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 144

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 144
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 144

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While still a resident of Indiana, in 1815, Mr. Fulk and Miss Frances Bonham, a daughter of Samuel Bonham, were united by the bonds of mat- rimony. Samuel Bonham, a farmer by occupation. died during the infancy of his daughter. She was

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born in 1855, a native of the Buckeye state, where her education and rearing were obtained. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Fulk eight children have been born, whose names follow: Mrs. Alice Har- rold, residing in the Palouse region of Washington ; Mrs. Della Jost, living near Fredonia, Skagit county ; Mrs. Minnie Neil, living near Mount Ver- non, and Adam, George, Pearl, Nettic and Puget, at home with their parents.

Mr. Fulk is a public-spirited citizen and in politi- cal affairs is active as a Democrat. His farm and live stock bespeak his capability and thrift in those lines of activity, and all his life he has been a close student of agricultural matters. He is accorded a leading position in his community and is respected and esteemed by all who know him for his many sterling qualities as well as his business abilities.

ROBERT WOODBURN. The thrifty and successful farmer of the Padilla country whose life history forms the theme of this article is one of the many men who, by the exercise of economy, energy and good business judgment and the skilful utiliza- tion of the enormous resources of Skagit county, have won their way from comparative poverty to independence and affluence, at the same time con- tributing their share to the general progress. Born in Ireland in 1860, Mr. Woodburn has in his veins the blood of the sturdy Scotch race, known and honored throughout the world, and the warm, gen- erous, impulsive Irish race, of which it is said that it has fought successfully everybody's battles except its own. His father, William Woodburn, though also a native of Ireland, was of Scotch descent, and his mother, Mary ( Montgomery) Woodburn, was in the fullest sense a daughter of the Emerald isle. When the elder Woodburn emigrated to the new world, he tried his fortune first in Canada, but eventually moved to New York state, where he now lives, a resident of the city of Lockport.

In the excellent public schools of Canada Mr. Woodburn, of this article, received his educational discipline, having completed which he embarked in the lumber business in the Lake Huron district. Four or five years were spent at that, then, in 1884, he decided to seek a larger and more promising field of activity, so crossed the continent to Skagit county. For three and a half years after his arri- val he worked continuously for R. E. Whitney, but he was not the kind of man to remain indefinitely in the service of another, and as soon as opportunity presented itself he began building a home for him- self. He took a pre-emption claim at Fredonia and for the ensuing three years lived upon it, giving the major portion of his time, however, to the im- provement of an eighty-acre tract he had bought on Olympia marsh. The marsh farm he still owns, but since 1894 his home has been on land a mile west of Padilla, which he and his father-in-law,

John Ball, that year purchased. The home place consists of one hundred and seventy-five acres, all cleared and much of it in a high state of cultiva- tion. It is supplied with a large, convenient barn and other outbuildings, as well as all the necessary implements for the convenient and economical han- dling of its products. The dwelling house is a large, modern and up-to-date one, erected in 1904.

In Skagit County, Washington, in 1887, Mr. Woodburn married Miss Globe E., daughter of John and Eleanor (Massey) Ball, natives of Ohio and England respectively, to whom more extended reference is made elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Woodburn was born in California in 1868, but came to Skagit county when a mere child and received her public school training there, though her educa- tion was completed by a course in the Victoria, British Columbia, high school. She and Mr. Woodburn are parents of two children, Ruby M., born in 1890, and R. E. (so named after his father's first employer in the West, R. E. Whitney), born in 1892. In politics Mr. Woodburn is a Republican and in fraternal affiliation a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. While achieving, through his inherent force of character and his abil- ity to perceive and grasp opportunities, a highly enviable industrial success, he has also won for him- self a reputation as a man of sterling integrity and one who stands "four-square to every brecze."

OTTO W. KILANDER is one of Skagit county's progressive citizens who is devoting his energies and skill to the production of cabbage seed with which to supply less favored sections of the world, and in this high class industry has won a goodly success. He is a native of Sweden, born in 1859, the son of Christian and Kajsa M. (Johnson) Kilander, both of whom passed away in their native land, where the husband was a successful farmer. Otto W., of this sketch, received his education in the schools of Sweden. At the age of eighteen he became an orphan, and during the next two years worked at various places in the neighborhood of his old home. In 1881 he bade farewell to the land of his nativity and sought the great republic across the seas, He first settled in Wisconsin, but directly went to Michigan and entered the mines in which he worked four years. At the close of this period he visited the old country, remaining there five years. But the attractions of the new world proved too strong for him to resist and again he crossed the Atlantic, this time pushing westward via Michi- gan to Puget sound, where he entered the fishing industry. One year later, 1890, he joined George Johnson as a partner in producing cabbage seed. They bought four aeres on the flats of western Skagit county and raised two crops as partners. Then Mr. Kilander sold his interest to his partner and rented land by himself, always continuing to

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BIOGRAPHICAL

raise seed, however. Ultimately he purchased the thirteen-acre tract two miles west of Padilla, which has since been his home and the field of his horti- cultural operations.

During his residence in Sweden in 1885, Mr. Kilander and Miss Emma C. Johnson, a daughter of John and Carlina (Johnson) Johnson, were mar- ried. Her father still resides in Europe, but her mother died when Mrs. Kilander was five years of age. Mrs. Kilander received her education in Swe- den and there passed the first twenty-eight years of her life. To her union with Mr. Kilander five children have been born: Hugo C., in 1886; Eitel A., in 1888, both born in Sweden; Thyra, in 1893; Fritz, in 1894, who died in nine months, and Elvira E., in 1897, born in Skagit county. Mr. Kilander and his family are attendants of the Lutheran church, in politics he is a Republican and fraternally is affiliated with the A. O. U. W. Aside from his home and farm, he owns two houses and lots in Anacortes and sufficient stock to engage all the time he can devote to them. His seed farm, though not as large as an oat farm might be, is ample for the successful prosecution of his specialty in hor- ticulture, and he has won commendable success as a grower of fine seeds. Success in business and esteem and respect socially are his, and justly, too.

BLOOMINGTON R. SUMNER, a man whose life on land and sea has been full of of the most in- teresting events, was born November 30, 1845, at Winter Harbor, Hancock County, Maine, the son of William W. Sumner, a carpenter. Like his an- cestors for six generations, the father was born on Battery March street, Boston, the date of his birth being December 12, 1815. Ilis death occurred at Wilton, Maine, in April, 1867. The maternal an- cestor was Philena (Leland) Sumner, born in Eden, Maine, in October, 1823. She died in Au- gust, 1891, after having been a devoted mother to her eleven children, of whom the living are as fol- lows : Benjamin F., William W. and Philander A., residing at Winter Harbor, Maine; Charles F., of Elliott, Iowa ; Mrs. Lizzie M. Hodgkins, of Pas- adiena, California : Bloomington R .; Mrs. Annette Chappel, of Providence, Rhode Island. Early giv- ing evidence of a love for life on the ocean, Mr. Sumner's first trip, made when he was fourteen, was a fishing cruise to the gulf of St. Lawrence and Chaleu bay. He then attended school for six months. In March, 1860, he shipped on the gov- ernment transport "Emma Fairbush," sailing from Rockport, Maine, to Fort Monroe in Hampton Roads. Detained six weeks at this fort, the vessel proceeded thence to Yorktown and Shipping Point, and was then ordered back to Baltimore, where it was loaded with mules and potatoes for Whitehouse Landing. Having returned to Baltimore after mak- ing the trip, the owners of the ship gave up their

government charter, took a cargo of oak lumber to Bath, Maine, from which point they went to Rock- land, and obtained a charter to carry coal to New Haven, Connecticut. Leaving the vessel when it reached Rondout, New York, Mr. Sumner boarded the "Horace E. Bell," chartered to load coal at Delaware City for Salem, Massachusetts, and after- ward captured as a blockade runner. He again en- tered school after returning to Winter Harbor. En- listing three different times before he was of age, he was each time denied parental consent, but on January 3, 1861, he became a member of the crew of the ship Sacramento, of the North Atlantic squadron, stationed at Fort Fisher. There he saw his first naval battle, later being an active partici- pant in the engagements at Jordan's Landing, Har- rison's Landing, Charlestown and Port Royal. Dis- charged in Boston, January 4, 1864, he still fol- lowed the sea, employed in the trade of the West Indies for two years. He then took up the car- penter trade, only to be mastered by his old pas- sion for the ocean, some four years later. Visiting the ports of Africa, the Mediterranean sea and all the maritime nations of Europe. he held every posi- tion from that of cook to that of captain. July 4, 1816, he abandoned the life of a sailor, went to Newport, Rhode Island, where he worked at his trade for several years, and thence to Boston, there being employed by the New England Piano Com- pany for ten years. Coming to Avon in 1892, he purchased his present place of two acres, cleared it, and built hus house.

Mr. Sumner was united in marriage to Leila E. Flagg, March 6, 1879. Her father, Josia Flagg, was born in England in 1811, and died in Avon March S. 1892. Her mother was Janette (Mc- Caren) Flagg, a native of New Brunswick, born June 25, 1819. Her death occurred May 27, 1903. Mrs. Sumner has one brother, A. E. Flagg, of Seat- tle, and two sisters, Mrs. Emma Daggett, of Seat- tle, and Mrs. Janette Daggett, of Port Kells, Brit- ish Columbia. Mr. and Mrs. Sumner have four children, Aubrey, at Anacortes, Lelia G., Amy D., and Carleton B., at home. Mr. Sumner is prom- inent in fraternal circles, being a member of the American Order of United Workmen of Boston; of the Avon lodge of Odd Fellows. and the D. A. Russell Grand Army Post, Washington lodge num- ber two. Mrs. Sumner takes an active part in the Olive Branch Lodge of Avon. She is the able president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, in the work of which both she and her hus- band are deeply interested. An active Republican for many years, Mr. Sumner held the office of jus- tice of the peace for eight years, and that of coroner, for five years. He is now a notary public. Educa- tional matters have always claimed his most carnest attention, and during his ten years of service on the school board he has had the pleasure of having at least some of his progressive ideas carried out.

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SKAGIT COUNTY

He and his family attend the Baptist church, con- tributing liberally to its support. Broadened by a lifetime of travel, a keen observer of the countries he has visited and the people he has met, Mr. Sum- ner is recognized throughout the community as a man of unusual intelligence, whose earnest, upright character renders him a man of influence.

THOMAS P. WILKINS, one of North Avon's prosperous farmers was born February 24, 1839, in Wales, the birthplace also of his parents, James and Elizabeth ( Reese ) Wilkins. Losing his mother at the age of four, Thomas Wilkins enjoyed but few educational advantages, acquiring his training in the larger school of experience. Child labor had not been abolished in that country, so at the age of twelve he entered a rolling mill in his native coun- try, learning all the departments of the work during the sixteen years he spent there. In 1866, after having mined four years, he came to the United States to seek his fortune, finding employment in the mines at Alleghany, Pennsylvania. Remaining four years, he moved to Iowa, thence to Seattle in 1872. Commercial street had only a few buildings on it then, and had any one foretold the city's pres- ent greatness he would have been considered an idle dreamer, indeed. The railroad did not reach the town for years after that date. Taking up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in what was then Whatcom county, his wife, a woman of rare courage and self reliance, remained upon it while he was engaged in mining. The journey from Mount Vernon to the ranch occupied the time from Saturday morning till noon of the following day. In 1879 he gave up mining, taking up his residence on the homestead and clearing off twenty-five acres in the twelve years he lived there. Having sold it he purchased his present farm, forty acres of timber land, of which he has sold thirty acres. His fine six room house, with its neat and convenient ap- pointments, tells its own story of successful en- deavor. Two years after coming to Avon he built a hotel, owning it for ten years, during a part of which time it was rented.

Mr. Wilkins was married in 1859 to Jane Thomas, born in Wales in December, 1835. the daughter of John Thomas, also a native of Wales. Nine children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins, three of whom died in infancy, and one, James, the eldest, born in 1859, died in 1827, at the age of sighteen. The other children are as follows: Mrs. Elizabeth Tingley, born in 1863; Mrs. Adeline Gage, born in 1865; Susan A., born in 1873; Mrs. Hannah Ford, of Seattle, born in 1874: Helen, born in 1842. Mr. Wilkins is a popular member of the Knights of Phythias. He is a loyal Democrat, aiding the party in every possi- ble way. In religious belief he and his family ad- here to the Episcopalian faith. A man of industry

and activity, he is meeting with success in his agri- cultural pursuits, devoting his time principally to- dairying, which he believes to be an especially pro- fitable branch of farming, and one to which this state is peculiarly adapted. He is justly considered one of the most intelligent and progressive citizens of the community in which he resides.

WILLIAM MEINS, living west of Prairie, is one of the men who have made a marked success of farming in Skagit county, to which he came when roads were few and everything was in a primitive condition. He was born near Bremen in Germany, August 11, 1862, the son of William and Sophia (Semreng) Meins, farmers of that country who died there many years ago, leaving four children, of whom the subject hereof is third. As a lad Mr. Meins obtained a common school education in the old country and at the age of fifteen started in life for himself, serving three years for his board in order to learn the shoemaking trade. He then worked for wages for several years and had a shop of his own when he left Germany for the United States in 1882, landing at Baltimore. From that city he came to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked at his trade six months, going thence to Hennepin county, Minnesota. He remained there two years farming, then migrated to Washington. After a short stay in Tacoma he came to Skagit county and took up a homestead all in timber at Hamilton, to which point, with pack on his back, he walked from Mount Vernon over a road in name only. At one place when undecided as to whether he was really on the road he assured himself by finding a news- paper wrapper dropped by one who had gone along ahead of him carrying the mail. Mr. Meins at once set out to make a home for himself and passed eighteen years there, clearing the land and erecting house and barn. In his later years on the place, he accumulated enough to buy the eighty acres on which he is now living, though he still retains his original farm. In 1904 Mr. Meins made a trip to his native land, stopping en route at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and in various places in Eng- land.

October 15, 1890, Mr. Meins married Miss Sophia Bolhorst, whose birthplace was near that of her husband. She is the daughter of Wilhelm and Sophia ( Hespenheide ) Bolhorst, who came to the United States when their daughter was a child and settled in Ohio, later going to Minnesota, where the father is still living, and where Mrs. Meins re- ceived her education and grew to womanhood. She is a woman of more than ordinary business instinct and capacity, and her husband accords her a large share of the credit for the success they together have achieved. Mr. and Mrs. Meins have three children, Edward W., Charles L. and Harry J. Mr. Meins is a member of the Pioneers' Association

BIOGRAPHICAL

and in politics a Republican. He has served on the school board as well as having been six years road supervisor. In church affiliations he and his family are Lutherans. When Mr. Meins came here he had but two hundred dollars ; his accumulations since include, besides his farm lands already mentioned, which are extensive and valuable, some city property in Ballard said to be worth a goodly sum. A be- liever in diversified farming, he raises a great var- iety of crops, and keeps, besides other livestock, about twenty-five head of graded cattle. Mr. Meins is personally popular and deservedly so, being a man of energy and forceful character, as well as a kindly neighbor and worthy citizen.

SMITH O. ALLEN. one of Prairie's thrifty and industrious farmers, was born in Mondovi. Buf- falo county, Wisconsin. July 5, 1864, the son of Dutee B. and Annis W. ( Gleason) Allen, both of whom were born in Greenfields, New York. The father, born October 30, 1823, was a teacher in his early manhood, but later engaged in mercantile pursuits, and at the time of his death, March 10, 1878, was a farmer. The mother, born February 7, 1831, was at one time a pupil of her husband. Her death occurred December 23, 1904. She was the mother of eight children, of whom all except the two oldest are living. His father having died when he was twelve years old. Smith O. Allen left home at that time, assuming self support thus early in life. He farmed and worked in the woods till 1880, then went to Dakota, soon returning, how- ever. to Wisconsin. In 1883 he was employed on a railroad in Nebraska. He located next in Akron, Colorado, where he dug the first well in the town .. Going thence to Denver he worked on the Oregon Short Line railroad for a while, then after brief residences in Anaconda, and Helena, Montana, went to Dakota. He returned thence a little later to his native state for a visit, but in 1888, was once more a resident of the large interior territory, which soon after was carved into two splendid states. Desiring. however, to investigate for himself the resources of the great Northwest. he soon went to Seattle ; thence to Samish Island, thence to Prairie. In 1890 he took a pre-emption east of where he now resides, consisting of forty acres which he afterward sold : and later he purchased the eighty acre farm that he now owns. lle has made this his home for the past seven years, though at the same time he has been engaged to some extent in logging and contracting. He has thirty-five acres cleared. and in excellent shape and gives special attention to dairying. keep- ing always a fine herd of cattle. lle also raises oats, hay and vegetables. Though experiencing during his lifetime some financial disappointments and trials, he is now enjoying the prosperity that his untiring energy so richly merits.

marriage October 16, 1889. She was born in Edi- son, Washington, March 9, 18:3, the daughter of Captain John M. and Ellen Warner. Her father, born in England in 1828, was brought by his par- ents to Michigan in infancy, and became one of the famous "Forty-Niners" of California. He went to the Fraser river district during the excitement there, thus becoming a resident of the Northwest. After several years of service in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company. he became the pioneer settler of the prairie that bears his name. He died in Sedro-Woolley in 1903. The mother was born at Yale. British Columbia, in 1845, and died in June, 1890, leaving eleven children, all of whom are still alive. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, namely: Ralph W., July 16, 1890; Burton T., June 12, 1892, died November 15, 1904; Arnold E., November 12, 1893; Annis V., August 17, 1896: Dutee S .. March 12. 1898. Mr. Allen is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Maccabees, and in politics an active Republican. . He has held the office of jus- tice of the peace for two terms. A man of upright character, he enjoys the respect and confidence of his associates, and is recognized as one of the sub- stantial citizens of his part of Skagit county.

CHARLES F. TRENT, the popular merchant and postmaster of Fir. Washington, the direct de- scendant of an illustrious family of business men, soldiers and statesmen, with a genealogy tracing back to the fifteenth century, was born in Bridge- nort, Connecticut, October 2, 1819. His father, Benjamin Treat. a prominent contractor and builder, died in 1853. One member of the family, Robert Treat, was one of the ablest men that ever filled the governor's chair of Connecticut. An- other, a naturalist, bequeathed a fine collection of butterflies and a large number of books to Har- vard university. Still other representatives of the family maintained its dignity in colonial and revo- lutionary times. Treat's island and Treat's sugar refinery in Maine are hokdlings of the family. The maternal ancestor. Julia A. ( Anderson) Treat, born near Belfast. Maine, died in Oakland, California, in 1904. She was the mother of three sons, only one of whom. Charles F., is living. Mr. Treat grew to manhood in the city of his birth, leaving it at the age of twenty-three to locate in Boston, where he entered a wholesale dry goods house. Later he removed to Lynn. Massachusetts, engag- ing in the coal business, until he came West in 1889 and located in Ballard. Washington. There he opened the real estate firm of Harrison, Treat & Company. In 1892 MIr. Treat incorporated at Seattle the wholesale and retail firm of Harrison, Treat & Co .. a glass, bar and billiard supply house, now known as the A. H. Harrison Company. In

Mr. Allen and Flora Warner were united in | 1892, when this country was thrilled by news of the

SKAGIT COUNTY

wonderful deposits of gold found in Alaska, he decided to seek his fortune there, being a passen- ger on the eleventh boat that entered Dawson, which at that time had only two log cabins. During the famine of 1897 he was chairman of the meeting tliat sent the surplus men out of camp to prevent starvation. He had intended to locate at Circle City, where he had property, but hearing of the strike then in progress there, he changed his plans, remaining at Dawson. There he opened the first brokerage office on the Yukon river, drawing up contracts and agreements, and handling the prop- erty of Treat, Crawford & Depreau. In the fall of 1897 he came out on the ice, returning the follow- ing summer to remain four years longer. He was owner and operator of thirty-two mining claims at one time, meeting with wonderful success at first, but later suffering some reverses of fortune. He witnessed the marvelous growth of Dawson, which was a city of twenty thousand inhabitants at the time he returned to the United States in 1902. Pur- chasing his present business upon his return, he in- creased the capital stock several times over, now owning one of the substantial business houses of South Skagit, handling hay, grain and fish. The firm of Chlopeck of Seattle, one of the largest in the city, is one of his fish customers. He is also postmaster of Fir. Mr. Treat is an enthusiastic member of the Order of Elks of Seattle. Politically he loyally adheres to Republican principles, having always been actively identified with the party. Dur- ing his residence in Ballard he was the first mayor of the town, elected to succeed himself at the ex- piration of his first term. Thoroughly conversant with every detail in connection with his large and increasing business, to which he gives the most careful attention, he yet finds time to indulge in his favorite diversions, hunting and fishing. Possessed of rare business qualifications, Mr. Treat unites with them a genial disposition that makes a per- sonal friend of all who come in contact with him, either in a business or social way.

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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 144

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