The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 54

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

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BUTLER BROTHERS. Representatives of the Butler family in Oregon need no intro- duction to the residents of Douglas county. The local pioneer history is filled with the story of the settlement of Rufus Butler, who was one of the stanch and sturdy frontiers- men to whom America owes her great north- west. He it was who founded the family in Oregon. The spirit of the father has de- scended to the sons and the fidelity and forceful personality which energized his na-

ture are today alive in Benjamin and Abra- ham Lincoln Butler, who are numbered among the men who represent in their sec- tion all that is honorable and worthy in agri- cultural development. They are now operat- ing conjointly the farm which constituted their father's original homestead and their united efforts have resulted in a property of many level acres planted in grain and grasses, and equipped with fine barns and outbuild- ings grouped at regular intervals, with fields lying in productive fertility. The farm forms one of the attractive features of the landscape in Douglas county and is one of the largest agricultural enterprises in this section. The older brother is Benjamin But- ler, a son of Rufus and Sarah (Wells) But- ler, the former a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the latter of Kentucky. The father's birth occurred in 1812 and he received his early training and education in his native state. When he had attained his manhood he shipped on board a vessel and for twelve years followed a seafaring life. In 1849 he came via the Isthmus of Panama to the California gold fields and was one of a company of twelve men who came from Massachusetts seeking their fortunes. In the years that followed he helped to bury all of his eleven companions and in 1850 came to Oregon on account of failing health. He was one of the earliest pioneers in the set- tlement of the state. He first engaged in freighting and lumbering and loaded the first vessel which ever came up the Umpqua river to its mouth. It was loaded with piling for which he received twenty-two cents a run- ning foot. He drove the first freight wagon out of Scottsburg to Roseburg and organ- ized the first school district on the Umpqua river. He took up a donation claim when he first came into the county and this con- stitutes the present Butler farm. He was a republican in his political views and while never an office seeker was an influential force in local public life. He was justice of the peace and held the first court ever held in Scottsburg. When he settled in this district there were only nine white men on the Ump- qua river and he aided in the gradual develop- ment and expansion of one of the greatest states in America. He resided on his dona- tion claim until his death, in 1884. The mother of our subjects crossed the plains to Oregon in 1854 and soon after her arrival here was united in marriage to Rufus Butler. She aided her husband in his pioneer work of development and lived in Oregon until her death in 1898. She was a devout member of the Christian church.

Benjamin Butler who was born on the old homestead, on March 12, 1860, was reared at home and received his education in the pub- lic schools of Douglas county and at Wilbur Academy. His agricultural career dates from his childhood and when he was still a boy he was an active assistant to his father in the labors of the farm. When Rufus Butler died he began active life for himself, rent- ing the home property which he operated for five years. At the end of that time he was joined by his brother, Abraham Lincoln

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Butler, and the two have brought the home farm to a high state of cultivation, operat- ing it along lines of progress and expansion. They keep abreast of the times and are in- terested in every new phase of agricultural life. Benjamin Butler besides his interest in his father's property owns another of two hundred and thirty-seven acres which ad- joins the homestead. Here he carries on diversified farming and stock-raising and meets with the success which has attended him in all the labors of his life.

In 1899 Benjamin Butler was united in marriage to Mrs. Charles Smith, a native of the Yoncalla valley, Douglas county, Ore- gon, who was in her maidenhood Rosa Walker, a daughter of Alpheus Walker. Mrs. Butler's father came to Oregon in 1848 and located in Douglas county in 1852. Unto our subject and his wife has been born one child, Cordelia S., who is living with her par- ents. Mrs. Butler affiliates with the Chris- tian church and is an active worker in religious circles. In his political views Mr. Butler is a consistent republican but has never been an office seeker. He is one of the substantial men of the Umpqua valley and has extensive fraternal affiliations. He be- longs to the Elkton Lodge, No. 192, I. O. O. F., and to Sunset Lodge, No. 8, A. O. U. W., of Gardiner, Oregon. He is a man of undoubted talent along agricultural lines and has given many years of his life to making the farm which he operates productive to the highest degree. He is ably assisted in the fulfilling of his ambition by his brother, Abraham Lincoln Butler, who has attained an equal reputation as a scientific agriculturist. The brothers unite in their efforts along expan- sion and professional lines and much of their success is due to their harmonious relations.

Abraham L. Butler is also a native son of Douglas county and was born on his father's homestead on July 30, 1865. He was reared at home and acquired his education in the pub- lic schools, later attending the Central Ore- gon State Normal School at Drain. He was nineteen years of age when his father died and one year later, in partnership with his brother Benjamin, rented from the estate the homestead which constituted the original Butler farm. For five years they farmed in partnership and in 1890 bought the land which they have operated with conspicuous success since that time. Abraham Butler has since bought a smaller tract of land of thirty-three acres adjoining the home farm and this he has also developed along pro- gressive lines.

In October, 1891, Abraham Butler was united in marriage to Miss Aurilla Maxfield, a native of Kansas and a daughter of T. J. Maxfield, who came to Oregon about 1889. He is now a resident of Siskiyou county, Cali- fornia. Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Butler have two children, Muriel and Roy. In his politi- cal views Mr. Butler is a stanch republican. In 1910 he was a candidate for nomination for the office of county commissioner. He had a strong support but failed of nomina- tion on account of peculiar political condi- tions. His fraternal affiliations include his

connection with Elkton Lodge, No. 192, I. O. O. F., and with Sunset Lodge, No. 8, A. O. U. W., in which organization he holds mem- bership in Gardiner, Oregon. Abraham Lin- coln Butler is an energetic, broad-minded and public-spirited citizen, stanchly loyal to local institutions and formulating his doc- trine of activity according to the creed of his illustrious namesake, and with him he believes that "There is something better than making a living-making a life." He has lived up to worthy standards and carried on his activities along progressive lines, and with his brother stands today a worthy repre- sentative of the spirit of the American north- west.

FRANK S. BUNCH, one of the progressive and public-spirited citizens of Coos county, re- sides one half of a mile from Gravel Ford, Oregon, up the north fork of the Coquille river, and is the owner of thirty-eight acres of land which he cultivates along with one hundred and forty acres which he rents. He does an extensive dairy business and is actively interested in the breeding and rais- ing of high-grade cattle and horses. He was born in Kansas, on February 11, 1865, and is a son of James and Mary (Saunders) Bunch. The parents were natives of Ten- nessee and came to the American northwest in 1872 in which year they settled near Milton in Umatilla county. Their children are as follows: Ann, the widow of Charles Watkins, who makes her . home with her daughter, Mrs. E. A. Mereen; John M., who lives with his family in Los Angeles, California; William H., who holds the posi- tion of superintendent of the public schools of Coos county and resides at Mckinley, Oregon; Mary B., the wife of John D. Ben- nett of Gravel Ford, of whom more extended mention is made on another page of this work; Charles H., of Coquille, Oregon; Alice, now Mrs. Charles Holt of Gaston, Oregon: Frank S., the subject of this sketch; May, the wife of Joseph Bright of Gaston, Oregon ; and Hattie M., who married Professor Robert Airey of Cottage Grove, Oregon.

Frank S. Bunch was reared upon his father's farm and received his education in the public schools of Coos county. By a wise use of every opportunity and extensive read- ing combined with innate intelligence he fitted himself for teaching and when he laid aside his books at the age of nineteen was given a position as teacher in the public schools. He also taught in the Gravel Ford Academy under the direction of the Seventh Day Adventists and was principal of that institution for six years. In 1900 he bought thirty-eight acres of land, half a mile from Gravel Ford and began its cultivation. He then rented one hundred and forty adjoining acres and has since been engaged in farming on both tracts. He raises all kinds of grasses and grain and specializes in the breeding of high-grade horses and cows.

On October 15. 1890, Mr. Bunchi was united in marriage to Miss Mary Leek, a native of Illinois, and a daughter of Rev. William and Nancy (Hodges) Leek. Mrs. Bunch is one

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of nine children born to her parents : Fannie, who married Thomas Vert of Turlock, California; Mary, the wife of our subject; Ila, who married Orville Messenger of Chadron, Nebraska; John H., who resides in Newcastle, Wyoming; Amy, the wife of Benjamin F. Roy of Rushville, Nebraska; George, who lives in Hot Springs, South Dakota; and three children who are deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Bunch have been born seven children: Raymond, whose birth occurred on July 11, 1892, and who is teach- ing school at Parkersburg, Oregon; Frank L., born July 22, 1894, who is attending the Gravel Ford Academy; William, a twin brother of Frank L., also attending school; Edith, whose birth occurred on the 2d of February, 1900, and who is attending school; Paul, born July 14, 1904; Dorsey, whose birth occurred on the 24th of August, 1907; and Bessie, born April 23, 1910.

Frank S. Bunch is a republican and takes an intelligent interest in public affairs al- though he never seeks public office. He is a Seventh Day Adventist. In his career as a teacher he did able and effective work in the expansion and development of educa- tional facilities, and as a farmer is justly accorded a place among the prominent and representative citizens of the county.

JOHN L. KENT. The Kent family is one of the best known in Douglas county today and its prominence is due to an honorable record dating from the early times of pioneer settlement. Its representative at the present day is John L. Kent, one of the substantial and influential citizens of the district, who in the cultivation of his fine farm of two hun- dred acres is carrying on the work of expan- sion and development begun by his father. Mr. Kent is a native son of Oregon and was born in Douglas county, July 24, 1865. He is a son of Levi and Mary E. (Allison) Kent, who were among the very first settlers in the state of Oregon. They crossed the plains with ox teams from Illinois to Douglas county in 1849 and were identified with the growth and development of this section for many years. Their first location was made in Scottsburg but they subsequently removed to a farm three miles south of Elkton and here Levi Kent became greatly influential and prominent. He was at the time of his death one of the most extensive land owners of the county in which he resided and one of the greatest individual forces in agricultural expansion. He died in 1901 and was survived by his wife until 1904 or 1905. His passing left a place in farming circles of Douglas county which is yet unfilled and deprived the citizens of this section of a loyal and upright friend.

John Kent was reared at home and acquired his education in the public schools of Douglas county. He became acquainted with the rudimentary principles of agricul- ture when he was still a child and as he advanced in years was given more respon- sible duties upon his father's farm until he became an expert in all the details connected with the tilling and cultivating of the soil

and the caring of grain and stock. When he was twenty-one years of age he began active life for himself, cultivating a part of the home farm for ten years. At the end of that time he purchased from his father one hundred and sixty acres which now form a part of his present tract of two hundred acres. He cultivates his land along the most modern and progressive principles and has already brought it to a high state of devel- opment. He has fenced it into fields, has built substantial, barns and outbuildings equipped with modern labor-saving machinery and has drained and tiled his holdings, mak- ing his farm one of the model properties in Douglas county. He owns beside this ranch three hundred and twenty acres of valuable land in other places of the state.

In 1891 Mr. Kent was united in marriage to Miss Kittie Powell, a native of Lane county, Oregon, and a daughter of Samuel Powell, one of the pioneer settlers of that district. Mrs. Kent is a devout adherent of the Methodist Episcopal church and is widely known in religious circles. In his political views Mr. Kent is a stanch republican but has never sought public office, devoting his entire time to the progressive cultivation of the soil. Agriculture is every day assuming new aspects and becoming more systematic and scientific and Mr. Kent has kept abreast of this modern evolution and his labors have assisted in county and state progress by pro- moting the richness and productiveness of a valuable farm. .

LUTHER FLETCHER ORPURD, whose earlier years of maturity were spent in agri- cultural pursuits in Missouri and Kansas, has since 1891 been engaged in the teaming and transfer business in Cottage Grove. He was born in Indiana in 1854, a son of Calvin and Eliza (Newkirk) Orpurd, both of whom were natives of that state. He was the eldest of five children born to his parents, the other members of the family being: Arminda, who is a widow and resides in California; Mis- souri, the wife of Frank Alford, of Salem, Oregon; Ira, deceased; and Florence, the wife of Frank Woodhouse, of California.

Luther Fletcher Orpurd remained at home and assisted his father with the farm work until he was twenty years of age, having in the meantime received a good common- school education. He then engaged in farm- ing in Missouri and later in Kansas, and in 1891 came to Oregon, settling in Cottage Grove, where he engaged in the teaming busi- ness and has since successfully continued in this line of work. He pays strict attention to his work, is prompt in filling all orders and is prosperous. He is the owner of a comfortable home and is respected by the public in general.

On September 1, 1880, Mr. Orpurd was married to Miss Lillie Jones, whose mother passed away in 1877, after which the father removed to Oregon in 1885, settling in Cot- tage Grove. He was a carpenter by trade but is now living retired. A brother of Mrs. Orpurd, J. I. Jones, has taken much interest in the development of the community in

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which he lives and operates a sawmill about twenty miles from Cottage Grove. He founded the town there of which he was post- master and where he conducted a store. Mr. and Mrs. Orpurd are the parents of two children: Hattie, the wife of Harry Hart, a druggist of Cottage Grove, and the mother of two children, Velma and Harry Luther; and Lizzie, the wife of Charles Cochran, a teacher of music, of Eugene, and the mother of two children, Herbert Luther and Gertrude. Mr. Orpurd is a socialist but he has never taken a particularly active interest in politics and has never sought office. During his residence of over twenty years in Cottage Grove Mr. Orpurd has estab- lished a good reputation as a business man, has enjoyed the confidence of a large num- ber of customers and has been held in high esteem by all his acquaintances.

HENRY SPORES is a representative of one of the old and honored pioneer families of the Sunset state and is still the owner of five hundred acres of the original donation claim which was entered from the govern- ment by his father on coming to the Pacific eoast. The greater part of his life has been passed in Oregon, for he was only about a year old when he came to the northwest. He was born in Illinois, February 6, 1846, and the following year the family made the long trip across the plains with a Flathead Indian as their guide, while the father, Jacob C. Spores, acted as captain of the wagon train with which they traveled. Amid pioneer conditions and surroundings Henry Spores was reared and his education was obtained in one of the old-time log schoolhouses of the frontier. When not busy with his text- books he was assisting his father in the development of the donation land claim and continued at home until his marriage when he started out in life for himself. He built the house which he now occupies but still continued upon his father's ranch, devoting his energies to farming and stock-raising. He handled both cattle and horses and still raises stock. He has a well developed prop- erty, comprising five hundred acres of the original donation claim and one hundred and sixty aeres adjoining which he purchased. He also owns land in other localities, for he has made judicious investment in real estate, from which he derives a good income.

In February, 1868, in Coburg, Mr. Spores was united in marriage to Philena Monroe, a daughter of William and Margaret (Mann) Monroe, who came to Oregon in 1865. Her father was prominent in political circles here and was filling the office of state senator at the time of his death in 1872. The mother survived him for many years, reaching the advanced age of one hundred and two years ere she was called to her final rest on the 19th of February, 1911. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Spores seven are living, Edgar, Jacob, Carson, Walter, Elmer, Melvin and Ethel. Of these Elmer is now in Alaska. Those who have passed away are: Mrs. Le- ona Howard, of Pendleton, Oregon, who died at the age of thirty-five years; and Harry

and Bertha, both of whom were three years of age at the time of their demise.

Henry Spores votes with the republican party but has never sought nor desired office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs, which he directs with substantial success.

R. H. BUNNELL needs no introduction to the readers of this volume or the residents of Klamath county, for he is a member of the well known firm of Bunnell Brothers- prominent ranchmen of this district-owning and cultivating five hundred acres of land six- teen miles south of Klamath Falls and seven and a half miles north of Merrill. He and. his brother, A. C. Bunnell, are natives of California, the former born in Alameda, on the 27th of June, 1878, and the latter in Siskiyou county, on the 15th of December, 1870. They are sons of A. F. and Matilda (Nantzel) Bunnell, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of New York city. The parents were reared in the east but were married in Siskiyou county, California, the father having made the trip there around Cape Horn in 1849, while the mother arrived at a later date, having come to the coast with her sister. A. F. Bunnell in 1852 located on Scott Barr, in Siskiyou county, and sub- sequently made his way to Alameda. He was a shop man, machinist and millwright, working along those lines during the greater part of his life, although at an early date he engaged in mining in Scott valley. Subsequently, however, he worked at trades and spent the last part of his life at farming. He died at the home of his sons, when seventy-one years of age, his birth having occurred in 1839. The mother survives him and is living in Ashland, Ore- gon. In her family are seven children: A. C .; Lottie, the wife of Frank Triplett, of Maxwell, California; Ella May, the wife of S. T. Reeve, of Ashland, Oregon; R. H., of this review; Evelyn, the wife of Howard G. Turner, of Portland; and two children who died in early life.

R. H. Bunnell spent his youthful days under the parental roof, and is indebted to the publie schools for his education and to his father's training for his business knowl- edge. He came to Klamath county in 1896 and has here remained through the interven- ing years. He has always been engaged in ranching and for four or five years has been a partner with his elder brother, A. C. Bun- nell, in the ownership, development and cul- tivation of a ranch of five hundred acres, all in one body. This is not only irrigated by the government ditch but they also have a private system of irrigation and. being thus able to turn the water on and off when it is needed, they keep their fields in excellent condition and produce good crops. The place presents a neat and attractive appearance and manifests the careful supervision and prac- tical methods of the owners.

R. H. Bunnell is a republican and is acting as foreman of road construction work, having charge of a crew employed on the building of a new country road. He is also serving

HENRY SPORES

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as a member of the school board of his dis. trict. His fraternal connection is with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which organization finds him a worthy and valued member.

On the 1st of June, 1912, R. H. Bunnell was united in marriage to Miss Ida Smead, a native of St. Louis. His brother, A. C. Bunnell, was married in 1907 to Miss Laura Goudie, a native of Scotland, and they have three children, James, Lois and John. Mrs. A. C. Bunnell gave birth to four children, three daughters and a son, in June, 1911, each weighing four and a quarter pounds, but all died. Seven children were thus born to them during the first four years of their married life.

The Bunnell brothers are widely and favor- ably known in Klamath county and the work which they are doing establishes them as progressive and representative agriculturists.

SJUR P. NESS, a practicing attorney of Eugene and the president of the city council, demonstrates in his life the fact that neither the accident of birth nor fortune has to do with a man's opportunities for advancement. Mr. Ness is a native son of Norway, yet in the new world he has found the chances for progress and in their utilization has worked his way upward to a prominent place among the citizens of the community in which he lives. He was born in the parish of Lyster, Bergen, Norway, January 15, 1871, and is a son of Peter and Ingeborg (Talsater) Ness. The father was reared to manhood in the land of the midnight sun and there became a carpenter and cabinet-maker. At length he resolved to try his fortune on this side of the Atlantic and came to America in 1870. set- tling in Goodhue county, Minnesota, about thirty miles from a railroad. There he en- gaged in raising wheat to the time of his death, which occurred in June, 1885, when he was not quite fifty years of age.

His son, Sjur P. Ness, was educated in the public schools of Minnesota, but he had only limited opportunities, attending a

few months in the winter seasons, while as he grew older his educational period each year grew shorter, owing to the need of his serv- ices on the home farm. However, he found time in the intervals of farm work to pursue his studies privately and was at length en- abled to pass the examination for a teacher's certificate. Being the eldest in the family and the only son it was necessary that he assume charge of the farm following his father's death, and to that work he devoted his ener- gies until twenty-six years of age. In the meantime, however, he had acquired sufficient education to enable him to secure a teacher's certificate and during the last three years which he spent upon the farm he followed the profession of teaching. In 1896 he be- came connected with commercial interests, opening a hardware and farm implement business at the neighboring town of Kenyon, where he remained for three years. In 1899 he disposed of his farm implement business and matriculated in the law school of the University of Minnesota, from which he was

graduated with the class of 1902. He com- pleted a year's academic work and a three years' law course within two years and one term.

Mr. Ness then came to Eugene and was admitted to the bar in 1902, at which time he entered into partnership with the Hon. Joshua J. Walton, one of the leading attor- neys of this city, under the firm name of Walton & Ness. This association was main- tained until about a month before Judge Walton's death in 1909, since which time Mr. Ness has practiced alone. He is an able lawyer, constantly studying in order to thoroughly acquaint himself with the prin- ciples of the profession and with precedents, and his presentation of a case is always full, accurate and comprehensive. He has served as city attorney of Springfield and of Cres- well for about seven years. Mr. Ness was likewise one of the organizers of the Bank of Commerce, of Eugene, and has served on the directorate from its inception to the pres- ent time.

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The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 54

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