Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 113

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 113

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The only educational advantages in Illinois available for the Donaca children were the early subscription schools, invariably held in log houses, and located more or less remote from the farm houses. At best, William, the seventh of the children, attended school irregu- larly, for he had to work hard on a farm which scarcely supplied a living for the family. His father's available resources were consumed in the equipment for crossing the plains, and William walked the entire way, barefooted, but with the spring of youth and strength in his step, hopefully looking forward to accom- plishing great things in the region for which he was headed. He continued to live on the home farm until 1870, and then engaged in the livery business in Lebanon, in the meantime running the stage between Lebanon and Al- bany. He made a great success of the line, and he brought the first mail to Lebanon, there- after securing the mail route in this direction. Between 1880 and 1890 he engaged in the gro- cery business in Lebanon, and, in 1890, began speculating in stock, real estate and grain, meeting with marked success, and continuing thus until his retirement from active life in I900.

As proof of his confidence in the future of Linn county, Mr. Donaca has invested heavily in town and country properties, and at present owns three farms, one of one hundred and eighty-eight acres on Crabtree creek, one near Lebanon of one hundred acres, and one of sixty-five acres one mile north of the town. He was one of the incorporators of the town, has served in the council many terms, and has been mayor one term, besides holding the ma-

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jority of the minor offices within the gift of his Republican townsmen. In 1883 he built the first brick block in the town, and still owns it, and he also constructed the warehouses there, as well as other buildings, and his own two- story residence. He is identified with the Blue Lodge, A. F. & A. M. In 1871 Mr. Donaca married Lenora Jane Harbin, a native of Mis- souri, and daughter of John Harbin, who crossed the plains in 1865, lived first in Yam- hill county, and later in Lebanon, and died in Washington. Mr. Harbin was a blacksmith by trade, and during his active life accumulated a competence.

Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Donaca, the order of their birth being as fol- lows: John Middleton, a clerk in an Albany hardware establishment ; Lizzie Ellen, the wife of O. H. Oliver, of Portland, Ore .; William Hayes, of Portland; Charles Walter, of Port- land: Ferrell Coler, of Lebanon, and Morton Winford, of Portland. Mr. Donaca has ob- served the greatest caution in all of his busi- ness undertakings, and they have never par- taken of the "wild-cat" order. as is so often the case with people speculatively inclined. He has a thorough knowledge of general business, and an appreciation of values, and is possessed of a high public spirit.

WILLIAM L. JACKSON. It is interesting to note the progress and development of our present splendid system of public instruction, and to compare the numberless facilities of the school of today with those of pioneer times. To be fitted for the requirements of the position. the present day school teacher undergoes far more thorough preparation than was ever thought necessary in former years, and the position of county superintendent of schools presents diffi- culties and problems that can only be success- fully solved by one who has had experience in teaching and whose executive ability is of the best. Linn county, Ore., has been particularly fortunate in her selection for this office, and in the present incumbent, William L. Jackson, many excellencies are united.

Mr. Jackson was born near Hannibal, Mo., October 25, 1867, and for nine year following was a resident of that vicinity. His parents were Martin and Callie (Blackburn) Jackson, the father born near Nashville, Tenn., and the mother a Kentuckian by birth. Martin Jackson became an agriculturist and continued in that business until he retired. During the terrible conflict waged between the north and south he saw three years of active service as a soldier in the Confederate army, and at the close of the war he left the south for California, where he

spent two years in mining before returning to his old home in Missouri. Mr. Jackson was so well pleased with western life and saw so many advantages for one who remained as a permanent resident that in 1877 he took his family and came west to Linn county, Ore., following his life occupation there as in Missouri, and in ad- dition raising live-stock. This he continued un- til he felt that he had accumulated enough to support him in his declining years, and he is now living in retirement, respected and highly hon- ored by all who know him.

While in Shelby county, Mo., he was united in marriage with Callie Blackburn, and their three children are as follows: William L .; Ray B., a prominent stock-dealer of eastern Oregon ; and Ida M., widow of G. L. Calavan, of Linn county. In politics Mr. Jackson was well known as a firm Democrat.

William L. Jackson spent nine years of his life in Missouri, and when his father removed to Linn county, Ore., he also came with him. His early education was attained in the public schools of Linn county, where he applied him- self earnestly to his books. This training was supplemented by a normal course in the Santiam Academy at Lebanon, after which he taught in the district schools of the county and later be- came instructor in the public schools at Browns- ville, occupying the principalship in that city. All these years were preparing him for the greater position he was to occupy. In 1900 he was elected county superintendent of Linn county schools and has proven efficient in this line of work. His special effort during his term as superintendent has been to establish a uni- formity in the work of the rural schools, and he has brought the entire system to conform to the state course of study. Through all the trials of office he carries himself in a truthful, conscien- tious manner as befits his position.

September 12, 1893. Mr. Jackson was joined in marriage with Minnie E. Peery, who was born in Yamhill county, Ore., and is a daughter . of Hiram W. and Mary J. (Kimsey) Peery. Hiram W. Peery is one of the solid, substantial farmers of Yamhill county and is descended from one of the old established families of that coun- ty. He and his wife are esteemed citizens of worth.

Mr. Jackson resides in a pleasant, comfortable home at No. 906 East Sixth street, Albany. He and his wife have but one child, Glenn L. In religious affairs they attend the First Presby- terian Church, of which Mr. Jackson is a mem- ber. In politics he is a Democrat, as was his father before him. Fraternally he allies himself with the Knights of Pythias and the Maccabees. Mr. Jackson has been connected with educational work all his life and is a member of the State

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Teachers' Association, being particularly iden- tified with the county superintendent's depart- ment of work in the association.

JOHN C. HASTINGS has been for several years an honored resident of Airlie, and an Ore- gon pioneer of 1852. A Southerner in ancestral connections and early training, Mr. Hastings was born in west Tennessee, March 18, 1833, a son of John Hastings, and Annie (Estes) Hast- ings, both born in North Carolina. John Hast- ings removed as a young man to near Paris, Tenn., and from there came farther west to near Westport, Ark., where he farmed for many years, and from where he removed to near Batesville, where his death occurred at about fifty-two years of age.

The fourth in a family of seven children, five sons and two daughters, John C. Hastings received a limited education in the south, owing to the necessity of the children early starting out to earn their own living. The sons seem to have been ambitious and alert to opportunities for improving their prospects, for three of them, John C., A. L. and B. L., became interested in the glowing reports which reached them from the west, and determined to shift their chances to the coast. With ox-teams and wagons they joined a caravan of home-seekers bound for the other side of the Rockies via the Platte river route, and after six months arrived in Polk county, Ore., having experienced the usual number of adventures on the way. The same year they went to the mines of California, but returned in 1853, locating in Polk county. John C. and A. L. then became interested in building and contracting, and in this capacity put up a great many barns throughout the county. In 1856 John C. left off building and enlisted for the Indian service in Company K, Second Regi- ment of Oregon and Washington, and served for more than four months, and participating in many skirmishes, and in the battles of Grand Round and Walla Walla.

After being discharged from the service in September, 1856, Mr. Hastings returned to Polk county and married Melissa Wood, who was born in Arkansas, and whose father, Frank Wood, was a trader and farmer, who crossed the plains in 1853. Locating near Eugene, Ore., he traded and farmed until his death. Of this marriage there have been born eight children, the order of their birth being as follows: James Francis and Martha Janc, deceased: Henry Greenbury, a farmer ncar Airlie: B. S., a far- mer of this county; Joseph L., a conductor on the Southern Pacific Railroad, with headquarters at Roseburg, Ore .: Mary Alice, the wife of Clyde Jackson, of Utah; John Franklin, living

at Walla Walla, Wash .; and Clara Olive, liv- ing at home. For a time after his marriage Mr. Hastings lived on a rented farm in Polk county, and then went to Walla Walla, intending to make that his home. However, he changed his mind after eighteen months and came back to Polk county, where he bought a farm of one hun- dred and sixty acres on the Willamette river, but sold the same in 1871. He then purchased his farm of four hundred and forty acres ad- joining the town of Airlie, one hundred and sixty acres of which is at present under cultivation, and all is fenced and improved. His son, Henry G., at present has charge of the property, and he is enjoying life after many years of arduous toil. Mr. Hastings is a Democrat in politics, and has served as road supervisor and school director, having held the latter office for twelve years. He is a member of the Christian Church, and has been since his young manhood. Hon- orable and upright in all of his dealings, with a stern sense of duty and the claims of citizen- ship, Mr. Hastings has won the respect and good will of all with whom he has come in contact in the west, and his success is a matter of pride in this progressive community.

L. ARTHUR CHURCHILL. Not only has Mr. Churchill known no other home than Linn county, but he has known no other home than the farm upon which he now resides, as it was here that his birth occurred, March 20, 1857. His father, Lewis Churchill, was a Kentuckian by birth, born in 1806, and in many respects he had an interesting as well as successful career. When a young man he removed with his parents to Sangamon county, Ill., which was his home until his marriage in 1834, with Miss Mary A. Cooper, a native of Tennessee. Shortly after their marriage the young people removed to Iowa, which was their home until the year 1853, when they were seized with an ambition to cross the country and try their fortunes in the west. They were more fortunate than 'many another pilgrim who traveled the same path, in that they were not molested by the Indians. For three years they made their home in Douglas county, Ore., but in 1856 came to Linn county, and ten miles southcast of Albany purchased a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, for- merly a part of the John Lineberger donation claim. To his credit be it said that all the im- provements upon the place were the work of his hands, as when he assumed ownership of the land it was wholly uncultivated. Success at- tended his efforts, and in time he was enabled to purchase two hundred and forty acres of ad- ditional land. Stock-raising was his specialty. and in this department of agriculture he met

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with more than avcrage success. In the course of his career he accumulated quite a large prop- erty. His political sympathies were in accord with the principles laid down by the Republican party. At the time of the Black Hawk war he was still a resident of Illinois, and he took a hand in quelling the Indian uprisings, his ex- perience in those days furnishing topics of con- versation in after years. It was in 1847 that Mr. Churchill crossed the plains to California and Oregon for the first time, making the journey on horseback, but his return to Iowa followed soon afterward, where he remained until the final trip to the west in 1853.

To Lewis and Mary A. (Cooper) Churchill were born eight children, and of those living we make the following mention : James Madison is a resident of Plainview; Eliza A., wife of Amos Dunham, makes her home in Prineville; Elizabeth, wife of M. Lafayette Wilmott, re- sides in Albany; Winfield Scott lives near Plain- view; Emma A., widow of William T. Jordan, resides with her brother, L. Arthur. The father lived to reach his sixty-fourth year, and the mother was eighty-two years of age at the time of her death. Both were devout and faithful members of the Christian Church.

L. Arthur Churchill attended the district schools in the vicinity of his home during his boyhood, and early in his career took an interest in things agricultural. After his father's death in 1869 he continued the work begun by the lat- ter, and still has charge of the old home place, which has been improved and kept in an up- to-date condition. The dwelling and barns on this estate are not excelled by any in the vicinity. Mr. Churchill owns two hundred and fourteen acres of the old home farm, of which one hun- dred and fifty are under cultivation, general farming and stock-raising forming his chief in- dustries. Mr. Churchill's interest in fraternal affairs is indicated by his affiliation with the Knights of the Maccabees. Politically he is a Republican. Following the early training of his parents, he is a member of the Christian Church, to the support of which he contributes liberally. Several times he has been called upon to fill positions of trust in his community, and the obligations have always been discharged in a faithful and painstaking manner. Quiet and un- ostentatious, Mr. Churchill bears a reputation for honorable and upright living which all might envy.

WILLIAM EDWARD WILLIAMS. One need look no further than William Edward Williams, of near Airlie, Polk county, for the typical agriculturist of the northwest, breezy and inspiring of manner, large and rugged of

physique, shrewd, large-hearted and thoroughly progressive. One ought also to say genial and companionable, for these enviable traits have been predominating ones in the life of this hon- orable native son, and have won and retained a host of friends. Born on the farm upon which he now lives, March 7, 1852, he represents one of the prominent early families of the state, his father, James E., having arrived here in 1845.

James E. Williams was born near Nashville, Tenn., in 1803, and in his native state married Martha Wicher, who was born in Virginia. Seven children were added to the family in the east, and with these and his wife, Mr. Williams started across the plains in 1845, experiencing on the way an aggregation of adventures of a more or less novel and dangerous nature. How- ever, glad as they were to reach Polk county, after the wearisome journey, they were destined for still further discomfort, for the first night of their arrival, while camping on the banks of the Luckiamute a severe storm caused the river to rise, and in the darkness they were obliged to seek a camp higher up on the bank, a very wet and most disgusted little band of home-seekers. Mr. Williams took up a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres of land, and though at the time he had little in the world save en- ergy and physical strength, he soon managed to make a comfortable home for himself and family in the wilderness. For many years they lived in a log house, but this was afterward re- placed by a more modern structure, and barns and general improvements added as time went on. A very broad-minded and public-spirited man, he took an active part in the political un- dertakings of the territory, and served two terms in the territorial legislature. He also helped to form the state laws, and all forward movements for his neighborhood received not only his sanction but practical support. His death occurred in 1865, at the age of sixty-two, while his wife, who shared his joys and sorrows, and helped to bring about his success, survived him until 1888, dying at the age of seventy- five. This pioneer couple were very popular in their county, and their home was the center of much early hospitality. Both were members and active workers in the Southern Methodist Church, and the itinerant preachers who chanced that way were always sure of a warm welcome as long as they desired to remain under the Will- iams roof.

In an atmosphere of industry, thrift and good- ness, William Edward developed into a useful and high-minded lad, and at the age of thirteen was more matured than most lads of that age. This was fortunate, for his father died at this time, and it was necessary for him to be of use to his mother, whose older children, numbering

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six sons and five daughters, had many of them gone to manage homes of their own. On at- taining his majority he received his share of the property, which was only fifty-three acres, but he was not dismayed, for he had worked hard during his minority, and had saved considerable money. In time he bought out the other heirs and became sole owner of the large property, to the improvement of which he has unceasingly devoted himself, and out of which he has made a fine living for those dependent on him for sup- port. In 1894 he built a modern two-story rural residence, one of the best in the county, and here is maintained that spirit of hospitality and good fellowship for which his parents es- tablished a precedent in the pioneer days. Mrs. Williams was formerly America Price, a native of Polk county, Ore., and whose father, Larkin Price, crossed the plains in 1849, locat- ing on a claim in Polk county, consisting of six hundred and forty acres. Mr. Price accumulated a competence in the west, and at the time of his death was a very well-to-do member of the community. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams, of whom Marcus Clyde lives in Independence, Ore .; Wade Hamp- ton is living on the home farm; Floyd A. is at- tending the Oregon Agricultural College at Cor- vallis, and is in the junior year; W. E. is on the home farm; and Vern Whitman is also living with her parents.

To cnumerate the many public services rend- ered by Mr. Williams in his capacity of broad- minded and progressive citizen were to follow the footsteps of a very discerning and practical philanthropist. He has helped to bring within the range of the farmer many of the conveni- ences hitherto enjoyed only by townfolk, among them being the rural mail route No. I, twenty- three miles long; and the Luckiamute Rural Telephone Company, of which he is a stock- holder and director. He is also a stockholder in the Independence National Bank. A Democrat in political affiliation, Mr. Williams has held the position of deputy sheriff of Polk county for the past eight years, and has been a member of the school board for four years. The church to which his father ga e his earnest support for so many years finds favor with the son, who is a most generous contributor towards its maintenance and charities.

EDWIN RUTHVIN SEELY. Among the prominent pioneer families established in Ore- gon in 1850, the one of which Edwin R. Seely is a worthy representative takes foremost rank. Mr. Seelv was born on his father's farm near Boone's Ferry, Clackamas county, Ore., May 13, 1862, a son of Lucius Alexander and Sophia H.

(Buckman ) Seely, natives of Potsdam, N. Y., and born respectively August 10, 1821, and Feb- ruary 16, 1825.

L. A. Seely was the son of a blacksmith, and when a young man removed with his people to Sangamon county, Ill., where he married and continued to live until 1850. His neighborhood was agitated by reports of land and mining op- portunities on the coast, and the young man and his wife were among the most eager listeners to these tales of returned travelers. On account of ill health he took this opportunity to seek a more congenial climate. Accordingly they out- fitted with ox-teams and wagons, taking with them considerable blooded stock, including some very fine horses. At a certain stage of the jour- ney the stock was transferred to Mormons, much to the grief and consternation of the rightful owners, who bitterly resented the thieving pro- pensities of the so-called religious enthusiasts. The train was a large one and represented many beliefs and occupations, a curious fact in connec- tion with their migration being that, after tak- ing a vote as to whether they should travel on the Sabbath day, those holding to the negative reached their destination a month earlier than those who failed to heed the biblical injunction. Needless to say, Mr. Seely, throughout his entire life a stanch Presbyterian, was among those who believed in rest for man and beast on the sacred day, and he was therefore among the first to ar- rive at his destination in Oregon. The first win- ter he stopped at Canemah, and in the spring bought a farm on Baker's Prairic, where they lived only a year. Again they settled in Cane- mah, and later bought the farm near Boone's Ferry, where they reared nine children of their own and one adopted daughter, and where the father died at the age of seventy-five, in 1879, while his wife survived him until seventy-six years of age, dying in 1901. The children were as follows: Jira J. is deceased, leaving a family of wife and seven children; George B. is a farmer of Clackamas county; Joseph B. also lives in Clackamas county ; Harriet B., deceased. was married to James Whitmore, and left four children; Franklin F .; Stephen B .; Judson L .; Robert I., all of Clackamas county; Edwin R .; and Emma, the adopted daughter, deceased. Mr. Seely was a stanch supporter of the schools of his neighborhood, and he was very active in the church, contributing liberally towards its main- tenance, and attending the services whenever his health permitted.

Until his marriage with Julia E. Turner, June 24, 1883. Edwin R. Seely remained on the home farm. His wife was born in Pike county, Mo., November 24. 1863, and crossed the plains with her people in 1865, making the journey with the time-honored ox-teams, and bought a farm near

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Oregon City, in Clackamas county. The young people went to housekeeping for a couple of years near Boone's Ferry, and then purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres on Butte Creek, three miles cast of Woodburn. At the time of purchase there were thirty-five acres under cultivation, and at present there are about ninety acres devoted to the raising of the general products of this section. To a considerable ex- tent Mr. Seely is interested in hop culture, and has thirty-five acres devoted to its cultivation. He also has two and a half acres in onions, and is carrying on general farming and stock-raising. Everything about this farm indicates the careful and practical manager and agriculturist, and it is doubtful if any man in the neighborhood is deserving of greater credit for the part he has taken in the improvement of his district. So in- dustriously has he applied himself to making an ideal home for himself and family that he has foresworn political aspirations, and all else that would interfere with the discharge of his primary obligations. He is a Prohibitionist in politics, and is a supporter of the same church to which his father devoted so many years of his life. Nine children have been born into his fam- ily, the order of their birth being as follows : Harry B .; Perry W .; Lucius R .; Thomas L .; Ruth E .; Chauncey C., deceased; Percy H .; Julia E .; and Ethel A.

WILLIAM McDONALD TURNER. At the age of eighteen, in 1835, William McDonald Turner crossed the plains with his parents and brothers and sisters, leaving behind the prosper- ous little farm in Johnson county, Mo., upon which he was born November 3, 1835, and where he had developed into a strong and self-reliant youth. His father, Jonas, was born in Tennes- see, as was also his mother, Luhettie (Gilliam) Turner, although they were married in Mis- souri, shortly afterward settling on the farm in Johnson county. The long and wearying trip across the plains was accomplished without any particular incident, wagons, oxen and the vari- ous members of the party bearing up well under the necessarily severe strain upon their endur- ance. Setting out May 3, 1853, they spent the first winter in the Washoo valley, Nev., and the next spring went on to California, locating in Mariposa county for a couple of years. They then went to Sonoma county, where the father bought land, improved it, and lived thereon until the death of both himself and wife.

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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 113

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