The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 144

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

USA > Oregon > The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912 > Part 144

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).

For his wife Mr. Heylman chose Miss Frances L. Lee, who was born on the 8th of April, 1861, and was married on the nine- teenth anniversary of her birth. She is a daughter of Captain W. W. and Eliza Jane (Stafford) Lee and is descended in both lines from old colonial families. Mr. and Mrs. Lee were the parents of two children, Mrs. Heylman and one who died in infancy. To Mr. and Mrs. Heylman there has been born one son, on the 2d of May, 1881. He com- pleted his education at the Chicago Uni- versity and is now married and engaged in business in Spokane.

Mr. Heylman is a member of Lone Pine Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He votes the demo- cratic ticket and takes an active interest in local affairs having served as mayor of Estacada, an office which he held for one term of two years, discharging his duties most creditably.

JASPER WETHERBEE resides on an im- proved farm in Josephine county, near Wilderville, comprising one hundred and eighty-five acres, which he obtained from the government. He settled on his now valuable property when the country surrounding it was unsettled and has lived on it continu- ously since. He was born in Pennsylvania May 10, 1855, a son of Horace and Maria (Bradford) Wetherbee. He is one of seven children born to his parents, with whom he remained until he attained his fifteenth year. He received a good common-school education, and on leaving home went to the oil fields where he worked at drilling for four years. When he was twenty-three years of age, in 1878, he crossed the great American plains with horse teams and settled first in Linn

county, Oregon. After working in that sec- tion for a time he removed to Josephine county and settled upon one hundred and eighty-five acres of government land, which he took up as a homestead, and upon which he has since made his home. He improved his farm, brought it under cultivation and has made his broad acres yield liberally in return for the care which he bestows upon them.

Jasper Wetherbee was married in 1879 to Miss Eveline Louis, a native of this state. To Mr. and Mrs. Wetherbee have been born three children, Fred, Guy and Nellie. Mr. Wetherbee believes in the principles of the republican party and takes a commendable interest in affairs of the state. He is one of Josephine county's substantial and rep- resentative men, a good citizen and a business man of ability.

WILLIAM JACOBSON, at the head of an important general contracting business, has proven his worth in industrial circles and is giving ample evidence of the fact that he is an energetic and progressive business man. Since 1902, he has been junior partner of the firm of Birch & Jacobson, engaged in bridge building, pile driving and house mov- ing. He was born in Finland, June 12, 1871. His parents were also natives of that coun- try. Both are deceased. Their family num- bered four children, of whom Fannie, the wife of E. Rossmus, and William, are resi- . dents of the United States.

The common schools of his native land afforded William Jacobson his educational privileges and in the year 1892, when twen- ty-one years of age, he came to Astoria. He found here the opportunities which he'sought in coming to this country and, recognizing- the fact that industry is the basis of success, he has labored earnestly and diligently. His. first employment was with the William Rose. Logging Company with which he was con- nected for three years. He then turned his. attention to pile driving and bridge build- ing and in 1902 entered into his present part- nership relation for the carrying on of con- tract work along those lines. The firm of Birch & Jacobson ranks high in their field! of industrial activity and many important contracts have been awarded them. They thoroughly understand the scientific prin- ciples which underlie their work and also the practical mechanical devices which are an equally important feature in the success- ful execution of their contracts.

On the 17th of March, 1900, Mr. Jacobson was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary (Beck). Sanderson, a native of Finland and a daugh- ter of Herman and Maria Beck, whose fam- ily numbered four children, of whom one son,. Herman Beck, came to the United States. A sister of Mrs. Jacobson also crossed the At- lantic. She was Mrs. Carolina Carlson, the. wife of Charles Carlson, and her death oc- curred in Astoria. Herman Beck, Sr., has passed away but his wife, Maria Beck, now lives with Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson and has. reached the ripe old age of eighty-four years. Three children have been born to Mr. and.

938

THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

Mrs. Jacobson, Walfred, Elna and Hazel. The parents adopted Harold Carlson, a son of the deceased sister of Mrs. Jacobson, and are giving to him a home and all the ad- vantages provided their own children. Wal- fred and Harold graduated together from the grammar school.

William Jacobson votes with the demo- cratic party. He is a member of the Luth- eran church, which his family also attend. He is affiliated with the Improved Order of Red Men and the Modern Woodmen of America and his wife is a member of the Royal Neighbors. Earnest, persistent work has been the rule of Mr. Jacobson's life and his unfaltering purpose has enabled him to overcome obstacles and difficulties and ad- vance steadily toward the goal of prosper- ity, so that he is today one of the substan- tial residents of his adopted city.

HENRY TOHL. In the history of com- mercial progress in Nehalem the name of Henry Tohl figures conspicuously, for he has been prominently associated with mercantile interests in the city for twenty-one years, building up a business of large and profit- able proportions, which is now being con- ducted under the firm name of Tohl & An- derson. The family name indicates his Ger- man nativity and ancestry. His parents were Herman and Elizabeth (Linmeyer) Tohl, in whose family were seven children, of whom five are yet living: Herman, a resident of Nehalem; Henry, of this review; Mary, the wife of Joseph Effenberger, of Nehalem; William; and Anna, the wife of Andrew Kline, of Nehalem. The father, Her- man Tohl, died in Nehalem in 1899. The mother afterward lived with her son Henry until her death, which occurred in 1907, when she had reached the ripe old age of eighty-three years.

Henry Tohl was reared in Germany and is indebted to the school system of that country for the educational privileges which he enjoyed. Habits of industry and enter- prise were acquired by him in youth and have constituted the basis of his success. The tales which he heard concerning the op- portunities and advantages of the new world led him to the determination to try his for- tune on this side of the Atlantic and, land- ing in New York, he made his way to Penn- sylvania, where he worked in a coal mine for some time. He then resumed his westward journey with Nebraska as his destination and was employed there at farm labor for a period, but later rented land and thus be- gan farming on his own account. He con- tinued in Nebraska for about five years and in 1884 came to Oregon, settling in the Wil- lamette valley, where he spent one summer. He then came to Tillamook county, making his way direct to Nehalem, and taking up a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres about a mile and a half east of the town. Subsequently he sold that property and purchased a tract of land upon which the town is now situated. Outside of what has been sold to home builders and speculators he still owns considerable more than one

hundred acres. He has been closely asso- ciated with the business activity of this place in many ways but is perhaps most widely known because of his commercial interests, having in 1890 established a general mercan- tile store, which has developed into an ex- tensive enterprise. He carries a large and well selected line of goods and his reason- able prices and honorable business methods have constituted the salient features in win- ning for him a large patronage. In January, 1910, he sold a half interest in his business to A. C. Anderson and the store is now conducted under the firm style of Tohl & Anderson. In addition to what remains of the farm which he purchased and upon which Nehalem has been built he also has exten- sive other real-estate holdings in this section of the state and in placing his investments has shown keen discrimination and sound judgment.

Henry Tohl has ever been a stalwart re- publican and, although never an aspirant to public office, has filled the position of road supervisor and was postmaster for four years. Whether in office or out of it he is always loyal in matters of citizenship and faithful to any duty that devolves upon him in that connection. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias and has many friends both within and without that order.

GEORGE W. OWEN is one of the promi- nent stock men of Jackson county, Oregon, where he is engaged in the operation of his ranch of seven hundred acres located three miles south of Ashland. He was born in Sacramento, California, April 22, 1863, and is a son of James and Susan (Tull) Owen, the former a native of New York and the latter of Kentucky. They celebrated their wedding in Illinois and later established their home in Missouri. In 1863 the father with his family crossed the plains with ox teams to California and settled on a ranch located in that state six miles from Sacra- mento. He later removed to Siskiyou county, where he lived for ten or twelve years and then moved to Lassen county and from there to Nevada, where he remained for a brief time and then returned to Lassen county, California. In 1879 he came to Oregon lo- cating in what is now Klamath county, but at that time was a part of Lake county. Here he engaged in stock-raising, with which he continued to be prominently identified un- til the time of his death, which occurred in 1900. During his residence in Oregon he was one of the enterprising and influential citi- zens of Klamath county.

George W. Owen was reared at home and received his early education in the public schools. At the age of seventeen years he became a wage earner and feeling the need of a better education, after working for two years, he saved money to pay for a course at the old Ashland Academy. After complet- ing his studies at that institution he re- turned to Klamath county and for a num- ber of years worked as an employe for vari- ous stock-raisers. He later engaged in stock- raising himself and some time after was as-

939

THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

sociated with his brother James, with whom lie continued for a number of years. In 1895 he sold his interest in the enterprise and came to Jackson county, where he es- tablished his home on seven hundred acres of ranch land situated three miles south of Ashland and there has since continued to reside, devoting his time and attention to general farming and stock-raising.

George W. Owen was united in marriage in 1895 to Miss Camilla E. Walker, a daugh- ter of Minus and Phoebe J. (Erb) Walker, who were early settlers of Jackson county. To Mr. and Mrs. Owen one child has been born, Minnie, who is in her sophomore year in the high school at Ashland. Mr. Owen is affiliated with the republican party but has never been an office seeker. He is a mem- ber of Ashland Lodge, No. 944, B. P. O. E., and of Ashland Lodge, No. 45, I. O. O. F. George W. Owen is one of the successful and well known stock men of Jackson county and highly esteemed for his integrity and is in every way entitled to be numbered among the desirable and useful citizens of the community in which he lives.

EMMETT F. DONAHUE. Among the younger men who are coming forward in Clackamas county and performing the duties which either have been given up by older men because of their inability to carry on the strenuous duties involved or because of their failure to meet with success in those particular lines, is Emmett F. Donahue. He was born November 28, 1880, in Clackamas county, a son of M. C. and Nancy (Thomas) Donahue. The father's birth occurred while his family were coming from Ireland, their native country, to the United States, mak- ing the trip via Cape Horn to California. Subsequently they removed to Oregon in 1888, settling in Washington county. In the grandparent's family were three children: Alice, deceased; Ralph, who has also passed away; and M. C., the father of our subject. Mrs. Donahue's parents crossed the plains from Missouri to Oregon in 1851, settling in Yamhill county, where Mrs. Donahue was born. She was one of seven children, the others being: Martin, of Clackamas county, Oregon; Elizabeth, who is the wife of Je- rome Cockelreese, of Sandy; Mack, of Sandy, who is married and has three children; Asa, a resident of Sandy; Diana, the widow of Clark St. John, of Sandy, and the mother of two children, Ward and Walter; and Frank Thomas, of Estacada, Oregon, who is married and has five children. Mr. and Mrs. Donahue were married in 1870 and to their union six children were born: Annie, who is the wife of Frank New, of Portland, and the mother of one child, Louis; War- ren, of Lakeport, who is married and has three children; Nellie, who is married and resides at North Yakima, Washington; Em- mett F., the subject of this review; Joseph, who makes his home in Canada; and Georgie, who since she completed her commercial edu- cation has acted as bookkeeper for the Port- land Light & Power Company.

'Emmett F. Donahue started to earn his own livelihood at the age of sixteen years. His first employment was in a logging camp, where he worked until he was twenty-three years of age. During these seven years he was careful in his expenditures and with the money which he saved he purchased a livery business. He now enjoys a large patronage and has been successful in a line of business in which many others had previ- ously failed. He operates the stage and mail route from Boring to Rowe, Oregon, a distance of thirty-one miles, and has also two automobiles in service. He is the first to make a financial success of the stage busi- ness which is the more remarkable, as for thirty years no one has been able to make it pay. Because of the reliability of the stages on this route his patronage is at times so heavy that it is necessary for him to run two or three stages at a time. When he started in business he had twenty-two hundred dollars in cash; now he owns his home, his stables, a house and lot in Sandy, two fine automobiles, five acres of land in Boring and his livery outfit, which amounts to about seventy-five hundred dollars.

On the 20th of May, 1903, Mr. Donahue was married to Miss Lena Van Curen, whose birth occurred November 30, 1883, and who is a daughter of John and Hetty (Daley) Van Curen. She is the eldest of three children born to her parents, the others being: Lola, deceased; and Maude, who is residing at home with her mother, the father having died in 1898. To Mr. and Mrs. Dona- hue two children have been born: Lola, whose birth occurred February 18, 1906; and Francis, born December 7, 1908.

Mr. Donahue's political indorsement has always been given to the republican party and he is an active worker in its ranks in Clackamas county. He was elected con- stable and also justice of the peace for one term. Subsequently he was appointed deputy sheriff and is still serving in that capacity. He holds membership in the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Dona- hue has not only been industrious but has evidenced in his transactions those qual- ities which make friends and, being upright in his dealings and interested in the moral as well as the financial welfare of the com- munity, he enjoys the confidence and re- spect of all who know him.

FRED W. GAEDECKE is one of the sturdy, upright and honorable citizens which Ger- many has given to the new world in such large numbers. He was born in that coun- try, April 20, 1848, a son of John and Annie Gaedecke, both natives of Germany. He received his early education in the public schools of his native country and remained with his parents until he was twenty-three years old. In 1871 he crossed the Atlantic to America, landing in New York, and im- mediately went to Iowa, where he engaged in general farming for twenty-two years. He bought sixty acres of land in that state and cultivated and improved it during that period. In 1893 he sold his Iowa holdings

940

THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

and went to Washington, where he worked on a street railroad for four years. At the end of that time he came to Oregon and worked on a ranch near Portland for a short time. Later he went to Douglas county and bought the farm of forty acres upon which he now lives. This land he has since improved and developed. He has erected many buildings on it and has equipped it with modern farm implements, so that it ranks today as one of the model ranches of Douglas county.

In 1873, Mr. Gaedecke was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Elend, a native of Ger- many. They are the parents of five chil- dren, Henry, Annie, Herman, Fred and Ed- ward. The son, Herman, learned the black- smith's trade in his early youth, at Van- conver, Washington, and remained in that city for three years working in that busi- ness. He spent one year at home, while em- ployed in the Columbia mines, and after one inore year of blacksmithing returned to the mines and was appointed foreman. He is now the owner of a progressive blacksmith shop near his father's ranch and lives at home with his parents. Fred W. Gaedecke is a consistent republican, and never seeks public office. He and his family are mem- bers of the Lutheran church of Booth, Ore- gon, and have always taken an active part in its affairs. Mr. Gaedecke is a practical and efficient farmer, having devoted almost his entire life to agricultural pursuits.

GEORGE A. SEHORN is the popular pro- prietor and owner of the Mapleton Hotel, it being the only establishment of its kind in the city of Mapleton, this state. His birth occurred in Virginia in 1868, his parents be- ing Marion and Rebecca (Wallace) Sehorn, who were born, reared and married in that state. They continued to reside in the Old Dominion until 1870. when they removed to Tehama county, California, where they spent the remaining years of their lives. Marion Sehorn passed from this life at the age of seventy-five years and his wife at the age of sixty-eight. Their children were seven in number, as follows: William, a practicing physician of San Francisco; A. W., of Willow, California, filling the office of recorder of deeds; Bud, also of Willow, California; Elizabeth, who is the wife, of John Calder and resides in San Francisco; Mary. deceased; George A., of this review; and Blair, who has passed away.

George A. Sehorn was reared in his par- ents' home and educated in the public schools. He remained under the parental roof until seventeen years of age, at which time he started to make his own way in the world and until May 25, 1910, he was em- ployed as a chef at different hotels through- cut the state of California. During these years he accumulated property of various kinds. which was located at different places in California. On the 25th of May, 1910, he purchased the Mapleton Hotel at Mapleton, Oregon, and has since devoted his entire at- tention to the improvement and operation of that property.

Mr. Sehorn has been twice married. At the age of twenty-one he was united in mar- riage to Miss Nellie Basley and unto them was born one son, Louis A. In 1892 Mr. Sehorn obtained a legal separation from his wife and subsequently wedded Mrs. Lula (Carter) Hartley, formerly the wife of Mark Hartley, of California. Mrs. Sehorn is the daughter of Leonard and Elizabeth Carter. Her mother died in the state of Wisconsin many years ago and her father removed to California in 1877 and for five years contin- ued to reside in that state, after which he moved to Oregon and settled in Lane county upon a farm and there continued to reside for a period of twenty-nine years. He then removed to Florida, where he now maintains his home. On leaving this state he sold a portion of his original homestead but still retains one hundred and sixty acres of that place near Acme, Oregon. To Leonard and Elizabeth Carter three children were born: Mrs. Mary M. Fox, of Lane county; Nora, who died in infancy; and Mrs. Lula Sehorn. By her first husband Mrs. Sehorn had six children, namely: Edwin A., who is at home; Harvey K., of California; Irvin D., likewise of that state; Leona May, Casner B. and Erma, who died in infancy. Mrs. Sehorn is the owner in her own right of val- uable real-estate 'property in Florence. Both she and her husband are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Mapleton.

George A. Sehorn is the popular and suc- cessful owner and proprietor of the Maple- ton Hotel and his hostelry is becoming wide- ly known through this section of Lane coun- ty as one of the best and most carefully conducted institutions of its kind. He is a man of great business energy and always quick to give his influence and assistance to the interests of every enterprise of a public character that seeks to advance the welfare and betterment of the people of Lane county and the town of Mapleton.

SAMUEL H. TETHEROW, who is living retired in Falls City, Oregon, was born in Platte county, Missouri, March 6, 1836. He is a son of Solomon Tetherow, who was bet- ter known as "Uncle Sol," and who was born in Tennessee, of German parentage, his father being a native of that country, who settled in Tennessee at an early date. Solo- mon Tetherow, reared under the parental roof, had no early school advantages. On reaching manhood he went to Platte county, Missouri, where he was united in marriage to Miss Effie Baker, of that state. In 1843 he removed with his family to Texas but on account of sickness he returned with- out unpacking his wagon to Platte county, Missouri, where he purchased land. In 1845 he and his brother David, with fifteen ox teams and four wagons, joined a train con- sisting of sixty-one wagons and three hun- dred men, of which Solomon Tetherow was the captain, and started to cross the plains. They went by way of the Stephen Meek route, on the Green river, and by way of the Meek cut-off, crossing near Wagontire mountain. and thence turning north to The

943

THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

Dalles. From there they drove the cattle over the trail and floated the goods down on rafts to the Cascade Falls. Solomon and David Tetherow made their way to Polk county, Oregon, where they purchased of Solomon Sheldon a tract of land, which ill- cluded the present site of Dallas. In 1847 they sold this land for eleven two-year-old heifers and went to the forks of the Lucki- amute river, where they took up a land donation claim of six hundred and forty acres. Solomon Tetherow improved this claim and resided thereon the rest of his life. In partnership with Fred Weymer, in 1851 he bought a sawmill two miles north of Falls City and operated the same for several years. It was the first sawmill in this section of the country and he manu- factured all the lumber for his buildings there. He died on his 'claim in 1879, at the age of seventy-nine, and his wife, having preceded him by ten years, passed away in 1869, at the age of sixty-five. He was a very successful man, owning in all about eighteen hundred acres of land, and during his time he bought and sold much land and engaged extensively in stock-raising, making a specialty of hogs and sheep. He was a stanch republican in politics, and both he and his wife were members of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church. He was well known and highly respected. In his fam- ily were ten children: Evelyn, of Polk county, Oregon, who is the widow of Paul Hildebrant; Lucinda, of Ashland, Oregon, the widow of William Parker; Andrew Jack- son, who married Sophronia Crowe, both of whom are deceased; Samuel H., of this re- view; Thomas B., of whom mention is made on another page of this work; William L., deceased, who married Angeline Johnson, who still resides in Colfax, Washington; Emily, who became the wife of Henry Chris- tie and both are now deceased; James P., who died in 1908 and was a farmer on the old homestead in Polk county, Oregon, hav- ing married Amanda Crosby, who resides on the farm; Martha, of Dallas, Oregon, who is the widow of David Burris; and Cynthia Ann, who married Richard M. Johnson, of Colfax, Washington.

Samuel H. Tetherow had very meager chances for an early education, having to go four or five miles to the district school. He remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-two years of age, or 1858, when he located near the Luckiamute river, where he resided for eight years. He then went to Benton county and purchased a farm of three hundred and twenty acres but after a short time he sold the same and bought five hundred acres in the foot hills of the same county, where he engaged in stock-raising. After five years he sold out and bought three hundred acres of his old homestead, for which he paid nine thou- sand dollars. He resided there until 1898, when he came to Falls City, where he now lives. He helped to build the mill at Falls City and for five years was connected with it, but since then he has lived retired. He owns a beautiful residence in town and has

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.

The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 144

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