History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II, Part 12

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 12
USA > Washington > Kittitas County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II > Part 12
USA > Washington > Yakima County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II > Part 12

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Thomas J. Donnelly was reared amid pioneer conditions and early in life be- came self-reliant. In the acquirement of his education he attended the public schools and subsequently assisted his father with the ranch work, thus laying a good foun- dation for his subsequent career. Later he took up an eighty acre homestead and engaged in dry farming, as there was no water. When the Tieton irrigation project came into being and the land could be supplied with plenty of water his interests improved wonderfully and he now has his farm nearly all under cultivation. His fine home, excellent barns, modern machinery and up-to-date equipment bespeak his prosperity and the progressive methods which he has ever followed. Besides raising hay and grain he gives close attention to stock, being very successful along this line.

On the 12th of February, 1899, Mr. Donnelly was united in marriage to Miss Effic Elliott, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Elliott, well known pioneers of Cowiche, who are now deceased. To this union have been born two children. Edwin and Myrtle.

Mr. Donnelly is independent in regard to political affairs, preferring to follow his own judgment and supporting measures and candidates irrespective of party issues. Although not an active politician, he is, however, well informed on all

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public questions, especially in regard to his locality, and has ever supported worthy movements undertaken for the betterment of the community. He is interested in the moral as well as material development and has done much toward bringing this about. He enjoys a high reputation among the agriculturists of his district and has many friends here.

PETER BAGLEY.

More than a quarter of a century has passed since .Peter Bagley became identi- fied with the mining interests of Kittitas county and in this connection he has made steady progress until in 1913 he was appointed to his present responsible position -that of general superintendent of the mines of the Northwest Improvement Com- pany at Cle Elum and Roslyn. He was born in Ireland, December 26, 1863, a son of James and Katherine Bagley, who came to the United States in the year of his birth. They made their way to Illinois and the father was connected with the build- ing of the Union Pacific Railroad until 1869. He then located in Seattle and through the intervening period the family has been identified with the northwest. Later he was at Newcastle, Washington, and while there working in the mines met an acci- dental death. His widow survived and passed away in Seattle.

When a lad of but twelve years Peter Bagley began working in the mines at New- castle and later was employed in a similar way at Seattle for three years. He came to Roslyn in 1891, so that for twenty-eight years he has been a resident of this locality and throughout the entire period has been identified with its mining inter- ests. In 1901 he was advanced to the position of foreman of the Dip mine at Roslyn and in 1910 was made district superintendent, having charge over three mines. Promotion again came to him in 1913, when he was made general superin- tendent of the Northwest Improvement Company's mines at Cle Elum and at Roslyn. His work in this connection is of a most important character and his duties are discharged with thoroughness, system and notable ability.

In 1887 Mr. Bagley was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Barrett, of Newcastle, Washington, and their children are as follows: Nellie, the wife of Otto Albers, a resident of Chehalis, Washington; Margaret, the wife of John Lewis, of Roslyn; Rose, the wife of Walter Grimm, a resident of Chehalis but now serving in the United States army; Kate, the wife of Leonard Ackerman, who makes his home in Tacoma but is now on active duty in France with the United States army; May and E. J., both at home.

Mr. Bagley exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party but supported Grover Cleveland for the presidency when elected the second time. He is connected with the Foresters and with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. His has been an active life in which he has thoroughly mastered every task assigned him and his knowledge of every phase @' the mining business has brought him prominently to the front in this connection, for he has been ambitious, energetic and thoroughly reliable and his many substan- tial qualities have therefore gained for him promotion to his present place of re- sponsibility.

PRESSON BROTHERS.

The house of Presson Brothers is among the best known mercantile establish- ments of Yakima county, their store being in Mabton, where they carry a complete and well assorted line of general merchandise. The store was established in 1910 under the name of King & Presson, the original founders being: Arthur King, presi- dent, and A. C. Presson, secretary and treasurer. B. F. Presson bought an interest in 1911, and became secretary and treasurer, and in November, 1916, the interest of Mr. King was acquired by the Pressons, when A. W. Presson became a member of the firm and the name was changed to that of Presson Brothers. Their estab-

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lishment has a ground space of fifty by eighty feet and is one of the most modern in the valley. They carry complete lines of the various articles generally to be found in larger mercantile establishments and these goods are very carefully selected. While the highest quality is maintained, the prices are always at a comparatively low level, the firm contenting itself with a reasonable profit. In their contact with cus- tomers the greatest politeness is maintained and it is seen to that every patron of the house goes away satisfied and pleased. The most honorable business standards maintain in the establishment and their methods are above reproach. They are modern and progressive young business men of considerable experience and it is therefore but natural that the name of Presson Brothers has become one of the best and most favorably known in Mabton and Yakima county.

Their parents, I. N. and L. V. (Johnson) Presson, originally came from Ten- nessee, whence they removed to Missouri in 1879. There the father was for many years successfully engaged in farming and the nursery business, but in 1910 he and his son, A. C. Presson, came to Mabton and this has remained his home ever since. The wife and mother passed away several years ago in Missouri. In April, 1918, A. C. Presson enlisted in Company I, Quartermasters Corps, and is at present sta- tioned at Camp Meigs, Washington. He is to be highly commended for so readily. responding to the call of his country in order to fight the common enemy in Europe.

Both B. F. and A. W. Presson are married and each has a family of three chil- dren. Both are democrats and faithfully support the principles and candidates of the party although neither is desirous of holding office. However, they are always inter- ested in matters pertaining to the development of this section and are ever ready to give their support to measures undertaken to promote the interests of Mabton and its inhabitants along material, moral and intellectual lines.

GEORGE F. McAULAY.

George F. McAulay, who for more than fifteen years has been an active practi- tioner at the bar of Yakima, was born in Caseville, Michigan, October 9, 1870, a son of Arthur K. and Nancy T. (Fisher) McAulay. In 1895 the family removed to Baker, Oregon, where the parents resided until 1912 and then became residents of Yakima, where the father passed away in 1914. The mother, however, is still living. Mr. McAulay had devoted his life to the occupation of farming.

In the public schools of his native state George F. McAulay pursued his early education and later attended the Ohio Northern University from which he was grad- uated in the class of 1895 with the degree of B. A. In preparation for a profes- sional career he entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and won his Bachelor of Laws degree upon graduation with the class of 1902. He then prac- ticed for a short time at Baker, Oregon, but in the fall of that year removed to North Yakima, where he has since made his home and has continuously followed his profession, winning a place among the leading lawyers of the valley. He prepares his cases with great thoroughness and care and his practice is extensive and of an important character. At no time has his reading ever been confined to the limitations of the questions at issue; it has gone beyond and compassed every contingency and provided not alone for the expected but for the unexpected, which happens in the courts quite as frequently as out of them. His legal learning, his analytical mind, the readiness with which he grasps the points in an argument, all combine to make him one of the capable lawyers of the Yakima valley.

In 1897 Mr. McAulay was married to Miss Annie M. Bankerd, of Lewisburg, Ohio. Their children, five in number, are John H., Annie, Jean, Martha and Agnes.

Fraternally Mr. McAulay is connected with Yakima Lodge No. 24, F. & A. M., and with Rose Croix Chapter, in which he has attained the eighteenth degree of the Scottish Rite. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and for many years has served as trustee and also as president of the board of trustees. He is also a trustee of the Young Men's Christian Association and takes an active inter- est in all of those uplifting influences which work for the benefit of the individual. In politics he is a democrat and has served as chairman of the democratic county

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central committee of Yakima county. For three years he served on the Yakima Board of Education. In June, 1917, he left Yakima for Brazil, South America, in behalf of a syndicate of local men who hold landed interests in that country, the immediate purpose for going being the investigation of titles and economic condi- tions. He traveled in several Brazilian states and came in contact with many of the representative men of that country. He arrived home in February, 1918. He belongs to the Washington State Bar Association and to the Yakima County Bar Associa- tion and his interests and activities are always directed along lines which tend to advance the material, intellectual, social and moral progress of the community.

MATTHIAS F. STANTON.

Death often removes from our midst those whom we can ill afford to lose- those whose life activity has been of such worth that it seems they should be spared for years to come. A deep feeling of regret swept throughout Yakima county when it was learned that Matthias F. Stanton had been called to the home beyond. He was a native of Indiana, his birth having occurred near Laporte on the 2d of Febru- ary, 1837, his parents being William and Anna (Fosher) Stanton. His father was born near Liberty, Indiana, May 5, 1807, and his mother's birth occurred in the same locality on the 14th of March, 1803. M. F. Stanton's father belonged to an old eastern family of English descent.

Having arrived at years of maturity, Matthias F. Stanton married Felicia E. Whitlock, a native of Oregon and a daughter of Mitchell and Malvina (Engle) Whitlock, the former a native of Missouri, while the latter was born in Illinois. Mrs. Whitlock was a daughter of William Engle, who brought his family to the northwest in 1845, settling in Clackamas county, Oregon, as one of the earliest of its pioneer residents. In that state he remained till the time of his death, passing away in Marion county, Oregon. Mitchell Whitlock took up his abode in Marion county, Oregon, in 1845, having made the long and arduous journey across the plains, and he and his wife were married in Clackamas county. Their home, how- ever, was established just across the line in Marion county, and there they continued to reside until called to the home beyond, his death occurring in 1898, while his widow survived until 1906.

Matthias F. Stanton and Felicia E. Whitlock were married in Oregon on the 21st of October, 1869, and in the following month removed to Yakima county, where Mr. Stanton had previously taken up government land on the Ahtanum in 1868. They were among the first setttlers of the region. The work of development and improvement had scarcely been begun and there was little to indicate the rapid changes which were soon to occur and transform this into a populous and properous district. All mail and supplies had to come from The Dalles, Oregon, a distance of one hundred miles. Mr. Stanton engaged in freighting and other lines of work and also gave much time and attention to the development of his ranch. while later he engaged in the cattle business. His persistency of purpose and his unfaultering energy constituted the basic elements in his successful busi- ness career. He continued to reside in the Yakima valley until the time of his death, which occurred on the 29th of September, 1902. He was active as a supporter of the republican party in early days but later maintained an independent political attitude. He was a member of the Christian church, guiding his life according to its teachings, and his worth was widely acknowledged.

To Mr. and Mrs. Matthias F. Stanton were born five children: Daisy, who died at the age of sixteen years; Anna M., at home; Matthias, who is a rancher on the Ahtanum; Percy, who is operating the home farm; and Esther, who became the wife of Frank W. Brown, a rancher on the Cowiche. Matthias Stanton is a native son of Yakima county, having been born on the Ahtanum, June 14, 1877. He married Florence E. Merritt, of Yakima county.

Matthias F. Stanton is survived by his widow, a woman of charming personality who has resided in the valley since early pioneer days and has therefore witnessed

MATTHIAS F. STANTON

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the entire growth and development of this region. The name of Stanton has ever been an honored one in the district and is inseparably interwoven with events and business interests which have left an unmistakable impress upon the history of this region.

H. A. BOOSE.

H. A. Boose, cashier of the First National Bank of Sunnyside, was born in Penn- sylvania, March 6, 1873, a son of John R. and Mary (Turner) Boose, who are still living in the Keystone state, where the father is engaged in the insurance business. The son acquired a public school education there and, making good use of his oppor- tunities, qualified for teaching, which profession he took up in Pennsylvania. He devoted nine years to teaching, six years of which were passed in his native state and three in Illinois. He came to Washington in 1900, settling at Sunnyside, and here purchased wild land. He developed and improved a fine farm of forty acres, at which time there was no town here. In 1907, however, he became identified with the banking interests of Sunnyside but still makes his home upon the farm.

The First National Bank of Sunnyside was organized in December, 1906, and opened the following March. The first officers were: Lee A. Johnson, president; C. M. Scott, cashier; R. C. McCredie, assistant cashier; and H. M. Lichty, vice president. In 1914 Mr. Johnson passed away. R. C. McCredie was president from 1913 until 1915, when he was succeeded by F. J. Taylor. Otto K. Strizek was presi- dent from 1915 until September, 1917, when F. E. Langer succeeded to the position and served until April, 1918, when A. B. Snider became the president. Mr. Scott continued to act as cashier until 1911, when R. C. McCredie was elected to the posi- tion and continued to serve in that capacity until 1913. Mr. Boose then became the cashier and has since continned in the office, covering a period of five years. His close application, unflagging enterprise and uniform courtesy have been salient fea- tures in the continued success of the bank, which is capitalized for fifty thousand dollars. The company purchased the present corner and the building now occupied. Today the bank has a surplus of sixty-five hundred dollars, undivided profits of almost five thousand dollars, and its deposits amount to three hundred and sixty- eight thousand dollars. Mr. Boose is putting forth every possible effort to aid in the upbuilding of the bank and make it what it is today-one of the strong financial institutions of this part of the state.

On the 20th of October, 1898, Mr. Boose was married to Miss Nora A. Fike, a native of Illinois, and they have four children, Grace, Earl, Harold and Maurice, the last named being nine years of age.

Mr. Boose's political allegiance is given to the republican party and while he has never been an office seeker he has served on the board of education and acted as its clerk. His religions faith is indicated by his membership in the Presbyterian church. He is a man of genuine personal worth as well as business ability, and his many sterling traits of character and his loyalty in citizenship have gained him an en- viable place in the regard of his fellow townsmen.

LEON CHARRON.

Leon Charron is the owner if a highly cultivated tract of land of fifty-five acres. He was one of the pioneers in the district in which he makes his home and originally had a ninety-five acre tract of land but sold forty acres of this for the townsite of Moxee, for the town had not yet sprung into existence at the time of his arrival in that locality. Mr. Charron is a native of Canada. He was born in Montreal, October 5, 1852. a son of Lonis and Aurelia Charron, both of whom passed away in Canada.

Through the period of his boyhood and youth Leon Charron remained in his native country and was twenty-five years of age when in 1877 he took up his abode at Seattle, Washington. He spent two years on the western coast at that time

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but in 1879 returned to Montreal, where he lived until 1880, when he went to Crook- ston, Minnesota. For two decades he continued to make his home in that state and in 1900 he came to Yakima county. In the intervening period of eighteen years he has been engaged in farming. He located on the Moxee, where he purchased ninety- five acres of land, but afterward furthered the development and improvement of the district through the sale of forty acres for the townsite. He still owns town property and yet retains possession of fifty-five acres of his original tract, which is devoted to the production of hay, potatoes, sugar beets and other crops. This was all wild land when it came into his possession and it scarcely seemed that nature could so quickly respond to the labors of man, but irrigation and effort have wrought most wonderful results, making this a highly productive region.

In 1880 Mr. Charron was married to Miss Corinne Brussard, a native of Canada, who in her girlhood days became a resident of Minnesota, where she passed away in 1885. The children of that marriage are: Eli, who is engaged in ranching on the Moxee, where he has one hundred acres of land; Lucien, who is married and has three children, two daughters and a son, residing with him upon his ranch of forty acres on the Moxee; Leo, who rents his father's place; and Louis, deceased. In 1889 Mr. Charron was again married, his second union being with Corrine Jubuc, who is also a native of Canada and went to Minnesota in her girlhood days. The children of this marriage are: Valentina, the wife of Albert Captistan, a rancher on the Moxee, by whom she has two daughters; Emma, the wife of Arthur Stmars, a ranchman, by whom she has one son; Maria, Ida and Rose, all at home; and Louis, who is in college.

The parents are members of the Holy Rosary Catholic church. Mr. Charron was one of its founders and has been most active in its work and generous in its support. Mr. Charron has long been closely identified with the development and progress of his section of the state and has made valuable contribution to the work of upbuild- ing and improvement. He is now the owner of one of the excellent ranch properties of the district, upon which he has a fine artesian well eight feet in diameter and thirteen hundred feet in depth, from which comes a flow of water yielding thirty- five hundred gallons per minute. This well furnishes Moxee with its water supply. The water is of the purest quality and the well is the finest in the valley. Mr. Charron has always displayed the most progressive spirit in the development of his property and at the same time has cooperated heartily in all plans and movements for the general good.

ELLIOTT M. SLY.

The Kennewick Produce Company's report for 1917, published in 1918, shows that this remarkable cooperant enterprise closed the year's business with over a half million dollars transactions. Its wonderful success must be ascribed in large measure to the business foresight, ability and experience of Elliott M. Sly, the manager. Mr. Sly is a native of Illinois, his birth having occurred in Lockport, September 3, 1869, and he is a son of Eugene R. and Emma J. (Spicer) Sly, the former a well known manufacturer. The parents now make their home in Michigan. In April, 1908, Elliott M. Sly came to Kennewick, where he followed farming for a year and then was elected to the position of manager of The Produce Company, which he has ever since ably filled.

In June, 1896, Mr. Sly was united in marriage to Miss Ethelyn V. Seegmiller, of Michigan, and to them have been born three children: William, aged twenty-one, who is now serving his country in the United States marines; Randolph, aged sev- enteen; and Eugene, aged eleven.

In his political affiliations Mr. Sly is a republican, but the enormous amount of work which he does in connection with The Produce Company prevents him from taking an active part in political affairs although he is always interested in public matters, especially those pertaining to the growth and development of the great commercial institution of which he is executive.

The Produce Company of Kennewick, Washington, was established in 1905

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by a number of agriculturists as the Kennewick Fruit Growers Association in order to facilitate the selling of fruit. The first officers were: O. L. Hanson, president; and W. E. Cruikshank, secretary and treasurer. In their business they specialized in the handling of strawberries and so continued for four years. In 1909 Elliott M. Sly was elected manager of the organization and they then began to handle all kinds of fruit and also started selling feed and poultry supplies. In April, 1910, the name was changed to the Kennewick Fruit & Produce Company and they built a warehouse in Kennewick having a floor space of seventy by one hundred feet. A great many of these improvements and expansions must be attributed to the unabating energy and executive ability of Mr. Sly. In 1912 they moved into the building which they now occupy and which they erected. It is well constructed and fully adapted to the purpose for which it was intended. At the end of 1910 the organization discontinued the fruit business and became entirely a mercantile institution and in 1915 the name was changed to The Produce Company. The main building of the company is fifty by one hundred and twenty feet and comprises a basement and two stories. There is also a warehouse seventy by one hundred feet, a machinery building fifty by one hundred and twenty-five feet and several other structures. Branches are maintained at Prosser, White Bluffs, Finley and Pasco. To further indicate the scope of their activities it may be mentioned that they are interested in the grocery, feed, seed, poultry supply, fruit growers supply, farm implement and a number of other lines of business. Between 1917 and 1918 the gross merchandise sales of the four coopera- tive stores amounted to five hundred and eleven thousand dollars, while the total for the year 1918, reached six hundred and forty thousand dollars. It may be of interest to many to here note that during this year the war tax item alone amounted to six thousand, six hundred dollars. Among the interesting items are the sums which the company paid the farmers for eggs, butter and other farm produce. These amounted to sixty-three thousand three hundred and sixty-two dollars and fifty-nine cents, not including hay in carload lots, which brings the total to seventy-five thous- and five hundred and sixty-two dollars and ten cents. One item among the farm produce is especially notable and should therefore be mentioned-that of eggs, which amounted to twenty-nine thousand five hundred sixty-three dollars and six cents. In addition the company paid forty-four thousand and forty-one dollars and forty-two cents to local business firms for merchandise and equipment.

The Produce Company publishes an interesting paper under the name of The Produce Company News, which is issued monthly and has a circulation of over three thousand. It is not only filled with news items of direct interest to the farmers in a vocational way but has many other interesting articles in its columns. The president of the company is C. C. Williams. F. H. Lincoln is treasurer and assistant manager, while E. M. Sly acts as secretary and manager, he being at the head of all the various departments of the organization. The continuous prosperity of the company is due to cooperation and Mr. Sly has been a great factor in keeping together the many heads who belong to the organization and coordinating influences and forces seem- ingly representing opposing points. Great credit is therefore due him and his un- tiring efforts are appreciated by all who know aught of his work.

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History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. II, Part 12

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