Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 109

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, The Chapman Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1622

USA > Oregon > Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present > Part 109

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he did not engage in it. Afterwards hie removed with his family to Cumberland county, Ky., where he engaged in farming. In 1812 the family again removed to Illinois, locating first in Macoupin county, where they lived for two years, and then took up their abode in MeDonough county, where Mr. Bristow engaged in farming until 1846, when he crossed the plains to California. In 1848 his family removed to Oregon, crossing the Missouri river at St. Joseph, April 21, 1848, and the Caseade mountains at Barlow Gate. They located at Pleasant Hill, where Mr. Bristow took up a donation land elaim of six hundred and forty acres of land twelve miles south of Eugene. He built the first house in Lane county and petitioned the territorial legislature to have his claim named Pleasant Hill, which was done. Mr. Bristow lived there until his death, in his eighty-fourth year.

Mrs. Baskett's husband, George J. Baskett, was born in Shelby county, Ky., February 25, 1818. His father was William Baskett of Vir- ginia, who, with his wife and son, aged ten, moved to Missouri, locating in Howard county, remaining there until 1848, when George crossed the plains. On his trip across, he met his future wife. He located first in Riekreall, but soon went to California, where, during the gold excitement, he was quite successful. In 1852 he returned to Oregon and married Catherine S. Bristow. The young couple settled in Polk county, buying the right to their present place of six hundred and forty aeres. They lived there, engaging in farm- ing and stock-raising until Mr. Baskett's death in 1883. His family consisted of eight children, but two of whom are now living-Josephine, wife of Henry Clay Fox, of Rickreall, and George La Fayette Lee, of Elk City, Idaho. The family own all of the original place. Mr. Baskett was a Democrat in politics, and with his wife held membership in the Christian Church of Salem.

JOHN BLANTON. One of the extensive hop raisers of the vicinity of Brooks is John Blanton, who bought seventeen acres of land in 1871, and has since devoted fourteen acres to hops. That he has improved his land to the best possible extent would seem apparent from the fact that 1902 netted him seventeen thousand pounds of hops.

The paternal great-grandfather, John Blan- ton, served under Washington in the Revolu- tionary war, and his descendants located in dif- ferent parts of the cast and middle west. Mr. Blanton himself located in Ray county, Mo. Here Joseph Blanton, the father of John, was born. He learned the cooper's trade, and here married Jane Muncus, also a native of Missouri. The father followed his trade near St. Louis until 1844, and then started across the plains with

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seven yoke of oxen, hoping to improve his for- tunes after reaching the northwest. He died near Council Bluffs, Iowa, en route to Oregon, aged thirty-nine years, leaving his widow and children dependent upon their own resources. The mother turned back to Andrew county, Mo., and three years later married Samuel Hackwith, and continued to live in Missouri for the re- mainder of her life. She died aged about sixty- seven years.

John Blanton was born in Jackson county. Mo., April 29, 1833, and with his parents started to cross the plains in 1844. He lived with his mother in Missouri until nineteen years of age, and attended the district schools as opportunity offered. For about three years he was employed as a farm hand. In 1853 he had an opportunity to come west as a driver of oxen, a chance which he very readily accepted. The train was on the road for three months and eleven days. Mr. Blanton stopped for a short time at Big Sandy, then went to live with an uncle, Isaac Blanton, eight miles south of Salem. In 1861 he went to the mines of southern Oregon, where he met with fair success. In 1865 he married Catherine Shephard, born in 1846 in Crawford county, Ark. Mrs. Blanton crossed the plains with her parents in 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Blanton went to house- keeping on a farm near Eugene, in Lane county, and after five years moved to Jackson county, where Mr. Blanton engaged in the stock business for a couple of years. He afterward lived in Polk county for four years, and for a year in the Waldo Hills, Marion county. In 1871 he purchased his present home.

Twelve children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Blanton : James M. died aged twenty-one ; Ida May, the wife of Charles Van Ausdell, a railroad man of Nebraska; Hannah J., the wife of Alexander Veach, of Salem; Mary E., the wife of William Raney, of Salem; William, a resident of Eugene; John, died in 1900, leaving two children; Marion, who is living in Brooks; Rose died at age of nineteen years ; Raymond, living in Brooks; Pearl, at home with her pa- rents ; Franklin, died in infancy ; and Alice, the wife of Enos Waite, of Salem. Mr. Blanton is a Democrat and a member of the United Evan- gelical Church. His many fine traits of char- acter, and unquestioned devotion to the general welfare of his adopted locality, have won him the lasting regard of all with whom he is asso- ciated. He has served as school director in his district and as supervisor of roads.

FRANCIS XAVIER MOISAN. On the farm upon which he is still living in Marion county, F. Xavier Moisan was born December 16, 1845, and comes of one of the prominent pioncer fam-

ilies of the northwest. Up in Canada the Moisans were known for many years as merchants and tradespeople, the French blood of remote ances- tors contributing the national thrift and resource- fulness. Near Montreal, Canada, in 1810 was born Thomas Moisan, the father of F. Xavier, who was reared and educated in his native land, and was the only one of ten children to come to the United States.

Before attaining his majority, Thomas Moisan had started in upon a paying lumber business in Canada, and was also interested in furs and trap- ping, in which he dealt extensively. When twenty-two years of age, in 1838, he made a trip through the United States on horseback, bringing up in New Orleans, where he found a ready market for his furs. About 1840 he started to make a trip across the plains, and for some time was located in Vancouver, Wash., removing later to Marion county, where he took up a claim of six hundred and forty acres eight miles north of Salem, on French Prairie. Half of this prop- erty was prairie land. Here he erected a small log house, the following year taking to himself a wife named Harriet Longtrain. Miss Long- train was born in Vancouver, Wash., May 16, 1824, a daughter of Andrew Longtrain, a famous trapper in the employ of the Hudson Bay Com- pany. Thomas Moisan lived on his claim until his death, and there reared the three children born to himself and wife, of whom F. Xavier is the oldest. Philomena married F. J. Balter, of Salem, and Alexander lives on a farm adjoining that of his brother. Mr. Moisan was a man of pronounced characteristics and the most scrupu- lous honor, and during his life in the west ma- terially promoted the interests of religion and education. He was a devoted member of the Catholic Church, and was the means of securing the erection of several churches throughout the county. His widow, who still survives him, has uninterruptedly made her home on a part of the old donation claim.

September 30, 1872, Francis Xavier Moisan married Mary V. Manning, a native of Perry county, Mo., born July 11, 1854, who came to Oregon in 1865 by way of the Isthmus, with her parents, and they are living near St. Louis, Ore. Her parents, G. A. and Caroline Manning, were born in Missouri, and there farmed for many years before coming to the west. All of the modern improvements on this old donation claim have been inaugurated by the present owner, who has a fine large frame dwelling, a good barn, and modern agricultural implements. He is en- gaged in general farming and stock-raising, and in the meantime has taken an active interest in the general affairs of his neighborhood. In poli- tics a Republican, he has filled the offices of school director and road supervisor, and since his first

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voting days has taken a keen interest in all mat- ters political. Fraternally he is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, Brooks Lodge, No. 137, and in religion is a member of the Catholic Church. Fourteen children have been born into the family: Thomas, who is farming in Marion county; Caroline, deceased, wife of John Roach; Gustave, living in Gervais; Lewis, an attendant in the Insane Asylum; Al- bert, Rose, Tercilla, Agnes, Charles, Francis, Winnie, Frederick, Hubert and Joseph.

Andrew Longtrain, one of the famous trappers of the northwest, was born in Canada about 1791, and came west to Spokane, Wash., when a young man. Here he married and engaged in trapping for many years, selling his furs to the Hudson Bay Company. After a time he took up his residence in Vancouver, and at that time there were very few white people in this part of the country. He lived to be about eighty- seven, while his wife died at the age of seventy- six. He was a typical rugged pioneer of the far west, and his name was known from one end to the other of this trapper's paradise. The monu- ment erected at Champoeg in 1902 in com- memoration of the American purchase of the ter- ritory stands on the claim originally owned by Mr. Longtrain.

GEORGE W. YOUNG. Among the veteran pioneers of Linn county who have spent the better part of their lives within its precincts, aiding in every possible way its growth and development, G. W. Young, now living retired in Albany, stands pre-eminent, having a good record for length of days, and for long-continued and useful activity. After his marriage he migrated to this state, bravely daring all dangers and privations incidental to life in an undeveloped country in order to pave the way for those who followed, and to establish a home where his children and their descendants might enjoy the comforts, and even the luxuries, of this world without the labor and toil in which his earlier years were spent. Wild animals of all kinds were then numerous and destructive, and the majority of the resi- dents lived in log cabins of the typical pioneer style. These have long since been replaced by substantial modern structures, and the land, having been brought to a high state of cultivation, vields abundantly of the grains and fruits com- mon to this region. The small hamlets have grown into thriving towns, villages and cities, and prosperity smiles on every side. A native of Ohio, George W. Young was born in Richland county, November 4, 1828, a son of Benjamin Young.

Of stanch New England ancestry, Benjamin Young was born and reared in Connecticut. Re-

moving to Ohio when a young man, he worked at the cooper's trade until 1837, when he settled in Knox county, Ill., where he was actively en- gaged in coopering and farming until his death. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Mes- more, was born in Ohio, and died in Illinois, Of their large family of children, ten grew to years of maturity, and eight, five girls and three boys, survive. One son, John Young, went to the front during the Civil war as a volunteer in an Illinois regiment, and died while in service.

The second son of the parental household, G. W. Young, was brought up and educated in Illi- nois, attending school in the old log schoolhouse. While yet a lad he acquired a good knowledge of agriculture, also becoming familiar with the cooper's trade by working in the shop with his father in bad weather. He subsequently learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked for awhile, remaining at home until reaching his majority. The following six years he was en- gaged in farming for himself, first in Knox county, Ill., then in Pcoria county, and again in Knox county. In the spring of 1853, influenced partly by love of travel, and partly by a desire to try the "hazard of new fortunes" he started for the Pacific coast. Leaving Illinois in March, with one wagon, which was drawn by four yoke of oxen, he, with his wife and one child, crossed the Missouri river at Council Bluffs on April 6, and there took the old Oregon trail, coming along the Barlow route, and arriving in Linn county in October.

Locating in Sweet Home valley, Mr. Young took up a donation land claim of one hundred and sixty acres and later purchased one hundred and sixty acres on Sand Ridge, about fourteen miles from Albany, and at once began the cstablishment of a homestead. Clearing and im- proving a large tract, he met with good success in his agricultural labors, and has since owned many different estates, buying and selling at a profit, at one time having a clear title to seven hundred acres of fine land. In 1866 he removed to Albany, where he has since resided, a prosper- ous and highly esteemed citizen. For eight or ten years he carried on a good business as a contractor and builder, being especially interested in bridge contracting, and doing a great deal of work for the county, having charge of the con- struction of many of the bridges in Linn county.

Although he has lived in Oregon a full half cen- tury, Mr. Young has never lost interest in the home and friends of his youth, but on two occa- sions has visited the east, going first in 1872, and again in 1883.

While living in Illinois, Mr. Young married for his first wife Clarinda Simons, who was born in New York state, and died in Lebanon, Ore. Of the children born of their union, one

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H. S. Powell

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daughter is living, namely: Malinda, wife of John H. Clelen, of Albany. To John H. Clelen and wife have been born four children-three of whom are living: Otto, an engineer of Albany, married Anna Reninger and has two children, John and Grace; Edna, wife of Charles G. Rawl- ings of Albany; they have two daughters, Mada- line and Ruth; Benjamin, resides in Albany ; Georgiana died at the age of one year.

Mr. Young's second wife was Miss Rose Clark, who was born in Princeton, Ill., of New England ancestors. Her father, Joseph S. Clark, was born and reared in New Hampshire, where he learned the trade of a brick mason. Subsequently re- moving to Illinois he lived for awhile in Prince- ton, then came to Oregon, locating in Albany in 1874, where he followed his trade for many years, living in this city until his death. He married Harriet Richards, a native of Medina county, Ohio, and they became the parents of eleven children, nine of whom grew to years of matur- ity, and seven of whom are now living.

Mr. Young has had a busy life as well as a prosperous one, his success in the accumulation of property being entirely due to his own energy, perseverance, good judgment and honest business principles. Politically he is a sound Democrat. Fraternally he is a member, and past officer, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which he joined in 1855; of the Encampment and of the Oregon Pioneer Association.

FRANKLIN S. POWELL. On a well de- veloped farm in Sangamon county, Ill., Frank- lin S. Powell, one of the foremost pioneers of Polk county, was born March 20, 1830. As one of the many hundreds who crossed the plains in 1851 he has entered heartily into the de- velopment of many northwestern enterprises, benefiting all with his business ability, and conveying to them his peculiar and con- tagious enthusiasm. On both sides of his family the ancestors were very early settlers in America, and patriotism found expression in the paternal grandfather, Joseph Powell, a native of Kentucky, and a soldier in the war of 1812; and the maternal great-grandfather. Peter Borders, followed the martial fortunes of Washington.

John A. Powell, the father of Franklin S., was born on a farm near Dayton, Ohio, Febru- ary 10, 1807, and in 1825 removed with his parents to Sangamon county, Ill., and was there reared and educated, eventually taking as his wife Savilla Smith, born in Ohio, September IO, 1812. At a comparatively early age Mr. Powell entered the ministry of the Christian Church, and during almost his entire active life he combined the cultivation of the soil with the

preaching of the gospel. For some time after his marriage he lived in Menard county, Ill., and in April, 1851, outfitted and crossed the plains to Oregon. With him came his wife and nine children, among them Theresa, wife of Wm. McFaden, whose death after leaving the Blue mountains, at the age of twenty-two, was the only sad or unfortunate occurrence during the entire trip. Mr. Powell settled with his family on a donation claim on the Santiam in Linn county, and there lived until retiring to Albany in 1870, in which town his death oc- curred in 1880. He was a unique and in some ways remarkable man, and during his active life accomplished much good. An earnest worker in the church, an eloquent and forceful speaker, a sound reasoner, and thorough bible student, his voice was heard in earnest ex- hortation in many places in Oregon and Wash- ington, and especially was he known and ap- preciated in the Willamette valley. Mr. Powell was a fine specimen of physical man- hood, weighing two hundred and twenty-five pounds. He was a Republican in politics, and was a man of influence, personal magnet- ism, and broad humanitarian views of life. Eight years after his death, in 1888, the wife who had shared his trials and joys, reared his children to men and women of usefulness, and been his chief consoler and sympathizer, died. at the home of her son near Monmouth, at the age of seventy-eight.

Franklin S. Powell was the oldest of the four sons and five daughters born to his parents. Before leaving for the west he married, March 20, 1851, Louise J. Peeler, who was born in Illinois, a daughter of Rev. Abner Peeler, a native of Maine, and a minister in the Chris- tian Church. Upon arriving in Oregon Mr. Powell located on a donation claim eight miles east of Albany in Linn county, where he built a little house, and began the improvement of his land. In time abundant harvests rewarded his tilling of the soil, a larger house took the place of the primitive structure, and twenty- one years rolled by with ever increasing pros- perity. During the Civil war he served two terms as justice of the peace for Lebanon pre- cinct. In 1874 he came to Monmouth, Ore., built the home in which he now lives, and has since identified himself with this community. In 1898 he sold the farm near Albany, and now owns a farm of three hundred and twenty-six acres two and a half miles northwest of Mon- mouth, during the bright summer months liv- ing in his rural retreat, and in the winter time availing himself of the advantages of the town.

At all times Mr. Powell has held himself in readiness to aid in the development of his

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adopted locality, and many enterprises have reached completion through his energy and practical assistance. He is one of the organ- izers and stock-holders of the Polk County Bank, and is also one of the founders and a stockholder in the Independence and Mon- mouth Railroad. He also aided in the con- struction of a warehouse at Albany and one at Independence, and is one of the chief upbuild- ers of Christian College, with which he has been identified as trustee and member of the executive board for many years. In fact his removal to Monmouth was practically dictated by a desire to be near and assist in every pos- sible way this very admirable educational in- stitution. In Republican politics he has taken an active part. in 1888 being elected to the state legislature, and serving during the ses- sion as chairman of the agricultural commit- tee. This was about the time of the great county-seat contest between Independence and Dallas, and Mr. Powell entered into the thickest of the fight. While a member of the legisla- ture, in 1889, he introduced a bill to convert the Christian College at Monmouth into a State Normal School, and while the bill was defeated by only one vote, yet it laid the foundation for the accomplishment of the same object by the succeeding legislature in 1891.

. Eight children have been born into the fam- ily of Mr. Powell, of whom James M. is a phy- sician of Spokane, Wash .: Cyrus is deceased ; John H. is a farmer near Farmington, Wash .; Lavina is deceased; Marinthia is the wife of A. M. Arant, a fruit rancher west of Mon- mouth; P. O. is a teacher of mathematics, commercial law and literature in the Normal School at Monmouth; Ira C. is represented in this work; J. F. is living at home. In March, 1901, Mr. and Mrs. Powell celebrated their golden wedding at their home in Monmouth, where over one hundred friends came from far and wide to wish them many years of happi- ness. In the estimation of his hosts of friends there is no more worthy man in this county than Mr. Powell, whose well known business in- tegrity, conservative yet progressive judgment, and capacity for large undertaking have made him a power in a cosmopolitan community.

GEORGE C. SMITH. The advantage of learning a trade, and thereby having something in the way of making a living upon which he could always depend, was one of the teachings which found practical expression in the life of George C. Smith, one of the successful farmers and stock-raisers of Polk county. Were Mr. Smith to dispose of his farm and locate in some of the busy marts of the country, he could tin-

doubtedly command good wages as a practical brick and stone mason, a trade to which he de- voted three years of his life as an apprentice, and which he plied for some little time.

For many years the family of Mr. Smith was identified with farming interests in Virginia, in which state he was born in Jackson county, Feb- ruary 14, 1833. His father, John, was born in Virginia in 1788, and spent his entire life in the Old Dominion state. Left alone in the world when a small boy, the elder Smith was con- fronted by the responsibility of his own support, and proved himself capable of coping with the difficulty. For some time he worked on boats on the Ohio river, and when quite young started in to farm for himself, eventually purchasing with his earnings about a hundred acres of land. He never had any desire to desert his old south- ern state, and lived contentedly and in compara- tive comfort there until his death in 1878 at the advanced age of ninety years. In his young manhood he married a native daughter of Vir- ginia, Julia A. Cummins, born in 1800, and who died in 1855. Of this union were born fourteen children, seven sons and seven daughters, of whom six are now living: Conrad, George C., John, David: Julia, wife of Freeman Shower- man: Levina, wife of A. J. Moffit.

So large a family taxed the resources of the Virginia farm, and of necessity the children were forced to take themselves into outside fields of activity when quite young. Thus it happened that the sixth child, George C., resolutely turned his face towards an independent livelihood, work- ing at such occupations as came his way. At the age of twenty-four he removed to Ray coun- ty, Mo., and apprenticed himself to a brick and stone mason for three years, and after working for a while at his trade decided that he liked farming better, and so found a position on a farm in Ray county. He was not insensible of his lim- itations in Missouri, and in 1865 hailed the op- portunity to cross the plains with ox teams. In the meantime he had married Eliza A. Craven in 1859. she being a native of Ray county. Mo., and the daughter of a large land owner. His wife and children therefore accompanied him across the plains, their outfit consisting of four yoke of oxen. The train had one hundred and nine wagons to start with, but the party eventu- ally separated, according to the desired destina- tion of its many members. They were five months and five days on the way, and Mr. Smith located in the Eola hills, where he rented land for five years. Frugal and industrious, he man- agcd to save considerable money while farming his rented land, and in 1870 bought his present farm, which consists of one hundred and twenty- two acres, and is a portion of the old Babcock donation claim. In addition to general farming

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and stock-raising, he has ten acres under hops, and is contemplating devoting more land in the future to this important and marketable com- modity.

The wife of Mr. Smith survived the journey across the plains, and the hardship of pioneer conditions for but three years, her death occur- ring in 1869. She was faithful to her trust as a mother and wife, and left to the care of her husband three children, Laura, wife of S. H. Crowley; David Ackley and Charles Jackson. In 1874 Mr. Smith married Sarah M. Coulter, of which union there have been born the follow- ing children: Rosetta, wife of Sam T. Smith; Stella M .: Elsie, wife of C. B. Whaley; Seth ; Lavina; George C., Jr., and Lanora Alice.

Mr. Smith adheres to the principles of the Democratic party, and he has served the com- munity as road supervisor and school director. He is a liberal and enterprising man, and a suc- cess as a farmer and promoter of general pros- perity.

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Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 109

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago, The Chapman Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1622

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, The Chapman Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1622