USA > Washington > King County > Seattle > A volume of memoirs and genealogy of representative citizens of the city of Seattle and county of King, Washington, including biographies of many of those who have passed away > Part 55
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ber of the Municipal and Sanitary Engineers Society of London and the Mechanical Engineer Society of London and a member of the Liverpool Engineering Society.
In April. 1884. Mr. Hart left his native land for America. Arriving at Tacoma, Washington, on the 20th of that month, he acquired a tract of land in the White River Valley, in Slaughter, now the Christopher pre- cinct, and at once began clearing and improving the land. The town of Slaughter, now the city of Auburn, had not yet been founded. About 1886 Mr. Hart was elected justice of the peace and has served many years in that capacity. He has also filled the office of school director for a number of years, and the cause of education has found in him a warm and earnest friend. At the time he settled in King county there were few roads cut through the timber, and one had generally to follow the old Indian trails. From the first Mr. Hart has devoted much attention to drainage and to the construction of good roads in the White river valley. In 1886, when Pierce county made an effort to secure possession of the south end of King county. he was one of the strongest opponents of the scheme, and at the request of county authorities and of John Collins, mayor of Seattle, he went before the legislature at Olympia to oppose the transfer, and after a bitter fight King county succeeded in retaining possession of one of its most valuable districts. Road construction and drainage have been the two special sub- jects which have elicited Mr. Hart's particular attention for a number of years. He was also instrumental in assisting in the organization of the State Dairy Association and the King County Horticultural Society, and in securing legislation to encourage these industries. For one term he was vice president of the State Dairy Association and was president of the King County Horticultural Society in 1901 and 1902-3. The Lake Washing- ton canal scheme and the lowering of the lake in order to assist in the drain- age of the White river and surrounding valleys and the reclamation of a large area of land, have always claimed a share of Mr. Hart's at- tention. He appeared before the United States river and harbor commis- sion to point out the necessity, during the construction of the work, of pro- viding for sufficient and capacious outlet for the enormous amount of water flowing into the Sound from the south end of King county, which submerges that district for many months during the winter. In 1890 he was appointed superintendent of the construction of the King county hospital, one of the first fireproof constructions in the state. and in the face of numerous diffi- culties and objections to the methods of construction, it is now admitted to be a first-class, well designed and well built edifice.
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In politics Mr. Ilart has taken a deep and abiding interest since 1886, and many times has delivered campaign addresses in the southern portion of the county in behalf of the Republican party and its principles. Yet he does not believe it to be the duty of any citizen to adhere strictly to a party in the selection of precinct, county or city officers, believing that the fitness and qualifications of the candidates should be the first consideration at these times. On the 5th of April, 1894, Mr. Hart was admitted to the bar by Judge Langley, in open court, the examining board being composed of W. H. Moore, afterwards superior judge; George Fortson, one of the heroes of the Philippine war. who lost his life at Pasig; and E. P. Dole, the pres- ent attorney general of the Hawaiian islands. In 1887 Mr. Hart opened an office in Auburn, and since 1894 has been engaged in law practice, having secured a good clientage. In the conduct of his cases he has shown marked legal ability and a thorough understanding of the principles of jurispru- dence as well as careful preparation. He is the oldest business citizen of Auburn, his connection with the town being antedated only by the W. R. Ballard family, who were the founders of the town. Mr. Hart has labored most earnestly for the welfare, improvement and progress of this place. He prepared the plans for the Auburn school building and also for the Presby- terian church, and he likewise made the plans for the school buildings at Pialschie and Des Moines, and for the Presbyterian church at Kent. He has ever taken a deep interest in educational matters in this county, realizing how important is good mental training as a preparation for life's responsible cuties.
In 1885, in King county, occurred the marriage of Mr. Hart and Miss Eliza Beaumont, who was born in Kent, England, in 1854. . \ son, Stanley Beaumont, was born to them in 1888, and is named for the great explorer who is a friend of Mr. Hart. They have also a daughter, Rose Mabel, who was born in 1899. Mr. HJart is a member of the Pacific Northwest Society of Engineers, also a member of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and for a considerable time has been employed as the right of way and special agent of the Troqualmie Falls and White River Company for the great scheme of utilizing a considerable portion of the stream of White River near Buckley as the means of generating electricty for power and lighting purposes, Lake Lapp's are having been acquired as the reservoir for storage purposes. It is expected that this great plant of sixty thousand horse power will be in operation in about two years and will have cost over two million dollars in its construction. It would be difficult to find in King county, among those whose residence extends over no greater period than that of Mr. Ilart. one
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who has done so much practical work for the improvement, progress and pro- motion of this section of the state. His knowledge of civil engineering and his recognition of the possibilities of land through the agency of improvement and cultivation, have made his labors of the greatest value in public work. while as an architect he has done much to promote the pleasing conditions of various towns throughout this locality. He came to America determined that in the opportunities of the northwest he would find a good business opening and he has done so. He possesses strength of character as well as sterling purpose and his career has ever been such as to commend him to public con- ficence.
ALBERT JAMES GODDARD.
Albert James Goddard, who since 1888 has been a resident of Seattle. is well known in business circles of the city. He was born in Muscatine, Iowa, July 15. 1863, and on both sides of the family is of English lineage. After acquiring his preliminary education in the public schools he entered the Norton Normal Academy and afterward continued his studies in the Agricultural College of Ames. Iowa. Subsequently he became connected with the crockery business, representing upon the road a crockery house of Minneapolis. He was thus engaged until 1888, when he came to Seattle. and since that time he has been associated with manufacturing interests. having with his brother established the Pacific Iron Works in Fremont. This entire district was largely covered with stumps for miles in every direc- tion, but it has grown to be an important part of the great city of Seattle. The brothers established their iron plant, towing the timber across the lake with which to erect the building. that being the only way to obtain the ma- terial at that time. Although they began operations on a small scale, they greatly increased their facilities to meet the growing demand of the trade, and their business has now been incorporated under the name of the Pacific Iron Works. In 1897 Mr. Goddard went to Alaska and became a pioneer steamboat man on the Upper Yukon river, and to him is due the credit for opening navigation there, at the time his efforts creating much excitement and enthusiasm. He carried the mail upon his first voyage and on reach- ing Dawson received a great welcome. He had transported the mail from Scattle to that place in only ten days, while previously it had required from one to two months to get the mail through. The passengers upon the trip joined in writing a letter to him thanking him for opening up the country to navigation and saying they were glad it was an American citizen who
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had the enterprise to first make that trip over the Yukon, and that to him was due all honor. Mr. Goddard was so successful in his new enterprise in Maska that his company soon became the owner of four steamboats which were operated for two years. lle then sold out and returned to Seattle, where he has made extensive investments in improved property in the city and is now actively concerned in the work of building and making improve- ments. He is a man of resourceful business ability, who looks beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities of the future, is quick to note an opportunity and to utilize it. Furthermore, he is thoroughly reliable and his success is justly deserved.
In 1886 Mr. Goddard was united in marriage to Miss Clara P. Herrick, a native of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and a most estimable lady. She is a member of the Congregational church, and Mr. Goddard's religious views are also in conformity with that faith. He is a member of the Royal Ar- canum and of the Hoo Hoos order, which is a society of lumbermen and mill- machinery men. During his entire residence in Seattle he has taken a deep and active interest in all that pertains to the welfare of the city, and his efforts have been effective in advancing the general good along many lines. In politics he is a stanch Republican and upon that ticket was elected to the state legislature in 1895. He has also represented his ward in the city coun- cil. While in the general assembly he was active in promoting a large ap- propriation for the State University and was largely instrumental in secur- ing the passage of a bill prohibiting the sale of liquor within two miles of the university. He is a man of broad sympathies, and the poor and needy have always found in him a friend. Mr. Goddard is widely and favorably known throughout the state. his abilities well fitting him for leadership in political, business and social life. The terms progress and patriotism might be considered the keynote of his character, for throughout his career he has labored for the improvement of every line of business or public interest with which he has been associated, and at all times has been actuated by a fidelity to his country and her welfare.
J. W. DAVIS.
A prominent citizen of Tolt. King county. Washington, and one who has had a life of varied interest is J. W. Davis. His father, James Davis, was born in Nova Scotia in 1820, of Welsh ancestry, and was reared on a farm; on arriving at manhood he learned the ship carpenter's trade, and coming to the New England coast he followed that trade until his marriage.
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in 1854: he then moved to Wabasha county, Minnesota, and settled on a farın. In 1879 he went to Atkinson, Nebraska, and was actively engaged in farming until his retirement a few years ago. He had married Arina Wyman, who was born near Skowhegan, Maine, in 1835; she is of English descent.
Their son. J. W., was born in Bear Valley, Wabasha county, Minne- sota, on the roth of January. 1859. He obtained his education in the schools of Bear Valley, and in 1879 went with his father to Atkinson, Nebraska. Here he remained for twelve years, devoting part of his time to farming, for two years served as city marshal, and for three years conducted a billiard hall: he was also for some years deputy sheriff and constable. His arrival in Tolt, King county, Washington, was in the year 1891, where he and his brother. Robert M., carried on a stock and dairy farm until 1899. In 1900 he opened up his present general merchandise store and has since had a very lucrative business.
In politics Mr. Davis has allied himself with the Republican party and has been school trustee and held various minor offices. He belongs to the Masonic order at Falls City, and to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Rebekahs and the Modern Woodmen at Tolt. He was married at Sioux Falls, South Dokota, April 2, 1879. to Sarah E. Dawson, who was born at Sherbrook, Canada, in 1857. and is of Scotch descent. They are the parents of five children : Edna E., the wife of Fred B. Bagwell, a farmer near Tolt; Carl A., Blanch Grace. Leonard A. and Nellie M.
ISAAC COOPER.
One of the successful men of Washington who has worked his way from the bottom up to an honored place in the business world is Isaac Coop- er of Issaquah. He was born at Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, on the 12th of January, 1838; his education was what he could receive in the schools of his native place until he was eight years of age, and he was then put to work in the iron mines. In March, 1870, he came to Belleville, Illinois, and worked in the coal mines until 1875, and then came to New- castle, Washington, where he was employed in the coal mines up to 1887. In that year he came to Issaquah, which has since been his home. He built the first house in that place, a frame structure, in which he started a saloon and also engaged in real estate transactions until June, 1899, when he took charge of the Belleview Hotel: this had been built by Thomas and Mary Francis in 1888, and Mrs. Francis afterwards became the wife of Mr.
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Cooper. This hotel was conducted by him until February, 1902, when it was leased to James Corbett.
During his residence in Issaquah Mr. Cooper has acquired considerable real estate. In 1888 he was one of the organizers of the Issaquah Water Company, incorporated by George W. Tibbetts, Thomas Rowley, William Moore and Isaac Cooper: in 1901 the greater part of the stock passed into the hands of A. B. Stewart and Samuel Stempson of Seattle, and Mr. Coop- er has since been resident manager of the concern. In politics he adheres to Republican principles, and is connected with the Knights of Pythias at Issaquah. Mr. Cooper's first marriage occurred in Staffordshire, England, in 1864, to Sarah Jones, who died at Issaquah in April, 1899; she left one daughter, .Alice M., who married John McEachern. In June, 1900, he was again married, to Mrs. Mary Francis.
JOHN A. MCEACHERN.
Mr. McEachern was born on Prince Edward Island in 1863: his father. Charles, and his mother, Flora Me. Aulay, were natives of the same place. the latter dying there in 1896 and the former still living on the home farm. John was educated in the schools of the island and for three years was a teacher there. In 1884 he became station agent for the Prince Edward Island Railroad, holding this position for three years; he then held a similar position with the Canadian Pacific at .Algoma for two years; and in 1888 came to Issaquah as station agent of the Northern Pacific, which place he held until July. 1894: for two years he engaged in placer mining in the Klondike and has since resided at Issaquah.
As recorded above, he was married in 1892 to Alice M. Cooper. and they have two children. Mr. McEachern belongs to the blue lodge of the Masonic order at Falls City and to the chapter of the same at Seattle; and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias at Issaquah. He is one of the highly respected citizens of that place and is interested in everything tending to promote the welfare of the town.
DEWITT C. BRAWLEY.
For a number of years Dewitt C. Brawley was numbered among the representative citizens and business men of Seattle, and in his death the entire community felt that an irreparable loss had been sustained by the public. Ile had been intimately associated with several of the leading industries of
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the locality, his genius and indubitable talent as a financier and business man- ager resulting in the prosperity of these enterprises. His entire career was marked by signal integrity, justice and honor, and no word of detraction was ever heard from those who knew him well.
Mr. Brawley was born near Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, on the 3d of May, 1842, and is descended from one of the early and honored families of that county. His grandfather James Brawley, was a native of Eastport. Pennsylvania, and while engaged in government service he assisted in the survey of western Pennsylvania. William Brawley, the father of our subject, had the honor of being the first white child born in Crawford county, and he was there married to Miss Jane Stewart, a native of Erie county, Pennsylvania, by whom he had five children. He was a farmer and miller by occupation, and both he and his wife were valued members of the Metho- (list church. For forty years of his life he held the office of justice of the peace in his township. His life's labors were ended in death at the age of seventy-four years, and he was survived by his loving wife for a considerable period, she passing away in her ninety-first year.
Dewitt C. Brawley received the advantages of a common school educa- tion during his youth, and he remained under the parental roof until he at- tained to years of maturity. About this time the noted Drake oil well was discovered within twenty miles of his home, and in the great oil excitement which followed our subject and his brothers began assisting in the construc- tion of wells. Later they began operating on their own account, and by their industrious and intelligent efforts they became very successful in that line, their best results being obtained at Moody's Gulch and at Pit Hole. In 1879. William R. Brawley, who was our subject's partner in all his business ven- tures, came to Seattle to make investments, purchasing coal and timber lands, and in 1882 he was joined in this city by Dewitt C., but a short time after- ward he returned to Pennsylvania to settle up their business in the east. re- turning to the Pacific coast in 1889. In the meantime they became largely interested in farming land, but during the great fire of 1889 they met withi severe losses. After the rebuilding of the city they established a brickyard. and many of the brick houses now standing in Seattle are built from the pro- (luct of their manufactory. They also platted the Brawley addition to the city of Seattle, which has since been sold and improved. In 1887 the broth- ers were fortunate investors in oil property near Bowling Green, Ohio, be- coming by purchase the owners of the famous Ducat well, which yielded a flow of two hundred barrels of oil per hour, but eighteen months later they sold this well to the Standard Oil Company and retired from the oil business.
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During the time of the great financial panic in 1893, in which many of the substantial citizens of the northwest lost their property, the Brawley brothers vere great sufferers, but such was the reliability of their character that they were able to meet their obligations and thus saved much of their property.
The year 1880 witnessed the marriage of Mr. Brawley and Miss Ella Thomas. She is a daughter of George Thomas, of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, a prominent farmer and the pioneer manufacturer of cheese in that part of the state. This union proved a very happy one, and resulted in the birth of two children, both born in Seattle .- Lee J. and Ruth. The son is now a member of the senior class in the Seattle high school, is captain of the cadets, and is one of the promising native sons of the northwest. On the 14th of March. 1900, the loving husband and father was called from the scene of earth's activities, but his memory is still enshrined in the hearts of his many friends. In his young manhood he became identified with the Masonic fraternity, and throughout the remainder of his life he exemplified its helpful and beneficent principles in his every day life. His religious pref- erence was indicated by his membership in the Baptist church, of which his widow is also a member. He was a man of firm convictions, honest purpose, kindly nature and upright life, and the world is better for his having lived.
WILLIAM F. McNATT.
William Francis MeNatt is now the superintendent of the Meadow Brook farm at Snoqualmie, the largest enterprise of the kind on the Pacific coast, it being devoted to the production of vegetables, butter, cereals and to stock-raising, and Mr. MeNatt, a practical agriculturist, is well qualified for the important and responsible position which he now fills, for through many years he has been identified with farning as well as other important business interests in this part of the country.
He is a native son of King county, his birth having occurred at South Park August 8. 1862. His father. Francis MeNatt. was born in Knox county. Tennessee. April 13. 1820. and was of Scotch lineage, his ancestors. however, having come to America from Scotland at an early day, while in pioneer times the family was established in Tennessee. With ox teams he traveled overland to Washington in 1852, making the long journey across the plains and through the mountain fastnesses, where the iron road had not yet been built, and where it would not be seen for many years to come. In the year 1853 he settled at Salmon bay, where he remained for three years and then removed to the Black river valley. At the time of the Indian
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uprising in 1855-56 he served as a volunteer soldier for the protection of the settlers and the subjugation of the red men. He removed to South Park in 1861, taking up his abode upon a farm, and performed the arduous task of reclaiming for the purposes of civilization the land hitherto uit- known to the uses of the plow. He aided in the pioneer development of this part of the country and belongs to that class of sturdy and brave pioneer set- tlers who deserve the gratitude of present and future generations for what they accomplished in the task of transforming a wild region into a habitable one. For some years he served as county commissioner of King county and was a prominent and influential citizen. He died at South Park in June, 1901, and thus passed away one of the honored pioneer settlers, who for almost half a century had been a participant in the progress and develop- ment of this portion of the state. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Ann Burns, was born in county Clare, Ireland, in 1822, and in the year 1856 came to America, while in 1859 she emigrated to Washington and was married in Seattle to Mr. McNatt. Her death occurred in December, 1900. about six months before her husband's demise.
In the public schools of his native town William F. McNatt pursued his preliminary education, which was supplemented by study of the ad- vanced branches of learning in the State University of Washington. On leaving school. in 1880, he engaged in farming on an extensive scale. paying special attention to hop raising for eight years. This was one of the im- portant departments of agriculture in the northwest and his efforts were at- tended with gratifying success. In 1888 he engaged in the wholesale liquor business in Seattle in company with F. P. Clinging, but the following year the business was swept away in the great fire which almost destroyed the city, entailing a clear loss of twenty thousand dollars to the firm. From 1892 until 1897 Mr. McNatt was engaged in the operation of a sawmill at Auburn, King county, and in the fall of 1897 he returned to the old farm at South Park and established an evaporating plant for the production of food supplies in a condensed form for transporting to Alaska. During two years he devoted his energies to that industry, and in the fall of 1899 he went to the Cascade mountains. There he spent three years prospecting and mining. He still holds large interests in promising claims there. including the Gold Leaf mine, which is now being developed and is a paying producer. On the Ist of December, 1901, he was chosen for the important position of superintendent of the Meadow Brook farm at Snoqualmie, because of his well known ability as a manager and his thorough understanding of agri- culture in its various branches. This farm comprises twelve hundred and
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sixty acres of the finest land of the state and for mnay years was known as the Snoqualmie Hop Farm. The Meadow Brook Company, composed of C. H. Hamilton, president, 11. P. Weinstein, vice president. W. B. Shaw, chairman of the board, Mrs. N. S. Smith, secretary and treasurer, and Will- iam F. MeNatt, superintendent, is rapidly transforming the place into a stock and dairy farm, devoting only sixty acres to hop-raising. They make a specialty of the raising of Holstein cattle and Poland China hogs of the highest grades and are extensively engaged in the growing and packing of vegetables and the manufacture of fancy butter, having warehouses and offices in Seattle for the purpose of facilitating shipments. This is the largest enterprise of the kind on the Pacific coast. System, order and method prevail in the control of the farm under the management of Mr. Mc- Natt. who thoroughly understands the business from the scientific stand- point as well as the practical. and is therefore splendidly qualified for con- chucting the business.
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