Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.., Part 42

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 42

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

During the Indian outbreaks that were fre- quent in early days Mr. Tuffs adopted the policy of never permitting an Indian to enter his house. The savages feared him and always endeavored to avoid him. His nearest neighbor was two miles away and the next, John K. Jones, lived three miles distant. October 9. 1855. the Indians started on a massacre, first killing Major Lupton and then hastening down the valley. Thirteen went to the Jones house, which was a double log cabin. They appeared to be friendly, but as soon as Mr. Jones came out of the house they shot him, then fired two shots at his wife, who later died of the injuries then received. Con- stant skirmishes followed in this locality until May, 1856, when the savages were brought some- what under control. Meantime Mr. Tuffs had no gun or ammunition and would have been at the mercy of his foes had they attempted to kill him. At one time they stole a yoke of good cat-

tle from him. He tracked them to the place where the cattle had been slaughtered, and then made complaint to the agent, but the Indians could not be found. Determined to settle the matter, he kept on until he had found the chief, two of whose horscs he took to avenge himself for the theft of the cattle.

On the sale of the Jones estate Mr. Tuffs bought the three hundred and twenty acres for $3.25 an acre, and there he settled about 1865. About one hundred feet north of the old log house he erected a more commodious and com- fortable residence and other improvements were added as the years passed by. More land was

324

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

bought until he finally owned six hundred and twelve acres adjoining the old site of Grants Pass. Some of this he has disposed of, but he still owns about four hundred acres adjoining the city, all of which he rents. In 1889 he built the residence adjacent to the city limits which he has since occupied. During the old pioneer days Tuffs' house was a popular stopping place for teamsters and its fine springs caused it to be known for many miles around.

The Southern Oregon Pioneer Society num- hers him among its members and he takes a warm interest in all matters pertaining to the welfare of that organization. As might be ex- pected of one so long and intimately associated with the growth of Oregon, he has a wide circle of friends throughout the state, and particularly among those who came west in early days. Hon- orable principles have ever characterized his acts and integrity has been one of his dominant traits.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Tuffs comprises the following children: Mrs. Lydia Dean, who resides on the old home place; Mrs. Mande Kane, of San Francisco; Mrs. Jennie Sessions, of Lake- view, Ore .; Minnie L., who is a teacher in the Grants Pass school; James T., superintendent of the Booth & Kelley mill at Springfield, Ore .; Mrs. Allie White, who died at thirty; and Will- iam, who was twenty-one at the time of his death. Among the local offices held by Mr. Tuffs is that of councilman, which he filled for two terms. For a similar period he was a member of the first board of county commissioners of Josephine county. Some years ago he erected the building on the corner of Sixth and H streets, which is now occupied by the Grants Pass Banking & Trust Company. Fraternally he has been a Mason since 1858, when he was initiated into the Blue Lodge at Kerby, Ore., later trans- ferring his membership to Grants Pass Lodge No. 84. He was made a Royal Arch Mason in Reames Chapter No. 28, and a Knight Templar in Meiita Commandery No. 8 in his home town of Grants Pass.

SAMUEL COLVER. Ever since the spring of 1851 the Colver family has been known as an industrious and deserving one, and has maintained the reputation for excellent farm- ing for which the Jackson county family is justly famous. That honored pioneer, Samuel Colver, settled first on the present site of Phoenix, where he took up a donation claim and where he spent his entire life. The house which still shelters an industrious household was erected in the days when Indians prowled around by night, and menaced the life and property of the earnest men and women who were striving to make a living upon the neg-

lected and uncultivated land. Many neigh- bors used to assemble in the improvised fort at night, returning to their farms during the day. Thus the family cherish the old build- ing for the good it has done, and doubtless would feel lost in any other habitation.

Mr. Colver was born in the state of Ohio in 1815, and at Middleburg married Hulda Calen- dar, born in January, 1823. The family crossed the plains in a large train of emigrants in 1850, meeting with little opposition on the part of the Indians, and having a fairly pleasant trip. Six months they slept by night under the stars and traveled by day, the faithful oxen responding to the instructions of their drivers, and bringing them in safety to the Oregon of their dreams. One incident of the trip is recalled by Mrs. Colver. While on the Platte they were camping one evening and during the night Mr. Colver heard some disturbance among the live-stock. Upon investigating he discovered an Indian, whom he grabbed by the throat. The companion of the red man fired, but failed to reach his mark, and the cap- tured Indian managed to squirm out of Mr. Colver's hands, leaving his gun, which was in possession of the family for many years.

Mr. Colver first took up a claim where Eugene is now located. but in 1851 he came to Jackson county, as heretofore stated, and lived on his farm until his lamented death in 1890. He was a quiet man, devoted to his fam- ily and farm, and never desired or would ac- cept office tendered him by his Republican friends. He inaugurated many fine improve- ments on his farm, kept it in perfect order, and devoted his land to grain, general produce and stock. He is recalled as honorable in all his dealings, fearless in his support of right and justice, and always kind and considerate of those dependent upon his care.

Mr. and Mrs. Colver took great pride in their three children, desired for them an excellent education, and gave them all the liberty and diversion possible in their busy life. Alice, the youngest, died at the age of two years and four months : Lewelleyn, who married Jemima Dollarhide, died March 9. 1884. leaving four children, Caroletta, Percy L., Frank B., and Lewelleyn; and Isabella is the deceased wife of L. A. Rose, her demise occurring in 1885.

Mrs. Colver is still living on a portion of the old donation claim, which is being man- aged by the grandchildren.

MATHEW HUBBARD COLEMAN. The early life of Mathew H. Coleman was char- acterized by a hard struggle for existence, and interrupted by unexpected and discour-

325

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

aging obstacles. That he is at present com- fortably located on his pleasant and profitable little farm of fifty-six acres on Wagner creek, Jackson county, argues well for his persever- ance, and brave acceptance of adversity and misfortune. His boyhood days were spent on a farm near the Pennsylvania line in Ashta- bula county, Ohio, where he was born Febru- ary 19, 1826, and where his father was the genial host of a well conducted country tavern. He remained at home until twenty years of age, and then bade adieu to the old familiar scenes and made his way to near Joliet, Ill., where he worked on a farm for a year.

The outbreak of the Mexican war enlisted the sympathies of many young men near Joliet, and Mathew H., inspired with patriotic fervor, became a soldier in Company B, Sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He started on the march with a disposition to rout the en- emy at whatever cost, but, alas for the plans of men! he was doomed to spend his time on a hospital cot, while his fellows-in-arms did the fighting and took the glory. When near Vera Cruz, the accidental discharge of one of the company guns resulted in severely wound- ing Mr. Coleman, the ball passing downward from near the mouth, through the upper jaw · and out of the right arm. On an improvised cot he was taken to the hospital, his extremely painful wound dressed, and after six months at Vera Cruz he was transferred to a hospital in New Orleans. While there he was dis- charged in the spring of 1848, having been in the service nearly a year.

Returning to Will county, Ill., after his ex- tremely trying war experience, Mr. Coleman still suffered from the effects of the gunshot wound, his whole system being debilitated by the long sojourn in the hospital. As soon as able he began working, hauling logs for a lumber company, and while thus employed, his weak condition, and the close proximity to swampy land, brought on acute ague, and for another period he was denied the right to work for a living. Recovering somewhat, he used his Mexican land warrant and settled on a farm near Rockford, Ill., remaining there until crossing the plains in the spring of 1853. Mr. Coleman had been perfecting plans all through the winter, and was accompanied by his brother, John, Absalom Geddings, and Lewis Sicily, all eager to reach a country which afforded such excellent opportunities for youth and ambition. The journey was uneventful compared with that of some of the earlier emigrants, and upon arriving in Oregon Mr. Coleman worked in the mines of the eastern part of the state for a year and a half. For a year he also worked in the Sterling

mines, where he had two placer mines, and realized quite a little money therefrom. After- ward he moved to an improved ranch on Cole- man creek, and in 1892 located on his present farm, where he is engaged in raising general produce and some stock. He still owns the old farm of one hundred and sixty acres near Phoenix, but rents it, devoting his own en- ergies to a less arduous responsibility.

August 13, 1865, Mr. Coleman married Sa- bra A. Goddard, daughter of Blinn C. God- dard, who came to Jackson county, Ore., in 1864. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Coleman ; Elmer G .; Marcia, the wife of John Robinson; William R., a resident of Phoenix, Orc .; James B., living on the home farm; Edith ; Edgar E .; and Arthur R., the two latter being deceased. Mr. Coleman leads a quiet, uneventful life, cares little for political undertakings, and devotes his entire time to his farm and home. He is esteemed for his brave struggle for a competence, for his good name, and invariable consideration for all with whom he comes in contact.

JOHN N. HOCKERSMITH. Probably no year in the history of plains emigration furnished so many appalling disasters as did that of 1853. Cholera, shortage of provisions, cut-offs, Indian outbreaks and storms, contribute their quota to making wretched the lives of those whose cour- age permitted them to start forth upon a hazard- ous mission. Among the train which suffered such terrible deprivation at Meeks' cut-off in 1853, was the family of Jackson Hockersmith, who, with his wife, Martha J. (Gale) Hocker- smith, started out with their children, among whom was John N., born on the home farm in Davis county, Iowa, December 27, 1849. The latter, who is today one of the prosperous far- mers of Jackson county, was at the time but four years old, and consequently recalls nothing of the suffering endured by those near to him. For days they lived on anything which they could get, but a recapitulation of this experience but brings to the surface that of which much has been written, and which it is perhaps better to forget. The father took up a donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres near Junction City, Lane county, and in 1864 spent a year in Cali- fornia. In 1865 he returned to the state and lo- cated on a section of land near Phoenix, Jackson county, and there farmed and raised stock and reared his family in comparative comfort. He was a member of the Baptist Church, and voted the Democratic ticket. His death occurred in 1897, at the age of seventy-six years, his wife surviving him until 1903, at the age of seventy- seven years. Of the six children born into the

326

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

family, John N. is the second; Joseph, the oldest, lives in California; Sallie is the wife of G. N. Vantine; Mary E. is the wife of A. P. Wise, of Medford; Rebecca is the wife of P. L. Foun- tain of Klamath Falls; and Isadora is the wife of H. H. Taylor of this vicinity.

With his brothers and sisters John N. attended the public schools of Jackson county, and April 18, 1876, was united in marriage with Viola Stewart, of which union two children were born, Bertie and Lena, both deceased. Mrs. Hocker- smith died in 1878, and in 1880 Mr. Hockersmith married Rebecca Stewart, sister of his first wife. Of this union there have been born five children, the order of their birth being as follows: Mat- tie, Lora, Alice, Charlie, and Ivan. In 1895 Mr. Hockersmith was called upon to mourn his second wife, who died after a short illness, leaving a desolate and grief-stricken family.

Soon after his first marriage Mr. Hockersmith moved to a farm on Dry creek, remained there for two years, and then located on his present land three miles east of Medford. He has one hundred and ninety-seven acres of land, highly improved, and he is engaged in general farming and dairying. He is one of the progressive men of his neighborhood, is genial and approachable, and his farm, his family, and himself, are a distinct credit to this prosperous agricultural region. Broad-minded and liberal, this esteemed farmer is independent in politics, and invariably casts his vote for the man best qualified to serve the best interests of the community.

WILLIAM J. GREGORY. In the career of William J. Gregory illustration is found of the happy blending of the conservatism and caution of the south and east, and the push and energy of the west. With this combination of forces it is not surprising that long ago he was rated with the men of success and enterprise in Jack- son county, or that at the present time he wields an influence second to none in his neighborhood. As a boy Mr. Gregory lived on a farm near Hunt- ington, Carroll county, Tenn., where he was born February 17, 1835, and where he continued to live until attaining his majority. His father, Wiley B., born in White county, Tenn., Novem- ber 18, 1808, was a farmer by occupation, and was thrice married. His first wife, the mother of William J., was formerly Mary Sherrill, and was born in Tennessee March 20, 1809. Of this union, besides William J., who was the second child, there were three other children, of whom James F. lives in Medford, Levi N. is in California, and Mrs. Mary Girley is a resident of Springfield, Mo. Wiley B. Gregory moved with his family to Green county, Mo., in 1842, and here his first wife died in 1847. Three years later, in

1850, he was united in marriage with Mandy Appleby, a native of Missouri, and who bore him three children : Mrs. Sarah Clayman of St. Louis, Mo .; Mrs. Susannah Bryant of the Choctaw Nation, I. T., and Ellen. Mrs. Gregory died in 1858, and for his third wife Mr. Gregory married Mollie Reid, who was born in Arkansas, and with whom he removed to Arkansas about 1870. As in other localities, he continued to farm and raise stock with fair success, his death occurring in 1895, at the age of eighty-seven. His widow afterward removed to her present home in Cali- fornia. Mr. Gregory was public-spirited and progressive, an advocate of schools, churches and charities, and contributed liberally of his means toward the support of these institutions. He was a member of the Christian Church, and in politics a Republican.

With ox-teams William J. Gregory crossed the plains in 1856, bringing with him to the west- ern slope a world of energy and enthusiasm. Outdoor life had given him a strong constitution, and because he had always been industrious, he knew no other life than that of honest toil. He traveled with a man by the name of B. F. Butler, for whom he drove oxen and made himself gen- crally useful. The party encountered much trouble with the Indians, especially at Gravel- ford, where quite a fight ensued ere the travel- ers could proceed on their way. At the end of five months they arrived in Napa county, Cal., where Mr. Gregory lived with Mr. Butler for two years. and where he met and married his wife, Elizabeth March, November 28, 1858. Mrs. Gregory was born in Scotland county, Mo., in 1845. Until 1864 the young people continued to live in Napa county, and then came to Jack- son county, Orc., where Mr. Gregory bought a ranch of one hundred and sixty acres five miles northeast of Central Point. Soon after he home- steaded the same amount of land adjoining his first farm, and upon which he makes his present home. The farm now consists of six hundred acres in one body, and besides he owns one hun- dred acres near Bear creek. He is engaged in stock-raising and general farming, having made many fine improvements on his property, and sup- plied it with modern agricultural appliances. His family occupy a large and well furnished and comfortable house, and his barns are such as an enterprising farmer rejoices in. At one time Mr. Gregory conducted an extensive stock business in Langells Valley, but has long since disposed of it. His family consists of himself, his youngest son, William W., and his wife. Three of his children have been taken from him by death, but two of those living, Mrs. Elizabeth C. Owen and Henry L., live in his immediate vicinity, while Lucinda, the wife of T. H. Wedon, lives in Ashland. Mr. Gregory is a stanch advocate of

W. W. Thayer

329

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the Democratic party and has held many offices of a local nature. With his wife he is a member of the Christian Church, and the latter is a great worker therein. Mr. Gregory is one of the sub- stantial, wealthy and prominent men of his coun- ty, and in all ways commands the respect and good will of his associates.

CLAUDE THAYER was born in the town of Tonawanda, Erie county, N. Y., December 16, 1854, a son of Hon. W. W. and Samantha C. Thayer. In 1862 W. W. Thayer crossed the plains, Claude riding a pony. In 1863 the fam- ily removed to Lewiston, Idaho, and remained there four years. During this time Claude Thayer contracted the disease which through the long years to come was to handicap him in all the sports of childhood, the pleasures of youth and the labors of maturity. Dr. Kiely of Lewis- ton speedily pronounced his complaint to be hip- disease, and his father removed with him to East Portland, where Mr. Thayer resided until 1879.

There being no schools in Lewiston Mr. Thayer's mother and Governor Thayer's law partner, John A. Anderson, a southerner of clas- sical attainments, gave the boy practically the only book education he was ever destined to re- ceive. He attempted, at the age of sixteen, to attend the college at Corvallis, living at the home of his uncle, A. J. Thayer. His physical trouble ended his attendance and he returned to East Portland, where he indulged in spasmodic efforts to acquire an education. To Dr. C. H. Raffety he owes the continuation of his perilous existence. To David Raffety, Professors Veatch, Pratt and Freeman, he is indebted for varied instruction. At this time he began to read law, greatly aided by W. H. Holmes of Salem, A. J. Newell of East Portland and other students who at times read law with Governor Thayer.

On December 16, 1875, his twenty-first birth- day, he was admitted to practice law, being a member of the same class in which Judge George H. Burnett and Hon. J. D. Fenton, among many others, stood their examination. Mr. Thayer essayed the practice of his profession in Port- land in the office of Thayer & Williams, but the malaria which then existed continually sapped his health. In 1879 he removed to Salem, where he engaged in the law business as a partner of Hon. W. H. Holmes, a connection which was cemented by a personal friendship of the David and Jonathan type.

In 1880, being employed to attend to some busi- ness in Tillamook county, Mr. Thayer came to this county, where, in a sort of a Ponce de Leon quest for health, he finally located. He prac- ticed law as occasion offered and engaged in ranching, dairying and dealing in cattle. In 1884

he and Miss Estelle Bush, of Salem, were mar- ried. This lady abandoned a luxurious home and has endured the privations of frontier life to share his enforced banishment. In 1888 Mr. Thayer engaged in an intended small exchange business, his wife being united with him under the firm name of C. & E. Thayer. Their first safe was a cigar box and the first counter a red cedar plank which had been picked up on the beach. The business grew into a banking busi- ness and now owns and occupies a sturdy little stone building, plain, solid, and as unpretentious as its owners.

Mr. Thayer's efforts have done much toward the building up of the county and the city of Tillamook, and its institutions owe a great por- tion of their excellence to his wise forethought. His one child, Eugenia Thayer, was born Jan- uary 3, 1897. To atone for their life of isola- tion, where theatres, operas, lectures and enter- tainments of literary character do not exist, Mr. and Mrs. Thayer keep their home supplied with abundant periodicals and books, covering scien- tific, political and literary subjects of high order. Mr. Thayer is a facile writer and speaker and while he has practically ceased the practice of the law, he yet possesses a modicum of legal ability inherited from his well-known father. When asked as to his greatest pride he responds that it is the prosperity of the city and county he has helped to build up.

GEORGE S. CALHOUN. Distinguished for his upright principles, strict integrity and fore- sight, George S. Calhoun is one of the most esteemed and popular business men of Grants Pass. Of substantial New England stock, some of the best blood of the earlier settlers of the bleak Atlantic coast courses through his veins, and the prominent traits of his character finely illustrate the law of heredity. Beginning life under auspicious circumstances, he has taken ad- vantage of every offered opportunity, and has been uniformly successful in his transactions. During the larger part of his active career he was engaged in mercantile pursuits, but is now bookkeeper for the Golden Drift Mining Com- pany. A native of Connecticut, he was born September 13, 1867, in Washington, Litchfield county, which was also the birthplace of his father, Simeon H. Calhoun. He is the lineal descendant of one of three brothers that emi- grated from Scotland to America, and settled in Connecticut in Colonial days. His grandfather, John C. Calhoun, a farmer by occupation, was born in Connecticut in 1804, and there spent his entire eighty-four years of earthly life.

A carpenter and contractor by trade, Simeon H. Calhoun carried on a successful business in

330

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his native state until 1888, when he migrated across the continent, coming from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast. Locating first in Ash- land, Jackson county, he turned his attention to horticulture, and was subsequently engaged in agricultural pursuits in Josephine county for a few years. He is now living retired from busi- ness in Ashland. He is fond of hunting, is a noted naturalist, and takes great interest in tax- idermy. For two years he was a soldier in the Civil war, serving in the Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry until discharged on account of physical disability. He is an uncompromising Republican in politics. He married Clara Smith, who was born in Steuben county, N. Y., near Coshocton, was left an orphan when young, and died in 1896, in Josephine county. Of the eight children born of their union, two have passed to the higher life, and the others, three daughters and three sons, are all residents of Oregon, George S., the subject of this sketch, being the oldest of the six children.

Brought up in his native town, George S. Cal- houn received his rudimentary education in the old Gunnery School, and was afterward clerk in a mercantile establishment for three years. He subsequently was graduated from Eastman's Business College, in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., after which he resumed clerking in Washington, Conn., remaining thus employed for a year. The following five years he was engaged in the gro- cery and produce business in New Haven, Conn., as manager of a branch store of Strong, Barnes, Hart & Co. In 1893 Mr. Calhoun came to Ore- gon, and, in partnership with his brother, E. A. Calhoun, established a grocery on Sixth street, in Grants Pass. In 1896 he purchased his part- ner's interest in the firm of Calhoun Brothers, and continued the business alone under the name of the Calhoun Grocery Company. As sole pro- prietor he worked up an extensive and remu- nerative trade, having by far the largest grocery in the county and the best patronage. In June, 1901, on account of ill health, Mr. Calhoun sold out his business here, and removed to southern California. Not content to remain long in idle- ness, he subsequently opened a grocery store in Watsonville, Cal., where he was in business until April, 1903, when he sold out, and returned to Grants Pass. He has since filled the position of bookkeeper for the Golden Drift Mining Com- pany.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.., Part 42

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