History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II, Part 111

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1138

USA > Washington > Benton County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II > Part 111
USA > Washington > Kittitas County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II > Part 111
USA > Washington > Yakima County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II > Part 111

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The parents and children are all members of the Swedish Mission church, and Mr. Tissell gives his political endorsement to the republican party. It was a for- tunate day for him when he decided to cast in his lot with the settlers of the north- west. Here he found opportunities for advancement and steadily he has progressed, winning a substantial prosperity which enables him to enjoy all of the comforts of life in the control of a successful business.

HERMAN CHRISTIAN FROEMKE.

The substantial traits of character displayed by Herman Christian Froemke, gained for him a creditable position in the regard of his fellow citizens in Yakima county, where he took up his abode in 1905 and made his home until his demise. He was born in Germany, December 7, 1856, a son of Gottlieb and Mary Froemke, who brought their family to the United States and established their home in Winona, Wisconsin, where Herman C. Froemke acquired a public school education. Later the family removed to Moorhead, Minnesota, and afterward became residents of Ransom county, North Dakota, where the father followed the occupation of farm- ing until his death. His wife died in Canada.

Herman C. Froemke had the usual advantages and opportunities of the farm- bred boy of that period and locality. He took up farming on his own account in young manhood, being thus engaged near Fargo, North Dakota, while subsequently he returned to the vicinity of Britton, South Dakota. He afterward established his home at Sheldon, North Dakota, and there followed farming until 1905, when he re- moved to Yakima county, Washington. Three years before he had purchased one hundred and ten acres of land on the Tieton but afterward sold a part of it. In 1904 he purchased ten acres three miles west of Yakima and later sold one acre of that tract. His place was arid land covered with sagebrush. With characteristic energy he began its development and improvement, planting it to pears, apples, peaches. cherries, plums and apricots. In the course of time his labors wrought a marked transformation in the appearance of his land. The sagebrush was replaced by well kept orchards bearing large crops. He also engaged in the raising of alfalfa and upon his home ranch he erected a nice residence, substantial barns and outbuildings and made all necessary improvements, converting his place into one of the valuable and attractive properties of the district.

On the 6th of December, 1882, Mr. Froemke was married to Miss Louisa Linse, who was born in Buffalo county, Wisconsin, a daughter of Fred and Anna (Berg) Linse, who were pioneer farming people of Yakima county. To Mr. and Mrs. Froemke were born seven children: Alice, who died in infancy; Fred, who died in 1908 at the age of twenty-five; Rose, the wife of John Broetje, a resident farmer of Yakima county, by whom she has three children: Hairy, who is married and has two children and is also following farming in Yakima county; and Clara, Elmer and Gertrude, all at home.

Like her husband, Mrs. Froemke is of German lineage. Her father was born in Saxony, Germany, and her mother in Hesse. They came to the United States as young people and were married on this side of the Atlantic. In 1902 they re- moved to Yakima county and the father purchased a seven-acre orchard three miles west of Yakima, upon which he now resides, having reached the age of seventy- seven years. His wife, however, passed away in 1911. They had a family of eight children: Louisa, now Mrs. Herman C. Froemke; Sarah, the wife of Herman H. Kuehl, residing at Yakima; Henry, who follows farming on the Tieton; Samuel, who is engaged in ranching on the Tieton; Mary, the wife of Henry Froemke, a resident farmer of Yakima county; Martha, the wife of Marvin Thomas, who is farming on the Tieton; Benjamin, who carries on farming in the same locality; and Harry, who is an adopted son and is now a member of the United States army.

HERMAN C. FROEMKE

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It was in 1916 that Mrs. Froemke was called upon to mourn the loss of her husband, who passed away on the 18th of June of that year. He was not only a suc- cessful fruit raiser but he had been president of a Farmers Elevator Company in North Dakota. His political allegiance was given to the republican party but he never sought or desired office as a reward for party fealty. He belonged to the Evangelical church, of which Mrs. Froemke is a member. He was devoted to the welfare of his family and counted no personal effort or sacrifice on his part too great if it would promote the welfare and happiness of the members of his household. He labored dili- gently and earnestly to attain success that he might give to them a comfortable living and he left his widow in substantial financial circumstances.

CARL C. BROWN.

Carl C. Brown, engaged in the auto repair business in Yakima under the name of the Independent Automobile Company, was born at Morton, Illinois, on the 18th of April, 1881, a son of Alvin C. and Adeline (Smith) Brown, who in the year 1883 removed with their family to South Dakota, where they resided until 1905. In that year they came to Yakima, where both passed away. They were farming people, the father always following that occupation in order to provide for the support of his family.

After acquiring a public school education Carl C. Brown entered the United States army in 1903 and served until 1906. He then came to Yakima and joined the fire department, of which he was made captain the following year. He held that position until he established his present business under the name of the Independent Automobile Company on the 10th of December, 1913, his associate in the undertak- ing being George MacLaughlin. They established business at No. 15 North Third street and in March, 1915, removed to 309 East Chestnut street, occupying a brick building thirty-five by seventy-five feet which was built especially for them. Their plant is equipped with a complete linc of machinery for auto repair work and they have one of the best houses of the kind in Yakima. On the 1st of June, 1918, they in- corporated the business, taking in two of their mechanics as stockholders, thus giv- ing the men an interest in the company and a share in the profits.

On the 8th of July, 1908, Mr. Brown was married to Miss Frances Southworth, a native of Pennsylvania, and they have become parents of three children: Orville Lincoln, nine years of age; Bernice Adeline, seven years of age; and Carl C., Jr., a little lad of five.

Mr. Brown is an independent republican in politics, casting his ballot according to the dictates of his judgment yet usually supporting the men and measures of the republican party. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and he belongs to the Yakima Valley Business Men's Association, taking an active interest in all those things which have to do with the material development of the valley and the promotion of its trade relations.

ROBERT RENNIE.

L'p-to-date ranching interests, representing modern ideas, capability and fore- sight, are the occupation to which Robert Rennie is successfully devoting his life's labors. He has a valuable property near Selah, Washington, following not only gen- eral farming pursuits but giving considerable attention to sheep. A native of Eng- land, he was born in Newcastle, October 4, 1875, his parents being Andrew and Mary Jane (McGregor) Rennie, the former, however, being a native of Ireland al- though born of Scotch parentage. The father lived most of his life in Scotland and there he passed away May 14, 1897. His widow came to the United States in 1901 and now makes her home with our subject, who surrounds her with all the love of a devoted son.

Robert Rennie spent his boyhood days in his native country, where he acquired

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his education and there grew to manhood, but in 1898, having heard wondrous tales of the opportunities presented to a young man in the western part of the United States, he decided upon emigration in order to enjoy these chances. He came to Yakima county in 1898, when twenty-three years of age, taking up his abode in the Wenas valley. Purposeful, level-headed, in good health and able and willing to work, he took up farm work and in 1901 was able to acquire the Matt Longmire ranch on the Wenas, but disposed of that property in 1904. During the two succeeding years he rented land and in 1906 bought two hundred and forty acres on the Wenas, of which he has since sold a part. He now has one hundred acres under cultivation and sixty acres in pasture. As the years have passed he has brought this land to a good state of productivity, devoting it largely to the raising of grain and hay. He has also been very successful in the sheep industry and now owns twelve hundred ewes. The buildings upon his place are up-to-date and recently he built a commodious barn and instituted other equipment which denotes him as a progressive agricul- turist.

In his parents' family were six children and all of these are now residents of the Yakima valley. John, who is married, is ranching on Cold creek, while the second of the family is Andrew, and Robert is the third. Samuel has a half interest in the farming enterprise of our subject, while Sarah, the sister, is the wife of Daniel McKee and they reside in Yakima. David, the youngest of the family, is success- fully engaged in sheep raising in the Yakima valley.

Mr. Rennie is a loyal and devoted member of the Presbyterian church, in the work of which organization he has always been helpfully interested. He is a repub- lican in politics but public office has no attraction for him, his farming interests demanding most of his time. However, he has always been interested in worthy movements undertaken on behalf of the general public and is ever ready to do his part in bringing ahout better conditions along material as well as moral and educa- tional lines in his district and county. He has ably and forcefully taken hold of affairs and has succeeded in establishing himself as a substantial citizen, having found the opportunities which he sought when he decided to become an American citizen.

WILLIAM H. CROOK.

William H. Crook, owner of a twenty-four acre tract of land a mile northwest of Buena, was born in Scotland county, Missouri, January 11, 1860, a son of Allen and Sarah (Dillon) Crook, who were natives of Kentucky but in early life went to Mis- souri. The father engaged in the harness-making business in Memphis, that state, to the time of his death and is still survived by his widow, who has now reached the age of seventy-nine years.

When William H. Crook put aside his textbooks and left the public schools to start out in the business world he secured a clerkship in a store and was thus em- ployed for eight years. In 1888 he arrived in Yakima and entered the employ of the Star Clothing Company, with which he remained for two years, and was afterward with other mercantile establishments of the city for three years. He then returned to Missouri, where he spent seven years upon a farm, but the lure of the west was upon him and in 1900 he again came to the Yakima valley. Two years afterward, or in 1902, he bought forty acres of land a mile northwest of Buena, then planted to potatoes and timothy. He has since sold sixteen acres of the tract but retains posses- sion of twenty-four acres, of which fifteen acres is now in orchard. He makes a specialty of raising apples and pears. The remainder of his land is devoted to the cultivation of alfalfa and diversified crops. It is splendidly improved and everything about the place indicates his progressive spirit and practical methods. His labors have been most carefully directed, making his property one of the best ranches in the valley.

On the 15th of September, 1898, Mr. Crook was married to Mrs. Mary Sandoz, a native of Missouri, and their children are Sybil D., now a teacher; Mabyn; and Robert. Mr. Crook votes with the democratic party and is thoroughly informed concerning the questions and issues of the day so that he is able to support his

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position by intelligent argument. He is a charter member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Yakima and he and all of his family are consistent and faithful members of the Christian church, doing all in their power to promote its growth and extend its influence. His life is in harmony with his professions, and his integrity and high character have gained for him the respect and confidence of all.

AUGUST A. SELLIN.

August A. Sellin has been a resident of Yakima county for only a brief period, taking up his abode here in 1916, but already he has gained recognition as an enter- prising ranchman. He lives on Academy Heights, where he has erected a fine resi- dence, and his is now concentrating his efforts and attention upon the development of his property there. He was born in Sweden on the 11th of January, 1879, a son of Andres and Sarah (Abrahamson) Sellin. The father is now deceased but the mother survives and yet makes her home in Sweden, where Mr. Sellin followed farming as a life work.

August A. Sellin is indebted to the public school system of his native country for the educational opportunities which he enjoyed. After his textbooks were put aside he learned the carpenter's trade and then came to the new world, making his way to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1910. In that city he followed carpentering for about six years, or until the spring of 1916, when he arrived in Yakima county and pur- chased ten acres of land on Academy Heights. His time and energies have since been devoted to the development and improvment of this property and in addition to a fine residence he has added many other cquipments of a model farm property to his place. He has planted four acres of his land to apples and the remainder is used for the raising of hay and for pasture. In 1918 he bought an additional ten acres adjoining his original ten acres so that he now has a twenty acre ranch.

On the 20th of November, 1909, Mr. Sellin was married to Miss Erece Rungren, a native of Sweden, in which country they were married. They have become parents of two children: Bertel, five years of age; and Phoebe, who is in her second year. The parents are members of the Swedish Mission church and guide their lives ac- cording to its teachings. Mr. Sellin votes with the democratic party, which he has supported since becoming a naturalized American citizen. He has never regretted his determination to leave his native country and seek the opportunities of the new world, for in the utilization of the chances which have come to him on this side of the Atlantic he has made steady progress. He is now numbered among those who are doing effective work in the development of the northwest and especially in the reclamation of the arid lands of the Yakima valley, which are rapidly being con- verted into rich and productive tracts, devoted to agricultural and horticultural uses.

MORTIMER SCOTT OTIS.

Mortimer Scott Otis, engaged in the cultivation of fifty-two acres of ranch prop- erty in the vicinity of Grandview, was born in Glenwood, Iowa, October 1, 1872, a son of Timothy B. and Mary H. (Haynes) Otis. The father was born in Marietta, Ohio, and the mother in Terre Haute, Indiana. The former was a son of Barnabas H. Otis, a native of Massachusetts, who became one of the pioneer residents of Ohio, where he was once known as "the strong man" of the state. He weighed two hun- dred and fifty-five pounds and was a man of great physical prowess. He was also prominent as a leader in public thought and opinion in his community and was chosen a delegate to the republican convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. The ancestral line is traced still farther back through Stephen H. Otis, the great-grandfather, to General James Otis, who was a member of the famous Boston Tea Party that, resenting the tax placed upon tea by England, made their way to the ship and threw the tea overboard into the waters of the harbor. He won his title by active service as commander of American troops in the Revolutionary

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war, and his son, Stephen H. Otis, manifesting the same spirit of patriotism, served as an officer in the War of 1812. Again the patriotic strain of the family was domi- nant at the time of the Civil war, when Timothy B. Otis espoused the cause of the Union and went to the front in defense of the stars and stripes. General Harrison Grey Otis, now deceased, and in the latter part of his life a resident of Los Angeles, California, was a first cousin of Timothy B. Otis and maintained the established reputation of the family for valor and loyalty in military connections, his name figuring very prominently upon the pages of history. Timothy B. Otis was a car- penter by trade and after spending his youth and early manhood in Ohio removed to Iowa in the spring of 1866. In the latter part of the '90s he established his home in New Mexico, where his remaining days were passed, his death occurring in 1913. His widow, however, still survives.

Mortimer Scott Otis, after acquiring a public school education, took up the car- penter's trade and became a thorough workman along that line. His first removal westward took him to Colorado in 1901 and the year 1907 witnessed his arrival in Seattle, Washington. He has made his home in Yakima county since 1910, at which time he purchased an interest in twenty-two acres of land near Sunnyside. He has since acquired thirty acres near by and is today the owner of an excellent ranch property of fifty-two acres, of which he has twenty-two acres planted to orchards. which are now in excellent bearing. The remainder of his land is utilized for the raising of diversified crops and hay and his place is improved with a good residence and substantial barns. In fact a spirit of progress and enterprice actuates him in all that he undertakes and he has gained recognition as one of the representative ranchers of his section of the state.

On the 31st of December, 1896, Mr. Otis was married to Miss Elizabeth Snow, of Emerson, Iowa, a daughter of J. W. and Mary (Rhodes) Snow. Their marriage has been blessed with three children: Marion Harold, Edith and Walter, all yet at home. Mr. Otis is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He votes inde- pendently and belongs to the Non-Partisan League. He has served on the school board and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He gives active aid and support to all measures and movements for the public good and his co- operation can be counted upon to further any project that is looking toward the best interests of the community or which seeks to promote civic virtue and civic pride.

LOUIS BOURDON.

The sunny land of France has furnished a substantial quota to the citizenship of the Selah valley. Among the representatives who have come from that land is numbered Louis Bourdon, who was born in France, December 17, 1848, a son of Felix Bourdon. The son came across the water in 1872 and settled first in Canada, whence he removed to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1878. He was a stonemason and con- tractor of that city and there resided for a number of years. After successfully carrying on business in St. Paul for some time Mr. Bourdon, lured by the opportuni- ties of the west, came to Yakima county in 1897 and through the intervening period of more than twenty-one years has lived in this section of the state. He first pur- chased forty acres of land on Selah Heights, being among the first settlers of that district. He has since sold twenty acres of his original purchase. He has five acres planted to fruit trees and the remainder is in plow land, being devoted to the pro- duction of various crops well adapted to soil and climatic conditions here. In 1906 he erected a fine stone house upon his land. About 1912 he purchased a stone quarry and he also has two hundred acres of dry land. His business affairs are wisely and carefully conducted. He has ever readily recognized opportunity and has utilized his advantages in a way that has brought gratifying returns.

It was in 1878 that Mr. Bourdon was married to Miss Emily Demars, a native of Montreal, Canada, who passed away July 21, 1916. The children of this mar- riage are six in number. Amos, who rents and cultivates his father's ranch, has a wife and two children. Albina is the wife of Henry Henke and resides in St. Paul.

MR. AND MRS. LOUIS BOURDON

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Alfonse is living in Seattle. Diana is the wife of Earl Baker, a rancher living on Selah Heights. Emil, residing in St. Paul, Minnesota, is married and has four children. Josephine, who completes the family, is at home.

In his political views Mr. Bourdon has always been an earnest republican since becoming a naturalized American citizen. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for on this side of the Atlantic he has found the opportunities which he sought, and as the years have passed he has steadily worked his way upward. He had no false ideas concerning the opportunity to gain success. He did not believe that in America a fortune could be had for the asking, but he recognized the fact that industry wins and industry became the beacon light of his life. All who know him recognize in him a man of firm purpose and one whose career measures up to high standards of manhood and citizenship.

THOMAS .H. WHEELER.

Thomas H. Wheeler, one of the leading dairymen of the northwest, conducting his interests under the name of the Springvale Dairy, was born in Brill, Bucking- hamshire, England, in 1868, a son of Richard and Emma (Fields) Wheeler, both of whom have passed away. During his boyhood days in England he attended the public schools and when twenty years of age he bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed for the United States. He remained in the east for about two years and in 1890 arrived in North Yakima, at which time he turned his attention to the dairy business, establishing the Yakima Dairy. Later he purchased another plant, combining these two. The Springvale Dairy was established in 1895 by Ernest Fear and later was owned by a Mr. McKnight, who sold the business to Thomas H. Wheeler in 1906. A removal was made to No. 8 Third avenue, North, in 1909 and the business there occupies a building twenty-five by seventy feet. There is thor- oughly modern equipment and the capacity is four thousand pounds of milk per day, which is sold to the local trade. Mr. Wheeler has seventy cows of his own which pasture three miles south of Yakima on a four hundred acre stock farm. His cattle are of the Holstein grade. He uses, however, the products of five hundred cows and he has auto delivery, thus being able to quickly supply his customers. Every- thing about the dairy is extremely neat and orderly and the most sanitary condi- tions prevail. Mr. Wheeler holds to high standards in the character of the service which he renders to the public in this connection. Since purchasing the Springvale Dairy and combining it with his previously established interests the business has constantly grown and is now of large and gratifying proportions.

In 1890 Mr. Wheeler wedded Miss Elizabeth Fear, a daughter of Samuel Fear, of Yakima, and they became parents of three children: Mary, Grant and Logan. The wife and mother passed away and Mr. Wheeler afterward married Daisy Butler, of Yakima, by whom he has a son, Gerald.

Mr. Wheeler gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He belongs to the Commercial Club and to the Country Club and is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen. There have been no unusual or spectacular phases in his career but his course has been marked by an orderly progression that results from close application and un- wearied industry. He has made each day and its efforts count for the utmost in the promotion of his business affairs and legitimate trade methods have been one of the leading forces in the attainment of his present day success.

ADELARD J. LEMIEUX, D. D. S.

Dentistry may be said to be almost unique among other occupations, as it is at once a profession, a trade and a business. Such being the case, it follows that in order to attain the highest success in it one must be thoroughly conversant with the theory of the art, must be expert with the many tools and appliances incidental (38)

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to the practice of modern dentistry and must possess business qualifications adequate to dealing with the financial side of the profession. In all of these particulars, Dr. Adelard J. Lemieux is well qualified and therefore has attained prestige among the able representatives of dentistry in Yakima, where he has practiced his profession for the past nine years. His birth occurred in Minnesota on the 4th of August, 1882, his parents being Israel and Ezilda (La Force) Lemieux, both of whom were natives of Canada. The father prepared for the practice of medicine in McGill Uni- versity and after his graduation from that institution established an office at Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, where he has followed his profession continuously since 1880, or for a period covering thirty-eight years. He has long been recognized as a most successful and able physician and surgeon and has enjoyed an extensive prac- tice. His wife has passed away.

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History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II, Part 111

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920 Publication date: 1919 Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke Number of Pages: 1138

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1138