History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume III, Part 59

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 926

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GEORGE CRANER.

George Craner, actively engaged in farming in Cassia county, Idaho, was born at Tooele, Utah, October 27, 1857, and is a son of George and Sarah Emma (Jenkins) Craner. The period of his boyhood and youth was passed in Utah, where he remained until he attained his majority, and in February, 1881, he came to Idaho, settling at Oakley, Cassia county. He preempted one hundred and sixty acres of land, built a log house and began the improvement of a farm which embraced the present site of Oakley. He continued to reside there until 1908, when he sold his homestead and acquired the ownership of his present farm of one hundred and eighteen acres near Burley. Again a log house which he built gave him shelter until opportunity and his financial condition made it possible for him to build a brick dwelling, which he now occupies. Today lie has a well improved farm, bringing forth good crops, and in addition to his place near Burley he has fifty acres in Pella township. He carries on general farming and his labors are being attended with substantial results.

In 1879 Mr. Craner was united in marriage to Miss Mary C. Adams, a daughter of John and Mary (Howells) Adams, who were farming people of Tooele, Utah, where Mrs. Craner was born and reared. Ten children have blessed this marriage: Mary, now the wife of D. A. Harding; George E., who wedded Maud Sandwick; Emma, now Mrs. Dorrington; John; who married Loretta Wells; Ruth, the wife of Clark Judd; Howard, who married Millie Spencer; Herbert, who wedded Lucile Hanks; and Arthur, Annie and William, under the parental roof.

Mr. Craner has always given his political allegiance to the republican party since attaining his majority. Those who know him, and he has a wide acquaintance, esteem him a man of sterling worth and he enjoys the respect, goodwill and confidence of all with whom he has been associated.

HOWARD H. HARVEY.

Among the representative business men of Idaho is numbered Howard H. Harvey, of Boise, who is senior partner in the firm of Harvey & Weeks, prominently con- nected with the sheep industry in this state. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, April 21, 1879, and is a son of Matthew Harvey, who was a well known busness man of that city and passed away in 1893, while the mother, Mrs. Emma ( Burville) Harvey, still resides in Chicago at the age of eighty years and is yet enjoying excellent health. Both of the parents were born and reared in Hereford, England, where their mar- riage was celebrated ere they came to the new world. The father had been a breeder of Hereford cattle in that country and in his business career followed in the foot- steps of his ancestors. Howard H. Harvey has one sister and one brother, namely, Mrs. Otis R. Barnes and William B. Harvey, both residents of Chicago.

Howard H. Harvey was reared and educated in his native city, obtaining a high school and business college education there. In early manhood he was connected with mercantile interests in Chicago in association with his brother, William B. Har- vey, who is nine years his senior and who is still in business in that city. Howard

MR. AND MRS. GEORGE CRANER

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H. Harvey first came to Boise in 1908, making the trip at that time for the purpose of winning his bride. Here he was married on the 26th of February to Miss Lillian Charlotte Bicknell, daughter of Richard F. Bicknell, a well known Boise banker and state food administrator during the World war. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey had met several years before in Chicago while the latter was a student in the University of Chicago. She there partially pursued her education and later was graduated from the University of Toronto in Canada. Mr. Harvey did not remove to Boise until 1917, since which date he has been extensively engaged in sheep raising as a partner of Hon. Cecil L. Weeks, of Caldwell, Idaho. They are the owners of flocks number- ing many thousand head of sheep. Their summer grazing lands are in Valley county, Idaho, in the vicinity of Smiths Ferry, at which place the firm also owns and con- ducts a summer resort hotel. In the fall the sheep are taken to Wilder, Canyon county, and there put into winter quarters, where thousands of tons of feed in stacks and silos await thelr consumption, and the lambing sheds are also located there. The business interests of the firm are most wisely and carefully conducted and suc- cess in large measure is attending their efforts.

To Mr. and Mrs. Harvey have been born three children, Margaret Burville, Frederick Bicknell, and Howard Henry, Jr., aged respectively ten, eight and one year. Mr. Harvey is a thirty-second degree Mason, a Shriner, and an Elk, and he belongs also to the Boise Chamber of Commerce and to the Idaho Wool Growers Association. He and his wife are members of St. Michael's Episcopal church and Mr Harvey is a member of the Cathedral Chapter and a member of the board of St. Lukes Hospital of Boise. They reside at No. 1423 Franklin street, in what is per- haps the handsomest and most unique bungalow in Boise. The building is of a dark red color, constructed of pressed brick, and is of most artistic design. It has spe- cial features in the way of verandas and gables, which are on the rustic order, and there are massive old-fashioned fireplaces and chimneys, which put the bungalow in a class by itself.

ALBERT W. BECK.

Albert W. Beck is a well known live stock man and ranch owner of Boise, who resides at No. 1101 Fort street, in a splendid home, which he built about twelve years ago. He came to Idaho in 1878 from Kelton, Utah, where he had resided for a year, and previous to that he had spent a year and a half in western Kansas. He is a native, however, of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Venango county, that state, January 29, 1857. He was one of the four sons of William and Mary (Siegel) Beck, both of whom were natives of Germany but were married after emigrating to the United States. The father lost his life in the great Chicago fire in 1871. The mother afterward married John Jackson, who passed away subsequently in Pennsyl- vania. His widow afterward came to Idaho and died at Mayfield, Elmore county, about thirty years ago. Albert W. Beck has two living brothers, Edward and Charles, both younger than he and now residents of California, although formerly they made their home in Idaho.

In 1876 Albert W. Beck left the Keystone state and made his way westward to Kansas, being then a young man of nineteen years imbued with the laudable ambition of making the most of his opportunities, to which end he sought the advantages of the growing west. In 1878 he removed from Kansas to Idaho and throughout the inter- vening period, covering more than four decades, he has been identified with the live stock interests of this state. He has bought and sold horses, cattle, sheep and hogs but has confined his attention largely to the first three and at times has conducted business most extensively. In former years he would often have as many as fifteen thousand sheep at a time. Prospering as a sheep raiser, he became one of the men of affluence in the state. However, he retired from active business several years ago, owing to the fact that the government forest preserve lands were closed to sheep. He therefore decided to put aside business activities, feeling that he had given enough attention to sheep raising. However, he has since managed his ranch, comprising five or six hundred acres in Elmore county, and has also owned and managed the Pacific Hotel of Boise, which property he purchased in 1895 and has since owned, leasing it throughout the entire period.

On the 2d of October, 1889, Mr. Beck was married to Miss Jennie L. Corder, the

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eldest daughter of the late James Obediah Corder, a well known pioneer of Elmore county, who conducted a store and hotel at Mayfield for forty-two years and afterward removed to Boise, where he passed away in 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Beck became the parents of three children, a son and two daughters, namely: Anna A., who is a teacher in the Boise public schools; James Obediah, a young man of twenty-four, who was married September 13, 1916, to Miss Gladys Wells, who was then a teacher, and they now occupy the Beck ranch, living there with their little daughter, Caroline Jane Beck, who was born July 22, 1917. The youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Beck, is Dorothy Beatrice, who was born June 6, 1902, and is now a junior in the Boise high school.

Mr. Beck is a Knight Templar Mason and a Mystic Shriner, and his wife is connected with the Eastern Star. He and his family are members of the First Presbyterian church and are people of genuine worth, enjoying the high regard, con- fidence and goodwill of all who know them. Starting out in the business world independently when a youth of nineten years, Albert W. Beck has made continuous progress along well defined lines of industry, and his perseverance and diligence have brought to him a most substantial and gratifying success. His record proves conclusively that success and an honored name may be won simultaneously.

WINSLOW T. WALKER.

Winslow T. Walker, a prominent and prosperous farmer, for years a resident of Rexburg, Idaho, was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 10, 1862, a son of William and Mary (Shadden) Walker. He was reared and educated in Cottonwood, Utah, and remained with his parents until he became of age, helping to farm on the home place for one year. He then removed to southern Utah and there bought a tract of land, which he operated for about twelve months, at the end of this time returning to Salt Lake, where he remained for one year. In 1884, Mr. Walker came to Idaho and located at Labelle, Jefferson county, going thence to Oneida county. He filed on a tract of land, which he improved and continued to operate for about fifteen years, when he sold his interests there and bought land at Lewisville, which he cultivated for a period of five years, then selling out and removing to Rexburg. Here he acquired land a half mile north of the town, which tract he improved and operated until 1909, when he turned it over to his sons, and they are still carrying on farming operations there. When Mr. Walker came to Rexburg, he bought a fine home, and has occupied it ever since. In 1909 he went to work for the Keller Implement Company and remained with that company for seven years but for some time past he has been with the Consolidated Wagon and Machine Company.

In December, 1881, Mr. Walker was married to Sarah M. Scott, and they became the parents of nine children, namely: Mary C., now married; Winslow S .; Emmet C .; LeGrand, who served in France for one year; Verla J., married; R. Willis; Sarah J., deceased; Docia L., deceased; and one who died in infancy.

Mr. Walker gives his active support to the republican party, and has always warmly espoused its policies and principles but has never been a seeker after public office. He is an earnest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and deeply interested in all its good works. He served as bishop at Labelle, Idaho, for fourteen years. Mr. Walker gives a good citizen's attention to all movements designed to advance community welfare along legitimate lines and is generally regarded as one of the progressive men of Rexburg.

NEWTON BAILEY IRISH.

Newton Bailey Irish, while a painter by trade, now owns and occupies a small but highly improved ranch property situated five and a half miles west of Boise on the Meridian road. Though the tract is one of only twenty acres, the fine bungalow residence and other modern improvements make it a valuable country place, the property being worth about fifteen thousand dollars. This has been brought about through the efforts of Mr. Irish, who gained his start as a painter upon coming to Idaho about twenty years ago.

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He was born in Erie county, New York, October 26, 1877, and is a son of War- ren W. and Susan (Bailey) Irish. The father is a Civil war veteran who served with the Tenth New York Cavalry in defense of the Union and now resides in Boise at the age of seventy-eight years. The mother, who was a native of Maine, passed away in Boise a few years ago.

Newton Bailey Irish was the only son of their family but has three living sisters. He was reared to the age of twenty years in his native state and then came to the west, making his way to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he learned the painter's trade. He has been a painter and painting contractor for over twenty years and has lived in Idaho for two decades, chiefly at Boise. He purchased his present ranch on the Meridian road in 1908 and in 1919 he built upon it one of the fine bungalow homes of Ada county. It is a residence of seven rooms, thirty-four by sixty-six feet, surrounded by broad rustic verandas, while cobblestone has been used as part of the adornment of the exterior. The house is modern throughout and is finished in maple and oak.

On the 9th of August. 1905, Mr. Irish was married to Miss Minnie E. Jones, who came to Idaho in 1897, and they have five children: Irving, who was born March 18, 1907; Thelma, born January 9, 1909; Dorothy, September 14, 1910; Delton, October 29, 1913; and Dale, November 22, 1919. Mrs. Irish was born at Raymond, Montgomery county, Illinois, April 16, 1878, and is a daughter of Russell S. and Anna (Kennedy) Jones who are now occupying a cottage on the Irish ranch near their children. The father of Mrs. Irish was also born in Illinois.

A creditable record is that of Newton B. Irish, who, starting out in the business world empty-handed, has made steady progress through his industry and determina- tion and is now one of the progressive ranchers as well as successful painting contractors of Ada county.

CHARLES REIN.

On the list of Idaho's pioneers appears the name of Charles Rein, who arrived in Ada county when the work of development and improvement had scarcely been begun in the region adjoining Boise. He was a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having oc- curred in Westmoreland county, August 11, 1843, his parents being Jacob and Dorothy Rein, who were natives of Germany. The son was reared largely in Shelby county, Missouri, his parents removing to that section from Pennsylvania. He and his younger brother, Jacob Rein, who died a few years ago at his home in South Boise and who is mentioned elsewhere in this work, came to Idaho together, crossing the plains during the Civil war period. For many years the two brothers were promi- nently engaged in handling wood. They prospered in their undertakings, winning suc- cess and gaining a place among the well-to-do men of their section of the state.' They formerly owned a fine quarter section of land just east of South Boise, which they pur- chased from Earl Race, who had homesteaded it. In 1890 the Rein brothers sold this prop- erty of one hundred and sixty acres to the late Joseph Gallaher for twelve thousand dollars and today the land is easily worth three hundred dollars per acre. At a sub- sequent period Charles Rein purchased a forty-acre ranch five miles southeast of Boise and put upon it good improvements and planted several acres to fine winter apples. He and his wife lived upon this place for eight years and then removed to Boise but still owned the ranch, which was turned over for further cultivation to John G. Breckenridge, the stepson of Mr. Rein.

It was on the 29th of June, 1879, that Charles Rein was united in marriage to Mrs. Josephine Breckenridge, the widow of James Isaac Breckenridge, a Missourian by birth but a representative of the old and prominent Breckenridge family of Ken- tucky. Mrs. Breckenridge was born in Washington county, Missouri, September 7, 1848, and bore the maiden name of Josephine Tennyson, being a daughter of John H. and Nancy (Maxwell) Tennyson, who were natives of Tennessee and Virginia respec- tively. On the 9th of October, 1867, she became the wife of James Isaac Brecken- ridge in Washington county, Missouri, and in August, 1874, they removed to Idaho, locating in the Boise valley near Middleton. Later, however, they removed to a ranch not far from Boise. Mr. Breckenridge passed away February 27, 1878, leaving an only son, John G. Breckenridge, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work and who is now occupying the Rein ranch.

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Mr. Rein passed away November 6, 1919, at the age of seventy-six years. His wife now resides at No. 1015 North Fifth street in Boise and with her lives her nephew, L. W. Tennyson, a well known lawyer of the capital city. From pioneer times Mr. Rein was connected with the northwest and contributed to its development and im- provement, especially along agricultural lines. He worked diligently and persistently as the years went by to win his prosperity and at the time of his death was most com- fortably situated in life, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil.

JOHN O. JORDAN.

John O. Jordan has contributed not only to his individual success but also in large measure to the improvement of Boise through his operations in real estate in recent years, his method being to purchase vacant lots and erect thereon attractive homes for sale. He is an expert lather and also a carpenter of ability and though he employs much skilled labor in the construction of his houses, he is also one of the busiest men on the job.

Mr. Jordan was born in Zanesville, Ohio, December 23, 1871, and is a son of Henry L. and Elizabeth (Mercer) Jordan, both of whom have passed away after having spent their entire lives in Ohio. The Jordan family was established in Morgan county, Ohio, in pioneer times. Although born in Zanesville, John O. Jordan was largely reared in Morgan county and in 1888 removed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in company with his mother and stepfather. He spent ten years in that city and for two years was engaged in the hotel business. In 1900 be came to Boise, where he has prospered and become a substantial citizen. Working as a lather, he developed expert skill and for many years gave his time almost steadily to work of that character. However, as he prospered and was able to make investments he began buying vacant lots, erecting good buildings thereon, his operations as a speculative builder largely contributing to his growing success. During 1919 he built six good modern homes in Boise in attractive locations and has sold five of these at an average price of about fifty-five hundred dollars. His own home is a modern dwelling which he built in 1909.

On the 14th of November, 1894, Mr. Jordan was married to Miss Effie A. Roberts, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee. They have two sons, Henry P. and Cecil J., both now having reached their majority and both veterans of the World war.

Mr. Jordan belongs to the Boise Chamber of Commerce and is interested in all the plans and projects of that organization for the benefit and upbuilding of the city. In politics he is a republican and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but has never sought nor desired office as his business interests have made full demand upon his time and energy.

JOHN M. STODDARD.

John M. Stoddard has been a resident of Ada county for but a brief period and is now living on the Boise bench. He has, however, purchased a large ranch near Meridian, of which he took possession in the spring of 1920. For a long period before removing to Ada county he made his home in Cassia county, Idaho, and has contributed to the agricultural development of the state. He was born in Utah, October 14, 1869, and is of Scotch and English descent, being a son of John M. and Mary Jane (Priest) Stoddard. The father was born in Illinois and was of Scotch lineage, while the mother was born in England and belonged to one of the old families of that country. They became converts to the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were married in Salt Lake City in 1868. They had a family of nine children, seven sons and two daughters, all of whom are yet living with the exception of one daughter.

John M. Stoddard, the eldest of the family, was reared in Utah and in 1895 came to Idaho, locating in the Upper Snake river valley near Idaho Falls, where he resided until 1904, when he removed to Burley. There he remained until 1919, when he sold his Cassia county ranch and purchased a fine two hundred and forty acre ranch four miles east of Meridian and six miles west of Boise, for which he paid two hundred and fifteen dollars per acre, with a free water right from the Ridenbaugh ditch. While

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in Cassia county he clearly demonstrated his ability to successfully handle important ranching interests and as the years passed he prospered in his undertakings, being now one of the substantial citizens of Ada county and a valuable addition to its citizenship.

Mr. Stoddard was married near Ogden, Utah, February 26, 1890, to Miss Hannah Bybee, who was also born in Utah and is a representative of one of the Mormon families of that state. While they have no children of their own, they have reared two from infancy, having adopted a son and a daughter. These are William R. Stoddard, who was born March 15, 1895, and is a son of William Edward Stoddard, a younger brother of John M. Stoddard, who is now living at Shelley, Idaho. The child's mother died during his infancy, and Mr. and Mrs. John M. Stoddard adopted him. He is now a bright young man of much capability who was sent on a two years' mission to southern Indiana for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is married and has one son. It was on the 11th of April, 1917, that he wedded Estella Hansen and their little son, born January 3, 1918, is named John Lin.

In his political views Mr. Stoddard of this review is a democrat and he served as highway commissioner of Cassia county for three years under appointment of Governor Moses Alexander. He is always loyal to every interest for the general good, and his devotion to the public welfare has been manifest in many ways. He is a loyal follower of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and it is characteristic of him that he stands faithfully by any cause which he espouses. As a business man, too, he has made an excellent record, so directing his efforts and investments that he is now one of the men of affluence in his community.

EMERY A. MCKAY.

Emery A. Mckay is the proprietor of the Gem City Steam Laundry, which is the only steam laundry not only in Emmett but in Gem county, where he is developing a business of very substantial proportions, bringing to bear long experience and keen discernment in the management of this enterprise. He was born in Linn county, Missouri, December 27, 1880, and is the only living son of George H. and Eva (Geren) Mckay, both of whom have passed away, the father having died in 1910, while the mother's death occurred in 1896. Emery A. Mckay is their only son but has one sister, Mrs. H. L. Dunn, now of Brookfield, Missouri, who in her maidenhood was Miss Jessie Mckay and who is two years the senior of her brother.

E. A. Mckay was reared in Missouri, where he pursued his education in the public schools. When eighteen years of age he became connected with the laundry business at Brookfield, Missouri, as an employe, starting in the work in 1898. He has since been identified with the laundry business, covering a period of more than two decades, and serving a complete apprenticeship, he acquired a knowledge of the business in every department, being thoroughly familiar with the best methods of operating a steam laundry. He left Brookfield in 1901, removing to Joplin, Missouri, where he remained for two years and was then a resident of Pueblo, Colorado, and vicinity for ten years, filling various positions in steam laundries during that period. In 1914 he came to Idaho and in 1915 took up his abode at Emmett, where he purchased the Gem City Steam Laundry, which he has since successfully conducted. He has enlarged the plant and increased the capacity of the laundry as well as promoted, the efficiency of the establishment by installing new and modern machinery. In 1919 he purchased the substantial brick building at the southeast corner of First and Commercial streets in Emmett, a structure that is fifty by one hundred feet and was formerly used as a garage. To this building he removed his complete laundry plant in December, 1919, from its former location at No. 208 West Main street. In the new quarters the Gem City Steam Laundry will have double the capacity and room. Mr. Mckay is a man of progressive spirit and something of the originality of his business methods is shown in two expressions which he has adopted in connection with the trade, these being "Home of the Irish Wash Woman" and "Twenty Years Over a Tub." In other words the work is done with the thoroughness and efficiency that is usually attributed to the wash woman who comes from the green isle of Erin, and the long experience of the proprietor is indicated by the other catch expression which he has adopted. Mr. Mckay belongs to the Southern Idaho Laundrymen's Association and also to the National Laundrymen's Association and he does everything in his power

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History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume III, Part 59

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 926

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 926