Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 187

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 187

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In February, 1851, Mr. Palmer joined a party of gold-seekers, and with wagons, five yoke of oxen, and twenty-five hundred pounds of pro- visions, crossed the mountains to California. During the summer the party mined at Yreka, Cal., and in the fall of 1851 returned to Portland with at least some money to show for their pains. Mr. Palmer stopped overnight in Portland and went on to Douglas county, which he had in-

vestigated before, and been well pleased with its prospects. At Garden Bottom, below Winches- ter, he took up a claim of half a section, which he retained about four years, at the same time teaching school in the neighborhood. He also supplemented his comparatively limited educa- tion by attending the Umpqua Academy for a term. In Wilbur, Ore., he married Mary Slo- cum, who was born in Kentucky, and came to Oregon in 1852, and with whom he started a farming enterprise near the town. He afterward moved to a farm near Elkton, and still later near Gardner, where he was appointed inspector of customs during the Civil war, and held that posi- tion for nine years. During this time he also conducted a general merchandise business. Af- ter disposing of his various interests he pur- chased the Scottsburg donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres. In connection with stock-raising he conducted a hotel and merchan- dise business in Scottsburg, his hostelry being known as the Palmer House, where travelers were well received, and found ample refreshment for the inner man. In 1900 he disposed of the store and hotel and farm at Scottsburg, and lo- cated in Eugene, where he has since lived in comparative retirement.

In his younger days Mr. Palmer had a strong leaning towards the Republican party, but of late years has zealously advocated the Prohibition platform. In 1886 he was nominated for the legislature on the Prohibition ticket, and also on the Republican, and elected by 'a large ma- jority, serving his district with credit and satis- faction. While in the legislature he succeeded in passing the Prohibition amendment, and in other ways forwarded the best interests of the people of Douglas county. For a year he served as county school superintendent in Umpqua coun- ty, and about that time he served four terms as justice of the peace. The wife, who died in February, 1903, bore him eleven children: Wil- liam E., deceased, was married and operated a sawmill in Drains, Ore., and was killed by a fall- ing tree. He left two children, Edward and Ethel : Minnie and Percy died in early life; Al- bert C. is engaged in mining in Alaska: Elmer C. is employed by the Southern Pacific Railway at Ashland, Ore .; Elsey E. is living in southern California : Alcyone, the widow of Captain James Hill, resides in Oakland; Edith became the wife of Capt. Fred Earl and lives in Gard- ner, Ore .; Gussie, the wife of Dr. W. L. Che- shire, lives in Eugene ; Annie, the wife of Capt. Frank Perry, lives in San Francisco; Mamie, Mrs. Francis Schlegel, resides in Portland.

PETER BASHAW. Few soldiers during the Civil war have paid more dearly for their devo- tion to a noble cause than has Peter Bashaw,

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a retired resident of Newberg, and who perma- nently lost the precious boon of health in the camp and field of the Union army. For the stic- cess which has come to him Mr. Bashaw owes naught save to an innate determination to make the best of discouraging conditions, in the face of which he has reared an interesting family and established a happy and comfortable home.

The establishment of the Bashaw family is interestingly interwoven with the early history of the country, the emigrating ancestor being the paternal grandfather, who was born in France, and, sharing a kindred interest in the colonies with La Fayette, accompanied that illus- trious soldier on his unselfish mission to the states. From a money standpoint a millionaire, he went to Canada after his return to France, and bought large landed estates in the northern part of the country. From the first he espoused the cause of the United States, and as he had aided them in securing independence from Eng- lish rule, so he helped them also in securing the boundary line east of the St. Lawrence river. His efforts were detected by a spy of the British government, who forthwith reported his misde- meanor, in consequence of which his northern lands were confiscated by the English. While hiding from the British after the disclosure of his part in the boundary question, he was at- tacked by a bear, a portion of his leg torn away, and he was smuggled into the United States by friends, who concealed him between layers of straw on a wagon.

It is presumed that this adventurous fore- father brought up eventually in Vermont, for here his son, Louis, the father of Peter, was reared, and eventually succeeded to a farm. In 1849 Louis located in New York state, where he bought a farm on the highway between Ban- gor and Nicholville, which was a large farm for New York state, consisting of seventy-five acres. In 1868 he took his family to Pepin county, Wis., where he bought eighty acres of land, upon which his death occurred at the age of seventy-eight years. His last years were spent in comparative retirement, his health having been impaired during a two-years service with the Green Bay boys during the war. He married Mary Terrior, who was born near the Vermont line in Canada, and who died in Pepin county, Wis., in 1901. She was the mother of six sons and five daughters, all of whom attained matur- ity, Peter being the fifth.

The necessity for early assisting with the fam- ilv support interfered sadly with the education of Peter Bashaw, although in later years, when physical work was denied him, he diligently ap- plied himself to overcome this deficiency, and be- came a well informed man. He was born in

North Allen, Vt., October 1, 1842, and accom- panied his parents to New York state, where he was living when the call to arms agitated the little agricultural community. Forthwith he en- listed in Company I, Sixtieth New York Volun- teer Infantry, and, connected with the army of the Potomac, participated in several important battles of the war. At the battle of the first Bull Run he was shot through the cords of the right leg, and though receiving the best of sur- gical and medical service in the hospitals of New York City and Washington, suffered intensely from the wound for almost two years after his discharge in New York City. His system was also seriously undermined by typhoid fever con- tracted in the service, and for many months he was compelled to walk on crutches. The little place left him by his father was sold to his brother in order to secure funds for medical treatment, and he was thus enabled to secure some benefit.

In 1886 Mr. Bashaw engaged in buying sheep, and after two years thus employed, managed to save a little money. With his brother and father he went to Wisconsin, where he con- tinued to buy sheep, and though his health was very unsatisfactory, he felt justified in coming to Oregon in 1898, hoping much from a change of climate and surroundings. In Newberg he invested in town property, including the Owens cottage and hotel, and also bought the comfort- able home in which his family are housed. Al- though he failed to receive the $100 bounty which should have come to him after the war, he receives a pension of $24 per month. The marriage of Mr. Bashaw and Josephine Manor occurred in Pepin county, Wis. Nine children have been born of the union, the order of their birth being as follows: Oris, living in Wiscon- sin ; Delphane, the wife of Bert Lapian, a farm- er of Dundee, Ore .: Lillie, the wife of William Martin, of Wisconsin; Arthur, living in New- berg; Mary, the wife of Si. Hammock, of New- berg; Rosa, now Mrs. Jesse Smith of Newberg ; Annie Bell. Lena and Vernie, living at home. Mr. Bashaw is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. In political affiliation he is a Republican. In the family of Mr. Bashaw lives the mother of Mrs. Bashaw, who was born in Vermont, and before her marriage to John Manor was Amelia Bland. Mrs. Manor is eighty years of age.

JOHN W. PUGH. A very youthful pioneer of Oregon was John W. Pugh, who became a resident of this state at the age of one year. Upon attaining manhood he was satisfied to lo-

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cate permanently among the scenes of his child- hood, establishing himself on the farm which he now owns and occupies, two hundred and eighty- five acres, one and a half miles south of Shedds, putting upon it all improvements, which make it one of the finest farms in the vicinity. He is now carrying on general farming and dairying, for the latter having twenty-six Jersey milch cows. Industry and energy, governed by intel- ligent thought, number him among the success- ful agriculturists of this notably successful sec- tion of the country. Mr. Pugh is not alone in- terested in agricultural pursuits, but has bent every effort toward the advancement of the in- terests of the community, through a wise ad- ministration of public affairs. He is active in the prosecution of church interests, as class leader, trustee and steward, and for nearly twenty-five years superintendent of the Sunday- school of the Methodist Episcopal Church, ex- erting a broad and helpful influence. The posi- tion of Mr. Pugh has been won through quali- ties which have given him the esteem and con- fidence of his neighbors and made him many friends.

The father of Mr. Pugh, Francis A., was born April 6, 1821, in Kentucky, from which state he removed with his parents to Illinois, where, as a farmer, his father gained a livelihood. The death of the elder man occurred there, caused by a stroke of lightning, after which the mother returned to her people in Kentucky, and the son was left alone. Later he removed to Iowa and there married Ruth Jessup, a native of Indiana, and in 1846 they started across the plains with ox-teams. The Platte river was reached in safety. From there two-wheeled wagons drawn by oxen was to have been the mode of travel, but there the Indians stampeded their cattle, which left them in a very uncomfortable, not to say dangerous, predicament. After much trouble they reached Whitman Station and there secured pack horses with which to continue the inter- rupted journey. One man had been killed, a Mr. Trimble. The remainder of the journey, how- ever, was made in safety, six months after the time of starting finding them in Washington county, Ore. There Mr. Pugh took up a claim upon which they lived for about four years, in the spring of 1850 coming to Linn county, where he became the owner of six hundred and forty acres of land located one and one-half miles southwest of Shedds, which remained the home of the family for twenty-eight years. In 1878 they removed to a farm near Athena, Umatilla county, and in 1881 they located near Spokane, Wash., where he carried on general farming and stock-raising, making a very extensive business of the latter. Six years after the death of his wife in 1895, at the age of seventy-two years,

Mr. Pugh removed to Spokane and there makes his home at the present time retired from active life. A very useful and practical life has been that of Mr. Pugh, his interest in political, edu- cational and religious movements contributing no small part to the advancement of civilization in the pioneer lands, being a pioneer of both Ore- gon and Washington. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and one of its stanch and earnest supporters. Of the children born to himself and wife the eldest is John W., who was born June 18, 1845, in Henry county, Iowa ; the remainder of the family being Melissa J., now Mrs. W. M. Stafford, of Washington ; Felix M., of Spokane; Francis K., also of Spo- kane; and Sarah G., now Mrs. James Froome, of Waitsburg, Wash.

The education of John W. Pugh was received in the district schools of Oregon near his home, which he attended until his marriage in 1865 with Frances E. Thompson, a native of Missouri, whose parents crossed the plains in 1852 and settled in Linn county. He then removed to the farm which he now occupies, passing the inter- vening years in earnest, faithful work. The two children born of this union are Mary E., the wife of S. C. Caldwell, of Albany, and George B., of Brownsville. Mrs. Pugh died in 1870 and later Mr. Pugh married Nancy E. Walker, who had crossed the plains with her parents in 1852 from her native state of Arkansas. Their nine children are as follows : Estella, the wife of H. B. Taylor, of Seattle; Ernest G., of Seattle ; Nellie J., wife of H. B. Satchwell, of Newberg, Ore .; Charles A., in Linn county ; and Lura, Harvey G., Edith J. and John McKinley, all at home ; and Effie, deceased. Mr. Pugh was again left alone in 1898 by the death of his wife.

As a Republican in politics Mr. Pugh served one term as county commissioner, always taking an interest in party work, and in his fraternal relations is a member of Oak Plain Grange and Woodmen of the World, which latter he was the first man in Linn county to join, having been a member in Corvallis.

HENRY L. BENTS. Though for some time a teacher in the schools of Oregon, Henry L. Bents has returned to the land upon which he was reared and to the pursuit of agriculture, for which his early training fitted him. He is the youngest of the three brothers of the Bents family, whose sketches appear in this work, the sketch of Fred Bents giving the history of the parents and of the removal from Switzerland in 1854 to a settlement on the Kansas farm, which was lost through a defective title, and the consequent trip to Oregon, where the father bought the land which the brothers now possess.

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The birth of Henry L. Bents occurred near Kick- apoo, Kans., February 28, 1862, the removal to Oregon taking place the next year. Upon the farm which his father bought he was reared, his early training being along agricultural lines, though his early-displayed love of books led his father to give him the benefit of all the schools within reach, giving him a course in the Oregon State Agricultural College at Corvallis after his studies at Butteville were completed. At the age of eighteen years he began teaching in the public schools, and being an exceptionally fine penman he added much to his income by private classes in this branch.

Upon the marriage of Mr. Bents, December 25, 1887, to Miss Agnes A. Smith, a native of Oregon and the daughter of John F. Smith, he gave up his position in the public schools. Re- turning to the home place, he settled upon the share which belonged to him, and with the same energy and thoroughness which had character- ized his efforts at teaching commenced the im- provement of the farm. He has since built a handsome house, barns, etc., which add much to the general appearance, in addition to the well cultivated fields which testify to his success as a farmer. He is now engaged in general farm- ing and stock-raising, though making a specialty of hop-growing, having been connected with his brothers in this latter business since 1881. In the last named year the Bents brothers began the cultivation of hops on five acres of land, and they now have seventy acres devoted to that product, from which they realize handsome profits. Henry L. is also engaged in hop-buying on an extensive scale. The location of Mr. Bents' farm is two and a half miles southeast of Butteville and about three miles from Aurora.

Through his personal integrity and the many years' experience in which he has conclusively proved his ability to cope with the adversities of the world, Mr. Bents has won a wide popularity, and his place in the community is an honorable one. For the past eight years he has served as secretary of the Hop-Growers' Fire Relief As- sociation, and also fills that position in the Farm- ers' Fire Relief Association of Butteville, Ore., the territory of both associations including the entire Willamette valley, Mr. Bents having held the latter position for six years. At the present time these associations carry a business aggre- gating about $2,000,000. In fraternal orders he is prominent, being a member of Champoeg Lodge No. 27, A. F. & A. M., of Butteville, and of Multnomah Chapter No. 2, of Salem, Ore. He also belongs to Butteville Tent No. 22, Knights of the Maccabees. Politically he is not a party man, reserving the right to cast his vote for the candidate whose election he thinks will be productive of most good for the country.

In his married life Mr. Bents has been blessed by three children: Leita May, Velma Ione, and an infant son.

ALFRED P. OLIVER, one of the prominent business men of Newberg, was born in Franklin county, Vt., in the town of Sheldon, June 20, 1858. The family became identified with the Green Mountain state through the emigration thither of D. R. Oliver, the father of Alfred, who was born in New York, but died in Vermont at the age of seventy-three years. He was a man dependent solely upon his own ability to grasp and utilize opportunities, left an orphan at the age of four years, and, though reared by an uncle, was early brought into contact with the serious and responsible side of life. In his young manhood he married Annie B. Marsh, a native of Sheldon, Vt., whose father, Philo Marsh, was born on a farm in Franklin county, Vt. Mr. Marsh engaged in farming during his entire active life, a vocation which netted him a com- fortable and even affluent living, for he died at the age of seventy-five a comparatively wealthy man. The two sons and only children born to D. R. Oliver have inherited their father's enter- prise and thrift, and of these, Charles A. is a wealthy and influential farmer of Sheldon, Vt.

Following upon his high school graduation, his thorough training as an agriculturist, and some practical business experience, Alfred P. Oliver removed to Michigan at the age of twenty- three, and for a year engaged as chief clerk for a steamship company. Returning to the east, he worked in a sewing machine factory in Mas- sachusetts for a couple of years, and then in Min- nesota engaged in the real estate business for a year. Following the tide of emigration to Da- kota he had a more or less satisfactory business career, and after another sojourn in Minnesota came to Oregon with J. C. Colcord, a former friend in Massachusetts, and a record of whose life may be found elsewhere in this work. After the first winter in Portland Mr. Oliver came to Newberg, bought a farm in partnership with his friend, and later engaged in the real estate business until 1890. A practical innovation is credited to Mr. Oliver, that of utilizing grub-oak, in which the state abounds, for ax handles. He is at present secretary and treasurer of a com- pany incorporated for $30,000, which is manufac- turing ax handles, and in which he owns over one-half and the controlling interest. It is dem- onstrated that grub-oak, formerly used almost exclusively for firewood, makes a much finer and more durable handle than the eastern hickory. This discovery has resulted in the starting of a large manufactory which is not only able to

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supply its share of coast trade, but can keep two men representing its wares on the road.

Mr. Oliver is also interested in mining, and in the Yamhill Coal & Oil Company, of which he is one of the chief promoters. The prospects for this company are very bright, and the prin- cipals entertain great expectations .in connection therewith. A farm of six hundred acres in the vicinity of Newberg is one of the valued posses- sions of Mr. Oliver, and he also owns consid- erable town property, including a large business block. He is foremost among all projects for the general improvement of his adopted locality, and bears in the community an enviable reputation for integrity and progressiveness.

JOSEPH M. ATKINSON. To students of scientific dairying the Spring Hill farm, owned by Joseph M. and Samuel W. Atkinson, offers superior opportunities for observation and re- search. Not only is this enterprise one of the finest in the state of Oregon, but if compared with those of Switzerland, Holland, or any of the old established dairying centers, would un- doubtedly be found to possess the combined ex- cellencies of all, improved by American ingenu- ity and enterprise. The fact that in no depart- ment of farming is there opportunity for greater care, good judgment, and business sagacity, than in that of dairying and stock-raising, is fully ap- preciated by the Atkinson Brothers, who have long since passed the experimental stage, and placed their business upon a solid and paying footing.

The Spring Hill farm consists of three hun- dred and thirty acres, one hundred of which have been placed under the plow, and the bal- ance supplies pasturage for seventy-two head of cattle, comprising Jersey and other high grade cattle, and Mr. Atkinson sells large numbers of blooded stock all over the northwest. A com- fortable income is derived from the sale of Poland-China hogs and bronze turkeys. The dairy barn, designed for that special use by the owners, and containing many innovations here- tofore unthought of, is 80x60 feet in dimen- sions. Three driveways run through the barn, and it has a capacity of one hundred and fifty tons of hay, also a silo of one hundred and twenty-five tons capacity. The sewerage, ven- tilation, heating, and general arrangements are as complete as thorough students of dairying and stock-raising can make them, and the plans were perfected only after years of study along dairying lines. In connection with their farm the Atkinson Brothers maintain a creamery in Newberg, under the management of Samuel At- kinson, the partner of Joseph. The brothers buy up all the milk available from the farmers in

the vicinity, and market their products in the city of Portland.

The early history of men successful in worth- while walks of life are not only interesting, but profitable to those of like ambitions. Joseph M. Atkinson comes from sterling farming stock, and was born near St. Joe, Mo., February 21, 1870. His father, Robert, was born in Ireland, and after emigrating to the United States settled in Missouri with his parents, he being at that time but seven years of age. He became an exten- sive farmer and stock-raiser in the Old Bullion state, and in 1870 sold his farm and came to Oregon, settling first two miles west of where his son now lives. He bought five hundred acres of land, which he partially improved, and upon which he lived for three years, in the meantime disposing of three hundred acres of his land. He finally bought five hundred acres, a portion of which constitutes the Spring Hill farm. Be- fore his death in 1891, at the age of sixty-five, he had sold two hundred acres of his property. While still living in Missouri he married Eliza- beth Clemmons, a native of Missouri, and who died in Oregon in 1894, at the age of sixty-four years. Mrs. Atkinson was a daughter of An- thony Clemmons, a native of England, and a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Clemmons was also a farmer, and a very sweet singer, and he lived to the good old age of four score and four years. Twelve children were born to Robert Atkinson and his wife, one of whom died in infancy.

Joseph M. Atkinson was the sixth of the seven sons born to his parents, and he received his education in the public schools and at the Will- amette Business College, graduating from the latter at the end of the two-years course. In 1888 he engaged in the hotel business in Astoria, Ore., for a couple of years, and in 1891 came to New- berg and took charge of the paternal farm. Even- tually Joseph M. and Samuel bought out the other heirs, and now own three hundred and thirty acres of as fine farm property as can be found anywhere in the state. In Newberg Mr. Atkinson was united in marriage with Ranna E. Carter, a native of Vancouver, Wash., and daughter of W. R. Carter, born in Iowa, and who came to Oregon when a young man, set- tling on the farm adjoining that of the Atkin- sons. One child, Mabel, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson. Mr. Atkinson is a Demo- crat in politics, and is fraternally associated with the Woodmen of the World. His sterling worth as a citizen, his unsurpassed knowledge of dairy- ing and stock-raising, and his public-spiritedness on all occasions calling for co-operation in worthy canses, make him an interesting and substantial addition to the agricultural and business inter- ests of Yamhill county.

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JAMES M. WRIGHT, for many years asso- ciated with important business interests in New- berg, was born in Clinton, Ill., December 24, 1840, a son of William and Leah (Harp) Wright, and grandson of Thomas Wright. Thomas Wright was born in North Carolina, where had settled his ancestors many years be- fore, and he in time moved to South Carolina, and from there to Kentucky. He became one of the very early settlers of Illinois, settling in that state as early as 1818, and there improving a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He was a very successful farmer and had the true pio- neer thrift and industry. He died at the age of eighty-four years.

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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 187

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