Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 247

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 247

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The absorbing nature of the work of Mr. Til- lotson has never permitted him to actively par- ticipate in political or social undertakings to any extent, although he has been very active in church work, having for many years been a member of the Christian Church, and one of the board of deacons. He is fraternally connected with the Foresters of America, the Knights of the Maccabees and the Order of Pendo. He married in North Carolina, Martha J. Smith, a neighbor and native daughter, and the mother of two children, Martha Fay and Greta Frances.

WILLIAM C. WASHBURNE. In keeping with the reputation for resourcefulness and busi- ness sagacity established by his honored pioneer father, William C. Washburne, the present mayor of Junction City, is variously identified with the substantial affairs of Lane county, being cashier of the Farmers & Merchants' Bank at Junction City, secretary and treasurer of the Junction City Hotel Company, and owner and leaser of large tracts of stock-raising and timber land in Lane and the adjoining counties. A na- tive son of Lane county, he was born on the old donation claim near Junction City, September 21, 1867, and is the eighth child of the large family of children born to Charles W. and Cath- erine A. (Stansbury) Washburne, grandson of Robert and Eva (Roy) Washburne, and great- grandson of Charles Washburne, the latter of whom was killed by the Indians near Clarks- burg, Virginia, during the Revolutionary war. The grandfather, Robert, established the family

in Ohio about 1822, later living in Illinois and Des Moines county, Iowa, in which latter state himself and wife passed their last days. Their son, Charles, remained at home until their death, afterward engaging in farming on the home farm until the gold excitement swept over the land, in 1849. With a company of seventy he crossed the plains with ox-teams, and after a few months of mining at Coloma, Cal., and Georgetown, he went to San Francisco, em- barked on a sailing vessel, and returned to his home in Iowa via the Isthmus of Panama.

After his marriage, in 1851, Mr. Washburne settled down to farming in Henry county, Iowa, and in the meantime experienced the discontent which usually visited the lives of returned trav- elers from the west, and, in 1853, he sold his farm and outfitted with ox-teams and wagons, preparing to cross the plains to Oregon. He had two wagons, eight yoke of oxen and some loose cattle, and their journey was uneventful, save for the birth of their first child, Ruth Ellen, on the plains near Chimney Rock. One and a half miles southwest of Junction City Mr. Wash- burne located his claim of three hundred and twenty acres, where he built a log cabin just in time to shelter those dear to him from the driv- ing winter rains. Many of the animals with which he had started out survived the ordeal of the plains, and with these he began a stock- raising business, increasing the same from year to year, until he was one of the most extensive stock-raisers in Lane county. Additional lands were necessarily required for the accommoda- tion of stock and farming, and in time he had six hundred acres in Lane county, and large landed property interests in Washington. A large portion of these lands are still in his pos- session. In 1891 he purchased the mill property at Springfield, placed in it a complete roller process with a capacity of one hundred and fifty barrels per day, and eventually handed over the management of the mill to his sons, Byron and William. He made an addition to Junction City in 1891 and he was one of the organizers of the Junction City Hotel Company, of which he was president for many years. As a Republican he has actively advanced the interests of his party in this county, and represented it in the state legislature in 1872. An energetic and masterful personality, he has greatly influenced all depart- ments of activity in this section, and stands to- day as a representative of all that is admirable and progressive in northwestern citizenship.

The pronounced good fortune of his father permitted of superior educational opportunities for his children, and William C., like the rest, availed himself to the utmost of his chances. From the public schools he went to the State University in 1890, taking a two-years course in

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English, and afterward graduating from the Portland Business College, having taken the banking and general business course. There- after he entered his father's Springfield mill as manager and bookkeeper, and in 1893 became identified with the local bank, known as the Farmers and Merchants' Bank, incorporated under the state laws with a capital stock of $35,000. This is a solid and paying institution, the directors being such well known men as J. A. Bushnell, C. W. Washburne and J. P. Milli- orn, with Mr. William Washburne as cashier, and G. F. Shipworth as assistant cashier. Mr. Washburne is identified with extensive stock in- terests in the county, and for the purpose leases at least eight hundred acres of land, upon which he has about six hundred sheep and two hundred head of cattle. He also owns a one hundred and sixty acre tract of timber land, and two hundred acres of farming and grazing land, besides con- siderable property in Junction City. As a Re- publican, he has taken an active interest in local affairs, and besides his present term as mayor, has served six years in the city council, filling also other positions of trust and responsibility. He is fraternally one of the best known men of the younger generation, being identified with the Masonic order (demitted), Eugene Chapter No. 10, Royal Arch Masons; the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, No. 357, of Eugene, and the Woodmen of the World; Oasis Lodge No. 41, I. O. O. F., of Junction City, of which he is financial secretary. Mr. Washburne is popular and influential in his native county and state, and to an exceptional degree enjoys the good will and confidence of the many people with whom he is thrown in contact. Mr. Wash- burne acts as his father's business manager, which brings him in close relation with the busi- ness men of Washington and Oregon.

CAPT. CHARLES LA FOLLETT was born September 21, 1829, on a farm in Putnam county, Ind. At the age of sixteen he left home and attended a writing school, thereafter teaching permanship during one winter. Another winter was devoted to the study of phrenology, and after that for three years he traveled around, lec- turing on phrenology during the summer and studying during the winter time. In a company of one hundred and forty-four well armed men Mr. La Follett started across the plains from Missouri in 1849, his equipment consisting of five voke of oxen and a two-horse wagon. He was made wagon-master and sergeant of the train, and had his hands full trying to conceal his uncle, Walter Henton, who was one of the party, and whom the Mormons sought to capture in retalia- tion for his having been one of the sixteen men to

kill Joe Smith. Provisions ran short during the journey, and many adventures enlivened what would otherwise have been a very weary and monotonous march. In Oregon Mr. La Follett found the Indians so troublesome that he went to Santa Clara county, Cal., and there taught an early subscription school, and in 1852 he went with a Mr. Snelling into the Redwood timber district and had charge of from fifty to seventy- five men engaged in getting out timber. This proved a profitable venture, and at the end of eighteen months his available assets consisted of $20,000, $10,000 of which was lost in an onion- raising undertaking and the balance being lost on a claim in Redwood City. He reached Port- land in 1853. At the home of Dr. McBride, near North Yamhill, he got up a subscription school, and during the next season attended the Pacific University. For several years following he traveled through California and Oregon lecturing on phrenology in the summer and teaching in the winter, and to intensify the interests of his lectures invested in a picture machine, then a great novelty in the west.

In 1856 Mr. La Follett married Mary A. Snodgrass and the following year began the study of law, being admitted to the bar in 1858. His initial practice was conducted in Dallas, where he became prominent in politics, and in 1863 was elected to the legislature. During the session he gave substantial evidence of his be- lief in Prohibition by drawing up and securing the passage of a law prohibiting minors visiting saloons, a matter which lay very near to the heart of Mr. La Follett. He served in the legis- lature three terms, and during the last term Governor Gibbs appointed him to a lieutenancy in the army. that he might raise a company 'in Linn and Benton counties for the suppression of the Indians. To further this good work a band was hired at an outlay of $50 a day, in- numerable meetings held at which collections were taken up, and at the end of the campaign one hundred and three men had enlisted. Lieu- tenant La Follett was mustered in as captain of Company A, First Oregon Infantry, at Salem, and went with his company to Vancouver, where it was stationed until the following summer. He then went to Fort Yamhill and took possession of the house of Philip Sheridan, just as the dis- tinguished soldier took his departure. The regi- ment was ordered to leave in September, and the captain, with Lieutenant Shipley and one hun- dred and ten men, acted as guard to control the Indians. During the Snake River war this same band crossed the mountains to the Crooked River country, and there carried their provisions in wagons over the lava beds, and soon afterward built a fort to keep the Indians out of the region. What was known as Camp Pope, on Squaw

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creek, was the outgrowth of this expedition, and here they remained during the winter, and in the spring Captain La Follett and Superintendent Huntington made a treaty with the Warm Spring Iudians, which resulted in the soldiers leaving camp in July, and returning to Fort Yamhill. The soldiers all entertained the sin- cerest admiration for the bravery and able leader- ship of their captain, and before the soldiers were discharged the mothers of the boys sent to San Francisco and got a flag to present to him, which emblem of appreciation was unhappily lost on the ship Jonathan, which sank on the way to Portland. Another flag was later secured, and this remains one of the treasured possessions of the fearless and high-minded leader.

Soon after the war Captain La Follett was a candidate for the senate but was defeated, and in 1870 he was appointed Indian agent of the Grande Ronde Agency, maintaining the position for four years. On account of his wife's ill health he moved onto a farm in the mountains near Grande Ronde and for fourteen years en- gaged successfully in general farming and stock- raising. He then located in Sheridan and en- gaged in the practice of law, and in 1888 took up his residence in Portland, remaining in the northern city until 1899. In the meantime he had been elected to the legislature from Yam- hill county. Since 1899 he has lived retired in Sheridan. Five children have been born into the La Follett family, of whom W. G. A., the oldest son, lives in Sheridan ; C. B. is a merchant of this town; Edith is the wife of H. C. Foster, treasurer of Yamhill county ; Ollie is the wife of J. Soppenfield, of the vicinity of Salem; and Hettie lives in Seattle, Wash. Captain La Fol- lett is identified with the Donelson Post, G. A. R., of Sheridan, and is active in the undertakings of the post, at one time having served as com- mander.

ARCHIE J. JOHNSON. To a greater or less degree a man is measured by the success which he achieves in his undertakings, the circle of his influence widening in proportion to the height which he attains among his associates, his words carrying weight as his actions have pre- viously proven his ability to command respect and confidence. It is no discredit to the other sections of the Union that the great northwest should, so carly in its infancy, have reason to name with pride a large percentage of its citi- zens as those who have risen to more than local prominence, whose hands have upheld the west- ern states through the trying period of growth and consequent power, for they are natives or sons of natives of the middle and eastern states which have perforce passed on some of their

brightest and most enterprising men to aid in the advancement of civilization of the Pacific slope. Among these men none hold, or more merit a higher position of both local and state prominence, than Archie J. Johnson, the son and grandson of pioneers, and the representative of a New York family which has made its way with true pioneer instinct to a locality where men of ability and earnestness of purpose are required to cement the union of a then remote territory, and develop the possbilities which nature has so plentifully bestowed upon it. That these three, father, son and native son, have faithfully ful- filled their duties as citizens, a brief biographical résumé will quickly show, and it will be inter- esting reading to those who have watched the beginning, growth and triumphal lead in the van of progress of this western commonwealth.

The grandfather, Hiram Alvah Johnson, was born in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., on February 18, 1819, and after his emigration to the middle west, he remained in Illinois until 1848, when he crossed the plains with ox-teams, and at once took up a donation claim near Jefferson, Marion county, Ore. For twenty-eight years he made his home upon this farm of six hundred and forty acres, and in the town of Jefferson, where he was engaged in a general merchandise busi- ness, and at the close of that period he removed to Salem, and made his home there until his death, in February, 1896, at the age of seventy- seven years. He was a man of strong independ- ent ideas, and as such he influenced more or less the affairs of the community in which he re- sided. He was a Republican in politics, and for twelve years he served as justice of the peace in Salem. He was a member of the Christian Church, and into this work he carried the same traits dominant in his political and social life. His son, John Charles, the father of Archie J. Johnson, was a native of Illinois, being born on May 29. 1842, and he came with his father into the west, living upon the latter's farm until 1869, when he bought property located three miles north of Scio, Linn county, consisting of a thou- sand acres. There he successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising until 1874, when he decided to venture into the commercial life of the city of Scio, engaging in a general mercan- tile business with one J. M. Brown, with whom he remained for one year. The firm was after- ward known as Johnson Brothers for four years, after which John C. Johnson sold out and lived retired for a couple of years, when he again be- came connected with the general merchandise business of the same city, his partner being Riley Shelton. This connection occupied another four years, and for a like period after that he lived retired, in 1889 engaging for one year with his son, Archie J., of this review, and then selling

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his interest in the business to Ross E. Hibler. He then removed to Salem, where he now makes his home, though each summer finds him with his family upon his two-hundred-and-forty-acre farm near Stayton, Marion county.

In 1864 John Charles Johnson married Vio- letta Gunsaules, a native of Indiana, who was born in 1846, the daughter of Manuel Gunsau- les, who was a native of Pennsylvania, moving first to Ohio and later, at the age of fifteen, to Illinois, and came across the plains to Oregon in 1853, locating one and a half miles east of Jef- ferson, Marion county, where he died in 1878, at the age of sixty-four. Of the four sons and three daughters which blessed the union of J. C. Johnson and Violetta Gunsaules five children are now living, the second being Archie J. Johnson, who was born three miles northwest of Jeffer- son, September 18, 1867. He received a pre- liminary education in the common schools, and upon the completion of the course he entered, in the spring of 1885, the Portland Business Col- lege and made a phenomenal record in his stud- ies, graduating in December of the same year, in less time than any preceding scholar. He had also developed early a decided talent for busi- ness, at the age of fourteen years acting as clerk in a general merchandise establishment at Scio, for the ensuing year and a half continuing to hold the position, in connection with which he attended school as occasion offered. At sixteen years of age he took the position of bookkeeper and head salesman for Johnson & Shelton, and maintained the same creditably until 1887. He then became timekeeper for the Oregon Pacific Railway, but gave this up and re-entered for a short time the mercantile life in Scio, from which he removed to Seattle, Wash., in the spring of 1888, and engaged in the real estate business. The next year found him again a resi- dent of Scio, and in connection with his father, herein previously mentioned, he engaged in the general merchandise business, and later contin- ued with Mr. Hibler, who is now the owner of the store. In 1891 he sold out his interests in the business, and in January, 1892, he removed to Salem, where he lived until November of the same year, but seemingly not satisfied to live any place but in the city where he had spent his boy- hood days and had met with success in all his business dealings, he returned to Scio, and with T. J. Munkers purchased the controlling interest in the bank of Scio, and at once assumed the ac- tive management of it. In 1894 he bought Mr. Munkers' interest, and he then became president and conducted the business until the fall of 1900, his brother C. V. having assumed the cashier- ship with him in 1896. In 1900 he sold out and engaged in stock-raising. having bought four thousand one hundred and sixty acres of land in

Benton and Polk counties, and began the stock business on extensive plans, in connection with his brother (C. V. Johnson) and brother-in-law (J. C. Simpson), making a specialty of regis- tered stock. They now have a fine herd of Shorthorn and a few choice Hereford cattle, along with their other grade cattle, sheep and goats. In partnership with Ross E. Hibler he is extensively engaged in buying mohair and wool throughout the Willamette valley, a far- reaching business in this state. Mr. Johnson has certainly made a success of his business interests in the city of Scio and elsewhere, and his con- nection with the various commercial and indus- trial enterprises of this city, his chief prominence in the latter being in the flouring mill business, having purchased a one-half interest in 1895 in the fine flouring mill located there, and disposed of the same in 1900, working up a large export business in flour during this period, and has been of much benefit to the business affairs there, and he is rightly named as one of the prin- cipals in the prominent work of the community.

Mr. Johnson was married in January, 1888, to Miss Linnie Young, a native of Minnesota, and they are now the parents of the following chil- dren: Cleo L .; Zeta A .; Elmo E .; Darrel D. an Orlo O., all of whom are at home. Frater- nally Mr. Johnson is a member of the Encamp- ment, subordinate and Rebekah lodges of the I. O. O. F., and the Modern Woodmen of America. He belongs to the Cumberland Pres- byterian Church. Even among the busy hours of his business life Mr. Johnson has found time to take an active interest in all public and polit- ical movements, as an ardent Republican, serv- ing his party in various positions of trust and honor. In June, 1894, he was elected to the state senate to represent Linn county for four years, carrying by a large majority a previously Democratic county. In this position he became a prominent factor in the affairs of the state, serving on various important committees. He was the promoter of the bill at the 1897 session to tax foreign companies when carrying on busi- ness in the state, but which could not be consid- ered on account of the failure in the organization of the house during the entire session. He has also been a member of the state central commit- tee, for years a member of the county central committee of his party and has served several terms as councilman of the city of Scio and as its mayor, was a school director for two terms, was chairman of the board when the Scio school building was erected, he being one of the pro- moters of the project. The chief business in- terest of Mr. Johnson at the present time is the position to which he was appointed in March 1899, that of national bank examiner, for the northwest district, including the states of Ore-

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gon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho, and up to April I, 1902, including Wyoming. This po- sition he has since held with the same success which has characterized all his efforts, and which win for him the respect of all who appreciate the business sagacity and untiring energy of their fellow townsman. He is a very busy man, for all his time not given to his official duties is taken up with his large personal interests. Mr. Johnson is esteemed among his associates for an exceptionally pleasing personality and intrinsic worth of character, which has made him a valu- able citizen to all communities in which he has in the past resided, and especially to the town wherein most of his life has been passed, that of Scio, Linn county. In July, 1903, Mr. Johnson removed to Corvallis, where he has taken up his permanent residence, being near his farm and live-stock interests and is at home in this beau- tiful college city on the banks of the Willamette river.

CAPT. THOMAS A. STEEAR. A sea-far- ing life is one that has many fascinations even amid its dangers, and generally, when one finds occupation in such work the attractions far out- weigh the advantages of a home and the peace- ful pursuits on land, and it is impossible to be satisfied with any other employment. The ex- ception to the general rule is to be found in the person of Capt. Thomas A. Steear, who has set- tled down into a peaceful, contented land life after fourteen years' experience on the sea, sat- isfied to engage in agricultural pursuits for the remainder of his years, his home now located on a farm of ninety-five acres three miles southwest of Mapleton, Lane county.

Captain Steear was born in Orange county, N. Y., May 4, 1837, next to the youngest in age of the seven children born to his parents, both of whom were natives of New Hampshire, and the death of both occurring in New York state. The father, John Steear, being a farmer, this son interspersed his home duties with an attend- ance of the common schools of his native state until he had reached the age of thirteen years, when he left home and became a messenger boy aboard a merchantman, which sailed from the city of New York. After three years in this service he went into the United States navy as a sailor on a gunner, and served in the Crimean war under the French government on a United States vessel chartered by the French. While in the United States navy he was on the Naugatuck and witnessed the sinking of the Cumberland and Congress by the Merrimack at Hampton Roads, which he considers the great event of his life. He also participated as a soldier in the battle of Sand Creek with the Comanche and

Arapahoe Indians, at which battle over eight hundred Indians were killed. The captain has been steamboating on the Sinslaw river for about fifteen years, periodically, in connection with his farm and stock-raising. Various inci- dents came into the life of the captain as he trav- eled into different locations of the world in the capacity of a sailor, but after fourteen years in the service he left the sea and first located in Colorado, in the vicinity of Denver, engaging in the cattle business. This employment was con- tinued successfully for many years, and, in 1887, he came to the Siuslaw valley and bought the right to his farm of one hundred and thirty-five. acres of land, afterward becoming the owner of the ninety-five acres which is now his home.

The marriage of Captain Steear occurred in Colorado, in 1878, and united him with Miss Mary A. Campbell, a native of Illinois, and of the children born to them John is located on the adjoining farm; Susan and Amadella are at home. As a Democrat in his political affiliations Captain Steear is actively interested in advanc- ing the principles of his party, and has served as school director since he first located in the valley. Fraternally he is a Mason and is past warden of the lodge in which he holds membership.

REV. PETER BEUTGEN, B. S. T. The position as pastor of the Purification Church, Engene, belongs to the Rev. Peter Beutgen, B. S. T., to which he was appointed in 1901, ac- ceptably filling the post to the present time. He is one of the cultured and well read men of the Catholic faith in this part of the United States and does much to advance the cause of the re- ligion to which he has devoted the energies and talents of his life.

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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 247

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