The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 105

Author: Gaston, Joseph, 1833-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1072

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LOUIS STONE is one of the well known and successful farmers of Coos county, oper- ating a highly improved ranch which he owns, located off Catching inlet where he is engaged in dairy farming. He was born in Finland, March 30, 1858, and is a son of Ludveg H. and Anna Magdelina (Kivinemi) Stone. . They were the parents of six chil- dren, namely: Louis, the subject of this re- view; Emil, who is a resident of Coos county, Oregon; Hilma, deceased; Segfred, a resi- dent of Coos county, Oregon; Edward, of San Francisco, California; and Adelia, of Finland.

Louis Stone was reared at home and re- ceived his education in his native country. At the age of twenty years he emigrated to America, settling first in Michigan where he was engaged in logging for two years and then removed to Coos bay and settled in Marshfield, being employed for about thirteen years in logging in Coos county. He later en- gaged in the livery business in Marshfield and in that business continued for a period of about six years. In 1896 he purchased one hundred and thirty-three acres of improved land and upon that property he subsequently established his home. He has since been en- gaged in the development and cultivation of his ranch which is one of the most valuable properties of its kind in this part of the state.

Mr. Stone was united in marriage, Decem- ber 29, 1878. to Miss Johannah Holm, a daughter of Henry Hakalax and Marie J. (Abrahams) Holm. They became the parents of eleven children, five of whom are living, namely: Fred, who is a resident of Marsh- field, Oregon, and the father of five chil- dren; Sophia, a resident of Finland; Johan- nah. the wife of the subject of this review; Sanfred, who is a resident of California and the father of two children; and Selma, who resides in Finland. Mr. and Mrs. Stone are the parents of four children: Inga, born August 24, 1889, who became the wife of

Andrew Lowland, a native of Finland; Linda, born September 20, 1891, residing at home; Sere, whose birth occurred May 6, 1893, also at home; and Ludveg, who was born Janu- ary 12, 1899, and is attending school.

Mr. Stone is affiliated with the republican party, but has never sought political prefer- ment. He is a member of Suomi Lodge, No. 1, and also of the Grange. He is one of the thrifty and successful farmers in this part of the state, and a man who is at all times interested in the welfare of the com- inunity in which he lives.

OSCAR L. CARTER, who since 1906 has been a resident of Klamath Falls and is now manager of the Klamath Valley Warehouse & Forwarding Company, was born in Clay county, Missouri, August 25, 1860. The same year his parents, E. J. and Isabelle (Baxter) Carter, crossed the plains to Day- ton, Oregon. The father was a native of Texas and the mother of Ohio and they were married in Missouri. From 1862 the remainder of their lives was passed in Day- ton, Oregon, Mr. Carter always following farming. His death occurred when he was fifty-six years of age but his wife is still a resident of Dayton. In politics he was a stanch republican, joining the party on its organization. He was a stanch advocate of the Union . cause during the Civil war and he had two brothers who were soldiers in the Confederate army. In the family were seven sons and a daughter, all of whom are yet living with the exception of two.

Oscar L. Carter, the eldest of the family, resided in Dayton, Oregon, until seventeen years of age, when in 1877 he went to east- ern Oregon, where he spent five or six years as a cowboy. He was for fifteen years a resident of Lassen county, California, where he worked as a laborer part of the time and also served as under sheriff of the county for four years. He spent five years on a stock ranch in Nevada, this being a large ranch which he conducted for another party. In the Willamette valley he also engaged in farming until he came to Klamath Falls in 1906. He served for two years here as chief of police and since then has been mana- ger of the Klamath Valley Warehouse & Forwarding Company, under which name he is conducting a growing and profitable enter- prise. He is also the owner of one hundred and seventy-five acres constituting a timber claim in Klamath county and he likewise owns a good home at Fourth and Washington streets.

In 1887 Mr. Carter was united in marriage to Miss Rosa V. Haley, a native of Lassen county, California, and a daughter of Nel- son Haley. The three children of this mar- riage are Ralph L .; Myrtle, who is the wife of Arthur Livermore, of Klamath Falls; and James Hardin. Mr. Carter belongs to the Masonic fraternity, having taken the de- grees of the lodge, chapter and Eastern Star. He is also connected with the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks, while his political faith is that of the republican party. He is num- bered among the energetic, enterprising men

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who are making history in the west and whose labors are no less a source of public progress and prosperity than of individual success.

WILLIAM WILSHIRE BRISTOW born in Kentucky, July 18, 1826, but when quite young accompanied his parents to Illi- nois, whence lie came across the plains to Oregon, in 1848, settling at Pleasant Hill, Lane county. Like all other young men in Oregon, at that time, he went with the rush to the California gold mines in the spring of 1849, but returning from there in the same fall he commenced the improvement of a land claim. In the spring of 1850 or 1851 he taught the first school at Pleasant Hill, and in fact the first school in the county. In 1852-3 he was the justice of the peace for the precinct, and for a number of years was postmaster at Pleasant Hill. In 1857 he was elected a delegate to the constitutional convention which met at Salem, August 3, 1857, for the purpose of framing a state constitution, and participated in the delibera- tions of that body until its close. In June, 1858, he was elected one of the first state senators from Lane county, and was a promi- nent factor in all the scenes incident to set- ting in motion the machinery of the new state government. In 1872 he was reelected to the same position, serving with credit to himself and constituency through the two sessions of 1872 and 1874. In 1865 he sold his farm at Pleasant Hill, and going to Eu- gene City, bought a one-third interest in the mercantile business of Bristow & Company, in which he continued until his death, which occurred at his home in that town, Decem- ber 8, 1874.

In early life Mr. Bristow married Miss Elizabeth Coffey, who with her parents crossed the great American plains from Ken- tucky in 1846, the family home being estab- lished at Aumsville, Marion county, Oregon. Here Mr. and Mrs. Bristow were married and unto them were born four children of whom only one, Darwin Bristow, survives. For his second wife William Bristow married Miss Martha McCall, whose home was near Pleas- ant Hill, and unto them was born one daugh- ter, Lizzie, who is now the wife of John H. Stevens, congressman at Washington, D. C., from Texas.

Mr. Bristow was a charter member and past master of Eugene Lodge, No. 11, F. & A. M. An important event in his life work was the part which he took as a leading factor in the establishment of the University of Oregon, at Eugene. Both he and his wife were mem- bers of the Christian church, the first organi- zation of that denomination having been founded by Elijah Bristow at Pleasant Hill, Oregon.

CHARLES F. STONE, whose position as a leading lawyer of southern Oregon is estab- lished by his large law practice at Kla- math Falls, represents the Southern Pacific Railroad Company as local attorney and is also legal adviser for various other well known corporations. He was born in Cov-

ington, Virginia, November 3, 1865, and is a son of J. P. and Lucinda (Sizer) Stone. His parents were born and reared in Al- leghany county, Virginia, and always re- mained residents of that locality, where the father followed the blacksmith's trade and thereby provided for the support of his fam- ily of three children, namely: Charles F .; Joseph J., who is a musician and resides in Alleghany county, Virginia; and Ellen, who has passed away.

Charles F. Stone pursued his early educa- tion in the public and high schools of Coving- ton, Virginia, remaining at the place of his birthı until sixteen years of age. He en- tered the University of Minnesota in 1886 and in due time was graduated therefrom, winning the degrees of Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Law in 1890. He was then ad- mitted to practice upon examination before the supreme court in Minnesota on the 6th of June of that year; was admitted to prac- tice by the supreme court of Idaho, Novem- ber 19, 1891; by the supreme court of Wash- ington in October, 1896; the supreme court of California, January 22, 1906; and the su- preme court of Oregon, May 29, 1906, after having come to this state on the 26th of January preceding. All through the years he has engaged largely in practice, follow- ing the profession in Mullan, Idaho, from the 5th of April, 1891, until the 6th of June, 1996; at Olympia, Washington, from Octo- ber, 1896, until February, 1897; at Eureka, California, from July, 1905, until January, 1906; and at Klamath Falls, Oregon, since the last mentioned date. He was associated here with H. L. Benson under the firm style of Benson & Stone until January 1, 1911, since which time he has been in partnership with J. J. Barrett under the firm style of Stone & Barrett. He ranks today with the foremost lawyers of southern Oregon, enjoy- ing an extensive law practice which includes a large amount of corporation work. In ad- dition he is one of the directors of the Home Building & Loan Association of Klamath Falls and he has proven his belief in the dis- trict and its future by making large invest- ments in property here.

Mr. Stone has traveled very extensively. He spent three years beyond the Arctic circle after being admitted to the bar, remaining there from 1896 to 1899, with the exception of a visit to Oregon in 1898, when he was married. He was engaged in hunting big game, hoping that the outdoor life and its experiences would enable him to overcome a certain nervous condition. He also spent five years in China, Japan and the Philip- pines with General Funston as a war corre- spondent, being there at the time when Gen- eral Aguinaldo was captured on the Isle of Luzon. Later he was with the Japanese in Manchuria from November, 1904. until March, 1905. as war correspondent for the Associated Press and was writer for vari- ous papers and periodicals. He has re- sided at different times in Shanghai and in Hong Kong and is one of the comparatively few travelers who have visited the island of Formosa. Broad, varied and interesting have

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been his experiences, bringing to him that knowledge and culture which only travel affords.

On the 22d of November, 1898, Mr. Stone was united in marriage to Miss Ida Skelton, who is a graduate of the medical college of Portland of the class of 1896, subsequent to which time she practiced in Pendleton, Oregon, Walla Walla, Washington, and Kla- math Falls but retired from active connec- tion with the profession about three years ago. Mr. Stone votes with the democratic party and has served as a member of the state fish and game commission, having been appointed by Governor West, May 5, 1911. He is not a political leader, however, in the sense of office seeking, preferring to con- centrate liis time and energies upon his pro- fessional duties and other interests rather than seek in the whirl of office the rewards of party fealty. His life history, if written in detail, would rival many a tale of fiction. Tramping over the mountains and through the valleys of the far north, studying with interest the yellow and brown races of the far east, coming in contact with the life of the Oriental as few people do, Mr. Stone has a mind richly stored with interesting reminiscences of his sojourns in foreign lands, of the habits, customs and manners of the people among whom he has lived. From this store he can call at will for an illustration or an anecdote to enforce a point or illus- trate a principle, and association with him has come to mean expansion and elevation.

HENRY SENGSTACKEN is one of the largest landed proprietors of Coos county. He was born in Hanover, Germany, June12, 1851, and is a son of Henry and Mary Seng- stacken. His parents were natives of Ger- many who were united in marriage in the land of their birth, where they continued to reside until the time of their death. They followed farming as an occupation during their entire lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Seng- stacken nine children were born. Five of them emigrated to the United States, of whom one has since died in this country. The remaining four are still living in Ger- many.

Henry Sengstacken was reared at home and educated in the public schools of Ger- many. At the age of fifteen he emigrated to the United States and upon reaching this country established his first residence in the city of San Francisco, where he pursued a course of studies in Heald's Business College and from that institution was graduated. He continued to live in the city of the Golden Gate until 1874. He then removed to Coos county, Oregon, and established himself in the general merchandising business at Em- pire city and Marshfield. To the develop- ment and care of this establishment he gave his constant attention for a period of thirty years. In addition to his general merchan- dising business he was also the agent of the Wells Fargo Express Company at Marsh- field for twenty-five years, during which time he had the agency of various lines of ocean steamship companies. In 1905 Mr. Seng- stacken disposed of his business and engaged

in the abstract, insurance and real-estate business, maintaining his principal office at Marshfield, this state. He is one of the larg- est individual holders of real estate in Coos county, his total holdings aggregating more than six thousand acres, nearly all of which is located in Coos county. In addition to these holdings he also owns valuable city property in Marshfield, North Bend and Em- pire, as well as Coquille and Bandon. He maintains a branch office of his abstract business at Coquille.

Mr. Sengstacken has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Lillie Lockhart, to whom he was united in wedlock in 1884. She was a native of this state, and to this marriage two children were born: Henry Alton, now of Marshfield; and Mabel Gen- evieve, at liome. The mother of these chil- dren died in 1892 and in 1894 Mr. Seng- stacken chose as his second partner in life Miss Agnes Lockhart, a sister of his former wife. To this union one daughter has been born, Doris L., her birth having occurred in October, 1900. She is at home with her parents and in attendance at the public school.

Mr. Sengstacken is affiliated with the re- publican party and has served as mayor of the city of Marshfield. He is also an active member of the port commission of Coos Bay, having served as secretary for the last three years. Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows hav- ing filled all the chairs in both lodge and encampment, and with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He and his family are members of the Episcopal church of Marslı- field. Henry Sengstacken is one of the most widely known men in Coos county. His long years of business life as one of the leading merchants of that county served to bring him in contact with the representative men of this part of the state of Oregon and since his retirement from the merchandising business his investments and abstract and real-estate interests have brought him in contact with the large corporations and business institutions dealing more especially in agricultural and timber lands. In all his business transactions he is known among his associates as a man of absolute integrity in business matters and is regarded as being one of the safest and most successful among the more prominent owners and large oper- ators in real-estate and lumber. interests. He is to be counted among the representa- tive men as one always ready to give his in- fluence and means to the support and ad- vancement of every interest of a public na- ture having for its object the welfare of the people throughout his state and county.

WILLIAM FRANCIS BOWRON and his brother came in 1877 from California by way of Coos bay to Ten Mile lake, Oregon. The journey was fraught with hardships and dangers of pioneer travel. He and his brother took up a homestead claim on un- surveyed land near Ten Mile lake, cleared the timber, built roads through the sur- rounding districts, organized and developed

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the country and cultivated the soil. Mr. Bowron is now the owner of eight hundred acres of highly improved farm land and has a model dairy of fifty cows. His success bas developed with the progress of Coos county and has at all times been intimately connected with it. He was born in Lawrence county, Ohio, December 22, 1855. His par- ents were John and Mary (Forsythe) Bow- ron, natives of England, who came to Amer- ica in 1840 and settled in Maryland. They removed to Ohio in 1854 and remained in that state until 1861, when they took up their residence in California. In 1867 they went to Kentucky and after a short period in that state removed to Indiana. The father was a coal miner in Ohio and worked in the gold fields in California. He accumulated a comfortable fortune from his mining en- terprises and in 1874 came to Coos bay, Oregon, from Indiana. He settled at East- port and in 1877 took up a homestead claim on Ten Mile lake. In his family were ten children: Annie, the wife of Matthew Shaw, of California; Hannah, the widow of Richard Berry, of Washington; Matthew J., whose lome is in Henryville, Oregon; William and Maggie, both of whom are deceased; Maggie, deceased, who became the wife of H. C. Brainard, of Coos Bay; William Francis; Robert, residing in the state of Washington; John, deceased; and Frank, who is engaged in the hotel business at Lakeside, Oregon.

William F. Bowron was reared at home and remained with his parents until he was eight- een years of age. At that time he left home with his brother, M. J. Bowron, and went to California, where he worked upon a farm for one year. He then journeyed to Coos bay and settled in Marshfield, where he worked along mercantile lines and was engaged in mining until 1877, when he came to Ten Mile lake and in association with his brother took up a homestead on unsurveyed land in that section. He was accompanied on his journey from California to Ten Mile lake by his brother who had been associated with bim from the beginning of his active career. They made the journey over elk trails through the wildest sections of the west. In order to get the survey of their land the brothers were obliged to deposit money in token of good faith. When they had proved up their homestead claim they cleared the land, grubbed up the stumps and gradually brought their holdings under cultivation. They built their own homes upon their farms and constructed roads through the outlying districts. They were true upbuilders and organizers, anxious for the development of a new country and eager to promote its progress. All the roads around Ten Mile lake were the result of their skill and energy. Mr. Bowron built his residence with his own hands and had little or no outside help in its construction. When he first arrived at Ten Mile lake there was not a house nor a road within many miles of his homestead and there was scarcely a foot of land which could be traveled over without cutting down the timber with axes. It was a year and a half before a horse and wagon could be

gotten upon Mr. Bowron's holdings and all the conditions of life were primitive in the extreme. He still lives on his original home- stead and has constantly added to his hold- ings by purchase until he is now the owner of eight hundred acres of arable land, nearly all of which is used as pasture. Nothing is raised upon his acres except the vegetables needed for his own use. He does a large dairy business and keeps fifty head of Hol- stein and Jersey cows. He is a progressive and scientific man always interested in new improvements in farm machinery and takes an active part in promoting agriculture along modern lines. His dairy is noted for its cleanliness and its sanitary equipment and its products find a ready sale upon the market.

In 1880 Mr. Bowron was united in mar- riage to Miss Nancy R. McCulloch, a native of Oregon and a daughter of A. D. and Eudora (Jones) McCulloch, both of whom were born in Scotland. Mrs. Bowron is one of eleven children born to her parents: Wil- liam, who resides in Templeton, Oregon; Nancy, the wife of our subject; Mollie, de- ceased; Carl and Alfred X., both of whom reside in Coos Bay; Frank, who makes his home in the state of Washington; Charles, residing in Coos Bay, Oregon; Nelson, whose home is in Douglas county of the same state; Rose, the wife of Robert P. Walker, of San Francisco, California; Eva, who married Hugh Pangborn, of Los Angeles, California; and Daphne, who also resides in Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. Bowron are the parents of two children: William F., born in 1881, who studied pharmacy in Coos county, Oregon, and is now in business in Arizona; and Al- fred Roy, born in 1885, who married Miss Margaret E. Sanford, a daughter of Captain Sanford, of Coos county. In his family were the following children: Ernest, who resides in California; Ida, the wife of Claud Knalner, of North Bend, Oregon; Herman, who re- sides in Sumner, in the same state; Cora, the wife of Richard Sanford, of Alsee, Ore- gon; William V., of Lee, Oregon; Margaret E., the wife of Alfred R. Bowron; Grace, who makes her home in Alsee, Oregon; and Minnie, the wife of W. G. Simpson, of Coos county.

Mr. Bowron is a republican and interested in politics. He served as councilman. in Marshfield, where he did able work for three years. He is now road supervisor of Coos county and is making a record for intelligence and efficiency in this office. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is active in the affairs of that organization. He is one of the sturdy Oregon pioneers who defied natural forces, endured hard- ships, privations and defeat and evolved out of an uncultivated wilderness and vast tim- ber forests the fertile land, the magnificent farms and the abundant harvests of the great American northwest.

ELI PATTERSON MAST, who by his many friends is known as "Lark" Mast, has a well developed farm property, the excellent ap- pearance of which is largely due to his labors and energy. The land is in Coos county and

MR. AND MRS. E. P. MAST

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there he is carrying on general farming and stock-raising. He was born in North Caro- lina, in 1848, and is a son of Leason and Sarah (Duger) Mast. The father died in 1884. In the family were three children: Charlotte, who is the widow of William P. Mast, of Lee, Oregon; Eli P., of this review; and Hester, who is the widow of L. L. Har- mon, also of Lee.

Eli P. Mast spent his youthful days in his parents' home and started out to earn his own living when a young man of twenty-one years. He was brought up on a farm in North Carolina, his father being a large land owner there, and Eli P. Mast became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and car- ing for the crops. After his marriage he took charge of the home place, which he operated until after the birth of two of his children, when, with his family and his parents, he came to Oregon, previously disposing of his business interests in North Carolina. He settled first at Roseburg and there lived for two years. In 1872, however, he had pur- chased one hundred and twenty acres of land and later the family removed to that farm from Roseburg. The tract was wild and unimproved when it came into his pos- session and there were no wagon roads in the district. Provisions had to be packed on one of the horses and not an acre had been cleared nor was any brush cut. Mr. Mast at once began the arduous task of clearing the land, on which he built his home. He went into the logging camps where he worked a part of each year and through other portions of the year continued the task of developing his farm. It was by his employment with others that he was able to earn money with whichi to carry on the work of improvement on his own place. He still owns the original tract and all of the land is under cultiva- tion save twenty acres. His fields are rich and productive, his methods of farming are practical and the results are gratifying. He raises hay, wheat, oats and barley, and in addition is engaged in stock-raising, handling cattle, horses and Chester White hogs for the market.

In 1866 Mr. Mast was united in marriage to Miss Emeline Woodring, a native of North Carolina and a daughter of Daniel and Caro- line (Rector) Woodring, in whose family were nine children, of whom four are living: Jacob, a resident of Washington; Mrs. Mast; Mary, the wife of John Walker, of Virginia; and Daniel, of North Carolina. Two brothers of Mrs. Mast, John and William, reached years of maturity but are deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Mast have been born six children, two of whom are deceased. Those living are: William Lee, a farmer residing at Mckinley, Oregon, who has four children, Mildred, Mil- ford, Roy and Aldon; Sarah Caroline, who is the wife of J. R. Benham, of Sitkum, Ore- gon, and has three children, Zilphie, Lennie and Julius; Fred, of Lee, Oregon, who has two children, Harry and Alice; and Jack, who is married and lives at home with his par- ents.

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The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 105

Author: Gaston, Joseph, 1833- Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1072

Author: Gaston, Joseph, 1833-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1072