Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 211

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 211

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DARIUS G. McCLARAN. Though a com- paratively new comer to his present farm, having settled thereon in 1901, Darius G. McClaran has a firmly established reputation as a general farm- er and stock-raiser, the greater part of his pres- ent competence having been acquired in the latter occupation. His farm of two hundred acres is devoted almost exclusively to high-grade stock. Mr. McClaran is one of the hundreds of men who traveled long and wearily before reaching their destination in the west, and his experience and that of others leads one to wonder how many of the homeseekers of today would be willing to un- dergo the dangers incident to the long journey across the plains. Born in Holmes county, Ohio, March 21, 1845, he was a year old when his parents moved near Bowling Green, Ind., and from there they moved to Guthrie county, Iowa, in 1852. Here Darius developed into a strong and capable young man, attended the near-by district school for a few months each winter, and looked forward to broader opportunities than those by which he was surrounded. In 1860 he enlisted in the Northern army, under Captain Tracy, and served until receiving an honorable discharge.

Many of their neighbors having departed for the coast, the McClaran family naturally became interested in the project, and finally, in 1868. some of their number followed the example of their more ambitious friends. Besides Darius G., there were two other brothers, James and Rich- ard, and their sister, Eliza McClaran, in the

party, and they had two wagons and four yoke of oxen to each wagon, besides some loose stock. Their experiences on the plains were greatly modified from those of the earlier emigrants, the Indians having become used to the approach of pale faces, and newly settled towns and villages furnishing stopping places for procuring food and accommodations. Six months after setting out a weary and travel-stained party appeared in Forest Grove, entire strangers, and with but twenty-five cents left of their funds, but Darius secured employment with James Hines, mak- ing rails, where he remained two years. He afterward sought to win a fortune in the mines of Idaho, and after mining and prospecting for a time turned his attention to raising cattle, horses and sheep, on a ranch at Heppner, Ore. This proved so profitable and pleasant an occupation that he continued it for eighteen years, and dur- ing that time accumulated quite a little fortune, becoming prominent in politics and general affairs in his neighborhood. In 1885 he bought four hundred and eighty acres near Brownsville, Linn county, and lived thereon until coming to his present farm in 1901. Mr. McClaran is a Re- publican in politics, and is fraternally connected with the Knights of Pythias and the Maccabees of Brownsville and Albany respectively. He is progressive and public-spirited, favoring all movements which have for their object the ad- vancement of the agricultural, educational, moral or political standing of the community.

JOHN E. WYATT. The stable characteristics possessed by that fine and venerable pioneer, Wil- liam Wyatt, are reproduced in some of his fam- ily of children, prominent among whom is John E., an extensive farmer and stock-raiser living two miles west of Corvallis. William Wyatt, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work, reared his children to an appreciation of their duty as citizens and men, educated them practically, and finally started them out upon the highway of life with large farms of their own, thus giving them an advantage over the majority of the young men of the county. John E. Wyatt has taken the gift thus presented, added to it. improved everything that he owns until it is valu- able and profitable, and is conducting as success- ful a farming enterprise as may be found in his neighborhood. His specialty in the stock line is Cotswold sheep and Shorthorn cattle, and upon his grassy pastures may be found the most aris- tocratic and high-priced of these animals. The home farm consists of two hundred and sixty acres, and he also owns two hundred and seventy acres in the hills, and one hundred and sixty further in the mountains. A fine rural residence, convenient and modern barns, and up-to-date

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general equipments, make general farming a much less arduous task than it was a few years ago, and mark the owner as a man of ideas and progressive inclinations.

A native son of the state, Mr. Wyatt was born on his father's farm three and a half miles south- west of Corvallis, January 26, 1849, and not long afterward was taken to the Solomon King farm, later still to the St. Clair farm, upon all of which the elder Wyatt put in crops and made some improvements. In 1850 his parents located on the donation claim where he was reared, and where he attended school in the neighborhood. Afterward he studied at Philomath College, and at the age of twenty located on the farm which is now his home. In January, 1870, he married Mary M. Hinkle, daughter of Jacob Hinkle, an early settler of this county, and went to house- keeping on his claim, where he has reared seven children : Rozella, wife of A. J. Shipley, of Monmouth; Milton, at home; Lizzie, wife of Herbert Elliott, of Perrydale; Minnie, at home; and Ernest, Elbert and Edna, triplets. Like his father, Mr. Wyatt is a devoted member of the United Brethren Church, and in politics he is a Republican. For many years he has rendered signal service as road supervisor, and he has been a school director for more than twenty years. Genial, accommodating and hospitable, Mr. Wyatt is also an excellent business man and model farmer, and thus added to the social and agricultural prestige of a fertile and prosperous county.

MRS. AGNES THOMPSON. Among the honored pioneers of this section of the Will- amette valley is to be named Mrs. Agnes Thompson, who gave up home and near rel- atives to bear an uncle and aunt company in their journey across the plains in 1852. The years have brought many changes into her life, as they have into the lives of all pioneers. With a family of children about her and many friends as an heritage of the years, Mrs. Thompson is passing into a pleasant and prosperous old age, a firm memory remaining to recall the early days of privation and dangers to the present generation of the now great and thriving com- monwealth.

Mrs. Thompson was in maidenhood Agnes Nye, the descendant of a family which origi- nally spelled the name in the French style, being of the same blood as Marshal Ney of the French army, whose loyalty to Napoleon cost him his life, though not his honor. The first of the native born Americans was John Nye, who was born in North Sewickly, Pa., and spent his life in Wayne county, Ohio, and Kosciusko county, Ind., in the latter purchasing and clearing a

large tract of land, providing for each of his twelve children a large farm. John Nye was the grandfather of Agnes Nye, her father Michael, being born in Wayne county, Ohio, and removing with his father to Indiana in 1835. He was a mason and builder by trade, making his livelihood in the prosecution of this work until his death in 1848, at the age of forty-six years. He was a member of the Bap- tist Church, having officiated for many years as deacon. He was married twice, his first wife being Sophia Clark, who bore him two chil- dren: John, who located in Oregon in 1857 and engaged in farming in Lincoln county, serving with distinction in the Indian wars of this country ; and Agnes of this review. His second marriage united him with Elizabeth Kimes, who lived to a good age, dying in Indiana in 1899. She was the mother of eight children, of whom George died in infancy in Kosciusko county, Ind .; Omar died at the age of twenty-one years in Indiana; Jasper, who served in Company A, of the Seventy-fourth Indiana Regiment, is county surveyor at Knoxville, Marion county, Iowa; Nancy is Mrs. Disher of North Dakota; Rowan is a farmer in Bourbon, Ind; Rebecca is the wife of W. S. Vanator, an architect and builder of Warsaw, Ind; Michael is located in Idaho; and Mary is the wife of Julius Magnon, of Marshall county, Ind.

Agnes Nye Thompson was born July 18, 1833, in Indiana and was reared on her father's farm which was located on the banks of the Tippe- canoe river, in the near neighborhood of War- saw. When of sufficient age to partake of the educational advantages offered in their home county she attended a school whose sessions were held in a log house, with puncheon floor and slab benches, and greased paper as a substi- tute for windows. Quill pens were a part of the necessary equipment of a pupil. In 1852 she joined her uncle and aunt, William and Rachel Blaine, who, with ox-teams, started March 13 for Oregon, driving from their home in Indiana. Crossing the Missouri river at Council Bluffs, in the path of the many other emigrants of that time, they entered upon the great trail of their journey, fraught with dan- ger, privation and loneliness, their greatest suf- fering being caused from the ravages of the dread disease of cholera. Mrs. Thompson ex- perienced the trials of the disease, but recovered, the only member of the family who died being Mary Ann Blaine, who was buried upon the plains. Upon the arrival of the train in Oregon they settled in Brownsville, Linn county.

January 1, 1855, Agnes Nye was united in marriage with Robert Mitchell Thompson, the ceremony being performed in Governor Moody's house. The first of the name of Thompson to

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settle in the United States was James Thomp- son, who, with his brother John, left Scotland and after a brief stay in Antrim, Ireland, settled in Pennsylvania, in the year 1735, the former locating in Juniata county, the latter in Cumberland county. Robert, the son of James, was born in this location, and Robert Mitchell likewise first saw the light of day there. In addition to the training received from his father along agricultural lines, Robert Mitchell Thomp- son learned the trade of a carpenter, and when a young man he went to Illinois where he en- gaged in work of this nature. In 1851 he crossed the plains by ox-teams, locating in Brownsville, where after several years spent in the prose- cution of his trade, he entered the mercantile business. In 1856 he removed to Corvallis, Benton county, and after a brief engagement at his trade he purchased a farm one mile south of Corvallis, containing one hundred and thirty- six acres and which is now excellently im- proved, being still in the possession of his widow. Later he was interested in general mer- chandise in Corvallis, and also serving as post- master during Grant's administration. In his early days he belonged to the Presbyterian faith, but his wife being a member of the United Evangelical Church he was won to her belief, in which he remained until his death in 1893, at the age of sixty-nine years. Politically Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were in accord, both being stanch Republicans.

Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, Newton Addison is a pharmacist, located in Seattle, Wash .; Laura is the wife of James Booth, of Corvallis; Mary lives in Cor- vallis; Estella is the wife of A. F. Peterson; Emma also makes her home in Corvallis; George died at the age of eighteen years; John died at the age of six years; and Olive Irene is a music teacher, located in Boise City, Idaho. In addition to her country home Mrs. Thompson also owns a residence in the city. She is a prominent member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and the Woman's Relief Corps.

DAVID HUGGINS. A large and well fur- nished rural residence, one of the finest barns of which Benton county can boast, well built fences, adequate accommodations for high-grade stock, and running water in every field, are a few of the advantages to be found on the farm of David Huggins, two and a half miles south- west of Bellfountain, and comprising a portion of the McKane donation claim. This prosper- ous farmer and dairyman is a native son of New York, in which state he was born April 24, 1834, and where he was reared on a farm. As

a youth he learned the carpenter's trade, and thus equipped with a trade, a common school edu- cation and a practical familiarity with the pos- sibilities of the soil, he came to California via the Isthmus of Panama in 1852, intending to make a fortune in the mines of the western slope. Fairly successful, he continued to pros- pect and mine for about seven years, and then located in Humboldt county, Cal., and farmed and worked at his trade. Around Eastern, on the John Day's river, he afterward mined for a couple of years, and all in all managed to make considerable headway, saving money for a rainy day.

Coming to Benton county in 1864, Mr. Hug- gins located on a claim near Monroe, and in 1868 enlivened his bachelor quarters by bringing home a wife, who was Sarah, daughter of Rowland Hinton, the latter of whom is mentioned at length in another part of this work. After his marriage, Mr. Huggins continued to live on his original farm until 1882, when he moved to a farm north of Monroe, and in 1889 purchased his present property. The first Mrs. Huggins died near Monroe, having reared a family of seven children, of whom William lives near Monroe; Lee is a resident of Seattle; Laura is the wife of L. Courtwright, of Harrisburg; Clara is the wife of John Jentry, of Monroe; Burk is living in eastern Oregon; Frances is the wife of William Shroder, of the vicinity of Monroe; and Claude lives in Monroe. At the time of his wife's death Mr. Huggins was fol- lowing his trade in Monroe, although he still retained possession of the farm. For a second wife he married Mrs. J. L. Stevens, who was born in Michigan, and who was formerly Jeanette L. Landerking. For her first husband Miss Landerking married Mason Quick, by whom she had two children, one of whom, Wil- liam A., is a conductor on the Northern Pacific Railroad, the other is deceased. By her second husband, John Stevens, she had eight children, only one of whom is now living-Mrs. Millie Aberson.

Since casting his first presidential vote Mr. Huggins has been a stanch advocate of Democ- racy, but has never aspired to the offices within the gift of his fellow-townsmen. He is fra- ternally popular in the Grange and in the Fra- ternal Union of America, No. 264. Aside from his farming Mr. Huggins has worked at his trade to a considerable extent, and many barns in the country and residences and public build- ings in Monroe and Bellfountain have had the benefit of his skill in construction. Mr. Hug- gins has a herd of a hundred head of Shorthorn cattle, and eighty head of high-bred goats, be- sides a large number of swine. At the present time his splendidly appointed farm is serving

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a double purpose, that of home for his family, and for the poor of Benton county. As super- intendent of the county poor he has undertaken the boarding of the eleven public charges, re- ceiving a certain sum per week. Needless to say they are comfortable and satisfied with their surroundings, and materially profit by associa- tion with so considerate and humane a host. Mr. Huggins is respected and liked by his neighbors in the county, with whom he has always main- tained the most friendly and amicable relations.

RICHARD FARWELL. Though the condi- tions of Oregon were such, in pioneer days, that a common interest made of all men one great brotherhood, the natural tie is one which is only strengthened by the passing years. This seems especially true of the family represented by the bearer of the name which gives title to this biography, Richard Farwell being related to the family bearing the name in Chicago, founders of the mercantile house of that name, and also to Senator Farwell. The name Farwell is here known and honored among the progressive and enterprising agriculturists of Linn county, the one who led his family into the then wilderness being Richard Farwell, Sr., a pioneer of 1852.

The Farwell family are of eastern birth and lineage, the Oregon pioneer having been born in New Hampshire, March 29, 1822, the son of a physician, from whose personality the spirit of broadening capabilities must have come, as he himself became an early settler of Illinois, feeling his power strong to aid in the upbuilding of new states. Until 1848 he remained at home with his parents. In that year he married Esther N. Paugh, a native of Pennsylvania, and they went to housekeeping upon a farm where they con- tinued a year. That being the year in which so many men hurried to California in eager hope of being one of the fortunate ones in the gold fields, Mr. Farwell became interested in the prospects and fearlessly undertook the journey across the plains with ox teams, leaving his young wife at the home of his father in Mercer county, Ill. Aside from losing a small number of cattle through the depredations of the Indians, the six months' trip was safely accomplished, and at its close he began prospecting and mining, in which he continued for three years. He then returned to Illinois, via the Isthmus of Panama, and in a very short time he was once more on the road, this time accompanied by his wife, bound then with horse and mule teams for the Northwest. They experienced no serious trouble with the Indians while enroute, the journey occupying five months. Upon their arrival they came direct to Linn county, where their home has ever since been located. Mr. Farwell at once took up a

donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres, where the remainder of his life was passed, and where his death occurred November 24, 1899, in liis seventy-eighth year. That his life had been one of well merited commendation no one who knew him could deny, and he boasted a large circle of friends among the citizens of Linn county. Besides making a home for himself and family, expending upon its improvement the en- ergy, strength and efforts of a singularly forceful nature, he held helpful hands toward all public movements. Mr. Farwell was greatly interested in politics, being a Democrat, as he believed this party represented principles safeguarding the best interests of the country and of the community. He occupied creditably all the minor offices of the vicinity, and his influence was always exerted for the general welfare of the county. Fra- ternally he was a charter member of the Grange. Though not a member of any church, Mr. Far- well had the reputation of being one of the best men of this section of country, and the good will and esteem of his fellow townsmen was freely accorded him. As a hunter he enjoyed the for- ests of the Oregon which he knew in the very early days, his reputation along these lines being only equaled by that accorded him as citizen, patriot and father. Of his children, Richard C. is located in the vicinity of the old home; Mary E. is the wife of John Duncan, also of the same vicinity ; Saralı W. is the wife of Walter Wright, of Eugene; Edward D. makes his home with his mother ; Iva M. is the wife of Charles Farrow, of Eugene ; and Hiram J. is located on a part of the old home place. Since the death of Mr. Farwell his widow has carried on the work of the farm with the assistance of her sons, the principal occu- pation now being general farming and stock- raising.

Richard C. Farwell received his education in the district school in the vicinity of his home, where he remained until he married Grace Matthews, a native of Albany. They now make their home three miles east of Shcdds, on a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, which was once a part of the old Northup donation claim. Sixty acres are under cultivation, general farming and stock-raising claiming the activity of this descendant of a worthy pioneer. Three children, all of whom are at home, have been born to him- self and wife, namely: Richard, Esther Ann and Clarence Merle. Mr. Farwell is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and politi- cally casts his vote with the Democratic party.

Edward D. Farwell, the second son of Richard Farwell, was also educated in the district school. His marriage with Mabel R. McElroy, a native of Illinois, has proved a happy one, and he still lives with his family upon the home place, de- voting his energies to the carrying on of general

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farming and stock-raising. He has one child, James Otis. In politics he also is a Democrat, and fraternally he belongs to the Woodmen of the World.

JESSE HOLLAND SETTLEMIER, the founder of Woodburn, and of the largest nur- sery enterprises in the Willamette valley, was born near Alton, Ill., February 5, 1840. George Settlemier, the father of Jesse Hol- land, was born at Cape Girardeau, Girardeau county, Mo., October II, 1807, and came of a family represented for at least two hundred years in Berks and Bucks counties, Pa. His father, Adam, was born in North Carolina, and was one of the very early settlers of Girardeau county, Mo., where he enjoyed the distinction of owning the first wagon in that part of the country. His son, George, removed to the vicinity of Alton, Ill., about 1825, and there engaged in farming and stock-raising until 1849. He was a typical frontiersman, and his sturdy traits of character are recalled with pride by his many descendants. Ambitious and adventurous, he was one of the first in his neighborhood to start for the west, when gold was first discovered on the Pacific coast in 1849, and with his family of ten chil- dren crossed the plains with ox teams, meeting with the usual number of adventures on the way. This journey was ever recalled with infinite sad- ness, however, because his wife, Elizabeth (Ryan) Settlemier, a native of Missouri, and the partner of his early trials in the middle west, was taken with typhoid fever at the mouth of the Feather river, and after days of suffering with the disease was called to the home beyond and buried in a lonely, wayside grave. With varying success Mr. Settlemier remained for a few months in California, then came to Oregon, and in 1850 took up a donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres on which Mount Angel is now located, where he lived until 1890. He then retired from active life, removing to Woodburn, where he lived for several years, after which he made his home with one of his (laughters, living one mile east of Woodburn, where his death occurred six months later, April 26, 1896, at the age of eighty-eight and a half years.

This early settler was a strong and tireless worker, affable, upright, strictly honest, and full of fine daring and courage. He despised a lie or pretense of any kind. As became a frontiers- man of the old school he was fond of hunting and was a splendid judge of horses and cattle. He was aggressively in favor of free soil, and after joining the Republican party at the first nomination of Abraham Lincoln, held sturdily to its principles and issues. Of the children born to himself and wife Adam is deceased; Mrs.

Mary Ann Allen lives in San Francisco; Wil- liam F. is a farmer on Willow creek, Ore .; Henry W. lives at Tangent, Ore .; Jesse Holland is the founder of Woodburn; Alexander A. is a resident of Montana; Columbus is deceased ; Martin R. lives at Mount Angel, Ore .; and George M. lives in Portland.

That the founder of Woodburn is a man of broad and liberal education is due to no early advantages in that direction. As a youth he had to work hard on the paternal farm, and so little leisure was at his disposal that attending the little school in his neighborhood was more of a recreation than duty. While imbibing this early knowledge he sat on benches made of split fir poles, and the other arrangements of the school were on a similar pioneer scale. His first independent business venture was conducted in Tangent, Linn county, Ore., where he started a nursery business in partnership with his broth- ers, William and Henry, the latter of whom still has charge of the enterprise. Though con- tinuing for many years, none of the brothers suc- ceeded in accumulating a very large amount of money in the nursery business. Mr. Settlemier severed his connection with the business directly after his marriage in 1862. He then acquired a tract of land which had been bought at sheriff's sale, being the donation claim upon a portion of which Woodburn is now located, and which con- sisted at that time of two hundred and fourteen acres. He had a great deal of trouble with this property because of a defective title, but finally overcame all obstacles through the medium of repurchase, having passed both the United States District Court and the Supreme Court at Wash- ington, by which the title was set aside. To the original property he has since added, and now has about seven hundred acres distributed through Marion and Clackamas counties, Ore., and Mason county, Wash.

In time, after purchasing his first donation claim, Mr. Settlemier erected his present fine dwelling, to take the place of the little log cabin which was a part of the pioneer improvements of the early days. In 1863 he started the nurs- eries which have made his name famous through the entire northwestern country, and which at the present time, under the able management of his son, F. W. Settlemier, have no superior on the Pacific coast. Beginning in a small way, this nursery business increased and flourished beyond his expectations, and at present there are at least fifteen hundred thousand plants, and three hundred acres closely set with all kinds of fruit stock, and the very finest of ornamental and decorative trees and plants. From France and other centers of horticultural activity have been imported many costly and rare plants and trees, and the nurseries supply a trade covering

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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 211

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