Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 159

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 159

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CHARLIE LONG. Much attention is paid to fruit-raising in western Oregon, and the fruits are of fine quality and flavor. Apples, pears, cherries, plums, prunes, grapes, and various other fruits grow in abundance. Mr. Long, the sub- ject of this sketch, has a delightful little farm of twenty-three acres in the vicinity of Silverton and raises fruit quite extensively. An Ohioan by birth, he was born in Washington county, March 13, 1860. He is a son of . Martin S. and Martha A. (Carroll) Long.

Martin S. Long was born April 6, 1820, in Belmont county, Ohio, and was left an orphan at the tender age of three years. He was cared for, however, by a Belmont county family, with whom he lived until he attained the age of eighteen years, when he began to make his own way in the world. He went to Louisville, Ky., where he learned the trade of a ship-carpenter. Dur- ing the Mexican war, he went to sea in pursuit of his chosen calling, but subsequently returned to Washington county, Ohio, where he married a Miss Pinkerton. Four children blessed this union, two being now deceased. Those living are Mrs. Susan Miller, of Harmer, Ohio, and Mrs. Mary E. Randell, of Seattle, Wash. The mother of these children died in Washington county, Ohio. Some time later, Mr. Long con- tracted a second matrimonial alliance in Morgan county, Ohio, where he was united with Martha A. Carroll, of Maryland. After marriage, they

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made their residence in Washington county, Ohio, until 1874, when they came to Oregon. They took up their abode near Gervais for about a year and a half, and then purchased a two hundred and eighty-acre farm, about two and one-half miles north of Silverton. They reared six children, as follows: Emma, of Linn county ; Charlie, the subject of this biography; Clara, deceased ; James C., of Polk county ; Amos W., of The Dalles; and Minnie, who resides near Salem. Both parents lived to a good old age, the father being seventy-five and the mother seventy-one years of age at the time of her demise. The former was prominently connected with the Odd Fellows.

Charlie Long obtained his education in the district schools and assisted his father on the farm until he reached his majority. He then went to Walla Walla, Wash., where he spent two or three years at various occupations, and, after a brief trip through California, he spent the five years following in southern Oregon. He afterward returned to his home, where he was married and settled down on a part of the home place, where he still resides. He was united in marriage, November 5, 1892, with Frances Prouty, who was born in Nebraska, but came to Oregon in 1888. She is a daughter of Willard and Leonora (Sykes) Prouty. Mr. Long is a man of good principles and his name is respected throughout his community. In politics he is a stanch Republican.

THOMAS E. MILES. In spite of reverses which have often impeded a nevertheless success- ful career, T. E. Miles has firmly established himself as a business man of Scott's Mills, and was engaged in a paying and quite extensive mercantile enterprise, known as Miles & White, until 1898, when he purchased the entire inter- ests. A devastating fire in 1897 temporarily crippled his prospects, but he has since recouped his losses, and not only owns his store and resi- dence, the latter of which is one of the finest in the town, but is the possessor of considerable other valuable property.

Had Mr. Miles followed the teachings of his youth he would always have been a farmer, for his people reared him to this occupation on the farm in Wabash county, Ind., where he was born March 2, 1857. His father was the owner of a farm in that county, upon which he lived for some years, then removed to Wayne county and lived there until his death, at the age of seventy-two years. He is survived by his wife, aged seventy-six years, now living in Wayne county, Ind., and who is the mother of six chil- dren. Until his twenty-sixth year T. E. Miles remained on the home farm, but after his mar-

riage, in 1883, with Sarah C. White, a native of the Hoosier state, he went to housekeeping in Dickey county, N. D., in 1883, and lived in that state until 1894, coming then to his present home in Scott's Mills.

Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Miles, of whom Walter R., the oldest son, is at college; while William L. and Mary E. are living at home. Mr. Miles is a Prohibitionist in politics, and is a member of the Society of Friends. Though never desiring official recogni- tion, he has filled local offices, and is at present clerk of the school board, and a notary public. Fraternally he is identified with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Mr. Miles is typical of all that is honorable and reliable, traits which are not only appreciated in his business connec- tions, but from a social standpoint render him a proper man. He is successful and well favored with this world's goods, and has many friends in the town of his adoption. June 14, 1903, he sold his mercantile business interests and invested in timber land, which he intends developing.

WASHINGTON L. COON. Both as an educator and breeder of high-grade stock, Wash- ington L. Coon won praise because of his thor- oughness, reliability and adherence to the best possible methods in his chosen occupations. He is recalled as a man of whom his adopted state had reason to be proud, and whose adaptive and pleasing personal traits won him many friends among his pupils and business associates. Born in Jefferson county, Ky., March 10, 1825, he was of English and Dutch ancestry, and came of par- ents who devoted their entire lives to farming. At the age of six he moved with the rest of his fam- ily to Warren county, Ill., and when eighteen years old removed to Pike county, Mo., remaining there until the spring of 1850.

After a journey covering the usual six months, Mr. Coon arrived in Oregon, September 19, 1850, and settled upon the farm now occupied by his wife, and located fifteen miles southeast of Al- bany on the Willamette river. Having studiously availed himself of the opportunities of the early subscription schools in Illinois and Missouri, he applied himself to teaching school in this neigh- borhood for several winters, working on his claim of three hundred and twenty acres in the summer. He was engaged in packing to the mines for several years, and in taking several droves of cattle to California. In 1864 he re- turned to Illinois, via Central America, the next year locating and teaching school in Montgomery county, Ind., for one year. He then returned to Mercer county, Ill., and taught until 1870, and also took a course in the State Normal in Illinois, gradually working his way eastward, through

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Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and re- turning to Washington county, Pa., where he re- mained for a time. Here good fortune came to him, inasmuch as he met and won Mrs. Susan A. Bane, who was born in Pittsburg, Pa., Janu- ary 17, 1840, and whose father, George Speer, died when she was a child. Her mother, Mar- garet (Leadwith) Speer, was of Scotch descent, and was born in the state of Maryland. The marriage of Mr. Coon and Mrs. Bane occurred March 15, 1875. and the same spring they came to Oregon and began housekeeping on the claim taken up by the husband in the early days.

Mr. Coon was an extensive raiser of high- grade stock, making a specialty of fine draft horses. He was a good business manager, was thrifty and economical, and both made and saved money. From time to time extensive im- provements were made on the claim, and today it is one of the best improved properties in this sec- tion. The same house built by the husband in the early days is still occupied by his wife, al- though modern improvements have changed its character somewhat. Mrs. Coon also owns one of the finest timber tracts on the Willamette. Mr. Coon never interested himself in politics aside from the formality of casting his vote for Re- publican nominees, but he was very active in the United Presbyterian Church of Oakville, of which he was one of the first members in this district. To himself and wife were born the two children who live at home, Michael S. and Sarah Margaret, the former of whom manages the farm for his mother. Mr. Coon died on his farm March 28, 1901. He was sincere in all his be- liefs and a Christian from principle.

WILLIAM J. FISHER. One of the most popular and promising members of the later gen- eration around Albany is William J. Fisher, su- perintendent and manager of the county poor farm, and owner and manager of a large wood- vard in Albany. Should Mr. Fisher weary of farming or general business he could turn his at- tention to engineering with reasonable chances of success, for in his younger days in Canada, where he was born in Ontario, October 25, 1873, he learned the trade of engineering, but has never practiced it for purposes of livelihood. John Fisher, the father of William, was also a native of Ontario, and was born May 10, 1836. In his young manhood he married Margaret Orr, a na- tive of Ireland, and in 1892 brought his family to Linn county, Ore., settling on the farm which is still his home near Albany. He is a Repub- lican in politics, and is a member of the United Presbyterian Church. William J. is the third of the five children, the others being Sarah J., of

Canada; Jeanett, also living in Canada; James, deceased ; and Robert, at home.

Educated in the public schools of Ontario and Albany, William J. left the school room to learn engineering, but continued to live at home until his marriage with Winnie Sprenger, a native of Oregon. The young people went to housekeep- ing on the county poor farm, of which Mr. Fisher had been appointed superintendent and manager, and where they have since lived. The poor farm comprises one hundred and twenty acres of fertile land, and has good improvements, including fa- cilities for carrying on the kind of general farm- ing required at such an institution. The wood- yard at Albany, started some time since, has proved a profitable source of revenue, and, taken in connection with the farm, is about all that Mr. Fisher has time to attend to. Like his father, he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and he is one of the most influential members of the Grange. He has an interesting household, and one in which hospitality and good fellowship abound, two bright children, Lawrence and Vio- let, contributing to the beauty of his home. Pub- lic-spirited to a marked degree, Mr. Fisher may be depended on to promote any wise undertaking which has for its object the improvement of the town or county, and of one thing his friends may be sure: he will advance steadily and surely to the front, his efforts being based always on the substantial and worthy.

HON. AUGUSTUS C. JENNINGS. Ear- nest and faithful in whatever he undertakes, with that inherent force and wide understanding which characterizes the typical American, the Hon. Augustus C. Jennings has become one of the most prominent men in Oregon during the last twenty-five years, a position won by personal application and a close adherence to those prin- ciples which constitute the loyalty and honor of manhood. He has never been found lacking in those qualities needful in party or personal friend, and he has come to be recognized as a substan- tial factor in affairs of state or community. He also interests himself intelligently in stock-breed- ing, having a thousand head of Cotswold shecp. which he puts out on shares. In the time of our country's need, as a boy of eighteen years. he gave his youth and strength in the cause of national union, and is now numbered among the veterans who claim a nation's gratitude.

The Jennings family is of English ancestry, though long associated with the progress of the western world, the father, Charles M. Jennings, heing a native of Pennsylvania. Animated by the same spirit which prompted his forefathers to become citizens of the colonies, he removed to

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Davis county, Iowa, at an early day, being num- bered among the pioneers. In connection with the improvement and cultivation of a farm, he conducted a mercantile establishment in Drakes- ville, Iowa, his interests remaining so identified until his death, which occurred in that location. His wife was formerly Hannah Glover, a native of New Jersey, and her death occurred in her home in Iowa. Of the eleven children who blessed this union four are now living, and of these Thomas, who served in Company B, Thir- tieth Iowa Regiment, is located as a practicing physician in Drakesville, Iowa, and Joseph C. is a resident of Lane county, Ore., where he is en- gaged in farming; Adda is the wife of Charles W. Wilson of Moulton, Iowa.

The second youngest of the children is A. C. Jennings, his birth occurring in Drakesville, Davis county, Iowa, January 16, 1845. His boy- hood years were passed in the location of his birth. While receiving a good education in the common schools of the state he gained an in- sight into commercial life that was of great ben- efit to him. He was carrying the mails between Drakesville and Centerville in 1863, when he en- listed in Company M, Ninth Iowa Cavalry, be- ing mustered in at Davenport, Iowa. He was sent to Benton Barracks, at St. Louis, after which he participated in many engagements in Arkan- sas, among them being Grand Prairie. He con- tinued in the service until the close of the war, when he was mustered out in February, 1866, then returning to his home in Iowa. After some work in his father's store and an attendance at the high school, he engaged in teaching in the public schools, and later became one of the sub- stantial merchants of Drakesville, where he re- mained until 1875. His brother, Joseph C. Jen- nings, having located in Lane county, Ore., in 1854, Mr. Jennings decided to also settle in the west. He first rented a farm near Irving, upon which he engaged extensively in the cultivation of grain. Combining with this employment a broad political interest, he remained in that lo- cation until 1894, when he removed to Eugene.

A Republican whose loyal maintenance of principles has won him the confidence of party leaders, Mr. Jennings was chosen in 1889 to rep- resent his district in the state legislature, and was re-elected in 1891, a large majority attest- ing the popularity of the candidate. During the second term it was his privilege to help elect John H. Mitchell to the United States senate. In June, 1894. Mr. Jennings was elected county clerk, and took the oath of office in July. He was re-elected to this office in 1896, and during the four years in which he served the plans for the new court house were drawn up and the building nearly completed. At five different times he has been called upon to serve as chief

clerk of the house of representatives, the first being in 1887. In 1893 he was employed in the office of the secretary of state, in 1898 was chief clerk of a special session of the legislature and followed this with a similar service in the ses- sions of 1899, 1901 and 1903.

Mr. Jennings was married in Iowa to Miss Rhoda Burks, a native of Indiana, who died in Oregon. Of the thirteen children born to Mr. and Mrs. Jennings, eleven are now living, and all make their home with their father with the exception of the following: Mildred, wife of Samuel Flint, located near Irving; Mattie, wife of E. L. McPherson, of Eugene; Helen, the wife of C. P. Sylvester, of Eugene; Elbert, of Portland: and Hetty, the wife of J. G. Robin- son, of New York. August, 1900, Mr. Jennings was again married to Mary Van Duyn, who was reared in Bloomfield, Iowa, and there married. Socially Mr. Jennings is a member of the Com- mercial Club, and fraternally belongs to the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past grand; the Woodmen of the World; and J. W. Geary Post No. 7, G. A. R., of which he is past commander. He is a member of the Christian church, in which he officiates as trus- tee and chairman of the official board.

MRS. MARTHA BARNES. Since her ninth year the life history of Mrs. Martha Barnes has been interwoven with the changing conditions of Oregon, ranging in extent from the pioneer desolation and crudeness of '45 to the surprising development of the present time. A resident of Albany since the death of her husband in 1885, Mrs. Barnes is one of the pioneer women around whom gathers a world of good will and social prominence, and whose many fine personal char- acteristics bind to her indefinitely a host of worthy friends. Born on a farm near Weston, W. Va., she is the seventh of the ten children born to her parents, Henry J. and Eliza (Allen ) Peterson, natives respectively of Virginia and Massachusetts. Distinction is conferred on the maternal family by the war record of Ethan Allen, the famous colonel of the Colonial army during the Revolutionary war, and the paternal side of the house has no less a worthy represen- tative in the Rev. Peterson, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church whose era of great- est usefulness centers around the strenuous times culminating in the Civil war. Mr. Peterson led the useful and self-sacrificing life of the early clergyman, and though a southerner in character, chivalry and manner, he vigorously espoused the cause of the down-trodden slave, freeing those upon his own plantation as soon as he became convinced that slavery was wrong.

Henry J. Peterson was reared in West Vir-

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ginia, and as a young man made many moves in search of a desirable location. From Indiana he removed to Medina county, Ohio, afterward to Illinois for one winter, and still later to Henry county, Iowa, his last home in the middle west. In 1845 he prepared for a journey across the plains which, in the extent of its adventure, de- privation and suffering, equaled that of any un- dertaken at that very early time. Five sons and five daughters had been added to his family, and for their transportation to the coast he had five wagons, each with from three to five yoke of oxen, as well as a yoke of oxen on the wagon used to transport their provisions. The In- dians proved very troublesome, and constant vig- ilance was required on the part of the emigrants to preserve their ownership of the stock. They came by way of the ill-fated Meek's cut-off, one of the most troublesome routes presented to early emigrants to the west, and it is doubtful if any aggregation of men, women and children arrived at The Dalles at any time in the emigration days, more weary, discouraged, or hopeless. For many days and weeks food had been scarce, and to- wards the latter part of the journey starvation stared them in the face. One son two years old died on the Green river cut-off, and was left in a grave beside the river. The father stopped the first winter on the Tualatin plains, and in the spring of 1846 moved to Howell's Prairie, and later to Santiam. In 1848 he took up a claim at Peterson Butte, twelve miles southeast of Al- bany. He was a natural mechanic, and applied his ability to the construction of a home more comfortable than that of many less skilled in the art of construction, and around him established a large stock-raising enterprise, probably the most successful in his vicinity. He was influen- tial as a politician, and was a member of the First Territorial Legislature, which convened at Oregon City. His children followed his ex- ample and took up farms of their own, many of them settling around him as neighbors, often vis- iting the old home, with its memories of strug- gle and adversity. The wife died in 1861, and the husband in 1864. both firm believers in the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal church. Asa, the oldest of their children, died in Lebanon, Ore .: William died in Albany; Marshall, a vet- eran of the Rogue River war, lives in eastern Oregon : Henry lives at Plainview; Granville died on the plains; Lydia, the wife of Mr. Par- ish, died in Linn county: Sarah is the deceased wife of Mr. Brooks of The Dalles: Laura, now Mrs. Ketcham, lives in Pomeroy. Wash .; Mar- tha, now Mrs. Barnes; and Eliza, now Mrs. Walker of Athena, Ore.

Mrs. Barnes celebrated her ninth birthday on the plains, and after reaching Oregon lived with her parents, attending irregularly the early pub-

lic schools. She learned to speak the language of the Chinook Indians, and thus was called to maintain amicable relations with these untutored neighbors. Her marriage at Peterson Butte, December 24. 1862, was one of the notable events of the neighborhood, her husband, Charles Barnes, being well and favorably known as a successful stockman. Mr. Barnes was left an orphan in his native state of New York when a boy of seventeen, and his life was uneventful until the opportunity came to cross the plains in an ox-train in 1853. He worked his way to the coast driving oxen and loose stock, and, arriv- ing at his destination, found employment in southern Oregon and California, both as a far- mer and miner. Laden with more than the or- dinary returns from the mines, he came to the Willamette Valley and was married, afterward purchasing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he farmed five years. He added materially to his possessions, in time owning four hundred acres near Plainview. He was al- ways an enthusiast on the subject of fine stock, and his land was invariably devoted to its rais- ing, little attention being paid to general farm- ing. After renting out his farm he devoted some time to driving horses over the mountains to California, and on his return located in Albany, where he engaged exclusively in the stock busi- ness. He had many fine horses and secured high prices for them, being an excellent judge of thoroughbreds, and dealing only in the best. Mr. Barnes accumulated a comfortable fortune, and at the time of his death, December 9. 1885. at the age of forty-eight, left his wife and chil- dren in good circumstances.

At 238 East Fifth street Mrs. Barnes has a new and commodious home, where is exercised unstinted hospitality, and where her friends de- light to gather. She is the owner of the four- hundred-acre farm in this county, with the ex- ception of the town site of Plainview, and she also owns another farm of one hundred and sixty acres in the same neighborhood. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, of whom but one attained maturity, Loella, now Mrs. La- Forest. In political preference, Mrs. Barnes is a Republican.

JOHN W. WRITSMAN. To be the pos- sessor of twelve hundred acres of land in one body in one of the most fertile parts of Benton county must needs carry with it a sense of security and satisfac- tion which the most independent might envv. Such is the good fortune of John W. Writsman, whose industry and good manage- ment has enabled him to purchase all but the six hundred and forty acres inherited from his

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ALFRED WILSON.

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father. That he is an excellent agriculturist, in touch with modern and scientific methods utilized in older and more stable farming com- munities, is apparent to all who visit him in the midst of his activity, and note his commodi- ous residence, convenient and modern barns, and general up-to-date improvements. This farm is located two and a half miles from Wells Station, and is devoted principally to stock-rais- ing, sheep, goats and cattle bringing a large yearly revenue.

The fifth of the seven children of Francis and Lucinda (Office) Writsman, John W. was born December 29, 1840, in Andrew county, Mo., and in 1847, when seven years of age, he crossed the plains with his parents. The father took up a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres, erected a small log cabin for the temporary accommodation of his family, and proceeded to clear his land and put in the seed. This small cabin is still standing, and, with its infinite reminders of the peril, deprivation and loneliness of the pioneer days, is a prized pos- session of its owner. In those times neighbors were few and far between, provisions were often scarce, and toil from early morning until sunset precluded much of the joy or recreation of life. Francis Writsman succeeded well in his adopted state, and at his death in 1877, at the age of seventy-six years, left a large and valuable prop- erty to his heirs. The wife who shared his up- hill road to prosperity survived him until 1901, being then ninety years old. Mary J., the oldest daughter in the family, is the wife of James Horn, of Grant county; Julia is the wife of Joseph Chamberlain: Susan is the widow of Mr. Perrin; Caroline is the deceased wife of Mr. Williams; John W. was the next born; Josephine is the wife of J. H. Parsons, and James lives in Los Angeles.

John W. Writsman availed himself of such educational chances as were possible in his youth, and is today a well informed and very progressive man. He bears an honored name in the community, and a continuation of his present success is the wish of all who are priv- ileged to know him.

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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 159

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