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 166

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 166
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 166

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in this move on the part of the young pioneer, for, aside from the intrinsic value of the land for tim- ber and agricultural purposes, he believed it would some day be the site of a great city. In 1890 his prediction was verified. for Henry Hewitt, Jr., of- fered him twenty-five thousand dollars for the homestead and was refused. After taking his claims Mr. Hilton engaged in several lines of ac- tivity, one being the establishment of a butcher shop at Snohomish in 1815, which two years later developed into a general merchandise house. He sold out in 1883 to Comegys & Vestal. well known pioneers. This business he started with merely a credit line of goods valued at one hundred and ten dollars and during his ownership the enterprise netted him twenty thousand dollars approximately. A trip to Oakland, and San Francisco followed, then another trip to Maine, after which he re- turned to the sound and engaged in buying and selling land and stock and improving farms. In 1890 he removed to Seattle, built a residence there and made that city his home three years, since which he has resided in the city of Everctt. He still retains the greater portion of his old home- stead, deals extensively in real estate including tide lands, and is heavily interested in various other enterprises at different points on the sound.

The old "Blue Eagle" building. at Snohomish, one of the county's noted pioneer structures, was the scene of Mr. Hilton's wedding, December ?. 1843. the bride being Miss Susie Harriet Elwell. Royal Haskell performed the ceremony in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Ferguson, the bride's parents and family and brother, R. D. Hil- ton, the oldest and most highly estcemed pioncers in this region. Miss Elwell was the daughter of John and Eliza (Crosby) Elwell, carly pioneers of Snohomish, a sketch of whose lives will be found in that of Tamlin Elwell's elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Hilton was born in Northfield, Maine, Decem- ber 16, 1850. She departed this life March 5, 1902, leaving behind her the memory and influence of a devoted, unselfish life. Of the five children born to this union three are deceased. John H., Martic E. and Claude HI., who died in infancy. One daughter, Mrs. Lena Loomis, resides in Denver, Colorado, and one son, Bailey G., is a resident of Everett. Mrs. Hilton was a member of the Bap- tist church, which Mr. Hilton also attends. He is affiliated with the B. P. O. E. and the K. of P., and politically is a lifelong Republican, active but not aspiring. It is given to comparatively few to lead such a full life as has Mr. Hilton and, more especially, to have made the most of the rich op- portunities he so bravely sought in the wild, iso- lated Northwest of his time. His career on Puget sound spans the period of this region's wonderful development from a mere commercial outpost of the westermost west into one of the most progres-

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sive, industrious, goodly states in all the union, and in this transformation he has taken an active and influential part.

THE EVERETT LIBRARY, Miss Gretchen Hathaway, Librarian. Up to the time the board of trustees of the Everett library applied to Mr. Carnegie for a library building, the library had consisted of no more than two thousand and one hundred volumes, housed in a small three-room building ; now it possesses some six thousand and five hundred volumes-with more to come-and is at home in its handsome new quarters. Due credit should be given, however, to the two thousand and one hundred volume library, product of the energy and enterprise of the Woman's Book club. Through their efforts the library had been started four years before with nine hundred volumes, along the most approved library lines, was made free, and main- tained by the city ; and thus was able to expand to its present dimensions without difficulty and without radical changes.

Mr. Carnegie responded favorably to the appli- cation of the trustees, offering the city twenty-five thousand dollars, subject to the usual conditions, ten per cent. maintenance fund and site. The Im- provement Company gave the city two lots in a desirable location for this purpose. Not less than four lots being considered necessary for the build- ing to be erected, two more lots were given by the Swalwell Land Co. and the Union Trust Co. These latter being in different parts of the city, were, with the building and lot occupied, exchanged for two lots adjoining those given by the Improvement Company. The city council cheerfully voted the necessary maintenance fund.

On account of various delays incident to the se- curing of the site and other matters, plans were not called for until the beginning of last year. The firm of Heide & DeNeuf furnished the plans. It might be well to own here, that at this time, we were aided greatly by the advice and suggestions of Mr. Smith of the Seattle library.

Plans were approved and the contract let by the board in April, 1904. Work was begun imme- diately and the building pushed through as rapidly as possible, resulting in its standing ready for oc- cupancy on the first of January, 1905.

Some delay was again encountered in securing the furnishings, which did not arrive until May 1st. In consequence of the number of new books to be accessioned, the formal opening occurred on July 1, 1905. As Mr. Carnegie allows his gift to be expended, if desired, for building and furnish- ings, the trustees so disbursed the twenty-five thou- sand dollars-this sum covering all the expenses of building and furnishing.

The substantial building, one story and a base- ment, is of cream-colored brick. The basement

contains an auditorium, seating some three hun- dred people, a newspaper and periodical room, fur- nace and unpacking rooms, janitors' closet, etc. The room termed "auditorium," can be readily turned into a stack room, having a capacity of fifteen thousand volumes. On the main floor is a small vestibule opening into the delivery hall, on the right of which-in the sunniest and most cheer- ful corner of the building-is the children's room. On the left and of equal size, is the general read- ing and reference room, back of that a small refer- ence and study room, and the woman's parlor. On the right corresponding to these rooms are the li- brarian's office and the work room, the latter con- necting with the stack room. The stack is that termed radiating-radiating from the delivery desk in the rear of the main hall-in this manner per- mitting the control of the library by one person at the delivery desk. The stack room has a ca- pacity of fifteen thousand volumes, and is open to the public as are all the shelves. The building is so arranged, however, that the stack can be closed at any time, if desired. In other rooms on the main floor there is capacity for six thousand vol- umes more. This can be raised some thousands by the addition of shelving for which there is ample room.

All wood work in the building is finished in dark green. The walls and ceilings are in pale shades of green and apricot. The furniture, in- cluding newspaper and periodical racks, dictionary stands, and trays, is of heavy oak, finished in dull green ; and the stacks are steel, of the most ap- proved design, also in the prevailing green. This, together with the gilt of the electric fixtures, makes an effective color scheme and is much admired. The building is heated by a hot-water plant, and is well lighted. The six thousand and five hun- dred volumes comprising the library are of a gen- eral character, more strength being shown in liter- ature perhaps, though considerable attention has been given to history, and to the mechanic arts, which are in much demand in this locality. There is also a complete subject and dictionary card cata- log of these volumes.

Through the efforts of the trustees, and the generosity of the public as represented by the gov- erning board of the Everett Hospital, an institu- tion about to become extinct, the library was made recipient of a gift of five thousand dollars, the pro- ceeds of their property, for the purchase of new books. This gift, coming to us in March of this year, was most timely and most acceptable, and the library has benefited accordingly.

The librarian. Miss Gretchen Hathaway, has as assistants Miss Jessie Judd and Miss Emily Sum- ner. The trustees of the institution are F. H. Brownell, president, Ellen I. Thayer, secretary, S. M. Kennedy, Robert Moody, and W. G. Swalwell.

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A yearly appropriation of $2,500 has been made by the city for the proper conducting of the library. It ranks sixth in size and in the number of vol- umes for circulation (in the state) and is one of the best managed libraries in Washington.

JOHN SPENCER, retired, a well known citi- zen of Everett, during his twenty years' residence in Snohomish county has acquired an enviable rep- utation as a successful, scientific agriculturist of ummusttal ability, and not only in that line of activ- ity but in others has he won a high position. He was born in Lancashire. England, January 12, 1832, the scion of an ancient Lancashire house. Hugh Spencer, his father, was born in Lancashire about the year 1780. He followed farming carly in life, but later managed a coal company and sub- sequently engaged in the mercantile business at Wigan. Mrs. Elizabeth (Jonson) Spencer, the mother of John Spencer, was also a native of Lan- cashire, born in 1984; her father was a Scottish farmer. At the age of seven John Spencer went to work in the coal mines, receiving most of his education in the practical school of experience. When only fifteen years old he became a regular miner and followed this occupation in England tin- til 1862, when he bade adieu to the British Isles and set his face toward the western continent. Lo- cating near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. he at once resumed mining, remaining there until 1866. Then he removed to Monongia, near Boone. Jowa, five miles from Booneborough, where Mr. Spencer spent a year mining. From Iowa he then removed to Point O'Rocks, Wyoming, accepting a position as manager of the mines at that point. This was during the construction of the Union Pacific rail- road across the continent. A year later he took up his residence in Washington County, Nebraska, and engaged in farming, raising grain principally. In Nebraska Mr. Spencer secured his first real sub- stantial foothold in business, devoting his attention zealously to mastering the farming industry, tak- ing a leading part in his community's public af- fairs and otherwise deeply interesting himself. However, the Northwest appealed irresistibly to him because of its fertility and its genial climate, so in 1886 he left the plains of Nebraska for the forest covered valley of the Snohomish, settling in section ten, on Steamboat slough. The excel- lence of his farming methods and his marked prac- ticality at once won success for him in the new field of endeavor. Since 1886 he has been a con- tinuous resident of the county, and, though still owning a tract of one hundred and sixty-five acres of valuable land near Everett, is at present living in that city.

Mr. Spencer and Sarah Ann Atherton, the daughter of William and Mary ( Yates) Atherton. were united in marriage in England. December 11,

185%. The Athertons, too, are natives of Lanca- shire, the father born in 1808, the mother a year Jater. William Atherton passed away in 1897 at the advanced age of ninety-one. Mrs. Atherton died young. Mrs. Spencer was born in Lanca- shire, May 7, 1838. She is the mother of thirteen children, the first two of whom were born in Eng- land. Only four of this large family are living, all residents of Snohomish county: John William, born October 9, 1862; Mrs. Mary Clasby, July 30, 1868 ; Thomas, February 14, 1877; and Stephen Franklin, November 23, 1880. Both Mr. and Mrs. Spencer are members of the Methodist church, and among the founders of the Marysville and Everett

churches of that denomination. He is affiliated with one fraternity, the Masonic, being one of the charter members of Peninsular lodge, Everett.

In public life Mr. Spencer took a prominent part while residing in Nebraska, where he was one of the leaders in the Republican party. He served three terms as supervisor of Sheridan township, being chosen chairman of the board cach term, and was township assessor five years. He is now an ardent Prohibitionist, though with declining years he has been forced to take a less active interest in public life as well as in business affairs.

HENRY O. SILER, professional timber cruiser with headquarters at present at Everett, though his business in connection with the big saw-mill at Port Blakely, has been connected with the logging and lumber business ever since he came to Snohomish county. He was born in North Carolina in 1862, the fourth of ten children of Albert and Josie ( Chipman) Siler. The elder Siler was also a na- tive of the Old North state and lived there all his life. passing away in 1904. Mrs. Siler was born in New York but passed the greater part of her life in North Carolina. Henry O. Siler received his education in the common schools of his native state and remained on his father's farm until nineteen years of age. He then passed three years in the lumber business, leaving it to enter into partner- ship with his father in a general store near Frank- lin, in his native state. This business was con- ducted for three years. In 1886 Mlr. Siler came to Washington and settled on a squatter's right in Cowlitz county. Here he remained about a year when he sold his right and came to Snohomish county working in the logging camps in the vicin- ity of Lowell on the Snohomish river. In 1889 he commenced logging on his own account, but soon located on the north fork of the Stillaguamish. where he took a squatter's right to one hundred and sixty acres of timber land. As soon as the land was surveyed Mr. Siler filed a timber claim. In 1892 he also filed on a homestead. residing on that Jand for five years. During this period he had engaged in logging operations and continued.

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so to do until in 189; he soll both his timber and homestead claims and bought one hundred and sixty-three acres of land near Cicero, thirty of which were cleared. Mr. Siler has cleared forty acres in addition, having lived on the place for three years. In 1898 he began work which ulti- mately induced him to remove to Everett, where he has a home on Hoyt avenue. Since that time he has been occupied in buying timber and cruis- ing for others. For the last three years he has been steadily in the employ of the Port Blakely Mill Company. the largest concern of the kind in the world. Mr. Siler's especial duty is looking after the timber interests of this gigantic establishment. In December, 1891. at Oso Mr. Siler married Miss Clara Aldridge, daughter of William and Maria (Robinson ) Aldridge. Mr. Aktridge was born on a Tennessee farm but when a lad was taken to Indiana, from which state in later years he went to Kansas. In 1881 Mr. Aldridge came to Snohomish county and settled on the Stilla- guamish at Oso, where he died in 1903. Mrs. Ald- ridge is a native of Indiana and is now living at Oso. Mrs. Siler is a native of the Hoosier state, but re- ceived her education in Kansas. She has three sisters who are school teachers in this state. To Mr. and Mrs. Siler have been born four children: Minnie, James. Charles and Josie. In polities Mr. Siler is a Democrat. In fraternal circles he is a member of the Masonic order, being a Mystic Shriner, of the Elks and of the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Siler is the owner of four hundred acres of land. seventy of which are under cultivation. the re- mainder being timber land. lle is a breeder of Hereford cattle, having fifty head of that kind of beef creatures. Mr. Siler is one of the men in whose judgment people place confidence. a man of great powers of observation. a gentleman from instinct and a business man by training and self- education.

LEROY PARKER, of Lowell, comes of one of Washington's oldest families and has himself been a resident of the Evergreen state more or less con- tinnonsly for fifty-four years, antedating the life of even the territory itself by nearly a year. Vo less a pioneer in every sense of the word is his estimable wife who was numbered among Seattle's population in 1864, when that city was but a vil- lage, and who has contributed willingly and fully her share toward the winning of the West. This historical record would indeed be incomplete with- out this sketch of their lives, for in addition to being pioneers of this section of Puget sound, Mr. Parker is a Snohomish pioneer of '73.

Leroy Parker was born in 1841, while the fam- ily were residents of Indiana. His father. David Parker, a millwright by trade, was a native of Maine, born in 1814. He left the Pine Tree state

in 1836, journeying west to Indiana, which was his home until 1851. Then he resided a year in Illinois, farming there, until he decided to join the immigration just setting in to Oregon. To him, as to most people in those days, that faraway land was fascinating simply because of the mystery en- shrouding it and because of the eloquence it in- spired in those who returned to tell of its wonder- ful climate. its boundless forests, its fertile valleys and its magnificent rivers and sounds. The dan- gers and hardships of the two thousand-mile over- land trail were not belittled, but what cared the AAmerican, man or woman, of that frontier age, for what to this generation seems like an almost un- surmountable obstacle? The family of David Par- ker joined the emigrant train that left the Mis- sissippi in the spring of 1852 and in the fall, worn and weary. their clothes threadbare and torn, thirst- ing for pure water and even hungering, but with undaunted spirits and a joy known only to the conquering frontiersman. David Parker, his brave wife and heroic little children reached the "Prom- ised land." settling in Clark county, opposite the mouth of the Sandy river. The boy Leroy was thuis initiated into a life on the Pacific coast fron- tier, when vet a lad of tender years. The Parkers engaged in farming and its allied pursuits as did most of the earliest settlers, though later the father gave his attention to milling, being well equipped to follow that business. Subsequently he removed to King county and there. at the venerable age of eighty-five, the brave old pioneer passed to his reward beyond. Emeline ( Burgess) Parker. his wife, who shared with him the long. hard frontier life. laid down her burdens in 1894, passing away in King county, also. She was a native of Maine. Leroy Parker, reaching the frontier when still young and finding no schools to attend, was de- prived of further educational privileges for several years, but later attended school at Vancouver. Upon completing his education he engaged in freighting between Vancouver and Lewiston, Idaho, then went into the mines of eastern Oregon, after which he took up mill work. He built a small quartz stamp mill on the Snake river in 1822 and 1823. and in the fall of the latter year came to Snohomish county. Here he first busied himself at cutting shingles on Ebey slough, then entered the employ of E. D. Smith. the pioneer lumberman of Lowell. In the summer of 1814 he removed to King county, locating at Renton, and there was employed in building mills and operating them for others until 1891, when he returned to Snohomish to take up his permanent abode. He settled at Lowell, which is still his home. Until 1893 he was employed in saw-mill work, since which time he has devoted himself exclusively to his trade, that of a mill- wright. with great success.

Miss Louisa D. Smith, a native of London. Eng-

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land, the daughter of James Smith, was united in marriage to Leroy Parker in the old Accidental Hotel, at Seattle in 1875. James Smith, of Eng- lish ancestry, was born at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1834. He came to America in 1862. settling first in Vancouver, British Columbia, which was his home two years. He then crossed the sound to the United States, locating in the thrifty little town of Seattle, King county. Mr. Smith attained to considerable wealth by his keen business ability and foresight and for many years was one of the managers of a very large estate. At the time he came to Seattle the Indians were very troublesome to the little settlement of whites congregated on the site of the present great city and many a day was spent in deadly fear of attacks by the red men. It is interesting to note in passing that at that time the smaller pieces of silver currency were not in use in this section of the United States; indeed, money of any kind was scarce. Mrs. Deborah (Cartwright) Smith, the mother of Mrs. Parker, was a native of England, born in 1832. ller father was a millwright. Mrs. Parker was born in 1858 and was thus only four years old when she came to America and a mere child when brought to Pu- get sound. She remembers old Chief Seattle, Chief Tecumseh. Princess Angeline and other noted In- dians of this section. Within the scope of her memory too was the appearance of the Liza Ander- son, Elida and others of the sound's first steamers. All of the meat used in those early days by Seattle's inhabitants was brought from Georgetown in canoes. Mrs. Parker attended school in the old Yesler courthouse which was a square frame build- ing about twenty-two by fourteen feet in size, which was the town's sole school-house. The Denney and Horton families were well known to the Smiths when they were all engaged in pushing forward the future metropolis of the sound. To Mr. and Mrs. Parker eight children have been born, all of whom are living: Mrs. Leila 1. Brown, Addie A., Frank H., Bert L., Chester A., Howard J .. Jean C. and Vivian G. The family home is a comfort- able one, occupying a sightly position overlooking the Snohomish river and valley, and in its reigns the true spirit of hospitality and sincerity which makes it so welcome a gathering place for friends and acquaintances. Mrs. Parker is affiliated with the Order of Pendo. In his political views Mr. Parker is a Democrat and has been during his whole life. True pioneers of the West, and of this sec- tion particularly, they have not only watched the wonderful development of Washington from its beginning, but have partaken in its upbuilding to a greater extent than falls to the lot of many and are now enjoying the inevitable reward, esteemed by all with whom they are associated.

JOHN FRANCIS ANGEVINE .- Among the highly successful and widely known lumbermen of the Puget sound region upon whose activities the prosperity of this rich section for the most part depends, is the citizen of Everett whose name gives title to this biographical sketch. For sixteen years he has operated extensively up and down the shores of the sound and may be regarded as a pioneer in Skagit and Snohomish counties whose population and development were sixteen years ago but a small proportion of what they are to-day.

The subject of this review comes from a state world-famed for its lumbermen, Maine. He was born at Bath, February 13, 1858, the son of Joseph and Margaret ( Eagle) Angevine, the former a na- tive of Nova Scotia, the latter, of Ireland. Joseph Angevine was born in 1832 and until his retirement from an active business life was engaged in ship- building and farming. He is one of the leading citizens in the Maine community which is now his home. A brother served throughout the Civil War and was wounded in that conflict. His mother's brother also served through the Civil War. Bel- fast, Ireland, is the birthplace of Margaret ( Eagle) Angevine. She was born in 1841 and at the age of ten crossed the ocean to Bath, Maine. During the voyage her mother died and was buried at sea. The father followed his trade, that of a blacksmith, until his death. A maternal aunt of John F. Ange- vine, her husband and their six children were mas- sacred by the Indians during the uprising in Min- nesota right after the close of the Civil War. After receiving an education in the common schools, John Francis Angevine took up the butcher's trade and was so engaged for seven years, meeting with good success in his business. He came to the Northwest in 1889. first locating in Salem, Oregon. After spending a year there he came north to Puget sound, locating in Skagit county temporarily. The first year he conducted a meat market at Anacortes. then removed to the booming town of Everett, just established on the stump ridden, marshy peninsula between the Snohomish river and Port Gardner bay. lle immediately entered the lumber business in the growing little city and was successful from the start. Since that date he has maintained his home in the "City of Smokestacks," utilizing it as a base of operations and contributing materially to the upbuilding of the community. He has estab- lished camps at Sequina bay. Clallam county ; Bay View, Skagit county; Green Lake. Snohomish county ; and on the lower Snoqualmie river ; all of which are enterprises of considerable size and still owned and managed by their founder. The main- tenance of these camps means much to the different communities in which they are situated and to the hundreds of mill employes who are engaged in transforming the raw product into lumber, shingles and lath. As a pioneer of Everett. Mr. Angevine

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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 166

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