in 1855.



Siskiyou County is bordered by three Counties in Oregon: Jackson, Josephine & Klamath, as well as by Counties in

: Del Norte, Humboldt, Modoc, Trinity & Shasta.
Check the above Counties for Biographies, you may find Family.

If you have family lore or personal biographies to share, send along a note.

 J. W. MITCHELL

... is a representative of industrial activity at Medford where he is engaged in wagon-making and in dealing in wagon-maker's supplies. He is also well known in the town as a public-spirited citizen and is now serving as a member of the city council. He was born at Fort Jones, Siskiyou county, California, February 22, 1867, his parents being James and Minerva (Quigley) Mitchell, who were natives of Indiana. The father learned the harness-maker's trade in St. Louis, Missouri, and after his marriage he crossed the plains at an early day, locating in Siskiyou county, California, where he conducted a harness-making business at Fort Jones to the time of his death.

J. W. Mitchell was but ten years of age at the time of his father's demise and a lad of twelve years when his mother was called from this life. In their family were nine children, six who reached adult age and are still living. J. W. Mitchell was the youngest son and with one exception the youngest child. He remained at the place of his nativity until he had attained his majority, when he went upon the stock ranches of eastern Oregon, spending four years as a cowboy. He then returned to Montague, California, where he began learning the blacksmith's trade, after which he continued in that business together with farming, taking up government land there. In 1901 he came to Medford and established his present business in connection with E. C. Boeck, under the firm style of Mitchell & Boeck. The relation was continued for about ten years, or until October, 1911. when Mr. Mitchell purchased his partner's interest and now conducts an independent business under his own name as a wagon maker and dealer in wagon maker's supplies. He has built up a good business in this connection and he also does automobile repairing and rubber-tire works, employing four men. The business was started in a small way on Main street, the partners doing all of their own work and their blacksmithing at that time. As the years have passed, however, the factory has constantly increased and the business has assumed large and profitable proportions. In 1902 Mr. Mitchell in connection with Mr. E. C. Boeck purchased eighty acres of land five miles northeast of Medford and began the cultivation of an apple and pear orchard. In this and other ways Mr. Mitchell has won success as the result of his well directed labors.

On Christmas Day of 1890 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Mitchell and Miss Phoebe A. Woodson, who was born in Ashland, Oregon, in 1870, and is a daughter of James and Laura (Million) Woodson. The Million donation land claim is now a part of the site of the city of Ashland. Mr. Woodson also crossed the plains at an early day and became identified with the pioneer development of that community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have been born two children, Grace Elizabeth and Marvin James, aged respectively eighteen and twelve years.

Mr. Mitchell is well known in Odd Fellows circles, holding membership in the lodge and encampment. Politically he is a democrat and is now serving for a third term as a member of the city council, in which connection he exercises his official prerogatives in support of many progressive public movements. He favors the town's advancement along modern lines and his reelection to office indicates the confidence and trust reposed in him by his fellow townsmen.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol III, ~ Joseph Gaston [Page 292]

HON. ABNER WEED.

Few men of southern Oregon and northern California are more widely known than the Hon. Abner Weed because of his extensive land holdings, his important industrial interests and his prominence in political circles. He owns twenty-one thousand acres of land in one body in Klamath county, Oregon, devoted to the raising of hay and to grazing purposes. He has operated extensively along various lines in this section of the country and his value as a citizen is widely acknowledged. He was born in Dixmont, Penobscot county, Maine, September 18, 1842, the son of Abner and Sarah (Ryan) Weed, who were natives of the Pine Tree state and belonged to old families there. They spent their entire lives in Maine, the father following the occupation of farming. Hon. Abner Weed, the youngest of a family of eight children, resided with his parents until 1S63, when at the age of twenty-one years he enlisted for service in the Civil war. Up to that time he had lived the usual life of a farm boy, taking advantage of the educational opportunities offered by the common schools. Donning the nation's blue uniform he went to the front as a member of Company C, Eighth Maine Volunteer Infantry. He served with that command until the close of the war, two and one-half years later. He participated in the James river expedition under Butler and was serving under President Grant at the time of the surrender of Lee. He did provost guard duty in Virginia until 1866. mostly at Richmond, and was continuously in active service save for a period of three months spent at home on a furlough, following a sunstroke which incapacitated him for duty. 

In 1866 Abner Weed returned home, remaining a resident of Maine until 1868. He then went to Iowa, where he lived for one year, and in 1869 made his way to California. He spent about twenty years in the Sierra Nevada country, mostly in the town of Truckee, logging and working in the winters during that period. He did some contract work and worked for wages also. In 1889 he removed to Siskiyou county, California, where he has since made his home. In that county he first operated a sawmill near Sisson. He made a steady advance in that business and became one of the most prominent lumbermen of the section. About seven years ago, however, he disposed of his interests there and has since engaged in dealing in land and cattle, owning now twenty-one thousand acres of land all in one body in Klamath county. He also has about eleven thousand acres in Siskiyou county, which is hay and grazing land and a part of which is mining property. Mr. Weed founded the town which bears his name—Weed, California—and there built a sawmill, a store, a box factory and a residence. He built twenty-three miles of the California & Northeastern Railroad, now owned by the Southern Pacific Company, and forming a part of the main line through Klamath Falls. In Contra Costa county, California, he owns a ranch of sixteen hundred acres. Thus he is one of the most extensive landholders in this section. 

Abner Weed was married in Maine in 1885 to Miss Rachel C. Cunningham, a native of that state and a daughter of Chandler Cunningham. The children of this marriage are: Abbie G, the wife of Alexander Albee, who lives near Weed; E. C, who was born December 31, 1874, and died in February, 1911; Eleanor, who was born in 1878 and died at the age of three years; and Horace A., who resides upon his father's ranch, is married and has two children. 

He is a republican and for your years filled the office of state senator in California, while for eight years he was supervisor at Siskiyou. His fellow townsmen recognize the fact that he is capable and public-spirited and desire his services in office, yet his ambition does not lead in that direction. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order "of Odd Fellows, the Masons and the Elks. Whatever he undertakes he carries forward to successful completion and he is a man of sound judgment, progressive and determined, and possesses that rare perception which enables one to see the possibilities and opportunities of a situation.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol III, ~ Joseph Gaston [Page 746]

JAMES GEHRIG BEARD. 

Residence, 1238 Washington Street; office, Courthouse, Red Bluff. Born December 30, 1879, in Etna, Siskiyou County, California. Son of John Samuel and Annie (Ackley) Beard. Married June 1 I, 1902, to Louise Sophia Smith. In 1886 entered Yreka grammar schools, graduating there from in June, 1895. Entered Siskiyou County High School in September, 1895, taking combined literary and commercial courses for three years. Admitted to bar at Sacramento, California, January 4, 1909. January 8, 1909, formed partnership with his father, Judge J. S. Beard, practicing under firm name of Beard & Beard, at Yreka, which partnership existed until death of Judge Beard on December 12. 1910. Official reporter of the superior Court of Siskiyou County from April 29, 1905, to January 7, 1909. On September 13, 1909, appointed official reporter of the Superior Court of Tehama County, California, which position he now holds, practicing at intervals at Yreka until the firm of Beard & Beard was dissolved by death of Judge Beard. Republican.

History Of The Bench and Bar of California : Edited BY J. C. Bates, Bench and Bar Publishing Company Publishers,

San Francisco, 1912 [Page 225]

H. J. O'BRIEN

...has for twenty-five years engaged extensively in the breeding and raising of horses and is one of the foremost representatives of this business in Bonanza and the Yonna valley. He was born in Galesburg, Knox county. Illinois. July 2, 1859, and is a son of William and Alice (Philips) O'Brien, both of whom were natives of Ireland, born in Galway and Tipperary respectively. The mother was fourteen years of age when she crossed the Atlantic and the father was a youth of fifteen. They were married at Galesburg, Illinois, where they were numbered among the first settlers. Mr. O'Brien worked for Mr. Gale and Mrs. O'Brien worked for Mr. Ferris, and it was upon the farms of those two men that the city of Galesburg was built. Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien resided there until the Civil war and he assisted in erecting all of the principal buildings there at that time including Knox College and the seminary. He was a stone and brick mason and took an active part through his trade in the improvement of the city. He and his brothers, Martin. Patrick. Henry and Thomas, were the only Irish republicans in Galesburg at the time of the Civil war. Patrick and Henry both lost their lives while defending the Union, one at Shiloh and the other at Gettysburg. Two years after the war H. J. O'Brien removed with his parents to the Grand Prairie, Livingston county, Illinois, and subsequently to Greenwood county, Kansas, where they became pioneers, settling there two and a half years before the railroad was built. At length H. J. O'Brien came to the west and his parents followed him. becoming early residents of the Pacific coast. Eventually, however, they sold out in the northwest and returned as far as Oklahoma, both passing away there in 1909 when about eighty years of age. In their family were four children: H. J.; Edward. who died in Iowa; Willie, who has not been heard from in twenty years; and Myra, the wife of William Drake, of Hennessey, Oklahoma. 

H. .T. O'Brien removed from Kansas to Oregon in 1880 and spent six months in traveling over the state, searching for a favorable location. He came to Klamath county with William Hanley. bringing cattle, and spent two years between this district and Rogue river, in teaming. On the construction of the railroad to Ashland in 1882 he located permanently in Klamath county, homesteading one hundred and sixty acres of land upon which he now resides. This is today well improved and under a high state of cultivation. For some time he was actively engaged in the construction of new railroads in the northwest but for the past twenty yearn he 1ms dealt in horses, breeding black Perchrron stock. He is half owner of Richmond, a fine sire owned by the Lost River Valley Percheron Horse Company. They paid twenty-four hundred dollars for him when he was three years old and he is now valued at three thousand dollars. Mr. O'Brien is also the owner of Beau Sire for which he paid one thousand dollars when he was less than three years old. Although Mr. O'Brien learned the carpenter's trade in early life he has handled horses through the greater part of the period of his majority and is an excellent judge of fine animals, doing much to improve the grade of horses raised in this section. 

Mr. O'Brien was married in 1901 to Mrs. Addie Clark, who was born in the Cottonwood mining camp, in Siskiyou county. California, March 8, 1860. When she was eighteen months old her parents removed to Jacksonville where she remained until eight years of age, when she went to Linkriver, now Klamath Falls, a trading post, being the first white girl to reside there. At that time there were only a half dozen shacks in the town. Soldiers and the Indians constituted the chief population of the district although there were trappers and hunters. Mrs. O'Brien heard the first shots of the Modoc war and saw the first victims. In 1874 she went to Colorado and was there married to S. B. Clark. She resided there before Cripple Creek came into prominence, near the present site of the town, and after living in that state went to Minnesota, where she lost her husband and eldest child. Mr. Clark passing away in 1891. She then returned to Josephine county, Oregon, where she lived for three years, after which she again came to Klamath county and was married here to Mr. O'Brien. She had eight children by her first marriage: Minnie S., who died at the age of twelve years; Etta A., who is the wife of Walker Blanton, of Washington; Lilly A., the wife of Charles Flackus of Yonna valley; Emma C., the wife of George Gibson, of Boise. Idaho: Silas, of Klamath county; Willie, who is a twin brother of Silas, of Davis; Jessie E., of Minnesota; and Irving H.. of Ontario. Oregon. Mrs. O'Brien never resided in a frame house until she went to Minnesota in 1883 having up to that time always lived in pioneer districts where her home was a log house. She attended school at Jacksonville when it was but a mining camp and at Ashland when there was only one store in the town. She also went to school in Linkriver the present Klamath Falls, when there were only six pupils there and she crossed the Link river on the ferry before the bridge was built. In 1870 she walked across the Link river bed when it was dry, caused by a south wind that held the waters back in the lake. She made that crossing with her father and when in the bed of the stream picked up two fish. Such a thing has seldom occurred within the memory of man. Few. indeed, are more familiar with the history of this state and its development or can relate more interesting incidents concerning the early days. Mr. O'Brien has been a republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, casting his first presidential vote for Garfield and always supporting the party, and is now a progressive republican. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston  [Pages 59-60]

J. G. WIGHT

...was for many years identified with educational interests and contributed in large measure toward the development ofthe schools, but he is now concentrating his time and energies upon the cultivation of crops and the raising of stock, having one of the well improved ranches of Klamath county, situated in the Yonna valley not far from Hildebrand. He was born near Hamilton, Wentworth county, Ontario. Canada, April 27. 1859, his parents being James and Agnes (McKinley) Wight, in whose family were fourteen children, of whom J. G. Wight was the fifth. He resided at the place of his birth until 1880, was reared to farm life and acquired his education in the district schools. He then made his way westward in company with his sister Barbara to Solano county," California, and there engaged in farming for about four years. He also attended school to some extent in that district, for he has ever been interested in educational advancement, finding genuine joy in the study that brings him a broader intellectual outlook. In 1884 he came to Klamath county and preempted one hundred and sixty acres of land, to which he has since added, until now he has two hundred and forty acres in the Yonna valley, six miles north of Dairy. Most of his time, however, has been spent elsewhere in school work until the last four years, during which time he has resided continuously on his ranch. He was graduated from the state normal school at Monmouth and for about ten years he engaged in teaching in Polk and Yamhill counties. He also taught at Bonanza, Klamath county, for five years, and in 1904 was elected county superintendent of schools, which position he filled for one term of four years. On his retirement from that office, in which he had made a most creditable record, he returned to the ranch and has since engaged in the cultivation of the crops best adapted to soil and climate and in the raising of stock, in both branches of his business meeting with success which is the legitimate outcome of persistent, earnest effort. 

In 1909 Mr. Wight was married to Miss Mary L. Davison, who was born near Salem, Oregon, November 14, 1868, and was reared and educated In Jackson county. She is a graduate of the Ashland Normal School with the class of 1889. and also Heald's Business College of San Francisco, of the class of 1893. She, too, was a capable and successful teacher, having taught for ten years in Jackson county, Oregon, for four years in Siskiyou county, California, and for four years in Klamath county, making a total of eighteen years. She is a daughter of Andrew and Mary A. (Wright) Davison. the former a native of Fountain county, Indiana, born in 1832, and the latter a native of Ohio, born in 1837. Her father crossed the plains to California in 1830 and in 1851 oame to Jackson county. His wife made the journey across the country in 1852 through the Rogue river valley, her parents taking up a donation claim there. Mrs. Davison is now homesteading on eighty acres near the Wight home and she also has a residence in Medford. She has been a widow since 1884. Her husband was a miner in early life and later secured a donation claim in Jackson county, where he resided until the time of his death. In their family were nine children, six of. whom are yet living, including Mrs. Wight. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wight are widely and favorably known in the Yonna valley, the circle of their friends increasing as the circle of their acquaintance widens. Mr. Wight votes with the republican party but has never been an office seeker, preferring to concentrate his energies upon the professional interests and the business cares which have occupied his time since he attained his majority. He has advanced step by step, his eyes fixed on the goal of success, never deviating from the path of honorable achievement.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Page 98] 

SAMUEL PADGETT

...is the postmaster and a merchant of Keno and is conducting a well appointed store, while his business activities place him with the enterprising citizens of the community. He was born April 22. 1874, in Kansas, his parents being J. L. and Eliza C. (Lissman) Padgett, who were natives of Indiana and were reared and married there. They afterward resided at different periods in Kansas and Missouri as well as a number of places in the middle west. In 1891 they came to Oregon and the father engaged in merchandising at Keno until he retired and removed to Ashland about four years ago. His death there occurred in October, 1910, when he was sixty-seven years of age. The mother is now living in Siskiyou county, California, at the age of seventy-one years. The father had ranch and timber interests and also city property in Ashland and town property in Keno. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served for two years as a member of Company I, Seventeenth Indiana Regiment of Volunteer Infantry. He belonged to the Grand Army Post at Ashland. and he gave his political allegiance to the republican party although the other members of the family were democrats. For about eight years he served as postmaster at Keno, proving a faithful incumbent in that office. During the greater part of his life he was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Unto him and his wife were born two children, the elder being Albert F., of Dorris, Siskiyou county, California.

When only fourteen months old Samuel Padgett was taken by his parents to Missouri, where he resided until seventeen years of age. The family then came to Klamath county, Oregon, and Samuel Padgett has since resided in this locality. He continued with his parents until about sixteen years ago, when he married and went to Siskiyou county, California, and settled about twenty-five miles south of Keno. There he secured a homestead on which he lived for seven years, at the end of which time he traded it for a half interest in his present mercantile business, making the trade with his brother. They now own adjoining homesteads and each has a half interest in the store at Keno. Mr. Padgett traded his homestead for his brother's half interest in the store and he has since been identified with the same. The father gave to each of the two sons a third interest in the business and kept a third but Samuel Padgett now owns the whole store building and its appointments and he has a half interest in his father's estate. He was appointed postmaster on March 18, 1910.

In 1896 Mr. Padgett was united in marriage to Miss Vina May Pratt, who was born in Klamath county and is a daughter of Newton and Rebecca Jane Pratt. The former is deceased but the mother still survives. Mr. Pratt was born in New York, March 19, 1833, a son of Jackson and Caroline (Smith) Pratt. They removed to Michigan when their son Newton was a small boy and he was yet quite young when left an orphan, his mother dying in Michigan and his father in Indiana. He was one of four sons, the others being: Warren and Barney, both deceased; and Morgan, whose home is in lower California. Newton Pratt resided in Michigan and in Indiana, near Crown Point, until 1853. when he crossed the plains, leaving his old home in April and reaching Oregon late in the fall. He spent two years in and near Salem, where he had a dray line, and in 1855 he went to Siskiyou county and worked in the Scott valley until 1858. He then returned to Salem and in 1859 again went to Siskiyou county, where he had a small vegetable ranch and also a livery stable in Fort Jones until 1862. After selling out he engaged in teaming until he came to Klamath county and he was employed as a teamster by the United States government during the Modoc war. He then located a claim at Teater's landing and after living upon it for two years sold it. He next purchased the McCormick sawmill at Keno, which he operated for five years and throughout the succeeding ten years was engaged in teaming at Klamath Falls, hauling freight from Roseburg to Redding, which were the nearest railroad points at that time. For four years he engaged in ranching in the Poe valley and then again spent two years in Klamath Falls. He next rented and operated the John H. Miller ranch for three years, at the end of which time he removed to Keno. where he died July 30, 1901. Mrs. Pratt conducted a hotel in Keno for six years after her husband's death. He had traded for the property in 1891 and had managed the hotel up to the time of his demise. Mrs. Pratt still owns a number of pieces of property here and has displayed excellent business ability in their management. Mr. Pratt was a man of enterprise and perseverance, never afraid of work, and his persistency of purpose was one of the strong elements in his success. On the 6th of February, 1865, he wedded Rebecca Jane Gordon, who was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, November 16, 1844. She was but eight months old when her parents removed to Buchanan county, Missouri, and in 1852 they crossed the plains to Yreka, California. Her father. Daniel Gordon, was a native of New York and when quite young was left an orphan. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Castle, was a native of Virginia and when ten years of age removed with her parents to "Ohio. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gordon spent their last days in Keno, passing away at the ages of ninety-six and seventy-three years, respectively. He was a millwright and cabinet-maker and thus provided for his family, numbering seven children who reached adult age. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Pratt were born two children: Linnie B., the wife of Henry Stout, of Klamath Falls; and Vina May, now Mrs. Padgett.

Mr. and Mrs. Padgett have four children, Arthur Newton, Marion Finley, Victor E. and Erwin F. In politics Mr. Padgett is a republican but the honors and emoluments of office have never attracted him. He prefers to concentrate his attention upon his business affairs and their capable direction is winning for him a gratifying measure of success. He now has a well appointed store and as postmaster of Keno is widely known.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston  [Page 109]

GEORGE W. AGER.

The birthplace of George W. Ager was a town bearing the family name and so called in honor of his father, Jerome Bonaparte Ager, who was born in New York in 1829. He went to California in 1851, crossing the plains with ox teams. During the first year of his residence on the coast he engaged in mining at Cape Blanco and in 1852 returned east with seventeen thousand dollars which he had mined. In 1853 he crossed the plains again and spent the rest of his life in Siskiyou county, being closely identified with the material development and progress of the district in which he lived. He was married at Yreka to Miss Lucy Jane Axtell, who was born in Wisconsin in 1848 and by way of the isthmus route came to the Pacific coast with her parents. From Red Bluff she had to ride horseback to Yreka, for there were no wagon roads at that time. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Ager spent the rest of their lives in Siskiyou county upon a ranch and he was well known as a stockman of that locality. The town of Ager was named in his honor and became a shipping point for a large tributary district in northern California and southern Oregon. He was a prominent and influential resident of that locality and his labors contributed much to its improvement. He died November 14, 1900, and was survived by his wife until February, 1911. Their family 'numbered five sons and six daughters and with the exception of one daughter all are now living. 

George W. Ager, the fifth child, made his home with his parents until he came to Klamath county in 1900 and in the meantime worked on the ranch with his father. He is now the owner of one hundred and twenty acres in his home place, together with two hundred acres about a mile distant near Rainier. He now has a good property and many of the improvements thereon were made by him. His farm is devoted to the raising of both grain and stock and he has a good orchard of two hundred trees. 

In 1900 Mr. Ager was united in marriage to Miss Blanche Stearns, a native of Klamath county and a daughter of 0. A. Stearns, a sketch of whom appears on another page of this work. Our subject and his wife have three children: Irma, Lowell and Julian. Mr. Ager has always lived in this district, spending his youth and early manhood in Siskiyou county and since that time residing in Klamath county. He has been an interested witness of the work of improvement and progress and he is numbered among those whose labors as a farmer and stockman are contributing to the improvement and substantial upbuilding of his part of the state.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston  [Page 294]

JAMES BERRY COLE,

...who has been a resident of Klamath county for more than two decades, is the owner of two ranches of one hundred and sixty acres each and in their operation has met with gratifying success, making a specialty of potato culture. His birth occurred near Sedalia, Missouri, on the 10th of March, 1866, his parents being Leonard and Louisa A. (Spence) Cole. The father was a native of Boone county, Missouri, while the mother's birth occurred near Sedalia, that state. During the infancy of their son James, they took up their abode in Christian county, Illinois, and about six years later removed to Dallas county, Texas, settling on a ranch fifteen miles south of the city of Dallas. Leonard Cole there passed away on the 5th of April, 1910, when eighty-five years of age, but is survived by his widow, who makes her home at Wheatland, Texas. General agricultural pursuits claimed his attention throughout his active business career. He learned the saddler's trade in early life and later familiarized himself with the occupation of plasterer, but found the work of the fields more congenial and as a farmer won prosperity. To him were born four children, as follows: Charles, who is a resident of Happy Camp. Siskiyou county. California; James Berry, of this review : Thomas, living in Dallas county, Texas; and Edward, of Eagle Ford, Texas. 

James Berry Cole remained under the parental roof until twenty-two years of age and in 188S made his way to San Diego, California. A short time later he took up his abode in Dixon, that state, working on a ranch for a few years. In 1891 he came to the Klamath basin in Klamath county, Oregon, and took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, which he improved and still owns. Subsequently he purchased his present home ranch of one hundred and sixty acres, which he operates in connection with the former, devoting his attention to general farming with excellent results. During a number of years he was a "buccuro," riding after cattle for many years. For the past three years he has owned and operated a threshing machine. He makes a specialty of potato culture and in the season of 1912 planted eighty acres to that vegetable. Through the successful conduct of his agricultural interests he has won a reputation as one of the substantial and representative citizens of his community. Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Lodge No. 172 at Dixon, California. 

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Page 349]

R. H. BUNNELL

...needs no introduction to the readers of this volume or the residents of Klamath county, for he is a member of the well known firm of Bunnell Brothers— prominent ranchmen of this district—owning and cultivating five hundred acres of land sixteen miles south of Klamath Falls and seven and a half miles north of Merrill. He and his brother, A. C. Bunnell, are natives of California, the former born in Alameda, on the 27th of June, 1878, and the latter in Siskiyou county, on the 35th of December, 1870. They are sons of A. F. and Alatilda (Nantzel) Bunnell, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of New York city. The parents were reared in the east but were married in Siskiyou county, California, the father having made the trip there around Cape Horn in 1849, while the mother arrived at a later date, having come to the coast with her sister. A. F. Bunnell in 1852 located on Scott Barr, in Siskiyou county, and subsequently made his way to Alameda. He was a shop man, machinist and millwright, working along those lines during the greater part of his life, although at an early date he engaged in mining in Scott valley. Subsequently, however, he worked at trades and spent the last part of his life at farming. He died at the home of his sons, when seventy-one years of age, his birth having occurred in 1839. The mother survives him and is living in Ashland, Oregon. In her family are seven children: A. C.; Lottie, the wife of Frank Triplett. of Maxwell, California; Ella May, the wife of S. T. Reeve, of Ashland, Oregon; R. H., of this review; Evelyn, the wife of Howard G. Turner, of Portland; and two children who died in early life. 

R. H. Bunnell spent his youthful days under the parental roof, and is indebted to the public schools for his education and to his lather's training for his business knowledge. He came to Klamath county in 1896 and has here remained through the intervening years. He has always been engaged in ranching and for four or five years has been a partner with his elder brother, A. C. Bunnell, in the ownership, development and cultivation of a ranch of five hundred acres, all in one body. This is not only irrigated by the government ditch but they also have a private system of irrigation and being thus able to turn the water on and off when it is needed, they keep their fields in excellent condition and produce good crops. The place presents a neat and attractive appearance and manifests the careful supervision and practical methods of the owners. 

R. H. Bunnell is a republican and is acting as foreman of road construction work, having charge of a crew employed on the building of a new country road. He is also serving as a member of the school board of his district. His fraternal connection is with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which organization finds him a worthy and valued member. 

On the 1st of June, 1912, R. H. Bunnell was united in marriage to Miss Ida Smead, a native of St. Louis. His brother, A. C. Bunnell, was married in 1907 to Miss Laura Goudie, a native of Scotland, and they have three children, James, Lois and John. Mrs. A. C. Bunnell gave birth to four children, three daughters and a son, in June, 1911, each weighing four and a quarter pounds, but all died. Seven children were thus born to them during the first four years of their married life. 

The Bunnell brothers are widely and favorably known in Klamath county and the work which they are doing establishes them as progressive and representative agriculturists.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Pages 370-371]

W. L. TINGLEY,

...who devotes his time and energies to the raising of grain and stock, is the owner of a ranch comprising four hundred and eighty acres and situated about three miles east of Midland in Klamath county. His birth occurred in New Brunswick, Canada, on the 9th of September, 1867, his parents being Harvey and Abby (Dobson) Tingley, who spent their entire lives in that province. The father devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career.

W. L. Tingley, who was the second in order of birth in a family of seven children, remained under the parental roof until eighteen years of age and then made his way to Siskiyou county, California, where he worked as a laborer. For a number of years he was employed in lumber camps by Abner Weed. In the summer of 1906 he purchased his present ranch of four hundred and eighty acres in Klamath county, Oregon, and took up his abode thereon the following April. One hundred and eighty acres thereof is under the government ditch. During the past five years he has been engaged in the pursuits of farming and stock-raising and his labors in this connection have been attended with excellent results.

In March, 1904, Mr. Tingley was united in marriage to Miss Bertha L. Moss, a native of California and a daughter of William Moss. Mr. and Mrs. Tingley have two children, Floyd and Thelma. Mr. Tingley is republican in his political views, loyally supporting the men and measures of that party. He well deserves a place among the representative agriculturists and respected citizens of his community.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Pages 386-387]

RUFUS N. PHELPS

...has resided almost continuously in Lake county since 1873 and during the greater part of the time has been connected with the sheep industry, but in 1912 he opened a livery barn in Paisley. He is also the owner of a blacksmith shop and feed yard. He was born May 13, 1869, in Washington Territory, while his parents were en route from Ohio to Portland, Oregon. His father, Joseph B. Phelps, was born in the Buckeye state in 1822 and was there married to Mary A. Prior, whose birth occurred in Pennsylvania in 1830. Starting •westward they drove across the country, stopping at different points for a year or two but ultimately locating in Portland. After a short time they removed to Roseburg and Mr. Phelps was employed on the construction of a railroad in the bridge building department. In June, 1873, he removed to Drews valley in Lake county, where he remained for ten years, during which period he was engaged in running stock on the range. On the expiration of that decade he removed to Paisley and in 1898 took up his abode at Grants Pass, where he died in 1902. His wife survived him for five years, passing away in 1907. Joseph B. Phelps had followed carpentering and also conducted a hotel in the east, but after coming to the northwest had engaged in the cultivation of ranch property and in stockraising. To him and his wife were born nine children of whom three died in infancy, the others being: Charles, a resident of Siskiyou county, California; Caroline, the wife of Dan Cameron, of Gold Hill, Oregon; Ida Kate, the wife of J. H. Bull, of San Juan, California; Jennie, the wife of S. P. Cleland, of Arizona; Joseph B.. also living in Arizona; and Rufus N. 

Rufus N. Phelps was about four years of age when the family came to Lake county, where he has since made his home with the exception of a year spent in Reno, Nevada, and six years in the gold mines at Grants Pass. The sheep industry claimed his attention throughout the greater part of the period of his residence in Lake county but in 1912 he purchased a livery stable in Paisley and erected a barn one hundred by sixty feet. The mows hold one hundred and thirteen tons of hay. He keeps seven teams and two saddle horses and also conducts a feed yard. He is also the owner of a blacksmith shop which, however, he rents out. 

On the 17th of April, 1895, Mr. Phelps was united in marriage to Miss Adelaide Ross, who was born in Jackson county, Oregon, in 1867, and is a daughter of General John E. Ross, long a prominent and influential resident of this state. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps are the parents of four children, Ross, Marie Ethel, Eva and Carl. The family is well known in Paisley and Lake county and they have many friends here. Mr. Phelps has led a busy and useful life, working persistently for the success which he has attained and giving his attention at all times closely to his work.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Pages 493-494]

WILLIAM ANDREW CURRIER.

...With four miles of frontage along Summer lake and a large acreage included within his ranch, William Andrew Currier is developing one of the finest properties in Lake county. Fruit of every variety, vegetables of every kind, the cereals best adapted to soil and climate, all grow luxuriantly here; but the principal feature of his work is the raising of horses, he being recognized as conducting the most extensive business of that kind in his county. He was born in Corvallis, Benton county, Oregon, October 12, 1851. His father," Jacob Manley Currier, was a native of Irasburg, Vermont, born February 12, 1827. On leaving the Green Mountain state he resided for ten years in Lowell, Massachusetts, and went to New York in 1842. In 1844 he became a resident of Missouri and two years later crossed the plains with his brother-in-law, A. L. Humphrey, and two sisters, Elizabeth B. and Sally Foster. He settled on a donation claim near Corvallis and still resides there. Although he has reached the advanced age of eighty-five years, his mind is clear and he relates many interesting incidents of the early days, including his experiences when he served as a soldier in the Cayuse Indian war. In August, 1850. he married Maria Foster, who was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, April 11, 1834, and was a daughter of Andrew Foster, a soldier of the War of 1812. Maria Foster had crossed the plains with her parents in 1845 and she died when her son, William A., was eight years of age. He was the eldest of four children, the others being: Lorena, the wife of J. W. Belknap, of Hanford, California; M. C., living in Paisley; and Anna Maria, who died when one year old. Mr. Humphrey, who accompanied Jacob M. Currier to the northwest, served as a member of the first Oregon legislature. 

William A. Currier, born and reared on the old homestead in Benton county and indebted to its public-school system for the educational advantages which he enjoyed, came to Lake county in 1875. when about twenty-four years of age, and settled on Summer lake, where he still lives. On the 19th of January, 1379, he married Miss Kitty E. Hadley, who was born in Siskiyou county, California, a daughter of a lieutenant of the Rogue River war. Mr. and Mrs. Currier became the parents of three children: Ada F., the wife of Francis Kimes, of Hanford, California; Eva, the wife of John Lutz, of Bellingham, Washington; and William Manley. mentioned elsewhere in this work. There are also four grandchildren, the elder daughter having two children, William Francis and Virgil David, while Mrs. Lutz has one son, Harold Andrew, and William Manley Currier has a son, Manley George. 

Throughout the period of his residence in Lake county William Andrew Currier has been numbered among its most prominent and respected citizens and enjoys the confidence and esteem of all who know him. He and his wife are owners of about twenty-five hundred acres of land, of which a' tract of one hundred and five acres is near Han ford, California, while the remainder is in or near the Summer lake valley. He has never specialized to any extent in cattle-raising, never owning, more than four hundred head, and he now has only about forty head, but he is the largest owner of horses in Lake county. He branded two hundred and fifty colts in 1910 and he now has about eight hundred horses. He has some very valuable horses, standard-bred, and he owns fifteen jacks, about fifty mules and fifteen stallions. His great business activity has constituted an important feature in the upbuilding and progress of the district in which he lives and the course which he has pursued has furnished a splendid example to his neighbors, showing what can be accomplished through industry and determination and also proving how productive the district is in cereals, fruits and vegetables. He has developed a fine orchard, containing all kinds of fruit, which he raises for his own use and also for local consumption. His apples, known as Summer Lake Beauties, won the first premium at the county fair at Lakeview in 1907, as did also his cherries. His prune trees, heavily laden with fruit, are a beautiful sight to behold, and in 1911 his orchard produced a late Crawford peach which was eleven inches in circumference. His fruit and vegetables have attained the highest possible degree of perfection and he has one of the best gardens in the county. In addition to his individual efforts along agricultural and horticultural lines and in stock-raising, Mr. Currier has had other interests. He was at one time owner of the Chewaucan hotel at Paisley, which he sold to his son. He is a director of the Chewaucan Mercantile Company of Paisley. He is likewise interested in the Chewaucan & Summer Lake Electric Light & Power Company. His home is pleasantly and attractively located, with the mountains in the rear and the lake in front, the broad expanse of waters enabling him to see for a distance of fifty miles on a clear day.

Mr. Currier's political allegiance has always been given to the democratic party but he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, although for four years he filled the office of county commissioner. He was also postmaster of Paisley for two or three years and has carried the mail for a few months at a time on a number of occasions, making the trip from Paisley to Silver Lake, a distance of sixty miles. His fraternal relations are with Paisley Lodge, No. 177, I. O. 0. F. Mr. Currier belongs to that progressive type of men who have been instrumental in the upbuilding and development of southern Oregon. Recognizing and utilizing its opportunities, he has promoted the interests and welfare of the county and at the same time has upbuilded his own fortunes until he is now one of the prosperous residents of the Summer lake valley. He has never infringed upon the rights of others and in all his dealings has been strictly straightforward, so that his business integrity and honor have won for him the highest commendation and regard.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Pages 512-513]

ALEXANDER E. CULVER

...has lived in Jackson county only since 1911, but has demonstrated his right to be classed with the enterprising and progressive citizens who are bending their energies toward the development of the rich mineral resources of this part of the state. He became identified with mining here in 1910, and is now secretary of the Pleasant Creek Gold Dredge Mining Company. He was born in La Salle, Illinois, October 25, 1859, and is a son of A. W. and Elizabeth E. (Mitchell) Culver, both of whom were natives of Ohio, in which state they were also reared and married. The grandfather, John D. Culver, was a native of Vermont and became a civil engineer in the employ of the United States government, doing much surveying and other engineering work in the states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. While thus engaged he discovered some persimmons said to be poisonous but he thought he would try the fruit and was the first white man to eat a wild persimmon. He died in Galesburg, Illinois, when eighty-six years of age, at which time his grandson, A. E. Culver, was a lad of twelve years. His son, A. W. Culver, was one of the pioneer settlers of California, arriving at Oakland in 1849. Three years later he returned to Ohio and resided in that state and also in Missouri until he once more became a resident of Oakland, California, about twenty years ago. He died in 1906 at the ripe old age of eighty years and his wife passed away in Los Angeles, California, in 1910. He was a blacksmith and followed that trade for about thirty years. 

Alexander E. Culver was the eldest in a family of two sons and three daughters and spent his youthful days in Ohio, Missouri and Kansas. He became a resident of California in 1885, settling first in Los Angeles, whence he removed to Siskiyou county, where for twenty-three years he was engaged in the lumber business, meeting with good success in his undertakings. In 1908, however, he sold his sawmill and leased his planing mill to renters. In 1910, he made investment, in mining interests in Jackson county, Oregon, and the following year took up his abode in Woodville. He now devotes his energies entirely to mining and is secretary of the Pleasant Creek Gold Dredge Mining Company. In 1899 Mr. Culver was married to Miss Eva Nelson, a native of Nevada county, California, and a daughter of Ole Nelson, u lumber man, now residing in Siskiyou county. Mr. and Mrs. Culver have four children, Mariam, Nelson, Albert and Eleanor. Mr. Culver belongs to the Masonic fraternity and also to the Benevolent Protective Order of .Elks. His political allegiance is given to the republican party. He has held a few public offices, including that of justice of the peace and served on the republican central committee of Siskiyou county, California. He was one of the first Johnson men in that county, being a warm friend of the governor. He closely studies the vital and significant problems of the day and his energy and labors have always been effective forces for progress in the community in which he has lived.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Page 892]

GEORGE W. OWEN

...is one of the prominent stock men of Jackson county, Oregon, where he is engaged in the operation of his ranch of seven hundred acres located three miles south of Ashland. He was born in Sacramento, California, April 22. 1863. and is a son of James and Susan (Tull) Owen, the former a native of New York and the latter of Kentucky. They celebrated their wedding in Illinois and later established their home in Missouri. In 1863 the father with his family crossed the plains with ox teams to California and settled on a ranch located in that state six miles from Sacramento. He later removed to Siskiyou county, where he lived for ten or twelve years and then moved to Lassen county and from there to Nevada, where he remained for a brief time and then returned to Lassen county, California. In 1879 he came to Oregon locating in what is now Klamath county, but at that time was a part of Lake county. Here he engaged in stock-raising, with which he continued to be prominently identified until the time of his death, which occurred in 1900. During his residence in Oregon he was one of the enterprising and influential citizens of Klamath county.

George W. Owen was reared at home and received his early education in the public schools. At the age of seventeen years he became a wage earner and feeling the need of a better education, after working for two years, he saved money to pay for a course at the old Ashland Academy. After completing his studies at that institution he returned to Klamath county and for a number of years worked as an employe for various stock-raisers. He later engaged In stockraising himself and some time after was associated with his brother James, with whom he continued for a number of years. In 1895 he sold his interest in the enterprise and came to Jackson county, where he established his home on seven hundred acres of ranch land situated three miles south of Ashland and there has since continued to reside, devoting his time and attention to general farming and stock-raising.

George W. Owen was united in marriage in 1895 to Miss Camilla K. Walker, a daughter of Minus and Phoebe J. (Erb) Walker, who were early settlers of Jackson county. To Mr. and Mrs. Owen one child has been born, Minnie, who is in her sophomore year in the high school at Ashland. Mr. Owen is affiliated with the republican party but has never been an office seeker. He is a member of Ashland Lodge, No. 944, B. P. O. E., and of Ashland Lodge, No. 45, I. O. O. F. George W. Owen is one of the successful and well known stock men of Jackson county and highly esteemed for his integrity and is in every way entitled to be numbered among the desirable and useful citizens of the community in which he lives.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Page 938]

WALLACE GALBREATH,

...who for many years was identified with the mining interests of the northwest, operating in quartz fields, is the owner of a ranch of one hundred and sixty acres and an attractive health resort known as Bybee Springs. The place is pleasantly situated on Evans creek, fifteen miles from Woodville, and has three mineral springs possessing splendid medicinal properties. Air. Galbreath is devoting his energies to the management of the resort and the conduct of his ranch, eighty acres of which is under cultivation. He is one of Oregon's native sons, his birth having occurred in Yamhill county, April 24, 1869, his parents being Robert and Mary Ann [Debbst] Galbreath. The father was born in Pennsylvania in 1815 and the mother was a native of New Jersey. The parents were married in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and about 1863 became residents of Yamhill county, Oregon, where the father engaged in ranching for a time but afterward conducted a saloon. Later he went to Klamath Falls, where he operated a stock ranch. His death there occurred when he had reached the age of eighty-four years and fifteen days. His wife survived him for a number of years, passing away at Stockton, California, in December, 1910, when seventy years of age.

They had a family of four sons and four daughters, of whom Wallace Galbreath was the second son and fourth child. He began working for himself when nine years of age and at length went to lower California, where he was employed on a ranch for five years. He afterward returned to Klamath and rode on the range after stock all through eastern and southern Oregon. He was thus identified with stock-raising interests for about ten years, at the end of which time he was married and turned his attention to quartz mining, which he followed most of the time in northern California and southern Oregon until about two years ago. In 1911 he purchased his present home, becoming the owner of a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, one-half of which is devoted to the cultivation of the crops best adapted to soil and climate. Because of the mineral springs found upon his place he is conducting a health resort there, his property being known as Bybee Springs, so called because of the fact that the original owner was William Bybee. It lies within fifteen miles of Woodville on Evans creek and here are entertained many invalids. Mr. Galbreath bought the place when his wife was an invalid, having been In very poor health for five years. Since her arrival here her health has been entirely restored owing to the curative properties of the waters and the fine climate of the district. Mr. Galbreath gives his entire time to the management of his ranch and resort, yet he is the owner of placer mines in Siskiyou county, California.

On the 27th of November, 1894, Mr. Galbreath was married to Miss Mamie Johnson, who was born in Pennsylvania, June 11, 1874, and went to California with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. L. Johnson, who are now residents of Ashland, Oregon. Her girlhood days were spent in the Golden state. By her marriage she became the mother of three children, Clyde, Alden and Bernice, all of whom were born at Yreka, Siskiyou county, California, where Mr. and Mrs. Galbreath made their home from the time of their marriage until their removal to their ranch near Woodville. They have become well known and have gained many friends here, although having lived in this district for less than two years. Their many substantial traits of character are recognized and Mr. Galbreath is proving his worth as in enterprising and progressive business man.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Pages 951-952]

REUBEN HENRY WHITE

...was a lifelong resident of Klamath county save for a few months spent in Siskiyou county, California. He was born in Klamath Falls. February 26, 1871, and passed away at Yuma, Arizona on the 15th of February, 1912, when almost forty-one years of age. His parents were Henry and Katharine White. The father was a native of Missouri and married a full-blooded Klamath Indian. He became closely identified with the interests of the northwest and was accidentally killed at Klamath Falls. In the family were two children: Rosa Bell, the wife of William Skeen, who resides on Klamath marsh; and Reuben Henry. After losing her first husband the mother became the wife of Wesley Cole, who is now in the Soldiers' Home, while Mrs. Cole resides at Fort Klamath. There were two children of that marriage: John Cole, who is with his mother: and Maggie, the wife of Harry Pearson, of Keno, Klamath county.

Reuben Henry White was reared in Klamath county and after arriving at years of maturity was married, in 1890, to Miss Margaret Moody, who was born in Siskiyou county, California. October 1, 1865. and is a daughter of William and Nellie (Gwin) Moody. Mr. Moody was a white man while his wife was a full-blooded Indian. He died in Keno. August 8. 1890. while Mrs. Moody now makes her home in Klamath Falls. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. White were four children. Ethel, Eva. Ruby and Beulah. The eldest is the wife of John Copeland, of Fort Klamath and they have two children, John and Jesse. Mr. White was in Arizona for his health when death claimed him. Mrs. White acquired her education in Jacksonville. Oregon. She was reared In Siskiyou and Jackson counties and never resided on the reservation until she was married. Mr. White devoted his entire life to stock-raising and had charge of eight claims on the Klamath reservation—his own. his mother's, his wife's and those belonging to his children. Mrs. White still has charge of these eight claims, each one of which comprises one hundred and sixty acres of land and is valued at twenty five thousand dollars. In their management Mrs. White displays excellent business ability and keen discrimination and her enterprise and progressive methods are winning for her and her family substantial success.

The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, Vol IV, ~ Joseph Gaston [Page 1035]

WILLIAM T. LEEKE

...was born at Hamden, New Haven county, Connecticut, on the 23d of May, 1846, and is a son of Dana W. and Abigail (Goodyear) Leeke. both of whom were likewise born and reared in that place and both of whom were descendants of those of the respec­tive names who were identified with the early settlement of the New Haven colony. The original progenitor of the Leeke family in America was Philip Leeke, who emigrated from Staffordshire, England, in 1638, and he was a member of the Davenport colony that founded New Haven, Connecticut, in that year. Thomas Leeke, grandfather of him whose name initiates this sketch, was a boy at the time of the war of the Revolution and he eventually became a prosperous farmer in the vicinity of New Haven, where his entire life was passed. Dana Winton Leeke likewise passed his entire life in New Haven county, where he resided on the ancestral homestead and held prestige as one of the representative farmers of that section of the state. He was about eighty-four years of age when he was summoned to the life eternal, and the old homestead continued in the possession of the family from the Colonial days until 19m,'when the same was sold by William T. Leeke, of this review, who thereupon effected a settlement of the estate. Mrs. Abigail (Goodyear) Leeke died on the old homestead in 1882. She was a daughter of Seymour Goodyear, a lineal descendant of Stephen Goodyear, who likewise was a member of the Davenport party of colonists who came from England and founded the New Haven colony in 1638. Stephen Goodyear became acting governor of the colony and later he was regularly elected governor. Dana W. and Abigail (Goodyear) Leeke became the parents of five sons and five daughters, all of whom attained to years of maturity, and of the number William T. was the seventh in order of birth. Only two others of the children are now living.

The environment and labors of the old homestead farm just mentioned compassed the childhood and youth of William T. Leeke, and those familiar with conditions on the New England farmsteads in the early days will recognize the fact that he early had fellowship with ar­duous toil. Under the incidental discipline he waxed strong in mind and body, and after duly availing himself of the advantages of the common schools of the locality and period he entered Fort Edward Collegiate Institution, at Fort Edward, New York. in which he was graduated. He soon put his scholastic acquirements to practical use by adopting the pedagogic profession, in which he was a successful and popular teacher from 1867 to 1889. In the year first mentioned, shortly before reaching his legal majority, Mr. Leeke came to California, in company with his brother Henry W., who died at Napa, this state, at the age of thirty-four years. The brothers made the journey by way of the Isthmus of Panama, as this was before the day of the transcontinental railroads, and soon after his arrival William T. Leeke began teaching in the schools of California. He was engaged in this work for the ensuing four years and also found requisition for his services as a pri­vate tutor in certain branches of study. He devoted a year to normal study in one of the leading institutions in San Francisco, and there­after he was a valued instructor in Ashland College, at Ashland, Oregon. where he remained thus engaged for a period of eight years. This institution did admirable work in its various departments and was eventually merged into a state normal school. Mr. Leeke was made pres­ident of the college during the latter part of his connection therewith, and ably administrated its affairs along executive lines while continuing his active services as an instructor. He also held the position of supervising of the public schools of Ashland, Oregon, for one year, and his name merits a place of honor on the roster of the able and popular pioneer teachers on the Pacific coast.

In July, 1880, Mr. Leeke made a radical change in his field of labor by entering the Indian service of the government, and in November, 1882, he was appointed superintendent of the Yainax Indian Training School in Klamath county, Oregon. His work in this school was di­rected with so much of discrimination and success that it became a model for other institutions of the same order. In 1887 Mr. Leeke left the government service and returned to California. He joined the Ontario colony, in San Bernardino county, and located upon a tract of twenty acres, adjoining his present beautiful home in the little city of Upland. He was one of the pioneers of the colony and had purchased the land mentioned in 1884. Here he planted one of the first orange groves in this district, and here he took up his permanent abode in 1887, as has already been intimated in this context. He has been specially influential in the development and upbuilding of this favored district along both civic and industrial lines, and he has stood exemplar of the most vital public spirit and the most progressive policies. His capital has been gained largely through his active association with local enterprises and he has at the present time many important investments in this section of the state.

In July, 1891, under the administration of President Harrison, Mr. Leeke re-entered the educational bureau of the Indian service, as he was at that time appointed by the president to the office of supervisor of Indian educational work for northern California and also for the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada. and he did much to systematize and render efficient the work thus assigned to him. He retired from this service in the autumn of 1893 and again took up his residence at North Ontario, San Bernardino county,—to which place the name of Upland was applied later. He became one of the organizers of the Commercial State Bank at Upland, and when the same was reorganized as the Commercial National Bank he continued as one of the principal stockholders of the institution, of which he has been a director and vice president for the past several years. He was also one of the organizers and original stockholders of the Ontario-Cucamonga Fruit Exchange, which has its headquarters in Upland. and he was vice- president and a director of this institution for several years past. Mr. Leeke was also one of the promoters of the Ontario Power Company, and he was general manager of the same from 1902 to 1907. Power was developed from the waters of San Antonio creek, in the canon of the same name, and this power is not only utilized for irrigation purposes but also for the supplying of electric power and lighting facilities to Upland, Ontario and Cucamonga. The success of this important improvement has been in large measure due to the earnest and indefatigable efforts and effective administrative policies of Mr. Leeke. In 1908 he promoted and organized the Palos Blancas Agricultural Company, in which he is principal stockholder and which owns fifteen hundred acres of land under concession from the Mexican government, with a water supply of sixteen hundred inches from the Culican river. The principal product on this extensive Mexican ranch at the present time is corn. but the intention of the owners is to develop the same in the propagation of sugar cane and Hennquin fiber. Mr. Leeke is president of the company and passes considerable time each year on the great plantation, in a section of country that is a veritable paradise for the hunter and fisherman.

Mr. Leeke has ever given an unequivocal allegiance to the Republican party and he is well fortified in his opinions as to matters of public polity, as a man of broad intellectual ken and wide practical experience. In November, 1904, he was elected to represent the thirteenth district in the state senate, to fill out two years of an unexpired term, and while he made an admirable record in the senate he declined to become a candidate for re-election, as his manifold business interests demanded his time and attention. He was a member of the senate at the time when the special session of the legislature was called to make provisions for the relief of San Francisco, after its devastation by earthquake and fire. He is identified with various civic organizations of representative order and both he and his family are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

In the year 1874, while a resident of Oregon, Mr. Leeke was united in marriage to Miss Annie Farlow, daughter of Hiram Farlow, who was a native of Illinois and who became one of the pioneer farmers of Oregon, where he died several years ago. Mrs. Leeke did not long survive her marriage, as she was summoned to the life eternal in 1876, leaving no children. In 1878 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Leeke to Miss Mary Quigley, who was born in Siskiyou county, California, and who was a daughter of John Quigley, a native of Ohio and a pioneer of California. He was for many years engaged in the mercantile business at Scott Valley. this state, and he died a number of years ago. Mrs. Leeke proved a devoted wife and mother and the gracious at­tributes of her character gained to her the affectionate regard of all who came within the sphere of her influence. She passed to the life eternal on the 7th of February, 1892, and is survived by three children, —Ethel Frances remains at the paternal home and presides most gra­ciously over the same; Dana Winston was graduated in Pomona College, at Pomona, this state, and thereafter in the Colorado School of Mines, at Golden, and he is now mining engineer for the Utah Copper Company at Garfield, Utah ; Frank Goodyear Leeke, the younger son, is at the present time located on a sugar plantation near the city. of Honolulu, Hawaii, where he is perfecting himself in the practical details of the propagation of sugar cane and the process of manufacturing sugar, with the purpose of utilizing his knowledge in connection with the development of the sugar industry on the lands of the Palos Blancos Agricultural Company in Mexico. of which he is assistant manager and of which his father is the principal stockholder, as has already been stated in this article.

American Biography and Genealogy : Burdette, Robert J ~ Chicago :: Lewis Pub. Co., 1919, [Pages 337-340]

JOHN B. POWER,

...carriage-maker at Cheney. is a native of Pike county, Missouri, born January 25,1857. When a child he came Illinois with his parents and three years later moved with them to Minnesota, where he re­sided about eight years. He then left home, going to Siskiyou county, California. and coats became interested in some of the largest mines in what was known as South Fork. He used California nine years, prospecting over all of what has since come to be known as the Cof­fee creek mining country. In 1882 he came to Cheney and went TO work at his trade, wagon and carriage-making, forming a partnership with a wheelwright by the name of Ed. Hall. In 1885 he purchased the interest of Mr. Hall and since that time has been running the shop alone. He is an excellent workman, and, be­ing also a good business man. has succeeded in building up a large and profitable trade, per­haps the largest in that line in the county out­side of Spokane.

Edwards, Jonathan,  An illustrated history of Spokane County, state of Washington - San Francisco: W.H. Lever, 1900, [Page 330]

LEE VALENTINE CORBELL

Dating his residence in Klamath County since his birth, and being also the son of a father who came to Oregon as a young man, and a mother who was born in Yreka, California, Lee Valentine Corbell is quite well qualified to number among the representative pioneers of the county, and is, likewise, prominently connected with the cattle raisers of the Sprague River district, where the old Corbell home ranch is located. A native of Klamath Falls, he was born in this city on February 14, 1892. His parents were John Milton and Minnie (Probin) Corbell, who were fa­miliar with a!1 phases of pioneer life in Klamath County. John Corbell was born May 17, 1840, in a little town in Iowa and "crossed the plains to Oregon by means of ox teams in the early sixties, when he was a young man. As a soldier of the United States Army, he belonged to the 1st Regiment, Oregon Volunteer Infantry, Com­pany I. He was stationed at the old fort near Fort Klamath until it was abandoned, after which he lived at Olene, Oregon, and engaged in farming. His demise occurred at the family home on the Klamath Reservation, August 23, 1923. The mother, Minnie (Probin) Corbell, was born in Yreka, California, 1861, and at­tended the early pioneer schools of Klamath County, enduring the hardships and enjoying the simple pleasures of that period. She married Mr. Corbell in Klamath Falls, December 19, 1883, and still survives him. remaining a resident of this city. Four children were born, two died in infancy-, and two are in Klamath County, namely : Molly Lewis, a resident of Chiloquin; Lee V.; also Mrs. Charles Lentz, a half-sister of our subject. Mrs. Lentz is one of the best known pioneers of Klamath County and resides at Lentz Station, her home for many years. Having attended the schools of Klamath Falls, Lee Corbell started in the cattle business as a youth of 16 on the old home ranch at Sprague River, where he still lives. He has had small herds of Herefords, Durham's and Black Angus cattle.

On January 4, 1916, Mr. Corbell was united in marriage with Ida Belle Skeen in Klamath Falls. She was the daughter of Joe Edward and Dolly (Ball) Skeen, and was born at Sam's Neck, Siskiyou County, California, November 25, 1891. She attended the schools of Siskiyou County and has centered her interests in the home since her marriage. Her father was born at Yreka, California, and was a well known cattleman of Sam's Neck, until his death at Dorris. California, on March 5, 1917. He had taken up a homestead at Sam's Neck and engaged in diversified ranching as well as cattle raising. living there all of his life. The mother was born at the old home place now known as Laird's Landing, California, which was a stopping place for cattle drivers when shipping their stock to Montague. California. The home bore the name of Doc Skeen's Ranch, a historic spot in California history and Mrs. Skeen still resides at Sam's Neck. Of her seven children only one is in Klamath County besides our subject Mamie Farnsworth, who resides at Yamsey, Oregon. Outdoor activities are the paramount interest of Lee Corbel!, who delights in hunting, fish­ing, and riding. He is a member of the Masonic Blue Lodge at Chiloquin, and also a member of the Klamath Business Committee which meets at Klamath Agency quarterly. He recalls many interesting facts of early pioneer days and among them is the remembrance of a stock ranch, owned by "Brick Jim," where the city of Chiloquin, Oregon, now stands. Mr. Corbell is now a Range Rider and Forest Guard for the Forestry Department of the Interior United States, located at Klamath Agency, and is serving with the constant fidelity to duty characteristic of all his work.

Good, Rachel Applegate. History of Klamath County, Oregon : its resources and its people, illustrated Klamath Falls, Or.: unknown, 1941, [Pages 309-310]

OLIVER L. GRAEBER.

A resident of California since 1901, coming to the state while still a minor and locating in Chico, where he attended secondary,' schools and subsequently became identified with the social, religious and business life of that city.

When a boy aged twelve years he made a declaration he was going to be a physician, and from that time on he took advantage of every, opportunity to learn more about his chosen profession. Whatever occupation he found himself in he was ever taking notice of information and knowledge which he might use to good purpose later.

Thus he took special courses in English, history. and various arts which were given in the State Normal School there. The death of his mother in 1913, and of his wife in 1916, prompted him to a determined effort to attain his life goal—to become a physician —for he felt convinced that had natural agencies been applied, both his mother and his wife would have been restored to health.

He is now a resident of San Francisco, with offices in the Golden Gate Building. and is caring for a rapidly increasing professional business. Doctor Graeber is a native of Hannibal, Missouri, the youngest of nine children born to Christian F. Graeber and Mary (Hoener) Graeber. Both parents, who are now deceased. were born in Germany, coming to the United States in 1864. His father joined the Union Army, enlisting in an Illinois regiment and serving until the close of the war.

At the close of the war the parents moved to Marion County, Missouri. where the family was reared and educated. On the paternal side, the Graeber history runs back more than 700 years. His grandfather was a pioneer Baptist missionary and minister in Germany, and his maternal side comes from the landed nobility of Western Prussia.

Oliver L. Graeber passed his boyhood on a farm just outside of Hannibal. He attended grammar and high school there and came to California to win his fortune. His father died in Hannibal in December, 1901.

Oliver L. Graeber has been an observant student all his life, and has always taken keen delight in acquiring knowledge with the object of applying it to useful ends. While he was a resident of Chico the “United States Plant Introduction Gardens- were established there and he was employed several seasons during his vacation time in doing special work in connection with plant breeding and acclimatization there.

On June 1, 1911, at Chico, he married Miss Anna V. Richardson, who was born in Little Shasta Valley, Siskiyou County, California. Her father, a pioneer stock and grain raiser of that county, is deceased, her mother, of English parentage and related to the Duke of Bedford, is living.

A son, Richard Franklin Graeber, was born while they were residing near Watsonville, California, April 11, 1916. May 28, 1916, Mrs. Graeber died from effects of a burning accident. Immediately following this crisis, Oliver L. Graeber disposed of his interests there and located in San Francisco, where he entered Healds Business College to fit himself for taking up the studies for becoming a physician.

He enrolled as one of the first class in the California Chiropractic College when it opened in September, 1917, and graduated with the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic May 29, 1919. In 1919-20 he took a post-graduate course in Western College of Naturopathy and received the degree of Doctor of Naturopathy.

During 1920-21-22 he added to his knowledge by attending the Western College of Chiropractic, graduating with the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic and Chiropractic Pharmacist.

During the summer of 1920 he took a special course in spondylotherapy under Dr. Alva Emory Gregory of the Gregory College of Spondylotherapy, Oklahoma City, and received the degree of Doctor of Spondylotherapy.

His natural powers of perception, coupled with his studious nature caused him to be chosen supervisor of public clinics in each college he attended. Since 1919, he has been an associate member of the American Society of Applied Psychology.

In April. 1922, after an examination before the California State Board of Medical Examiners, he was given a license as a drugless practitioner. After carefully analyzing his six years of studies in the art of healing, he co-related the different methods into one natural, logical system. which he has named "Doctor Graeber's Drugless System of' Health."

He is liberal in his views of healing and believes implicitly in the Biblical exhortation. "Prove all things. hold fast that which is good" as being proper for the healing profession as well as for other walks of life.

Doctor Graeber is an exempt member of Engine Company No. 1 of the Chico Fire Department.

He is a member of the official board of the First Baptist Church of San Francisco, being at present secretary of the board of trustees. He is also a member of the board of control of the Portrero Hill Neighborhood House. and has always devoted much attention to charitable work.

Although established but a short time. his reputation as a physician has already extended from one end of California to the other and to many other states.

Millard, Bailey,  History of the San Francisco Bay Region : Chicago: American Historical Society, 1924, [Pages 414-415]

LOUIS HUSEMAN

Louis Huseman, who is successfully engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Lompoc, has gained a wide reputation for his up-to-date and enterprising business methods and stands in the fore­front in his line of business in this section of the county. He was born in Yreka, Siskiyou county, California, January 15, 1870, and is a son of Louis and Fredericka (Vetterline) Huseman, both of whom were born near Frankfort, Germany. The father came to the United States in 1850, when still a young man, and two years later came to California, having previously spent two years at Jacksonville, Oregon. He located at Yreka, and, having been a tinsmith by trade, he naturally turned to the hardware business, in which he was engaged up to the time of his death, in 1886. He was also one of the founders and the vice-president of the Siskiyou County Bank. Fraternally, he was a York Rite Mason, and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Improved Order of Red Men. In politics he was a democrat. His wife came to the United States with her parents, and in the late '50s the family came overland to Yreka, California, where she met and became the wife of Mr. Huseman.

Louis Huseman spent his boyhood days in Yreka, where he attended the public schools, continuing his education in St. Augustine College, at Buecia, and Berkeley College. He then operated his father's ranch and at the latter's death he bought the place, which he conducted for about fifteen years. He then sold it and engaged in a general mercantile business at Montague. California, about two years. He then disposed of that business and moved to Berkeley, California, where he engaged in the real estate and insurance business thirteen years. In 1914 he came to Lompoc, where he has followed the same lines of business to the present time. He possesses a wide and accurate knowledge of land and property values and has handled a large amount of real estate throughout this locality, while during the period of his residence here he has sold a large amount of insurance, representing a number of the strongest insurance companies in the country. His business methods have been characterized by a strict observance of the highest commercial ethics and he commands to a marked degree the confidence and good will of all who have had dealings with him.

In 1894 Mr. Huseman was united in marriage to Miss Catherine S. Pyle, who was born and reared in Yreka, California, a daughter of Curtis and Carrie E. (Moore) Pyle, who were among the earliest settlers in that locality, her father having been appointed postmaster there by President Lincoln, serving a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Huseman have four children, Catherine, Richard, Margaret and Louis, the last named being assistant manager of the branch of the Pacific Southwest Bank at Lompoc. Mr. Huseman is rendering effective service as city recorder of Lompoc. He is a member of Berkeley (Cal.) Lodge, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and Lompoc Lodge, Knights of Pythias. He is recognized as a splendid citizen, one of Lompoc's leading men of affairs, progressive in all that the term implies, and is a man of high character, sturdy integrity and unswerving honesty.

Phillips, Michael James,  History of Santa Barbara County, California : from its earliest settlement to the present time  Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1927, Huseman, [Pages 173-174]

LEMUEL D KING

While Baker county has produced millions of wealth from her mines, she is nevertheless distinctively a stock country as well as rich in mineral treasure, and many of the most prominent citizens have been quick to perceive the rich bestowals of nature in these associated lines and have allied their efforts in following the course pointed out by the natural resources of the country.  Among the progressive ones that have wrought a gratifying success in these industries may be mentioned the prominent citizen whose life's career it is now our pleasant privilege to epitomize in a brief review.

Born in the greatest mining state of  Union, California, in Siskiyou county on November 3, 1861, and at three years of age removed with his parents to Grant County, equally famed with her sister political organization in the production of the minerals, he has been associated with the great industry of producing the minerals from the native soil since his earliest remembrance; using his own words, he was "Raised in the mines, and educated in the public schools." His parents were Flavius J and Nancy C [Fancher] King, natives respectively of Arkansas and Alabama, who crossed the plains with ox teams in 1859 and wrought on the Pacific coast for many years in the development of its resources and the advancement of its interests.  The father was a cabinet maker and designer. He passed from the scenes of live in Washington, on December 18, 1897, and the mother departed this life at Susanville, Grant county, in 1883.

The immediate subject of this sketch began the battle of life on his own account when he was eighteen years of age and mining was the work that he first took up, and more or less he has continued at that occupation since.  He also raised stock in connection with the former, Susanville being his headquarters until 1883, at which time he sold his cattle and repaired to the john Day valley and occupied himself with farming and teaming until 1887.  In that year he migrated to Baker county and acquired land where he is living at the present time, eight miles southeast of Whitney.  He continued the mining industry and stock raising and added farming. He formed a partnership with his uncle, Lemuel Barnett, and together they own three hundred and twenty acres of land and handle one hundred and twenty-five head of cattle.  They are progressive and prosperous and are among the most substantial citizens of the entire county.  In addition to the property already mentioned, Mr King is equally interested with his uncle in the Phoenix and other mines which give great promise of value and richness.

At Prairie City, Grant County, on July 18, 1882, Mr King and Hattie J, daughter of Joseph C and Sarah J [Dimmick] Gillenwater, and a native of Grant County, were married, and they have become the parents of the following children: H Pearl, married to Joseph B Hardman, and is living near by; Lemuel J; William C & Mary Z, twins; Audry M. Mrs King's parents were among the first settlers of Grant County, and the father is a native of Tennessee, and the mother of Illinois.  Mr King is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a man respected and esteemed by all and has made a record for faithfulness and enterprising accomplishment that is both worthy and commendable, while his integrity and uprightness are manifest to all who have to do with him.

Marcus Whitman : An Illustrated history of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney Counties : with a brief outline of the early history of the state of Oregon. Chicago: Western Historical Pub. Co., 1902, [Pages 344-345]

All Biographies transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

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