USA > Washington > Benton County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II > Part 100
USA > Washington > Kittitas County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II > Part 100
USA > Washington > Yakima County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II > Part 100
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EDWIN WEBER.
The enterprising and intelligently directed efforts of Edwin Weber have trans- formed a tract of twenty acres of wild land into a most productive ranch property, and occupying an attractive new home which he built in 1916, he is continuing the further improvement of his place, which annually produces large crops of fruit and hay. .
Mr. Weber is a native of Illinois. His birth occurred in Dixon on the 6th of March, 1866, his father being Gottlieb Weber. He acquired a public school educa- tion and after his textbooks were put aside began working for wages. Attracted by the opportunities of the northwest, he made his way to the Puget Sound about 1887, when he had attained his majority. He took up government land near Tacoma and later removed to Seattle, where he engaged in the stone and cement business. He afterward established a logging business, which he carried on until 1908, when he re- moved to Grandview and invested in twenty acres of sagebrush land that gave little indication of ever becoming a fertile and productive tract. His labors, however, soon wrought a marked transformation and today he has five acres planted to apples, while the remainder is devoted to the raising of hay and various crops. The ranch is now in excellent condition, giving every evidence of the care and supervision of a progressive owner who, finding joy in his business, puts forth every possible effort to develop his farm and win success in the conduct of his ranch property.
On the 1st of May, 1889, Mr. Weber was united in marriage to Miss Johanna Abrahams, who was born in Germany and came to the United States when sixteen years of age. Their only child, John, died in infancy and they are now rearing an adopted son, Floyd. Mr. Weber holds membership in the Foresters and he gives his political endorsement to the republican party but is not ambitious for office, pre- ferring to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs.
GEORGE W. CLARK.
George W. Clark, who since 1912 has been connected with the plumbing and heating business in Yakima, his interests being organized under the name of the Modern Plumbing & Heating Company, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 20th of February, 1872, a son of George W. and Emma J. (Snyder) Clark, who in 1877 removed westward to Kansas. The father, a plasterer by trade, had taken up his abode at Leavenworth, Kansas, in the '60s but returned to the Keystone state. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served throughout the period of hostili- ties as a member of a Pennsylvania cavalry regiment. On leaving Kansas the second time he came to Tacoma, Washington, about 1888 and the family joined him in that city in 1890 .. Both he and his wife passed away there.
George W. Clark acquired his early education in the schools of Kansas and after the removal to Tacoma learned the plumbing business in that city. He started business on his own account in 1902 under the name of the Modern Plumbing & Heating Company, which he organized in Tacoma, there conducting business for a decade. In 1912, however, he removed to Yakima and opened a plumbing establish- ment at No. 128 North First street, where he conducts a general line of plumbing and heating. His business has steadily grown to gratifying proportions and it is recognized that in point of skill, as well as of enterprise, he is one of the leading plumbers of this section of the state.
Mr. Clark is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He also has membership with the Commercial Club and with the Yakima Valley Business Men's
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Association. His has been an active and useful life and not a little of his success is attributable to the fact that he has always continued in the field of activity in which he is now engaged. Thoroughness has characterized everything that he has undertaken and he has executed some most difficult and important contracts, so that he is now regarded as one of the foremost representatives of industrial activity in Yakima.
LOUIS SCHNEIDER.
Louis Schneider is one of the prominent sheep raisers of his section of Wash- ington. He was born in Germany, April 7, 1869, a son of Adam and Elizabeth Schneider, both of whom have passed away. He was a lad of thirteen and a half years when he came to the United States with his brother John Schneider and set- tled in Illinois, near St. Louis. He afterward went to Kansas, where he worked for wages, and in 1890 he took up his abode in Portland, Oregon. There he again worked for wages and while in that state he took up a homestead claim. In August, 1892, he arrived in Yakima county and for three years engaged in farming on the Moxce. He then turned his attention to the cattle business in Douglas county and afterward spent two years in Yakima, subsequent to which time he lived for a year in the east. On the expiration of that period he again came to Yakima county, where he worked out for two years. Turning his attention to the sheep business, he has since been connected with that industry. His sheep ranch is three miles southeast of Sunnyside and upon the place he raises hay and corn. He feeds sheep there through the winter, his connection with this enterprise being important and extensive.
In December, 1909, Mr. Schneider was married to Mrs. Bertha Scharf, of Yakima, and they have two children, Louise and Harriet. Mr. Schneider belongs to the Lutheran church and his political support is given to the republican party. He does not seek nor desire office, however, preferring to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs. He now resides on a ten-acre fruit farm in the southeastern part of the city of Yakima and has built thereon a fine home, which he now occupies. From this point he supervises his other business interests and the intelligent direction of his activities and investments has made him one of the pros- perous citizens of the district in which he lives.
FRANK BERGQUIST.
During the ten years in which he has made his home in Yakima county, Frank Bergquist has steadily progressed along business lines and is today one of the suc- cessful orchardists of the Selah valley. He was born in Sweden on the 7th of June, 1855, a son of John Peter and Johanna (Michelson) Bergquist. The father is now deceased, but the mother survives and is yet living in Sweden.
In the public schools of his native country, Frank Bergquist pursued his educa- tion and there resided until he reached the age of about twenty-four years, when in June, 1879, he bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed for the United States. For a few weeks he tarried in the east, residing in Pennsylvania, but at the end of that time made his way westward to Chicago, where he continued to live for almost thirty years and during that period was employed by the Pullman Palace Car Company in the capacity of inside finisher, a trade which he had thoroughly mastered in early life, becoming an expert workman. He continued his labors in that connection until 1908, when he determined to try his fortune in the west. He then made his way to Yakima county and invested his earnings in ten acres of land on Selah Heights. Like many others, he took up fruit raising, planting seven and a half acres of his land to apples, pears, peaches, cherries and other fruits, while the remainder of the tract is given over to the raising of hay. In 1914 he built a fine stone residence upon his ranch, has put up large barns and sheds and has every
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facility for the propagation and cultivation of his orchards. An air of neatness and thrift pervades the place and as the years have passed his prosperity has constantly increased as the result of his wisely directed labors.
In 1882 Mr. Bergquist was married to Miss Marie Anderson, a native of Sweden, who had been a schoolmate of his in their childhood and who crossed the Atlantic in 1881, settling in Chicago. They are now parents of two children: Charlotte Amelia, the wife of James Iler, living in Tacoma; and Oscar B., who now resides in California. Forty years have come and gone since Mr. Bergquist determined to leave his native country and seek his fortune in the new world. He has never had occasion to regret this resolution on his part, for he here found the opportunities which he sought and, working steadily along well defined lines, he has in the course of years gained a position among the substantial residents of Yakima county.
OSCAR E. CONAT.
Oscar E. Conat, deceased, was prominently known during the period of his residence in Yakima county as an orchardist and business man of ability. He was born in Rosendale, Wisconsin, January 14, 1858, a son of John and Harriet (Stru- thers) Conat. The father was a native of Canada and the mother of Pennsylvania. They were pioneer settlers of Wisconsin and in 1856 removed to Minnesota. It was upon their return visit to the former state that Oscar E. Conat was born. His parents retained their residence in Minnesota until they were called to their final rest.
Oscar E. Conat obtained a public school education in Minnesota and when nine- teen years of age left home, going to Nevada, where he remained for three years. He then returned to Minnesota, where he lived for a year, and in 1881 he removed to Brown county, South Dakota, where he took up government land and began the arduous task of developing a new farm upon which hitherto not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made. He devoted his energies to the cultivation of that place for twenty-one years, or until 1902, when he came to Yakima county and invested in twenty acres of land on Nob Hill, for which he paid two hundred dollars per acre. Later this property was sold for thirteen hundred and fifty dollars per acre. Mr. and Mrs. Conat resided thereon to the time of his death. Part of the land was planted to fruit and later Mrs. Conat planted the entire tract to fruit. She continued to own the property until July, 1916, when she sold. She then purchased sixty acres near Grandview, upon which she has a fine home and large, substantial barns. She has twenty-three acres of this tract planted to apples and pears and it is a very productive property, her fruit raising interests classing her among the successful orchardists of this part of the state.
On the 18th of November, 1885, Mr. Conat was united in marriage to Miss Emma E. West, who was born in Roscoe, Minnesota, a daughter of Renselaer and Deborah (Austin) West, both of whom were natives of Cayuga county, New York. Her father was a son of John West, a native of the Empire state, who in 1856 took his family to Minnesota, where his remaining days were passed. The father of Mrs. Conat became a prominent farmer of Minnesota and there he and his wife spent their remaining days. The mother of Mrs. Conat was a daughter of David Austin, who was born in New York and with his removal to the west cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. West were married in New York and in 1853 removed to Clayton county, lowa, whence they went to Minnesota in 1856.
To Mr. and Mrs. Conat were born three children, but the firstborn, Harriet, died at the age of eight months. The second daughter, Ada, is the wife of Syl- vester Cornell, who operates her mother's farm. They have become parents of two children, twins, Leon and Lloyd, but the former is deceased. The third mem- ber of the Conat family was Edwin, who died in 1911 at the age of seventeen years.
The family circle was again broken by the hand of death when on the 14th of March, 1907, Mr. Conat passed away. He was a citizen of worth, loyal to the best interests of the community, was a faithful friend and a devoted husband and father. He belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in politics he maintained
OSCAR E. CONAT
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an independent course. His sterling worth was widely recognized by all who knew him and the circle of his friends constantly grew as the circle of his acquaintance broadened. Prospering in his business affairs, he left the family a comfortable competence and also left to them the priceless heritage of an untarnished name.
ELMER B. MARKS.
Among the younger successful agriculturists near Yakima is Elmer B. Marks, who has attained a foremost position among the stock raisers of his district, his activities being particularly associated with Holstein cattle. Along this line he has been very successful, having carefully studied the subject, and thereby he has not only acquired individual prosperity but has greatly furthered the status of cattle raising in his neighborhood. A western man by birth, Mr. Marks has always dis- played that western spirit of enterprise so characteristic of the native sons. He was born in Linn county, Oregon, September 18, 1870, and is a son of John P. and Ellen (Williams) Marks, middle-western people, the father born in Kentucky and the mother in Illinois. John P. Marks comes of a family that has been connected with the earliest pioneer times of the west and the name of Marks has therefore been closely associated with the history of development here. He was of Scotch descent and a son of Bluford Marks, who in 1854 crossed the plains and located in Polk county, Oregon, where he ranched until his death. John P. Marks, the father, was married in that state and in 1870 removed to the Puget Sound. The year 1871 marked his arrival in what is now Yakima county, his being the second wagon to cross the Snoqualmie pass. He took up government land on the Ahtanum and was . the first school superintendent of Yakima county, serving for two terms. That this office not only required an energetic man of rare foresight, tact and a thorough ap- preciation of the value of education but also a man of physical endurance is evident from the fact that the county at that time was one hundred and thirty miles long and that he many times had to cover it on horseback in order to inspect the schools. Upon his land he entered into the cattle business and also followed general farming, being as highly respected on account of the qualities which he displayed in his private affairs as he was in public life. All who knew him spoke of him in the high- est terms and his work was indeed a force in the development and upbuilding of the county along material as well as intellectual lines. He was thoroughly acquainted with the history of development in his district from early frontier days to the pres- ent stage of development and knew many of the famous frontier characters of the early days. Both he and his wife were devoted members of the Congregational church, in the work of which they were ever helpfully interested; in fact, he was in- strumental in having erected the second Congregational church in the valley. Until 1892 he followed the republican standard in politics but then joined the people's party and later became a democrat. He died in 1915, having for twenty-four years survived his wife, who passed away in 1891. She was a daughter of Charles Austin Williams, a native of Illinois, who in 1845 removed to Oregon as one of the earliest pioneers, crossing the plains in the primitive style of those days. Many were the dangers and hardships which beset him on the trip but all of these were overcome and he settled in Linn county, Oregon, where he took up a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres. When the gold discoveries occurred in California he fol- lowed the general trend and moved southward to that state, where he was engaged in mining the precious metal, later returning to his Oregon home. He went through all of the pioneer experiences of that period and thus was connected with Oregon and the west from the earliest date of the white man's history.
Elmer B. Marks was reared under the parental roof, having been brought to Yakima county when but a year old. Here he received his first lessons in life under the guidance of his good parents, acquiring his education in the schools of the neigh- borhood. He subsequently took a business course at Walla Walla in order to better prepare himself for life's arduous duties and then assisted his father with the ranch work until twenty-six years of age, when, in 1896, he leased land from his father and with his brother, Charles A. Marks, entered the live stock business on his own
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account. The latter retired from the firm in 1904, since which time he has lived re- tired in California. Elmer B. Marks continued in the general cattle business until 1910, in which year he established himself exclusively in the pure-bred Holstein busi- ness. Specializing along this line, he has become very successful and is today recog- nized as one of the foremost breeders of pure Holsteins in the state. He has over one hundred head of pure bred cattle and at many state fairs has taken first prize, in fact in 1914 his herd took practically all state prizes at Washington and Oregon state fairs. Mr. Marks now has a valuable ranch of two hundred and eighty acres, which is the evidence of his western enterprise, energy and foresight. He has ever carefully studied soil and climatic conditions, and employing progressive methods, has made this one of the most valuable farm properties in the county. He has an excellent home, good outbuildings, silos and modern machinery and equipment, all of which denote his up-to-date ideas.
On the 3d of May, 1899, Mr. Marks was united in marriage to Miss Myrtle E. Morrison, a native of Yakima and a daughter of James W. and Mattie (Good) Mor- rison, natives of Illinois and Tennessee respectively. They crossed the plains in 1876 to Oregon, in which state they remained until 1880, when the parents took up their residence in Yakima county, the father successfully following ranching here, and here he subsequently passed away. His widow survives and is yet residing in Yakima. To Mr. and Mrs. Marks have been born two children, John and Gladys, both attending high school. The family are highly respected in their neighborhood and both Mr. and Mrs. Marks occupy a prominent place among the best families of their section of the state. They have qualities of character which endear them to all and many are the friends who partake of their hospitality at their pleasant farm home.
Fraternally Mr. Marks stands high in the Masonic order, being a member of Yakima Lodge No. 24, F. & A. M., and he also belongs to the Royal Arch Chapter. He is an ex-president and at present the secretary and treasurer of the Washington Holstein Breeders Association and also serves on the board of directors of the Yakima County Holstein Association. Moreover, he is a member of the National Association of Holstein Breeders and is also connected with the Washington Wool Growers Association. Through these connections he not only receives valuable information but at the meetings he also freely recounts his experiences, thus help- ing along one of the important industries of the country. Public-spirited in the best sense of the word, Mr. Marks is ever ready to give of his effort, time and means in order to promote enterprises undertaken on behalf of the public and has in many ways promoted prosperity and mental and moral development in his district. Through the upbuilding of an important stock breeding as well as farming enter- prise he has greatly added to the resources of the state. In his political affiliations he is a democrat but not active along party lines although he is thoroughly informed on the issues of the day. Both he and. his wife are devoted members of the Con- gregational church, in the work of which they are deeply interested and to which they give their financial as well as spiritual support.
GEORGE PRIOR.
An active business life, intelligently directed, brought George Prior to a position among the most prominent sheep men of the Yakima valley. His life record is the story of earnest effort resulting in steady progression. He was born in Sawtry, Eng- land, August 11, 1850, a son of Robert and Charlotte (Holmes) Prior, both of whom have now passed away. The father was a farmer and stock raiser. His parents were of the Quaker faith and the family is a very old one in England.
In the public schools of his native country George Prior acquired his educa- tion and in 1875 he crossed the Atlantic to the new world, establishing his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1882, being there engaged in dealing in horses. He afterward went to Kingston, Missouri, where he took out his citizenship papers. In Missouri he owned a stock ranch, buying and selling fine horses. He introduced the first Clydesdale stallion into that section of Missouri.
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The northwest with its growing opportunities attracted him, however, and in 1894 he made his way to Goldendale, Washington, whence he removed to Yakima in 1896. Here he entered the sheep business, being associated with D. G. Goodman for a few years, but about 1902 he started in the business on his own account, raising sheep on the shares in connection with Mr. Goodman. Later he bought the interest of Mr. Goodman and purchased a large number of fine Hampshire and Lincoln sheep, these being full blooded. He introduced the first full blooded Hampshire sheep into Yakima county. He built up the business until he and his sons now have over twenty thousand head of sheep and they own a large ranch which is devoted to the raising of hay. They lease fifty sections or more of land for grazing purposes and have hecome prominent among the sheep raisers of this section of the country.
Mr. Prior was united in marriage to Miss Mary Sinclair Menzies, a native of Scotland and a daughter of Archie Menzies of that country. The children born of this marriage are as follows: Dr. Robert Prior, Elizabeth, Archie and Clementine. In 1912 Mr. Prior took his wife and two daughters on a visit to England, sailing on the Lusitania, and two years later his wife's sister was drowned while a passenger on the same ship, being a victim of that German kultur which permits the murder of women and children.
The family attend the Presbyterian church. Mr. Prior gives his political alle- giance to the republican party but has never been an office seeker, concentrating his efforts and attention upon his business affairs. He is a member of the Commercial Club and also of the Country Club and is recognized as a leading and influential citi- zen of Yakima, where he has many friends.
JAMES D. MORRISON.
James D. Morrison has spent practically his entire life in the Pacific northwest, having been but three years of age when brought to this section of the country by his parents, A. W. and Alma (Lybyer) Morrison, who were natives of Illinois and of Indiana respectively. The paternal grandfather, James Morrison, was one of the pioneers of Illinois. Crossing the Mississippi, the parents established their home in Missouri, where the father engaged in farming until 1877. He then sought the oppor- tunities of the growing northwest and arrived in Polk county, Oregon, after having made an overland trip. In 1880 he removed to Yakima county and took up govern- ment land near Mabton. In 1888 he established his home on Nob Hill, adjacent to Yakima, and in 1890 removed to Wide Hollow, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land. He then turned his attention to the live stock business and hop raising and was thus engaged in Wide Hollow until 1911, when he retired from active business, selling his farm, and has since made his home in Yakima, enjoying a rest which he has truly earned and richly merits. His wife passed away in 1902. They became the parents of five children: James D., of this review; Gertrude, the wife of V. H. Robinson, a resident of Vancouver, Washington; Roy, deceased; Edith, who married D. D. Stair, of Seattle: and Jessie, the wife of Jack Clayton, also a resident of Seattle.
James D. Morrison was born in Bates county, Missouri, February 12, 1874, and was therefore but three years of age when the family arrived in Oregon. He ac- quired a public school education and was reared to ranch life, early becoming familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. In 1900 he pur- chased sixteen acres in Wide Hollow and developed a ranch, which he sold in 1913. He then purchased ninety-two acres on the Ahtanum and has a good house, sub- stantial barns and other modern improvements upon his place, which indicate his progressive spirit. He raises beef cattle and is also engaged in the cultivation of hay and grain, annually harvesting good crops.
On the 29th of October, 1904, Mr. Morrison was married to Miss Gertrude Mock- ton, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, and to them was born a son, Allen Frank, on the 5th of March, 1906. On September 5, 1914, Mr. Morrison married Olive S. McDowell, daughter of John William and Matilda (Rann) McDowell, the former of whom removed to Oregon in the early days of its history. He was a successful stock
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