History of Oregon, Vol. III, Part 8

Author: Carey, Charles Henry
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Chicago, Portland, The Pioneer historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 766

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HESSEL SNELLER BRAAKMAN.

Hessel Sneller Braakman, well known in Hood River for his work as a decorator, was born in Holland in 1876, his parents being Herschel and Beckley (Sneller) Braak- man, who were well-to-do farming people. The son was educated in Holland up to the age of twelve years, when his father suggested that he become a seafaring man and learn of the world by actual contact. This plan was objectionable to the son, how- ever, so he packed his bag and left home with the determination of learning a trade. He went into Germany and there took up the trade of interior decorating and painting. He found the work entirely to his liking and with his natural aptitude soon made rapid progress. After four years' apprenticeship, in which he became thoroughly familiar with every phase of the business, he was given a journeyman's card. He continued to work for his instructor until his nineteenth year, when he returned to Holland to serve for three years in the army according to the laws of that land. When the term of his legal military service was ended he came to America and entered the employ of a firm of decorators and has continued in this line of work, sometimes as an employe and often as a contractor. During the past twenty-two years Mr. Braak- man has worked in most of the states of the Union. Examples of his ability ornament the interiors of the homes of such well known citizens as Whitelaw Reid of New York, John D. Rockefeller's country home in the White mountains, the D. G. Bancroft home in Boston, Massachusetts, the Muldoon health farm and others, including the Allen

HISTORY OF OREGON

and the Madrona schools and the juvenile courthouse at Seattle, Washington. The First National Bank of New Orleans has been embellished by his skill, also the Union station at Memphis, Tennessee, is an example of his taste in frescoing.

After traveling all over America Mr. Braakman was married in Tacoma, Wash- ington, in 1915 to Miss Rhoda Cooley, a daughter of Alfred W. Cooley, a retired lum- berman. Following his marriage he decided to settle down to a quiet home life and selected Hood River as his future place of residence. Here he established himself and soon built up a fine business. His skill is not only manifest in the costly adornment and artistic frescoing of the mansion of the multi-millionaire-a line in which he excels-but also in the handsome homes and orchard bungalows of the well-to-do people of central Oregon, who are warm in their praise of a man who knows his busi- ness from every angle and who gives the same satisfaction in a job that brings him only a hundred dollars that he does in one the contract price of which reaches a hun- dred thousand dollars. In a word he is most thorough and painstaking and at all times perfectly reliable.

Mr. Braakman is an Odd Fellow, having joined the order in Manchester, Eng- land, when a young man. He is a thoroughgoing American in all of his ideas and while familiar with a number of countries on the face of the globe and with many sections of the United States, he finds more pleasure in Hood River with its splendid natural beauties, furnished by the rich valley lands and majestic snow-capped mountains, than he has ever found in any other section of the world.

SPENCER SETH BULLIS.

Spencer Seth Bullis, railroad builder, miner, lumber dealer and president of the Rogue River Valley Canning Company, has in these and various other fields of activity established his position as one of the builders of the great state of Oregon, for his enterprises have always been of a character that have contributed to public progress as well as to individual advancement. He has been most careful in formulating his plans and determined in their execution, and when one avenue of opportunity has seemed closed he has carved out other paths whereby to reach the desired goal.

Mr. Bullis was born at East Aurora, New York, in 1849, and for more than a half century he has been a human dynamo, still running strong. He comes from sturdy stock on both sides. His parents were Seth M. and Mary (Scott) Bullis, his ancestors in the paternal line having come to America in 1630. His grandfather was a tool maker who settled in northern New York early in the history of development in that state.

Spencer S. Bullis was educated in the common schools of his native county and in the East Aurora Academy and the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute. When a youth of nineteen years he went to the Oil Creek district of Pennsylvania but soon found that fortune was slow in coming his way. He then turned his attention to the shingle business and when he was twenty-one years of age his father gave him a thousand dollars, which he invested in a sawmill. It was about that time that he was offered a position as selling agent at Buffalo with a large lumber concern-a position which be accepted-and from 1876 until 1893, or for a period of seventeen years, he handled an immense amount of lumber of his own and other manufacturers throughout the middle and New England states. He also handled hemlock bark for several years and was the largest shipper to the New England tanneries. During this period he organized and managed as president the Pennsylvania Lumber Storage Company, which was a system of pooling lumber interests. This was a great success and did an immense business until the timber of that territory became largely ex- hausted. Always advancing, never retreating, he built the Gulf & Ship Island Rail- road, a system of two hundred and fifty miles extending south from Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, and terminating at Gulfport, Mississippi, with terminals and docks there. This soon became the second lumber exporting port on this continent. He was vice president and general manager of the railroad until 1901, when he dis- posed of his interests. In 1904 he went to Vancouver, British Columbia, and for several years had interests there in connection with the docks and terminals around that city and also in copper mines, having sold to the Brittania Company, the Empress group, which now constitutes a considerable part of their properties which are among the

SPENCER SETH BULLIS

HISTORY OF OREGON

large ones of the continent. During all the time up to 1914 he had his residence at Olean, New York, which was his business headquarters, rearing his family there.

In 1914 Mr. Bullis located in Medford, Oregon, and was soon in the front rank of its progressive business men. He took up mining and now owns and operates the Sterling mine, the oldest and largest placer mine in this gold territory. He organized the Southern Oregon Lumber Company, of which he is now the treasurer, and he estab- lished the Rogue River Valley Canning Company, of which he is the president. He likewise huilt the electric line from Medford to Jacksonville, which is now a part of the Medford Coast Railroad. Quickly recognizing needs and opportunities, he has put forth effort to meet these needs and in so doing has given to the public valuable business service, while his labors have brought substantial financial returns.

Mr. Bullis was married to Miss Sarah Eliza Potter, a daughter of Gilbert Potter, a member of one of the old colonial families. He became a farmer of northern New York, occupying a tract of two hundred and fifty acres that has been in possession of the family since 1805. To Mr. and Mrs. Bullis have been born the following named: Martha A., who is the wife of Ralph Boutelle, a native of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and connected with the Sons of the American Revolution; Gilbert Potter, a lawyer and cotton planter of Louisiana; Raymond S., a resident of Whittier, California, where he is engaged in oil production; Helen M., living in Medford; Seth M., superintendent of the California Oregon Power Company; and Gardiner, living at Los Angeles, Cali- fornia.

Fraternally Mr. Bullis is a Mason and an Elk, and his religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Presbyterian church. Though past the allotted span of three score years and ten, he is still active and at his desk for eight hours every working day. His life has been an active and useful one, his lahors far-reaching and resultant, and his enterprise has brought him prominently to the front.

JOHN D. BOOST.

Stronger than all else in the life of most men is the insistent call of country. Few are the individuals who would not sacrifice even life to patriotic duty and there- fore the great World war claimed the services of four million American men, several thousand of whom were called upon to make the supreme sacrifice. Among this num- ber was John D. Boost who was a most highly esteemed and valued young business man of Portland, in which city he had many warm friends. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, September 6, 1885, a son of Charles and Maria (Vyse) Boost, who in the year 1886 left Michigan and made their way with their family to California, where they resided for a few years and then came north in 1891, to Portland, Oregon, in which city the father established the Portland Wire & Iron Works. After his son John reached adult age he assisted the father in this business which they conducted for several years, or until it was sold in 1908.

In the meantime John D. Boost had acquired a good education in the schools of Portland and had thus qualified for life's practical and responsible duties. Virtually his entire life was passed on the western coast and he was imbued with the spirit of western enterprise and progress which has been the dominant factor in this section of the country. After his association with his father in the conduct of the Portland Wire & Iron Works he continued with the firm that succeeded to the business until 1911 and then joined J. M. McAuley in organizing the Reliance Wire & Iron Works. They opened a plant which they operated until 1918, and in the meantime built up a substantial business of gratifying proportions, making theirs one of the important productive industries in the city with a liberal patronage. In 1918, however, Mr. Boost put aside all business and personal considerations and enlisted to serve in the World war, at which time the business of the Reliance Wire & Iron Works was consolidated with that of the Northwest Fence & Supply Company.

In the meantime Mr. Boost was married, in 1907, to Miss Adeline Gilstrap, a daugh- ter of J. R. and Caroline (Aubel) Gilstrap, who were natives of Missouri and came to Oregon at an early day. The father was engaged in the salmon packing industry for many years and was widely known in that connection. After America entered the World war Mr. Boost, feeling that his first duty was to his country, enlisted in the Fourth Company of the Fourth Battalion in the Central Officers Training Camp at Little Rock, Arkansas, and there becoming ill, passed away on the 3d of November,

HISTORY OF OREGON

1918, thus giving his life as a sacrifice to the cause of world democracy. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Sunnyside Lodge, and he gave his political allegiance to the republican party. At all times he stood for those things which are best in the life of the individual and of the community at large, and at his passing he left behind him many stanch friends, for practically his entire life had been spent in Portland and he had a wide acquaintance in the city, enjoying the warm regard of all with whom he had been brought into contact.

MRS. JUNE MACMILLAN ORDWAY.

Mrs. June MacMillan Ordway, who has been called "Oregon's first war mother," is also well known as one of the honored pioneer daughters of the state. To hun- dreds of thousands outside of Oregon she is known through her writings and there are few who have done as much to make the beauties of Oregon known to the world as has Mrs. Ordway. Her parents were among the early settlers of the state and in one of the new log cabins that marked the onward march of progress-a little cabin situated on the Tualatin plains-she was born September 11, 1855. A contemporary writer has said: "She was one of a family of nine children, a quiet, dreamy child, one to whom the noisy sports of youth made little appeal. She was thoughtful and earnest, and in her very early girlhood seemed to give much consideration to the serious things of life and to plan for the future. She was but six years of age when three of her little brothers passed from life within a very few days and the little girl became more quiet and thoughtful than before. Many sorrows have since come into her life, but they have never embittered her, having on the contrary developed that broad sympathy which finds its best expression only in those who have passed through the more difficult experiences."

When a young girl Mrs. Ordway played a small organ in the Hassalo Street Con- gregational church of Portland, a church that was organized in a small schoolhouse on the property known as MacMillan's addition to Portland and donated to the congre- gation by her mother. There every Sunday morning June MacMillan could be found, playing an organ that belonged to a neighbor and was carried by its owner with the assistance of a friend to the church. This organ had originally been brought from Maine to Portland and was one of the first musical instruments of the kind in the city. When quite young June MacMillan became the wife of Julius Ordway, a native of Maine, who passed away in 1909, and the greatest sorrow of her life has come to her in the loss of her children, two beautiful, gifted boys, Eliot and Earl.

Mrs. Ordway had not passed from girlhood into maidenhood when she began to express herself in writing, and one of her teachers, discovering her great talents and becoming interested in her work, had a little story and verse published in a Salem (Ore.) paper. She was twelve years of age when she first received remuneration for her verse, which was accepted and paid for by a New York publication. Once when very young. after one of her quiet, thoughtful days, when sitting in the midst of the family circle, she suddenly said that she was going to be a "writer lady" when she grew up. This created much merriment in the household and the sensitive nature of the child shrank from that misunderstanding which is often harder to bear than active hostility. She cherished her little verses, however, and many a time hid her writings away in some secret place, fearing they would be lost. Her education was in large measure acquired through her own efforts and her studious nature inclined her to the perusal of all the volumes which she could procure. From the earliest reception of her verse to the present time except during the several years that fol- lowed the death of her children when her health was weakened by grief, she has continued her writing, finding in literary pursuits that expression of the inner self which the painter puts upon his canvas or the sculptor chisels in marble. She is the author of the play "Oregon," together with several other plays, and her writings include many songs, poems and stories. Long since she has established her position in the world of letters and among her treasures are written words of congratulation and encourage- ment from the late President Mckinley, Marcus Hanna and Lillian Whiting. When Ella Wheeler Wilcox visited Portland a few years ago she gave Mrs. Ordway great encouragement, telling her to let nothing discourage her in her writings. Among her most beautiful productions are three dedicatory odes written for the unveiling of mili- tary monuments in her native state. One of these, entitled "Muffled Drums," was for

HISTORY OF OREGON

the unveiling of the monument at Hubbard, Marion county, erected by the ex-soldiers of that county. For the monument erected in Lone Fir cemetery, Portland, her poem was entitled "After the Battles," this being erected by the citizens to the memory of those who fell in the Mexican, Civil, Indian and Spanish-American wars. The last and grandest of the three monuments was erected in Portland, on which occasion her poem was entitled "After Taps." Her son, Eliot W., was one of the brave boys of Company H, Second Oregon, in the Spanish-American war and died at sea of typhoid fever, near Manila, September 24, 1898, at the age of nineteen years. His company was called the "flower of Oregon," being composed mostly of high school boys of good families and refined homes. Mrs. Ordway inherits her mother's charitable instincts and has assisted many less fortunate than herself. Like many other kindly disposed people she has been greatly imposed upon at times, but her heart never closes its doors against the appeal of the needy and when the possibility of rendering material assistance is hers, she does it with ready hand. Fortune has not always smiled upon her path, but in the darkest hours she has ever remembered her mother's teachings concerning virtue and honesty. She has been spoken of by the press as "Oregon's sweetest singer" and "Oregon's own" and her writings have been a splendid medium in making the world acquainted with the beauties and opportunities of the northwest. It was but natural to a woman of Mrs. Ordway's disposition and her broad interests that she should enter actively into the war work when America joined the allied forces in the effort to bring about world democracy and again her great sympathy found expression in poetic form, one of her beautiful poems, "After Taps," being herewith given:

'Twas calm and fair in the Maytime, The air with blossoms sweet, Filled our hearts with peace and gladness That made our joys complete.

And the sun shone o'er the valley, O'er village, shore and town. Rich promise of fair fruitfulness Seemed all the West to crown.

Hark! hark! on that fair May morning A deafening sound did rise. And then a cloud so black and deep Did darken God's clear skies.

And dimmed was the morning's brightness. A call came from afar- To arms! to arms! hold high the flag, Protect each stripe and star!

Changed was the scene of sweet content, To one of sighs and fears, As mothers bade their brave young sons Farewell, thro' blinding tears.

Away in that war-dimmed country They marched with firmest tread, Amid scenes of fiercest battle, 'Mid dying and the dead.

O young heroes of our "Homeland!" Your lives were true and tried! The West is made more glorious Because you thus have died.

Ah! some were lost amid the strife, Kind Father, they are thine. And when the roll is called in heaven They will be there in line.

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They gave their lives for freedom here And rest beneath the sod. They gained a life of honor there Forevermore with God.

This monument as sentinel Shall through the ages stand, Bearing the names of those who died Brave soldiers of our land.

RICHARD HENRY PARSONS.

Richard Henry Parsons, cashier of the bank of Sherwood and one of the most substantial and influential citizens of that city, was born in 1871, the son of William W. and Phoebe E. (Walton) Parsons. His paternal ancestors date back to the year 1634 when Joseph Parsons came to America and he is recorded as one of the witnesses to a transfer of the land upon which the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, now stands. The transfer was made by the Indians to William Pychon and others. This was six- teen years after the coming of the pilgrims and six years after the first Boston set- tlement. In 1647 he is recorded as one of the forty-two owners of Springfield. He was chosen selectman in 1651 and 1655 and with others purchased a large tract of land upon which Northhampton is now located. In 1672 he became a member of the first "troop of horse" in Massachusetts and in 1678 is recorded as a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery of Boston. He fought in King Philip's war and in other wars of his time. His son Joseph was born in Springfield in 1647 and was a captain in the Hampshire regiment, selectman, judge of the county court and representative to the general court at Boston. Joseph had a son Daniel who became a very wealthy man and held several prominent offices including that of selectman. His son Aaron moved to Wilbraham and fought bravely in the French war in 1755-56. He was one of the officers in the battle of Lake George and among his comrades who were killed was Noah Grant, the grandfather of the American hero and president, Ulysses S. Grant. His son, Eli, was a soldier in the Revolution, serving as a lieutenant in the continental army from 1776 to 1780. He was one of the founders of the Cherry Vale Academy, having moved to New York state where he was known as Col. Parsons. His son, Richard Henry, came to Oregon in the very early days and long before the tide of emigration set in crossed the plains and mountains in the primitive prairie schooner drawn by oxen. Little is recorded of his movements in Oregon, but his son, William W. Parsons, lived in Eugene and died there about 1873.

His son, Richard Henry Parsons, was born in Eugene in 1871. He is a worthy descendant of Joseph Parsons whose progeny have distinguished themselves in many states of the union as lawyers, doctors, clergymen, business men and soldiers. One of the family, General Lewis B. Parsons, is accredited with saving Missouri to the Union in 1861 while another was governor general of the northwest territory in the days before the great middle west was divided into states. All of the Parsons family have demonstrated that "blood will tell."

After the death of his father Richard Henry Parsons moved with his mother to the town of Creswell where he grew to manhood. He was educated at the grade and high school at Creswell and after working at various pursuits for a number of years he established himself in the mercantile business at the age of twenty-six, and continued in this work until 1914, when he disposed of his stock and for three years was man- ager of a farmers' warehouse at Redmond. He became cashier of the First National Bank of Redmond and in 1919 went to Sherwood and accepted the position of cashier of the Bank of Sherwood, which office he still holds. Since locating in this place Mr. Parsons has shown his progressive spirit by his active interest in his new town. Mr. Parsons owns the handsome brick building in which the bank is located. There are also three stores in this building, while the upper portion of it is devoted to a hotel which far surpasses the average small town hotel.

Mr. Parsons was married in Creswell in 1893, to Miss Nettie M. McDaniel, daugh- ter of J. L. McDaniel, a California pioneer farmer. They are the parents of three children: Walton W. Parsons, a young man of much promise, who is assistant pro- fessor of pharmacy in the Oregon Agricultural College; Lucille, an expert accountant

HISTORY OF OREGON

who is a graduate of the University of Oregon and assistant cashier of the Bank of Sherwood; and Clair, who is attending school in Sherwood.

Mr. Parsons is the president of the Sherwood Commercial Club and present mayor of Sherwood and during his stay in Creswell was mayor of that city and presi- dent of the Creswell Commercial Club. He is a member of the Masons, the Eastern Star, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Woodmen of the World, in which latter organization he has filled all the chairs. Both Mr. and Mrs. Parsons are active members of the Methodist church and teachers of the Sunday school. That the Parsons family is a valuable asset to Sherwood is generally conceded.

ALFRED A. HAMPSON.

Alfred A. Hampson, member of the Portland bar, whose experience as an attorney covers thirteen years and has been of wide scope, thus developing his powers in many branches of the law, was born in Washington, D. C., in 1882. His father, Thomas E. Hampson, was a native of Newburgh, New York, born in 1849, and in Washington he married Martha R. Hale whose birth occurred in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The death of Mr. Hampson occurred in 1886 and he is still survived by his widow, who is now a resident of Portland.

Alfred A. Hampson attended high school in Washington and was graduated in 1906 from the Stanford University of California with the Bachelor of Arts degree, the scene of his activities changing from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. In April of the same year he came to Portland and for seven years was in the office of Fred V. Holman as a law student and later as assistant. In 1907 he was admitted to the bar and in 1917 entered into partnership with Benjamin C. Dey, while in 1918 they were joined in a partnership relation by R. C. Nelson, under the firm style of Dey, Hampson & Nelson. Their practice is a growing one and Mr. Hampson has already gained a position at the Portland bar which indicates that his future career will be well worth watching.

In September, 1918, Mr. Hampson responded to the call to the colors, enlisting as a private in the Twenty-fourth Company, Central Machine Gun Officers' Training School. He served until November 30, 1918, resigning soon after the signing of the armistice. He then resumed his practice and aside from his connection with the Portland bar is a director of the Oregon-California Railroad Company.

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History of Oregon, Vol. III, Part 8

Author: Carey, Charles Henry Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Chicago, Portland, The Pioneer historical publishing company Number of Pages: 766

Author: Carey, Charles Henry
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Chicago, Portland, The Pioneer historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 766