An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 193

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 193
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 193
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 193

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).

CHARLES HERBY WILSON lives on his farm two miles west, and about a quarter of a mile north, of Ellensburg, Washington. He was born in Ohio, August 1, 1866, being the son of Charles and Angie (Teppie) Wilson. His father was an Ohio farmer and died in that state. His mother lives in Ellensburg. The family moved to Missouri when he was a small boy, and after residing there five years crossed the Plains in 1874 by wagon and located in the Willamette valley, Oregon. He lived there one year, and passed a year in Pendleton, then went to the Kittitas valley. In 1884 he engaged in freighting out of The Dalles, Oregon, which he followed for nine years. He then rented a farm two years, and in 1895 filed a homestead on his present farm. His brothers and sisters are: Ira, of Kittitas county ; Grant, of Roslyn, Washington; Mrs. L. C. Preston (deceased) ; Mrs. Tillie Stout, of Col- fax; Herman, of Roslyn; Ernest, of Ellensburg, and John S., of the Kittitas valley, Washington.

Mr. Wilson was married June 10, 1886, to Miss Mary Marsdon, who was born in England, May 12, 1866, and educated in private schools in her native land. She came to Ellensburg at the age of sixteen and married two years later. Her

father, Peter Marsdon, a native of Scotland, and her mother, Debron (Jolly) Marsdon, born in England, died when she was a young girl. She has two brothers, John and Thomas, both in England. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have one child, Phoebe Jane, born December 30, 1897. The fam- ily are members of the Church of England. The husband is a Republican and fraternally, is a member of the Woodmen of the World. He has one hundred and sixty acres of well improved land, one hundred and eighty head of cattle, mostly high grade Durham stock, and plenty of horses. He is a prosperous farmer and a man of pleasant address and esteemed by all.

JOHN S. WILSON was born in Oregon, Janu- ary 13, 1881, and lives at Ellensburg, Washington. He is the son of Charles and Angie (Teppie) Wilson. His father, an Ohio farmer, is dead; the mother lives at Ellensburg. One of the children, L. C. (Wilson) Preston, is dead. The surviving brothers and sister are: Ira, Grant, Herman, Ernest and Charles H. Wilson, all residents of Washington, and Tillie (Wilson) Stout, of Col- fax, Washington.

Mr. Wilson was educated in Kittitas county and has earned his own living since he was twelve years old. He has at times farmed and worked in the mines, and for about a year has been engaged in teaming. He was married June 15, 1903, to Mrs. Myrtle Pountain, whose maiden name was Jones. Her father is engaged in farming near Ellensburg. Mrs. Wilson was born in Missouri, November 23, 1879, and came to Ellensburg with her parents when she was an infant, and was educated there. She had two children by her first husband: Roy Pountain, born in November, 1896, and Melvin Pountain, . born in 1898. Her brothers, Charles, Oray and Lloyd Jones, live in Ellensburg, which is also the residence of her sister, Gertrude. Mr. Wil- son is a member of the Democratic party. He has a nice bunch of cattle in addition to his well- equipped teaming outfit of hacks and horses. By strict attention to business and courteous treat- ment of all patrons he is winning enviable success.

WILLIAM JONAS, one of Kittitas county's successful farmers, lives two miles north and a mile and a quarter east of Ellensburg, Wash- ington. His father, Hubert Jonas, was born in Germany, in 1814, and came to the United States when thirty-six years old, and farmed in Michi- gan, Nebraska and Washington. His mother, Katherine (Shoemaker) Jonas, was born in Ger- many, in 1815, and died in America, in 1880. Their other sons are: Frank, who lives in Spo-

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kane county, and Joseph, a resident of Thorp, Washington.

Mr. Jonas, of this article, was educated in the schools of Michigan, and followed farming in that state until he was twenty-seven. Then he operated a farm in Nebraska for five years and, beginning in 1885, he was engaged in railroad work for one year. In 1886 he came to Wash- ington and took up one hundred and twenty acres as a homestead, and later bought one hun- dred and sixty acres, which he has since farmed. He was married in Nebraska in March, 1879, to Emma Schner, who was born in Germany in 1855. She is now deceased. The children which survive her are: Anna, born August 15, 1881 ; Hubert, born November 13, 1883; Lizzie, born April 15, 1885; Katie, born May 29, 1887; Wil- liam F., born July 13, 1890; Emma J., born June II, 1892; George, born March 8, 1898, all of whom are living at home.

Mr. Jonas is a member of the Catholic church. He takes an active interest in political affairs, affiliating with the Democratic party. His hold- ings consist of two hundred and eighty acres of land, which he farms admirably, forty-five head of cattle and five head of horses. He devotes about twenty acres to clover, the rest of his cul- tivated land to grain.

WILLIAM W. SPURLING, engaged in farming on his place two miles north and one mile west of Ellensburg, Washington, was born in Marion county, Iowa, January 17, 1851. His father, Noah Spurling, a farmer, died when the son was three years old. The mother, Emeline (Higgins) Spurling, married again, but died when William was ten years old. He lived with his stepfather until he was eighteen, attending the common schools of Iowa, then engaged in farming with his brother-in-law, until he was twenty-one. He then ran his own farm for nine years, and in the fall of 1880 moved to Oregon and spent one winter in Weston. In 1881 he moved to Kittitas county and worked for the Standard Mill Company, that fall taking up a pre-emption claim, which he later commuted. This land is his present home. His sisters are: Mary Jane Myers, Laura M. Davis and Louisa M. Thorp, all natives of Indiana. The two first named live in Iowa and the latter in Oklahoma. A half-brother, George W. Kee, lives in Colo- rado.

Mr. Spurling was married July 31, 1873, to Miss Amanda Stephens, daughter of C. and Sarah J. (Riddlen) Stephens. Her brothers and sisters are: Elizabeth Chambers, of Iowa; Wil- liam, of Iowa; Virgil A., of Oregon ; George W., of Iowa; Mary Jane Myers, of Iowa; Green Stephens, of Iowa; Martha De Vore, of Oregon ; Nancy E. Rose, of Iowa, and Ada Jones, also of

Iowa. Mrs. Spurling was born in Iowa, Febru- ary 9, 1853, and was educated in that state. Mr. and Mrs. Spurling have eight children: Virgil A., born in Iowa, June 25, 1874, and now en- gaged in the lumber business on Puget Sound; Mrs. Lola J. Poland, born in Iowa, September 28, 1874, lives in Puyallup; Cecil E., born in Oregon, January 28, 1881 ; Seth I., born in Kit- titas county, July 15, 1883; Ada E., born Feb- ruary II, 1885, now taking the normal course in Ellensburg; Grover A., born February 13, 1888, and Amanda A., born December 25, 1891. Mr. Spurling is an active member of the Democratic party. On his present farm of two hundred acres he has fifty-five head of cattle, mostly Dur- hams, of which breed he makes a specialty ; fif- teen horses and other live stock. He is an ener- getic and successful farmer and deserves the prosperity which has come to him.

HOWARD EBERT, a successful farmer one and one-half miles west, and five miles north, of Ellensburg, Washington, was born in the state of Pennsylvania, March 7, 1839. His father, Phil- lip Ebert, was a Pennsylvania farmer. His mother, Mary A. (Slaybaugh) Ebert, died in Illinois, to which state the family moved when Howard was eleven years old. He was educated there during the seven years residence of his family. In 1858 he went to Missouri for a year. In the spring of 1859 he started across the Plains with ten other men, in charge of the Cook and Miller drove of six hundred cattle. They arrived on the Carson river after a trip of about four months, and he there went to work in the mines. He later visited San Francisco, and went to Men- docino county, where he became the owner, for the first time, of cattle and horses. He remained in California until 1863, when he moved to Ore- gon. He was in the produce business, and dur- ing the war he was a member of the First Ore- gon infantry. He took up a homestead in Benton county, and lived there twenty years. In 1884 he moved to Kittitas county, took up a timber culture claim, and bought railroad land. His brothers and sisters are: William, of Kansas City; Daniel, of Illinois; Mrs. Sophia Golds- berry, of Illinois, and Mrs. Jane S. Long, of Iowa.

Mr. Ebert was married, in Oregon, to Miss Elizabeth Johnson, who died in 1873. He later married Miss Jane Porter, daughter of Andrew Jackson and Elizabeth (Lee) Porter, both of whom are dead. Mrs. Ebert's brothers and sis- ters are: James T., of Oregon ; Florence Hale, of Michigan; Elizabeth Dunn, of Oregon; Alva Chapman, of Oregon, and Rose Price, likewise of Oregon. Mrs. Ebert was born in Ohio, April 18, 1855, and crossed the Plains with her parents when very young. To the first marriage were

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born two children, Ernest, born May 5, 1865, and Marcus D., born June 3, 1872. By the second marriage there were five children: Varena J., born November 15, 1874; George A., born July 15, 1877; James T., born May 18, 1879; Amy Ann, born December 9, 1889, and Josie M., born October 27, 1891. Mr. Ebert is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows. He attends the Christian church. He is an active member of the Republican party. He now has four hundred acres of land and twenty-one head of horses. When it is remembered that at a time when he was but twelve years old he began breaking sod with an ox team, it is not strange that his ability as a successful farmer should be generally recog- nized.

PARISH A. DICKEY, a well-to-do farmer, living seven and one-half miles north of Ellens- burg, Washington, was born in Fayette county, Indiana, February 8, 1830. His father, John Dickey, was a Kentucky farmer, who moved later to Indiana, where he died in 1855. His mother, Susan (Parish) Dickey, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and died in Indiana at the age of forty-five years. They had nine children, in- cluding Parish A., as follows: Robert, Mrs. Sarah Ward, John, Benjamin, James, Mrs. Dor- cas Smiley, Mrs. Nancy Johnson and Oliver. Mr. Dickey was married in Fayette county, In- diana, November 2, 1854, to Miss Rebecca Rem- ington, daughter of Martillo and Anna (Lyons) Remington. Her father was a blacksmith and carpenter in New York, and crossed the Plains to California in 1855, where he later died. Her mother passed away at the age of sixty in Indi- ana. Mrs. Dickey was born June 6, 1838, in Indiana, where she was educated. She is one of a family of twelve children, all of whom are now deceased with the exception of her brother, Moses, and herself. The brother still lives in Indiana, and is a man of public affairs, having served two terms in the state legislature. Mr. Dickey was educated in the schools of Indiana, and worked on his father's farm until twenty- four years old. Later he engaged in farming in various parts of his native state, until March, 1886, when he moved to Washington and took up as a homestead the land upon which he now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Dickey have seven chil- dren, as follows: Mrs. Ollie Birdsall, of Chi- cago; Mrs. Lucv M. Horney (deceased), born Tuly 16, 1857; Henry D., born May 3, 1860, in Richmond, Indiana; Edward V., born February 12, 1870, at home; Mrs. Mary Phillips, born April 7, 1872, now residing in Harrison, Idaho; Mrs. Mattie M. Hubbard, born July 3, 1873, at home, and Maurice W., born February 18, 1883. Mr. Dickey was raised under strict church influences,

his parents being members of the Presbyterian church. He is a pronounced Democrat polit- ically, and takes an active part in the councils of his party. He is an up-to-date farmer and has one of the best places in the valley, a splendid orchard of choice fruits being one of the attrac- tions of his well-appointed place.

THOMAS SWANN is engaged in farming three and one-half miles north, and one-half mile west, of the city of Ellensburg, Washington. He is a native of Nova Scotia, having been born in Colchester county, May 16, 1854. His father, James Swann, was a native of Scotland, born in 1812, and is deceased. His mother, Elizabeth (Graham) Swann, was a native of Nova Scotia, and died in Olympia, Washington, December 30, 1890. Her son was educated in his native land, and until he was twenty-one worked in his father's sawmill and on the parental homestead. He came to the United States in the spring of 1875, locating in Providence, Rhode Island. After six months, he went by rail to Sacramento, Cali- fornia, and from there to San Francisco, by steamer; thence to Port Townsend, Washing- ton. He then worked two years in the Port Dis- covery sawmills and later spent nine months logging in Thurston county. In the spring of 1880.he drove logs in the Yakima river, then returned to the Sound and bought a ranch at the head of Mud bay, where he logged and farmed nearly eighteen years. In the summer of 1898 he returned to the Kittitas valley and took up as a homestead the land he now occupies. His eldest sister. Mrs. Mary S. McIntosh, and another sister, Margaret, are now deceased. The surviving brothers and sisters are: George G., living on the Sound ; Robert, of this state; Mrs. Eliza J. Vincent, of Nova Scotia; Mrs. Jeanette J. Azels, of Berke- ley, California, and Daniel C., of Palouse City, Washington.

Mr. Swann was married Jannary 4, 1881, to Miss Margarett Ann Forbes, who died Novem- ber 18, 1883. November 8, 1884, he married Miss Minnie L. McLane, and was divorced in 1892. February 12, 1900, he was married to Mrs. Adda (Hodges) Forbes. Her father and mother, Wil- liam and Nancy (Dunlap) Young, are both dead. Mrs. Swann was born in Oregon, February 14, 1866, was educated in that state and in Wash- ington, and is a graduate of the Olympia high school. After teaching school one year, she was married at the age of fifteen, to John Forbes. Her half-brothers are Mortimer, William and James Hodges. Mr. Swann has one child by his first wife, now Mrs. Audrey L. Sisk, born April 1, 1882, and now living in Kittitas county. By his second marriage he has the following children : Ruby V., born December 26, 1885; Martha P. (deceased) ; Torance M., born February 8, 1888,

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and James W., born March 9, 1889. Mr. Swann is an ardent supporter of President Roosevelt, and is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He has one hundred and sixty acres in the home place, which is well improved. He also owns a twelve-room house and two lots in Olym- pia. He is well liked in the community and is prominent in all matters tending to the upbuild- ing of the Kittitas valley.

CHARLES W. JONES lives on a farm eight and one-half miles northwest of Ellensburg. He was born in Clinton county, Illinois, December 30, 1861, and is the son of Charles L. and Elvira (Quick) Jones, both of whom are at the present time living on a farm four miles west of Cen- tralia, Clinton county, Illinois.

Charles L. Jones was born in Virginia in 1829, and came to Illinois as a pioneer. He secured ownership of a large tract of land, on a part of which he and his wife make their home. Mrs. Jones, the subject's mother, is a native of Ohio, born in 1871.

Charles W. Jones received his education in a common country school of his native state, and worked on his father's farm until arriving at the age of twenty, when he was married to Martha J. Maxey, February 12, 1880. After his marriage he farmed on his own account, in Illinois, for a brief period, then, in 1884, came to the Kittitas valley and bought a relinquishment on a hundred and sixty acre homestead. He immediately be- gan improving his land, and in the allotted time made final proof upon it. He now has it, for the most part, in grain.

. He has one brother and two sisters living, Edward M., Mrs. Eliza L. Garretson and Mrs. W. Atwood Gerry. They were born re- spectively, in 1870, 1862, 1868, and are all living on or near the old home, in the state of their birth.

His wife was the daughter of Henry N. and Nancy J. (Downs) Maxey. Henry N. Maxey was born in Illinois in 1827. He was an old soldier in the Civil war. He enlisted in 1865, in Company G, Forty-ninth regiment, and served until the close of the war. He then returned to Illinois and continued farming. He came to Kit- titas in 1884, where he lived until his death, in 1894. Mrs. Maxey is now living at Ellensburg. Mrs. Martha Jones was born in Illinois in 1859. She, too, was educated in the Illinois common schools. Her brothers and sisters are : Thomas M., William N. and James H. Maxey, and Alma Watts, all natives of Illinois. Two brothers are living in Kittitas valley and Mrs. Watts and James are still in the state of their birth.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Tones are: Thomas L., Inez, Ira S. and N. Evaline. The

dates of their births are: 1883, 1888, 1890, 1893, respectively. All are living at home, and with the exception of the first named, who was born in Illinois, all are natives of Washington.

Mr. Jones is an active worker in the Demo- cratic party and is wide-awake in all enterprises launched for the benefit and upbuilding of his community. With a fine farm, stocked with herds of well-bred cattle and horses, an enviable reputation as a neighbor and business man, Charles W. Jones is universally rated as a sub- stantial and valuable citizen in his community.

ALEXANDER MADDUX. Alexander Mad- dux, a prosperous farmer whose home is nine miles northwest of Ellensburg, was born in Washington county, Illinois, December 25, 1852. His father was Benjamin Maddux, a native of Georgia and of Irish-German parentage. He removed with his father to Illinois when a boy of ten years. Subject's mother was Malinda (Smith) Maddux, a native of Illinois. She passed away when he was a babe of three weeks. As a boy, Alexander attended the common schools until seventeen years of age. His father died and left him an orphan in his seventh year, and from that time until he was eleven he was given a home with his uncle. From his elev- enth to his seventeenth year he worked in different places for his board and schooling. After leaving school he worked out by the month until he arrived at his majority, when he began farming independ- ently. In 1879 he went to Vernon county, Missouri, where he followed agricultural pursuits for some twelve years. In 1891 he came to the Kittitas valley and took up a forty acre farm, to which he has since added eighty acres, which comprise his present real estate holdings. He has one brother, George, born in Illinois, 1851, and now residing in Missouri.

In Vernon county, Missouri, January 7, 1885, Mr. Maddux was married to Miss Mary E. Trimble, born in Kentucky in 1859. She is the daughter of David F. Trimble, a Kentuckian by birth and a farmer and veteran of the Civil war. Mrs. Trimble, whose maiden name was Fox, was born in Ken- tucky, and is now living in Virginia.

Mrs. Maddux has brothers and sisters, as fol- lows: John H. Trimble, living in Indiana ; George W., deceased ; Marion, Frank and Leander, of West Virginia; Mrs. Emily J. Knox, of Nebraska, and Mrs. Sarah A. Stamper, a resident of Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Maddux have one daughter, Ruby P., born November 16, 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Maddux both affiliate with the Free Methodist church; the husband is an active worker in the Republican party. Few men have been thrown against the sharp cor- ners of life harder and more roughly handled by Fate than has Alexander Maddux, and equally few have overcome besetting obstacles and borne re- verses with greater fortitude and bravery than has he. Being left an orphan at a critical period in

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life, he was compelled to work out the problem of success practically alone and unaided, and he may justly feel proud of his achievements, since he now has a comfortable and happy home, and is regarded by the world at large as a trustworthy and hon- orable man.

WILLIAM B. LASSWELL, living on his farnı near Ellensburg, was born in California, March 16, 1861, the son of William and Ellen (Williams) Lasswell, the former of English descent, the latter a native of Scotland. William Lasswell was born in Illinois in 1833, and at an early age removed with his parents to Indiana. In 1852 he came to Cali- fornia in a wagon drawn by oxen, and has lived in that state since. Mrs. Lasswell, our subject's mother, came from Scotland to Ohio during her first year, remained there until grown to woman- hood, then came to California, where she is now living. Her son, William B., attended the common schools of his native state until fourteen years of age, and then began driving a four-horse express wagon over the mountain roads. He followed this vocation until in his sixteenth year, when he went to Contra Costa county, California, remaining there three years. In the spring of 1880 he came to Ellensburg and worked on various farms for five years, during which time he filed a pre-emption on a piece of land, upon which he later made final proof. He disposed of his claim to good advantage, rented land, and followed the cattle business two years. He purchased his present farm in 1899, and has constantly improved it since that time until he now has it in a high state of cultivation. He has four brothers and four sisters: Anna, Carrie, Rob- ert, Ida, George, Alice, Edward and Albert, all of whom were born in California, and, with the excep- tion of Anna and George, who have passed away, are still living in their native state.

Mr. Lasswell was married in Ellensburg, Oc- tober 8, 1886, to Miss Nancy Garrison, who was born in Chehalis, Washington, June 29, 1870. She received her early education in the town of her birth, and came to Kittitas county at the age of thirteen years. Her father, Calvin Garrison, is a native of Oregon, and is now living in Centralia, Washington. Her mother is Pollie ( Phelps) Gar- rison, born in Iowa, and is now living with her hus- band in Centralia. Mrs. Lasswell's brothers and sisters are: Hurley, living in British Columbia ; Albert, British Columbia; Lillian Huntington, Washington ; William G., Washington; Subenia English, British Columbia; May Huntington, Cal- ifornia ; Frank, British Columbia ; Joseph, Centralia, Washington, and Myrtle Garrison, living in Cen- tralia. All were born in the state of Washington. One brother, George, born in Washington, is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Lasswell have three chil- dren: Pearl, bo:n January 27, 1889; Mabel, born September 7, 1895, and Minnie, born April 16, 1899.

All were born in the Kittitas valley. Besides these, five children have died. Their names and dates of birth were: Lillie, July 29, 1887; Ewing, January 27, 1889 ; Maud, September 6, 1893; Lottie, October 7, 1894, and Della, September 6, 1902.

The father of the family is, fraternally, a mem- ber of the Modern Woodmen of America and the A. O. U. W. Politically, he is a Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the M. E. church. Mr. Lasswell owns eighty acres of choice land, forty head of cattle and a sufficient number of horses with which to successfully cultivate his land. He makes a specialty of dairying and is operating a modern and well appointed dairy on his ranch. He is an enthusiast in matters pertaining to education and for the past three years has been a member of his local school board. He is counted a trustworthy and valuable citizen of his county.

BENARD HANSON, born in Norway, Octo- ber 10, 1844, is now a farmer residing on an ex- tensive tract of land near Ellensburg. His father, Charley Hanson, a farmer, lived and died in Nor- way, the country of his birth. Our subject's mother was Bertha ( Beran) Hanson, also born in Norway. Benard Hanson left home at the tender age of eight and worked for his board and clothing until four- teen, when he adopted the life of a sailor. He fol- lowed the sea, covering the greater part of the globe, until October 5, 1867, when he landed at San Fran- cisco, and went to work in the state of California. He remained there for ten years, then came to the Kittitas valley and worked among the mills there- abouts for five years. In the meantime he had filed a timber claim, and later purchased 437 acres of rail- road land. On this tract he made his present home. He has his land in a high state of cultivation, a select orchard, forty acres of alfalfa and twenty-five acres of timothy. The remainder of his land is in grain and native grass. His brothers and sisters are: Hans, Ole, John, Bardenes, Brendler and Agnes. All were born in Norway and are still liv- ing in that country. Besides these, two brothers, Charles and Jacob, are dead.

Mr. Hanson was married in the Kittitas valley, December 25, 1882, to Miss Sophia Bell Jones, born in California, November 29, 1865. Her early girl- hood was spent in school in her native state, when, at the age of thirteen, she came to the Kittitas valley with her parents, where she finished her ed- ucation. At the age of eighteen she was married to Mr. Hanson. Her father is John B. and her mother Martha L. (Brown) Jones; the former born in Kentucky and the latter in Illinois. Mr. Jones was born in 1838, was a farmer and came to this state in 1877. He is now living on Wilson creek, five miles from Ellensburg. Mrs. Jones crossed the Plains to California in an early day. Her father was a Canadian, and lived in California for a number of years. Mrs. Hanson's brothers

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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 193

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