Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 223

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 223

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Mr. Kelly is recognized as one of the most sagacions business men of Oregon. To enumer- ate the causes which have led to his success one must look to such homely attributes as grit, de- termination, industry and integrity. With these are combined inherent business ability, which has been developed by constant concentration upon the enterprises which he has helped to build up, and the success of which has placed him among the wealthiest captains of industry in the Willamette valley. Thus is an honored pio- neer name more firmly rooted in the strength and great accomplishment of the state of Ore- gon, adding yet another link to a chain upon which obstacles and discouragements have pulled

in vain, and furnishing additional proof of the world's estimation of noble personal character- istics.

Mr. Kelly was united in marriage at Newport, Ore., December 18, 1901, with Mrs. Ida (Hof- lein) Patterson, a native of Lane county and a daughter of J. C. Hoflein, of Newport. Mrs. Kelly is the mother of two children by her for- mer marriage, Lloyd H. and Flora.

HUGH S. MONTGOMERY. What is known as South Falls City has been platted and laid out by Hugh S. Montgomery, who came to Oregon in 1889, and bought six hundred acres of land, upon which he farmed for some time. One hundred and sixty acres of this land has been laid aside for the town site, and constitutes the basis of the real-estate business at present being con- ducted by Mr. Montgomery. The great grand- father and grandfather both emigrated from Ire- land to the United States and died in the state of Pennsylvania, the latter having arrived in this country in 1806, settling in Philadelphia, al- though his death occurred in Greenfield. His

son, John, came with him from Ireland in 1806, he having been born there December 15, 1795. In time he acquired property of his own and be- came one of the successful farmers of his dis- trict, his age at the time of his death being eighty-nine years. His wife, Elizabeth, was born in Susquehanna county, Pa., and her father, William Robinson. was born in Ireland. He came to America at an early day, and in Pennsyl- vania preached the gospel from the Baptist pul- pits, he having been reared in the faith of the Free Will members of that church.

The nine children of John Montgomery were reared to industry and economy, and all had to work hard on the paternal farm. Hugh S. was no exception to the rule, although he, as well as the others, profited by educational advantages made possible by their father's success and their own application. Hugh was born in Luzerne county, Pa., April 15, 1827, and was the second oldest in the family. After completing his edu- cation in the public schools he attended Harvard Academy, and at the age of thirty engaged in in- dependent farming in Pennsylvania. He was not so well satisfied with his native state but that he was ambitious of larger opportunities, and in 1889 he made arrangements to settle in Oregon, his choice of location resting on Falls City. His first marriage was celebrated in Pennsylvania, and was with Ellen, daughter of Isaac Griggs, who died in Pennsylvania leaving two children, of whom George is deceased ; and John is a resi- dent of Falls City. The second marriage of Mr. Montgomery was with Esther Vail, born in Pennsylvania, and daughter of John Vail, of

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Greenfield, Pa., and a farmer by occupation. Two children were born of this union, Richard and Hugh, both of whom died at the age of nine years. A Prohibitionist in politics, Mr. Mont- gomery has been a member of the town council for two terms, but has never worked for or as- pired to public office. He is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for many vears has attended its services and contributed to its support.

JOHN M. MITCHELL who now makes his home in Independence, Polk county, Ore., traces his ancestry back to the Emerald Isle, his grand- father, Robert Mitchell, having emigrated to the United States early in the eighteenth century, settling in Chester, N. H. He was a sea captain and his life was spent in many lands, his death occurring far from home, among the then prim- itive conditions of Louisiana. His son, Robert was born in Chester, N. H., and, after a resi- dence in Maine, he removed to Minnesota in 1864, locating at Clearwater, where he lived re- tired at eighty-two years of age, but returning in 1871 to Maine, he spent the remaining years of his life in the city of Leeds of that state, dying at the ripe old age of ninety-seven years. He was a carpenter and contractor and also served in the war of 1812. His wife was in maidenhood, Miss Sallie Irland, born in Skowhegan, Me., and died in that state. Five children blessed their union, and of the two sons and three daughters the youngest was John M., born in Vienna, Me., September 27, 1822.

John M. Mitchell learned the trade of his father, adding to that the cabinetmaker's trade. In 1850 he removed to Lowell, Mass., where he engaged in the manufacture of sash and doors, continuing for four years, after which he re- turned to his native state, and settling in Dexter, engaged in the same business. In 1857 he took the sash and door manufactory to Clearwater, Minn., and in connection with this invested in a grist mill, which yielded him fair returns until his removal to Litchfield, of the same state, where he built the first residence in that town. He made the trip to California in 1869. Locat- ing in Cloverdale, lie opened a repair shop for buggies and wagons, but in 1871 he purchased a ranch in Mendocino county, from which he re- turned to Cloverdale and passed another year. From Navarro Ridge, where he engaged for two years in the manufacture of shingles, he came in 1879. to Oregon; locating in Independence, Polk county, and engaged in his former business, and, except for a short time spent in a repair shop, continued in the manufacture of sash and doors until 1898, in this year disposing of the substan- tial factory which he and his son-in-law had

erected in 1889. In 1899 Mr. Mitchell built a creamery which he now rents, having retired from the active cares of life.

In Kingfield, Me., in 1843, Mr. Mitchell was married to Miss Wealthy Otis, a native of that city, whose father, Thomas, was born in New Hampshire and reared to the life of a farmer, his death occurring in Kingfield, Me., in 1876, at the age of seventy-six years. Of the four children born of the union Lucidia is now deceased ; Flora is now the wife of Clay Spurr, of San Francisco, Cal .; Walter is deceased, and Nettie is the wife of J. S. Bohannon. As a Republican Mr. Mitchell was called upon in his Minnesota home to serve as school director and road supervisor. He is identified with the Masons, being a mem- ber of the Blue Lodge and the Chapter.

ISAAC BARCLAY. Lane county, perpetu- ating the name and fame of Gen. Joseph Lane, the "Mariner of the West," has fulfilled the ex- pectations of the pioneers who chose her from the variety of lands represented in Oregon, and thereafter devoted the best years of their lives to the establishment of the prestige she holds among the counties of the state. None has more interestedly and helpfully watched the as- sociation of man and nature in the onward march than Isaac Barclay, and none more hope- fully turned up the first sod, and gathered his first beneficent harvest. To have accomplished much through the efforts of one's hands and brain, and minus financial or other assistance, is one of the things for which Mr. Barclay is truly grateful. He attributes much of his success to the fact that he was obliged to hew out his own fortunes, and that he had to begin to do it early in life. His childhood was spent on a farm in Fulton county, Ill., where he was born May 12, 1832, and where he laid the foundation for a strong constitution in outdoor labor. His father was moderately successful, and to an otherwise worthy life added meritorious service as a ranger in the Black Hawk war.

With a very meagre education Mr. Barclay started out to make an independent livelihood in his fourteenth year, working for the surround- ing farmers in Fulton county, at whose homes he heard a great deal about the splendid chances the other side of the Rocky mountains. An un- looked-for opportunity came to him to test the truth of the glowing accounts. and as a driver of an ox-team for Samuel Smith he was enabled to reach the state of which he had heard so much. The train of which he was a member consisted only of seven wagons, yet they had compara- tively little trouble, the Indians being peacefully inclined, and illness passing them by throughout .their journey. However, they had a terrible ex-

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perience after their provisions gave out, and for four days and nights were without food or water. Coming direct to Lane county, Mr. Barclay took up a claim of three hundred and twenty acres five miles northwest of Pleasant Hill, but having no money with which to build or develop his land he went to Douglas county and engaged in general labor for about a year. Frugal and thrifty, he saved nearly all his earnings, an in- centive to do so being found in a winsome maiden by the name of Sarah G. Freeman, who had crossed the plains in his party, having pre- viously moved from her native state of New York to Illinois. Returning with his little hoard Mr. Barclay settled with zest on his claim, and soon after married the girl of his choice, and who proved helpful and courageous as the wife of a poor, but very ambitious man. To them one daughter, Flora Blanche, the wife of Z. S. Smith, on Fall creek, was born, and they have two children living, Eva Pearl and John F. The housekeeping arrangements were crude in the extreme, but sincere regard and the desire to found a real home lighted the way to better things, and after several years of hard work and economy, comforts and even luxuries were added to the home. During 1869 Mr. Barclay left his farm in the hands of his children and went to the mines of Idaho, and also farmed, but finally decided that his Lane county claim was as profitable and pleasant as any home he could hope to find in the northwest. He owns two hundred and fifty acres at the present time, forty of which are under cultivation. Skirting the Willamette, the situation is admirable, the land fertile, and well adapted to the large stock- raising aspirations of the owner. A large and comfortable house, adequate barns and out- houses, and all manner of modern agricultural improvements contribute to the peace and happi- ness of one of the highly honored early settlers of Lane county.

SILAS M. TITUS. An example of energy, pluck and perseverance is to be found in the life of Silas M. Titus, who came to Oregon in 1852, empty-handed, save for the courage and earnest- ness of purpose which had already led him to become independent, since he had made his own way in the world from the age of eleven years. He was born in Knox county, Ohio, June 6. 1828, and is the only one living of a family of twelve children born to his parents, John and Mary (Konkle) Titus, the father dying when Silas was seven years old and the mother when he was eleven. Ten of the children attained maturity, but only one found his way into the broader opportunities of a western life.

Left alone and penniless, this lad struck

bravely out into the world, undaunted by the task which lay before him, first finding employ- ment in Numa, Ind., on a farm, while he at- tended school during the winters. He remained there for two years, when he went to Wapello county, Iowa, where he worked as a farm hand for four years. He then began farming on his own resources, raising a crop and feeding hogs, which he drove to Keokuk and sold. Through the glowing reports from the west, Mr. Titus was induced to cast in his lot with the pioneers of Oregon. He joined another man who was outfitting for the trip, furnishing his own pro- visions and one yoke of cattle, and on April 20, 1852, they lett Iowa and began the journey. Beyond the events incident to life on the plains the journey was safely completed, their destina- tion being reached October I of the same year. Mr. Titus had but one ox left, which he sold for $20. The day after his arrival, with his custom- ary expedition, he entered the employ of Hen- derson Llewellyn, a horticulturist of Milwaukee, Ore., his remuneration to be $50 per month. For two years Mr. Titus remained in this em- ployment, when he went to the mines in south- ern Oregon and worked for $4 per day and his board. In 1855 he went to Eugene, when there were only about a dozen houses there. He was then in the employ of the government, freight- ing provisions to the soldiers of the Rogue River war. Afterward he worked at different occupa- tions until the spring of 1857, when he located a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres at Goshen, Lane county, which he proceeded to improve and cultivate, as it was entirely wild land. He engaged in general farming and stock- raising. In 1862 he went to the Salmon river and spent some time prospecting, July 3 of that year finding him with only $1.50. He then went to work at $4 per day, and also conducted a store at night, and when he returned to his home in Lane county, October I, he had $850. The fol- lowing year he raised another crop, and in the spring of 1864 he had $600 left. Two-thirds of this he invested in cattle and took them to the present site of La Grande, where he engaged in stock-trading for two years. Through good management and business judgment this brought him in $3,000, with which he again returned to the northwestern part of the state, the summer following engaging in teaming in Portland, after which he bought a thresher and located on his farm. In the fall he disposed of the thresher and located in Eugene, where he bought a livery stable on Ninth street, and for fourteen years conducted the same with marked success, when he engaged in the hardware business, and so con- tinned for the ensuing two years. He then sold out and became interested in the real estate pos- sibilities of Eugene, and with Col. J. A. Straight

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as a partner he laid out Glenwood Park addition, three hundred acres cut up into five and ten-acre tracts, with the exception of ten acres which were laid out into city lots. Though in this business a few days less than nine months, he cleared $4,300, and this venture closed his busi- ness career, as he then retired to private life. He owns the lot at the corner of Ninth and Wil- lamette streets, upon which he erected a brick building, the dimensions of which are 60x160 feet, and also owns his farm and other property.

Mr. Titus was married in Cloverdale, Ore., to Miss Georgetta Pierce, a native of Hamilton, Ohio, and the daughter of Greenberry Pierce. The latter came to Oregon in 1852, having crossed the plains to California in 1849, where he remained for a short time and then returned to Ohio. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Titus, of whom John A. is located on the home farm, and Alice is the wife of John O'Brien, of Albany. Fraternally Mr. Titus be- came an Odd Fellow in 1868, and politically casts his ballot with the Democratic party.

HENRY L. MITCHEL. An orderly and hospitable home from the gateway of which has come forth worthy sons and daughters to par- ticipate in the moving events of Lane county, was that of James G. Mitchel, a pioneer of 1852, and prominent agriculturally, politically and re- ligiously. The member of the second generation on the coast of whom special mention is here made is Henry L. Mitchel, who inherits the stable traits of his father, and who is the owner of a finely improved farm of one hundred and thirty acres on Pleasant Hill.

James G. Mitchel was born in Darke county, Ohio, in August, 1818, and at a very early day removed with some of his family to Iowa. His father followed the trade of stonemason, and the son in youth mastered the trade under his sire, working thereat at different periods of his life. He married in Iowa, in 1846, Miranda Shelly, a native of Illinois, and in 1852 sold his farm, and prepared to emigrate to the west. With his wife and children he started out under the most favorable conditions, having plenty of oxen and provisions, and being well prepared for any weather emergency. The Indians proved peace- ful along their path, but illness brought sorrow to the little family, and one of the children was left in a little wayside grave. Upon taking an inventory of their possessions at the end of the journey, one ox and one cow and a limited amount of provisions were found with which to begin life in their new home. The father took up a claim of three hundred and twenty acres fifteen miles southeast of Eugene, and here the parents spent the balance of their lives, the

mother attaining to forty-seven, and the father to seventy-six years. No farm in the neighbor- hood held out such inducements for sociability and hospitality as did that of the Mitchel fam- ily, and neighbors deemed it a privilege to gather under its low ceilings and partake of the abun- dantly supplied larder. The mother, from earli- est girlhood, took a keen interest in church work, contributing to the extent of her means towards all humanitarian and charitable opportunities which appealed to her judgment.

On this finely improved farm of the pioneer settler his son, Henry L., was born November 17, 1861, and like his brothers and sisters was educated primarily in the district schools. He has never wandered far from the scene of his birth and childhood, and now occupies a portion of the old claim, his sister, Jane, occupying the rest of the farm. He moved into his present house immediately after his marriage, in 1887, with Ellen Teeter, who was born in California and reared in Lane county, Ore. They are the parents of four children, three of whom are liv- ing: Raymond, James Gregory, and Anna L. Seventy acres of the farm of Mr. Mitchel are under cultivation, and he carries on general farming and stock-raising, devoting particular attention to the latter. The finest of Cotswold sheep and Jersey cattle roam on his meadows, and bring in a handsome profit to swell the yearly earnings. Mr. Mitchel has always fa- vored the Democratic party, and as a stanch ad- herent thereto has served as a school director for several years. With his wife and children he is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Mitch- el is progressive, well posted on current events, and alert for all improvement, whether on his farm, in his family, or in the community of which he is an honored and influential member.

JOHN SHELLEY. That interest and charm which centers around familiar landmarks, and more especially those which represent the up- ward struggle of men who have attained to prominence, will always be felt by those who appreciate stability and personal worth. Trav- elers along the highway which skirts the farm of John Shelley have years ago ceased to ask regarding the author of this prosperity, for the comfortable dwelling, large barns and fine ap- pointments have stood with but few changes for many years. The farm of three hundred and twenty acres, located twelve miles east of Eu- gene, has yielded its harvests continuously under the same management since 1852, the owner in the meanwhile having spent but one year away from it, and that near Walla Walla, Wash. Dur- ham cattle, Berkshire hogs, and Cotswold sheep add to the variety of marketable products, and a

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general farming industry is conducted with equally good results.

Although 110 longer a young man Mr. Shelley has the heart and brain and purpose which be- longs to youth, and he can enter heartily into the diversions and interests of those who have seen far fewer years. He was born in Macoupin county, Ill., September 7, 1827, his parents, George and Catherine (Gabbert) Shelley, hav- ing been born in Kentucky. Shortly after their marriage the parents moved to Illinois, and about 1834 changed their home to Iowa, remaining there until they. located in Oregon. In 1852 the family made arrangements to cross the plains with ox-teams, and although they were singu- larly fortunate in not having encounters with the Indians, cholera invaded their ranks, and to this dread disorder the father succumbed on the Platte river. The family proceeded alone to Lane county, where John Shelley took up the claim which he still owns, the other members of the family living with him for a short time. The mother soon after went on to Grand Ronde, re- maining there for the rest of her life. Of the thirteen children but two are living, and of these Mrs. Polly Robinson lives in Marion county.

The marriage of Mr. Shelley and Margaret Park, the latter a native of Virginia, and whose parents located also in Lane county, occurred in 1847, in Iowa. Thirteen children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Shelley, of whom the fol- lowing are living: Thomas, living in Idaho; Pascal N., a resident of Lane county ; Caroline, the wife of Mack Fern, of Lane county ; Weston P., at home; Anna became the wife of W. P. Martin and lives at home; Leona married F. S. Winfrey and resides in Eugene; Zora, the wife of J. H. West, of Lane county ; and Harry and Ira, at home. Although no politician, in the accepted meaning of that term, Mr. Shelley is interested in the Democratic party, voting, how- ever, as a rule, for the man best qualified to serve the general good. His life has been char- acterized by the greatest regard for honesty and fair dealing, and his friends are numerous in the neighborhood where he makes his home.

FREDERICK WILLIAM PRENTICE, M. D. To Dr. F. W .· Prentice, of Eugene, medical science is a realm of intricate and interminable avenues, lit with prophetic and alluring lamps, under which the wayfarer travels reverently, in- telligently, and always with uplifted, expectant eyes. Because at a certain mile-post in his jour- ney he is given license to use his knowledge for the benefit of others, the true scientist continues his way without note of any stopping-place, and his life, however long or well ordained, goes out

with great questions still unsolved, and the illu- minated ways and mysterious shadows still beck- oning. Thus, this scholarly practitioner has evinced something of the spirit of the old master painters, whose indestructible masterpieces breathe an appreciation for their work far be- yond any remuneration which a grateful world might tender them. When to this singleness of purpose is added a wholesome attitude towards the exigencies and comforts of latter-day life, a genial spirit, and harmonious disposition, one is constrained to believe that this town in the far northwest is reaching, through the lives of her adopted sons, the acme of advancement in a noble science.

Dr. Prentice has had the advantage of the best possible medical and surgical training, and he comes of an ancestry of which much may rea- sonably be expected. Authentic records trace the family history back in the fourteenth cen- tury, when those bearing the name pursued their various vocations in Suffolk, England, from which county later members removed to Essex county. Near Wivenhoe, Essex, Dr. Prentice was born July 1, 1844, his father, George Alex- ander Prentice, being a native of Boxstead, Essex, while his mother, Caroline (Ellis) Pren- tice, a daughter of Henry Ellis, was born in Suf- folk. The elder Prentice came to America in 1871, and both himself and wife died on their farm in Caroline county. Md. They had ten children, eight of whom were daughters, Fred- erick W. being the oldest in the family, and the only one to establish a name and home in the northwest.

The successful career of his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles J. Worts, a surgeon of Essex, had much to do with fashioning the career of Dr. Prentice. After leaving the home farm and being graduated from the Royal Grammar School of Colchester, he began to study under his gifted relative. Subsequently he attended two courses of lectures at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1871 came to Toronto, Can- ada, the following year removing to Urbana, Champaign county, Ill. Here he engaged in a general medical and surgical practice, and at the same time filled the chairs of anatomy, physiol- ogy, pharmacy, and materia medica at the Uni- versity of Illinois at Champaign. In 1877 leave of absence from the university was granted him, and he took a course at the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, being graduated in 1878. Returning to Urbana, he continued to practice and instruct, and finally entered the medical de- partment of the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, being graduated in the class of May, 1887.

Since coming to Eugene in the fall of 1887, Dr. Prentice has continued his professional re-

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searches with unabated enthusiasm, and in 1903 took a course at the Illinois College of Electro- Therapeutics in Chicago. He is a great believer in the efficacy of electricity, and his many mod- ern office appliances include a standard static machine with an X-ray attachment. The doctor is fortunately appreciated in his adopted town, his patrons including many families who have depended upon his services for many years, and many who unstintingly credit him with the pres- ervation of their lives under most discouraging and often seemingly hopeless circumstances. His scholarly papers are listened to with greatest at- tention at the meetings of the medical societies in which the county and state abounds, and he is associated as a member with the American Medical Association, the Oregon State Medical Association, and the Lane County Medical So- ciety. Here, as in the state of Illinois, he is a member of the United States Board of Examin- ing Surgeons, and has served as treasurer of the same for many years. The doctor is a Repub- lican in political affiliation, but the many de- mands upon his time have never permitted more than necessary participation in the affairs of his party. Formerly associated with the Urbana (Ill.) Masons, he is now a member of Eugene Lodge No II, A. F. & A. M., and has been trans- ferred from the Urbana Royal Arch Masons, which he joined in 1874, to the chapter in Eu- gene. He is a member of the Eastern Star, as is also Mrs. Prentice, whom he married in Indi- anapolis, Ind., in 1886, and who was formerly Mrs. Elizabeth (Burch) Fickle, of Rochester, Ind. Mrs. Prentice is a member of the Epis- copal Church, and is especially active in the Fortnightly Club. The family occupy one of the pleasant and hospitable homes in Eugene, and the doctor and his wife represent the highest social and intellectual life in the northwest.

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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 223

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