USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. II > Part 26
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97
Mr. Whitehouse was married December 15, 1858, to Clara Bradley Homans, the eldest daughter of Harrison and Sarah B. (Bradley) Homans of Vassalboro, Maine, the former born In the Pine Tree state and the latter in Massachusetts.
BENJAMIN G. WHITEHOUSE
.197
HISTORY OF OREGON
Not long after his marriage Mr. Whitehouse started for the coast, leaving his wife in Boston until he could arrange to have a home for her to join him. In 1862 she came to Portland. They became the parents of five children: Harry A., who died in 1864, when hut a year old; May Elizabeth, the wife of Henry S. Hostetter, a major in the United States army; Gertrude, the wife of Edward Cookingham, president of the Ladd & Tilton Bank, and they are the parents of Prescott W. and Holt W. Cook- ingham; Clara Homans, the wife of Edward L. Brown, comptroller and treasurer of the Northern Pacific Terminal Company of Portland and they are the parents of two children, Kathleen and Gardner; and Morris H., a prominent architect of Portland, who married Grace R. Reed of Boston, Massachusetts. Major and Mrs. Hostetter have two children, Patience and Marian S., who are with their parents, the major now being stationed at Washington, D. C.
Mr. Whitehouse passed away May 9, 1912. He was always devoted to his family and found his greatest happiness at his own fireside. He was very prominently known in Masonic circles and upon him was conferred the honorary thirty-third degree. He was the first secretary and first candidate entered, passed and raised in Portland Lodge, No. 55, A. F. & A. M., after its organization, which lodge is now the largest in the state. He served as secretary of the lodge twelve years, secretary of Portland Royal Arch Chapter for four years, secretary of Oregon Commandery, K. T., for eighteen years and of the Scottish Rite bodies for twelve years. He was grand treasurer of the Grand Commandery of the Knights Templar for eighteen years, past almoner and treasurer of the Oregon Consistory for sixteen years and had served as first and only recorder of Al Kader Temple for twenty-two years. He was elected a life member of Oregon Commandery, K. T., in 1908 and for faithful services as grand treasurer of the Grand Commandery the honorary title of past commander was conferred upon him in 1908. He was coronated thirty-third degree Mason by the Supreme Council in Washington, D. C., January 18, 1893. Judged by every standard Mr. Whitehouse was a man whom to know was to esteem and honor and the sterling worth of his character constituted an example that might well he followed and that has caused his memory to be enshrined in the hearts of all who knew him.
WILLIAM H. RICKARD.
William H. Rickard of Benton county, is a native son of Oregon, his birth having occurred in the county where he now resides on the 1st of September, 1872. He is a son of Samuel and Susan J. (Banton) Rickard, the former born in Indiana and the latter in Missouri. In 1852 the father crossed the plains with his parents to Oregon, the family settling in Benton county, where the grandfather of William H. Rickard took up a homestead claim, which he cleared and developed, continuing its operation for many years. At length he removed to Junction City, Oregon, where he lived retired until his demise at the advanced age of ninety years. His wife passed away in 1915 at the venerable age of ninety-one years. Their son, Samuel Rickard, was educated in the schools of Benton county and on starting out in life for himself he took up the occu- pation of farming, engaging in the cultivation of one of his father's places and also operating rented land, continuing active along that line until his death, which occurred in 1891, when he was forty-one years of age. He had survived his wife for three years, her demise having occurred in 1888, at which time she had reached the age of thirty- eight years.
William H. Rickard was reared in Benton county and there attended school, gradu- ating from the Bellfontain high school. For one year he was a student at the Oregon Agricultural College and subsequently operated rented land for a few years until he was able to purchase a stock ranch in Benton county. In June, 1908, he was elected county assessor of Benton county and as the work of the office did not require all of his attention he also devoted part of his time to the operation of his ranch. He was a courteous and obliging official, thoroughly fitted for the work of the office, into which he introduced a number of new methods which greatly facilitated the discharge of his duties. He displayed rare qualities as a public official and that his services found favor with the public is indicated in the fact that reelection had made him the incumbent in the position for twelve years. He is careful, systematic and progressive in the management of his farm and his stock-raising interests are important and profitable.
On the 12th of August, 1894, Mr. Rickard was united in marriage to Miss Ida
198
HISTORY OF OREGON
Purdy, a daughter of William and Julia (Johnson) Purdy, the former a native of New York and the latter of Lane county, Oregon. Her father emigrated to the west and engaged in the cultivation of a large hop yard in the vicinity of Coburg, Oregon, being very successful in his operations along that line. He has passed away, but the mother survives and is now a resident of Lebanon, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Rickard have become the parents of three children, namely: Clive H., Harvey L. and Elvin E. They are also rearing a child, William R. Purdy, who is now fifteen years of age, upon whom they are bestowing parental kindness and affection.
In his political views Mr. Rickard is a democrat and his fraternal connections are with the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose and the Woodmen of the World, while his wife is a member of the Women of Woodcraft. He is likewise identified with the Grange and thus keeps in touch with the advancement that is being made in methods of agriculture and stock raising. Mr. Rickard is a typical western mau, wide-awake, alert and enterprising, and his career has been marked by steady advancement, due to his close application, his unremitting energy and his reliability. His life has ever been guided by high and honorable prin- ciples and he is loyal to all those interests which make for honorable manhood and pro- gressive citizenship.
W. N. DANIELS.
W. N. Daniels, a dealer in produce in Portland, where he has built up a business of substantial and gratifying proportions, was born in western New York, December 18, 1861, and is a son of John Quincy Adams Daniels, who removed from New England to New York and in the Empire state followed the occupation of farming until his death, which occurred when his son, W. N. Daniels of this review, was but three years of age. The mother bore the maiden name of Mary Ann Barker and was born on the Hudson river in New York but passed away before the removal of Mr. Daniels of this review to the west, in the spring of 1891.
Having spent his first three decades in New York W. N. Daniels then sought the opportunities of the new and growing west, making his way to Kettle Falls, about one hundred miles north of Spokane, Washington. He remained there for only two nights, for he found the weather twenty degrees below zero and could not stand the severe cold. Accordingly he removed to Tacoma and thence to Olympia, where he met several old friends who years before had been his schoolmates, among these being Judge Milo Root and Carey Lattin.
It was on the 4th of July, 1891, that Mr. Daniels arrived in Portland and here turned his attention to the apple packing business in the Willamette valley, while later he established the La Grande Creamery in Portland on the 1st of December, 1891, with headquarters at 12 Front street, purchasing supplies of butter, eggs and cheese for sale in the retail market. In 1893, in company with T. W. Russell, he established busl- ness on Yamhill street and after a time took over the interest of his partner. In 1914 the building which he had been occupying was torn down and he removed to his present location at the corner of First and Yamhill streets. Here he handles butter, eggs, cheese and smoked meats. In 1901 he was joined by his brother, John Quincy Adams Daniels, who came from the east, where he had formerly engaged in mercantile pur- suits and in the bond business, but for the past nineteen years he has been associated with his brother in the produce business in Portland. He is a man of fine stature, over six feet in height. On the 10th of June, 1890, he married Louise Dawson, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, but at that time a resident of Buffalo, New York. They are the parents of one son, John Quincy Adams Daniels, Jr., now twenty-four years of age, who for two years was overseas as a member of the Ninety-first Division, Three Hun- dred and Sixty-third Field Ambulance Corps. He participated in the terrible battle of the Argonne forest and had his medical kit shot off his hip. He was with the Ninety-first Division when the troops went over the top on the 26th of September, 1918. He joined Uncle Sam's forces as a medical student and came out as a corporal. At the time he enlisted he was studying to be a physician at the University of California and since his return has resumed his interrupted studies and will graduate in the spring of 1921. His parents are most keenly interested in everything that is of interest to their son, the family relation being almost more that of people of kindred age than of parent and child.
199
HISTORY OF OREGON
Both W. N. and J. Q. A. Daniels are now well known in the business circles of Portland, where they have long occupied a prominent and enviable position, their suc- cess being attributable entirely to their close application, their progressive methods, their alertness and their enterprise. For three decades W. N. Daniels has been identified with the northwest, so that he has witnessed much of its development, and as the years have passed his aid has always been given to the work of general progress and improvement as well as to the upbuilding of his own fortunes.
JOHN H. CARSON.
John H. Carson, who since 1920 has served as district attorney of Marion county, is ably discharging his duties in this connection, for his knowledge of the law is com- prehensive and exact and he is most capably looking after the interests of the public. He is one of Oregon's native sons, his birth having occurred in Salem, November 2, 1894. His father, John A. Carson, was born in Lurgan, Ireland, and emigrated to Canada, whence he made his way to Salem, Oregon, in 1888. While residing in Canada he was admitted to the bar and on coming to Oregon he was admitted to the bar on motion. He became one of the leading members of the bar of the state and one of his most notable cases was that In which he defended E. C. Hasey in the famous Guggen- heim railroad case in Alaska, around which Rex Beach built his story entitled "The Iron Trail." Mr. Carson also became prominent in public affairs, serving as a member of the state senate from 1911 until 1913. In Toronto, Canada, he married Helen Fraser and they became the parents of five children: Mrs. Hugh C. McCammon, Catherine C., John H., Allen G. and Wallace P. Mr. Carson passed away at Salem on the 7th of December, 1916. His widow survives and is yet a resident of this city.
Their son, John H. Carson, attended the public schools of Salem and Mount Angel College, later becoming a student at Willamette University, where he won his LL. B. degree upon the completion of a law course. He also studied law in his father's office, which he now occupies, being a member of the firm of Carson and Brown, the junior partner having also been associated with Mr. Carson's father in practice. They have been very successful in the trial of cases and have been accorded a good clientage. Mr. Carson is a strong and able lawyer, clear and concise in his presentation of a case, logical in his deductions and sound in his reasoning, while in the application of legal principles he is seldom, if ever, at fault. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, called him to public office and in 1920 he was elected district attorney of Marion county, in which capacity he Is now serving, his official record being a most creditable one, characterized by conscientious and efficient work In behalf of the public.
In October, 1920, Mr. Carson was united in marriage to Miss Myrtle Jane Albright, a representative of one of the old and prominent families of Clackamas county. Fra- ternally he is identified with the Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Although one of the younger members of the legal fraternity, he is making continuous and rapid progress in his profession and is proving a worthy successor of his father, being endowed with much of the talent and legal acumen pos- sessed by the latter. When but twenty-one years of age he was admitted to the bar of Salem and some time before this had successfully passed the required examination, thus indicating his unusual mental attainments. He holds to high standards in pro- fessional service, has great respect for the dignity of his calling and zealously devotes his energies to h's profession. He is accounted one of Salem's most valued citizens and enjoys the esteem and regard of a large circle of friends.
GEORGE A. WILHELM.
George A. Wilhelm, member of the firm of A. Wilhelm & Sons, automobile dealers of Junction City and also engaged in the operation of flour mills, is a native son of Oregon, his birth having occurred at Monroe, in Benton county, May 14, 1884. He Is a son of Adam and Elizabeth (Miller) Wilhelm, the former a native of Germany, while the latter was born in Metz, France. When a child the father was brought to America by his parents, who located in Wisconsin, where the grandfather of George A. Wilhelm engaged in the hotel business. In the early '70s he came to Oregon, settling at Monroe,
200
HISTORY OF OREGON
Benton county, and here he continued to make his home until his demise. His son, Adam Wilhelm, was reared and educated in Wisconsin and in the late '60s came to Oregon, first becoming a resident of Corvallis, remaining there for two years and then removing to Monroe. There he engaged in general merchandising and also conducted a grain business and is still active along those lines, now operating under the firm style of A. Wilhelm & Sons. They also have fiour mills and are extensively engaged in the automobile business, being proprietors of a large garage at Junction City, and are likewise maintaining establishments of that character at Corvallis and Monroe, Oregon. Mr. Wilhelm has thus become a prominent and successful business man of his part of the state and is highly respected in the community where he resides. The mother is de- ceased, her demise having occurred in California in 1915.
Their son, George A. Wilhelm, was reared and educated at Monroe, Oregon, complet- ing his studies at Columbia University of Portland, after which he was for two years connected with the Title & Trust Company of that city. In 1908 he became manager of the Junction City Milling Company, operated by the firm of A. Wilhelm & Sons, and is now acting in that capacity. In the above mentioned year they also established an automobile business at Junction City, of which Mr. Wilhelm acts as manager, and under his able direction the business has enjoyed a continuous growth, branch estab- lishments being maintained at Corvallis and Monroe, Oregon. They are agents for the Overland and Dodge cars and in 1920 erected a fine modern garage one hundred by one hundred and twenty-five feet in dimensions. They are recognized as thoroughly reliable business men and their progressive methods and excellent service have secured for them a large patronage. They are also extensively interested in farm lands in Lane and Ben- ton counties, from which they derive a substantial source of revenue.
In June, 1910, Mr. Wilhelm was united in marriage to Miss Evelyn Martin of Monroe, Oregon, and they have become the parents of three children: Margaret E., who was born June 12, 1912; George A., Jr., born June 30, 1917; and Mary A., whose birth occurred on the 30th of October, 1919.
Mr. Wilhelm gives his political allegiance to the republican party and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Catholic church, while his fraternal connec- tions are with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Columbus. He is a man of high personal standing, of marked business integrity and ability, and the sterling worth of his character is recognized by all with whom he has been associated.
LESTER MARTIN LEHRBACH, M. D.
Although one of the youngest members of his profession in Douglas county, Lester Martin Lehrbach is readily conceded to be one of the leading physicians and surgeons, and he has built up a practice so extensive that it covers the entire county. He was born in Wisconsin, a son of Nicholas and Della M. (Kidder) Lehrbach, his father being a native of Buffalo, New York, where his great-grandfather settled many years ago and where he became known as one of the most successful of old-time merchants in Erie county. The grandfather of our subject was a pioneer of Minnesota, settling at Red Wing, and there it was that Nicholas Lehrbach resided until his removal with his family to Wisconsin. There he is still living and is acting as an official of the United States government.
Dr. Lester Martin Lehrbach received his primary education in the public schools of Wisconsin and his higher training at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, from which institution he entered the Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. After graduating in 1906 with the degree of M. D., he went to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he served as an interne at St. Francis Hospital. In 1907 he located in Oregon and practiced in Junction City for five years. While there he was elected to the city council and was president of the Commercial Club. Failing health caused his retire- ment from practice for about a year and upon recovering he located in Roseburg in 1913 and there he has practiced continuously since. He has built up an extensive practice and while it is now general he is in a sense a specialist and hopes at some future time to devote himself to surgery of the brain and nervous system, in which branch he promises a brilliant future.
In the line of his profession Dr. Lehrbach is a member of the Southern Oregon Medical Society, the Oregon State Medical Society and the American Medical Associa-
DR. LESTER M. LEHRBACH
203
HISTORY OF OREGON
tion. Along fraternal lines he is a Mason, being past master of the blue lodge, a Knights Templar and a Shriner, and he is likewise an Elk and an Odd Fellow. During the World war Dr. Lehrbach was very active in war drives and other patriotic move- ments. The duties of good citizenship do not rest lightly upon the shoulders of Dr. Lehrbach and he does all in his power toward the betterment of the general welfare of the community. He is an earnest student of his profession, keeps in touch with its advancement and employs the most modern methods in his practice.
NEWTON CRABTREE.
Newton Crabtree, an honored pioneer of Oregon and a representative of one of its oldest families, his parents having arrived in this state in 1845, is now engaged in cultivating a tract of fifty acres of rich and arable land three miles south of Scio. He was born near The Dalles, Oregon, October 22, 1845, and is a son of John J. and Melinda (Yeary) Crabtree, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Kentucky. At an early day the father went to Missouri, where he resided for about five years, and in 1845 he started from Independence, that state, for Oregon, traveling with ox teams and wagons. The party set out on their journey in May and it was not until November that they arrived in Vancouver, Washington. Upon their arrival at The Dalles they con- structed a raft, upon which they placed their seven wagons, and in that manner pro- ceeded down the Columbia river to Vancouver. They spent the winter In Yamhill county, Oregon, and in the following spring made their way to Linn county, where the father took up a donation land claim. He at once set about the arduous task of clear- ing and developing his land and after many years of persistent and unremitting labor he succeeded in bringing his farm to a high state of productivity, becoming the owner of a most valuable property. He was one of the real builders of the west, who bravely endured all the hardships and privations of frontier life and aided in laying broad and deep the foundation upon which has been built the present progress and prosperity of the country. He became a man of prominence in his community and it was in his honor that the town of Crabtree was subsequently named. He reared a family of fif- teen children, five of whom were born in Virginia, five in Missouri and five in Oregon, and six of his sons participated in the Washington and Rogue River Indian wars. The twin brother of the subject of this review was Jasper Crabtree, who died about 1890. The father passed away on the 28th of March, 1892, at the venerable age of ninety-two years, while the mother survived him for six years, her demise occurring in 1898, when she had reached the advanced age of ninety years. They were truly cast in herole mold. Braving the dangers of the unknown west they courageously faced the hard- ships and privations of that long and arduous journey, devoting their lives to the redemption of the Pacific coast region and counting no sacrifice too great that was made for the benefit of their home locality.
Newton Crabtree was reared and educated in Linn county and has here spent his life. He attended district school, the schoolhouse being a log cabin, for the country was then wild and undeveloped and the Indians far outnumbered the white settlers. On reaching mature years he took up the occupation of farming, cultivating a tract of land which his father had given him. This he further improved and developed and subsequently purchased additional land, but later disposed of the greater portion of his holdings, retaining fifty acres, which he is now operating. He has ever followed the most progressive methods in the cultivation of the soil and his unabating energy and well directed efforts have won for him a substantial measure of success. His land is rich and productive and its value is much enhanced by a small stream which runs through the farm and which was named Crabtree creek in honor of his father.
In October, 1871, Mr. Crabtree was united in marriage to Miss Frances Wilson and they became the parents of five children: Fred, who died November 26, 1894; Nellie, whose demise occurred on the 4th of March, 1906; Maggie, who is the wife of Frank Sommer, a farmer of Linn county; Flo, who married C. C. Smith and resides in Portland, Oregon; and May, the wife of Arthur Lettenmaier of Oregon City. The wife and mother died November 16, 1915, after an illness of six months, and on the 9th of February, 1920, Mr. Crabtree was married to Emma Bann.
In his political views Mr. Crabtree is a democrat and he has taken an active part in public affairs of his community, serving for many years as a member of the school board, while for a quarter of a century he acted as clerk of that body. Fraternally
204
HISTORY OF OREGON
he is identified with the Indepedent Order of Odd Fellows, which order he joined on the 3d of November, 1880, and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a member of the Oregon Pioneers Society and is one of the oldest residents of the state, having spent the entire period of his life, covering seventy-five years, within its borders. He remembers when the country was wild and undeveloped, with only a few scattered dwellings to show that the seeds of civilization had been planted. The passing years have brought their influx of settlers, and with interest he has watched changing events and in considerable measure has contributed to the development of the community, his aid and influence being ever on the side of progress and improvement. He has led a busy, active and useful life and is widely known and universally honored.
BUSHROD WASHINGTON WILSON.
Those forces which have contributed most to the development, improvement and benefit of the state of Oregon received an impetus from the labors of Bushrod Wash- ington Wilson, whose name is written high on the roll of the honored dead who were among the builders and promoters of the great northwest. He was distinctively a man of affairs and one who wielded a wide influence. Persistency of purpose and unfaltering enterprise enabled him to accomplish his purpose where men of less resolute spirit would have failed and in all that he undertook he was actuated by high ideals that sought the benefit of his home locality and of the state at large.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.