An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 191

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 191
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 191
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 191

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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CENTRAL WASHINGTON.

November 7, 1903, at the age of ninety. The elder Gilmour crossed the Plains with ox teams in 1851, and the following year settled on a homestead in Linn county, Oregon, where he lived for thirty-three years. He then moved to the forks of the Santiam and resided there some eight years, after which time he lived with his children until his death last fall. His wife, Jane (Brounaugh) Gilmour, was born in Kentucky in 1812 and died in 1884. Mr. Gilmour, the subject of this article, attended school in Illinois until he was eleven years old, at which time he crossed the Plains with his parents. He helped them all he could until August 24, 1862, and then took up a claim near Albany, Oregon, where he lived over a quarter of a century. While there, in 1870, he took his father's place at blacksmithing, with whom he had learned his trade, and continued to work at the trade ten years, then moved to Ellens- burg and entered into partnership with Willis Thorp. After six months Mr. Gilmour bought out his partner and has since continued to conduct the business alone. He was married October 26, 1862, to Virginia Lineberger, who was born April 29, 1845, in Washington county, Oregon. Her father, Louis L. Lineberger, was born in North Carolina, in 1810, and was a farmer and frontiersman. He came to Oregon in 1843 and died in 1884. Her mother, whose maiden name was Jane Henderson, was born in North Carolina in 1808 and passed away in 1882. Mr. Gilmour was one of a family of ten children, and two brothers and two sisters are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmour have been the parents of eleven children, of whom five are de- ceased. The surviving children are named : Fanny, Lena, Maud, Ona, Fred and John L. Their father was formerly a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has passed through the entire lodge, but in recent years has given up his member- ship. He is an ardent believer in the principles of the Democratic party, but has never been a seeker after political preferment.

BURT PEASE. A prosperous and contented agriculturist of the Yakima vallev is Burt Pease, whose farm lies three miles west and one-half mile north of Ellensburg, on rural delivery route No. I. He is a native of Douglas county, Minnesota, born June 12, 1865. His father, Benjamin S. Pease, a native of Pennsylvania of Welsh extraction, was born in 1826, in Tioga county. Always an ardent hunter and lover of pioneer life, Benjamin Pease left the state of his birth while yet a youth and made his home for a time in the state of Wisconsin, then later in Iowa, always keeping in the vanguard of civ- ilization. He was married in 1852 to Roxy L. Wil- liams, born in Steuben county, New York, in 1832. Burt Pease came to Ellensburg in 1877, being then a lad of twelve years. Until he reached the age of eighteen years he worked on his father's farm, re-

ceiving, the while, his education in the district school. The following six years of his life were spent in riding the range and caring for the stock of his father and other employers. Seven years ago, during 1897, he purchased the farm where he now' lives. His marriage took place July 7, 1889, when 'he wedded Miss Emma R. Poynor, a resident of Ellensburg since 1888. Mrs. Pease was born in Stockton, California, February 3, 1873. She at- tended school in that city until her fifteenth year, when she came to Ellensburg with her family. She is the daughter of Jesse B. and Frances A. (Hall) Poynor, who crossed the Plains to California in 1859. Her father was born in Tennessee, October 27, 1837, was married in 1859, two weeks prior to starting for the west, and died in Stockton, California, November 9, 1875. He was of German-Scotch descent and his wife, a native of Missouri, was born of Scotch-Irish par- ents, July 29, 1842. She died April 28, 1901. The journey of Jesse Poynor and his bride across the Plains was an eventful and at times a hazardous one. The start was made from the state of Missouri, where the couple was married, and five months was consumed before the journey ended in Stockton. On one occasion, while fording a stream, several members of the party were drowned.

Mr. Pease's brothers and sisters are: Edgar, born in Iowa, now living near Ellensburg; Perry L., native of Minnesota, present address Cle-Elum, Washington; Ella I. Wagoner, born in Minnesota, living near Thorp, Washington, and Clara L. Bur- lingham, who was born in Minnesota and now lives in Ellensburg. Mrs. Pease has two brothers and one sister; Samuel H. Poynor, who was born in Stockton, California, November 28, 1864, and is now in business in Seattle ; Rachel G. Frederick, who was born in Stockton May 15, 1867, and who now lives near Ellensburg, and Mathew S. Poynor, who was born January, 23, 1875, in Stockton, and is now a railroad man and has his home in Tacoma. To Mr. and Mrs. Pease have been born six children : Leon- ard W., Merton C., Ethel E., Fred G., Everett S. and Calvin S., the eldest of whom is eleven years of age and the youngest a little over one year old.

Mr. Pease has membership in the Woodmen of the World society, and politically is a stanch Re- publican ; especially strong in his support and ad- miration of President Roosevelt. He is at the present time secretary of the West Side Irrigation Company. Both he and his wife are members of the Congregational church. Burt Pease is a man who believes in the advantage of diversified farm- ing, and he makes it pay. Of his farm thirty acres are under irrigation. Five acres of this are in orchard, one acre is in strawberries and on the re- mainder he grows various other crops which thrive in the valley. Besides being a farmer, in the com- mon sense of the term, he is a fruit grower, poultry raiser and dairyman. He devotes especial attention

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to the latter branch, and has his dairy stocked with a well selected herd of Jersey cattle. He has a good farm and conducts it successfully.

JOHN N. BURCH, farmer and dairyman, re- siding two and one-half miles northwest of Ellens- burg, began life in Michigan May 15, 1858. His father, Levi Burch, a native of the state of New York, served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and died in Michigan in 1862. John N. received his early education in the public schools of Lenawee county, Michigan, and at the age of sixteen went out to work among the farmers of his neighbor- hood. When twenty-one years of age, in 1879, he came west to the state of Washington and hired out as a hand on what is known as the Smith ranch, eighteen months later going to work on the N. T. Goodwin farm, where he continued until his mar- riage, April 8, 1883. He then went in the employ of W. D. Killmore for one year, and in 1884 rented the N. T. Goodwin farm, cultivating it for himself. Later he took a homestead, where he lived until the spring of 1888, when he purchased the old J. B. Rego place, which he has since made his home. Mrs. Burch's maiden name was Anna Belle Rego. She is a native of Harrison county, Missouri, where she was born April 30, 1867, and removed to Wash- ington with her parents in 1874. She was educated in the schools of Klickitat county, was married to John Burch April 8, 1883, and has since continued to reside upon the farm where she spent the greater part of her childhood. She has four sisters and one brother, as follows: Mary C. Stevens, born in In- diana, now living near Ellensburg; Josephine Kill- more, a native of Indiana, living near Ellensburg ; J. E. Rego, a native of Missouri, now a land owner near Ellensburg; Emma R. and Effie F. Stevens, both natives of Missouri, now living near Ellens- burg. Mr. and Mrs. Burch's children are: Leroy, Winfred, Dora E. and Clara C., the eldest born in 1885, and the youngest in 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Burch are members of the M. E. church, identified with the local organization near their place. Fraternally Mr. B. is a Woodman of the World, and politically is a zealous Republican ; being of the gold standard Democrats who supported William Mckinley in 1896, since which time his faith in the Republican principles has never wavered, nor his loyalty been brought into question. Mr. Burch has followed both cattle and sheep raising during his life in Washington, but it is as farmer and dairyman he is best known; and he is the owner of a valuable farm, a choice herd of cows and a flock of registered Shropshire sheep. He is a man who stands well with his neighbors and is recognized as one of the substantial citizens of the community.

W. A. STEVENS. Born in the state of Penn- sylvania, December 3, 1851, W. A. Stevens is now

a prosperous farmer living some four and one- half miles northwest of Ellensburg. Mr. Stevens' father, John H. Stevens, a native of New Brigh- ton, Ohio, born January 12, 1829, served in the Civil war from 1861 until he was mustered out of service in the fall of 1864. Twelve years fol- lowing his discharge from the army he came west to Oregon, where the next eight years of his life were spent, after which time he returned east as far as Kansas City. He later came to Wash- ington and took up a homestead where the town of Roslyn now stands and still later removed to a farm south of Cle-Elum, where he remained seven years. His last move was to his son's home, where he lived until his death recently. His wife, Har- riet (Lockwood) Stevens, was born in Pennsyl- vania in 1825. Mr. Stevens was educated in the common schools of Clay county, Illinois. At the age of nineteen he adopted the trade of cooper, which he followed a year and six months in Graysville, Illinois. In 1873 he started west. On reaching Missouri he joined a party of three fam- ilies, and with them pushed westward by team as far as Omaha, Nebraska. On account of danger of encountering hostile Indians, the party deemed it the better part of valor to sell the teams and pursue their course by rail. This they did, arriv- ing in San Francisco June 10, 1873. Mr. Stevens and party shipped from San Francisco to Vic- toria, British Columbia, thence to Seattle, arriv- ing there June 27th of the same year. Seattle was then a small town, and the only paper then published was the Seattle Intelligencer. The entire party was stricken with the measles while in the city. After working at various callings some three months, Mr. Stevens came to the Kit- titas valley and filed on land which has since been his home. His farm is now in a high state of cultivation. At the time of the Indian uprising he started out with a party of companions in an endeavor to capture the wily Chief Moses, but Moses had been taken into custody by another party previous to their arrival on the scene. He assisted in the building of stockades for the pro- tection of the settlers in those days of Indian scare and sleepless nights. Mr. Stevens was mar- ried in 1876 to Emma R. Rego, a native of Mis- souri, born May 17. 1859. She at the age of fif- teen came west with her parents to Washington, and two years later became the bride of W. A. Stevens. Her father. John B. Rego, was born in France in 1825, and now lives near Ellensburg. The mother, Kathren B. (Friedly) Rego, is a na- tive of Indiana. Mrs. Stevens' brothers and sis- ters are: Mary C. Stevens, Josephine Killmore, J. E. Rego, Anna Belle Burch and Effie F. Stev- ens. The brothers and sisters of Mr. Stevens are: Joseph, born in Ohio, now in California ; Charles G., born in Illinois, now residing near Ellensburg; Alice N. Davidson, of Portland ; George M. of Chicago and Hattie Steele of Ros-

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CENTRAL WASHINGTON.

lyn, all natives of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Stev- ens' children are: Joseph Edward, Arthur L. and John Leo; the eldest born in 1877 and the youngest in 1892, the two last named still being at home. Joseph Edward was married July 10, 1902, to Miss Georgia L. Blake, of Winlock, Washington, daughter of George and Louisa Blake, and a teacher in. the Ellensburg school at the time of her marriage. They live on a farm near the husband's parents. W. A. Stevens is an en- thusiastic Odd Fellow and his wife is an active worker in the Rebekahs. They have each passed through the chairs of their respective orders and have represented their orders as delegates at the grand lodges. Politically, Mr. S. is a zealous Republican and enthusiastic admirer of President Roosevelt. He held the office of county assessor from 1893 to 1897, and has also served as deputy in the same office. He is an active member and officer in the M. E. church, and in addition to farm lands owns stock and a small dairy. He is one of the substantial citizens of Kittitas county.

JACOB E. REGO. On rural delivery route No. I, not far from Ellensburg, lies the farm of Jacob E. Rego, a native of the state of Missouri, born November 24, 1856. He is the son of John B. and Kathren B. (Friedly) Rego, the former born in France, 1825, and the latter in Indiana, 1830, now living near Ellensburg. Jacob E. Rego re- ceived his early education in the district school of northern Missouri, and at the age of seven- teen years he left the state and came with his parents to the Kittitas valley, Washington. Here he worked on his father's farm, attending school in the meantime, until he reached the age of twenty-two, at which time he started out to make his way in the world, unaided. The follow- ing two years he lived in an old pioneer log house, later erecting a small frame dwelling, in which he lived during the succeeding seventeen years. In 1902 he built a modern eleven-room house on his farm, which he now occupies. After living in this county nine years, Mr. Rego re- turned to his native state and was there married to Miss Emma I. Ross, September 2, 1883. Shortly after the ceremony was performed he returned to his farm with his bride, coming via railroad and stage to The Dalles, where they were met by teams and escorted to the Kittitas valley.

Mrs. Rego was born in Harrison county, Mis- souri, October 9, 1864. Previous to her mar- riage, she lived on her father's farm, where she attended the public schools and received a good grammar school education. Her father, Branson M. Ross, was born in Ohio, 1833. His father and mother, both natives of England, died when he was a child. Mr. Ross now lives in Post Falls, Idaho. Mrs. Rego's mother is Susan A. (Ter-

hune) Ross, born in Indiana, 1843, in which state she was educated. She later removed with her parents to Missouri, where she was married to Mr. Ross, with whom she now lives in Post Falls. Mr. Rego's brothers and sisters are: Mary C. Stevens, Josephine S. Killmore, Rosa L. Stevens, Anna Belle Burch and Effie Frances Stevens. The two first named were born in In- diana, the three latter in Missouri. They all are now living in the vicinity of Ellensburg. Mrs. Rego is one of a family of ten children, all born in Missouri, and her brothers and sisters are: Stanton Ross, who came west twenty years ago, and now lives in Post Falls; Nora N. Carder, of Elgin, Oregon; Susan S. Stockell, Rathdrum, Idaho; Naomi C. Ludington, now of Post Falls; Wm. S. Ross, now with his parents; Osie Stew- art, Ellensburg; Effie Royce, Rathdrum; Robert J. and Bessie M. Ross, the former now in Spokane and the latter in Post Falls. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Rego are: Zeffa E., born February 5, 1885 ; John B., Jr., born March 31, 1890; Ruby, born October 5, 1893, and Ruth A., born December 24, 1895, all living at home with their parents. Mr. Rego is a stanch Roosevelt Republican. He has four hundred and fifty acres of well improved land, his crops consisting largely of alfalfa, timothy and clover. Of the latter crop he an- nually bales about two hundred tons of hay. He handles a herd of one hundred and fifty head of well-bred Durham cattle.

GEORGE MINIELLY. George Minielly is a prosperous and energetic farmer living not far distant from Ellensburg. He is a native of On- tario, Canada, which country is also the birth- place of his father, mother and the other mem- bers of his immediate family. His father and mother are still living in their native country, as are also his brothers, William and Albert, and his sisters, Eliza Price, Clara, Laura and Rozina. His brothers and sisters other than those men- tioned are : James, a farmer residing near Ellens- burg; Ellen Bryan, Lansing, Michigan; Alice, Detroit, Michigan. Onc brother, John, passed away in Canada. Mr. Minielly received his edu- cation in the common schools of his native coun- try, working in the meantime on his father's farm. When he reached the age of fifteen he left home and entered the employ of various farmers in his neighborhood, working by the day, until he was nineteen, when he came west to Fair- haven, Washington. He worked in different log- ging camps thereabouts, and also spent some time on Orcas Island. In 1893 he left the island and went to Indian Territory, later going to Oklahoma and thence to Kansas City. He re- mained in the city three months, then came west once more and settled temporarily in Tacoma. After teaming there a short time, he crossed the

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Cascades to Yakima valley and spent the sum- mer laboring on a ranch; the following two years he worked on a hay baler. In 1896 he came to Ellensburg and purchased a hay press, which he lias since run during haying seasons. In 1899 he bought forty acres of land, four and one-half miles northwest of Ellensburg, and has since made his home on the property.

He was married in Ellensburg, December 25, 1898, to Miss Addie Ellen Ferguson, a native of Washington, who was born on a farm near where she now lives. Her father, James Fer- guson, a farmer of Scotch-Irish descent, was born in Illinois, May 11, 1839, and still lives near Ellensburg. Mrs. Minielly's mother is Elizabeth (McEwen) Ferguson, born July 3, 1857, in Kan- sas, and still lives with her husband on the farm. Mrs. Minielly was educated in the common schools of Kittitas county and was married in her eighteenth year. She has four brothers and a like number of sisters, all of whom, with the exception of J. M. and Mrs. Montgomery, are native Washingtonians. They are: John M., native of Iowa; Margaret O. Montgomery, James H., Lottie R. E. Harris, George H., Lillie D., Benjamin F. and Bessie L. Ferguson. The first named, and eldest of the family, was born in 1870; the last named, and youngest, was born in 1889. All reside near Ellensburg. The chil- dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Minielly are: Myrtle, born October 13, 1899, and Stanley, born March 20, 1900. Both were born on the farm near El-

lensburg. Mr. Minielly is fraternally a mem- ber of the Modern Woodmen of America, and belongs to the Presbyterian church. His wife is a Baptist. In politics, he is a Republican, though not active in the councils of his party. His principal property interest is the valuable farm where he makes his home.

EDGAR PEASE. Edgar Pease is engaged in the farming and stock raising business about five miles northwest of Ellensburg. He was born in Woodhull, Steuben county, New York, September 5, 1853. His father, Benjamin S. Pease, was born in the state of Pennsylvania in 1827. Edgar Pease's grandfather was a native of Vermont, and his grandmother of Massachu- setts. His grandfather, John Olives Pease, was an ardent Methodist, and for nearly half a cen- tury was a ruling elder in that church. He was married in the state of Pennsylvania and died in that state at the age of eighty-four. His wife followed him to the grave five years later, leaving a family of fifteen children, of whom Benjamin was second in age. His mother's name was Roxy L. (Williams) Pease, and she was born in New York in 1832. Benjamin S. and Mrs. Pease removed with their family from the state of New York to make their home in Iowa, near Mason

City, in the old pioneer days while the Indians still claimed mastery of the country. In 1857 they again removed, this time to Douglas county, Minnesota, at a time when their nearest neigh- bor lived twenty-five miles distant, and the near- est grist mill was at a distance of seventy miles. The country was rapidly settled, however, and three years later a school was established, where the children received their early education. In 1861 the Sioux Indian outbreak occurred and most of the settlers were driven out of the county. Some attempted to erect a stockade, but on ac- count of a few faint-hearted ones, who became frightened and deserted, the attempt was a fail- ure. Mr. Pease then removed in turn to Sauk Centre, Stearns county, and to St. Cloud. In the latter place the winter of 1861 was spent, and here again Edgar attended school. In the fol- lowing spring the family returned to the east, and here one of Edgar's uncles died. The fall of 1862 found the family again in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, and in February, 1863, they returned to Douglas county.

In 1867 the father sold out and started for Washington, but on account of an insurrection in the party of emigrants the journey was post- poned after Fort Ransom had been reached, and the Pease family returned to Parke's Prairie, Minnesota, and there settled on land. Here they lived until 1884, at which time they came to Kit- titas county, Washington. Upon arriving in this state Edgar purchased a quarter section of land, to which, two years later, he added two hundred and forty acres. Two years ago he sold his old homestead to his son and bought his present farm. His surviving brothers and sisters are: Perry L., Cle-Elum; Ellia I. Wag- oner, Thorp; Burt, Ellensburg; Clara L. Bur- lingham, Ellensburg, and they are all natives of Minnesota.

At Parke's Prairie, November 4, 1874, Mr. Pease was married to Miss Rebecca L. Logan, born April 25, 1854, in Sparta, Wisconsin. She received her education at first in the grammar school and later in the high school, of her native town, and for several years following her gradu- ation taught in schools of her state. Her father was Samuel Logan, a native of Ireland, born in 1824. He came to America when a boy, and later engaged in the merchandise business in Sparta, Wisconsin. During the Civil war he held the rank of sergeant. He died in 1879. Her mother was Harriet Jane (Buessey) Logan, born in Massachusetts, 1830. Mrs. Pease's sisters are : Margaret E. Heath, Portland, Oregon; Sarah Jane Gordon, Thorp, Washington, and Eva J. Knoke, Bemidji, Minnesota. All were born in Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Pease have three sons and one daughter, whose names and ad- dresses are: Clarence M., Ellensburg; Ernest B., Ellensburg ; Louisa H., at home, and Hugh L.,

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also living with his parents. The first named was born in 1876, and Hugh in 1885.

Mr. Pease is an active Odd Fellow, having passed all the chairs in the subordinate lodge of that society and represented it in grand lodge, and his wife is an equally active Rebecca. He has been a life-long Republican, and is now hold- ing the office of county commissioner, being elected in 1903 to the four-year term.

THOMAS MEEK owns and tills a farm two and one-half miles northwest of Ellensburg. Born in Durham county, England, in 1846, he is the son of Thomas and Hanna (Willis) Meek, both also of English birth. His father was a farmer, also born in Durham county, in 1797, and died in the old country in 1880. His mother was born in 1803, and became a highly educated woman. During the first twenty years of his life, Thomas Jr. worked on the farms of his father and others, in the meantime attended school, and in this way obtained a good practical education. At twenty he left the farm and fol- lowed teaming some twenty years, then opened a store. After three years in the merchandise business he left England to try his fortune in America. He arrived in New York in 1881, and almost immediately came west to Bismarck, North Dakota. He there entered the railroad service, in which he continued five years. His next move was to the state of Montana. He tarried in that state but three months. however, then pushed on westward and settled in Roslyn, Washington. At that point he became an employee of the North Pacific Coal Company, and remained with the firm fifteen years, then settled on the farm near Ellensburg, which he still owns and where he has since lived.

He was married to Miss Elizabeth Hodson, 1878, in Durham county, England. Mrs. Meek was born in Yorkshire, England, September 8, 1856. She was brought up in her native country and received a common school education. Her parents were George and Mary (Dent) Hodson, both born in England, the father in 1826, and the mother in 1827. Both were well educated in their mother country, came to America in 1881, and are now living in Roslyn. Mr. Meek has three brothers and the same number of sis- ters. His brothers are: John, born in England, where he now lives; George W., also living in England, where he was born, and Harry W., who was born in England, crossed the ocean in 1881 and now lives in Roslyn. His eldest brother, Nicholas, now deceased, was also born in Eng- land. His sisters are: Jane Anderson and Mar- garet Deacon, who were both born and still re- side in England, and Elizabeth Jackson, also born in England, came to this country in 1893, and is now living in Roslyn. Mrs. Meek has

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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 191

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