Portrait and biographical record of Portland and vicinity, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 34

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 34

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location, this property, when taken up by his father, being heavily timbered.

In 1898 Mr. Hartness was united in marriage with Miss Candace M. Boyle, who was born near Atwater, Ohio, and came to Oregon in 1892, and they have one son, George Victor, born July 31, 1900. A Republican in politics, Mr. Hartness has never sought office, but has given every aid and interest in public movements which prom- ised a betterment in the conditions in the city or community, liberally upholding church and all charitable works. As a pioneer he is a member socially of the Pioneer Society of Oregon and the Pioneers Historical Society. Fraternally he joined Hassalo Lodge No. 15, I. O. O. F., in 1871, and has passed all the chairs, and belongs to Ellison Encampment No. 2; he has twice been representative to Grand Lodge. Mrs. Hartness is a member of the Rebekahs. Mr. Hartness was made a Mason in 1888 in Portland and is now a member of Willamette Lodge No. 2 and of the Scottish Rite, having taken the thirty-sec- ond degree.

MANLEY H. SHIPLEY. The founder of the Shipley family in America was Thomas John Shipley, who came from England about 1816 and settled at Fort Ticonderoga, later removing to the city of New York, where he died. His son and namesake was born in England and was seventeen years of age when the family crossed the ocean to the United States. After his mar- riage to Lovina Rowley, daughter of Elihu Row- ley, a soldier of the war of 1812, he removed to a farm in Broome county, N. Y., and when his son, M. H., was four years of age settled in Licking county, Ohio. From there he removed to Wisconsin, where he and his wife both died. Of their twelve children who attained mature years five are now living. Three sons, John, Elihu and Edwin, were soldiers from Wisconsin in the Civil war.

Near Coventry, Broome county, N. Y., M. H. Shipley was born April 20, 1825. As a boy he attended school in a log building, where the method of instruction was as crude as the room itself. Much of his time he was employed at making pens, in which task he excelled his teacher. When twenty-one years of age he be- gan to teach school, receiving $50 for his ser- vices the first winter. Later he worked in a wagon shop for $5 a month, and at the expira- tion of five months his employer invited him to become partner and made him business manager. However, the confinement did not prove health- ful, and at the expiration of two years hie de- cided to seek another occupation and location. In 1849 he removed to Wisconsin in a "prairie schooner" and en route passed through Chicago,

which he remembers as a wretched little swampy village, offering no inducements to an enterpris- ing farmer. Proceeding to Marquette county, Wis., he took up a claim in the reservation near Ripon. Three years later the land came into the market and he then bought and cleared it, thus acquiring two hundred and sixty acres. About 1856 he bought three hundred and twenty acres which he sold two years later. His next pur- chase consisted of about six hundred acres of hay land near Princeton, Wis., where he engaged in the hay business. It was necessary for him to build roads and dig a canal, besides the task of erecting large barns and securing adequate hay presses. Shipments were made mostly to Green Bay. The flood of 1871 caused his meadow to be under water in the middle of the summer and ruined his crop, as well as des- troyed a portion of his improvements.

Somewhat discouraged by these experiences Mr. Shipley decided to seek a home in the far west. The year 1873 found him in Oregon, where he rented a tract of about five hundred and fifty acres and engaged in general farming. As soon as it became practicable he entered the hay business. In 1879 he began to buy and sell hay with his son-in-law, John E. Bailey, whom he later bought out, continuing alone. It is worthy of note that in 1879 he haled the first hay in Oregon, putting it in bales compact enough to load a car to its capacity; ten tons. Shipments were made to Portland and the Sound country. For twenty-three years he continued in the baled hay business and meantime in com- pany with E. W. Haines sold over eleven thous- and tons to the government for shipment to Manila. Without exception he was the largest hay dealer in the state, and none had larger hay warehouses than he. During 1901 he sold out and retired from the business. At one time, at the request of the government, he sent a sample of his hay to Washington for examination. when placed in comparison with hay raised in other parts of the northwest, his was given the premium. This was due to his care in selecting rich bottom land suitable for hay-raising and also to his long experience which made him familiar with the best methods of raising hay. At times ne employed forty-three men, and his two presses were never idle, night nor day.

In Ohio in 1847 Mr. Shipley married Miss Marietta Scovel, who was born in that state and died in Wisconsin. Four children were born of this union, namely: Emeline, who died at the age of one year; Charles Franklin, who died in Forest Grove; Melissa, who died in Wisconsin ; and Silas M .. attorney-at-law in Seattle, Wash. The second wife of Mr. Shipley was Elizabeth L. ( Nye) Smith, who was born in Massachusetts and died in Wisconsin. The only child of that

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marriage is Nettie S., wife of E. W. Haines, of Forest Grove. There were also two adopted daughters, Minnie, Mrs. J. E. Bailey, and Mary, both deceased. The present wife of Mr. Shipley was Susan L. Johnson, a native of Vermont, whom he married in Wisconsin. In religion Mrs. Shipley is a worshiper in the Congrega- tional Church, while Mr. Shipley is of the Uni- tarian belief. In politics he supports the Re- publican party.

HON. WILLIAM H. WEHRUNG. While in various lines of activity Mr. Wehrung has been most helpful to the progress and welfare of his home town, Hillsboro, and his state, chief among these interests being his successful la- bors as state senator, perhaps no movement with which he is connected holds a more important place in his thoughts or is of more vital concern to the welfare of the people than his service as a member of the state board of agriculture, to which he was appointed by Governor Geer, March 14, 1899, for a term of four years, at the end of which time he was reappointed by Governor Chamberlain. Since then he has acted as president of the board, and it is due to his indefatigable efforts that the enterprise has proved a gratifying success. Under his direct supervision was held the forty-second annual fair of the state board. at the fair grounds, Salem, Ore., in September, 1902, when $10,000 was distributed in premiums on live stock, agricultural and manufactured products. Various days were set aside for special organizations or interests, Tuesday be- ing editor's day: Friday Woodmen of the World day and Saturday, Pioneer and Grange clay. To assist the president of the board. various standing committees contributed their quota. among these being those of finance, publication and programme, speed programme, premium list and transportation, each in charge of men of recognized ability and business judg- ment.

In the county of Washington, where he now resides, William H. Wehrung was born March 22, 1861. His father, Henry, an Alsatian by birth and a cabinetmaker by trade, came to America in 1848, locating in Pittsburg, Pa. In 1852 he proceeded via Panama to San Francisco, with the intention of mining for gold, but one month later he proceeded to Portland, and two weeks later came to Hillsboro, where he helped to build the first court house. Under his direct supervision was started the first furniture manu- facturing establishment in Hillsboro, where, in addition to constructing furniture, he has made sash, doors, etc., all by hand. His enthusiasm and enterprise were contagious and around him

were soon grouped a number of progressive, energetic business men. The store that he built still stands, as does also the old court house, though the latter now occupies a different loca- tion from its original site on Main street. In 1854 he erected the Tualatin house, the first hotel in Hillsboro, dressing all the lumber by hand. The following year he closed his store and entered the volunteer service in the Indian war, participating in the campaign against the Yakima Indians. In 1882 he engaged in the general merchandise business, in which his son soon joined him. The Wehrung block of two stories was built in 1889, on the corner of Main and Second streets, 50x100 feet. From his earliest identification with the state of Oregon he has been interested in farming, and in the meantime has cleared and improved a val- uable farm. Included in his estate is a tract of one hundred and forty acres adjoining Hillsboro, besides other farms in different parts of Washington county. Upon the or- ganization of the First National Bank of Hills- boro, in which he was interested, he was elected a director, and has occupied that post up to the present time. Though not active in busi- ness at the present time, he is still at the head of the firm of H. Wehrung & Sons, occupying the Wehrung block, and carrying a full line of general merchandise. It is said that theirs is the largest business of its kind in Hillsboro, and without doubt none is more important or far- reaching in its influence. Besides the manage- ment of his private interests, Henry Wehrung has served as school director, helped to build the first school in Hillsboro, and has been a member of the city council several terms. Fra- ternally he is a Mason, and is now the oldest liv- ing Mason in Hillsboro, having affiliated with the order on St. John's day, 1855. He is a mem- ber of the Congregational Church. By his mar- riage with Catherine Emerick, who was born in Illinois and crossed the plains with her parents to Washington county about 1848, he has four children, namely: Charlotte, wife of George W. Patterson, of Portland: Mary, wife of David Corwin, of Washington county; William H., state senator and president of the state board of agriculture ; and G. A., a partner in the firm of H. Wehrung & Sons.

From his earliest boyhood William H. Weh- rung was familiar with business matters and in- terests, hence on taking up active pursuits for himself, he was admirably qualified to succeed in his undertakings. From 1879 to 1882 he worked at the cabinetmaker's trade under his father, and in the latter year became a clerk in his father's general mercantile store, later ac- quiring an interest in the enterprise. The charge of the store is in his hands, and he has superin-

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tended it to such good effect that it now ranks among the finest industries of its kind in the locality. In addition, he owns farming interests in Washington county. In the city where he now lives, he was married to Mary A. Boscow, daughter of Peter Boscow. They are the par- ents of two daughters, Ethel G. and Alice Catherine.

A leading Democrat of this locality, Mr. Wehrung has been chairman of the county cen- tral committee of his party, also a member of the state central committee, and for years has been a member of the Hillsboro city council. In 1900, as the nominee of the Union ticket, he was elected to the state senate by a majority of four hundred and four, in a county that usually gives a Republican majority of five hundred. During his service in the senate he has served on various committees and has done much to promote the welfare of his constituents and the general prosperity of the state. He was made a Mason in Tualatin Lodge No. 6, A. F. & A. M., is a member of Portland Lodge No. 142, B. P. O. E .. Woodmen of the World and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and for a short time was a member of the First Regiment, Oregon National Guard. At one time he held the presidency of Griffin's Cabin No. 8. Native Sons of Oregon, in which he is still an active worker. At this writing he is president of the Hillsboro Board of Trade, an organization hav- ing for its aim the extension of the city's com- mercial interests and the enhanced prosperity of its business men.

L. C. HENRICHSEN. The career of L. C. Henrichsen, president of the L. C. Henrichsen Company, jewelers, of Portland, has been one continued line of ambitious strides toward the end attained; and the lesson of his life should be a source of great inspiration to the young men of the present generation who start ont to fight the battle of life with no greater equip- ment than that which he carried when the struggle for success was inaugurated.

Mr. Henrichsen was born near Varde, Jut- land, Denmark, March 9, 1839. His father, Heinrich, was a native of the same part of Den- mark, and represented a family identified for many years with the agricultural interests of Jutland. He was the owner of a place called Noberg, upon which his entire life was spent, and where both himself and his wife passed to their reward. Of the nine children reared by this couple, five came to Oregon. Of these, Niels arrived in 1857, was first a cabinet maker in Vancouver, and later engaged in the flour mill business near Forest Grove, Ore., where he met death by accident. J. J., of Vancouver,

died in December, 1902; Jep, probably died in Wisconsin; Anna is the wife of Capt. John Brown, of the life-saving station on Shoalwater Bay.

The estate of Noberg, Jutland, continued to be the home of L. C. Henrichsen until he had arrived at his fifteenth year, and there he re- ceived his education. Upon leaving home he was first apprenticed to a watchmaker at Apenrade, in Schleswig-Holstein, formerly a Danish pos- session, and at the end of five years went to Sonderborg, also in Schleswig-Holstein, where he was engaged in work at his trade for eighteen months. In 1860 he left for Hamburg with the determination to set sail for America, whose opportunities had appealed to him as much broader and better in every way than those of- fered an ambitious young man in the old coun- try. In October of that year he embarked on the ship Dan, bound for San Francisco by way of Cape Horn. Upon arriving at the month of the Rio de la Plata the vessel was found to be so badly damaged by the storms through which she had passed that the captain decided to put into Montevideo for repairs. During the four and one-half months of enforced residence in the South American city, Mr. Henrichsen was practically independent, owing to the fact that he excelled in a trade so generally supported in all parts of the world, and found no difficulty in securing employment as a watchmaker. As soon as the vessel was placed in fit condition the journey was resumed, and the Dan reached the Golden Gate September 25, 1861, three hundred and forty-four days out from Hamburg. From San Francisco Mr. Henrichsen continued north- ward to Portland, by way of the Pacific, reach- ing this city the following October, where he almost immediately found employment at his trade in the jewelry store of George Collier Robbins.

Mr. Henrichsen's first winter in Portland, however, was a hard one, for all lines of busi- ness in this city were in a state of depression, and he thought he could improve his prospects by establishing a jewelry store in Vancouver, Wash. Eighteen months sufficed to convince hum that Vancouver did not offer the opportuni- ties which he was searching for, and he there- fore returned to Portland, where for the suc- ceeding three and a half years he worked at his trade for Jacob Cohen. At the expiration of that period he purchased the business of his em- ployer. In 1867 he established his present busi- ness at No. 149 Front street, under the firm name of L. C. Henrichsen & Co. For five years he was associated in business with Gustav Han- sen, whom he then bought out and removed to No. 149 First street, where he continued alone for some time. Subsequently for seven years

L.E. Kern

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he was identihed witn H. Greenberg. After purchasing the interest of the latter he con- tinued alone until incorporating the L. C. Hen- richsen Company, December 5, 1896, with him- self as president, E. O. Mattern as secretary, and Mrs. W. F. Mckibben as treasurer. In 1895 the business had been removed to its pres- ent location, No. 284 Washington street, where the concern maintains one of the largest and most complete jewelry and optical establish- ments in the northwest. Mr. Mattern, the op- tician of the company, is unquestionably one of the most expert in his line in the northwest, and came originally from San Francisco, Cal. He is a graduate of the Bradley Horological and Ophthalmic College of Peoria, Ill.

In Portland, in 1866, Mr. Henrichsen mar- ried Hannah Winter, who was born in Apen- rade, Schleswig-Holstein, and who is the mother of two children, Anna, wife of E. O. Mattern. and Laurena, wife of W. F. Mckibben. Mr. Henrichsen is a Republican in political affilia- tion, is a member of the Lutheran Church, and of the Chamber of Commerce. He was made a Mason in Harmony Lodge No. 12, A. F. & A. M., and is now connected with Portland Lodge No. 55, of which he is a charter mem- ber. He is also a member of Perfection Lodge No. 1, Rose Croix Lodge No. 1, Oregon Con- sistory No. I, and Al Kader Temple, N. M. S.

Mr. Henrichsen is a man possessed of ster- ling personal characteristics, and is not only at the head of his trade in Portland, but enjoys an enviable reputation as a promoter of all worthy enterprises calculated to advance the well-being of the community in which he has resided for so many years. He is a man of genial and engaging personality, and he has en- deavored to make both his home and his place of business two of the attractions of Portland. His store on Washington street invariably is a delight to the eye, and strangers visiting the city frequently comment upon the fascinating arrangement of the beautiful articles therein displayed.

LOYAL E. KERN. One of the most exten- sive brick manufacturers in Portland is Loyal E. Kern, a native of this city, his birth occurring January 19, 1862. His father, John W. Kern, was a native of Washington county, Ill., to which locality the paternal grandfather, William, had removed from his native state of Pennsylvania at a very early day. The grandfather was a saddler by trade, but in Washington county en- gaged in farming, and also conducted one of the pioneer flour and sawmills. This very early settler was one of the chief promoters of Wash- ington county, where he built his mill on the

banks of a swift flowing stream, and succeeded in denuding a large slice of territory in his im- mediate vicinity. To his dying day he recalled with pride an incident connected with the com- pletion of his mill, and the sawing of his first log. Just as he was about to roll the heavy log onto the carriage, a stranger passing on horseback and seeing his difficulty, dismounted from his horse and assisted him in the task. This tall, lank and ungainly individual happened to be none other than the great emancipator, Abraham Lin- coln. Small wonder that the pioneer, destined to spend many years amid the almost primeval conditions of Washington county, followed the career of his assistant with increasing interest, and was ever grateful for an insight into that helpfulness to others which constituted the key- note of the character of the great Lincoln. In 1851 William Kern brought his family to Port- land, soon after locating in Washington county, this state, and established a sawmill near Sylvan. Three years later he returned to Portland and followed his trade as saddler, later still locating on a donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres in Multnomah county, two miles southeast of Portland, ninety-two and a half acres of which is now owned by his grandson, Loyal E. He lived to a good old age, did this successful and resourceful saddler and sawmill man, and at the age of eighty-three left to his heirs a prop- erty of considerable extent.

John W. Kern, the father of Loyal E., was born on the pioneer farm in Washington county, Ill .. and was thirteen years of age when the fam- ily came to Oregon in 1851. Arriving in Port- land he secured a position as clerk in a general store, later engaging in the wood business, and after that ran the steamer U. S. Grant for sev- eral years on the Astoria route in opposition to the Oregon Steamship & Navigation Company. He then engaged in farming on the Clinton Kelly donation claim, of which he owned two hundred acres, and which he operated with fair results for several years. He was a man of general ability, and had an inventive turn of mind, his range finder, a device for locating distance, being at present in the patent office. Mr. Kern died in 1900, at the age of sixty-two, and was survived by his wife, Sarah ( Kelly) Kern, a native of Somerset county, Ky. Mrs. Kern is a daughter of Clinton Kelly, who came to Oregon in 1847. locating in Oregon City. He was a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his last years were spent on a donation claim of six hun- (Ired and forty acres near Portland, where his death occurred in 1875, at the age of sixty-six A more complete sketch of Mr. Kelly will be found on another page. Nine children were born to John W. Kern and his wife, eight of whom are living. Loyal E. being the oldest; Mary is the

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wife of F. G. Leo of Portland; Millie is the wife of George Hawes of Portland: Clinton W. is with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of Portland ; Annie is the wife of Allen Yerex of Portland; Eugenia is the wife of George T. Fawcett ; Beatrice became the wife of Rev. C. T. Hurd of Lafayette, Ore .; and Vera is living at home.

In Portland Loyal E. Kern attended the public schools, principally grammar school No. 2, now the Clinton Kelly school. He lived with his fa- ther until of age, and then began to farm on the old home, continuing thus for about six years. In the spring of 1890 he inaugurated a brick in- dustry on a part of the old Kelly donation claim on Powell street, near Fortieth, his machinery being horse power. In 1900 he located at his present place at Twenty-eighth and Division streets. and the same year put in a steam plant with a capacity of twenty thousand brick per day. In 1902 he established another yard on the corner of Forty-first and Division streets, which has a capacity of sixteen thousand brick per day. In all Mr. Kern is able to turn out thirty-six thon- sand brick per day, and it is estimated that he has manufactured over three million brick. He was one of the organizers of the City Brick Agency, and was its agent for a year, resigning at the end of that time. Mr. Kern is interested among other things in the Portland Clay Company, and is at the head of the general brick industry of Oregon.

In Portland, October 24, 1883, Mr. Kern was united in marriage with Helen M. Hawes, who was born in Ontario, Canada, a daughter of Dan- iel Hawes, a native of Suffolk, England. The paternal grandfather. John Hawes, was the es- tablisher of the family in Ontario, and he oper- ated a farm and raised live-stock. Daniel Hawes was also a farmer until his retirement to Portland in 1886, and here he is still living with his wife, formerly Elizabeth Brady. Mrs. Hawes was born in Antrim, Ireland, and is a daughter of William Brady, who brought his family to To- ronto when a comparatively young man. She became the mother of eleven children, nine of whom are living: John, principal of a school in Athena. Umatilla county, Ore .; Harriet, now Mrs. William A. Richardson of San Francisco : Hannah, living in Portland ; William, also a resi- cent of Portland; Frances, now Mrs. William Blinco of Portland; Helen, now Mrs. Kern ; George, of Portland ; Bennington, of. Portland : and Maggie, now Mrs. Charles Wheeler of Port- land : Charles is deceased. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kern: Ethel, a graduate of the high school, class of 1001; Bessie, who will graduate from the high school, 1906; Hattie Bea- trice ; Mary Helen ; Emily Ramona, who died in April, 1902, at the age of eight years ; and Russell Lowell. Mr. Kern is a Republican in national poli-

tics, and has served as clerk of the school board for one term. Fraternally he is identified with the Woodmen of the World, and with the Native Sons of Oregon, and is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce. The family attend the Evangelical Church, of which Mr. Kern is a member of the board of trustees.

WARREN ELLSWORTH THOMAS. No name in Portland is more prominently con- neeted with civil law than is that of Hon. War- ren Ellsworth Thomas, member of the firm of Chamberlain & Thomas, lawyers. Mr. Thomas was born in Millville, Lycoming county, Pa., November 21, 1861, his family having been identified with Millville since before the Revo- lutionary war. The paternal great-grandfather. known as Iron John Thomas, had the largest iron furnaces at Millville of any in that section of the country, and his industry was especially marked and known during Revolutionary times. The blood of Welsh ancestors flowed through his veins, and he possessed great strength of character and capacity for large undertakings. He was accidentally killed by being thrown from a sleigh.

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Portrait and biographical record of Portland and vicinity, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 34

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