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 72
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Socially Mr. Poe is connected with the Ma-
F.C. Ramsey
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sonic fraternity, having joined the order at Mount Idaho in 1876. He now affiliates with Lewiston Lodge, No. 10, F. & A. M. In politics he has been a lifelong and ardent Democrat, has kept well informed on the issues of the day and has rendered his party valuable service in the cam- paigns. The record of Mr. Poe is that of a man who has by his own efforts worked his way up- ward to a position of affluence. His life has been one of industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable business methods he has followed, together with his diligence and ability in his profession, have won him the sup- port and confidence of many. Without the aid of wealth, he has risen to a position among the most prominent men of the state, and his native genius and acquired ability are the stepping stones on which he mounted.
FRANK C. RAMSEY.
The history of a state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly a chronicle of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges of the character of a community by those of its repre- sentative citizens, and yields its tribute of ad- miration and respect for the genius or learning or accomplishment of those whose works and actions constitute the record of a state's prosper- ity and pride. In a review of the events that constitute the annals of Idaho we learn that Frank C. Ramsey is numbered among those who have been active in shaping the policy of the state, in promoting its interests and advancing its welfare. In public office he has acquitted himself as a loyal and patriotic citizen, having the best interests of the state at heart, and to-day he is a recognized leader in political circles.
A resident of Boise, where he engaged in the loan and insurance business, he was born in Fulton county, Pennsylvania, in 1855, and is of Scotch and German ancestry. The founders of the family in America were early settlers in the south, and the maternal ancestry furnished sev- eral representatives to the colonial army in the war of the Revolution. His father, James Ram- sey, was born and reared in the south, and in early life removed to Pennsylvania, where he was married to Miss Susan Snyder, a native of Penn- sylvania. They had seven children, all of whom
are living. The father departed this life in 1859, but the mother lived to the age of eighty years and passed away on the 6th of March, 1898. They were members of the Methodist church and Mr. Ramsey was an honest and industrious farmer who won the respect of all with whom he came in contact.
In the public schools of his native state Frank C. Ramsey acquired his early education, which was supplemented by a course in the Iron City Business College. Owing to ill health he sought a change of climate, going first to Ohio and thence to Idaho, where he spent some years en- gaged in farming. He later removed to Kansas and afterward to Colorado, where he engaged in the stock business until 1884,-the year of his arrival in Idaho. Here he continued in stock raising for some time. In Cassia county he turned his attention to journalistic work, becom- ing the publisher of the Cassia County Times, now the Albion Times. He also published the Pocatello Tribune, both Republican papers, and through the columns of those journals exerted considerable influence in public affairs.
While in Cassia county, Mr. Ramsey served as county assessor and was elected a member of the legislature in 1890, taking a prominent part in the great senatorial contest of that year. In 1892 he was nominated and elected on the Republican ticket state auditor of Idaho, and so acceptably discharged the duties of that responsi- ble position that he was re-elected in 1894. His official record was indeed creditable and he was again nominated in 1896, this time for state treasurer; but in that year there was great dis- satisfaction among the Republicans of Idaho on account of the money question and he was de- feated by the candidate of the People's Demo- cratic party. He is a member of the Republican state central committee and president of the Re- publican League of Ada county. After con- pleting his term as auditor he was engaged in the insurance and loan business for about two years. or until he was appointed by President Mckinley United States marshal for Idaho, receiving his commission September 10, 1898.
On the 2d of February, 1888, Mr. Ramsey mar- ried Miss Rachel Worthington, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, and they have three children,- Marion L., Lilian G. and Frances C. Mr. Ram-
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sey is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is very popular among his brethren of these so- cieties, in political circles and in business and social life; for his uniform courtesy, his char- acter, worth and his genial manner have brought him the friendship and regard of a large circle of acquaintances.
CHARLES L. GRITMAN, M. D.
Among the ablest representatives of the med- ical profession of Idaho is Dr. Gritman, of Mos- cow, who is successfully engaged in practice as the senior member of the firm of Gritman & Ward, and is also conducting the Moscow Hos- pital. He was born near Springfield, Illinois, December 28, 1862. His grandfather, Erastus Gritman, was a native of Germany, and when a young man crossed the broad Atlantic to Amer- ica, locating at Lockport. He thus became the progenitor of the family in the United States. He was married at Lockport, spent the remainder of his life there and died at the age of seventy-nine years,-an honest, industrious and respected farmer. His son, Delos Walter Gritman, the Doctor's father, was born in Lockport in 1831, and in his nineteenth year removed to central Illinois, where he married Mary Ellen Davis, a native of Maryland. In his early life he was a carpenter, contractor and builder, but later be- came a prosperous farmer. He and his wife were valued members of the Methodist church. The father died in 1893 at the age of sixty-two years, and the mother died exactly a year later, at the age of fifty-eight years. They had a family of nine children, eight of whom are living.
The Doctor, the third in order of birth, was reared on the home farm and obtained his literary education in Lincoln, Illinois. He then became a student in the Cincinnati Medical College and was graduated in the class of 1890, entering upon an active connection with the medical pro- fession in that city. There he remained until September, 1892, when he was called home ou account of the death of his mother, the family having in the meantime removed to Washington. His father being in poor health, the Doctor did not return to the east, but remained on the Pa- cific coast and soon afterward opened an office in Moscow, where he rapidly acquired a large
and lucrative patronage. He is well versed in his chosen profession and his devotion thereto has made him one of its most able representatives in this part of the state. In 1897 he opened the hospital, which is a well built two-story brick structure, located on the main street of the town and containing sixty rooms. It is fitted up with all modern appliances and conveniences for the care of the sick, and has been well patronized. In his practice Dr. Gritman is now associated with Dr. Ward, and in the hospital they are as- sisted by an able corps of trained nurses. Their office is on the first floor of the hospital building, and in addition to the care of the patients in the institution they enjoy a large general practice, both in medicine and surgery.
On the IIth of January, 1895, Dr. Gritman was united in marriage to Miss Bertie E. Cox, a native of Washington, and their hospitable home is the center of a cultured society circle, their friends in the community being many. The Doc- tor is a member of the Woodmen of the World and the Fraternal Union of America, and in his political views is a stanch Republican, but has never been a politician in the sense of office-seek- ing, preferring to devote his time and energies to his professional duties, in which he is meeting with most creditable success and in which he has attained a most enviable reputation.
HON. JOHN I. MITCHAM.
The well known and popular postmaster of Kendrick, John Irving Mitcham, was born in Indiana, April 7, 1849, and is of Scotch-Irish lineage, his ancestors being early settlers of South Carolina. His paternal grandfather emigrated to Ohio at an early day, and there John Mitcham, father of our subject, was born and reared. When a young man he removed to Indiana and was married in the Hoosier state to Miss Jane Mc- Cann, a native of Indiana. They have been life- long and faithful members of the United Brethren church, and now, in their declining years, are surrounded by the veneration and respect which should always accompany an honorable old age. They reside in Fairbury, Nebraska, to which state they removed in 1867. The father is now eighty-five years of age, and the mother eighty- one. Their home was blessed with five children, three of whom are living, and they have passed
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the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding day, thus traveling life's journey together for more than half a century, their mutual love and con- fidence increasing as the years have gone by.
The subject of this sketch is the eldest of their children. He was educated in Greenhill Sem- inary, in Indiana, and at Taber College, Iowa, and has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and religious work in the United Brethren and Methodist churches. In 1885 he was ordained a minister of the gospel, and became a very zealous and efficient worker in the Master's vine- yard. He joined the Columbia river conference and for some years also carried on his ministerial labors in Idaho. He came to Kendrick very early in the history of the town, in 1883, and purchased seventy-five acres of land adjoining the corporation limits. He has a very pleasant home, overlooking the picturesque valley in which the town is located. the view being a most attractive and delightful one, hardly surpassed in the entire state, which so richly deserves the name of "Gem of the Mountains."
Mr. Mitcham was happily married August 22, 1878, to Miss Arizona Miller, a native of Ne- braska. Three children, two daughters and a son, have come to bless their union,-Floyd, Mary E. and John Milton.
In his political affiliations Mr. Mitcham is a stalwart Republican, unswerving in his advocacy of the principles of the party. On that ticket lie was elected a member of the last territorial legis- lature of Idaho and has been a member of the state senate. His close study of the conditions, needs and demands of the state made him a val- uable member of the assembly and his aid was zealously given to every measure which he be- lieved would prove of public benefit. For three years he served as a member of the city council of Kendrick, was mayor of the city two terms, was police judge four years and justice of the peace six years. His public duties have ever been discharged in a most prompt and faithful manner, showing him to be a trustworthy and patriotic official. He is a man of broad general information, of sound judgment and the highest integrity of character and has the unqualified confidence of his fellow townsmen and all who know him. The cause of education has also found in him a warm friend, and he has taken
a deep interest in everything pertaining to the intellectual advancement of this town, county and state. For three years he was a member of the school board of Kendrick, was largely instru- mental in securing the establishment of the State University at Moscow, and has the credit of hav- ing cast the" deciding vote which located the State Normal School at Lewiston. He received the appointment of postmaster of Kendrick on the 3d of July, 1897, and has made a very capable officer, winning the commendation of all con- cerned. In manner he is free from all ostentation and display, but his intrinsic worth is recognized and his friendship is most prized by those who know him best, showing that his character will bear the scrutiny of close acquaintance. He is a generous, broad-minded man, a true type of the American spirit and an embodiment of that progress which in the last few years has drawn to this country the admiring gaze of the nations of the world.
DE FOREST CHAMBERLAIN.
Not only has the subject of this all too brief sketch seen southeastern Idaho grow from a wild country, with only a few white inhabitants, to a rich agricultural country, containing thousands of good homes and acres of growing towns, in- habited by an industrious, prosperous, enlight- ened and progressive people, but he has partici- pated in and assisted the slow, persistent work of development which was necessary to produce a change which is so complete that it has come to be popularly referred to as magical.
De Forest Chamberlain is descended from English and Irish ancestors, who settled in America before the Revolution and were partici- pants in the struggle for liberty. Riley Chamber- lain, his father, was born in Vermont, and mar- ried Miss Sarah Mann, a native of Onondaga county, New York. With his wife he removed to Illinois, some time between 1830 and 1840, where he died in 1873, aged sixty-six vears. His widow is still living, aged eighty-one, making her home with a daughter at Creston, Iowa. They had three children.
De Forest Chamberlain was born in Stark county, Illinois, August 24, 1843. He entered Lombard University with the intention of taking the full collegiate course, but his studies were in-
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terrupted by his patriotic ardor, aroused by the opening of actual hostilities between the northern and southern sections of our country, early in 1861. He was one of the first to offer services for the defence of the Union, and enlisted, June 17, 1861, in Company B, Nineteenth Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry. His first active service was in Missouri, under General John C. Fremont. Later he served in the Department of the Tennessee. He was in battle at Stone river, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Resaca, and was promoted to sergeant and honorably discharged from the service and mustered out July 9, 1864, after hav- ing served his country faithfully for three years and twelve days. In 1866 he went west and traveled extensively through Colorado, Wyom- ing and Idaho, prospecting and mining, but not successfully. He went to the Dakotas also, and to western Nebraska, on a prospecting tour, a part of the time in company with one or two others who were going his way for longer or shorter distances. While journeying thus through the Indian country, he had many peril- ous adventures, and hair-breadth escapes. Several of his party were killed in a skirmish with the Indians at South Pass. At Lodge Pole creek he and a companion were attacked by fifty Indians. Mr. Chamberlain and his comrade were provided with long-range rifles and were fairly supplied with ammunition and they stood their assailants off for twenty hours. How the siege may have terminated under other circumstances cannot be known, but it was evident to them that the policy of the Indians was to induce them to expend their ammunition and after they had done so to close in on them and destroy them. Opportunely two companies of United States cavalry came upon the scene and the Indians took their ponies and escaped.
It was in April, 1879, that Mr. Chamberlain came to Idaho Falls. The railroad, then under construction, had its terminus here. He opened a saloon and built the Chamberlain hotel, which he managed successfully for seventeen years. Since 1896 he has kept it open as a lodging house only. After coming to the town, he bought one hundred and eighty acres of land, all of which has been platted and added to the town site, and he has sixty-five acres more adjoining the town. He has taken an active interest in the
breeding of fine trotting horses and has bred several of more than ordinary merit and is the owner of Young Gypsey Boy, which is regarded as one of the best horses in the state, if not the best one.
Ever since the organization of the Grand Army of the Republic Mr. Chamberlain has been identi- fied with it actively and helpfully. He is a member of Joe Hooker Post, No. 20, of Idaho Falls, and has several times served as its commander. He is past master of the Eagle Rock Lodge, No. 19, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Idaho Falls, and has a wide acquaintance among Ma- sons throughout Idaho and adjacent states. In his political views he is a Populist, but his tastes have never inclined him to special activity in political work, yet he is not without recognized influence in his party. He is a modest man who says little of himself or his achievements, but his worth is known to his fellow citizens, who give him rank as a leader in public-spirited work for the general good and regard him as an upright and reliable man of business and one of great value to Idaho Falls. He was married, Novem- ber 12, 1871, to Miss Harriet Regan, a native of New York city.
ALFRED DAMAS.
The career of Mr. Damas has been a very eventful and interesting one, and now, at the age of sixty-four, he is the possessor of a handsome competence,-the fitting reward of his well spent life. For twenty-six years he has been prominently connected with the mercantile interests of Lewiston and his efforts have been an important element in the prog- ress 'and advancement of this section of the state. He was born far from his present home, being a native of Brussels, Belgium, where his birth occurred on the 18th of July, 1835. He attended school in his native country until nine years of age and then became a cadet in the celebrated naval academy at Antwerp, where he remained for several years, spending a part of the time on a school-ship at sea. During that period they sailed in every sea and visited all of the principal ports of the world, and later Mr. Damas was graduated as a second-class midship- man.
In 1848 his father sent him to Salem, Massa- chusetts, to learn the English language, and
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there, as an apprentice, he went aboard the vessel Thomas Perkins, under command of Captain William Rogers, sailing for San Francisco, Cali- fornia, the vessel dropping anchor in that harbor in the summer of 1849. Gold had but recently been discovered and the great excitement there caused every man to desert the ship save Mr. Damas and the captain, who had to do the com- mon sailor's work. Early in the spring of 1850 they secured a small crew of men and boys and sailed to the Sandwich islands, where a good crew was employed, and from there they con- tinued the voyage around the world. They remained at Calcutta, India, for some time and returned by way of the Cape of Good Hope, visiting St. Helena and the place where one of the greatest military heroes of the world, Napoleou Bonaparte, was laid to rest. They reached Bos- ton, Massachusetts, just before Christmas of 1851, and found Captain Rogers' father ready to launch the Witchcraft, a very fast sailing clipper ship, making a record of eighteen miles an hour. Mr. Damas was sent aboard this ship under his former captain and was given the confidential position of secretary. They took on a cargo for San Francisco and started on a second voyage around the world. In the China sea the vessel was totally dismantled in a severe typhoon, in which several ships were lost, but after great effort the Witchcraft managed to reach Hong Kong, where she remained four months undergo- ing repairs. Notwithstanding all this she made better time to San Francisco than any other ves- sel had previously done. From Rio Janeiro they took on four hundred Chinamen for San Francisco, and during the voyage the Celestials mutinied, and almost succeeded in gaining con- trol of the ship, but finally they were subdued and the Witchcraft reached San Francisco in safety. There they proceeded to prepare for another trip to Calcutta, but Mr. Damas came to the conclusion that it was advisable to seek to better his condition on land, as he saw no pros- pect of ever becoming owner of a vessel and probably would never be more than a third of- ficer, or at most a second officer. The relations between himself and Captain Rogers had always been most harmonious and agreeable, and the Captain gave a very reluctant consent to Mr. Da- mas' withdrawal, yet acceded the justice of his
wishes to better his lot in life. He was, how- ever, asked to remain until the ship was ready to start. While the preparations for sailing were being made the crew made considerable fun of him, assuring him that he would not be allowed to leave the ship, and he had some fears himself that such might be the case, but he packed his trunk and had all in readiness to disembark. The pilot came on board, the ship set sail, and it was not until the pilot left the Witchcraft that Mr. Damas received orders to go ashore. His trunk was then lowered into the pilot's boat, and the Captain bade him an affectionate good-bye, placing in his hand a sealed envelope, which on opening he found to contain a letter of recom- mendation and a check for one thousand dollars, -certainly a high tribute to the fidelity and ability of Mr. Damas!
After some time our subject went to Sierra county, California, where he engaged in mining with good success. In 1853 he took out as high as one hundred dollars per day, but he loaned his money and did not have much at the end of the year. He was one of the discoverers of the How- land Flats, a rich mining district, but before he knew the real value he sold out for a small sum and went to the Feather river, where lie became interested in the building of a large flume near Oroville. He was also interested in the Spanish Flat-water ditch. From there he went to Siski- you county, and arrived at Scott's Bar just in time to take a part in the Indian war on the Kla- math river. In 1861 the Oro Fino gold discov- eries attracted him to Idaho. As the snow melted and they progressed farther into the state, they endured many hardships. In 1862 Mr. Damas arrived at Lewiston, and at Oro Fino ac- cepted a clerkship in the store of A. P. Aukeny, remaining in that position until 1866, when, on his own account, he began packing goods to Montana. He sold out at Beartown, making ten thousand dollars on the transaction. He then returned to Oro Fino and succeeded A. P. Auk- eny & Company in the mercantile business. After successfully conducting a large trade there for about six years, he was taken ill and by his physician was advised to go to a lower altitude. This led to his removal to Lewiston, where he has made his home since 1872, engaged in the gen- eral merchandise business.
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In that year Mr. Damas went to San Fran- cisco, purchased a stock of general merchandise and opened the store which he thereafter carried on with eminent success. He had a large and well appointed store, carried a fine line of goods, and enjoyed a very liberal patronage from the beginning, so that he is now the possessor of a handsome competence acquired through his own well directed efforts. He sold out his busi- ness in May, 1899.
In 1869 Mr. Damas was united in marriage to Miss Maria Frances Sperling, a native of New York city, who was brought to Idaho in her early girlhood, and is now one of the honored pioneer women of the state. They have one daughter, Amy D., now the wife of Frank W. Kcttenbach, of Lewiston. She was born in Pierce City, in 1870, and is now one of the esteemed residents of Lewiston.
Mr. Damas has held several positions of pub- lic honor and trust. He was the first treasurer of Shoshone county, to which position he was elected in 1862. He was its first district deputy clerk and also filled the offices of justice of the peace and probate judge, but he is probably best known in connection with the Masonic fraternity, of which he is an exemplary member, his life standing in evidence of the humane, benevolent and ennobling principles of the order. He be- came a Master Mason in Mount Idaho Lodge, No. 9, in 1864, and since then has taken all the degrees of the York rite, and has attained the thirty-third degree of the Scottish rite, and been proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal Se- cret. He became a Royal Arch Mason in Lewis- ton Chapter, No. 4, has filled all of its offices, and was its high priest for four consecutive terms. He is a charter member of Lewiston Commandery, No. 2, was knighted in 1892, and has filled the office of generalissimo. Having been a close student of the teachings and tenets of Masonry, and becoming more and more im- pressed with its beautiful teachings, he advanced to the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite, and has been instrumental in founding the four bodies in Lewiston. He established the Lewis- ton Lodge of Perfection, No. 1, fourteenthi de- gree: Lewiston Rose Croix Chapter, No. I, eighteenth degree; Lewiston Consistory of Knights of Kodash, thirtieth degree; and Idaho
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