Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 196

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 196

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Mrs. Thorp was reared under the careful train- ing of a devoted mother, learning housewifely arts in addition to the splendid education received in Alfred University, and, though but seventeen when the storm-cloud began to gather darkly, her inheritance of patriotism and national love responded to the situation, and no mass meeting was complete without her presence and the sing- ing of a national song in her unusually beautiful voice, which helped no little in enlistment. At the close of the first peninsular campaign, when more troops were required to face Lee's advance into the north, President Lincoln called upon the governor of New York to raise and equip two regiments, and this young patriot offered her voice in song once more, the soldiers of the One Hundred and Thirtieth and One Hundred and Thirty-sixth carrying into battle the memory of

her unselfish efforts, which inspired many to bear with patience and fortitude the trials of a sol- dier's life. The ceremony which united her with her husband in the holy bonds of matrimony was performed at a crucial period of the war and in a most picturesque manner ; it took place at Port- age, on the banks of the Genesee river, in the hollow square formed by the soldiers of the One Hundred and Thirtieth Regiment, in which Thomas P. Thorp had just been assigned the po- sition of lieutenant-colonel, and was performed by the Rev. Dr. Joel Wakeman, a chaplain of a company also of that regiment. After her mar- riage Mrs. Thorp proved herself worthy to be called a patriot and to be the wife of a soldier. She followed the regiment throughout its entire service, rendering devoted service in the ranks . with the many other noble women of that period who sacrificed all that they held dear to minister to the needs of the sick and wounded in camp and hospital. She joined the regiment of her adoption and remained with it during the siege of Suffolk, Va., enduring with calm heroism the dangers and privations, cheering and encourag- ing the lonely, homesick soldiers, to whom the sight of a woman's pitying face recalled the one waiting and watching for their return. Never in the course of the weary months and the in- creasing perils did Mrs. Thorp suggest to her husband that as he had been several times wounded and a prisoner of war he could con- sistently leave the service, but cheered him in camp and field until the time of peace, when they rode side by side in the Grand Review at Wash- ington in the Second Brigade, First Division of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac, her decoration the full eagle, his the star above the eagle.

Gen. Thomas Jones Thorp was born in Alle- gany county, N. Y., in 1837, the son of Mont- gomery Thorp, who was born in the state of Con- necticut and died in Michigan, having engaged all his life in farming and milling. Of this fam- ily, General Thorp is not alone in his illustrions record, another brother serving in the army, be- ing the late Capt. Alexander K. Thorp, who was killed in the great cavalry charge at Winchester, Va., September 19, 1864. Senator Simeon M. Thorp, another brother, was also killed during the Civil war, coming to his death in 1863 through the sacking of Lawrence, Kans., by the Confederate forces. At the breaking out of the Civil war Thomas Jones Thorp was attending the preparatory department of Alfred University, in- tending to enter Union College and continue his studies, but with the ardor of patriotism he at once enlisted, receiving on the field his diploma in the class of 1861. In response to President Lincoln's call, he enrolled as a private in a com- pany organized in his native county, which was

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finally assigned to the Eighty-fifth New York Regiment of Infantry in the Army of the Poto- mac, and during the first Peninsular campaign he won honorable distinction as a captain at the battle of Fair Oaks, where he was slightly wounded. At the close of the Seven-Days battle his record won him the commendation of Gov- ernor Morgan of New York, who selected him to fill the position of lieutenant-colonel of the One Hundred and Thirtieth Regiment. The colonel of this regiment had been selected from the reg- ular army, the choice falling upon General Gibbs, who in becoming brigadier-general left a vacancy for Captain Thorp. This regiment bore a repu- tation of containing more than ordinary ability, being composed of the flower of the native-born .yeomanry of the counties of Allegany and Wyo- ming, men of erudition and talent, from all pro- fessions, and to hold a commission in this regi- ment naturally gave a man credit for possessing unusual ability and courage, which Colonel Thorp in no wise lacked, for, though crippled from the wound received in the summer, he was out on crutches in September drilling the troops. After the battle of Gettysburg this regiment was trans- ferred to the cavalry corps by an order from the war department, and was thereafter known as the First New York Dragoons.

During the war General Thorp rendered hon- orable service in every camp of the Army of the Potomae, participating in sixty-four engagements, and was absent from the battlefields only when disabled by wounds or for a short period in which he was a prisoner of war after the battle of the Wilderness, during which time he won a place in the memory of sixteen hundred Union prisoners for the words of cheer and encourage- ment which he spoke to them on the anniversary of the national birthday. He had been taken prisoner at Trevilian Station, after being severe- ly wounded, and was sent to Macon, Ga., but, undaunted by the privations and sufferings which might be his in a southern prison, he delivered on the Fourth of July an oration commemorative of the day, filled with eloquence stirred to life by the years in which he had sacrificed himself for his country. The stirring events of his brief so- journ in a southern prison were detailed in the north, leading up to the following article, which gave to the public a proper estimate of the worth of Colonel Thorp. We quote herewith: "This outburst of patriotic sentiment uttered in the very heart of the Confederacy, and in the very mouth of the cannon guarding the prisoners, was treat- ed by the prison commander as insubordination, but it was characteristic of Colonel Thorp, who in the night jumped from the train going from Savannah to Charleston in his effort to rejoin his command in front of Richmond. The ster-

ling qualities which prompted thousands of heroic defenders of the Union and constitutional liberty to stand to the front is also a trait with Colonel Thorp." The promotion of Colonel Thorp fol- lowed close upon this event.

At the conclusion of hostilities General Thorp became interested in educational work, being called to an important educational institution in Buffalo, N. Y., by the eminent Dr. Thomas Loth- rop, then superintendent of public instruction in that city. After several years he turned his at- tention to the subject of applied mechanics, and received several important patents for invention from the government, being located in Chicago, Il1., having previously been a resident of Cadillac, Mich., where he was interested in the manufac- ture of lumber. While living in the latter city he served two terms as county clerk, his wife as- sisting him as deputy clerk and also acting as register of deeds. In February, 1892, having sold out his interests in Chicago, he located in Forest Grove, Ore., many of his interests being in the west, having conducted a sheep ranch for five years located on Little creek, just out of Flagstaff, Ariz., and adjoining the Navajo reser- vation. For several years he served as principal of various schools in the state, among them being Forest Grove, Woodlawn, Portland, and others. In 1899 he located in Corvallis, Ore., where he now makes his home, looking after his varied interests.

General Thorp is now a prominent man in mili- tary circles, being a member of the Loyal Legion and the Grand Army of the Republic. Mrs. Thorp also keeps up her old associations, being a member of the Woman's Relief Corps, and is now identified with Ellsworth No. 7, representing in 1897 the state of Oregon to the National Con- vention of the Woman's Relief Corps at Buffalo, and again in 1902 being a delegate to Washing- ton, D. C. She is also prominent in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Both the General and Mrs. Thorp are members of the Presbyterian Church, and stanch Republicans politically. Of the four children which blessed this union, Sim- eon died in Michigan; Annie became Mrs. Sun- derland and died in Buffalo; Bessie Mabel and Montgomery are still at home with their parents. The daughter at home has received a fine educa- tion through the medium of Pacific University of Forest Grove.

JOHN W. FOSTER. More and more the agriculturist is bringing to bear upon his occu- pation those practical innovations which tend to facilitate labor and increase the joy of living, and in this regard he is leagues ahead of his wearv predecessor, whose interminable hours incapa-

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citated him for a correct appreciation of his gains, and gave him at best but an occasional glimpse into the more leisurely and congenial walks of life. In illustration of the former state of being, one need go no further than many of the farmers and stock-raisers in Benton county, universally conceded to be one of the most fertile parts of the state. Among these, John W. Foster occupies a prominent place, not only because of personal characteristics of a high order, but because he has one of the most beautiful homes and is one of the most extensive stock-raisers in the county. In the foothills of the coast range, overlooking a serene valley, is this ideal rural home, surrounded by two thousand, three hun- dred acres of land, many acres of which are under cultivation, and the greater part of which is devoted to stock-raising. On this same farm Mr. Foster was born May 1, 1859, and during all these years it has been his home, no matter how far he has wandered in quest of diversion or business.

John Foster, father of John W., was born in Ohio, March 3, 1822, and in 1834 removed with his parents to Missouri. In 1845 the whole fam- ily started across the plains with ox-teams, and though emigration was as yet a novel and rare experience, they encountered little difficulty with the Indians, although some of their cattle passed into their keeping. Six months of travel brought the party to the Tualatin plains, where they spent the winter, the following spring removing to the claim eight miles southwest of Corvallis, where the parents died at an advanced age. John the older did not settle on the claim with his parents, but rather came direct to the claim twelve miles south of Corvallis where his son now lives, and soon after carried to completion a little romance begun on the plains, and which resulted in two hearts deciding to join their life fortunes. Mary Lloyd was an interesting girl on the way to Oregon with her parents, but she did not long survive her marriage, dying while still a young woman. To her husband's care she left three children, Nancy, the oldest, being the widow of James Long of Montana; William is deceased; and Jasper T. lives in Prinesville. In time Mr. Foster married Elizabeth Buchanan, who was born in England, and came to Oregon in 1856. and whose father is mentioned at length in another part of this work. Three children were born also of this union: Henrietta is the wife of Charles Lee of Corvallis; Emma is deceased ; and John W. is living on the old claim.

John Foster prospered exceedingly, and in all his business and other undertakings maintained that high standard which is the truest indication of good sense and progressiveness. He made many improvements on his farm, and became one of the most extensive breeders and manipulators

of stock interests in Benton county ; shrewd and sagacious, he availed himself of apparent oppor- tunities and created new ones, and had the inter- est of his neighbors and friends at heart. Genial and obliging, he found outstretched hands and welcoming hearts wherever he went, and thus his death at the age of seventy-seven was sadly mourned. From time to time he had added to his land, and finally owned twenty-two hundred acres. Besides his farm he left other property and large money interests, all of which indicated his masterful grasp of chances that came to him. In 1884 he moved to Corvallis, where the remainder of his life was spent in comparative retirement.

After his parents moved from the old place John W. Foster was left in charge, a responsibil- ity which he was abundantly able to assume because of his superior training on the farm, and a practical education acquired in the public schools, at Bishop Scott's Academy and at the Portland Business College. He married Laura Alexander, who was born in California, and who is the mother of one child, Ada E. Mr. Foster is an extensive raiser of stock, making a spe- cialty of Durham cattle, and he also conducts general farming enterprises. He is practical and scientific, and has never allowed himself to get into grooves, or rely upon the customs and methods adopted by those engaged in similar occupations. He is a thinker, reasoner and phi- losopher, and while rejoicing in the good fortune which fate and his own industry have brought him, has kept pace with the times along general lines, and is a most companionable and interesting man. He has traveled a great deal for pleasure and information, and is one of the most influen- tial and popular farmers in Benton county.

JOHN WILSON GILMOUR, retired, now residing at Silverton, Marion county, was born in Lincoln county. Ky .. September 13, 1813, and is a son of George and Polly (Hickman) Gil- mour. His father, a native of Kentucky, was a son of James Gilmour, who was born in Ireland and was brought to America in his youth by his parents, who settled in Virginia. George Gil- mour was a friend of Daniel Boone, the famous pioneer of Kentucky, who made his home near that of the Gilmour family. Polly Hickman's maternal grandfather, named Wilson, was a mem- ber of the famous band of free-lances under command of Francis Marion, and participated in the historic battle of Eutaw Springs.

August 29, 1833, John W. Gilmour married Jane Alexander Bronaugh, and two months later settled in Hancock county. Ill. In 1851 he start- ed across the plains for Oregon with his wife and eight children. Six months later the fam-

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ily arrived in what is now Washington county, locating temporarily near Hillsboro. The fol- lowing year they removed to Linn county, where Mr. Gilmour followed his trade of blacksmith and incidentally engaged in farming. At his shop, four miles west of Lebanon, he made many of the first plows used in Linn county. He be- came a man of considerable influence in the com- munity, and for four years served as justice of the peace. Soon after locating in Linn county the Rogue River Indian war broke out, and for nine months he served as captain of a wagon- train for the government.

Mr. Gilmour's wife was a daughter of Tali- aferro and Jane (Gilmour) Bronaugh, repre- sentatives of old families of Kentucky. Mrs. Gilmour died December 9, 1885. To Mr. Gil- mour and wife were born ten children, namely : Mary Jane, deceased; Lucy Eleanor, deceased wife of Andrew Linebarger ; William, deceased ; John, residing in Ellenburg, Wash .; George, deceased; James Alexander, residing in Wash- ington; Nancy Elizabeth, wife of Thomas W. Davenport of Silverton; George Robert, a farm- er, residing near Silverton ; Martha Ann, wife of Nathan Kirkendall, of Olympia, Wash .; and Sarah, deceased wife of La Fayette Cassady.

The members of the Gilmour family inherit a rare degree of artistic ability, their paternal an- cestors having been gifted as musicians, and the Bronaugh family having exhibited considerable literary talent. This pioneer family has become well known throughout the northwest, and its representatives are respected and admired for the many fine traits in their character.

RICHARD IRWIN. In Richard Irwin, the founder of a worthy and influential family in Oregon, and the accumulator of a fortune through his own untiring zeal, the northwest had one of those old-time merchants who thoroughly understood his business and made money where the majority would have failed. Shrewd and sagacious, he stepped into mining and other lo- calities where there was a demand for his goods, did a thriving business, and disposed of them at just the right time, and always with appreciable profit. With a foundation of good will and good morals, and with personal characteristics which make a man popular and of use in the world, it is not surprising that his life was typical of the best in old-time mercantile ventures.

Born in Ireland, June 11, 1813, Mr. Irwin lost his father when he was a child, and years after- ward came to America with his mother and sis- ters, locating in New York state in 1832. Hav- ing learned the mercantile business in his native land, he was not slow in finding employment in

his adopted country, and in time became identi- fied as manager with a concern which sent him to Ohio with a stock of goods. Not finding the new locality satisfactory for store-keeping, he went to Iowa, and there engaged for many years in a general merchandise business. In 1850, in St. Louis, he was united in marriage with Louise Kompp, who was born in Germany, and whose home was then in Iowa. Her people crossed the plains in 1853, settling in Benton county, where the father lived to be seventy-five and the mother eighty years of age. Soon after his marriage Mr. Irwin perfected plans for crossing the plains, and outfitted with horse instead of ox teams, having three teams to each of the two wagons, and besides had a carriage and some loose stock. They joined the Jerome Gossage train, and were six months on the way, experiencing little trou- ble with the Indians. Nevertheless their ranks were lessened by the cholera so prevalent during 1850, with which disease Mr. Irwin was thrice afflicted, while his wife was the victim of one attack of the dread disorder. Arriving in Port- land, Mr. Irwin conducted a small store there during the first winter, and in the spring of 1851 came to Corvallis, where he started a store of the same kind. The same fall he took up six hun- dred and forty acres of land on the territorial road, which land is still owned and occupied by his wife and children. To his farm he moved his store, and while conducting it there for ten years made money rapidly and was an important man in his neighborhood. After disposing of this store he farmed for some time, and in 1864 opened a mercantile business in Portland, shortly afterward removing his stock to east Oregon during the gold excitement. With the subsiding of the craze he sold out and returned to his farm, where he engaged in farming and stock-raising almost up to the time of his death, at the age of eighty-two years and some months. He had large numbers of Shorthorn cattle, the sale of which netted him a large yearly income. Since his death his widow has undertaken the manage- ment of the farm, and has proved herself an ex- cellent business woman and far-sighted manager. The home is all that a rural residence should be, and the barns, out-houses and general improve- ments indicate the progressive and intelligent agriculturist. Of the five children born into the family. Frances is the wife of Joseph McBee, a farmer of this locality; Elizabeth is deceased ; James is living at home; Richard is a farmer near Corvallis; and one child died in infancy. Mr. Irwin was a genial and public-spirited man, and everything of an up-building and progressive nature in his neighborhood was sure of his ap- proval and substantial help. For many years he was postmaster of his neighborhood, and he held

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other important offices, invariably discharging his duties with credit to himself and satisfaction to all concerned. He possessed a fund of com- mon sense, without which success counts for naught, and many a man has been helped on a discouraging way by his cheerful council and material help.

L. N. RONEY. With the passage of many years there will still be standing the evidence of the substantial and material labor which L. N. Roney has contributed to the growth of the city of Eugene and Lane county. As a contractor and builder he has had charge of the erection of many buildings, public and private, which add to the financial and commercial prestige of the community. Among his most important work has been the erection of the Lane county court house, the two McClung buildings, the First National Bank, the Lane County Bank, the Loan & Savings Bank, the Hoffman House, Hotel Smeede, the addition to the Christman building, the Episcopal, Christian and Methodist Episcopal Churches, the Eugene Opera House, and many others of note, including many of the most at- tractive private residences in the city. His first engagement in Lane county was the assistance he gave in the construction of the bridge across the Willamette river at Eugene. In the success- ful completion of every enterprise Mr. Roney has won the confidence of the people of the com- munity, and in the fulfillment of every moral obligation has gained their esteem.

L. N. Roney was born in Auglaize county, Ohio, September 2, 1853, the eleventh child in his father's family of twelve children, eight of whom are now living. His parents were Thomas, a native of New Jersey, and Caroline H. (Lever- ing) Roney, a native of Pennsylvania and a rep- resentative of the old family of Leverings of Maryland. Thomas Roney settled in Ohio in 1832. His occupation had been that of a weaver, but in Ohio he engaged in farming. In 1878 he came to Oregon and located in Lost Valley, where his death occurred in 1885, at the age of seventy-eight years. His wife died at the home of L. N. Roney in 1897, at the age of eighty- four years. Of this large family of children, four brothers served in the Civil war-Henry and William in the Eleventh Ohio Regiment, and John and Charles in the short service.

In the region of Wapakoneta, Ohio, the scene of his birth, L. N. Roney was reared, the oppor- tunity for educational advancement being so lim- ited that he attended school but little, his wide knowledge of current events and general fund of information being the result of observation in later years. When fourteen years of age he devoted all his energies to farm work, the home

farm consisting of one hundred acres which, at. the present time, has seven gas wells upon it. When he was seventeen years of age his father removed to Gallatin, Daviess county, Mo. There he remained at work until he was nineteen years old, when he began an apprenticeship at the car- penter's trade, at which he continued for three years. In 1876 he located in Oregon, having been induced to come west by an aunt, Mrs. Wil- liams, who had crossed the plains in 1853, and was then living in Lane county. He at once began bridge carpentering for A. S. Miller & Sons, finding work in the states of Oregon and Washington until 1882. He then began con- tracting and building in Lane county, and has since built every bridge in Lane county, also operating in other counties, where he has met with uniform success.

In Boise City, Idaho, June 5, 1889, Mr. Roney was united in marriage with Mrs. Orilla G. (Baker) Humphrey. She was born in Salem, Ore., the daughter of Capt. John Baker, one of the early and successful pioneers of Oregon, who now makes his home in Salem.

In his political affiliations Mr. Roney is a Re- publican. He was the presiding officer of the first Young Men's Republican Club organized in Eugene, has been an influential delegate to sev- eral county conventions, and for several terms has served as city councilman from the third ward. He was made a Mason in Missouri in 1874. He is now a member of Eugene Lodge No. II, A. F. & A. M., in which he is past mas- ter ; is past high priest in Eugene Chapter No. IO, R. A. M .; in 1897 was grand high priest of the grand chapter of Oregon; is a member of Ivanhoe Commandery No. 2, K. T., of Eugene, in which he served as eminent commander in 1892; and is now deputy grand commander of the grand commandery of Oregon, having been elected to that office in September, 1902, and re- elected in September, 1903. He is also associat- ed with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Eagles, and is a charter member of the Eugene Commercial Club. Mr. Roney is a man of high public spirit, and may always be depended upon to assist in the furtherance of all well considered projects which have for their end the promotion of the best interests of Eugene.

ALFRED E. MOORE. Not all of the inter- esting homes of Oregon are set down in the midst of broad acres. There are some who prefer rather the modest acres whose every nook can receive the owner's personal attention. To this latter type of home belongs that of Alfred E. Moore, which, when he first purchased the land, was a wild, uncultivated spot, with timber and

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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 196

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