An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 63

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 63
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 63
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 63
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 63

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

worked some as wagon and plow maker at the Indian department at the Lapwai agency.

In July, 1883, Mr. Underwood married Tillie (Giles) Yane, daughter of Shovel and Caroline (Short) Giles, natives of New York, and born re- spectively in 1835 and 1844. The father lives in Ore- gon and the mother is dead. Mrs. Underwood was born in New York in 1858 and has two brothers, James and William. Mr. Underwood has one brother and one sister, Adams, and Lucy J. Adams, both in New York. They have one child, Ora, daughter of Mrs. Underwood by a former marriage. Mr. Under- wood is a member of the blue lodge, the chapter, and commandery of the Masonic order. He is a charter member of the Nez Perces Lodge at Lewiston, and he is also a member of the Pioneers' Association of this county. Mr. Underwood cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and has voted for the Republican candidates ever since. Mr. Underwood is still in the stock business and is a substantial citizen.

FRED B. SEARS is a native of the occident and in this realm he has spent his entire life, being imbued with the true western spirit and that enterprise and energy which has brought to the front the inland empire country and made the entire Pacific slope one of the great sections of the world. His native place is Carson City, Nevada, and the date of his birth, March 17, 1862. The parents, James D. and Marietta (Camburn) Sears, were natives respectively of New York and Michigan. The father's family is an old and prominent New England house. He went to California in the winter of 1849-50 and did placer mining on the American river. A few years after he went east, married, returned to the coast and now lives in Grand Forks, British Columbia. He pos- sesses considerable property there and is engaged in the real estate business and mining brokerage. The mother of our subject is living with him at present and her mother is still living in Michigan. She comes from an old American family of English de- scent. Our subject was raised principally in southern California, studied in Inyo county and then returned to Carson City when he was sixteen. His parents went to Washington and he was variously engaged, being in the water business for ten years. Later we see him in Palouse, handling meat. Two years were spent there and he went to Spokane, where he was special police for a time after the fire and in January, 1890, he came to Wallace. He was engaged in the meat trade there for a year and in the spring of 1891 Mr. Sears went to Wardner. He conducted a first- class butcher shop and had an excellent trade. Lately he came to Lewiston and opened up a fine shop here. Mr. Sears has four brothers and one sister, Jesse R., Charles F., Frank D., Justin C., Mrs. Nettie E. Barger.

At Palonse, on January 2, 1900, Mr. Sears mar- ried Miss Martha E., daughter of Joseph and Nancy Knight. The father was a well known pioneer in the

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Polouse country, and is now deceased. The mother lives in Palouse. Mrs. Sears has the following brothers and sisters, Henry P., probate judge in Wal- lace ; Everett, Samuel, Mrs. Georgia Coleman, Mrs. Marie Todd. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sears, Carl F., Henry D., Mildred, aged eleven, four and two, respectively. Mr. Sears is a member of the Elks, Coeur d'Alene 331 ; of the K. of P., Galena No. 12; of the Junior Order of American Mechanics; of the Eagles, Wardner Aerie. Mr. Sears is a true blue Republican and is frequently a delegate to the county conventions, where he is an in- fluential member. Mr. Sears is a thorough western man by both birth and practice, is enterprising, up-to- date and popular and one of the substantial business operators in this entire Coeur d'Alene country.

WILLIAM STEVENSON. It is with pleasure that we are enabled to give to this worthy pioneer and substantial farmer and loyal citizen of Nez Per- ces county, a representation in his county history, since he has labored for many years for the devel- opment of this county, has maintained an unsullied reputation, has always been a good and upright man and is highly esteemed by all to-day.

William Stevenson was born in Prince Edward Island, on September 21, 1841, being the son of Charles and Jane (Orr) Stevenson. The father was a farmer, born in Scotland in 1802 and died in Prince Edward Island in 1889. His ancestors were natives of Scotland and his father was John Stevenson. The mother of our subject was also born in Scotland in 1808, and died in 1860, her parents being Robert and Jane Orr. Will- iam remained with his parents until of age and then started for himself, having received his education from the schools of his native place. He went to New York and thence via Panama to San Francisco, arriving there in 1863. He labored on a farm for a time, then went to Puget Sound where he worked in the woods until 1865. One year was spent in Canyon City, Ore- gon, then and afterwards, he went to Montana and thence to Lewiston. It was 1866 that he landed in this county. He worked in the mines in the summer and wintered in Lewiston. In 1873 he took up his present place, twenty miles southeast from Lewiston, where he has remained since, giving his attention to general farming and raising stock. He has four hundred acres of land and his stock consists of horses and cattle.

On June 14, 1882, Mr. Stevenson married Miss Julia, daughter of A. J. Glass, who was born in Ohio in 1830, and died in 1898. This wedding occurred in Nez Perces countv. Mrs. Stevenson was born in Illi- nois in 1857. Her brothers, John R. and Thomas C., live in Nez Perces county, and her sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Day, resides at Douglas island, Alaska. Mr. Stevenson has brother and sisters named below, Rob- ert, in Prince Edward island ; Margaret Wyand, Jane Head, Mary, deceased; Martha McLeod, Agnes, de- ceased; half brothers, Henry B., and Charles. To

Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson there have been born six children, Grace M., Winifred G., Clarence C., Ella B., Mildred R., and Laura May. In political matters, Mr. Stevenson is a staunch Republican and always attends to voting and the interests of his county. He is an ardent and intelligent supporter of good educa- tional facilities and has done much for the schools. Mr. Stevenson is a member of the Pioneer's Asso- ciation. He is respected by all, is a loyal friend and a kind neighbor and is one of the substantial men of his section.

WILLIAM E. RATCLIFFE. It is seldom our opportunity to review the career of a man who has had more experience in the life of the frontiersman and in the hardships of pioneer life than the subject of this article and it is very fitting that an account of his life be embodied in this history of Nez Perces county, inasmuch as he has done a great deal here for the advancement of the county and has always con- ducted himself in a commendable manner, and is to- day one of the substantial men of the county.

William E. Ratcliffe was born in Henry county, Indiana, on January 20, 1845, being the son of Isaac and Hulda (Carr) Ratcliffe, natives of Ohio, both being born in 1820; the father dying in 1891 and the mother in 1853. Our subject went with the family to Marshall county, Iowa, when he was thirteen and he remained a dutiful son with the father until he was nineteen, and then he desired to go to the West accord- ingly he fitted out four teams and joined a train in Omaha that was to make the journey. At Pawnee Springs, the Indians began to manifest their hostilities, threatening to scalp the immigrants at and from that time until they landed their journey's end, the sturdy immigrants would not allow a red skin to show his head in the camp. They fought the entire distance, but were fortunate in not losing a man. When they were camped on the Platte river, a poor unfortunate band of immigrants on the other side, who had seven wagons, were all murdered by the savages. Our sub- ject and his comrades were powerless to do anything to avert the awful catastrophe and the fiendish red men did a thorough work. One man was brought into the camp with nine arrows in his body, but he recovered. The other ten of that hapless train were killed. May 16, 1864, was the date they started and one hundred and twenty days later they stopped in the Grande Ronde valley. A short stop was made at Boise, while enroute. The spring of 1865 Mr. Ratcliffe went to Boise and remained one year. Then he went to Portland, and afterward visited Benton, Lane, Douglas, Linn and Wasco counties. In the last named county he operated a butcher shop for two years. His. next move was to Linn and then Marion and Yam Hill counties. Later he went to Portland and after- wards to Salt Lake. From there he went to Lower California through Nevada, taking his family with him and landing in San Barnardino on November 15, 1880. He crossed the Los Vegas desert of sixty miles

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without water, having his family with him. Two years were spent in Los Angeles county and then by steamer he went to Santa Barbara and bought teams to make his way through the state to Red Bluff, whence he returned to Lane county. The next move was to Davenport, Washington, where he remained eleven years and operated a stock ranch and butcher shop. Then he came to Nez Perces county and his son took up land where the town of Peck now stands.

Mr. Ratcliffe married Sallie A. Bridges, in Sep- tember, 1867, the wedding occurring in Lane county, Oregon. Her parents, Samuel and Betsey Bridges, were early pioneers to Oregon, 1852 being the date of their immigration. Mrs. Ratcliffe was born in Iowa in 1845 and crossed the plains with her parents in 1852. She died in 1889, leaving four children, Betsey, J., wife of John Horwage in Davenport, Washington ; Isaac N., Marion A., Nancy E., wife of J. O. Moore, all in Peck, Idaho.

In 1891, Mrs. Ratcliffe married a second time and in 1900 this lady also passed away. Mr. Ratcliffe has the following brothers and sisters: Mary, Jemima, Louisa, all deceased ; Thomas E., in Idaho county. Mr. Ratcliffe is a Quaker and has always followed their faith. He is a Democrat, and while interested in the welfare of the county, is not a politician. He is an advocate of good schools and advancement in all lines and has always labored for this.

JOHN BIELBY. This genial gentleman is pro- prietor of a nice hotel and a good feed stable in Fletcher, where he has done a thriving business since. the opening of the house and on account of his kind care for the welfare and comfort of guests, his wis- dom in providing entertainment, and the business-like manner in which he operates his hotel, he is rapidly gaining an increasing patronage and has the reputa- tion of having as fine a place as there is on the reser- vation for caring for guests.

John Bielby was born in Bridlington, East Riding, Yorkshire, England, on October 30, 1843, being the son of William and Hannah Bielby, natives of the same place. The father was a Methodist preacher and continued his calling until his death. Our subject was the eighth of a family of nine children and was educated in his native place. On May 27, 1865, Mr. Bielby married Miss Elizabeth S. Hodson, who was born in Butterwick, Yorkshire, England, on October 21, 1843. On October 3, 1871, Mr. Bielby started with his wife and three children from Liverpool to Boston, on the steamer Porttrain. They landed finally in Fillmore county, Minnesota and farmed there until 1879, when he removed to Lac Qui Parle county, the same state. In 1892 they went to Alberta, Northwest Territory, where Mr. Bielby operated a dray line for a year and then took the oversight of a coal mine. It was in 1896 that he came to Pullman and the fall of that year, October, he located his lots in Fletcher and erected a dwelling house. Later he put up a good building for a hotel, having commodious office, parlors,

kitchen, dining room, bed room, and so forth below and occupied with sleeping rooms above. He does a good business here as well as in his feed stable. Mr. Bielby was one of the very first who located in Fletcher and is one of the leading men of the town. The fol- lowing named children have been born to Mr. Bielby and his faithful wife: Mary A., wife of J. Nelson, a farmer in Alberta; Sarah E. wife of J. Blades, a butcher in Alberta ; Margaret H., wife of E. Dunbar, who operates and owns a large elevator and general merchandise store in Beaver Creek, Rock county, Min- nesota ; Ellen, wife of R. P. Pettepiece, editor and owner of a Socialist paper in Vancouver, British Co- lumbia ; Alice, wife of R. Hutchinson, a miner of Rossland ; William, at home.

JOHN H. BLACK. The subject of this review is one of the sturdy men who have made the reser- vation portion of Nez Perces county one of the best places in the state of Idaho. He is well respected. is a man of ability and erudition and has a wide influ- ence in the affairs of the county.

John H. Black was born in Clark county, Missouri, on January 4, 1860, being the son of Andrew J. and Ann (Burner) Black, natives of Ohio. The father is of Scotch-Irish lineage and now lives near South- wick. The mother died when John H. was a small boy. For twenty years of his life, our subject was in Missouri and during this time he gained his educa- tion from the district schools. Then came a trip to the west and settlement was made near Colfax, and one year was spent on a dairy ranch. Then he farmed until 1890, after which he purchased a ranch adjoining Leland. Here he remained until the opening of the reservation, when he took his present place in the vi- cinity of Gifford. He was in financial straits at that time, but by hard work and taking advantage of the resources of the country, he has come to be well re- warded with the goods of this world. This last year Mr. Black rented his land and is now living in Gif- ford. He has the following brothers and sisters: Charles E., in Leland ; Samuel, at Southwick ; Matilda T., wife of John A. Porter, a banker of Luray City, Missouri ; Mabel, a school girl in Leland. Mr. Black is a staunch Democrat, active in all questions of in- terest and a zealous laborer for good schools and roads.

On February 9, 1890. Mr. Black married Miss Mary E., daughter of Matthew and Elizabeth (Luthier) Williams, the wedding occurring at Leland. Mr. Will- iams was born in Virginia and died in 1901, aged seventy. His death resulted from a team running over him. He was a pioneer of Illinois, being one of the first settlers in Gallatin county. Then he went to Pratt county, Kansas, in 1885 and then engaged in stock raising, merchandising and banking. He owned a large hotel and other property. The mother of Mrs. Black was born in Illinois and died at the residence of her son, Rev. Williams, on the reservation, in March, 1900. Mrs. Black was born in Illinois in Feb-

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ruary, 1873 and has five brothers and three sisters. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Black : Norval A., born May 26, 1895 ; Ila M., born November 22, 1898, and Norma Irene, born October 20, 1901.

HARDY W. SHELBURN is a prosperous general merchant at Peck, where he does a good business, and owing to his ability and careful attention to business, is steadily gaining a lucrative and increasing patron- age. He is a man of good principles, manifests in- tegrity and worth and has gained the respect and con- fidence of all.

Hardy W. Shelburn was born in Plover, Wiscon- sin, on October 18, 1866, being the son of Hardy H. and Valeria (Sutton) Shelburn, natives of Missouri, and born, November 14, 1836, and December 22, 1838. respectively. The father was a pioneer in Wisconsin and is now in partnership with his son in the store in Peck. The mother died in August, 1870. Our sub- ject grew up and was educated in his native place and then the family removed to Norman county, Minne- sota. On the Red River Valley Journal he learned the printer's trade and labored there for five years, be- ing foreman when he quit. Then he went to brak- ing on the railroad and farmed until 1889, when he came to Spokane. This was in November and soon he removed to Stevens county, near Newport. He was the second settler there and seven years were spent on a homestead, raising hay and selling wood, and then a move was made to the vicinity of Spangle. In 1899 he came to Peck. He bought an interest with E. E. Carter and one year later sold out to him. Carter then moved away and on May 24, 1901, in company with his father, he opened a general merchandise es- tablishment. They have succeeded well and now en- joy a fine trade.

On December 14, 1895, in Stevens county, Wash- ington, Mr. Shelburn married Miss Hester, daughter of George W. and Mary Casteel, natives of Ohio and Missouri, respectively. The father was born in 1844. Mrs. Shelburn has three sisters, Minerva Meek, Net- tie Blalock and Sophia Rice. Mr. Shelburn has four sisters, Sarah Foster, Dora Marion, Kate Geau- drean, and Julia Newby. To our subject and his faithful wife there have been born four children, Ada, Harry, Ila, Muriel. Mr. Shelburn is a member of the I. O. O. F. In politics he is associated with the Democratic party. Mr. Shelburn has always cast his influence on the side of good government and good schools and is one of the influential and capable men of this section.

JOHN J. PHILIPI. Among the capable, enter- prising and successful business men of Lewiston is to be mentioned the industrious and skillful tradesman whose name appears above, and who has since 1885 operated a first-class tailor shop in Lewiston, where he is now doing a thriving business, being highly re- spected and .in good standing. John J. was born in

Austria, near Prague, on November 1, 1856, being the son of John and Anna ( Borovec) Philipi. The father was a weaver, born near Prague and died aged fifty, in 1870. The mother was also born in the same place in 1830, and she is now living in Washington. Her parents, Tony and Anna Borovec, both died in Port- iand. Our subject was educated in Austria, then was bound out to a tailor in 1870, serving four years, at the expiration of which time he came to the West Indies, thence via Panama to San Francisco and Portland, whither his mother and three brothers had preceded him the year previous. He worked for a time at his trade, then returned to San Francisco, working for a few months and then enlisting in the regular army, Company D, First Cavalry. In 1877 he was sent to Nez Perces to assist in quelling the Indians and he participated in a number of engagements. He then re- turned to the Golden Gate and was transferred to the Twenty-first, Company K, under Captain Downie, being company tailor, and in 1882 he was honorably discharged at Vancouver. He opened a tailor shop and did well there until 1885, when he came to Lewis- ton and engaged in the tailoring business here, where he has wrought with a winning hand since that time, being one of the substantial and leading business men of the city. In 1897 Mr. Philipi took a homestead on the Nez Perces reservation and proved up on it re- cently, having a fine farm, well improved.

The marriage of Mr. Philipi and Miss Fannie, daughter of Martins M. and Fannie Podamy, natives of Austria and immigrants to America in 1871, was solemnized in Portland, on May 22, 1882, and to them four children have been born, Ida, Chester, Allie and Lela. Mrs. Philipi has four sisters, of whom three are now living, Mary Connasek, Anna Bonty and Josie Kiten. Mr. Philipi has three brothers, Joseph, Anton and Henry. Mr. Philipi is a member of the Macca- bees, while he and his family are Catholics. Mr. Philipi is a Democrat and active in political matters. In addition to his farm he has a fine business in Lewis- ton and has conducted his financial matters in a be- coming and wise manner. He is a member of the Pioneer Association and is really one of the builders of the county, having labored faithfully in all his ways.

SHERMAN W. FANNING is a westerner by birth and has devoted himself to the development of the raw country of the west for many years with grati- fying results in a fine farm, good improvements and a substantial holding of property that makes him one of the well-to-do men of the vicinity of Nezperce, his farm being about one mile southwest from Nezperce.

Sherman W. Fanning was born in the vicinity of Albany, Oregon, on September 18, 1865, being the son of Elias E. and Mary A. (Gladhill) Fanning, natives of Morgan county, Illinois. Levi Fanning, grandfather of our subject, was a Mexican war veteran. The father of Sherman was a member of the state militia in Illinois. In 1852 Mr. and Mrs. Fanning crossed the plains with a train of over two hundred people.

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Cholera attacked them and many of the emigrants were buried by the trail. Six months were consumed on this weary journey and they settled near Albany on a donation claim. In 1874 they came to the vicinity of Forest Grove and in 1877 they all settled near Pome- roy, Washington. The father was a prominent politician in Oregan and served in the legislature from Washington county. He was also prominent in the Grange movement in that state.

On July 4, 1887, Mr. Fanning married Miss Effie M., daughter of George W. and Sarah E. (Bragg) Warfield, natives of Illinois, and came from Union county, Iowa, where Mrs. Fanning was born, to Pomeroy, in 1881. Mr. Warfield died on January II, 1899, but his widow is still living in Whitman county, Washington. Mr. Fanning resided near Pomeroy un- til the spring of 1898, when he came to his present farm, which is now well supplied with buildings and the farm is highly cultivated and a valuable place. Mr. Fanning is a member of the W. W. Camp No. 419, of Nezperce. Two children have been born to him and his estimable wife, Sherman W. and Arthur L. Mr. Fanning's mother died on December 5, 1891, aged fifty-five. His father died on December 23, 1900, aged sixty-seven. He is a director of the Nez- perce tramway, the first one on the Clearwater, of which he was one of the instigators.

LEE MAYS. While the worthy pioneers who first started the commercial activity and business of Nez Perces county did a noble work, still there are many who have come here since that have manifested ex- cellent enterprise also in the continuation of the indus- trial interests of this section. Among this number we mention the subject of this sketch, who, in company with F. Gritman, does a fine business in Lewiston, be- ing proprietors of the White Front livery and feed stable in Lewiston. They have a fine equipment of stock, vehicles and buildings, and are up-to-date and careful liverymen, doing a fine business at the present tıme.

·Mr. Mays is distinctly a western product, being born in Walla Walla, on January 19, 1877, and at the age of thirteen doing for himself, since which time he has always conducted his affairs with great credit to himself. His father, John Mays, who was a carpen- ter, farmer and stockman, born in 1857, crossed the plains in an early day, and died in July, 1902. His mother, Rachel (Beard) Mays, was born in 1857 and is at Green Creek, Idaho. When our subject was one year old, his parents went to the vicinity of Dayton and farmed. That continued to be his home, except from 1895 to 1898, when he was with the Walla Walla Dressed Meat Company, of Dayton. Mr. Mays was in the livery business there until he came to Lewiston. He then formed a partnership with Mr. Gritman and together they started the livery stable mentioned and have since that time done a fine business.

On June 10, 1902, Mr. Mays married Miss Nellie, daughter of John A. and Ellen A. (Watris) Knox, at

Dayton, Washington. Mr. Knox was born in New York, in 1845, came west in 1889 and settled in Colum- bia, where he lives now and is an esteemed and suc- cessful farmer. Mrs. Knox was born in Wisconsin, in 1847. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Mays was John E. Knox, born in Ireland, of Scotch descent, while her maternal grandfather, Levi Watris, was born in Canada and came to America when young. Mrs. Mays was born in Iowa, on September 26, 1881, and educated in the high school in Columbia county, Washington. She has the following brothers and sis- ter, John Arthur, Clara Mays, Walter and Bruce, all in Columbia county. Mr. Mays has the following named brothers and sisters, Daughty, deceased ; An- drew, near Dayton, Washington; Lulu, wife of Will- iam Hood in Kooskia, Idaho; Maude, wife of Willis Baldwin, in Dayton, Washington; Stella, Grace, Charlie, at Green Creek ; also a half brother, Robbie Dunn. Mr. Mays is active in the political world and has always allied himself with the Democratic party.

JOHN R. WOLFE. Among the enterprising and successful young men of Nez Perces county who are making a good success because of ability and industry we are constrained to mention the subject of this arti- cle, who at the present time is conducting an assay- ing office in Lewiston, where he is doing a fine busi- ness. Mr. Wolfe was born in Brown county, Kansas, on December 2, 1869, being the son of John C. and Cintha (Doughty) Wolfe. The father is a grocery man in Moscow, was born in Illinois in 1848, came to Washington in 1875 and to Idaho in 1876 and is now councilman of Moscow. He enlisted in the Union army when a boy and his parents took him out, after which he returned and re-enlisted. The mother of our subject was born in Ohio in 1849 and is living in Moscow, while her mother is still living in Illinois. Our subject remained with his parents until of age. He attended public school and worked on the farm and finally took a course in the University at Moscow, finishing with a special course in mineralogy. He then opened an office for assaying for two years in Moscow, after which he repaired to Florence and did business there for a time and at the time of the Buffalo Hump excitement he went thither and opened an of- fice for assaying, mining engineering and surveying, doing also a contracting business. Later we find him in Stuart on the Clearwater, running an assay office. Then he took a position with the Lolo Pioneer Mining Company in the Pierce City district and stayed with them until 1901. Then he went to Moscow and erected the White Cross Mills, after which he came to Lewiston and opened an assaying office, where he is doing a good business.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 63

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