An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 120

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146

USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 120
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 120
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 120

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likewise followed clerking until 1903, when he came to Trout Lake and purchased the mercan- tile establishment of the Chapman Brothers. The transaction was consummated in February, 1904. He is at present conducting this establishment, and is said to be doing very well.

Mr. Blew was married August 30, 1899, to Miss Mae Robbins, then a resident of The Dalles, Oregon, where the marriage was solemnized. Miss Robbins was a native of Onaga, Kansas, born in 1871. Her parents, William D. and Mar- garet (Kelly) Robbins, are now living in Kansas, of which state they were pioneer settlers. One child has been born to this marriage, Lucy Mae, now in her fourth year, her birth having occurred June 16, 1900. Fraternally, Mr. Blew is asso- ciated with the Odd Fellows, and in politics he is a Republican.

In religion, he is a Methodist, and Mrs. Blew a Congregationalist. Though recently established in this locality, Mr. Blew has already made many friends, and his business bids fair to increase rapidly as he becomes better ac- quainted with the needs and tastes of the people. As a man and citizen, his standing has been good wherever he has lived.

HON. WILLIAM COATE is one of the best known citizens and politicians of Klickitat county. At present he is residing on a fine farm, one and one-half miles northwest of Trout Lake postoffice. He is a native of Miami county, Ohio, born De- cember 29, 1860, the son of James and Mary J. (Pearson) Coate, the former now living in Miami county, and the latter deceased. The elder Coate is a native of Miami county, born in 1838, his par- ents being of Scotch-English descent. Grandfather Coate was a native of North Carolina, of which state his parents were pioneers. He moved to Ohio in an early day, afterwards residing there till the time of his death. The family is of Quaker origin. Mary J. (Pearson) Coate was born in Ohio, in 1836, and resided there till her death in the seven- ties. Like her husband, she was a descendant of Quaker forefathers.

William grew to maturity in Ohio, receiving. during early boyhood, instruction in the common schools and in a business college. His father owned a large merchandise establishment in Pleasant Hill, Ohio, and in his store William was employed as a clerk until he had reached his twenty-fifth year. Then he went to Troy, Ohio, where also he was employed as a clerk. Having spent two years at this point, he came, in 1887, to Klickitat county, and settled in Trout Lake valley, to which locality his wife's father had preceded him. The following year he homesteaded a tract of land, with the intention of building a home of his own. The land was thickly grown with timber and underbrush, neces- sitating months and years of hard toil to make it arable, but nothing daunted, Mr. Coate supplied

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himself well with axes and went to work. Five years later he and his brother and brother-in-law put in an irrigation ditch on his place, the first in the valley. Then, with water facilities at hand, the wonderful fertility of the land became evident. The farm is now to be depended on for a yield of from four to seven tons of hay per acre, of quality the finest imaginable.

October 12, 1885, Mr. Coate married Miss Nancy A. Byrkett, a resident, at the time of marriage, of Miami county, Ohio. She was born in Miami county, in 1865, the daughter of Harvey J. and Sarah A. (Fenner) Byrkett, both of whom are liv- ing today. The father was born in Miami county, Ohio, in 1836, and, after attaining manhood, came west to Hood River, Oregon. Later, in 1885, he settled in Trout Lake valley, where he resided till 1902. At present he is living in Hood River. Sarah (Fenner) Byrkett is a native of Miami county, Ohio, born in 1835. Children that have been born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Coate are: James H., Charles F. and Bessie G., all residing at home. Fraternally, Mr. Coate is affiliated with the Masons and the United Artisans. In politics, he is a Re- publican. During his residence in this county he has served the public as school director and clerk for nine years ; as justice of the peace for two terms ; as county commissioner in 1899, and as a mem- ber of the state legislature in 1903. During the last year he was a delegate to the state convention. His property holdings comprise one hundred and eighty- two acres of land, one hundred and seventy of which can be irrigated. The improvements on this place are of the best, fully in keeping with the fine quality of the land. In the live stock line, Mr. Coate favors the Shorthorn strain, and his herd is one of the best in Klickitat county. A fine young orchard is now thriving on the farm, though at present it is not in full bearing.

WILLIAM F. STADELMAN, a worthy farmer and stockman, residing one and one-half miles south- east of Trout Lake, Klickitat county, was born in Hanover, Germany, November 10, 1850, the son of William and Dora (Hector) Stadelman, both of whom are now deceased. The elder Stadelman was born in Germany in 1829, and in after life was a brickmason. His death occurred in 1887, his en- tire life time having been spent in Germany. Dora (Hector) Stadelman was .. born in Germany in 1829, and died in 1888.

William F. resided in Germany till in his twen- tieth year, then attempted to enlist in the German army for service in the Franco-Prussian war, but was rejected on account of his weight. Disap- pointed in his aspirations for the career of a sol- dier, he came to the United States, his objective point being Chicago, Illinois, where relatives had preceded him. The great city of Chicago was not entirely to his liking, so, leaving it, he obtained em-

ployment on a farm in Randolph county. He was thus engaged for six years; then he returned to Germany on a visit. He was immediately arrested by the German authorities, but, being a citizen of the United States, could not be imprisoned; so was allowed to complete his visit. After returning to the United States, he settled in Klickitat county, taking up land, which he farmed till 1884, when he moved to his present location near Trout Lake. Peter Stoller was at that time the only settler liv- ing in the Trout Lake country, his residence being on the place which is now a summer resort, owned by Christian Guler. Other settlers arrived during the year, but it was several years before the coun- try assumed the appearance of prosperity. The first comers were poor, and, by necessity, obliged. to depend largely on their crops for a livelihood. The crops at first were insufficient, and the hardy settlers were furthered hampered by a remoteness from desirable markets. Game and fish were abun- dant. No pioneer was so poor but that his larder could be well supplied with venison or mountain trout, had he the energy to hunt or fish. Mr. Stadelman, however, was as incapable as a hunter as he was capable otherwise, so failed to find the tak- ing of wild game a satisfactory method of making a living. His small herd of cattle during the early- years of his stay was his principal source of income, and as the years went by the herd became larger .. His neighbors likewise owned cattle, and with the increasing size of their herds the dairying business came into prominence. First. Mr. Stadelman started a creamery of his own, which he conducted till 1903, then discontinuing and joining with other citizens in establishing a co-operative creamery. This is now being managed by an expert in the creamery business formerly of Portland.

June 15, 1880, Mr. Stadelman married Miss Maggie Stoller, the ceremony taking place in Salem, Oregon. Miss Stoller was the daughter of Peter and Margaret (Ritter) Stoller, previously mentioned as among the pioneer arrivals in the Trout Lake country. The father was born in the canton of Berne, Switzerland, September 11, 1830, and came to the United States in 1865. His parents were German. After arriving in America he lived for several years in Illinois, then settling in the Trout Lake valley. Later he moved to Silverton, Oregon, where he is residing .at present. Margaret (Ritter) Stoller, also a native of Switzer- land, is now living at Silverton. Children that have been born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Stadel- man are Mrs. Mary Hoke. now residing in Trout Lake valley ; William H., Amelia, Sophia, deceased May 7, 1904, and Leo. Fraternally, Mr. Stadelman is affiliated with the Ancient Order of United Work- men, and in religion with the Lutheran church. In politics, he is a Republican, and, officeseekers ex- cepted, he is one of the most active politicians in Klickitat county. . He has served ten years as cen- tral committeeman, and is usually in attendance at

HON. WILLIAM COATE.

WILLIAM F. STADELMAN.

LEVI J. ESHELMAN.

THOMAS MARTIN WHITCOMB.

CHARLES PEARCE.

EDWARD J. PEARCE.

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caucuses and conventions. In school affairs his in- terest is as lively as in politics, his work in this line being generally as a member of the local school board. His property interests comprise eight hun- dred and forty acres of land and the buildings and stock with which it is supplied. He has fifty head of cattle, and makes a specialty of fine dairy cows. His property is extensive and valuable. Mr. Stadelman was among others who upon arrival in Trout Lake valley were undaunted by the pioneer roughness of the country they found, but had the pluck to over- come the obstacles in their way to success. But for such men commonwealths would be slow in building.

LEVI J. ESHELMAN is a well-to-do stockman and farmer residing two miles and a half south of Centerville, Washington. He was born in Scotland county, Missouri, June 24, 1850, the son of Freder- ick and Emily (Caves) Eshelman, who were among the pioneer settlers of Klickitat county. Frederick Eshelman was a native of Pennsylvania, born June IO, 1824. When a boy he went to Missouri, where he lived until 1875, then going to California, and thence, after a stay of two years, to Klickitat county. Here he filed on a tract of land which he afterwards made his home till he sold out and began living with his children as at present. Emily (Caves) Eshel- man was born in Ohio in 1828. She died at the age of seventy-four in 1902.

Levi J. grew to the age of twenty-three in Mis- souri on the farm which was owned by his parents. At this age he went west to Nevada, where he mined for two years, going thence to California and farm- ing for two years. His final move was to Klickitat county in 1877. Upon arrival he immediately filed upon a tract of land situated a few miles south of the site of the present .Centerville. He farmed this place till 1888, then selling out and purchasing his present farm.

Mr. Eshelman was married July 5, 1881, to Miss Rosa A. Tobin, a native of Canada, born April 26, 1866, the daughter of John and Hannah (Hall) Tobin, who were among the early settlers of Klicki- tat county. John Tobin is a son of Erin's isle. He came to the United States in 1876, and after sizing the country up from several points of view in differ- ent states and at divers occupations finally decided that Klickitat county was the part of the United States for which he was looking. At present, how- ever, he is residing in The Dalles, Oregon. Hannah (Hall) Tobin was also born in Ireland. She is still living, though sixty-eight years old. Mr. Eshel- man's brothers are three in number : Thomas J. and Frederick D .. both residing in Tacoma, and Green- berry C., at Salem, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Eshel- man are parents of the following children : Single- ton C., George W., Mrs. Mercy E. Kelly, Mrs. Lillie Dooley, Lulu and Jacob O., all of whom are resi- dents of Klickitat county. In politics, Mr. Eshel- man is a Democrat. He is one of the most active

politicians in Klickitat county, office seekers except- ed. His land holdings comprise five hundred and twenty acres of land, four hundred and fifty of which are arable. The land is well adapted to the production of all grains which grow in the North- west, as well as fruits of the hardier varieties.

CHARLES PEARCE is a venerable and much respected farmer and stockman residing four miles southeast of Centerville, Washington. He was born in Scotland county, Missouri, in 1840, the son of Kinney and Osie (Dunn) Pearce, who were among the earliest settlers in Missouri. Kinney Pearce was a farmer. 'He was born in Ohio in 1800, and in 1336 went to Scotland county, Missouri, where he resided till the time of his death in 1884. His fore- fathers were Hollanders. Osie (Dunn) Pearce was born in Ohio in. 1820, and died at the age of thirty. She was of Scotch-Welsh descent.

Charles was the first white child born in Scot- land county, Missouri. . His time was a few years earlier than that of the outlaws and bushwhackers that have given such a' disreputable prestige to "Old Missoury," but Indians. were there in abundance and were not backward in making known their sentiments toward the white invaders. At the age of nineteen Charles Pearce left his native state for Colorado. In 1862, he returned to Missouri, then crossed the Plains to Salt Lake City, and thence made his way to Montana, where for five years he was engaged in stock raising near Bozeman. In 1869 he sold his cattle interests and went to Oregon, there buying land five miles southeast of Salem. He lived in Oregon till 1877, then . sold out and came to Klickitat county, where he filed on a quarter of gov- ernment land and bought a tract. He has since devoted his energies to the raising of stock and to farming. Klickitat county, as Mr. Pearce found it, was in a state of settlement that would have com- pared, well with Scotland county, Missouri, thirty- five years before. Indians were the most numerous inhabitants of the county and were not entirely friendly to the white men. It is Mr. Pearce's belief, however, that the alarm which was caused among the settlers by the Indians was due more to the white stockmen than the Indians themselves. As is well known, it has almost invariably been the part of stockmen to oppose the farming class. of settlers who plow up the great cattle ranges, and it is alleged that this opposition has been responsible for the stir- ring up' of Indian scares upon several occasions. Such at least is Mir. Pearce's idea of Indian trou- bles in Klickitat county.

Mr. Pearce married in Montana, December 25, 1865, Miss Elizabeth Davis, a native of Wales, born in 1848. She came to the United States when an infant, and later crossed the Plains with her parents, her father, however, dying before the journey had been accomplished. His death occurred in 1849. Mrs. Davis died in Monmouth, Oregon, April 4,

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1876. Children born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Pearce are : William Henry, born September 28, 1866, now residing in the Willamette valley, Oregon ; Edward J., born October 4, 1869, now living in Klickitat county; Louis F., born April 26, 1872; Nora E., born July 6, 1875; Sara E., born May 8, 1868, and Rachel, August 18, 1871, the last two deceased. Fraternally, Mr. Pearce is associated with the Grange, and in politics, with the Democratic party. He is a member of the Christian church at Centerville, and is one of the active workers of this congregation. At various times he has served as a member of the local school board, and though hav- ing no children that were of an age to attend school, was none the less painstaking in his duties. His property interests comprise chiefly eight hundred and seventy-seven acres of land and the stock, buildings and implements with which it is equipped. Being one of the very oldest settlers in Klickitat county, having crossed the Plains five times and per- sonally witnessed the settlement of the west from the Mississippi river to the Pacific coast, Mr. Pearce is entitled to be considered a pioneer of the pioneers. He has the virtues of that honored class well devel- oped, and his standing in Klickitat county is high.

JOHN R. WHITCOMB, a prosperous rancher residing one mile north and two miles west of Lyle, was born in Clarke county, Washington, Oc- tober 18, 1868, the son of Thomas M. and Ann (Tiernan) Whitcomb, who were among the pio- neers that crossed the Plains to Oregon with ox teams. The elder Whitcomb settled at Vancou- ver, Washington, in 1864. In the spring of 1865, he took up a homestead fifteen miles northwest of Vancouver, where he resided for seven years. Then he moved to Hood River, Oregon, and after four years of residence in that section came to Klicki- tat county. During the first three years of his stay here, he farmed a leased tract of school land on the Columbia river bottom, then pre-empting the tract of land on which he lived till the time of his death, November 5, 1901. He was of English and German descent. Ann (Tiernan) Whitcomb was born in Tyrone county, Ireland, February 3, 1832, to English and Scotch parents, the father being employed by the English government as a teacher in Ireland. He taught in one place for seven years. Ann Tiernan, in company with her eldest sister, came to Ohio in 1851, in which state she married the elder Whitcomb when nineteen years of age. John R. received his education in the common schools of Klickitat county, where he grew up from the age of seven, his parents having come to Klickitat county when he was a child. From childhood to the present time he has resided at home with his parents, his only absence of any length being the time that he was required by law to reside upon his homestead to make final proof. He was twenty-one at the time

of his filing. The brothers and sisters of Mr. Whitcomb are Henry E., born in Indiana, October 9, 1858, and now residing in California; Thomas J., born in Indiana, January 13, 1864, who crossed the Plains with his parents when a baby, and grew up and was educated in Klickitat county, where he is residing at present; Mrs. Lithuania Hanson, born in Ohio, August 5, 1854, now residing in Douglas county, Washington; Mrs. Maranda J. Thompson, born in Indiana, May 6, 1856; Mrs. Clara Childers, born in the same state, May 18, 1861, now residing in California; Mrs. Elousia Miller, born in Washington, January 23, 1870, now residing in Iowa; Mrs. Martha J. Pfeil, born in Hood River, Oregon, September 28, 1873; Mrs. Lizzie Hopkins, born in Hood River, Oregon, February 18, 1875, now living in Tygh Valley, Oregon. Two other sisters, Mary E. and Iantha A., are deceased. In religion, Mr. Whitcomb ad- heres to the Methodist faith. His property inter- ests comprise four hundred and eighty acres of land with valuable stock, buildings and implements such as are necessary to successful farming. He is respected by all who know him as a successful and law-abiding citizen and is well worthy of their highest esteem.

EDWARD J. PEARCE, an affable ranchman residing two and one-half miles east and three south of Centerville, was born near Salem, Ore- gon, October 5, 1869. His parents, Charles and Elizabeth (Davis) Pearce, were among the earliest settlers of the west. Charles Pearce was a native of Scotland county, Missouri, born February 20, 1840. When nineteen years of age he went to Pike's Peak, and later to the vicinity of Salt Lake City, Utah, where for a short time he followed farming. In August of the year following his ar- rival in Utah he went to Montana, and there also farmed for a time. From Montana he went to Oregon in 1869; thence to California, and his final move was to Klickitat county, in 1876. Upon arrival he immediately filed on a tract of land, upon which he has since lived, engaged in farm- ing and stock raising. He is of German and Scotch descent. Elizabeth (Davis) Pearce was born in Wales. Her people came to Montana when she was a child, and in that state she grew to womanhood. Her death occurred in 1875. Edward J. grew to manhood and received his edu- cation in Oregon, California and Washington, his parents changing residence from one to another of these three states during his boyhood. He re- mained with his father till he was eighteen years of age, then accepted employment in a sawmill in Sherman county, Oregon. There he worked for one year, returning then to Klickitat county, where he rented his father's farm. He worked it for a year, then began working for wages. This he did for two years, but being dissatisfied with such a

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

method of making a living he filed on his present farm in 1890.

Mr. Pearce was married February 14, 1895, to Miss Lulu Childers, a native of Klickitat county, born February 6, 1876. She received her educa- tion in the local schools. Her parents, Sylvanus and Sarah A. (Jamison) Childers, were among the pioneer arrivals in Willamette valley, Oregon. Their biographies appear elsewhere.

Mr. and Mrs. Pearce are parents of the follow- ing children: Rolley, now deceased ; David R., born October 6, 1899; Hattie E., November 3, 1900; Orville S., September 28, 1902, and Roy Edward, June 6, 1904, all in Klickitat county. Mrs. Pearce has a sister, Mrs. Evelina Oldhanı, at present residing in Goldendale, Her other sis- ter, Mrs. Flora E. Leloh, is deceased. Mr. Pearce's brothers and sisters are : Hattie L., Iva M., Robert E. and Wilbur W., all engaged in business in dif- ferent parts of the Northwest. Mr. Pearce's land holdings in all comprise four hundred acres, two hundred and fifty of which are under cultivation. The farm upon which he resides is one of the most valuable in that part of the county. It is well stocked with everything required in the execution of farm work, and under the able management of its owner is becoming each year more attractive, both as a home and in adaptability to successful farming.

SYLVANUS W. CHILDERS. Among Klick- itat county's esteemed and successful pioneers is he whose name begins this biographical sketch, at present a resident of The Dalles, Oregon, to which city he removed in 1902. A native of West Virginia, he was born February 7, 1843, in Dod- dridge county, to the union of Isaac and Hulda (Tharp) Childers, also natives of that state, the father having been born December 10, 1819, in Harrison county, and the mother in 1825 in Doddridge county. Isaac Childers was a mechanic, though he followed farming and stock raising the greater portion of his life. In 1851 he removed from Virginia to Monroe county, Iowa, where he lived ten years, occupied with farming and raising stock. He then went to Sullivan county, in the state of Missouri, and subsequently disposed of his farm and became a resident of Milan, Missouri ; there his death occurred in 1890. His ancestors were among the earliest German colonists 'of Vir- ginia. He was married to Miss Tharp, December 15, 1842, and as the result of their union fifteen children were born, nine of whom are still living. The mother passed away in Sullivan county. Syl- vanus W. received his education in the common schools of Iowa and Missouri, and remained at home on the farm until a young man, then work- ing for other farmers in the neighborhood. In 1867 he returned to Iowa and lived two years with his

grandmother near Mount Sterling, in Van Buren county. About the first of the year 1869 he bought a farm in Missouri and made that his home until the fall of 1874, when he came west and located near Hillsboro, Washington county, Oregon. A year later, October 22, 1875, he became a pioneer of Klickitat county, taking a homestead half a mile east of Centerville. This farm remained his home until October, 1883. At that time he removed to a place which he had purchased near Columbus and lived there until February, 1902, selling out his farming and stock interests in that month to Phillips & Aldrich, of Goldendale. Mr. Childers was extensively engaged in sheep raising from 1889 until his retirement from agricultural pur- suits in the year just mentioned. Since 1902 Mr. Childers has resided in The Dalles, enjoying the fruits of a long and successful life on the farm and the range. One of his noteworthy achievements while a farmer near Centerville, in 1880, was the erection on his place of one of the finest barns in the county; unfortunately this substantial indica- tion of thrift was destroyed by fire in May, 1904.

Miss Sarah A. Jamison, a daughter of Robert and Harriet (Varnum) Jamison, became the bride of Mr. Childers in Sullivan county, Missouri, in 1871. Of German and Pennsylvania Dutch extraction, she was born in Butler county, Penn- sylvania, May 14, 1855. Her education was re- ceived in the schools of Pennsylvania and Mis- souri and subsequently she taught two terms. Robert Jamison, a farmer by occupation, was a native of Venango county, Pennsylvania, and in that state was married. In 1869 he immigrated to Sullivan county, where he followed farming until his death in 1901, at the age of eighty-two. Mrs. Jamison, also a Pennsylvanian by birth, was born in 1824 and is still living, her home being in Sul- livan county. Seven children have blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Childers, of whom one is dead, Mrs. Florence E. Leloh, born in Sullivan county, June 24, 1872; she died in Portland in 1900. The other children are: Mrs. Eva L. Old- ham, born in Sullivan county, December 13, 1873, living in Goldendale; Mrs. Lulu B. Pearce, born in Klickitat county, February 6, 1876; Hattie L., Klickitat county, April 6, 1882, who recently fin- ished a course in Klickitat Academy; Wilbur W., Klickitat county, September 10, 1883, a resident of Klickitat county; Ivy M., born in Klickitat county, August 20, 1887; and Robert E., whose birthday was August 14, 1889. Politically, Mr. Childers is an independent voter. Not long ago he was honored by his fellow townsmen by being elected a member of the city council of The Dalles. Though his home is now in that city, he still owns considerable property in Goldendale and elsewhere in that region. Mr. Childers occupies an enviable position in the community because of his well- known abilities, integrity and congeniality.

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An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 120

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146