History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 109

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1024

USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II > Part 109

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In 1895 Mr. Paine was united in marriage to Miss Jessie M. Day, of Blue Earth county, Minnesota. They are widely and favorably known in this section of the state and the hospitality of their own home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. Fraternally Mr. Paine is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America. All who know him, and he has a wide acquaintance, esteem him highly as a man of genuine worth, loyal and progressive in citizenship, alert and enterprising in busi- ness. There are few men who have so fully demonstrated the possibilities for hor- ticultural development in Idaho and none who have labored more diligently and effectively in advancing the breed of poultry raised in this section of the country. His work has been of real worth and value to his fellow townsmen, showing what can be accomplished along these lines and serving as a stimulus to the efforts of others.

JAMES T. TAYLOR, SR.

There are few residents who have for a longer period made their home in Cassia county than has James T. Taylor, Sr., who arrived in 1878 and who through the intervening period has been identified with ranching interests in the vicinity of Almo. He was born in Hampshire, England, June 28, 1844, a son of James and Mary (Lowder) Taylor. He was a youth of seventeen years when in 1861 he came to the United States with his parents, who settled first in New York city, where they resided for two years. They then removed to St. Joseph, Missouri, and from that point made their way across the country with ox teams to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the father worked at his trade of shoemaking and James T. Taylor of this review secured employment as a ranch hand.

In 1878 he removed to Idaho and took up the Edwards ranch north of Almo. Later, however, he returned to Blue Creek, Utah, on account of the illness of his wife, but in 1880 again came to Idaho and secured his present ranch as a home- stead claim, obtaining one hundred and sixty acres of wild and apparently unpro- ductive land. He built thereon a log house and at once began the arduous task of developing the fields and rendering the farm a productive one. In 1903 he was able to add another one hundred and sixty acres to his place and as the years passed he made of this a well improved ranch, equipped with all modern conveniences and the latest improved farm machinery. He concentrated his efforts and attention upon cattle raising, in which he is still engaged. In late years he has given most of his land to his children but still retains a sufficient amount to bring him a gratifying annual income.

In 1866 Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Clara Louise Cottle, a daughter of Henry and Clara Cottle and a native of England, who came to the United States with her parents in early life, the family settling at Salt Lake City, Utah, where she was married. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have become parents of seven children: James T., George, Harry, Edward, Herman H., Edith L. and Clara Ruth.

In politics Mr. Taylor maintains an independent course. At one time he served as justice of the peace but has never sought or desired office, preferring to concen- trate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs, which have been capably directed and have constituted the basis of his present-day prosperity.

JOSEPH DICKENS.

Joseph Dickens is one of the partners in the Caldwell Sales & Commission Com- pany and also in the firm of Dickens & Miller, auctioneers. In both branches his husi- ness has attained extensive and substantial proportions, his success resulting from indefatigable enterprise and industry. Mr. Dickens is a native of Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, where his birth occurred February 12, 1869. He there attended the common schools to the age of fifteen years, after which he went to Kansas City, Missouri, where he worked for himself and for others in and around the stock yards for a period of

JOSEPH DICKENS

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nine years. Later he was connected with the stock yards at Denver, Colorado, for seven years and subsequently bought a ranch in Greeley county, Colorado, where he engaged in raising cattle, sheep and hogs.

In 1906 Mr. Dickens disposed of his interests there and came to Caldwell, Idaho, where he took up the business of buying and selling stock and of auctioneering. After two years of activity in these lines he organized the Caldwell Sales & Commission Company for the purpose of selling anything that can be auctioned, their specialty, however, being farm and live stock sales and the sale of pure bred stock. His first sales eleven years ago amounted to nine hundred and eighty-seven dollars. The busi- ness now has reached a volume of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year. During the period of the World war this firm handled between forty and fifty carloads of horses and mules a month. They also conduct sales outside of the state of Idaho, these sales aggregating four hundred thousand dollars per year. Their sales yards at Caldwell are most modern and will accommodate any kind of stock, the plant being valued at more than ten thousand dollars. Aside from this business Mr. Dickens is engaged in farming and raising stock in the Boise valley and the careful management which he displays in the conduct of his affairs has been one of the salient features in his growing success.

In 1893 Mr. Dickens was united in marriage to Miss Martha Patton, of Missouri, and to them have been born four children: Anna, the wife of Ben Hagonsen, of Cald- well, who is a rancher in the Boise valley and by whom she has one son, Roy; Hattie, the wife of Clarence Farris, of Caldwell, now engaged in the restaurant business, and they, too, have one child; and Katie and Ellen, who are attending the State Normal School at Lewiston Idaho.

In his political views Mr. Dickens is a democrat and is now filling the office of alderman at Caldwell. He was also a member of the board of the pioneer irrigation district for six years. Left an orphan at the age of three, he has made his own way in life from young boyhood and whatever success he has achieved is entirely attribut- able to his earnest labor. He attacks everything with a contagious enthusiasm and his zeal and energy conquer all difficulties and obstacles that are in his path. His life should serve to inspire and encourage others, showing that upon individual effort de- pends success and that prosperity and an honored name may be won simultaneously.

OREL H. SOVEREIGN.

With administration interests in Caldwell, Orel H. Sovereign is closely con- nected, having been made chief of the fire department in May, 1917, and also serv- ing as building inspector of the city. He was born at Marysville, Missouri, April 28, 1884, and is a son of Walter and Minerva J. (Haggard) Sovereign. The father was born in Iowa and is now conducting a confectionery story at Beulah, North Dakota. His ancestry can be traced back through three generations in America. The mother is a native of Indiana and she, too, survives, Mr. and Mrs. Sovereign being well known residents of Beulah, North Dakota.

Their son, Orel H. Sovereign, was but three years of age when the family home was established at Central, Nance county, Nebraska, where he attended the common schools. At that time the section of the state in which they lived was a frontier region, much of the land being still unclaimed and uncultivated, while conditions of frontier life existed on every hand. He continued his education to the age of sixteen years and then left school, after which he followed farming for about two years. He later joined Company C of the United States Infantry and was located at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. After two years had passed he was made corporal and at the end of the third year he was serving as sergeant, although he had not been officially promoted to that rank On the completion of his term of enlistment he

resumed the occupation of farming but in the meantime pursued a course in elec- tricity, and when he again left the farm he entered the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad as a fireman, remaining in that connection for a brief period. He then went to North Dakota and took up a homestead, on which he lived for five years, after which he sold his farm and turned his attention to the auto livery business at Glen. Ullin, North Dakota, continuing there for a year.

Mr. Sovereign arrived in Caldwell in 1912 and here obtained employment as engineer in the fire department. In May, 1917, he was advanced to the position of

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HISTORY OF IDAHO

chief of the department and during his incumbency in the office but one serious fire has occurred. He is also serving as building inspector of the city and has exerted every endeavor to prevent fires. In the case of new buildings he is continually on the job, offering suggestions and in every way doing all within his knowledge to eliminate the possibility of fires. He also inspects all debris and promotes all neces- sary measures to prevent the occurrence of fires. If on private property, the owners or renters are warned about being careless. His method has proven almost one hundred per cent efficient. When Mr. Sovereign first became connected with the department, it was a volunteer system and was proving both very unsatisfactory and very costly to the city. During his administration a paid call system was organized and the hand apparatus which was then in use has been supplanted by a motor engine, which is a triple combination machine, and other up-to-date fire-fighting apparatus. There are ten men in the department. A modern siren has just heen installed which cannot be confounded with the school bell.

In 1906 Mr. Sovereign was married to Miss Helen Maud Abbey, a daughter of Charles Abhey, of North Dakota, and they have an interesting little son, Ralph. Mr. Sovereign has always been a resident of the western country and the spirit of western enterprise and progress, which has been the dominant factor in the upbuild- ing of the great section on this side of the Mississippi, has ever found exemplification in his life. He regards his present duties most seriously, recognizing how much de- pend upon his care and efficiency, and his lahors have heen most satisfactory to the city at large.

GEORGE W. HARVEY.

George W. Harvey, proprietor of the Palace Market in Boise, was born in Bridgeport, Crawford county, Wisconsin, on Christmas day of 1870, the only son of Louis E. and Amanda (Sellick) Harvey. The father was born in Canada and was killed by highwaymen on the plains of Kansas in January, 1877, while on his way home with a load of supplies for his family. He was driving a four-horse team and three of the horses were killed at the time Mr. Harvey's life was taken. The family removed from Wisconsin to Kansas in 1874, thus becoming identified with the pioneer settlement of the state.

George W. Harvey spent his boyhood days in Kansas, in Nebraska and Wyo- ming and during that period followed farming, rode the range and did all the work incident to farm and ranch life on the western frontier. In 1893 he went to Alaska and spent nine years in the far north, devoting six years to mining and three years to the butchering business. In 1902 he returned to the States and for four years was a resident of Everett, Washington, during which period he was engaged in the butchering business. Later he spent three years in Seattle, where he was active along the same line, and in 1909 came to Idaho and since 1911 has made his home in Boise. He established the Palace Market at No. 724 Main street in 1913 and is today the owner of one of the best equipped and largest meat markets of Boise, which has brought to him a liberal patronage.

On the 3d of March, 1896, at Rock Springs, Wyoming, Mr. Harvey was married to Ellen Crofts and they have become parents of five children: Florence, now the wife of Walter Tucker, of Boise; George W .; Grace Lee; Oliver W .; and Herbert Louis. The religious faith of the family is that of the Society of Friends. Mr. Harvey has his own home at 2105 North Fourteenth street, which he built in 1914 -an attractive frame bungalow.

FLOYD J. CREASEY.

Floyd J. Creasey, a resident farmer of Payette county, his home being near New Plymouth, was born in Pulteney, Steuben county, New York, May 30, 1865. His father, James Creasey, was born in Suffolk county, England, and came to Amer- ica with his wife, who bore the maiden name of Emma Emerson. They crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel in 1852, being seven weeks and four days on the voy-

age.

Settling in the state of New York, the father there followed the occupation

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HISTORY OF IDAHO

of farming for fifteen years and in 1867 removed to Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where he engaged in farming for six years. He next took up his abode in Sauk county, that state, where he devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits until June, 1902, or just fifty years after he had left the old country. He then came to Idaho and spent his remaining days in the home of his son Floyd J., who had ar- rived in this state in 1898 with his brother, Fred D.

The latter was born in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, April 5, 1871, but during his infancy the family removed to Sauk county, where he attended the district schools in the acquirement of his education. He engaged in general farm work until he attained his majority and then followed farming on his own account in Richland county, Wisconsin, where he rented land until 1898. In that year he came to Idaho and located at Plymouth. He was in the employ of others for four years after his arrival here and then bought one hundred acres of state land, which now comprises the farm on which he and his brother Floyd reside. He is unmarried.

Another brother, James F., is also living in the Payette valley, where the three brothers have become widely and favorably known as representative citizens. James F. married Anna Meyer, a native of Nebraska and a daughter of Arthur and Elizabeth (Miller) Meyer, who came to Idaho in 1903, settling at New Plymouth. Mr. and Mrs. James F. Creasey have two children, Emma E. and Gerald A. Two other sons of the family, brothers of Floyd J. Creasey, are yet living in Wisconsin.

Floyd J. Creasey was about thirty-three years of age when he came to Idaho. He settled in New Plymouth, which at that time was almost a sagebrush waste. There were not more than twenty-four houses between New Plymouth and Payette, a distance of thirteen miles. The region today is a succession of beautiful orchards, farms and homes. For about six years Mr. Creasey followed the carpenter's trade and then purchased eighty acres of raw land, a portion of which he improved. Be- cause of impaired health he sold seventy acres of the place, retaining only ten acres, on which he makes his home. His ranch is located a mile and a half west of New Plymouth and he carries on general farming in a small way and also keeps a few stands of hees and some cows. His parents lived with him until they were called to the home beyond. In addition to his farming interests Mr. Creasey has served on the board of the Farmers Cooperative Ditch Company and was at one time its presi- dent. He has lived to see many changes during the years of his residence in Pay- ette county, witnessing the development of the district from a wild and unimproved region to one of rich fertility, into which has been introduced every advantage and opportunity of the older east.

ANDREW W. SMITH.

Andrew W. Smith, who follows farming in the Huston district of Canyon county, was born in Genesee, Waukesha county, Wisconsin, April 20, 1874, and is a son of the Rev. George and Agnes Smith, the latter a native of Canada. The father was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1833, and came to America with his father, Andrew Smith, prior to the Civil war, the family home being at that time established in Wisconsin. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born ten children, six of whom are now living: Lillian D., Margaret J., Anna E., May B., Andrew W. and George Wells, who owns a farm near that of his brother Andrew. The children were all given splendid educational opportunities. George Wells is a graduate of the Beloit Uni- versity of Wisconsin; May B. is also a graduate of the Beloit University and now a teacher in the Frances Shimer School, a school for girls at Mount Carroll, Illinois, largely patronized by the wealthy. Lillian D. is a graduate of Milton College of Wisconsin and of the Chicago University, the latter institution conferring upon her the Bachelor of Arts degree, since which time she has been teaching in a high school in Chicago. Margaret J. is a teacher in a school for cripples at Chicago. Anna E. is a teacher of domestic science in the Indiana University. They were reared in a household in which there was felt the keenest appreciation for the advantages of education and social and moral culture, and everything was done to direct the trend of their interests and thoughts in childhood, with results that must have been highly satisfactory to the parents.

Andrew W. Smith had the benefit of an excellent home environment and liberal educational advantages, being a graduate of the high school at Whitewater, Wis-

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consin. He remained under the parental roof through the period of his boyhood and youth. His mother died in Wisconsin in 1905, after which the farm on which the family had lived was sold and the father went to Chicago, where his death occurred in 1910.

It was after his mother's death that Andrew W. Smith first came to Idaho, arriving in the fall of 1906. He later returned to Chicago with the firm conviction that Idaho was the place where he wished to locate and accordingly in the following year he returned and homesteaded eighty acres, sixty-eight of which are accessible to water. He took off his first crop in 1909 and is now engaged in the raising of alfalfa and grain. He carries on general farming and he has an excellent orchard upon his place. He was one of those farmers who for a number of years were placed at a disadvantage while waiting for water and during that period of waiting they suffered real hardships, but with the development of the irrigation system Mr. Smith brought water to his land and has converted it into rich and productive fields. His business is carefully carried on, his industry being guided by sound judgment, and good results are now attending his efforts.

In 1913 at Houston, Idaho, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Thirza Culter, a daughter of W. H. and Katie B. (Sparling) Culter. Her mother died at Great Bend, Kansas, in January, 1890, and the father afterward married Mrs. Harper, a widow. In 1909 he came with his family to Idaho and is now farming on forty acres of land at Huston. In the paternal line Mrs. Smith comes of Irish ancestry, while her maternal grandfather was of Holland stock although born on the Emerald isle. Mrs. Smith has a stepsister, Mrs. Ralph Kirkpatrick, who is living in the Huston district of Canyon county. Mrs. Smith was born in Kansas and is a graduate of the high school of Santa Ana, California. After completing the course there she took the county examination and received a teacher's certificate. She then taught school in southern California for five terms and for one term in Long Valley, Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are widely and favorably known in Canyon county, and his per- sistency of purpose and indefatigable energy are at length winning a merited reward. He is recognized as a capable business man, and his diligence and perseverance well merit the success that is now coming to him.

S. D. LITTLE.

S. D. Little is one of the prominent sheepmen of Canyon county, the extent and importance of his business interests making him a valuable citizen of the community in which he makes his home. He was born in the southern part of Scotland on the 12th of November, 1881, a son of Andrew and Janet (Dalgleish) Little, who are now deceased. He acquired his early education in the land of hills and heather and in 1900, when a youth of nineteen years, came to America, making his way to Emmett, Idaho, where his brother Andrew had preceded him. He worked for his brother in the sheep business for three years and in 1903 began business on his own account with twelve hundred head of sheep. He now has sixteen thousand head of mixed sheep, which he raises for wool and mutton. He markets his mutton in Omaha and Chicago, where he finds a ready sale for the product. He ranges his sheep on government ranges but also raises hay on his farm of one hundred and fifty acres near Middleton, where he feeds his sheep during the winter and keeps them through the lambing season. He also owns a farm of five hundred acres in Washington county, Idaho. Something of the volume of the business that he has developed is indicated in the fact that his pay roll amounts to about twenty thousand dollars and his feed and grocery bill to about fifty thousand dollars annually, all of which money is spent in Canyon county, thus contributing to the material development and prosperity of this section of the state. He started in the business with practically no capital but had previously gained valuable experience, as his father, Andrew Little, had been a sheepman in Scotland and the family had followed the business for generations. He thus had knowledge of the best methods of handling sheep when he started out inde- pendently. His brother Andrew, who had reached Idaho six years before S. D. Little, is the largest individual sheepman in the state, being interested in about one hundred thousand head, which he ranges over seven counties, and his income tax is one of the largest in the state. He makes his home at Emmett, Idaho.

On the 28th of December, 1915, S. D. Little was united in marriage to Sadie P.

S. D. LITTLE

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( Alvey) Brown, a native of Kentucky, who was reared, however, in Idaho, her mother being still a resident of Nampa. Mr. and Mrs. Little have two daughters, Mary G. Janet and Betty Jean.

Mr. Little owns a fine home at No. 1409 Dearborn street in Caldwell, where he and his family are most pleasantly located, his success in business enabling him to enjoy all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. Fraternally he is an Elk and his political support is given to the republican party. Mr. Little is keenly alive to the op- portunities of the state. He recognizes what a future there is in store for this great and growing section of the northwest and he is so directing his efforts as to utilize the natural resources offered and through legitimate channels of business win pros- perity. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for here he has found the opportunities which he sought and in their utilization has won a most creditable place among the successful sheepmen of Canyon county.

J. C. McPHERSON.

J. C. McPherson, leading a busy life as a representative farmer of Ada county, his home being near Eagle, was born in Boone county, Iowa, November 4, 1884. His father, Alexander Doke McPherson, died during the infancy of his son, who remained at home with his mother until he reached the age of sixteen years, ac- quiring his early education in the common schools of Iowa and having the usual experiences of the farm-bred lad. On leaving home he made his way to this state, settling at Nampa, after which he was employed in various ways until 1910, when he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Long Valley. He was joined by his mother, his brother, George Wilbur, and his two sisters, Pansy and Myrtle, three years after his arrival in Idaho. His mother also homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres near Roseberry, in Valley county, and since that time J. C. Mc- Pherson and his brother have been partners in the live stock business and have developed the two farm properties. They also own two hundred acres of land about six miles northeast of Star but make Eagle their post office. On their land they have raised hay and grain, which they largely feed to their stock in the winter season. In the summer months they range their stock in the mountains, having about one hundred and forty head of cattle and twenty-five horses.

The mother, who bore the maiden name of Bridget Dawson, remained with her children until her death, which occurred about seven years ago in Long Valley. The brother, George Wilbur, was married four years ago to Miss Nellie Adams, of Boise, and they have two children: Wesley, two years of age; and Burris, who is hut a year old. The sister Pansy is now the wife of J. W. Van Horn, of Kansas, where he follows farming, while Myrtle is the wife of Will Estes, of Moscow, Idaho, and has three children. The McPhersons have for a number of years been classed with the substantial and representative agriculturists and stock raisers of Ada county, J. C. McPherson having lived in this section for nineteen years. His suc- cess is attributable entirely to his persistency of purpose and his indefatigable energy. He has always been a hard worker and has thus become the owner of valuable farm property.

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History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 109

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1024

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1024