Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 169

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 169

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The oldest child of the parental household, W. O. Zeigler was reared as a farmer's son, living in Lodi, Wis., until nine years old, and afterwards on the home farm in Indiana. On leaving the district school he attended Roanoke Academy two years, after which he was en- gaged in teaching a number of terms. In order to better fit himself for his professional labors, he then completed the scientific course at the Otterbein University, in Ohio. Subsequently locating in Tippecanoe county, Ind., he taught school near his old home, and at the same time owned and managed a farm of considerable size. In 1889 Mr. Zeigler migrated to Arling- ton, Gilliam county, Ore., where he taught school until appointed by President Harrison postmaster of that city, a position that he re- tained four years. As a teacher he was very popular and successful, both in Indiana and Oregon, his professional career covering a period of fifteen years.

Coming to Eugene, Lane county, in 1893, Mr. Zeigler made an entire change of occupation, opening a bakery and confectionery store on Willamette street, where he was in business three vears. Purchasing the Hotel Eugene in 1896, he conducted it most successfully until 1899,

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when he became proprietor of the Hoffman House, which is located opposite the First Nat- ional Bank. Under his able management this house stands second to none in the county as a place of public entertainment, and he is recog- nized by its numerous patrons as one of the most genial and popular of hosts. Mr. Zeigler also owns a farm of sixteen and three-fourths acres, lying four miles northwest of Eugene, and this he devotes entirely to the culture of fruits of various kinds, raising and canning all the cher- ries, apples, pears, and prunes used in his hotel.

While a resident of Tippecanoe county, Ind., Mr. Zeigler married Miss Jennie Thompson, a native of Illinois, and they have two children, namely: Zella and Wilma. In politics Mr. Zeigler is an uncompromising Republican, and served as a member of the county committee. While living in Arlington, he served as justice of the peace, and, in 1902, was elected a mem- ber of the school board of Eugene for a term of five years, during which time important work is to be done, the board having erected at a cost of $35,000 a new high school building, which is an ornament to the community as well as a practical benefit. He is connected with several fraternal orders, including the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the American Order of United Workmen; and the Woodmen of the World. He is a prominent member of the United Brethren Church, the secretary of its board of trustees, and was formerly superintend- ent of its Sunday school.

GEORGE CLINTON THOMPSON. A very genial and popular purveyor to the public of Brownsville is George Clinton Thompson, en- gaged in a general merchandise business under the nrm name of G. C. Thompson & Son. Mr. Thompson is a native of the Hoosier state, and was born near Elkhart, Ind., September 11, 1851. His paternal grandfather, William, was born in the state of Pennsylvania, and served through- out the war of 1812, afterward removing to Charleston, still later making his home in the pioneer wilderness of Illinois, where his death occurred early in 1830.

Enoch Thompson, the father of George Clin- ton, was born in Charlestown, S. C., March 12, 1808, and was a sturdy little lad of seven when his father moved across country to Illinois in 1815. He helped to clear the farm in Adams county, and eventually learned the trade of car- penter and joiner, at which he was working when the Black Hawk war broke out. After serving with distinction in that conflict he farmed and built with moderate success, and in 1832 moved to Chicago, Ill., where he found more ready demand for his skill. August 27,

1833, he married Mary A. Kinzie, who was born in Virginia, as was also her father, and the next year, in 1834, the young people removed to Galena, Ill. The lead mines excitement was then at its height, and he profited to some extent by this opportunity, remaining in Galena until re- moving to Elkhart, Ind., in 1848. As hereto- fore, he worked at his trade as carpenter and joiner, and while in the Indiana town George Clinton was born, the seventh in the family of nine children. In 1852 Mr. Thompson moved to Adel, Iowa, and for ten years worked at his trade, in 1862 disposing of his interests and crossing the plains with his family to California. Two years later, in 1864, he came across the mountains to Oregon, locating on a farm near Albany, where he lived for a couple of years. In 1866 he came to Brownsville and engaged in the furniture business, and was thus occupied almost up to the time of his death, July 18, 1883, at the age of seventy-six years. He was fairly successful from a financial standpoint, and by nature a mechanic, accurate and painstaking and very skillful. He was a Democrat, and though not an office seeker, served four terms as justice of the peace.

Following the example of his father, George Clinton Thompson learned a trade in his youth, but instead of that of carpenter and joiner he turned his attention to house-painting, and papering. In 1882 he began clerking in a gen- eral merchandise store, at the same time keeping his eyes open, and mastering every detail of the business. Out of his compar- atively moderate earnings he saved money sufficient to purchase, in 1894, the grocery store of F. McRa, to which he added from time to time, and finally converted into the well equipped general merchandise store owned and managed by him at the present time. He carries a complete line of general commodities required in a thrifty community, and pays par- ticular attention to the individual requests of his customers, ordering such necessities as they desire, and treating all with the greatest courtesy and consideration.

In Brownsville Mr. Thompson married, Nov- ember 20, 1873, Clara Looney, a native of Lane county, Ore., who has become the mother of five children, two of whom are living. Walter E. Thompson is in the general merchandise store with his father, and Frank H. is at home. The latter is deserving of special mention as a cour- ageous private in the Spanish-American war, and as one of those who underwent the depriva- tions and dangers in the Philippines, where he was shot through the nose and lost his right eve at the famous battle of Malabon. Mr. Thompson is a Democrat in politics, and is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Affable,

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conscientious, and possessing excellent business ability, he commands the respect of the business community, and the good will and esteem of a host of friends.

ALBERT D. HALL. The third generation of the Hall family in Oregon is ably represented by A. D. Hall, one of the progressive and very successful agriculturists of the vicinity of Will- ard. He was born on the old Benjamin F. Hall donation claim near Woodburn, September 6, 1857, a son of Benjamin F. and Mary Ann (Johnson) Hall, natives respectively of Mis- souri and Illinois, the former born at Liberty, Mo., October 19, 1826. His mother was born in Tazewell county, Ill., July 2, 1829.

James E. Hall, the founder of the family in the northwest, and the grandfather of A. D., was born in Virginia in 1798, and by trade was a stonemason. He was reared on a farm and educated in the early subscription schools. In his native state he married Cynthia Grooms, who was born in the Old Dominion state in 1804. At a very early date these young people removed by horse teams to Missouri, the journey being a long and tiresome one, but they finally found a fertile farm in the wilderness of Clay county, where they made a home and lived in comparative comfort until crossing the plains to Oregon in the spring of 1845. In the spring of 1846 they settled at Champoeg, Marion county, where the grandfather took up a dona- tion claim, upon which he lived for many years. He was one of the familiar figures in his neigh- borhood, a good farmer, excellent man, and the personification of industry and frugality. Dur- ing the latter years of his life his wife and him- self lived with their children, he attaining the age of eighty. and she the age of ninety-four years. They raised a family of nine children, to whom they gave every advantage in their power, and whom they taught to lead upright and worthy lives.

Benjamin F. Hall crossed the plains with his parents in 1845, and assisted in clearing the pioneer farm near Champoeg. In 1848 he went to California, where he prospected and mined with indifferent success for a few months. Returning to Oregon he took up a claim near Woodburn. In 1853 he married Mary Ann Johnson, who crossed the plains with her parents in 1851, her father, Rev. Neill Johnson, being one of the pioneer and best-known ministers in Oregon. Mr. Hall has up to the present time lived on his original farm, where he has since engaged in general farming and stock-raising. From his first voting days he has been a Repub- lican, and has taken a keen interest in the under- takings of his party in this state. The following

children have been born to himself and wife: A. D .; Sophrona, wife of G. W. Mclaughlin, of Buena Vista, Ore .; Elmer N., of Buena Vista; Edwin T., of Salem; William W., of Salem; Charles C., of Woodburn; Edith E., the wife of John Haller, of Woodburn; and James J., of Woodburn.

The youth of A. D. Hall was uneventfully passed on his father's farm, but after his mar- riage in 1886 with Julia S. Smith, a native of Columbia, Mo., and a daughter of Jacob Smith, he located on a farm near Woodburn, which continued to be his home for about fif- teen years. He then bought his present home of two hundred and two acres in the Waldo Hills, twelve miles east of Salem, where he has more than realized his expectations as a general farmer and stock-raiser. For the past fourteen or fifteen years he has interested himself exten- sively in Jersey cattle, and for many years has derived additional income from the management of a threshing-machine during the harvest season. Mr. and Mrs. Hall are the parents of six children: Hubert N., Annie M., Agnes S., Oren, Alice, (deceased), and Alma F. Mr. Hall is affiliated with the Republican party, and has several social connections, among them being the Ancient Order of United Workmen, in which he has held all of the chairs, and the Grange at Macleay. In religion he is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and contributes liberally towards its general support. Mr. Hall is a broad-minded and well informed agriculturist, and keeps abreast of the times on all topics which appeal to wide-awake and progressive members of the community.

HON. W. H. HOBSON. The family of which Hon. W. H. Hobson of Stayton is a representative was established on the Pacific coast in 1847, and since 1848 has been closely identified with Oregon. His father, Hadley Hobson, was born in the state of North Caro- lina September 6, 1811, and was the son of a brick manufacturer. In his youth he learned the brickmaking business under the direction of his father, and was also apprenticed to a mason. Until he reached the age of twenty- four years he remained at home and worked at his trades with his father. Fortified with an abundance of practical experience, he then went to Missouri, locating in Jackson county, where he worked at his trade of brickmaking with his brother, who had preceded him there. Eventually they entered into a partnership for the purpose of conducting a contracting busi- ness, in which their efforts met with success. They crected some of the important buildings of that county and vicinity, including the his-

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toric Chapel Hill Seminary, located in Lafay- ette county, Mo. While a resident of Missouri he married Emily S. Speinhauer, a native of South Carolina, whose parents came to the United States from Germany about 1812.

With his wife and children, and his brothers, George and Alfred, Mr. Hobson crossed the plains in 1847, with an outfit of ox-teams and wagons, bound for Oregon. During the jour- ney they encountered many experiences of an interesting and not always agreeable nature. At times they were subjected to many hard- ships. It had been their original intention to go to Oregon, but they lost their way and en- tered California by mistake. Determined to make the best of the situation, Mr. Hobson at once engaged in gold-mining in that state, to which work he applied himself until the fall of 1848, when, with his family, he started for Oregon by way of the Pacific, arriving at the mouth of the Columbia river after a journey of five weeks. Coming to Marion county he took up a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres a mile north of the site of Stayton, all of which was wild land, densely covered with timber for the greater part, and the home of game hitherto undisturbed, except by the roving Indian. In a little clearing this hardy and determined pioneer erected a round-log house containing one room. It will surprise people unaccustomed to the hardships of the early days to know that there was not a nail in the entire house. There were puncheon floors, and all the finishings were of the most crude nature; but the place was a paradise to the little family so far from their old home and so pitiable in their utter loneliness. Their neighbors were remote and their resources most meagre, but they managed to make them- selves comfortable and to transform their wil- derness home into a semblance of order, peace and comfort.

Soon after seeing his family well established in their home, accompanied by William Waldo, Henry Smith, Rufus Smith and Frederick Taylor, Mr. Hobson returned to the mining district of California, succeeded in gathering enough gold to pay a goodly percentage of the cost of his claim, and returned home. Soon he was free from debt, and from that time for- ward his possessions increased. From time to time he added to his original claim until he owned about fifteen hundred acres of land, most of which was very fertile and easily cul- tivated after the removal of the timber. He engaged in cattle and sheep raising and gen- eral farming on a large scale, and he took an active part in the general improvement of his county, aiding in the building of good roads, the erection of schools and the promotion of

all worthy enterprises. He was a man of ster- ling traits of character, inherited principally from Quaker ancestry, in the principles of whose religion he was thoroughly and con- scientiously schooled in his youth. The ten children in his family were as follows: Mary Ann, the widow of John Barker, of Heppner, Ore .; W. H .; George and Francis M., deceased ; Lemuel, a rancher near Mehama; Amanda, wife of Dr. John Parker, of Salinas, Cal .; Emily and Amelia, twins, the former of whom is de- ceased, and the latter the wife of Eugene War- ner, of Ukiah, Cal .; Jeanette, of San Jose, Cal .; and Hadley, a rancher residing near Mill City, Ore. The noble mother of this large family of children lived to the age of eighty and one- half years, her death occurring at San Jose, Cal., in February, 1894.

Hon. W. H. Hobson, lawyer, merchant and distinguished public citizen, was barely two years of age when his parents brought him to Oregon, and he grew to early manhood on the claim upon which he spent many years in hard labor. When the duties of home permitted he attended the school conducted in the little log cabin in the neighborhood, his first and best remembered teacher being Samuel Den- ney. By the time he had reached his twen- tieth year the town of Sublimity had been founded. Thither he repaired as the nearest and most promising center of activity, and con- ducted the store owned by his father for a time. Subsequently, in Aumsville, he managed the business of Simpson, Hunt & Co., and then went to Sublimity and started a small grocery store. Upon the expiration of a year he lo- cated in Stayton, where he engaged in the grocery business until 1871. From that time until 1874 he enjoyed a general trade at Stay- ton in partnership with Uriah Whitner. After disposing of this store he and his former part- ner bought another in Aumsville. After dis- posing of this in 1876 the partners built the Gardner grist-mill at Stayton, and in connec- tion therewith operated a general store. Mr. Whitney withdrew from the association in 1883, after many years of amicable and satis- factory business, and thereafter Mr. Hobson took as his partners Messrs. Shaw and Simms. The building was afterward enlarged to meet the demands of an increasing trade. In 1888 the partners and Lee Brown went to Mill City and organized the Santiam Lumber Com- pany, in connection with which they built a large saw-mill and engaged in a flourishing business. In keeping with the demands of that somewhat isolated section they started a general store and logging railway, and their combined energies resulted in the establish- ment of a very remunerative industry. In

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1898 these combined interests were disposed of to the Curtis Lumber Company, after which Mr. Hobson returned to Stayton and resumed the conduct of his merchandising business. In 1897 he sold out and established a dry goods business at Salem, continuing the same for four years. Subsequently he started a similar en- terprise at Stayton, which concern he still owns and manages.

Mr. Hobson's first marriage united him with Ella Gibson, who was a native of Marion county, Ore., and a daughter of Hon. Guyan Gibson. She died January 10, 1878, leaving a daughter, Pearl, now the wife of E. C. Peery, of Scio, Ore. December 12, 1880, he married Annie Thomas, who was born in East Port- land, the daughter of Mrs. Arminda Thomas, of Stayton, Ore. She is the mother of two children, Alta and Everett.

A stanch supporter of Republican principles, Mr. Hobson has been prominently before the public for several years as a promoter of his party's interests, and has held important offices within the gift of his fellow-townsmen and the citizens of the county. In 1894 he was the nominee of his party for the state senate, was elected, and upon the expiration of his term was re-elected joint senator for Linn and Marion counties, both terms of service giving the greatest satisfaction to all interested. Dur- ing the first session he was a member of the committees on claims, commerce, navigation and federal relations.

Fraternally Mr. Hobson is a member of Santiam Lodge No. 25, A. F. & A. M., of Stay- ton, of which he is past master. In the Grand Lodge he has filled nearly all the offices, in- cluding that of Grand Master in 1897-98. He is a member of Multnomah Chapter No. I, R. A. M., and De Molay Commandery, No. 5. He is also a member of Stayton Lodge No. 64, I. O. O. F., and has passed all the chairs in the grand lodge.

Mr. Hobson has well interpreted and acted upon the possibilities at hand in the great northwest, and his various commercial enter- prises have contributed, beyond the possibility of estimating, to the general upbuilding of the localities in which he has operated. He is a man of strict integrity. No question as to the motives which have actuated him in any of his undertakings has ever arisen. In his pub- lic life he has always aimed to conserve the best interests of his constituents and the state at large. Probity, broad-mindedness, liberality of views, good fellowship, and a sincere and unselfish desire to assist in the promotion of all enterprises looking to the betterment of the public welfare, are the most pronounced traits in his character, as understood by those who

know him best. The record of his life, both public and private, has been above reproach. The outline of the principal events in his ca- reer presented here shows how closely he has been identified with the rise and progress of the state of Oregon, and forms, in itself, an in- teresting chapter in the annals of the north- west.

HENRY AMBLER. Although buying and selling town property and farms is a means of livelihood with Henry Ambler, and a very remu- nerative business, he is at the same time a pro- moter of all-around county interests to a greater extent than perhaps any other man in Philomath. His enthusiastic advocacy of the climate, re- sources, and general advantages of Benton county have led him to noticeable achievement in peopling vacant but productive farms, in placing men in fortune-making positions upon stock- raising properties on main-traveled roads, and in establishing homes in quiet nooks within the jurisdiction of the town. People who would oth- erwise not have settled here have found the as- sistance of this prominent real estate, insurance and loan merchant so valuable and convincing that they are now a part of the great common- wealth of Benton county, one of the garden spots of Oregon.

In appearance and personality Mr. Ambler suggests the prosperous Englishman, whose mind and abilities have expanded under the ge- nial welcome of his adopted country. He was born in Yorkshire, the most northern and largest county of England, August 2, 1858, his father, Thomas, having been born in the same locality, in 1836. The family name was a very familiar one in Yorkshire for several generations, and was bolstered up by the notable achievements of some of its members, principally the paternal grandfather, Timothy, who was a large paper manufacturer, and amassed quite a fortune in that way. His business was conducted under the firm name of Timothy Ambler & Sons, and he probably knew as much about paper as any man in the north of England. He was a man of high moral character, and died in the faith of the English State or Episcopal Church, at the age of seventy years. Thomas Ambler was trained in paper manufacturing, and after the death of his father undertook the management of the business, with his brother James. He died in 1872, while yet a young man, leaving his wife, formerly Susanna Illingworth, a native also of Yorkshire, and two children, a son and daughter. the latter, Emily, being married and a resident of Leeds, England.

After graduating from the grammar school in Yorkshire, Henry Ambler engaged in the whole-

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Robert Pattinson

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sale paper business in Keighley, England, and, in 1881, crossed the ocean to the United States. Near Sedalia, Mo., he engaged in farming for about eight years, and, in 1890, came to Oregon, locating on a ranch in the Waldo hills, Marion county. Here he engaged in fruit-raising and general ranching, his principal source of revenue being prunes. Two years later, in 1892, he lo- cated near Philomath and raised fruit upon a forty-acre ranch, which he afterward sold at a profit, and turned his attention to the real estate business. The town had need of so wise and dis- criminating a judge of its various properties, and he at once stepped into a waiting opportu- nity, as much the community's as his own.

One year before coming to America Mr. Am- bler married Georgia Phillips Graves, a native of Middlesex, England, and daughter of Chris- topher Graves, member of a firm of large ship- builders and owners, engaged with the Aus- tralian trade. The business of Phillips & Graves is still one of the substantial enterprises of Mid- dlesex, the firm offices being located at San Dun- stans House, Shepperton, London. With his wife, Mr. Ambler is a member of the Episcopal Church.

ROBERT PATTISON. An example of energy and perseverance is presented in the ca- reer of Robert Pattison, who has risen to prom- inence as an agriculturist in Lane county, and is the owner of four hundred and thirty acres of land three and a half miles north of Eugene. This is all cultivated land and valuable, and since acquiring it the owner has turned it to good account, engaging in general farming, . stock-raising and dairying. Born in Randolph county, Ill., January 13, 1828, Mr. Pattison is descended from an Irish family long identified with that northern portion of the island known as County Antrim. His father, William, was born in this sea bordering county, with its mountains and bogs. When he was just seven years of age his mother brought him to Amer- ica, his father's death having occurred in the meantime. Locating in South Carolina, the youth grew to manhood, and gained a fair edu- cation in the public schools, also a general knowledge of farming and stock-raising. About 1820 he started for Illinois, and in Randolph county bought a farm, locating thereon with his wife, Mary (Montfort) Pattison, who was born near Columbia, South Carolina, about 1800. The gold fever which agitated the coun- try in 1849 found Mr. Pattison as amenable to its influence as any tiller of the soil in his neighborhood. He soon sold his farm and in- vested the money in an outfit to cross the plains. Six children had in the meantime been born

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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 169

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