Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 57

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992

USA > Washington > Chelan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 57
USA > Washington > Ferry County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 57
USA > Washington > Okanogan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 57
USA > Washington > Stevens County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 57

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Having received a fair business education in Canada our subject, on attaining his major- ity, began life in the lumber woods, at which business he remained until 1877, when he came to Washington, and continued in the same line two years. In 1879 he went to Walla Walla, and in 1884 removed to Montana, returning to Walla Walla in 1889. That year he came to Stevens county, where he conducted a pack train running from Pend d'Oreille to the Koo- tenai river, for the Great Northern railroad for two seasons. In 1891 Mr. Tweedie settled on unsurveyed land, where he continued farming ten years, before he could file on the same. The only market available was Rathdrum. He cleared eighty acres, which is now devoted to hay. He has four hundred and eighty rods of ditch, in the construction of which eight thou- sand feet of lumber were used. He is sur- rounded with substantial improvements, as good house and barns, one of them being forty by one hundred, the other twenty-four by sixty. His property is supplied with plenty of excellent water and is in a most eligible location.

The political affiliations of Mr. Tweedie are with the Republican party, in which realm he takes an active and prominent part.

ROBERT FOUNTAIN is among the heaviest land owners in Stevens county. Of meadow land he has over four hundred acres, which annually produces abundant returns. He has several hundred acres of first-class timber land and the whole estate is improved in a very excellent manner. His elegant residence of modern architectural design, is as beautiful and fine a home as can be found in the Pend d'Oreille valley. Barns, outbuildings, and other valuable improvements are in evidence while a general air of thrift pervades the premises and indicates the manner of the man.

Robert Fountain was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, on June 20, 1852, the son of Andrew and Louisa A. (Robb) Fountain,

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

natives of Maryland and Kentucky, respec- tively. The parents settled in Fleming county in an early day and there remained until the time of their decease. Nine children were born to this worth couple. The father served in the war of 1812 and the ancestors on both sides were people of prominence.

Mr. Fountain was educated by private in- structors and in a Presbyterian Academy until he had reached his majority and then he started to do for himself, beginning operations in farm- ing, in Illinois. There he remained until 1888 when he came to Stevens county and located on government land. Later he purchased land un- til he now has a magnificent estate. In addi- tion to handling general crops and hay, he raises about eighty head of stock each year and is one of the most prosperous men of the valley.

On November 30, 1889 Mr. Fountain mar- ried Miss Jennie, daughter of S. H. and Mary (Weer) Cusick, natives of Ohio. In 1888 they came to the Pend d'Oreille valley, where the father died June 14, 1903, the mother having died some years previous. They were parents of six children, four of whom are living.

Mr. Fountain takes great interest in the welfare of the community. Politically he is allied with the Democrats. In 1895 he was elected county commissioner and served two years with credit to himself and his constituents. In 1897 he entered the race for county auditor and was defeated by very few votes. Mrs. Fountain is a member of the Methodist church and is a lady of refinement and culture.

The ability of Mr. Fountain in financiering is shown by the fact that when he took the office of county commissioner, the warrants of the county were selling at thirty-five cents on the dollar and when he retired from office, the county was able to care for its own indebted- ness. When he first came to the office, the poor of the county were farmed out to different ones, and he succeeded in getting them in one place and looked after in better shape and at much less expense.

JOHN W. DECKER, during his short residence in the vicinity of Loonlake, Stevens county, has been eminently successful in his business operations.

Keokuk county, Iowa, is the place of his

nativity, and February 2, 1862, the date of his birth. His father, Dennis Decker, was a na- tive of Ohio and a farmer. His mother, Emily M. Decker, was born in Indiana, settled in early life in Iowa, and subsequently removed to Ot- tumwa, same state. She went with her hus- band to Nebraska, thence to Seattle, and in 1891 came to Stevens county, Washington, where they at present reside, engaged in farm- ing. To them have been born four children : Mary, wife of Charles Shepard, in Spokane: Martha, living in Minnesota; Theodore, in Spokane, and John W., the subject of this sketch.

The latter received his education in the pub- lic schools of Ottumwa, Iowa. He remained with his parents until 1900, when he purchased eighty acres of hay and timber land, two and a quarter miles northwest of Loonlake, Stevens county. Forty acres of this is meadow land, the rest timber. He has a substantial residence, good barns and outbuildings, and a small or- chard. He raises considerable stock.

On August 29, 1889, Mr. Decker was married to Miss Jennie Solaker, a native of Austria. She came with her parents to the United States in 1884, locating in Oregon. Mrs. Decker is one of a family of eight and is the mother of two children, Hazel M. and Charles L., both living with their parents.

Democratic in politics, Mr. Decker is al- ways interested in all local affairs, and enjoys the esteem and confidence of the community in which he resides. He is an active member of Loonlake Camp, M. W. A., and his wife is a member of the R. N. A. Both Mr. and Mrs. Decker are active members of the Christian church.

ELMER L. SHARP is a young man who has passed the greater portion of his life in Washington, coming to Stevens county in ter- ritorial days.

The state of his nativity is Michigan, hav- ing been born in Newaygo county, April 19, 1881. His parents were M. L. and Amelia J. (Saunders) Sharp, his mother a native of Michigan, the father of Canada. They are mentioned elsewhere in this work.

Elmer L. Sharp was one of nine children,

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all of whom are mentioned in the father's bio- graphical history, except William, who is de- ceased. Our subject is now residing at Deer Lake, Stevens county. He attended the public schools of Loonlake until the age of sixteen years, when he began working for his parents, and with whom he remained until he was twen- ty-two years old. He then rented his father's farm which he now conducts, having eighty acres under cultivation and a fair bunch of cattle.

Mr. Sharp is a Republican, and decidedly well informed on the live issues of the day. In local politics he manifests a keen interest, and is an energetic, liberal, and public spirited young man.

PERRY H. HOVEY resides about six miles northeast from Colville, where he owns a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He has bestowed his labors here with success and has made good substantial improvements and does general farming. Among other special- ties. he has started a nice nursery and pays par- ticular attention to growing strawberries and small fruits, and doubtless will make a good success of the enterprise. Mr. Hovey devotes much of the winter time to mining and has sev- eral properties. He is known as a stirring and capable man and has labored failthfully to build up the country.

Perry H. Hovey was born in Chippewa county, Wisconsin, on March 13, 1862, the son of E. M. and Mary ( Seeley ) Hovey, natives of Massachusetts and New York, respectively. They were married at Eau Claire, Wisconsin. By a former marriage the father had two chil- dren, L. B. and Julia .A., and to the last mar- riage two children were born, Ella, and Perry H. In Dunn county. Wisconsin, our subject secured his early education in the public schools, and at the budding age of seventeen, he began duties in the battle of life on his own responsibility. He worked in the lumber woods, then went to Dakota where he farmed and herded cattle. Later he was foreman on a milk ranch at Mandan, North Dakota for one years. After this we see him in Montana. still handling stock and in 1884 he went to Ar- kansas and took up the occupation of making barrel staves. He visited Texas and then went

to cooking in Kansas City. This occupied him for some time and next we see him catering to the trade in Colorado after some work in Mis- souri, and then he took a position as cook on the range. Later in Arizona he still pursued the avocation and then diverted his attention to stage driving. It was 1888 that he finally landed in Spokane and took up bridge work for a time and also did other labor. He located a ranch on the Little Spokane about this time and in 1891 came to Colville. We next see him handling ore and lumber for the Old Dominion and in 1893, he took his present place as a homestead. In 1894, he was in the employ of the Spokane Falls and Northern railroad as baggagemaster and in other capacities. In 1895, Mr. Hovey went prospecting and more or less since that time he has followed that line of work.

In political matters he is inclined to the Liberals and is an independent thinker. In fraternal affiliations, Mr. Hovey is a meniber of the Miners Union and is well esteemed. He is inclined to agnosticism in religious belief and is always ready for investigation.

GEORGE THEIS was the first settler to locate in the region of the Colville valley, where he now has an excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres, just five miles from the county seat. He has it well improved with all build- ings, fences, and so forth, necessary and was recently offered four thousand dollars for the estate. He was obliged when coming to this section. to cut all the roads alone and has shown remarkable energy and stability as an opening pioneer.

George Theis was born in Pittsburg. Penn- sylvania. on October 16, 1859. His parents were natives of Germany and came to this country in 1850, locating in Pennsylvania, where they remained until their death, having been the parents of six children. Our subject received his education in Pittsburg and re- mained with his parents until the time of their death, then resided with his mother's sister until fifteen, at which time he began work in life for himself. He learned the boiler maker's trade and remained at it until nineteen, then went to Ohio and enlisted in the regular army where for the next five years he was found. He was

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sent to San Francisco and later to Vancouver and finally in 1881 came through where Spokane now stands, it then being but a village. He went to Fort Spokane where he remained until the time of his discharge in 1885. Mr. Theis remarks that on coming through the village of Spokane, the citizens turned out enmasse with tin horns, tin cans and every available instrument to make a noise to wel- come the soldiers, so glad were they to see the people coming west. They had come on the first regular train entering Spokane. Immedi- ately following his discharge, Mr. Theis located as a homestead, the place where he now lives, and at once devoted himself to its improvement. He labored there steadily until 1891, then took a position in the Colville smelter for three years. After this he built a sawmill and operated that until 1893, when it burned down. He imniedi- ately rebuilt then sold and returned to his farm, where he has been occupied in general farming and stock raising since.

In 1883, Mr. Theis married Miss Rachel, daughter of Austin and Hester Prouty, natives of Ohio and Iowa, respectively, and parents of seven children. To Mr and Mrs. Theis seven children have been born, as follows: Violet, Roy, George, Alva, Albert, Fred and Theodore. Poltically, Mr. Theis is an active Republican and a man of influence. He is a member of the A. F. and A. M. and is well respected as a man of substantial qualities and uprightness.

FRANK WEATHERWAX is one of the prosperous and well known business men of the valley. He handles a large butcher trade, oper- ates a hotel and a livery barn, while on the side he attends to his farm and raises about forty head of stock. Mr. Weatherwax has made a fine success in the financial world, ow- ing to his executive ability and keen judgment in business affairs. His tireless energy and genial and affable ways have both gathered and held the fine patronage with which he is fav- ored in the various enterprises that he conducts.

Frank Weatherwax was born in Illinois on May 13, 1869, the son of Henry and Christiana (Anthony) Weatherwax, natives of Michigan and Ohio, respectively. They are mentioned in another portion of this work .. Our subject re- ceived his early education in Sidney, Nebraska

and after completing the common school train- ing, assisted his father until 1892, when he started to do for himself. He had come with his parents to Stevens county in 1882, there- fore was well acquainted with the country and its resources when he started out in business.

In 1892, Mr. Weatherwax married Miss Blanch, daughter of J. D. and Olive A. (Day) Slocum, natives of Illinois and the parents of five children. To Mr. and Mrs. Weatherwax three children have been born, named as fol- lows : Hattie, deceased, Helen, and Roy. Mr. Weatherwax is a good active Republican and is ever on the alert to forward those principles which are for the welfare of all. He is a mem- ber of the M. W. A. and a man of good stand- ing in the community.

SIMON S. CLARK, who resides two and one-half miles east from Tumtum, devotes him- self to general farming and carpenter work. He is making a good success in his business ventures and is one of the prosperous men of the county. He is an active man in promoting the welfare of the community and in political affairs takes a liberal stand. An account of his life in this connection is very proper and it is with pleasure that we append the same.

Simon S. Clark was born in Adams county, Ohio, on July 26, 1852, the son of Stephen and Hannah (Shoemaker) Clark, natives of the same county. They remained there until 1857, then moved to Iowa, whence three years later they journeyed to Gentry county, Mis- souri. The family home continued in that place until 1883 when they again journeyed, this time to Washington. Location was made in the territory now embraced in Lincoln county. Later the father removed to Stevens county, where he now lives. He is aged seven- ty-nine and the mother seventy-three. They are the parents of the following children, Simon S., who is our subject, Thomas, Francis M., Olive, Sidney, Mahlon, deceased, Sigel, Will- iam, Stephen, and two who died in infancy. Simon S. Clark was educated in the public schools of Gentry county, Missouri. At the age of eighteen he began to work on the ad- joining farms and in 1883 came to Washing- ton, locating twenty-two miles west of Spokane on little coulee where he lived fourteen years.

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

After that he removed to Lincoln county and about three years later, or in 1898, came to Stevens county and purchased five hundred and twenty-eight acres where he now lives. He has a good farm, an excellent orchard, and comfort- able residence, with out buildings and so forth.

In February, 1874, Mr. Clark married Miss Mary E. Davidson, who died in 1892, having been the mother of seven children, named as follows : Hannah B., Eunice A., Thomas J., Louis P., Florence A., Laurence A., and Dan- iel J., deceased. In May, 1901, Mr. Clark mar- ried Elsie E. Babb, and one child, Carl E., has been born to them. It is of interest to note that Mr. Clark moved from Ohio to Iowa and from Iowa to Missouri and thence to Washington, all by team and wagon.

STEPHEN E. WAYLAND is a promi- nent and skillful stockman and agriculturist of the Colville valley and is to be classed as one of the pioneers of the section as well as a real builder of the county. He has manifested an industry and energy dominated with keen wis- dom which have given him the need of a gratify- ing holding in various kinds of good property. Coming at a time when large portions of the country were but wilderness, he was quick to perceive the resources of the country and as apt and ready to grasp them with skill and wis- dom that have turned all to good account, both as to enhancing his own exchequer and for the stimulating of better endeavor in his fellows.

Stephen E. Wayland was born in Dallas county, Texas, on November 24, 1852, the son of Jaret and Rhoda (English) Wayland, na- tives of Virginia and Indiana, respectively They settled in Texas and there remained until their death. They were the parents of four children. Our subject was educated in the common schools, and in fact received his edu- cation through his own efforts in paying his own way. At the interesting age of eighteen he slipped out into the world to see the realities of life and from that time until the present he has paddled his own canoe o'er the rough waters of life's seas, missing the shoals and riding the crest of the waves in a successful manner. He first went to Indian Territory, then to Kansas, and later was in Colorado and Wyoming riding the range, and then for a

while spent his whole time in traveling. In 1872 he first landed in Washington and soon journeyed on to Alaska, where some time was spent in prospecting. Later he returned to Seattle, then went to California, and in 1877 to the Black Hills. Then he went to Stockton, California, whence he sailed to Seattle. In 1883 Mr. Wayland settled in Stevens county, about one mile west from where Valley now is, and where he lives at this time. Mr. Wayland lias added to his original homestead until he has four hundred and eighty acres of fertile land. It is a well kept and improved farm and yields abundant crops of general produce, besides orchard productions, and hay enough to winter one hundred head of stock. Last year Mr. Wayland baled four hundred tons for sale.

In 1884 Mr. Wayland married Miss Julia, daughter of H. and Christiana (Anthony) Weatherwax, who are mentioned in this work. Four children have been born to this union, Mabel, Henry, Cary, and Walter. Politically Mr. Wayland is a Democrat and in 1889 and 1890 was chosen as county commissioner. He is a member of the K. O. T. M. and the I. O. O. F., while Mrs. Wayland belongs to the L. O. T. M.

JOHN G. KULZER is one of the leading lumber men of Stevens county. He owns and is operating a fine saw mill south from Valley. The mill has an output capacity of thirty thou- sand feet per day and is equipped with all the latest machinery for the manufacture of lum- ber and lumber products. Mr. Kulzer has an excellent water power of six hundred horse power, which runs the mill and other machin- ery. He has a comfortable residence, outbuild- ings, and so forth, and some stock, while in addition to all this property, he owns fourteen hundred acres of land. He is one of the prom- inent and leading men of the county.

John G. Kulzer was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota on September 16. 1863, the son of George and Maggie (Winters) Kulzer, natives of Bavaria, Germany. They came to America in 1849 and located in Minnesota where they remained until 1888 when the father moved to Valley, Washington, where he now lives, the mother having died in 1881. They were the parents of six children, as follows: Minnie,

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Barbara, Mary, J. G., Mattie, deceased and Michael. Our subject was educated in Albany, Minnesota and at the age of seventeen laid aside his books and stepped from the home place to begin the duties of life for himself. He operated a hotel for two years then sold out and went into the railroad mail service where he continued for fourteen years, after which he took to sawmilling and in that occupation we find him at the present time.

In 1883 Mr. Kulzer married Miss Mary Obermiller. Her parents were natives of Ger- many and came to Wisconsin when she was quite young and later moved to Minnesota where they remained until the time of their death. Mrs. Kulzer is one of five children : John, Mary, Isadore, Henry and Peter. To Mr. and Mrs. Kulzer four children have been born : Albert I., Matilda, Eulalia and Agnes. Mr. Kulzer is a Democrat, active in political matters, and at present is serving on the school board. Fraternally he is affiliated with the I. O. O. F., K. P., A. O. U. W. and a lumber- man's organization. Mrs. Kulzer is a member of the D. of H., while they both belong to the Catholic church.

JOSIAH M. DAVEY, who is familiarly known as Captain Davey, is superintendent and manager of the Iron Hill Mining Company's property, situated twelve miles west from Val- ley. Few men have had a more extensive and successful career in mining than Captain Davey and Stevens county is to be congratulated that a man of his knowledge and ability is now in charge of the development work of one of her large properties. He is a thoroughly practical man and it is with pleasure that we are enabled to recount, for the benefit of our readers, some of the items of his industrious career.

Josiah M. Davey was born in Camborne, England, on September 9, 1849, the son of John and Jane (Martin) Davey, natives 'of England. They came to America in 1866, but returned to their native country, where they re- mained until their death. They were the par- ents of nine children. The mother's people were a very influential and wealthy family and the father was an experienced and skill- ful mining man. Our subject was educated in the public schools of his native place and as early as the age of nine years commenced work

in the mines. When sixteen he began to do entirely for himself and continued in mining until 1865, when he came to this country and took up the same business in New England and in New York. Later we find him in the copper region of Lake Superior and for five years he had charge of the old Cliff mine. Then he went to California and did contract work for some time. In 1875 he returned to Lake Superior and took charge of the exploration work of a large company. Two years later he was occu- pied in the great Calumet and Hecla mines and then in other properties. For a number of years he was engaged in various capacities in the leading mines in that section and also in exploration work in Lake Superior region. Finally he went to prospecting for himself and located a property which he sold for twenty thousand dollars. After this he was in Tennes- see for a company, whence he returned to Michigan, and then came to Washington, tak- ing charge of the properties mentioned above. Since coming here Captain Davey has won hosts of friends and has demonstrated to the people of this section that he is a mining man of marked ability and resources.

In 1869 Mr. Davey married Miss Grace, daughter of William and Grace (Rogers) Harvey, natives of England. In 1866 they came to Keweenaw, Michigan, where they re- mained until their death, having been the par- ents of nine children. The father enlisted in the Civil war, but was unable to get to the front until hostilities had ceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Davey seven children have been born, Louisa, William J., Joseph, Minnie, Josiah, Grace and Lillie. Captain Davey is a good, active Republican and a man of influence in his party. He has held various offices, among them that of deputy sheriff in Michigan. Fra- ternally he is affiliated with the K. O. P., A. F. and A. M., and the Sons of St. George.

JAMES M. RICHMOND, who lives three miles west from Valley, is one of the earliest settlers in this portion of Stevens county. Since coming here over fifteen years ago he has displayed the energy and uprightness that win both the smiles of Dame Fortune and the ap- probation of his fellow men. He has ever been known as a good and capable man.

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James M. Richmond was born in Lee county, Virginia, on September 29, 1862, being the son of William and Louisa ( Reasot) Rich- mond, natives of Virginia. From Virginia the family moved to Kentucky. Four years later, or in 1878, the father located in Spokane, where he remained fifteen years, then he came to Stevens county. In 1901, in the city of Spokane, he was called to try the realities of another world. The mother is still living. They were the parents of five children, Rebec- cah H., Florence L., Foradia L., John A. and James M. Our subject was well educated in his native country, completing his training in the Franklin Academy and in the Institute of Virginia. At the age of twenty-one he took a position as postal clerk on the Missouri Pacific and operated in this capacity for seven and one- half years. In 1888 he came to Stevens county and bought the land where he now lives. One hundred and twenty-five acres of this farm are producing hay and the entire estate is fenced and well improved. Mr. Richmond also han- dles considerable stock. There were but one or two white families in this section when he settled here and his labors and his example have done much toward the improvement of the county.

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Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 57

Author: Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History Number of Pages: 992

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992