this country empty-handed, but through
the opportunities here offered and his industry and good management he
has gained financial independence. He has reached an advanced age but
is still keen of mind and active of body and is accorded the honor due
those who have behind them the record of a long and honorable life.
JOHN A. LANE.
John A. Lane, concentrating his efforts and attention upon general
agricultural pursuits, cultivating eleven hundred acres of land, makes
his home on section 24, township 8 north, range 36 east, in Walla
Walla county. Almost the width of the continent separates him from the
place of his birth, which was in Cameron county, Pennsylvania. He was
born September 28, 1878, a son of Joseph and Mary (Berfield) Lane,
both of whom were natives of the Keystone state. The father was born
in Philadelphia, where his youth was spent. His father died when the
son was a lad in his teens and the burden of the support of the family
fell upon his shoulders. He bravely met the task and throughout his
entire life displayed the same spirit of resolution and energy. He
continued his residence in his native state until 1880, when he came
west to Walla Walla county, Washington, and took up his abode upon a
farm near the present home of his son John. He purchased one hundred
and sixty acres of land and as his financial resources increased kept
adding to his holdings until his landed possessions aggregated three
hundred and forty-six acres. He continued to give his undivided time
and attention to his farming interests until death called him on the
10th of September, 1905. His widow is still living and now resides with
a daughter in Walla Walla.
John A. Lane was educated in the district schools and in the Waitsburg
Academy, which he attended through the winter months, while the
summer seasons were devoted to farm work. Upon the completion of his
education he began farming on his own account, renting a tract of
three hundred and twenty acres of land in the township where he still
resides. He cultivated that place for three years and then took up
a homestead in what was Yakima county, now Benton county. This he
improved and cultivated for five years and he still owns that place. In
1907, however, he returned to the old homestead farm, which is owned
conjointly by himself and his mother. He cultivates this place of
three hundred and forty-six acres and rents adjoining land, operating
altogether eleven hundred acres. He has thus come to rank with the
leading and extensive farmers of his section of the state and his
business affairs are carefully managed and conducted.
On October 16, 1898, Mr. Lane was united in marriage to Miss Nora P.
Smith, a daughter of Mrs. Charles Ellis, of Dixie. Her father died
during her infancy and her mother afterward married again. To Mr.
and Mrs. Lane have been born three children of whom two are living,
Dorothy M., who is attending the Walla Walla high school, and John A.,
Jr.
In his political views Mr. Lane maintains an independent attitude,
voting for men and measures in preference to party dictation. He is now
serving on the school board and the cause of education finds in him a
stalwart champion. He belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen
and his wife and daughter hold memberships in the Christian church. The
members of the family are highly esteemed in the part of the county
where they reside and have a circle of friends almost coextensive with
their circle of acquaintances.
JESSE DRUMHELLER.
Jesse Drumheller, deceased, an honored pioneer of the west of 1852,
was during the remainder of his life a prominent factor in the
advancement of the business interests and development of this section
of the country. Widely known, his life history cannot fail to prove of
interest to the many friends who still cherish his memory, and it is
therefore with pleasure that we present this record of his career to
our readers. His birth occurred in Tennessee in 1835. There the first
eight years of his life were passed, after which he accompanied his
parents on their removal to Missouri, the family home being established
near Springfield, where he remained until 1851. He then located near
Savannah, Missouri, where he remained for a year, and in 1852 he heard
and heeded the call of the west. He started out across the plains with
ox teams for Washington and located in Cowlitz county, where he turned
his attention to the lumber business. Soon afterward he removed to
California, where for several years he engaged in mining, and in 1855
he became a resident of Oregon. There he joined the Oregon Volunteers
for service in the Indian war and was sent to Walla Walla. During the
eleven months in which he was a part of that command he participated
in several severe engagements with the red men and aided in winning
the victory which crowned the arms of the white troops. After the
cessation of hostilities he entered the employ of the United States
government and assisted in building the government posts at The Dalles,
at Walla Walla, at Colville and at Simcoe. His activities thus became
an important factor in the development of this section of the country.
In 1859 he took up his abode on land two miles south of Walla Walla and
turned his attention to stock raising and general farming, a business
which he followed until about 1900. In this he prospered and from time
to time added to his holdings until his landed possessions aggregated
nearly six thousand acres. He thus carried on farming most extensively
and in 1899 his crop of wheat amounted to about sixty-five thousand
bushels. He followed the most progressive methods in the development
of his land and stood at all times as one of the most enterprising
and representative farmers of the northwest. He also carried on stock
raising with success and his diligence and determination brought him
prominently to the front in connection with the line of his chosen
occupation.
On the 8th of October, 1863, in Walla Walla, Mr. Drumheller was united
in marriage to Miss Martha A. Maxson, a pioneer of 1859. They became
the parents of five sons: Samuel, of Calgary, Alberta; Oscar; George,
a stock-raiser of Walla Walla; Thomas J., who is engaged in the
hardware business with his older brother, Oscar, they being members
of the well known firm of Drumheller & Company, dealers in hardware,
furniture and crockery; and R. M., collector of customs at Seattle.
Jesse Drumheller was a member of the Masonic fraternity, holding
membership in the lodge and in the chapter. His death occurred on
December 2, 1907. He stood in the front rank among those who have
planted civilization in the northwest and was particularly active
in the growth of Walla Walla county, where for many years he made
his home, and his labors were of a nature that contributed in marked
measure to the substantial and moral development and upbuilding of this
section of the country. He was a progressive business man, wide-awake,
alert and energetic, and carried forward to successful completion
whatever he undertook. While his business interests became very
extensive and important, he always found time to cooperate in plans and
measures for the public good and was a most loyal and devoted citizen
from the time when he aided in subduing the Indian uprising, through
the period of later development and progress up to the time when death
called him to the home beyond.
OLE HANNAS.
Ole Hannas, who resides on section 31, township 14, range 43, owns
ten hundred and sixteen acres of Garfield county's valuable wheat
and pasture lands and enjoys an enviable reputation as a successful
and representative agriculturist. His present prosperity is entirely
attributable to his own efforts, for he came to this state empty-handed
about three decades ago. His birth occurred in Norway on the 9th of
September, 1866, his parents being Ole and Anna (Kittelsaa) Hannas. The
father passed away in that country in 1915, but the mother survives and
yet makes her home in Norway.
Ole Hannas received a thorough common school education in his native
country and there spent his youth. When twenty-one years of age he
crossed the Atlantic to the new world, desiring to test the truth
of the many favorable reports which had reached him concerning the
opportunities and advantages to be enjoyed in America. After residing
for one year in Minnesota he came west to Washington in the fall of
1888 and spent the succeeding winter and spring in Tacoma. In June,
1889, he made his way to Walla Walla and in the following October
took up his abode in Garfield county. Having no money to invest in
land, he secured employment as a farm hand. At the end of five years,
in 1894, having saved his earnings, he began farming for himself on
a small scale as a renter. Prosperity attended his efforts and about
1902 he purchased a half interest in five hundred and eighty acres of
land where he now resides. From that time his success has been sure
and rapid and today his holdings embrace ten hundred and sixteen acres
of valuable wheat and pasture land in Garfield county, so that he
has become one of the most extensive agriculturists and substantial
citizens of the community.
On the 5th of April, 1905, Mr. Hannas was united in marriage to Miss
Guri Tveit, crossing over to Norway for his bride, of which country
she is a native. They have two children, Orle and John. Mr. Hannas
gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is serving
as a member of the school board, the cause of education finding in him
a stalwart champion. Fraternally he is identified with the Woodmen
of the World, while in religious faith both he and his wife are
Lutherans. They have won an extensive circle of warm friends throughout
the community, being recognized as people of genuine worth whose aid
and influence are given on the side of right, progress, reform and
improvement.
JAMES B. WARREN.
James B. Warren became the owner of a valuable tract of land on section
4, township 10 north, range 42 east, Garfield county, and also held
title to other land, his holdings comprising fourteen hundred acres
at the time of his death. He was widely known and his demise was
the occasion of much sincere grief. He was born in Franklin county,
Tennessee, January 9, 1853, and was a son of Stewart and Louisa
(Walker) Warren, both also natives of that state. There the father
passed away and later the mother removed with her family to Missouri,
where her death occurred in 1875. All of the six children in the family
have likewise passed away.
James B. Warren received a common school education and remained with
his mother until her death. In 1875 he went to California but only
remained there for two years, settling in Polk county, Oregon, at the
end of that period. The following year, however, he became a resident
of Dayton, Columbia county, Washington, and in 1882 he purchased the
farm on which his widow still resides. It comprises eight hundred acres
and the buildings are located on section 4, township 10 north, range
42 east. From the operation of that place he derived such a gratifying
profit that he was able to add to his holdings and became the owner of
fourteen hundred acres, all of which is now in the possession of his
widow. He was likewise a stockholder in the Pomeroy Mercantile Company
at Pomeroy. He was a keen business man and, adding to this industry,
sound judgment and a ready recognition of opportunities, it was but
natural that he should gain a signal measure of success.
Mr. Warren was married in 1882 to Miss Marietta McCanse, who was
born in Missouri, a daughter of Andrew G. and Margaret E. (Williams)
McCanse, both natives of Tennessee, who, however, became early settlers
of Lawrence county, Missouri. In 1876 the McCanse family removed to
Oregon, but a year later located four and a half miles northeast of
Pomeroy, Washington. Subsequently the parents returned to Missouri,
where Mrs. McCanse died in 1907, her husband passing away September 8,
1909. Only three of their six children survive.
[Illustration: JAMES B. WARREN]
Mr. Warren was called to his final rest April 17, 1913, and his body
was interred in the Chappele cemetery. He was a member of the Knights
of Pythias and its teachings concerning the brotherhood of man found
exemplification in his daily life. He took the interest of a good
citizen in public affairs, although not an office seeker, and his
ballot was cast in support of the republican party. He was for a third
of a century a resident of Garfield county and during that time had a