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Modoc County, California
Biographies
TERRY V DAVENPORT
Terry V. Davenport has been
engaged in the plumbing business at Riverside
since 1906. has built up a substantial and
representative enterprise in this field and is
known and valued as one of the wide-awake and
progressive young business men and loyal and
appreciative citizens of Riverside County.
Further interest attaches to his status in the
community by reason of the fact that he is a
native son of California, his birth having
occurred in Surprise Valley, in Modoc County, on
the 22nd of July, 1882. His father, T. W.
Davenport, who is now living virtually retired
at Arlington, Riverside County, was born in
Missouri, devoted the major part of his active
career to farm industry and served during the
Civil war as a gallant soldier of the Union. He
is a republican in political allegiance, was
active in public affairs in earlier years and
served for a time as judge of the Superior Court
of Dade County, Missouri. He first came to
California in 1881, and established his home on
a farm in Modoc County, where his son Terry V.
of this review was born. Finally T. W. Davenport
returned to Missouri, but in 1906 he came again
to California, where he continued his
association with agricultural enterprise until
his retirement, since which time he has resided
in his pleasant home at Arlington. He is
affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic
and with the Masonic fraternity. His father was
a native of Scotland. As a young man T. W.
Davenport wedded Miss Mary Davis, who likewise
was born and reared in Missouri, the Davis
family lineage tracing back to staunch English
origin and representatives of the name having
come to America in the colonial period, as
attested by the fact that members of the family
were found as patriot soldiers of the
Continental Line in the War of the Revolution.
The gracious marital ties of many years were
severed when the loved wife and mother was
summoned to the life eternal, her death having
occurred in December, 1919.
The early education of Terry
V. Davenport was obtained principally in the
public schools of Missouri, and his initial
experience of practical order was in connection
with farm operations, with which he continued
his association in Missouri until 1905, when he
there learned the plumber's trade. In 1906 he
came with his parents to California, the state
of his nativity, and for the first year
thereafter he followed the work of his trade in
an individual way at Riverside. He then formed a
partnership with his brother, J. H. Davenport,
and they continued the plumbing business under
the title of Davenport Brothers until 1913, when
Terry V. sold his interest and resumed
independent operations. He has built up a
substantial and prosperous business, fully fifty
per cent, of which is of contract order, and a
large part of the new plumbing work in the
Riverside district in recent years has been
installed by him. In partnership with his
brother-in-law, C. E. Sunstedt, he is the owner
also of a well improved alfalfa and cotton ranch
of 120 acres in the Palo Verde Valley, and the
place is under the direct management of Mr.
Sunstedt. He has varied mining interests in both
California and Nevada.
Though he has had no desire to
enter the arena of practical politics, Mr.
Davenport is aligned loyally in the ranks of the
republican party. He is affiliated with the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen
of the World, and both he and his wife hold
membership in the United Brethren Church of
Riverside, in which he is serving as a member of
the Board of Stewards.
December 21, 1905, recorded
the marriage of Mr. Davenport with Miss Eva
Harp, who was born in the State of New York and
whose mother, Mrs. Helen Harp, resided in that
state until her death in September, 1921. Mr.
and Mrs. Davenport became the parents of one son
and four daughters, the son having died in
infancy. Lois Evelyn, eldest of the daughters,
is a member of the class of 1923 in the
Riverside High School; Alta May and Norma Aileen
are likewise attending the public schools; and
Rachel Ann, who maintains gracious sovereignty
in the family home circle, is not yet of school
age at the time of this writing, in 1921. V
San Bernardino And
Riverside Counties: John Brown, Jr, Editor
for San Bernardino County & James Boyd, Editor
for Riverside County Volume II ~ The Western
Historical Association, 1922, Page 933
DR. SAMUEL C. GIBSON
...is engaged in the practice
of medicine in Reno as a member of the regular
school, and in recognition of the skill he has
acquired he has now a liberal practice bringing
to him an excellent income. He has resided on
the Pacific coast since 1880, and has always
lived west of the Mississippi river, his birth
having occurred in Steelville, Missouri, on the
9th of September, 1857. His grandfather,
Alexander Gibson, was born in Ireland, and when
a young man crossed the water to the new world,
settling in Baltimore, Maryland, where for many
years he was a prosperous merchant. His son. who
also bore the name of Alexander Gibson, and was
the father of Dr. Gibson, became a physician and
surgeon, and in 1846 removed to Missouri, where
he engaged in practice throughout his remaining
days, his death occurring in 1900, when he was
in his seventy-second year. His wife, who bore
the maiden name of Haney Halbert, was a native
of South Carolina, and by her marriage became
the mother of ten children, six of whom are yet
living. She died in the thirty-eighth year of
her age. Alexander Gibson was a Democrat in his
political affiliations, but was most devoted to
his profession and never cared to give his time
and attention to political work. One of his
sons, who is Alexander Gibson, the third son
practicing physician and surgeon of Modoc
county, California.
Dr. S. C. Gibson is indebted
to the schools of his native state for the
educational privileges which he received. His
professional knowledge was also acquired there,
for, determining to make the practice of
medicine V; life work, he was graduated from the
Missouri Medical College in March 1879. Thus,
well equipped for the practice of his
profession, he made T: way westward, locating
first in Anderson. Shasta county. California,
where he remained for five years. On the
expiration of that period he removed Alturas,
Modoc county, California, where he practiced for
ten years, and in 1895 he located in Reno, where
he has since remained. Here the public was
accorded him recognition of his ability by
giving to him a liberal patronage. The knowledge
he has acquired he applies with accuracy to the
case in question. He is most careful in
diagnosing a case, and his judgment is rare; if
ever, at fault in determining a disease or
predicting its course and outcome. He is now the
president of the state board of health, and is
the chic, surgeon of the California, Nevada &
Oregon Railroad Company. He is likewise a member
of the Nevada State Medical Society, the
American Medical Society, and the International
Association of Railway Surgeons, and thus keeps
in touch with the advance thought of the
profession, using his knowledge thus acquired
for the benefit of mankind in the alleviation of
human suffering. The Doctor is also a member of
the Board of directors of the Farmers &
Merchants Bank of Reno. In his political views
be is a Democrat, but the honors and emoluments
of office have little attraction to him as h
prefers to devote his energies to his
profession, in which he is meeting with signal
success. However, he takes a deep interest in
the success of party, doing all he can for its
promotion outside of office, and is now a member
of both the county and state central committees.
Dr. Gibson was married in
1882. the lady of his choice being Miss Mary E.
Roycroft, a native daughter of California. born
in Red Bluff. They new have four children, three
sons and a daughter, the latter. Agnes Pearl,
being a student in the State University. The
sons, Thomas R., Samuel and Robert Lee.
are also students. The family home is one of the
elegant residences of Reno, and the members of
the household are most highly esteemed in this
city and state. The Doctor has been a member of
the Masonic order since 1881, and enjoys the
warm regard of his brethren of the craft. His
manner is genial, and his cordial disposition
and sympathetic nature make him a favorite in
social circles as well as at the bedside of his
patients in portion of the state.
A History of the State of
Nevada: The late Hon. Thomas Wren of Reno,
Editor-in-Chief ~ The Lewis Publishing Company,
New York & Chicago, 1904 Pages 619-620
PINKSTON W. LAIRD
...lives
on a farm situated two and a half miles above
Coquille on the Coquille river. He owns there
one hundred and four acres of land and in
addition to its cultivation is making a
specialty of dairying and stock-raising. He was
born in Modoc county,
California,
in 1877, a son of John C. and Janie Laird. The
mother was a native of Ireland and the father of
the state of New York but they were married in
Modoc county, where they resided until 1879,
when they removed to Coos county, Oregon,,
settling on the Coquille river, about two miles
from the town of Coquille. The father there
secured a claim of three hundred and' twenty
acres and also bought other land until he owned
six hundred and forty acres, largely covered
with timber. In 1889 he sold that property and
purchased the farm now owned by his son Pinkston
W., comprising one hundred and four acres. There
he made his home until February, 1904, when
death called him. His widow still survives and
is living in Coquille, at the age of sixty-nine
years. In their family were six children:
Eunice, who is the wife of George T Schroeder of
Florence, Oregon; Mrs. Annie Von Pegert, of
Coquille; James W., living near Coquille;
Pinkston W.; Warren C., of Coquille; and George
P., whose home is at Bandon, Oregon.
Pinkston
W. Laird was educated in the schools of Coos
county, supplementing the work of the grammar
grades by two years study in the high school. He
remained at home to the time of his marriage and
then took charge of his father's place. Two
years later he bought this farm of one hundred
and four acres, of which seventy-five acres is
under cultivation. There are many excellent
improvements upon the place and he makes a
specialty of dairying and stockraising, handling
thoroughbred stock, both cattle and hogs. He
also owns one hundred and sixty acres of timber
land on Catching creek, in" Coos county, and
also five business lots in
Richmond,
California.
In 1903
Mr. Laird was married to Miss Flora M.
McCloskey, a native of
Kansas
and a daughter of Samuel J. and Mary A.
McCloskey, who lived in that state for a number
of years and in 1880 came to Oregon, settling at
Gravel Ford, Coos county, where they remained
until 1894. They then sold their farm and
purchased other land at
Norway,
Oregon,
still owning their sixty-three acres. The father
conducted a general mercantile store and a
creamery to the time of his death in June, 1907.
The mother still lives at
Norway.
In their family were nine children, seven of
whom survive, namely: Mrs. Agnes Smith, who
makes her home at Gravel Ford; W. T., living at
Myrtle Point; Lucinda, who is the widow of Evan
Morgan and resides at Bandon; Mrs. Minnie E.
Lester, of
Angiola,
California;
Clara, at home; Mrs. Laird; and James H., at
home, who operates the creamery. Unto the
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Laird three children
have been born: Margaret J., who was born in
1905; Vernita M., who was born in September,
1909; and Elda B., October 20, 1911.
The mother, Mrs. Laird, acquired her education
in the-public schools of Coos county and also
attended the State Normal at
Ashland,
Oregon.
She taught school for eighteen years previous to
her marriage, beginning at the age of sixteen
years. The family residence is two and a half
miles above Coquille on the Coquille river. Mr.
Laird usually votes with the democratic party,
yet is liberal in his views. In matters of
citizenship, however, he stands for progress and
advancement and his cooperation may be counted
upon to further many progressive movements.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912 Page 193
J. N.
GIVAN
...has
been the owner of two hundred acres of land near
Adel since 1902 and is fast converting this into
a valuable and highly improved property. He is
leading a useful and busy life and is recognized
as one of the progressive ranchmen of the Warner
valley. His birth occurred in Keokuk county,
Iowa,
April 13, 1863,
his parents being Henry C. and Phoebe (Jacobs)
Givan, both of whom were natives of Indiana and
were there reared, but they were married in
Iowa. In the winter of 1870-1 they made their
way to Modoc county,
California,
where they continued throughout their remaining
days, the father passing away in 1911 at the
advanced age of eighty-one years. He had always
followed farming both in the east and in the
west. In the family were four children: Tilda,
who is widow of C. B. Blake, and resides in
Modoc county, California; J. N.; Lydia who is a
widow, also of Modoc county; and Emma, the wife
of James McKee, of the North Warner valley.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912 Page 1074
C. B.
PARKER
...is
superintendent of the "MC" ranch, the property
of the Warner Valley Stock Company, Inc. For six
years he has acted as superintendent of this
ranch of thirty-two thousand, nine hundred
acres, the largest in Lake county, and the
responsibilities which devolve upon him in this
connection are of a most extensive and arduous
character. He was born in Siskiyou county,
California,
January 13, 1863,
and is a son of Louis R. and Mary (Fogerty)
Parker, natives of
Ohio
and
New York
respectively. They were married in the east and
crossed the plains in 1849, with Siskiyou
county,
California,
as their destination. The father died in 1867
but the mother now makes her home in Modoc
county,
California.
C. B.
Parker, the youngest son and second youngest
child, was reared in Siskiyou and Modoc
counties,
California,
with the usual experiences of the boy who spends
his youth upon the ranch. He served for two
terms or four years as sheriff of Modoc county,
to which position he was called as the
republican candidate. Otherwise he has largely
devoted his attention to stock-raising and at
one time was the owner of a ranch of four
hundred and forty acres in Modoc county. He sold
this, however, before coming to
Lake
county six years ago. He now owns three hundred
and twenty acres in the Coleman valley. He was
formerly quite extensively engaged in the sheep
industry in the vicinity of
Paisley
for four years and still has about two thousand
head. His attention, however, is now chiefly
given to the interests of the Warner Valley
Stock Company of which he is one of the
stockholders and its secretary and
superintendent. The place is known as the "MC"
ranch, by which name it is usually spoken of
throughout the district because of the brand
"MC" being used upon the cattle. While the
company makes a specialty of the raising of
cattle, having five thousand head, they also
raise and herd sheep and horses. Mr. Parker
employs fifteen buckaroos throughout the year
and employs forty men in the haying seasons,
which last for about two months. They put up
three thousand tons of hay or more and also
purchase a considerable amount. They cut
altogether about ten thousand tons. This
indicates something of the great volume of
business and the interests which command the
attention of Mr. Parker, who at all times
displays a spirit of enterprise in his control
of business affairs. He recognizes the vast
possibilities of the northwest in stock-raising
and ranching and sound judgment guides him in
all of his undertakings.
In 1889
Mr. Parker was married to Miss Katie L.
Fitzpatrick, a native of Shasta county,
California,
and a daughter of Alexander and Mary
Fitzpatrick. Three children have been born to
them, Arthur, Leland and Vera. A lifelong
experience in his present line of occupation has
well qualified Mr. Parker for the vast
responsibilities devolving upon him and as a
prominent stockman of southern
Oregon
he well deserves representation in this work
among those who are proving potent forces in the
development and upbuilding of this state.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Page 1073
WILLIAM
BYRON BARNES,
,,,living
in
Klamath Falls,
has been active in political and fraternal
circles as well as in business affairs. At one
time he was quite extensively engaged in
stock-raising and is still the owner of valuable
timber claims in the state. At the present
writing he is serving for the second term as
sheriff of the county, his reelection being
proof of the confidence reposed in him and of
the excellent record which he made as an
official during his first term. He was born in
Bridgeport,
Mono county,
California,
May 14, 1865,
his parents being James A. and Mary J.
(Patterson) Barnes, both of whom were natives of
Ohio.
They were reared and married in
Birmingham,
Iowa,
and in 1862 came to
California,
crossing the plains with horse teams. The father
died in Modoc county,
California,
in 1898, when about fifty-six years of age, his
birth having occurred in 1842. The mother
resides with her son Hiram at Kelseyville,
Lake
county,
California.
The father had farming interests in Modoc county
at the time of his death. In early days he was a
freighter and engaged in teaming for many years.
In his family were five children: Hiram, of
Kelseyville; Frank, of
Summer Lake,
Oregon;
William Byron; Marion, living in
Lakeview,
Oregon;
and Emma, who died in May, 1891.
William
B. Barnes was reared in
Bridgeport
to the age of nineteen years, when the family
removed to Modoc county. Later he went to
Summer
Lake
and there engaged in the stockraising business
until he came to
Klamath Falls
in 1904. Here he conducted the American Hotel
until about 1908, when he was elected sheriff of
the county, in which position he is now serving
for the second term. He has always voted with
the republican party and has filled a number of
local offices, also taking an active part in the
organization work of the party. For two years he
served as assessor of
Lake
county,
Oregon,
and for two years was deputy sheriff of Modoc
county,
California.
He has frequently been a delegate to party
conventions and has served repeatedly on
election boards. While he has disposed of his
large ranch in
Lake
county he still owns timber claims but devotes
the greater part of his time and attention to
his official duties.
In 1888
Mr. Barnes was married to Miss Tilly McDowell, a
native of
Missouri,
who was reared in
Oregon
and
California
and is a daughter of Mrs. Flavia McDowell, who
has been postmistress at
Summer
Lake
for many years. The four children of this
marriage are: Marion, who is acting as deputy
sheriff; Golda, the wife of Vernon Houston, of
Klamath Falls;
Hazel, who is in the sheriff's office; and
Zeddie.
Mr.
Barnes is a self-made man. He had little
opportunity for acquiring an education and
whatever he has won or enjoyed in life has been
the result of his own efforts. In the early days
he engaged in teaming from
Lakeview,
Oregon,
to
Redding,
California,
for four or live years and also in logging in
Shasta county,
California,
with a twelve horse team for one season before
he went into the cattle business. The necessity
of providing for his own support and earning his
living wherever he could find the opportunity
prevented him from having a home until after his
marriage. This brought him into contact with
many rough characters and the knowledge which he
gained in that class of service proved valuable
to him in the discharge of his duties as
sheriff. He has made an excellent record in
office especially in the capture of cattle and
horse thieves whom he has followed as far cast
as the Missouri river, bringing to punishment
various men of this class who had been stealing
in the northwest for twenty years. His work in
this connection has been valuable to the
community and his record as sheriff is one well
worthy of praise.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Pages 641-642
FELIX
M. GREEN.
The
productiveness of the region along the boundary
line between
Oregon
and
California
is well demonstrated in the success that is
crowning the efforts of Felix M. Green,
ranchman, who, though making his home in
New Pine Creek,
Oregon,
owns eleven hundred acres of land on the
California
side in Modoc county. His labors in its
development are being attended with excellent
results and show that progressive methods bring
gratifying returns. Mr. Green is a native of
Colusa county,
California,
born February 14, 1857,
and is a son of William and Harriet (Holland)
Green, who were natives of
Illinois,
where they were reared and married. In 1856 they
crossed the plains to Colusa county,
California,
and in 1872 removed to
Oregon,
settling in the
Willamette
valley. The mother now resides in Lakeview, but
the father passed away in
Colorado
in 1887, when sixty years of age. He had devoted
his entire life to ranching. In his family were
eight children: Felix M.; Joseph, a miner of
Colorado;
William; Charles of Colorado; Carrie, the wife
of William Struthers of
Junction City,
Colorado;
Hattie, the wife of Lee Bell; James of
Sacramento, California; and Annie, the wife of
H. Westmoreland of
Washington.
Felix M.
Green was reared in
Chico.
Butte
county,
California,
and accompanied his parents on their removal to
Eugene,
Oregon,
being then a youth in his teens. In 1878 he went
to Lakeview and has since resided in
Lake
county. In April, 1911, he located at his
present place of residence and while he has his
home in New Pine Creek on the
Oregon
side of the boundary line, his residence being a
beautiful and commodious one. his ranch lies in
Modoc county California. It comprises eleven
hundred acres and is improved with good
buildings, including an attractive dwelling and
all barns and sheds necessary for the shelter of
grain and stock. The ranch is owned by Mr. Green
and his father-in-law, W. P. Heryford, of
Lakeview. and is known as the Heryford-Green
ranch. Mr. Green engages in the cultivation of
grain, hay and fruit and raises some stock. He
has five orchards, fifty acres being planted to
fruit, and in 1911 he harvested over ten
thousand bushels of grain, including barley and
wheat, and cut over eight hundred tons of hay,
including both alfalfa and timothy. His farming
interests are as is thus indicated extensive.
The success which he has attained is the merited
reward of persistent, earnest labor,
intelligently directed. In addition to his ranch
interests Mr. Green is a director and
stockholder in the Lakeview Mercantile Company
and is president of the Sunshine Mining Company
of New Pine Creek, owning what is reputed to be
the best gold mine in this section.
In 1894
Mr. Green was married to Miss Cora Heryford, who
was born in Shasta county,
California,
May 6, 1873,
and is a daughter of William P. Heryford, of
Lakeview. Their children are Clarence, Nellie,
William and Fay. Felix M. Green votes with the
democratic party and for two years served as
deputy sheriff of
Lake
county. His fraternal connections are with the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has
always been a resident of the west and the
spirit of progress which has brought about the
wonderful development of the Pacific coast
country is manifested in his life record. He has
recognized and utilized the opportunities
presented by this section of the country and is
among those whose labors are an important
element in bringing about the change that is
converting it from an arid and undeveloped
region into one of the richly cultivated and
prosperous districts of the northwest.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Page 401
Z. G.
HARRIS
...has
leased and is operating the
Harvey
ranch of thirteen hundred acres at the south end
of Summer lake. He was born in Iron county.
Missouri,
November 3. 1874, and about 1884 became a
resident of the
Goose
Lake
valley in Modoc county,
California,
having journeyed westward with his father. S. B.
Harris. His mother, Statia (De Guire) Harris,
died in
Missouri
when her son was but three years of age, after
which the father married Lizzie Sutton and both
died in Modoc county,
California,
the latter in the spring of 1889, while Mr.
Harris passed away in the fall of the same year.
In the family were four children, Z. G. Harris
being the only one born of the father's first
marriage. The others are: Lottie, the wife of
Wayman Withers, of
Summer
Lake
valley; Minnie, the wife of Charles Hill, of
Portland;
and
Ada,
the wife of Fred Jacobsen, of
Portland.
Z. G.
Harris remained at home until his father's death
and then came to
Summer
Lake
valley, and resided with his uncle tor about
three years. Starting out in life on his own
account he worked for wages for about four
years, during which period he carefully saved
his earnings until he was able to make
investment in three hundred and sixty acres of
land at the north end of Summer lake. He
operated that for a time and also leased a place
known as the Lane ranch of sixteen hundred acres
on Silver lake. There he remained for three
years, after which he returned to the old home
place and lived thereon for three years. On the
expiration of that period he leased the
Harvey
ranch at the south end of Summer lake,
comprising thirteen hundred acres upon which he
now makes his home. It is devoted to the raising
of hay, grain and stock, and he has one hundred
acres planted to grain, while each year he puts
up about four hundred tons of hay. He also keeps
about four hundred head of cattle and horses,
the extensive ranch affording ample range for
his stock. His own place is leased and adds
materially to his income.
In 1895
Mr. Harris was married to Miss Alice Sullivan,
who was engaged as a school teacher on Summer
lake and was born on
Davis
creek, in the
Goose
Lake
valley, Modoc county,
California.
July 7, 1876.
She is a daughter of Calvin Luther and Elizabeth
(Petross) Sullivan, the former a native of
North Carolina
and the latter of
Illinois.
Both died at
Goose
Lake.
Mr. and Mrs. Harris have four children,
Beatrice, Bernice, Theta and Thelma. In politics
Mr. Harris is an independent democrat, for while
he usually holds to the principles of the party
he does not consider himself bound by party ties
and when his judgment dictates does not hesitate
to support candidates of other parties.
Fraternally he is connected with the Independent
Order of Odd Follows and with the Woodmen of the
World.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Pages 552-553
J. W.
LAIRD
...makes
a specialty of dairying on a farm of twenty-two
acres near Coquille. keeping ten head of cows
for this purpose. He was born in Modoc county,
California.
August 25, 1873,
and is a son of John C. and Jane (Norris)
Laird, of whom more extended mention is made on
another page of this work in connection with the
sketch of Pinkston W. Laird, a brother of our
subject.
The
removal of the family to
Oregon
during the boyhood days of J. W. Laird enabled
him to pursue his education in the public
schools of Coos county. In his youth he also ne
familiar with agricultural methods,
remaining at home with his
parents to the time of his marriage. He
afterward served as engineer for the Johnson
Lumber Company of Coos county for a period of
ten years, and industry and careful expenditure
during that decade brought him the capital that
enabled him to purchase one hundred and eighty
two acres of land. Of this he has since sold one
hundred and sixty acres, leaving him but
twenty-two acres. This, however, constitutes a
well improved although small farm near Coquille,
which he devotes to dairying purposes, keeping
ten head of cows. His well appointed dairy and
the excellence of its products secures him a
liberal patronage.
On
the 29th of May, 1896,
Mr. Laird was united in marriage to Miss Mabel
Baxter, who was born at
Santa Cruz,
California,
May 15, 1872,
a daughter of F. M. and Linwood [Watson] Baxter,
natives of
Iowa
and
Missouri,
respectively. They were married in Oregon, to
which state the father came when fifteen years
of age, while the mother was brought to the
northwest by her parents when three years of
age. Mr. and Mrs. Baxter were married in the
Willamette
valley and afterward removed to
California,
where they resided for several years. Five
children were born to them in that state. In
1879 they came with their family to
Oregon
settling in Coos county, where the father took
up the logging business, which he followed for
twenty years. He then retired and has since
lived at Coquille. Of the six children of the
Baxter family four are still living: Charles E.,
who is a resident of Coquille; Mrs. Mabel Laird;
George E., living at Coquille; and Harry, who
makes his home in Bandon. Those deceased are
Pearl
and
Cleveland.
Mr. Laird votes with the
democratic party, believing that the principles
of its platform contain the best elements of
good government. He is a Mason and a Knight of
Pythias and both he and his wife are connected
with the Eastern Star and the Pythian Sisters.
Mr. Laird has filled all of the chairs in the
orders
mentioned and is loyal to
their teachings and purposes, so that his is a
well spent life, commanding for him the
confidence and good-will of all with whom he
comes in contact.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Page 194
H. M. FLEMING
...is a member of the firm of
Fleming Brothers, merchants of New Pine Creek,
who recognize the fact that satisfied patron,
are the best advertisements and.
therefore, carry a large and well
selected line of goods, suitable to a general
trade, and win a liberal patronage by
progressive methods, fair prices and honorable
dealing. H. M.
Fleming was born in
Jackson
county, Oregon.
January 13, 1876.
a son of Henry Clay and Minnie (Marchbanks)
Fleming, who were natives of
Tennessee, the former
born in 1-4’J and the latter in 1841. The
parents were reared and married in that state
and made their advent on the Pacific coast in
1872 as residents of Siskiyou county,
California.
Soon afterward, however, they removed to
Jackson
county. Oregon,
where they remained for fifteen years, and then
went to Modoc county.
California, taking up
their abode near New Tine
Creek, Oregon,
where the father now resides. For many years he
followed farming and had extensive interests but
is now living retired, enjoying a well earned
rest. The mother passed away here in 1910.
In their family were eight children:
Dora, the widow of D. T. Colvin. of Willowranch.
Modoc county.
California: W. S.. also
living at Willowranch; T. M.. a partner of II.
M.
Fleming: II. A., living at Willowranch: H.
M.: L. V.. who is a twin brother of 11.
M.
and resides near Fresno,
California; Winifred, of
Santa Rosa.
California: and William,
of Lake county.
Oregon.
In the county of his nativity
H. M. Fleming remained until he reached the age
of thirteen years and thru came with his parents
to Lake
county, where he has since lived with the
exception of seven years spent in Modoc county,
California. He was on a
ranch until he attained his majority and his
educational opportunities were those afforded by
the public schools. While in Modoc county he
worked in a store for seven years but laudable
ambition prompted him to engage in business on
his own account and with his brother T. H.
Fleming he purchased his present store in 1904.
They have since conducted the same under the
style of Fleming Brothers, general merchants.
They own a brick building, one story and
basement, thirty by seventy feet, and also own
ware houses in the town. They have a huge and
growing trade and their business is a profitable
one. They also loan money and ate interested in
many projects in this locality, including gold
mining, which is fast developing into an
important feature in the business of this
section of the state.
Mr. Fleming holds membership
with the Elks and with the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and he has attractive, genial
qualities, which render him popular in these
organizations. Moreover, his record proves that
success and an honorable name may be won
simultaneously, for energy and industry have
ever been supplemented by fair dealing in the
conduct of his mercantile interests.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Pages 340-341
R. D. VARNER
...is practically living
retired but is the owner of good ranch property,
his home being situated three and a half miles
east of Klamath Falls
on the Lakeview road. He was born in Posey
county, Indiana, January 7, 1827,
and has therefore passed the eighty-fifth
milestone on life's journey. His is an honored
old age and his rest is well merited, for his
life has been worthily spent. He was one of a
family of nine children whose parents were John
and Rebecca (McCarty) Varner, natives of
Pennsylvania, the former
born in 1792 and the latter in 1795. The parents
were reared however, in
Virginia and went to
Kentucky
as pioneers. Later they located in
Indiana
and their last days were spent in
Illinois, both passing
away when more than eighty years of age. The
father was a farmer by occupation and after
crossing the plains to
California
in 1852, attracted by the discoveries of gold on
the Pacific coast, he engaged in mining. Hp also
worked on a ranch to some extent, dividing his
time between the two occupations until 1861,
when he returned to
Illinois. His nine
children all lived to adult age. The eldest. M.
Samuel Varner, born in 1819, is a resident of
Indiana. James Francis
Asbury, who is more than ninety years of age. is
a resident of Posey county, Indiana. A daughter,
Mrs. Sarah Ann Mills, is living in
Illinois, but the others
have all passed away.
R. D. Varner resided in
Indiana
until 1844, when at the age of seventeen years
he went to Illinois,
where he spent the succeeding decade of his
life. In 1854 he arrived in
California, where he
engaged in mining for about ten years and later
he followed farming at
Goose Lake
in Modoc county.
California, until he
came to Oregon
on the 10th of November, 1887. He has
since resided in Klamath county, his home being
three and a half miles east of
Klamath Falls, on the
Lakeview road, where he has a good tract of
land. The active management and development of
the ranch, however, is left to his sons, who are
operating two hundred and forty acres, all wheat
land. To this they have given their energies for
the past six years. At different periods in his
life R. D. Varner followed other pursuits than
farming. While in
Illinois he worked for ten years
at cabinet-making and on going to
California
he worked at bridge building and carpentering
and afterward at gardening. His life has been a
busy and useful one and his success has come to
him as the merited and logical reward of his
labors.
Mr. Varner has been married
twice. In 1858 he wedded Miss Sarah Hassel, who
was born in New York
in 1830 and passed away in
Illinois
in the year 1867. She left two children: Julian,
who is a resident of White county,
Illinois; and Harriet,
the wife of Joseph Curtis, of White county,
Illinois. In 1870 Mr.
Varner was again married, his second union being
with Miss Caroline Hollar, who was born in
Iowa in 1847 and died in
this state in 1893. To R. D. and Caroline (Hollar)
Varner were born seven children, as follows:
Carey, who passed away at the age of eighteen
years; John A., who assists in the operation of
the home ranch: Fannie, at home; Sarah L., the
wife of F. C. Smith, residing on the Merrill
road in Klamath county; R. D., living in Nevada;
and T. A. and Samuel, both at home.
Mr. Varner has always voted
with the democratic party and has always held to
high standards of citizenship. In his business
dealings he has been straightforward and
reliable, knowing that all honorable success can
only be won through individual effort and
unfaltering perseverance. He is one of the
esteemed citizens of Klamath county and a well
spent life has won for him the veneration which
should ever be accorded one of his years.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Page 380
FRANK M.
HARRIS
...is the
owner of a ranch of six hundred and fifty acres,
of which two hundred and fifty acres is included
in his home place on the west side of Summer
lake. Iron county,
Missouri,
numbers him among her native sons, his birth
having there occurred
January 31, 1864.
His parents were Zed and Malissa (Pease) Harris.
The father was born in
Kentucky
in 1825 and the mother in
Connecticut
in 1827. They were married in
Missouri,
January 6, 1848,
and Zed Harris died in that state in 1880. He
had devoted his entire life to farming. The
mother, not long after her husband's death, came
to Lake
county,
Oregon,
with her children and here passed away in 1900.
Three of the children died in
Missouri
and one remained in that state at the time when
four of the sons and three of the daughters
accompanied their mother to the west. They
located first at Willowranch in the Goose lake
valley of California, there remaining until
1888, when they came to the Summer lake valley,
locating on the west bank of the lake. Of the
children the eldest is Mrs. Flavia McDowell,
while the others who reached adult age are: S.
B., who died in Goose lake valley of Modoc
county, California; Farnum E., of Lakeview,
Oregon; Mrs. Delia Fisher, of Ashland, Oregon;
Clarence C., living on Summer lake; Martin E.,
of Chehalis county, Washington; Frank M., of
this review; and Mrs. Florence Wakefield, of
Elma, Washington.
Frank M.
Harris was a youth when he came with his mother
and other members of the family to
Oregon.
He resided with a brother and his mother to the
time of his marriage in 1888 to Miss Emma
Barnes, a native of
California,
who died here in 1891. The children of that
marriage were: Glenn, who died in infancy; and
Reason. In 1898 Mr. Harris was again married,
his second union being with Alta Platt, a native
of
Wisconsin.
There are three children of this marriage, Dean,
Lewis and Ruth.
For more than three decades
Mr. Harris has resided continuously in the
Summer lake valley and his time and energies
have ever been devoted to the development of his
ranch and to the raising of stock. His home
place is well improved, constituting one of the
attractive farms on the west side of Summer
lake, and his holdings, embracing altogether six
hundred and fifty acres, give him excellent
opportunity to promote the work of agricultural
development in this section and to advance his
individual interests. This he is doing along
progressive lines and his labors are meeting
with good returns.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Page 486
C. C. HARRIS.
A beautiful home is that of C.
C. Harris. A residence containing twelve rooms,
built in 1911, overlooks Summer lake, furnishing
a view which covers fifty miles on a clear day.
In the rear of the building tower lofty
mountains three thousand feet higher than his
home, although the valley itself has an altitude
of forty-four hundred feet. Across the front of
the house extends a broad veranda and the lawn
is shaded by fine box elder, poplar and locust
trees. Altogether it is a beautiful country
property and he has his own electric light works
and water plant, pumping mountain-spring water
into the house. This attractive home is a
visible evidence of the well spent life of C. C.
Harris, whose success is the merited reward of
earnest labor intelligently directed.
C. C.
Harris is a native of Iron county,
Missouri,
born May 16, 1860,
and is a son of Zed G. and Malissa (Pease)
Harris. The father was born in
Kentucky
in 1825 and the mother in
Connecticut
in 1827. They were married in
Missouri,
January 6, 1848,
and Zed G. Harris died in that state in 1880. He
had devoted his entire life to fanning. The
mother, not long after her husband's death, came
to Lake
county,
Oregon,
with her children and there passed away in 1900.
Three of the children died in
Missouri
and one remained in that state at the time when
four of the sons and three of the daughters
accompanied their mother to the west. They
located first at Willowranch in the Goose Lake
valley of California, there remaining until
1888, when they came to the Summer Lake valley,
locating on the west bank of the lake. Of the
children, the eldest is Mrs. Flavia McDowell,
while the others who reached adult age are: S.
B., who died in Goose Lake valley of Modoc
county, California; Farnum E., of Lakeview,
Oregon; Mrs. Delia Fisher, of Ashland, Oregon;
Clarence C., living on Summer Lake; Martin E.,
of Chehalis county, Washington; Frank M.,
mentioned elsewhere in this work; and Mrs.
Florence Wakefield, of Elma, Washington.
In taking
up the personal history of Clarence C. Harris we
present to our readers the record of one who is
widely and favorably known in
Lake
county and southern
Oregon.
About the time when he attained liis majority
the family came to the northwest and since 1888
he has resided continuously at the place of his
present residence on Summer lake. He owns four
hundred acres of land, nearly all of which is
under cultivation, and is devoted to general
farming and stock raising. He cultivates hay as
well as cereals of various kinds, also raises a
variety of fruit and has a fine garden in which
is produced almost every known vegetable.
Everything seems to grow well here and his place
is improved to an exceptional degree. He has
provided ample buildings for the shelter of
grain and stock and in 1911 erected his present
fine residence already described. It is
attractively located, commanding a fine view of
the scenic features of the district, and that
hospitality is one of its features is indicated
by the readiness with which their many friends
visit this home. Mr. Harris runs about one
hundred head of horses and mules on the range
and has about fifty head of cattle. A circle
enclosing the letter J on the right stifle is
the brand used by Mr. Harris for his cattle. His
horses are branded on the right shoulder with a
figure four and a capital letter H. He raises
Percheron horses and
Durham
cattle and is doing much to improve the grade of
stock common in southern
Oregon.
In addition to his agricultural and
stock-raising interests he is connected with a
drug store in Lakeview and is also a shareholder
in the Windy Hollow mines near
Paisley.
In 1896
Mr. Harris was married to Miss Hattie J. Colvin,
who was born in
California
in 1872 and is a daughter of S. T. Colvin,
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Harris have three
children: Hildred, Sidney and Reta. They have
many friends in the county, enjoy an enviable
social position, and Mr. Harris has a creditable
reputation as a progressive business man and
public-spirited citizen.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Page 566
CAPTAIN
ELIPHALET FOLLETT.
While New
Pine Creek is one of the recently established
towns of
Lake
county its citizenship includes Captain
Eliphalet Follett, one of the venerable
residents of this part of the state. He was born
in what was
Lake
county but is now Geauga county,
Ohio,
February 2, 1828,
a son of Ashley and Diantha (Montgomery)
Follett, the former born in
Massachusetts
in 1798 and the latter in
New York
in 1808. They were pioneer residents of
northeastern
Ohio,
living in the reserve, where they were married.
The father was a millwright by trade and
followed his chosen occupation when eastern
Ohio
was almost an unbroken wilderness. About 1835
the family removed to southwestern
Michigan,
settling at Port Sheldon, where Mr. Follett
built a mill, establishing the town not far from
Michigan City.
He afterward removed to
Chicago,
Illinois,
and later to Prairie du Chien,
Wisconsin.
He subsequently resided in
Iowa
and in 1838 went to Chippewa,
Wisconsin,
then he removed once more to the
Menominee river
and then back to Clayton county.
Iowa.
Again, however, he took up his abode in
Wisconsin
in 1844. remaining for four years, after which
he returned to
Iowa.
There he secured a tract of wild land and became
actively engaged in farming. The mother became a
widow in 1847.
Captain
Eliphalet Follett was the second of seven
children and as the oldest son was away from
home, the care of the family devolved upon him
and he continued to work on the old homestead
until he attained his majority, when he married.
He afterward entered the field of general
merchandising at Elkader, Clayton county,
Iowa,
but eventually removed to
Elgin,
Fayette county, that state, where he conducted a
store from 1853 until 1862. Following the
outbreak of the Civil war his patriotic spirit
was aroused and, feeling that his first duty was
to his country, he enlisted on the 23d of July, 1862,
as captain of Company H, Thirty-eighth Iowa
Infantry. He served with that command until
January 1, 1865,
when he was honorably discharged by reason of
the consolidation of his regiment with the
Thirty-fourth of
Iowa.
He was on duty with the Thirteenth Army Corps
but was detached and served on the
Mississippi
until the surrender of
Vicksburg.
He was then sent to the convalescent camp at
Carrollton,
Louisiana,
but later participated in the capture of
Brownsville,
Texas,
where the troops remained for nine months as an
army of observation. At the close of that period
they returned to
New Orleans
and were ordered to
Mobile
bay, seventeen days being spent in the capture
of
Fort
Morgan.
From that point the troops proceeded to
Morganza,
Louisiana,
and to
Florida
and participated in the battle of
Fort
Blakely.
They also assisted in the capture of the steamer
Alabama
and later went to
Houston,
Texas.
The most important battle of the war in which
Captain Follett participated was that at
Vicksburg.
When the
war was over he returned to
Iowa,
and engaged in railroading for more than two
years, but he also owned a farm of two hundred
and seventy acres there and gave some of his
time to its supervision. In 1876 he went to Yolo
county,
California,
and in 1879 removed to Willowranch, Modoc
county, that state, seven miles south of
New Pine Creek,
Oregon.
In 1881 he suffered a stroke of paralysis and
since that time has engaged in merchandising,
being identified with business interests in New
Pine Creek since 1893. He has a well appointed
store and he remains a factor in business
circles although many men of his years have long
since put aside commercial or industrial cares
to spend the evening of life quietly and without
any business activities to claim their
attention.
Captain
Follett has been married twice. On the 7th of February, 1847,
in
Iowa,
he wedded Christenia Downie, a native of
Canada,
who was born June 7, 1833,
and died in New Pine Creek in November, 1904.
Their children were seven in number: John A.,
living in Lyon county, Iowa; Blanch, who is the
widow of Columbus Cannon and resides in New Pine
Creek; Josephine, who is the widow of L. C.
Button and makes her home in Sacramento,
California; A. E., of New Pine Creek; Ernest B.,
of Benton county, Oregon: E. W. G., of New Pine
Creek; and Sadie L., the wife of Joseph L.
Hampton of Paisley, Oregon. On
the 17th of June, 1910,
Captain Follett was married to Mrs. Jane L. (Worthington)
Mulkey, who had been a widow for fourteen years.
She was born in Davidson county,
North Carolina,
.April 29, 1835, and when five years of age came
to
Missouri
with her parents, Brooks and Hannah (Green)
Worthington,
who were natives of
North Carolina
but died in
Missouri,
where her father followed farming. In early
womanhood Jane Worthington became the wife of
Johnson Mulkey and they removed to
California,
where the tatter's death occurred April 21.
1895, when he had reached the age of sixty-five
years, two months and eight days. They were the
parents of four sons and four daughters, of whom
six are living.
For many
years Captain Follett has been a stalwart
republican but his first vote was east in 1849
in support of democratic candidates. He voted in
1856 for
Fremont
and for each presidential candidate of the
republican party since that time. He has served
as justice of the peace and in other local
offices and for seven years was postmaster of
New Pine Creek. For thirty-five years he has
been a Master Mason and since 1855 has been an
Odd Fellow, having in that year joined the lodge
at West
Union,
Fayette county,
Iowa.
At the time of the Civil war every one of its
members enlisted for service at the front,
whereby the lodge was broken up, and after the
war he aided in organizing another lodge at
Elgin,
Iowa.
He was at one time commander of the Grand Army
post at New Pine Creek but there is no
organization here now, as there are not enough
members to support it. His religious faith is
that of the Methodist Episcopal church. Captain
Follett is remarkably active for one of his
years, for, although he has passed the
eighty-fourth milestone on life's journey, he id
in business and in spirit and interest seems
many years younger. He keeps in touch with the
progress of the world and throughout his life
has actively figured in projects and movements
which were of value in matters of citizenship
and as factors in the attainment of material
success. He has ever been as true and loyal to
the old flag as when he followed the stars and
stripes upon southern battlefields.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Pages 572-573
AHAZ
WASHINGTON BRYAN
...is a
very busy and industrious man. owning five
hundred and sixty acres on Clover flat in
Lake
county, for he not only carries on general
agricultural pursuits but also conducts a
blacksmith shop. He was born in Mercer county,
Missouri,
December 16, 1858,
his
parents
being Daniel Boone and Mary Jane [Farley] Bryan.
The father was born in
Tennessee,
April 10, 1828.
and the mother in
Ohio,,
March 1, 1839.
They became residents of
Missouri
at the age of twenty-two and ten years
respectively and were married in Mercer county,
that state, there residing until the spring of
1864, when they followed the many bands that had
already crossed the plains to the northwest.
With ox teams they started on the journey and
after six months' travel reached Yamhill county,
Oregon,
where Mr. Bryan secured a homestead claim, upon
which he lived during the greater part of the
time until 1880, when he came to
Lake
county. He died at the home of his son, A. W.
Bryan, July 6, 1911,
while the mother resides on a ranch two miles
south of her son's ranch on Clover flat. He
followed farming in early life but in 1S61
became a member of the State Militia of
Missouri, with which he served for one year,
when he was disabled and discharged. After
coming to the northwest he resumed agricultural
pursuits and also carried on stock-raising to
some extent. His religious faith was that of the
Christian church. In the family were five
children: Ahaz W., Amanda Ellen, the wife of C.
F. Strohm. of Yamhill county; David Morgan, who
is with his mother; Lucy Jane, the wife of H. E.
Reed, of
Roseburg,
Oregon;
and Mary Helen, the wife of George Sherman of
Lake
county.
Ahaz
Washington Bryan was a lad of six years when he
crossed the plains with his parents and he
remembers many incidents of the journey over the
long stretches of sand and across the mountains.
He came with his parents on their removal from
Yamhill to
Lake
county and secured a homestead two miles south
of his present place in 1887. This he improved
and he resided thereon until 1902. It comprised
one hundred and sixty acres, which he still
owns. He next bought his present place, a ranch
of five hundred and sixty acres, upon which he
has made many modern improvements, having here a
good residence and substantial outbuildings. He
also built a blacksmith shop and does work of
that character not only for himself but also for
his neighbors. His ranch is situated
twenty-three miles from Lake View and nineteen
miles from Paisley on the main road and was the
station until two years ago, during which period
he had accommodated many travelers with
entertainment, for there was no regular hotel or
stopping place for a distance of seventeen and a
half miles on the south with no place to the
north. Mr. Bryan had the sub-contract for
carrying the mail from
Lake
View
to
Paisley
from 1898 until 1902 and then secured the
contract direct from the government for a period
of eight years, thus carrying the mail for
twelve years over a route of forty-five miles in
length. In 1910 he purchased a small sawmill
which he put up and operated until it was
destroyed by fire in the fall of 1911.
On
the 24th of June, 1892,
Mr. Bryan was married to Miss Jennie M. Moss,
who was born in Modoc county.
California,
June 7, 1872,
and has resided in
Lake
county since six months old. She is a daughter
of the Hon. S. P. and Susie (Casteel) Moss, of
Lake
View.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Bryan are Bessie
Eleanor, Tressie Hazel, Annie Laurie and Vaneta
Fay. Mr. Bryan is a member of two different
fraternal organizations, the Woodmen of the
World and the Ancient Order of United Workmen,
and he gives his political allegiance to the
republican party, which he has always supported
since age conferred upon him the right of
franchise. He has never been afraid of
labor—earnest, persistent labor—and in this is
found the secret of his progress and his
success.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Pages 1033-1034
L. A.
MOSS
...is the
owner of two hundred acres of land adjoining
Paisley
on the east and devoted to the raising of hay
and grain. He is also the secretary and manager
of the Moss Telephone & Telegraph Company of
Lake
county and thus deserves classification with the
representative residents of the district. He was
born in Linn county,
Oregon,
May 22, 1862,
and was the eldest of the three children of S.
P. and Sarah (Robinett) Moss. The mother died in
Linn county in 1868 and the father afterward
removed to Modoc county,
California,
settling near Beaver, where he remained three
years. He then came to
Lake
county in July, 1872, taking up his abode at the
head of the Summer lake valley, where he is now
living.
L. A.
Moss remained with his father until 1888 and
assisted him in the various duties of the ranch,
but when twenty-six years of age started out for
himself. In the fall of 1889 he went to Warner
valley, where he engaged in ranching for six
years, having a preemption claim and a quarter
section of school land. At length he sold out
there and came to his present place, comprising
two hundred acres of fertile land adjoining
Paisley
on the east. All of this is under a high state
of cultivation, being devoted to the raising of
hay and grain. He also ran stock extensively
until the past few years, having two thousand
head of sheep and two hundred head of cattle at
one time, while in connection with his father
and brother he had three hundred and fifty
horses. He spent most of his time on the range
in his earlier days and has gone through all of
the experiences of that life which is now fast
becoming a thing of the past as the open
territory is being taken up and the state
divided into ranches. He has contributed to the
general development and progress not alone along
agricultural lines but also as the secretary and
manager of the Moss Telephone & Telegraph
Company of
Lake
county which has a line extending from
Silver
Lake
to
Lake
View,
a distance of more than a hundred miles.
On
the 29th of September, 1889,
Mr. Moss was married to Miss Anna McCormack, who
was born in
New Brunswick,
December 27, 1873,
and is a daughter of William McCormack. Their
three children are Stephen W., Alfred G. and
Mildred Ruth. Mr. Moss has voted with the
democracy since age conferred upon him the right
of franchise and has served in a number of local
offices, including that of justice of the peace
and constable. For eight years he has been
school director and is a warm friend of good
schools and good roads. For one term he was road
supervisor and his aid and influence, whether in
office or out of it, are at all times given to
works of public progress and improvement. For
the past twelve years he has been a member of
the Woodmen of the World and he is a member of
the Christian church, the teachings of which
form the guiding influences of his life.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Page 1075
J. A.
MORRIS
...is
acting as postmaster of Adel where he also
carries on merchandising, and in the business
circles of
Lake
county he is widely and favorably known. He was
born in Dade county,
Missouri,
February 1869, a son of William and Sarah (Cook)
Morris, the former a native of
Missouri
and the latter of
Kentucky.
They were reared and married in
Missouri
and in 1877 started on the long journey across
the hot sandy plains in a wagon to
Jackson
county,
Oregon,
settling near Rock Point, where they now reside.
The father engaged in placer mining until about
1900, since which time he has lived retired.
While in
Missouri
he followed farming save for the period of the
Civil war, when he enlisted and served as a
soldier. In his family were eleven children, ten
of whom are now living and all are married with
the exception of the youngest.
J. A.
Morris, coming to Oregon when a youth of eight
years, remained with his parents until 1890, and
worked in the mines with his father, thus early
forming habits of industry and perseverance. On
the 9th of June, 1890,
he arrived in Warner valley and for about twelve
years worked as a buccaro. He afterward ran
stock, handling horses and cattle on his own
account for three years. He next turned his
attention to merchandising and purchased two
little stores in the valley, conducting one at
what is now the town of Plush, in the first
building upon the present townsite. In fact Mr.
Morris platted the townsite and erected the
first building there. He continued at that point
until 1910, when he came to Adel at the south
end of Warner valley. He bought property here
and established business and in 1910 was
appointed to the office of postmaster. He is an
enterprising merchant, wide awake, progressive
and active in all of his business affairs, and
at the same time loyal to all of his public
duties. He is not only the postmaster but also
notary public, and at one time was justice of
the peace but resigned. As a merchant he has
done extensive business with the stockmen,
fitting out sheep camps and stock ranches, and
the careful management of his business affairs
has brought him a substantial measure of
prosperity.
On
the 25th of December, 1898,
Mr. Morris was married to Miss Daisy Overton,
who was born in
Fort
Bidwell,
Modoc county,
California,
a daughter of Major and Dora (Rambo) Overton.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris have four children, Hallie,
William Truman, Raymond and Rotha. Mr. Morris
has always been an advocate of democratic
principles and ever exercises his right of
franchise in support of the men and measures of
that party. His fraternal relations are with the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Lakeview. He
is numbered among those who are active in
promoting public development of southern
Oregon
and his efforts are put forth along progressive
lines which are proving not only a source of
individual success but also an element In public
progress and prosperity.
The
Centennial History of
Oregon,
Volume IV: S J Clarke Publishing Company,
Chicago, 1912, Pages 1083-1084
CHARLES LEMUEL CLAFLIN.
Residence
and office,
Bakersfield.
Born in
Lebanon,
Van Buren County,
Iowa,
August 17, 1858.
Son of Ira and Hannah Wells (Richardson)
Claflin. Moved to
California
September 1, 1880.
Married Nellie Welsh
May 7, 1884.
Attended the public schools at
Lebanon,
Iowa,
and later attended the
Troy
Academy
for two years, at
Troy,
Iowa.
Read law in the office of Ruthledge Lea at
Keosauqua,
Iowa.
Admitted to the bar of California
August 1, 1881,
and commenced the active practice of his
profession in
Modoc
County.
District Attorney of
Modoc County,
California,
1883-84. Elected judge of the
Superior
Court
of
Modoc
County
in 1890 and continued in that office until 1897.
Moved to
Bakersfield
in 1900, and continues in the active practice of
his profession in partnership with Erwin W.
Owen, under firm name of Claflin & Owen, to
date. Republican.
History of the Bench & Bar of
California:
Joseph Clement Bates, Bench And Bar Publishing
Company,
San Francisco,
1912 - Page 263
FRANKLIN TRACY POORE.
Residence,
1740 Pacific Avenue;
office,
Mills
Building,
San Francisco.
Born
March 5, 1882,
at
Ft.
Bidwell,
Modoc
County.
Son of James Waterman and Zonetta (McCrerry)
Poore. Married Emma Marcella Brown,
April 8, 1911.
Received his education in the public and grammar
schools of
Modoc
County,
graduating in 1898. Has been associated with
Edwin L. Foster and Robert M. Moody before and
since admission to the bar. Admitted to the bar
before the District Court of Appeal, First
District, at
San Francisco,
July 31, 1906,
since which time has practiced his profession
alone.
History of the Bench & Bar of
California:
Joseph Clement Bates, Bench And Bar Publishing
Company,
San Francisco,
1912 - Page 468
IRA RAYMOND VAUGHN
...was
made city treasurer of
Richmond on
April 1, 1913.
and this important position he has held ever
since, discharging his duties in a prompt,
capable, and reliable manner. Previous to taking
this office he held a position of trust and
responsibility for four years with the Standard
Oil Company, in the auditing department. Mr.
Vaughn was born in Eagleville, 'Modoc
County,
California,
April 16, 1883.
He acquired his education in the public
schools, and attended high school in
Santa Rosa,
later taking a business course in
Oakland.
He then became identified with the Santa Fe
Railroad at
Richmond, and later went with the Standard Oil Company. On
July 1 1910, he was appointed city clerk, which office he filled to
the credit of
Richmond
until
April 1, 1913, when he was made city treasurer. Politically, Mr. Vaughn
is affiliated with the Democratic party.
Fraternally, he is a member of the B. P.O. E. of
Richmond,
the Moose, and the Modern Woodmen of the World.
He was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Eleanor
Mitchell, A Tulare County, California,
June 24, 1906.
Mr. Vaughn has many friends in
Richmond,
by all of whom he is respected and highly
esteemed. He stands for progress at all times,
and seeks his own success and the city's
advancement along lines of activity which will
bear the closest investigation and scrutiny.
The
History of
Contra Costa County,
California:
Wm L Todd; Jos W Revere; William B Ide; Jose
Castro; et al
Berkeley,
Calif.:
Elms Pub.
Co.,
1917, Page 477-478
P. H. McMURTRY
Preston Hays McMurtry was last fall (1932)
re-elected supervisor from the
Fresno
city district for the third time, being chosen
to this position first in 1924. A native of
California,
he first came to
Fresno
county 30 years ago. As a public official he has
given particular attention to the welfare of the
wards of the county and the children's
department of the county hospital.
Mr. McMurtry was born in Modoc county,
California,
May 2, 1880;
his father was James, his mother, Anna (Berry)
McMurtry. The parents were natives of
Missouri
who moved to the Pacific coast soon after the
Civil war, and settled in
Fresno
county in 1882. The elder McMurtry became a
farmer in the region of Tollhouse in the
Sierra Nevada
foothills :35 miles from the minty seat. The boy
had a district school education. At the age of
10, he started to work for the Fresno Lumber and
Irrigation company which constructed
Shaver
Lake
and built its lumber flume reaching its terminal
at the Southern Pacific at
Clovis.
In 1908, Mr. McMurtry joined in forming the
wholesale and retail grocery firm of McMurtry &
McCabe, on I street, continuing there until
1922.
For eight years Mr. McMurtry has represented the
third district on the hoard of supervisors. His
consists of the main part of the City of
Fresno,
with some territory outside to the south and
east.
In each of the three elections, he won his seat
the August primary. He served as chairman of the
committee for building the children's and the
surgical wards of the General hospital.
Mr. McMurtry is married to Gertrude Hedrick,
daughter of William Hedrick, who was postmaster
of
Fresno
during the second
Cleveland
administration. He is a member of
Las Palmas
Lodge, F. and A. M. of which he was master in
1922, and is also enrolled in the
York
and Scottish, Rite bodies.
History of
Fresno
County
and the
San Joaquin
Valley
: Winchell, Lilbourne Alsip -
Fresno,
Calif.:
A.H. Cawston, 1933, Page 235
CARROLL EUGENE DUNN
A splendid example of what an industrious and
progressive person may accomplish when thrown
upon his own resources in Klamath County is
furnished by the life of Carroll Eugene Dunn,
who was born near Cherokee, Iowa,
October 14, 1892
His father was Lee Dunn, born in
Illinois in 1871, a laborer and farmer who settled in
Portland,
Oregon, in 1900, and resided throughout the
Pacific Northwest
until he died in
Portland,
Oregon, in 1926. His mother, a former school teacher, was born
Elda E. Tanner in
Indiana,
June 10, 1874. She is now living in
Seattle,
Washington. The education of Carroll Eugene Dunn was received in the
public schools of Was., Iowa, Portland and
Dairy, Oregon, to which latter community he came
with John Shook in 1905 when they took over the
old Applegate Ranch, now known as the Shook
Ranch. Two years later, at the age of 15 years,
he started out for himself, working as a farm
hand and cowboy and continued in this capacity
until 1916, when he took up a homestead in
Modoc County,
California. Upon his return to
Klamath
County
in 1921, Mr. Dunn entered the employ of the
Merrill Creamery and stayed with that firm until
1924, when he went back to
Modoc
County.
In 1927 he returned to the creamery, retaining
his position there until 1929 when he took up
his residence again on the Shook Ranch, which he
acquired through Mr. Shook. By close
application to the business of raising dairy
and beef cattle and grain farming, Mr. Dunn had
acquired 700 acres of the property in a short
time. He still retains his interest in these
premises, although in 1935 he purchased his
present home ranch in the Pine Grove district.
Contract farming, land leveling, haying, and
plowing, is conducted by Mr. Dunn for his
neighbors.
The first marriage of Carroll Eugene Dunn, on
September 18, 1916,
at
Alturas,
California, united him with Pearl Criss, who was born in
Modoc County,
California, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Criss, pioneers of
that county. The children born of this union are
: Margaret (Mrs. Edward Wheeler), of Dorris,
California, born in Modoc County
July 1, 1917,
has a son, Eddie; Mabel, born in Modoc County,
July 23, 1918;
Ray, born in Dairy, Oregon,
January 19, 1921
; Lester, born near Merrill,
May 15, 1923;
Lavonne, born in Modoc County,
August 1, 1926;
and Carolyn, born in Klamath Falls, February 2,
1928.
The second marriage of Mr. Dunn, with Mrs. Ada
(Cooper) Gooding, was solemnized in
Medford,
Oregon, on June 10. 1935. She has been a resident of
Klamath Falls
since 1920. Mrs. Dunn operates one of the most
successful poultry ranches in
Klamath
County
at her home in the Pine Grove district. Her
success is ascribed to her scientific methods of
care and production. She maintains three-deck
houses for her 2,000 laying hens. In 1939 she
reared 1,800 sexed pullets for laying hens with
great success. An affiliate of the Republican
Party, Mr. Dunn has taken no active part in
politics, preferring to devote himself to the
development of the resources of this region. He
is an expert mechanic, which it a decided asset
in his ranching operations, and now he is
numbered among the representative farmers and
stock raisers in
Klamath
County.
History of
Klamath County,
Oregon
: Good, Rachel Applegate.
Klamath Falls, Or.: unknown,
1941, Pages 346-347
H. VANCE CLYMER, M. D.
The medical profession of Solano county has an
able exponent in Dr. H. Vance Clymer, of
Fairfield,
who has long held the confidence and esteem of
the people, as well as of his professional
brethren. He was born on a farm in
Marion
county,
Oregon,
on the 5th of
August, 1865,
and is a son of Henry Vance and Mary (Johnson)
Clymer. The father, who was a farmer by
vocation, came to
California
in 1846, crossing the plains with the historic
Donner party. The mother was also in this party,
but when the train was divided the company with
which she traveled went to
Oregon.
The father, with a Mr. Crell Burchard, most out
for food for the Donner party, but they were
unable to return. Mr. Clymer was in
San Francisco for one year and then went to
Oregon,
where he spent the remainder of his life.
H. Vance Clymer attended the district schools
near his childhood home in
Oregon
and was then a student in
Willamette
University,
at
Salem,
that state, later matriculating in the medical
department of that university, at
Portland,
being graduated in 1890 with the degree of
Doctor of Medicine. He first located for active
practice at Hating, Oregon, where he remained
for several years, after which he went to
Phoenix, Arizona, where for twenty-five years he
was numbered among the successful physicians and
influential citizens of that community. In 1893
he took postgraduate work in
Chicago
and in 1903 in
New York.
He has been a constant student, keeping in close
touch with the latest advances in the healing
art. In 1919 the Doctor came to
Fairfield,
and he is now numbered among the honored
professional men of this locality. Politically
Dr. Clymer has always been aligned with the
republican party, and he has been a close
observer of public affairs. Fraternally he is a
member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in both
higher branches of which he has taken many
degrees, being a Knight Templar in the York Rite
and a thirty-second degree Mason in the Scottish
Rite, as well as a noble of the Mystic Shrine,
and he likewise belongs to the Benevolent
Protective Order of Elks at Phoenix, Arizona. In
a professional way he is a member of the Solano
County Medical Society and the American Medical
Association. Possessing a comprehensive medical
education, with years of practical experience,
Dr. Clymer has had a thorough equipment for the
successful practice of his profession, and his
ability and skill have been recognized wherever
he has practiced. The Doctor was married to Miss
Grace Osham, a native of Modoc county,
California,
whose father, E. W. Osham, made the trip across
the plains to
California in 1849.
History of
Solano County,
California: Hunt, Marguerite,
Chicago:
S.J. Clarke Pub.
Co.,
1926, Page 260-261
ESTHER
FLORENCE
VINCENT
Santa Rosa
is the home of many successful business women
who have become factors in the life of the city
through their organization known as the Business
and Professional Women's Club.
One of the members
of this group, eligible to membership through
her real estate and insurance business is Esther
Florence Vincent, who has been a resident of the
city since 1905.
Her
advent in
Santa Rosa
was direct from
Modoc County,
California,
the place of her birth [May
3, 1882].
Her father, Edward Myers, born
December 2, 1829,
a native of Philadelphia, passed away March 27, 1896
in Modoc County, while her mother, Appoline, a
woman of Canadian birth [march 25, 1841, died
June 17, 1926
at the home of her daughter in Santa Rosa.
On May 24, 1900,
the subject of this sketch was united in
marriage, at
Alturas,
California
with William o Vincent, a native of
Lake
county,
Oregon.
Seven children were born of the marriage: Vina,
now the wife of Howard Martin; Nondas, who is
married to Carl Lundgren; Paulina [Mrs George
halverson]; Edythe, now Mrs Frank Martin; Arlie,
Stewart and Melvin Vincent.
After the
death of Frank Vincent [father of William O] his
wife, Nancy [Cole] Vincent, came to
Santa Rosa
where she spent the remaining years of her life.
Mrs
Vincent has been connected with various real
estate firms since her residence in
Santa Rosa,
but in later years has opened her own office
where she specializes in real estate sales and
exchanges combined with a wide line of
insurances.
She is
broad in her interests, and for four years
served the local unit of the WCTU as their
president. Humanitarian in her outlook, she has
concerned herself with the welfare of humanity
and has localized her interest, because of her
own children, in the work of the
PTA,
where she acted as president for two terms. Her
religious preference is for the
Baptist
Church.
Her home, for many years, has been at
1488 N. Orchard Street.
History of
Sonoma County,
California: Finley, Ernest Latimer,
Santa Rosa,
Calif.
:: Press Democrat Pub.
Co.,,
1937, Pg 292, Vincent
JAMES LELAND POPE
Since his youth James Leland Pope of Merrill has
been ranching in
Oregon
and
Washington
and his knowledge of farm land, coupled with
business ability, has enabled him to benefit
from several property transactions and has
resulted in his obtaining excellent farm land in
the Merrill district since he returned to
Klamath
County
about 1926. Mr. Pope was born in
Canby,
California,
September 23, 1894,
son of Fred L. Pope Sr., and Dora (Ballard)
Pope. His father, born in
Iowa
in 1861, came to
Klamath
County
in 1899 and purchased the present home ranch of
265 acres and another ranch of 127 acres, east
of Merrill, improving both places. In 1932 he
bought a ranch near
Fort
Klamath,
where he died in July, 1935. His wife, Dora
(Ballard) Pope, is a native of
Modoc County,
California, born in March, 1873. An interesting fact in her family
history is that her father came to
Portland,
Oregon,
when it was merely a town of a few frame
buildings. Mrs. Pope, who reared three girls and
three boys, resides in
Klamath
County
part of the time.
After completing high school in Merrill, J.
Leland Pope worked for his father for a few
months on the ranch where he now lives.
Following his marriage at 21, he rented the home
ranch and farmed it for five years before
purchasing an 800-acre stock ranch in
Modoc County,
California.
After operating it three years, he traded for
property in
Washington, near
Walla Walla, and spent two years in that state before acquiring a
ranch at
Junction City.
Oregon.
In 1926 he returned to the Merrill ranch and
leased the ranch from his father and is still
farming the land which he bought in 1940 from
his mother. He grows potatoes, hay and Alsike
clover and raises stock cattle. In the meantime,
Mr. Pope has purchased and cleared 123 acres
near Merrill for raising clover, alfalfa and
grain, and has bought 400 acres of hill pasture
and 120 acres of irrigated pasture for feeding
the cattle herd he has started. On
October 6, 1915,
at
Canyonville,
Oregon, Mr. Pope married Mary McGilvray who was born at
Trempaleau,
Wisconsin,
December 6, 1893.
Her father, Gilbert McGilvray, was the first
white child born in that Wisconsin County of
Trempaleau, in 1854. He died in 1926. Her
mother, Olivia (Camp) McGilvray, was also a
native of
Wisconsin,
born in 1857 and died in 1929. Mrs. Pope is a
popular matron of the Merrill community, holding
memberships in the Woman's Libra, Club, the
Rebekah Lodge and the Grange. Mr. and Mrs. Pope
have two children: James Randall, born
July 23, 1920, who is his father's assistant on the ranch ; and Donald
L., born
December 22, 1931.
Besides his farming, Mr. Pope's interests
include activities of the Odd Fellows Lodge, the
Grange and the Merrill Service Club ; he is
registered a Republican. During the past few
years he has made blooded cattle his hobby and
is developing and enlarging a herd of Black
Angus cattle.
History of
Klamath County,
Oregon
: Good, Rachel Applegate, Klamath Falls,
Or.: unknown, 1941, Pages 489-490
FRED
L. POPE, JR.
Establishing his home and interests in
Klamath
County
where he was born, Fred L. Pope has within a few
years become one of the well known cattlemen of
the
Fort
Klamath
section that is widely acclaimed as one of the
finest cattle producing areas. Born at Merrill,
November 1, 1904,
he was one of the six children of Fred L. and
Dora (Ballard) Pope. His father, who gained
recognition as a rancher and stockman in this
county, was born in
Iowa
on September
15, 1861,
but came to this county in 1898 and purchased a
ranch near Merrill from J. Frank Adams, where he
was instrumental in obtaining irrigation water
for the district. He later moved to a ranch near
Fort
Klamath
that he had purchased in 1929, and was living
there when his death occurred in July, 1935. His
wife, a native of
Modoc County,
California, born
March 31, 1874,
is a woman who makes many friends and has the
devotion of her family. She makes her home at
Merrill. Receiving his education in the public
school at Merrill and Oregon State College at
Corvallis,
Fred Pope, Jr., entered salesmanship, selling
electric refrigerators at
Portland,
Oregon, then later worked for the United States Bureau of Public
Roads in the
Fremont
forest. Concluding this employment he returned
to
Portland
as bookkeeper for the International Harvester
Company for a year before coming to
Klamath Falls
where he held a similar position four years with
the Sanitary Packing Company. Before resuming
ranch life which had been his earlier interest,
he again returned to
Portland
and was affiliated with the Safeway Stores of
that city for three years. At the death of his
father Mr. Pope took over the duties and
responsibilities of a cattle ranch, operating
the place for his mother until 1939, when he
purchased the ranch and is now keeping cattle on
a grazing basis. By numerous improvements he
converted it into one of the most attractive in
the
Wood
River
Valley,
as well as one of the most profitable. On
December 17, 1929,
at
Portland,
Fred L. Pope, Jr., married Dorothy H. Ott, who
was born at Hailsit,
Long Island,
New York,
on September
29, 1908,
and at the time of her marriage was a deputy
district clerk in the courthouse at
Portland.
Her father, Stanley H. Ott, was born in
Connecticut
in 1885 and is employed in one of the shipyards
at
Portland. Her mother, Norma M. (Cross) Ott, was born in
Montana
in 1881, and has devoted her interests since
marriage to her husband and two daughters. The
two children born to Mr. and Mrs. Pope are:
Linda Jean, born on the ranch near
Fort
Klamath,
January 5,
1937;
and Stephen Fredric, born
May 26, 1940,
in
Klamath Falls.
Mr. Pope, who in his political faith is
Republican, concentrates his activities on his
ranching venture but, taking an intelligent and
ever- widening interest in affairs of the
county, is becoming one of the valued residents
of his community.
History of
Klamath County,
Oregon
: Good, Rachel Applegate, Klamath Falls,
Or.: unknown, 1941, Pages 489-490
THOMAS H. JOHNSTONE
There are few names more prominently
associated with the commercial development
of Modoc County than that of Mr. Johnstone,
who is at the head of various important
enterprises in the county and especially has
been interested in movements for the
commercial growth of Cedarville, his home
town. The general store of which he is
manager and principal owner and which forms
one of the largest concerns of its kind in
Surprise Valley was incorporated in April
1905, under the laws of California, with a
capital stock of $40,000, business being
conducted under the name of the T.H.
Johnstone Company. In March of 1905, Mr.
Johnstone became the president of the newly
organized Surprise Valley State Bank,
capitalized at $25,000, and this responsible
position he now fills, in addition to
conducting his important mercantile
enterprise and acting as a notary public and
agent for a number of fire insurance
companies. Another important undertaking
which owes its origin to himself and other
men equally public-spirited is the Surprise
Valley Electric Light and Power Company,
which was organized for the purpose of
furnishing light and power to the people of
the valley, and was incorporated in May
1905, with a capital stock of $25,000. Not
only by the investment of money in shares of
stock has Mr. Johnstone aided the
development of this company, but he has been
especially helpful through his services as
treasurer and vice-president, which
positions he has filled since the
organization of the company.
Of Canadian birth, Mr. Johnstone was
born in Ontario, February 7, 1850, and grew
to manhood upon the home farm. After the
death of his father he conducted the farm
for one year in the interests of his mother
and then went to the regions east of Hudson
Bay, where he was employed in the lumber
business. During the Fenian raid in Canada
in 1870 he enlisted as a private in the
Ottawa Artillery, and later was promoted to
be sergeant, serving as such until the
troubles were ended. In recognition of his
bravery and gallant services Queen Victoria
some years later presented him with a medal,
which he now cherishes as one of is most
valued possessions.
On coming to the States in 1876, Mr.
Johnstone became interested in mining near
Virginia City, Nev., but soon removed to
California and for one year was employed in
herding sheep in Modoc County. Next he
rented a farm in what is known as the
Cottonwood district of Surprise Valley. On
coming to Cedarville he secured a position
as bookkeeper with M.D. Haynes & Co., and
two years later, on the dissolution of this
firm, he was chosen business manager for
Cressler & Bonner in the same town.
Remaining with that firm for three years
when a consolidation was effected for their
interests with Kistler Brothers, he was
admitted as a member of the firm of Kistler,
Johnstone & Co. Three years later, when that
partnership was dissolved, he bought out a
small store owned by L. Waldenberg & Co.
With this as a nucleus he has built up a
large trade that extends in every direction
from Cedarville, throughout the surrounding
country, and he also , since May 1904, has
operated similar store at Eagleville. His
attractive home in Cedarville is presided
over the lady whom he married June 26, 1878
and who was Miss Anna M. Mills, a native of
Canada; they are the parents of two
daughters, Cassie M. and Jennie D. The
family are identified with the Episcopal
denomination, and are contributors to the
religious and philanthropic movements.
Active in local politics as a leader of the
Republic party in Cedarville and vicinity,
Mr. Johnstone, though declining official
honors for himself, has given his staunch
support to friends during their candidacy
for official positions and has been a
contributor to the upbuilding of the party
in the county. Fraternally he is a member
and past master of Surprise Valley Lodge No.
235. F.& A.M., having been made a Mason in
Canada in 1875.
Guinn, J.M. History of the State
of California and Biographical Records of
the Sierras. Chicago: Chapman
Publishing Company, 1906 at page 665-666
Biographies transcribed by:
Martha A Crosley Graham
Site
Updated: 28 February 2012
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