An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 135

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172

USA > Washington > Skagit County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 135
USA > Washington > Snohomish County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 135

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later the command, under General Paterson, was in Virginia, a part of the army of the Potomac. Ilis baptism of fire came at Falling Waters, the scene of the first fight of the war on the soil of the Old Do- minion. At the close of his two-year enlistment young Cressey was mustered out and at once re- turned to the iron works of Morris & Tasker, with whom he continued fifteen years. In the course of the years which followed Mr. Cressey worked at his trade in the railroad shops at Pittsburg and Al- toona, Pennsylvania. He came west in 1890 and settled in Skagit county, living for one year at Ana- cortes. He later bought land a mile southeast of Burlington, upon which, with the help of his sons, he cleared at first enough for his home, and after moving upon it he cleared enough more to permit the keeping of a small dairy. This was the begin- ning of his dairy and stock raising enterprises, now grown to handsome proportions. He furnishes cream to the creamery company.

In 1865 Mr. Cressey married in Philadelphia Miss Rachel P. Walton, daughter of Amos H. and Sarah ( Whartnaby) Walton. The Walton family was one of the earliest settlers of Philadelphia. It located originally at Beybrey, and has since been prominent in that part of the state, Harry Walton, at the time of this writing, being speaker of the lower house of the Pennsylvania legislature. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cressey : Robert S. Y .. George G. and William, all of whom reside near their father in Skagit county ; Lewis W., living at Marysville. Snohomish county ; and Madge F. and Victor Hugo, living on the home farm. Of the cicceased children, B. C. True Cressey died at Newark, Ohio, of yellow fever contracted during his service with the Twentieth United States In- fantry in Cuba, where the young man participated in the battles of El Caney and Santiago. Mr. Cres- sey is a member of the Grand Army of the Re- public and has served as commander of D. A. Rus- sell Post, No. 35. at Mount Vernon : also has the distinction of having been a Blue Lodge Mason for forty years. In politics Mr. Cressey is an active Republican. He has served his party as centrai committeeman, but has done more for his friends in a political way than for himself. He served as assistant superintendent of the Baker lake govern- ment fish hatchery, holding this position three years. As might be expected of a man who has had such varied experiences in life, Mr. Cressey is well posted on all current questions, keeping abreast of the times in everything useful. Since leaving the iron trade he has devoted his study to stock raising and dairying, and his sons, residing on their own farms, have the benefit of his advice and experience. Mr. Cressey, a man full of years and honor, occupies a large place in the esteem of those with whom he comes in contact.

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ALEXANDER D. FRASER. Among those who have witnessed the wonderful transformations wrought in Skagit county in the last twenty-five years stands he whose name initiates this biography. He was born in Pictou county, Nova Scotia, May 2. 1861, the son of John and Ellen Fraser, both natives of Glasgow, Scotland. The father was born in 1819, becoming a resident of the United States in early life. His death occurred here in 1904, that of his wife, some nine years previous, in 1895. The fourth of a family of ten children, Alexander D. Fraser relieved his parents of his support when but fourteen years of age, hiring out to a saw-mill com- pany for three years, then teaming for a railroad the following two years. Returning to his old home, he served an apprenticeship of three years in a blacksmith shop, becoming a partner in the business at the expiration of that time. Six months later he sold out his interest, going to Charlottetown, on Prince Edward island, where he did teaming for a brick manufacturer. Influenced by the accounts of the wonderful mincral deposits of California, he went there later, locating in Sierra county. Three months of mining having satisfied him that his trade yielded a more certain income, he moved to Nevada county and was employed at blacksmithing for the next four years. In 1880 he went to Seattle, then a town of less than three thousand inhabitants, re- maining during the summer. Spending the follow- ing eighteen months in San Francisco, he then came to La Conner, hiring out on a ranch for five years. He and his employer, T. Nelson Ovenell, having formed a partnership, they purchased one hundred and sixty acres of timber and marsh situated one mile north of Burlington. The nearest road being two miles from the ranch, it was impossible to drive a team on it. When at last a road had been built to the ranch, it was necessary for the horses to wear "tule" shoes to keep them from sinking in the mire. Dissolving the partnership in 1892, Mr. Fraser continued the work of draining and clearing his farm. now having eighty acres in cultivation. He has built a neat, convenient seven-room house, a barn seventy-six by twenty feet, and a granary and workshop, each forty by twenty feet.

Alr. Fraser was married May 3. 1894, to Altha Scott, a native of Tennessee, as were her parents. Albert H. and Eliza (Prather) Scott, who came to Washington in 1880 and are now living in La Con- ner. Two children have brightened the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fraser : Alice Rosina, born February 28, 1895, and Bessie, born May 2. 1891. Mr. Fraser is a prominent member of the Maccabee fraternity: his wile is actively identified with the Order of Pendo. Both regularly attend the Methodist church, contributing liberally to its support. Mr. Fraser is a Republican, has held the office of road supervisor, and was for some time a member of the school board, there manifesting his deep interest in

the educational affairs of the community. He has been very successful in his business undertakings, owning, in addition to his fine farm, a house and twelve lots in Burlington, where he now resides, having sold his stock and rented his farm. Decem- ber 23, 1905, he purchased a half interest in the business of the Burlington Mercantile-Grocery Com- pany, to which he is now directing his attention. Inheriting the ability and force of character pos- sessed by his Scotch ancestry in such a marked de- gree, Mr. Fraser is a man of influence in his com- munity and enjoys the confidence and esteem of the entire county.

JOHN LEWIS, farmer, three and a half miles south of Edison, is one of the respected and es- teemed young men of the community. He is the son of one of the pioneers of Skagit county, and though not a native, is in reality a product of this section of the sound country. Here he received his education and here he is making a home for him- self and a reputation for probity and forcefulness. Mr. Lewis was born in Pennsylvania January 11, 1874. His father, the late John T. Lewis, was a native of Wales, born August 16, 1819; he re- mained in that country until he was married, then, in 1860, came to the United States, eventually lo- cating in Pennsylvania. He came to Washington in the fall of 1877 and settled at Seahome, What- com county, where he worked in the coal mines for three months. Coming then to the Samish flats, he rented a place of his brother, taking up the present home of his sons, Alfred and John, in 1879. It was then a wilderness, Mrs. Lewis being one of the first white women in that part of the county. Seven years were spent here by the elder Lewis, then he returned east, and he died in New York four years later. The mother of our subject, Mrs. Mary T. (Daniels) Lewis, who was also a native of Wales, died in Skagit county February 2, 1900. aged seventy years, three months and five days. Of her children, Alfred is the fifth and John the young- est. The others are Ann, wife of David Richards, born in Wales and now living in South Africa ; Mrs. Elvira Thomas, who died in Pennsylvania; John D., who died at the age of twenty years in Penn- sylvania ; David T., living in New York: Mrs. Emma Lynch of Seattle: Lewis, living at Sylvana, Snohomish county : William, living in Seattle.

John Lewis received his education in the schools of Skagit county, where he has lived ever since he was three years old. When he was thirteen he went to work in the logging camps and he continued to work in the woods until 1895, when he began farm- ing in company with his brother. Alfred. They have one hundred acres of land, thirty-five of which are under cultivation. On the home farm are raised cattle and sheep; it is also well stocked with work

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horses. The Lewises are developing their place into one of the best farms of the country. Being of pioneer ancestry and possessing high intellectual and moral qualifications, they are well equipped for success in this rich field of endeavor. The future is full of promise for them. By their fellow-citi- zens they have long been classed with the reliable and substantial members of the community. Ready ever to bear his share of the public burdens, the subject of this review is now discharging with faithfulness the duties of the unremunerative and often thankless office of school director. He is a Republican in political faith.

WILLIAM H. HALPIN, a resident of Wash- ington for the past twenty-five years, now engaged in farming near Campbell lake, was born in Wilkes- barre, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1842. Ilis father, Patrick D. Halpin, a native of Ireland, born in 1818, emigrated to America in early life, and was a sol- dier in the Mexican War. His death occurred in 1858. The maternal ancestor was Eunice P.

(Woolley) Halpin, born in New York, December 1. 1811. After a long, useful life she died in 1898 The oldest of a family of four children, William H. Halpin began his career at the early age of twelve years, working on a farm, and in the meantime, by diligent improvement of every opportunity, secur- ing his education during the winter months. Six years later he ran a "Yankee" huckster wagon, his first business venture. Having learned the cooper's trade later, he worked at that three years, going then to Virginia City, Montana, in the spring of 1865, where he spent two years in the mines. Not as successful in finding a fortune in the mines as he had hoped to be, he turned his attention to ranch- ing on the Jefferson river, and raised cattle for some time. Ile next located in llelena, devoting his time to market gardening. Going by boat from Fort Benton to Sioux City, Iowa, he proceeded to Lamars, Iowa, and established the Northwestern nursery. The destructive grasshoppers that in- fested that region during the summer and the se- vere weather of the following winter caused him to fail in this enterprise and return to gardening. Lured by the tales of the wonderful fertility of the land of the Northwest, he sailed for Puget sound from San Francisco. After a short residence on Fidalgo bay, he settled near Seattle, but soon re- turned to Fidalgo, taking up a homestead which he sold at the opportune time during the boom. For three years he was in business at Deception, now known as Dewey. He purchased fifteen acres, property which he still owns, and at once began clearing it. Hle has it now in fine shape, with a three-acre orchard that yields him a substantial re- turn each season. Ilis farm is well stocked with

Holstein and Jersey cattle and a large band of fine sheep.

Mr. Ifalpin and Hannah R. Seid were married at Des Moines, in 1876. A native of Germany, Mrs. llalpin came with her parents to lowa at the age of fifteen. Her father, William F. Seid, met his death by falling down a coal shaft in his own mine in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Halpin have two children : William S. and Ida R., both born in Iowa and now at home. Mr. Halpin is a well-known Repub- lican, though he has never sought office. Ile is deeply interested in the educational affairs of the community, and he has served on the school board, advocating progressive ideas. He and his family attend the Methodist church. His genial nature and recognized industry and enterprise secure for him the lasting esteem of his many acquaintances.

WOODBURY J. THORNE, one of Thorn- wood's most popular and prosperous farmers, was born in Lewiston, Maine, May 6, 1851. His father, Thomas D. Thorne, D. D., born August 29, 1815, at Lewiston, Maine, traces his ancestry back in an un- broken line to the sixteenth century. To him be- longs the honor of having been the first alderman of Lewiston, and the first Republican in either that city or Auburn, he having identified himself with that party in 1854. He has given to his son the genealogical record of the family. Jane M. ( Mer- rill) Thorne, the mother, was also a native of Lewiston. Iler death occurred many years ago. Late in life the elder Thorne remarried, Mary H. Bickford becoming his wife, and to this second union one child was born, Harry, now residing in Auburn, Maine. Both Dr. Thorne and his wife are living.

By diligently applying himself to his studies, Woodbury J. Thorne, of this article, acquired a good education while yet a boy, and at the age of eighteen had completed an apprenticeship to the bricklaying trade, which he followed till he went to San Francisco in 1812. He was employed in a shoe factory in the Golden Gate city for seven years, then opened a fruit and produce store, a business which he conducted successfully for the ensuing twelvemonth. Eventually selling out his interests in San Francisco, he came to Skagit county, Wash- ington, and took as a homestead the farm he now owns. After clearing off a small place in the dense forest, he built a house upon this land, and this has been his home ever since, though at times he has been employed temporarily in other parts of the county. In 1890 he made a three months' visit to his old home in Maine.

Mr. Thorne was married April 5, 1892. the lady being Adelia M. Lathrop, a native of Cam- bridge, Vermont, and a member of an illustrious family the lineage of which can be traced directly

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to the time of Mary, Queen of Scotts. One mem- ber of the family was a high priest in the Queen's court, and at the time of her capture by the British was in extreme peril. The manner of his escape was indeed novel. Ile caused himself to be con- cealed in a hogshead and to be shipped on a vessel about to sail for America, nor was he released from his voluntary imprisonment until far out to sea. Two brothers of this celebrated progenitor held military positions. The coat of arms which was his as a member of the royal court is now in the Boston museum. Mrs. Thorne's father, a black- smith of the old school, skilled in many arts not taught to the apprentice of to-day. also a manufac- turer of tools, farm implements, carriages, etc., who also had a salesroom in Montreal, went to Califor- nia in 1850 and made his home there for four years, thereupon returning to Vermont, whence he later moved with his family to Wisconsin. He made his home in that state for a number of years, but ulti- mately located in South Dakota, spending the re- i mainder of his life there. He died in 1885. His forefathers were prominent in Revolutionary times, one of them especially being made famous through his associations with the illustrious Miles Standish. Maria Louisa ( Newton) Lathrop, the mother of Mrs. Thorne, who was born in Vermont August S, 1813, was the daughter of a well-known physician, a graduate of Dartmouth college. Her death oc- curred in November, 1888.

Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Thorne there have been three children, the oldest of whom, born January 29, 1893, died when five days old. Marion Adelia, born September 30, 1895, died March 26, 1899, while L. Seth Weston, born July 6, 1897, is still living. Mrs. Thorne was appointed postmis- tress at Thornwood at the time the office was opened in 1900, and has discharged the duties of the posi- tion in a very capable manner ever since. For twenty years she was a teacher in the schools of Wisconsin, South Dakota and Washington. She is a devoted worker in the Good Templars' lodge and an active member of the Congregational church, while Mr. Thorne adheres to the Baptist faith. Mr. Thorne is a member of the Pioneer Association and in fraternal affiliation a prominent Mason. In poli- tics he is a Republican, firmly believing in the fun- damental principles of the party. His holdings con- sist of one hundred and twenty-one acres of land, fifty of which are in crops and pasture, and he is giving much attention to dairying, keeping always a fine herd of Jersey cattle. Uniting with his tin- questioned ability and industry a generous, upright character, he naturally holds the abiding esteem of his fellow-citizens.

TOBIAS STEVENS, one of the farmers and stock raisers of Skagit county, was born at North-

cote, Winnischick county, Iowa, in 1863. His father, Stoller Stevens, was of Norwegian birth, but came to the United States, became one of the first settlers in Winnischick county, and died there in 1870 at the age of fifty. His widow, Rachel, has since married and lives in Iowa. Tobias Stevens was the oldest of his parents' children; his sister Betsy has died, but two others, Mrs. Sarah Jacob- son and Stena Stevens, are still living. Mr. Stevens passed the life of a farmer youth, going to school and working on the farm, until he was twenty-three and then spent a year in Minnesota, after which he came to Skagit county. He was at La Conner for a year, working on the dikes. In company with Jacob Hogan he bought a place on Olympia Marsh, but later sold out to his partner. Some time was later passed in work on different farms, after which he made a trip to his old Iowa home. He remained there but a short time and on his return bought his present one hundred and sixty-acre farm, one mile north of Burlington, and traversed by the Great Northern railway. Mr. Stevens' most exciting ex- periences were during his occupancy of the Olympia Marsh land. The uncleared portion was under wa- ter and covered with brush, which afforded plenty of shelter to bear and other game, which came near the houses. It was not an uncommon thing to sus- pend work for a moment and bring down a bear or a deer. The first threshing on the marsh was done by Ovenell & Troser on the land now owned by Mr. Stevens. Mr. Stevens is a member of the Lutheran church and in politics is a Republican. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of land, over one hun- dred of which are under cultivation. The raising of short horn cattle is his specialty, and his produc- ing herd numbers twenty-eight head. He also breeds Norman horses and has an interest in one of the finest stallions of that species on the coast. In addition to these branches. Mr. Stevens owns and operates during the season a threshing outfit. By honorable dealings with his fellow-men he has es- tablished for himself a reputation with which any man may be well satisfied, and he enjoys the good will and esteem of all his associates.

GEORGE G. CRESSEY has the kind of grit and perseverance which could develop ninety cents, his sole wealth in the spring of 1890, into the hold- ings of farmer, promoter. landowner and man of independence in 1905. His younger days in Penn- sylvania indicated that he had the energy which constitutes one of the chief characteristics of a suc- cessful man. He was born in Philadelphia March 6, 1869, the son of William H. H. Cressey, iron worker and union soldier of the Civil War, now farmer and cattle raiser near Burlington. The mother was Rachel Walton, daughter of Amos H. Walton, one of the early settlers of Philadelphia,

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the history of whose family constitutes much of the history of the early days of the Quaker city.

When seven years old George Cressey was in Forest county, Pennsylvania, where in the country schools he obtained the rudiments of an education, making his home with his grandfather. While at- tending school he walked through the woods three miles, with no house in sight, in order to secure in- struction. A number of years were spent in Forest county in school and doing what work the lad could find. At the age of eleven, while living near Brad- ford in the oil district, he took a contract to cut wood for the oil drillers, and had the perseverance to carry out his agreement. Later he engaged in peeling tanbark for a tannery. When the family moved to Marionville, Forest county, the hamlet had no railroad, and until the establishment of a postoffice the mails were carried twenty-two miles on horseback. It was about this time that young Cressey entered the employ of L. S. Clough, now one of the largest manufacturers of hardwood prod- ucts in the East. Fle managed the cabinet shop for Clough for a time and was foreman when the For- est county industry was established. It was through the efforts of Mr. Cressey that large tracts of bard native wood were located, and these locations were the commencement of the policy of buying up all the hardwood land obtainable. About this time, in dull seasons, Mr. Cressey, acting as guide for hunt- ing parties, turned his knowledge of woodcraft to advantage. It was perhaps during these trips Mr. Cressey acquired his desire to get away from Penn- sylvania. At any rate, with his brother Will, he left his home state and went to Minnesota, a little later following the westward course into Montana, and in the spring of 1890 the brothers stood in Seattle and counted ninety cents in their pockets, all their worldly possessions. On May 23d of that year they reached Anacortes on the boat "Sea- home." Judge Joiner, the well-known jurist, being a passenger on the same boat. The first job obtained was transferring railroad iron at the time of the construction of the Seattle & Northern railroad. During the boom in Anacrotes Mr. Cressey turned his hand to any kind of work, felling timber as an employe of Lathrop, later doing similar work by contract, or filing saws. Wages were good and the brothers saved their money, and in February, 1891, bought the place they now occupy, east of Burling- ton, into which town the Great Northern was then completing its road. Mr. Cressey has made his home on this farm ever since, though much of his time is required in Seattle, where he has large in- terests, located chiefly in West Seattle and on the shores of Lake Washington, to develop and pro- mote.

Mr. Cressey, in February, 1895, married Miss Alice Koch, a native of Johnson county, Missouri, who came to Skagit county with her parents in

1890. Alrs. Cressey's father is a carpenter and built the greater part of the substantial business section of Burlington. He is a veteran of the Civil War, having served over three years in the Twenty- third Missouri regiment. He and Mrs. Koch are of German descent, though the families have been in this country for generations. Mr. and Mrs. Cressey have four children : Leonore R., Jefferson K., Georgia G. and Donald C. In politics Mr. Cres- sey is an active Republican. Ile has served as con- stable, deputy assessor, member of the road com- mission, road overseer, notary public and deputy postmaster. He has a deep interest in the schools and was a member of the board of directors when the Burlington school building was completed. With his father and brothers, Mr. Cressey promoted the incorporation of Burlington and was active in extending the town limits to take in territory and population not first included. They also were in the first telephone and electric light companies. Hard work, alertness and adaptability to whatever lay at hand are the chief clements which have con- tributed to the success which has crowned the ef- forts of this young man.

HARLTON R. UMBARGER of Burlington and his heroic mother have had eventful lives in their struggle against poverty and western hard- ships, the story of their bravery and endurance be- ing a romance of Civil War days and pioneer life. Mr. Umbarger was born in Sauk county, Wiscon- sin, September 21, 1863, and when two years old was taken by his fearless mother to Iowa, traveling by ox team. Samuel Umbarger, the father, was born in Wisconsin and died in New Mexico in 1865 while a member of Company C, Third United States Cavalry. Mrs. Mary ( Rowley) Umbarger, the mother, even before the death of her soldier hus- band, was called upon to provide for her children. What she accomplished proves her to be a woman of remarkable perseverance and force of character. She was born in 1811 of sturdy Pennsylvania stock. While her husband was in the army she purchased on credit a yoke of oxen, placed her children in the wagon, and wielding the whip herself started for Fort Dodge, lowa. Under her rights as a soldier's wife she filed on one hundred and sixty acres in Po- cahontas county, Iowa, which became hers in her own name on the death of her husband. On this western homestead this remarkable woman was able to care for her children, manage a farm and go to school in order to prepare herself to teach, which she did for thirty years in Iowa and Wash- ington. In 1883 she heard that a brother whom she had not seen for thirty years was at La Conner, Washington, and there she went, leaving her boys, then grown, in charge of the lowa farm. She found her brother and remained in Washington, teaching

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An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 135

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1906 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1172

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172