Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 131

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 131

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Born near Jamestown, Boone county, Ind., February 28, 1837, Mr. Miller is a son of Chris- tian and Mary A. (Coddington) Miller, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Christian Miller located in Indiana when a young man, lived there many years, and in 1847 went to Huntsville, Mo., to outfit for crossing the plains. In the spring of 1848 he started out with two wagons, in a train of forty others, the trip across covering about four months. With him, besides his wife and children, was his brother Isaac, who subsequently acquired distinction as an Indian fighter, serving in both the Modoc war and the war of 1855-6. Christian Miller settled on a section of land half a mile south of Albany, and in the spring of 1850 sold his property for $500. Near Knox's Butte he bought a squatter's right to another section of land, and in the fall of 1851 came to the farm now occupied by his son Mart. A cow was the price paid for the three hundred and twenty acres, and Edward Streitheoff was the man who received the cow in lieu of his land. Mr. Miller's death occurred in 1874, at the age of sixty-five years. During his life in the west he seemed to have a happy faculty for making the best of things, and suc- cess rewarded his untiring industry and wise management. A change from farming came in the golden year of 1849. when he went to Cali- fornia and ran a pack train from Sacramento City to the mines on the American river. His wife, who died September 8, 1892, at the age of eighty-six years, was the mother of six children. They were: Maria, who died in 1897, having married Eli Miller; Moses, living on a farm near Albany: Nelson, who died young; Mart V .; John, who died in youth; and Enoch, who lives on a farm near Scio, Linn county. Christian

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Miller deserved great credit for his rise in life, for he was a man of little education, and there- fore dependent upon his innate shrewdness and common sense. The first winter in Oregon him- self and family lived on boiled wheat and New Orleans molasses, and in after years, when suc- cess came, and the luxuries of life were possible to him, he used to recall, with thankfulness for present blessings, the dark days wherein depriva- tion and poverty played so large a part.

March 15, 1860, Mart V. Miller was united in marriage to Mary C. Cunningham, of which union there were born four children: Alonzo, a resident of Albany; Elam, also a resident of Albany; Wayne, in California, and identified with the railroad; and Homer B., deceased. Mrs. Miller died in 1875; and April 26, 1878, Mr. Miller married Maria Propst, who is the mother of seven children: Iona B., wife of Frank Warner; Ray F .; Eunice M .; Ernest C., who has been a helpless cripple for nine years, unable to move a limb or any part of the body; Roma D .; Victor V .; and Fay. Mr. Mil- ler is a man of high moral character, and for twenty-five years has been an active worker and elder of the Christian Church.

FRANK M. MILLER. Among the industri- ous and deservedly successful farmers of Linn county Frank M. Miller holds a recognized place, having been for many years an agricultur- ist of this section of the state. He now owns three hundred and fifty acres of rich, productive land, which land was once a part of the donation claim taken up by Jacob L. Miller, the brother of Frank M., in the year 1847, immediately after crossing the plains with his wife. The entire claim amounted to six hundred and forty acres. Though rich in land he desired something more, and in 1849 he followed the current setting to- ward the gold mines of California, before his father, Abraham Miller, had brought his family into the west.

Abraham Miller was born in Tennessee in 1789, and when a young man he removed to In- diana, where he met and married Mary Little. He subsequently removed to Mercer county, Ill., and founded the village of Millersburg, and in the spring of 1850 they followed their oldest son, Jacob L., across the plains. Their worldly wealth consisted of four wagons with four yoke of oxen to cach, and after a six months' trip he arrived with his wife and six children in the country wherein they were to make a new home. The first fall found them located near Jefferson, Marion county, but across the county line in Linn county, on a dona- tion claim of three hundred and twenty acres. the right to which had been purchased

from Ashby Pierce. A one-story log house of- fered the family shelter and into this they moved, ambitious to make from this wilderness a fertile farm, and the productive valley land promised them speedy returns for the springtime sowing. Here the family remained for a great many years, the father reaching the ripe old age of eighty-six before meeting his death, December 29, 1875, when he was killed by the cars, his deafness preventing him hearing the approach of the train. His wife died February 15, 1879, aged seventy-two years. She was born in Wayne county, Ind., January 1, 1807. They were the parents of eleven children, ten of whom attained maturity, though the only two now living are Frank M. and Betsey, the latter of whom is the wife of Samuel Brown, and now makes her home in Galesburg, Knox county, Ill.

Frank M. Miller was born November 20, 1843. in Millersburg, Mercer county, Ill., and was seven years old when the trip was made across the plains. He was reared upon the paternal farm and educated in the common school in the vicinity of his home, where the most primitive conditions prevailed, slab benches being used for seats. When grown he engaged with his father in carrying on the duties of the home farm until his marriage, which occurred May 15, 1873, Nancy E. Bowman becoming his wife. She is the daughter of Preston H. and America (Allphin) Bowman, who came to Oregon from Missouri in 1847, and were married in Linn county October 11, 1850. After his marriage Mr. Miller changed his location, coming to the farm which has ever since occupied his atten- tion. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of two children, of whom Nora is the wife of Arthur Holt, of Albany, and Albert A. is located in Jefferson. Mr. Miller is now engaged in general farming and stock-raising and has eighteen acres devoted to the cultivation of hops. Politically he is a Democrat and fraternally belongs to the Grange.

EDWARD MEEKER. Many agriculturists whose intelligence, enterprise and progressive spirit are a benefit to any community in which their lot may be cast, are to be found in Linn county, one of the open gateways to the east. Among them is Edward Meeker, the youngest son of one of the sturdy pioneers who early sought the western life for the sake of the multi- fold opportunities awaiting the perseverance and energy of such men as himself.

His father, Jolin Meeker, was born in Butler county, Ohio, September 6, 1822, and in the spring of 1848 he left the city of St. Joseph, Mo., with one wagon and an ox-team, for the six months' journey across the plains.

Presley bonnagy Mbuliside. 8 bonugys

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Mr. Meeker first located in the Santiam valley but was driven out by the high water, whereupon he removed to another part of the county and took up a claim of six hundred and forty acres very near the dividing line between the counties of Linn and Marion, within three miles of the town of Jefferson of the latter coun- ty. He later became a resident of a location di- rectly opposite the city of Albany, and there his death occurred in 1883, followed by that of his wife, formerly Lydia Miller, in 1886. The elder Mr. Meeker was variously interested in the af- fairs of his adopted state, and took part in many of the movements for her welfare, a fuller ac- count of which can be found in the sketch of Isaac Meeker, the oldest son of this worthy pioneer.

Edward Meeker was born on his father's old donation claim in Linn county, July 17, 1858, and was there reared to manhood, receiving his education in the common schools of the county. He remained at home until his marriage, March 14, 1880, to Miss Ollie A. Allphin, when he moved upon the part of the farm where he now lives. He owns at present one hundred and fifty-four acres of land, upon which he carries on general farming and stock-raising. In addi- tion to his farming interests he has always taken an active part in politics, being a stanch Demo- crat. In 1900 he was elected on that ticket as county recorder of Linn county, which office he maintained for two years.

Mr. and Mrs. Meeker are the parents of one child, whose name is Stacey. Fraternally Mr. Mecker affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, holding membership with Santiam Lodge, of Jefferson.

PRESLEY COMEGYS. The name of Pres- ley Comegys is familiar to most of the residents of Lane county and carries with it an impression of influence and unquestioned integrity, his life as a farmer in this section of the country evi- dencing those qualities which win popularity. Mr. Comegys was born in St. Charles county, Mo., July 2, 1830, the son of Benjamin and the grand- son of Abraham Comegys, both owing their na- tivity to the state of Maryland. The family is of German ancestry, the members of which have followed agricultural pursuits for many genera- tions, which in a measure accounts for the ex- cellence of the work of this citizen of Oregon. The grandfather removed to St. Charles county, Mo., about 1819, and the father became a farmer in that state, where he died in 1844. He married Lucinda Scott, who was born in Monongahela county, W. Va. She was the daughter of Felix Scott, a native of Virginia, who became a farmer in West Virginia and later settled in Missouri,

where he continued to follow that occupation. In 1845 he made the journey to California and wintered there, the year following crossing the mountains on the old pack trail to Oregon. He first settled in Yamhill county and later removed to Lane county, where he became a farmer and stock-raiser. In the winter of 1859 he went east via the Isthmus of Panama, and in Ken- tucky purchased several fine horses, with which he started across the plains, taking the southern Oregon route. On this return trip in 1860 he and his men were murdered in the Modoc country by the Indians, and the horses entirely disap- peared. Mrs. Comegys died in Oregon, the mother of three children, the two besides Pres- ley being Wilmer, who died in southeastern Ore- gon, and Nimrod, now located in Burns, Ore.

Presley Comegys was reared in Missouri until he reached his fifteenth birthday, when, with his mother and family, he removed to Magnolia, Put- nam county, 111. With but a very limited dis- trict school education he was compelled to go to work on a farm, as that had been all of his early training. In 1850 he and his brother Wil- mer joined an uncle and with ox-teams crossed the plains to California, where they remained in the mines until 1851, when they came to Port- land, Ore., and thence made their way into Lane county. The same year Mr. Comegys took up a donation claim of one hundred and sixty acres located three miles northeast of Springfield, and there began the improvement and cultivation which was to make that one of the substantial farming enterprises of the county. Thirty-seven years passed away before he removed from that location, during which time his well merited suc- cess enabled him to purchase more land. He now owns two hundred and thirty acres.

Mr. Comegys has been married twice, the first ceremony being performed near Springfied, Ore., in 1863, uniting him with Melzena Duncan, a native of Iowa, and the daughter of Warren S. Duncan, who came to Oregon in 1862, and en- gaged in farming in Lane county. Mrs. Comegys died on the home farm, April 30, 1868. The two children born to them are Viola, widow of W. W. Withers, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work; and Melzena, wife of O. A. Camp- bell, of Camp creek valley, Lane county. The second marriage of Mr. Comegys occurred in 1872, Malinda J. Clearwater, of Indiana, be- coming his wife. She was the daughter of Martin W. Clearwater, a native of Ohio, who settled in Putnam county, Ind., removed in 1851 to Marion county, Iowa, and in 1864 brought his family across the plains, locating near Spring- field, Ore., where he engaged in farming and re- mained there until his death, which occurred in 1898, at the age of eighty-three years. Mr. Clearwater married Elizabeth J. Evans, a native

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of Tennessee, and of the seven children born to them only three are now living, the third being Mrs. Comegys. Mr. and Mrs. Comegys have one child, Arthur, who is a telegraph operator in the employ of the Southern Pacific Company, in Grant's Pass. Fraternally Mr. Comegys is a member of the Ancient Order of United Work- men. He and his wife belong to the Christian Church, in which Mr. Comegys is both elder and trustee. He also belongs to the Oregon Pioneer Society. In politics Mr. Comegys is a Demo- crat, and at various times he has served in the interests of his party, for one term acting as county commissioner. His first vote was cast in 1851, in Lane county. He came from Colorado Angust 12 of that year to the city of Portland, which had then a population of three hundred inhabitants. Mr. Comegys served on the first grand jury impaneled in Lane county, in March, 1852, and of the sixteen men he is the only one now living.

MATHEW C. CHAMBERS. Four miles east of Albany is a farm which, for value and actual productiveness, has few equals in Linn county. Associated with its earliest develop- ment, with its timber and log-house days, and with its later prosperity, is the name of one of the very early settlers of the northwest, and one who represented in his character and attainments all that was best among early pioneers. Mathew C. Chambers was born in Bridgeport, Vt., in 1817, and was reared on a sterile and mountain- ous farm which held out small inducements for an ambitious and physically robust boy. As a youth he appreciated the advantages of a good education, and he so disposed of his home work that all possible time could be spent at the early subscription school of his neighborhood. This desire for knowledge followed him on the long overland trip from Vermont to Galesburg, Ill., whither he went at the age of about twenty-one.

Having no ties to hold him in the middle west, Mr. Chambers heard with every manifestation of interest of the superior land and mining induce- ments in the west, and in 1847 crossed the plains with an ox-train which included among its homc- seekers Ashby Pierce. The two men became warm friends, and many a night was spent side hy side over the camp fires, discussing their plans for the future, when they should arrive at the New Eldorado in Oregon. The tramp across the plains was not particularly eventful, and no serious trouble seems to have been experienced with the Indians, nor did illness lessen the ranks of the band. Mr. Chambers spent the first win- ter in Linn county, and in the spring of 1848 took up the donation claim of six hundred and forty acres now owned by his heirs, four miles from

Albany. He was in time to participate in all of the excitement centering around the early days, and his first important experience was during the gold craze of '49. With pack mules he crossed the mountains to California, and mined and pros- pected with fair results. Like many of the set- tlers he had a great deal of trouble with the In- dians, and his little log cabin was often visited by bands of red men intent upon appropriating whatever of value suited their fancy. Later on he took part in the Indian wars, principally that of 1855-6, and gladly contributed both time and money to secure a more settled state of affairs.

Through his marriage with Margaret M. Knox, he became associated with a family which had crossed the plains earlier than himself, hav- ing arrived here in 1845. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Chambers, of whom Robert lives at Toledo, Ore .; William is a resident of San Francisco, Cal .; Martha is the wife of Will- iam Stevens, of Crook county, Ore .; Mathew is a farmer in Gilliam county, Ore .; Lettie is liv- ing at home; Edward is mining in Idaho; John is on the home farm; Lillian is the wife of Jer- ome Williams of Albany ; Thomas lives in As- toria; Jacob W. is on the home ranch; and Cordelia, wife of J. J. Brown, of Douglass coun- ty. Mr. Chambers became prominent politically in Linn county, and was the first county judge, discharging his duties with rare discretion and satisfaction. He continually improved his farm, adding new buildings from year to year, and more extensively raising all kinds of stock. Since his deatlı, in 1898, his son Jacob W. has carried on the farm, and in his management evidences the same superior judgment and far- sightedness which marked the progress of his lamented father. Mr. Chambers is survived by his wife, now very aged, who serenely contem- plates the things around her, and retains to a gratifying extent her sight, hearing, and other useful faculties.

JAMES B. DAVIS. Four miles west of Jef- ferson, Marion county, just across the line into Linn county, is situated the finely improved farm of James B. Davis, upon which he is engaged in general farming and stock-raising. He now owns one hundred and sixty acres once embodied in the farm where he first saw the light of day, for he is a native son of Oregon, and the son of a pioneer of 1852.

The birth of James B. Davis occurred in Linn county, December 22, 1856, his father being James J. Davis, a native of Indiana. The father was also reared to a farmer's life, and on at- taining manhood he removed to Lovilia, Iowa, where he remained unti! crossing the plains in 1849. With the customary ox-teams he jour-

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neyed to California and spent the ensuing three years in prospecting and mining. At the close of that period he came to Oregon, in 1852 set- tling in Santiam City, Linn county, where he conducted a ferry and a small store. He was there married to Mary A. Miller, and soon after his marriage he removed to the farm now owned by his children, making many excellent improve- ments on the four hundred and eighty acres which comprised the property. He carried on general farming and stock-raising until his death, March 8, 1890, at the age of sixty years. His wife had died in April, 1875. Besides James B. of this review they were the parents of the fol- lowing children: Delia, wife of Henry Long of Marion county; Florence, the wife of George W. Birtchet, on the old home place; Dalleson, deceased; and Mary R., deceased wife of George Connor.

James B. Davis was reared upon his father's farm, and was trained to the duties of a farmer, receiving his education in the common schools of Jefferson. Upon growing to manhood he re- moved to a farm of two hundred and fifty acres, which he proceeded to cultivate for a few years, but at the death of his father he was compelled to return to the home farm and take charge of the management there, where he remained for three years. In 1893 he moved to his present location. Mr. Davis was married November 9, 1880, to Rosa Lewis, and four children have blessed the union, who are as follows: Jessie, Cleveland, Nora and Paulina. In addition to his farming interests Mr. Davis also owns prop- erty in the city of Albany. In politics Mr. Davis is a Democrat and fraternally he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, holding membership with Santiam Lodge of Jefferson.

CHARLES P. GLOVER. In Lincoln county, Mo., Philip and Sarah (Koentz) Glover lived on a large farm which yielded sufficient liveli- hood for their ten children, among whom was Charles P., now one of the prosperous farmers of Linn county, Ore., whose birth occurred June 7, 1840, in Lincoln county, Mo. To the quiet and uneventful farming locality came rumors of gold and fertile lands on the coast, and to the elder Glover this seemed an opportunity to improve the condition of his family, an opinion in which his wife and the oldest children heartily con- curred. The farm being disposed of, the prepara- tions for removal proceeded rapidly, and for the accommodation of the family three wagons were required, having three yoke of oxen each, and enough loose stock to furnish milk and meat for the travelers. The train consisted of thirty-six wagons. Charles P., then a youth of nine, rode one mare and led another owned by a Mr. Gib-

son, one of whose colts sold at $600 and the other at $550 in Marion county. For this trouble- some service the lad received a pair of shoes, a remuneration which would scarcely appeal to the youth of today.

The Glover family met with few adventures on the way across the plains, and once in Oregon the father took up a donation claim of six hundred and seven acres in the Waldo Hills. His chil- dren helped to clear the land and put in the crops, and all in all the emigration to the west proved a decided benefit to all the members of the family. Chas. P. left home in 1862, at the age of twenty-two, and tried his fortunes in the mines on the Salmon river, six months convinc- ing him that he was not a born miner, and was much better adapted to work on a farm. Return- ing to the old home farm he remained until 1892, and then came to his present farm of two hun- dred and thirteen acres six miles east of Albany. His farm is well improved, and many years of industry and economy have placed him in a posi- tion of independence and thrift. In 1865 Mr. Glover married Clarissa Palmer, who proved a helpmate and a ready sympathizer in the vicissi- tudes which have come into the life of her hus- band, and died in February, 1886. In an at- mosphere of kindliness and goodness eleven chil- dren' have been reared, five sons and six daugh- ters, all of whom are living. Lenora, at home; Laura C., the wife of George U. Ashby, a mer- chant of Weizer, Idaho; Samuel, near Antelope, Ore., a rancher .; Orange, of Portland, Ore .; Narcissa, the wife of Harvey S. Taylor, of Macleay, Ore .; Wallace, of Goldendale, Wash .; Edith, at home; Matilda, the wife of Clarence Turner, confectioner of Lebanon, Ore .; Ralph, of Salem, bookkeeper; Ronald, at home; Mable, also at home. These children were born in the Waldo Hills and educated in the common schools, and schools of Monmouth and Salem.

In political belief Mr. Glover is a Republican, but he has chosen rather his own farm and fireside to the excitement and always doubtful success of the politician. Fraternally he is con- nected with the Ancient order of United Work- men. A good manager, excellent business man, and unquestionably reliable in all his dealings, Mr. Glover commands the respect of all who know him and is deserving of the success which has come liis way.

JOSEPH A. JONES. Located upon a farm of three hundred and thirty acres in Linn county. Ore., Joseph A. Jones is engaged in carrying on general farming and stock-raising, one hundred and twenty-five acres being devoted to cultivation and the remainder used as pasture. He has fol- lowed the early training received from his father

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along agricultural lines, and has certainly made a success of his work since taking it up for him- self.

The birth of Joseph A. Jones occurred in Linn county, Ore., December 3, 1857, upon the old homestead. He is the son of Samuel T. Jones, a native of Illinois. The father emigrated from his native state in 1849, crossing the plains into California, where he engaged in mining, but, later returning to Illinois, he again made the journey west, in 1852 coming to Oregon and settling in Linn county. He here bought the right to a donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres from Jackson Allphin, and at once moved into the little log cabin which had already been erected upon the place. The remainder of his life was passed upon the property, convert- ing it from an uncultivated wilderness into a fruitful farm by energy and perseverance. At his death he owned four hundred and eighty aeres of land. Politically he was a Republican. Mrs. Jones also died in their western home. She was the mother of two children, of whom Mary, the wife of Perry Miller, is deceased ; and Joseph A. is the subject of this review.

Joseph A. Jones was born and reared upon his father's farm, growing into manhood there, his earliest remembrances being those of farming duties. He was educated in the common schools of the county, and was married December 3, 1882, to Mary E. Rainey, and they have five children, being named in order of birth as fol- lows: Fred, Nellie, Frank, Myrtle and Charles. Like his father, Mr. Jones adheres to the prin- ciples advocated in the platform of the Repub- lican party. He has served for seventeen years as school clerk in the district where his home is located, five miles west of Jefferson, Marion county. Fraternally he affiliates with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, being a member of Santiam Lodge No. 27, of Jefferson.

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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 131

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