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 57
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MICHAEL WILSON.
The deserved reward of a well spent life is an honored retirement from business in which to enjoy the fruits of former toil. To-day, after a useful and beneficial career, Mr. Wilson is quietly living at his beautiful home- stead near O'Brien, surrounded by the comforts that earnest labor has brought him. He is a prominent citizen of the community, and has borne his part in the upbuilding and development of King county.
Mr. Wilson was born near Tipton, Missouri, on the rith of Novem- ber, 1845. His ancestors, who were of Scotch descent, were among the
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early and prominent settlers of the Old Dominion, having been residents of that commonwealth when William Penn was making his treaty with the In- dians. The father of our subject, Solomon Wilson, was born in Virginia in 1813. and there the days of his youth and early manhood were spent. At the age of twenty-one years he took up his abode in Missouri, where he de- voted his attention to agricultural pursuits until 1882. In that year he lo- cated in Issaquah. Washington, where he lived in quiet retirement until called to his home beyond, passing away in death in 1894. For his wife he chose Sarah McPherson, who was born in Kentucky in 1822, and she. too, was of Scotch descent. She is still living, and makes her home in Issaquah. Wash- ington.
Michael Wilson received the educational advantages afforded by the country schools of Missouri, where he continued to reside until 1875, and in that year he removed to Santa Rosa, Sonoma county, California, there de- voting his attention to the tilling of the soil for three years. In the spring of 1878 he came to the White river valley of Washington, where he rented the old Daniel Post farm for five years, during which time he followed dairying. In 1883 he became the owner of the Alexander Gow homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, located near the present towns of O'Brien and Kent, and at that time the place was a dense wilderness, covered with a heavy growth of cottonwood trees and underbrush. The only means of receiving supplies then was by carrying them on foot about two miles from White river, where they were landed from small boats then plying on that stream. Mr. Wilson at once began the arduous task of clear- ing and improving his farm, and as the years have passed by he has wrought a wonderful transformation, surrounding his fields with well kept fences, has erected commodious and substantial buildings and has made his place to blossom as the rose. For many years he devoted his entire attention to general farming and dairying, but he is now retired from the active work of the farm and is spending his time in ease and quiet at his beautiful old homestead, the work of which is carried on by his sons, Lloyd and James. An ardent Republican in politics, both he and his sons take a commendable interest in all local campaigns, and are regarded as public spirited and pro- gressive citizens. In his social relations he is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen at Kent.
The marriage of Mr. Wilson was celebrated in Newtonia, Newton county, Missouri, in 1870, when Miss Matilda Hart became his wife. She was born in Arkansas in 1847, and her death occurred on the old home farm on the 30th of April, 1900. Four children blessed their marriage,
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namely: Rella, the wife of Roscoe Everett, a merchant of Kent; Maud, the wife of Frank Warner, engaged in mercantile pursuits at O'Brien; Lloyd, who married Mattie Shaffer, a native of Stockton, California; and James, who married Bessie Raymond, a native of Canada and a daughter of H. R. Raymond, a prominent resident of the Dominion. The two sons, Lloyd and James, are carrying on the work of the home farm, thus relieving their father of much care and anxiety in his declining years.
STEPHEN P. WILLIS.
The pioneer history of King county has upon its rolls the name of Stephen P. Willis, who for many years has resided within its borders and is therefore one of its oldest residents. Wonderful changes have occurred since his arrival, and of the work of progress and advancement he has ever been an advocate. By his active participation as well as friendly encourage- ment he has assisted in the development and substantial promotion of the county until it takes rank with the older counties of the east in all the ele- ments of civilization.
Illinois is the state of Mr. Willis's nativity, his birth having occurred in Putnam county on the 3d of September. 1831, and on the paternal side he is descended from old Scotch ancestry, while in the maternal line he is of Welsh descent. His father. James W. Willis, was born in South Caro- lina in 1797. but when a boy he was taken by his parents to Ohio, and in 1820 he located in Putnam county, Illinois. There he continued to make his home until 1839, when he removed to Linn county, Iowa, and there his life's labors were ended in death in 1844. He followed the tilling of the soil as a life occupation. For his wife he chose Ann Stewart, who was born in Kentucky in 1800, but was reared in Ohio. After her husband's death she remained in Iowa until 1857, then removed to Polk county, Oregon, from there to Umpqua, Douglas county, Oregon, and from there to Uma- tilla county, where her death occurred at the home of her daughter in 1885.
Stephen P. Willis received only the meager advantages afforded by the district schools of Illinois and Iowa, and until his twenty-fourth year he remained under the parental roof and assisted in the work of the home farm. After his father's death he continued to care for his widowed mother in Iowa until 1857, and in that year, by the Panama route, he went to California and Oregon, locating first in the Willamette valley, where he remained for two years. Going thence to the Umpqua valley in Dong- las county, Oregon, he was there engaged in agricultural pursuits for six
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years, having purchased a farm near Roseburg in 1861. Four years later, in 1865. he came to the White river valley in Washington, where he home- steaded a tract of one hundred and sixty acres near the present town of Kent, which he cleared from the dense forest that covered it, and was there successfully engaged in farming and dairying for the long period of twenty- five years. By perseverance, industry, economy and good management he attained a leading position among the substantial farmers of the community, and his worth is widely acknowledged by those who are familiar with his honorable business methods. Desiring to retire from the active duties of a business life, Mr. Willis in 1895 placed his farm in charge of his nephew, W. J. Shinn. The latter divided the place into five-acre tracts, and these he sold on contract, but as some of the purchasers failed to meet their obli- gations Mr. Willis is still the owner of a part of the tract. In the meantime he had also purchased three lots at Latonia, on Lake Union, on which he erected a comfortable residence, and there he made his home for ten years. Selling his place in 1900, he returned to the old farm on White river, which he had previously given to his daughter, Mrs. Sarah Ross. whose husband, W. R. Ross, was waylaid and fatally shot by his neighbor, Alexander Simpson, in 1901. The latter is now serving a fifteen years' sentence for his crime. The motive which led to the terrible murder is thought to have been jealousy. Mr. Willis is a Prohibitionist, and takes a prominent part in the campaigns of his party.
In Linn county, Iowa, in 1855, Mr. Willis was united in marriage to Caroline White, who was born in Ohio in 1833. and was of English descent. For many years they traveled life's journey together. sharing with each other in the joys and sorrows which checker the lives of all, but on the 8th of May, 1901, they were separated by the hand of death, the mother being called to her final rest from the old White river farm. Two of their three children are now living,-Sarah A., the widow of W. R. Ross; and Charles L., a real estate dealer at Latonia, Washington. Laura Mildred, who was born in 1856, died in the Willamette valley of Oregon in 1858. On No- vember 5, 1902, Mr. Willis was married to Edith E. Wheeler, and now makes his home in Kent.
RONALD C. CRAWFORD.
Great indeed have been the changes which time and man have wrought since Ronald C. Crawford landed on the Pacific coast. He is numbered among the pioneers of both Oregon and California, and is now a distin-
Pronald C. Granfort
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guished and honored resident of Seattle, where he is living retired in the en- joyment of a well earned rest after many years of toil, in which his efforts have contributed to the development and upbuilding of this section of the country as well as to his individual prosperity. When the rich mineral sources were still locked fast in the embraces of nature, when the rich land was unclaimed and uncultivated, when the Indians far outnumbered the white settlers, and life in the northwest was attended with many dangers and hardships. Mr. Crawford took up his abode on the Pacific coast and for fifty- five years has been identified with its interests.
He was born in Havana, New York, in 1827, and is of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His great-great-grandfather, William Crawford. emigrated to Orange county, New York, and became the progenitor of the family in America. He was a Presbyterian in religious faith. His son, William Crawford, Jr., was born in New York and participated in the war of the Revolution, while his son, Samuel Crawford, Ronald C. Crawford's grand- father, was a soldier of the war of 1812. The latter lived to be more than eighty years of age and died in 1847. Samuel G. Crawford, the father of our subject, was born in Orange county, New York, in 1799 and married Miss Elizabeth Davis of the same county. Both attained to an advanced age. The father was a Republican and gave to the party an unfaltering support He served as magistrate and in numerous other offices, was a man of high Christian character and in his religious affiliation was a Congregationalist. He visited the Pacific coast in 1862 and his death occurred in 1878 when he was seventy-nine years of age. His good wife departed this life in the for- tieth year of her age. They were the parents of five children, all of whom lived to a good old age, and two of the sons yet survive, the brother of our subject being Leroy Crawford. now a resident of New York.
Ronald C. Crawford pursued his education in the schools of Havana, New York, and in 1847 when twenty years of age, crossed the plains to Ore- gon City. His brother, Medorem Crawford, had made the long journey across the plains in 1842, and was one of the prominent pioneers of Oregon. For many years he was the honored president of the Pioneer Society of that state. He became the owner of a large farm in Yamhill county and spent the remainder of his life there, being held in the highest regard by all. When our subject came to the Pacific coast in 1847 there was a large emigration. The company with which he traveled made the journey with ox teams, but Mr. Crawford had his own horse. He assisted the company in various ways. one of his duties being to ride on ahead. which he could do. as his horse trav- eled faster than the oxen, and select a suitable camping place for the night.
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His luggage was carried in one of the wagons in payment of the help which he rendered the party. There were large herds of buffalo upon the plains, and the party frequently saw Indians but were never molested by the red men. The six months' journey was terminated by their arrival at Oregon City, where Mr. Crawford engaged in freighting for two years. Then when the ยท gold excitement in California was drawing people to the mines from all sections of the country, he also went there in search of the precious metal, making the journey on horseback, packing his equipments and necessary clothing. Reaching the gold fields he engaged in placer mining on the Amer- ican river and on the Feather river above Sacramento, taking out gold to the value of from one hundred to two hundred and fifty dollars per day. He made a great deal and when he returned to Oregon at the end of two years he had a handsome stake for so young a man. He spent the winter of 1851-2 in San Francisco, and in the spring returned to Oregon City.
Not long after his arrival Mr. Crawford was happily married to Miss Elizabeth Moore, a native of Illinois, who crossed the plains with her father. James M. Moore, in 1847. After their marriage they secured a donation claim in Clackamas county and resided thereon for five years. during which time our subject made many improvements upon his land and obtained his patent from the government. At the end of the period he removed to Walla Walla county and was engaged in mining, also in freighting from the mines of Walla Walla for four years. He was next appointed deputy col- lector of internal revenue and spent six years in Salem. Oregon. He joined the Republican party at its organization and was a strong Union man.
In 1869 Mr. Crawford removed to Olympia. Washington, and estab- lished a furniture store, but the Northern Pacific Railroad Company did not make that town its terminus, and he closed out his business, removing to his farm in Lewis county, where he remained for five years, farming and improv- ing his property. At the expiration of that period he accepted the position of chief warden of the United States penitentiary on MeNeal Island, having charge of the prisoners there for three years. In 1877 he became a resident of Seattle and accepted the position of pressman and afterwards traveling agent for the Post Intelligencer for five years. He then became interested in his present business, that of buying bonds and commercial paper of all descriptions.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Crawford have been born seven children, all natives of either Oregon or Washington. Five survive. They are as follows: Ad- clie, the wife of M. E. Warren of Dawson City :Samuel L., who is prominent- ly engaged in the real estate business in Seattle: Fannie, the widow of Clark
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Biles: Ronald MI. of Dawson; and Nellie, the wife of Captain Laurence S. Booth, who is engaged in the abstract business in Seattle. MIr. Crawford was for many years a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In 1852 he was made a Master Mason in Multnomah Lodge No. 1, F. & .1. M., the first Masonic lodge organized on the Pacific coast. For many years he has been an honorary member of St. John's Lodge of Seattle. In politics he is still a Republican on whom the party can rely, and he has been honored with different official positions. While in Lewis county he was chosen to represent his district in the Washington territorial legislature of 1875. He was also postmaster and justice of the peace, filling all the positions at one time, creditably acquitting himself in the discharge of his manifold and varied duties. On coming to Seattle he purchased a residence near the university in order to educate his children, and has remained here for the past twenty- five years. His wife, with whom he has traveled life's journey for a half- century, is a member of the Plymouth Congregational church, and both are numbered among the most respected citizens of Seattle. His connection with the northwest covers a very extended period and in every sphere of life in which he has been called upon to move he has made an indelible impression, and by his excellent public service and upright life has honored the state which has honored him.
REV. J. P. DERWENT LLWYD.
Among the able churchmen and clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal church in the state of Washington is MIr. Llwyd, who is rector of St. Mark's church in the city of Seattle, the same having the largest and most important parish of the church in the state. He has not only shown marked zeal and earnestness in his clerical work but has manifested an administrative ability which has been most potent in insuring the temporal welfare of his parish, and he is held in the highest esteem for his devotion to the cause of the Divine Master. for his abiding sympathy for "all those in any way afflicted or dis- tressed in mind, body or estate." and for his able service in his holy calling as a priest of the church.
Mr. Llwyd is a native of England, having been born in the city of Man- chester. on the 7th of June. 1861, the son of the Rev. Thomas and Emma (Plummer) Llwyd, both of whom were likewise born in Manchester, the father being of stanch old Welsh stock and a clergyman of the Church of England. In 1874 the family removed to the Dominion of Canada, and the father became rector of St. James' church at Gravenhurst, Ontario, where
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he remained for a number of years. In 1890 he was appointed arch deacon of the diocese of AAlgoma and is now incumbent of that office in the parish of Huntsville. In his native city J. P. D. LIwyd entered grammar school at the age of ten years and there continued his studies about three years, at the expiration of which he accompanied his parents on their removal to Canada, where he passed four years under the private tutorship of the Rev. Joseph S. Cole, B. A., securing an excellent literary education. He then engaged in pedagogic work, becoming a teacher in the public schools of Ontario, and after devoting three years to this line of endeavor he was identified with mercantile pursuits in Toronto for nearly an equal interval. Reared under the benign influences of the great mother church and ever appreciative of the intrinsic beauty and consistency of its faith, Mr. Llwyd was naturally drawn to the priesthood, and in 1883 he began the work of preparing him- self for holy orders by entering the theological college of Montreal, where he pursued his divinity course for one year, at the expiration of which he went to New York city, where he spent one year in study and parochial work with the Rev. W. S. Rainsford, D. D., in St. George's parish. He then re- moved to Indiana, where he was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood by Rt. Rev. D. B. Knickerbacker, bishop of the diocese of Indiana, and there- after he passed two years in general missionary work in that state and Wis- consin. Finally he was called to the rectorship of St. Paul's church at Riv- erside, one of the most beautiful of the suburban towns near the city of Chicago, being there installed for three years and being very successful in his work, as he was also for the ensuing eight years, during which he was rector of the church of the Good Shepherd in Omaha, Nebraska.
In the spring of 1897 Mr. Llwyd came to Seattle and became rector of St. Mark's, whose parish is the most important in the state, as has already been stated. Here his zealous and unabating efforts have been attended with most gratifying results in both a spiritual and a temporal way; the work of the church and its collateral benevolences has been materially advanced; it has gained further precedence in the diocese; and the rector has won to him- self the affection of his parishioners and the esteem and good will of all with whom he has come in contact. The number of communicants has been in- creased from five hundred to nine hundred; many improvements have been made on the church property, including the erection of a rectory, and during the pastorate of Mr. Llwyd a total of twenty-five thousand dollars has been expended in material improvements. With a full appreciation of the solemn and impressive beauties of the ancient liturgy, Mr. Llwyd has embellished the services and ritualistic observances of St. Mark's, and has spared no
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pains to beget devotion and equal appreciation on the part of those over whom he is placed in charge, his sermons being ever marked by the unmistakable evidences of spirituality and earnestness and thus effectively supplementing the ritual of the Holy Catholic church.
Fraternally Mr. Llwyd is identified with the Knights of Pythias, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Elks and the Odd Fellows. He has been twice elected president of the Charity Organization Society at Seattle, and is now a member of the board of library trustees of the city. He is in continual demand for lectures and speeches on public occasions. On the 28th of December,' 1886, Mr. I.Iwyd was united in marriage to Miss Mary Emilie Thomas, who was born in the city of Brantford, Ontario, a representative of prominent old Knickerbocker families and the daughter of William H. and Adaline (Kissam) Thomas. Rev. and Mrs. Llwyd are the parents of five children, namely : Gwendolyn Derwent. Thomas Derwent, Adeline Derwent, Charlewood Derwent and Margaret Derwent.
JOHN B. POWLES.
In a compilation purporting to portray the more salient features in the careers of the representative men of King county and the city of Seattle, there is unmistakable consistency in according a place of due relative dis- tinction and priority to Mr. Powles, who is one of the progressive and suc- cessful business men of the metropolis of the state, being an interested prin- cipal in the extensive commission house conducted under the title of J. W. Godwin & Company, the business being incorporated under the laws of the state, and the subject of this sketch being incumbent of the office of secre- tary and treasurer of the concern. which is one of the most important of the sort in this city.
Mr. Powles is a native of the city of London, England, where he was born on the 19th of June, 1856, the son of William and Mary Jane (Brack) Powles, both representative of stanch old English stock. In the year 1863 they emigrated from England to the Dominion of Canada, being accompanied by their three children. William Powles was engaged in the iron trade in the city of Montreal, where he remained until his death, which occurred on Good Friday, 1875. He was a man of sterling character and marked ability and was a zealous and devoted churchman of the established church of Eng- land, or the Protestant Episcopal church in America. His widow still sur- vives him, being likewise a devoted communicant of the Episcopal church and having attained the venerable age of seventy-five years. She maintains
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her home in Oelwein, lowa, and is held in high esteem by all who have come within the sphere of her gracious influence. Of her nine children the subject of this review is the only one in the state of Washington.
John B. Powles was but seven years of age at the time of his parents' removal from England to Canada, and his early educational discipline was received in the city of Montreal, where he was reared to years of maturity. There under the direction of his honored father he became identified with the iron trade, thoroughly familiarizing himself with all branches of the same, including the buikling of locomotive engines, general repairing and mechanical drawing, in which latter department he attained notable facility and expertness. From Montreal he removed to the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where for seven years he was engaged in the retail grocery busi- ness, disposing of his interests at the expiration of that time and coming to Seattle, with whose natural advantages and promising future he became so impressed that he decided to cast in his lot with that of this favored city, and in the light of the definite and gratifying success which has come to him through his well directed efforts here, it is safe to say that he has no regret for having chosen this place as the field of his operations. He took up his residence here just after the great fire and he began his own business career by engaging in the brokerage business. in which he met with excellent success. On the 17th of May, 1894, he purchased a half interest in the Godwin com- mission business, and the enterprise was forthwith incorporated. under the title already noted, and our subject was made secretary and treasurer. The enterprise takes a foremost place among the principal commission houses of the city, and the discrimination and keen business sagacity which have been brought to bear by the interested principals have combined with their high reputation for inflexible integrity and honor to gain to the house a repre- sentative support, so that each year sees a marked increase in the volume of business transacted. At first the concern confined its business largely to the city, but eventually began reaching out for the business of the western half of the state, where is now controlled a business fully equal in scope and im- portance to that of more local order. The company gives employment to seventeen men and do a particularly large business in the handling of fruits and vegetables, the aggregate of transactions reaching a half million of dollars annually.
Upon taking up his residence in Seattle Mr. Powles at once thoroughly identified himself with its civic as well as business interests and he has gained recognition as a wide-awake and public spirited citizen. He has been a very active member of the Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of its board of
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