Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 235

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 235

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JAMES ISAAC JONES. A man of remark- able business energy, foresight and sagacity, James Isaac Jones, of Cottage Grove, occupies a position of eminence in the financial, agricul- tural, political and social life of Lane county. During his active career he has been conspicu- ously identified with many of the leading indus- tries of this section of the state, and in his oper- ations has invariably met with success. A son of C. H. Jones, he was born December 1, 1866, in Macon, Macon county, Mo., of Virginian an- cestry. Isaac W. Jones, the grandfather of James Isaac, was born in Virginia, of colonial stock. Going to Tennessee as a pioneer, he worked at his trade of an iron forger until 1850, when he followed the march of civilization westward to Missouri. In Macon county, near the city of Macon, he carried on general farming until his death, at the advanced age of eighty-six years.

He died in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in which he did much active work, being a local preacher.

Born in Tennessee, C. H. Jones accompanied his parents to Missouri, and with the exception of a year spent in Indiana, lived in that state until 1883. On account of failing health, he then migrated to Oregon, locating at Cottage Grove as a carpenter, and still resides here, liv- ing rather retired from active pursuits. He mar- ried Louisa Harriet Gentry, who was born in Indiana, near Bloomington, where her father, James Gentry, a farmer, was born, lived, and died. Six children were born of their union, James Isaac, the third child, being the only son.

Completing his education in the public schools of Oregon, James Isaac Jones embarked in busi- ness on his own account, in 1889, as a butcher, borrowing $50 for the purpose. At the end of two years he sold out, having paid off his indebt- edness, and cleared $600 in that time. In 1891 he bought a saw-mill on the Coast Fork Willan- ette river, and in a short time had so enlarged his business that he had to increase the capacity of the mill from six thousand to ten thousand feet per day, later increasing it to thirty-three thousand feet per day. With characteristic en- terprise he built a lumber plant at what is now Saginaw, in Lane county, thus establishing the town, which he named, and assisted in building. The mill has a capacity of sixty-five thousand feet per day, and the flume is five miles, nine hundred feet long, and one thousand six hundred and sixty feet high at the summit. The plant, which is one of the largest in the county, has planing mills and dryers connected with it. In 1898 Mr. Jones sold out his lumber interests, and later bought four hundred and twenty acres of land adjoining Cottage Grove on the south- east, the farm being known as the old Shields donation claim, and subsequently laid off the J. I. Jones addition to the town.

Embarking in enterprises of a different nature in 1899, Mr. Jones purchased three different groups of mining claims in the Bohemia district, buying a part of the Music and Oregon claim, a part of the Colorado group, and a part of the Winchester group. In 1900 he sold his share in the first three groups, but still retains the Win- chester, which he is developing, obtaining a fine grade of lead ore. In his mining ventures he met with much success, and also made money in land speculations, having, in 1900, in company with J. W. Cook, of Portland, purchased ten thousand acres of railway land, and two thou- sand acres of school script lands, all of which he has since sold at an advantageous price. In 1901 he bought the Major Chrisman ranch of seven hundred and fifty-four acres, at Saginaw, where lie is carrying on an extensive dairy and

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creamery business, keeping one hundred and seventy-five head of cattle. He is also the owner of four hundred and twenty acres of good timber land in Lane county. In 1900 Mr. Jones estab- lished himself in the hardware business in Cot- tage Grove, continuing for a year as head of the firm of Jones & Phillips.

Mr. Jones married, at Cottage Grove, Lillie Lewis, who was born in Lane county, a daughter of J. B. Lewis, a general merchant of this place. She died a year after their marriage. Mr. Jones married second, in Eugene, Ore., Gertrude H. Roberts, who was born in Iowa, the birthplace of her father, John Roberts, a farmer, who is now living retired from active pursuits, in Eugene. Four children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Jones, namely : Oscar I., deceased; Franklin Carl; Robert Lester; and Marie. In politics Mr. Jones is a Republican. He has served as precinct commissioner, for one term was mayor of the city, and is now serving his second term as councilman. He is prominent in fraternal organizations, belonging to the Blue Lodge, of Cottage Grove; to Eugene Chapter, R. A. M .; to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; to the Knights of Pythias; and to the Artisans. He is an active member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, of which he is steward and trus- tee, and superintendent of the Sunday school, having held the latter position the past four years.

GABRIEL MILLER is the son of Malcolm Miller, who was born in Scotland, and when twenty-six years old emigrated to America, set- tling first in Nova Scotia, where he engaged as a coal miner. In 1843 he removed to Tioga county, Pa., from which location he removed to Beardstown, Ill., and there continued as a miner. In the spring of 1850 the family made the six- months trip to Oregon with ox-teams, the first winter here being spent at Salem and the next spring finding them located upon a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres two miles north of Scio. There Mr. Miller engaged in farming and stock-raising until his death. He married Jenetta Anderson, who was born at The Shaws, Scotland, her death occurring about six years after that of her husband.

The birth of Gabriel Miller occurred in Nova Scotia, March 24, 1841, and he became a resident of the United States when only two years old, and of Oregon at the age of nine years. His education was principally received through the medium of the district schools of Linn county. When twenty years old he left home and, going to the mines of Boise City and Salmon river, he remained there for three years, after which he re- turned to Linn county and took a homestead,

upon sixty-four acres of which he now makes his home. Mr. Miller was married twice, the result of the first union being one daughter, Anna. After the death of his first wife he mar- ried A. N. Titus, their children being Ezra, de- ceased; Eugene and Frank, both at home with their parents. In his political views Mr. Miller is independent.

WAGNER BROTHERS. Within the re- markably short period of twelve years Wagner Brothers, Fred and William, have built up one of the finest general repair, blacksmithing, wagon and carriagemaking, and agricultural im- plement enterprises in the state of Oregon. Fred J., the senior member of the firm, was born near Oshkosh, Wis., June 17, 1863, while William was born in the same place August 9, 1867.

As the name implies the brothers are of Ger- man ancestry, their father J. C., and their grand- father, Christ, having been born in Berlin, Ger- many. The grandfather brought his family to America, settling in Dodge county, Wis., where he engaged in farming and where he died. He had five sons, and four of them served in the Civil war, one of them giving up his life for the cause. J. C. Wagner is recalled as a many-sided genius. For many years he engaged in the mer- chandise business in Oshkosh, Wis., and in 1879 he removed to Kensington, Smith county, Kans., where he farmed and raised stock. After remov- ing to Oregon, in 1889, he lived in retirement, and his death occurred in the office of his pros- perous sons, March 8, 1900, of heart failure, he being at the time sixty-seven years of age. He married Mary Raisler, who also was born in Germany, a daughter of Carl Andrew Raisler, who brought his family to Wisconsin, settling on the farm upon which he died in Waupaca county. Mrs. Wagner, who is still living, is the mothet of five children, and besides Fred J. and William J., the two older sons, there is a daughter, Clara, now Mrs. Reed, of Dallas; Henry A., living in Dallas; and Theodore A., superintendent of the electrict light plant in Dallas.

The Wagner brothers were reared partially in Wisconsin, and were both young when the father removed to Kansas in 1879. As boys they were interested in machinery. At the age of eighteen Fred apprenticed to learn the wagon and car- riagemaking trade at Kerwin, Kans., and after serving for three years formed a partnership with his brother William. This was in 1884, and they started a little shop in Germantown, Smith county, Kans., which they conducted until 1887. They then removed to Agra, Phillips county, and during the two-years residence there determined to cast in their fortunes with the far west. In order to see the country and select a

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suitable location, they outfitted for driving the entire way, taking their way through Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington, where they stayed some time in Spokane. After visiting several places in Oregon they rented a shop in Dallas in May, 1891, and inaugurated a general repair and blacksmithing business, which proved so successful that larger quarters were an im- perative necessity, and by 1899 they were obliged to build. The present building is 40x60 feet in ground dimensions, and has two stories, the shop being on the first floor. The second floor is de- voted to woodwork and painting and carriage- trimming. The motive power is an eight-horse- power engine. They have also a warehouse 26×44 feet, ground dimensions. A large amount of space is given up to agricultural implements, of which they carry a large variety.

Since coming to Dallas Fred J. Wagner has married Addie Elliott, a native of Canada, now the mother of one child, Vera. Mr. Wagner is a Prohibitionist in politics, and is fraternally con- nected with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows; the Encampment ; the Rebekahs ; the Fra- ternal Union, of which he is past grand; and the United Artisans. He is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. William J. Wagner married Mattie McIntosh, a native of Kentucky, and they have one child, Albert. Mr. Wagner also is an Odd Fellow, and past noble grand; a member of the Encampment ; the Rebekahs ; and the Fraternal Union. He is a member of the Lu- theran Church, and in political affiliation is a Socialist.

GEORGE T. HALL. That the man who suc- ceeds in mercantile ranks is endowed with a variety of well developed capabilities, that he has traveled a long way in pursuit of the knowledge required for the conduct of his business, and that nine times out of ten he has adhered to the fundamental principles of good judgment and integrity, is a conclusion endorsed by world-wide students of finance. The career of George T. Hall is herewith cited in illustration of the fore- going, a career worthy and meritorious in the extreme, and one which is interwoven with the upbuilding of Eugene since 1889.

Mr. Hall comes of a family which enjoys the distinction of being one of the first to settle in northern New York, and which bent its energies to the development of the agricultural and gen- eral resources of that state. The pioneer was the paternal grandfather, Thomas Hall, who was horn in New Hampshire, and who spent nearly all of his active life in Franklin county, N. Y., the exception being a few years spent in Quebec, where Truman Hall, the father of George T., was born. Truman Hall became a prominent

business man of Chateaugay, N. Y., where he engaged in manufacturing wagons until a few years before his death, and where his son, George T., was born February 15, 1844. Franklin county, N. Y., was for years the home of the Child family, into which Truman Hall married, his wife, Caroline, being a native of that county, a daughter of Jacob Child, who was born in his- toric Pomfret, Vt., and one of the pioneers of Franklin county. Mr. Child had many claims upon the consideration of his friends and neigh- bors in Franklin county, not the least of which was a valiant service in the war of 1812, and a reflected glory from the life of his father, who stacked his musket upon many of the battlefields of the Revolution. The younger Child availed himself of the forest advantages of Franklin county, and from a small beginning worked up a large lumber and saw-milling business, inci- dentally engaging in farming, and filling political offices, among them that of provost marshal on the frontier during the war of 1812. He was of English descent, and a man of strong char- acter and sterling worth.

Following close upon his completion of the course at Malone Academy, at Malone, Franklin county, N. Y., George T. Hall began his mercan- tile career as a clerk in a store, and, when he had secured the experience of five years to back him, started a merchandise store in his native town of Chateaugay, continuing therein between 1865 and 1889. During this time he became an im- portant factor in that village, participating in its political and other undertakings, and serving for two terms as a member of its board of trustees. Desiring a change, and feeling that twenty-four vears in the same line of business in the same locality had its drawbacks, he sold out and lo- cated in Eugene, Ore., in 1889, engaging in the grocery business at his present location, and under the firm name of Smith & Hall, for about three years. He then disposed of his interest to Mr. Smith, and eighteen months later started in the same place the mercantile concern of George T. Hall & Son. This store fills the requirements of a thriving and cosmopolitan community, and in its remodeled state, its modern furnishings, and exhaustive stock of general commodities, typifies the model and well managed general catering enterprise. An adjunct to the business is the largest warehouse in the town, located near the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. The ware- house is also put to general use, and Mr. Hall derives a substantial income from wool, hop, and mohair speculations, extending his business inter- ests also to the timber lands, of which he owns large tracts, and to the cultivation of hops, of which he owns several acres.

In Plattsburg, N. Y., Mr. Hall was united in marriage with Sarah A. Cook, who was born at

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Point Rush, Clinton county, N. Y., and who is the mother of two children. Of these, Carrie S., a graduate of an eastern institution, has been engaged in teaching in the public schools of Eugene for many years; and George T., Jr., a graduate of both the high school and university, is in business with his father. Becoming allied with the Masons in Chateaugay, N. Y., Mr. Hall is now a member of Eugene Lodge No. II ; the Royal Arch Chapter No. 10; the Ivanhoe Com- mandery No. 2, Knights Templar, and Al Kader Temple, N. M. S. Politically he is a Repub- lican, and is an ex-member of the state central committee. Mr. Hall brings to the conduct of his firmly established business a wide knowledge of general affairs, which finds vent in a keen in- terest in charitable and benevolent opportunities, and in the highest social and economic life of his city.

JAMES HOFFMAN. The life of the pioneer of this great northwest was often filled with un- known peril. In journeying thither he almost invariably traversed the intervening plain and desert with ox-teams, the slowest possible mode of locomotion, being many months on the road. Oftentimes dangers from hostile Indians, wild animals and troublesome insects were encoun- tered, and illness overtook the weary traveler. Although a boy of but nine years when he came to Oregon, James Hoffman, one of the most prosperous residents of Eugene, and the owner of the Hoffman House, has a vivid realization of the trials and tribulations that beset the original settlers of this section of the state. A native of Sangamon county, Ill., he was born December 21, 1842, about eight miles north of the city of Springfield, a son of William Hoffman.

Born and reared in Pennsylvania, William Hoffman removed to Sangamon county, Ill., in 1832, and was there engaged in general farming for nearly twenty years. On April 1, 1851, ac- companied by his wife and ten children, he started for Oregon, but, being taken ill with mountain fever, died at Big Sandy, and was buried there. His widow, whose maiden name was Martha Drake, was a native of Ohio. A woman of energy, determination and decision, she con- tinned the journey westward with her children. The train with which she traveled consisted of six wagons, each drawn by six yoke of oxen. a fine band of horses, twenty-five mares and two stallions, and one hundred cows, four of the horses belonging to the Hoffman family. The day after the train passed Fort Hall it came in contact with the Indians, who stole seventy-five horses, and killed an old lady, Mrs. Clark, and her son, and wounded a Miss Clark and a Mr. Sperry. About fifty men of the company gave

chase, following the savages over the desert for two days. Finding the enemy strongly en- trenched in the valley, a skirmish ensued, but as several of the men from the train were killed in the encounter the chase was given up, and the journey continued. The party arrived in Oregon in September, 1851, with but two wagons, ten yoke of oxen, and ten head of loose cattle, the others having been lost in the Indian stampede, or through the carelessness of the train leaders, Mrs. Hoffman losing every one of her horses.

Locating with her family in Corvallis, Ore., Mrs. Hoffman engaged in the hotel business for ten years, being quite successful. Subsequently marrying L. A. Clark, she settled on a farm about twelve miles south of Corvallis, on the Long Tom. She afterward lived in Linn county ten years, then removed to Junction City, Lane county, where she resided until her death, at the age of seventy-three years. She reared ten chil- dren, namely : Mrs. Sarah Bundy, who died in Benton county, Ore .; Mrs. Jane Roberts, who died in the same county; Mrs. Mary Alfred, of Baker City, Ore .; Nancy, wife of E. M. White, of Portland; Lucy F., who married R. C. George, died in Baker county; Mrs. Martha Esterbrook, who died in Baker county; Mrs. Fannie Wat- kins, of Douglas county ; James, the especial sub- ject of this sketch; Henry, resident of Eugene; and Thomas, a stockman and miner, living in Baker county.

While in his ninth year, James Hoffman started for Oregon with his parents, crossing the river at Council Bluffs. Arriving in Corvallis with his widowed mother and her family in Septem- ber, 1851, he attended the district school for a short time. Going with two of his brothers, in 1852, to get horses at the farm of H. C. Owens, in Lane county, he came through the present site of the city of Eugene, which at that time was a tract of wild land covered with tall grass and oak trees, the cabin and store of Eugene Skinner being hidden by the butte. From 1859 until 1873 Mr. Hoffman was successfully engaged in mining pursuits, being employed at various mines, including those at Orofino, Florence, Baker City, Boise Basin, John Day, South Boise, Idaho City, Oyhee, Clear Water, Buffalo Hump, Salmon river, Warren's Diggings, and many others, making most of the trips from mine to mine on foot, or with pack horses, occasionally having trouble with the Indians. Having in- vested a part of his savings in a ranch of three thousand acres, in Linn county, Mr. Hoffman re- turned to the valley in 1872, and embarked in business as a stock-raiser, his large farm lying about ten miles east of Harrisburg. Selling out at the end of seven years to Joseph Keel and B. Goldsmith, he bought a section of land, and for three years was engaged in farming on an ex-

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tensive scale, raising large quantities of grain. Removing to Junction City in 1883, he operated his farms in Linn and Lane counties for about twelve years, and while there invested heavily in Eugene property, in 1886 building the Hoffman House, which is 40x116 feet, three stories in height. Taking up his residence in Eugene in 1895, Mr. Hoffman has since devoted his time and attention to the management of his various interests, which keeps him busily employed. He owns different farms, aggregating about one thousand acres, has a large extent of timber land, and possesses valuable property in Eugene, hav- ing in his active career accumulated much wealth, and gained a position of prominence among the respected and esteemed citizens of Lane county.

Mr. Hoffman married, in Lane county, Eugenia Milliorn, who was born in Missouri, and came with her parents to this county in 1853, locating on the present site of Junction City. Her father kept Milliorn station, on the overland stage route, for twenty or more years, it being a celebrated stopping place for travelers in pioneer days. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman have one child only, Edith, who was graduated from the Uni- versity of Oregon. Politically Mr. Hoffman is a sound Republican, and fraternally he is a Knight of Pythias, and a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He takes great in- terest in the early history of the state, and be- longs to the State Pioneers' Association and the Lane County Historical Society.

LAWRENCE T. HARRIS was born in Al- bany, Linn county, Ore., September 13, 1873. In his native town Lawrence Thomas Harris lived until his tenth birthday, when he removed to Eugene with his parents, receiving a prelim- inary training in the public schools of the two cities, after which, in 1889, he entered the Uni- versity of Oregon. Four years later he was grad- uated from that institution with the degree of A.B. and in 1896 the degree of A.M. was con- ferred upon him. In the same year he was grad- nated from the law department with the degree of LL.B., and at once began a practice in Eugene which was successfully continued for four years. In the meantime he had grown in favor with the leaders of the Republican party, of which he is a stanch adherent, and in 1900 he was nominated by that party as one of the representatives from Lane county for the state legislature, and his election followed. While a member of this ses- sion he served on various important committees, among them being the committee on elections, of which he was chairman, ways and means com- mittees, and others. At the expiration of his term, 1902. he was renominated and elected by an increased majority of five hundred, and in

this session he was elected speaker of the house. Mr. Harris is also very prominent in local affairs, and is a member of the state Republican central committee.

Fraternally Mr. Harris affiliates with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Native Sons, Woodmen of the World, Knights of Pythias and Masons.

WILLIAM J. ROYSE. The man of affairs, the liberal, enterprising and very successful manipulator of the business forces of the north- west, is represented by W. J. Royse, senior part- ner of the firm of Royse & Peterson, manufac- turers of excelsior at Eugene. The youth strug- gling with adverse circumstances, and deriving little encouragement from any source save those within himself, might find much of value from talking with this practical and self-reliant manu- facturer, and perchance might thereafter find the royal road to success less obscure. From the first of his independent life Mr. Royse has not waited for opportunity, but has gone to meet it, and while catching up with it has put in his time vigorously prosecuting such work as he found · to do.

Born in Hancock county, Ill., January 6, 1862, he is the son of John N. and Jane (Stevens) Royse, natives respectively of Illinois and Ten- nessee; and grandson of John Royse, born in Indiana, and an early settler of Hancock county, Ill. The parents are living retired at present in a pleasant home in Watsonville, Cal., and the father doubtless often thinks with pride of his honorable life, which in the early days contained much of adventure and struggle. As a young man he joined an expedition bound for the coast, crossing the plains in 1849, and three or four years later, after mining with moderate success in California. returned to his home in Illinois by way of the Isthmus of Panama. He bought a large farm, stocked and improved it, and en- gaged in farming for several years. As in the case with the majority who have once, temporar- ily even, lived under the skies of the west, and felt the freedom engendered by close proximity to the ocean and mountains, his mind reverted frequently to the days of '49, and he finally yielded to the allurements of memory and again sought the coast country. This second expedition was undertaken in 1864 with horse, rather than ox- teams, and he had the solace of the companion- ship of his wife and two children, of whom W. J. Royse is the eldest, and was then but two years old. For a few weeks he tarried in Los Angeles, and in 1865 went to Santa Cruz county, farmed for many years, and then retired to Wat- sonville, Cal.

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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 235

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