USA > Washington > Lincoln County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 1 > Part 64
USA > Washington > Adams County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 1 > Part 64
USA > Washington > Douglas County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 1 > Part 64
USA > Washington > Franklin County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 1 > Part 64
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On February 16, 1896, occurred the mar- riage of Mr. Stevenson to Emma Tramm, a native of Wisconsin, daughter of Peter and Mary Tramm, a sketch of whose lives is to be found elsewhere in this volume. This union has been blessed by three children, Irene Ethel, Wallace G., and Herbert Franklin.
Mr. Stevenson is a Democrat politically, and has held for a number of years the office of county commissioner of Lincoln county. He is actively and prominently identified with the Maccabees, the Rebekahs and is past noble grand of Reardan lodge, I. O. O. F.
He is a man of integrity and of the highest standing, business, social and political, wher- ever he has been known.
CHARLES H. LITTELL. Among the settlers of the log cabin period of Lincoln coun- ty, were Charles H. Littell, wife and family. who, together with Mrs. Littell's parents, came across the plains from Missouri, in the summer of 1881. Mr. Littell was born in Michigan, February 10, 1857. His father, Aaron Littell, a man of French descent, was a native of New Jersey, who made his home successively in Michigan, and in Buffalo county, Wisconsin, at which latter place he died. His mother, Mary (Brown) Littell, also a native of New Jersey, died in Emmet county, Iowa.
Our subject was the youngest of nine chil- dren. With his parents he went from the state of his birth to Wisconsin. After his father's (leath, in 1865. the family emigrated to Iowa. thence to Atchison county, Missouri, where Mr. Littell was married, March 9, 1879, to Arminda Brink, a native of McDonough county, Illinois. Her father. Thomas Brink, also was a native of McDonough county; her mother, Mary (Bolan) Brink, was born in Ohio.
As has been stated, Mr. and Mrs. Brink ac- companied their daughter to the vicinity of Mondovi, where they made their home and where both died, Mrs. Brink December 31. 1900, aged sixty-four, and Mr. Brink seventeen days later, aged sixty-seven. They had eleven children, seven of whom are living. Mrs. Brink's brother, Andrew Bolan, was well known in this section as being Indian agent on the Yakima reservation, and was murdered by the Indians in the early history of the state.
Mr. Littell first settled on a place five miles out from Mondovi, where he lived nineteen years, then removed to the present home of the family, seven and a half miles northeast of Mon- dovi. Here he has three hundred and twenty acres of land, well improved and stocked with carefully bred horses, cattle and swine.
Mr. and Mrs. Littell have been parents of six children : Pearl MI., wife of Oliver Plews, in Deer Park ; Gilbert C. ; Myrtle G., wife of War- ren Owen ; Charles MI., deceased ; William MI., deceased ; and Ray M.
Mr. Littell was reared on a farm: never- theless he succeeded in acquiring a good com- mon school education, as did also his wife. They are devout Christians, holding membership in the United Brethren church, and are known throughout a wide circle of acquaintances for their many good qualities, and correctness of living. They have in past years had a hard struggle for a livelihood, and have had prob- ably more than their just share of adversity. but are now prosperous and able to live in hap- piness and comfort.
CHRISTOPHER HUGHES came to the Big Bend in July, 1884, having at that time very limited means, and settled on a farm seven miles north and one east of Mondovi. His holdings in land now include three hundred and twenty acres of land, the greater part of which is tillable and in cultivation. His farm is well equipped with implements, buildings, live-stock, and so forth, and he has a good spring of water besides an excellent well and windmill.
Mr. Hughes is of Scotch-Irish descent. his father, Patrick, who is now dead. having been a native of Ireland, and his mother, Christine ( Stirtom ) Hughes, having been born in Scot- land. She died in Tacoma in 1902, in her
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eighty-fourth year. Mr. Hughes was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, August 10, 1852. His brothers and sisters are: John, James and Henry, all of Stevens county; Mrs. Genett Truckey, of Bay City, Michigan; Annie and Margaret Taber, both of Tacoma, Washing- ton.
Mr. Hughes came to Manistee, Michigan, in 1871, where he was engaged in lumbering until coming to his present home. He has never married. He is in a prosperous condition, and a man of many friends among his neighbors.
JAMES M. WARREN, a retired merchant and farmer of Reardan, was born October 12, 1843, in Sullivan county, Missouri. His fa- ther, Henry Warren, a native of North Caro- lina, was an early settler in Sullivan county, where he lived until 1883. During that year he started on a visit to a son, W. B., who lived in Lincoln county, Washington, and while aboard a steamer bound for Portland from San Fran- cisco he died, aged about sixty years. Mr. War- ren's mother was Nancy (Smith) Warren, born in Indiana, who came west with her husband, after whose death she lived in this county un- til she died in 1901, aged eighty-two years. Mr. Warren's brother, mentioned above in this sketch, was an early pioneer in this vicinity, and now makes his home in California. They have one sister, Mrs. Mandanie Lyle, of Reardan.
Mr. Warren spent his boyhood on a farm in his native county, where he also followed milling to some extent. He enlisted in Com- pany C, First Missouri State Militia, serving three years during the Civil War, the greater portion of which time was spent in fighting bushwhackers along the border. He was en- gaged in many skirmishes and brushes with the enemy, and endured all the hardships of the border warrior before being honorably dis- charged from service on April 26, 1865. He is now a prominent member of the C. W. H. Bentley post, G. A. R., of Reardan.
After the war he returned home and again applied himself to the business of farming un- til 1884. In the meantime, in 1870, he had come to San Francisco, thence to Walla Walla, where he stayed eighteen months then returned to Missouri. In March, 1884, he came to Rear- dan and purchased land. He also went into the
sawmill business, having shipped his mill from Missouri, and in partnership with his brother ran the mill for about five years, when he con- fined his attention to farming his land. In the fall of 1889 with his son, Charles S., he went into the general merchandise business under the firm name of J. M. Warren & Son. They start- ed with a small stock, which ultimately grew into a large modern department store, when, in 1903, the firm sold out, and the senior member thereof retired from active business. He now owns two good farms of one hundred and sixty acres each, near Reardan, fifty lots in town, a business block, a warehouse, a handsome cot- tage where he lives, and two tenement houses. He is also a shareholder in the Reardan Land & Investment company, which owns seven sec- tions in Yakima county.
Mr. Warren was married, December 10, 1863, in his native state, to Susan Nunn, daugh- ter of Matthew and Anna C. Nunn. She has one brother, George M., near Reardan. To this union have been born four children; Charles S .; Benjamin F., married to Stella Davis, at Kennewick; Mary E., wife of Sherman Bent- ley, near Reardan ; and Lew L., married to Min- nie Byrd, of Reardan.
Mr. Warren is a charter member and past grand of the Reardan Lodge, I. O. O. F., and of the Rebekah fraternity of his city.
Our subject has been a successful business man since coming to this state, and one whose influence has been sensibly felt in the develop- ment and growth of his city.
JOHN D. THORNBRUE, largely inter- ested in mining in Stevens county, came to Lin- coln county with his parents in 1880, after a long journey, consuming four months, across the plains from Osage county, Kansas. After coming here he farmed and worked at the saw- yer's trade in neighboring sawmills, until four years ago when he became interested in the Josie and other mines, since which time he has given these interests his undivided attention.
Mr. Thornbrue was born in Bremer county, Iowa, September 19, 1858. His parents were Joseph and Julia Thornbrue, whose lives are sketched elsewhere in this volume. His mar- ried life extends back to January 1, 1887, when Ida A. Avenell, a native of Missouri, became
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HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
his wife. Her father, William Avenell, was of English birth. He did his adopted country valuable service as a soldier during the Mexican and Civil Wars; in the latter conflict he was a participant in the notable battles of Gettysburg, Bull Run, and Shiloh, besides many lesser bat- tles and skirmishes. Mrs. Thornbrue's mother was Elizabeth Avenell.
To Mr. and Mrs. Thornbrue have been born four children, Guy O., Raymond D., Harry W., and Lorel.
The family lives on the farm of Mr. Thorn- brue's mother, seven miles north and one east of the town of Mondovi, and he is in every re- spect comfortably situated, and held in high es- teem.
HARRISON A. DENNEY, of the firm of Lutzhoft & Denney, is a prominent hardware and implement merchant of Reardan. He was born in Kane county, Illinois, August 20, 1837. His father was Major Denney, a native of New York and an early pioneer of Kane county, Illi- nois. He came to that state and took a farm forty-five miles from Chicago, that city then being a mere hamlet containing only a few houses, and the Indians practically held sway throughout the country. He lived on this farm until his death in 1888. Mr. Denney's mother was Catherine ( Millet) Denney, also a native of New York. Her father, Abraham Millet, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. The brothers and sisters of Mr. Denney are: Major M. and Loren, Lincoln county ; Mervin W. and Charles, Medical Lake; Mrs. Cornelia M. God- frey, Kendall county, Illinois; Mrs. Ida M. Davis, Kane county, Illinois; and Mrs. Emma J. Gamet, of Chicago. Our subject is the fourth in point of age in the family, and grew to manhood on the old homestead. On account of the newness of the country he was compelled to travel a great distance to attend school in a primitive log cabin, but by attending when pos- sible and by applying himself to his studies at home, he managed to acquire a good liberal edu- cation. As a young man he learned the black- smith's and carpenter's trades, at which he has worked at different intervals during his life. His father had a farm in Bremer county, Iowa, which Harrison took charge of and managed until the death of his father. He was married two years previously, August 20, to Eunice M.
Denney, a native of Bremer county, and daugh- ter, of William and Mary J. (Kern ) Denney. Her father was a native of Indiana, and an carly pioneer of Bremer county.
In the spring of 1888 Mr. and Mrs. Denney came to Spokane, Washington, where Mr. Denney worked at carpentering, and later re- moved to Medical Lake and engaged in the farm implement business. In 1891 he bought some railroad land two miles south of Reardan, to which he has added until he now has three hundred and twenty acres of tillable grain land, with good buildings and improvements. He has a handsome home in the town of Reardan, and a good profitable business. The firm car- ries a complete line of hardware, stoves, imple- ments, and so forth, and is widely known for its up-to-date and fair business dealings.
Mr. and Mrs. Denney have been parents of three children : Myrtle A., wife of John Ruther- ford, near Reardan, in Spokane county; Ida M .; and Genevieve Il.
Our subject came to this country with quite scanty means, but is now comfortably situated financially, and is satisfied and contented in his location. He is a man who has traveled exten- sively, and has seen much of the world, but in his opinion the country in which he has cast his fortunes is the best he has seen, all things considered, and he intends to end his days liere.
JOHN C. BYERS, a retired farmer, lives one and one fourth miles north of Mondovi. He was born in Carroll county, Illinois. July 13. 1855, and is of Scotch ancestry. His father, David Byers, was born in Blair county, Penn- sylvania, and was one of the early settlers in Carroll county, Illinois, coming there in 1827. He lived there until his death in 1883, being then seventy years of age. The subject's mother was Susan (Cowen ) Byers, of German- Scotch descent, also a native of Blair county, and she died in her fifty-ninth year in Carroll county, Illinois. Besides the subject of this sketch, the family consisted originally of the following brothers and one sister : George C., of Carroll county, who is quite a prominent stock speculator on the Chicago Board of Trade; David C., a retired farmer in Carroll county ; Edward C., deceased; and Mary A., also dead.
John C. Byers was reared on a farm and re-
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ceived a good common school education. In 1877 he came to Sacramento, California, and divided his time between that state, Illinois and Oregon from that year until 1880, when he came to Medical Lake, Washington. In the spring of 1881 he went out with a surveying corps on the line of the N. P. railroad, and un- til 1884 he followed surveying and bridge build- ing for this road, then came to his present home- stead. He came here with limited means, and went to work with a will to improve and bet- ter liis condition.
John C. Byers was married, December 25. 1887, to Lydia A. Forney, whom he knew as a child in Carroll county, where she was born. Her parents, Samuel and Sabina (Teeter) For- ney, are both living in Springdale, Washington. Mrs. Byers died, May 17, 1892.
Mr. Byers took his homestead of raw land and converted it into one of the select farms of the Big Bend ; and to it he has added land un- til he now owns in all six hundred and forty- four acres, most of which is good grain land. He is a well-to-do man and an exemplary citi- zen.
He is a member of the K. P., Lincoln lodge. No. 50, of Davenport.
JOHN D. WHITNEY. A direct descend -. ant of John Whitney, who came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, John D. Whitney was born June 12, 1850, in Pekin, New York, and is now a prom- inent farmer residing four and one-half miles east of Davenport.
His father and mother, both dead, were Jar- vis and Mary C. Whitney. He has three broth- ers and one sister : Mark J., Fresno, California ; William, of Iowa ; Franklin, of Minneapolis, and Mrs. Mary J. Michael, living in Lincoln county.
As a child, Mr. Whitney accompanied his parents to Illinois, and at the age of fourteen left home and when sixteen went to Wiscon- sin. The gold excitement led him to attempt a journey into the Black Hills country, but being taken ill he was forced to abandon the adventure at Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he remained through a long and serious illness. He wandered about from place to place until the fall of 1878, when he came to where Pull- man now stands, and in June of the following
year came to his present location, and filed on one of the first homesteads to be taken in this country. He is the oldest settler here, having come to his present home over twenty-five years ago.
He was married, February 20, 1886, to Angeline Woodin, the adopted daughter of Julius D. and Helen Woodin. By this marriage two children have been born, Ralph D. and Helen M. Mrs. Whitney died November 28, 1892. Ever since coming here Mr. Whitney has been successfully engaged in farming. He took his land wild and has added to and im- proved it until he now has three hundred and twenty acres of well improved and thoroughly cultivated ground, with a good house, barn, orchard, etc .. upon which he makes a specialty of raising grain.
Mr. Whitney is a member of the K. P. fraternity of Davenport.
JAMES F. FORNEY, a farmer and grain buyer whose one hundred and seventy-five acre farm adjoins the town of Mondovi, Washing- ton, was born in Illinois, February 9, 1869. He is the son of Samuel and Sabina (Teeter) Forney, the former a native of Illinois, and both now living at Springdale, Stevens county. Washington. He is the oldest son of a family of twelve children, nine of whom are living. His brothers and sisters are : Elmer and John, at Springdale; Mrs. Nettie Flory, of Yakima; Mrs. Nora Gibson, of Spokane; Mrs. Stella Lytton, Springdale; Alta and Cora, who are at home. Those who are now dead were, Ira, Mrs. Lydia Byers and Myrtle.
As a child James Forney went with his pa- rents to Falls City, Nebraska, then in 1877 to a farm near Salem, Oregon, by way of San Francisco, where he lived until coming to Mon- dovi with his parents in 1883. His father took a homestead and was among the earlier pioneers of the vicinity. James received such education as the district schools of his time afforded. and in 1894 commenced farming for himself. For the past seven years he has been buying grain for the Washington Grain & Milling Company at Mondovi.
He was married December 10, 1896, to Eva D. Wilson, a native of Noble county, Indi- ana, and a successful school teacher who taught
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HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
the first school in the new Mondovi district. Her father and mother are Ira and Mary ( Matthews) Wilson, both living in Mondovi. They came to Dixon county, Nebraska, in 1880, and to their present home in 1889.
Mr. and Mrs. Forney have one child, a little girl, Rita, born April 30, 1903.
Both are prominent and active members of the United Brethren church, Mr. Forney being the superintendent of the Union Sunday school at Mondovi. He is one of the energetic and representative men of his locality.
FRANK SPRINKLE lives with his fam- ily on a farm four miles north of Mondovi. He was born January 1, 1858, in Wapello, Louisa county, Iowa, and was the son of John and Mary Sprinkle, both natives of Virginia. They were among the first settlers in Iowa, and ard both living where first they settled in the state, about eighty-six and seventy-five years old. respectively. They both are of German' de- scent and come of a long lived family. the father's mother living to the age of ninety- three. They are the parents of nine children, Erasmus M., Germalia M .. our subject, Edwin O., Charles M., Millard M., Calvin C., Mrs. Alice G. Dotson, and Mrs. Emma M. Huff.
Mr. Sprinkle attained to manhood in his native state, and attended the district school. He was married March 20, 1884, to Julia Han- nan, also a native of Louisa county, where she attended the same school as did her husband. Her father, Henry Hannan, was a sturdy pio- neer of Henry county, Iowa, born in Augusta county. Virginia, where he grew to manhood. He walked to Indiana, where he remained a short time, then walked to Henry county. Hle was the eldest of the family, the father of which died while young, and the care of which naturally devolved upon him. Walking back to Indiana he obtained work whereby he earned George H. Betz was married March 8. 1897, to Louisa Kik. a native of South Dakota. the daughter of David and Louisa Kik. Both her parents were natives of Germany, and crossed the plains to California while Mrs. Betz was a child. They came from California to Walla Walla, where the mother died. the father later coming to Rock Creek, Lincoln county, where he was an early pioneer. Mrs. enough to bring his mother to Indiana, then going on foot again to Iowa he earned more money with which to bring the family to him. He kept his mother until her death, which oc- curred in her eighty-second year. He has ever been a hard working man and used to the strenuous life. He is now living in Des Moines county, Iowa, in his eighty-seventh year, and is still as active as many a man a score of years | Betz has two brothers, David and Charles, and
his junior. Mrs. Sprinkle's mother, Anna ( Bowen ) Hannan, was born in Henry county, lowa, and is now living with her husband and is seventy years old. Mrs. Sprinkle has had only one brother, John, and he was accidentally killed recently while hunting. Her sisters are, Addie M. Downer, Delilah Springsteine, Ella Anderson, and Rebecca Walingford.
Mr. and Mrs. Sprinkle have been parents of three children : Blanche, deceased; Mary A. ; and Clinton C .; Mary A. being a teacher in vocal and organ music.
Mr. Sprinkle and family removed to Mer- cer county, Illinois, where they lived five years, then came to Lincoln county, Washington. He arrived in the county, in 1897. with twenty dollars in his purse, but set to work with vigor to improve his land, and now has three hundred and twenty acres of school land under lease, well improved, and with all necessary stock, implements, etc., to carry on the work.
The entire family affiliate with the United Brethren church.
GEORGE H. BETZ is a farmer residing one half mile east of Mondovi. He was born April 11, 1867, in Cass county, Illinois, the son of John H. and Sebilla Betz, a sketch of whose lives, together with those of his brothers and sisters, is incorporated with that of his brother, John W., which appears elsewhere in this his- tory.
Prior to coming west in 1882, the boyhood of George Betz was spent for the most part in the common schools of his native state. He came to Cheney with his parents and attended the Cheney Academy, thus gaining a good work- ing education. He came to Lincoln county in the spring of 1892, and entered a timber cul- ture ; then sold it, and bought the improvements on his present farm, upon which he filed a home- stead right.
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one sister, Mrs. Emma Maurer. Besides these she has one half brother and three half sisters, William, Maimie, Lillie and Anna.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Betz are members of the United Brethren church at Mondovi.
Mr. Betz owns two hundred and forty acres of the best land in the Big Bend, and has it all in the highest state of cultivation, and im- proved in the most modern and elaborate style. Besides having all manner of agricultural im- plements, his buildings and farm furnishings the marvels of neatness and convenience. His house is a modern eight room brick structure, containing in every room hot and cold water piped from a reservoir which is kept supplied by a windmill and pump. Besides furnishing power to pump water, the windmill is employed to run a chop and feed mill, wood saw and emery wheel, and furnishes power for a com- plete blacksmith and repair shop. His barn also is supplied with water from the reservoir. He came to the country practically without means and settled on raw land, improving it to its present state by his own unaided efforts.
GEORGE A. TURNER, a farmer residing four and one half miles east of Davenport, is a member of a family of nine children, six of whom are living. His father, George P. Turner, a native of England, who migrated to the United States while a young man, came to Lincoln county and located with his family on a homestead in 1884. He died on the same place ten years later, aged seventy-three. The sub- ject's mother, in maiden life Sarah J. Dotson, was born in Pennsylvania of English ances- try, and is now living in Davenport in her sixty- third year.
George A. Turner was born in Lucas conn- ty, Iowa, August 29, 1874, and came to his present location with his father. He attended common school until he entered a Spokane business college, from which institution he is a graduate of 1890. Then he took a one year course in the Agricultural college at Pullman. Washington. He now owns a section of land. including the old homestead of his father, most of which is under cultivation and well improved. In addition to this he has forty acres of timber land. He has some highly bred Percheron horses, his stallion winning first prize at the
Lincoln county fair ; he also won the prize for the best suckling colt.
Mr. Turner was married December 5, 1900, to Julia E. Samis, who was born in Iowa, reared in Illinois, and came to Davenport with her parents, R. B. and Betsy Samis, in 1898. Both her parents are living in Lincoln county. Rus- sell Burton Turner, born November 3, 1902, is the only issue of this marriage.
Mr. Turner's brothers and sisters are : Mark E., Arthur H., Elmer F. and Harold C., all of Lincoln county; and Mrs. Addie Mann, of Everett, Washington. Mrs. Laura Rambo, Mrs. Adelle Greene, and Harry are deceased.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Turner are members of the Presbyterian church, and are prominently identified with the social life of their neighbor- hood. Mr. Turner, although commencing busi- ness with little capital, is now one of the well- to-do farmers of the county.
EVAN J. McCLURE, than whom few pioneers have been more closely identified with the history, growth, and development of the northwest, is a westerner by birth, having been born at St. Helena, Napa county. California, February 18, 1860. He now resides on a farm six miles north and one east of Mondovi. in the Big Bend. His father. Robert McClure, was born in the county of Antrim, near Belfast, in the north of Ireland, and came to Amer- ica and Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, at the age of twelve. At the age of twenty-four he sailed by way of the Panama route for Cali- fornia, landing in San Francisco. Here he spent some time in the dairy business and after- ward he was one of the pioneer settlers of Napa county. Mr. McClure's mother was Sarah (Harer) McClure, a native of Arkansas who crossed the plains to California at an early age during the '50's. She met and was married to Mr. McClure, who at the time, and for some time afterward, was a farmer in Napa county. She died four years later at Tehama, California. The family came overland to Canyon City, Oregon, in 1864. remaining there three years. For six years after that Robert McClure freighted out of The Dalles. Then he helped to clear the ground where the city of Tacoma now stands. He was early at the coal mines near
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