Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.., Part 27

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman publishing company
Number of Pages: 1064

USA > Oregon > Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.. > Part 27

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Mr. Beekman was united in marriage January 29, 1861, to Miss Julia Hoffman, who was born in Attica, Ind., the daughter of William Hoff- man, a native of Baltimore, Md. He was an early settler of Indiana, and crossed the plains to Oregon in 1853, settling near Jacksonville, Jackson county, where he engaged in farming and merchandising, and served for several terms as clerk of this county. He died at the age of eighty-four years.

Mr. and Mrs. Beekman are the parents of two children. The son, Benjamin B., an attorney of Portland, Ore., graduated from the University of Oregon with the degree of B. A. and after teaching in that institution for one year received the degree A. M. He next entered the Yale law school, from which he was duly graduated with the degree of LL. B. The daughter, Caroline C. Beekman, who is at home with her parents, is a graduate of Mill's Seminary.

In his fraternal associations Mr. Beekman is an honored member of Warren Lodge No. 10 A. F. & A. M., of which he was elected master for twelve consecutive years, and has long been a member of Oregon Chapter No. 4 R. A. M., in which he is now serving as Royal Arch cap- tain and treasurer.

In making a permanent record of the lives of

the builders of the commercial fabric of the northwest, it is but just that Mr. Beekman should be given a place in the front rank. His life has been one of labor, and while ascending the ladder of fortune he has ever been mindful of the rights and privileges of others, endeavoring at all times to emulate the teachings of the Golden Rule. His seventy-five years are crowned with all that makes life worth living, and he is re- spected most where he is best known-the high- est tribute paid to man.

REMICK FATE. The modern progressive farmer, who brings to his home the comforts, luxuries, diversions and intellectual pastimes of the city, is indeed to be envied his additional ad- vantages of fresh air, immunity from noise, and that sense of security and peace derived from wandering at will over a vast area of which he has entire jurisdiction. No life in the world is so free, so admirable and so thoroughly inde- pendent. Such a farmer is Remick Fate, repre- sentative of one of the foremost pioneer families of Douglas county, and who was born on his present farm November 15, 1862. The career of David Fate, the father of several worthy sons, of whom Remick is the youngest, is reviewed in another part of this work.

At the time of his marriage in 1891 with Alice Cornelison, born near Myrtle Creek, Mr. Fate went to housekeeping on this part of the old homestead, which consists of five hundred acres, so varied in its character as to permit of all kinds of farming, fruit-raising and stock-producing. Practically all of the improvements have been made by this youngest son in the family, who is modern in his tendencies, wideawake and pro- gressive. Especially is Mr. Fate an appreciator of fine stock, and in his meadows graze the finest of Cotswold sheep, Hereford cattle, and O. I. C. hogs. His buildings are in accord with latter- day demands, and his home, around which cen- ters a world of comfort and good fellowship, is noted for the abundance of its hospitality, the excellence of its cooking, and its air of restful prosperity. One hundred and twenty-five acres of the farm are under cultivation, and the bal- ance devoted to stock. The kitchen garden con- tains all that the thrifty and exacting housewife could desire, and an orchard supplies a variety of fruits for immediate use and canning pur- poses. An irrigating ditch, the thought of the enterprising owner, gives him a distinct advan- tage over his less resourceful neighbors, and it is largely owing to this innovation that uniform- ity of crops is secured. The best of products enable Mr. Fate to command the best market prices, a consummation desired by all who devote their energies to farming, but do not always un-

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derstand that eternal vigilance and advancement are the price of such good fortune. Mr. Fate cures from three thousand to ten thousand pounds of bacon each year, and this finds a ready market in the surrounding country. Mr. Fate takes little interest in politics, although he has been elected to several minor offices in the town- ship. He is a Republican, as are his father and brothers, and he holds membership in the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows lodge of Myrtle Creek and the Masons at Canyonville. His wife is a member and active worker in the Christian Church. Mr. Fate is genial of manner, ex- tremely well posted on current events, and has that breadth of mind which counts no sacrifice too dear to procure for himself and those near to him the highest advantages of civilization.

HENRY SENGSTACKEN. The business activities of Marshfield and the surrounding country are largely dominated by Henry Seng- stacken, the present mayor of Marshfield, whose strong personality and influence are felt throughout Coos county. A strong, self-reliant man, possessing an unlimited amount of energy and business ability, until recently he carried on the largest department store in the city. He owns a large amount of real estate, his town property including several business blocks, and he has recently erected, on a slight elevation overlooking the city, a palatial residence, the finest in its improvements and furnishings of any in the locality. A native of Germany, he was born June 12, 1851. in Hanover, where his parents, Henry and Mary (Mangels) Seng- stacken, spent their entire lives, his father, a suc- cessful farmer, attaining the age of seventy-five years.

The fifth child in a family of nine children, Henry Sengstacken acquired his preliminary ed- ucation in the common schools of the Father- land. At the age of fourteen years he came to San Francisco, Cal., with Claus Spreckels, the sugar magnate, who took a friendly interest in him. The following eight years he spent in that city, being first employed as a clerk, afterwards being graduated from Healds Business College, and then accepting a position as bookkeeper. De- sirous of establishing himself in business on his own account, Mr. Sengstacken came to Coos county in 1874 an entire stranger, and located in Empire City, where he opened a drug store and later embarked in a general merchandise busi- ness. As his trade increased he enlarged his op- erations, in 1879 opening a branch store in Marshfield, where he has since resided. He opened his store in the city with a small stock, which gradually increased until in 1903 he con-

ducted the largest mercantile establishment of the city. This he sold out in November, 1903, and at once opened an up-to-date drug store with an entirely new stock, which he conducts in connection with his other enterprises. For fif- teen years Mr. Sengstacken was financially in- terested in the steamboat business of Coos bay, and on Pony slough had a large, up-to-date log- ging camp, with modern equipments, including three donkey engines where he kept thirty men constantly employed.

Mr. Sengstacken has been twice married. He was married, in Marshfield, to Lillie Lockart, who was born in Jacksonville, Ore. She died in early womanhood, leaving two children, Henry A. and Mabel G. Mr. Sengstacken was subse- quently united with Agnes Lockart, a sister of his first wife, and they have one child, Doris. A stanch Republican in politics, and never shirk- ing the duties and responsibilities of public office Mr. Sengstacken served as deputy collector of customs in 1877 and 1878; was justice of the peace at Empire City, and for one term was a member of the city council. At the election in December, 1903, he was elected mayor of Marsh- field for the ensuing two years. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to lodge and encampment, in the former of which he has passed all the chairs ; and belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is local agent for the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York and has done a large business in that line.

WILLIAM PERDUE. It seems eminently fitting that the oldest son of John Perdne, the pioneer of 1850, should succeed to the manage- ment of the farm upon which his father expended so much of his well directed energy. A survey of this old-time property, located three miles east of Day's Creek postoffice and four hundred and forty acres in extent, discloses to the ob- server a happy combination of the old and new, the methods and improvements of the father, and the later additions of the progressive son. Mr. Perdue has excellent barns and outhouses, and facilities for caring for a variety of crops, as well as large herds of Hereford cattle and Me- rino sheep. Practically the entire life of Mr. Perdue has been spent in Douglas county, for he was less than a year old when brought across the plains from his native Buchanan county, Mo., where he was born February 22, 1850. He was reared on the farm near Roseburg, upon that near Canyonville, and upon the one now oc- cupied by him, and was educated in the public schools of the county. In 1877 he married Mary L. Tiller, who was born in this state, and with

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whom he located on a farm near Elk creek, where he lived eight years. He then purchased this part of the old homestead, around which cling so many memories of the parents who lived to be four score years old, and who died within eleven months of each other. Sixteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Perdue, the order of their birth being as follows: Benjamin Frank, living on a farm near his father; Mrs. Emma Farmer, of Coos county; Mrs. Belle Lamy, also of Coos county; William Marion, at home; George E., living near the home farm; Mandy, at home; Addie, of Coos county ; and Artie, Carrie, Alice, Daniel O. B., Ophir, May, Retha M., Walter and James N. Mr. Perdue is a firm believer in the benefits of education, and has never allowed work on the farm to inter- fere with a practical education for his children. He is a Republican in politics, and fraternally is a welcome member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge. Mr. Perdue is one of the substantial and thoroughly reliable men of his neighborhood, and aside from any advantage to be gained from family connection, has won an independent reputation for himself as farmi- er, stock-raiser, and a progressive and up-to-date citizen.

A. E. OZOUF. The process of tanning and converting the skins of animals into leather forms an important industry in the United States, employing, as it does, in the neighbor- hood of twenty-five thousand people. The in- vention of leather reaches beyond the dawn of history, and was among the earliest germs of civilization. As an example of one who is well skilled in the art of manufacturing various kinds of leather, the gentleman above named has fol- lowed this trade for many years and throughout many lands.

Mr. Ozouf is a native of Paris, France, which was his home until he attained the age of seven- teen years. He was born March 19, 1832, and in 1850 he accompanied his father to America, and they settled in San Jose, Cal., which was their home for two years. In 1852 they returned to their beloved France, not being entirely satis- fied with their trip to the new world. Having seen a little of the world, Mr. Ozouf was not satisfied to remain long at home, and the follow- ing year he went to Belgium, remaining eighteen months, and from there to England, where he remained three and a half years, working in a tannery as a currier. Again crossing the waters to America, he followed his trade as a leather finisher in New York for about one month and then went to Boston, where he lived for ten months, and again set sail for the Golden Gate. In May, 1859, lie located in Scottsburg, Ore.,

working in the tannery of Haynes & Brainard, as a leather finisher. After working for those gentlemen for two and a half years he purchased the interest of Mr. Brainard and in partnership with Mr. Haynes, conducted a very profitable business until 1874. Mr. Ozouf then purchased his partner's interest, and carried on the business himself, being perfectly qualified to make a suc- cess of it, which he did. He gave his undivided attention to this business until 1886, when he sold out to advantage, and the following year took a trip back to his old home, accompanied by his wife. He remained in France nine months, and upon his return to Scottsburg he did not re-engage in his trade, but since then has given his attention to the more independent occupation of farming, and has been quite busy looking out for his extensive farming interests. He owns several ranches, twenty-five hundred acres in all, located principally along the Ump- qua river. His success has been the result of his own efforts.

In 1864 Mr. Ozouf was united in marriage with Isabella Wade, formerly of Indiana, and she has proved a worthy helpmeet. In politics he is a decided Republican, and, although not an office-seeker, has taken a prominent part in the political issues of the day. Fraternally he is allied with the Ancient Order of United Work- men and Modern Woodmen of America. The foregoing review shows what a man may accom- plish by steady and persistent effort, combined with ability and a thorough knowledge of a good trade.

JOSEPH M. ROBINSON is the genial pro- prietor of a hotel in Elkton, and has followed diversified occupations during his life. He was born in Gallia county, Ohio, near Gallipolis, January 22, 1841. He remained at home until lie attained the age of sixteen years, and ob- tained a practical education in the public schools. In 1858 he and his twin brother went to Cali- fornia by water. They entered the mines and followed prospecting and mining in that state for about fifteen years. Mr. Robinson subsequently opened a general store at Gilroy, Cal., and car- ried on a successful business for about four vears. The three years following he worked at his trade as a tinsmith. About 1881 he came to Douglas county, Ore., and bought a one hun- dred and sixty acre ranch about two and one- half miles from Elkton, and lived there fourteen years, improving his farm, tilling the soil and raising stock. He then left the farm and moved to Elkton, and opened a hotel, which he still conducts.

In 1880 Mr. Robinson was united in marriage with Martha Wilburn, a native of Missouri, who

H.K. Hanna

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came to Oregon in 1881, from California, where her marriage to Mr. Robinson took place. They have two children, Mary, wife of R. G. Grubb, and Ida, a school teacher. In 1898 Mr. Robin- son was appointed deputy county assessor and served four years. He ran for county commis- sioner in 1898, on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated. In 1864 he enlisted as a private in Company G. Eighth California Infantry, and served fifteen months in frontier service in Ari- zona and New Mexico. Mr. Robinson ranks among the foremost citizens of Elkton.

JUDGE HIERO KENNEDY HANNA. Continuously since 1870 Hiero Kennedy Hanna has been identified with the jurisprudence of Ore- gon, and the professional annals of the state con- tain no name invested with greater dignity, use- fulness or personal honor. At the hand of this venerable seer the tenets of Blackstone have re- ceived fair and impartial treatment, and their ap- plication to the former unsettled conditions lead- ing up to the prosperous present, has resulted in the maintenance of a standard which commands the respect and appreciation of the more thought- ful and discriminating citizens. Judge Hanna possesses a strong and forceful character, a log- ical mind, and a profound understanding of human nature. His ability has often found an outlet in the devious byways of state develop- ment, and his judgment has never swerved from the practical and dependable. It is universally conceded that he has done as much as any man in the legal profession towards rendering ap- plicable the laws which protect life and prop- erty.

On both sides of his family Judge Hanna is a descendant of Revolutionary ancestry. His paternal grandfather, William Hanna, and his maternal grandfather, Pier, both carried muskets in the army of Washington. William Hanna came with his two brothers to America from Scotland long before the Colonies openly re- belled against English rule, William settling in New York, one of his brothers going to Virginia. and the other to Pennsylvania. Alexander Hanna, the father of Judge Hanna, was born in Unadilla township. Otsego county, N. Y., and, true to his patriotic teaching, enlisted in the war of 1812. He was a lumberman for the greater part of his active life, and after his marriage settled in Steuben county, N. Y., where Hiero Kennedy was born May 22, 1832. Alexander Hanna died in 1833, while his son was yet an infant, and he was survived by his wife until 1853. Of the family, consisting of five sons and one daughter, the present lawyer and cir- cuit judge of Jackson county is the sole sur- vivor.

The youth of Judge Hanna was characterized by a hard struggle for existence, to which emerg- ency he proved himself thoroughly equal. Since his fourteenth year he has practically supported himself, his first money being earned as a clerk in a general store in Bath, N. Y. In 1848 he went to Ohio and clerked in the recorder's office for a couple of years, and while there had his attention called to the steady stream of emigra- tion headed towards the western coast. In the spring of 1850 he joined a train bound for Cali- fornia, but owing to an inadequate supply of provisions the train broke up at Salt Lake City, and had to wait until after the harvest was gathered in order to proceed to their destination. Judge Hanna waited for a month and then ac- companied four other people with a wagon and two yoke of oxen to the coast, eventually arriv- ing in Hangtown, now Placerville, where he mined with more than average success. In 1852 he reached the Yuba river, and remained there until the Fraser river excitement of 1858. He then made his way to San Francisco, intending to follow the latest trend, but instead took boat for Crescent City, and later located at Waldo, Josephine county, Ore. Here also he was fairly successful, and soon became identified with pol- itics, and although he had not yet studied law, he was elected district attorney of Josephine county in 1870, serving for two years. Before completing the term he took up the study of law, and was duly admitted to the bar in 1872, the same year being re-elected district attorney by a large majority. In the meantime he had be- gun a general practice of law in Jacksonville, and in 1874 was elected district attorney for the third time, his jurisdiction covering Jackson, Josephine, Lake and Klamath counties, and in the capacity of prosecuting attorney, he attended the first term of court held at Linkville, now Klamath Falls. When the law was passed mak- ing a separate supreme court in 1878, he was appointed to the bench by Governor W. W. Thayer, and in 1880 was duly elected judge of the circuit court, resigning, however, because of the meagreness of the salary attached, and with the understanding that Judge Webster be ap- pointed in his place. In June. 1892, Judge Hanna was elected circuit judge of the first dis- triet for six years. and in 1898 was re-elected for the same length of time, this being his present chief responsibility. Until President Mckinley's administration Judge Hanna was a stanch Demo- crat, but has since voted the Independent ticket. He was city attorney of Jacksonville during 1874, and has filled the same position on many subsequent occasions.

Notwithstanding a strenuous professional and political service. Judge Hanna has found time to identify himself with the country's growth and

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progress and has been particularly active in pro- moting the mineral development of Jackson county. He is secretary of the company operat- ing the Squaw Lake Mine, besides being a large stock-holder in the company owning and operat- ing the marble mines of Josephine county.

In Jacksonville, in 1881, Judge Hanna married his present wife, formerly Mrs. Helena Bren- teno, a native of Germany, and the mother, through her former marriage, of two children, Mrs. Ollie Overbeck of San Francisco, and Rosa, living with her mother. To Judge and Mrs. Hanna have been born three sons, of whom Wil- liam is clerking in San Francisco; Herbert, a graduate of St. Mary's College, is studying law with his father; and Leon is living at home. Fraternally Judge Hanna is identified with the Redmen and the Ancient Order United Work- men, of which he is past master workman.

In making a permanent record of the lives of men who have labored with unremitting toil for the advancement of Oregon, it is but just that Judge Hanna should be given a place of emi- nence. In his makeup are combined those ster- ling qualities, which unite him closely to the hearts of people and command universal respect. As a citizen he has the large heart of the west, and the opulent good nature radiating from her splendid harvests and abundant prosperity. His seventy-two years are crowned with all that makes life worth living, and it is universally con- ceded that he ranks among the first citizens of southern Oregon.

JOSHUA FATTERSON. The foundation of the present ample competence of Joshua Pat- terson was laid in patient toil and unusual per- severance, for this honored farmer of Jackson county had practically no resources when he first began to earn his living in 1873. At that time he was sixteen years old, having come to the west with his parents in 1862, from Eaton county, Mich., where he was born December 2, 1857. Choosing Sonoma county, Cal., as his home, he worked on a farm for a year, ran in debt for a threshing machine, which he paid for on time, and conducted with fair returns for a couple of years. Disposing of this machine he purchased a $5,000 threshing outfit, operated it for a year, and the following year purchased one costing $6.000. During 1876 and 1877 he farmed on the plains of Yolo county, and alto- gcther made considerable headway in acquiring the fortune of which he had thought so much, and for which he had planned so wisely.

In 1882 Mr. Patterson renounced his bachelor state and married Ella J. Fewel, in Sonoma county, soon afterward returning to Jackson county, where he purchased the ranch upon

which his parents had settled in 1862, and where he has since made his home. He now owns two hundred and thirty-eight acres in the home place, one and a half miles east of Talent, besides another ranch in the vicinity consisting of two hundred and forty acres. He also owns forty acres of timber land. Repeating his former threshing success, he has owned and operated machines in this county continuously from 1882 until 1900 and his experience in the line is prob- ably as varied and lengthy as that of any other man in the west. His patronage from the larg- est and most prosperous farmers in this state and California has enabled him to gain an accu- rate idea of the grain and general produce re- sources of the west, and it is needless to say that he thinks this part of the country a Mecca for the deserving and ambitious young man. In plat- ting his land Mr. Patterson has thought of the pleasures as well as the profit of existence, and his gardens and orchard are intended primarily to contribute to the comfort and convenience of his immediate family. He had one hundred and thirty-five acres set out in apples, including the three leading varieties of winter apples-the Spitzenberg, Yellow Newtons and Jonathans. He raises high-grade stock, grain, alfalfa, and garden produce, and runs his farm along modern and scientific lines. Mr. Patterson is a Repub- lican in politics, and in addition to other local offices, he was elected county commissioner in 1901. He finds diversion in two of the foremost fraternal organizations of the country, viz., Ash- land Lodge No. 45, I. O. O. F., and Phoenix Lodge No. 107, A. O. U. W. Mr. Patterson is highly respected by his fellow agriculturists of Jackson county, and wherever he has lived his earnest and industrious and highly moral life has commanded both approval and admiration.

GEORGE B. LAMB. The present high standard of education maintained in the public schools of Tillamook county is largely due to the progressive and practical methods of the county superintendent of schools, George B. Lamb, who assumed his large responsibility after his election in 1898, and in the meantime his indefatigable efforts have been directed towards the best pos- sible of attainment along educational lines. As an example of early success Mr. Lamb's brief career is encouraging in the extreme, and is ad- ditionally gratifying because he is a native son. and member of a prominent pioneer family. He was born on a farm five miles south of Tilla- mook, June 11, 1873, and both his character and constitution were developed in the hard school of a general farming enterprise. Francis M. Lamb, the father of George B., was born in

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Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.., Part 27

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman publishing company Number of Pages: 1064

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman publishing company
Number of Pages: 1064