An illustrated history of the state of Idaho, containing a history of the state of Idaho from the earliest period of its discovery to the present time, together with glimpses of its auspicious future; illustrations and biographical mention of many pioneers and prominent citizens of to-day, Part 49

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1014

USA > Idaho > An illustrated history of the state of Idaho, containing a history of the state of Idaho from the earliest period of its discovery to the present time, together with glimpses of its auspicious future; illustrations and biographical mention of many pioneers and prominent citizens of to-day > Part 49

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earlier monthis the amount of water is far beyond any possible requirement. The present irrigation facilities are: The Weiser Water Company's canal, seventeen miles in length, which supplies twelve thousand acres, this being ample for the present, and can be easily increased to double its size; and the Weiser Irrigation Company's canal, six miles in length, which supplies over three thousand acres and also furnishes power for mill- ing, the fall being twenty-seven feet, offering un- surpassed facilities for factories of any kind, and the capacity and usefulness of this property can be doubled at small outlay. Mann creek, Mon- roe and Jenkins' creek valleys are all supplied by local streams. Snake river at this point is a mag- nificent river one thousand feet wide and only divides the fertile valleys of Idaho from thou- sands of acres of equally productive lands in Ore- gon. The water is clear and pure, and when the demand comes for city water works no place in the world could excel Weiser for permanence and purity of its water supply. Water is also taken out for irrigation by means of wheels.

CHAPTER XXIV.

INDIVIDUAL RECORDS.

HON. JAMES G. WATTS.

A MONG the practitioners of the bar of Silver City, Idaho, is James G. Watts, who is also a distinguished member of the state senate. Pennsylvania is the state of his nativity, his birth having occurred in the town of Wellsboro, July 23, 1858. His father, Daniel Watts, was a native of Eng- land, and on crossing the Atlantic to America took up his residence in New York, whence he afterward removed to the Keystone state. There he was married to Miss Harriet Goodrich, a na- tive of Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and a repre- sentative of an old Puritan family. During the civil war the father entered the service of his country as a member of the Union army, and participated in the celebrated march to the sea. He died in a New York hospital of disease con- tracted in the service, leaving a widow and five children. The mother of these children died in 1890, when she had attained the age of sixty years.

James G. Watts acquired his literary education in the Mansfield (Ohio) Normal School, where he was graduated in the class of 1880. For a number of years he successfully engaged in teach- ing school, and then began preparation for the legal profession as a student in the law office of Hon. T. W. McNealy, of Pittsburg, Illinois. Later he attended the Union College of Law, of Chicago, and was admitted to practice April 1, 1886, in North Platte, Nebraska. He com- menced practice at Ogallala, Nebraska, and con- tinued there two years; then was in Omaha two years. In 1890 he removed to Idaho City, con- tinuing a member of the bar of that place for three years, since which time he has made his home in Silver City. Here he has enjoyed a satisfactory clientage, and has been connected with most of the important litigation tried in the courts of his district. He has a keenly analytical mind and determines with accuracy the strong

points in a suit without losing sight of the de- tails. He is exacting in the research and care with which he prepares his cases, and in argu- ment he is strong. His ability has drawn to him a large practice, and his success indicates his mastery of the principles of jurisprudence.

In 1889 Mr. Watts was united in marriage to Miss Pearl Stoner, a daughter of S. A. Stoner, who was engaged in merchandising in Ogallala,, Nebraska. They have two children-James G. and Nancy E. Mr. Watts is a member of the Episcopal church and of the Masonic lodge of .Silver City, in which he is now serving as junior warden. His political support is given the men and measures of the Democratic party, and while in Idaho City he was elected to the second ses- sion of the state senate. In 1898 he was again elected to that position from Owyhee county, and is now serving most creditably in the upper house of the state legislature, his close study of the issues of the day and the needs of the com- monwealth enabling him effectively to advocate those measures which he believes are best calcu- lated to promote the general welfare. At the close of the fifth session of the legislature he was appointed by Governor Stuenenberg chairman of the code commission-a commission created by the legislature to codify and annotate the laws of the state. He is accounted one of the leading lawyers of the state, one of its most competent officials, and is highly esteemed for those social gifts and manly qualities which render him popu- lar with all classes of society.

GEORGE PETTENGILL.

The subject of this review is one whose his- tory touches the pioneer epoch in the annals of the state of Idaho, and whose days form an inte- gral part of that indissoluble chain which linked the early formative period with that of latter day progress and prosperity. Not alone is there par- ticular interest attaching to his career as one of

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HISTORY OF IDAHO.

the pioneers of Idaho, but in reviewing his genealogical record we find his lineage tracing back to the colonial history of the nation and to that period which marked the inception of the grandest republic the world has ever known. Through such sources have we attained the true American type, and along this line must our in- vestigations proceed if we would learn of the steadfast and unyielding elements which consti- tute the basis upon which has been reared the lofty and magnificent superstructure of an en- lightened and favored commonwealth.

In 1620 Richard Pettengill was born in Staf- fordshire, England, and in 1641 he landed on the shores of New England, there to found a family that has sent its branches out into various sec- tions of the country. He married Johanna Ingersol, and their son, Samuel, was married February 3, 1674, to Sarah Poor. On the 18th of December, 1692, was born to them a son, to whom they gave the name of Benjamin. He was the father of Andrew P. Pettengill, the grand- father of the subject of this sketch. He was born in 1742 and removed to Salisbury, New Hampshire, where he married Miss Sarah Abi- gail Greely, who was born in 1749. Their son, David Pettengill, father of our subject, was born December 4, 1791, and married Hannah Quinby. She died, and he later married her sister, Sarah Abigail Quinby, who became the mother of our subject. In 1838 they removed to Alton, Illinois, and the father established one of the first saw- mill industries in that section of the state, but he was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, his death occurring soon after his arrival in the Mississippi valley. His wife did not long sur- vive him, and thus three little children were left orphans in that then new country.

George Pettengill was born in Salisbury, New Hampshire, on the 18th of May, 1832, and was only ten years old at the time of his mother's death. Thus early he was thrown upon his own resources, and whatever success he has since achieved is due entirely to his own efforts. He worked on a farm and obtained his education in the hard school of experience. At the age of seventeen he secured a clerkship in a country store, and was thus employed until the building of the railroad from Alton, Illinois, to Terre Haute, Indiana, when he was made superintend-

ent of a number of men engaged on the con- struction of that road. In 1852, with a party of fifteen, he crossed the plains with oxen, taking three hundred head of cattle. At Fort Laramie, in company with five companions, he left the re- mainder of the party and continued the journey to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he remained for a month. On the expiration of that period Mr. Pettengill resumed his trip, by way of the Honey Lake Valley route, to California, and, after a short time passed at Shasta, went to Weaverville. He engaged in mining along the Trinity river until 1858, when, attracted by the excitement at the Fraser river, he made his way thither in search of gold.

The following year, however, Mr. Pettengill returned to California and for some years was en- gaged in hauling freight from Red Bluff, then the head of steamboat navigation on the Sacramento river, to various points in the northern section of the state. In 1862 he came with a pack train across the mountains to Lewiston, Idaho, and engaged in the raising of cattle and horses on Squaw creek, in which undertaking he met with excellent success, having on hand as many as three hundred and fifty head of cattle at one time and half that number of horses. In 1883 he came to Boise and for some time conducted the Central Hotel, but for some years past has been engaged in the public service.

In politics Mr. Pettengill has been a lifelong Republican, and in 1876 was a member of the territorial council for Boise county. He repre- sented Ada county in the state legislature in 1884, and from 1887 until 1890 he was the assessor of Ada county, a position which he has since filled for six years. His long service plainly indicates his fidelity to duty and his ability in the discharge of the tasks that fall to his lot. He is thoroughly posted on the value of every piece of property in the county, and neither fear nor favor can swerve him from the path of duty and rectitude.

In 1876 Mr. Pettengill was united in marriage to Mrs. Anna Harris, and they have three sons. The eldest, George T., is now in the naval service of his country, as a member of the crew of the Puritan. He was at Matanzas and had the honor of firing the first shot in the Spanish-American war. The other sons, Benjamin and Hugh, are twins, and are graduates of the high school of

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Boise. The family is one of prominence in the community and the members of the household occupy a prominent position in social circles. His political career has been marked by fidelity, and in social circles his genuine worth commands the respect of all. He is numbered among Ida- ho's honored pioneers, and his name should be placed high on the roll of her leading citizens.

ED E MAXEY, M. D.

Illinois has furnished to Idaho a number of her leading citizens, including Dr. E. E. Maxey, of Caldwell. He was born in Irvington, Wash- ington county, Illinois, on the 21st of August. 1867. , His ancestors resided in Maryland, Vir- ginia and Tennessee. His father, Dr. W. C. Maxey, was a practicing physician of Illinois for many years. He was graduated in the Univer- sity of Tennessee, and, determining to devote his energies to the medical profession, has gained marked prestige therein. During the civil war he joined the First Illinois Cavalry and afterward re-enlisted in the Eightieth Illinois Infantry, being promoted to the rank of lieutenant before the close of hostilities, in recognition of his meri- torious service on the field of battle. For the past twelve years he has resided in Caldwell, where he has secured a large and lucrative prac- tice. In politics he is a Republican and was elected a member of the convention which framed the present state constitution of Idaho. He was also at one time commandant of the Soldiers' Home in Boise and is now United States exam- ining surgeon.

Dr. Ed E. Maxey is one of a family of seven children. He prepared for his professional career in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Chicago, graduating in the spring of 1891, imme- diately after which he began the practice of medi- cine in Caldwell, where he has succeeded in building up a good business. He is now the resi- dent surgeon of the Oregon Short Line Railroad, which passes through the town. He is a member of the State Medical Association of Idaho, and his prominence therein is indicated by the fact that he is now serving his second term as secre- tary of the organization. He is also a member of the American Medical Association. In the af- fairs of Caldwell he has taken an active part, and is a public-spirited, progressive citizen. He has

filled the office of coroner, has been a member of the city council, and was the first coroner of Canyon county, having been appointed to that position by Governor Willey when the county was formed, and on the expiration of his first term was re-elected. Socially he is connected with the Masonic fraternity and is past master of Essene Lodge, No. 22, of Caldwell. Devoted to the noble and humane work which his profession implies, Dr. Maxey has proved faithful, and has not only earned the due reward of his efforts in a temporal way but has also proved himself worthy to exercise the important functions of his calling.

ANTONE HINKEY.

The popular proprietor of the Commercial Hotel at Nampa is a native of Ottawa, Illinois, where he was born April 2, 1857, his ancestors having come from Germany. His early educa- tion was obtained in the public schools of Ottawa, where he remained until reaching his eighteenth year, when he went to Nevada and engaged in farming and stock-raising until 1888, and then he came to Nampa and built the Commercial House, which has done the greater part of the hotel busi- ness of the town. The building is fifty by sixty feet, two stories in height. and contains thirty nicely furnished rooms. Mr. Hinkey is a most accommodating host, sparing no pains to make the traveling public feel at home and comfortable in his house. The hotel is centrally located, con- venient to the trains and the town and has the majority of the transient trade.

Politically Mr. Hinkey is a stanch member of the Democratic party and has served his home city as trustee, and is numbered among her en- terprising and liberal citizens.

GEORGE O. SAMPSON.

George O. Sampson, of Silver City, was born in Siskiyou, California, on the IIth of Decem- ber, 1853, and is of English lineage, the original American ancestors of the family having settled in Maine on their emigration from the Old World. Jonathan Sampson, the father of our subject, was born in the Pine Tree state and en- gaged in the lumber business there. In 1850, however, he came to the Pacific coast and en- gaged in mining in California, also in lumbering in Siskiyou county. In 1855 he removed to Ash-

EMBarton

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HISTORY OF IDAHO.

land, Oregon, and later took up his abode in Portland. He lived to a good old age and spent his last days at Garden City. His life was up- right and honorable, in harmony with his profes- sions as a member of the Methodist church. His wife lived to be sixty-three years of age. They were the parents of six children, five of whom reached years of maturity, while four are still liv- ing.

George O. Sampson acquired the greater part of his education in Portland, Oregon, and on putting aside his text-books became a mechan- ical engineer. His residence in Idaho dates from 1864. He worked on newspapers for some years and in 1871 came to Silver City, where he was employed as an engineer for about fifteen years, running some of the largest hoists in the camp. In 1893 he purchased the Silver City and De Lamar stage line, and in January, 1894, in part- nership with J. C. Brown, bought out the De Lamar Livery Company. In 1895 they also pur- chased the Owyhee livery stable at Silver City, and in October, 1896, they sold the other stable and the stage line to Messrs. Scott, McCain and Forney, retaining the Silver City business. In 1896 they purchased the big Palmer ranch in Pleasant valley, where they have eight hundred acres of land under fence, and cut about three hundred tons of hay annually, while extensive pastures supply the needs for their surplus live stock. This is one of the best conducted ranches in southern Idaho, and the proprietors also have the leading livery business in Silver City. Their barns are well supplied with good horses and vehicles of various kinds, and their honorable business methods and earnest desire to please their patrons have brought them a large and con- stantly increasing business.

In public affairs Mr. Sampson has borne an important part, and in 1888 was called to repre- sent Owyhee county in the territorial legislature, where, giving careful consideration to every sub- ject or question to be acted upon, he supported such measures as he believed for the public good and was a valued member of the house. He is now chairman of the "silver" Republican county central. committee, and was a delegate to the "silver" Republican state convention held in Boise in 1898. He is also a member of the state central committee, and his opinions carry consid-

erable weight in the councils of his party. Socially he is connected with the Knights of Pythias, and has been master of the exchequer in the home lodge. He is also a member of the Masonic lodge and has served therein as master. He is a broad-minded man, who, in his support of measures affecting the general welfare, looks beyond the exigencies of the moment to the fu- ture needs, and his devotion to the public good, his irreproachable business record and his social qualities have won him the high esteem of all whom he has met.

E. M. BARTON.

There is probably no better criterion of the growing and prosperous condition of a town or city than its hotel interests. The town which is self-centered, having no connection with the out- side world, is unprogressive, its business stag- nates, and its residents become lacking in enter- prise, but if connected with outside affairs, travel and commerce add new life and energy, and there is a demand for entertainment on the part of the visitors, which makes good hotels a necessity. One of the most popular hostelries in this section of the state is known as the Weiser Hotel, owned by the Barton Brothers, and under the personal management of the gentleman whose name in- troduces this review. He has gained for his honse a reputation that is far-reaching, and its excellence in every particular has secured it a very liberal patronage. The hotel building was com- pleted in February, 1897, and is built of brick, the main building being one hundred and ten by thirty-two feet, two stories in height with base- ment, while the wing is thirty by seventy teet and of the same height. The hotel contains thirty- nine rooms furnished and fitted up in modern style and supplied with the latest improvements and conveniences. E. M. Barton, its manager, is a very genial, courteous gentleman, and as lie does all in his power to make his guests com- fortable he has become a very popular landlord and has many friends among those whose lives are largely devoted to travel.

He was born in Miller county, Missouri, De- cember 16, 1856, and is descended from Welsh ancestors, who located in the south at an early period in the history of this country and were for many years residents of Tennessee and Ken-

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tucky. John H. Barton, father of our subject, was a native of Bowling Green, Tennessee, and in Kentucky married Miss Olive Johnson. In 1854 he removed with his family to Missouri, where he owned lands and engaged in farming until 1873. He then resumed his westward journey, accompanied by his wife and five chil- dren. He remained for a year in Kansas and two years in Colorado, then came to Idaho, locating in Weiser in September, 1877. He departed this life in June, 1897, and his estimable wife survived him only six weeks. They were seventy-nine and eighty years of age, respectively, at the time of death. Of their children three are still living.

E. M. Barton, the youngest child, acquired the greater part of his education in the schools of Missouri. He accompanied his parents on their various removals, and since coming to Weiser has been engaged in business with his brother James. They have given their attention to min- ing and stock-raising and are still extensively engaged in those enterprises. They have ten thousand sheep and own two sections of land, on which they raise one thousand tons of hay per annum. They own several valuable quartz mines in the Seven Devils mining district, and have sold a mine at Mineral City for nine thousand dollars, another for twenty thousand dollars and a third for thirty-two thousand dollars. They also have valuable property interests in Weiser, in addition to the hotel, and in connection with managing the last named enterprise E. M. Bar- ton is also serving as a director of the Weiser Bank. He and his brother are accounted two of the most enterprising, successful and reliable business men of Washington county, and enjoy the regard of all with whom they have been asso- ciated.

In 1888 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Barton and Miss Carrie Grab, a native of Mis- souri, and a daughter of Conrad Grab, a farmer of the Salubria valley. They have three children: Edward Conrad, a student in Baker City, Ore- gon: Katie E., and Inez. Mr. Barton is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias fraternity. He has given his support in many generous ways to the perpetuation of those forces which conserve the best interests of any com- munity, and it has been no insignificant part he

has taken in the substantial upbuilding of his adopted city and state. He is a man of unim- peachable integrity and sound judgment. His mental acumen gives him a thorough compre- hension of large issues and at the same time an appreciation of all essential details. Such quali- ties have brought him marked success and made him one of the leading business men of his sec- tion of the state.

TROWBRIDGE C. EGLESTON.

Occupying a prominent position among the leading business men of Caldwell, Idaho, we find the subject of this biography, Trowbridge C. Egleston, wholesale and retail dealer in hard- ware, stoves, tinware, groceries, provisions, wagons and farm machinery. The business of which Mr. Egleston is the head was established in 1884 by Frank R. Coffin & Brother. In 1892 Mr. Egleston purchased the store and has since been at the head of its management, doing a prosperous business. He occupies a brick build- ing, forty by one hundred and twenty-five feet in · dimensions, with basement, and also has two large storehouses, in which his supply stock is kept.

Mr. Egleston is a native of Ohio. He was born in Madison, that state, June 19, 1857, and traces his ancestry to England. The progenitor of the Egleston family in this country was Eben Egleston, who settled in Massachusetts at an early date. He was by trade a tanner, and was a most influential and worthy citizen. His family comprised three sons. Russell S. Egleston, the father of Trowbridge C., was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, and in early life had excellent educational advantages. He graduated at both Auburn Theological Seminary and Williams College, and was for many years in the active work of the ministry of the Presbyterian church. He preached in Madison, Ohio, Westfield, Con- necticut, and Gaines, New York, his pastoral work covering half a century. He is now eighty- three years of age, vigorous in both mind and body, and is still a resident of Gaines, New York. His good wife, who is now seventy-two years of age, was formerly Miss Elizabeth Trowbridge, she being a native of Dutchess county, New York. To them were born two sons and a daughter.

HOTEL

WEISER

Hotel Weiser, Idaho.

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OF IDAHO.

Trowbridge C. Egleston was educated at Cor- nell University, Ithaca. New York, and learned the hardware business in Albion, that state, and in the hardware establishment of Pratt & Com- pany, of Buffalo, was employed for some time. He then became traveling salesman for the Cam- bia Iron Company, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with which he was connected four years, and the following four years he traveled for the Simmons Hardware Company, of St. Louis. While thus occupied he learned the manufacturers' prices and gained a wide range of information, which has been of great value to him since he estab- lished himself in a business of his own. On pur- chasing the store above referred to at Caldwell, he centered his interests here and from the first has met with merited success, and he now con- trols a trade that extends into the surrounding country for miles.

Mr. Egleston was married in 1878 to Miss Sarah B. Mann, of Pittsfield, Ohio, daughter of Philo H. Mann, an Ohio stockman. Mr. and Mrs. Egleston have two daughters, Florence I. and Ethel E. Mrs. Egleston is a member of the Baptist church.

Fraternally, Mr. Egleston is a Mason, having received the degrees of the blue lodge and chap- ter. He has served Caldwell as mayor, and is a Republican, taking a commendable interest al- ways in public affairs and looking ever to the welfare of his city and country.

TIM SHEA.

Perhaps no one business enterprise or indus- try indicates more clearly the commercial and social status of a town than its hotels. The wide- awake, enterprising villages and cities must have pleasant accommodations for visitors and travel- ing men, and the foreign public judges of a com- munity by the entertainment afforded to the strangers. In this regard the Idaho Hotel, of which Mr. Shea is proprietor, is an index of the character and advantages of Silver City, for the hostelry will rank favorably with those of many a larger place, and its genial proprietor neglects nothing that can add to the comfort of his guests.

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An illustrated history of the state of Idaho, containing a history of the state of Idaho from the earliest period of its discovery to the present time, together with glimpses of its auspicious future; illustrations and biographical mention of many pioneers and prominent citizens of to-day, Part 49

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 1014

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1014