Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 164

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 164

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A stanch Republican, Mr. Woodcock has been

prominently identified with party affairs in the town and county, has served as chairman of the county central committee, and has been a mem- ber of the state committee, and of the state board of equalization. He is a member of the State Bar Association, of the Eugene Com- mercial Club, and of the native sons. Frater- nally he is connected with Eugene Lodge No. II, A. F. & A. M .; the Royal Arch Masons; the Commandery; the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks; and the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Woodcock is held in high esteem by all who have the honor of knowing him, and to those familiar with his advancement his outlook is an unusually gratifying one, fully warranted by recognized capability, deserved popularity, and thorough adaptation to the requirements and amenities of his profession.

WILLIAM ANGUS McPHERSON. The history of Oregon is indelibly stamped with the personality of those men who came when the country was a wilderness and gave to the mak- ing of a state the best part of their lives, in the various avenues which go to make up the daily routine of life, exerting strength and in- tellectual effort toward general advancement. A self-evident fact is the potent influence ex- erted by the newspapers of the country, and it was through this medium that the voice of Will- iam Angus McPherson spoke for the uplifting of mankind in the pioneer days now fast pass- ing into history, and though he, too, is of the past, his influence still lives and ever makes for the betterment of the state which he made his home as a pioneer of 1852.

William Angus McPherson was born in Chat- ham county, N. C., February 22, 1828, the son of William and Margaret W. (McDonald) Mc- Pherson, and when a small boy he was brought to Iowa by his parents and reared to manhood near Keokuk. In 1850 he became interested in the possibilities of the west, and the same year came to Oregon and spent the winter near Jef- ferson, Marion county, and in the spring of the following year went overland to California. Dur- ing this journey he encountered the Indians in southern Oregon, but was successful in making his way to the mines of the Golden state, where he mined during the summer and met with suc- cess. In the fall of 1851 he returned to Iowa via the isthmus and spent that winter in his old home. His father having died in 1849, just prior to the first trip across the plains, Mr. Mc- Pherson found himself the principal support of the family, and his interest in Oregon being 110 less because of his success in California, he de- cided to locate permanently in the former ter- ritory. In company with his mother, brother-

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in-law and the two little children of the latter, he crossed the plains in the spring of 1852 and upon his arrival bought the right to two hun- dred and fifty acres of land located in Linn county, near Jefferson, and at once engaged in farming.

October 7, 1852, Mr. McPherson married Nancy Jane Fenn, who was born in Pike county, Ill., May 17, 1840. She was the daughter of John Fenn, who, in 1847, brought his family across the plains by ox-teams, and after a six months' journey over the Cascade route they ar- rived in Oregon City, Ore., where three weeks were passed before attempting to locate per- manently. In Oregon City Mr. Fenn married Elizabeth Jory, a sister of his first wife, Mary Jory, who had died a year before the trip was made to the west. But a little later in the fall the family went down the Willamette and Co- lumbia rivers in a canoe manned by eight Indi- ans, and located near William Hobson's dona- tion claim on Clatsop plains. In the spring of 1849 the family removed to Marion county, and the father left them with the Jorys in Salem and went to California by water, and mined for a short time. He met with success and about Christmas of the same year he returned to Ore- gon, and in the following spring bought the improvements on a donation claim in Linn county, located six miles north of Albany, and it was in that location that Mrs. McPherson grew to womanhood. After marriage Mr. McPherson and his wife took up their residence on his farm before mentioned, where they lived until 1858 and then removed to a farm near Scio, same county, and passed the ensuing five years. It was in 1864 that Mr. McPherson took up news- paper work, locating in Albany, where he was the editor of the Albany Journal, and was con- nected therewith until 1866, when he was elected state printer on the Republican ticket. Until the expiration of his service as state printer he lived in Salem, and from that city he removed to McMinnville and started The Blade, and after two years again located in Linn county, in 1871, engaging for a short time in farming. After a short period of newspaper work in Albany he was compelled, through failing health, to change his place of residence, and on locating in Rose- burg, Douglas county, in 1873, he became the editor and proprietor of the Plaindealer, in the publication of which he continued successfully for several years. From Roseburg he went to Ashland, and was there associated with Oliver Applegate in editing the Ashland Tidings, a paper which had been established by Mr. Mc- Pherson and William Sutton. In 1878 Mr. Mc- Pherson withdrew, and after three years spent in Jacksonville in the newspaper work, he went to Portland and was there connected on various

papers, among them being the Oregonian and Vindicator. His death occurred in that city, in the midst of a still busy career, January 28, 1891.

With the passing away of Mr. McPherson the work with which he had been connected for so many years lost a man of no small ability, and one who put forth his best efforts to broaden and uplift the spirit and standard of this west- ern state. He was a loyal, patriotic citizen, who never wavered in his allegiance to his native land, and at the time of Civil warfare he was earnest and faithful in his endeavors to keep public opinion in sympathy with the government. While in Salem he edited a paper known as the Unionist, which was strongly anti-slavery, and voiced the principles which he endorsed. Politi- cally he was a Republican, and had been one throughout his entire life. In religion both him- self and wife were members of the Presby- terian Church, and for the greater part of his life he was connected fraternally with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. Three weeks previous to his death Mr. McPherson voiced the thoughts which took possession of him as he viewed the grandeur of the accomplishments of the quarter century and more since he first cast his lot with the Oregon pioneers, in a poem en- titled "Portland Heights," which is filled with beautiful thoughts and strongly descriptive of the changes which the years have brought, and speaks eloquently of the talent which he gave to the western cause.

PORTLAND HEIGHTS.

'Tis forty years since first I stood Upon these heights ; 'twas bright spring time. Glade, forest, river, lake and wood Were vocal only with the chime Of nature's melody ; the birds Chanted their matin songs while borne

Upon the zephyr's wings that stirred The sweet aroma of the morn.

Like incense from a censer cast, There came the rich perfume of lands

Where perennial summers last And crystal waters lave the sands Of limpid lakes.

Lone, solitude, primeval stood Portress at the opening dawn, And gladsome nature seemed to brood O'er pleasing phantasies, all drawn

From out the mystic realms where dwell The muses, on Bootia's hight, And streams of music ever swell, Where scenes celestial greet the sight, The pheasant drummed his monotone, Deep within the forest shades,

While the plumed grouse sat perched alone,

And antlered deer, o'er verdant glades Wandered with stately grace.

The mountains reared their lofty hights, Just as they now appear ; old Hood,

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In pride, proclaimed her regal rights,

As like a sentinel she stood

Athwart Aurora's brow. But come, And, with me, nearer view, a scene

Of sombre hue; a dreary zone Of wilderness; no glittering sheen Of sunlight, no radiant ray E'er shone within its shades. Deep, dark

And fathomless it seemed ; bright day Recoiled upon itself; the lark Soared high above the gloom.

The river coursed its widening way On to the moonmad sea; its tide Flowed on unvexed, nor stop, nor stay Delayed its onward flow. There plied No busy steamers then, to wake The echoes of its fir-clad shores, No rumbling train to rudely shake The pulseless solitude. No oars

The silvery wavelets cleft, save when The Indian, in his light canoe Glided the waters o'er to fen Or glade, his timid game to woo With crafty wiles.

From where I sat there was no sign Of human habitation viewed, Save where a rude and homely line Of cabins reared their walls, unhewed, Along the river's shaded bank; There the brave pioneer had spread His tent, 'neath the balm trees' dense, dark Canopy, where erstwhile no tread Nor sound disturbed the quietude But the wolf's long howl, or the fierce Warwhoop, when the savage, in rude And bloody strife, remorseless, pierce Each other to the heart.

Behold what changes time hath wrought! The birds, the timid deer have fled, And in some mountain glen have sought A safe retreat from sportsmen, led Thither, joyous, in the noisy chase. Felled is the forest, and where sang The feathered warblers not one trace Is seen or heard. Silent the twang Of bowstring-gone the dusky race That ruled, with undisputed sway, This empire-boundless, dreary space, Where last the radiant light of day Bids earth goodnight.

Transformed are all things, and I gaze, Bewildered and perplexed with dread, Upon the scene; one glittering maze O'ercomes me, and I seem to tread Upon enchanted ground. The past Recedes, a panoramic view, Fleeting as Orpheus, to the vast, Illimitable sea, to strew Its piteous pageants on the shore Of bleak forgetfulness. A change, Mysterious, wondrous, has o'er Landscape, stream and mountain range Its mantle cast.

A city, proud in wealth and power, Rises like fabled Phænix, o'er The ashes of the past. Dome, tower And minaret rear heavenward more

Than thrice ten thousand gilded spires To mark the onward march of art, Science-religion's sacred fires

Illume an ever busy mart,

Where commerce spreads her purpling wing And thronging thousands westward pour, One living tide, and hither bring Trophies to deck the golden shore Of sunset sea.

Thus have I sang, in numbers rude, Of buried years, when buoyant youth And high resolve bright flowers strewed Along ambition's path ; and truth, And hope, best boons to mortals given, Guided my wayward steps and led Me onward, upward to a haven Of blissful rest. But time has fled, Unstrung my lyre, my task is o'er. Proud city of the west, all hail ! And all hail to friends who never more Shall greet me, as I homeward sail, On life's tempestuous sea.

AUGUSTUS J. F. VITUS. For various and well founded reasons the Vitus family com- mands the attention of people in Lane county. First and foremost it supplies the comforting assurance that obstacles, however great, are by no means insurmountable, and that good judg- ment, perseverance, and plenty of common sense are excellent aids in accomplishing one's desires. The law of heredity, however much it may be questioned by later day science, is convincingly emphasized in this instance, for Augustus J. F. Vitus, the founder of the family in the far northwest, has handed down his fine traits of character, his strong will and un- flinching rectitude, to several sons who represent collectively and individually the backbone and sinews of the commonwealth.

Born in Prussia, Germany, April 5, 1828, Mr. Vitus comes from farming stock, although his family was represented among the trades and in- dustries of the Fatherland. According to cus- tom, he ceased to be dependent upon the support of his parents after his fourteenth year, at which time he began to work in the silk mills of Prus- sia, and was thus employed until coming to America in 1852. At this time he was twenty- four years old, strong of frame and clear of mind, and filled with great enthusiasm for the land to which so many of his friends had emi- grated. The sailing vessel successfully weath- ered calms and storms, landing in New York at the end of five weeks. Mr. Vitus looked around for work, and not finding it in the silk mills, identified himself with a tannery near Dunkirk, N. Y., remaining there during the winter, and the following spring making his way to Philadelphia. Here he entered the woolen mills and learned the trade of weaver, removing in 1865 to Springfield, Ill., where he

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was similarly employed. In 1872 he removed to Caldwell county, Mo., where he purchased one hundred and eighty-one acres of land, and con- templated spending many years in its improve- ment. His hopes were doomed to disappoint- ment, for- drought interfered with the maturing of the crops, and he not only lost them all, but was obliged to sacrifice his farm upon which he had intended to pay a large installment that year.

In the face of this first setback in America Mr. Vitus decided to come to the far west with his family, and arrived in Oregon in the spring of 1878. With his sons he found employment on farms surrounding the town, and in the spring of 1879 rented a farm with his sons in Lane county. This venture proved even more disastrous than the last, for after renting for one year the strugglers found themselves in debt about $4,000. Mr. Vitus decided after five years of renting to purchase a farm, and for this he was obliged to go in debt $12,000. This fact alone would discourage the average man who had already experienced hard luck, but father and sons bravely put their shoulders to the wheel, paid off the indebtedness, and es- tablished themselves as men possessing business judgment of a high order, and more than aver- age perseverance. Thus has the father trans- planted to the larger opportunities of the states the reliable and always welcome Teutonic traits, admittedly as strong and upbuilding as any that come to us from foreign shores.

Broad-minded and liberal in all of his tenden- cies, Mr. Vitus makes no exception of politics, and though inclined towards the Republican party believes in voting for the man best quali- fied to serve the public good. For a time he served as postmaster of Junction City. Through his marriage with Minnie Behren in 1851, eight children have been born into his family, the five sons who are reflecting great credit upon his teaching and example, and three daughters. The sons are mentioned elsewhere in this work, and the daughters, Rosa and Mary, are the wives re- spectively of F. H. Miller and Benjamin Frank Andrews. Although a comparatively old man, Mr. Vitus is still in heart, mind, and physical activity the equal of many men twenty years his junior.

JOSEPH PIRONI. The popular manager of the Henry Weinhard ice plant and beer depot at Eugene is indebted for his success to many years of faithful and efficient service, during which time he has worked his way from a com- paratively humble to a very responsible position. Possessing the adaptiveness of the Latin race from which he springs, augmented by a practical

home and business training in the staid and con- servative town of Herstelle, Westphalia, north- western Germany, where he was born May 26, 1857, Joseph Pironi came to America in 1875, at the age of seventeen, well equipped for whatever chance might have in store for him. His pater- nal grandfather, Joseph Pironi, was born almost within the shadow of Vesuvius, near Naples, Italy, and came of a family long associated with that beautiful and historic region. As a boy he learned the tinsmith's trade, and for years trav- eled through his vineclad, olivegrown and re- splendent country, now visiting an inland town, and now a picturesque aggregation of highly colored houses basking in the sunshine, on a hill lapped by the blue Mediterranean. In time lie made his way to the north, settling in the less romantic kingdom of Westphalia, Germany, where he worked at his trade until retiring a few years before his death. In Herstelle, West- phalia, his son, Henry, the father of the sub- ject of this review, was born, and in his youth also learned the tinsmith's trade. He married a native daughter of Westphalia, Regina Wuste- feld, whose father, John Wustefeld, devoted his active life as a captain on the boats plying on the Weser river. Henry Pironi is now living re- tired in Herstelle, Germany, but the wife who bore him three sons and three daughters has long been deceased.

Joseph Pironi in common with the custom of the country, began to earn his own living at the age of fourteen, at which time he was apprenticed for three years as clerk in a large wholesale and retail commission house. Having completed his time of service he clerked in another concern for a year, and after arriving in America in 1875, located in Baltimore, where he hoped to find employment along the line for which he was amply qualified. Failing in his intention, he did not spend any time in bemoaning his fate, but at once applied himself to learning the baker's and confectioner's trade, following the same until coming to Oregon in 1879. Encouraged by the outlook in Corvallis after working in a bakery for a year, he con- tracted a partnership with August Hodes, in a bakery and grocery business, under the firm name of Hodes & Company, conducting the same until disposing of his interest in 1888.

In Portland Mr. Pironi entered the employ of T. Leebe, an old-time and well known baker of the city. After two years, he became identi- fied in the capacity of shipping clerk with the company whose interests he now represents. After eight years of close application in the various departments in which he was called upon to serve, his worth received substantial recog- nition through his appointment to his present position as manager of the ice plant and beer

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depot, in November, 1899. The firm's ice fac- tory has a daily capacity of seven tons, and the depot has enormous storing capacity, sufficient to supply a trade not only local, but extending into Douglas county. A retail and wholesale business is carried on, and under the present management the business has greatly increased, system and orderliness being apparent to all.

The first marriage of Mr. Pironi occurred in Corvallis, to Josephine Dubille, a native of Can- ada, but reared and educated in Portland. Four children were born of this union, of whom Leo, the oldest child and only son is employed in the carshops of the Southern Pacific Railroad at Portland, while Gertrude, Aileen and Marie are living at home. For a second wife Mr. Pironi married a native daughter of Portland, Mary Shelland, and one child, Henry Paul, is the result of this union. Fraternally Mr. Pironi is connected with the Sons of Hermann, of Port- land, in which he has served as president and secretary ; and he is also identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Eagles, of Eugene. He has made many friends since coming to Eugene, and is rightfully re- garded as an important part of its social and business structure.

JAMES CYRUS SABIN. Many years of practical experience with stock of all kinds has qualified James Cyrus Sabin for the successful conduct of his business. He has been associated with stock for practically his entire business life, and is able to place a correct value upon different grades of stock. A speculative spirit has also led him into other lines of profit, notably coun- try and town properties, in the disposal of which he has invariably realized his monetary expec- tations. Much of his country land is rented out, as are also his town lots and a business block on the main street of Harrisburg, Ore. In 1900 he purchased a farm of eighty acres three miles northeast of this town, upon which he has sixty head of cattle and three hundred sheep, and to which he retires at times to get away from his many business responsibilities.

Born in Medina county, Ohio, August 16, 1847, Mr. Sabin is a son of Orson, and grand- son of Charles Sabin, the latter of whom was born in the east and was the founder of the family in Medina county. At one time the grandfather owned and operated a farm in New York state, where his son Orson was born and reared. In Ohio Orson farmed and learned the carpenter's trade, and in 1868 removed to Berrien county, Mich., where he combined farm- ing and carpentering with considerable success. In March, 1846, he married Ellen Brown, a

native of Wayne county, Mich., who died in Medina county, Ohio, leaving two sons, of whom James Cyrus is the oldest. Orson Sabin died in November, 1863, at the age of thirty-nine.

Educated in the public schools of Michigan and Ohio, James Cyrus Sabin was reared on his father's farms, and welcomed the outbreak of the Civil war as an opportunity in which to gratify his love of adventure. His youth and home du- ties prevented his enlistment at the beginning of the strife, but when seventeen years old, in February, 1865, he enlisted in Company C, First Michigan Cavalry, and became a soldier in the Army of the Potomac. His company was con- solidated with the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Michigan Cavalry and sent to protect the mail route against the Sioux Indians, and on this campaign Mr. Sabin was detailed as a teamster in the quartermaster's department. After being discharged from the service December 7, 1865, at Fort Leavenworth, Kans., he returned to Michigan, and turned his attention to logging in the northern part of the state. He also specu- lated in stock and lumber, and with considerable success to his credit decided to join the forces who were profiting by the superior opportunities in the northwest.

Arriving in Portland February 22, 1877, he spent a week in looking around, and then visited Salem, Dallas and Albany, in the latter town becoming associated in business for a short time with J. B. Roberts. He was variously employed for twenty-three months, and in 1878 returned to his old home in Michigan, remaining there until June of the following year. Again in Ore- gon, he spent the summer in herding sheep in the eastern part of the state, and in the fall came to Harrisburg and worked on farms for a couple of years. Since coming here in 1881 he has taken a prominent part in the advancement of the town, and established a home immediately after his marriage, October 2, 1881, with Mrs. Emma (Scott) White, who was born in Iowa, and crossed the plains with her parents in 1853. Her father, Samuel R. Scott, was born near St. Charles, Ohio, and from there moved to Iowa, remaining there until outfitting with ox- teams for the long journey over the plains. He spent the first winter in the west in Salem, and in the spring went to the mines of Josephine county, remaining there until 1873. Returning to Salem, he engaged in flour milling and after- ward farming, and now lives retired in Harris- burg, spending a portion of each year with his son-in-law, Mr. Sabin. Clyde E., the oldest child and only son born to Mr. and Mrs. Sabin is living in Portland, and the daughter, Ethel H., is living with her parents. Mr. Sabin cast his first presidential vote for a Republican candidate, and has since given that party his unswerving

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allegiance. At present he is a member of the city council, an office to which he has given many terms of service. For the second time he is serving as master workman of Harrisburg Lodge No. 39, A. O. U. W. With his wife and chil- dren he is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Sabin is a typical representative of western enterprise and thrift, and his undertakings have been characterized by conscientious dealings and upright and reliable business principles.

ROBERT McMURPHEY. The architect of his own fortunes, a man of action, possessing broad and charitable views, and aiding every well considered movement for the advancement of education, morality and the general well- being of the community, Robert McMurphey, president of the Willamette Valley Woolen Manufacturing Company, is one of the most enterprising and forceful of the citizens of Eu- gene. He is one of the younger generation of business men of Lane county, having been born in Pierce county, Wis., February 16, 1866. From a noble Scotch ancestry he has inherited the thrift and reliability which have proven the foundation of his success. Mr. McMurphey represents the sixth generation of his family in America. The family was founded in this coun- try by Robert McMurphey, who came from the north of Ireland in colonial days, and arrived in New York with but sixpence in his pocket. His descendants lived principally in the state of Delaware, where George Washington Mc- Murphey, father of the subject of this review, was born. He was the seventh son in a large family, and Robert McMurphey is the seventh son in his family, which consisted of thirteen children. The early life of G. W. McMurphey was spent in Delaware, where he was engaged in farming and milling. In young manliood he removed to Pierce county, Wis., where he pur- chased land from the Indians and inaugurated a farming interest in the wilderness. His mar- riage with Maria A. Rice in 1848 was the first wedding ceremony performed in Wisconsin territory. The Rice family located in Wiscon- sin in 1846, removing thence from Boston, Mass., where Mrs. McMurphey was born. Her father, James R. Rice, was also a native of that city. Mr. McMurphey resided on his farm fifty-five years, or until attaining the age of eighty-two years, and has but recently effected the sale of the property. He is now a resident of Prescott, Wis.

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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 164

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