The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 56

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

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On June 16, 1901, Mr. Hamblock was united in marriage to Miss Annie Carman, a native of Oregon and a daughter of James A. and Julia (Grant) Carman, who were among the early settlers near Myrtle Point in Coos county. Mrs. Hamblock is one of a family of six children. The others are: Eufa, the wife of Hugh Coke of Berkeley, California; Robert and Clinton, both of whom reside in Myrtle Point; Florence, who married Ora

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Masters of Myrtle Point; and Asa, who lives in Myrtle Point. Mr. and Mrs. Hamblock are the parents of five children: John Ray- mond, born May 6, 1902, who is attending the public school; Sadie Carrol, whose birth occurred August 23, 1903, and who is also pursuing her studies in the public schools; Frances Wesley, born October 2, 1905; Julia Mae, who was born August 9, 1908; and Eugene Carman, whose birth occurred March 2, 1911.

Mr. Hamblock is liberal in his political views and is not an office seeker. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows but is not particularly active in fraternal circles preferring to devote his at- tention to stock-raising and farming. He is 'a native of Coos county and has always been a resident of the same, which makes him familiar with agricultural conditions of his section and he knows the best methods of coping with them. He has that practical knowledge which is the basis of productive agriculture.

R. D. VARNER is practically living re- tired but is the owner of good ranch prop- erty, his home being situated three and a half miles east of Klamath Falls on the Lakeview road. He was born in Posey coun- ty, Indiana, January 7, 1827, and has there- fore passed the eighty-fifth milestone on life's journey. His is an honored old age and his rest is well merited, for his life has been worthily spent. He was one of a family of nine children whose parents were John and Rebecca (McCarty) Varner, natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in 1792 and the latter in 1795. The parents were reared however, in Virginia and went to Kentucky as pioneers. Later they located in Indiana and their last days were spent in Illinois, both passing away when more than eighty years of age. The father was a farmer by occupation and after crossing the plains to California in 1852, attracted by the discov- eries of gold on the Pacific coast, he engaged in mining. He also worked on a ranch to some extent, dividing his time between the two occupations until 1861. when he returned to Illinois. His nine children all lived to adult age. The eldest, M. Samuel Varner, born in 1819, is a resident of Indiana. James Francis Asbury, who is more than ninety years of age, is a resident of Posey county, Indiana. A daughter, Mrs. Sarah Ann Mills, is living in Illinois, but the others have all passed away.

R. D. Varner resided in Indiana until 1844, when at the age of seventeen years he went to Illinois, where he spent the succeeding decade of his life. In 1854 he arrived in California, where he engaged in mining for about ten years and later he followed farming at Goose Lake in Modoc county, California, until he came to Oregon on the 10th of November, 1887. He has since resided in Klamath county, his home being three and a half miles east of Kla- math Falls, on the Lakeview road, where he has a good tract of land. The active management and development of the ranch,

however, is left to his sons, who are operat- ing two hundred and forty acres, all wheat land. To this they have given their energies for the past six years. At different periods in his life R. D. Varner followed other pur- suits than farming. While in Illinois he worked for ten years at cabinet-making and on going to California he worked at bridge building and carpentering and afterward at gardening. His life has been a busy and useful one and his success has come to him a's the merited and logical reward of his labors.

Mr. Varner has been married twice. In 1858 he wedded Miss Sarah Hassel, who was born in New York in 1830 and passed away in Illinois in the year 1867. She left two children: Julian, who is a resident of White county, Illinois; and Harriet, the wife of Joseph Curtis, of White county, Illinois. In 1870 Mr. Varner was again married, his sec- ond union being with Miss Caroline Hollar, who was born in Iowa in 1847 and died in this state in 1893. To R. D. and Caroline (Hollar) Varner were born seven children, as follows: Carey, who passed away at the age of eighteen years; John A., who assists in the operation of the home ranch; Fannie, at home; Sarah L., the wife of F. C. Smith, residing on the Merrill road in Klamath county; R. D., living in Nevada; and T. A. and Samuel, both at home.

Mr. Varner has always voted with the democratic party and has always held to high standards of citizenship. In his busi- ness dealings he has been straightforward and reliable, knowing that all honorable suc- cess can only be won through individual ef- fort and unfaltering perseverance. He is one of the esteemed citizens of Klamath county and a well spent life has won for him the veneration which should ever be accorded one of his years.

FREDRICK WILLIAM COLEBROOK. Probably no man lias done more for the development, upbuilding and advancement of agricultural and business interests of Curry county than Fredrick William Colebrook, who died on his old homestead in that county in 1889. He was one of the early settlers of Oregon and the most forceful years of his life were given to the representative indus- try of pioneer times. His death was felt as a distinct loss to his many friends who honored and respected him for the quality of his attainments and his honorable and upright life. Mr. Colebrook was born in England in 1818 and educated in Blue Coat College, London, in preparation for a career as a sea captain. He held that position on an English vessel until 1849 when he crossed to America and went to California where he was engaged as store keeper in French Camp in the gold mines. He afterward followed general farming upon a large tract of land which he rented and after several years spent in that occupation came to Oregon, settling in Curry county, where he took up a number of acres of land upon which he carried on stock-raising. He was elected county surveyor and surveyed almost the

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whole of Curry county. Later he purchased land half way between Port Orford and Gold Beach, buying five hundred and twenty acres upon which for a number of years he engaged in stock-breeding and raising. It is today considered the finest ranch in this sec- tion of the country. Mr. Colebrook gave his entire time and attention to the improve- ment and development of this property: breeding his stock along the most modern and progressive lines. Whatever success he attained in life was a direct result of his industry and well directed activity. His widow now owns a tract of six hundred acres of fertile and productive land in Curry county, a farm which is one of the finest and most intelligently developed in this sec- tion.

On the 23d of July, 1875, Mr. Colebrook was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Shmitt, a daughter of Jacob and Barbara (Martin) Shmitt. She was nine years of age when her parents removed to Indiana and she later took up her residence in Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Colebrook became the parents of seven children: Fredrick, deceased; Mary, who is the wife of William Coy of Curry county, by whom she has five children; Ellenora, who became the wife of Otto New- man of Bandon, by whom she has six chil- dren; Louisa, who married Richard Svius, of California, and who is the mother of four children; Anna, the wife of George Jensen, of San Diego, California; and William J., and George, both of whom reside in Portland.

Mr. Colebrook was a consistent democrat and took an intelligent interest in public affairs although he never sought public of- fice. He was prominent in the Masonic order and had many friends in the section in which he resided for so many years. The impor- tance of his work in agricultural circles and the place he had attained in the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens were evidenced by the widespread regret at his death which was a genuine tribute of sorrow, for the close of a useful, valuable and upright life.

WILLIAM SPENCER SAWYERS is a native son of Oregon and was born on the old Sawyers donation claim nine miles .east of Scottsburg, on April 9, 1855. His parents were Andrew and Frances (McDowell) Saw- yers, the former a native of Main. His mother was born on the sea while her parents were crossing from Ireland to the United States. Mr. Sawyers' father was among the earliest of the Oregon pioneers and saw many cities become organized and flourishing communities from undeveloped beginnings. He assisted in agricultural expansion, aided in the suppression of Indian rebellions and witnessed the evolution of a great and pros- perous commonwealth from a wilderness. He was born on April 19, 1822, on disputed territory between Maine and Canada. When he was four months old his parents moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his mother died some years later. He began his active career when he was only nine years of age, at which early time he was obliged to earn his own livelihood. At sixteen he

was taken as apprentice to learn the carpen- ter's trade under Reuben Oliver, with whom he served for five years. In May, 1843, he left Pennsylvania for New York and from there went to New Orleans in September of the same year. On December 25, 1844, he was united in marriage to Miss Fannie Mc- Dowell, a daughter of Andrew and Sarah McDowell of Philadelphia. He lived in New Orleans for over six years and became suc- cessful as an expert carpenter. In Septem- ber, 1849, he started for California on the bark Mary Waterman, under the captaincy of Mr. Higgins. The party stopped at Rio de Janeiro for one week and were becalmed in a fog in a cove two miles off Valparaiso. Some flat boat men who were aboard con- structed an improvised raft from spars and planks and with this they towed the vessel out to sea, where it encountered a good breeze and sailed into Valparaiso. Here Mr. Sawyers remained for one week. Early in May, 1850, the vessel again put out to sea, sailing later through the Golden Gate to San Francisco. There Mr. Sawyers found plenty of work to do at carpentering, receiv- ing for his services from twelve to sixteen dollars a day. In June he purchased three shares, at one hundred dollars eaclı, in an exploring stock company known as Winches- ter Paine & Company. The operators of this enterprise went first to the Rogue river val- ley but stayed only one week in that vicinity, later coming to the vicinity of Scottsburg and exploring the Umpqua river as far as the big canyon. They went back to San Francisco, taking along a good report of the regions of Oregon which they had investi- gated. They called a meeting, levying an assessment of twenty-five per cent of what had been paid them for stock. This gave Andrew Sawyers an interest in the founda- tion and promotion of the towns of Umpqua, Scottsburg and Elkton. In October, 1850, he and his family took passage on the steamer Kate Heath and arrived at Scotts- burg in the same year. As they entered the harbor they saw the wreck of the Bostonian with its scattered timbers piled upon the beach. In December, 1850, Mr. Sawyers' daughter, Anna Augusta, was born. She had the distinction of being the first white child born on the Umpqua river. Soon afterward Mr. Sawyers took up a donation claim nine miles east of Scottsburg and began its culti- vation. He was active as a farmer and was a force in agricultural development for many years. When he first came to Oregon he built a house for Mr. Garnier, of the Hudson's Bay Company, and worked at his trade for a number of years. During the first days of his settlement the carpentering business was extremely dull and he did not earn even a moderate competence by it for some time. However, when the pack trains from various parts of the United States began to come in and the population increased there was work for him to do in building houses for the pioneers. In 1854 he traveled to Oregon City to meet his father, John Jacob Sawyers, who with his family, consisting of two daughters, Mary, with her husband and one child, and

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Margaret, who afterward married Cyrus Hed- den, and his two sons, Jacob A. and James Earl, had just arrived after a journey across the plains. In 1855 the Indians of the Rogue river were in a hostile state and the inilitary ferry being upon Mr. Sawyers' place, a fort was built upon his land and all the settlers congregated within its walls and re- mained for some time until the danger was over. In 1858 or 1859 Andrew Sawyers moved with his family to Roseburg in order to give his children the advantages of a better edu- cation. He worked at various occupations until 1862, in which year he started for the mines at the Cascades. He did carpentering on the steamers and in February, 1863, returned to his family. In the following June he started for Bannock City, Idaho, and after working at his trade for a year and a half returned to Roseburg and established himself on a farm where he improved and cultivated the soil until his death, on Decem- ber 20, 1906. His wife's death had preceded his and occurred on the 2d of January, 1902. Andrew Sawyers was a representative citi- zen and a prominent agriculturist in Doug- las county. He served through one of the most important Indian wars, enlisting in an Oregon regiment on November 8, 1855, and being discharged at Roseburg on Janu- ary 18, of the next year. His services were under the command of R. L. Williams as colonel of the regiment. Mr. and Mrs. Saw- yers were the parents of ten children, three of whom died in infancy. The others were: Elizabeth, the deceased wife of H. C. Slocum, by whom she had one son, Harry C., of Rose- burg; John J., who died at the age of seven- teen years; Anna, the wife of Joseph Reed, of Emmett, Idaho; Catherine, who married J. Q. Stephens, of Los Angeles, California; Margueritta, the wife of Peter Nelson, of Gardiner, Oregon; William, of this review; and Fannie Isabelle, the wife of L. C. Haines, of Elkton, Oregon, of whom more extended mention is made on another page of this work.

William Sawyers was reared at home and secured his education in the common schools of Oregon. From his early childhood he was identified with the labors incident to general agriculture and when he had reached his majority he continued to assist his father in the work of the farm. He spent two years in Washington and Idaho and one year in southern Oregon, working on a cattle ranch. He married in 1885 and for seven years afterward he and his wife made their home with Mr. Sawyers' parents, where in con- junction with his father William Sawyers operated the home farm. Their united labors caused the property to expand and develop rapidly and when the father died it was already one of the model places in Douglas county. William Sawyers inherited two hundred acres of the finest land in the Ump- qua valley and later bought from his sister, Mrs. Haines, two hundred and seventy-five acres adjoining. His farm now comprises four hundred and seventy-five acres, well improved and highly cultivated, equipped with efficient farm machinery and with suit-

able barns, outbuildings and granaries. Mr. Sawyers follows upon his property diversi- fied farming and has been successful in every branclı.

On November 16, 1885, Mr. Sawyers was united in marriage to Miss Belle Andrews, a daughter of Asa and Mary (Wentworth) Andrews, who came to Oregon from Illinois in 1878. A further history of Mrs. Sawyers' father appears on another page of this work in connection with the sketch of his son, T. W. Andrews. Mr. and Mrs. Sawyers are the parents of five children: William, Jr., who was educated in the Oregon State Agri- cultural College and is now aiding in the work on his father's farm; Ralph A. and Dena Belle, both of whom reside at home; Oscar W., who is deceased; and Arizona. Mr. Sawyers is a republican in his political beliefs but has never sought public office. He and his wife hold membership in the Metho- dist Episcopal church. He is one of the sub- stantial and influential men of the Umpqua valley and the qualities which made his father, when a child of nine, face an unfriendly world courageously and wrest from it an hon- orable and in some points an unusual career, are today influencing the son in his less con- spicuous but equally worthy life and are mak- ing his activities useful and valuable to Doug- las county and to the commonwealth of Oregon.

ROBERT MCKENZIE. Modern, progress- · ive agriculture finds a worthy representative in Robert Mckenzie, who owns one thousand acres of land in Curry county, near Port Orford, and by his practical, intelligent and systematic methods has made it one of the finest farm properties in this section. His success is the result of specialized activity and earnest labor along developing lines and has made him one of the leading figures in agricultural circles of Curry county. He was born in Scotland in 1835, a son of John and Catherine Mckenzie, who lived and died in their native country, the father passing away when the subject of this review was only six weeks old. He and his wife had two children, of whom Robert Mckenzie is the younger. His brother David died in Aus- tralia.

Robert Mckenzie was educated in the pub- lic schools of his native country and remained at home until 1857, when he went to Aus- tralia and lived in that country until 1874. In the latter year he went to San Francisco, coming shortly afterward to Curry county, where he settled on a farm at the mouth of Elk river, purchasing four hundred and eighty acres of land from George Dyer, to which he has subsequently added. He owns one thou- sand acres, well improved and highly devel- oped, one of the largest and most valuable agricultural properties in this section of the county. Upon this farm he carries on stock- raising and specializes in dairying, keeping a fine herd of sixty cows for this purpose. His dairy buildings are modern, sanitary and thoroughly equipped and the entire enter- prise is ably and intelligently conducted and is a valuable addition to his income. He also

ROBERT MCKENZIE

MRS. ROBERT MCKENZIE

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specializes in the breeding and raising of high-grade stock, handling sheep, cattle and hogs, which he sells in the Oregon markets. He is interested in every phase of develop- ment in this section of the state, which is manifest in his investments in various im- portant local enterprises. In his farming operations he has been thorough and ener- getic, his well directed labor and progressive methods resulting in gratifying success. He has devoted practically all of his time since the beginning of his active career to agri- cultural pursuits and by upright and honor- able standards has gained that prosperity which results from earnest and well directed efforts and is accounted one of the substan- tial and leading citizens of his district.

Robert Mckenzie was married on July 18, 1863, in Australia to Miss Georgina Tulloch, a native of Scotland, and they became the parents of ten children: John, of Elk river; Kate, whose death occurred in Curry county ; Eliza, who resides at home; Annie, the wife of Eugene Schuyler, of Santa Barbara, Cali- fornia; Margaret, at home; Isabelle, who married Ed A. Ashman, of Santa Cruz, Cali- fornia; Ena, who is following the profession of nursing at San Francisco, California; Flora, at home; David, who is married and resides on the Elk river; and Robert G., at home. The family belong to the Presby- terian church.

Mr. Mckenzie gives his allegiance to the republican party but never seeks public office, preferring to devote his attention to the de- velopment of his farm. Actuated always by the most practical and scientific methods and guided by high ideals of business in- tegrity, he has through his own well directed energies worked his way upward until he is · today classed among the wealthy and promi- nent agriculturists of Curry county.

MARGUERITE E. (CORNELIUS) POME- ROY, M. D., needs no introduction to the read- ers of this volume, for 'she is known as one of Salem's leading physicians. Moreover, the high and upright principles of her life have commended her to the confidence and good will of all with whom she has been brought in contact. She was born at Hillsboro, Ore- gon, her parents being Jesse and Caroline (Ingles) .Cornelius. Her father's birth oc- curred in Missouri, on the 7th of June, 1829, while his death occurred on the 19th of December, 1895. He crossed the plains in 1845 with his parents and passed his entire life in Oregon, where he engaged in agricul- tural pursuits. The mother was also born in Missouri and when she was but six weeks of age was taken across the plains to Ore- gon by her parents. She is now living in Portland. To their union twelve children were born, six dying after they reached ma- turity. Both the paternal and. maternal grandfather of Dr. Pomeroy took part in the Yakima Indian war.

Dr. Pomeroy received her education in the common schools of Hillsboro and was grad- uated from the high school with the class of 1886. Subsequently she studied in the Pacific University at Forest Grove, and after com- Vol. IV-16

pleting the college course entered the train- ing school for nurses at the Good Samaritan Hospital, in Portland. Later she completed the medical course in Willamette University, from which institution she was graduated with the class of 1904, after which she took a post-graduate course in the Polyclinic, at San Francisco, in 1905. So successful had her work been in these institutions that she went east to Chicago and took a post-graduate course in Rush Medical College in 1909. Pre- viously, after her graduation from Willamette University in 1904, she began the active prac- tice of medicine in Portland and in 1906, after her return from San Francisco, located permanently in Salem, and now occupies a suite of offices in the United States National Bank Building. Her ability is recognized by the general public and a large patronage is accorded her. She is careful in the diagnosis of her cases and her judgment in professional matters is seldom if ever at fault. Although she is a general practitioner, she has special- ized in pediatric and genealogical surgery.

In 1888 Marguerite E. Cornelius was mar- ried to Charles Pomeroy, who was born on the 17th of July, 1865, and is a son of Calvin and Henrietta (Blish) Pomeroy, the former having passed away. The father came to Oregon in 1842, and, in partnership with the Cornelius family, took up a donation land claim, which has since been known as the Cornelius claim and upon which he resided for many years. Mr. Pomeroy's grandfather owns the mill site at Oregon City. Charles Pomeroy came to Salem in 1896 and opened a jewelry store, which he is still conducting. To Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy two children have been born: Wilbur, deceased; and Ray, who is a junior in Willamette University.

Dr. Pomeroy is a member of the Marion County and the Oregon State Medical Socie- ties, and of the Ladies' Multnomah Medical Society. She also holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, while fraternally she is identified with the Rebekahs, the Pythian Sisters, the Royal Neighbors, the Women of Woodcraft, the United Artisans, the Brotherhood of American Yeomen, the Modern Brotherhood and the Ladies of the Maccabees, and is acting as physician for each of these orders. Her broad sympathies and her superior training have already won hier an enviable reputation and she stands prominent among the physicians of Marion county.

W. L. TINGLEY, who devotes his time and energies to the raising of grain and stock, is the owner of a ranch comprising four hundred and eighty acres and situated about three miles east of Midland in Kla- math county. His birth occurred in New Brunswick, Canada, on the 9th of September, 1867, his parents being Harvey and Abby (Dobson) Tingley, who spent their entire lives in that province. The father devoted his attention to general agricultural pur- suits throughout his active business career.

W. L. Tingley, who was the second in order of birth in a family of seven children, remained under the parental roof until

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eighteen years of age and then made liis way to Siskiyou county, California, where he worked as a laborer. For a number of years he was employed in lumber camps by Abner Wecd. In the summer of 1906 he purchased his present ranch of four hundred and eighty acres in Klamath county, Oregon, and took up his abode thercon the following April. One hundred and eighty acres thereof is under the government ditch. During the past five years he has been engaged in the pursuits of farming and stock-raising and his labors in this connection have been at- tended with excellent results.

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The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 56

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