One of the most attractive homes of Dayton, known as Normandy, is the

property of Hon. J. A. Fontaine, a progressive business man and citizen

who has also left the impress of his individuality upon the political

records of Columbia county, which he has represented in the state

legislature. He has long been actively, successfully and extensively

identified with farming in this section of the state. He was born in

Maryland, August 9, 1850, and is a son of Charles G. and Susan W.

Fontaine, both of whom were natives of Maryland, where they spent their

entire lives. They reared a family of nine children, of whom four are

now living.

[Illustration: HON. J. A. FONTAINE]

J. A. Fontaine spent the period of his boyhood and youth in Maryland

and in 1870 came to Washington, where he has now lived for forty-seven

years. He made his way first to Walla Walla, where he was employed as

a hired hand for a year. He afterward worked with a pack train for

four years and later entered the employ of the Baker Railroad Company

as check agent at Wallula. In 1875 he engaged with General Cook as

a packer and spent three years in that connection. In the spring of

1878 he bought a ranch and turned his attention to the raising of live

stock, in which business he successfully engaged for eleven years. He

then sold out and bought a farm eight miles from Dayton, comprising

five hundred and sixteen acres of valuable land. Mr. Fontaine is also

a stockholder in the warehouse of Dayton and his home in the city is a

most beautiful residence property.

Mr. Fontaine married and had one daughter, Leota, who is now thirteen

years of age. Fraternally he is a prominent Mason, belonging to

the lodge in Dayton. His political endorsement is given to the

democratic party and he served for two terms as a member of the state

legislature, being first elected in 1911. He gave thoughtful and

earnest consideration to all vital political problems which came up for

settlement while he was a member of the house and did much to secure

the passage of wise legislative measures. He has many warm friends in

Dayton and this section of the state and his legislative service has

gained him the high regard of many of those who are most prominent in

Washington's political circles.

CLYDE LESTER.

Clyde Lester, a partner in the firm of Young & Lester, leading florists

and representative business men of Walla Walla, was born in Bloomfield,

Iowa, December 31, 1877. His parents, Franklin P. and Keturah (Hurless)

Lester, were also natives of Bloomfield, Iowa, their respective parents

having been among the pioneer settlers who reclaimed that section of

the state for the purposes of civilization in early pioneer times.

Franklin P. Lester was of the prominent farmers of Davis county, Iowa,

for many years. In 1885 he removed to western Kansas and subsequently

became a resident of Lincoln, Nebraska, where he resided until 1911,

when again he heard and heeded the call of the west and this time made

his way to Walla Walla, Washington. His wife passed away October 17,

1916, but Mr. Lester still remains a resident of Walla Walla and now

makes his home with his son Clyde.

In the district schools Clyde Lester began his education and says his

training also came to him between the handles of a plow, for at an

early age he began work in the fields and thus he divided his time

between farm labor and the acquirement of a district school education.

His parents removed to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1896 and at that time he

entered upon an apprenticeship to the cigar maker's trade, in which he

continued for nine years. It was while residing in Lincoln, Nebraska,

that he was married on the 26th of June, 1907, and there he began

his domestic life. Two years later he came to Walla Walla, attracted

by the opportunities of the growing northwest, and here he has since

made his home. In 1913 he entered into partnership with Fred M. Young,

who was well established as a florist in this city, and under their

management they have built up a business of very large and gratifying

proportions. Their greenhouses, which are located on South Second

street, are extensive. They have eight and three-fourths acres of land

under cultivation, with twenty-five thousand square feet under glass.

They raise the most beautiful flowers of every kind and have a very

attractive salesroom at No. 19 East Main street, where are always to be

found many kinds of cut flowers and potted plants to supply the retail

trade.

Mr. and Mrs. Lester have become the parents of two daughters, Leah and

Edna. In his political views Mr. Lester is independent and does not

care to ally himself with any party nor bind himself by party ties

voting according to the dictates of his judgment. He and his wife are

consistent members of St. Paul's Episcopal church and in the social

circles of the city occupy an enviable position. Fraternally he is

connected with Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E.; Washington

Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F.; the Loyal Order of Moose; the Improved

Order of Red Men; the Woodmen of the World; and the Fraternal Order

of Eagles. The west has proven to him a profitable field of labor. He

recognized the opportunities here offered and has quickly utilized them

to his own advancement, while his business methods have at all times

measured up to the highest commercial standards, and thus he occupies

a most enviable position in the confidence and goodwill of those with

whom he has been associated.

MICHAEL KENNY.

Michael Kenny, of Walla Walla, is numbered among the pioneers of the

northwest and can relate many interesting incidents concerning the

early days and those events which constitute the pioneer history of

this section. He has passed the eighty-fifth milestone on life's

journey, his birth having occurred in Ireland, September 21, 1832. His

parents, Patrick and Sophia (Cody) Kenny, were also natives of the

Emerald isle, where they spent their entire lives, both having long

since passed away. In their family were seven children.

Michael Kenny, who is the only survivor of that family, was reared and

educated in Ireland and was less than twenty-one years of age when he

bade adieu to friends and native land and sailed for the United States.

He landed in New York, where he remained for about a year, and in

1854 he joined the regular army at Governor's Island for five years'

service. He was then sent to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, where he

was stationed for a short time, after which he was transferred to Fort

Leavenworth, Kansas, remaining there for two months. In June, 1854, he

crossed the plains to Salt Lake City with the First Dragoon Cavalry

under command of Colonel Steptoe, spending the winter at that point. In

the spring the command was sent to Fort Lane, Jackson county, Oregon,

where he was stationed for a time with other companies, remaining there

through 1855 and 1856 during the Rogue River war. He was then with

C Troop and later was promoted to the rank of sergeant. The winter

of 1856 was spent in Yamhill county. In 1857 Mr. Kenny was sent to

Fort Walla Walla. He continued with the army throughout his term of

enlistment, covering five years, and was honorably discharged in 1859.

He had participated in some of the Indian warfare on the frontier and

had done excellent work to defend the interests of the white settlers

against the hostility of the red men, who resented the encroachment of

the pale faces upon what they regarded as their own "hunting grounds."

After leaving the army Mr. Kenny ran a pack train between Walla Walla

and Orofino, and in 1865, when on his way to Boise, the Indians

captured his train, taking his twenty-eight pack animals from him and

leaving him afoot without anything. He finally managed to make his way

back to Walla Walla and there he engaged in the saloon business, in

which he continued for seven years. On the expiration of that period he

sold out and began packing for the government, devoting some time to

that work. In 1878 he became associated with the police force of Walla

Walla and was one of its members for ten years.

In 1875 Mr. Kenny was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Johnston, a

native of Glasgow, Scotland. She was only an infant when brought by her

parents to this country, the family locating in Connecticut, where they

spent the winter of 1855. The following year they removed to Illinois

and in 1859 came to Walla Walla county, Washington, where Mr. Johnston

followed farming throughout the remainder of his life. Here both he

and his wife died. In 1865 Mr. Kenny erected his present residence at

No. 7 North Sixth street and has therefore witnessed almost the entire

development of the city, being one of the few remaining early pioneers.

He took part in all of the battles with the Indians in this part of the

country.

Mr. and Mrs. Kenny are members of the Catholic church and in politics

he is a democrat, having always voted the ticket since becoming a

naturalized American citizen. There is no phase of pioneer life in the

northwest with which he is not familiar. He can remember the time when

the Indians were more numerous than the white settlers, when the great

forests stood in their primeval strength, for the work of cutting the

timber had not then been begun. Streams were unbridged and on the sites

of many of the most prosperous and progressive cities of the northwest

there were found few if any buildings. Mr. Kenny has lived to see

remarkable changes, has borne his part in the work of development and

his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the

progressive present.

HON. ALFRED L. RAY.

Hon. Alfred L. Ray, residing on section 26, township 10 north, range

35, is one of the large wheat raisers of Walla Walla county and is also

entitled to mention as a member of the state legislature. He was born

in Hamilton county, Illinois, October 12, 1875, a son of Alfred M. and

Rachel Ray. He grew to manhood and received his education in Illinois

and remained in the middle west until 1901, when he became a resident

of Columbia county, Washington. For eight years he engaged in farming

there and also taught school, but in 1909 he came to Walla Walla county

and took up his residence on his present home farm of three hundred

and twenty acres. He also operates rented land, cultivating in all

eighteen hundred acres. He specializes in the production of wheat and

is recognized as an authority upon wheat growing and marketing. He uses

the most up-to-date methods and implements and gives the same careful

attention to his affairs that a business man gives to the conduct of

his interests.

In 1896 Mr. Ray was united in marriage to Miss Rosa Malone, also a

native of Illinois and a daughter of George W. and Cynthia J. (Huff)

Malone, the former deceased but the latter still a resident of

Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Ray have been born nine children, namely:

Eugene D., Ernest T. and Hazel, all high school students; A. Melvin;

George W.; J. Wesley; Paul; Virginia; and Stanley S.

Mr. Ray is well known in democratic circles and is now serving as

representative in the state legislature from the twelfth district

and is making a record highly satisfactory to his constituents. He

and his wife belong to the Congregational church and seek to conform

their lives to its teachings. He is respected for his ability, honored

for his integrity and held in warm personal regard by reason of

his attractive social qualities. Fraternally he is a member of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Prescott and the Modern Woodmen of

America.

ANDREW J. McCULLOUCH.

Andrew J. McCullouch is living retired in Waitsburg after many years

of active connection with farming interests. He was born in Mahaska,

Iowa, June 9, 1850, of the marriage of Andrew J. and Polly (Stark)

McCullouch. The father, who was born in West Virginia, removed to

Monmouth, Illinois, at an early day and later went to Iowa, whence

in 1850 he crossed the plains to California with an ox team and old

fashioned prairie schooner. After three years he returned to Iowa

by way of the Isthmus route and there he farmed until called by

death, which occurred July 19, 1900, when he had reached the age of

eighty-four years and seven months. His wife also passed away in that

state in February, 1854, at the age of thirty years. To them were born

four sons, of whom three survive.

Andrew J. McCullouch passed his boyhood and youth in Union county,

Iowa, and his education was acquired in the public schools there. When

twenty-five years old he went to Monona county, Iowa, where he was

married and where he farmed until 1883. In that year he cast in his lot

with the Pacific northwest, coming to Walla Walla county, Washington.

He took up three hundred and twenty acres of land, nine miles north of

Preston and that place remained his home until October 1903, when he

removed to Waitsburg, where he has since lived retired. He was very

successful as a farmer and, realizing that land would steadily increase

in value as the country became more thickly settled, he invested his

capital in additional land, now owning thirteen hundred and fifty-five

acres of fine wheat land. The financial independence which he has

gained is proof of his foresight, his sound judgment and his business

ability, for he is a self-made man, having depended solely upon his own

labors for advancement.

Mr. McCullouch was married on March 16, 1879, to Miss Rebecca

Broomfield and they have become the parents of nine children: Elsie

H., William, Josie, James A. and Walter, all of whom are deceased;

Jessie M., the wife of D. H. Harris; Bertha, at home; Ruby, the wife of

Wallace Heffron, and Chauncey L., who is on the home farm.

[Illustration: MRS. ANDREW J. McCULLOUCH]

[Illustration: ANDREW J. McCULLOUCH]

Mr. McCullouch is an adherent of the republican party and for fourteen

years was school director, his continuance in the office indicating the

acceptability of his services. In religious faith he is a Methodist

and he can be counted upon to give his support to all projects looking

toward the moral advancement of his community.

HENRY SCHNECKLOTH.

Henry Schneckloth, one of the well known pioneers and esteemed citizens

of Garfield county, is now the owner of eleven hundred acres of

valuable land and for the past thirty-six years has lived continuously

on his farm of three hundred and twenty acres on section 31, township

13 north, range 43 east. His birth occurred in Schleswig-Holstein,

Germany, on the 23rd of October, 1840, his parents being Joachim and

Catherine (Ewalt) Schneckloth, who emigrated to the United States in

1853 and made their way to Davenport, Iowa. The father devoted the

remainder of his life to farming in Scott county, that state, and there

passed away about 1893, while the mother was called to her final rest

in 1897.

Henry Schneckloth was largely educated in his native country, attending

the city schools of Davenport for but one year after his emigration to

the United States with his parents, at which time he was a youth of

thirteen. On reaching man's estate he began farming on his own account

and cultivated rented land in Scott county, Iowa, until 1881, when

he came west to Washington. Here he purchased his present home farm

of three hundred and twenty acres in Garfield county, for which he

paid four thousand dollars and on which he has remained continuously

throughout the intervening period of thirty-six years. As his financial

resources have increased, owing to his unremitting industry and capable

management, he has made additional purchase from time to time until

his holdings now embrace eleven hundred acres of productive land. His

success is well merited and he enjoys an enviable reputation as one of

the representative and wealthy agriculturists of the community.

In 1867, in Scott county, Iowa, Mr. Schneckloth was joined in wedlock

to Miss Margaret Kuhl, who was a native of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany,

and came to the United States in young womanhood. By her marriage she

became the mother of eight children, as follows: James H., who is

serving as postmaster at Pomeroy, Washington; Gustav P., a farmer of

Garfield county; William J., who is serving as sheriff of Garfield

county; Katie, who is the wife of A. L. Shelton, a farmer of Garfield

county; Herman O., who is deceased; Helen, the wife of W. H. Morrison,

of Walla Walla, Washington; Adolph J., who follows farming in Idaho;

and Emil R., who operates the home farm. The wife and mother passed

away on the 27th of July, 1915, and her demise was the occasion of deep

and widespread regret.

In his political views Mr. Schneckloth is independent, supporting men

and measures rather than party. His religious faith is that of the

Lutheran church, of which he is a loyal and devoted member. He also

belongs to the Farmers Union. His life has been upright and honorable

in every relation and his many sterling traits of character have

won him the warm regard and friendship of all with whom he has been

associated.

CHARLES F. DEMENT.

Charles F. Dement, who is serving for the second term as county auditor

of Walla Walla county, was born February 8, 1880, in the city of Walla

Walla, a son of Frank S. Dement, who is mentioned at length on another

page of this work and who ranks with the leading business men of the

northwest, being prominently connected with the milling business and

the grain trade.

The son pursued his common school education in Walla Walla and passed

through consecutive grades to the high school. Later he became a

student in the Shattuck Military Academy at Faribault, Minnesota,

where he remained for three years, and later he spent two years as

a student in Whitman College of this state. When his textbooks were

put aside he was appointed to the position of deputy state grain

inspector, in which capacity he served for a year. Later he was made

deputy county auditor and such was the excellent record which he made

in that position that he was nominated by the republican party for the

position of county auditor, was elected and has since been re-elected,

so that he is now serving for the second term. He has also been clerk

of the board of county commissioners, has been county sealer of weights

and measures and in all these offices has discharged his duties with

notable promptness, efficiency and fidelity. Over the record of his

public career there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. He

is actuated by a public-spirited devotion to the general good and in

discharging his duties is thoroughly prompt and reliable.

Mr. Dement belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and is

also a Blue Lodge Mason, while his name is likewise enrolled on the

membership list of the Knights of the Maccabees. He is well known in

Walla Walla, where his entire life has been passed, and such are his

salient characteristics that he has won wide personal popularity as

well as prominence in office.

SQUIRE T. PRATHER.

Squire T. Prather, bond agent and investment broker of Walla Walla,

where he has made his home since 1910, occupies a creditable position

in financial circles of the city and has made for himself an enviable

place in the field of business to which he directs his efforts. A

native of Missouri, he was born in Macon county, February 14, 1860,

his parents being B. F. and Martha (Holman) Prather, both of whom

were natives of that state, where they resided until 1874, when they

crossed the plains to California. They at first took up their abode in

Stockton, California, and the father engaged in farming. Subsequently

he turned his attention to the sheep industry, with which he was

connected until he was called to his final rest. His wife also died in

California. In their family were seven children, all of whom are yet

living.

Squire T. Prather was a lad of but fourteen years when the family came

to the west and in California he was reared and educated. He attended

the high school and afterward remained at home until he had attained

his majority. He then turned his attention to the real estate business,

in which he has been engaged from that time to the present. In 1910

he removed to Walla Walla and opened his present office, being now

well known as a bond and loan agent. His long experience enables him

to speak with authority upon real estate values and upon the value

of commercial paper as well and the integrity and enterprise of his

business methods have secured for him a most liberal clientage. In

addition to his business in Walla Walla he is the owner of eighty acres

of valuable fruit land in California which is now in bearing and he has

recently sold six hundred and forty acres of land in Walla Walla county.

In 1879 Mr. Prather was married to Miss Alice J. Potts, a native of

Canada. To them have been born four children: John, who is now engaged

in the real estate business in Fresno, California, in which enterprise

his father is also interested; Mattie, who is now the wife of Eugene

Freeland, of Seattle, Washington; Elmer T., who is with his father in

Walla Walla; and Lula, who is the wife of Clifford Crockett of Walla

Walla and who is a graduate nurse. There are also four grandchildren.

The wife of our subject, Dr. Alice J. Prather, was born in Canada

and received her early education in the common schools of Montreal.

Later she took up the study of medicine in San Francisco and in 1896

was graduated from the Naturopathic School of Healing at Los Angeles.

Later she engaged in practice at San Jose, California, and is now

following her profession in Walla Walla, being at the head of the Alice

J. Prather Naturopathic Sanatorium, where the patients are treated by

nature's remedies.

In politics Mr. Prather is a stalwart democrat, thoroughly informed

concerning the questions and issues of the day and giving to his party

stalwart allegiance because of his belief in its principles. Both

he and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal

church South, and in social circles in Walla Walla occupy an enviable

position, being cordially received into the best homes where true worth

and intelligence are accepted as passports.

EDWARD J. HOFFMAN.

Edward J. Hoffman, who follows farming in Columbia county,

concentrating his attention upon the cultivation and further

development of four hundred and twenty-one acres of good land, was

born in Walla Walla, Washington, on the 22d of February, 1883. His

father, John Hoffman, was one of the early pioneers of Walla Walla

and became one of the most progressive and successful agriculturists

of southeastern Washington but is now living retired in Walla Walla.

He well deserves mention among the representative residents of this

section of the state and his record will be found on another page of

this work.

Edward J. Hoffman was reared upon the old home farm, early becoming

familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for

the crops. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded him, for

after attending the common schools of the neighborhood he benefited

by a course in the Empire Business College of Walla Walla. Through

the periods of vacation prior to this time he had become an active

assistant of his father in farm work and after his textbooks were put

aside he continued to follow farming in connection with his father

until 1910. In that year he was united in marriage to Miss Blanche E.

Hafner, a daughter of Charles G. Hafner, of Walla Walla, who was one

of the early pioneers of Umatilla county, Oregon, settling just across

the state line in Oregon upon his arrival in the west. He, too, was

identified with farming interests for a long period but is now enjoying

the fruits of his former toil in well earned rest in Walla Walla.

Following his marriage Edward J. Hoffman located on one of his father's

farms eight miles northeast of Starbuck and there engaged in the

operation of thirty-six hundred acres of land, a part of which was

grazing land. He remained upon that ranch for five years, at the end

of which time he removed to his present home, which is owned by his

father. He farms four hundred and twenty-one acres and is regarded

as one of the representative agriculturists of Whiskey creek. He

employs the most progressive methods in tilling the soil, practices

the rotation of crops and studies everything that has bearing upon the

production of the cereals best adapted to climatic conditions here.

His labors are being attended with excellent results and the neat and

thrifty appearance of his place indicates his careful supervision

and practical and progressive methods. He has made the farm one of

the attractive features of the landscape--a proof of what may be

accomplished along agricultural lines in this district, which at one

time was believed to be thoroughly unadapted to farming.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman has been blessed with four children:

John E., Frances P., Bessie D. and Alfred A. In his political views

Mr. Hoffman is a republican, having given stalwart support to the

party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has

never sought or desired office, preferring to give his undivided time

and attention to his business affairs, which are capably and wisely

directed. He is an energetic man and obstacles and difficulties in his

path seem to serve but as an impetus for renewed effort on his part.

He and his wife are widely and favorably known in this section of the

state and the hospitality of the best homes is freely accorded them.

GUSTAV E. BARTELL.

Gustav E. Bartell, an active factor in the business life of Dayton,

is proving successful in the conduct of a garage and a machine shop.

He was born in Pennsylvania, June 29, 1875, a son of G. P. and Julia

Anna Bartell, who were born in Germany but in 1874 became residents of

Pennsylvania. In 1890 they removed to The Dalles, Oregon, where the

father followed the saddler's trade. Four years after coming west,

however, he was called by death, but the mother survives and resides in

Portland.

[Illustration: GUSTAV E. BARTELL]

Gustav E. Bartell began his education in his native state but completed

it in the schools of The Dalles. As a youth he learned the machinist's

trade, which he has since followed, and in 1909 he came to Dayton,

purchasing the machine shop which he now conducts. He does all kinds of

work in that line and has gained an enviable reputation for accuracy

and also for the speed with which he turns out orders. He also has

a garage department and has likewise built up a good trade in that

connection.

Mr. Bartell was married in The Dalles, Oregon, to Miss May Elton, who

passed away three months later. In 1909 he was married in Dayton, to

Miss Letty Clark, a native of this town and a graduate nurse, having

completed the required course of training in the hospital at Walla

Walla. To their union has been born a son, Charles G.

Mr. Bartell gives his political allegiance to the republican party,

fraternally is identified with the Knights of Pythias and in religious

faith is a Congregationalist, to which church his wife also belongs.

His military record includes service as captain of Company D, Oregon

National Guard. He began his independent career with no capital but

with a thorough knowledge of his trade, and with that as a foundation

he steadily advanced until he is now in excellent circumstances, and he

is recognized as a prominent business man of Dayton.

FRED W. KASER.

Fred W. Kaser is the secretary and treasurer of the Davis-Kaser

Company, house furnishers, who control one of the leading business

enterprises of Walla Walla and of the northwest. He was born in Madison

county, Illinois, March 24, 1868, a son of Samuel and Magdalene (Kamm)

Kaser, both of whom were natives of Switzerland and came to the new

world in childhood with their respective parents. They were married in

Illinois and there resided until 1869, when they removed to western

Missouri.

Fred W. Kaser spent his youthful days under the parental roof and

acquired his education in the common schools of Missouri and also at

the Empire Business College in Walla Walla, Washington. He arrived

in this city in 1887, reaching his destination on the 20th of June.

He was then a youth of nineteen years--empty-handed but possessed of

an abundant amount of courage, determination and energy. He eagerly

embraced any opportunity that offered whereby he might earn a living.

He had been engaged in farm work when in the middle west and after

reaching Walla Walla he was first employed at hop picking. He was not

content with such a position save as an expedient to meet his momentary

expenses and was constantly on the outlook for something better. He

returned from the hop fields to the town and secured employment with

the gas company. There he worked until almost midnight and through

the school period he was busy with lessons, for he had come to a

realization of the fact that educational training was necessary toward

success in the business world. For two years he followed that course,

working for the gas company and also in the Gilbert Hunt machine shop.

He next turned his attention to commercial pursuits and secured a

clerkship in the Schwabacher store. In the meantime he had pursued

his course in business college and such was the thoroughness with

which he did his work that the college sought his co-operation after

his graduation and for one term he engaged in teaching there. He also

correctly applied the knowledge that he had gained to his duties in

the Schwabacher store and later he accepted the position of bookkeeper

with G. H. Sutherland, with whom he remained for three years. In 1894

he embarked in business on his own account, becoming connected with

John A. Davis in the purchase of a furniture store. They began business

under the name of the Davis-Kaser Company in handling furniture and

all kinds of house furnishings and after a year the business was

incorporated under the present style, Mr. Davis becoming the president

of the company, with Mr. Kaser as the secretary, treasurer and general

manager. Their business has grown from a small concern with a stock

valued at less than three thousand dollars until it is one of the

largest mercantile institutions of Walla Walla.

On the 21st of October, 1894, Mr. Kaser was married to Miss Laura

E. Davis, a daughter of John A. Davis, who was the president of the

Davis-Kaser Company but is now deceased. Mrs. Kaser is a native of

Walla Walla county, where she was reared and educated, and is an active

worker in the Presbyterian church, to which she belongs. She is also a

prominent member of the Women's Park Club of Walla Walla, the Sunshine

Club and other similar organizations.

Mr. Kaser has always taken the deepest interest in community welfare

and has done most efficient work for Walla Walla as president of the

Commercial Club. He is a member of Trinity Lodge, No. 121, I. O. O.

F.; also of Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, A. F. & A. M.; Walla Walla

Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M.; Washington Commandery, No. 2, K. T., of Walla

Walla; and El Katif Temple A. A. O. N. M. S., of Spokane. He is also

connected with Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E.

EDWARD G. KNOTT.

Edward G. Knott, who is giving his entire time and attention to the

operation of an excellent farm of twelve hundred acres in Columbia

county, is a western man by birth as well as preference, being a native

of Walla Walla. He was born May 12, 1883, a son of James and Josephine

(Ulberg) Knott, who were natives respectively of England and Sweden,

but were married in California. In the '70s they removed to the city

of Walla Walla, where they still reside. For many years the father was

actively engaged in the construction business, taking contracts for

masonry.

Edward G. Knott is one of seven living children in a family of nine.

He was reared at home and is indebted for his education to the public

schools of Walla Walla. On attaining his majority he turned his

attention to farming, recognizing the value of the fine land in this

section, and after operating rented farms for ten years he bought

twelve hundred acres, the greater part of which is fine wheat land in

Columbia county and took up his residence on that place. He gives to

his affairs the same careful attention that a business man gives to

his interests and his work is conducted in a most systematic manner.

He ranks among the most progressive and successful agriculturists of

Columbia county and receives a gratifying profit from his land.

[Illustration: MRS. AND MR. EDWARD G. KNOTT]

In 1908 Mr. Knott was married to Miss Della Richmond, also a native of

Walla Walla county, and they are the parents of three children, Harold

R., Robert E. and Arnold F. Mr. Knott casts his ballot in support of

the democratic party but his participation in public affairs has been

confined to the exercise of the right of franchise. However, he is

deeply interested in the welfare of the public schools and has served

with credit to himself as a member of the school board. He has a wide

acquaintance in Columbia and Walla Walla counties, and his genuine

worth is attested by the fact that those who have been most intimately

associated with him since his boyhood are his stanchest friends.

OSCAR M. SHELTON.

Oscar M. Shelton, a prosperous and energetic young farmer residing on

section 6, Russell Creek township, Walla Walla county, was born August

20, 1883, upon the farm which he is now operating. His parents, Frank

M. and Nancy M. (Guinn) Shelton, came to the county in early days, the

former in 1863 and the latter in 1864. They were married following

their arrival here and took a quitclaim on a homestead which in time

became their property. The father was successful as an agriculturist

and at the time of his death in 1908 held title to four hundred and

eighty acres of fine wheat land. The mother died in 1897.

Oscar M. Shelton was reared upon the home farm and received his

education in the district schools. The year following his father's

death he and his brothers operated the farm in partnership, but at the

end of that time the estate was settled and he received eighty acres of

the home place as his share. He has subsequently purchased an adjoining

eighty acres, so that he now owns a quarter section of excellent land.

He annually harvests large crops of wheat and as he manages his affairs

in a businesslike manner he receives a good profit from his labors.

In 1910 Mr. Shelton was married to Miss Bessie McKay, a daughter of

Angus McKay, who came to this country in 1861. The children born to Mr.

and Mrs. Shelton are three in number, Bethine, Arline and Ibbie Lillian.

Mr. Shelton votes independently and gives careful study to the

questions and issues of the day. He and his wife are devoted members of

the Presbyterian church. He is thoroughly western in spirit, and his

enterprise and progressiveness have enabled him to take rank among the

successful men of his township.

ALFRED L. SHELTON.

Alfred L. Shelton, who is extensively engaged in stock and wheat

raising, with residence on section 5, township 12 north, range 43 east,

Garfield county, was born in Yamhill county, Oregon, July 1, 1869.

His parents, John W. and Mary (Burford) Shelton, were both natives

of Missouri and in 1853 made the long and tedious journey across

the plains to the Pacific coast country, settling in Yamhill county,

Oregon, where the mother passed away. The father survives at the age

of eighty-five years and is now a resident of Portland. Ten of the

thirteen children born to their union are still living.

Alfred L. Shelton was reared at home and his education was that

afforded by the district schools of Oregon. In 1887, when about

eighteen years old, he came to Garfield county, Washington, and

purchased land, on which he has since resided. His systematic and

practical labors have year by year been rewarded by large crops. He has

also been successful as a stock raiser and his holdings now comprise

eleven hundred and ninety-two acres, of which six hundred acres is

devoted to the raising of wheat, while the remainder is fine pasture

land. He keeps in close touch with the advancement that is continually

being made along agricultural lines and justly ranks as one of the

leading farmers of his section.

Mr. Shelton was married in 1894 to Miss Catherine Schnekloth, a native

of Iowa and a daughter of Henry and Margaret Schnekloth, an account of

whose lives appears elsewhere in this work. Nine children have been

born to Mr. and Mrs. Shelton, namely, Arthur M., Wilber W., Henry E.,

Alma, Elmer, Herman, Dale, Hazel and Doris, all of whom are yet at home.

Mr. Shelton belongs to Harmony Lodge, No. 116, I. O. O. F., of Pomeroy,

to the Woodmen of the World, to the Grange and the Farmers' Union. His

political allegiance is given to the republican party and he has served

for some time on the school board. He is a man of unusual energy,

finding the opportunity to take part in public affairs in addition to

looking after his extensive farming interests. He is manager of the

No. 2 telephone line and in that capacity has made an excellent record

for the fine service rendered patrons. He is distinctly a western

man, possessing the self-reliance, resourcefulness and enterprise

characteristic of this section.

MRS. IDA MAY WOLFE.

Mrs. Ida May Wolfe, widely and favorably known in Walla Walla county,

is a representative of one of the oldest pioneer families. She resides

on section 35, township 8 north, range 36 east, where she owns a

valuable farming property. She was born on the site of the present

city of Dayton and is a daughter of Oliver C. and Mary E. (Mealey)

Gallaher. Her mother was a daughter of Dr. Mealey, who was one of the

noted men of his day. Her father crossed the plains in 1845, when few

white men had penetrated into the vast wilderness of the northwest. He

drove across the hot stretches of sand over the mountain passes and

at length reached the Willamette valley of Oregon, where he took up a

donation claim. At that time the city of Portland had no existence and

the work of progress and improvement had scarcely been begun in all the

vast northwest. He resided in the Willamette valley until the spring

of 1862, when he came to Walla Walla county and took up his abode in

the Walla Walla valley, where he resided until the time of his death.

His entire life was devoted to farming and he contributed much to the

early agricultural development of this section of the country. His

efforts were an important factor in promoting progress and improvement

in the Inland Empire and he was among those who laid broad and deep the

foundation upon which is built the present prosperity and progress of

the county. His political allegiance was always given to the republican

party and he took an active and helpful interest in politics,

recognizing the duties and obligations as well as the privileges of

citizenship. In a word, he left the impress of his individualuty for

good upon the developmen of this section of the state and his memory is

yet revered and honored by many who knew him in the early days. In his

family were six children, three of whom are now living.

His daughter, Mrs. Wolfe, was reared and educated in Walla Walla county

and is familiar with many phases of pioneer life here. In 1883 she

became the wife of W. H. Buroker, a pioneer of this county, having come

here in 1864. Through their united thrift and industry they acquired a

large and valuable property, which at the death of Mr. Buroker in 1902

was equally divided among the legal heirs. To Mr. and Mrs. Buroker were

born five children: Zenna, the wife of L. O. McInroe; Ina J., the wife

of Frank McInroe, of Walla Walla county; Forrest L., who is a resident

farmer of Walla Walla county; one who is deceased; and Mary E., the

wife of R. W. Rigsby. Several years after the death of her first

husband Mrs. Buroker became the wife of L. R. Wolfe in 1906. Her father

died on the 29th of May, 1916, having long survived his wife, who

passed away about thirty-nine years ago. They were both laid to rest in

this county.

Mrs. Wolfe is now the owner of several hundred acres of fine land which

has been brought under a high state of cultivation and returns splendid

crops annually, thus providing the family with a very substantial

income. Mr. Wolfe belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows

and to the Knights of Pythias and Mrs. Wolfe is connected with the

Rebekah lodge, the ladies' auxiliary of the Odd Fellows. She is also

a consistent and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church

and takes a very active and helpful part in church work, contributing

generously to its support. Her entire life has been passed in this

county, where she is most widely known, and she has a very extensive

circle of warm friends, who enjoy her companionship and entertain for

her the highest regard.

JOHN F. ABBOTT.

John F. Abbott, of Walla Walla, is one of the pioneers of eastern

Washington, arriving here in 1859, and for many years he was

prominently connected with transportation interests as the owner of a

stage line from Walla Walla to Boise, Idaho. Later, when the country

became more settled, he turned his attention to farming and was also

successful in that connection. His birth occurred in Rome, New York,

March 25, 1823, and he remained in that state until he was thirteen

years old. He then went to work and for the next few years was employed

in various states. On removing to Wisconsin he became connected with

a stage line and so continued until 1849, when he, like so many

others, made the long and dangerous journey across the plains to the

California gold fields. He devoted two years to mining and then went

to La Fayette, Oregon, where he established a stage line between that

point and Portland and another between Jacksonville and Sterlingville.

He operated the two lines until 1859, when he came to Walla Walla,

Washington, and at once became a factor in the business life of the

town as the proprietor of a stage line from Walla Walla to Wallula.

He also engaged in the livery business and later, in connection with

Thomas & Ruckle, established a stage line from Walla Walla over the

Blue mountains to Boise, Idaho. At that early day stage coaches

furnished practically the only means of communication from one part

of the western country to another and stage lines were as important

to the development of the section as railroads are today. In 1873 Mr.

Abbott sold his interests in that business and began farming and stock

raising. He met with unusual success as an agriculturist and at the

time of his death had extensive farm holdings in Walla Walla county and

also held title to valuable city properties.

Mr. Abbott was married in Oregon, April 24, 1853, to Mrs. Susan

(Snyder) Creighton, a native of Ohio, and they became the parents of

three children: John H., who is one of the prominent farmers of Walla

Walla county; Belle, the wife of H. G. Mauzey, of Walla Walla; and Anna

A., who is the widow of Colonel W. H. Miller and is caring for her aged

mother. Mrs. Abbott was born in New Lisbon, Ohio, October 22, 1824, and

is a daughter of Stephen Snyder. She lost her parents when quite small

and in 1845 came west with her aunt, Amelia Risley. They traveled by ox

teams across the plains and settled in Yamhill county, Oregon. At the

age of twenty years Susan Snyder was united in marriage to Nathaniel

Creighton, by whom she had one child, Minnie, who married D. B. Day,

of Walla Walla, but is now deceased. Mr. Creighton died in 1849 and

his widow subsequently became the wife of John F. Abbott. In 1859, in

company with their four children, they came to Walla Walla, and here

Mrs. Abbott has since made her home. She is still alert of mind and

active of body.

Mr. Abbott was prominent in the work of the Independent Order of

Odd Fellows and was generous to a fault, contributing liberally to

all deserving enterprises and charities. He was progressive and

public-spirited and did all within his power to further the advancement

of his community. His death, which occurred March 14, 1896, occasioned

widespread regret, as it was generally recognized that his energy,

sound judgment and civic spirit were valuable assets of Walla Walla.

JOHN K. RAINWATER.

The history of Dayton is to John K. Rainwater a matter of personal

experience, as he settled upon the site of Dayton when it was

government land as yet untouched by the hand of man. For years he

engaged in farming but has now disposed of the greater part of his

land, which is included within the city of Dayton, although he retains

the ownership of seven acres, upon which he resides. His birth occurred

in eastern Tennessee, January 3, 1834, and he is a son of James and

Dalila (Keifer) Rainwater, natives of that state. The family removed

to Arkansas, where the mother passed away, and subsequently the father

went with his children to Missouri. His last years, however, were

passed in Dayton, Washington, and here his death occurred. Four of his

five children survive.

[Illustration: JOHN K. RAINWATER]

John K. Rainwater grew to manhood in Arkansas and acquired his

education in the public schools there. In early manhood he decided to

try his fortune in the west and in 1861 made the long journey overland

by ox team to Albany, Oregon. He rented a farm in that locality but

in 1869 removed to Old Walla Walla county, Washington, settling on

a farm now within the city limits of Dayton. He has now disposed of

all of his land save seven acres but for a considerable period he was

actively engaged in the operation of his farm and proved successful

as an agriculturist. It has been a great pleasure to him to witness

the steady and rapid development of this section and especially of

Dayton and he has gladly given his aid to all projects seeking the

public welfare. He is now living retired after a life of well directed

industry and he is deservedly held in high esteem by his fellow

townsmen.

Mr. Rainwater was married in 1854 to Miss Mary Sparks, also a native

of Tennessee, and to them were born six daughters and one son: Dalila,

the wife of George Munsey; Susan J., who married O. C. White, now of

Olympia, Washington; Alice, the wife of Colonel F. Green, a resident

of California; Ellen, who married William Robinson; Arthur L., who is

living in Montana; Elizabeth, the deceased wife of Charles Door; and

Nancy, the wife of Frank Desersy, of Seattle. The wife and mother was

called to her reward December 30, 1889, and was laid to rest in the

Dayton cemetery.

Mr. Rainwater is a stanch republican in politics and served ably as

member of the city council of Dayton and for a number of years was

a member of the school board. Fraternally he belongs to the Masonic

order and is also affiliated with the Mystic Shrine. He has filled

most of the chairs and is well known as a Mason who exemplifies in his

life the beneficent teachings of the craft. For fifty-six years he

has resided in this locality and his record has always been that of a

public-spirited citizen, willing at all times to subordinate personal

interests to the good of his community, county or state. The success

which he gained and which enables him to enjoy the comforts of life

was the direct result of his hard work and good management, and he is

entitled to the praise that is given a self-made man.

ADAM FUDGE.

For almost thirty years Adam Fudge was identified with the agricultural

interests of Walla Walla county and took a prominent part in its

development. The greater part of his life was passed on the Pacific

coast and he was thoroughly familiar with pioneer conditions in this

section of the country. He was born in Illinois, May 26, 1845, a son

of Adam and Catherine Fudge, who were natives of Virginia and early

settlers of Illinois. In 1847 the family crossed the continent to Polk

county, Oregon, where the father secured a farm and engaged in its

operation for some years. His death occurred in Astoria, Oregon, and

his wife died in Independence, that state.

Mr. Fudge, of this review, grew to manhood in Oregon and was indebted

to the early schools of that state for the educational advantages

he had. In 1872 he came to Walla Walla, where he continued to make

his home throughout the remainder of his life. For five years he was

engaged in the butcher business in Waitsburg and then purchased a ranch

in Whitman county. He made his home in Waitsburg until coming to Walla

Walla. His death occurred in May, 1901, his remains being interred in

the Odd Fellows cemetery at Waitsburg. In his farming operations he

met with good success and left to his widow a valuable tract of eight

hundred acres of land in Whitman county, which she still owns.

In 1872 Mr. Fudge was united in marriage to Miss Mary M. Perkins,

who was born in Marshall county, Illinois, and is a daughter of Joel

B. and Margaret (Burt) Perkins, both natives of Kentucky. In that

state the Perkins family lived about ten miles from Mammoth Cave.

They removed to Oregon in 1852 and located on a farm near Portland,

where they made their home until coming to Walla Walla in 1862. The

parents both died at Waitsburg and two of their nine children have also

passed away. Those living are: James A., for many years a banker of

Colfax, Washington, but now engaged in the real estate business Mary;

Mattie, the wife of Alfred Miller, of Lacrosse, Washington; T. J.,

of Spokane; Frank B., of the Big Bend country; E. L., of Harrington,

Washington; and Garfield, of Spokane. To Mr. and Mrs. Fudge were born

three children, namely: Grace, deceased; Adna, the wife of Samuel B.

Sweeney; and Will C., assistant cashier of the Colfax National Bank.

Mrs. Fudge rents the ranch and she and her daughter are now residing in

Walla Walla, where they own a fine residence. She is a member of the

Christian church and is a most estimable lady, who has a host of warm

friends.

Mr. Fudge took a very active part in the Odd Fellows lodge to which he

belonged and was a stanch supporter of the republican party. He was a

man of good business and executive ability, who usually carried forward

to successful completion whatever he undertook, and his course in life

was ever such as to commend him to the confidence and regard of all

with whom he came in contact. He was one of the representative pioneers

of the Pacific northwest and to such men is due the present development

and prosperity of this region.

EMERSON LEE WHEELER.

Emerson Lee Wheeler, owner and publisher of the Waitsburg Times, of

which his father had long been the editor, is not only widely known in

journalistic circles but is regarded as one of the most prominent and

influential residents of his section of the state, a fact which finds

its verification in his long continued service as mayor of his city.

He was born in Waitsburg, March 22, 1878, a son of Charles and Alice

Wheeler. The father was born in Cass county, Missouri, February 19,

1852, and was one of a family of ten children. After reaching manhood

he wedded Alice Reavis, a daughter of Judge D. B. Reavis, the wedding

being celebrated in 1877, and not long afterward they started for the

west, making the journey by mule team across the plains. Arriving at

Waitsburg, Mr. Wheeler learned that the village school was without a

principal and applied for and secured the position. After a year spent

as teacher he was nominated for the position of county superintendent

of schools at the hands of the republican convention and was elected

and re-elected in 1880. In the following year he was appointed by the

governor as territorial superintendent of schools and during his five

years' incumbency in that office did splendid work in organizing the

schools, in promoting their standards and advancing their efficiency.

On the expiration of that period he acquired a lease on the Waitsburg

Times and afterward purchased the plant. He then successfully edited

and conducted the paper until 1896, when he leased the plant to his

son, Emerson L., who afterward purchased the paper and has since

successfully conducted it. For about seven years Charles W. Wheeler

was lecturer for the Woodmen of the World and gained an enviable

reputation as a public speaker by reason of his eloquence and his clear

presentation of every question which he handled. He died May 19, 1917,

at the age of sixty-five years, respected by those who knew him and

most of all by those who knew him best.

[Illustration: EMERSON L. WHEELER]

Emerson L. Wheeler, spending his boyhood and youth in Waitsburg,

acquired his education in its public schools and in the Waitsburg

Academy. He, too, took up the profession of teaching, which he followed

for a year, and he then leased the Waitsburg Times from his father and

still continues its publication. He was practically raised in the print

shop, being, as it were, "To the manner born." He had spent most of his

vacations in the printing office up to the time when he assumed its

active management. He has since given his undivided attention to the

publication of the paper, which is a representative of high standards

of journalism. Its columns have been used in large measure to further

the interests and welfare of town and county and he has made the Times

both the mirror and the moulder of public opinion.

In his home town on the 5th of June, 1900, Mr. Wheeler was united

in marriage to Miss Myrtie V. Duncan, a native of California and a

daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Duncan, who were pioneers of the Walla

Walla valley.

Mr. Wheeler has an interesting military record. For four years he

served as a member of Company D, First Infantry, of the National Guard

of Washington, occupying that position until 1898, when the National

Guard was mustered into the national service as Company K for active

duty in the Philippines. He was, however, rejected on account of

defective eyesight, so that he could not go to the orient. In politics

he has always been a republican, giving stalwart support to the party

since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. That he is one

of the leaders of the party is indicated in the fact that he is the

present mayor of Waitsburg and with the exception of one year he has

continued in the office for the past decade. Previously he had been a

member of the city council for several years and his official record

is one over which there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil.

He has always been active in the Commercial Club and is at the present

time secretary of the Waitsburg Commercial Club, having been called to

that position on its incorporation in 1911.

Fraternally Mr. Wheeler is connected with Delta Lodge, No. 70, K. P.,

in which organization he has always taken a very active part. He is

likewise a member of Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M.; of Occidental

Lodge, No. 11, A. O. U. W.; and of Waitsburg Camp, No. 72, W. O. W.

In all these organizations he is loyal to the purposes and teachings

of the different societies. His standards of life are high and he

never deviates from what he believes to be right between himself and

his fellowmen. He is actuated by a spirit of progress in all that he

undertakes in a business way or in relation to the public welfare and

as an official of Waitsburg he has done splendid service in its behalf,

looking ever to the benefit and upbuilding of the city.

A. HERBERT GRAVES.

A. Herbert Graves, appointed by President Wilson in January, 1916,

to the position of postmaster of Asotin, was born December 2, 1871,

in Shelbyville, Shelby county, Missouri, a son of Edmond and Sarah

(Tuttle) Graves. He acquired a public school education in his native

city and continued his studies at Macon, Missouri. On completing his

course he took up the drug business, which he followed in Missouri

for six years, and then went upon the road as a traveling salesman,

representing a wholesale drug house, in which line of business he

continued for about two years. He then became connected with the

telephone business and on the 5th of April, 1913, he arrived in Asotin,

Washington, where he bought out the Asotin Telephone Company, which at

that time had but sixty-five patrons. The business is now conducted

under the name of the Asotin Telephone Exchange and Mr. Graves is the

sole owner. He gives service at the present time to three hundred

patrons all over Asotin county and the adjoining territory. He has

built up the business along substantial lines and he is accorded a

gratifying patronage.

On the 14th of September, 1899, Mr. Graves was united in marriage to

Miss Ida Algena Watson, a native of New York, and to them have been

born three children: June Irene, who is a student in the Asotin high

school; Herbert, a student in the eighth grade of the public schools;

and Edward, now three years of age.

Mr. Graves and his wife are communicants of the Episcopal church and he

belongs to the Masonic fraternity. His political allegiance is given to

the democratic party and in January, 1916, by presidential appointment,

he became postmaster of Asotin, in which connection he is now serving,

discharging the duties of the office in a prompt and capable manner

and at the same time conducting his telephone business. He is a

progressive, energetic and farsighted business man and is meeting with

well merited success.

J. BURRES HERROLD.

J. Burres Herrold, a well known farmer residing in Walla Walla, from

which point he directs the operation of his extensive holdings, was

born in Knox county, Illinois, November 14, 1858, a son of Bishop A.

and Harriett (Cullison) Herrold, natives respectively of Indiana and

Ohio. They were married, however, in Illinois, to which state they

removed as children with their parents. In 1871 they came to the

Pacific coast and for seven years lived in the Willamette valley of

Oregon, after which they came to Washington, settling in Palouse,

Whitman county. Seven years later they took up their residence on a

farm on Eureka flats, Walla Walla county, and there the mother died in

March, 1893. The father, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this

work, is still living and makes his home with a son residing near

Waitsburg.

J. Burres Herrold was reared at home and acquired his education in the

common schools of Illinois. At the time of the arrival of the family

in the Willamette valley he was thirteen years of age. A year after

their removal to Washington, in June, 1878, he left home and began his

independent career. In 1882 he filed on a homestead on Eureka flats,

Walla Walla county, and retained the ownership of that place until

1907, when he disposed of it and purchased four hundred and thirty-four

acres in Columbia county two and a half miles east of Waitsburg.

He resided upon that place until 1915, when he removed to Walla

Walla, where he now lives. He still, however, gives close attention

to supervising the work of the farm and his progressive methods

and excellent business judgment have enabled him to gain financial

independence.

On the 8th of January, 1915, Mr. Herrold was united in marriage to

Miss Nellie Perrigo, a daughter of Harlow and Ida (Daniels) Perrigo.

Her father died in Wisconsin, and in 1909 her mother came to Walla

Walla, where she now lives. Mrs. Herrold was for eight years prior to

her marriage a teacher in the Walla Walla schools and is a woman of

excellent education and good executive ability.

Mr. Herrold supports the republican party at the polls but is without

ambition for office. He is connected with Touchet Lodge, No. 5, I. O.

O. F., and with Coppei Encampment, No. 73. He is loyal to the order

and to its teachings of mutual helpfulness and fraternity, and the

principles which govern his life are further indicated in the fact that

he is a member of the Christian church, to which his wife also belongs.

They are progressive in spirit and willingly support all movements

looking toward the advancement of the interests of their community.

HERBERT L. WILSON.

Herbert L. Wilson has devoted the greater part of his life to

engineering work and is now a leader in his profession in southeastern

Washington, being especially prominent in connection with the

construction of state highways and bridges and the paving of city

streets. He was born in Henry county, Iowa, June 25, 1877, a son of

Jonah and Mary (Graham) Wilson, both of whom were born in Ohio, where

they were reared. Soon after their marriage they left that state and

removed to Henry county, Iowa, which was then just being settled. The

father filed on a homestead and both he and the mother still reside on

that place. His holdings now comprise four hundred and eighty acres

and he is recognized as one of the most successful farmers and stock

raisers of Henry county.

Herbert L. Wilson was educated in the public schools of Henry county

and in Drake University of Des Moines, from which he received the

degree of civil engineer in the class of 1899. Following his graduation

he devoted some time to farming in his native county, but in 1904 came

to the Pacific coast. For about a year he was employed on construction

work in Portland and then came to Walla Walla. He remained in this city

only a short time, however, and then took up a homestead in Franklin

county, Washington. Later he commuted the homestead and proved up on

his claim in less time that it would have taken to do so under the

homestead law. He was instrumental in securing the establishment of a

postoffice at Ringgold, and for a year and a half served as postmaster.

After securing the title to his land he was employed in the engineering

department of the North Coast Railroad Company, which has since become

a part of the Union Pacific system, and while in that connection he

worked on the construction of the road for two and a half years. In

1908 he went to Twin Falls, Idaho, where he developed a farm under

the newly installed irrigation project, but after remaining upon the

place for about a year he went to North Yakima, Washington, where he

went into business on his own account as construction engineer. During

the following two and a half years he completed a number of important

projects and in 1912 came to Walla Walla, where he has since gained an

enviable reputation as a capable engineer. He has given his attention

largely to state highway construction and has also done a great deal of

street paving in Walla Walla and has erected a large number of bridges.

He has handled some of the largest jobs in these lines in this section

of the state and has not only gained high professional standing but has

won material success.

Mr. Wilson was married in 1908 to Miss Stella Nixon, a daughter of E.

H. Nixon, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. To Mr. and

Mrs. Wilson has been born a daughter, Mary Lavelle.

Mr. Wilson is an advocate of republican principles and supports the

candidates of that party at the polls. He is connected fraternally with

Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M., and with Walla Walla Chapter,

No. 1, R. A. M., and is likewise a member of the Walla Walla Commercial

Club. In religious faith he is a Presbyterian and his life has at all

times been actuated by high moral principles.

JEREMIAH M. CAMP.

Jeremiah M. Camp, one of the prosperous and highly esteemed residents

of Walla Walla, was for many years actively engaged in farming in

Whitman county, where he still owns a large tract of valuable land,

but is now living retired. A native of Ohio, he was born May 10, 1837,

and is a son of John and Deborah (Martin) Camp, both of whom were born

in Connecticut, the former in 1801. The parents removed to Ohio at an

early day in the development of that state and there the mother passed

away in 1856. Two years later the father removed with his family to

Knox county, Illinois, and devoted the remainder of his life to the

operation of a farm there. He died suddenly in 1865. There were five

sons in the family but only three are now living.

[Illustration: JEREMIAH M. CAMP]

[Illustration: MRS. JEREMIAH M. CAMP]

Jeremiah M. Camp passed the days of his boyhood and youth in his

native state and is indebted for his education to its public schools.

Following his marriage, February 12, 1858, at the age of twenty years,

he became a resident of Knox County, Illinois. In 1862 he enlisted

there in Company I, Eighty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and

served at the front until the close of the Civil war in 1865. Although

he took part in a great deal of hard fighting he was never wounded nor

imprisoned. After being mustered out at Chicago he returned to Ohio,

where his wife was then residing, and they continued to make their home

in that state until 1867, when they went to the vicinity of Washington,

Iowa, where Mr. Camp engaged in farming for three years. In 1870 he

went to Kansas and in 1883 came to Washington. After staying for a time

in Walla Walla county he removed to Whitman county, where he took up a

homestead. He at once gave his entire time and attention to the task

of developing that farm and as the years passed made many improvements

thereon. In 1904 he retired and took up his residence in Walla Walla,

where he now lives. He still owns sixteen hundred and sixty acres of

land in Whitman county, all in a high state of cultivation, and derives

therefrom a gratifying income. The success which he has gained is

doubly creditable in that it is due to his quickness to see and take

advantage of opportunities, his good management and his hard work.

On the 12th of February, 1858, Mr. Camp was united in marriage to

Miss Lucy Ann Merritt, also a native of Vinton county, Ohio, and they

traveled life's journey together for fifty-two years, Mrs. Camp dying

in Walla Walla on the 8th of October, 1911. They became the parents

of nine children, as follows: Louis and Ida, both deceased; Hattie,

the wife of William Barber, of Anthony, Kansas; A. I. and George, both

residents of Whitman county, Washington; May, the wife of Theodore

Harris, of Oklahoma; Sadie, the wife of Charles Pryor, of Dayton,

Washington; and Archibald and Ira, both residents of Whitman county.

The wife and mother was a consistent and faithful member of the

Methodist Episcopal church.

Mr. Camp has voted the republican ticket since he cast his first vote

for Abraham Lincoln. He has never been active in public affairs,

preferring to concentrate his efforts upon his farm work, and in

so doing he has not only won financial independence but has also

contributed to the development of this district along agricultural

lines. Through his membership in the local Grand Army post he keeps in

touch with the other veterans of the war and finds great pleasure in

recalling the experiences of those days.

JAMES A. YEEND.

James A. Yeend is a self-made man who is now the owner of three hundred

and eighty acres, constituting a valuable farm property on section 20,

township 8 north, range 36 east, Walla Walla county. He was born in

Gloucestershire, England, on the 8th of March, 1856, and is a son of

William and Ellen (Surman) Yeend, who were natives of England, whence

they crossed the Atlantic to the new world in December, 1870. They

settled on a farm in section 20, township 8 north, range 36 east, Walla

Walla county, and here the father passed away, while the mother later

became a resident of Walla Walla and died in that city. They were the

parents of sixteen children, seven of whom survive.

James A. Yeend was a lad of fourteen years when he crossed the

Atlantic to the United States in company with his parents. He had

acquired his education in England and remained under the parental roof

until twenty-one years of age, when he started out in life for himself.

Two years later he took up a preemption claim of one hundred and

twenty acres and bought one hundred and sixty acres of railroad land

in Walla Walla county but in 1883 sold this property to his father.

He then removed to Whitman county, Washington, where he took up a

homestead and timber claim, upon which he lived for twelve years and

through that period wrought a marked transformation in the appearance

of his property, for he brought much of the land under a high state of

cultivation. In 1896 he sold that place and came to Walla Walla county,

where he now resides. Here he owns three hundred and eighty-four acres

of rich and productive land, upon which he has placed many modern

improvements, including an attractive home and substantial buildings

that furnish ample shelter for grain and stock. He is an energetic and

progressive farmer and his place presents a most attractive appearance,

indicative of the care and labor which he bestows upon his fields

and also indicative of the careful supervision which he gives to all

branches of the farm work.

On the 15th of December, 1883, Mr. Yeend was united in marriage to

Miss Lydia Chandler, also a native of Gloucestershire, England, and

a daughter of Joseph and Eliza (Surman) Chandler. Her father died in

that country and her mother came to America in October, 1882, locating

in Whitman county, Washington, where she took up a homestead claim and

spent the remainder of her life. To Mr. and Mrs. Yeend have been born

eight children, namely: Ernest E., Edith M., Fred S. and Frank J.,

twins; Flora E., William A., Olive and Esther A.

Mr. and Mrs. Yeend are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal

church, in the work of which they take an active and helpful interest,

Mr. Yeend serving now as one of the trustees. His political support

is given to the republican party and he has served for sixteen years

as a member of the school board. Fraternally he is connected with the

Ancient Order of United Workmen. As the architect of his own fortunes

he has builded wisely and well and is not only one of the self-made men

of Walla Walla county but is also one of its most progressive farmers

and in all that he does holds to the highest standards of agricultural

development and activity.

SURMAN N. YEEND.

Surman N. Yeend, one of the leading wheat raisers of the Walla Walla

valley, residing at Valley Grove, was born in England, May 21, 1866,

a son of William and Ellen Yeend, who are mentioned elsewhere in this

work in connection with the sketch of their son James.

Surman N. Yeend was reared and educated in Walla Walla county, having

been but a young lad when brought by his parents to the new world.

The family home was established in the northwest and he has since

been familiar with the upbuilding and progress of this section of

the country. His youthful days were spent in the usual manner of

the farmbred boy who divides his time between the duties of the

schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the fields,

and his early training in farm work well qualified him to take up work

of that character on his own account after he had reached man's estate.

He located on the place which is now his home and which comprises seven

hundred acres of rich and productive land, all under cultivation. He

makes a specialty of the growing of wheat and his broad fields present

a most pleasing picture, giving indication of abundant harvests. He is

also successfully engaged in stock raising and keeps upon his farm high

grades of cattle, horses and hogs. In all of his business affairs he

displays a progressive spirit and keeps in touch with every improvement

that has to do with farm life.

Mr. Yeend has been married twice. He first wedded Miss Anna M. Harper

and to them were born two children: Charles E.; and Helen, the wife of

Arthur Anderson. The wife and mother passed away and in 1901 Mr. Yeend

was again married, his second union being with Miss Mary Loland, a

native of Washington. They have become parents of six children: Cleola

M., Roland A., Allen C., Wilbur H., Lowell W. and Howard S.

Mr. and Mrs. Yeend are members of the Nazarene church. Mr. Yeend votes

with the republican party and has served on the census board, filling

that position in 1900. He is not active in politics, however, preferred

to concentrate his time and energies upon his farming interests, and by

his close application in business affairs and his unremitting industry

he has won a very gratifying measure of success, being now numbered

among the substantial and prosperous agriculturists of Walla Walla

county.

WILLIS RESER.

Willis Reser is engaged in general farming and stock raising on section

5, township 6 north, range 35 east, Walla Walla county. He has been a

resident of the Walla Walla valley since 1863 and in the intervening

period, covering fifty-four years, has been closely and prominently

identified with its agricultural development.

He was born in Davis county, Iowa, December 29, 1856, and is a son of

George and Mary (Waterman) Reser, who are mentioned in connection with

the sketch of their son, William Reser, on another page of this work.

The family arrived in the Walla Walla valley in 1863, so that Willis

Reser was here reared and educated. He became familiar with every

phase of pioneer life and with the arduous task of developing a new

farm. When he had attained his majority he began farming on his own

account and later purchased the property upon which he now resides, a

tract of one hundred and sixty acres which constituted his father's

old homestead. Upon this place he has since lived and he also has a

residence in Walla Walla, which he occupies a part of the time. He

carries on general agricultural pursuits and stock raising and he has

brought his fields under a high state of cultivation. In his pastures

are found good grades of stock and everything about his place indicates

the owner to be a man of progressive spirit and one who is thoroughly

familiar with the line of work in which he engages. He has closely

studied the soil and climatic conditions in relation to the production

of crops and he has made an equally close study of the best methods of

stock raising. Success is therefore attending his efforts and he is

numbered among the substantial farmers of this section of the state.

In May, 1884, Mr. Reser was united in marriage to Miss Mima Kirkland,

who was born in Oregon, a daughter of Joseph E. and Mary (Standefer)

Kirkland. The father was a native of Illinois but was reared

principally in Arkansas and crossed the plains in the '50s. The journey

was made with teams over the long, hot stretches of sand and across

the mountain passes until ultimately he reached Oregon. Still later

he removed to Walla Walla county and settled upon a farm. Joseph E.

Kirkland was an attorney by profession and engaged in the practice of

law for several years in addition to the conduct of his agricultural

interests. To Mr. and Mrs. Reser have been born four children: George,

who is now located in Detroit, Michigan; Joseph, deceased; one who died

in infancy; and Willis H., who is still at home.

Mrs. Reser is a member of the Congregational church and is a lady of

many admirable traits of character who enjoys the warm regard of a

large circle of friends. Politically Mr. Reser gives his support to

the democratic party. He served for some years as a member of the

school board but has always preferred that his public service should be

done as a private citizen rather than as an office holder. He stands

loyally, however, for what he believes to be for the best interests

of the community and through the long years of his residence in this

county he has given his aid and influence in behalf of those projects

and measures which he has believed would prove of greatest benefit

to the section. The county to which he came in 1863 bore little

resemblance to the highly developed district which is here seen today.

He has witnessed all of the changes which have occurred in the interim

and can speak with authority upon many events which have shaped the

history of Walla Walla county.

GILBERT HUNT.

Gilbert Hunt solely through his own efforts gained a place among the

industrial leaders of Walla Walla, being the head of a company known

as the largest manufacturers of farm machinery in the northwest, and

he was equally prominent in civic affairs, serving for three terms as

mayor. He was born in Ryegate, Vermont, January 27, 1855, a son of

Solomon Sherman and Katherine Hunt. He was reared in a home where as

he studied he was taught to work hard, think deeply and live simply,

and his life was characterized by the "plain living and high thinking"

characteristic of New England. The family were in limited financial

circumstances and he early began to do his part toward providing for

his own support. The first work that he performed for others was

pasturing the cattle of the villagers, driving them to pasture in the

early morning and returning with them in the evening. Later he worked

his way through the academy at Peacham and each week end walked home, a

distance of ten miles, in order to give his father the benefit of his

labor on Saturday.

[Illustration: GILBERT HUNT]

In early manhood Mr. Hunt was employed for some time as a millwright,

later engaged in the manufacture of washboards, and he was also for

a time a furniture painter and an organ tuner. During these early

years he had to contend not only against poverty but also against

ill health and at length it became necessary that he have outdoor

employment and accordingly he peddled tinware through the country. At

length, having received very favorable reports of Walla Walla from the

Rev. Cobleigh, pastor of the Congregational church here and formerly

pastor of the church in McIndoes, Vermont, Mr. Hunt decided to try his

fortune in this new western country. After a journey of three weeks he

reached this city and found work in the Glasford planing mill, which,

however, shut down in the autumn. Although somewhat discouraged, he

was dissuaded from carrying out his determination of going elsewhere

by a merchant of the city and gradually he gained a foothold and in

time became the head of the Gilbert Hunt Company, one of the largest

industrial concerns of the entire northwest and the largest producers

of farm machinery in this section. Mr. Hunt not only proved himself

an executive of great force but also a successful inventor and was

the originator of the Pride of Washington thresher. The memory of his

early struggles remained with him and when boys applied for work in the

"Hunt shops" and the foreman said that they had no vacancies Mr. Hunt

gave orders that work be found in some way in order to give the boys a

chance.

This desire to be of assistance found expression in many ways and

there was no project for the advancement of his city that failed to

receive his hearty support. In many instances Mr. Hunt initiated and

carried to successful completion movements for public improvements,

such as the paving of the center business district, the extension of

the water system providing for the present intake twelve miles above

the city, the betterment of the sewage system, the securing of the

Carnegie library and the establishment of public parks. He was one of

the most effective workers for well advised publicity for Walla Walla

and its surrounding territory and recognized the value of building up a

reputation for Walla Walla as a good convention city. For three terms

he served as mayor and one who knew him for thirty years said of him

in that connection: "Gilbert Hunt brought to the office of mayor long

training and experience in large business affairs and great executive

and administrative ability. He was a man of fine presence, meeting

people easily and agreeably, was informed as to his official duties,

had a clear idea of the things to be done, and inspired confidence in

his ability to do them."

Mr. Hunt was married in McIndoes, Vermont, June 10, 1876, to Miss

Hopie M. Osgood, who is descended from Revolutionary ancestry. To this

marriage were born four children, of whom three survive: Mabelle H.,

the wife of Wilbur A. Toner, an attorney of Walla Walla; Eugene A., who

married Jessie M. Babcock, a daughter of W. H. Babcock, of Walla Walla,

and is now living in Hong-kong, China, engaged in the exporting and

importing business; and Marguerite A., the wife of Gus Meese, Jr., of

Spokane, Washington.

Mr. Hunt was a prominent Mason and was devoted to the order, which he

recognized as a great force for good. He was master of Walla Walla

Lodge, No. 7, F. & A. M., for seven years, was a Knight Templar and was

also connected with the Mystic Shrine. In early manhood he belonged to

the Congregational church but later was one of the organizers and the

first president of the Christian Science church of Walla Walla. He

manifested the keenest interest in educational matters and for eight

years served on the board of education, during which time the High and

Green Park school buildings were erected, and he was also connected in

an official capacity with Whitman College, being a member of its board

of trustees at the time of his death. He passed away December 15, 1914,

and the grief felt by his many friends found expression in words of

love and admiration for his splendid qualities. An editorial writer in

the Portland Journal said: "Not alone in public service did his great

heart beat, but the life of many an individual was made brighter by

a helpful word and a charitable hand." A well known educator who had

known him for twenty-five years wrote as follows: "I always found his

wit, his geniality, his ready sympathy, his practical sagacity, his

helpfulness, sources of strength and encouragement. In the great loss

which his family, his friends, the community has suffered in his death

we may assuredly find solace in the hope that those qualities which we

loved in him are enduring."

PHILIP J. PENTECOST.

Philip J. Pentecost is now living retired in Walla Walla but for many

years was actively and successfully identified with farming interests.

He was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, December 13, 1856, a son of

William C. and Jemima (Wilcox) Pentecost, the former a native of

Somersetshire, England, while the latter was born near Utica, New York.

The father came to the United States when a lad of fourteen years in

company with his parents and settled in New York, where he afterward

married. Two children were born to him and his wife in the Empire

state. Later he removed to Dodge county, Wisconsin, and in the spring

of 1875 became a resident of Seattle, Washington. Soon afterward he

went to Portland, Oregon, and still later to Albany, where he and his

wife spent the summer. In the following fall they came northward to

Walla Walla, looking for a suitable location, and soon after reaching

this place the father and his son, Philip J., went up to Spokane,

leaving the family in Walla Walla. They returned just before Christmas

and spent the winter in this city. The following spring, however, they

returned to Seattle, where they remained for a few weeks and thence

removed to Forest Grove, Oregon. During their roamings they managed

through their work to get together a spike team, consisting of three

horses, one leading other two, and after spending the summer in Forest

Grove they again came to Walla Walla, driving through by team. After

passing through the Indian reservation they reached the Walla Walla

valley. The mother was riding in the back of the wagon with the front

cover drawn, but just before reaching the valley she had raised the

cover to look out and soon remarked, "I should think all the children

could find homes here," and a few moments later one of the sons said to

her that they had reached their camping place. She did not reply and

they found that she was dead, having expired from heart disease in the

few moments after speaking to them. The family brought the body on to

Walla Walla for interment. They spent the winter in the town and in the

spring of 1877 Mr. Pentecost purchased a tract of four hundred acres of

choice land located in Spring Valley, about eight miles northeast of

the city, on the Waitsburg road. He contracted for this land at a basis

of seven dollars per acre, to be paid for with wheat at fifty cents per

bushel.

[Illustration: PHILIP J. PENTECOST]

[Illustration: MRS. PHILIP J. PENTECOST]

This land was afterward paid for by Philip J. Pentecost and an older

brother, Charles N., and thus came into their possession. For thirty

years the two brothers cooperated in their farming enterprise and

in the meantime added to their holdings until the place comprised a

thousand acres. Charles N. Pentecost afterward acquired extensive land

holdings elsewhere and Philip J. Pentecost purchased his interest in

the Walla Walla county farm, which he still owns independently. He also

has four hundred acres on Blue Creek which is largely grazing land

and on which he runs as high as a hundred head of cattle at a time.

About 1901 he left the farm and took up his abode in the city in order

to give his children better educational opportunities and since then

has resided in Walla Walla, having a handsome residence at 603 Cherry

street. He also owns four other city residences. For the past seven

years he has rented his farm lands and has practically lived retired.

On the 29th of June, 1889, Mr. Pentecost was united in marriage to Mrs.

Joseph Maul, who bore the maiden name of Nellie Wolfe and is a daughter

of Harry Wolfe, who crossed the plains to Washington with a horse team

in 1888. By her first husband Mrs. Pentecost had a daughter, Catherine

Z. M., now Mrs. Stanley Sleeper of Lewiston, Idaho, and to Mr. and Mrs.

Pentecost has also been born a daughter, Sadie R., who is the wife of

A. E. Page, of Walla Walla.

Mr. Pentecost gives his political allegiance to the republican party,

while fraternally he is identified with Trinity Lodge, I. O. O. F. and

with Walla Walla Camp, No. 96, W. O. W. He and his wife and daughter

are members of the Baptist church, of which he was a deacon for years

and is now one of the trustees. The family is one of prominence in

Walla Walla and the hospitality of the best homes of the city is freely

accorded them. Mr. Pentecost has made for himself a very creditable

position in business circles, ranking for many years as one of the

leading wheat growers of this section of the state, and his life record

constitutes an example well worthy of emulation.

GEORGE BENSON KUYKENDALL, M. D.

Dr. George Benson Kuykendall, one of the foremost physicians of eastern

Washington, practicing at Pomeroy, was born near Terre Haute, Indiana,

January 22, 1843, a son of John and Malinda (Stark) Kuykendall. The

early family history is found in the New York Dutch Church or Dutch

Reformed Baptismal records and in the county records of New York

county. The family comes of Holland Dutch ancestry, the home being

originally near Wageningen, in the Gelderland province, from which came

the ancestors of Theodore Roosevelt. The first of the name in America

was Jacob Luursen Van Kuykendael, who came to America on the ship de

Princess from Holland in 1646 and landed at New Amsterdam, now New

York. The Van in the family name was retained until about 1730. The

ancestors were with the Van Rensselaer colony at old Fort Orange and

afterward removed to Esopus, New York. Later the sons and daughters of

that generation went to the Minisink region, on the Delaware, about

1700, and subsequently the branch of the family of which Dr. Kuykendall

is a representative was founded in Virginia between 1743 and 1748,

probably in the latter year. His mother came from the same ancestry as

General John Stark of Revolutionary war fame, and their progenitors

were originally from near Essen, Germany.

The father of Dr. Kuykendall, who was a mechanic, removed westward with

his family when his son George was three years of age, residing in

Wisconsin until 1852, when he crossed the plains to the Pacific slope.

That was the memorable year of the cholera, smallpox and pestilence

and they were delayed en route by illness and many difficulties. They

found themselves far back in the rear part of the emigration. Their

days were full of toil and anxiety and their nights were spent much of

the time in vigils over the sick and dying or in warding against the

prowling savages of the plains. When their train reached Snake river,

their stock were almost famished and they crossed the river in the hope

of finding better grass. From there they made their way over country

never before traversed by wagons. At the crossing of the river the

father became ill with mountain fever and a little daughter had already

suffered from measles and was apparently growing worse. For weeks

these helpless ones were dragged over the sagebrush and sand plains of

southern Idaho in a rough emigrant wagon. Finally, when nearly all the

stock had died, they abandoned their wagon, and the few household goods

they could carry were put into the wagon belonging to a brother who was

traveling in the same company. After almost incredible hardships and

discouragements they reached The Dalles, Oregon, where they shipped

their wagon and the household goods that remained upon an open barge

and started to float down the Columbia. The father was still ill and

the little sister at the point of death. That night the barge tied up

on the Oregon side of the river and during the hours of darkness the

mother kept tearful watch over the sick and wasted form of the father

and her dying little girl, who about midnight passed away. Early in the

morning a rude, improvised pine box was made ready and the little one

was buried on the banks of Columbia, where the trade winds sweeping

up from the ocean and the murmur of the river's flow are her eternal

requiem. The pressing demands of the hour would not permit them to

linger over the grave, but all had to press on, for they were far from

their homeland and had no home or shelter for the coming winter. They

reached the Cascades, passed over the portage and took a boat below,

reaching the banks of the Willamette, where East Portland now stands,

on the 19th of October, 1852.

The family spent their first winter at Milwaukee, above Portland, and

in the fall of 1853 went to southern Oregon, locating near Roseburg.

At a very early age Dr. Kuykendall manifested a taste for reading,

which was encouraged by his father, who also found great delight in

books. Dr. Kuykendall read with pleasure works on travel and discovery,

exploration, history, biography and whatever he could find and as he

approached manhood became very fond of metaphysical reading, delighting

in poring over such writings as Kant, Abercrombie, Dugald Stewart and

also reading works on mental philosophy. All this time he was pursuing

the advanced studies of an academic and collegiate course and later

took up the study of materia medica and medicine. About that time

his father had a dangerous illness and reached the point where the

attending physicians gave up the case. Dr. Kuykendall was not willing

that his father should die, however, and said to the family: "We will

go on and try still further--he may yet recover." This was before

the son had become a student in medical college. He devoted himself

assiduously to the study of his father's symptoms, scarcely leaving the

bedside to eat or sleep for a week. The father recovered and enjoyed

many years of later usefulness. The attending physicians, recognizing

what the young son had accomplished, said: "Young man, it is clear what

you ought to do in life. You should study and practice medicine."

A few years later, therefore, George Benson Kuykendall became a student

in Willamette University and was graduated at the head of his class,

in the medical department, and at once entered upon active medical

practice. Within a few months he was appointed to the position of

government physician at Fort Simcoe, Washington, where he enjoyed a

large practice in addition to the government work. He there took up

the special study of microscopy and chemical research, particularly as

related to toxicology and medical jurisprudence. He also did much work

in Micro-photography to aid in differentiation of tissues, cells and

blood corpuscles and while thus engaged he made a fine collection of

mounted specimens, both physiological and pathological.

While at Fort Simcoe he was requested by Professor J. W. Powell of the

Smithsonian Institute of Washington, D. C., to make a study of the

ethnology of the native Indians of the Pacific northwest--a line which

he followed up as his time would permit. He collected many traditions,

myths, ancient laws and customs of the Indian tribes and wrote an

account of these for preservation. In this work all traditions and

myths were obtained at first hand from the Indians themselves. Later he

wrote a series of papers on the subject for The West Shore, a magazine

then published in Portland, Oregon. After ten years with the government

at Fort Simcoe, the Doctor found his family growing and needing better

facilities for education and social culture and accordingly resigned

his position and located at Pomeroy, Washington.

It was in 1868 that Dr. Kuykendall married Miss E. J. Butler, a

daughter of Judge Benjamin Butler, of Douglas county, Oregon, who later

removed to Pomeroy, where he was judge of probate for many years. The

Doctor has an interesting and intelligent family of five sons and three

daughters. In his marriage he was peculiarly fortunate, Mrs. Kuykendall

being a lady of marked intelligence and practical good judgment. His

eldest son, Chester Ernest, is a druggist and dealer in books, musical

instruments and fancy holiday goods. He is a popular man who for years

has been closely identified with the interests of Pomeroy as one of the

leaders in educational work, being a member of the board of directors

of the Pomeroy high school and also mayor of the city. He belongs to

the Methodist Episcopal church and has been church organist for years.

Elgin Victor, the next son, is a prominent attorney and was elected to

the state senate from the counties of Garfield, Columbia and Asotin by

a large majority. George Vivian, the third son, is chief operator in

the offices of the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company. William B. is

engaged in the real estate and insurance business and is now reading

law preparatory to practice. Hubert John is in the drug store with his

brother Chester. All these sons are married and with the exception of

George all are residents of Pomeroy. Minnie Pearl and Grace Orlean,

are the elder daughters. The former is the wife of R. B. Spencer,

of Hermiston, Oregon, and the younger is the wife of G. C. Start,

of Sunnyside, Washington. Both have decided talent for painting and

Mrs. Spencer taught oil Painting in Pomeroy for years. The youngest

daughter, Bessie, is at home with her parents.

Dr. Kuykendall has had an extensive acquaintance among the prominent

pioneer settlers of Oregon, including Rev. J. H. Wilbur, pioneer

missionary minister, Hon. Binger Herman, Judges J. F. Watson, E. B.

Watson and P. L. Willis, who were early friends in southern Oregon,

Judge M. P. Deady and General Joseph Lane, Delazon Smith, Colonel

Hooker, Governor Chadwick and others. In addition to his professional

attainments Dr. Kuykendall has an enviable reputation as a writer. He

has written much for the press and has always been very industrious in

gathering up material for use in future writings. He has completed a

history of the Kuykendall family for the past three hundred years, the

family being of the old Knickerbocker stock of New York and New Jersey,

whence they have gone as pioneers across the country from the Atlantic

to the Pacific. The family has been represented in every war of note

since early colonial days. Dr. Kuykendall has retired from the active

practice of medicine and spends his leisure in reading and writing. He

has a collection of data pertaining to Indian mythology, ethnology and

customs which he hopes yet to be able to publish, besides other matter

written during the passing years.

Dr. Kuykendall has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for

many years, actively connected with its social and moral endeavors for

the benefit of the community. He has always made it a point to support

every movement for the good of the community with his money as well

as with his personal aid. He has been too busy to give much attention

to money making but has prospered sufficiently to have gained a good

competence. His father was liberal to a fault and when he gave, as the

Doctor thought, too liberally of his means the Doctor always helped

him out. The latter has always been glad to remember this generosity

of his father and has been stimulated by his example to think more of

"the other fellow." Since its organization he has been a member of the

Garfield County Pioneer Association and for some years has been its

secretary. He is a member of the Oregon Historical Society and the

Holland Society of New York city. To belong to this society one must be

able to show documentary evidence of having come from an ancestor born

of a forefather who came from Holland to America before 1675.

WALLACE LEROY WHITMORE.

Few men of the northwest have been more widely known than Wallace

Leroy Whitmore, now deceased. He resided on section 21, township 13

north, range 42 east, Garfield county, but for more than forty years

he traveled extensively over this country as a commercial salesman

and he was also known throughout the Pacific coast states as a

breeder of fast horses. He had those special qualities which make for

personal popularity and wherever he went he made friends. He was born

in Oakland, Oregon, June 8, 1857, and was a son of George and Mary

(Vaughn) Whitmore, both of whom were natives of Wisconsin. They crossed

the plains to Oregon in 1852 and in 1867 removed to San Francisco,

California, where they made their home for a number of years. The

mother made her home with Wallace Leroy Whitmore most of her life, his

filial care and attention rewarding her for the love which she had

bestowed upon him in his boyhood days.

[Illustration: W. L. WHITMORE]

Wallace Leroy Whitmore was little more than a boy when he was sent

out on the road by a wholesale clothing house of San Francisco. This,

however, was not his initial experience in the business world, for

through two years he had been employed as a messenger boy. For forty

years he remained upon the road as a traveling salesman, representing

two San Francisco houses--a wonderful record characterized by the

utmost fidelity and loyalty as well as capability. He won for the

houses which he represented a very liberal patronage, for he was

thoroughly reliable in business affairs and men came to know that

whatever he said was to be depended upon. After four decades devoted to

travel he left the road in order to give his entire time to his stock

and landed interests. In the meantime he had purchased property until

he owned twenty-seven hundred acres in Garfield county. He was a lover

of the thoroughbred horse and was a pioneer in the breeding of standard

and thoroughbred horses in Garfield county, raising them more for

pleasure than for profit. His blooded stock, of which Coloma, the noted

sire, was the head, became known wherever racing was popular. In fact

Mr. Whitmore's reputation in this regard spread wherever there was to

be found anyone who desired a fast horse for pleasure driving. In his

three-year-old form Coloma took every Derby in Montana and his owner

refused ten thousand dollars for him. Bill Frazier, who was taken east

from Portland, has a pacing mark of 2:12; Minnie Mann was also a horse

with a notable record and Ken West at one time could step the quarter

in thirty seconds, while Hallie Hinges, Daybreak, Sallie Goodwin and a

long list of other running and pacing horses became well known on the

circuit. Swiftsure, Coloma's first colt, sold for five thousand dollars

at two years old and many others brought the breeder record prices,

but despite this fact it was said that Mr. Whitmore put more money

into race horse breeding than he ever got out of it. He was a very

progressive man and his farm was one of the best improved properties in

the county. He erected thereon good buildings, kept them painted and

in good condition at all times, installed an electric light system and

equipped his home and buildings with the most modern improvements.

On the 2d of December, 1889, Mr. Whitmore was united in marriage

to Miss Minnie Williams, of San Francisco, who is a native of New

York. Her father was Arthur Williams, a member of the One Hundred

and Fiftieth New York Engineering Corps during the Civil war, who

re-enlisted in the field after his discharge and was given a large

bounty. Mrs. Whitmore's mother prior to her marriage was Miss Hannah

E. Poorman. After the close of the Civil war she brought her two

children to the Pacific coast, making the journey by sailing vessel

around Cape Horn. She took up her abode in San Francisco and afterward

became the wife of Horace Eldred, proprietor of the State House Hotel

of Sacramento. Several years later Mr. Eldred's death occurred and his

widow afterward lived in southern California until her death, which

occurred in Portland, Oregon, in 1901.

Mrs. Whitmore is an accomplished woman of marked business ability as

well as of many social graces. She manages her extensive property

holdings with keen sagacity, displaying unfaltering enterprise, and her

labors are attended with excellent results. The death of Mr. Whitmore

occurred September 8, 1916, and was the occasion of deep and widespread

regret to many friends. He was a man of genial, kindly nature, always

approachable and at all times he held friendship inviolable. His well

managed business affairs and investments enabled him to leave Mrs.

Whitmore in very comfortable financial circumstances and she is today

the owner of one of the valuable farm properties of Garfield county.

Like her husband, she is widely and favorably known and her friends are

legion.

W. E. AYRES.

W. E. Ayres, while actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, managed

his affairs so ably that he attained financial independence and is

now living retired upon his home farm in Columbia county. He was born

in Adams county, Illinois, February 8, 1841, a son of Eli L. and Ruth

(Stevens) Ayres, natives respectively of England and Canada. Following

their marriage in the Dominion the parents removed to Illinois in the

latter '30s and resided there for a few years but in 1842 went to

Appanoose county, Iowa. There the father acquired title to land and

engaged in farming until called by death, although he was by profession

a physician and Baptist minister. Subsequently the mother removed with

her family to Linn county, Oregon, reaching there in 1864, when the

Pacific northwest was still largely undeveloped. Eventually she became

a resident of Walla Walla county, Washington, and there passed away.

W. E. Ayres, who is one of four living children in a family of

six, grew to manhood in Iowa and there obtained his education. He

accompanied his mother to Oregon and for seven years was resident

of that state but at the end of that time took up a homestead in

Old Walla Walla county, Washington, his farm being located in what

is now Columbia county. His first residence was a log cabin and

his experiences for a few years were those of all pioneers. At

length, however, his land was brought under cultivation, substantial

improvements were made thereon and adequate facilities for

transportation and communication with other parts of the country were

secured. He found farming both profitable and congenial and continued

to engage in stock and wheat raising until he retired. He still owns

960 acres of fine land.

In 1868 Mr. Ayres was married to Miss Martha S. Redford, of Henry

county, Missouri, a daughter of Walker P. and Nancy (Davis) Redford,

the former born in Virginia and the latter in Kentucky. In the '30s

Mr. and Mrs. Redford removed to Missouri and there the father died in

1861. Three years later the mother, with her children, made the long

journey across the plains by ox team. For three years they resided in

Union county, Oregon, and then went to Linn county, when they came

to Washington, where the mother passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Ayres have

become the parents of eleven children: Eudora, the widow of W. J.

Beal and a resident of Pomeroy, Washington; Willie and Robert, both

deceased; James P., who is also living in Pomeroy; Anna; William S.,

a resident of Pineville, Oregon; Nancy, deceased; Mary C., a home

missionary stationed in western Oregon; Palmer, a farmer; Sarah, the

wife of Sanford Skillman, who is farming the home place; and Albert E.,

an agriculturist of Pomeroy.

[Illustration: W. E. AYRES AND FAMILY]

Mr. Ayres is a democrat in politics and has served as county treasurer,

as county commissioner and as a member of the school board, which

office he held for years. His record as a public official is highly

creditable both to his ability and his devotion to the general good,

and as a private citizen he has given his support to movements

calculated to advance the interests of his community. He takes

justifiable pride in the fact that he has had a part in the development

of this section and believes that nowhere can the agriculturist find

better opportunities.

LOUIS NEACE.

On the pages of Walla Walla county's pioneer history appears the name

of Louis Neace, who took up his abode in the city of Walla Walla

when it was a mere military post. As the years passed on he became

prominently identified with agricultural interests in this section of

the state and ranked with the foremost business men. He was born near

Frankfort, Germany, September 27, 1835, and was but twelve years of age

when he came to the United States with an uncle, who was a resident

of Newark, New Jersey. From that time forward Louis Neace never saw

his family nor his native country. His father had been a member of the

forestry department in Germany, an official position to which only men

who were scholars and had special training in the science of forestry

were eligible.

Becoming a resident of Orange, New Jersey, Louis Neace was there

employed in a sash and blind factory, in which he served a four years'

apprenticeship, thereby gaining thorough and comprehensive knowledge

of the work. In the meantime, however, he spent one winter in Florida,

where he was employed in driving a mule team for the owner of a lumber

mill on the St. Mary's river. When his apprenticeship was ended he

removed to the middle west and at the recommendation of friends in

Orange, New Jersey, he secured a position in a sash and blind factory

at Fulton, Illinois.

The west, however, still lured him on and afterward he made a tour of

Kansas, at which time the state was the battleground of the parties

who were contending whether it should be admitted as a free or a

slave state. Not desiring to become a landowner in Kansas under such

conditions, Mr. Neace joined a construction crew at Independence,

Missouri, and started across the country for Harney Lake, Oregon, the

crew being engaged to lay out a road in that section. The Mormons were

at that time a menace to all travelers through Utah and the crew was

placed under military protection, spending the winter of 1856-7 at Fort

Bridger, Wyoming. The Mormons destroyed several of the supply wagon

trains of the fort and their rations were reduced for a period to two

small biscuits per day. Hardly any salt was obtainable throughout the

entire winter and the first that was brought in sold at a dollar per

pound. In 1857 Mr. Neace became a resident of Los Angeles, California,

which was then a tiny village, and from that point, he continued his

journey northward to San Francisco, where he became a passenger on

the steamer Columbia. A northward trip brought him to the mouth of the

Umpqua river, where he disembarked and spent the winter, reaching The

Dalles, Oregon, in the spring of 1858.

From that point Mr. Neace came to Walla Walla as an employe of

Lieutenant Mullan, who was in charge of the construction of a military

road from Fort Walla Walla to Fort Benton, Montana, which is still

known as the Mullan road. After completing the work the crew spent

the winter in Fort Benton and in the following year Major Blake

arrived from St. Louis with troops on his way to Fort Walla Walla and

Mr. Neace returned with him, after which he remained a resident of

eastern Washington. When he first visited Walla Walla there was only a

cantonment built by Colonel Steptoe in the fall of 1856. It consisted

of a few rude log huts along what is now East Main street, west of

Palouse, these huts constituting the winter quarters for the military

troops who were here stationed as a protection to the few settlers who

had penetrated into this region. In 1861 Mr. Neace took up his abode on

the Tucannon river, at the present site of Starbuck, for the purpose

of engaging in the cattle business there. The most severe winter ever

known in the Pacific northwest followed. He was at the time a young

man of but twenty-six. Undiscouraged by the severity of the winter,

he bought a right to a place on the Pataha river, a tributary of the

Tucanon, and continued in the live stock business, there remaining

until 1870, when he removed to the Lock & Long mill near Dayton.

A little later he took up his abode on a farm north of Waitsburg

and the place has since been known as the Neace farm. He afterward

purchased what was known as the Anderson Cox residence in Waitsburg

and the family home was there established. As the years passed on

Mr. Neace added to his holdings from time to time as his financial

resources increased and became one of the most extensive landowners of

Washington. When asked how great were his possessions he replied: "I do

not know." In addition to his Washington holdings he had considerable

land in Montana. Possessing sound judgment and keen sagacity, his

investments were most judiciously made and with the settlement and

development of the county his land rose constantly in value, making his

estate a most substantial one.

On the 6th of October, 1864, Mr. Neace was united in marriage to Miss

Elizabeth Harrington, of Walla Walla, and they became the parents

of nine children, all of whom are living, namely: Mrs. D. C. Eaton;

Mrs. S. F. Patton; Frank and Charles, of Waitsburg; John and Louis,

of Millstone, Montana; Mrs. Ellen Hauber, of Portland; and James and

Isaac, of Endicott.

Aside from his extensive connection with farming interests Mr. Neace

had for a number of years been president of the First National Bank

of Waitsburg. For more than forty years he was member of the Masonic

fraternity exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit of the craft

which is based upon a recognition of the brotherhood of man and the

obligations thereby imposed. He was a member of the constitutional

convention of Washington and thus in many ways left the impress of

his individuality upon the history of the state. His philanthropy was

ever a salient factor in his life. He aided generously many benevolent

institutions and gave freely to individuals. He never believed in that

indiscriminate giving which fosters vagrancy and idleness, but wherever

possible to extend a helping hand to assist a traveler, making earnest

effort to progress on life's journey, he did not hesitate to do so.

His life, honorable and upright in act and purpose, gained for him the

high esteem of all with whom he was brought in contact, and what he did

for the county in the way of its agricultural development and in other

connections entitles him to prominent mention among the builders of the

great Inland Empire. He died January 12, 1916.

ADOLPH SCHWARZ.

Adolph Schwarz, who is conducting a pool and billiard hall in Walla

Walla, was born in Germany, December 24, 1853, son of John Joseph

and Theresa (Rieder) Schwarz, who passed their entire lives in the

fatherland. Mr. Schwarz of this review attended the public schools

of Germany in the acquirement of his education and remained with his

parents until he was sixteen years old. At that age he emigrated to

America and for a year resided in New York, after which he spent a

similar length of time in Pennsylvania. He then went to California but

in 1876 went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later to New York.

He spent the winter in the east but in the following spring he again

came west and for about a year was employed on a boat running on the

Columbia river. In October, 1877, he arrived in Walla Walla county,

Washington, and for three years was in the employ of others. In 1880,

however, he established a pool and billiard hall in the city of Walla

Walla and has since conducted that business. His place is well equipped

and is managed on such a high plane that it receives the support of

the best class of people. He was also one of the organizers of the

local brewing company and had an active part in the management of

the business until the brewery closed down. The company is still in

existence, however, and still owns the plant.

In 1894 Mr. Schwarz was united in marriage to Miss Lula Stahl, a

daughter of J. H. Stahl, and to them have been born four children:

Lillian E., a graduate of the local high school; Ruth and Adolph, both

high school students; and Catherine.

Mr. Schwarz is independent in politics, believing the qualifications of

a candidate to be of far greater importance than his party affiliation.

Fraternally he is identified with the Eagles, the Red Men and the

Foresters of the World. Both he and his wife belong to the Episcopal

church and Mrs. Schwarz is active in its work.

FREDERICK P. YENNEY.

Frederick P. Yenney, a retired farmer residing in Walla Walla, was born

in Baden, Germany, February 27, 1852, a son of Frederick and Susanna

(Swigard) Yenney, both natives of that country, where they passed their

entire lives. Frederick P. Yenney, who is the only son in a family of

seven children, and the only one in America, grew to manhood in his

native country and there acquired his education. In 1881 he came to

the United States and after living for six years in Kankakee county,

Illinois, removed to Minnesota, where he spent two years. In 1889 he

came to Walla Walla county, Washington, but after residing here for one

summer went to Lincoln county this state, and purchased a farm, which

he operated until 1905. He then retired from active life and removed to

Walla Walla, trading his farm in Lincoln county for land in Walla Walla

county and now has four hundred and eighty-five acres of improved land

near Walla Walla. He owns his fine residence at No. 350 South Third

street.

Mr. Yenney was married in 1875, in Germany, to Miss Catharine Lavber

and they have four children, namely: Conrad, John W. and Emil, all

of whom are farmers; and Matilda, the wife of George C. Raymond, a

resident of Fresno, California.

Mr. Yenney is a stanch supporter of the republican party but has never

had the time nor inclination to seek office. Both he and his wife hold

membership in the German Methodist Episcopal church of Walla Walla.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FLATHERS.

Benjamin Franklin Flathers, deceased, was one of the old and honored

residents of Walla Walla, where he made his home for almost half a

century. He was born near Louisville, Kentucky, on the 20th of August,

1836, and was a son of John and Julia Flathers. During his boyhood he

received a limited education in the country schools near his home.

He was only a small boy when the family removed to Iowa and located

on a farm. When still quite young he sought new and more favorable

conditions of life and left home, roughing it in various parts of the

United States for some time. He finally arrived in New York city,

where he mustered on a freight ship, and made the long voyage around

the Horn, landing in San Francisco, after having experienced some very

rough weather.

Throughout his business career Mr. Flathers was variously employed.

When a young man he engaged in firing on a railroad for a short time

and on reaching California in 1854 became a packer, operating a train

along the coast. He remained a resident of the Golden state until

1861 and from there removed to The Dalles, Oregon, whence he came to

Walla Walla, Washington. He continued to operate a pack train until

1869, traveling from Montana to Arizona, but in that year he sold his

outfit to the government while in the latter state. In 1870 he located

on a homestead in Walla Walla county, where for years he conducted a

forage station, furnishing accommodations for travelers over the old

Mullen trail from Walla Walla. He gradually worked into agriculture

and continued to follow farming for thirty years with good success

but at the end of that time retired from active labor and divided his

magnificent farm among his children. With a comfortable fortune he

then removed to Walla Walla, where his last days were spent in ease

and quiet. There he passed away on May 10, 1910, leaving his immediate

family as well as many friends to mourn his loss.

[Illustration: MRS. BENJAMIN F. FLATHERS]

[Illustration: BENJAMIN F. FLATHERS

At the age of about fifty]

On the 1st of January, 1869, Mr. Flathers was united in marriage

to Mrs. Malinda (McQuown) Harris, who was born in Russell county,

Virginia, May 3, 1836, and in 1841 accompanied her parents, Patrick

and Mary McQuown, on their removal to Sullivan county, Missouri, where

she was reared and educated. In 1856 she married Mack F. Harris and

on the 6th of May, 1863, they and their two small sons started across

the plains by ox team. This was a very hazardous journey owing to the

Indian troubles which they daily encountered but no consequences of a

serious nature resulted. They finally landed in Idaho City in December

of the same year and remained there until the spring of 1864, when

they proceeded to Walla Walla, arriving in June. In 1865 Mr. Harris

died leaving one son, the two children, born before they crossed the

plains, having died in Idaho City. Mrs. Harris and her son continued to

live near Walla Walla until 1869, when she became the wife of Benjamin

F. Flathers, and they located on a farm on Touchet River belonging

to H. H. Spaulding. The following year, however, they purchased of

Mr. Spaulding the farm, which they continued to own throughout the

remainder of their lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Flathers were born five

children, as follows: Julia M., John Taylor, Emery, Charley F. and

Harry J.

Mr. Flathers was reared in the Baptist faith and although he did not

hold membership in any church he contributed to the support of all

denominations when called upon to do so. He was an honored member

of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Masonic fraternity and

the Elks, and for several years his wife was also identified with

Clematis Rebekah Lodge, No. 30, of Prescott, but after removing to

Walla Walla gave up lodge work. In early life she was a member of the

Methodist Episcopal church, South, but later became a member of the

Congregational church of Walla Walla, with which she was connected at

the time of her death which occurred April 21, 1917. She was an earnest

and consistent Christian and both she and her husband were held in the

highest regard by all who knew them.

WALTER CLARENCE MINNICK.

Walter Clarence Minnick, who is carrying on extensive farming

operations although a resident of Walla Walla, is a western man by

birth as well as preference, as he was born in Old Walla Walla county,

August 19, 1873. He is a son of Adam and Amanda (Davis) Minnick, the

former of whom was born March 9, 1830, in Pennsylvania, whence he

accompanied his parents to Dayton, Ohio, at the age of five years.

Later, while he was still a youth, the family removed to Davis county,

Iowa, and there he resided until 1852. He then went to California by

ox team in Dr. Udell's train. In addition to the hardships of the road

the Indians gave considerable trouble and cholera broke out, causing

the death of many. In November, however, they reached the Sacramento

valley of California and Mr. Minnick spent the next two years mining in

different parts of that state. He then decided to return to Iowa and

on the 1st of October, 1854, sailed from San Francisco on the steamer

Yankee Blade. Unfortunately the ship was wrecked after being at sea

only twenty-four hours, being wedged among the rocks, with one part

broken off. The twelve hundred passengers remained on the ship for

about twenty-four hours, at the end of which time they were rescued

by a passing vessel, which landed them at San Diego. As he had lost

his earnings on the wrecked ship Mr. Minnick decided to return to San

Francisco, where he lived for two more years. In the year 1856 he

again embarked for home and this time the voyage was uneventful and he

reached New York in safety. He then went by rail to Iowa, where he was

married. In 1872 Mr. Minnick again came to the Pacific coast and on

landing at San Francisco, proceeded by boat to Portland, whence he came

to Walla Walla county with his family by railroad. He preempted land

on the Pataha prairie and resided there until 1876. He then removed

to Spring valley, six miles south of Waitsburg, where he engaged in

farming until 1900, when he retired and took up his residence on Park

street, Walla Walla. In 1906 he removed to Los Angeles, California, in

the hope of benefiting his health and there he lived until his death

on the 9th of May, 1911. His remains were brought back to Walla Walla,

Washington, and were interred in the Mountain View cemetery. He is

survived by his widow, who bore the maiden name of Amanda Davis. She

is a daughter of Dr. Moss Davis, for many years a prominent physician

of Davis and Wapello counties, Iowa. She makes her home in Walla Walla

and owns between eight and nine hundred acres of land, left her by her

husband. To them were born the following children: Mrs. Mary Minnetta

Hubbard, a resident of Waitsburg; George D. and John H., who are living

in Walla Walla; Mrs. Anna Shepherd Crook, of Spokane, Washington;

Walter Clarence, a resident of Walla Walla; Mrs. Ella Elisabeth Price,

who is living in Waitsburg; and Chester Clifford, who is operating his

mother's land but resides in Walla Walla.

Walter C. Minnick received his education in the district schools,

the Waitsburg High School, the Waitsburg Academy, from which he was

graduated in 1902, and Professor Walton's School of Expression of

Spokane, which he attended during the four winters after leaving the

academy. When about nineteen years of age he began farming on his own

account and has continued to follow that occupation to the present

time. He is now the owner of extensive tracts of land and is one of

the large wheat growers of Walla Walla and Columbia counties. The fact

that he can successfully manage such large interests is proof of his

enterprise, keen business judgment and executive ability. He was one

of the organizers of the Exchange Bank of Waitsburg, of which he was

elected vice president at the time of its reorganization, and for seven

or eight years he held that office, but has recently disposed of his

bank holdings.

On the 23d of December, 1908, Mr. Minnick was married to Miss Amy Jane

McCown, of Waitsburg, a daughter of Frank and Laura (Walker) McCown,

both natives of this region. Her grandparents came west in 1852 by ox

team and located in Oregon and both parents were born on the Pacific

coast. Mrs. Minnick was born in Waitsburg, June 3, 1885, and was

graduated from the Waitsburg high school and the organ department of

Whitman Conservatory of Music. She also spent one year in study at

Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Minnick have been born

three children, Walter Lawrence, Erma Helen and Virginia Pauline.

Mr. Minnick endorses the basic principles of the democratic party but

on occasion votes independently, believing that the general welfare

is of far more importance than party success. For four years he was

state democratic committeeman from this district and his influence was

strongly felt on the side of progress and clean government. He belongs

to the United Artisans, and both he and his wife hold membership in

the Christian church. Following his marriage he maintained his home in

Waitsburg until 1914, when he removed to Walla Walla, where he has a

residence at No. 216 Fulton street. For several years past he and his

family have spent the winters in Los Angeles, California. He is one

of the substantial men of Walla Walla and such is his efficiency and

ability that he is able to keep all of his business affairs well in

hand and yet find time to enjoy the worth-while pleasures of life. He

has been a factor in the advancement of his community, being always

ready to give not only of his means but also of his thought and time to

the promotion of projects for the public good.

JOHN FORGEY.

John Forgey is numbered among the pioneer settlers of Asotin county

who have contributed in marked measure to its material development

and upbuilding and also to its progress and improvement along social,

political and moral lines. He was born near Albany, Linn county,

Oregon, August 9, 1865, a son of George and Martha (Shear) Forgey. The

father, a native of Indiana, came to the west with an uncle when eleven

years of age and settled in the Willamette valley, where he followed

farming. He and his wife are now living with a daughter, Mrs. Phoebe

Ramsey, in Linn county, Oregon, Mr. Forgey having retired from active

business. In their family were the following children: Bellzena, who

married James Newman, of Linn county, Oregon; Grover, who married Miss

Margaret Milsaps and resides in Astoria, Oregon; Emma, the deceased

wife of W. G. Dagget; two who died infancy; Phoebe, the wife of

Alvin Ramsey; and Fred, who died at the age of eighteen years, being

accidentally shot while hunting.

John Forgey of this review was but six years of age when brought by his

parents to Washington, the family home being established in Ellensburg,

where they lived for twelve years. In 1882 they came to Asotin county,

where they took up their abode upon a homestead claim. John Forgey

obtained his education in one of the old-time log schoolhouses and in

the schools of Asotin. When twenty-one years of age he began farming

independently and previous experience well qualified him for the work

which he undertook. He first secured a preemption claim of one hundred

and sixty acres but did not prove up on it. Later he bought three

hundred and twenty acres, which he developed, bringing his land under

a high state of cultivation, and afterward he bought another tract of

one hundred and sixty acres, which he still owns. It is eleven miles

south of Asotin and is largely devoted to wheat raising, extensive

crops being annually gathered. Mr. Forgey makes his home in the city of

Asotin during the winter months and in the summer resides upon the farm

and manages his property.

On the 10th of October, 1886, Mr. Forgey was married to Miss Sadie

Milsaps, a daughter of Robert and Holly (Carpenter) Milsaps, of a

prominent old family of Asotin county, to which they removed from

Missouri. Mrs. Forgey crossed the plains with her parents by mule team

in 1885, the trip taking three months and eleven days. They arrived

in Asotin county on the 31st of August of the same year and camped

at what is known as the old Wamsley place on Ten Mile creek until

October 1, moving from there to Asotin Flat, where they settled on a

homestead, Mrs. Forgey residing there until married in 1886. Mr. and

Mrs. Forgey have become the parents of the following named: Bellzena,

who is the wife of Ben Moody, a farmer of Asotin county; Alva, who died

in infancy; Joe, who was married in 1914 to Esther Hardy and follows

farming in Montana; Jessie, who died in infancy; and Dell, who was a

volunteer in the National Guard and then was transferred to the regular

army, now serving in Company E, One Hundred and Sixteenth United States

Engineers, in France.

Mr. Forgey and his family are members of the Christian church and

are loyal adherents of its teachings. In politics he is a republican

where national issues are involved, but casts an independent local

ballot, supporting men and measures rather than party. Fraternally he

is connected with the Woodmen of the World. He has been a resident of

Asotin county for thirty-five years, having arrived when the work of

development seemed scarcely begun in this section of the state. He has

seen the little village grow to a nice town and has assisted largely

in its upbuilding and progress. He now has an attractive home on Main

street, in which he spends the winter months. He is a substantial

citizen, loyal at all times to the best interests of community and of

state, and as a business man he has a record for thorough reliability

and enterprise, his success being attributable entirely to his

persistency of purpose and his indefatigable energy intelligently

directed.

L. C. CORBETT.

L. C. Corbett, who is well known as a dealer in grain and fuel and

a fire insurance agent of Huntsville, Columbia county, was born in

Canada, October 19, 1851. An account of the lives of his parents,

John and Jane (Lewis) Corbett, is found elsewhere in this work. Our

subject was reared in the Dominion and received excellent educational

opportunities, graduating from Toronto University. For five years he

was engaged in public school work, and for twenty years he taught in

high schools and collegiate institutes in Canada as instructor in

modern languages. In 1904 he came to Columbia county, Washington, and

became bookkeeper and secretary for Corbett Brothers, at Huntsville.

In 1907 he was joined by his family and has since made his home in

Huntsville. He was in partnership with his brother until 1915, when

their business connections were severed and Mr. Corbett of this review

took over the warehouse which he now owns. He enjoys a large patronage

as a dealer in grain and fuel, and has also built up a good insurance

business. He owns an attractive residence surrounded by beautiful

grounds, and is recognized as one of the substantial men of Huntsville.

[Illustration: L. C. CORBETT.]

Mr. Corbett was married in Canada to Miss Sarah Kirk, a native of

England and a daughter of Robert and Fannie (Holland) Kirk, both of

whom were born in Ireland and were married in Canada. The father,

who was in the English army, subsequently was stationed in England

for some time but at length went to Canada and there both he and his

wife passed away. They were the parents of ten children, of whom five

survive. To Mr. and Mrs. Corbett have been born five children: Lewis

H., a graduate of Toronto University, in which he was an instructor

for four years and is now teaching modern languages in Harbord-Street

Collegiate-Institute, Toronto, Canada; Edith, the wife of Wade

H. Wolfe. who is associated with Mr. Corbett in business; Sarah

Christabel, a graduate of the Ellensburg, Washington, normal school,

who for three years followed the teacher's profession but is now taking

training at Berkeley, California, for deaconess work; Alice Kathleen,

also a graduate of the Ellensburg normal school, now teaching in Walla

Walla County; and Frances Enid, a high school student, at home.

Mr. Corbett takes the interest of a good citizen in public affairs

but has never sought office. He is well known fraternally, belonging

to the Masonic order, and to the Foresters. Both he and his wife are

members of the Protestant Episcopal church, in which he holds official

position, and both are always willing to give of their time and

means in the furtherance of its work. Although they have resided in

Huntsville for only a few years they have already won the unqualified

respect of their fellow townsmen and have made many warm friends.

BISHOP A. HERROLD.

Bishop A. Herrold, an honored old settler of Walla Walla county,

residing on section 7, township 9 north, range 38 east, was born in

Hamilton county, Indiana, May 5, 1836. His parents, Daniel and Frances

(Fierce) Herrold, were both born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,

but were married in Athens county, Ohio. They resided there for a

number of years and five of their children were born in that county.

At length, however, the family removed to Indiana and in 1849 migrated

still farther west, settling in Knox county, Illinois, which was then

only partly settled. They continued to reside there until death, the

father dying at the age of eighty-four years and the mother when eighty

years old.

Bishop A. Herrold received a district school education and, through

assisting his father with the farm work, gained practical training

in the occupation to which he devoted his active life. On reaching

mature years he began farming on his own account in Illinois and in

1870 removed to Jefferson, Oregon. For seven years he was a resident

of that state, most of the time being spent in Linn county. In 1877 he

took up his abode in Palouse, Whitman county, Washington, and preempted

one hundred and sixty acres, on which he lived for six or seven years.

He next came to Walla Walla county and took up a homestead on Eureka

flats. He was successful as a farmer, his well directed labors being

rewarded by good crops, and at length he felt that he had accumulated

sufficient capital to enable him to retire and he took up his abode in

Waitsburg, where he lived until the death of his wife, April 19, 1907.

Since then he has made his home with his son on section 7, township 9

north, range 38 east, Walla Walla county.

Mr. Herrold was married May 29, 1856, to Miss Harriett Cullison, a

native of Knox county, Illinois, and they became the parents of six

children, of whom three survive: Jeremiah Burres; Hattie B., who is

the widow of William Baim and resides with her brothers; and Morton C.

The brothers are operating in partnership four hundred and thirty-four

acres of excellent land, Morton C. residing upon the place, while J. B.

lives in Walla Walla.

Mr. Herrold is an adherent of the republican party and loyally supports

its candidates and measures at the polls. Fraternally he belongs

to Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M., and his religious faith is

indicated by his membership in the Methodist church. He is widely known

throughout the county and has gained the warm personal friendship of

many.

ABRAHAM C. DICKINSON.

Abraham C. Dickinson, in whose death Walla Walla county lost one of its

valued and representative citizens, was for a long period actively and

prominently connected with agricultural interests. He lived for many

years upon his farm and in his later years made his home in Waitsburg,

where he passed away in 1911. He was born in Bartholomew county,

Indiana, May 15, 1830. His father, Harvey Dickinson, was a native of

Oneida county, New York, born in 1799, and on reaching young manhood

he emigrated westward to Indiana, which was then a frontier state.

There he wedded Miss Mary Finley and they began their domestic life

in Indiana, where Abraham C. Dickinson was born, reared and educated.

On attaining his majority he wedded Miss Abbie C. Carter, the wedding

being celebrated on the 2d of February, 1854. Two years later they

removed to Missouri accompanied by his father, his mother having passed

away in November, 1847. They established their home in Linn county,

where they prospered until the outbreak of the Civil war, when their

competence was swept away.

In 1863, with a yoke of oxen hitched to a small wagon, Mr. Dickinson

started across the plains with his family for the golden west and

arrived in Walla Walla county, Washington, where he ever afterward made

his home. He filed on a homestead in Spring Valley, four and one-half

miles southwest of Waitsburg, and there built a one-room log cabin

with clapboard roof. He occupied that primitive home for five years,

after which he was able to replace it by a more commodious and modern

frame dwelling. Thrift and industry at length brought him a substantial

measure of prosperity and from time to time he added to his landed

possessions until he became the owner of a thousand acres of valuable

farm land, six hundred and eighty acres of which comprised the Spring

Valley Home. In subsequent years he sold all of his holdings except

one hundred and twenty acres, which his widow still retains. In 1882

he removed to Waitsburg, where he erected a comfortable residence and

there he spent his remaining days, enjoying many of life's comforts and

some of its luxuries. He well deserved the success which came to him,

for his life was a busy and useful one, his industry was unfaltering

and his energy untiring. Moreover, in all of his business affairs he

was thoroughly reliable, honorable and upright and his word came to be

recognized as good as any bond solemnized by signature or seal. When

he came to Washington territory he brought with him his wife and six

children but no money. He faced the necessity of at once providing

for their support and by hard work and good management he overcame

all difficulties and obstacles in his path and in the course of years

gained a very substantial competence.

[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. ABRAHAM C. DICKINSON]

To Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson were born eleven children, five of whom still

survive, as follows: Mary M., who is the wife of E. D. Mills; Ella L.,

who gave her hand in marriage to Charles O. Cram; Cora B., the wife of

F. T. Keiser; Lydia F., who is the wife of O. Conover; and Albert S.,

who is one of the prominent citizens of Waitsburg.

The family circle was again broken by the hand of death when in 1911

Mr. Dickinson passed away. He was a man of sterling character and

a conscientious Christian, a devoted husband and loving father and

a man highly esteemed as a friend and as a citizen. He long held

membership in the Christian church, to which Mrs. Dickinson still

belongs. She is now nearing her eighty-third year but is yet hale and

hearty and occupies the old home in Waitsburg. She, too, has been a

most consistent Christian and one whose life has been fraught with

good deeds, as she has continually extended a helping hand where aid,

counsel or sympathy were needed.

H. E. ANGERMANN

H. E. Angermann, the president and treasurer of the Model Bakery and

Confectionery, Incorporated, at Walla Walla, has been a resident of

this city since 1906 and progressive business methods have brought him

to a place in the front ranks among the representative merchants. He

has ever been actuated by laudable ambition and persistency of purpose

has constituted one of the foundation stones on which he has built his

success.

He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 21st of June, 1865,

and is a son of Traugott and Johanna (Kupke) Angermann, both of whom

were natives of Germany and came to the United States when they were

in the twenties. The father was a tailor by trade and followed that

pursuit throughout his entire life. After living for some time in

Pennsylvania he removed to New Jersey, where both he and his wife

passed away. In their family were twelve children, nine of whom are

living, five sons and four daughters.

H. E. Angermann, whose name introduces this record, was reared and

educated in New Jersey, where he learned the trade of cigar making

and followed that pursuit for twenty-three years in different

states. Subsequently he took up carpentering and was thus employed

for six years. In 1906 he arrived in Walla Walla and since 1911 has

been engaged in the bakery and confectionery business, forming a

partnership with Charles Retzer under the name of the Model Bakery and

Confectionery, Incorporated. He has been continuously engaged in this

business through the intervening period of six years and his patronage

has steadily grown, for he has given to the public goods of the highest

quality, and, moreover, his business methods are such as will bear the

closest investigation and scrutiny. The Model Bakery and Confectionery

is today one of the leading establishments of this kind in the Inland

Empire and its patronage has reached most gratifying proportions. The

building in which the business is carried on is a handsome structure

and is the property of Mr. Angermann and Charles Retzer. Mr. Angermann

is also the owner of an attractive residence in Walla Walla.

In 1890 Mr. Angermann was united in marriage to Miss Christina

Wittmann, a native of Germany and a daughter of Carl and Katherine

(Retzer) Wittmann. She came to America when sixteen years of age.

Her mother had died in Germany and the father afterward crossed the

Atlantic to the new world, becoming a resident of Walla Walla. To Mr.

and Mrs. Angermann have been born five children; Arthur W.; Herman

C.; Carrie W., deceased; Minnie C. and Martha K. The children are all

assisting their father in the business.

The parents are members of the Lutheran church and are loyal to

its teachings. Mr. Angermann gives his political allegiance to the

republican party but does not seek office as a reward for party fealty.

Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows

and also with the Improved Order of Red Men and the Sons of Hermann.

Attracted to the west by its almost limitless opportunities, he has

here made steady progress in his business career and, advancing step by

step, now occupies an enviable position among its more successful men.

A. W. CLAXON.

Business enterprise in Walla Walla finds a worthy representative in

A. W. Claxon, who is conducting a real estate and insurance agency.

It is a well known fact that his plans are always carefully made and

promptly executed and that his course at all times measures up to high

business standards. He came to the new world actuated by the laudable

purpose of finding opportunities here that would lead to advancement

and success. He was born in the county of Durham, England, March 1,

1875, a son of William and Georgina (Croft) Claxon, both of whom were

natives of England, where they spent their entire lives. The father was

a huntsman, hunting with the South Durham hounds for thirty-four years.

He was also well known as a farmer and his business activities were

wisely and carefully directed.

A. W. Claxon began his education in the public schools and afterward

had the benefit of high school instruction in his native country. He

was a youth of seventeen years when in 1892 he bade adieu to friends

and native land and sailed for the United States, coming to the new

world with a cargo of horses. For some time he devoted his attention to

such work, making several trips with horses between England and this

country. He also made two trips to Japan, taking one cargo of horses

from America to that country and another from England to the little

flowery kingdom. The latter cargo was one of thoroughbreds imported

to improve the grade of horses raised in Japan. They were imported

by the Japanese government. While Mr. Claxon was in that country he

was offered a very remunerative position by the government, but was

required to reside in the country for at least twenty-five years and

became a naturalized citizen. This plan was not altogether pleasing

and the position was therefore not accepted. At the breaking out of

the Boer war Mr. Claxon enlisted for service in South Africa, going

to that country, where he was on active duty during the uprising them.

Since his first trip to the United States he has crossed the ocean

thirty-four times and has visited every important city in the world,

gaining broad knowledge and experience from his wide travels and

storing his mind with much interesting information and many amusing

incidents.

In 1902 he located in New Jersey and engaged in the raising of

thoroughbred race horses. When racing was abolished in the east by

legislation he went to Canada, where he spent one year, and in 1908

he came to the Pacific coast. In Spokane he met a Mr. Harding and

a Mr. Rutter of the Western Union Life Insurance Company, and Mr.

Claxon accepted an agency with them and was sent to Walla Walla. Later

he became associated with Gilbert Hunt, a manufacturer of threshing

machines, whose business he represented upon the road for about six

years, covering the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. In 1913

he engaged in the real estate and insurance business in partnership

with O. Z. Skinner and is now active in that field. He is thoroughly

conversant with realty values and has negotiated many important

property transfers. He is constantly watchful of opportunities for

judicious investment for himself or his clients and has become one of

the well known real estate men of Walla Walla. In insurance circles,

too, he has built up a business of considerable proportions, that

department becoming a profitable branch of his interests.