The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 28

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

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Jerome B., Jr., who makes his home at Ager, California; and Lucy Jane, the wife of Louis Van Zandt, of Ager.

Charles Ager remained under the parental roof until five years ago, being engaged as a rancher through California, Oregon and Nevada. In 1907 he settled on his present ranch of one hundred and sixty-one acres in the Klamath basin and has one hundred and twenty acres of land under cultivation, seven- ty-two acres thereof being under the govern- ment ditch. He devotes his time and energies to the cultivation of cereals and also raises some stock, meeting with success in both branches of his business.

On the 7th of February, 1912, Mr. Ager was united in marriage to Miss Augusta Kurt, a native of Germany. The salient characteris- tics of his manhood are such as have brought him the warm regard of those with whom he has been associated.

WADE LEE RAY, farmer, dairyman and expert mechanician, is operating a tract of land located within one mile of Myrtle Point, Oregon, and is adding to the agricultural re- sources of that locality one hundred and twen- ty-four and one-half acres of land which is in an improved and well developed condition. He was born in Cass county, Nebraska, March 13, 1866, and is a son of Wade Hampton and Mary E. (Clinkenbeard) Ray, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Ken- tucky. Mr. Ray's parents were married in Missouri and made that state their home for a number of years before they removed to Nebraska where they were among the early settlers. The father helped haul the lumber used in the building of the first house ever erected in Lincoln and was one of the active forces in the pioneer development of that city. He homesteaded land in Cass county and farmed until 1879. He then removed to Decatur county, Kansas, and took up land in that section, becoming prosperous and well known as a farmer. He remained there until 1894 and after some years spent in Nebraska came to Coos county in 1901. Here he made his home with his son, the subject of this sketch, until his death on November 7, 1908. His wife survived him for nearly two years, dying on the 9th of March, 1910. To them were born twelve children, eight of whom are living: Sam, who resides in Colorado; John, of Coos county; Mollie, the widow of James H. Hirst, of Norton county, Kansas; Frank, of Coos county; Richard, who makes his home in Norton county, Kansas; Calvin, of Coos county; Sarah, the widow of E. F. Melton, of Weiser, Idaho; and Wade Lee, our subject.

Wade Lee Ray was educated in the public schools of Elmwood, Nebraska, and began active life for himself when he was fifteen years of age. Even at that early period he had become familiar with the details of agri- culture by assisting his father in the work of the farm. He worked as a laborer for three years and gained valuable and neces- sary experience in that way. At the end of that time he commenced farming for lıim- self in Nebraska meeting with success. He

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had mechanical talent. Thus it was that he operated machinery in connection with farm- ing and was at one time in the employ of the Avery Manufacturing Company as an expert mechanician. In 1901 he came to Coos county, Oregon, where he bought one hundred and twenty-four and one-half acres of land located a mile below Myrtle Point. He has since lived upon that property and been successful in the cultivation of its soil. His farm comprises a large tract of rich and productive land, well equipped with granaries and other buildings, fenced and improved in every way, and its appearance manifests his progressive spirit and the energy which he always employs. He makes a specialty of dairying and keeps a large herd of cows for that purpose. This branch of his enterprise receives his personal supervision and attention. He keeps his dairy sanitary by modern methods, and his prod- ucts gain a ready sale in the Oregon markets.

On January 1, 1890, Mr. Ray was united in marriage to Miss Nellie M. King, who was born in Nebraska on the 11th of September, 1874. She is a daughter of T. M. and Lydia (Dibble) King, natives of Iowa. Her parents were married in Nebraska and the mother died in that state. Mrs. Ray's father is liv- ing in Johnson county, where he is numbered among the earliest pioneers. He bought land in that section at an early date, farmed for several years and was active in politics, serv- ing two or three terms as sheriff. He en- gaged in stock-raising here and was well known as a representative and enterprising citizen. He had three children, the eldest of whom died in infancy. The others are: Nellie, the wife of our subject; and Mrs. Lydia Grace Williams, of Nebraska. Mrs. Ray re- ceived her education in Talmage, Nebraska, and remained with her parents until her mar- riage. Mr. and Mrs. Ray have seven chil- dren: Maurice, born in 1892, who lives at home; John S., born in August, 1893, also at home; Floyd, who died in infancy; Nona May, whose birth occurred in 1898; Calvin, born in 1900; Ora, born in 1904; and Lois Grace, whose birth occurred in 1911.

In politics Wade Lee Ray is independent. He votes for the men and measures which he' considers best adapted to promote the welfare of his section, and has never sought public office. He is a member of the Modern Wood- men of America at Myrtle Point, Oregon, and is active in the affairs of that organization. He has met with success which is constantly increasing and his present prosperity is well merited for it has come to him through his own well directed labors and close applica- tion.

ARTHUR C. LEWIS, general manager of the Farmers Implement and Supply House of Klamath Falls, which was incorporated in February, 1906, was born in Bedford, Taylor county, Iowa, September 5, 1871, and is a son of Leonard A. and Mary A. (Bruner) Lewis, the former a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, and the latter of Iowa. The father was a pioneer of Taylor county and was married in Bedford. In the spring of 1873, however, he left that locality and removed westward .to

Greenwood, Custer county, Colorado, where he lived for twelve years. He came to Klam- ath county, Oregon, in January, 1886, and his last days were passed in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, whither he had gone for the benefit of his health. He had followed farming and stock-raising during the greater part of his life and was a man worthy of all respect. His wife passed away in Klamath Falls. In their family were seven children, of whom two died in infancy, the others being: Arthur C., of this review; Nellie F., the wife of James B. Moore, of Olene, Klamath county; Charles C., L. Alva and C. Leon, all of whom are residents of Klamath Falls.

Arthur C. Lewis resided upon the home farm with his parents until he reached the age of twenty years. He was only in his second year when the removal was made to Colorado and was fourteen years of age at the time of the arrival in Oregon. Anxious to acquire an education that would fit him for more than the most humdrum duties of life, he entered the State Agricultural College at Corvallis. At that time he had but thirty- eight dollars but he worked his way through college, spending four years as a student in that institution, from which he was gradu- ated with the degree of Bachelor of Mechan- ical Engineering in the class of 1895. He then returned to Klamath Falls and spent two years in the cattle business. He next went to Molalla, Oregon, where he remained for two and a half years, there raising teasels for woolen mills. He employed from thirty to one hundred and twenty-five men in the production of teasels but afterward returned to Klamath Falls and again began raising cattle, continuing in the live-stock industry for three years. He next entered the butch- ering business in connection with his cattle- raising, carrying on operations along that line until September, 1904. Then, in con- nection with A. W. Peil, he bought a small blacksmith shop, which they conducted for seventeen months, this leading eventually to the development and incorporation of the business in 1906, now conducted under the name of the Farmers Implement and Supply House. Mr. Lewis erected his present build- ing, which is a two-story structure, ninety by one hundred and twenty feet, at the cor- ner of Sixth street and Klamath avenue. Here he carries on general blacksmithing and woodworking and handles all kinds of farm implements, together with harness and shelf hardware. The business has grown rapidly, as is indicated by the fact that in 1905 its returns were thirty-eight hundred dollars and in 1911 one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. He employs on an average of from ten to twenty-two men at an average wage of four dollars per day. The business is now one of the most important commercial industries of this section, meeting a want in the development of this district by fur- nishing all needed supplies to those who are actively engaged in tilling the soil and pro- moting the work of improvement here.

In 1899 Mr. Lewis was united in marriage to Miss Iva M. Sawtell whom he met while both were students at the Oregon Agricul-

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THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

tural College. She is a native of Molalla, Oregon, and a daughter of A. J. and Eliza E. Sawtell. The four children of this mar- riage are Rollin O. A., R. Ollis, Marian A. and Neta R. The family residence stands in the midst of six acres of ground and is one of the most attractive homes in this part of the state. Mr. Lewis found that he had hot water by digging only three feet. He built a hothouse, which is heated by nature, twenty- two by one hundred and thirty-eight feet, and for the past three years has engaged in raising lettuce as a side issue, supplying Klamath Falls. He also produces other vege- tables and is fast bringing every inch of his ground under a high state of cultivation. His place is located in the Mills addition and he also has other real-estate interests here.

Mr. Lewis belongs to the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks and also to the Wood- men of the World. His life has been one of unfaltering activity, enterprise and hard work, and intelligently directed labor has brought him his success. He now accupies a prominent position among the more capable and successful business men of southern Oregon, his record proving what may be accomplished when determination and energy lead the way. Moreover, the reliability of his business methods commends him to the confidence of all, proving that prosperity and an honored name may be won simultaneously.

HON. HENRY G. HADLEY was one of the early Oregon pioneers who came to the Pacific coast in 1851. He was born in Portland, Maine, June 24, 1815, his parents being Samuel and Margaret (Gibson) Hadley, who were natives of New Hampshire but sub- sequently settled in Maine. Samuel Hadley followed the practice of medicine as a life work. Henry G. Hadley remained with his parents until fourteen years of age, when he became self-supporting by peddling Yankee notions during the summer time and returning in the fall of each year for the purpose of attending school. This he continued for seven years, working in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. In 1838 he started westward, taking a supply of Connecticut clocks which he sold through- out the state of Michigan. In 1839 he set- ted near Shelbyville, Illinois, where, form- ing a partnership, he operated saw and flour mills and a distillery. This business he con- tinued for several years until fire destroyed his plants, when he removed to Dubuque, Iowa, and there engaged in the manufacture and sale of confectionery. He was thus en- gaged until the California gold excitment of 1849, when. joining the tide of emigration which flowed westward, he crossed the plains to California with ox teams, in a train of fifty wagons. The journey was without notable incidents until the Humboldt river was reached when, in their eagerness to reach Cali- fornia, Mr. Hadley with three or four com- panions, taking their ponies, set out following a cut-off to the Golden state. The road was long, their food gave out and suffering seemed imminent until they were fortunate in

purchasing a quarter of an emigrant ox. Thus enabled to continue their journey they at last reached the Sacramento valley, arriv- ing there in the fall of 1849. They began mining on Feather river, but having no knowledge of such work and as the coyotes were stealing their beef, they were greatly handicapped, especially as their money was gone. They fortunately obtained supplies on credit at a trading post and continued their efforts, but shortly afterward secured em- ployment at eight dollars per day and board, that being a small consideration as provisions were very expensive. They worked twelve days, thus securing valuable experience as well as money with which to settle for the supplies they had bought. They then went to the Tuolumne river where they earned a few hundred dollars, after which Mr. Hadley re- turned to Sacramento and spent the winter working at his trade of confectioner. In the spring of 1850 he again visited the mines but engaged in trading in the summer, re- turning in the winter to his home and family in Iowa. As glowing accounts of Oregon's re- sources continued to reach him he made ar- rangements in the spring of 1851 to again ven- ture to the far west. He joined a wagon train composed of the families of Aaron Rose, subsequently the founder of Roseburg, Ore- gon, Arthur Denny and others. All were well equipped with horses and progress was made with comfort, their only mishap occur- ring in the Snake river mountains when Mel- ville Hadley was shot through the body by Indians. He recovered, however, and lived many years afterward. The company crossed the Cascade mountains by the Barlow route, reaching the Willamette valley, and thence in the fall Mr. Hadley proceeded to Lane county and settled on a government claim on Spencer creek, where he began improve- ment and farming. He also engaged in rail- splitting, rather a severe experience, and in the spring of 1852 drove his four-horse team to Portland and purchased ten thousand dol- lars worth of goods, which he began peddling with success through the valley from Port- land to Roseburg during the summer. In the fall he began trading in cattle and spent several years in that line of activity, remain- ing in that locality until 1878, when he moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he lived re- tired until his death which occurred April 2, 1906. His wife died July 12, 1904. At the time of his death hie owned two thousand acres of land on Coyote creek known as the Hadley Settlement, where he had built a spacious residence and made other substan- tial improvements. On this ranch he engaged extensively in the cattle and horse-raising business, residing there until 1889, when he built a cottage in Eugene in order that liis wife might be near her only daughter, Mrs. Eakin. Subsequent to · that time and prior to his retirement he passed his summers on the ranch and his winters in Eugene. He was married, in Shelbyville, Illinois. in 1840, to Loretta C. Cox, born in Sandusky, Ohio, and to them were born four children: Eliza J., the wife of S. B. Eakin, deceased, of whom further mention is made in this work and who

HENRY G. HADLEY

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was vice president of the First National Bank of Eugene; Charles; Frank and George, who are operating the homestead farm. Mr. Had- ley was the first justice of the peace of Lane county, appointed by the county commission- ers in 1852, and held court under an oak tree before a courthouse had been built, the tree having been cut down in the summer of 1911, and in the following year was elected to rep- resent his district in the territorial legislature. Through his efforts the borders of Lane county were extended by the addition of portions of Benton and Lincoln counties. Throughout his career both in public and private life he showed himself to be a gentleman of upright- ness, integrity and high purpose and gained the respect and confidence of a large number of friends who greatly regretted his death. He was a member of the Masonic Fraternity.

PINKSTON W. LAIRD lives on a farm sit- uated two and a half miles above Coquille on the Coquille river. He owns there one hun- dred and four acres of land and in addition to its cultivation is making a specialty of dairy- ing and stock-raising. He was born in Modoc county, California, in 1877, a son of John C. and Janie Laird. The mother was a native of Ireland and the father of the state of New York, but they were married in Modoc county, where they resided until 1879, when they re- moved to Coos county, Oregon, settling on the Coquille river, about two miles from the town of Coquille. The father there secured a claim of three hundred and twenty acres and also bought other land until he owned six hundred and forty acres, largely covered with timber. In 1889 he sold that property and purchased the farm now owned by his son Pinkston W., comprising one hundred and four acres. There he made his home until February, 1904, when death called him. His widow still sur- vives and is living in Coquille, at the age of sixty-nine years. In their family were six children: Eunice, who is the wife of George T. Schroeder, of Florence, Oregon; Mrs. Annie Von Pegert, of Coquille; James W., living near Coquille; Pinkston W .; Warren C., of Coquille; and George P., whose home is at Bandon, Oregon.

Pinkston W. Laird was educated in the schools of . Coos county, supplementing the work of the grammar grades by two years' study in the high school. He remained at home to the time of his marriage and then took charge of his father's place. Two years later he bought this farm of one hundred and four acres, of which seventy-five acres is under cultivation. There are many excel- lent improvements upon the place and he makes a specialty of dairying and stock- raising, handling thoroughbred stock, both cattle and hogs. He also owns one hundred and sixty acres of timber land on Catching creek, in Coos county, and also five business lots in Richmond, California.

In 1903 Mr. Laird was married to Miss Flora M. McCloskey, a native of Kansas and a daughter of Samuel J. and Mary A. Mc- Closkey, who lived in that state for a number of years and in 1880 came to Oregon, settling

at Gravel Ford, Coos county, where they re- mained until 1894. They then sold their farm and purchased other land at Norway, Oregon, still owning their sixty-three acres. The father conducted a general mercantile store and a creamery to the time of his death in June, 1907. The mother still lives at Nor- way. In their family were nine children, seven of whom survive, namely: Mrs. Agnes Smith, who makes her home at Gravel Ford; W. T., living at Myrtle Point; Lucinda, who is the widow of Evan Morgan and resides at Bandon; Mrs. Minnie E. Lester, of Angiola, California; Clara, at home; Mrs. Laird; and James H., at home, who operates the cream- ery. Unto the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Laird three children have been born: Margaret J., who was born in 1905; Vernita M., who was born in September, 1909; and Elda B., October 20, 1911. The mother, Mrs. Laird, acquired her education in the public schools of Coos county and also attended the State Normal at Ashland, Oregon. She taught school for eighteen years previous to her mar- riage, beginning at the age of sixteen years. The family residence is two and a half miles above Coquille on the Coquille river. Mr. Laird usually votes with the democratic party, yet is liberal in his views. In matters of citi- zenship, however, he stands for progress and advancement and his cooperation may be counted upon to further many progressive movements.

JOHN N. SUMERLIN, whose demise oc- curred on the 24th of December, 1911, was for a quarter of a century actively identified with general agricultural pursuits in Coos county and gained an enviable reputation as one of its substantial and esteemed citizens. He was born in Wilkes county, North Caro- lina, a son of Griffin Sumerlin, who was also a native of that state. John N. Sumerlin was reared to manhood in the Old North state and was there married at the age of twenty- two years. About 1857, shortly after the death of his first wife, he left North Carolina and spent a brief period in Tennessee. Re- turning to his native state, he there culti- vated rented land for two years and on the expiration of that period again removed to Tennessee, where he made his home until 1884. In April of that year he came to Ore- gon, settling on the north fork of the Coquille river, in Coos county, where he purchased one hundred and seven acres of land and continued to reside until within a few years of his demise. By dint of unremitting toil and perseverance he brought the property under a high state of cultivation and improve- ment, and his labors were eventually re- warded in bounteous harvests. In the fall of 1908 he put aside the active work of the fields, bought property in Myrtle Point and there took up his abode, renting his farm, which is still being leased by his heirs. The last few years of his life were spent in hon- orable retirement at Myrtle Point, where his death occurred on the 24th of December, 1911. He was a valued member of the Methodist Episcopal church for forty years and his life was in consistent harmony with its teach-

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ings. He gave his political allegiance to the democracy but had no lodge or fraternal relations, being a man of domestic tastes and content in the companionship of his wife and children.

Mr. Sumerlin was first married to Miss Martha Richie, a cousin of Mrs. Eliza Sum- erlin. By this union there were three chil- dren, as follows: Alvin, who is a resident of Lee, Oregon; Elizabeth, deceased; and one who died in infancy. For his second wife Mr. Sumerlin chose Miss Eliza Lipps, a native of Tennessee, by whom he had ten children, namely: Carrie, who is deceased; Reuben G., who is married and is a preacher of the United Brethren church in Vancouver, Wash- ington; Michael P., of Coos county, this state; Thomas G .; Cordia Belle, who was drowned at the age of two years; Cordia Elizabeth, the wife of W. E. Lewellen, of Myrtle Point, Oregon; Frona, the wife of Walter Lawhorn, of Mckinley, Oregon; John Cleveland, of Myrtle Point; Lester, who re- sides in British Columbia; and Henry Grady, living at Myrtle Point, Oregon.

On the 22d of November, 1907, Thomas G. Sumerlin was united in marriage to Miss Florence Carter, a native of Oregon and a daughter of Isaac Carter, who came to Doug- las county with his parents in the early '50s. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Flor- ence Sumerlin fought in the Indian wars in this state. She is one of a large family of children and by her marriage has become the mother of a daughter, Verla, whose natal day was August 25, 1908. Thomas G. Sum- erlin purchased twenty-five acres of the old Alex Jackson place, one mile east of Gravel Ford, and is there engaged in dairying. Mr. Sumerlin is a democrat in politics and takes an active interest in public affairs. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church, while fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. A man of enter- prise and ability, he has long been numbered among the representative agriculturists and respected citizens of his community.

J. W. LAIRD makes a specialty of dairy- ing on a farm of twenty-two acres near Coquille, keeping ten head of cows for this purpose. He was born in Modoc county, California, August 25, 1873, and is a son of John C. and Jane (Norris) Laird, of whom more extended mention is made on another page of this work in connection with the sketch of Pinkston W. Laird, a brother of our subject.

The removal of the family to Oregon dur- ing the boyhood days of J. W. Laird enabled him to pursue his education in the public schools of Coos county. In his youth he also became familiar with agricultural methods, remaining at home with his parents to the time of his marriage. He afterward served as engineer for the Johnson Lumber Company of Coos county for a period of ten years, and industry and careful expenditure during that decade brought him the capital that enabled him to purchase one hundred and eighty-two acres of land. Of this he has

since sold one hundred and sixty acres, leav- ing him but twenty-two acres. This, how- ever, constitutes a well improved although small farm near Coquille, which lie devotes to dairying purposes, keeping ten head of cows. His well appointed dairy and the excellence of its products secures him a liberal patron- age.

On the 29th of May, 1896, Mr. Laird was united in marriage to Miss Mabel Baxter, who was born at Santa Cruz, California, May 15, 1872, a daughter of F. M. and Lin- wood (Watson) Baxter, natives of Iowa and Missouri, respectively. They were married in Oregon, to which state the father came when fifteen years of age, while the mother was brought to the northwest by her parents when three years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Baxter were married in the Willamette val- ley and afterward removed to California, where they resided for several years. Five children were born to them in that state. In 1879 they came with their family to Oregon settling in Coos county, where the father took up the logging business, which he fol- lowed for twenty years. He then retired and has since lived at Coquille. Of the six children of the Baxter family four are still living: Charles E., who is a resident of Coquille; Mrs. Mabel Laird; George E., living at Co- quille; and Harry, who makes his home in Bandon. Those deceased are Pearl and Cleve- land.

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The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 28

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