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 73
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 73
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 73
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 73
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Fort and Fort Blakely and did efficient serv- ices as a soldier until mustered out at Selma, Alabama, in January, 1866, having been in the ranks one year. He then devoted himself to farming in Henderson county, Illinois. In 1874, he came west to Iowa and a second time purchased a farm near Red Oak, which was his home until 1883, when he took the journey west above mentioned. Mr. Brown did serv- ices in various public capacities, having been assessor and justice of the peace in Iowa, and in 1894, was elected treasurer in Lincoln coun- ty. He is a man of good ability and unques- tioned integrity and has won the esteem and respect of all who know him. Mr. Brown has the following brothers and sisters, Morgan D., Thomas V., Harmon P., Mrs. Mary McMillen, Mrs. Elizabeth Dobbin, Mrs. Lavina J. Weaver.
On October 28, 1868, at Olena, Illinois, Mr. Brown married Miss Adaline W. Starling and to them five children have been born; Mrs. Minnie E. Misner of Sprague; Mrs. Nettie K. McDonald of Medical Lake; Arthur C. at- tending college at Pullman; Zaida A .; and Spencer A. at home. Mrs. Brown was born in Greene county, Indiana, on August 17, 1850. When small, she went with her parents to Ohio, remaining about nine years. Then they re- moved back to Indiana, where the mother died, when this daughter was fourteen years of age. Then she went to live with her sister, Mrs. Mary Starling. In September, 1865, she came with her brother to Olena, Illinois, and there she married Mr. Brown, as stated above. Mrs. Brown's father, Israel Starling, was of Scotch ancestry and a relative of Lord Sterling, the name being changed when they came to Amer- ica. He died at Harrison, Ohio, in 1853. The mother, Cinderella Sultzer, was born in Vir- ginia, on March 6, 1800, and when quite small, came with her father, Dr. Sultzer, to Ken- tucky, where he took a homestead. the mouth of the famous Mammoth cave being on the claim. She removed thence to Ohio, in 18.45. and was married three time during her life. She was a relative of Abraham Lincoln. In 1865 her death occurred, the day being in February. Mrs. Brown has one half brother, William Smith, of Red Oak, Iowa. and one sister. Mrs. Sadie Sharpnack, of Wilbur, this county.
Mr. Brown assisted to organize the first
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school district and the first Methodist church on Rock creek, and has always been enterpris- ing and active in furthering the interest of the community.
JOHN A. LEVEL, deputy sheriff of Lin- coln county, and residing at Davenport, the county seat, was born in Iowa county, Wiscon- sin, June 5, 1856. His parents were James and Susan (Garrison) Level. The father, a native of Cambridgeshire, England, came to the United States when he was twelve years of age, accompanied by his parents. They located near Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and during the Civil War the father served in Company C, Thirty- first Wisconsin Infantry. He was with the army two years and eight months, being wounded in battle and returned home. He died at Randolph, Nebraska, August 3. 1903. The mother died when our subject was five years old.
John A. Level was reared, principally, in Wisconsin, and at the age of twenty-two he faced the world for himself. In 1878 he was in Colorado, thence going to the Puget Sound country, and subsequently to the Willamette valley. He was at The Dalles, Oregon, through the summer of 1879. and the same fall he went to Walla Walla, Washington. In February, 1880, he began working for the Northern Pacific Railway Company, with which he con- tinued four years. The fall of that year he filed on a homestead seven miles northeast of Davenport, and during the intervening six years between 1884 and 1890 he was engaged successfully in farming. Disposing of his prop- erty he removed to Davenport, but subsequently purchased other lands six miles from the city limits, which he cultivated until 1894. In 1896 Mr. Level became city marshal of Davenport, serving two years. Afterward he filled the office of deputy sheriff, did teaming, conducted a threshing machine and engaged in other em- ployments. January 12. 1903 he was appointed deputy sheriff and disposed of his threshing outfit. He owns a substantial home residence in Davenport. Our subject has four half brothers, James W .. Leonard A .. Jonas and Jo- seph, and one full sister. Sarah, wife of Daniel Donnahue, a farmer living near Davenport. His half sisters are Alice, wife of James Wag- goner; Edith, wife of Luther Kriss; Annie.
wife of George Creighton; and Helen, who is single and resides at home with her mother, the step-mother of our subject.
October 28, 1882, near Rathdrum, Idaho, Mr. Level was married to Ella Quinn, born at Grinnell, Iowa, September 2, 1865. Her fa- ther, Peter Quinn, was a native of Ireland ; the mother, Delia (Munroe) Quinn, a native of Canada, now residing in Spokane. Mrs. Level has five brothers, John, William, Peter, Ed- ward and Frank. She is the mother of four children, Minnie, a teacher, and a graduate of the Davenport high school; Anna, John and Edward, living at home. Mr. Level is a mem- ber of the I. O. O. F., A. O. U. W., M. W. A .. K. O. T. M., and the A. F. & A. M., all of Davenport. He is a Republican, and has been, a member of the city council and is now presi- dent of the school board.
JOHN P. M.ARTIN, one of the commis- sioners of Lincoln county, well and favorably known to a large circle of acquaintances, re- sides four miles north and east of Sherman. He was born in Mower county, Minnesota, January 1, 1863. His parents, Peter and An- nie (Anderson ) Martin, were born in Norway. the father coming to the United States in the early 'fifties. He now resides near Sherman, cultivating four hundred acres of land. The mother, who was married in Norway, came to this country with her husband, and died in Minnesota in 1872.
Minnesota was the field of our subject's youthful exploits, where he remained until he was twenty-five years of age, attending school and working on a farm. At that age he mar- ried and removed to Washington, locating on the property where he at present resides. He cultivates four hundred and eighty acres, mainly devoted to wheat. He has two brothers. An- drew and Martin, who are prosperous Minne- sota farmers. His sister, Mary. is the wife of C. Jorgenson, a Mower county, Minnesota, farmer. He has three half brothers. Albert, Henry, and Emil, boys living at home with their parents, and three half sisters, Clara, wife of Julius Nordby, a Douglas county farmer and stock raiser : Petra, wife of Newton Spiegel, of Wilbur, Washington; and Lizzie, living at home.
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Mr. Martin was married, in Mower county, Minnesota, March 2, 1888, to Mary Bergeson, daughter of John and Annie (Jorgenson) Bergeson, both natives of Norway. They now live in Freeborn county, Minnesota. Mrs. Mar- tin has one brother, Elmer, and several sisters.
Politically, Mr. Martin is a Republican, and has taken as active an interest in party issues as his business would permit. In 1902 he was elected county commissioner, running ahead of his ticket and polling the second heaviest vote in the county. He has served as delegate to county conventions. Fraternally, he is a member of Tuscan Lodge, No. 81, A. F. & A. M., Wilbur, Washington, and the A. O. U. W .. of Wilbur. He is a popular, influential, and progressive citizen of Lincoln county, and one whose business sagacity and sterling hon- esty have won the confidence of all.
SIDNEY G. NOBLE, assessor of Lincoln county, Washington, is at present in Daven- port, though his residence is on Indian creek. October 22, 1863, his birth occurred at Fair- field, Iowa, he being the son of Christian E. and Zilpha K. ( Reese) Noble, natives of Penn- sylvania. The father and mother are of Ger- man extraction, and were pioneers in Jefferson county, being the fourth farmers to settle in that vicinity. The father has lived there about sixty years. The mother was called from earth, March 10, 1886.
Having been reared and educated in Iowa until the age of sixteen years our subject, Sid- ney G. Noble, removed to Colorado, where he engaged in railroad work and other. employ- ments, rode the range and was foreman on a sheep ranch. After three years passed in Col- orado he returned home, remaining, however, but eight days, and going thence to San Fran- cisco and Seattle. Within a short time he went to the Yakima country and thence to Walla Walla, Washington. April 1. 1885, Mr. Noble came to Davenport, Lincoln county. His first employment was with Charles C. May. He then filed on a preemption and found employ- ment in various occupations. Returning to Walla Walla he spent a few months in that vicinity, and came back to Lincoln county and filed on a homestead which he cultivated suc- cessfully sixteen years. He engaged in the
saw mill business and also in placer mining, at Hellgate, in Ferry county. November 4. 1902 he was elected to his present office, as a Republican, receiving a majority of ninety-nine votes, and running ahead of his ticket. Since then he has leased his mining property to Judge Neal and E. D. Reiter. Mr. Noble has one brother and two sisters, Artemas O., of New London, Iowa, editor and proprietor of the Farmer Times; Laura, wife of John Smeaton, Fairfield, Iowa; and Mrs. Lillian Oswalt, of lowa.
March 11, 1891. at Indian creek, Lincoln county, our subject was married to Pearl G. Webb. Mrs. Noble has one brother, William, daughter of Hector and Mary ( Baldwin) Webb. Mrs. Noble has one brother. William, who conducts a lodging house in Spokane. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Noble, Christian E., aged eleven, and Hazel M., five years of age. Fraternally, our subject is a mem- ber of the W. W. of Davenport, the Fraternal Army of America, the Royal Highlanders, of which he has been illustrious protector since its organization, the last two of Peach. He is a Republican and has been a delegate to county conventions, but never very active in politics.
On April 20, 1900, Mr. Noble had the mis- fortune to lose his left hand in the planer at his saw mill. The entire hand, except the thumb was severed.
ISAAC J. MINNICK, treasurer of Lin- coln county, was born in Missouri, June 18, 1856, and is now residing at Davenport. He is the son of Henry and Elizabeth ( Williams) Minnick, both natives of Tennessee and both descended from old and prominent Virginia families. During the Civil War the father served in the union army two years, and died in Kansas in 1869. The mother died in 1892.
In the "Sunflower State" our subject was reared and educated, the entire time of his study being eighteen months in the district schools, his parents having removed there when he was ten years of age. At the age of fourteen he began the world for himself in the same sec- tion of the country, working in various lines of employment. He came to Washington in 1885 and filed on a homestead in the northeast portion of Lincoln county. This land he suc- cessfully cultivated nine years, and was then
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appointed deputy county treasurer, residing at Sprague. In 1895 Mr. Minnick came to Day- enport, at the time of the removal of the county seat. In 1900 he was elected county treasurer on the Democratic ticket, running ahead of the same three hundred and seventy-nine votes.
Our subject has four brothers and three sisters; William, a Lincoln county farmer ; John and Charles, following the same avoca- tion in Kansas : James, engaged in the grocery business in Kansas City, Missouri; Martha, wife of J. W. Huges: Sarah, wife of Will- iam Maulding: and Mary, wife of Clayburn Fussman, a merchant in Arkansas.
March 8, 1883, at Centropolis, Kansas, Mr. Minnick was united in marriage to Myra Hop- kins, a native of Indiana, and the daughter of Albert and Margaret (Caldwell) Hopkins, both of Kentucky. They at present reside in St. Louis, where the father is retired from active business pursuits. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Minnick, Mabel and Gertrude, both living at home. Fraternally, our subject is a member of the A. O. U. W., W. W .. K. O. T. M. and A. F. & A. M. Our sub- ject, his estimable wife, and his daughters are members of the Christian church. Mr. Min- nick is a popular gentleman, widely known throughout eastern Washington, and highly es- teemed by all.
JOHN J. INKSTER, sheriff of Lincoln county, residing at Davenport, was born in Scotland, August 14. 1859, the son of St. Clair, and Margaret (Anderson) Inkster, na- tives of Scotland. With his parents John J. Inkster came to the United States when he was four years of age, his father following the avo- cations of a farmer, carpenter and ship car- penter, and with whom our subject worked. Until the age of twenty-two he remained in Illinois, and attended district school, a com- mercial college, and Grand Prairie Seminary at Onarga, Illinois. From the latter educational institution he was graduated in June, 1882. and then came west with his parents, locating in Spokane county, in what is known as the "Egypt" country, now in Lincoln county, twelve miles north of Davenport, where the father and our subject secured land. Young Inkster worked industriously there until Jan- uary, 1892, when he was in the treasurer's
office of Lincoln county in the capacity of dep- uty where he remained two years. In the campaign of 1894 he was a candidate for treas- urer on the Republican ticket, and was defeated by only twelve votes. He then removed across the international boundary line and was asso- ciated with the Columbia & Kootenai Steam Navigation Company, having charge of the of- fice at Trail. Subsequently he engaged in the customs brokerage business, disposing of the same in September, 1898, and going to Daven- port, Lincoln county, where he engaged in the grain business, the firm being Inkster Brothers & Company. In January, 1899. we find him in the sheriff's office as deputy, and in 1902 he was elected sheriff on the Republican ticket, securing a large majority, and running far ahead of his ticket.
Our subject has two brothers, William P., and George H., residing at Davenport. He is a member of Lincoln Lodge. No. 50, K. of P., of which he is past C. C. and district deputy, and of Davenport Lodge, No. 55, of which he is past master workman and of Acacia Lodge, A. F. & A. M. February 14, 1889, in the "Egypt" country, Mr. Inkster was married to Margaret J. Moore, a native of Ontario, Can- ada. Her father, Thomas R. Moore, was a native of England, and came to Canada with his parents when a young lad. He died in Lincoln county in 1895. Her mother, Mary E. (McDonald) Moore, was born in Scotland and at present resides at Davenport. Mrs. Inkster has four brothers and one sister living. William G., Charles, John T., Hubert A .. and Mary E., wife of Thomas Goodlad. Mr. and Mrs. Inkster have one daughter. Mabel A .. residing at home. Her mother is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Inkster is a popular gentleman, widely known throughout eastern Washington. and highly esteemed by all. In addition to the original homestead which he took, his real es- tate holdings have increased to a total of three hundred and seventy-five acres. His home- stead was taken in 1882.
WARREN W. DOWNIE. clerk of Lin- coln county, was born at Elkader, Iowa, April 9. 1871. His parents were John and Ruth (Williams) Downie, both of whom are de-
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ceased. The father, was a native of Canada, his parents having come from Scotland, and was a farmer and a pioneer of the northeast- ern portion of Iowa. The mother, who was a native of the Empire State, died in Clayton county, Iowa. Her father was a native of Ver- mont and her mother of New York. He was a descendant of the old and prominent Williams family of Revolutionary stock.
Our subject was reared on a farm and at- tended school until he was fifteen years of age. Returning to the farm he remained there until he was twenty. Graduating from the Capital City Business College, of Des Moines, Iowa, he became associated with a grain company in that city in the capacity of a bookkeeper, and was then given a station on the line with which he remained until 1899, when he came to Day- enport, Washington. Here he remained only one month, going thence to Mohler, Wash- ington, for the J. Q. Adams grain company, with whom he continued continuously until he was elected to his present office. This was in 1902. Warren W. Downie has two brothers, Ray H., in Iowa, and John W., on the old homestead in that state, and one sister, Lillie, wife of Samuel D. Burgeson, a farmer living in Illinois.
Politically, our subject is a Republican and he is still unmarried. His fraternal affiliations are with Ariel Lodge, No. 354, I. O. O. F., Churdan, Iowa, of which he is past grand, and Morning Star Lodge, No. 59, A. F. & A. M., Jefferson, Iowa. Popular with all classes re- gardless of fraternal or political affiliations, Mr. Downie is highly esteemed and an influen- tial factor in the community in which he re- sides.
RICHARD G. JONES, who resides about three miles south from Almira, has four sec- tions of land devoted to general farming and stock raising. In addition to this, he owns large bands of cattle and is a very prosperous stock man.
Richard G. Jones was born in Cemmes, . Montgomeryshire, Wales, on April 18, 1849, the son of Evan and Martha Jones, natives of north Wales. In 1870 he came to the United States, settling first in Johnson county, Iowa. Farming occupied him for three years, then he went to Colorado and did both farming and
mining. A year and a half later, he went to Eureka, Nevada, where he gave his attention to prospecting and working in a reduction mill for five years. Thence he journeyed to Arizona and prospected near Signel for a year. After that, he took a trip to his old home place in Wales, both to visit friends and recuperate his health. During the following summer, he re- turned to the United States, locating in Ne- braska. After a short time there, he came to Washington and sought out a home in Lin- coln county on Wilson creek. He has remained on this since, gathering large bands of cattle and accumulating land. Owing to Mr. Jones' wisdom and stamina, he has surmounted every obstacle and has made himself one of the most prosperous men in this part of the county. He has two brothers, Edward C., a farmer in Lin- coln county and John E., a farmer in Wyman, Nebraska.
Mr. Jones was raised under the influence of the Episcopal church but is not a member of any denomination. He has never seen fit to enter the matrimonial relation and still enjoys the blessedness of a bachelor's life.
CHARLES H. NEAL, Superior Court Judge, residing at Davenport, Lincoln county, was born in West Virginia, November 27, 1859, the son of Andrew D. and Malinda ( Newman) Neal. The father was of an old and prominent Virginia family, and for many years followed the vocation of a farmer, and was justice of the peace for thirty consecutive years in the same district. He died at Milton, West Vir- ginia, June 20, 1900. The mother is, also, a native of Virginia, of a family of farmers, and at present resides at Huntington, West Vir- ginia.
Until 1889 Charles H. Neal was reared and educated in West Virginia, graduating from the high school at Milton. He taught school in the vicinity of his home until 1884. during which period he assiduously read law and the same year was admitted to practice. In 1889 he removed to Sprague, Washington, where he continued in the practice of law until 1896, serving as county attorney from 1892 until 1894. In 1896 he was elected superior judge, and is now serving his second term. He came to Davenport at the time the county
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seat was removed from Sprague to that town. Our subject has two brothers and two sisters, John M., a farmer, and George I., a lawyer, both of West Virginia ; Alice E., superintendent of schools for Lincoln county; and Maggie, wife of David Nevelle, a dentist, residing in Huntington, West Virginia.
On December 31, 1891, at Gallipolis, Ohio, Judge Neal was united in marriage to Sadie M. Martin, a native of Ohio. She is the daugh- ter of Pleasant and Ellen Martin, of Virginia, both of whom are dead. Mrs. Neal has five brothers; John, an attorney, of Ironton, Ohio; Marion, a farmer of West Virginia ; Henry N., an attorney of Davenport, Lincoln county ; Emory W. and James A. Martin, Ohio farmers. Mrs. Neal has one sister living, Mattie A., wife of J. M. Whittaker, a teacher and farmer liv- ing at Sprague, Washington. Judge and Mrs. Neal have been called upon to mourn the loss of two children. Their surviving son is Fred T., aged fifteen years.
Politically, Judge Neal is a staunch Demo- crat, and influential in the councils of that party. Fraternally, he is a member of the K. P., W. W., A. O. U. W., all of Davenport. Judge Neal is interested in mining, in Ferry, Stevens and Okanogan counties. Judge Neal is universally loved and respected by all with whom he is thrown into social or business re- lations.
JOHN R. DAVIDSON, farmer and dairy- man, and one of the commissioners of Lincoln county, resides four miles west of Reardan. He was born in Butte county, California, Marchi 18, 1855, the son of Vance L. and Harriet M. ( Pierce ) Davidson. The father was a native of Kentucky, and died in 1882, in Siskiyou county, California. The mother is descended from an old and prominent New York family, in which state she was born. Her husband and father were the first settlers in Savannah, Carroll county, Illi- nois, and Davidson street in that city was named after the father of our sub- ject. Mrs. Harriet M. Davidson now resides in San Francisco, California.
In that state our subject was reared until 1881, receiving the greater portion of his edu- cation in Siskiyou county. With the exception of five years passed in freighting he followed
the business of farming and dairying. In 1881 he came to the state of Washington and he now owns five quarter sections of land, four hundred acres of which are devoted to wheat. He has a band of one hundred head of cattle, mostly graded stock, and a registered Holstein bull. At the Lincoln county fair, in 1901 he captured the first prize with this animal, but he has since sold him. Three cows, of which he was the owner, took first, second and third prizes.
Mr. Davidson has two brothers, George A. and Dow L., the former in charge of his broth- er's dairy, and the latter a gardner and farmer in California. He has six sisters living : Mary, wife of Edward E. Price; Almira, widow of Robert O'Neil; Jeanette, wife of Martin Parker; Sila, wife of Jackson Bean; Carrie, wife of James Fletcher; and Olive, wife of B. S. Ward.
July 26, 1882, in Siskiyou county, Cali- fornia, our subject was married to Susie Cory, a native of Indiana. Her father, Henry C., and mother, Hannah (Eller) Cory, are both dead. Mrs. Davidson has four sisters : Mary, wife of J. H. Walker; Lida, wife of Charles Mote; Elda, wife of James Estes; and Ina, wife of Albert Denny. She has five brothers, Louis, Aaron E., Elsie N., William, and Frank. Mr. and Mrs. Davidson have five children, Harold P., Ralph E., Ernest A., Iva A., and Halsey N., the three latter residing at home. Mr. Davidson is a member of the I. O. O. F., Reardan Lodge, No. 84. For seven years Mrs. Davidson was a school teacher in Siskiyou county. California. At present Mr. Davidson . is, politically, independent. Two years he was an advocate of the principles of the People's party. Previous to that he was a Republican. In 1901 he was elected county commissioner on the Democrat ticket, the Democrats having fused with the members of the People's party. At present Mr. Davidson is residing in Rear- dan, where he purchased a nice home property to which he removed his family.
W. BOLTES TOMPERS resides about a mile south from Tipso, where he devotes his attention to overseeing his large estate of nine hundred and sixty acres. The place is a model wheat farm and all under cultivation. It is
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supplied with first class buildings and all other improvements required in a large estate of this kind. In addition to this, Mr. Tompers has plenty of farm machinery of all kinds and a steam threshing outfit, which he operates every year.
W. Boltes Tompers was born in Germany, on September 12, 1849, the son of Theodore and Rosie ( Ackerman) Tompers, natives of Germany. The father brought his family to America in 1857 and settled in Wisconsin. Later, he moved to Minnesota, where he died in 1900. The mother died in 1878. Our sub- ject was educated in the district schools of Minnesota and also learned the arts of the me- chanical engineer, being very skilful in this line. He was more or less on his father's farm until twenty-seven years of age, he then took a trip to the coast, being well suited with the country. In 1884 he moved to Puget sound, where he was engaged in building a saw mill, for one year. He then went to Portland, and in 1886, was sent to Dayton, Washington by the Minnesota Chief Threshing Machine Company as an ex- pert to operate their machines. Two years later. he came to Wilbur and built a mill north of Creston. Subsequently, he put in a planing mill at Wilbur and ran a lumber yard for a while. While Mr. Tompers was in the planing mill, he had the great misfortune to lose his right arm, which incapacitated him for active labor for two whole years. Then in 1891, Mr. Tompers took a position as engineer in the Columbia River Milling Company at Wilbur where he served five years. In 1897, he bought some of the land where he now lives and since then has added by purchase until he has a sec- tion and one-half. Since 1897, he has given his attention largely to the oversight of his farm. He started in the world with nothing and in 1891, found himself $2,000 in debt, while today he is one of the wealthy men of Lincoln county, having gained the entire hold- ing as the result of his careful labors and wis- dom.
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