USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. III > Part 90
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
In 1907 Dr. Hendershott was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Spangler, a native of Missouri. Mrs. Hendershott is a woman of much personal charm and is one of
DR. ROY W. HENDERSHOTT
709
HISTORY OF OREGON
Bend's most popular society and club women, holding membership in all of the leading societies and clubs in the community.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Dr. Hendershott has been a stanch supporter of the republican party, in the interests of which he takes a prominent part. He is a member of the Republican State Central Committee and is a prominent figure in the activities of that body. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons, being a Knights Templar and a Noble of Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He also maintains membership in the Elks and Odd Fellows and is president of the Central Oregon Shrine Club. During the World war he gave generously of his time and money in his desire to assist his government and in addition to serving on the medical examin- ing board he rendered yeoman service in all war activities. In addition to his private practice Dr. Hendershott is surgeon for the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Company. Notwithstanding the fact that his activities and interests are wide and varied, keeping him in touch with the progress of the world along many lines, he concentrates his energies upon his professional duties, realizing fully the responsibilities that devolve upon him in this connection, and he is justly entitled to the large practice which he enjoys in Deschutes county, where both he and his wife are accounted representative citizens.
ALFRED COLEMAN KINNEY, M. D.
A true citizen of Oregon is Dr. Alfred Coleman Kinney, who was born in this state in January, 1850, and has here spent his life. He has ever had the interests of Oregon at heart and to him may be accredited the building of the Port of Astoria. As early as 1910 he started boosting the clearing of the Columbia river bar and night and day he pushed the building of the Port of Astoria until his great dream became a reality and he was elected in 1916 to the Board of the Port of Astoria Commissioners, a position which he is still holding.
The birth of Dr. Alfred Coleman Kinney occurred in January, 1850, a son of Robert Crouch and Eliza Lee (Bigelow) Kinney. Robert C. Kinney was one of Oregon's earliest pioneers, coming to this state from Illinois in 1847. A brother, William Kin- ney, had served as lieutenant governor of Illinois in the early days. On removing to Oregon, Robert C. Kinney first engaged in the lumber business near Portland. In 1859 he purchased an interest in the McMinnville flour mill, which he operated in ad- dition to his cattle ranch. In 1861 he bought his partner's interest in the mill and continued to conduct both that business and his ranch until 1868, when he sold the latter and also his interest in a woolen mill, and took over the flour mill. In 1871 he bought another ranch, at or near Umatilla and took up the raising of sheep. In 1874, just as he had succeeded in putting the ranch on a paying basis, he was killed when his team ran away. Robert C. Kinney was the pioneer exporter of flour from Oregon. The shipments in those days were made in small ships, owing to the condi- tion of the river, and Dr. Kinney remembers seeing eighteen small vessels loading at. one time from his father's mill. The ancestors of Dr. Kinney on both sides were of pre-Revolutionary stock and in every state in which the Kinneys have lived they have been among the most progressive citizens. The Bigelow family came from Nova Scotia, the men having followed the sea for generations. Members of this family came to the United States and settled in Wisconsin about 1820. There the grandfather of Dr. Kinney built a sawmill on the banks of a stream that the Indians named "Waukee," thereby laying the foundation for the now famous and prosperous city of Milwaukee. One of the descendants of the original new world Bigelow family is still conducting the fishing business established by him at Cape Canso, Nova Scotia, and the Bigelow fish are still being shipped to all parts of the world.
Dr. Alfred C. Kinney received his education in the schools of Yamhill county and at the McMinnville College and his medical preparation was obtained at the Bellevue Medical College in New York, from which he was graduated in 1870. Following his graduation he spent two years as an interne in the New York City Hospital, at the end of which time he returned to Oregon and located at Portland, where he engaged in the practice of his profession. He was one of the first surgeons of St. Vincent's Hospital in that city. In 1876 he came to Astoria, where one of his brothers was engaged in operating the Astoria Salmon Packing Company, with the intention of becoming associated with that industry, but after a short stay he decided to remove
710
HISTORY OF OREGON
to the ranch left by his father and dispose of the sheep and cattle thereon. While residing in Umatilla county he was made county physician and after selling the ranch and the stock he located at Salem, where he resided until 1885 when he returned to Astoria, and has practiced here ever since. For thirty-six years he has here been engaged in his profession and has built up a very extensive and lucrative practice. For a half century Dr. Kinney has devoted time, brains and money to the interests of his state and has held many offices of importance. In 1885 he was state health officer for the Port of Astoria and from 1903 to 1908 he served as a member of the state board of health, being its president for a number of terms. In 1896 he served as mayor of the city and during his administration many works of public interest were accomplished. As early as 1910, Dr. Kinney realized the necessity of clearing the Columbia river bar and building a port if Astoria was to be a success as an importing city and he labored untiringly in that direction until the Port of Astoria became a reality. On December 9, 1920, the British ship Orca entered this port. The Orca is by far the largest ship that has steamed up the Columbia river since its discovery by Captain Gray, one hundred and twenty-five years ago. The only two Pacific ports having sufficient depth of water for this ship are the Ports of Astoria and Puget Sound. The coming of the Orca and the fact that she is being loaded with a cargo of more than five hundred thousand tons of wheat from perfect handling conditions proves the faith of Dr. Kinney in the port project and answers most effectively those who scoffed at what they called his "visions."
In 1874, at Portland, Oregon, occurred the marriage of Dr. Kinney to Miss Louise P. Dickinson. Mrs. Kinney belongs to an old Virginia family of pre-Revolutionary days. To the union of Dr. and Mrs. Kinney two children have been born: Albert W., who is a dental surgeon, and Augustus M., who is a practicing physician. Both sons are residents of Astoria, where they are regarded as representative citizens. Dr. Kinney and his family are truly beloved citizens of Oregon, where they have done so much for the progress and prosperity of the state. As the "father of the Port of Astoria" Dr. Kinney will ever live in the memory of the people of his native state.
ALVA C. MARSTERS.
Prominent among the business men of Roseburg is Alva C. Marsters, who for many years has been closely identified with the history of the state as a representa- tive of some of its most important business interests. He is a man of keen discrim- ination and sound judgment, and his executive ability and excellent management have brought to every venture with which he has been connected a large degree of success.
A native of Minnesota, Alva C. Marsters was born in 1859, a son of S. F. and Jennie (McKee) Marsters. His father was for many years a successful and well known physician in the east but in 1880 came to Oregon, and while visiting in Roseburg was so impressed with the climatic conditions of that section of the state that he remained there and engaged in his profession until his death in 1887. The founder of the Marsters family in America was James S. Marsters, who came to America from his home in Wales previous to the Revolutionary war. Upon the outbreak of that war he volunteered his services and for more than three years participated in the struggle for liberty.
Alva C. Marsters received his education in Minnesota and after putting his text- books aside followed various pursuits, finally taking up the study of pharmacy. He opened a drug store in Roseburg, which he successfully conducted for a period of twenty-five years and was soon readily acknowledged a representative and progres- sive business man. In 1908 he assisted in the organization of the Roseburg National Bank, of which he was made first cashier and in 1912 he was elected to the presidency, in which office he is still active. Under his guidance the bank has grown to be one of the most important in the state, having assets of eight hundred and forty-two thousand, eight hundred and ninety-six dollars and eighty-nine cents and deposits of nearly six hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He is readily conceded to be a most influential and astute financier. For two terms Mr. Marsters served his fellow- men as mayor of Roseburg and was also state senator. He is the president of the Oregon Retail Merchants Association, president of the Douglas County Drug- gists Association, member of the State Druggists Association and a director in the
711
HISTORY OF OREGON
Chamber of Commerce. He is likewise president of the Marsters Drug Company at Roseburg. Mr. Marsters was a member of the state fair board from January 18, 1916, to March 4, 1921, when he retired from the body in favor of E. V. Carter of Ashland. He was originally appointed a member of the fair board by Governor Withycombe and later reappointed hy that official. During Mr. Marsters' incumbency he made many important improvements in the state fair plant, including the erection of the new stadium, at a cost of approximately one hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Marsters gave his personal note for thirty-five thousand dollars at a time when it became apparent that the fair board was without sufficient funds to complete the structure, in order that work on the building could continue, and many other instances could well be cited where he came to the relief of the fair board and advanced funds to tide over emergencies. Mr. Marsters has been reappointed a member, and is now president of the state fair board. As the result of his immense financial successes Mr. Marsters has made many wise investments and at one time owned the Marsters block, where the present Grand hotel now stands. He has likewise erected many business buildings and homes.
In 1887 occurred the marriage of Mr. Marsters and Miss Ida Mitchell. She is a daughter of J. K. Mitchell, a prosperous farmer of Douglas county and has become the mother of one son, Lyle E., who served as a member of the Canadian forces during the World war, after having heen rejected by the United States army because of failure to pass the physical examination. He then went to Canada, where the examina- tion was less stringent and served until the signing of the armistice. He is now engaged in farming near Rosehurg.
Mr. Marsters is fraternally identified with the Odd Fellows, Elks, Modern Wood- men, and United Artisans. Mrs. Marsters is one of the social leaders of Oregon and is one of the dominant members of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. For many years she has held offices in that organization and she is likewise active in the affairs of the Methodist church. She is a woman of striking personality and is always surrounded by many friends. Mr. Marsters has made good use of his opportunities. He has prospered from year to year and has conducted his husiness matters carefully and successfully and in all transactions he displays an aptitude for successful manage- ment. He has not permitted the accumulation of a competence to affect in any way his actions toward those less successful than he, and he has always a cheerful word and pleasant smile for all with whom he comes into contact.
JULIAN WELLS PERKINS.
Southern Oregon and the county of Douglas in particular owe a debt of gratitude to Julian Wells Perkins, who has been a dominant factor in the upbuilding of this section of the state. After having traversed the United States from coast to coast, he selected Douglas county, Oregon, as his home, not hecause of what it could do for him but because of its mild and even climate and because there was plenty of development work to occupy his time and talents.
Julian W. Perkins was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1870, a son of William H. and Julia Ellen (Atkins) Perkins. Both parents were descendants of families of pre-Revolutionary days, one of the forbears of Mr. Perkins being that eminent man, Governor Welles of Connecticut, who wrote his name indelibly on the early pages of the American republic. The early boyhood of Julian Wells Perkins was spent in his native state and there he remained until 1884, when his father removed to Indianap- olis, Indiana, to accept the position of vice president and general manager of the E. C. Atkins Saw Company, a position he held until his death in 1897. Mr. Perkins completed his education in the high school at Indianapolis and, as was customary in those days, entered the factory of the Atkins Saw Company to learn the business from the bottom up. From the actual manufacture of the company's product he steadily advanced to the general offices, where he remained until 1894, when he was sent as traveling salesman on the road, first covering the middle west. Later he was made assistant secretary of the company, having charge of the jobhing trade throughout the United States. In 1900 he was appointed Pacific coast branch manager at Portland, Oregon, and retained that position for three years, when he decided that he preferred a wider field of activity, being possessed of a desire to assist in the upbuilding of the Pacific coast and especially the state of Oregon. As a result he resigned his position with the Atkins
712
HISTORY OF OREGON
Company and purchasing some two hundred acres near Medford, Oregon, on which was an apple and pear orchard of twelve thousand trees, he proceeded to develop the land. His success is evidenced by records which show that his orchard, "Hillcrest," became one of the show places of southern Oregon and that it secured the maximum price record for fruit on the New York market, bringing three thousand two hundred dollars per carload for "Comice" pears, which established southern Oregon as a fruit growing section. In 1904 he sold his orchard and promoted the acreage that is now the town of Sutherlin in Douglas county. To him almost alone is due the growth of that thriving community of today, with its orchards and general appearance of pros- perity. Selling his interests in Sutherlin and becoming satisfied that this section could and would produce oil in commercial quantities, Mr. Perkins turned his attention to that field and was the first man to use the diamond drill in Douglas county. He is still a firm believer in oil production in Douglas county and is actively engaged in prospecting another valley where indications are most encouraging. In all of his enterprises for the upbuilding of the country Mr. Perkins has never offered to the people of Oregon one dollar in stock sales and has consistently declined to sell any portion of his projects. In 1912 he purchased a lot on Cass street in Roseburg, Oregon, and engaging the services of a Portand architect, erected a four-story modern brick office building that is complete in every detail and contains every modern device known to office buildings in our largest cities. The Perkins building houses four large stores and has seventy-two offices, with hot and cold water in every office, has elevator serv- ice and is the finest office building in the state outside of Portland. In addition to the Perkins block he owns some of the best business property on Cass street much of which is already improved and occupied as business premises. He will build on his vacant lots to suit reliable tenants.
In 1903, in Portland, occurred the marriage of Mr. Perkins and Miss Essie M. Sherman, a daughter of W. J. Sherman, connected with the Oregon-Washington Rail- road & Navigation Company.
Mr. Perkins gives his political support to the republican party and was a repre- sentative in the state legislature from Jackson county in 1907. He has since refused political preferment, desiring to devote his entire time to his business interests. Fraternally he is a Mason and is a member of the Shrine, which he reached by both the York and Scottish Rites. He is likewise affiliated with the Elks. He is a mem- ber of the Chamber of Commerce and during the World war was very active in all drives and other patriotic projects.
Like his forbears, he lends his aid to his country at all times, never forgetting that his ancestors fought gallantly in the Revolution and the War of 1812 and that his father was a volunteer in the first heavy artillery company leaving Connecticut for service in the Civil war and valiantly defended the Union throughout the period of hostilities between the north and the south.
THOMAS C. CAMPBELL, M. D.
The outbreak of the war with Germany found Dr. Thomas C. Campbell enjoying an excellent practice in Victoria, British Columbia. A descendant of the honored Camp- hell Clan in the Argyle line he inherited his ancestors' tenacity, love of justice and intense patriotism, with the result that he subordinated all personal interests and volunteered in the Sixty-seventh Battalion, being commissioned first lieutenant in the Canadian Medical Corps. His promotion to a captaincy was quick and for four years he served in the arduous campaigns of France and Belgium. He was for many months in charge of a first aid post at Ypres and was active in that connection wherever the most desperate struggles were staged. In 1919 he was demobilized as a major and returned to America. He then resumed his practice and located in Klamath Falls, having learned of its climatic conditions and its growing possibilities, and there he is residing, one of the best known physicians in southern Oregon.
Dr. Campbell was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1879, and there received his pre- liminary education. His father was a prominent and successful merchant in that town and Thomas C. Campbell had many educational opportunities opened to him. In due time he entered Trinity College, from which he was graduated in 1897 with the degree of B. A. and upon determining to enter the medical profession he enrolled in the medical department of the same institution from which he was graduated in 1902
713
HISTORY OF OREGON
with the degrees of M. D. and T. M. Upon the completion of his medical profession he traveled westward for nine years and for some time resided at Castle Rock, Wash- ington, from which place he removed in 1911 to Victoria, British Columbia. It was there that the outbreak of the war with Germany found him and stirred him to enlist- ment. On returning from the war he located in Klamath Falls and soon built up for himself an extensive and lucrative practice, the respect and esteem of his brother practitioners being duly accorded him, as well as the confidence of the general public, who recognized in him a man valuable both to his profession and to the town as a citizen. Dr. Campbell's practice is mostly of a general nature, though he leans strongly toward abdominal surgery and if located in a larger city would undoubtedly specialize in that branch of the profession.
In 1905 Dr. Campbell was married to Mildred Fryer, a daughter of T. G. Fryer of Independence, Oregon. Her father is one of the best known stockmen of the north- west and was an early pioneer of that state, crossing the plains with an ox team. Like her husband Mrs. Campbell did her bit in the World war. She was a member of the voluntary aid department of the British Red Cross and served during all of the engagements of the Canadian contingent. She is a woman of much culture and refine- ment and takes an active part in all of the social affairs of Klamath Falls, being an esteemed member of the exclusive clubs of that place.
The fraternal affiliations of Dr. Campbell are with the Masons, in which order he is a Knights Templar and a Shriner and he is likewise identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In the line of his profession he holds membership in the Klamath County Medical, the Southern Oregon Medical and the Oregon State Medical societies and he is also a fellow of the American Medical Association. Through the proceedings of these bodies he keeps in close touch with the advancement of the pro- fession and the new fields which have been opened up by modern scientific research and investigation. Ministering to the ills of the flesh, Dr. Campbell has ever been closely associated with all that pertains to the welfare and progress of his adopted city. His life has been one of intense usefulness to his fellowmen and as a member of the medical fraternity he has attained high rank among those whose skill is uniformly acknowledged.
GEORGE ELVA HOUCK, M. D.
One of the leading physicians of Douglas county and the state of Oregon is George Elva Houck of Roseburg. He is a son of Daniel and Leah J. (Vernon) Houck and was born at Albany, Oregon, on the 22d of October, 1865. His father was a native of New York, of Holland-Dutch ancestry, and his mother was a Virginian, a member of the well known Vernon family who were descendants of the son of Admiral Vernon, commander of a section of the British navy during the early days of the Revolutionary war. This son settled in America and was a great friend of George Washington's, who named his Virginia home Mt. Vernon, as a tribute to the family. Daniel Houck caught the western fever in 1858 and crossed the plains with an ox team, locating in Linn county, Oregon, in 1859. There he engaged in farming until his death in 1892.
George E. Houck received his education in the common and normal schools of his native county and deciding upon a medical career entered the University of Oregon, from which he was graduated with the M. D. degree in 1890. After graduation he served as an interne in the Good Samaritan Hospital for six months and in 1891 was appointed government surgeon of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation where he re- mained for some time. In 1898 he located in Roseburg and has practiced there ever since, except during such periods as he was serving his country as army surgeon. Dr. Houck has been division surgeon of the Southern Railroad as well as surgeon of the Oregon State Soldiers Home and in 1901-02 he took a postgraduate course at the Neurological Institute of New York and since has made frequent trips east for post- graduate study. Dr. Houck has always leaned strongly to military life and in 1906 he enlisted in Company D, First Separate Battalion, Oregon National Guard, being made first lieutenant. In 1908 he was promoted to captain and was transferred to the medical department in 1914. In 1916 Dr. Houck was sent to the Mexican border and the following year was mustered into the federal service as major and ordered to Fort Riley, where he was made sanitary inspector of the Forty-first Division. In December of the same year he sailed for France as a member of the American Expeditionary
714
HISTORY OF OREGON
Forces and served throughout the war with the Forty-first Division, later becoming president of the disability board. He returned to America as lieutenant colonel of the Medical Corps, U. S. A. In January, 1921, he was appointed a member of the state board of health, on which he is still serving, and he has been a member of the Rose- burg city council and city and county health officer, being at all times ready to answer any call for the development and improvement of the general welfare.
In 1893 Dr. Houck was united in marriage to Miss Emilie Moore, a native of Washington, whose father was a pioneer of 1852 and the first postmaster of Olympia, the capital of that state. He was later secretary and advisor to Governor Pickering. Mrs. Houck's mother was Emily York, a daughter of the Rev. John W. York, who came to Oregon in 1852 and was one of the famous pioneer preachers of the coast. Emily York was the first graduate of the Willamette University. Mrs. Houck is a descend- ant of old and honored ancestry. On her father's side she descended direct from the first Earl of Surrey and the American progenitor of the family was Richard Warrene, who came to this country on the Mayflower in 1620. He had a son, William, and a daughter, Anna, the latter marrying Thomas Little. A daughter of their union, Hannah, married Stephen Tilden and their son Stephen's daughter married David Bliss and their son's daughter married M. A. Tracy. A daughter, Mary, was born to that mar- riage and she wedded Thomas Porter, whose son Andrew was the father of Warren Moore who married Emily York, the parents of Mrs. Houck. One son has been born to Dr. and Mrs. Houck, George Hamilton, who is a sophomore in the University of Oregon, where he is taking a pre-medical course. He is a very intellectual young man and is assistant professor in the department of zoology.
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.