USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume III > Part 36
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WILLIAM W. SELCK, SR.
One of the pioneers of the vicinity of Lewisville, Jefferson county, is William *W. Selck, Sr., who for years has been a prominent man in the religious affairs of bis community. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 26, 1845, a son of John H. and Alicia (Hitchinson) Selck, the former being a native of the same country as his son and the latter of England. The father, who followed the occu- pation of painter and artist in the old country, emigrated to the United States with his family in 1863 with the intention of settling in the far west. During the overland journey the mother died at the age of forty years and was buried a half day's journey east of Laramie, Wyoming. The father and son continued westward, finally locating in Provo, Utah, where the former resumed his occu- pation and there worked at the same the rest of his life, which ended in 1888 when he was seventy-six years of age.
While still living in Denmark William W. Selck was preparing himself for pharmaceutics and had already passed two examinations in that science. Soon after he came to Utah, a young man of eighteen years, he secured a position with Godfrey Mitchell & Company, the pioneer wholesale and retail drug house in Salt Lake City, and he remained with this firm for a year and a half. For another year he clerked in different stores in Utah, where he learned the business methods of his adopted country, and then went to Nevada. There he became a bookkeeper on the Overland Farm, an irrigated tract of two thousand acres which was owned by the Wells-Fargo Express Company. During his two years of employment on this farm he was convinced of the great possibilities of farming by irrigation in the semi-arid regions of the west, but in 1867 he severed his connection with his employers, and went to Salt Lake City, where he was married, after which he made his home in Kamas, Utah, until coming to Idaho in 1885. He located in that part of Bingham county which is now included in the county of Jefferson, and he bought land to which he soon afterward added by claim eighty acres near the town of Lewisville. He decided upon a site in the incorporate limits of Lewisville to build his home, which he constructed of logs hewed out by his own hand. He still makes his home in this rustic cabin which is one of the landmarks of the country round. Sometime after he located in Jefferson county, he bought four hundred acres of school land but hard times cut short its improvement and he was compelled to allow it to revert back to the state. Following this misfortune he entered the employ of the Consolidated Wagon & Machine Company as head bookkeeper and remained with this firm for sixteen years. On the expiration of
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this term of service he practically left active pursuits and is now living a life of semi-retirement on his farm near Lewisville. Here he busies himself with the upkeep of his fine orchard of seven and one-half acres, and he also has a well- equipped apiary which includes twenty stands of bees.
Mr. Selck has been twice married. On November 23, 1867, he was united in marriage to Annie C. Sorenson, who died after a long illness on May 10, 1914, and to them were born the following children: Clarissa Eliza, who is the widow of Thomas H. Boyce and now resides in Lewisville, Jefferson county; William W., Jr .; Irena, the wife of Hon. Robert Gilchrist, state senator; Henry E., and John H. and Ernest H., both of whom are deceased. In July, 1915, Mr. Selck was again mar- ried, his second wife being Rosena Pfost.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Selck are devoted members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the former almost from the beginning of his residence in Jefferson county has been a prominent participant in the activities of this denom- ination in his section. In 1889 he was made clerk to the bishop of the stake, which extended from Montana to Utah, and since 1908 he has served as clerk of the Rigby stake. Furthermore he has spread abroad the teachings of his church in the home mission field. He finds his political creed in the policies and platform of the republican party and has not played a passive part in the public affairs of his county and community. After Jefferson county was organized by the state legis- lature, the chief executive of the commonwealth appointed Mr. Selck judge of the probate court and he served one year in this capacity. For the last ten years he has been a notary public and at present he is justice of the peace.
Although Mr. Selck is seventy-four years of age, he is not content with the inactive life which many men of his age feel that they must live, and this spirit of ceaseless industry characterizes all the lines of endeavor he has ever essayed. As he now leads his quiet life of semi-retirement among his bees and orchard trees, he can well revert with retrospect to his years that have passed with the assurance and satisfaction which come from a task well done.
S. H. VASSAR.
S. H. Vassar, actively engaged in farming in the vicinity of Caldwell, was born in Missouri, October 7, 1867, but in the early '70s removed to Kansas with his parents, John R. and Martha (Isgrig) Vassar. In 1890 the father with all of his family save S. H. Vassar of this review came to Idaho. In the meantime he had visited various parts of Kansas and after his parents' removal he remained in the Sunflower state. There he pursued farming and stock raising until 1902, when he also came to Idaho and made investment in eighty acres of land, whereon he now resides, two miles east of Caldwell. His father had purchased a farm a mile and a half east of Caldwell and there carried on general agricultural pursuits until a short time prior to his death, when he sold the property. He passed away in Boise, October 20, 1909, and his wife died in 1912. Two daughters and a son of the family are yet living in Idaho, these being Mrs. Hattie McMahan, of Weiser; Mrs. Lilly Drummond, of Nampa; and Wil- liam Vassar, who resides in Caldwell. Two brothers, Simpson and Henry L. Vassar, are living in Spokane, Washington, and a sister, Mrs. Lottie Cook, makes her home in Portland, Oregon.
The youthful days of S. H. Vassar were spent in the usual manner of the farm- bred boy and throughout his entire life he has carried on general agricultural interests, his success being the direct outcome of his industry and perseverance. In 1885 he married Miss Eunetta Wilson, a native of Illinois, their marriage heing celebrated in Kansas. They have become the parents of ten children. Emery, thirty-two years of age, is living at home. Ira wedded Mary Pearson, a native of Emmett, Idaho, and they have one child, Samuel, now in his first year. John married Bessie Bodle, of Kansas. Grace is the wife of James Havey. Susie married Francis Bodle. Norah, William, Cecil, Mabel and Gladys are all yet under the parental roof.
S. H. Vassar has ever been fond of the chase and when leisure permits indulges his love of hunting. He has at his home two deer and a fawn and two fine specimens of elk. Some time ago he contemplated selling his farm but after taking a trip away from home became thoroughly convinced that his home and land could not be sur- passed anywhere. He has reared an interesting family, his sons being energetic and
S. H. VASSAR
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enterprising young business men, and the worth of the family to the community is widely acknowledged. For more than seventeen years Mr. Vassar has now lived in Idaho, making his home throughout the entire period upon his farm near Caldwell, and his labors and active life are manifest in the excellent appearance of his place.
E. O. JOHNSTON.
E. O. Johnston, engaged in the cultivation of a farm of twenty-five acres in the ' Fargo district, was born in Ohio, April 11, 1863, a son of Andrew and Margaret Jane (Osborn) Johnston, who were also natives of the Buckeye state. The father was a farmer there but died in Indiana in 1914, having removed to the latter state in 1866. There he followed agricultural pursuits until his death. His wife passed away in Indiana in 1917. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Johnston were the parents of three sons. Thomas married Annie Parkinson, of Indiana, and has five children: Alva, Leita, Margaret Jane, Dorothy and Andrew. They reside near the home of E. O. Johnston in Canyon county. Rolla, the other brother, married Miss Mary Redding and they have four children: Clara, Earl, Leila and Ivah. Their home is at Fargo. E. O. Johnston was educated in the schools of Indiana until 1880 and fol- lowed various pursuits there until 1885, when he went to Des Moines, Iowa, where he learned the baker's trade, which he followed until 1907. In that year he came to Idaho and purchased his present place, which was a relinquishment claim of eighty acres of raw land covered with sagebrush. He has cleared and lev- eled this land and in 1910 water was available for irrigating purposes from the Boise-Payette project. Since that time he has sold all but twenty-five acres of his original claim. He carries on mixed farming and cultivates all but two acres of his place. His has been an active and useful life in which he has accomplished his purposes by honorable methods, winning the regard and respect of his fellowmen. He keeps upon his farm a few fine cows and does dairying in a small way. He also has twenty-five colonies of bees upon his place and expects soon to greatly enlarge his business in the way of bee culture and the production of honey. He is a man of resolute purpose, carrying forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, and he is regarded as a substantial citizen of the community in which he makes his home.
DAVID M. JOHN.
David M. John, one of the pioneers of Idaho, who came to the state in 1877 from Utah, was for twenty-five years a resident of Cassia county, where he engaged in ranching and raising live stock. He is now residing in Emmett and is well known in this section of the state. A native of Wales, his hirth occurred Novem- her 21, 1859, his father being David John, who spent his entire life in Wales, there passing away when his son, John M., was a little lad of but six years. The mother afterward came to America with her four children, crossing the Atlantic in 1866, when David M. John was but seven years of age. The family were seven weeks upon the water, crossing in a sailing vessel. The mother had hecome a convert to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and at once went to Utah, settling in Goshen. There she later became the wife of Henry Bray, who met death in the mines at Stockton, Utah, in 1881, just a year after their marriage.
In the meantime David M. John had located on Goose creek, in Cassia county, Idaho, where he took up his abode on the 10th of April, 1881. The following year his mother joined him upon the ranch and spent her remaining days in Idaho, passing away in Emmett, March 13, 1913, when she had reached the advanced age of seventy-nine years. From 1881 to the present David M. John has continued to make his home in Idaho and after living for a quarter of a century in Cassia county he came to Gem county, and living in the vicinity of Emmett, has engaged in dealing in Idaho lands and in horses, cattle and sheep. His business affairs have been carefully and successfully conducted and in all of his transactions he has dis- played sound judgment and thorough reliability.
Mr. John is a republican in his political views and while in Cassia county Vol. III-20
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served as justice of the peace for several years. He was also county assessor for six years and county commissioner for two years and for an extended period served as school trustee. He was likewise deputy assessor of Canyon county while Gem county was still a part of Canyon county. Since taking up his abode at Emmett he has served as mayor of the city, filling the office in 1916 and 1917.
Mr. John makes his home with John W. Cook, of Emmett. These two have been practically inseparable for the past thirty years. Both have prospered in their business affairs, gaining financial independence. In fact they have been associated in business for many years, owning their land and live stock in common. The term "true pals" certainly indicates their close relationship. Their friendship is remarked by many, for comparatively few friends can stand the test of business relations as well. These two work together in entire harmony and hold their in- terests and pleasures in common.
JOHN NELSON.
John Nelson is living practically retired, although occupying his farm of fifty acres at Parma, where he has a beautiful home supplied with every comfort. He was born in Weber county, Utah, in Round Valley, just east of Ogden, June 19, 1866, and is a son of Ole and Annie (Jensen) Nelson. The mother survives at the age of eighty-six years and is living with her sister, Mrs. Walter Mitchell, at Parma.
John Nelson acquired his early education in the place of his nativity and com- pleted his studies after coming to Idaho in 1888. He bought his first home in the state in the Cache valley of Oneida county, where he lived with his mother for four years aud carried on general farming. He then sold that property and removed to Parma in the interest of Fred J. Kiesel, for whom he was foreman for two years in a farm of six hundred and forty acres. Mr. Nelson's present home is a portion of the Kiesel farm. When he assumed the management of that farm it was all new land and he brought it to a high state of cultivation. He afterward took charge of six hundred and forty acres of raw land for the general manager of the Northern Pacific Railroad with headquarters at St. Paul, Minnesota. This place is now the Borden ranch. Mr. Nelson remained there for two years and then returned to the employ of Fred J. Kiesel, who by that time had become owner of fifteen hundred acres of land, upon which he put a carload of pure Percheron horses and a stallion and raised horses for the market. The fine stallion, Comet, was sold to George Lane of Calgary, Canada. It was considered one of the finest horses in the state. Another stallion, Admiral Togo, was presented to the Japanese naval hero of that name and was the finest horse that was raised unon the Kiesel place, weighing twenty-three hundred pounds. It was afterward presented to the emperor of Japan. The Kiesel property was subsequently sold in small farms and in fact the last of it was sold within the year 1918. Mr. Kiesel, who died April 22, 1919, at the age of seventy years, made his home in Ogden, Utah, but he did much for the development and upbuilding of Idaho. In 1906 he put upon his farm in this state five registered Hereford bulls and a carload of heifers. That year he also stocked with two hundred head of registered Lincoln ewes and Mr. Nelson was interested with him as a partner in the last two enterprises. At length, however, he sold his interest in the stock to Mr. Kiesel in 1913 and has now practically retired from business, living upon his farm of fifty acres near Parma. Whatever he does is for the pleasure of doing. He finds keen joy in the work of development and he has a beautiful home at Parma supplied with every comfort.
In 1895 Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Evie Holmes, of Colfax, Wash- ington, who died November 1, 1919, at the age of forty-three years. They became the parents of five children: Bismarck Blaine, twenty-two years of age, who was in France with the Service of Supplies Division; Fred Donovan, aged twenty, at home with his parents; Birchell Holmes, seventeen years of age, attending school; John Roosevelt, who died at the age of thirteen years; and Minnie Maud, ten years of age, also in school.
Mr. Nelson is keenly interested in affairs of public concern. He was the village trustee of Parma for seven years and exercised his official prerogatives in support of many plans and measures for the general good. He is a prominent Odd Fellow and has taken all the degrees and now has a petition in for the order of canton.
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His life has ever been actuated by a progressive spirit, and while a most successful business man, he has never centered his interests along a single line to the ex- clusion of other activities but in every relation has met the duties that have de- volved upon him and has labored for general good as well as for individual success.
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GEORGE T. MAYHEW.
George T. Mayhew, fire chief at Nampa and known to the country at large through his athletic record, was born in Trenton, Ontario, Canada, December 25, 1874. He was there educated in the public schools to the age of eighteen years, when he entered the drug business with his adopted brother, James Spaulsbury. Two years later he went to Toronto, Canada, where he was engaged in the drug business with Dr. L. Bentley, and in the meantime he trained for all-round ath- letics, developing notable efficiency in shot throwing, hockey and lacrosse and especially in sprinting. In the latter he excelled, beating such men as Charles Crew, Thomas Humphrey and George Nolan, all of whom were well known in the athletic world. Mr. Mayhew has taken part in foot races all over the United States and Canada, and while he has practically retired from the sporting field, he occa- sionally yet enters a race and it is said that he always gets away with the prizes. In 1901, at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, he raced with the best sprinters on the American continent and was an easy winner.
In 1902 Mr. Mayhew came to Nampa, Idaho, where he remained but a short time and then went to Seattle, Washington, but soon afterward returned to Nampa. A litle later he became connected with the Mayflower Mining Company of Arco, with headquarters at Nampa, and he likewise became chief of the volunteer fire department of Nampa and was retained as chief when the paid department was organized in 1910. He brought to the department considerable actual experience, as he had been associated with fire-fighting interests in other cities. During his incumbency there has been installed an up-to-date fire alarm system and many modern equipments and apparatus for fighting fires, these being secured under the administration of Mayor E. H. Dewey.
In 1907 Mr. Mayhew was united in marriage to Miss Marie Rockwell, a daugh- ter of Frank Rockwell and a representative of one of the oldest and most highly respected families of Nampa. Mr. Mayhew belongs to Lodge No. 37, K. P., of Nampa, and is a loyal follower of the purposes of that organization. While he is well known in athletic circles throughout the entire country, in Nampa he has made for himself a most creditable place in connection with the development of the fire system of the city and he has gained many friends throughout the north- west by reason of his many admirable characteristics.
CLAYTON BANE KNOX.
Clayton Bane Knox, proprietor of the City Transfer at Emmett, is the eldest son of Douglas Knox, an honored pioneer resident of Gem county, and was born upon a ranch about two miles below Emmett, December 15, 1870. He has there- fore passed the forty-ninth milestone on life's journey and the entire period has been spent either in Emmett or upon the Knox ranch below the city. He con- tinued upon the home farm to the age of twelve years, when the ranch was sold, and since then has lived in the town. His educational opportunities were those afforded by the public schools and after his textbooks were put aside he became engaged in the sheep business but about seven years ago he and his brother, De Loss D. Knox, organized the Emmett City Transfer business, which they have since carried on, making it one of the successful industrial enterprises of Gem county. Theirs is practically the only transfer business in Emmett and its operating equip- ment consists of two large two-ton trucks, a Republic and a Denby, besides several teams and wagons. The business is managed by Clayton B. Knox almost entirely, his brother giving his attention to other matters.
On the 1st of June, 1893, Mr. Knox was married to Miss Minnie Alice Knouse, who came to Idaho with her parents from Kansas when a girl of fourteen years.
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They have eleven living children: Edna, now the wife of Knox McDowell, a lawyer of Seattle; Ethel, a teacher in the Emmett schools; and Douglas, Roy, Richard, Fred, Leslie, John, Howard, Cecelia and Minnie, all under the parental roof, con- stituting an interesting family of seven sons and four daughters.
Politically Mr. Knox is a democrat but has never been a candidate for political office. He served, however, for fifteen years as deputy sheep inspector. He is a director of the First National Bank of Emmett and is interested in all those con- ditions and activities which have to do with the welfare and progress of the city, his support being counted upon at all times to further measures or movements for the general good. Fraternally he is a Master Mason and also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
JOHN BATEMAN.
There fall to the lot of few men such varied experiences as have come to John Bateman, now a well known apiarist of Canyon county, Idaho. Born in Detroit, Michigan, June 9, 1853, he was reared in Canada, was a Hudson Bay trapper at the age of twelve years, rode the range in South Dakota in young manhood and afterward became a member of the United States cavalry. He was on active duty in the Philippines, has been a hunter and trapper in the mountains of Idaho and Is now engaged in bee culture in Canyon county. Such is the outline of his life. The story in detail is a most interesting one. His father, John T. Bateman, was a ship carpenter and a native of Scotland, who came to America when eighteen years of age. Before the birth of his son John he had followed mining in Montana. He married Elizabeth Bateman, who was a third cousin, in Quebec, Canada, and both have passed away. The mother died when her son John was but six years of age and he was then sent to his grandparents in Middlesex county, Ontario. When he was a youth of twelve years they sent him into the far north with a Hudson Bay trapper, with whom he proceeded to Newfoundland, using dog teams, and went to the mouth of the Mackenzie river, where they engaged in trapping, Mr. Bate- man remaining in that work until he reached the age of nineteen years. He re- ceived one-third of his catch for his pay, which amounted to thirty-four thousand dollars. His grandparents sent him to live in the open on account of his weak lungs and the life which he followed brought an entire cure from any pulmonary trouble. From the far north the company with which he worked went to Seattle, Washington, and took passage with their furs for Liverpool, England, and from there proceeded to the east coast of Ireland and on to Hongkong, China, distributing and selling their furs in all of these places.
Mr. Bateman afterward returned to New York city and then made his way west to South Dakota, where he worked for the Hash-knife outfit in trailing cattle in the spring of 1873. A decided change occurred when in 1874 he joined the Seventh Cavalry, U. S. A., with which he served until 1885. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Clarke and was a native of New York, died in that year at the Pine Ridge agency in South Dakota, leaving a son, Thomas, who is now a physician in the United States service in France.
After the death of his wife Mr. Bateman roamed through several states, riding after cattle, hunting and trapping. He then joined the Third Artillery as a member of Battery D and went to the Philippines, while later he was transferred with his command to Cuba. He was handling a three-inch dynamite gun in the battle of San Juan Hill when he received a severe wound from a shell that almost decapitated him. This wound caused a portion of his skull to be removed and substituted in its place is a large silver plate. Severe as were his injuries, he ultimately recovered and was returned to his company, with which he went to China when the Boxer war broke out. He served with the rank of third sergeant and participated in the capture of Pekin. Later he was sent to the Hawaiian Islands, where he contracted typhoid fever and was then transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where after his recovery he received an honorable discharge.
Mr. Bateman next went to Wyoming and proceeded on horseback to Montana, where he rode for the Two-A-Bar outfit for two years. On the expiration of that period he made his way to Vale, Oregon, and rode the range for Miller & Lux for two years, while subsequently he was employed by the French-Glenn outfit in the
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Harney valley of Oregon for one year. Later he devoted his time to hunting and trapping in the Jumper mountains of Idaho for six years, after which he settled down to the raising of bees at Caldwell, entering into partnership with S. W. Vale. They have about three hundred colonies and Mr. Bateman is recognized as a thorough bee man, conversant with every phase of the business. His labors have resulted in the production of a large amount of honey through his scientific care and housing of the bees and his product finds a ready sale on the market. He has lived the greater part of his life in the open, has always been a lover of nature and has entered upon experiences that have brought him a broad knowledge of the world and its people. Though denied the opportunities offered in the schools after reaching the age of twelve years, he has nevertheless learned many valuable lessons in the school of experience, a year's travel bringing him an understanding of conditions and events which could not be acquired in four years of study.
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