USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II > Part 105
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In 1906 he retired from active business and rented his farm to his son, Otto J., who has built one of the finest homes in the state upon an eighty acre tract of land which he owns adjoining that of his father. Mr. Fry's present affluent circumstances are in marked contrast to his condition when as a barefoot boy he was laboring to provide the necessaries of life. He has prospered as the years have passed and his energy and industry have been the basis of his advancement. His labors have ever been intelligently directed and he has made good use of his time, talents and oppor- tunities, thus winning a substantial measure of success as the years have gone by.
EDWARD STOCKTON.
A life of intense activity is bringing a substantial measure of success to Edward Stockton, who follows farming near New Plymouth, Payette county. He was born at Geneva, Kane county, Illinois, March 19, 1859. His father, Edward Stockton, was a native of New Jersey and a pioneer farmer of Illinois. At one time he refused two hundred and fifty dollars for a half block now located in the very heart of the city of Chicago. He was a young man when he settled in that state. He there married Maria Updyke, who was also a native of New Jersey, and both parents passed away at Geneva, Illinois.
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Edward Stockton acquired his education in the town of his birth and at the age of eighteen began work at the carpenter's trade, which he followed for eight years. He was in Los Angeles, California, during the boom days of 1885 to 1887 and saw that country develop from the raw. He also spent some time in the state of Nevada and at Lake Tahoe in the high Sierras. Commodore Stockton and the Stockton for whom the city of Stockton, California, was named were cousins of his father. In the year 1893 Edward Stockton assisted in the construction of the build- ings for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He is one of a family of ten children and the only one who has become identified with the far west.
Twenty years ago Mr. Stockton came to New Plymouth and settled at his - present home a half mile north of the town. Here he purchased forty acres of sage- brush land at ten dollars per acre and it seemed then as though the price was consid- erably more than the property was worth. The struggle during the first five years was a most difficult one for Mr. and Mrs. Stockton, who had left a good home in Illinois for the wilds of the west, and homesickness was one of their worst ills. They adhered to their purpose, however, and today they have a fine home and a ten acre orchard which is a most beautiful picture in the landscape, for among the trees grows a carpet of rich green alfalfa. He was offered five thousand dollars for his crop of apples in the year 1919. In addition to his fruit production he likewise cultivates grain and had eight hundred bushels of wheat in the present year. He also raises hay and horses and cattle, and he is a member of the Northwestern Fruit Growers Association, which organization has proven of inestimable value to the fruit growers of the northwest and has really been the vital factor that has enabled them to grow and market their fruit at a profit.
In 1900 Mr. Stockton was married to Miss Alta Conley, of Iowa, the wedding ceremony being performed at the home of her mother, Mrs. Rebecca (Hodyshell) Conley. They now have three children: Helen N., Richard E. and Mildred B. The family is widely and favorably known in this locality, with which the parents have been connected from the period of pioneer development. Mr. Stockton is a man of agreeable personality, of courteous and refined manner and of business ability that has enabled him to take advantage of existing conditions here and use his oppor- tunities in a most excellent way for the upbuilding of his own fortunes and the care of his family.
H. A. YOUNG.
H. A. Young represents important commercial interests in Nampa and Canyon county, being at the head of the Crystal Ice Company, a prosperous enterprise. He was born in Zanesville, Ohio, June 18, 1867, but in his early youth accompanied his parents on their removal to Van Buren county, Iowa, where the father engaged in the harness business, being numbered among the successful merchants of his community. He was a New Englander by birth and was one of the pioneers of his district in Iowa. He married Molly Agnes McBeth, a native of Ohio, but both he and his wife are now deceased. The father and his brother fought in the Civil war, the former being on the side of the north and the latter with the south. Both survived the conflict but were unable to locate each other until just previous to the brother's death, although our subject's father had employed every means at his command in order to find his brother. He was finally located through the war department at Washington, D. C., and the father reached his brother's bedside just before his death.
H. A. Young attended the common schools in Van Buren county, Iowa, rounding out his education by one year's attendance at Carthage College of Carthage, Illinois. Thus well prepared for life's arduous duties, at the age of eighteen years he found employment with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. After three years however, he joined the firm of Goldsmith & Joseph of Missouri, railroad contractors, and in a short time found recognition of his ability by becoming their foreman. As they did construction work he moved with them to various points from Spokane, Washington, to the Bear River irrigation canal, Utah, and remained on that work until its completion. In 1890 Mr. Young came to Nampa, Idaho, and was connected with the construction of the Phyllis irrigation canal until it was completed. He then had charge of the New York canal, north of Boise, on the Boise river, which,
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however, was not completed for several years. He next engaged in the contracting business in Nampa until the beginning of construction on the Boise-Payette project, when he joined Ferris & Kesl, who had a contract for a portion of this work. There he remained until the completion of the project and a year later again joined Ferris & Kesl in the work on the Milner dam of the Twin Falls South Side project. They were engaged for four years on the south side project, two years on the north side project, one year on the Twin Falls Salmon River project and two years on the Twin Falls Oakley project. The importance of Mr. Young's work in connection with these constructive enterprises is quite evident. On their completion he returned to Nampa and took charge of the Young Transfer & Storage business, which he had previously founded. Of this he remained the head until March, 1917, when he sold out and entered the coal and ice business under the name of the Crystal Ice Company, which he now conducts, largely controlling the retail trade of Nampa. He is not only an eminent construction engineer who has done valuable work in regard to the develop- ment of the state, but he also is a reliable and trustworthy business man, who, at the head of the Crystal Ice Company, enjoys the full confidence and trust of his patrons.
Mr. Young was married in 1907 to Eliza Woodall, of Albion, Idaho, and they have a son, Harry Lloyd, eight years of age. The family are very popular in the social circles of their city, and hoth Mr. and Mrs. Young enjoy the hospitality of the best homes of their neighborhood, while they often entertain their many friends at their own fireside.
Fraternally Mr. Young is an Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias and has gone through the chairs of both organizations. He was one of the district managers of the Red Cross drives previous to the signing of the armistice and has in every way supported all war measures, being thoroughly in agreement with the policy of the government in its prosecution of the war toward a successful end, in fact in every way he has proven himself a public-spirited citizen who has at heart the welfare of his community, county and state.
DANIEL L. BARKER.
Daniel L. Barker, devoting his attention to agricultural pursuits and numbered among the highly respected citizens in the vicinity of Meridian, was born in Suffolk, England, April 3, 1851, and acquired his early education there, while later he attended a private school at Bingen on the Rhine. He was in Germany when the war of 1870 broke out and the town was the center of the rush. While there he learned to speak the German language and he also speaks French as well as his native tongue. When twenty-one years of age he came to the new world, making his way to Illinois, where he was first employed in a brickyard for a period of two years. At the end of that time he had accumulated sufficient money to purchase a team and wagon and in that manner he drove across the country to Nebraska, where he took up a homestead on the Loup river in Howard county in 1874. After living upon that place for five years he sold the property and bought one hundred and sixty acres on the Pawnee reservation when it was thrown open for settlement. He had engaged in farming in Nebraska for twenty years when he removed to Idaho in January, 1895, and settled on his present home near Meridian. Here he pur- chased sixty acres of land covered with sagebrush, not a furrow having been turned nor an improvement made upon the place. He employed help to assist him in clearing the land and he has today one of the model farms of Idaho. He raised fruit and cereals until recent years but is now giving his attention to general farming and to the raising of pure bred Hampshire sheep. In all of his business affairs he has been actuated by a most progressive spirit that has led to the successful accomplishment of his purpose. Not only is he numbered among the representative farmers of the district hut has also done important work in other directions. He helped to organize the Nampa and Meridian Irrigation District for the purpose of putting water on seventy-five thousand acres in 1905 and acted as managing director thereof until January 1, 1919, since which time he has given his undivided attention to his private farming interests. The irrigation project was beset with great compli- cations and it was the arduous duty of Mr. Barker to straighten all this out, which he did to the complete satisfaction of all concerned, and the project is today one of
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the most successful irrigation interests of the state. He has made a scientific study of irrigation, reading broadly everything relating thereto throughout the entire period of his residence in Idaho.
In 1879 Mr. Barker was married to Miss Helen Walker, of Valley county, Nebraska, who passed away leaving three children: Jennie M., who is married and resides in Oregon; Daisy L., who is married and makes her home northwest of Meridian; and John W., who was an attorney of Lewistown, Montana, until America entered the war. He received his first commission at San Francisco, California, being made first lieutenant, was afterward promoted to captain, and later was major of the Thirteenth Infantry in the Eighth Division, stationed at Brest, France, in the inspector's department. In 1886 Mr. Barker was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Addie M. Egbert, of Austin, Minnesota, who by her former marriage had two children: E. Channing Egbert, who is married and resides at Rupert, Idaho; and Lee L., who is also married and has three children, his home being a mile south of the Barker farm. To Mr. Barker's second marriage there have been born three children. Anna E., who is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley of the class of 1914, is now the wife of J. H. Curtis, living in Meridian. Daniel L., aged twenty-nine years, has a homestead in British Columbia. He has just returned from overseas duty with the Canadian troops, having been a member of the Forty-ninth Battalion. He was in all of the hard fighting with that command. and although he escaped wounds, he was gassed. His homestead is situated in the Peace River country. Guy A., who is twenty-eight years of age, is married and lives in San Francisco, California. He was graduated from the University of Cali- fornia at Berkeley in 1914 and has recently returned from France, where he served as a captain of the Sixty-second Coast Artillery. J. H. Curtis enlisted in the Tank Corps but did not get across. Two of Mr. Barker's sons, Daniel L. and John W., visited the old home of their father in England while there during the war, but the only landmark which was left was an old pear tree.
Mr. and Mrs. Barker occupy a fine modern residence that stands on a prominence, commanding an unobstructed view of the surrounding country. Mr. Barker is a man of liberal education and culture, a wide reader and deep thinker, who has made wise use of his time. talents and opportunities not only to the betterment of his individual fortunes but also for the development of the community in which he has cast his lot.
M. F. ALBERT.
For seventeen years M. F. Albert has been a well known figure in financial circles in Payette, where he is now the cashier. of the First National Bank. The story of his life is the story of earnest endeavor and close application, resulting in the attain- ment of success and an honored name. He was born at Dushore, Pennsylvania, July 18, 1859, and is a son of George and Eliza (Bartch) Albert. The father was born in Germany and came to this country when twenty years of age to escape military service in his native land. He was born in 1832 and died in 1890. His wife is a native of Pennsylvania and at the age of eighty-two years is acting as housekeeper for her son, M. F. Albert, during the absence of his wife on a visit, showing that she is a remarkably well preserved woman.
M. F. Albert acquired his education in the graded school of his native town, in the Shenandoah high school and in the Bloomsburg State Normal School. Follow- ing his graduation from the last named institution in 1880 he taught school for eleven years, the most of that time being spent at Laporte, Pennsylvania, where he also filled the position of postmaster. The year 1892 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Albert in Payette, Idaho, being influenced to take this step by the favorable reports made by his two uncles concerning the country. His uncles had arrived one year before and were homesteading. On reaching Payette, Mr. Albert again took up the profession of teaching and became superintendent of the Payette schools, which position he occupied for ten years. He was then offered the cashiership in the new Bank of Commerce in 1902 and thus entered upon his career as a financier. He and his bank associates conducted the business for four years, when the Bank of Commerce was consolidated with the present First National Bank, and in June, 1919, Mr. Albert completed thirteen years' service as cashier of the bank, of which he is also a stockholder. As the years have
M. F. ALBERT
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passed he has extended his business efforts and is a stockholder in the Idaho Canning Company, in the Payette Valley Land & Orchard Company, in the Payette Valley Rex Spray Company and in all of these is likewise a director, thus having voice in their management and control. He is likewise engaged in fruit raising in the Payette Heights irrigation district. He assisted in promoting and was a director of the Noble Ditch Company, which was to furnish water for the New Plymouth bench lands, this being one of the first enterprises put forth for the public good of Payette-a work that was accomplished over twenty years ago Mr. Albert has also owned and sold a great deal of land in the Payette Valley and Twin Falls districts and is still interested in real estate in both places. His uncles have both retired from business as a result of the success which they have achieved in this country. Mr. Albert is associated with Peter Pence, W. A. Coughanour and General L. V. Patch in a number of important business enterprises and was also connected with the late Hon. A. B. Moss.
On the 7th of June, 1888, Mr. Albert was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Troup, of Newport, Pennsylvania, and they have four children. Lester F., thirty years of age, was in the employ of the Idaho Power Company when he enlisted for service in the World war. He was severely wounded in the battle of Chateau Thierry, losing both legs and a part of his right hand. He rose to the rank of lieutenant. David W., the second son, twenty-seven years of age, was also in military service, having been a sergeant on the Mexican border, and was greatly disappointed that he was not sent across for overseas service. Both sons were volunteers and are graduates of the University of Idaho at Moscow. Marvin D., twenty-three years of age, has for two years been a student at Moscow. Marjorie, the only daughter, is now a Sophomore in the University of Idaho, and all are graduates of the Payette high school.
Mr. Albert and his family are members of the Presbyterian church and they occupy a very prominent position in social circles. A spirit of marked progressiveness has actuated Mr. Albert at all points in his business career and he is a leading officer in the Payette Valley Commercial Club, of which he was one of the organizers. Through this and other avenues he does everything in his power to promote the growth and insure the further development of the district in which he lives. He is also a Mason of high rank. During the entire period of the war he did everything possible to ad- vance the interests of the government and the welfare of the soldiers at home and overseas. He was a campaign manager during the first and second Liberty Loan drives and was also one of the Four-Minute Men, at the same time serving as a member of the State Board of National Defense. He became one of the organizers of the Young Men's Christian Association of Payette, of which he is now the president and one of the directors. In every possible way he has contributed to the material, in- tellectual, social and moral development of the district and his labors have been far- reaching and resutlant. His political allegiance is given to the republican party but he is not strongly partisan, and he has served on the city council for one term, while for three terms he has been a member of the board of education, occupying the posi- tion of president for the past four years. He is likewise the president and one of the directors of the Payette Mills.
CHARLES S. GAMBLE.
Charles S. Gamble is now a retired rancher and hotel man living at Malta. There is no phase of pioneer life and development in the west with which he is not familiar. He has lived at various points on this side of the Mississippi when such points were frontier districts and has witnessed the tide of civilization steadily flowing westward until the wild land has been claimed and cultivated and the work of development and improvement has been introduced into every section of this great western country.
Mr. Gamble was born in Kent county, Maryland, March 7, 1846, and is a son of Robert and Anna C. (Miller) Gamble. He remained a resident of his native state to the age of sixteen years and afterward went to St. Louis, Missouri. He was employed as a clerk in a hardware store there in early life and later removed to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he was employed by the government for two years. In Sep- tember, 1868, he made his way to Fort Hall on the Indian reservation in connection with J. Q. Shirley and drove twelve hundred and fifty head of steers, these being the first Texas cattle which were driven across the trail. The following spring he
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made his way to the Raft river valley of Idaho and entered the employ of Shirley & Sweetser, prominent cattlemen, with whom he remained as a cow puncher for thirty years. His experiences in this connection were broad and varied, making him familiar with every phase of the frontier development of this section of the country.
In 1880 Mr. Gamble took up a ranch on Cassia creek comprising one hundred and sixty acres of land and thereon he engaged in raising cattle on his own account for a number of years. He afterward removed to Malta, where he erected log buildings and conducted a hotel. The buildings which he put up in an early day are still in use but Mr. Gamble is now living retired, having through the careful and successful conduct of his business affairs accumulated a handsome competence which enables him now to rest from further labors. He was long identified with ranching, stock raising and hotel keeping and is one of the old-time settlers of his section of the state.
In March, 1874, Mr. Gamble was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Cotrell, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and a daughter of Samuel and Elinor (Taylor) Cotrell. Her parents came from England, making the trip to the new world on a sailing vessel in 1854. They were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a desire to join the people of their faith in Utah led them to come to the United States and make the trip westward. For a time they were at Nauvoo and Kaneville, Illinois, later in St. Louis, Missouri, and in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and eventually they continued their westward journey to Salt Lake City, Utah. There the father worked on the temple, and both he and his wife passed away at Farming- ton, Utah, in 1879. To Mr. and Mrs. Gamble have been born five children: Mary Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Charles Scott; Leona A .; Clara G .; and Leroy, who died at the age of twenty-one years and six months.
Mr. Gamble has always been a supporter of the democratic party but not a politician in the sense of office seeking. His life history if written in detail would present a complete history of western development as the emigrants slowly made their way across the plains to take up wild land and reclaim for the purposes of civilization nature's rich bequests to her children. All of the hardships and priva- tions of frontier life are known to him, with its attendant opportunities and its pleasures, and as the years have passed he has seen the work of progress and improvement carried steadily forward as the land has been claimed and cultivated, as towns and villages have sprung up, and as every modern advantage of the older east has been introduced into the west.
GENERAL ALBERT H. WILSON.
General Albert H. Wilson, a well known farmer and adjutant general of the state of Idaho, to which position he was appointed in December, 1918, was born at Lizton, Hendricks county, Indiana, June 25, 1874, a son of William J. Wilson, who was a native of Kentucky and became a contractor and builder, devoting his life to that occupation. At the time of the Civil war, however, he put aside all business and personal considerations and served in the Union army as a private, being wounded at the battle of Fort Henry. He participated in many other important engagements and after the close of the war made his home in Indiana until 1878, when he removed with his family to Nebraska.
It was in the latter state that General Wilson was reared in the town of Tekamah, Burt county, and there the father passed away in 1899. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Emeline R. Jeger, was born in Pennsylvania and spent her last years in the home of her son, Albert H., at Lewiston, Idaho, there passing away in 1914.
General Wilson acquired a good public and high school education but was obliged to put aside his textbooks while still in his teens on account of the necessity of entering business life a necessity occasioned by the death of his father.
General Wilson has manifested the same spirit of loyalty and bravery that caused his father to join the Union army during the Civil war. For more than twenty years he has been a National Guardsman and he saw service with the Nebraska volunteers in the Spanish-American war. For one year he was a member of Company B of the Second Regiment of the Indiana National Guard and for nine years he was with the Nebraska National Guard, spending six years of that time as a member of
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Company H and three years as a member of Company L of the Second Regiment, serving as battalion sergeant major. He served as battalion sergeant major in the Second Nebraska Volunteer Infantry during the war with Spain in 1898. Following his removal to Idaho he joined the National Guard of this state and was commissioned a second lieutenant of the Second Infantry on the 2d of May, 1903. He was pro- moted to the rank of first lieutenant on the 19th of September following and on the 1st of November, 1904, he was made battalion adjutant. On the 10th of March, 1910, he was appointed aide de camp on the governor's staff with the rank of first lieu- tenant and was again commissioned first lieutenant of the Second Infantry, Idaho National Guard, November 3, 1913, from which he retired on application Decem- ber 24, 1914. Two weeks after America had declared war on Germany, in April, 1917, Lieutenant Wilson was commissioned captain in the Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army and was ordered on active duty as assistant quarter- master at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, on the 9th of May. There he served until the 27th of December of that year, when he resigned to accept the appointment of adjutant general of Idaho. Before he was discharged he was recommended for a commission as major by the commanding officer and for a commission in the quartermaster's department of the regular army by the commanding general of the Central Department, receiving his commission as major December 20, 1919, as major in the Quartermaster Department in United States Army Reserve.
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