Portrait and biographical record of Portland and vicinity, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 18

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 946

USA > Oregon > Multnomah County > Portland > Portrait and biographical record of Portland and vicinity, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present > Part 18

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).

In 1849 Mr. Barlow left his flouring business and went down to the mines of California 011 horseback, and during his absence from home collected a varied assortment of experience, al- beit his success as a miner did not reach large proportions. The Indians showed him a great

139

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

(leal of unsolicited attention, and while endeav- oring to turn them from the error of their ways he was compelled to acknowledge their superior- ity of numbers and fighting prowess, and re- treat to a safe haven. His object par excellence was to regain possession of a fine riding horse of which the red men had relieved him, but it is feared the horse had henceforth a mnuch be- checked and savage master. After his flour sale Mr. Barlow bought the Lovejoy donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres on the hills back of where Canemah now stands. and after- ward he went into partnership with A. F. Hedges in laying out the town of Canemah. The part- ner went to New Orleans in 1850, bought an engine for a steamboat and saw mill, and a fine stock of general merchandise, and when he re- turned Mr. Barlow took the stock of goods and saw mill, and the partner took the boat, and all went merrily and successfully to the advantage of all concerned. The land back of Canemah increased in value and sold at a large profit, and the way of the pioneers was brightened by more than anticipated success.

Upon purchasing his father's place at Barlow Prairie in 1852, Mr. Barlow was practically free from other business obligations, and in a position to devote all of his time to the cultivation of his fine property. A modern residence was un- fortunately burned in 1884, but Mr. Barlow at once arranged for a larger and more commo- cious residence. No more beautiful rural resi- dence contributes by its harmony and appropri- ateness to the agricultural well being of Clacka- mas county, nor is any farm more admirably managed or finely cultivated. Located on the Southern Pacific railroad, it has its own way station and warehouse, and while essentially a country home, is in close proximity to town in- terests. At one time Mr. Barlow was asked to put up $2,500 and thus become half owner of the land upon which Portland has since been built. the other man in the case, Dan Lonsdale. having paid $5,000 for it in leather. He after- wards traded a portion of the same land for the leather with which he had bought it to a tannery located on the property. Mr. Barlow was de- terred from entering into this transaction through the advice of his father, to whom he went for counsel, and whose opinion he valued more than that of anyone else in the world. Mr. Bar- low has been foremost in all public enterprises in his locality, his force of character, akin to that of his father, forcing him unwittingly into all that has called for strength and concerted action.

He early saw that the climatic conditions of his adopted state were suitable for orchard cul- ture and next to Mr. Llewellan of Milwaukee, was the first to establish an apple nursery. In 1852 he imported from Illinois, by way of the

Horn, a bushel of black walnuts, and a fine grove of bearing trees attest the success of this experi- ment. In public enterprises, Mr. Barlow's name was among the originators of the Oregon State Fair, the first woolen mill in Oregon, the build- ing of the first telegraph line, and in 1860 he gave up his residence and part of his farin for the establishment of barracks for the First Ore- gon Volunteers. In 1861 he moved to Oregon City and was enthusiastic in sanitary organiza- tions for the Union boys. Mr. Barlow was en- gaged in mercantile pursuits in the county seat for ten years, when he returned to the Barlow farm, where he has resided continuously for thirty-two years.

He is a Republican in political affiliation, and has served as county commissioner and assessor, and was nominated representative from Clacka- mas, but resigned on account of sickness. His political enthusiasm led him to give an inaugural ball and dinner in honor of Lincoln's first inau- . guration. When Col. E. D. Baker arrived in Oregon, Mr. Barlow drove him to Salem in his family carriage. This carriage is now a histori- cal relic, having been shipped to Governor Aber- nethy via the Horn in 1859. Mr. Barlow pur- chased it on its transit and has owned and used it ever since.

Mr. Barlow often expresses his sentiments in regard to two great political movements of the last decade in these words: "There is just as good material in a woman to make an honest and intelligent voter as there is in a man, and there is just as good material in silver to make an honest dollar as there is in gold." He is fraternally associated with the Masons, and bears the distinction of being the oldest liv- ing member in Multnomah Lodge No. I, the first lodge organized on the coast.

In 1852 Mr. Barlow married Mrs. Martha Ann Partlow Allen, of which union there have been born three children, of whom Mary is one of the well known educators of the state, and is possessed of great natural talent for her chosen occupation. Jennie, the second daughter, is de- ceased ; and Cassius U. is managing his father's farm, and is an exceedingly capable and popular member of the younger generation of Oregon promoters. Mr. Barlow is now eighty-one years old. but possesses a keen memory of all his pioneer exploits. A habit of reading formed in youth is a great solace to him in his old age. His wife died in 1901, and his two children are now administering to the comfort of his declin- ing years.

ROBERT ARMINGTON IRVINE. A fam- ily of exceptionally substantial standing in the annals of this state is that of which Dr. E. L.

140

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Irvine, a well known medical practitioner of Port- land, represents the third generation. His father, Robert Armington Irvine, and his grandfather, Jesse Irvine, were born in Kentucky, the former in 1824, and the youth of both was characterized by a hard struggle for existence. Both of these men had strong and leading traits of character, and came of a long lived and vigorous family, longevity being particularly marked on the ma- ternal side, which was English, the paternal side furnishing the Scotch perseverance and conser- vatism so much needed and appreciated in pioneer localities.

In his young manhood Robert Irvine married Miss Berry, presumably of Kentucky, and in 1852, accompanied by his wife and two children, his mother, and several brothers and sisters, crossed the plains to Oregon, accomplishing the long distance between his old and adopted home with ox and horse-teams in six months. The hope of his emigration was dimmed ere he had tested its wisdom or value, for his daughter died en route and was buried in the bottoms on the Platte river, his wife later succumbing to the rigors of the overland trail at the Cascades. John. the son of the family, alone remains of his first marriage, and at the age of fifty-four is engaged in farming in Linn county. Mr. Irvine started out with more than the usual equipment for travel, having one hundred head of cattle and fifty horses. Even this number proved insuffi- cient, owing to disease and the depredations of the Indians. and in order to complete his journey in comfort he was obliged to purchase a horse on the way. His mother located in the little town of Salem, and her own was the first grave to be dug in the desolate Lee Mission cemetery, since so thickly populated. Her son, Samuel, died on the farm near Salem ; James died on a farm adjoining his brother Robert's in Linn county; Benjamin is living retired in Lebanon; Jesse is a resident of Corvallis and his son is editor of the Times; Mary E. and her husband, Charles Claggett, lived in Salem, but both are now deceased; Margaret J., deceased, was the wife of Robert Miller, and died in Lebanon in 1902; and Elizabeth, deceased, became the wife of James Claggett, brother of her sister's husband. Of this large family which started out so bravely and formulated their plans over brightly burning camp fires, tramping ceasc- lessly from morning till night over rough roads, and in many ways enduring great hardships, Elizabeth and her husband stopped in Portland ; Mary and her husband left the train at Salem; and the others went on to Linn county, taking up such claims as their means permitted or their re- quirements demanded. Thus was established in the western wilds, and in touch with the enor- mous fertility and resource of a great state, as

large a family as reached Oregon in the aggre- gate, in 1852.

Recovering somewhat from the disaster which visited him on the plains, Robert Irvine married, in 1853, Sarah Jane Smith, who was born in Chio in 1834, and with her parents, who were natives of Kentucky, and had previously lived in Ohio, came to Oregon in 1852. Her father, Elijah Smith, was a man of means, and after ar- riving in the far west was able to avert much of the discomfort which rendered hard and discour- aging the lives of the early settlers. He located first in Linn and afterward in Marion county, his death occurring at the home of his daughter, Amanda Bossler, in the Waldo Hills, at the age of ninety three years. He was a doctor by pro- fession, and a man of leading traits of character, taking a prominent part in the political and other advancements, by which he was surrounded in Oregon, and wielding an influence in financial and general circles. Besides his youngest child, Mrs. Irvine, he had ten other children, the order of their birth being as follows: John, the postmaster of Lebanon; Hiram, a retired farmer living in Salem : William, a graduate of the medical de- partment of the Willamette University, who died at Turner, Ore .; Elijah, a capitalist of Medical Lake, Wash .; Abner, living in Marion county ; Taylor, a resident of Salem, Ore .: Susan, the deceased wife of William Peebler, of Lebanon ; Mary, the wife of George Matlcer, of Heppner ; and Amanda, the wife of John Bossler, of Mac- leay, Marion county.

Robert Irvine settled on a farm near Scio, Linn county, and through the exercise of business judg- ment accumulated six hundred and twenty acres of land before his death. He lived on his farm until 1868, in which year he was elected sheriff of Linn county, and removed to Albany to better attend to his duties, and because of the superior educational facilities. He was re-elected sheriff in 1870. and after completing his term, in 1872 purchased a farm on the prairie near Albany, which continued to be his home for several years. After retiring from active business life in Albany, he continued to take an interest in politics, and in 1886 was elected state senator, finishing the term, and also the second term to which he was re- elected. His political service was characterized by wise and conservative methods, and with due regard for the best interests of those who placed him in power. His name was a household one throughout the county and state, and carried with it both influence and power. Attending all state and county conventions, his acquaintance with the prominent men of the state was naturally large, and his large estates, both in the county and city of Albany, gave him an unquestioned financial standing. He was a promoter of education, mor- ality, and good government, and whenever called

Thesley Jackson

143

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

upon in any popular cause, fulfilled the expecta- tion for a large and generous contribution. Many years ago he became a member of the Masonic lodge of Albany, in which his genial personality and good fellowship were greatly appreciated. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church profited by his membership and support, and it is said of him that he was consistent in his attendance, harmon- izing his Sunday and everyday life, and applying the beneficent Golden Rule in all of his depart- ments of activity. The widow who survives him lives at the old home in Albany. His oldest daughter, Margaret Ellen, is the wife of Lark Bilyeu, an attorney of Eugene; E. L. is a resi- dent of Portland ; Mary is the wife of A. B. Slau- son, assistant librarian of Washington, D. C .; and Amanda is the wife of E. L. Thompson of Portland.

E. L. Irvine, one of the well known medical practitioners of Portland, was born on his father's farm near Albany, April 12, 1858, and was educated primarily in the public schools, afterward attending the Albany College and the Willamette University, completing the English course in the latter institution. After spend- ing two more years on his father's farm he began the study of medicine under Dr. J. L. Mill, of Albany, at the same time tak- ing a course of lectures in the medical de- partment of the Willamette University, from which he was duly graduated in 1883. After a medical practice of three years in Portland he was appointed assistant superintendent of the Oregon State Insane Asylum under Harry Lane, maintaining the position four years. Dr. Irvine possesses the broad and liberal tendencies of his father, and his participation in public affairs is a foregone conclusion. Maintaining the best ten- ets of his profession of infinite possibilities, he leaves no stone unturned to keep abreast of the times, and in his diagnosis and treatment dis- closes individual theories based on profound re- search and of demonstrated merit. Dr. Irvine is a member of the Oregon State Medical Society, a member and medical examiner of the Knights of Pythias, the Degree of Honor and the United Artisans. Politically he supports the man best qualified to serve the public interests. In Albany, in 1882, Dr. Irvine married Laura Robertson, a native of The Dalles, Ore., and daughter of W. H. Roberston, deceased. After the death of Mr. Robertson, his widow married Christopher Houk and made her home in Albany. E. Lloyd, the only child of Dr. Irvine, who was born in Albany, August 7, 1883, was educated in the high school of Portland, and is now in the second year of his medical studies. After severing his association with the Oregon State Insane Asylum, Dr. Irvine located in Albany, in 1891, and in 1900 came to a large field of activity in Portland. Already his

former success is being duplicated, and it is the wish of all who have watched his meritorious career that substantial appreciation and encour- agement may reward his scholarly attainments and unquestioned allegiance to science.

WESLEY JACKSON. To the pioneers of Oregon the present generation owes a debt of gratitude that will never be paid. They were men who were truly cast in heroic mold. Few had money, and it certainly required a sturdy nature and a perseverance that today is rarely found in men. Men in 1850 were known for their true worth. All were animated by a com- mon hope. The confidence in the future of Oregon was great. They were noble men and too much cannot be said or done in their honor. To this class of men belonged the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this review. A native of New York, his birth occurred in the village of Medina, and here the days of his boyhood and youth were passed. A few weeks of the year were spent in the school-room, but in those days the services of the youth were of too much value to be wasted in school. He was needed to assist in the work of the farm. Attracted by the discovery of gold in California, Mr. Jackson left his home in 1849 and joined the thousands who were emigrating westward. San Francisco was reached after a long and tedious voyage around the Horn, and the fol- lowing year was spent in mining on McCamel Hill. At the end of this time, with the capital he had accumulated, Mr. Jackson came to Port- land on the vessel Ajax, and soon after his ar- rival he opened a crockery store. From a very small beginning he gradually built up a business that was not only the largest in the city of Port- land, but was one of the most important of its kind in the Pacific northwest. Each year for a considerable period he would go east and purchase his supply of goods and at the same time he would also buy in large quantities for other firms in different lines of business. Mr. Jackson continued in this line of business until 1883 and during that time he became one of the best known business men in the west. His reputation was an enviable one and the success that crowned his efforts was but the natural results of diligence, enterprise and honesty. On disposing of his crockery business in 1883. he organized and established the North Pacific Manufacturing Company, which under his ju- dicious and efficient oversight became one of the most important industries in the city of Port- land. The plant was constructed under his per- sonal supervision and the company engaged in the manufacture of buggies, carriages and wagons, transacting a business that aggregated

144

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

$100,000 per annum. From the plant the Jack- son vehicles were shipped to all parts of the country, particularly through Oregon, Idaho and Washington. It is worthy of note that here were manufactured the first street cars used on the Pacific coast which were run on the streets of Portland. To assist them in the production of their high-grade vehicles, hardwood lumber was ordered from the east and reached here via the Horn. However, the establishment and oversight of so large a business overtaxed the physical powers of the founder and owner, and his sudden death, May 10, 1891, was a direct result of overwork.

While Mr. Jackson was at all times a man who had many business matters to occupy his attention, he nevertheless was one of the most public spirited citizens of Portland. No move- ment that was calculated to be of material bene- fit to the city went by without his support. His time and means were always at the disposal of any interest deserving the support of good citi- zens. Among the many enterprises with which he was connected was the Portland Telephone Exchange which he aided in starting. He was also actively identified with the Transcontinental Line. Fraternally he was a Mason and politically he supported the men and measures of the Re- publican party, but he never had the time nor the inclination to take an active part in the polit- ical struggles of his party. He was ever on the side of right and when called upon he always responded.

While still a resident of Medina, N. Y., Mr. Jackson was united in marriage with Fran- ces Moore, a native of that city and now a resi- dent of Portland. Three children were born of this union, as follows: Wesley James, who died in 1876, while attending school at Andover, Mass .: Annie G., now Mrs. Shofner of Port- land ; and Carl H., a sketch of whom follows.

CARL H. JACKSON. A native son of Ore- gon, Mr. Jackson has established an enviable reputation among the business men of Portland. A son of Wesley Jackson. he was born in the city of Portland on January 26, 1870. When old enough he entered the public schools, which he continued to attend until his gradua- tion in 1886. Soon after he entered the office of his father, who was then engaged in the manu- facture of buggies, carriages, etc., and here he acquired a thorough knowledge of the manufac- turing business. In 1892, one year after the death of his father, he succeeded to the manage- ment of the business and immediately closed out the same. The plant was remodeled as a planing- mill and handed back its charter. The Northern

Pacific Planing Mill Company was formed with Mr. Jackson as president and manager. The dimensions of the mill are sixty-five by one hun- dred and fifty feet, being three stories in height, with large warehouses and sheds. Two blocks bounded by Twenty-second and Thurman streets are utilized for the mill, which in addition to its planing business is engaged in the manufacture of sash, doors and building materials. As time has passed the output of the concern has been enlarged until at the present time it is one of the most important industries of the city.

Much credit is due Mr. Jackson for what he has accomplished. In all of his transactions he has shown a conservative spirit which is usually the accompaniment of old age, but when found in youth or middle age, with qualities of energy, enthusiasm and determination, produce almost invariably gratifying results.

Though not active in politics, Mr. Jackson is a firm believer in the principles of the Repub- lican party. He has never had the time nor the inclination to seek public office, preferring rather to devote his whole time and attention to the management of his business. Fraternally he is identified with the Hoo Hoos; the Ancient Order of United Workmen; the Woodmen of the World; Modern Woodmen of America ; and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Aside from his connection with the planing mill company he took an active part in the or- ganizing of the Oregon Sash and Door Com- pany, and for a time served as its vice-president and secretary.

RICHARD B. KNAPP, who for thirty- five years has been identified with the business of Knapp, Burrell & Company, agricultural im- plement dealers, and also president of the Bag- gage and Omnibus Transfer Company, the larg- est concern of its kind north of San Francisco, is one of the very early settlers in Portland, his residence in this city dating from July, 1859. He has lived to witness the growth of the metropolis of Oregon from a city of a little less than three thousand inhabitants to one of the largest and most prosperous in the territory west of the Mis- sissippi. And in this wonderful development Mr. Knapp has been a factor of more than ordinary strength, his influence always having been cheer- fully extended in behalf of all those movements having for an end the establishment of a firm foundation for a future city which might proper- ly be accorded a rank among the most progres- sive municipalities of the country, and a commer- cial and industrial community known as worthy of more than passing consideration on the part of foreign countries. Though he has not yet reached the age when his life work may be

Андшам

147

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

said to be complete, he is able to see, in the status of Portland at the beginning of the twentieth century, a most optimistic outlook for her future greatness among the newer cities of the world.

Mr. Knapp was born in Geneva, Ashtabula county, Ohio, July 28, 1839. His father, Auren Knapp, and his grandfather, Caleb Knapp, the latter the founder of the family in Ohio, were natives of Sheffield, Conn. Auren Knapp was engaged in farming near Geneva for many years, but his death occurred in Clatsop county, Ore., in 1884, in which county he spent the latter years of his life in retirement. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah M. Burrell, was born in Mas- sachusetts, and of her four sons and three daugh- ters all but one daughter attained maturity. Of the children two of the daughters never came west, and one of them, Mrs. Mary R. Higley, is still living in Ohio. Jabez B. Knapp, another son, who was born in Ohio, became a teacher in the south, crossed the plains in 1852, and engaged in general merchandise business in Portland in 1855. In 1870 he disposed of his mercantile interests here, and engaged in the lumber busi- ness at Knappton, at the mouth of the Columbia river. He finally retired to his dairy farm on the banks of that river, where his death occurred April 17, 1900, at the age of seventy-eight years and eight months. Fraternally he was a Mason. Kirk Knapp, the second oldest son, died in Ohio at the age of twenty years; while Auren, Jr., came to Oregon, via Panama, about 1868, and died while engaged in logging on the Columbia river.

After completing the course at the academy at Kingsville, Ohio, Richard B. Knapp removed to Grand Rapids, Wis., in 1858, and spent the winter of that year in the pineries of that state. In the spring of 1859 he started for Oregon, going by way of New York City, Panama and San Francisco. In July, 1859, soon after his ar- rival in Portland, he secured employment with the firm of Knapp & Hull, dealers in agricultural implements. In 1860 Mr. Hull retired from the business, and the firm became Knapp, Burrell & Co. In 1862 R. B. Knapp secured an in- terest. In those days they were obliged to bring their goods around the Horn, and one of the members of the firm went east each year to secure the needed supply. So successful did they be- come that they were enabled to establish branch stores in Oregon and Washington, and the house soon became well known throughout the western states. In the spring of 1870 J. B. Knapp re- tired from the business, which was continued by M. S. Burrell and R. B. Knapp until Mr. Bur- rell's death in 1885. R. B. Knapp then incorpor- ated the concern afterward known as Knapp, Burrell & Company, which experienced an era of uninterrupted prosperity extending over a

period of several years, establishing a reputation for enterprise and business integrity unexcelled throughout the entire west. Mr. Knapp is now retired from active business cares, although he still retains the presidency of the Baggage and Omnibus Transfer Company, of which he was the principal organizer and largest stockholder. From time to time he has been interested in various enterprises for the betterment of the community interests, and his sound business judgment, his keen insight into commercial af- fairs, and his resourcefulness are generally rec- ognized.

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.

Portrait and biographical record of Portland and vicinity, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 18

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 946

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 946