The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 155

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

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THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

the Baptist denomination. They had the fol- lowing children: William T .; Jolin R .; Ira L., who was editor of the Guard for twenty years and is deceased; Eugene, who has passed away; and Edward Lee.

Edward Lee Campbell has been a lifelong resident of Eugene and his salient qualities have ever commanded for him the respect and good-will of those with whom he has been associated. He acquired his early education in the public schools and afterward attended the University of Oregon. He learned the printer's trade with his brother, who was editor and owner of the Guard, and on leav- ing the newspaper office our subject entered the railway mail service, with which he was connected for a number of years. When his brother became ill, Edward L. Campbell as- sumed editorial charge of the Guard, so con- tinuing to be engaged for five years. On the expiration of that period he sold his interest in the paper and has since been connected with the furniture business, becoming at that time one of the proprietors of the en- terprise in which he still is a partner. This business was established in 1890 by Herbert Gordon and in 1905 the present owners pur- chased and incorporated it under the name of the Campbell-Fellman Company. Three years ago, they erected a substantial and attractive business block, which is eighty-two by one hundred and twenty feet, is three stories in height and has a basement. Theirs is the largest furniture store between Sacramento and Portland. They carry a large and care- fully selected line of goods, suited to all tastes and financial circumstances, and they not only handle the output of furniture fac- tories but also manufacture their own mat- tresses and window shades and do upholster- ing. Their sales have reached an extensive figure annually and the business is constant- ly growing along gratifying lines.

Edward Lee Campbell married Miss Jo- sephine Casey, a daughter of James Casey, of Woodburn, Oregon, and they have two children, Gilfry and Dewey. Mr. Campbell is widely known in the city, where his en- tire life has been passed, and, while he has never sought to figure prominently in any public connection, he has exerted a strong and beneficial influence in support of prog- ress and improvement, of reform and ad- vancement. His methods are progressive and measure up at all times to the highest stand- ards of commercial ethics.

JAMES 0. DAVIS, who is engaged in the general merchandise business in Cleone, was born in Topeka, Kansas, his parents being James M. and Anna L. (Lynn) Davis. The father was a native of Virginia and one of four children, the others being: Alfred, de- ceased; Hansford, a physician who is resid- ing in Texas; and Ida, deceased. The mother, whose birth occurred in Ohio, was one of eleven children. Mr. and Mrs. James M. Davis are at present living about twelve miles from Portland. To them two children were born: Harry B., whose birth occurred October 27, 1880, and who is conducting a

cafe in Portland; and James O., the subject of this sketch.

James O. Davis acquired his education in the Salem public schools, in which city the family resided for about ten years. Later he entered the public schools of Portland and also took a course in the Portland Business College, from which institution he was grad- uated in 1902. He was thus prepared to en- gage upon an active career and started out in life on his own account by working in a wholesale grocery house in Portland for four years before coming to Fairview and engag- ing in business on his own account. For the last four years he has been conducting a store which he purchased immediately after his arrival here and has built up a large busi- ness. Since this is a very prosperous and well settled farming district his store na- turally enjoys a good patronage, and because of his careful study of the needs of his cus- tomers his trade is constantly expanding.

On the 26th of October, 1906, Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Neomi R. Massey, whose birth occurred April 7, 1886, and who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Har- vey Massey. She is the youngest of three children, the others being: Alpha O., de- ceased; and Harvey, who is residing in Fair- view.

In politics Mr. Davis gives his support to the democratic party and served as marshal of Fairview and deputy sheriff of this dis- .. int. He holds membership in the United Artisans. Although he is still a young man, he has by conscientious labor and close appli- cation gained a position in the business cir- cles of his community which well augurs for his future.

E. ARTHUR MEREEN, who dates his res- idence in Coos county from 1885 is regarded as an expert farmer, thoroughly modern and progressive in his business transactions, in the development of his fields and. the raising of stock. He is a son of Samuel and Sarah Mereen, both natives of Maine. E. Arthur Mereen is one of five children: Nettie, the wife of William Mogary of Washington, by whom she has five children; May, who mar- ried Judson Downs of Washington and who later passed away leaving one child; E. Ar- thur, the subject of this sketch; Gilman, who maintains his residence in Washington; and one child, who died in infancy.

E. Arthur Mereen was reared in Nebraska until he was ten years of age. Even at that early time he was obliged to assist his father with the work upon the farm. When. the family moved to Oregon he continued the education begun in his native state in the public schools of this section and remained at home until he was sixteen. His father settled on Coos bay and operated a farm in that region. His mother died in Nebraska when our subject was only nine years of age. Samuel Mereen operated the homestead which he took up on the Coos river until his death in 1891. This event necessitated Ar- thur Mereen's earning his own livelihood and in order to make money for himself he worked as a laborer upon neighboring farms

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and was active in the sawmills of Coos county for three years. He later came to the north fork of the Coquille river and spent his summers engaged in agricultural pur- suits in the employ of others. During the winter months he attended school and con- tinued so for four years. He engaged in the logging business with a partner and carried on this enterprise in conjunction with agri- cultural labors for eight years. In the mean- time he purchased eighty-one acres of pro- ductive land, to which he later added by buying ninety-one acres in Coos county. He moved upon this property and began its cul- tivation. In 1909 he sold his eighty-one acres in order to give his entire time and at- tention to the development and expansion of his present large farm. He has made all the improvements upon his property, built fine barns and outbuildings and has twenty acres of his holdings in a high state of cultivation. He specializes in dairying, keeping a large herd of cows for this purpose. He raises thoroughbred horses and is known througlı- out Coos county as an expert in this line.

In 1900 Mr. Mereen was united in mar- riage to Miss Sophie Tillman, a daughter of Albert and Ann (Bunch) Tillman. Mrs. Mereen's mother was twice married. She is now the widow of Charles Watkins, a na- tive of England and makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Mereen.

Mrs. Mereen is one of three children born to her parents. The other two are: Elsie, who lives in Washington; and one child, who died in infancy. Our subject and his wife were married in Coos county and to their union four children have been born: Bessie and Dorothy, both of whom died in infancy; Wallace, who is now attending school; and Marjory.

In his political affiliations Mr. Mereen is a consistent republican but has never been an office seeker. He holds membership in the Seventh Day Adventist church and is rec- ognized as a man of high character. He is regarded as an energetic and progressive agri- culturist. He has a highly developed piece of property and under his care the fields are growing richer and more productive while his dairy is expanding and developing pro- portionately. For years he has figured among the prominent farmers in the com- munity and by his well directed and spe- cialized labor gained the prosperity which he is now enjoying.

PROFESSOR GUY W. HENDERSON, one of the most progressive educators in Oregon is principal of the Ockley Green school of Portland. He was born in Logan county, Ohio, October 19, 1873, and is a son of Henry E. and Rachel (Rounds) Henderson. He rep- resents an old Virginia family and his great- grandfather, Samuel Henderson. was one of the soldiers of the Revolutionary war, while the son Samuel Henderson, was a soldier of the Mexican war. The father of Professor Henderson displayed the same military spirit in his loyal and patriotic defense of the Union as a member of the One hundred and thirty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He

was born in Virginia and when a young man accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio, where the Hendersons became identified with agricultural interests. The maternal grandparents of Professor Henderson were of English birth and nativity, but his mother was born in Ohio.

In the acquirement of his education Guy W. Henderson attended the high school of Springfield, Ohio, and later entered Otterbein University at Westerville, Ohio, where he won his Bachelor of Arts degree. He was also, for a time, a student in the Northern In- diana Normal School at Valparaiso, and has had two years of post-graduate work at Harvard. He has engaged in teaching since starting out in the world on his own account, following the profession in Ohio and In- diana until 1905, and being principal of grammar and high schools in different local- ities. In the year mentioned, he came to Portland and became a teacher of mathe- matics and Latin in the Lincoln high school, where he remained for three years, when he came to his present position as principal of the Ockley Green school. The spirit of prog- ress animates him in all of his professional duties. He is constantly seeking out new methods to render his. labors more effective in preparing the, young for the responsibil- ities of later life and the consensus of public opinion ranks him with prominent educators in the state. In April, 1912, he was a candi- date, at the primaries for nomination, for county superintendent of schools and on that occasion made a creditable showing which is evidence of the fact that he has a large fol- lowing here. On this occasion there appeared an article in the Portland Journal relative to his candidacy which read: "When we con- . sider the place the schools occupy in the fabric of society and government it is evident that this one is of exceeding importance. Like Caesar's wife, he should be a man above suspicion in moral character, that parents may feel entirely safe in placing their sons and daughters under his care and control. He should be a man of extensive practical experience along all lines of school work and education. He should be abreast of the progressive forces of education; alert to the demands of the present, and wholesomely optimistic as to the future. Have we such a man among the candidates for the office ? The writer is glad to be able to answer that question in the affirmative. Principal of Ockley Green school, Guy W. Henderson, Gills the above description admirably. I have taken some care in looking up the anteced- ents of this candidate, and having my home on the peninsula and feeling a patriot's in- terest in education, especially in the city and state of my adoption, I have obtained a communication from President T. J. San- ders of Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio, where Professor Henderson was edu- cated. It is as follows: 'I take pleasure in speaking of the character and worth of Guy W. Henderson. He is a man of excellent moral character, thorough and energetic as a student, progressive as a teacher. He is reliable in all his dealings. I am willing to

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vouch for him. He is one of our best.' Charles W. Eliot, the ex-president of Har- vard University, gave this endorsement: ‘I am pleased to state that G. W. Henderson has taken advanced courses in mathematics and science, Roman language and literature in Harvard University.' Mr. Henderson is a man of more than ordinary ability and ex- cellent attainments. Mr. Henderson las filled the position of township superintendent of public schools, principal of grammar schools, teacher in high school, principal in high school. These all in Olio. In Port- land he has been teacher in Lincoln high school and principal of Ockley Green school, so that his continued school experience for years abundantly qualifies him for the posi- tion to which he aspires. I write these facts in the interests of the people of Portland and Multnomah county." Although he did not receive the nomination, it is well known that he is firmly established in public regard as an able educator and one, who is making continuous progress in his profession. He is a member of the Oregon State Teachers' As- sociation and keeps in touch with the ad- vanced work that is being done by other rep- resentatives of educational work in the state.

Professor Henderson was married to Miss Ona Graffort, a daughter of W. A. Graffort, of Logan county, Ohio, and they have two children, Winfield L. and Gene. Mrs. Hen- derson is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church. They are prominently known socially and occupy an enviable position in those circles, where true worth and intel- ligence are accepted as the passports to good society.

IRA WIMBERLY. Business success like prosperity in commercial or industrial lines is the result of correctly applied methods. Ira Wimberly, a prominent furniture dealer and undertaker of Drain, Oregon, and one of the foremost men in that city, has built his career upon this firm and thorough founda- tion. He was born in Douglas county, July 2, 1858, and is a son of Enoch and Nancy Ann (Marks) Wimberly, the former a native of Warren county, Missouri, and the latter of Knox county, Illinois. Enoch Wimberly came to Oregon in 1846, and he was only sixteen years of age. He crossed the plains with his foster father, Nicholas Shrum, with whom he had lived for some time previously. The journey was made with ox teams and the party located in Marion county at Waldo Hills, five miles east of Salem. Enoch Wim- berly remained in this section of the coun- try until 1849, when he joined the Califor- nia gold seekers and worked in the gold fields of that state for some time. He became ill after a few months of hard labor and re- turned to Portland in a sailing vessel. He embarked at San Francisco and his vessel, meeting with adverse winds, was driven south. It was fifty-one days before the boat got back to the latitude from which it had started and, when it reached the Columbia river it was compelled to lie outside the bar for sixteen days before it could make the passage. When the vessel landed in Port-

land Enoch Wimberly returned to Marion county and in 1854 came to Douglas county, where he spent a few months before locating on the north fork of the Umpqua river, eighteen miles east of Roseburg. He was ac- companied by two of the sons of his foster father, Thomas and Henry Shrum. Here Mr. Wimberly took up a donation claim and was married three years later, on September 3, 1857. He lived upon his holdings until be removed to Roseburg in 1887 and in that city he and his wife died. Mr. Wimberly's death occurred on August 7, 1908, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. Mrs. Wim- berly survived her husband until October, 1910, her death occurring when she was seventy-two years old. Mrs. Wimberly crossed the plains in 1852. Her father had died in Illinois some months previously to this event and Mrs. Wimberly was accom- panied on her long journey by her widowed mother. She was married in Douglas coun- ty and in this section her son Ira Wimberly was born.

Ira Wimberly was reared at home and ac- quired his education in the district schools. He pursued his studies for five months dur- ing the year and worked upon the farm dur- ing the remaining time. This routine con- tinued up to his twentiethı year, when he entered the Umpqua Academy at Wilbur, . Oregon, where he remained for two years. He supplemented this education by a course in the Portland Business College and upon his graduation from this institution was thoroughly equipped to meet life's activities. In his early manhood he taught for two terms in the district schools of Douglas coun- ty and engaged for a short time in farming in the same section. In 1890 he came to Drain and for five years followed the occupa- tion of clerk and bookkeeper in a local mer- cantile establishment. He resigned this posi- tion in 1897 to go into the general merchan- dising business for himself. He was success- ful along this line but gradually specialized in the furniture line and evolved from his general business a large and flourishing fur- niture store. Three years ago he added an undertaking department. For the past fif- teen years he has been prominently identified with business interests in Drain and is known as one of its leading and foremost men.

On July 3, 1881, Mr. Wimberly was united in marriage to Miss Fannie Kent, a daugh- ter of Levi Kent, who left his native state of Ohio at an early date to come to Illi- nois and was among the early pioneers of Oregon. He was at work in the gold fields in the famous California settlement of 1849 and his life in Oregon was spent as a farmer. He was an enthusiast in the raising of blood- ed stock, sheep, horses and cattle, and did much to improve the standard of stock-rais- ing in his neighborhood. He owned sixteen hundred acres of land two and a half miles south of Elkton, Douglas county, and was one of the leading agriculturists of that re- gion at the time of his death. To Mr. and Mrs. Wimberly have been born tliree cliil- dren: Glenn V .. assistant cashier in the

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Douglas National Bank of Roseburg, Oregon; Carl E., a prominent member of the Oregon bar and city recorder of Roseburg; and Les- ter L., associated with his father in the un- dertaking and furniture business.

Politically Mr. Wimberly is a democrat and has served his party in several capacities with great ability. He was mayor of Drain for two terms and held the office of district clerk of the school board for several years. His public life was always distinguished by strict honesty and incorruptible political methods and his influence was always given to right and worthy causes. He is a charter member of Mountain Lodge, No. 103, I. O. O. F., and is prominent in the affairs of Drain Lodge, No. 62, A. O. U. W. He and his wife liold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Wimberly serves on the board of trustees in that institution. As a business man, as a private citizen and as a public servant Mr. Wimberly has been one of the upbuilding and constructive forces in the growth of the city of Drain. In his business relations he is honest and straight- forward, as a private citizen he is highly esteemed and deeply respected and his pub- lic service has been distinguished by honor- able work for worthy ends.

JOHN HAYES. In the death of John Hayes, in 1905, agricultural interests in Coos county, Oregon, lost a worthy representative and a man, who had won success for him- self and added one hundred and sixty acres of well improved and developed land to the wealth and resources of his state. He was born on March 18, 1825, and was a son of William and Dolly (Castle) Hayes, natives of North Carolina. After their marriage Mr. Hayes' parents removed to Tennessee and re- mained in that state during the period of the Civil war. When hostilities closed they returned to North Carolina, where they both died.

John Hayes received his education in the public schools of North Carolina and Tennes- see. His residence in Oregon dates from 1872, in which year he settled on the south fork of the Coquille river, where he took up one hundred and sixty acres of land as a squat- ter's right. He began its cultivation, and dur- ing the years of his residence in Oregon con- stantly improved and developed it until upon his death it was one of the most prosperous enterprises of its kind on the Coquille river. He farmed along progressive and scientific lines and gave his attention to every phase of his work. He improved his property by modern and sanitary buildings and planted his acres in the most suitable grains. His labors were productive of good results be- cause they were followed along practical lines, and his continued success ranked him at the time of his death among the repre- sentative men of his district. He remained upon his original tract until his death in 1905.

On November 26, 1854, Mr. Hayes was mar- ried to Miss Susan Wagner, a native of Jack- son county, Tennessee, and a daughter of David and Catherine Wagner, both of whom

were born in the eastern part of that state. They lived in Tennessee until 1870, in which year they came to Oregon and settled on the south fork of the Coquille river, where the father bought a tract of land and entered a claim for twenty-seven additional acres. He was constantly adding to his holdings and at the time of his retirement was the owner of one hundred and ninety-four acres of highly improved and developed land. He abandoned agricultural labors about 1897 and went to North Carolina to spend the remain- ing years of his life. He died in that state at the advanced age of ninety-two years. His wife had passed away ten years before. To their union were born thirteen children, seven of whom are still living: Sarah, who lives in Coos county; Susan, the wife of our subject; Rebecca, Elizabeth, Nancy and Catherine, all residents of North Carolina; and John L., of Coos county. To Mr. and Mrs. Hayes were born the following children: James, Henry, Joseph, John, Jacob and Thomas, all of whom are residents of Coos county; Peter, who owns one hundred and sixty acres of land on the Coquille river and who makes his home with his mother; Mar- tha and Dolly, both deceased; Julia, the wife of Benjamin Gant, of Coos county; Laura, who married C. Gant, a resident of Coos county; Mary, the wife of Leonard Hartly, of the same district; Eva, deceased; one, who died in infancy; and Margaret, who passed away in Tennessee.

In his political affiliations Mr. Hayes was a consistent democrat and always voted the- party ticket. He was a member of the Dunk- ard faith and his religion influenced his every- day life. He won prosperity by diligent la- boring at a useful occupation, but counted his truest success in the building up of an honorable and worthy life.

GEORGE W. STACY. A productive tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres is the property of George W. Stacy and is well improved. It lies near Beagle, Jackson county, and is devoted to the raising of ce- reals, fruit and garden products. Mr. Stacy is one of the worthy citizens that Missouri has furnished to Oregon, his birth having oc- curred in Johnson county of the former state, November 7, 1865. In 1872 his parents, I. J. and A. L. (Smith) Stacy, brought the family to Oregon. The father was a native of Mis- souri and the mother of Tennessee. After coming to the northwest they settled near Hillsboro in Washington county. There they lived until 1883 when they took up their abode in Jackson county, where the mother died in 1907 at the age of sixty-five years. The father makes his home in Medford. In the family were seven children, of whom two daughters are deceased while three sons and two daughters are still living.

George W. Stacy was a lad of less than seven years when the family arrived in the northwest, and since 1883, or for a period of almost three decades, he has lived contin- uously in Sams valley. He was reared to the occupation of farming and has made it his life work. Energy and industry have

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enabled him to overcome many obstacles and difficulties and win for himself a creditable and substantial position among the repre- sentative agriculturists of this part of the state. His farm embraces one hundred and sixty acres of rich land, and in addition to cultivating plants best adapted to soil and climatic conditions liere, he also raises fruit and vegetables, and each branch of his busi- ness is constituting an element in his success.

On the 7th of October, 1888, Mr. Stacy was united in marriage to Miss Minnie B. Rodgers, who was born in the Willamette valley in Linn county, Oregon, in 1862, and came to Jackson county with her parents, James B. and Martha J. (Mansfield) Rod- gers, who were natives of Missouri, the father born in 1826 and the mother in 1831. They made the long and arduous trip across the plains in 1850 and became pioneer settlers of Linn county where Mr. Rodgers secured a donation land claim of six hundred and forty acres, a mile below Harrisburg on the Willamette river. There he lived for twenty- one years after which he sold the property, that he had in the meantime developed and improved, and came to Jackson county, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land and purchased three quarters of a sec- tion in the Upper Sams valley. He was thereafter identified with agricultural pursuits in this part of the state to the time of his demise, which occurred January 31, 1899. Throughout his entire life he was a farmer and stock-raiser, and carried on business on an extensive scale. He was a soldier in the Mexican war and his widow now receives a pension. In their family were eight children : . . J., who is living in Sams valley; Minnie, now Mrs. Stacy; J. F., a resident of Jackson county; J. M., living on a stock ranch in the same county; H. E., of Sams valley; Anna, the wife of W. T. Houston of the trail district of Jackson county; Lilly, the wife of Charles Curtis of Gold Hill, Oregon; and Oscar, who resides on the old homestead.

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The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 155

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