part in bringing about its development. His acquaintance was unusually

wide and his friends were many. Mrs. Warren has retained her residence

on the homestead and gives her personal supervision to its operation.

The land is fertile, the improvements are modern, and she derives a

handsome income from the place.

REV. A. R. OLDS.

Rev. A. R. Olds is superintendent of the Walla Walla County Poor Farm,

situated on section 36, township 7 north, range 35 east in that county.

He devoted many years of his life to the work of the ministry and then

ill health obliged him to discontinue his labors in that connection. He

is now making a most excellent record not only as superintendent of the

Poor Farm in his care of the indigent ones but also in the management

of crop production. He was called to this position in 1914 and has been

most efficient in the discharge of all of the tasks that devolve upon

him in this connection.

A native of Pennsylvania, his birth occurred in Bradford on the 30th

of July, 1854, his parents being Robert D. and Hannah (Corkings)

Olds, both of whom were natives of the state of New York, where they

were reared and married. Soon afterward they removed to Bradford,

Pennsylvania, where the father engaged in the shoe business until 1858,

when he removed to Roanoke, Indiana, where he again conducted business

as a boot and shoe merchant for twenty-eight years. The mother died in

Roanoke and the father afterward came to the west, making his home with

his son, Rev. A. R. Olds of this review, at Philomath, Oregon.

A. R. Olds pursued a public school education, supplemented by study in

the Roanoke Seminary. He was thirteen years of age when he entered upon

an apprenticeship to the shoemaking business, for his father conducted

a custom made shoe business in connection with handling the factory

product. After completing his apprenticeship A. R. Olds worked at the

trade until 1882, when he made his way westward to Oregon, settling in

Philomath. A year later he entered the ministry of the United Brethren

church and for four years was minister at the college in Philomath. A

little later he became connected with the Congregational church as a

minister and for almost thirty years devoted his time and energies to

the work, filling the pulpit in various churches. After his retirement

from a regular charge he continued to do county missionary work until

about a year ago. In September, 1896, he arrived in Walla Walla to take

charge of the county missionary work but failing health caused him to

give only a part of his time to the work in later years. Earnest and

zealous in his efforts to upbuild the church, his labors wrought good

results. He was not denied the harvest nor the full aftermath of his

efforts. His high purpose, his ready sympathy, his words of wisdom all

combined to act as an influencing factor drawing men to a better life.

In 1914 Rev. Olds was appointed superintendent of the County Poor Farm

of Walla Walla county, in which capacity he has since served, and he

has proven himself a master farmer, his crops at the present writing

being among the finest in this section of the state. He also displays

good business ability in the conduct and management of the Poor Farm

and his official service in this connection is characteristic of traits

which he has ever displayed, for it has always been his custom to carry

forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes. He never

falters in the face of difficulties nor obstacles and his labors have

brought good results, both in promoting material and moral progress.

In 1876 Rev. Olds was united in marriage to Miss Etta Fast, of Roanoke,

Indiana, by whom he has three children, namely: Earl L., who is a

resident of Bend, Oregon; Francis R., living at Klamath Falls; and

Ruth, the wife of H. W. Bathany, of Walla Walla.

Rev. Olds gives his political allegiance to the republican party, which

he has long supported. He is prominent in Masonic circles, belonging to

Walla Walla Lodge, No. 7, A. F. & A. M.; Walla Walla Chapter, No. 1,

R. A. M.; and Oriental Consistory, No. 2, A. & A. S. R., of Spokane.

He is likewise a member of Trinity Lodge, No. 121, I. O. O. F., and

Walla Walla Encampment, No. 3, I. O. O. F., and in June, 1917, a high

honor was conferred upon him, for in that month he was made grand

chaplain of the grand lodge of Washington. He also belongs to the

Woodmen of the World. He is one of Walla Walla county's most esteemed

and representative citizens and enjoys the respect, goodwill and trust

of all with whom he has come in contact. Ever ready to extend a helping

hand where aid is needed, his character and work have been such as have

shed around him much of life's sunshine.

ARTHUR P. BLOOMFIELD.

Arthur P. Bloomfield, who is living retired in Columbia county after

many years of successful farming, was born in New Jersey, February 6,

1840, a son of Jonathan and Theodosia (Foster) Bloomfield, the former

born in England and the latter in New Jersey, in which state they were

married. The father passed away in New Jersey and subsequently the

mother became a resident of California, where her demise occurred. To

them were born three children, of whom only our subject survives.

Arthur P. Bloomfield was reared in his native state and enjoyed the

educational advantages afforded by the common schools. In 1861, when

he had attained his majority, he went to California, where for about

twenty years he devoted his time to farming and gardening, but in 1880

he came to Old Walla Walla county, Washington, taking up as a homestead

the farm on which he still lives. Here he met with success and was able

to increase his holdings until he now owns one thousand and ten acres

of wheat and pasture land, all within what is now Columbia county. At

length, feeling that he had earned a rest, he retired and now leaves

to others the active work of the fields. He also owns a half interest

in the Palace Hotel at Pullman, from which he receives a rental of two

hundred and fifty dollars per month.

[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. ARTHUR P. BLOOMFIELD]

Mr. Bloomfield was married in 1874, to Miss Anna Lang, and they became

the parents of seven children: Lulu, the wife of Bert Kimball; Ida, who

resides in Walla Walla; Hattie, deceased; Frank, who is farming the

homestead; and three who have passed away. The wife and mother died

Saturday, October 6, 1917, and was laid to rest in Walla Walla cemetery.

Mr. Bloomfield is a stanch supporter of the republican party and

has served with credit as a member of the school board and as road

supervisor. His career illustrates what may be accomplished in this

land of opportunity by persistent hard work and good management, for he

began his career empty handed and is now financially independent.

MARTIN HANSEN.

Martin Hansen is a self-made man who has gained a creditable position

among the representative and prosperous farmers of Walla Walla county.

He arrived in this section of the state empty-handed but he saw the

opportunities here offered and has utilized them to good advantage. He

is now the owner of a valuable farm property situated on section 33,

township 7 north, range 35 east. He was born in Denmark on the 12th of

January, 1876, and is a son of Lars and Mary Hansen, who came to the

United States when he was a lad of twelve years. The family home was

established in Nebraska, four sons of the family having preceded the

parents to the new world. There the father and mother located and both

passed away in that state, the death of the father occurring in 1915,

while his wife died in 1914.

In the common schools of Denmark, Mr. Hansen pursued his education,

supplemented by a winter term's study in Nebraska and by two winter

terms in Walla Walla county. He also took two six-weeks winter courses

at the State College of Washington. He made good use of his time and

opportunities in promoting his intellectual development and he has

always continued a student of men and events. In other words he has

learned much in life through observation and experience and has become

a substantial and well informed business man.

It was in 1887 that Martin Hansen crossed the broad Atlantic to the

United States and about three years later he made his way to Walla

Walla county, Washington, where he was employed for wages for five

years. He saved carefully and systematically until his industry and

economy had brought him sufficient capital to enable him, in 1895, to

engage in farming on his own account. He then rented land and again

he practiced economy and industry until in 1897 he had a capital

sufficient to enable him to purchase his present home farm of one

hundred and fifty-nine acres. Upon that place he has since resided and

has made many valuable improvements thereon, among others drilling

in 1912 two artesian wells which flow one thousand gallons of water

per minute, greatly enhancing the value of the farm. Its splendid

appearance is indicative of the care and labor which he has bestowed

upon it. He arrived in Walla Walla without capital and today he is one

of the substantial farmers of this section of the state, and what means

more, the result achieved is due to his industry, his perseverance and

his determination alone. He has never been afraid of hard work and he

early recognized the eternal principle that industry wins.

Mr. Hansen is a republican in his political views, having supported the

party since becoming a naturalized American citizen. He has served for

a number of years on the school board and is one of the influential

men of his community, his opinions carrying weight regarding public

affairs. His life record should serve to inspire and encourage others,

showing what may be accomplished when energy points out the way.

JAMES H. SCHNECKLOTH.

James H. Schneckloth, the well-known and popular postmaster of Pomeroy,

was born on the 25th of October, 1868, in Scott county, Iowa, a son of

Henry and Margaretha (Kuhl) Schneckloth, who were natives of Germany

and on coming to America in early life settled in Scott county, Iowa,

where the father engaged in farming for some years. In 1881 he brought

his family to Washington and located on a farm near Pomeroy, where he

still resides. His wife died in 1914. To them were born eight children

and seven of them survive.

James H. Schneckloth began his education in the public schools of his

native county, where the first thirteen years of his life were passed

in much the usual manner of farmer boys in the middle west. He then

accompanied his parents on their removal to Washington and here grew to

manhood. On starting out in life for himself he engaged in the stock

business and is still interested in that enterprise. As time passed he

prospered in his undertakings and is today the owner of a fine stock

ranch of one thousand acres.

In 1912 Mr. Schneckloth was united in marriage to Miss Rose Dougherty,

and to them has been born a daughter, Janet M. They are members of

the Episcopal church, and Mr. Schneckloth is also identified with the

Knights of Pythias and the Foresters. By his ballot he supports the men

and measures of the democratic party and he has taken a very active

and influential part in public affairs. In 1904 he was elected county

treasurer and acceptably filled that office until 1913. In February

of the following year he was appointed postmaster of Pomeroy and is

now serving in that capacity with credit to himself and to the entire

satisfaction of all concerned. He is a self-made man, whose success in

life is due to his own unaided efforts, and he is regarded as one of

the leading citizens of the town.

JOSEPH WEIMER.

Joseph Weimer is a resident farmer of Garfield county, his home being

on section 20, township 12 north, range 41 east. Ever loyal to his

adopted country, he has made himself a creditable position as a leading

agriculturist of Garfield county and as a citizen of genuine worth. He

was born in Germany, June 3, 1861, and is a son of Casper and Lizzie

(Braun) Weimer, who came to the United States in 1886. After arriving

on the shores of the new world they made their way direct to the west

with Washington as their destination and established their home in

Garfield county, where the father filed on a homestead claim five

miles northwest of Pomeroy. With characteristic energy he began the

development and improvement of that property and devoted his attention

to its further cultivation until the time of his death.

Joseph Weimer, whose name introduces this review, acquired his

education in the common schools of his native country and in 1884 he

set sail for the United States, landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Crossing the continent without tarrying for any length of time in the

east, he at length reached the Pacific coast and spent six months in

California. He then came northward into Washington and made his final

settlement. He took up a homestead in Garfield county on which he

resided for seven years, at the end of which time he bought land and

removed to his present home farm on section 20, township 12 north,

range 41 east. Upon that place he has since resided. He is one of

the self-made men of this state. He came to the northwest in very

limited financial circumstances and today he owns three hundred and

twenty acres of valuable wheat land in Garfield county. His plate is

improved with substantial buildings, with well kept fences and good

farm machinery and everything about his place indicates his careful

supervision and his practical and progressive methods. The fields give

promise of abundant harvests in the autumn and the work of the farm has

been carried on in a most modern and effective way.

In 1891 Mr. Weimer was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Andress, a

native of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and they have become the parents

of four children: Edward Joseph, Frank Henry, Fred and Tillie, all of

whom are still under the parental roof. Mr. Weimer and his family are

communicants of the Catholic church.

In his adopted land Mr. Weimer has found the opportunities which he

sought and in their utilization has won a substantial measure of

success. He has worked diligently and persistently along lines that

have led to gratifying results and is now one of the enterprising

farmers of Garfield county.

JOHN H. HARER.

John H. Harer is a resident farmer of Walla Walla county, owning and

cultivating one hundred and thirty acres of land on section 4, township

6 north, range 35 east. He was born in Lane county, Oregon, on the

25th of February, 1859, his parents being David and Sarah (Standifer)

Harer. The father was a native of Arkansas, while the mother was

born in Tennessee. They were married in the former state and there

resided until 1852, when they determined to try their fortune upon the

Pacific coast and removed to Oregon. They settled in Lane county and

in 1865 left that locality to become residents of Walla Walla county,

Washington, the father having previously made several trips into this

part of the country prior to the removal. He secured a homestead claim

at Webfoot and later he bought and removed to the farm where Valley

Chapel is now located. He kept adding to his original purchase from

time to time as his financial resources increased until he was the

owner of more than a section of land. Upon that property he died,

passing away June 14, 1883. His widow long survived him and departed

this life in 1907. During her last nine years she made her home with

her son John.

John H. Harer is numbered among the honored pioneer settlers of the

northwest, having resided in this section of the country for almost six

decades. He acquired a district school education and also attended the

public schools of Walla Walla. On reaching manhood he became engaged in

the cattle business, with which he was identified for several years,

and in 1889 he purchased from the other heirs their interest in the

Harer estate and thus came into possession of his present home farm,

upon which he has since carried on general agricultural pursuits. The

farm originally comprised one hundred and sixty acres of rich and

productive land, but he has recently sold thirty acres of the tract. He

has brought his fields under a high state of cultivation and everything

about his place indicates his careful supervision, progressive methods

and indefatigable energy.

In 1882 Mr. Harer was united in marriage to Miss Eva Waterman, a native

of Walla Walla county. Her father was Samuel Waterman, who crossed

the plains from Iowa to California in 1860 and in the spring of 1861

arrived in Walla Walla county, taking up his abode in the vicinity

of Valley Chapel. He was thus closely identified with the early

development and progress of this section of the state until his death,

which occurred in January, 1878. His widow survives and is now living

with a daughter in Spokane, Washington. To Mr. and Mrs. Harer have been

born three children, two of whom survive, namely: Inez, who is the wife

of E. S. Gibson, of North Yakima, Washington; and Bertha, the wife of

R. L. Ridley, who operates the farm of his father-in-law. Mrs. Harer

is a member of the Christian church and is a lady of many admirable

characteristics.

Mr. Harer gives his political allegiance to the democratic party. He

has never sought or desired political office but for several years he

served as school director and proved a stalwart champion of the cause

of education. Both he and his wife are actuated by a spirit of progress

and enterprise in all that they undertake and their interest centers

deeply in those affairs which promise to upbuild and develop further

the section of the country in which they live.

WILLIAM F. CLUSTER.

William F. Cluster, deceased, was one of the honored and highly

esteemed citizens of Pomeroy. His birth occurred in Indiana on the 8th

of February, 1831, and his parents were Daniel and Margaret (Tumlin)

Cluster, natives of Kentucky and Ohio respectively. About 1861 they

removed to Missouri, where both died. In their family were eleven

children, all of whom have passed away with the exception of one

sister, residing in Missouri.

[Illustration: WILLIAM F. CLUSTER]

In the state of his nativity William F. Cluster was reared and educated

and on leaving the parental roof at the age of twenty-three years went

to Missouri. He crossed the plains to Oregon in 1862 and spent the

remainder of his life on the Pacific coast. In 1868 he married Mrs.

Mary E. French, a native of Ohio, who only a short time previously had

come to the northwest and had located in Oregon, where they continued

to make their home until 1871. It was in that year that Mr. and Mrs.

Cluster removed to old Walla Walla county, Washington, and took up

a claim seven miles from Pomeroy, on which they built a log cabin,

this being the family home for four years. They remained on the farm

until 1882, when they took up their abode in Pomeroy and here Mrs.

Cluster still lives. She continues in possession of the old homestead,

which comprises two hundred acres of finely improved land, and owns

a forty-acre tract which adjoins the city of Pomeroy. She has six

residences in this city and derives a substantial income from all these

properties.

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Cluster are as follows: Viola E., the

wife of C. E. Gray; Florence M., the wife of E. M. Pomeroy; Carrie E.,

deceased; and E. C., a resident of Pomeroy.

After a useful and well spent life, Mr. Cluster passed away on the 14th

of June, 1915, leaving his immediate family as well as many friends to

mourn his death. His remains were interred in the Pomeroy cemetery.

Mrs. Cluster takes an active part in the work of the Presbyterian

church, to which she belongs and is a most estimable lady who has a

wide circle of friends and acquaintances in the city and throughout the

surrounding country.

W. H. GILLIS.

The family of W. H. Gillis, residing in Dayton, pays fitting tribute

to his memory in preserving the record of his life in this history

of southeastern Washington. He was born in Montgomery county, North

Carolina, and was reared and educated in his native state. In 1867 he

was united in marriage to Miss Lucy A. Crump, of Stanly county, North

Carolina, a daughter of Stephen and Eliza (Kendall) Crump, both of whom

were natives of the Old North state, where they lived and died. They

were the parents of five children, all of whom survive. Mrs. Gillis

was reared and educated in North Carolina, pursuing her studies in the

common schools and afterward in the Greenville and Doranport colleges

of that state. To Mr. and Mrs. Gillis were born three children:

Lillian, who has departed this life; John A.; and Minnie, who is the

wife of J. F. Hall. The death of Mr. Gillis occurred March 2, 1906.

He had been a soldier of the Civil war, serving for four years, and

was brave and loyal to the cause which he espoused. He never faltered

in the performance of any duty that devolved upon him and made an

excellent record as a soldier. To his family he was a devoted husband

and father and found his greatest happiness in promoting the welfare

of his wife and children. In business affairs he was progressive and

reliable and his sterling worth was acknowledged in many relations.

On the 16th of June, 1907, Mrs. Gillis became the wife of A. H.

Richardson, who died five years later. Mrs. Richardson is the owner of

a valuable farm property of five hundred and twenty acres pleasantly

and conveniently situated about five miles east of Dayton. Upon this

place many modern improvements have been made. The buildings are

substantial and commodious, the fences are well kept and everything

about the place indicates the progressive spirit of the owner. Mrs.

Richardson rents her farm and therefrom derives a gratifying annual

income. She also owns one of the finest residences of Dayton and is

most comfortably situated in life. She is a member of the Christian

church and takes an active interest in promoting the church work. Her

social position is indicated by the fact that the hospitality of the

best homes of Dayton is freely accorded her.

WILLIAM GAYLORD COLEMAN.

William Gaylord Coleman, a well known member of the Walla Walla bar,

was born October 7, 1884, in the city where he still resides. His

father, Dan J. Coleman, a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, became a

pioneer farmer of the Eureka Flat district and spent his last days in

Walla Walla. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Mattie C. Roberts,

was a daughter of E. G. Roberts and was born in an emigrant wagon

somewhere along the Platte river while the family were crossing the

plains. Her first marriage was with J. W. Cookerly and she later wedded

Dan J. Coleman. The family ever has been closely associated with the

pioneer development of Washington.

Reared in his native city, William Gaylord Coleman, after mastering the

preliminary branches of learning, decided upon the practice of law as a

life work and with that end in view entered the University of Michigan

at Ann Arbor and was there graduated in June, 1909, "with honors" and

with the LL. B. degree. He returned to the northwest, opening an office

in Walla Walla, and has since engaged in practice here. In a profession

where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit and ability

he has made steady progress and public opinion names him as one of the

able lawyers of the Walla Walla bar.

On the 5th of September, 1911, in Walla Walla, Mr. Coleman was married

to Miss Margaret S. Steel, a daughter of T. S. and Annie J. Steel. They

hold membership in the Presbyterian church and Mr. Coleman is a past

grand of the Odd Fellows lodge. A lifelong resident of Walla Walla, he

has a wide acquaintance and his sterling worth as a man, as a lawyer

and a citizen is indicated by the high regard entertained for him by

his fellow citizens.

JOHN MARTIN.

John Martin, living retired in Walla Walla after many years devoted

to agricultural pursuits, was born in Ireland, January 1, 1842, a son

of John and Ann Martin, who spent their entire lives on the Emerald

isle. The educational opportunities accorded John Martin were those

common to the boys of his time, he attending the national schools, and

he remained in Ireland until he was twenty-five years old, when, in

1867, he emigrated to the United States. He first resided in New York

state, where he secured employment in a brickyard at Haverstraw, and

subsequently went to Baltimore, Maryland, but finding it too hot to

suit him there, he went to Chicago, where he was employed by the Armour

Packing Company, during the winters for several years, but in summer

followed his work of brick burning and helped to manufacture the brick

used in the construction of the United States customs house in Chicago.

After remaining in the metropolis of the middle west for eight years he

came to Walla Walla, Washington, in 1882 and settled on a farm on Dry

creek. He operated that place until 1905, when he retired and removed

to Walla Walla, where he purchased land and built his home on Grove

street, where he has since lived. He is still prominently connected

with agricultural affairs, however, as he owns fourteen hundred acres

of fine wheat land, all of which is well improved. He gives his

personal supervision to the management of his farm although he leaves

the actual work of its operation to others. All that he has he has made

since coming to Walla Walla county and it is but natural that he should

be enthusiastic concerning conditions here.

[Illustration: JOHN MARTIN AND FAMILY]

In 1875, in Chicago, Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Sarah

McAvaney, a native of Illinois, and they have become the parents of

fourteen children, of whom two are deceased, the others being: James,

who is now chief of police of Walla Walla; John P., who is farming

in Spring valley; Mary, the wife of Joe Martin, who although of the

same name is not a relative; Elizabeth, the wife of Albert Schiller;

Margaret, the wife of Roy Davies; and Katherine, Agnes, Grace, Theresa,

George, Lillian and William, all at home.

Mr. Martin supports the republican party and has served acceptably as

member of the school board. He is a communicant of the Catholic church,

and his life has been guided by high moral standards. His residence is

attractive and up-to-date and he is enjoying all the comforts of his

life as the result of his well directed labors and wise investments.

Mr. Martin is strong and vigorous for his years but to enjoy the balmy

air of the south he spends his winters in Los Angeles, California.

C. F. ACTOR.

C. F. Actor, a grain dealer and warehouse man of Starbuck, was born in

Dixie, Washington, on the 27th of October, 1868, a son of H. C. Actor,

one of the veterans of the early Indian wars and one of the well known

men of the pioneer period of Walla Walla county. He died August 30,

1917, near Dixie and extended mention of him appears elsewhere in this

work.

C. F. Actor was reared under the parental roof and acquired his

education in the public schools of Dixie. He also attended the Empire

Business College of Walla Walla and thus became well qualified for

life's practical and responsible duties. In early manhood he worked for

a time in Colfax and was variously employed, after which he returned to

Walla Walla county and for some time was engaged in farming. In 1902

he removed to Starbuck and entered the grain trade, managing the Alto

warehouse for the Alto Warehouse Company for a year. On the expiration

of that period he became the representative of the Balfour-Guthrie

Company, with which he continued for four years as grain buyer. In

1907 he engaged in the grain business on his own account and since

that time has operated independently and successfully, being today one

of the well known grain merchants of Columbia county, controlling a

business of large volume that brings to him a good financial return.

In 1900 Mr. Actor was married to Miss Lucy May Buroker, daughter of

Martin B. Buroker, of Waitsburg, and they have become the parents of

five children, four sons and a daughter, namely: Charles M., Alfred A.,

Grace, Lester E. and Fred F.

In his political views Mr. Actor has ever been an earnest republican

since attaining adult age. In January, 1917, he was appointed to fill

a vacancy on the board of county commissioners and is now serving in

that capacity, in which connection he is making an excellent record,

carefully safe-guarding the interests of the county, yet never blocking

public progress by useless retrenchment. He belongs to Tucannon Lodge,

No. 106, F. & A. M., of Starbuck, and also to Starbuck Lodge, No.

158, I. O. O. F. In 1916 he was representative to the grand lodge of

Odd Fellows. He is also identified with Dayton Lodge, No. 3, K. P. In

banking circles he is known as a director of the Bank of Starbuck and

he ranks with the leading and representative business men and citizens

of the town, his aid and influence being always given on the side of

progress and improvement. He at all times displays a public-spirited

devotion to the general good and has wisely conducted his private

business affairs, which have brought to him substantial and merited

success.

M. W. SWEGLE.

A successful career has been that of M. W. Swegle, who now follows

farming on section 32, township 7 north, range 35 east, in Walla Walla

county. He has lived in this county since 1888 and is concentrating his

efforts and attention upon the development and improvement of a farm of

five hundred and fourteen acres. This is a memorable locality in the

history of the state for it is the site of the Whitman massacre--the

identical spot on which the atrocities committed by the red men

culminated in the murder of the noble Reverend Whitman and his family,

those venerable pioneers, who were doing such inestimable work in

claiming this region for the purposes of Christian civilization, laying

the cornerstone of the foundation for the moral and materially visible

development of the entire region.

Mr. Swegle is a western man by birth, training and preference and

exemplifies in his life the spirit of enterprise and progress which

has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding of the west, leading

to its wonderful development. He was born in Salem, Oregon, June 28,

1861, a son of Charles and Lucinda (Robinson) Swegle. The father was

a native of New Jersey, while the mother's birth occurred in Ohio.

They were married in Illinois, to which state they had removed with

their respective parents, and in 1848 they crossed the plains with ox

teams to Oregon, settling first in Clackamas county, although soon

afterward they removed to Marion county, taking up their abode near

Salem. There the father resided until 1880, when he came with his

family to Walla Walla county, Washington, and purchased nine hundred

acres of land, a part of which is included within the boundaries of

the present home place of M. W. Swegle. In the residence where his son

now resides the father passed away on the 7th of May, 1888, and in his

death the community mourned the loss of an honored pioneer settler and

most respected citizen--one who in every relation of life commanded

the goodwill and confidence of those with whom he came in contact. His

widow survived him for several years and passed away in November, 1895.

M. W. Swegle was reared upon the old home farm and acquired a common

school education. From the time he attained his majority he began

farming on his own account and in 1888 he established his home in Walla

Walla county. Soon afterward he purchased a section of land, some of

which he has since sold, while a portion thereof he deeded to his wife.

The present farm, held conjointly by Mr. Swegle and his wife's heirs,

comprises five hundred and fourteen acres. This land he has brought to

a very high state of cultivation, carrying on farm work along the most

progressive lines. He is at all times practical in what he undertakes

and the results are therefore substantial and most desirable. He has

placed good improvements upon his farm and its neat and attractive

appearance indicates his intelligently directed activity.

On the 2d of July, 1890, Mr. Swegle was united in marriage to Miss

Libby Brooks, also a native of Oregon, although at the time of her

marriage she was living in Walla Walla county. She was a daughter of

John Brooks, who came to this county from that of Yamhill in Oregon.

He is still living and at the present time is a resident of Portland,

Oregon, the beautiful city of roses. To Mr. and Mrs. Swegle were born

eight children, seven of whom survive, namely: Floyd and Jesse, who are

operating the home farm; May; Alice; Frank; Florence; and Irene. All

the children are yet at home. The wife and mother passed away February

19, 1916, her death being the occasion of deep and widespread regret

among her many friends. All who knew her sympathized and grieved with

the family, to whose welfare and interest she was always most devoted.

Mr. Swegle votes with the democratic party. He has never been an

aspirant for office, preferring to give his time to and concentrate his

energies upon his own affairs, upon the interests of his home, upon

his business and upon those things which help to further the welfare

of the community. For thirty years he has been a resident of Walla

Walla county and has witnessed many favorable changes during this

period, having by his own labors in no small measure contributed to

agricultural development.

S. V. DAVIN.

One of the energetic and progressive business men of Walla Walla is S.

V. Davin, president and manager of the Washington Weeder Works. He is

a native of France, born September 20, 1861, and is a son of Joseph E.

and Nomie (Escalle) Davin, who came with their family to America in

1873 and located in California, where the parents continued to make

their home until death. Of their thirteen children only two are living,

these being Joseph and S. V., of this review.

S. V. Davin was twelve years of age on the emigration of the family

to the United States and in the schools of California he completed

his education, which was begun in his native land. He remained in the

Golden state until 1888, when he came to Walla Walla and spent three

years on a ranch in this locality. During the following ten years he

engaged in business in the city and was also interested in farming and

stock raising, owning sixty-three hundred acres of land in Franklin

county, Washington, stocked with sheep, and is president of the

Davin-Mitchell sheep and cattle ranch, the company owning one thousand

acres of land. Mr. Davin also owns one hundred and ninety-four acres

of land west of the garrison, which is worth eight hundred dollars per

acre and has two hundred and twenty-five acres at Lowden, Walla Walla

county, upon which he keeps both cattle and sheep and has twenty-five

cows for dairy purposes. Since 1910, however, Mr. Davin has given his

attention largely to the business of the Washington Weeder Works, which

is in a flourishing condition, manufacturing a double-disc weeder,

which was awarded the gold medal at the Lewis & Clark Exposition as the

best weed killer and cultivator exhibited. Besides the property already

mentioned Mr. Davin owns a business building, also the Ritz Hotel and

three residences in Walla Walla.

In 1893 he was united in marriage to Miss Ardella Haight, who died in

1901, leaving no children, and in 1903 he again married. To this union

were born two sons, Jackson Joseph and Virgil Edward Marion. The family

attend the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Davin is an active member

of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Eagles, the Moose and the

Red Men. In politics he is a republican but has never cared for office.

He gives his undivided attention to his extensive business interests,

is prompt, energetic and progressive and carries to successful

completion what he sets out to accomplish.

HON. JOHN F. ROCKHILL.

Hon. John F. Rockhill owns and operates a farm of five hundred acres of

land in Columbia county, upon which he has resided for almost a quarter

of a century, having taken up his abode upon that place in 1893. He

was born in Marshall county, Iowa, April 29, 1855, a son of Anthony

and Rosetta (Robbins) Rockhill, the former a native of Ohio, while the

latter was born in the state of New York. They lived for some time in

Iowa, but at length determined to try their fortunes upon the Pacific

coast and in 1864 crossed the plains, establishing their home in Grande

Ronde valley, Oregon. In 1865, however, they removed to the vicinity

of Portland and in 1868 they came to Washington, settling in Walla

Walla county, where the father rented a farm for two years. In 1870 he

removed to a farm near Dayton and upon that place continued to reside

until his demise. His widow also spent her last days upon that farm.

They had a family of nine children, of whom six are yet living.

[Illustration: HON. JOHN F. ROCKHILL]

[Illustration: MRS. JOHN F. ROCKHILL]

Hon. John F. Rockhill of this family was a little lad of nine years

when he left his native state in company with his parents and came

to the northwest. From the age of thirteen years he has lived in

Washington and in the public schools of this section of the state

he completed his education. He afterward took up land and engaged

in farming, bringing to his duties broad practical experience which

had come to him through assisting his father in the development and

cultivation of the old home property. In 1885 John F. Rockhill removed

to Whitman county, where he resided for eight years, but in 1893 he

returned to Columbia county and purchased his present farm, upon

which he is now living. He owns five hundred acres of excellent wheat

land and in connection with the production of that cereal he is also

successfully engaged in raising stock. In a word, his business affairs

are capably managed and whatever he undertakes he carries forward to

successful completion. He is likewise a stockholder in the warehouse

at Turner and at Dayton and is regarded as a prominent figure in the

business circles of his section of the state.

In 1877 Mr. Rockhill was united in marriage to Miss Mabel L. Taylor,

a native of Iowa, and to them have been born eight children: Don M. a

resident of Columbia county; Daisy, now the wife of C. I. Fleming, of

Oregon; Hazel, deceased; Luella, who is a graduate of a normal school

and is now engaged in teaching; Nora, who has departed this life; Cora,

who was graduated from the high school and is now the wife of Edgar

Hilbert, of Columbia county; John, who is engaged in farming with his

father; and Mabel L., who is also a graduate of the high school and is

the wife of Glenn Cecil.

Mrs. Rockhill is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church

and is a lady of many excellent qualities. Mr. Rockhill belongs to

Dayton Lodge, No. 136, I. O. O. F. His political allegiance is given to

the republican party and in 1915 he was called upon to represent his

district in the state legislature, of which he proved an able member,

carefully considering the vital and significant problems which came up

for settlement and throwing the weight of his influence where he felt

that the public good could best be conserved or promoted. For several

years he has served on the school board and the cause of education

finds in him a stalwart champion. He is a self-made man whose business

advancement is attributable entirely to his own well directed efforts.

Not only has he progressed in a financial way but has also come to

be recognized as one of the prominent and influential citizens of

Columbia county, where for almost a half century he has made his home,

therefore witnessing the greater part of the growth and development of

this section of the state. Great indeed have been the changes which

have occurred during this period and Mr. Rockhill is numbered among the

worthy pioneer settlers.

W. E. SPROUT.

W. E. Sprout is regarded as among the foremost business men of

Starbuck, where he is engaged in general merchandising and he also

is president of the Bank of Starbuck. He was born in Grundy county,

Missouri, on the 31st of January, 1861, a son of Francis M. and Sarah

(Winters) Sprout, the former a native of Indiana, while the latter was

born in Ohio. They were married in Grundy county, Missouri, to which

place they had removed in boyhood and girlhood with their respective

parents. Following their marriage the father turned his attention to

farming in Grundy county, but at the time of the Civil war he put

aside all business and personal considerations to espouse the cause

of his country, serving for a year and a half in the Civil war. He

was wounded in the battle of Shiloh, losing his right arm. His first

wife had died when their son, W. E. Sprout, was an infant of but four

months and three years later the father married Miss Sophia Newland.

He continued his residence in Missouri until 1888, when he removed to

Hutchinson, Kansas, where he was engaged in farming until the death

of his second wife in the year 1905. Since that date he has lived

retired in Hutchinson, where he still makes his home, being now in the

eightieth year of his age.

W. E. Sprout acquired but a limited education, his opportunities

being such as the district schools afforded. When not busy with his

textbooks he worked in the fields and thus early received the training

which well qualified him to begin farming on his own account when he

attained his majority. He carried on general agricultural pursuits in

Grundy county for three years and in 1884 he came west to Washington,

settling in Dayton, where he spent two years as a farm hand, working

for wages. In 1886 he invested in land, becoming owner of a farm on

the Tucanon, a half mile outside the city limits of the town site of

Starbuck. Upon that place he engaged in general farming and stock

raising, which business claimed his time and attention until the

year 1892, when Starbuck was made a railroad division point and Mr.

Sprout then established a butchering business in the village. This

was largely done in order to find a profitable market for his cattle.

Eight years later, in 1900, he bought out the mercantile business of

A. L. O'Neil of Starbuck and has since been prominently identified

with the commercial interests of the town. For eight years he carried

on the business independently and then, in 1908, organized the Sprout

& Barnhart Mercantile Company, which was incorporated with Mr. Sprout

as the president and W. H. Barnhart as the secretary and manager of

the company. In 1907 Mr. Sprout was also the dominant factor in the

organization of the Bank of Starbuck, of which he became president and

has since served in that connection. He is thus actively identified

with the financial interests of the county and has made the Bank of

Starbuck one of the strong and thoroughly reliable moneyed institutions

of this section of the state.

In 1890 Mr. Sprout was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Wooten, a

native of Columbia county, Washington, and a daughter of W. S. Wooten,

who came to this state from Missouri about 1878 and still makes his

home in Dayton. Mr. and Mrs. Sprout became the parents of one child,

who has passed away, and the wife and mother died in January, 1906.

Two years later, in April, 1908, Mr. Sprout was again married, his

second union being with Miss Ida Hukill, a native of Walla Walla and a

daughter of Allen Hukill, who was one of the early pioneers of Columbia

county, taking up a homestead in this section of the state shortly

after his arrival in Washington, when the entire region was largely an

undeveloped section. To the second marriage of Mr. Sprout has been born

one child, Allen M.

In his political views Mr. Sprout is a republican and served as the

first mayor after the city of Starbuck was incorporated. He also

served for a number of years as a member of the town council and ever

exercised his official prerogatives in support of well defined plans

and measures for the general good. He likewise served on the school

board and the cause of education has ever found in him a stalwart

champion. Fraternally he is connected with Tucannon Lodge, No. 106, F.

& A. M., of Starbuck, and also with Starbuck Lodge, No. 158, I. O. O.

F. He has recently disposed of his landed possessions but Mrs. Sprout

still owns her homestead which she entered prior to her marriage. Mr.

Sprout belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church and its teachings have

been the guiding force in his life, making him a man among men, honored

and respected by reason of his sterling worth, his patriotic loyalty

in citizenship, his integrity and progressiveness in business and his

faithfulness in friendship. In his public offices he has displayed

the same spirit of enterprise and recognition of opportunity that has

marked his business career, and Starbuck has profited much by his

labors.

LESTER LEE ROBISON.

Lester Lee Robison, one of the foremost agriculturists and most

extensive sheep growers of Walla Walla county, has in his own name

three thousand acres of wheat land and seventy-five hundred acres of

grazing land. His home is on section 34, township 8 north, range 35

east. His birth occurred in Dayton, Columbia county, Washington, on

the 13th of April, 1884, his parents being Andrew M. and Theodosia

(Fall) Robison, the former born in Austin, Texas, March 16, 1854,

and the latter in Sidney, Iowa, on the 7th of September, 1857. It

was in the year 1872 that the mother came to Washington with her

parents, the family home being established near Dayton in Columbia

county. Andrew M. Robison made his way to this state in the winter of

1876-7, when a young man of twenty-two years, and after his arrival

he secured a contract with the Northern Pacific Railroad Company in

construction work. Later he bought stock throughout this section,

furnishing meat for the railroad construction gangs, which numbered

about seven thousand Chinamen. Subsequently Mr. Robison took up his

abode near Dayton and engaged in farming and in the stock business,

being recognized for a number of years as one of the extensive stock

buyers of this section of the state. In the fall of 1897 he removed

to Walla Walla county, locating on Dry creek, four and one-half miles

northwest of Walla Walla, where he acquired extensive farm lands,

owning at the time of his death some twenty-eight hundred acres. He

was widely recognized as one of the influential and leading citizens

of southeastern Washington and was a prominent representative of the

Masonic fraternity. His demise occurred on the 21st of October, 1907,

but his widow survives, making her home in Walla Walla, where she has

an extensive circle of friends.

Lester L. Robison acquired his education in the city schools of Walla

Walla and also attended the State Agricultural College at Pullman,

Washington. After putting aside his textbooks he worked with his father

until 1907, when he started out independently as an agriculturist,

taking charge of his father's large holdings, which he has managed

with marked success to the present time. The property in his own name

embraces three thousand acres of wheat land and also some seventy-five

hundred acres of grazing land. Moreover, he has been heavily

interested in the stock business for a number of years and is one of

the foremost sheep growers of Walla Walla county.

On the 11th of September, 1907, Mr. Robison was united in marriage

to Miss Elsie Riffle, of Walla Walla, her father being Elihu G.

Riffle, who was one of the earliest pioneers of this county. Mr. and

Mrs. Robison have a daughter, Laura Lee. Politically Mr. Robison is

a democrat and fraternally is identified with the following Masonic

organizations: Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M.; Walla Walla

Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M.; the Knight Templar Commandery; Oriental

Consistory, A. & A. S. R.; and El Katif Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He

also belongs to Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E. A young man of

enterprise, ambition and ability, he has ably carried forward the work

of his honored father and his career bids fair to be one of continued

achievement.

JAMES G. WOODEND.

James G. Woodend was one of the prominent farmers of southeastern

Washington for many years and won a substantial measure of success

by reason of the careful manner in which he developed his fields and

managed his business affairs. He was a native of England and came

to America when a young man of twenty-seven years. He did not tarry

on the Atlantic coast but made his away across the country and took

up his abode in Columbia county, Washington, at Starbuck. Here he

occupied the position of section foreman for nineteen years and on

the expiration of that period turned his attention to agricultural

pursuits, purchasing a farm which he at once began to further develop

and improve. Year after year he carefully tilled the soil and his

plowing and planting, with the careful cultivation of his fields,

brought to him substantial harvests which sold at a good figure. He was

thus busily and successfully engaged in general farming up to the time

of his death. In the intervening years he had added to his holdings as

opportunity offered until he had become the owner of sixteen hundred

acres of land which is still in possession of his widow, the greater

part being wheat land. He was regarded as one of the most prominent

men in the valley and his life work indicates what can be accomplished

in the way of wheat production in this section of the state. Moreover,

his history shows clearly what can be attained by honorable purpose and

indefatigable energy.

In 1886 Mr. Woodend was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Bellingham,

a native of England, who came to America in the same year. To them

were born six children: Isabel, the wife of F. F. Kent; Anna M., who

is living in Spokane; Robert G., who follows farming; Thomas S., at

home; Marguerite V., the wife of A. J. Burke; and Mildred A., who is a

student in the high school at Spokane.

[Illustration: JAMES G. WOODEND]

The death of the husband and father occurred on September 21, 1915, and

his remains were interred in the Starbuck cemetery. He left a widow and

six children to mourn his loss, his demise being also a matter of deep

regret to his many friends who sincerely esteemed him. He possessed

many sterling traits of character, was thoroughly reliable in business,

was public spirited in citizenship, held friendship inviolable and was

devoted to the welfare and happiness of his wife and children. Mrs.

Woodend still owns and manages her farm property and in fact has added

to the sixteen hundred acres left by her husband, making an additional

purchase of six hundred and twenty acres, also in Columbia county, so

that she now owns over two thousand two hundred acres of valuable land

in this section of the state.

M. B. WINCHELL.

M. B. Winchell, who is engaged in general merchandising in Touchet,

Walla Walla county, ranks with the foremost business men of this

section of the state. A spirit of progress and enterprise actuates him

in all that he undertakes and his course has been characterized by

a determined purpose. He has ever recognized the fact that when one

avenue of success seems closed there can always be marked out another

path that will lead to the desired goal. Alert and energetic and

thoroughly reliable, his position among the business men of Walla Walla

county is indeed enviable. A native son of Washington, he was born at

Lyons Ferry on the 28th of March, 1888, his parents being Hezekiah and

Alice L. (Palmer) Winchell. The father was a native of Michigan and

the mother of the state of New York. They were married, however, in

Minnesota, where the father was identified with timber interests for a

number of years. In 1883 he brought his family to the west, settling in

Walla Walla county, Washington, at which time he filed on a homestead

near Lyons Ferry but resided thereon only long enough to prove up on

the property. He then took up his abode in Waitsburg and for twenty-two

years the family lived in or near that town. The father was engaged in

farming during this time. He died in 1905, at the comparatively early

age of fifty-six years. The sons in the family continued to make their

home with their mother, her death occurring on the 5th of June, 1917.

Mr. and Mrs. Winchell were worthy pioneer people of this section of the

state and contributed much to its development and progress.

M. B. Winchell pursued his education in the graded schools of Waitsburg

and also in the Waitsburg Academy, while subsequently he spent three

terms in the Waitsburg high school, which he attended in the winter

seasons. In fact his attendance at school was by no means continuous,

but he utilized every opportunity to promote his education by entering

school whenever he could. His father met with financial reverses and

thus Mr. Winchell of this review was obliged early to start out in

the business world and provide for his own support. He also earned

the money that enabled him to continue his education. After finishing

his course of study in the graded schools he devoted two years to

work before he entered the academy and there was also a period of

two years between his academic course and his high school course. In

the meantime, however, he was learning many valuable lessons through

experience. He was employed during the summer months and he made every

spare hour count. He continued farm work and subsequently turned his

attention to the grain business, becoming manager of an elevator when a

youth of but seventeen years. This elevator was located at Alto, and he

subsequently managed elevators at other points for the same company,

a fact which is indicative of his capability and of his faithfulness.

It is recognized that the best way to learn to do a thing is to do

it. Habit brings accuracy and power grows through the exercise of

effort. Labor does not tire--it gives resisting force; and all of these

facts Mr. Winchell demonstrated in his life. He studied every task

that came to his hand and from each new experience learned valuable

lessons which have proven of worth to him in later years. He learned

to correctly judge men and read character, while at the same time he

was acquainting himself with commercial methods. While engaged in the

grain trade he bought and shipped grain on tonnage during the winter

months and attended school when there was no grain to ship. In other

words he improved every opportunity to promote his knowledge as well

as to advance his material interests. In 1914 he entered the employ of

the Allen Grocery Company in Waitsburg and there laid the foundation

for his mercantile success. In 1916 he took up his abode at Touchet and

became one of the dominant factors in the organization of the Quality

Stores Company, having stores at Touchet, Lowden and Waitsburg. He

became the manager of the establishment at Touchet, which at the last

inventory showed a stock of over thirty-one thousand dollars value,

while annually he does a business of from seventy-five to eighty-five

thousand dollars. This is a splendid establishment to be under the care

of a young man who had to fight his own way, make his own way through

school unaided and at all times rely upon his own resources. In the

parlance of the present day, he is a live wire, or in other words he

has the dynamic force which makes things move. An opportunity is to him

a call to action and the call is never neglected.

On the 22d of September, 1912, Mr. Winchell was united in marriage to

Miss Alberta Williams, of Walla Walla, by whom he has two children,

Zilpha Alice and Ruth Emily. Mr. Winchell maintains an independent

course in regard to politics, voting for men and measures rather than

for party. Fraternally he is connected with Delta Lodge, No. 75, K.

P., of Waitsburg, and also with the Ancient Order of United Workmen,

while both he and his wife hold membership in the Community church

of Touchet. He is interested in all that pertains to the material,

political, social, mental and moral progress of the community. In a

word his aid and influence are given on the side of advancement and

improvement, and with him each day must mark off a full-faithed attempt

to grow more and to know more.

WILLIAM C. WOODWARD.

William C. Woodward, a resident farmer of Columbia county, Washington,

was born February 13, 1862, within the boundaries of the county where

he still resides and which has been his home throughout the intervening

period. He is a son of Albert and Oral Woodward, of whom mention is

made in connection with the sketch of his sister, Mrs. Mary Nichols,

on another page of this work. He spent his youthful days under the

parental roof and divided his time between the acquirement of an

education and work in the fields. His early training under his father's

direction acquainted him with the best methods of tilling the soil

and caring for the crops, so that valuable experience aided him when,

on attaining his majority, he started out in the business world for

himself. He began farming and has since been identified with general

agricultural pursuits, owning valuable property which he has brought

under a high state of cultivation, so that year after year his fields

return to him good harvests that bring him a substantial income.

In 1891 Mr. Woodward was united in marriage to Miss Nora Davis, a

native of Oregon and a daughter of Daniel and Isabella (Laughlin)

Davis. Mr. and Mrs. Woodward have become the parents of six children:

Albert D., S. M., O. H., L. S., H. L. and Sarah Alice. The parents are

members of the Christian Science church and in his political views Mr.

Woodward is a republican. He has served as county commissioner for two

terms and has made an excellent record in his devotion to the public

welfare. He has also been a member of the school board and the cause

of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He has many sterling

traits of character, is thoroughly reliable as well as enterprising in

the conduct of his farming interests, is progressive in citizenship and

loyal in friendship. In fact, he is most faithful to every cause which

he espouses, does not hesitate to express his honest convictions and

his position upon any important question is never an equivocal one. A

resident of what is now Columbia county for fifty-five years, he has

been a witness of practically its entire growth and development and is

justly numbered among its worthy and honored pioneer settlers.

JOHN ROBERTSON.

John Robertson, who follows farming on section 25, township 11 north,

range 41 east, in Garfield county, was born in Prince Edward Island,

Canada, on the 30th of November, 1866, but since 1882 has been a

resident of Washington and through all the intervening years has been

identified with its agricultural development. His parents, John and

Mary (Steel) Robertson, were also natives of Prince Edward Island and

were of Scotch parentage. In 1873 they removed with their family to

California, settling in the Livermore valley, where the father's death

occurred four years later, and in the fall of 1882, Mrs. Robertson with

her four sons and one daughter came by team to Washington, where they

proceeded to make a home for themselves. There was a strong family bond

between the brothers, mother and sister and they held all of their

interests jointly for many years, the brothers cooperating in their

farming enterprises, and as a consequence all of them prospered. The

mother is still living and makes her home with her son John, whose

filial love and devotion repay her for the care which she gave to him

in his youth.

John Robertson pursued a district school education in California,

to which state he was taken by his parents when a lad of but seven

years. He was a youth of sixteen when the family home was established

in Garfield county, Washington, and here in connection with his three

older brothers he began farming. Early in the '90s he homesteaded

eighty acres which adjoins his present home farm, but he continued to

engage in business in connection with his brothers until 1902, since

which time he has followed farming independently. As the years have

passed on he has prospered in his undertakings by reason of his close

application and indefatigable energy and, making judicious investment

in real estate, is now the owner of five hundred and sixty-five

acres of excellent farm land and is regarded as one of the prominent

agriculturists of his section of the state.

J. M. CRAWFORD.

A notable example of successful personal achievement is the history of

J. M. Crawford, president and general manager of the Tum-a-lum Lumber

Company of Walla Walla. Since making his initial step in the business

world his career has been marked by an orderly progression that has

brought him forward step by step until he now occupies a most prominent

position in the commercial and manufacturing circles of the northwest.

He was born in Smithfield, Ohio, June 3, 1865, and is a son of Dr. J.

B. Crawford, who was engaged in the practice of medicine in Gillespie,

Illinois, for many years. In 1910 he came to Walla Walla and here

passed away in 1915 at the age of eighty-eight years.

J. M. Crawford spent his early life in the states of Illinois, Nebraska

and Kansas. At the age of twenty-two years he was employed by the

Badger Lumber Company of Kansas City and remained with them from 1887

to 1890, acting as line yard manager for western Kansas at a salary

of fifty dollars per month, but he found his work very congenial. In

1889 he was married in western Kansas to Miss Martha Cox and they began

their domestic life in a humble way, their first home being made in

a lumber shed of the company, and here their oldest son was born. On

starting in business for himself Mr. Crawford purchased a stock of

lumber from the Paddock Lumber Company of Raywood, Illinois, and thus

he laid the foundation for his present successful business.

In 1904 Mr. Crawford came to Walla Walla and formed the

Whitehouse-Crawford Company by purchasing the control of a company from

its original owners and later bought out those still interested in the

business, so that today it is an entirely new corporation. In 1908 his

brother, Joseph F. Crawford, came to Walla Walla and is now general

manager of the company. They own a plant devoted to the manufacture of

interior trimmings, showcases, bank and store fixtures, in addition

to which they deal extensively in lumber, this being one of the most

important industries of Walla Walla. The plant covers a block and a

half on North Second street and forty men are employed throughout the

year in the manufacture of a product which finds a ready sale on the

market.

It was in 1906 that Mr. Crawford started the Tum-a-lum Lumber Company

with five lumberyards, but which has since grown until it now has

forty-five lumberyards in eastern Washington and central Oregon and

is capitalized for five hundred thousand dollars. Of this company Mr.

Crawford is the president and general manager. His business interests

have thus assumed very extensive proportions and his activities

constitute an important element in the material growth and commercial

development of the northwest. Moreover, Mr. Crawford has been most

active in advancing the welfare and upbuilding of his city by inducing

many others to locate here. He has prevailed on many of his old friends

to come from the east and make their homes in Walla Walla and five

different Crawford families have located here.

[Illustration: J. M. CRAWFORD]

[Illustration: MRS. J. M. CRAWFORD]

To Mr. and Mrs. Crawford have been horn three children. Harold E. is

a graduate of Whitman College and the Boston School of Technology. He

now has charge of the engineering department of the Tum-a-lum Lumber

Company, which constructs elevators, furnishes plans for houses and

promotes good buildings, the plans and work being given patrons free

of charge. C. Howard is treasurer of the Tum-a-lum Lumber Company and

office man. He attended the Walla Walla high school until the age of

seventeen, when he entered the office of the company and has steadily

advanced, being a young man of practical experience and pronounced

ability. Both sons are progressive and able to fill positions calling

for skill and effectiveness. Susan M., the only daughter, was at one

time a student at the University of Washington but is now attending

Whitman College.

Mr. Crawford is a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Mystic

Shrine. He has taken a marked interest in the Walla Walla Commercial

Club and served on its board of directors for some years and as its

president for one year. Both he and his wife hold membership in the

Presbyterian church and Mr. Crawford was on the building committee when

the present house of worship was erected. He is a self-made man, able,

forceful and successful, and can well be numbered among the builders

of Walla Walla. Alert and enterprising, he seems to lose sight of no

opportunity that will advance his legitimate business interests or will

promote the welfare and upbuilding of the community at large. His keen

sagacity has been an important element in public progress and Walla

Walla honors him as one of her most valued and representative men.

GRANT LOW.

Grant Low, a resident farmer of Columbia county, living on section 3,

township 10 north, range 40 east, is numbered among the native sons of

North Carolina, his birth having occurred within the borders of the

Old North state December 25, 1870. His parents were Samuel and Dillie

(Proctor) Low, who were also natives of North Carolina, where they

spent their entire lives, the father there conducting a plantation.

Grant Low was reared upon the old home farm until his sixteenth year,

and acquired but a limited common school education. His parents died

when he was a youth of ten years and he was placed with a guardian,

for whom he worked for his board and clothes. He did not like the

treatment he received, however, and at the age of sixteen he ran away

from his foster parents and went to Missouri, where he was employed as

a farm hand for three years. In July, 1889, he made his way westward to

Dayton, Washington, where he arrived with a cash capital of but five

dollars. His financial condition rendered it imperative that he secure

immediate employment and soon afterward he began working for wages

at farm labor, spending three years in that way. He next purchased

a place of one hundred and sixty acres on credit. He did not have a

cent with which to make an initial payment but he possessed courage

and determination and was not afraid to work. Moreover, he recognized

the eternal principle that industry wins. He began farming for himself

and within the next five years was able to clear his place of all

indebtedness. From that time forward he has steadily added to his

holdings until he now has twelve hundred and forty acres in his home

farm and he owns altogether forty-four hundred acres near Starbuck,

in Columbia county, of which eighteen hundred acres is valuable farm

land. He operates altogether three thousand acres of his own land

and six hundred acres belonging to the Dwelly estate, which he farms

under lease. He is one of the leading agriculturists of southeastern

Washington, his business affairs having been most carefully managed

and his investments most judiciously made. He employs progressive

methods in the care and cultivation of his land and he has added many

improvements to his farm, which is today valuable and which constitutes

one of the attractive features in the landscape.

On December 3, 1891, Mr. Low was united in marriage to Miss Oral

Monnett, of Covello, Columbia county, Washington, a daughter of Wallace

Monnett and a sister of A. A. Monnett, one of the prominent business

men of Dayton. Mr. and Mrs. Low became the parents of five children,

four of whom survive, namely: Nellie, Josie, Alberta and Donald. All

are at home.

Mr. Low gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is a

stanch advocate of its principles but does not seek nor desire office

as a reward for party fealty. He has always preferred to concentrate

his efforts and attention upon his business affairs and, working

steadily and persistently, he has gained a comfortable competence,

being numbered among the leading and progressive agriculturists of

Columbia county.

ANGUS McKAY.

Angus McKay, a well known and enterprising farmer of Walla Walla

county, was born in Canada on the 13th of January, 1836, and is a son

of Angus and Margaret (Campbell) McKay, both of Highland Scotch birth.

In 1832 they crossed the Atlantic and settled in Canada, where they

continued to make their home until called from this life. To them were

born eight children but Angus is the only one of the number now living.

Mr. McKay grew to manhood in Canada with the usual advantages of a

boy of that period, attending school as he found opportunity. He

subsequently served three years apprenticeship in a general merchandise

store and remained in the Dominion in various capacities until in 1861

he left Canada and came to Walla Walla, Washington, where he engaged

in the confectionery and tobacco business for five years. His former

experience stood him in good stead and that he was successful along

business lines is evident from the fact that at the end of that period

he was enabled to secure a homestead of three hundred and twenty acres

on Russell creek and he has since given his time and attention to

farming with good results, becoming one of the well-to-do men of his

community.

In 1866 Mr. McKay married Mrs. Mary A. Winship, a native of Ohio,

who crossed the plains with her parents in 1852 in a covered wagon

drawn by ox teams and settled in Oregon. To this union have been born

seven children, of whom three are living, namely: March, residing and

assisting on the ranch; Angus, living in Prossor; and Bessie, the wife

of Oscar M. Shelton.

Mr. and Mrs. McKay are living on the ranch which has been their home

for over half a century and besides this property they own a residence

in the city of Walla Walla. Fraternally Mr. McKay is a member of the

Masonic order and being a strong temperance man he organized the

first Good Templars lodge in this region in 1866. In politics he is a

republican and for fifty years he has efficiently served as justice of

the peace, his rulings being fair and impartial. He has also filled the

office of assessor for several years and no trust reposed in him has

ever been betrayed in the slightest degree. His honorable principles

have won him many friends and all who know him hold him in the highest

esteem.

JOHN W. FOLEY.

The life record of John W. Foley spells success. He has succeeded in

whatever he has undertaken by reason of close application, determined

purpose and indefatigable energy. Early in life, when little more than

a youth, he started out upon a mercantile career in Adam, Oregon, and

the prosperity which attended that venture gave him his start for

bigger things. He was likewise successful in the live stock business

and later in farming operations, which he has carried on extensively,

being regarded today as one of the foremost representatives of

agricultural interests in Garfield county, his home being on section 3,

township 12 north, range 41 east. He was born in the Willamette valley

of Oregon on the 1st of November, 1866, and is a son of Francis and

Hannah (Reese) Foley. The father is a native of Ohio and the mother of

Kansas and in early life they crossed the plains, becoming residents of

Oregon. They now make their home in California.

Liberal educational advantages were accorded John W. Foley. After

mastering the branches of learning taught in the public schools he

became a student in the Willamette University of Salem, Oregon, and

subsequently attended the Portland University, thus becoming well

qualified for life's practical and responsible duties. In young manhood

he turned his attention to the hardware business, establishing a store

in Adam, Oregon, where he remained for two years. The venture proved

profitable and he sold out at a good advance. He then went to Rock

Lake in Whitman county, Washington, and for seven years was engaged

in the cattle business. Again success attended his undertaking and

on the expiration of that period he removed to Walla Walla, where he

was engaged in the hardware and implement business for two years. He

also devoted a part of his attention to farming when in Walla Walla

county and in March, 1916, he took up his abode upon his present home

farm in Meadow Gulch, Garfield county, where he owns sixteen hundred

acres of rich and valuable land that responds readily to the care and

cultivation which he bestows upon it. In business affairs he displays

sound judgment and discriminates readily between the essential and the

non-essential, discarding the latter and utilizing the former to the

best possible advantage.

In 1893 Mr. Foley was united in marriage to Miss Edith Babcock, a

daughter of W. A. Babcock, one of the early pioneer settlers of Whitman

county who is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Foley have three children:

Harold F., Eva and Wayne C. Mr. Foley gives his political allegiance to

the republican party and is a stanch advocate of its principles but he

has no desire for public office. He and his wife are consistent members

of the Methodist church, contributing generously to its support and

doing their part in its work. They are interested in all that pertains

to the welfare and upbuilding of the community in which they reside and

have been active factors in advancing its material, social and moral

progress. They are widely and favorably known and the hospitality of

the best homes of their locality is accorded them.

ANDREW J. ABEL.

Among the well known residents of Columbia county is Andrew J. Abel,

a retired farmer. He was born in Indiana, October 28, 1838, a son of

Andrew and Sarah Abel, both of whom were Hoosiers by birth. They grew

to mature years and were married in Indiana but in 1840 removed with

their family to Iowa, whence, in 1864, they set out by wagon for the

far west. They at length reached Old Walla Walla county, Washington,

and took up their residence on a farm near Dayton. Their first home

in this section was a log cabin with a slab floor and a clapboard

roof. Subsequently good buildings were erected upon the place, and the

parents resided there until their death.

Andrew J. Abel, who is one of two living children of a family of ten,

received the greater part of his education in Iowa and there grew

to manhood. Upon removing to Washington with the other members of

the family in 1864 he took a preemption claim in Paddock Hollow, and

there he maintained his home for six years. At the end of that time

he sold this place and took up as a homestead the farm on which he

still lives. This comprises two hundred and forty acres, is in a high

state of cultivation and is well improved. During his active life he

gave the closest attention to the management of his affairs and as

the years passed his resources increased. He is now in good financial

circumstances and is living practically retired.

Mr. Abel married Miss Sarah A. Brodhead, and they have had eleven

children, of whom eight survive, namely: Andrew J., Jr.; Maria J., the

wife of James Woodward; Sarah E., who married William Newby; Cora A.,

now Mrs. Charles Ingram; Adele, the wife of Seymour Litter; Maud, the

wife of Sterling Litter; Chester, a resident of Columbia county; and

Tressie, who married Lenn Collins, now of Missouri.

[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. ANDREW J. ABEL]

Mr. Abel gives his political allegiance to the democratic party but

has not served in any office with the exception of that of member of

the school board. His wife belongs to the Christian church and he also

casts his influence on the side of right and justice. For more than

five decades he has been an interested witness of the progress that has

been made in Old Walla Walla county, and his reminiscences of the early

days are of much interest to the younger generation who are growing up

amid conditions vastly different from those that their parents found

here.

SMITH OWENS GWINN.

Smith Owens Gwinn is successfully engaged in farming on section 20,

township 11 north, range 40 east, in Columbia county. He was born in

Putnam county, Missouri, February 17, 1855, his parents being William

and Nancy (Triplett) Gwinn, both of whom were natives of Kentucky,

where they were reared and married. Soon afterward they removed to

Putnam county, Missouri, where they resided until 1864, when they

heard and heeded the call of the west. The stories which reached

them concerning the opportunities on the Pacific coast led them to

the determination to try their fortune in Washington. With ox teams

and wagons they traveled across the plains, being six months on the

journey, and at length they established their home in Walla Walla

county, six miles east of Walla Walla, where the father purchased one

hundred and sixty acres of land, for which he paid eighteen hundred

dollars. Today the same property is worth forty thousand dollars.

He lived upon that farm for a number of years and then sold the

property, after which he took up his abode in the city of Walla Walla,

spending his remaining days in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He

had acquired a comfortable competence sufficient to meet all of his

needs and also sufficient to supply him with the comforts of life.

He passed away in 1897, while his widow survived for about twelve

years, her death occurring in 1909. In his political views Mr. Gwinn

was a democrat, giving stalwart allegiance to the party. He served as

county assessor of Walla Walla county before it was divided, occupying

that position for three or four years. He was widely known throughout

the county, ranking as a representative business man and progressive

citizen, and as a pioneer he contributed much to the early development

of his section of the state. He and his wife were consistent and

faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church and were people

of the highest respectability, enjoying the goodwill and confidence

of all with whom they were associated. They left the impress of

their individuality for good upon the material, political and moral

development of the community.

Smith O. Gwinn was a lad of but nine years at the time of the removal

of the family to Washington, so that he pursued his education largely

in the schools of this district. He attended the Maxson school on

Russell creek and on reaching his majority he began farming on his own

account, renting land for that purpose. He raised two crops in Walla

Walla county and in the fall of 1877 removed to Columbia county, where

he homesteaded eighty acres. He failed, however, to get water on his

land and therefore sold his right, after which he purchased another

eighty acres with water on it. About 1880 he disposed of that farm and

invested in his present home place of one hundred and sixty acres. In

1895 he leased this farm to Charlie Thronson and removed to Dayton,

where he turned his attention to the livery business, with which he

was identified for four years. Later he was engaged in various lines

of business and retained his residence in Dayton until 1904, when he

removed to Portland, where he resided for two years. He then went to

Spokane, where the following year was passed, after which he returned

to Portland, Oregon, where he again lived for three years. Once more

he took up his abode in Spokane, where he remained until July, 1917,

when he returned to the old home farm in Columbia county. Upon this

place he has recently erected one of the most commodious and beautiful

country homes in southeastern Washington and he has added many other

modern improvements which add to the value and attractive appearance

of the place. He also owns four hundred and eighty acres of land which

constitutes one of the valuable wheat ranches of Columbia county. His

business affairs are carefully managed and his unfaltering energy has

carried him steadily forward to the goal of success.

Mr. Gwinn votes with the democratic party, of which he has been a

stalwart champion since attaining his majority. He belongs to Touchet

Lodge, I. O. O. F., and is one of the well known citizens of Columbia

county who has gained a gratifying measure of success owing to his

close application and indefatigable energy. His efforts have been a

contributing factor in bringing about the splendid results that have

been achieved in making southeastern Washington a notable agricultural

belt, especially adapted to wheat raising.

W. H. YOUNGER.

W. H. Younger, who superintends the operation of the Prescott mills as

agent for the Portland Flouring Mills Company, the largest concern of

the kind in the northwest, was born in Stockton, California, on the

29th of January, 1889, a son of Thomas W. and Nannie (Welch) Younger.

For a period of forty-three years the father was connected with the

Southern Pacific Railroad Company as superintendent of motive power but

has recently retired and now makes his home at Forest Grove, Oregon.

In the acquirement of his education W. H. Younger attended the public

schools of Portland and also the Portland Academy. When a youth of

sixteen years he entered the employ of the Portland Flouring Mills

Company, securing a position as office boy in their Portland offices.

With this important enterprise he has been connected continuously to

the present time, becoming thoroughly familiar with every phase of

the milling business, and that his services have been recognized as

of value is indicated by his steady promotion. In 1909 he was made

bookkeeper under E. H. Leonard, agent of the Prescott mills, serving in

that capacity for four years or until the 1st of April, 1913, when he

was appointed agent of the mills at Dayton, Washington. He had charge

of the mills there for four years and on the 1st of May, 1917, was

transferred to Prescott as agent at this point, in which connection he

is making an excellent and most commendable record.

On the 28th of June, 1910, Mr. Younger was united in marriage to Miss

Jessie Grace Anderson, of Portland, Oregon. Mr. Younger gives his

political allegiance to the republican party and is deeply interested

in matters of civic concern, having served as president of the

Dayton Commercial Club and as a member of the Dayton Board of Trade.

Fraternally he is identified with Dayton Lodge, F. & A. M., and he is

also a charter member of Whetstone Lodge, No. 157, K. P., in which

he has passed through all the chairs. His wife belongs to Trinity

Episcopal church of Portland and both enjoy an enviable position in the

social circles of Prescott, where they now make their home.

WILEY L. ARNOLD.

Wiley L. Arnold, a representative and successful agriculturist of Walla

Walla county, resides on section 26, township 8 north, range 37 east,

where he operates a well improved farm of forty-five acres, and he is

also the owner of another valuable farm of one hundred and eighteen

acres four miles distant from the aforementioned place. His birth

occurred in Tennessee on the 8th of September, 1866, his parents being

John and Anna Arnold, who spent their entire lives in that state. They

had two sons, the brother of our subject being Grant, who is still a

resident of Tennessee.

Wiley L. Arnold spent the period of his minority in his native

state and in 1887, when a young man of twenty-one years, made his

may to Spokane, Washington. Soon afterward, however, he removed to

Vancouver, Washington, where he also spent but a short time and then

went to Grants Pass, Oregon, there remaining during a winter season.

Subsequently he came to Walla Walla county, Washington, and here worked

on a ranch for three and one-half years. On the expiration of that

period he returned to Grants Pass, Oregon, but two years later again

made his way to Walla Walla county and purchased the farm on which

he now resides and to the cultivation of which he has devoted his

attention continuously to the present time. It is a highly improved

property, comprising forty-five acres on section 26, township 8

north, range 37 east, near Dixie. Mr. Arnold also owns another farm

of one hundred and eighteen acres nearby and in the conduct of his

agricultural interests has met with gratifying and well deserved

success, being energetic, enterprising and progressive. He is also a

stockholder in the warehouse at Sapellel.

In 1893 Mr. Arnold was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Perry, a

native of California and a daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Shinn) Perry,

the former born in Canada and the latter in Michigan. They made the

trip to California in 1849 and after a number of years' residence in

that state took up their abode in Grants Pass, Oregon, where they

spent the remainder of their lives. They became the parents of twelve

children, eight of whom survive. To Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have been

born six children, as follows: Veora I., who is the wife of George W.

Bruce; Marion Harvey; Zeffie A.; Sarah F.; Ivan W.; and one who died in

infancy.

Mr. Arnold gives his political allegiance to the republican party and

has ably served as school director here. Fraternally he is identified

with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Lodge No. 117,

and his wife is a consistent member of the Christian church. They are

widely and favorably known in Walla Walla county and Mr. Arnold enjoys

an enviable reputation as a self-made man whose success is the merited

reward of his unremitting industry and sound business judgment.

JOHN HOFFMANN.

John Hoffmann is one of the honored pioneer settlers of Walla Walla and

of the Inland Empire. There is no phase of the frontier development

with which he is not familiar, for he came here when the work of

progress seemed scarcely begun. In the years which have since elapsed

he has not only witnessed remarkable changes that have brought this

county to a foremost place in the way of improvement and development

but he has also taken a most active part in bringing about this result

by reason of his extensive interests and activities as an agriculturist.

Mr. Hoffmann was born in Germany, March 28, 1852, and remained in that

country until he reached the age of sixteen years, when his father

sent him to the new world in order that he might escape Bismarck's

compulsory military service law, which had been established at the

close of the Franco-Prussian war. He remained for a period in New

York and in the eastern part of the country but in 1878 reached Walla

Walla, being then a young man of twenty-six years. He began life as a

farm hand, and something of the intense activity and enterprise which

has ever characterized him is indicated in the fact that he came to

be the possessor of eight thousand acres of the finest land in the

wheat belt of Washington, having six thousand and eighty acres in one

body, which was but bunch grass land when taken by Mr. Hoffmann. It

is now well improved with fine buildings, supplied with best modern

improvements, including electric light and baths. Water is secured at

a depth of nine hundred and forty-five feet, Mr. Hoffmann being the

first to drill a deep well in this locality. His fine place certainly

indicates what energy, good judgment and determination can do. At the

time of his arrival, however, little land had been brought under the

plow and the city of Walla Walla was scarcely more than a trading

and military post. The wide fields were covered with sagebrush or

bunchgrass and there were no railroads. Mr. Hoffmann brought with him

a heavy team and with this he at once began work, hauling freight from

Wallula to Spokane and into the Coeur d'Alenes. It often required two

or three months to make such trips, for the horses had to be fed on

grass, as there was little grain for that purpose. With the completion

of the Northern Pacific Railroad, Mr. Hoffmann recognized the fact that

freighting would no longer be profitable and therefore looked about him

for some other means of support. He was unable to secure a homestead

because he could not remain upon it, necessity forcing him to provide

for his support in other ways. He therefore used his preemption right

and occupied one hundred and sixty acres of land on what is now Eureka

Flats. He used his team in work for others and as opportunity offered

rented adjoining land. It was about 1880 that he threshed his first

wheat crop from a tract of seventy-five acres, selling the crop at

about forty-four cents per bushel after hauling it eighteen miles to

Prescott. In his third year he harvested half a section of wheat but

as yet had no farm machinery. When sowing and threshing time came, Mr.

Hoffmann with his eight horses continued to work for others and in this

way paid for putting in and gathering his crops for several years. In

the meantime he was most carefully saving his earnings in order to

equip a farm, and whenever opportunity offered he also added to his

holdings, becoming the owner of four thousand four hundred acres on

the Eureka Flats. There he introduced punctuality and regulations as

stringent as those of a factory. He began work after three o'clock in

the morning to round up the horses and ended the day's work at dark or

later. He secured modern steam machinery and with his working system

he did more work than if he had forced his employes to continue their

labor from daylight until dark. There was no loss of time and each

move was made to count for the utmost. He kept in touch with every

phase of progressive farming and in fact was a recognized leader in

introducing improved methods. He studied agriculture from the practical

and from the scientific standpoints and, in fact, he recognized that

these two things are one. The results achieved were marvelous and as

his financial resources increased he continued making investments.

From time to time he purchased cheap land. He bought six sections of

railroad land along the Snake river to be used as horse pasturage

until rapidly moving settlement required it. For this he paid only

seventy-five cents per acre and after a few years he sold it at a net

profit of five dollars per acre, thus realizing a handsome sum on his

investment. He made other similar purchases of land, which in time

he turned into ready money, continuing to realize a fair profit. His

holdings at one time embraced over twelve thousand acres. He continued

to occupy his farm until 1893, when he removed his family to Walla

Walla, and in 1903 he retired from the active management of his farming

property. He helped to organize and is a director of Walla Walla's

Farmers Agency.

[Illustration: JOHN HOFFMANN]

[Illustration: THERESA HOFFMANN]

On April 25, 1881, Mr. Hoffmann was united in marriage to Miss Theresa

Kirchner, a native of Minnesota, who came to Washington with her

parents when she was a child of but four years. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffmann

have become the parents of ten children, seven of whom are yet living:

John Edward, an agriculturist of Columbia county, Washington; Bessie

D., who is the wife of Ben Grote, of Walla Walla; Anna, who gave her

hand in marriage to George Retzer, a druggist residing in Walla Walla;

Valline, who is pursuing a course in mechanical engineering in the

University of Washington at Seattle; Philip, a senior in the high

school; John William, who is an eighth grade pupil; and Corleen, who is

a freshman in the high school.

In politics Mr. Hoffmann has long been a stalwart republican and gives

unfaltering allegiance to the principles of the party, yet without

desire for office. He belongs to the Commercial Club and through that

agency works for the upbuilding and development of the city in which

he makes his home. He is well known in fraternal circles, holding

membership in Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, A. F. & A. M.; Walla

Walla Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M.; Columbia Commandery, K. T.; Oriental

Consistory, No. 2, A. & A. S. R.; and El Katif Temple, A. A. O. N. M.

S. For from thirty to forty years he has belonged to the order. He

and his wife are also members of the Order of the Eastern Star and

they are widely and prominently known socially, having a circle of

friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance. The

life record of Mr. Hoffmann is indeed a notable one and there is no

resident of Walla Walla who has more truly earned the proud American

title of a self-made man. Being early released from the military rule

of Germany, he found in the opportunities of the new world the chances

for advancement if the individual possesses industry and determination.

These qualities are his in large measure and step by step he has

progressed until he has long since occupied a place among the men of

affluence in Washington. For almost forty years he has been a witness

of the changes which have here occurred and is today one of the honored

pioneer settlers of Walla Walla county, his memory forming a connecting

link between the primitive past and the progressive present.

U. F. CORKRUM.

No student of history can carry his investigations far into the annals

of Walla Walla county without learning of the close connection of the

Corkrum family with the development of the agricultural interests

of this section of the state. U. F. Corkrum is numbered among the

progressive and enterprising wheat growers of Walla Walla county, where

he was born on the 1st of June, 1866. His father, Francis M. Corkrum,

was a native of Kentucky, and in early life went to Illinois, where

he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Killabrew, who was a native

of that state. They were residents of Illinois until 1865, when they

crossed the plains with ox teams to Washington. On their arrival the

father took up a homestead on Dry creek, about six miles northeast of

Walla Walla, where he resided until about 1895. He then removed to the

city, where the last twelve years of his life were passed, his death

occurring in 1907. He was one of the first men in this county to take

up wheat growing, demonstrating the possibilities for the successful

production of that crop in this section of the state. He became one of

the most extensive wheat growers of eastern Washington and acquired

twelve hundred acres of land, mostly devoted to wheat raising. His

widow survived him for a brief period, passing away in 1910.

U. F. Corkrum was educated in the Union school on Dry creek, with one

term at Whitman College. The winter seasons were devoted to his school

work, while the summer months were spent in farm labor. As early as his

nineteenth year he began farming on his own account and on attaining

his majority he made his first purchase of land, becoming owner of a

farm of two hundred and forty acres on Dry creek. To this he added at

intervals as his financial resources increased until 1893, at which

time he had ten hundred and thirty-five acres, but the widespread

financial panic of that year caused him to lose all that he had and

to start in business life anew. That he met discouragement bravely

and undertook his task with stout heart is indicated in the fact that

he now owns six hundred and forty acres of rich and valuable wheat

land and recently sold another tract of one hundred and sixty acres.

He is now residing in Walla Walla in order to give his children the

advantages of the city, but he is still one of the active wheat growers

of the county and his business affairs are systematically managed,

while the results that are attained are most desirable.

In 1897 Mr. Corkrum was united in marriage to Miss Kathryn Williams,

of Brecknockshire, Wales, who emigrated to the United States in 1894,

and came to Washington two years later. They now have four children,

namely: Franklin Carl, Frederick Victor and Ralph Edward, all of whom

are students in the Walla Walla high school; and Bertie Stanford, who

is attending the graded school.

In politics Mr. Corkrum is a democrat but is without ambition for

public office. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal

church, to the teachings of which they consistently adhere, and their

influence is always on the side of right, progress and improvement.

They are honored among those whose financial liberality made possible

the fine new church built in 1917. Their cooperation can ever be

counted upon to advance and support movements for the benefit of the

individual and of the community at large and they advocate the highest

standards of citizenship. Mr. Corkrum's example is well worthy of

emulation. Many a man of less resolute spirit would have become utterly

discouraged by failure, but in his career difficulties and obstacles

have seemed but to serve as an impetus for renewed effort, calling

forth his latent powers. Recognizing that perseverance and industry are

essential features to success, he has ever cultivated those qualities

and has gained a most creditable position in business circles.

CLINTON H. CUMMINGS.

Clinton H. Cummings is a well known agriculturist residing on section

4, township 6 north, range 35 east, Walla Walla county, there owning

eighty acres of land in the richest part of the valley. His birth

occurred in Lewisburg, Union county, Pennsylvania, on the 13th of

August, 1855, his parents being Andrew and Catherine (Boney) Cummings,

who spent their entire lives in the Keystone state. The father worked

at the cabinet maker's trade in early life, but after the period of

the Civil war embarked in the furniture business and was identified

therewith in later years.

Clinton H. Cummings acquired a limited education in the district

schools and subsequently secured a position as clerk in a mercantile

establishment, while for a year and a half he was in the employ of the

Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Company. In 1883 he heard and heeded

the call of the west and made his way to the Pacific coast country,

reaching Seattle on the 28th of April of that year. He remained in

that city for eight years, being employed in various ways, and in

1891 he came to Walla Walla county, Washington, where he secured a

position as manager of a grain warehouse. He was afterward employed

in different capacities at Walla Walla until 1896, when he took up a

homestead in the Nez Percé reservation and there devoted his attention

to general agricultural pursuits for seven years. On the expiration of

that period he disposed of the property and returned to Walla Walla,

where he established himself in the grocery business, successfully

conducting an enterprise of that character for ten years. He then

traded his store for his present farm holdings, which embrace eighty

acres of the richest land in the valley and to the cultivation of which

he has since devoted his attention, meeting with a well deserved and

gratifying measure of prosperity in this connection.

In 1889 Mr. Cummings was united in marriage to Miss Frances Belle

Kennedy, of Walla Walla. He is a democrat in politics and has served

for two terms as a member of the city council of Walla Walla, the fact

that he was elected in a strong republican ward being indicative of

his personal popularity and the public confidence in his capability.

Fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of

Elks, belonging to the Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287. His well directed

business activities have won him material success and by his upright

and honorable life he has gained the warm regard and friendship of many

with whom he has been brought in contact.

CHARLES ISECKE.

For almost a third of a century Charles Isecke was a resident of

Washington and during that long period made valuable contributions to

the work of development and progress in the state. There was no phase

of pioneer life in Washington with which he was not thoroughly familiar

and at all times he bore his part in the work of development and won a

substantial measure of business success. His personal qualities, too,

made him very popular and everyone whom he met was his friend.

Mr. Isecke was born in Pommern, western Prussia, May 8, 1842, and had

therefore completed the Psalmist's span of three score years and ten

when called to his final rest. He acquired his education in the common

and normal schools of his native country and after putting aside his

textbooks began learning the miller's trade, with which he became

thoroughly familiar. He was twenty-four years of age when in 1866 he

severed home ties and bade adieu to his native land preparatory to

becoming a resident of America. Crossing the Atlantic, he located at

Buffalo, New York, and was there employed for a time in carpenter work

but afterward turned his attention to railway bridge building. The

west, however, attracted him and in 1874 he made his way to California,

where for four years he was employed in the car shops at Salida. In the

spring of 1878 he arrived in Washington, and after seeking a favorable

location decided upon Anatone, where he purchased a small store that

had been established only a short time before. Increasing the size of

the stock immediately, he continued to carry on the business for eleven

years with substantial success and in 1889 sold out to W. J. Clemans.

He then removed to Asotin and during the period of his residence

in that city was connected with various important industries and

business enterprises, becoming president of the Blue Mountain Lumber &

Manufacturing Company and also president of the bank of Asotin from its

organization until his demise.

[Illustration: CHARLES ISECKE]

Mr. Isecke was married in 1879, about a year after taking up his abode

in Anatone, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary L. Sutherland, of

Truro, Nova Scotia, with whom he had become acquainted in California.

Mr. Isecke was prominent in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and

became a charter member of Hope Lodge, No. 30, at Anatone. He regularly

attended the lodge meetings, had filled all of the offices in the

organization and was always in attendance at the annual sessions of the

Grand Lodge. He gave his financial aid and assistance to all movements

calculated to benefit the community in which he lived and he was most

generous in his contributions to religious organizations and charitable

societies. He possessed a cheery nature, was ever considerate of

others and never failed to extend a helping hand where he could give

assistance. At Christmas time he was most generous in his gifts to the

poor and it was his desire that all people should be happy. His kindly

nature made him loved by all and his circle of friends was coextensive

with the circle of his acquaintance. On the fiftieth anniversary of

their graduation Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote a poem concerning his

classmates in which he termed them "The Boys." Speaking of one of them

he said:

"You see that boy laughing, you think he's all fun

But the angels laugh, too, at the good he has done.

The children laugh loud as they troop to his call

But the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all."

These words are entirely applicable to Mr. Isecke, who belonged to that

class of men who shed around them much of life's sunshine and who are

ever putting forth earnest and effective effort to ameliorate the hard

conditions of life for the unfortunate.

WILLIAM H. LEONARD.

William H. Leonard, one of the best known stock breeders in

southeastern Washington, where he took up his abode almost four decades

ago, is the proprietor of the Blue Ribbon Stock Farm on section 28,

township 14 north, range 41 east, and owns eleven hundred and sixty

acres of land, comprising one of the best improved farms in Garfield

county. His birth occurred in Vermilion county, Illinois, on the 1st of

March, 1860, his parents being William J. and Sarah Jane (Cronkhite)

Leonard, who were married in Illinois and spent the remainder of their

lives in Vermilion county, that state. The father was an agriculturist,

owning and cultivating two hundred and eighty acres of valuable corn

land in Vermilion county. He died when yet a comparatively young man,

passing away in 1866 or 1867, and his wife survived him for but ten

years.

William H. Leonard was a youth of but sixteen years when he lost his

mother and since that time he has made his own way in the world. In

1877 he journeyed westward by immigrant train to California, spending

two years in Los Angeles county, where he worked for wages. In 1879

he came to Washington, locating in Walla Walla county, where he again

worked for others for a period of two years and at the end of that time

settled in what was then Columbia county and is now Garfield county.

Here he took up a preemption claim of one hundred and sixty acres,

subsequently commuted this and then took up a homestead. At the same

time that he filed on his homestead he bought a quit claim on a timber

claim, on which he proved up later. Since then he has added to this

by purchase until his present holdings comprise eleven hundred and

sixty acres and he enjoys the distinction of owning one of the best

improved farms in Garfield county. During the past fourteen years Mr.

Leonard has specialized in the breeding of registered thoroughbred

shorthorn cattle and now has more than eighty head that are registered

or eligible to registry. He has attended the Lewiston livestock show

and sale with a carload of cattle for the past three years and has

gained a most enviable reputation as a breeder. His style of dealing

with his customers has contributed most to his success, demonstrating

that honesty is the best policy, for when one of his animals is placed

on the auctioneer's block, the buyers of his stock know that there are

no by-bidders running up the price and that every animal purchased

from him measures up to the standard set. The prosperity which has

come to him is indeed well deserved, for he has worked earnestly and

energetically as the years have gone on and by able management and

sound judgment has won a place among the leading stock breeders and

farmers of this section of the state.

In 1881 Mr. Leonard was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Starr, of

Columbia county, her father, William H. Starr, being among the early

pioneer settlers of that county. They have become the parents of five

children, as follows: Clara E., who is the wife of Fernando Freeburn,

a farmer of Garfield county; Izza C., who gave her hand in marriage to

W. Morse, of Waitsburg, Washington; William J., who operates the home

farm; Mary M., who was educated in the State Normal School at Cheney,

Washington, and is now engaged in teaching; and Mildred T., at home.

HEZEKIAH N. BROWN.

Hezekiah N. Brown, a retired farmer, residing in Dayton, Columbia

county, was born in central Tennessee, August 28, 1845, a son of John

and Perlina (Kincade) Brown, who were also natives of that state.

In 1847 they removed west to Arkansas, and there the father spent

his remaining years. The mother, however, came to Columbia county,

Washington, in 1874. The following year her death occurred. They had

eight children, of whom five survive, two residents of Washington; two

of Idaho; and one of Texas.

Hezekiah N. Brown received his education in Arkansas and there grew

to manhood. Most of his boyhood was spent in rail splitting and hard

work on the farm. In 1872 he determined to cast in his lot with the

Pacific northwest and came to what is now Columbia county, Washington,

but was then a part of Walla Walla county. He acquired title to land

and as time passed he was able to add to his holdings. Success was the

natural result of his hard work, thrift and good management, and he

still owns nine hundred and thirty-two acres, which is in a high state

of cultivation and is well improved. Although the buildings upon the

farm are now commodious, up-to-date and attractive in design, during

the first years of his residence here he lived in a box house. In 1909

he retired and removed to Dayton, where he still lives.

Mr. Brown was married in Arkansas in 1869, to Miss Elizabeth Carpenter,

whose birth occurred in Runnells county, Missouri, February 14, 1849.

To them have been born five children: Leo and George, both of whom are

farming; Elmer H., who is living in Seattle; Walter S., a merchant of

Spokane; and Luella, deceased.

[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. HEZEKIAH N. BROWN]

Mr. Brown has been a lifelong adherent to the democratic party and for

twenty-five years he rendered capable service as a member of the school

board. At the time of the Civil war he served in the Confederate army

under General Cooper, and although he was at the front four years and

took part in much hard fighting he came out without a scratch. Both he

and his wife are members of the Christian church, whose teachings are

the guiding principles of their lives. Mr. Brown was not only thrown

upon his own resources at an early age but until he was twenty-four

years old aided materially in the support of his parents. He is,

therefore, a self-made man and is entitled to the credit given those

who, through their own unaided efforts, have gained material success

and an honored place in their community.

C. A. HALES.

Since 1892, C. A. Hales has been identified with the sheep industry in

Washington and Oregon and is now senior partner in the firm of C. A.

Hales & Sons, prominent sheep raisers of Walla Walla county. He resides

on section 12, township 9 north, range 37 east, and has been a lifelong

resident of the northwest, his birth having occurred in Marion county,

Oregon, October 16, 1867, his parents being William H. and Lucinda

(Turner) Hales. The father crossed the plains in 1851, when a young

man of twenty-one years, and located near Portland, Oregon, when there

were but one or two log cabins on the site of the present beautiful

city. Later he went to California, where he followed mining for a

number of years, and in 1873 he became a resident of Weston, Oregon,

where he engaged in ranching and in the livestock business. He acquired

extensive land holdings and became a prominent factor in the livestock

industry in that section of the country, there remaining until his

death, which occurred in 1887. His wife had crossed the plains with

her parents in 1849, when but four years of age, the family home being

established in Marion county, Oregon. She still survives and makes her

home near that of her son, C. A. Hales, of this review.

In the common schools C. A. Hales acquired his education. He was but

twenty years of age at the time of his father's death, at which time

the latter's extensive and important business interests devolved upon

the son. He had to assume the management of the large farm holdings

and livestock interests, and though his responsibilities were heavy,

he proved adequate to the demands placed upon him. In 1892 he turned

his attention to the sheep industry and has in the course of years

become one of the foremost sheep men of the northwest, running some

twelve thousand head of sheep at the present time. His splendid

business ability is demonstrated by his successful control of extensive

interests of this character. He has a vast acreage on which to

pasture his flocks and he keeps in close touch with every condition

bearing upon the welfare of his business and upon the market. He is

thus thoroughly acquainted with everything that has to do with the

successful conduct of his interests.

In 1890 Mr. Hales was married to Miss Lucinda Galloway, of Morrow

county, Oregon, and to them have been born eight children, six of whom

are living, namely: Willis R., who is associated with his father in the

sheep business and is the manager of the Union Stock Yards at Pasco,

Washington; Alfred L. and Lester M., who are also associated with their

father in the sheep business; Marvin R.; Ila M.;, and Gertrude E.

Politically Mr. Hales is a stanch republican, while fraternally he is

identified with the Masons, belonging to Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F.

& A. M., and Dayton Chapter, R. A. M. Mr. Hales and his family are

members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is much interested in

its work and generous in its support. He stands at all times for those

things which are a matter of benefit to the individual and to the

community at large and his influence is always on the side of progress,

justice, truth and right. His career has been notably successful. It

is true that something came to him through inheritance; on the other

hand, it is true that necessity is the spur of ambition and industry,

and there are too many cases where inheritance has seemed to enfeeble

effort rather than to call forth the most persistent purpose. Mr.

Hales, however, nobly met the tasks that developed upon him at his

father's death and in the conduct of business interests was and is

always looking for opportunities to advance. His course has been marked

by a steady progression and each forward step has brought him a broader

outlook and wider opportunities, which he has eagerly, promptly and

rightfully utilized. Moreover, his business affairs have always been

of a character that have contributed to public progress as well as to

individual success and through the management of his extensive sheep

interests he has done much to further prosperity in Walla Walla county.

HARVEY B. BATEMAN.

Among the honored early settlers of Old Walla Walla county was Harvey

B. Bateman, who took an active part in the development of this region,

especially along agricultural lines. He was born in Illinois on the

10th of November, 1833, and in early manhood crossed the plains,

enduring all the hardships and dangers of such a journey. On reaching

Washington he bought a farm near Waitsburg and continued to reside

thereon up to the time of his death, his time and attention being

devoted to farming.

In 1876 Mr. Bateman was united in marriage to Miss Susan Thomas, a

native of Missouri and a daughter of T. T. and Nancy (Curl) Thomas, who

in 1851 left their home in the Mississippi valley and after crossing

mountains and desert finally reached Linn county, Oregon, where the

father took up a donation claim. He built thereon a log cabin with

a clapboard roof and stick chimney and in this frontier home the

family lived in true pioneer style. He became one of the prominent and

influential citizens of his community and was called upon to represent

his district in the state legislature for two terms. Later he went to

Alaska, where his death occurred. His wife died in Washington. In their

family were ten children, of whom five are still living.

To Mr. and Mrs. Bateman were born twelve children, but Mida, the

wife of J. O. Windust, and four others are deceased. Those living

are: Mary, the wife of Andrew Gregg of Oakesdale, Washington; Nancy,

the wife of Wesley Star; John M.; James S.; Dollie, the wife of Fred

Porter; Katherine, the wife of W. F. Hawks; and Wilber, who is now

operating the homestead farm, comprising three hundred acres. The place

is well improved with good and substantial buildings and still belongs

to Mrs. Bateman.

Mr. Bateman was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to

which his widow also belongs, and his earnest Christian life won for

him the confidence and high regard of all with whom he came in contact

either in business or social life. He passed away in 1904 and was laid

to rest in the Waitsburg cemetery. Mrs. Bateman has not only reared her

own family but has also cared for five grandchildren, which she has

educated as well. Her life has been a busy and useful one and she well

merits the high esteem in which she is uniformly held.

WILLIAM E. CAHILL.

William E. Cahill, who is engaged in the abstract and general loan

business in Dayton, was born in Green Lake county, Wisconsin, on the

18th of January, 1862, his parents being William R. and Angeline C.

(Church) Cahill, both of whom were natives of the state of New York,

but in early life removed with their respective parents to Wisconsin,

where they reached man and womanhood. It was there that William R.

Cahill and Angeline C. Church were married, after which they located

upon a farm, Mr. Cahill devoting his attention to the development

and improvement of that place until after the outbreak of the Civil

war, when he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting

in the Union army in the fall of 1861. He served for three years and

participated in many hotly contested engagements. On one occasion he

was carrying on his back from the field a wounded man when a shell

burst near them and cut the man squarely in two and threw Mr. Cahill a

distance of seventy-five feet, the concussion being so great that it

burst both ear drums and partially paralyzed him, making him a physical

wreck through the following years of his life. He passed away in 1890.

In 1878 he had removed with his family to Columbia county, Washington,

arriving in Dayton on the 4th of May of that year. He took up his abode

upon a farm near Dayton, where he resided until about a year prior to

his death, when he established his home in the city of Dayton. His

widow still survives and now resides with her son, A. P. Cahill.

William E. Cahill spent the first sixteen years of his life in his

native state and during that period acquired a common school education

in Wisconsin. In 1878 he accompanied his parents to Washington and

subsequently became a student in the Dayton high school. At the age

of nineteen years he started upon his business career in a humble

capacity, being employed to wheel sawdust from under the saw in a

sawmill in the mountains near Dayton. Thirty days later he was promoted

to the position of driving a bull team of five yoke of bulls at the

sawmill. For three months during this summer he lived on red beans

and sour dough bread and he carried fifty cents in his pocket for

that entire period without having occasion to spend it. During the

following winter he attended the Dayton high school and subsequently he

took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for two years.

During this time he saved enough money to pay his tuition in the

Portland Business College, where he became a student. After completing

his course in that institution he once more returned to Dayton and

on the 4th of May, 1884, he accepted a clerkship in the mercantile

house of M. Hexter, by whom he was employed for seven years, his long

retention in that position indicating most clearly his fidelity,

capability and trustworthiness. He resigned his position on the 4th

of May, 1891, and opened a set of abstract books, since which time he

has been engaged in the abstract and insurance business, also handling

mortgage loans and acting as agent for various clients. He has built up

a business of extensive proportions and derives therefrom a gratifying

annual income. He was also one of the organizers of the Broughton

National Bank and became a member of the board of directors, in which

capacity he is still serving. He has from time to time made extensive

investments in farm lands and is now the owner of farm property

comprising two thousand acres eight miles east of Dayton.

Fraternally Mr. Cahill is connected with Columbia Lodge, No. 26, F. &

A. M., of Dayton, and with Dayton Lodge, No. 3, K. P. He is loyal to

the teachings and purposes of those organizations and enjoys the high

regard of his brethren. Dayton numbers him among its foremost citizens

and he is progressive in every movement that looks to the advancement

of the city and the upbuilding of its interests. There is no movement

for the public good which seeks his aid in vain, but he never has been

imbued with political ambition and prefers to do his public service

as a private citizen. He has been an interested witness of the growth

and development of this section of the state since pioneer times and

has been a contributing factor to the work that has been accomplished

in the way of promoting public improvement. Each forward step in his

career has brought him a wider outlook and broader opportunities and

his entire record has been marked by an orderly progression that has

brought substantial results.

HON. MILES CONWAY MOORE.

Honored and respected by all, there is no man who occupies a more

enviable position in public regard in Walla Walla than does Hon. Miles

Conway Moore, the last territorial governor of Washington and now a

prominent figure in banking circles. His high position in the regard

of his fellowmen is due not to the success which he has achieved but

to the straightforward, honorable purpose which he has ever followed.

He has made wise use of his time, his talents and his opportunities

and in laboring to promote his individual interests has also advanced

the welfare and progress of city and state at large. He is now the

president of the Baker-Boyer National Bank.

[Illustration: HON. MILES CONWAY MOORE]

Mr. Moore was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, April 17, 1845. His

father, Amos L. Moore, was a native of Delaware, while his mother

belonged to the Monroe family of which President James Monroe was

a representative--one of the oldest and most prominent families of

Virginia. At the age of twelve years Miles C. Moore accompanied his

parents on their removal from Ohio to Wisconsin and he was educated in

the Methodist Episcopal Institute at Point Bluff, Wisconsin. In 1863 he

came to Walla Walla, then a youth of but eighteen years, and was first

employed as a clerk in the store of Kyger & Reese. The following year

he embarked in business on his own account in Blackfoot City, a mining

town in Montana, but in the fall of 1866 he returned to Walla Walla

and entered into partnership in the conduct of a store under the firm

style of H. E. Johnson & Company. In 1869 he opened a general store as

a member of the firm of Paine Brothers & Moore. This establishment was

later converted into an agricultural implement business, which was the

first of the kind in eastern Washington.

In 1877 Mr. Moore became associated with his father-in-law, Dr. D.

S. Baker, in the grain business, buying extensively for those early

days. They loaded three ships at Astoria with the first wheat brought

from the interior of the state and continued in the wheat business

until 1879. The partnership, however, was maintained until the

death of Dr. Baker in 1888, at which time Mr. Moore was made one of

the administrators of the estate. Together they built six miles of

railroad up Mill creek in order to bring down timber and wood from the

mountains. After Dr. Baker retired from the grain business Mr. Moore

formed a partnership with his brother Charles and continued along that

line until the death of his brother in 1888. They bought grain in the

Palouse district and along Snake river. Our subject afterward devoted

several years to public affairs and in 1889 was chosen territorial

governor of Washington, which office he most ably filled. He was

interested in the Baker & Boyer Bank, which was the first private bank

established in this state, being organized in 1869 and made a national

bank in 1889. Mr. Moore became a stockholder and the vice president,

remaining in that position until the death of Mr. Boyer in 1898,

when he succeeded to the presidency and still remains at the head of

the institution, discharging his duties with marked capability. He

possesses notable executive force and his administrative direction has

been characterized by a recognition of all the different phases of

the business and its opportunities. He was likewise a stockholder in

the First National Bank of Walla Walla and is extensively interested

in real estate in various parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. His

investments have been most judiciously made and have brought to him a

very gratifying financial return.

In Walla Walla, in March, 1873, Mr. Moore was married to Miss Mary E.

Baker, a daughter of Dr. D. S. Baker, who was born in Portland, Oregon.

They are the parents of three children: Frank A., a resident of Walla

Walla; Walter B., deceased; and Robert L., also of Walla Walla. Mrs.

Moore died in 1904 at Oakland, California, where she had gone with the

hope of benefiting her health. In 1884 Mr. Moore purchased property

and erected the residence which has since been his home and where his

children grew up.

Governor Moore early came to a recognition of the duties and

obligations as well as of the privileges of citizenship and has been

a leading factor in promoting political progress and in advancing the

interests of his community and the commonwealth along many lines. In

1877 he was elected mayor of Walla Walla and in 1889 was appointed

governor, serving in that important position at the time when the

territory was merging into statehood. The duties which devolved

upon him in this connection were of a most delicate and important

character, but were discharged with credit and honor to himself and to

the satisfaction of the people at large. No plan or movement for the

benefit of the city along lines of progress and improvement seeks his

aid in vain. The public work that he has done has largely been of a

nature that has brought no pecuniary reward and yet has made extensive

demand upon his time, his thought and his energy. Opportunities that

others have passed by heedlessly he has noted and improved to the

betterment of the city and the state in many ways. He is extremely

modest and unostentatious in manner and all who know him speak of him

in terms of praise. In his life are the elements of greatness because

of the use he has made of his talents and his opportunities, because

his thoughts are not self-centered but are given to the mastery of

life's problems and the fulfillment of his duty as a man in his

relations to his fellowman and as citizen in his relations to his city,

state and country.

J. C. LEWIS

J. C. Lewis, who has resided in the Pacific northwest for more than

seventy years, is one of the most honored residents of Dayton. His

birth occurred in Kentucky, February 1, 1842, but when he was two years

old he was taken by his parents to Missouri, where the family home was

maintained for a year. In 1845 they removed to the Willamette valley,

the long trip across the plains being comparatively uneventful as

there was no trouble with the Indians and no serious shortage of food

or water. He grew to manhood in the Willamette valley and received

his education in its pioneer schools. He remained in Oregon until the

fall of 1869, when he came to Old Walla Walla county, Washington. The

following winter was spent on the site of the town of Dixie, which

was not platted until a number of years later, but in the fall of

1870 he took up a homestead in Columbia county eleven miles northeast

of Dayton. He devoted his time and attention to the cultivation of

his fields and the raising of stock and derived a gratifying annual

income from the sale of his farm products. In 1898, feeling that he

had accumulated a competence, he retired to Dayton, where he is still

living.

In 1864, in Oregon, Mr. Lewis was united in marriage to Miss Maria

Lapham, who in the spring of 1853, when seven years of age, accompanied

her parents and an elder sister on their removal from Michigan to the

Willamette valley. Not only was the trip across the plains long and

tedious, as the journey was made by ox team, but many misfortunes

overtook the train, which, captained by a Mr. Eliott, attempted to

reach the Willamette valley by a cut off route known as the "lost

trail." As the result of the many hardships of the journey Mrs. Lapham

died in eastern Oregon and the only coffin available was the wagon

box. Not long after this the party lost its way and all came very

nearly perishing of thirst. They were also attacked by Indians and

their cattle driven away and Mr. Lapham and his small daughters found

themselves alone and afoot in the Deschutes country. Leaving the two

little girls in camp with a little flour, the father set out in search

of the cattle, hoping to find at least a few. During his absence a

rescuing party found the girls and took them to the Willamette, Maria

riding behind the captain of the party down the Mackenzie river.

Mr. Laphan settled in Willamette valley and passed away in Dayton,

Washington in 1901 at the age of ninety years. The older daughter

died soon after reaching the family's destination but the younger, as

before stated, became the wife of Mr. Lewis and is still living in

Dayton. By her marriage she became the mother of six children, but only

two daughters are now living: Mrs. Wilson McBride and Mrs. John A.

McCauley, both of Columbia county.

[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. J. C. LEWIS]

Mr. Lewis is a strong advocate of republican principles and supports

the candidates of that party by his ballot. He served as county

commissioner from 1888 to 1892 and in 1906 was appointed to the

board to fill out eighteen months of an unexpired term. Practically

the entire story of the development of the northwest is a matter of

personal knowledge to him, for when he accompanied his parents to

Oregon the city of Portland had not been thought of and there were

no settlements in the valley with the exception of Oregon City and a

trading post at Salem. He has taken great pleasure in watching the

marvelous changes that have since occurred and is confident that

a still greater future is in store for this section. At all times

his attitude has been that of a public-spirited citizen willing to

subordinate private interests to the general good and performing

faithfully all the duties devolving upon him. Both he and his wife have

hosts of friends in Dayton and throughout Columbia county, and the

leisure which they are enjoying is well merited.

LAWRENCE O. McINROE.

Lawrence O. McInroe is the owner of one of the well improved farms of

Walla Walla county, his place being situated on section 34, township

8 north, range 36 east, where he has four hundred and forty-two acres

of rich and valuable land. He is one of the native sons of the county,

his birth having occurred within its borders December 29, 1874. His

parents were James and Cordelia (Nelson) McInroe, the former a native

of the state of New York, while the latter was born in Iowa, where

their marriage was celebrated. The father crossed the plains in the

year 1852, assisting Mr. Sharpstein in bringing a herd of horses across

the country. He remained for some time but afterward returned to Iowa

and it was subsequent to that event that he was married. The spell of

the west, however, was upon him and soon after his marriage he brought

his bride to Walla Walla county. Here he took up a homestead and later

he purchased more land, becoming actively and prominently identified

with agricultural interests. Adding to his possessions from time to

time, he was at his death the owner of eight hundred and eighty acres

of valuable wheat land and was numbered among the prosperous farmers of

this section of the state. Both he and his wife died in this county.

In their family were but two sons, the younger being Frank, who now

resides southeast of Walla Walla.

Lawrence O. McInroe was reared and educated in the county where he

still resides, supplementing his public school course by study in a

business college. After attaining his majority he began farming on

his own account on the land which he now owns. He had been reared

to the occupation of farming and had early become familiar with the

best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He has

always kept in close touch with the trend of modern progress along

agricultural lines and his valuable farm property of four hundred and

forty-two acres indicates his careful supervision and his progressive

methods. He has added splendid buildings to his place and all modern

equipments and improvements. He makes a specialty of raising wheat,

to which the soil is splendidly adapted, and he is also successfully

engaged in stock raising, keeping high grade cattle, horses and hogs

upon his farm.

In 1902 Mr. McInroe was united in marriage to Miss Zenna Buroker,

a native of Walla Walla county and a daughter of William and May

(Gallaher) Buroker. Mr. McInroe belongs to the Independent Order of

Odd Fellows and his wife is connected with the Rebekahs. He is also

a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His political

allegiance is given to the democratic party but he has never sought

nor desired office. He and his wife attend the Presbyterian church and

they are widely and favorably known in the community where they reside.

Since starting out in the business world he has made steady progress.

His industry and perseverance are among his salient characteristics

and upon these qualities he has builded his success. He is not only

progressive in all that he undertakes but is thoroughly reliable and

his business integrity stands as an unquestioned fact in his career.

SAMUEL WALTERS.

Samuel Walters, a well known merchant and assistant postmaster of

Starbuck, Washington, was born in Australia on the 24th of May, 1869,

his parents being John T. and Elizabeth (Neil) Walters. His father was

a native of Pennsylvania but in 1853 went to Australia, where he was

married, the mother being of Scotch descent but born in Australia.

They continued to reside in that country until 1871 when they came to

the United States and took up their abode in Iowa, where they made

their home for nine years. In 1880 they arrived in Walla Walla county,

Washington, but after living here for about three years removed to

Whitman county and later to Stevens county, where their last days were

passed. To them were born eight children and six of the number still

survive.

Samuel Walters was only two years of age when his father returned to

America, bringing with him his family, and the son was principally

educated in the common and high schools of Whitman county, Washington.

After putting aside his textbooks he entered the service of a railroad

company and continued in that line of work for six years. In 1910 he

came to Starbuck and has since engaged in mercantile pursuits, carrying

on business under the name of the Starbuck Trading Company, of which he

is secretary and treasurer. He is a progressive, energetic business man

of sound judgment and keen discrimination.

Mr. Walters was married in 1908 to Miss Alberta Gerking, of Waitsburg,

Washington, and to them has been born a daughter, Elizabeth. Mrs.

Walters is a member of the Episcopal church, and Mr. Walters is

identified with the Woodmen of the World and the Masonic fraternity,

holding membership in Lodge No. 106, A. F. & A. M., in which he has

filled all the chairs. The democratic party finds in him a stanch

supporter of its principles and he is now serving as chairman of his

precinct. For the past five years he has served as city treasurer of

Starbuck and is also filling the position of assistant postmaster. No

trust reposed in him has ever been betrayed in the slightest degree and

he well merits the confidence of his fellow citizens.

JOHN BLESSINGER.

For more than forty-two years John Blessinger was a resident of

Columbia county and was one of its most esteemed citizens, manifesting

throughout his entire life those sterling traits of character which

in every land and clime awaken confidence and regard. He was born in

Pennsylvania on the 8th of March, 1838, and when he was but a young

child accompanied his parents on their removal to Hancock county,

Indiana. It was there that he was reared to early manhood and in the

common schools of that locality he acquired his education. About 1859,

however, he left the middle west and made his way to the Pacific

coast, settling in the Willamette valley near Salem, Oregon. During

the following ten years or more he devoted his attention to mining

and then came northward to Washington, arriving in Dayton on the 1st

of November, 1872. This section was then a largely undeveloped and

unimproved district. He purchased land and turned his attention to

farming, his home ranch being located about five miles east of Dayton.

It comprised six hundred and forty acres of rich and productive land

and he developed it into one of the most valuable wheat farms of

Columbia county. The soil is splendidly adapted to the production of

that crop and Mr. Blessinger's methods were at once practical and

progressive. In addition to that property he owned other land and was

classed among the county's most successful and enterprising farmers.

His labors brought splendid results and his methods constituted the

last word in progressive agriculture. About 1900 he removed to Dayton,

turning over the operation of his farm to his sons, and he then became

one of the organizers of the Broughton National Bank, of which he was

made a member of the board of directors.

On the 21st of April, 1872, Mr. Blessinger was united in marriage to

Miss Harriet Byrd, of Marion county, Oregon, a daughter of Luther Byrd,

who crossed the plains with ox teams from Arkansas to Oregon in 1854

or 1855. He took up his abode in Marion county, that state, and there

engaged in farming to the time of his death. Mr. and Mrs. Blessinger

became the parents of seven children, five of whom survive, as follows:

John B., who follows farming in Columbia county, Washington; Albert

E., who is an agriculturist of Columbia county and resides in Dayton;

Myrtle, at home; Leo, who is engaged in farming in Columbia county; and

Fred, who operates the home place.

Mrs. Blessinger resides in a comfortable home in Dayton, her husband

having left her in easy financial circumstances. She is a devoted

member of the Congregational church and her aid and influence are

always given on the side of reform and progress. She is a member of the

Halpine Society and is also a member of the Red Cross Society. She is

a lady of culture and refinement and is constantly extending a helping

hand where aid is needed, taking a most active part in charitable work.

Mr. Blessinger was numbered among the esteemed citizens of Dayton,

being a man of sterling character, and when death called him the

deepest regret was felt throughout the community in which he lived.

HENRY F. WATROUS.

Prominent among the self-made men of Columbia county is Henry F.

Watrous, whose life has been principally devoted to agricultural

pursuits, and success has attended his well directed efforts. He

was born in Green county, Wisconsin, January 26, 1848, his parents

being Levi W. and Elmira (Fish) Watrous, natives of Canada and Ohio,

respectively. On leaving the Dominion the father removed to Wisconsin,

where he was married and where he continued to make his home until

1850. The following five years were spent in Iowa but at the end of

that time he went to Minnesota, where he lived for the same length of

time. He then returned to Iowa and in 1875 came to Washington, settling

in Old Walla Walla county. He took up a soldier's claim of one hundred

and sixty acres a mile and a half from Dayton and built thereon a box

house, making his home upon that place until the required improvements

were made; he then sold the farm and brought his family here. There

were eleven children and nine of the number are still living.

During his boyhood Henry F. Watrous accompanied his parents on their

various removals but was principally reared and educated in Iowa,

attending the common schools there. At an early age he began earning

his own livelihood by working as a farm hand at seventeen dollars per

month and was thus employed for two years, during which time he saved

enough money to come west. It was in 1871 that he crossed the continent

to Salt Lake City, which was then the terminus of the railroad, and

from there continued his journey on horseback in company with an uncle

and his family who rode in a wagon. On reaching Dayton, Washington,

he found employment on a farm at four hundred dollars per year and

at the end of that time was able to send for his father. After the

latter's arrival they contracted to purchase a sawmill near the mouth

of Jim creek, agreeing to pay for the plant with lumber, which was

the principal medium of exchange in those days. Whenever enough clear

lumber had been cut to warrant a trip to Walla Walla, Henry Watrous

would start with a load drawn by oxen and would sell the same for

thirty-five to forty dollars per thousand. After operating the mill

for four years it was traded for the farm still owned by our subject

but he has added to the original tract until he now owns nine hundred

and fifty acres of land, all improved and devoted to wheat. Until 1914

he operated his land but has since rented the place and is now living

retired in Dayton, where he owns a fine residence. He is a stockholder

in a grain warehouse there and is today one of the prosperous citizens

of the community.

[Illustration: HENRY F. WATROUS]

[Illustration: MRS. HENRY F. WATROUS]

In 1903 Mr. Watrous married Miss Sadie Williams, a native of Missouri,

and although they have no children of their own they have an adopted

daughter, Bonnie. Mr. Watrous is a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge,

No. 10, of Dayton, and is a republican in politics. He has efficiently

served as a member of the school board but has never had the time nor

inclination for office, his business affairs claiming his undivided

attention. Although he has met with hardships and difficulties in his

career he has overcome these by persistent effort and is today one

of the substantial citizens of his community, his success being the

just reward of his industry and good management, for he is a man of

excellent business ability and sound judgment.

E. F. DUNLAP.

E. F. Dunlap holds the responsible position of manager of the Dayton

plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company and throughout his entire

career has been connected with this corporation, entering its service

in the humble capacity of office boy. From that point he has steadily

worked his way upward and his orderly progression has brought him to

the position which he now occupies and for which he is well qualified,

for as the years have gone on he has gained comprehensive and extensive

knowledge of the business in all of its phases. He is numbered among

the native sons of Oregon, his birth having occurred in Wallowa county,

on the 5th of October, 1887, his parents being Robert C. and Mary

E. (Pool) Dunlap, both of whom are natives of the Willamette valley

of Oregon, their respective parents having been among the earliest

settlers of that section of the country. Following their marriage they

established their home in Wallowa county, where the father engaged in

the live stock business, there remaining until 1898, when he removed to

Walla Walla county, Washington. He took up his abode upon a ranch near

Prescott and is here engaged in operating a hay and dairy farm, being

numbered among the representative agriculturists of this section of the

state.

E. F. Dunlap, spending his boyhood days under the parental roof,

acquired his education in the graded schools and in 1902, when a youth

of fifteen, started upon his business career, securing a position as

office boy in the plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company at

Prescott, Washington. His fidelity, ability and trustworthiness led

to promotion and he was afterward made assistant bookkeeper. In 1908

he was transferred to the Dayton mills as bookkeeper and in 1913 he

was returned to Prescott as local manager of the plant. On the 1st of

May, 1917, he was again sent to Dayton as manager of the mills, in

which capacity he is now serving and as the controlling factor in the

operation of the plant here he is doing splendid work for the company.

The latest processes of flour manufacture are utilized here and the

plant is splendidly equipped, while the standard of excellence is ever

fully maintained.

In 1913 Mr. Dunlap was united in marriage to Miss Susan Weatherford,

a daughter of F. M. Weatherford, of whom extended mention is made

elsewhere in this work. In his political views Mr. Dunlap maintains an

independent attitude with republican tendencies. He belongs to Alki

Lodge, No. 136, I. O. O. F., and also to Whetstone Lodge, No. 157, K.

P., of Prescott. He is one of Dayton's representative and progressive

men. Almost his entire life has been passed in Washington and the

spirit of western enterprise finds exemplification in his career and

has gained for him a substantial measure of success.

W. H. STONECIPHER.

W. H. Stonecipher, who follows farming on section 10, township 8 north,

range 37 east, in Walla Walla county, is a representative business man

whose wise use of time and opportunities has gained for him a place

among the prosperous agriculturists of this part of the state. He had

no assistance at the outset of his career and whatever he has achieved

and enjoyed is the direct result of his own labors. He came to the

Pacific coast country from the middle west, his birth having occurred

in Washington county, Illinois, December 29, 1869, his parents being

James A. and Margaret (Breeze) Stonecipher. The father was a native of

Indiana but removed to Jefferson county, Illinois, with his parents

when but two years of age and it was in the latter county that the

mother was born and reared. They were there married and the father

subsequently purchased a farm just over the county line in Washington

county, where he lived until his seventieth year, when he returned to

Jefferson county, taking up his abode in the town of Cravat, where he

lived retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest up to the time of

his demise.

W. H. Stonecipher acquired a limited education in the district schools

near his father's farm and through the period of his boyhood and youth

aided in the work of the fields, early becoming familiar with all of

the arduous tasks incident to the development and cultivation of the

crops. After reaching his twenty-first year, or in the spring of 1891,

he came to the west with Washington as his destination. He arrived in

Waitsburg on the 13th of March and during the following summer worked

for wages as a farm hand. In 1892 he went into the Palouse country and

there prospected for a desirable location. Not finding anything to

suit him, however, he returned to Walla Walla county and through the

succeeding five years was again employed by others. In 1896 he made

his first purchase of land, becoming the owner of a forty-acre tract.

Not long afterward he acquired eighty acres additional and two years

later he bought one hundred and twenty acres making his farm one of two

hundred and forty acres. For some years he not only cultivated this

land but also worked for wages for others in order to help pay for his

own place. He made use of every spare hour and as a consequence he has

prospered. In 1909 he purchased the Electric Farm of five hundred and

fifty acres. Prior to this, or in 1907, he had purchased the Boley

Robbins farm of four hundred and eighty acres, which he traded in on

the Electric Farm in 1909. In 1913 he traded the latter property for

seven hundred and thirteen acres adjoining his home place, which thus

was extended, becoming a tract of nine hundred and fifty-three acres.

It is located in the heart of the Spring valley district, the richest

wheat growing belt of Walla Walla county. Mr. Stonecipher not only

successfully cultivates this land but for the past fourteen years he

has also rented and farmed the T. P. Ingall's place of seven hundred

and four acres. This property he purchased in December, 1917, and he

therefore now owns one thousand six hundred and fifty-seven acres, his

interests being most extensive, so that he is ranked with the leading

agriculturists of Walla Walla county. He has closely studied soil and

climatic conditions, so that he is thoroughly acquainted with what

can be done in the way of crop production here. His methods are most

progressive, his business affairs are systematically handled and in all

things he displays sound judgment as well as unfaltering enterprise.

In 1895 Mr. Stonecipher was united in marriage to Miss Alta Winifred

Gerking, a daughter of D. B. Gerking, who was one of the pioneer

settlers of Walla Walla county and now resides in Rose Lake, Idaho. Mr.

and Mrs. Stonecipher have become the parents of six children, three

sons and three daughters, as follows: Lola M., the wife of O. Glen

Conover, who is in the service of his father-in-law; Grace H., who

attended the Washington State College for two years and is now pursuing

her studies in the State Normal School at Ellensburg; James D., who is

in his senior year in the Waitsburg high school; M. Blanche, a public

school pupil; Harvey V.; and Chester B. On December 23, 1917, a baby

daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Glen Conover, the first granddaughter

of Mr. and Mrs. Stonecipher.

Mr. Stonecipher gives his political endorsement to the republican

party. He has served as a member of the school board for twenty years

and his wife is now a member of that board. Fraternally he is connected

with Waitsburg Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., and with the Woodmen of the

World and is true and loyal to the teachings of these organizations,

which recognize man's obligations to his fellowmen. At different points

in his career difficulties and obstacles have barred his path and he

has had many hardships to overcome, but persistent energy has enabled

him to work his way upward and his life proves the eternal principle

that industry wins. His course may well be followed by others who

desire to attain honorable success, and although he started out in life

empty-handed, he is now the possessor of a very handsome competence and

has worthily won the proud American title of a "self-made man."

WILLIAM P. FISHER.

William P. Fisher is an enterprising farmer of Walla Walla county,

residing on section 27, Small township, where he owns and cultivates a

valuable tract of land embracing eighty acres. His birth occurred in

Ohio an the 6th of October, 1860, his parents being Joseph and Lydia E.

(Dyke) Fisher, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio.

They were married in the Buckeye state and a number of years later

removed to Kansas, where the father passed away and where the mother

still makes her home. They became the parents of five children, all of

whom are living.

William P. Fisher was a lad of twelve years when the family home was

established in Kansas and it was in that state that he acquired his

education. In 1900, seeking the broader opportunities of the west, he

made his way to the Yakima country and there remained for twelve years.

The year 1915 witnessed his arrival in Walla Walla county, Washington,

where he has since resided. He purchased eighty acres of land on

section 27, Small township, and has improved the property until it is

now a valuable and productive tract, annually yielding golden harvests

in return for the care and labor which he bestows upon it. He also

owns a well improved farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres on the

Snake river and has won a place among the substantial and progressive

agriculturists of the community.

In 1881 Mr. Fisher was united in marriage to Miss Martha L. Twidwell,

born near Peoria, Illinois, and a daughter of A. K. and Mary Ann

(Myers) Twidwell, who were also natives of Illinois. Both passed away

in Kansas, in which state they had established their home in the early

'70s. To Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have been born seven children, as follows:

Charles L., who is a farmer of Washington; George L., living at Mabton,

this state; Myrtle V., the wife of L. B. Heffron, of Walla Walla; R.

B., who is a resident of Grandview, Washington; Nina B., who is the

wife of H. P. Mears, of Touchet, Washington; D. O., who is engaged in

farming; and W. F., who operates his father's farm. Mr. Fisher gives

his political allegiance to the republican party and has ably served as

a member of the school board. Both he and his wife are devoted members

of the Christian church, taking an active and helpful part in its work.

They have an extensive circle of friends throughout the locality and

are widely recognized as people of genuine personal worth.

JAMES L. DUMAS.

Among the horticulturists of southeastern Washington who have won

prominence in their chosen calling is James L. Dumas, one of the

pioneer orchardists of the northwest. He is proprietor of the famous

Pomona Fruit Ranch, five miles west of Dayton, Washington, which

contains an orchard of one hundred and twenty acres of commercial

apples. His home is one of the most beautiful country residences in

Columbia county and the place is provided with all city conveniences.

Mr. Dumas was born in Clark county, Missouri, on the 1st of December,

1862, and is a son of Louis P. and Nancy W. (Waggener) Dumas, the

former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia. Both parents

died in Missouri, where they made their home for some years, and of the

five sons born to them only two are now living.

James L. Dumas grew to manhood in his native state and on leaving there

in 1882 came to Washington, where he attended Whitman College for three

years. Several years were then devoted to teaching and he subsequently

pursued a course in a normal school in New York state, from which he

was graduated in 1891. The following year he was sent to the Hawaiian

islands to conduct a teachers training school and he remained in that

beautiful country for five years.

It was while en route to the Hawaiian islands that Mr. Dumas made a

trip through the fruit districts of California and this undoubtedly

influenced him to take up horticulture on coming to Washington. Thus

originated the Commercial apple industry in the Touchet valley. On his

return to this state in 1897 Mr. Dumas purchased his present farm of

two hundred and forty acres in Columbia county and he now has about

half of that amount in apples, from which he has raised on an average

of thirty-four thousand one hundred boxes of apples in the last ten

years. In the fall of 1917 he harvested over forty thousand boxes of

apples.

[Illustration: JAMES L. DUMAS]

In 1888 Mr. Dumas married Miss Fannie J. Storie, a native of New York,

in which state her parents, Kennedy and Isabel Storie, both died. Mr.

and Mrs. Dumas have four children, namely: Loren F., who is a graduate

of the Washington State College; Mabel, a student at the Bellingham

Normal School; Alura, who is attending high school; and Edwin, now

seven years of age.

Mr. and Mrs. Dumas are members of the Congregational church of Dayton

and he is one of its trustees. In politics he is an ardent republican

and has served as a delegate to the state conventions of that party.

Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and the Independent Order

of Odd Fellows but his chief interest is in the apple industry and

he has taken a very active and prominent part in the work of those

organizations designed to promote horticulture. He has served as

president of the Washington State Horticultural Society and as such did

much to improve the orchards of the northwest. The society never had

a more active head or one who took the same impartial interest in all

fruit growing districts of this section. He has made two trips to the

nation's capital in the interest of the northwestern growers. A lover

of the great outdoors, it was but natural that he should be among the

first to join the "back-to-the-farm" movement in this country and as a

representative of the Washington State Country Life Commission he has

addressed thousands of interested people in the northwest. Mr. Dumas

is vice president of the Broughton National Bank. He has served on the

state board of education and is a member of the American Pomological

Society; the Society for the Promotion of Horticultural Science; the

National Educational Association; and the American Genetic Society. He

has been superintendent of the Dayton schools and the public schools

of Pullman and was the honored president of the Washington State

Educational Association. In 1915 he was elected one of the five members

of the executive board of the American Pomological Society. It will

thus be seen that he has been prominently identified with a number of

organizations whose object has been to promote the welfare of this

region along many lines and he well deserves mention among its most

public-spirited and progressive citizens.

R. W. LOUNDAGIN, D. V. M.

Dr. R. W. Loundagin, who is engaged in the practice of veterinary

surgery in Waitsburg, was born in Benton, Arkansas, December 28, 1859,

a son of George W. and Rhoda J. (Stewart) Loundagin. The father was a

native of Tennessee and the mother's birth occurred in Indiana. They

removed to Arkansas with their respective parents and were married

later in that state. In April, 1861, they left Little Rock, Arkansas,

for the Pacific coast country, crossing the plains with ox teams. They

were en route for six months and at length arrived in Walla Walla,

Washington, about the 1st of October. They camped in the shadow of

the fort for three or four weeks, after which Mr. Loundagin rented a

small place of forty acres from an old man of the name of Massey. Upon

that tract Mr. Loundagin spent the winter and followed farming. In the

following summer he purchased a quit claim deed from W. P. Bruce on a

quarter section about a mile and a half south of Waitsburg. This was in

the Coppei valley. He paid Mr. Bruce two thousand dollars to move off

the claim and Mr. Loundagin filed on the property as a homestead. In

the years following he purchased land adjoining and continued to add

to his possessions until his holdings comprised one thousand acres,

constituting one of the most valuable wheat farms in Walla Walla

county. He also owned other lands throughout the county, his holdings

amounting together between four and five thousand acres. He was one of

the first men to demonstrate that wheat could be successfully grown on

the hills and uplands, and in proving this fact he contributed much

to the development and prosperity of the county, as many followed his

example and now the Walla Walla wheat belt is famous throughout the

country. Mr. Loundagin continued to reside upon the old home farm up to

within seven years of his death, when he removed to Waitsburg, turning

over the operations of his farm to a son. He passed away about 1910,

having for five years survived his wife. In their deaths the county

lost two of its representative and valued pioneer people.

R. W. Loundagin was only about two years of age when brought by his

family to the northwest. He acquired a district school education and

through the period of his boyhood and youth worked with his father,

to whom he continued to render active assistance until 1883. He then

embarked in business on his own account, purchasing a livery stable in

Waitsburg. The following year, however, he sold that property and again

resumed active connection with agricultural interests, purchasing four

hundred and eighty acres of railroad land two and a half miles north

of Bolles Junction, for which he paid five dollars per acre. He lived

upon that farm and kept bachelor's hall for eighteen years, after which

he sold the property at ten dollars per acre, which was all that he

could get at that time. Recently, however, the farm sold for seventy

dollars per acre. While residing upon that tract of land Mr. Loundagin

purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Columbia county, in the Hog

Eye valley, four and a half miles east of Waitsburg. Most of that land

is devoted to alfalfa and is very valuable. Mr. Loundagin still owns

that farm property and from it derives a gratifying annual income.

From his youth Dr. Loundagin was deeply interested in horses, and by

reason of the successful manner in which he treated his own horses

when they needed medical attention, he was called upon to treat his

neighbors' horses. As these calls became more frequent he began to

read and study recognized works on veterinary surgery, including such

authorities as Professor Fleming, A. H. Baker, Professor James A. Lawe,

A. C. Copeland and others. His practice in time became a very large

one and today he is classed among the ablest veterinary surgeons in

southeastern Washington. In 1909 he built a modern veterinary hospital,

which was the first private institution of this kind built in the

state. It proved a financial success and his practice has continuously

and successfully increased to the present time.

In 1902 Dr. Loundagin was married to Miss Albertina Smith, of Hanford,

California. He votes with the democratic party and keeps well informed

on the questions and issues of the day. He has never been an office

seeker. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Christian church

and are loyal to its teachings and its principles. His life has been

an active and useful one and he has made steady progress in the field

of his chosen profession and his other fields of endeavor, and his

ability, industry and thoroughness have brought him a substantial

measure of success.

OSCAR E. KING.

Farming interests in Columbia county find a worthy representative in

Oscar E. King, a well known agriculturist who owns and cultivates a

valuable property on section 9, township 11 north, range 40 east. He

was born on the farm where he now resides, February 15, 1871, his

parents being William B. and Elizabeth (Cantonwine) King, the former

a native of Indiana, while the latter was born in Iowa. The father

crossed the plains to the Pacific coast as a young man, making his

way to California in 1852. There he was employed for a time in survey

work and subsequently he conducted the Woodville House, a well known

hostelry situated on the Rabbit Creek road, about forty miles from

Marysville, California. In 1855 he returned to the east by way of the

Isthmus route, but the lure of the west was upon him and again by way

of the Isthmus route he made his way to the Pacific coast. In those

days hay was worth eighty dollars per ton and Mr. King brought with him

six hundred pounds of Hungarian grass seed, expecting to make a small

fortune in the growing of hay. The following season, however was one

of drought and, failing to raise a crop, his funds were exhausted in

the venture and his season's work amounted to naught. In 1862 he came

to Walla Walla county, arriving in the city of Walla Walla on the 4th

of July. He then went up into the Idaho mines, but not meeting with

success, he retracted his steps and spent the winter in Oregon. In the

spring of 1863 he again came to Walla Walla and the following spring

took a sub-contract under Captain Mullen to carry the mail from Walla

Walla to Colville. He took the mail on horseback and remained as mail

carrier for two years and nine months. His employer, Captain Mullen,

becoming involved in financial difficulties, Mr. King was unable to

collect a cent for his services for the entire period. Later he secured

the mail contract direct from the government and operated a stage line

from Walla Walla to Lewiston for four years. In 1867 he turned his

attention to agricultural pursuits, purchasing his farm on the Tucanon

river in Columbia county, and in 1868 he settled upon his land, while

at the same time he continued to operate his stage line with hired

help. He was thus closely and prominently associated with the work of

early development and improvement in this section of the northwest. His

wife had crossed the plains with her parents in 1863, the family having

as their outfit both ox and mule teams. Mrs. King was then a young girl

in her teens and drove the mule team throughout the entire journey

across the plains. The Cantonwine family spent the winter of 1863-4 in

the Willamette valley of Oregon and in the spring of the latter year

came to Washington, where they took up a homestead near the present

site of Dixie, and later Mr. Cantonwine built the first hotel in

Waitsburg, his daughter, Mrs. King, acting as cook for the few boarders

who patronized the house in that early period. After locating on his

farm William B. King took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres

adjoining his original place and in subsequent years he and his sons in

partnership bought other farm lands until their holdings approximated

two thousand acres. Mr. King was thus actively, prominently and

successfully identified with the agricultural development of the county

until his death, which occurred April 12, 1911. His widow survived him

for but a brief period, passing away on the 11th of March, 1912. In

their family were four sons and three daughters who are yet living, as

follows: Harry and Edwin S., well known farmers of Columbia county,

Washington; Oscar E., of this review; Silas L., a resident of Pomeroy,

Washington; Zorah I., who is the widow of R. A. Jackson and resides in

Dayton; Alice, who gave her hand in marriage to Henry Delaney, a farmer

of Columbia county; and Frankie G., the wife of A. P. Cahill, who is a

banker of Dayton, Washington.

Oscar E. King pursued his early education in the country schools and

supplemented it by a business course in the Portland Business College.

After reaching adult age he joined his brothers and his father in their

extensive farming operations, and following the father's death the

sons continued to cooperate in their farming enterprises until 1915,

when the partnership was dissolved and a division of their holdings

was made. Oscar E. King now owns five hundred and fifty-six acres of

valuable land and is one of the substantial farmers of the Tucanon

valley. His business affairs have been carefully managed and directed

and his unfaltering enterprise and unremitting diligence have brought

to him a substantial measure of success. In his political views he is

an earnest republican but has never been an office seeker, and he is

widely known as one of the influential citizens of Columbia county.

B. F. BREWER.

B. F. Brewer is one of the most prominent farmers of Walla Walla

county, living on township 6, range 36 east. He is the president of

the Farmers Union and occupies a foremost position as a representative

of that progressiveness which has largely revolutionized farming

methods in the past quarter of a century. Moreover, his labors have

demonstrated the possibilities of this section for agricultural

development and have contributed much to the wealth of the district.

Mr. Brewer was born November 2, 1879, on the farm where he now lives,

a son of John F. Brewer, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. He

was reared on the old homestead and pursued a public school education,

attending the high schools of Walla Walla and Seattle, while later

he became a student in the State Agricultural College at Pullman.

Following the completion of his course he entered the First National

Bank of Walla Walla as bookkeeper and for four years was identified

with that institution. Upon his father's death he took charge of the

home farm and has since operated it. He is now cultivating this place

of five hundred and twenty acres and he and his mother own conjointly

a farm of seventeen hundred and eighty acres, which they purchased

in 1908. His farming interests are thus extensive and are conducted

according to the most progressive methods. He has the latest improved

machinery to facilitate the work of the fields and he understands the

scientific principles that underlie all of his activities. In his work,

however, it is definitely seen that he is a man of action rather than

of theory and sound judgment directing his labors, has brought splendid

results.

[Illustration: B. F. BREWER]

[Illustration: MRS. B. F. BREWER]

On May 25, 1904, Mr. Brewer was united in marriage to Miss Harriet

Chew, a daughter of H. C. Chew, one of the pioneer nurserymen of Walla

Walla county, now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Brewer have been born two

children but only one is living, Mary Charlotte.

Mr. and Mrs. Brewer are worthy Christian people whose belief actuates

them in all life's relations. Mr. Brewer belongs to the Presbyterian

church, while his wife is a member of the First Methodist church.

His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and he is

thoroughly informed concerning the issues and questions of the day

but has never taken an active part in party work. He has served as

secretary of the Farmers Union and during the past two years has been

president of the organization. When the Farmers Agency was established

he was made its first manager and served in that important capacity for

three years, but his private interests demanded his entire attention

and he therefore resigned his position. He does everything in his

power to promote the welfare and interests of the agriculturist and in

all that he does is actuated by a spirit of enterprise that produces

splendid results. He is a man of sound business judgment, sagacious

and farsighted, and his well defined plans are carried forward to

successful completion.

WILLIAM GOODYEAR.

William Goodyear, a prosperous business man of Starbuck, dealing in

wood and coal, was born on the 11th of March, 1853, in Canada, and is a

son of Thomas and Mary (Hynes) Goodyear, the former a native of England

and the latter of Ireland. On crossing the Atlantic to the new world in

1833 they settled on a farm in Canada and continued to make it their

home until their deaths. They had a family of ten children of whom

seven survive.

Reared in the Dominion, William Goodyear is indebted to its schools for

the education he enjoyed during his boyhood and youth. On leaving home

in 1870 he went to Fort Scott, Kansas, where he spent a short time,

but later in the same year crossed the plains, driving four cows to

a covered wagon. On reaching Salt Lake City he hired out to a Mormon

bishop, and subsequently he went to Idaho, where he was interested in

a sawmill for twelve years. In 1883 Mr. Goodyear came to Old Walla

Walla county, Washington, and for two years drove cattle from here to

Cheyenne, Wyoming. Later he bought and sold horses and also engaged in

farming until 1903, when he sold out and removed to Starbuck, which

has since been his home. He owns considerable property in the village,

being extensively engaged in the real estate business, and also deals

in wood and coal.

Mr. Goodyear was married in 1902 to Miss Emma Woods, a native of

Missouri, and having no children of their own they are now rearing a

boy, Richard H. Wellman by name who is a grand nephew of Mrs. Goodyear.

Mrs. Goodyear is serving as postmistress of Starbuck and is a lady of

more than ordinary business ability. She is a member of the Eastern

Star and Mr. Goodyear holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd

Fellows. He has filled all the chairs in his lodge and is a stanch

democrat in politics. Since coming to the United States he has steadily

prospered in his business undertakings until he has become one of the

well-to-do citizens of his community and the success that has come to

him is due entirely to his own well directed efforts.

W. E. McKINNEY.

W. E. McKinney, the well known proprietor of the McKinney Auto Company

of Waitsburg, was born in Walla Walla county, about a mile from

Waitsburg, on the 6th of April, 1868. His father, William McKinney, is

a retired farmer living in Waitsburg. He was one of the early pioneer

settlers of the northwest country and through many years was closely

and prominently associated with the agricultural development and the

upbuilding of this section. He was born in Warren county, Indiana,

May 5, 1836, and is a son of William and Ann (Walter) McKinney, who

crossed the plains with ox teams to Oregon in 1845. On their arrival

in that state they settled in Washington county, near Hillsboro, and

their later years were spent in Oregon. Their son, William McKinney,

was a lad of but nine years at the time they crossed the plains and

thus he was reared on the western frontier and early became familiar

with all of the experiences, hardships and privations which fall to the

lot of the pioneer settler. In 1855-6 he served as a member of Company

A under Colonel Kelly and later under Colonel Cornelius in the Indian

war. He spent the winter of those two years in Walla Walla, which was

then a far western frontier fort. In 1856 he returned to Oregon and was

employed on his father's farm until 1858, when he made his way up to

The Dalles with the intention of going on to Walla Walla in order to

homestead in that locality. He was told, however, that the country was

not yet open for settlement and he therefore returned to the vicinity

of Portland, Oregon, where he spent the winter. The following spring

he made his way northward as a member of the state boundary survey as

government packer and in the fall of 1859 he came to Walla Walla county

to locate and has since resided in this section of the state. In 1864

he filed on a homestead on the Touchet river, one mile below Waitsburg,

and there continued to live for more than a quarter of a century. He

also took up a timber claim and he purchased adjoining land, so that

his ranch became one of five hundred and fifty-two and one-half acres.

This property he still owns. In 1890, however, he removed to Waitsburg,

where he has a beautiful city residence and is most attractively and

comfortably situated.

William McKinney was married on the 14th of December, 1865, to Miss

Sarah J. Paulson, who crossed the plains in 1864. They became the

parents of four children, as follows: Frank P., who is a banker

residing in Olympia, Washington; William E., of this review; Thomas

V., who operates his father's farm; and Emma, at home. William McKinney

is a democrat in his political views. Late in the '70s or early '80s

he was a candidate, through the insistence of his friends, for the

office of county commissioner, and while the county was almost two to

one republican, he was defeated by only twenty-five votes, a fact which

indicated his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him. He

is held in the highest esteem wherever known and ranks with the honored

old pioneer settlers of Walla Walla county. In 1914 he was called upon

to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 20th of August of

that year.

Their son, William E. McKinney, was educated in the Waitsburg public

schools and also attended the Waitsburg Academy. On reaching manhood

he became the active assistant of his father in important farming

enterprises, and upon his father's removal to Waitsburg a year or

two later, W. E. McKinney took charge of the home place, which he

cultivated for twelve or thirteen years. He then assumed the management

of the old Lewis Neace farm of twelve hundred or thirteen hundred acres

and he also leased twelve hundred acres more, so that he operated in

all twenty-four hundred acres of land. This he continued to do until

September, 1916, when he retired from farming and engaged in the

automobile business, purchasing the Dickinson & Denney garage, which is

the largest garage of Waitsburg. He has the agency for the Velie and

Buick cars and is one of the leading automobile dealers of the county,

having built up a business of large and important proportions.

In 1891 Mr. McKinney was united in marriage to Miss Lelia Brown, a

daughter of Mrs. Jennie Brown, of Lincoln county, Washington. To them

have been born three children, one son and two daughters, as follows:

William E., who is a member of the United States navy; Mrs. John

Rhinehart, of Waitsburg; and Imogen, who gave her hand in marriage to

Guy McLaughlin, of Waitsburg.

Mr. McKinney has always voted with the democratic party but has never

been a candidate for office. Fraternally he is connected with Delta

Lodge, No. 70, K. P., and also with the Ancient Order of United

Workmen. His position as a business man ranks him with the leading

representatives of automobile interests in his section of the state and

he is classed with the foremost citizens of Walla Walla county. He is

alert and energetic and is watchful of every opportunity that points

to a possible development of his business. His sale of motor cars has

reached a substantial figure, while in the repair department he also

does a business of gratifying extent.

JOHN C. NEACE.

No student of the history of Columbia county can carry his

investigations far without learning of the important part which the

Neace family has taken in the agricultural development of this section

of the country. John C. Neace is now extensively and successfully

engaged in general agricultural pursuits, having fifteen hundred and

thirty-two acres of land in Columbia county. He was born on the

Tucanon, in what is now Columbia county, July 14, 1865, a son of

Louis Neace, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work.

After acquiring a public school education he continued his studies in

the schools of Forest Grove, Oregon, where he had as an instructor

Professor W. D. Lyman. On reaching manhood he became associated with

J. H. Marrow, of Waitsburg, in the mercantile business, under the firm

name of J. H. Marrow & Company, and remained in that connection until

1895, when Mr. Neace and T. M. Hanger bought out the interest of Mr.

Marrow in the business and thus formed the firm of Neace, Hanger &

Company. Mr. Neace was thereafter identified with commercial interests

until 1897, when he sold out and in 1898 went to Montana, where he

and his brothers, together with their father, formed the Neace Cattle

Company and engaged extensively in raising cattle in that state. John

C. Neace remained in Montana until May, 1916, when he returned to

Columbia county. The Neace Cattle Company owns twenty thousand acres of

land in Montana and John C. Neace individually owns fifteen hundred and

thirty-two acres in a body in Columbia county, where he now resides.

This land is being operated by his son, Donald D.

On the 8th of April, 1888, Mr. Neace was united in marriage to Miss

India A. Denney, of Waitsburg, a daughter of Nathaniel B. and Priscilla

(Hawk) Denney. The father first crossed the plains to Washington in

1861 and subsequently returned to Iowa, but in 1870 he again came to

this state, making the journey across the plains from Iowa in company

with his family. Mr. and Mrs. Neace are the parents of a daughter and

son: Mildred L., who is the wife of Dr. A. T. Gilhus, of White Sulphur

Springs, Montana; and Donald D., who is operating the home farm.

In politics Mr. Neace maintains an independent course, voting for men

and measures rather than party. He belongs to Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16,

F. & A. M., and is a loyal Mason. He has always been closely connected

with Columbia county even during the period of his residence in

Montana and is widely known as one of its progressive agriculturists.

His business methods constitute the last word in modern farming, and

undeterred by any obstacles or difficulties which he may meet, he

pushes his way steadily forward to success.

J. G. BRUNTON.

J. G. Brunton, a well known and successful farmer residing an section

20, township 8 north, range 38 east, Walla Walla county, was born in

that township on the 23d of January, 1881. His parents, W. H. H. and

Sarah A. (Lewis) Brunton, are mentioned at length elsewhere in this

work. He received his education in the Fix district schools and at

Whitman Academy, which he attended for three or four terms. He was a

young man of twenty years at the time of his father's death and a year

later he left school and turned his attention to farming. In 1903 he

filed upon a homestead in Franklin county, but in 1904 he commuted his

claim and returned to the home farm. He has since operated about three

hundred acres of the land owned by the estate and one hundred and ten

acres adjoining, and the large crops which he annually raises are proof

of his industry and his practical knowledge of agriculture. He still

owns valuable property in Walla Walla which he obtained in trade for

his homestead, and he has already gained a competence although still a

young man. He gives the most careful attention to whatever task he has

in hand and this habit of concentration has been an important factor in

his success.

[Illustration: J. G. BRUNTON AND FAMILY]

In June, 1913, Mr. Brunton was united in marriage to Miss Geneva

Eldridge, a daughter of Hon. H. D. Eldridge, a prominent farmer and

influential citizen of Walla Walla county, a biography of whom appears

on another page in these volumes. One son, William Eldridge, has been

born to Mr. and Mrs. Brunton.

Mr. Brunton is a republican in politics and is loyal in his support of

its candidates and measures. His fraternal connections are with Walla

Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E., and with Mountain Gem Lodge, No.

136, K. P. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian church and

the highest moral standards have ever guided their lives. They have a

wide acquaintance and are universally held in high esteem.

HIRAM M. HOOVER.

Hiram M. Hoover, who has lived retired in Waitsburg since 1911, was

long and actively identified with agricultural pursuits in Walla Walla

county and is still the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of

valuable land. His birth occurred in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on

the 4th of July, 1853, his parents being Myers and Ann (Royer) Hoover,

who spent their entire lives in that county, where the father followed

farming throughout his active business career.

Hiram M. Hoover was reared under the parental roof and acquired his

education in the public schools. When a young man of twenty years

he left home to provide for his own support and, making his way to

Ohio, worked as a farm hand in Wayne county, that state, for four

years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Iowa, in which

state he spent three years, and in 1880 he journeyed westward to San

Francisco, California, where he hired out to a surveying party, with

which he worked in southern Nevada for six months. He then returned

to California and worked in the harvest fields of the Sacramento

valley, while later he engaged in salmon fishing. In the fall of 1881

he returned to his native state, taking ship from San Francisco to

the Isthmus of Panama, which voyage consumed twenty-one days, and

crossing the Isthmus by railroad along the route of the present canal

and then boarding a steamer which reached New York city at the end

of seven days. After a few months spent at his home he returned to

San Francisco, California, in the spring of 1882 and there remained

throughout the following summer. He then sailed for Puget Sound,

locating in Whatcom county, Washington, where he took up a homestead

and continued to reside until the summer of 1885. That year witnessed

his arrival in Walla Walla county and his settlement in Waitsburg,

where he has made his home almost continuously since. He cultivated

rented land during the first four years of his residence here and

then purchased a tract of one hundred and sixty acres about two miles

northeast of Waitsburg, over the county line, in Columbia county.

Since that date, as his financial resources have increased owing to

his well directed activity and able management, he has added to his

holdings by additional purchase from time to time until at present he

owns four hundred and eighty acres. The cultivation of this property

claimed his attention and energies until 1911, when he put aside the

active work of the fields and has since rented the place to a tenant.

He is a stockholder in the Exchange Bank of Waitsburg and has long been

numbered among the leading and substantial citizens of that place.

In 1886 Mr. Hoover was united in marriage to Miss Eva I. Loundagin, a

sister of Dr. R. W. Loundagin, of Waitsburg, and the daughter of G.

W. Loundagin, who came to Walla Walla county as a pioneer in 1861.

Mr. and Mrs. Hoover became the parents of six children, three of whom

survive, namely: Anna L., who is her father's housekeeper; Elam H., a

ranchman, residing in Carter, Montana; and Emory M., who is a second

lieutenant in the United States army and is now stationed at Douglas,

Arizona. The wife and mother was called to her final rest in August,

1912, and her demise was deeply mourned by her immediate family as well

as by an extensive circle of friends. Mr. Hoover gives his political

allegiance to the republican party, while his religious faith is that

of the Christian church, in which he holds membership. The period of

his residence in Walla Walla county covers more than three decades and

he has won a place among its esteemed and representative citizens.

W. H. WOOD.

More than a century ago George Washington said, "Agriculture is the

most useful as well as the most honorable occupation of man." Its worth

as the basis of all other business prosperity has been continuously

demonstrated since the world began, and at no time has its usefulness

been greater than at this era in the world's history, when all

civilization is facing a crisis. The work of the farmer is indeed of

the utmost worth and to this occupation W. H. Wood is devoting his time

and energies with good results. He was born in Alvorado, Texas, on the

29th of April, 1880, and is a son of Daniel J. and Alice E. (Scott)

Wood, both of whom are natives of Illinois, where they were reared and

married. Soon afterward they went to Texas, where the father engaged in

cotton growing, remaining in the Lone Star state for a year and a half.

He was urged by his neighbors to remain for another year, being told

that if he would stay for that length of time he would never desire to

leave. His answer was that he was well aware of the fact that if he

remained for another year he would not have money enough to get out,

so turning his back upon Texas, he went again to Illinois, where he

continued through the winter. In the spring of 1881 he started for the

west, hoping to find more favorable conditions in this section of the

country. He made Washington his destination and after crossing plains

and mountains he took up his abode in Columbia county, where he secured

a homestead in Smith Hollow. There he still resides, having long been

numbered among the substantial farmers of that section of the state.

W. H. Wood was reared under the parental roof, being only about a

year old when brought by his parents to the northwest. He became

familiar with every phase of pioneer life in this section of Washington

and has lived to witness the remarkable growth and development that

has occurred in the intervening years. He acquired his education

in the district schools and at the age of eighteen he started out

independently in the business world by leasing one hundred and sixty

acres of land, on which he began farming. He sold his wheat at

thirty-eight cents per bushel and realized three hundred dollars profit

from his crop. He continued to carry on farming on his own account

and carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had

brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase, in 1902, his

first land. He invested in one hundred and sixty acres, the purchase

price of which was one thousand dollars. He borrowed much of the

money with which to pay for his farm and thus made his start toward

success. He continued to practice the most rigid economy and the most

unfaltering industry and within three years he had cleared his ranch

of all indebtedness. From that time forward he made it his purpose to

add to his holdings whenever favorable opportunity offered and today he

owns and cultivates four hundred and fifty-seven acres and also leases

another tract of four hundred and eighty acres, and is now extensively

engaged in farming in Thorn Hollow. He has brought his land under high

cultivation, has added many improvements to the place and thereon are

found all the accessories, conveniences and modern equipment of a

model farm. In addition to his agricultural interests Mr. Wood is a

stockholder in the Dayton Mercantile Company. Opportunity is to him

ever a call to action and a call to which he readily responds.

In 1902 Mr. Wood was united in marriage to Miss Maud McCall, a daughter

of Charles T. McCall, one of the early settlers of Columbia county,

who now makes his home in Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have two children,

Daniel W. and Walter H.

In his political views Mr. Wood is a republican and always votes for

the men and measures of the party but has never been an office seeker.

He prefers to concentrate his thought and attention upon his business

affairs. He is a man of strong purpose whose plans are well defined

and he displays resourcefulness in accomplishing any object for which

he starts out. Practically a lifelong resident of Washington, there is

no phase of its development through three decades with which he is not

familiar and as a farmer he has contributed much to the agricultural

progress of this section of the state.

JOHN F. MARTIN.

John F. Martin, one of the leading stock raisers of Walla Walla county,

is living on section 3, township 6 north, range 33 east, where he has a

valuable tract of land of three hundred and thirty acres. His business

affairs are wisely directed and his efforts have done much to raise the

standard of stock raising in this section of the state.

From early pioneer times Mr. Martin has resided within the borders of

Washington. In fact he is one of the native sons, having been born in

Thurston county on the 1st of May, 1858. His parents are William and

Ann E. (Yantis) Martin, the former a native of Indiana, while the

latter was born in Missouri. They crossed the plains to the northwest

in 1852 and settled first in Thurston county but after about two

decades established their home in Walla Walla, where they resided until

1901 and where Mr. Martin was engaged in the mercantile business. In

1901 they removed to Touchet.

John F. Martin was reared and educated in this state, becoming a

resident of Walla Walla county in 1872, when a youth of fourteen

years. In 1883 he removed to Wallula, where he engaged in buying

cattle, and in 1900 he purchased his present farm of three hundred

and thirty acres, then a tract of pasture and alfalfa land. He has

since concentrated his efforts and attention upon its development and

improvement and the result of his labors is seen in highly cultivated

fields, in well kept fences, in substantial buildings and in the latest

improved machinery. He has made a specialty of stock raising and is

now engaged extensively in handling Percheron horses, Durham cattle

and Oxford sheep. He has closely studied the best methods of caring

for stock and is familiar with all of the scientific principles that

underlie his work as well as the practical phases of his activities. In

addition to his live stock interests Mr. Martin is connected with the

Touchet State Bank as one of its directors.

In 1886 Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Belle Tyson, a native

of Nebraska, by whom he has six children, namely: Charles W., who is

coach at the Pennsylvania State College, which position he has held for

four years; Frank J.; May, the wife of H. J. Hanson; Lucy,. who gave

her hand in marriage to Wendel Barker, of Walla Walla; Blanche M., a

high school graduate; and Pearl.

Fraternally Mr. Martin is connected with the Modern Woodmen of

America and with the Eagles. His political allegiance is given to the

democratic party. He has served for twelve years on the school board

and the cause of education has found in him a faithful friend whose

labors have done much to promote educational interests in this section.

As a business man he is thoroughly alert and progressive, watchful

of every opportunity pointing to success, and his long experience

and close study enable him to speak with authority upon all matters

relative to stock raising. He has, indeed, won a place of prominence in

this connection in Walla Walla county.

WILLIAM G. PRESTON.

William G. Preston, deceased, was for many years a prominent citizen

of Waitsburg, where he was engaged in the milling business and was

also a large landowner, holding title to three thousand acres. He was

born in Galway, Saratoga county, New York, November 23, 1832, a son of

Dr. Calvin and Margaret (McAllister) Preston, both of whom spent their

entire lives in the Empire state. In their family were four sons and

two daughters, all of whom have passed away.

[Illustration: WILLIAM G. PRESTON]

[Illustration: MRS. WILLIAM G. PRESTON]

William G. Preston grew to manhood in New York and received his

education in Galway Academy. At the age of eighteen he went to live

with an uncle, Rev. A. W. Platt, in Tompkins county, New York, where

he remained until going to sea in 1852. The following two years were

spent upon the water, during which time he visited New Brunswick, New

Orleans, Liverpool and many other ports in Great Britain and America,

returning to Galway, New York, in 1854. In the fall of that year he

made his way west to Nebraska by way of Chicago and Rock Island and

down the Mississippi river to St. Louis and then up the Missouri. He

located at Bellevue, Nebraska, and became captain of a large ferry

boat in 1855, but when Omaha was made the territorial capital the boat

was sold to the Council Bluffs & Nebraska Ferry Company and he went

with it to Omaha. In 1857 he returned east to Steubenville, Ohio,

where he built the Omaha City, a double engine side-wheeler used in

carrying freight on the Missouri river. In 1858 he retired from the

ferry business and accompanied his brother to Pike's Peak, Colorado,

and built one of the finest houses in the present city of Denver. After

engaging in mining in that state for two years he went to northern

Idaho, which then formed a part of Washington territory. He traveled

most of the way by water and crossed Snake river in a wagon box in the

vicinity of an old fort situated near the mouth of the Salmon river.

It was in 1866 that Mr. Preston came to Waitsburg, Walla Walla county,

and identified himself with the Washington flouring mills and machinery

business, which he and his brother, Platt A. Preston, had bought. Under

his management these mills became the foremost industry of Waitsburg

and the high quality of their product became well known throughout the

state. In addition to his milling and mercantile business Mr. Preston

was prominent in other lines, being a director of the Merchants Bank of

Waitsburg and a stockholder and director of the Schwabacher Company of

Walla Walla. He was also prominently identified with the Puget Sound

Dressed Meat Company during its existence and was much interested in

farming and stock raising. At the time of his death he was the owner of

more than three thousand acres of land.

In 1869 Mr. Preston was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Cox, who

was perhaps the first white child born near Boise, Idaho, her birth

occurring in 1845 while her parents were making the overland journey

to the Pacific coast. Her father, Anderson Cox, was a native of Ohio

and a farmer by occupation. On coming west he located near Albany,

Oregon, on a donation claim, where he remained for a number of years,

but in 1862 came to Walla Walla county, Washington, and acquired land.

He also built a sawmill, the first in this county. Both Mr. and. Mrs.

Cox passed away here and six of their ten children are also deceased.

To Mr. and Mrs. Preston were born four children: Herbert P., who is

engaged in the feed business in Toppenish, Washington; William C., who

died when six months old; Charles B., a resident of Portland, Oregon;

and Dale H., deceased.

Mr. Preston was a stanch republican in his political belief and served

for two terms as a member of the territorial legislature. In 1881,

while a member of that body, he was made chairman of the ways and means

committee. He was much interested in educational affairs, especially

in his later years, and in 1913 erected the beautiful auditorium

known as Preston Hall at Waitsburg, it being designed for vocational

training and containing a swimming pool, gymnasium and large hall for

public meetings, etc. In all the relations of life he was loyal to the

teachings of the Presbyterian church, of which he was a member, and his

integrity was never open to question. His death occurred on the 20th of

February, 1916, and he was laid to rest in the Waitsburg cemetery. Like

her husband, Mrs. Preston has also been a generous contributor to all

worthy enterprises for the public good and she now makes her home in

Walla Walla, where she is well known and highly esteemed.

JAMES L. ROBISON.

James L. Robison is a retired farmer residing in Walla Walla. He is

familiar with all of the experiences of the stock raiser on the western

frontier, having ridden the range as a cowboy, while in later years

he became extensively engaged in stock raising on his own account. He

was born in east Tennessee, July 28, 1842. His father died during the

infancy of the son, and the mother later married John Grubb, by whom

James L. Robison of this review was reared. He acquired a common school

education and when he was but ten years of age crossed the plains

with his parents. They spent the winter in Missouri and in the spring

of 1853 started on the long westward journey to Oregon. They took up

their abode in Linn county, twenty miles south of Albany, where Mr.

and Mrs. Grubb spent the remainder of their lives. At the early age of

fifteen Mr. Robison began to work for wages and in 1861 made his way

northward into eastern Oregon and spent the hard winter on the T. K.

McCoy ranch on the Tum-a-Lum in Umatilla county. He continued to work

for others until 1868, when he bought some cattle and thus established

himself in the cattle business. He had previously engaged in riding

the range for seven years prior to engaging in the cattle business on

his own account. He was therefore familiar with the business and from

the beginning met with success. He spent fifteen years in the cattle

business, having as high as a thousand head upon the range. At length,

when the free range was cut off by the settlement of the country, he

retired from that business, after which he had sheep on the range for

a considerable period. Eventually, in 1913, however, he put aside all

business cares and retired from active life. He still owns six hundred

and forty acres of valuable wheat land ten miles north of Walla Walla

and from the rental of his property secures a gratifying income.

In early manhood Mr. Robison was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary J.

Cecil, a daughter of William Cecil, who crossed the plains to Oregon

in 1862, locating in what is now Morrow county. Mr. and Mrs. Robison

became the parents of three children but only one survives, Lena M.,

who is the wife of Otto Haar, of North Yakima, Washington. Mrs. Robison

is a member of the Congregational church and a lady of many admirable

qualities.

In politics Mr. Robison is independent in thought and at local

elections does not consider party ties but has always voted the

republican ticket in electing a president. His life has been a very

busy, active and useful one. His business activities were connected

with an era that is fast passing away--the era when Washington was

still the country of the open range before its lands were divided and

taken up for farms. He is therefore familiar with all the phases of

the history of the state in its development from pioneer times and he

rejoices in what has been accomplished as the work of improvement and

advancement has been carried forward here, placing this great state on

a par with the older commonwealths of the east. In fact, Washington

has gained a position of leadership in various respects and has every

reason to be proud of her splendid record in the line of business

development and especially in the progress which she has made in the

organization of her school system.

In his business career Mr. Robison has at all times displayed that

spirit of enterprise so characteristic of the west and now, at the age

of seventy-five years, he is able to enjoy well earned rest, his former

labors having resulted in a competence which meets all of his needs and

requirements and yet leaves a sufficiency for many of the luxuries of

life.

JOSEPH GROTE.

The farming interests of Joseph Grote would be termed mammoth even in

this great west where agricultural interests are on the whole conducted

on a most extensive scale. He is now operating sixty-two hundred and

eighty acres of land in Columbia and Walla Walla counties, making his

home on section 22, township 11 north, range 38 east, of the former

county. His long experience and his extensive operations enable him

to speak with authority upon everything connected with farming in the

west at the present day. He recognizes fully the possibilities and the

opportunities of the country and what he has accomplished represents

the fit utilization of the innate powers and talents which are his.

Mr. Grote is a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Piqua on

the 7th of April, 1885, his parents being John and Anna Grote, both of

whom were natives of Germany, where they were reared and married. In

1881 they came to the United States and after a residence of nine years

in Ohio made their way westward to Washington, the family home being

established in the Palouse country, where Mr. Grote remained, however,

for a period of only two years. He then came to Walla Walla county,

where he purchased a ranch north of Prescott and there he successfully

engaged in farming to the time of his death. For a number of years

prior to his demise he resided in the city of Walla Walla and from

that point superintended the operation of his ranch. He died October

14, 1915, and is survived by his widow, who is now making her home in

southern California.

Joseph Grote, whose name introduces this review, was educated in the

district schools near his father's farm and in the city schools of

Walla Walla. After reaching young manhood he continued to assist his

father in the development of the fields until 1909, when he started

out to engage in farming independently, entering into partnership with

his brother Theodore. They gradually increased their operations in

extent and importance until their interests placed them at the head of

the leading agriculturists of Columbia county. In 1914 the partnership

between the two brothers was dissolved and Joseph Grote retained

twenty-three hundred acres of their holdings. In addition to this he

operates four hundred and eighty acres of school land in the township

where he resides and he leases and operates the Sharpstein ranch in

Walla Walla county, containing thirty-five hundred acres of land. He

has thus become one of the foremost agriculturists of the northwest.

He plants twenty-five hundred acres to grain each year and harvests

mammoth crops.

In 1917 Mr. Grote was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Baumann, a

daughter of F. A. Baumann, a retired farmer of Walla Walla. In politics

he maintains an independent course, not caring to bind himself by

party ties. He is not remiss in the duties of citizenship, however,

but stands for progress and improvement in public affairs and reaches

out along helpful lines in recognition of the needs and opportunities

of county and state. He is an enthusiastic advocate of the great

northwest, and well he may be, for in its opportunities he has found

the path to success and is today numbered among the men of affluence in

southeastern Washington.

JOHN ADKINS GROSS, M. D.

There is much that is inspiring in the life record of Dr. John

Adkins Gross, who for many years was prominently associated with the

agricultural development and activity of southeastern Washington,

acquiring extensive landed possessions which he converted into rich

and productive fields. His worth as a man and citizen was widely

acknowledged and there are in his life record many chapters worthy of

consideration.

Dr. Gross was born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, July 30, 1840, a son

of Dr. Oren and Jane (Snow) Gross. He was reared and educated on Cape

Cod. In his youth he studied navigation and also taught school for a

time but at the age of twenty-three years enlisted in 1863 as a member

of the Forty-third Massachusetts Infantry for service in the Civil

war, remaining at the front until the close of hostilities. He became

corporal of his company and while he did not engage in any of the

battles between the north and the south his service was of a hazardous

nature, such as scout duty and running boats loaded with provisions

past blockades, etc. He ever manifested the utmost loyalty to the

nation's starry banner and the cause for which it stood and with a most

creditable military record returned to his home.

Soon after leaving the army Dr. Gross went to New York city, where

he engaged in carpenter work until the panic of 1873 swept away all

his investments. He then crossed the continent to San Francisco,

California, where he lived for two years. He afterward went to Astoria,

Oregon, and was in that city and in Portland until 1879, when he came

to Walla Walla. Here he took up the profession of teaching, which he

followed for several years. He taught at Frenchtown, riding back and

forth from Walla Walla. When he had saved enough he secured a homestead

in Umatilla county, Oregon, and kept adding to his landed possessions

until he had over eleven hundred acres, which he brought under a high

state of cultivation. He afterward purchased a ranch of twenty-five

hundred acres near Starbuck, Washington, all of which has been planted

to crops and has been improved with very substantial and commodious

buildings. In a word his labors wrought a marked transformation in the

appearance of the place and also in its value and he won recognition as

one of the foremost agriculturists of this section of the state.

[Illustration: DR. JOHN A. GROSS]

Dr. Gross was married twice and when he went to war left a bride of

only a few weeks. He was married a second time at Pendleton, Oregon, on

the 9th of February, 1891, when Miss Bessie S. Green, of Kansas, became

his wife. He had four children by his first marriage, while four were

born of his second union. Carrie B., the eldest, is now, the wife of R.

C. Dunnington, of Walla Walla. Jennie I. is the wife of F. H. Richmond,

of Walla Walla. Millie E. is the wife of Ralph E. Story, of Silver

Lake, Oregon. O. E., of Seattle, Washington, was the youngest child of

the first marriage. The others are: John E., who is now upon the ranch;

Julia E., who was graduated from Wellesley College in the class of

1917; Marvin, now a high school pupil; and Mabel, who is also in high

school.

The death of Dr. Gross occurred July 17, 1915, and he was laid to

rest in Mountain View cemetery in Walla Walla. He was a man of marked

ability and in his later years he studied medicine, being graduated

from the Hahnemann College at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the

class of 1900. At that time he was over sixty years of age but he

possessed an especial aptitude for the physician's work and a very

retentive memory, which carried statistical knowledge. The greater part

of his life, however, was devoted to farming and stock raising and he

became one of the most extensive and prosperous farmers of Walla Walla

county. His political endorsement was given to the republican party

and he always took an active part in politics. Fraternally he was

connected with the Knights of Pythias and also with the Grand Army post

thus maintaining pleasant relations with his old military comrades,

with whom he followed the stars and stripes on the battlefields of

the south. He was a man of many sterling traits of character, genial

and affable, and enjoyed the high esteem of those with whom he was

associated. Since his death Mrs. Gross has erected a fine residence on

Boyer avenue in Walla Walla but still has charge of her ranch property

and is a woman of excellent business ability, fully capable of meeting

the requirements put upon her in the management of her estate.

OSSIE MARTIN.

The stock raising interests of Columbia county have a worthy

representative in Ossie Martin, who is the owner of a valuable farm of

seven hundred and twenty acres on section 23, township 12 north, range

38 east. He is one of Washington's native sons, his birth occurring

in Old Walla Walla county, February 8, 1867. His parents, James and

Bridget E. Martin, were natives of Ireland but in early life emigrated

to America and first located in Missouri. In 1861, however, they

started for the Pacific coast in a covered wagon drawn by mules and at

length reached Walla Walla. They located on a farm and later Mr. Martin

took up a homestead near Waitsburg, where he lived until 1893, when he

sold the place and removed to Walla Walla. Both he and his wife died in

that city. To them were born seven children and all are living.

Ossie Martin was reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys and

was educated at a Catholic school in Walla Walla. On starting out in

life for himself he chose the occupation with which he was thoroughly

familiar--that of farming, and has since followed that pursuit

with most gratifying results. In 1909 he purchased his present farm

comprising seven hundred and twenty acres and in connection with its

operation has given considerable attention to the raising of stock,

making a specialty of the breeding of shorthorn and Hereford cattle,

now having about one hundred head upon his place. Besides his valuable

farm property he owns a residence in Waitsburg, which he rents.

In 1892 Mr. Martin married Miss Mary Martin, who, although of the same

name, was not a relative, and to them have been born seven children, as

follows: Wesley J.; Harold A., who is in the army; Cecelia K., the wife

of Albert Goodyear; Melba C.; Oswald D.; Esther M.; and Wilbert H.

The family are communicants of the Catholic church and Mr. Martin is

a democrat in politics but has never cared for the honors of public

office, preferring to give his undivided attention to his business

interests. He is one of the leading citizens of his community, and

takes a commendable interest in public affairs, as every true American

citizen should.

GUSTAV VOLLMER.

Among the pioneers of Walla Walla county who persevered in spite of

hardships of the early days and who are now reaping the reward of their

faith in this section, is Gustav Vollmer, a resident of section 12,

township 9 north, range 37 east, who owns more than eleven hundred

acres of fine land, which he purchased years ago at far less than its

present market value. As time has passed he has adapted his methods of

farming to the changed conditions and his progressive spirit has been

an important factor in his success. He was born in Germany, May 7,

1854, a son of John H. and Emelia (Flaskamp) Vollmer, who passed their

entire lives in that country. Of their seven children, five survive and

all but our subject are still residents of Germany.

Gustav Vollmer attended the public schools of his native country in the

acquirement of his education but when seventeen years old emigrated to

the United States. The first two years in this country were spent in

Illinois, where he was employed as a farm hand, but in 1873 he went

to Nebraska, where he remained until 1879. In that year he determined

to take advantage of the unusual opportunities afforded the young man

in the Pacific northwest and removed to Oregon. In 1880 he took up a

homestead in Umatilla county, Oregon, twenty-five miles southwest of

Walla Walla and for twenty years maintained his residence thereon. For

a considerable period, in order to market his wheat, it was necessary

to haul it to steamboat landings on the Columbia river, which required

three days. While he was gone on such trips his wife remained upon

the farm with her small children, although the nearest neighbors were

miles away. The isolation was one of the greatest hardships which the

early settlers had to endure, but there were also other discouraging

features as, for instance, the low prices, wheat selling one year for

twenty-three cents a bushel. Mr. Vollmer recognized, however, that

with the settlement of the country these untoward conditions would

change and that the fertility of the soil guaranteed the future of the

farmers, and he consistently invested his savings in land. He owns 480

acres of land in Umatilla county, eighty acres adjoining Waitsburg,

where he makes his home. His holdings total 1,193 acres. All the land

is rich and productive and, moreover, his farms are well improved,

the excellent buildings thereon adding materially to the value of his

property. He has given the greater part of his time and attention

to wheat growing and is thoroughly familiar with that business. In

fact his success has been in a measure due to the fact that he has

concentrated his energies upon that line of endeavor. He is now one of

the men of wealth in Walla Walla county and takes justifiable pride in

the fact that he is a self-made man, his prosperity being due entirely

to his own foresight, energy and good management.

[Illustration: GUSTAV VOLLMER AND FAMILY]

On the 12th of June, 1881, Mr. Vollmer was united in marriage to Miss

Henrietta Schmitt, a daughter of John and Katherine (Martin) Schmitt.

To this union have been born nine children: John H.; Clara Augusta,

the wife of Harland Mills; Emma Caroline, the wife of William Harris;

William, who is farming in this locality; Julia, the wife of William

Stimmel; Zelma, Minnie and Charles, all at home and graduates of the

high school; and Katherine, deceased.

The parents hold membership in the Evangelical Lutheran church and its

work profits by their hearty support. In politics Mr. Vollmer is a

stanch republican and he has served his district ably for two terms as

a member of the state legislature. His interest in education has found

expression in effective work as a member of the school board, and all

projects for the advancement of the public welfare have received his

endorsement. He finds great pleasure in contrasting the early days in

this section, when the settlers were to a great extent cut off from

the outside world, with the present day with its excellent means of

communication with all parts of the country. As an illustration of the

extent to which the pioneers were dependent upon their resources it

may be mentioned that Mr. Vollmer made the furniture used in his home

from timber which he had cut. For a number of years it was necessary to

practice the strictest economy, but he has never regretted his pioneer

experiences and finds pleasure in the knowledge that he has had a part

in the development of this region.

JAMES CHRISTENSEN.

James Christensen, a well known farmer of Garfield county who owns

five hundred and twenty acres of good land on section 2, township 12

north, range 41 east, has resided in various parts of the west and in

Alaska and for some time engaged in mining but for several years past

has devoted his attention to farming and stock raising exclusively. He

was born in Denmark, February 25, 1866, a son of Christian and Gertrude

Petersen, who passed their entire lives in that country. To them were

born seven children, of whom six are living.

James Christensen attended the public schools of Denmark as a boy

and youth, thus acquiring a good education, and in 1885, at the age

of nineteen years, came to America. For one year he was employed as

a farm hand in Nebraska and then was for several years a resident of

California. Later he spent a year in Montana and in 1891 removed to

Walla Walla county, Washington, where he worked on a farm until his

removal to Alaska. A decade was devoted to gold mining there and

during that time he made three trips to Europe. On leaving Alaska he

went to Idaho, but remained there for only a short period, after which

he again came to Walla Walla county, Washington. He decided to turn his

attention to farm work and took up a homestead on Eureka flats which

he cultivated for eight years. He then traded that place for a farm in

the vicinity of Walla Walla but two years later exchanged that property

for his present farm of five hundred and twenty acres on section 2,

township 12 north, range 41 east, Garfield county. Much of his land is

given over to the growing of wheat but he also engages in stock raising

and derives a good profit from both branches of his business.

Mr. Christensen was married in 1905 to Miss Dora Renn, who was born in

Minnesota. They are the parents of three children, namely: George F.,

Gertrude M. and Anna M.

Mr. Christensen is an adherent of the republican party and casts his

ballot in support of its candidates. He has not taken a very active