An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 204

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524

USA > Idaho > Kootenai County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 204
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 204
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 204
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 204

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RICHARD W. BURKE. To the noble men who pushed into the fastnesses of the mountains, unlocking the vaults of nature's treasure house ; who blazed the way through the wilderness to build homes in this wild country ; who have steadily pursued this worthy course without murmur or flinching : to such, we say, let all honor be paid as true pioneers and worthy of the pioneers' tributes of praise. Such an one is the subject of this article and it is a pleasure to epitomize his career in the history of his county.

Richard W. Burke was born in Keeseville, New York, on February 25, 1850, being the son of John and Mary (Hayes) Burke, natives of Ireland. They came to America in 1851, locating in New York, where they remained sixteen years. Then they came to Osh- kosh, Wisconsin, where they now live, the father being a retired merchant. When Richard was an infant the family went to Plattsburg, New York, and there he was educated. He remained with his father until he was twenty-nine years old and then came to Mon- tana, and in the National Park country he prospected for ten years making some good locations and sales.

In 1889 he came to the Cœur d'Alene country and there, and later in the Flathead country, he prospected and worked for three years. It was in 1891 that he came to Bonners Ferry. He took a squatters right and improved the place, but later sold his right and located where he now lives, one and one-half miles south of Bonners Ferry. He has a good place, well improved by his own labors and it is now productive of good returns in crops. He has house, barn, land all fenced, and a fine orchard which produces abundantly. Mr. Burke has done much prospecting in addition to his other arduous labors and he has three claims ad- joining the Keystone mine, besides other properties. He spent one year prospecting in British Columbia. In addition to the other items mentioned, Mr. Burke cuts annually about forty tons of hay and handles some stock.

The brothers and sisters of our subject are named as follows: Kate, wife of Charles Cans, in Missoula, Montana ; Annie, married and living in Oshkosh, Wis- consin ; Maggie, living in Missoula, Montana ; John, married and living in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; James, single, now in Alaska; Daniel, living in Iowa; Will- iam, at Sandpoint ; also Mr. Burke has a nephew, Ed- ward L. Burke, living in British Columbia, and oper- ating as conductor on the C. P. railroad. A niece of our subject lives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, named Mamie Burke. Mr. Burke is a member of the Cath- olic church. He is a man who receives the respect and esteem of his fellows and is a substantial citizen.

RUTH A. THOMPSON. There are few in the lower Kootenai valley that are not acquainted with Mrs. Ruth A. Thompson, the subject of this article. She is a woman of remarkable business ability, and has seen not only the hardships of the pioneer's life in the new sections of the west, but she has also been called upon to endure the trials and misfortunes that fate oftentimes places upon members of our race, seem- ingly selecting, as in this case, those who are filled with courage and determination to win despite the obstacles and barriers.

An account of Mrs. Thompson's life will be inter- esting to the readers of the history of our county and therefore we append an epitome. She was born in Senaca county, Ohio, on May 22, 1830, being the daughter of Lieutenant John and Mary M. (Curtis) Whiteside. The father was a native of Dublin, Ireland, and came to Americt in 1810, locating in southern Ohio. He had the distinction of being a lieutenant in the war of 1812. The mother was born in Virginia and went to Ohio in 1825, and there married Mr. Whiteside in 1828. Later they settled in Madison county, that state. and there in 1844 Mr. Whiteside was drowned. Then Mrs. Whiteside removed to Indiana and remained there until her death in 1882. Our subject had but little opportunity to gain an education, there being no schools in these new countries. At the age of seventeen, it being 1847. she married Mr. O. C. Kilbury, a farmer and blacksmith. Ten years they remained in Ohio

MRS. RUTH A. THOMPSON.

JACOB A. SLOOP.

HON. JOSEPH I. BARNES.

JOHN LeHUQUET.

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

and then removed to lowa, later coming to Illinois. In 1872 Mrs. Kilbury was forced to take up dressmak- ing to support her three children. Six children had been taken away by death previous to this. She was crowded into this work by the shiftlessness of a hus- band who refused to support his family and in 1873 she secured a divorce and since that time she managed to support herself and children in a good manner, even accumulating some property besides. In 1876 she came to Deadwood, South Dakota, and there she sewed and later kept boarders. She manifested the true spirit of courage in this place in a gracious act that few would have done. A wife died who left four children, one only two weeks old, and as this lady had a mother in Pennsylvania, Mrs. Kilbury took upon herself the task of taking these helpless children across the conti- nent to their grandmother's home. The trip from Deadwood to Cheyenne, Wyoming, had to be made in a freight wagon and it was in winter. Mrs. Kilbury was equal to the occasion and safely took her charges to Pennsylvania and then returned to Cheyenne and in the spring to Deadwood, where she married Jesse Thompson, on August 13, 1878, a miner. They opera- ted a hotel and in 1883 came to Montana and farmed for four years. Then a move was made to Spokane and later they came to their present location, one-half mile west from Copeland, at Thompson's landing. Mr. Thompson bought an interest in a steamboat and Mrs. Thompson bought seventy head of cattle. They soon turned their attention to the cattle and during this time, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson gave their attention to herd- ing them together and handling the hay for them. Mrs. Thompson remarks that those days of riding after the stock were among the happiest of her life, and the fifteen years spent with Mr. Thompson is the crown- ing portion of her career. But in 1892 Mr. Thompson was called away by death and since that time the en- tire management of affairs has devolved upon Mrs. Thompson. She has manifested excellent judgment and execution as always in her labors and she is now the owner of a section of land, about seventy-five head of cattle, plenty of buildings and improvements and does a dairying business. Almost all of this land she has bought since the death of her husband.

Mrs. Thompson is a member of the Methodist church and is well respected and highly esteemed for her worth and excellent qualities, being a woman of integrity and faithfulness and sound principles. She has done much hard work, has managed her business affairs with commendable wisdom and is to be credited with much accomplished for the upbuilding and improvement of the country.

JACOB A. SLOOP. The worthy and faithful la- bors, the upright and commendable life, the stanch and stable character, and the untarnished reputation and excellent standing of the gentleman whose name in- itiates this paragraph entitles him to an especial repre- sentation in the volume which chronicles the history of his county.

In giving an epitome of his career, we note first that 54

he was born in Schuyler county, Missouri, on April 1, 1845, the son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Stofer ). Sloop, natives of Switzerland. They came to the United States in 1837, settling first in Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania. Two years were spent there in honest labor at the wagonmaker's trade and then they came to Marion county, Missouri. In that place he wrought at his trade and also did farming. Four years later, the family went to Schuyler county, Missouri, and there our subject was born, as stated above. The father con- tinued at his trade and farming until his death in 1861. After that the mother remained a tinie in Schuyler county and then removed to Kansas in 1876, and the year following passed to the world beyond. Jacob was echuicated in the country schools of his native county and labored with his parents until he had reached his ma- jority. At that important age he and his brother built a combined flour and saw mill and operated the plant for twenty years. When that long period had elapsed, Mr. Sloop sold his mill and went to Queen City, Missouri, and took up general merchandising for two years. In 1892 he came west, and after due de- liberation he located in Kootenai county, near where Porthill is now situated. He helped build a diking machine for a company diking the river on the Cana- dian side and for four years he wrought for that com- pany. Then he took a squatter's right on unsurveyed land, which later proved to be railroad land. He bought it and has taken a homestead and bought since that time until he has a fine estate of four hundred acres and more. He handles considerable to hay and pasture, raising forty and more cattle each year, while also a portion of the land is devoted to general farming and fruit raising. Mr. Sloop has some fine trees and his place is one of value and is handled in a commendable manner.

In 1871 Mr. Sloop married Miss Louise, daughter of Peter and Louise (Piper) Klein, natives of Ger- many. They came to this country in 1826, located in Pennsylvania, where they were married, and then went to Schuyler county, Missouri, where the father is still living, aged ninety years. To Mr. and Mrs. Sloop. there were four children born, Clara V., wife of C. D. Black, in Kootenai valley; Daisy V., wife of Joseph Anderson, living near Porthill ; Iva V., wife of Charles Olds, in the valley ; Ruby V., single and living with her father. Mr. Sloop is a member of the I. O. O. F., at Porthill. He is a member of the Lutheran church and is a man who stands well among his neighbors and is reliable and upright. Mrs. Sloop died at Porthill, April 20, 1898.

MAJOR JOSEPH I. BARNES, deceased .- The death of this honored and distinguished citizen of Kootenai county, at Rathdrum, in December, 1898, re- moved from life's busy turmoil one of the most highly respected, worthy and well known men in north Idaho. He came to Kootenai county during the early 'nineties and during his residence there, achieved for himself a reputation for sterling character, business ability and popularity such as falls to the lot of few.

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

Major Barnes was a native of Lewis county, New York state, having been born there in 1839, and when very young commenced his westward journey, going first to Ohio, then to St. Joseph county, Michigan, and from there to Neenah, Wisconsin, where he grew to manhood. When the call came for volunteers, in 1861, young Joseph immediately responded by enlisting in the Twenty-first Wisconsin Infantry, in which regi- ment he served until 1864 when he was transferred to the First U. S. V. V. engineers, with whom he re- mained until the close of the war. He participated in the battles of Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge and Lookout Moun- tain and in return for his services was rewarded with an officer's stripes. After the war Mr. Barnes settled in Brown county, South Dakota, remaining there until his appointment as immigration inspector in Kansas City, by President Harrison. Previous to this, how- ever, he served with honor in the South Dakota legis- lature. From Kansas City he was transferred to Bon- ner's Ferry, Idaho, and later was stationed as an in- spector of customs on the northern Kootenai boundary line. A change of administration in 1893 caused his retirement from office, as a result of which he engaged in mercantile pursuits at Ockonook, where he lived un- til his death. As a member of the Republican party he was very active and influential and was chosen chairman of the state league of Republican clubs at Boise in 1892. Subsequently he was prominently men- tioned for the office of lieutenant governor, was one of the leading reorganizers of the party in 1896 and was a candidate for the legislature that year. He de- clined a like honor in 1898, owing to failing health.

In 1867, Major Barnes was united in marriage to Miss Mary C. Jaquith, who survives him.

JOHN LEHUQUET. This capable and genial gentleman, whose enterprise and industry have placed him in a good position in the county, is a man of great experience in the different walks of life and has a fund of practical wisdom that, coupled with his native execu- tive ability, has enabled him to consummate some ex- cellent achievements.

John LeHuquet was born at Gaspe Bay, Canada, on August 1, 1840, being the son of Philip and Mary (Galeshau) LeHuquet, natives of Jersey Island. The ancestors, as is noted in French history, were titled people, possessed of great estates and a castle in France, which were forfeited in the time of a rebellion. The parents of our subject came to Canada in 1830, locat- ing at Gaspe Bay, where the father carried on a fishing and farming business. He died in 1870, and the mother passed away in 1881. They were the parents of three boys and five girls. John remained at home laboring with his father and going to school in the winter, until he was twenty and then started for himself. He fished and then bought a little farm, and in 1860 married and settled down. His wife died the following year and he sold his farm and began traveling from place to place and was in various employments. He was in New-

foundland, fired on a steamer, returned to Quebec and shipped on a steamer that was wrecked two hundred miles below Quebec, losing all the cargo. Then Mr. LeHuquet shipped at Kingston for Chicago, helped build the union stock yards, then logged in Michigan and in 1866 calked boats at Escanaba. Return- ing to Chicago he spent two years as foreman at the clock and cantal works. Then he did bridge work, being expert as a framer and on construction. About 1870 he went to Alabama and contracted in railroad work and for two years did exceedingly well. In 1873 he started a general store in Cullman, that state and at this and handling a vineyard he spent seven years. In 1883 he made a trip to New Brunswick, then journeyed to Iowa, thence to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, then liext season to Pierre, and in 1892 he came to Sand- point. In 1893 he located his present place, two miles north from Sandpoint and he has made of it a beautiful and valuable farm. He has a good orchard, does gen- eral farming and timber work. Mr. LeHuquet has an acre of the finest strawberries that one could find, while luis orchard is of the very choicest varieties.

In 1868 Mr. LeHuquet married Miss Mary, daughter of Joseph Fenn, a native of Switzerland. They came to America and located in Galena, Illinois, then went to California, returned to Galena, where the father died, and then the mother went again to Cali- fornia where she taught school until 1868, the time of hier death. To Mr. and Mrs. LeHuquet there have been born six children : Josephine, wife of Mr. Martin, a preacher in the Methodist church and living in Hel- ena, Montana ; Jolin A., with parents; Frank M., at- tending Normal school in Lewiston; Gertrude and Pearl, both having taught school in Kootenai county, but now attending Normal school at Lewiston; Car- nie, attending high school at Sandpoint. Politically, Mr. LeHuquet is independent and active in the ques- tions of the day. He has served as school trustee and is an advocate of good schools. Mr. LeHuquet is a member of the A. F. & A. M., in Cullman, Alabama ; also he is a charter member of Lodge No. 33, of the K. of P. in the same town. Mr. LeHuquet was a mem- ber of the order of Haymakers in Cullman. Mr. Le- Huquet is a member of the Episcopal church and his wife is a Methodist.

PETER A. FERBRACHE. It is with pleasure that we are permitted to speak of the life's career of the subject of this sketch, since he is a man of talent, energy and uprightness ; since he has wrought in faith- fulness in augmenting the wealth of this county; and since he has always conducted himself in a becoming manner to a professional man and a true gentleman.

Peter A. was born in Preble county, Ohio, on Jan- mary 14, 1831, being the son of Peter and Elizabeth (Frum) Ferbrache, natives, respectively, of Guernsey Island and Virginia. Our subject received a good education and worked for his parents until he was of age. He taught school successfully from the age of nineteen to twenty-four. Then he took a course in

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

dentistry and front 1855 to 1888 he practiced his pro- fession with credit to himself in Elpaso, Illinois. Then he came to Granite, Kootenai county, and for two years. 1891-2, he practiced in Rathdrum and in Granite. He then, with his sons, operated a tie camp for a time and in 1898 he came to the vicinity of Bon- ners Ferry. He located a homestead about three miles northwest from the town and that is the family home at this time. He pays considerable attention to fruit and gardening, raising over five hundred boxes of to- matoes alone and other things in proportion.

In 1856 Dr. Ferbrache took the hand of Miss Han- nah C. Ray in marriage and to them have been born eight children : Anna, married and living in Pullman, Washington : Lincoln, married and living in Vancou- ver ; George, married and living in Nebraska ; Thomas, married and living in Pullman, Washington ; Henry, married and living in Kootenai county; Mary, de- ceased ; Willie, James, both single. Mrs. Ferbrache's parents were Joseph and Gilberta Ray, natives, re- spectively, of Indiana and Ohio. Dr. Ferbrache is lib- eral in politics and fraternally is affiliated with the I. O. O. F.

THOMAS W. MILLS was born in Stratford, On- tario, Canada, on November 15, 1862, being the son of Robert and Mary ( Armstrong) Mills, natives of Canada. They came to the United States in 1864, lo- cating in the vicinity of Detroit, Michigan, where they remained on a farm until the time of their death. The mother died in 1874 and the father in 1883. Our subject received his education from the common schools near Detroit and remained with his parents until he was twelve years old. Then he spent two years in the blacksmith trade and later went to work on a farm. He came west to Lesueur Centre, Minne- sota, and there remained on a farm for six years. Then he went to Canada and worked on the Canadian Pacific for two and one-half years, later returning to Bis- marck, North Dakota. Three years were spent in the (mploy of the government at Fort Lincoln, and in 1886 he came west to Washington. He worked for Brickle for a couple of years in the lumber business, and five years later, in 1892, he came to Bonners Fer- ry. Later he went to the northwest territory and also mined on the Saskatchewan river, where he did very well. He returned to this section of the country and took eighty acres as a homestead, one mile northwest from Bonners Ferry, and bought as much more and there he is dwelling today. He has a fine hay farm and also does considerable general farming, while he also pays attention to raising stock.

In 1883 Mr. Mills married Miss Sarah, daughter of Allen and Christie Bruce, natives of Canada. They came to the United States and located in Minnesota, but returned to Manitoba, where the father was drowned in the Mud river. The mother is living in Bonners Ferry. To Mr. and Mrs. Mills there have been born seven children, named as follows: Nellie, wife of Thomas Hooker, in this county : Della, Maude. Robert, Lorney, Lillie, Vine. Mr. Mills is Republican

in politics and is an active worker for the principles of his party. He has been elected road supervisor a cau- ple of terms and is serving with credit in that capacity now. He is a member of the M. W. A. and of the 1. O. O. F., both in Bonners Ferry. He and his es- timable wife are members of the Presbyterian church and are valuable additions to the society and com- munity. Mr. Mills has always preserved an untar- nished reputation and has so conducted himself that he receives the good will and esteem of his fellows for his integrity, uprightness, morality and unswerving prin- ciples of rectitude and soundness which characterize him.

JAMES G. FERBRACHE. This young man is one of the enterprising citizens of Kootenai county in the vicinity of Bonners Ferry. He is an upright, capable and thriving farmer whose property is located two and one-half miles northwest from Bonners Ferry, and there he has bestowed his labors with a sagacity and industry that have given him the meed of a fine and productive property.

James G. was born in Elapso, Illinois, on Novem- ber 17, 1872, being the son of Peter A. and Hannah ( Ray) Ferbrache, natives, respectively, of Ohio and Indiana. They came to Illinois and remained there for thirty-five years. They they came to Granite, Id- aho, in 1887 and in 1897 came to their present place in this county. Our subject was well educated in his native place, having the advantage of a high school training. He remained with his parents until he was twenty-one and then came to the west with them. He took a contract of furnishing ten thousand ties to the Northern Pacific and in 1893 he came to Bonners Ferry and took his present place as a homestead. He has improved it with good buildings, fences and so forth, and annually puts up about eighty tons of hay in addition to the other products of the field. Mr. Ferbrache also owns some mining property in the vi- cinity of Granite, known as the Galena mine. In polit- ical matters he is allied with the Democrats and is bright and active in local matters and in disseminat- ing the principles he believes to be for the advantage of all. Mr. Ferbrache is a member of the M. W. A., North Star Lodge No. 6160, of Bonners Ferry, and has been one of its officers since it started. Mr. Ferbrache has brothers and sisters as follows: Lincoln R., in in Proebstel. Washington: Annie M., wife of John Brooks, of Pullman, Washington : George W., in Ne- braska : Thomas J., in Pullman, Washington ; Henry C. and William W., in Bonners Ferry.

LOUIS McLENNAN is a man of great experi- ence in the ways of the different industries of the world and this acquired skill and knowledge, together with an active talent and an adaptability which en- ables him to enter intelligently into any labor, have given hini great opportunities and fitted him to be- come eminently successful in any line. He has, how-

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

ever, chosen that of raising stock and farming, in which he has gained a fitting prominence and has placed him among the leading and prosperous men of Kootenai county.

Louis McLennan was born in Cape Breton, on November 20, 1844, being the son of Miles and Mar- garet ( Urquhart) McLennan, natives of Scotland, but immigrants to Cape Breton in 1842. The father died in 1871, but the mother is still living in Richmond county. Cape Breton, aged ninety. Our subject re- ceived a common school education and worked for his parents until he was nineteen, when he came to the United States and enlisted to fight the battles of free- dom. He was in the Thirty-third New Jersey Infan- try, Company E, under Captain George M. Harris. They went to Chattanooga, being a little too late to join Sherman on his march to the sea. His company acted as guards that winter, then fought Hood and later went to West Virginia and North Carolina, chas- ing Johnson. Then came the surrender and they marched to Washington, where he participated in the grand review. Being honorably discharged his com- pany went to Newark and disbanded. Then Mr. Mc- Lennan went to sea and sailed all over the world, fin- ally leaving the ship in Bombay, India. He also op- crated as diver for bridge construction. Then he went to Australia and sailed for six years more. Later we see him in New Zealand contracting in bridge and road work. In 1888 he was in San Francisco and in 1891 came to Tacoma and the Sound country, doing work in the coal mines. In 1892 he was in British Kootenai country and in Idaho. It was in 1894 that he came to his present location, four miles west from Bonners Ferry. He came without money and now is one of the well-to-do men of the valley, having as fine stock as is to be found in the valley anywhere. He raises large amounts of hay and handles stock.

Mr. McLennan is one of nine children, six of whom are living : Philip, with our subject ; Margaret, wid- ow, living in Tacoma ; Alexander, in Middleriver, Cape Breton ; Ellen, married to John Mckenzie, living in Nanaimo, British Columbia : Willina, wife of Dan McIntyre, in Richmond county, Cape Breton. Mr. McLennan is a member of the G. A. R., Garfield Post, San Francisco, California.

PAYTON W. OWEN. No more sturdy and wor- thy pioneer is in the precincts of Kootenai county than the subject of this article. He has labored in the de- velopment of the country here for many years and is now one of the substantial and prosperous men of the county.

Payton W. Owen was born in Caldwell county, Missouri, on June 1, 1850, being the son of Frederick M. and Susannah ( Barron) Owen, natives of Indiana and Tennessee, respectively. They came to Missouri in 1842 and in 1882 to Clarkfork, where the father died in 1898, aged eighty-four, but the mother still iives there, aged seventy-five. Our subject was reared in his native place and there educated in the com-

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 204

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1524

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524