The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 69

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

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GEORGE SMITH is the owner of a fine ranch of two hundred and four acres located three and a half miles northeast of Eugene, where he engages in general farming and dairying. He is one of Oregon's native sons, having been born at Fairmount in the vicinity of Eugene, on the 7th of August, 1852. He is a son of William and Nancy Adeline (Luckey) Smith, the father a native of England and the mother of Indiana. William Smith emi- grated to the United States in 1836, locating in Cincinnati, Ohio. He resided at various places in that section of the country, and subsequently removed to Indiana. In 1847, he made his first trip across the plains to Oregon, being a member of the same party as Eugene Skinner, for whom the town of Eugene was named. The mother of our sub- ject came to Oregon with her parents in 1850 and located in Lane county where she married Mr. Smith in 1851. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith were as follows: Hulda, the wife of E. J. McClanahan of Eugene, and the mother of two children; George, our sub- ject; Colonel F., a resident of Prineville, Ore- gon, who is married and has one child; and W. H., of Portland.

George Smith was given the advantages of such educational facilities as were afforded in the rural districts of this state at that period, and after mastering the common branches he assisted his father, who owned and operated a dairy ranch, until he was twenty-one. He then left the parental roof and went to the eastern part of the state

CARL KIMMEL AND FAMILY

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THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

where he and his brother engaged in the cat- tle business for four years. At the expira- tion of that period he withdrew from this and went to Idaho. There he followed vari- ous pursuits but he subsequently returned to Lane county and after his marriage rented and operated the old home ranch for seven years. In 1891, he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of improved land, that formed the nucleus of his present homestead. Here he has ever since engaged in general and dairy farming, meeting with a goodly degree of success. He has extended the boundaries of his ranch by the purchase of another forty- four acres, and his holdings now aggregate two hundred and four acres, sixty-one of which are under high cultivation. Mr. Smith continued to occupy the residence that was standing on the place at the time he bought it until the summer of 1911, when he erected a large two-story house that is entirely mod- ern in all of its appointments. As his cir- cumstances have warranted he has made various other improvements thus adding greatly to the appearance and value of his property, and now owns one of the most at- tractive and best equipped ranches in this vicinity.

For his wife Mr. Smith chose Miss Joseph- ine D. Graves, one of the five children born of the marriage of H. C. and Diana (Bellus) Graves, the father a native of Ohio and the mother of New York. Mrs. Smith is the third in order of birth, the other members of the family being as follows: O. M., a resident of Washington, who is married and has three children; H. D., a merchant at Roseburg; T. L., who is unmarried, living at home with his mother; and Merta, the wife of F. M. Mehl, of Bandon, Oregon. The father passed away on the 1st of March, 1895. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Smith numbers three: Hazel, who was born in June, 1887, and educated in the district school, living at home with her parents; Mabel Adelaide, whose natal year was 1889, a high-school graduate; and Fidelia, whose birth occurred in 1893, the wife of R. E. Corum, of Lane county.

Mr. Smith has been a member of the Ma- sonic fraternity for twenty-three years and he also belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In politics he is a republican, but he has never held any offices save those of road supervisor and school clerk, never hav- ing aspired to public honors. Practically his entire life has been passed in this section of the state, toward the development and prog- ress of which he and his family have substan- tially contributed. Mr. Smith remembers when there was no timber in this region save in the lowlands, the Indians having burned it off in order to drive the game to the low- lands, so they would not be compelled to cover such large tracts in hunting. He is one of the widely known residents of the county . and a worthy representative of a highly re- spected pioneer family.

HORACE PUTNAM. An enterprising farmer of Douglas county, Oregon, and a man who is representative of modern methods of agriculture, is Horace Putnam, who is

half owner of one of the richest and most productive farms in this section. He is a native son of Oregon, having been born in Douglas county, at Yoncalla, on the 26th of April, 1852. His parents were Charles F. and Rose L. (Applegate) Putnam, the former a native of Lexington, Kentucky, where he was born in 1824, and the latter of Missouri. The Putnam family has been founded in America for many generations and the direct line can be traced back to Revolutionary times. The father of our subject was a son of Joseph and Susan (Hull) Putnam, who were both representatives of old colonial stock. Nathan Putnam, the great-grand- father of our subject, served under General Washington in the Revolutionary war. Charles F. Putnam was reared in Kentucky and as a young man crossed the plains to Oregon, locating in this state in 1846. His parents followed him a few years later, com- ing to the northwest by way of the Isthmus of Panama in 1853. They located in what is now Sunnydale, Douglas county, where the grandfather of our subject, Joseph Putnam, took up a donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres, a half of which Horace Putnam now owns. Joseph Putnam was prominent in business circles when he was a resident of Kentucky but lost his fortune in that state. On coming to Oregon he was dissatisfied with agricultural conditions and soon abandoned this in favor of the hotel business. He operated enterprises of this kind in the towns of Wilbur, Roseburg and Scotts- burg and soon recovered the money which he had lost. In 1864 or 1865 he returned to the Sunnydale district and made his home with his son, the father of our subject, where he died in 1866. His wife survived him for many years and made her home with her children until her death.

Charles F. Putnam was a printer by trade and when he came to Oregon found employ- ment in this line of occupation in Oregon City as a member of the staff of the Oregon Spectator. While a resident of this district he set the type for a speller written by Mr. Griffen, which had the distinction of being the first book published in Oregon. In 1849 he went to California where he was engaged in mining until 1850. In that year he re- turned to Oregon and located in Douglas county, taking up a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres on section 39, town- ship 22, south range 6, west, which is the property which his son is now operating and improving. Charles Putnam remained upon this farm until his death, which occurred in 1903. He had long survived his wife, who passed away in 1861. He was one of the largest land owners in Oregon at the time of his death and was constantly adding to his property and at one time was the proprietor of seventeen hundred acres of the most fer- tile and productive land in Douglas county. He was a prominent and influential citizen and agriculturist and one of the earliest settlers of his district.

Horace Putnam was reared at home and acquired his education in the public schools of Douglas county. He lived for a number of

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THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

years in his childhood with his grandfather, in 1861 removed to Grosse Ile, Wayne county, with whom his brothers and sisters also re- sided after the death of their mother in 1861. After reaching manhood he worked in part- nership with his father in the operation of extensive farm lands and during these years gained a specialized knowledge of agriculture which has been a valuable asset to him in his career. He gained success rapidly and was soon able to buy, in partnership with his brother-in-law, G. W. Hedrick, five hundred acres of the home farm which they are now operating in conjunction and which by their progressive and scientific methods is flour- isliing.

In 1878 Mr. Putnam was united in marriage to Miss Aurilla Hedrick, a daughter of John Hedrick, of whom more extended mention is made on another page of this work. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Putnam have been born three children: Chester Hull, who lives at home; Ethel, the wife of Wilfred Brown, of Camas valley, Douglas county; and Louise Rosella, who married F. P. Cunningham, of Sunny- dale, Douglas county. In his political views Mr. Putnam is a consistent republican but has never sought public office. His wife affiliates with the Methodist Episcopal church. He now has a half interest in five hundred acres of land constituting one of the valuable and well improved farms in Douglas county, equipped with all modern improvements and conveniences. He has made extensive changes and has installed modern machinery, being aided in this work of development by his partner, G. W. Hedrick. Mr. Putnam repre- sents agriculture in its newest and most progressive aspects. He has won success by industry, ability and common sense and these qualities unite to make him an upright man and useful citizen.

RODERICK W. McGARVIE. There was a period in the history of the world when real- estate transactions amounted to little more than the purchase of property if the indi- vidual could find what he desired, or the sale of buildings or land if one could find an available purchaser. But with the growth and improvement in other lines there has come development and progress in real-estate opera- tions, and a carefully organized and systema- tized business is that of the real-estate dealer, whether handling improved or unimproved property. The upbuilding of a town depends largely upon the men who handle real estate and the character of the city is determined in great measure by their labors and the spirit that actuates them. Roderick W. Mc- Garvie was one of the promoters and is one of the partners in the Home Building and Realty Company, at Klamath Falls, and in this connection is contributing in no small measure toward the improvement of the city in which his operations are conducted. He was born in Williamson, Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, May 24, 1861, and is a son of John Wesley and Charlotte (Skinner) Mc- Garvie, the former a native of Williamson and the latter of Painesville, Ohio, in which district she was reared. The father largely spent his youthful days near Pittsburg and

Michigan. In 1869 he went with his family to Monroe county, Michigan, where both he and his wife died, the former on the 22d of April, 1872, and the latter on the 30th of the same month. Mr. McGarvie was a farmer by occupation and in early life he also owned a boat on the Eric canal. His father, John W. McGarvie, was a native of Pennsylvania and a soldier of the Revolutionary war, par- ticipating in the battle of Brandywine under General Waync. His father was a native of the north of Ireland and became the founder of the family in the new world.

Roderick W. McGarvie was the eldest of a family of three sons. His brother, H. F. McGarvie, of New York city, was director general of the special exploitation at the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904, and is now manager of the Auto Photo Company, of New York. The youngest brother, O. P. McGarvie, died in Los Angeles; California, in August, 1902. After their parents' death R. W. McGarvie and his brothers went to reside with their grandparents at Newport, Michigan. The subject of this review was then not quite eleven years of age. He there remained until 1875 and pursued his educa- tion in the public schools until fourteen years of age, when he began the battle of life for . himself. He learned telegraphy and railroad- ing, which he followed until 1882, when he went to St. Ignace, Michigan, and began the publication of the St. Ignace Semi-Weekly News, the first semi-weekly paper published in the northern peninsula of Michigan. He continued in the field of journalism until the lumber panic of 1883, when he returned to railroading, entering the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad, in Colorado, where he con- tinued for a year. He then made his way to California and opened the railroad station at Barstow for the Southern California Rail- road Company on the 15th of November, 1885. In March, 1886, he was transferred to San Diego as ticket agent and in August of the same year entered upon real-estate transac- tions. He was very successful in his dealings in property in that district but because of the wide-spread panic of 1888 lost heavily. On the 22d of April, 1889, he made the run into . Oklahoma City and was the first real-estate agent to put out a sign there. He spent one year in Utah in the real-estate business and then returned to San Diego, California, where he was appointed deputy county clerk under W. M. Gassoway. He then resigned and be- came general organizer for the Order of Rail- road Telegraphers, in which capacity he con- tinued for five years, traveling all over the west in the organization of local societies. In 1896 he entered the building and loan business at San Francisco with Frank H. True and there operated until 1904, when he went to Goldfield, Nevada, where he en- gaged in the brokerage business. However, he returned to San Francisco, where lie con- tinued in the real-estate business until the earthquake. In 1906 he went to New York city, where for three years he was a repre- sentative of the New York Life Insurance Company. He then returned to San Francisco

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and soon afterward became general agent for the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Com- pany, at Oakland, California. In February, 1912, he came to Klamath Falls and in con- nection with Frank H. True organized the Home Building and Realty Company, of which he is now a representative. This was capi- talized for two hundred thousand dollars and is fast becoming a valued factor in the upbuilding of the city. Its policy enables many to secure homes at reasonable rates or to invest in property. Mr. McGarvie's pre- vious experience as a real-estate dealer is proving of immense value to him in this con- nection and the Home Building and Realty Company is now upon a substantial and pros- perous basis.

On the 2d of May, 1886, Mr. McGarvie was married to Miss Ella L. Allsop, of Huron, Ohio, and they had one child, Ella L., who is the wife of R. H. Hollingsworth, of Los Angeles, California. On the 12th of April, 1907, Mr. McGarvie was again married, his second union being with Miss May Rolls, of Detroit, Michigan, and they now have one child, Beverly. In all of his business career Mr. McGarvie has not found the days equally bright, but with persistency of purpose he has worked on and success has eventually come to him.

JARED SCOTT is the trusted representa- tive and manager of the commission business of R. M. Wade & Company, of Portland, at Acme, this state, where he resides. He was born in Jackson county, Michigan, on the 25th of December, 1849, his parents being Cornelius and Rhuamah (Hurlburt) Scott, who were natives of New Jersey and New York respectively. Both were of Scotch ex- traction. They were married in Jackson county, Michigan, where they continued to reside until 1854, when they removed to Gratiot county, Michigan, where the death of Mrs. Scott occurred in that year. Cornelius Scott removed to Oregon in 1880 and made his first settlement in this state on the north fork of the Siuslaw river, where he continued to live until 1899 and during that year he returned to Michigan and there continued to live during the remaining years of his life. His demise occurred in 1904. To Mr. and Mrs. Scott seven children were born, three of whom died in infancy. The others were as follows: Mrs. Hulda E. Mangus, of Sumner, Michigan; Mrs. Rachel A. Jaquish, of Mc- Brides, Michigan; Jared, of this review; and Mrs. Amanda L. Baker, who passed away in Michigan at the age of thirty-seven years.

Jared Scott was reared in his father's home and educated in the district public schools. At the age of fifteen he started in life for himself, his first occupation being that of riding race horses, in which he continued for two sea- sons, after which he engaged at labor in the lumber camps of Michigan during the winter and continued so to be employed for nine years, finding employment during the spring seasons as a log driver on the river. He was engaged in rafting the season's timber cut to the booms and mills below. He then be- came foreman of a brick yard belonging to

A. W. Wright at Alma, Michigan, and con- tinued in the employ of Mr. Wright in that position for four years. He then rented a threshing machine outfit and one year later removed to South Dakota, where he spent one summer and then removed to this state and settled on the north fork of the Siuslaw river, where he purchased several tracts of land, totaling six hundred and twenty acres to which he gave his attention for a number of years. He afterward found it greatly to his financial advantage to dispose of his land in small allotments, which he accordingly did, and on March 1, 1911, he disposed of the last unsold portion of his holdings and invested immediately in city property in Acme, this state, where he established his home and is now engaged in the commission business, rep- resenting the house of R. M. Wade & Com- pany of Portland, the business of this cor- poration being that of the sale of electric weld wire fence and agricultural implements. In addition to his duties as representative of R. M. Wade & Company he owns and operates a second-hand store in Acme and is also the owner of three valuable city prop- erties, including a very fine residence in which he resides.

On the 1st of January, 1874, at Evart, Michigan, Mr. Scott was united in marriage to Mrs. Amanda R. Douglas, whose birth occurred in Ohio on the 25th of February, 1847, her parents being Samuel and Mary A. (Kernes) Rash, the former a native of Ire- land and the latter of Pennsylvania. They · were united in marriage in the state of New York and removed immediately to Delaware, where they lived for a period of six years and then removed to Ohio, remaining in that state for seven years, after which they moved to Indiana, where they continued to live for five succeeding years, after which they re- moved to Allen county, Ohio, where Mr. Rash died in the year 1868, at the age of seventy- five, and his wife passed away at the age of eighty years in 1874. To Mr. and Mrs. Rash thirteen children were born, but Mrs. Jared Scott is the only mem- ber of the family who came to Oregon. She was twice married, her first husband being R. L. Douglas and to them two children were born: Mary A. E., the wife of Jack Wallace, of Convoy, Ohio; and Oliver P. M., who re- sides at Alma, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Scott are the foster parents of Miss Roslee Scott, who was a child of two years of age when adopted. She remained with her foster par- ents until twenty years of age, at which time she was united in wedlock to John Costello, a native of the state of Washington. To them two children have been born: Hildred, who died in infancy; and Guy Leroy, born July 6, 1909.

Mr. Scott is affiliated with the republican party and has served as supervisor of his township for eight years and has for many years been a member of the school board of Acme. He is one of the active and influential men of Lane county and for many years has been actively identified with the political interests of this state and especially with the public interests of Lane county. In

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early life he unfortunately was deprived of the benefit of an education in the public schools but being a man of unusual ambition and literary inclinations, he has during the years of his active business career succeeded in acquiring a very liberal education in the English language, as has also his wife. Mrs. Scott is a member of the Evangelical church. Mr. Scott is a man of unquestioned integ- rity and a natural leader among his fel- lows. His influence and assistance are to be relied upon in the advancement of any issue of public interest having for its object the advancement of the people among whom he has established his home.

CHRISTOPHER LONG has been a resident of Oregon for almost sixty years and has spent a useful and valuable life in this sec- tion. For over a quarter of a century he was engaged in dairying and was afterward active as a general farmer bringing to both of these pursuits an industry and intelligence which made him rapidly successful. His farm is located eight and one half miles from Bandon on the Bear creek road and comprises three hundred and twenty acres of land. Upon this Mr. Long is living retired in the seventy-fifth year of his age. He was born in Canada in December, 1837, and came to Ore- gon with his parents when he was fourteen years of age. He is now numbered among the old settlers of Coos county. His father settled at Port Orford for a short time but later took up a donation claim near Bandon where he cultivated the soil until his death in 1857. He was survived by his wife for several years. They were the parents of three children: Sylvester, who was killed in an Indian war on the Rogue river; Chris- topher, the subject of this review; and Jane, the widow of John Hamblock of Bullards, Oregon.

Christopher Long began his active career upon the death of his father. He engaged in the stock-raising business for a short time in Coos county and later went to Idaho to work in the mines. He thus engaged three years, returning at the end of that time to Coos county where he located in Dairyville. He established himself in the dairy business and for thirty years was prominently iden- tified in this occupation. Eventually, however, he disposed of his holdings and settled upon three hundred and twenty acres of land on Bear creek in 1894. Upon this property he carried on general farming and stock-raising and his modern and progressive methods and his intelligent activity soon gained him a gratifying success. He improved and devel- oped his land, made needed improvements from time to time and pursued a policy of expansion which soon ranked him among the progressive and enterprising agricultur- ists in the state. Mr. Long has now retired from active life having earned his rest by sincere and long continued labor. He is liv- ing with his daughter May, who is superin- tending the construction of a beautiful and and commodious home upon her father's property.

In 1872 Mr. Long was united in marriage to Miss Alice Cheney, a native of Iowa, and they became the parents of six children. The eldest daughter is May, who married Edward Ohman, who was born in California and is a son of John and Christina (Reed) Ohman, natives of Norway. Edward Ohman began active life for himself when he was fifteen years of age, shipping aboard a vessel sail- ing from Norway, as a cabin boy. He landed in San Francisco where he worked in a black- smith shop and later engaged in railroad con- struction work for one year. At the end of that time he came to Coos county where he took charge of the rock quarries, at the time the jetties were built upon the bay. After his marriage he settled upon his father-in- law's ranch and has resided there since that time. He and his wife are the parents of four children: Cecil, who was born on De- cember 2, 1895, and who is now attending school; Howard, whose birth occurred on the 30th of January, 1908; Mary C., born May 21, 1909; and Sylvia May, born October 28, 1911. The other children born to Mr. and Mrs. Long are: Rose J., who married Walter W. Wood of Myrtle Creek; Amelia, and Georgia, both of whom have passed away; John M. of Parkersburg; and Charles A., of Port Orford.

Mr. Long is a republican in his political beliefs but has never sought public office, his attention having always been absorbed by the duties connected with his agricultural pur- suits. He is a member of the Universalist church. The activity of over half a cen- tury, during which time he worked sincerely and earnestly, entitles him to the respect he is now enjoying. He has borne his part in the gradual development of this section and has worked honorably and worthily through the years until now in his retirement peace and happiness crown his old age.

J. W. DEPUY, who operates a ranch of three hundred and sixty acres at Midland, Klamath county, is also the owner of what is known as Spring Lake Ranch, comprising one hundred and sixty acres and situated near Midland. His birth occurred in Linn county, Oregon, on the 11th of October, 1867, his par- ents being James and Martha (Royse) Depuy. The father was born near Auburn, New York, while the mother is a native of the middle west. They came to eastern Oregon at an early date, were there married and subse- quently took up their abode in the Willam- ette valley. James Depuy came to the coast in 1854, locating first in California and after- ward in eastern Oregon. He assisted in sub- duing the Indians during the troublous period of the '70s and at that time was engaged in business as a merchant and liveryman at Red Bluff, California, out of which town he ran pack trains. His demise occurred in Morrow county, Oregon, in August, 1894, when he had attained the age of sixty-three years. The mother of our subject, who married a second time, makes her home at Pomeroy, Washing- ton.

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The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 69

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