Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 236

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 236

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Although reared and educated in Watsonville,

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Cal., W. J. Royse went to the country for his first business experience, at the age of twenty- one occupying a farm near the city, where he engaged in beet culture on an extensive scale. At the same time he represented as agent the paper mills of O'Neill Brothers & Callahan of Santa Cruz county, but in 1890 withdrew from these combined industries, and for four years represented the same company in Oregon, com- ing to Lebanon to assist in the installation of their plant. He had full charge of their straw business in this state, and did not enter his pres- ent business until 1894, when he bought an in- terest in the excelsior mill of O'Neill Brothers & Peterson, since which time the firm has been known by the name of Royse & Peterson. The excelsior plant, minutely described in the record of the life of Mr. Peterson, is one of the stable and upbuilding agencies of Eugene, and bears the stamp of the high character of the men di- recting its affairs. Mr. Royse has erected a com- fortable residence on the corner of Sixth and High streets, and with the assistance of his wife, formerly Ella Stroud, of Linn county, extends good fellowship and hospitality to a large circle of friends. In political affiliation Mr. Royse is a Democrat.

ELLEN JEANNETTE CHAMBERLIN, A. M. In the educational and literary circles of the great northwest, no name stands higher than that of Miss Chamberlin, one of the faculty of the Oregon Agricultural College, holding the po- sition of dean of women, and, also, that of pro- fessor of German, and instructor in English. Ob- taining a substantial education by years of study, and by travel in our own and foreign countries, she is highly cultured and accomplished, and fully equipped for her present high office in the institution with which she is connected.

A daughter of the late Joseph Chamberlin, Ellen J. Chamberlin was born in Romeo, Mich., of pioneer ancestry. Her father, Joseph Cham- berlin, a native of Lima, N. Y., was reared on the pioneer homestead in Michigan, receiving his elementary education in the district schools, and completing it at Albion College, in Albion, Mich., subsequently being a teacher in that institution for a number of years. In 1855, being strongly impressed with the necessity of civilizing the In- dian through christianity, he came as an inde- pendent missionary to Oregon, crossing the plains, and beginning his work on the Grand Ronde Reservation. Meeting with such success that he was encouraged to continue his labors in the same field, he returned, in 1856, to Michigan for his family, which he brought here in 1857, making both trips by way of Panama, and re- mained on that reservation five years more, being

there at the time that General Sheridan and Cap- tain Russell were stationed there with their troops. He was ambitious in his missionary work of ameliorating the conditions of the In- dians, in whose behalf he went to Washington, D. C., in 1859, to interview the president. Through his efforts, plans for investigating the injustice often done to the red man, and means for converting them to christianity, were estab- lished, his work meeting with due appreciation. He continued his labors on the reservation until 1862, when he removed to Salem, Ore., that he might educate his children at the Willamette University, and remained a resident of that city until his death, in 1887. A man of high personal worth, deeply religious, charitable and benevo- lent, he was held in great respect throughout the community.

Joseph Chamberlin married Olive Warren, who was born in Covington, N. Y., and died in 1874, at Salem, Ore. She came of Revolutionary stock, being a lineal descendant of Dr. Joseph Warren, who lost his life at the battle of Bunker Hill, and a daughter, also, of one who suffered for his country, her father, Abel Warren, who fought in the war of 1812, having received a wound at the battle of Lundy's Lane that caused his death a few years later. Eight children were born of their union, namely: Martin L., late clerk of the state land board, at Salem; Mary L., wife of O. A. Waller, of Salem; Ellen Jeannette, the special subject of this sketch; Lydia, now Mrs. Crockett, of Seattle, Wash .; Sarah, now Mrs. C. B. Moores, of Oregon City ; Olive, wife of Judge Belt, of Spokane, Wash .; Leonore, wife of Charles Weller, of Salem; and Julia, wife of J. L. Shultz, of Portland, Ore. All of the children were educated at Willamette Univer- sity.

After receiving the degree of B. S. at the Willamette University, in 1868, Miss Chamber- lin immediately began her professional career, teaching first in a private school, after which she was an instructor in the academical department of her alma mater for nine years. The following three years she taught in a public school in Port- land, going from there to The Dalles Academy, where she taught for five years under Dr. Gatch, going then with him to the University of Wash- ington, at Seattle, where she held the chair of literature for ten years. Meanwhile she spent a vear abroad, in 1891-'92, perfecting herself in German in Berlin, and visiting the principal points of interest in Great Britain and on the continent, including the celebrated universities, the Alps, Coliseum, Catacombs, Vatican, etc. In 1897, Miss Chamberlin accepted a position at the State Normal School, in Monmouth, Ore., re- maining there until 1899, when she came to Cor- vallis. Miss Chamberlin has met with undoubted

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success as a teacher, and is everywhere recog- nized as a woman of talent and culture. She re- sides at the corner of Faculty Row and Apple- Bloom way, where she has erected a comfortable and conveniently arranged cottage.

THOMAS BARBRE was born April 1, 1829, in Washington county, Vt., and when six months old his mother died, and when ten he was also bereft of the care of his father. For three years following this last event he lived with his brother, and then found a comfortable home, with a kind family, where he remained until he had reached his majority, receiving his education in the sub- scription schools common to the day. On leav- ing the home which had been his for so many . years Mr. Barbre came as far west as Iowa, and there engaged as a teacher for a period of two years, at the end of which time he started across the plains as the driver of an ox-team, every foot of the distance between the Mississippi valley and the northwest being traveled on foot. On his arrival in Oregon he spent about a year in Marion county, located near Salem, and in 1853 he came to Lane county and took up a donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres in Lost valley and one mile south of Dexter. This has remained his home since, with the exception of two and a half years, which he spent upon a-farm north of Eugene, having purchased land in that vicinity, and owning at the present time three hundred and eleven acres, seventy-five of which are under cultivation, and is carrying on general farming and stock-raising, in the latter business having a number of Hereford cattle.

Mr. Barbre and wife are the parents of the following children: Irvin, located in this vicin- ity ; Minnie, now Mrs. Voegli, of southern Ore- gon ; Lurilla, now Mrs. Hanna, of Baker City; Alma, now Mrs. Handsaker, of Eugene; Clyde. Mrs. Jinks, of Butte, Mont .; and Earl, at home with his parents. Mr. Barbre is a Republican, and in religion belongs to the Christian Church, in which he has always manifested great interest and activity.

JAMES T. KIRK. In 1865 James T. Kirk arrived in Oregon, having crossed the plains as captain of a train of one hundred and nine wagons. They had come via the Platt river, over the old Barlow route and across the Cas- cade mountains, the journey occupying six months. Upon their arrival in Oregon they scattered to various locations, anxious and hope- ful of finding a home in the land which had come to be a Mecca for many of the farmers of the Mississippi valley, the spirit of restlessness probably being due to the fact that they were

the sons of pioneers who had early settled in their homes and grown a part of the country which they helped to make. It was so with Mr. Kirk, for both his father and grandfather were pioneers, one east and the other a short distance west of the Mississippi river. The grandfather, James Kirk, was a native of Virginia, and at an early date he came across the mountains into Kentucky, walking with his gun on his shoulder beside the horse which carried his wife to assist him in the making of a home in the new lands of the valley. He located near Lebanon, where the remainder of his life was passed. He was a patriot as well as a pioneer in the cause of his country, having served in the Revolution. His son, Jesse Kirk, the father of James T. Kirk, was born in Kentucky, and in 1830 he left his native state and settled in Illinois, where he re- mained eighteen months, after which, in the lat- ter half of 1831, he went to Randolph county, Mo. He later became a resident of Adair coun- ty, in which he spent the remainder of his life, the principal city of that county, Kirksville, being a standing monument of the influence which he exerted as its first settler. His death occurred four miles east of that city, August 31, 1846, at the age of eighty years. He married Frances Gray, a native of Tennessee, who died near Junc- tion City October 30, 1867, the mother of five children, four sons and one daughter, of whom the oldest was James T., born near Lebanon, Ky., October 1, 1820.

His position in the family necessitating more or less attention to the wants of the other and younger members, James T. Kirk was prevented from obtaining anything but a very limited edu- cation in the primitive schools of Kentucky, and his years were well occupied for others until he was twenty years old, when he married and went to farming for himself. He located in Missouri, whither he had removed with his parents when he was only eleven years old, and there remained until 1865. when with a large number of others he sought a home in the west. In October, 1866, they located five miles southwest of Junction City, Lane county, where he bought three hundred and fifty-five acres, upon which he remained un- til 1876, when he came to Junction City and became the owner of forty acres in the near vicin- ity. where he put in a small hopyard and later gave this property to his youngest son. His farm is now rented and he is living retired, having met with very satisfactory results from his efforts in Oregon, accumulating considerable property. In addition to that already named he owns eighty acres eight miles west of Monroe, Ben- ton county, a blacksmith shop. several lots in the business part of the city and his own residence.

Mr. Kirk was married March 2, 1841, in Mis- souri, to Virginia Adkins, who was born in

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Howard county, Mo., and died in Oregon in January, 1866. She was the daughter of James Adkins, a native of Virginia, who located in Howard county, Mo., and later removed to Adair county, near the present site of the city of Kirks- ville, where his death occurred. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Kirk, Jesse F. is located in this vicinity as a farmer; Jaines C., is near Heppner, Ore .; William A. is deceased ; Frances Elizabeth is also deceased; John T. died in in- fancy; Rev. Charles E., is in Phoenix, Ariz .; Thomas J. is also in this vicinity ; and Joseph H. also died in infancy. Jannary 1, 1868, Mr. Kirk married Nancy A. McClure, who was born in Bruceville, Ind., the daughter of William Mc- Clure, who was born in a southern state and died in Indiana, after a useful life as a farmer. No children blessed the second union, and after the death of his wife, which occurred August 9, 1900, Ida Adkins, the niece of his first wife, took charge of the household and has since cared for Mr. Kirk. As a Democrat Mr. Kirk has served for one term as a member of the city council. Fraternally he is a Master Mason, and also be- longs to the Presbyterian Church.

J. I. PHILIPPI. Pursuing their calm and uneventful lives in the midst of the many-sided activity of Eugene are men content to be onlook- ers only, who walk with leisurely and ofttimes halting steps her busy thoroughfares, and who gladly return to the peace of quiet homes, re- mote from heated and surging ambitions, and the mad struggle for gold which in other days looked so alluring. To them the occasion has passed,

but in going it has been well utilized by these agricultural toilers, whose present thrift argues well for an earlier appreciation of the giant op- portunities which beckoned them to the coast, and caused them to stake their all on the means to accomplish the long journey. No class of citizens enjoys to greater extent the esteem of the thoughtful rising generation than those tillers of the soil, who have laid aside their worn im- plements, and with hearts and minds mellowed into harmony with their surroundings, carry around with them an impression of rest and peace. Among the erstwhile farmers who are now profiting bv the advantages of Eugene may be mentioned J. I. Philippi, who came here in 1902, after improving some of the finest and most paying properties in Lane county.

The oldest in a family of nine children, seven of whom are living. Mr. Philippi was born in Somerset county, Pa., September 24, 1839. his parents, David and Marv (McMillan) Philippi, being natives of the same county and state, as was also his paternal grandfather. John Philippi. The grandfather McMillan came from the north

of Ireland and settled in Somerset county, Pa., where he died on his farm at the age of ninety- nine years. David Philippi and his wife spent their entire married life in the east and middle west, removing to Iowa about 1857, where the husband bought a farm, and where he died in 1866. He is survived by his wife, who lives in Eugene, Ore., and who is four score and three years old. Among the heroes of the Civil war were two of the sons of David Philippi, both being members of the Thirty-second Iowa In- fantry, and one of whom, John, was killed at the battle of Sabine Cross Roads. His brother, Maple, was wounded in the same memorable battle, but recovered in due time and is now liv- ing in the state of Minnesota.

In his youth J. I. Philippi had the advantages of the public schools in both Pennsylvania and Iowa, being seventeen years of age when he re- moved with his parents to the latter state. True, the schools were of the pioneer kind and but ir- regularly attended, but he was of a studions turn of mind, and instinctively grasped the impor- tance of acquiring all possible general knowl- edge. At the age of twenty-one he began to clerk in a general store in Clarksville, Iowa, and finally became interested in a mercantile business of his own under the firm name of Newman & Philippi. Mr. Newman, who afterward became Mr. Philippi's father-in-law, proved a capable and thoroughly reliable man, and the partners were destined to spend many years of their busi- ness life together. The marriage of Mary New- man and Mr. Philippi occurred in 1862, and in 1869 the partners sold out their business, and crossed the plains to Oregon with horse teams. The long journey was accomplished withont any serious mishaps, and was memorable because of the fact that for a part of the way they traveled with the noted Kit Carson. Mr. Philippi located a claim near Hillsboro, Washington county, for a year, and then bought and managed a tanyard with Mr. Newman for a year. In 1871 Mr. Philippi and Mr. Newman bought a farm of six hundred and forty acres five miles north of Al- bany, which they conducted with considerable success until 1883, when Mr. Philippi sold his interest and invested in three hundred and twenty acres near Coburg, in Lane county, where he engaged in general farming and stock-raising until 1902. He was very successful, his crops being invariably large and of good quality, and his stock bringing the highest market prices. In 1902 he removed to Eugene, where he lives, hav- ing retired from active pursuits.

In 1862 Mr. Philippi was married to Miss Mary Newman, daughter of his partner, Henry Newman, who died in Linn county, Ore., in 1889. Mrs. Newman was born in Adams county, Ohio. Politically Mr. Philippi is a Democrat, but

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aside from assisting his office-seeking friends, has never taken a very active interest in party affairs. He is a well informed and studious man, and while on the farm invariably supplied him- self and family with current literature, thus en- couraging habits of thought and research in the minds of those around him. He has reared wisely and well a large family, and eight of his fourteen children are living. Of these, Henry and Barton live in Eugene; George lives at Sweet Home; Charles is a resident of Flora, Ore .; Walter lives on a farm in Linn county; Alice is now Mrs. Meyer, of Linn county; Emma is the wife of Percy Long of Eugene; and Lizzie lives with her parents. Genial in his intercourse with friends and associates, firm in his adherence to fair dealing and integrity, Mr. Philippi com- mands the respect and good will of all who know him.

HARVEY C. VEATCH. Throughout the length and breadth of Lane county, Harvey C. Veatch, or "Burne Veatch," as he is familiarly known, is regarded as a typical pioneer, resource- ful, brave and industrious, true to his friends and to the best interests of a flourishing agricul- tural community. Since his retirement from ac- tive life in 1894, Cottage Grove has profited by his citizenship, and a popular store, that of Veatch & Lewis, has enabled him to enjoy a satisfactory income through his investment in its interests, which are looked after by his son, O. O. Veatch. He has erected a pleasant and commodious residence, and besides owns four other buildings, some of them rented to busi- ness firms. Incidentally Mr. Veatch loans money on real estate and other security, and takes a practical and helpful interest in the general affairs of the town.

The early ancestors of Mr. Veatch pursued their various occupations in the picturesque country of Wales, the first to emigrate to Amer- ica being three brothers, Elias, Nathan and James, who settled in North Carolina and Ala- bama. James, the paternal great-grandfather of Harvey C., married a Miss Raynor in 1751, re- moved with her to North Carolina, where his death occurred in 1780. He was the father of eight children, of whom the following served in the Revolutionary war: Walter, Isaac, James, Amos and Charles. Elias, the paternal grand- father, removed at an early day to Illinois, his death occurring there in 1820. His son, Isaac, the father of Harvey C., was horn in North Carolina, August 25. 1786. Isaac went to Georgia on business, and there married Mary Miller, and soon after located in Tennessee, in time joining his father in the far-off state of Illinois. Near Enfield, White county, he con-

bined agricultural pursuits with the running of a grist-mill, applying also his trade of cabinet- maker as opportunity offered. About 1881 he came west to spend the remainder of his life with his children, and two years later, in 1882, his death occurred at the home of his son, Har- vey C., at the age of ninety-three years. He was a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln, and in his religious affiliations was a Presbyterian. In his family were twelve sons and four daugh- ters, three of whom are living at the present time, Robert M., Harvey C. and Sylvester E. Isaac Veatch served in the war of 1812, and always took an active interest in political and other undertakings of his neighborhood.

Born in White county, Ill., near Enfield, No- vember 10, 1828, Harvey C. Veatch had about the same educational chances as had his fifteen brothers and sisters, the extent being a little log school-house with slab benches. About 1845 he removed with his parents to Davis county, Iowa, settling on a farm eight miles southwest of Bloomfield and here in 1853 an opportunity pre- sented itself to cross the plains in an emigrant train, as driver and general helper for Samuel B. Knox, his future father-in-law. The train encountered some very annoying experiences, al- though the members were very careful and al- ways maintained a strict guard day and night. At Elkhorn, Neb., the Indians stampeded the cattle, and on another occasion, while hunting on Wolf Creek, Nev., Mr. Vcatch and Mr. Knox were surrounded and surprised by a large num- ber of Indians, barely escaping with their lives. In July, 1854, Mr. Veatch located a claim of two hundred and seventy acres one and a half miles below Cottage Grove, and for forty years this continued to be his home, the field of the most successful and far-reaching effort of his life. Later, by purchase, three hundred and twenty acres of the Thos. L. Knox donation claim was added to his holdings.

The romance begun on the plains with the daughter of his friend and employer continued after the respective settlements were made in Oregon, and the wedding of Mr. Veatch and Mar- garet Jane Knox was solemnized December 24. 1854, near Cottage Grove. Miss Knox was born in Hancock county, Ill., July 27, 1831, a daugh- ter of Samuel B. Knox, who was born in Ken- tucky in 1810. Mr. Knox was married in his native state, removed to Hancock county, Ill., at a very early day, and in 1841 located with his family in Schuyler county, Mo. He was a nat- ural money-maker, shrewd at driving a bargain. vet generous and honorable withal, and he was just the kind of man to succeed well in the state to which he came in 1853. He brought with him considerahle live stock, and at the end of the journey had one hundred cows, valued at $100

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each, with which he started a stock business on his donation claim near Cottage Grove. More land was added to his original purchase, and at the time of his death, at the age of eighty-two years, he owned more than two thousand acres.

Like all of the arrivals of the early '50s, Mr. Veatch had a great deal of trouble with the In- dians, so much that it was impossible to peace- fully pursue his agricultural vocation. The

Rogue River war coming on, he enlisted, Octo- ber 20, 1855, in Company B., under Captain La- ban Buoy, and participated in the battle of Cow Creek Canyon, and assisted in removing the dead from the battlefield of Hungry Hill. He saw much of the grim and grewsome warfare of the murderous red men during his three months and ten days' service, and his discharge, at Dil- lard Station, Douglas county, terminated an ex- perience which it will ever be painful to recall. In his home neighborhood Mr. Veatch became prominent as a promoter of education and morality, serving for nearly twenty-two years on the school board, also as county commissioner on the Democratic ticket for one term in 1870. He was one of the founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1855, the first of that denomination in this county, and for nearly half a century he has been an elder of the church, helping its cause financially and by personal ac- tivity. Since coming to Cottage Grove in 1894, he has been city treasurer for one term, and has with equal enthusiasm lent his mature interest to the town's educational and moral and busi- ness welfare. The store in which he has in- vested is managed by his son, and proves a con- siderable source of income, as do other enter- prises which Mr. Veatch has found worthy of his investment. Eight children have been born to himself and wife, of whom Samuel P. lives in Portland, and is a passenger conductor on the Southern Pacific railroad; Oliver O. is a mer- chant of Cottage Grove; Rosetta is now Mrs. G. C. Miller, of Walla Walla, Wash .; Posey S. is deceased ; Harriett Elizabeth is the wife of Rev. W. V. McGee, of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, of Long View, Tex .; Mary Sophina is the wife of Robert Mosby, of Lake View, Ore .: Eva is the wife of E. S. Halderman, a resident of this town, but a miner of the Bohemia Mining District ; and Robert E. is a freight conductor on the Southern Pacific railroad.

OSCAR W. HURD. When Oscar W. Hurd came to Oregon and located on the Siuslaw river in 1883, bringing with him the first small stock of general merchandise which had ever invaded that part of the country, his customers were composed largely of Indians, and in return for his wares he received treasures dear to the heart

of the red men. Yet in this crude and ill- arranged mercantile establishment, with its lim- ited assortment of necessities, and its surround- ing desolation, there was a prophecy scarcely an- ticipated by even the hopeful proprietor himself. That the distance traveled by this moderately en- dowed storekeeper has been a long one, and that exceptional abilities lurked beneath his modest ex- terior, has been demonstrated unmistakably dur- ing the intervening years. This merchant prince, whose operations are not exceeded in extent by anyone along the coast of Oregon, whose merchant vessels ply the waters of bay and river, whose four thousand acres of timber land are being denuded and its trees utilized in a saw- mill of his own with a capacity of fifty thousand feet per day, and whose manifold interests in- clude the ownership and management of the Hurd Lumber & Navigation Company, the O. W. Hurd mercantile business, the Florence Drug Store, the Florence Creamery, and the O. W. Hurd Packing Company, has placed this part of Oregon under lasting obligation to his gen- ius for organization, to his extraordinary finan- cial acumen, and his sterling qualities as man and citizen.

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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 236

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