county famous as a wheat producing region is Arthur G. Cornwell, who
is residing in the city of Walla Walla but is personally directing the
operation of about one thousand acres of fine land. He is a native of
the county, born April 11, 1869, and is a son of James M. and Mary A.
(Stott) Cornwell. He was reared at home and as a boy and youth attended
the country schools, thus laying the foundation of his education, and
later he was a student at Whitman College. Following his marriage
he began farming on his own account and from the beginning proved
successful, his early training in agricultural work under his father
proving of the greatest value to him. For about ten years he operated
rented land and then purchased a farm. His holdings now comprise
three hundred and twenty acres of farming land, one hundred and sixty
acres of timber and grazing land, and in addition to cultivating his
own half section he operates leased land, farming in all about one
thousand acres, devoted to the raising of wheat. He keeps his business
well in hand and studies carefully the problems of lowering the cost
of production, of increasing the yield and of marketing to advantage.
He is a stockholder in the Farmers Savings Bank of Walla Walla and in
the Farmers Grain Agency and belongs to the Farmers Union, believing
thoroughly in the importance of cooperation.
Mr. Cornwell was married on the 15th of July, 1891, to Miss Carrie E.
Ingram, who was born in Georgetown, Colorado, a daughter of James H.
and Mary J. (Williams) Ingram. In 1847 the family removed to Walla
Walla and the father bought a small tract of land on the outskirts of
the city of Walla Walla. He planted fruit and devoted the remainder
of his life to horticulture. His wife was a writer of ability and
after reaching her seventieth year wrote a book of poems. Mr. and Mrs.
Cornwell have three children: Artemisia May, who was graduated from
Whitman College in 1916 and also in that year completed the course
offered in the Whitman Conservatory of Music, receiving the degree of
B. M.; Edna Genevieve, who was also a student at Whitman College and is
now the wife of Carl Gensel, of Walla Walla; and Elmer Grant, who is
now farming on the home ranch. He was married in September, 1917, to
Miss Ethel Heath.
Mr. Cornwell is a republican in politics and served for several years
as deputy assessor. He and his family belong to the Presbyterian church
and for about ten years he has served on its financial board. He is one
of the most influential citizens and most successful farmers of Walla
Walla county and wherever known is held in the highest esteem.
WILLIAM BOWE.
The life record of William Bowe indicates the opportunities which
the northwest offers, for he arrived in this section of the country
empty-handed and started out in the business world as a common laborer.
Today he is the possessor of a handsome competence and is actively
and prominently identified with agricultural and financial interests,
owning thirteen hundred acres of land in Walla Walla county. He makes
his home in the city of Walla Walla, from which point he directs his
farming interests. He was born in Ireland, March 18, 1861, and is a son
of John and Katherine Bowe, both of whom were natives of Ireland, where
they spent their entire lives, there rearing their family of eight
children, of whom six survive.
William Bowe was reared and educated in Ireland and was a young man
of twenty-five years when he determined to try his fortune in the new
world. Accordingly in 1886 he bade adieu to friends and native land
and sailed for the United States. He did not tarry on the Atlantic
coast but made his way across the country to Iowa, where he lived for
two years. Still he heard the call of the west and in 1888 he came to
Walla Walla. He arrived here in very limited financial circumstances
and his financial condition rendered it imperative that he find
immediate employment. He began work as a farm hand and spent three
years in that way. He was ambitious, however, to engage in business on
his own account, and at the end of that period rented land which he
cultivated for three years. He still continued to save his earnings
and after cultivating a rented farm for three years he purchased land,
to which he has added from time to time until he is now the owner of
about thirteen hundred acres, all of which has been greatly improved.
His life throughout his entire residence in the northwest has been
devoted to general agricultural pursuits and his large farm presents a
most neat and thrifty appearance, indicating his practical methods and
careful supervision. He also owns a fine residence in Walla Walla and
he is one of the directors of the Farmers Bank of that city.
On the 8th of January, 1896, Mr. Bowe was united in marriage to Miss
Elizabeth Davis, a native of Ireland, and they have become the parents
of two children, but John C. has passed away. William E. married Miss
Alice C. Ennis and in 1917 leased his father's ranch about fourteen
miles from Walla Walla, where he now resides. Mr. Bowe of this review
was nearly killed in 1909 while riding a young horse. The horse became
frightened and fell from a bridge about nine feet with Mr. Bowe under
him. He was so severely injured that he was picked up for dead.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM BOWE]
Mr. and Mrs. Bowe are communicants of the Catholic church and in
politics Mr. Bowe is a democrat, while fraternally he is connected
with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and also with the Knights
of Columbus. His life record should serve to encourage and inspire
others, showing what may be accomplished when there is the will to dare
and to do. He has never been afraid of hard work, and persistency and
diligence have brought to him the measure of prosperity which is now
his.
W. H. H. BRUNTON.
W. H. H. Brunton, a pioneer of Walla Walla county, was engaged in
farming for many years and won gratifying success in that connection.
He was born in Schuyler county, Illinois, January 27, 1841, a son of
Cyrus and Martha (Restine) Brunton, who removed with their family to
Missouri during the childhood of their son, W. H. H. Brunton. There
he was reared and received his education. In 1862 he made the journey
across the country to Walla Walla county, Washington, with ox teams
and during the following winter resided on the Walla Walla river. The
next year he removed to Columbia county and for four years engaged in
teaming. In 1866 he was married and then took up a homestead adjoining
his father-in-law's farm. He devoted his time and attention to
agricultural pursuits until 1899 and then, feeling that he had earned
a rest, retired and removed to Walla Walla. From time to time he added
to his holdings until he became the owner of almost seven hundred
acres of land, which is still in possession of the estate. He passed
away September 7, 1901, and his demise was the occasion of deep and
widespread regret, for he was a man of sterling worth.
Mr. Brunton was married in 1866 to Miss Sarah A. Lewis, a daughter of
Reese Lewis, who removed to Oregon with his family from Wayne county,
Iowa, in 1863. After spending two years on the Touchet he took up a
homestead claim three miles east of Dixie.
Mr. Brunton was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church,
to which Mrs. Brunton also belongs. He was known as a man strictly
honest in all his dealings and his uncompromising integrity gained
for him the respect of all with whom he came in contact. He had many
personal friends and found his greatest pleasure in their companionship
and in that of his wife. She resides in a comfortable home at No. 716
Catherine street and is well and favorably known in Walla Walla.
WILLIAM THOMAS DOVELL.
William Thomas Dovell was a native of Walla Walla, his birth occurring
September 21, 1869, and his parents were John and Margaret (Ford)
Dovell, natives respectively of the Azore islands and Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. In early boyhood the father emigrated to the United
States and at an early date became a resident of Walla Walla, where
both he and the mother passed away. To them were born four children, of
whom two survive.
William Thomas Dovell grew to manhood in Walla Walla and attended
the public schools and Whitman College in the acquirement of his
education. He prepared for the practice of law under the direction of
the firm of Allen & Crowley, and in 1890 he was admitted to the bar. He
opened an office and for thirteen years was numbered among the capable
attorneys of the city. In 1903, however, he removed to Seattle, where
he was active in the practice of his profession until called by death
in February, 1916. One of the factors in his success was his habit of
careful preparation of his cases, this practice making it difficult for
his opponents to gain an advantage over him.
In 1901 Mr. Dovell was united in marriage to Miss Ruth H. Allen, a
daughter of the Hon. John B. and M. C. (Bateman) Allen, the former
born in Indiana and the latter in Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Dovell became
the parents of four children, Ruth C.; Allen Thomas, deceased; William
Thomas, Jr.; and Mary D.
Mr. Dovell was a careful student of public affairs and his views on
political issues were in accord with the principles of the republican
party. He was chosen attorney for Walla Walla county when but
twenty-one years of age and although extremely young to fill such
an important position he discharged his duties with marked ability.
Fraternally he belonged to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks,
and his attractive social qualities gained him many friends within
and without that organization. Those who had been associated with him
during his residence in Walla Walla felt deep regret on receiving the
news of his death in Seattle. He was buried in that city.
ADOLPH HOLM.
Adolph Holm, deceased, belonged to that class of substantial citizens
that Norway furnished to the new world. He was a man of business
ability and enterprise and possessed marked skill as a wood worker.
Laudable ambition actuated him at every point in his career and an
orderly progression brought him to a prominent position among the
successful business men of Walla Walla county. Each forward step in his
career gave him larger opportunities which he readily recognized and
promptly utilized.
Mr. Holm was born in Norway, August 20, 1847, a son of Peter Holm,
who was a wood worker and contractor of that country. At the age of
nineteen years Adolph Holm bade adieu to friends and native land and
sailed for the new world, having heard favorable reports concerning its
opportunities, so that he was thus induced to seek a home on this side
of the Atlantic. He had previously learned the trade of a wood carver
under the direction of his father in Norway and he had also enjoyed
liberal educational training. He had attended a Latin school there and
was master of four or five languages. Thus well equipped he reached
the new world, without capital but possessed of marked intellectual
force and ability in the line of his trade. Making his way westward
to Chicago, he there worked as a wood carver for a time and was also
employed at various points in Michigan. Still later he went to Sioux
City, Iowa, where he took up the business of contracting and building.
[Illustration: ADOLPH HOLM]
[Illustration: MRS. ADOLPH HOLM]
It was while a resident of Sioux City that Mr. Holm was united in
marriage, in August, 1870, to Miss Charlotte Peterson, a native of
Sweden, who had come to the United States when seventeen years of
age. In the year 1872 Mr. Holm came to the west with Oregon as his
destination. He located first in Salem and was employed on the building
of the state capitol in that city, remaining there for six years. On
the expiration of that period he removed to Walla Walla and after two
years took up his abode in Asotin county, Washington, where he resided
for twenty-one years. During that period he was engaged in farming
and in May, 1902, he purchased land and removed to the home farm upon
which his widow now resides. There he continued to carry on general
agricultural pursuits until his demise, which occurred February 3,
1904. He was a very skilled wood turner and he did much of the interior
finishing of the Washington building for the Columbian Exposition held
in Chicago in 1893. He proved equally efficient along other lines, both
industrial and agricultural. In a word he possessed marked adaptability
and accomplished whatever he undertook by reason of his unfaltering
diligence and perseverance. His persistency of purpose, his laudable
ambition and his splendidly directed efforts constituted an example
that is well worthy of emulation.
To Mr. and Mrs. Holm were born eight children, seven of whom still
survive, as follows: Anna, at home; Oscar, who is a member of the
police force in Seattle; Harry, a resident of Roswell, New Mexico;
Edgar, who is engaged in merchandising at Yuma Pine, Oregon; Emma, the
wife of Professor W. M. Davis, who is principal of the College Place
schools; Maurice, who formerly lived in Boston, Massachusetts but is
now with the United States troops somewhere in France; and Roy, who
operates the home farm.
Mr. Holm gave his political allegiance to the democratic party, and
while he always kept well informed concerning the political conditions
and questions of the country, he never had aspiration for office.
He belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for many years
and was a loyal representative of that society. He never regretted
his determination to come to the new world, for he here found the
opportunities which he sought and in their utilization made for himself
a most creditable position in business circles. He won success by
honorable effort and his record is one which reflects credit upon the
land of his birth and the land of his adoption. That his life was well
spent is indicated by the fact that those who knew him longest were
his stanchest friends, for throughout his entire career he displayed
characteristics that were worthy of the highest regard of his fellowmen.
E. J. CANTONWINE.
E. J. Cantonwine, a prosperous farmer of Walla Walla county, has
passed his entire life in the county, as he is a native of the city
of Walla Walla. His birth occurred November 12, 1887, and he is a son
of W. J. and Clara E. (Cram) Cantonwine, natives of Iowa and Oregon
respectively. In 1863 the father made the long overland journey with
ox teams to Washington and located on Dry creek, where he engaged in
farming for many years. He died in California, having gone there in
the hope of benefiting his health. The mother survived for some time,
passing away in April, 1917. Two of their three children are still
living.
E. J. Cantonwine attended the schools of Dixie in the acquirement of
his general education and prepared himself to manage his affairs in a
businesslike manner by taking a course in a commercial college at Walla
Walla. He remained at home, assisting his father with the farm work,
until he attained his majority and then took charge of the operation
of the homestead, which he managed for ten years. In the meantime he
had acquired title to personal property which he sold at the end of
that period. He then engaged in the undertaking business for five
years, after which he disposed of his interests in that line and again
turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He owns four hundred and
seventy-five acres of well improved land north of Dixie, Washington,
and keeps its operation well in hand, realizing that farming is as much
a business as manufacturing or merchandising and that to succeed the
farmer most study both the problems of production and of marketing.
In 1900 Mr. Cantonwine was married to Miss Bessie Kershaw, a daughter
of J. S. Kershaw, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.
Both belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Cantonwine
is a trustee, and he is also now a member of the building committee
which has in charge the erection of the new house of worship. He
belongs to Enterprise Lodge, No. 2, I. O. O. F., in which he has
filled all the chairs, and he is likewise a member of the Modern
Woodmen of America and of the Loyal Order of Moose, in which he is
also an officer. He is a typical western man, alert, confident of the
future, self-reliant and resourceful, and he has been a factor in the
advancement of the agricultural interests of Walla Walla county.
HENRIK P. PETERSEN.
Henrik P. Petersen is one of the progressive business men of Waitsburg,
where he is prominently associated with banking interests. He was born
at Lukomkloster, Nord Slesvig, Germany, on the 12th of January, 1878,
and was brought to America in 1881, when but three years of age. He is
a son of Martin C. and Magdalene Petersen, both of whom are now living
at Dannebrog, Nebraska.
The family home was established in Dannebrog when the parents came
to the new world and in the schools of that place Henrik P. Petersen
pursued his education, passing through consecutive grades to his
graduation from the Dannebrog high school. When his textbooks were put
aside he turned his attention to banking and became familiar with that
business in Dannebrog, so that he was well qualified by experience to
enter upon a similar field when he came to Waitsburg, Washington. Here
he has resided for the past thirteen years and is now occupying the
responsible position of cashier in the Exchange Bank at Waitsburg, of
which he is also a director. He has made a creditable record in this
connection and is now bending his energies to administrative direction
and executive control. He has a thorough knowledge of the banking
business and his ability has been manifest in the continued growth and
success of the institution with which he is identified.
[Illustration: HENRIK P. PETERSEN]
Mr. Petersen is also well known as an exemplary representative of
the Masonic fraternity and he has been honored with the position of
worshipful master of Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, A. F. & A. M. He has a
wide acquaintance in Waitsburg and his many substantial qualities have
gained for him the high regard of those with whom he has been brought
in contact. In all matters of citizenship he stands for progressiveness
and improvement and gives his aid and cooperation most liberally and
earnestly to those measures and movements which are a matter of civic
virtue and civic pride.
HERMAN C. ACTOR.
A most interesting and eventful career was that of Herman C. Actor, who
passed the last years of his life in the restfulness and the quietude
of the farm. He was familiar with every phase of frontier life in the
northwest and four times he was wounded by the Indians in the early
struggles for supremacy between the white race and the redskins. He
came to this section of the country when the work of progress and
improvement seemed scarcely begun and when the red men were yet more
numerous than the white settlers. Only here and there some venturesome
spirit had penetrated into the wilderness of the Pacific northwest to
establish a home and if possible utilize the resources of the country
in the attainment of a competence or a fortune.
Mr. Actor was born in Ohio, September 18, 1832, and had passed the
Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten at the time of
his demise. In fact, he had reached the eighty-fifth milestone on
life's journey and was the only survivor of a family of nine children
when he passed to the Great Beyond. His parents were Herman and
Margaret (Daterman) Actor, both natives of Germany, who had crossed the
Atlantic to the new world in 1828 and established their home in Ohio,
where they continued to reside until their deaths.
It was in that state that Herman C. Actor spent the days of his
boyhood and youth and acquired an education in such schools as were
available in that early day. He went to Missouri in 1852, when a young
man of twenty years, and there remained for a year. He then entered
the employ of the American Fur Company and purchased furs for that
concern at their fort for two years. It was in the fall of 1855 that
he came to Walla Walla, Washington, in company with Governor Stevens,
and for one year he acted as one of the governor's guard. Later he was
in the employ of the government for some time and while thus engaged
was four times shot by the Indians, sustaining three wounds in the
leg and one in the shoulder. Wild as was the life of the northwest
and undeveloped as was the country, he felt the spell upon him and
determined to remain, eager to take active part in the improvement and
progress of this section. He purchased a farm where Dixie now stands
and cultivated his land there for some time, but afterward disposed
of that property and purchased the farm on which he died, on section
23, township 8 north, range 37 east, comprising four hundred acres.
With characteristic energy he bent his efforts to the cultivation and
improvement of the property and in the course of years his labors
wrought a marked transformation in the appearance of the place. He
carefully and wisely utilized his fields and as the years passed his
crops multiplied and brought him a substantial competence, permitting
him the well earned enjoyment of the comforts of life.
In 1858 Mr. Actor was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Davis, a native
of Iowa, and they became the parents of six children: Margaret, who is
the wife of George La Rue; Mary, the wife of Lincoln Kenwine; Louisa,
the wife of P. Collinwood; Frank; George; and Arthur. The wife and
mother died in 1908 and was laid to rest in the Dixie cemetery, her
death being the cause of deep regret to her many friends and great
sorrow to her family. Only recently Mr. Actor was also gathered to his
fathers and with him there passed away one of those sturdy pioneers who
had carried the banner of the white man's civilization into the wilds
of the west and who planted well for the coming generations to reap.
Mr. Actor belonged to the Masonic lodge at Dixie and gave his political
allegiance to the republican party. He never sought office but was
public spirited and served as a member of the school board to good
purpose. He was a self-made man who owed his success to his industry
and perseverance alone. He met many hardships and difficulties incident
to pioneer life and encountered many obstacles such as always are
factors in a business career, but he did not allow himself to become
discouraged and with resolute will pushed forward and in the span of
his life he won for himself an honored place as one of the substantial
men of the county. He was one of its venerable citizens, respected by
all, and his worth to the community was widely acknowledged. While he
has gone to the Beyond, his work lives and his memory is enshrined in
the hearts of all who become cognizant of his sterling character.
H. F. CLODIUS.
Since the winter of 1882-3, H. F. Clodius has resided upon the Pacific
coast and through more than a third of a century has been identified
with farming interests in Walla Walla county. He is now living retired
in Waitsburg, although he still owns valuable property holdings,
constituting some of the best farm land in this section of the state.
He was born in Germany on the 10th of November, 1847, and is a son
of Claus H. and Catherine M. (Biernstein) Clodius, both of whom
spent their entire lives in Germany. His paternal great-grandfather,
Christopher Clodius, removed to that country from Denmark. The father
was one of the prominent farmers of his section and was a man in
affluent circumstances.
His son, H. F. Clodius, was given liberal educational opportunities and
in his later years has been a broad reader, so that he is said to be
one of the best informed men on general subjects in Walla Walla county.
In his wide scope of reading he has twice read the Bible through from
cover to cover. When he was a lad of but fifteen years of age the life
on the seas attracted him and for three years he sailed, during this
time visiting the countries of France, England, Belgium, Sweden, Norway
and Russia. In 1865 his father died and H. F. Clodius then left the sea
and returned home. He was the eldest in a family of four sons and he
practically became the head of the family, assuming the responsibility
of managing the valuable estate which his father left. He proved
adequate to the duties that devolved upon him, for he has ever been
a man of enterprise and adaptability who has readily and capably
undertaken the tasks which have come to him.
[Illustration: H. F. CLODIUS]
[Illustration: MRS. H. F. CLODIUS]