WALTER S. ARMSTRONG

Industrious, enterprising and capable, Walter S. Armstrong has worked his way steadily upward, winning success in the restaurant business, and for many years Bellingham has numbered him among its loyal citizens. He was born in Benton county, Iowa, in 1878 and was a boy of eleven when his parents, Walter Scott and Helen A. Armstrong, came to the Pacific coast, establishing their home in Bellingham. The father was an expert cabinetmaker and followed his trade for several years but in later life operated a ranch in Whatcom county. Death summoned him in 1908, and the mother is now residing with the subject of this sketch.

Walter S. Armstrong attended the public schools and for some time assisted his father in the cultivation of the farm. He was next a grocery clerk and afterward learned the trade of a machinist but never followed it as a means of livelihood. In 1901 he secured a position in a Bellingham restaurant and was thus employed for nine years, acquiring a thorough knowledge of the business. In 1910 he was able to establish a business of his own, opening a restaurant on West Holly street, and in 1920 moved to the present location at No. 1220 Cornwall avenue. His establishment has a frontage of forty feet and is one hundred and twenty-five feet in depth. It is operated under the name of the Richelieu Cafe and seats one hundred and sixty persons. The food is of high quality and the service is unexcelled. Mr. Armstrong caters to a discriminating class of patrons and through wise management and tireless effort has built up a business of substantial proportions, furnishing work to twenty employes.

In 1903 Mr. Armstrong married Miss Mabel Laube, a daughter of Charles Laube, one of the early settlers and well known hotel men of Bellingham. To this union has been born a son, Robert W., aged four years. Mr. Armstrong is a Knight Templar Mason and Shriner and a past exalted ruler of the local lodge of Elks. He is also connected with the Loyal Order of Moose, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Junior Order of American Mechanics. He is a Rotarian, and in politics he is nonpartisan, regarding the qualifications of a candidate as a matter of prime importance. He is a business man of high standing and his genial disposition and courteous bearing have won for him many steadfast friends.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 711.

MICHAEL BARRETT

Any one familiar with farming methods will be deeply interested in watching the eventual outcome of the experiments and operations now being conducted on "Three Birch Farm," owned by M. Barrett, in Lynden township. That Mr. Barrett does thoroughly whatever he undertakes is being demonstrated in no uncertain manner by the way in which he is developing this property, for he is attaining remarkable results in a number of different lines and is gaining a splendid reputation as a progressive and up-to-date farmer.

Mr. Barrett is a native of Hastings county, Ontario, Canada, born in 1859, and is a son of M. and Anna (McHale) Barrett, both of whom were natives of Ireland, though the father was reared in England. The family came to the United States in 1869, when our subject was ten years of age, and located in Antrim county, Michigan, where the father homesteaded a tract of land and developed a good farm. There our subject was reared, securing his education in a log schoolhouse about three miles from his home. He remained at home until he was about eighteen years of age, when he started out on his own account, working on neighboring farms and in the woods, being employed at the latter work in Michigan and Wisconsin. In 1892 he went to Alberta, Canada, and bought one hundred sixty acres of land, where he carried on mixed farming and also raised cattle. He remained there until 1906, when he came to Mountain View township, Whatcom county, and bought forty acres of raw land, which he cleared and developed into a good farm. Later he bought fifteen acres near Ferndale, where he remained until 1917. He could not secure hired help, so he rented his forty acre tract and went to Bellingham, soon afterward selling his small farm.

Mr. Barrett bought a small place at Bellingham and lived there until October 31, 1924, when he bought his present place of forty acres in Lynden township. This was an old ranch, but the clearing of it had been poorly done, so that a vast amount of work has been required to get the place in good condition. The buildings also were in bad shape, requiring considerable repairing and painting, but they now present a very attractive appearance. After removing a vast number of stumps and roots and cutting out much brush, Mr. Barrett was at length enabled to five some attention to the cultivation of the soil, which he found was exceedingly rich and fertile. While he expects to make hay and grain his principal crops, he has wisely experimented with a number of field crops and vegetables to ascertain just what seems best adapted to the soil, and some of the results have been even beyond his expectations. In experimenting with potatoes he secured fifty-eight potatoes from one hill, several of which weighed three and a quarter pounds each. He has achieved wonderful results in the growing of cabbage, tomatoes, celery, turnips, squash and pumpkins, some of the latter weighing seventy-five pounds, and on a piece of stump land he secured an average of thirty-eight bushels of wheat to the acre. He keeps sixteen head of cattle, six of which are registered Guernseys, and he also has a registered sire. Mr. Barrett is likewise giving some attention to chickens, keeping four hundred laying hens. He has a good, productive berry patch, and he is fortunate in having very fine water on the place. In every essential respect the tract which he secured is very desirable, for it appears to have wonderful possibilities. Mr. Barrett is just the sort of a man to develop such a place, and among his fellow farmers he has gained an enviable reputation.

In Michigan, Mr. Barrett was married to Miss Hattie B. Messinger, who was born in New York state, a daughter of Isaac Messinger, a farmer. Mrs. Barrett's mother died when the daughter was very young. To Mr. and Mrs. Barrett has been born a daughter, Mabel, now the wife of Byron Morgan, of Seattle. Mr. Barrett formerly took an active part in local public affairs, having served for three years as a deputy sheriff while living in Alberta, and he also served as a government land guide. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He possesses to a large degree those qualities which commend a man to the good opinion of his fellowmen, for not only has he been markedly successful in his individual affairs, but he has also given due attention to the general welfare of the locality in which he lives, supporting all measures for the advancement of the public welfare and maintaining a generous attitude toward all worthy benevolent objects. Genial and companionable, he has gained a wide acquaintance throughout this section of the county and enjoys universal confidence and esteem.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 68-69.

HARRY J. BEERNINK

An enumeration of those men of the present generation who have won honor and public recognition for themselves and at the same time have honored the locality to which they belong would be incomplete were mention of Harry J. Beernink omitted. He has sustained a very enviable reputation in business circles and today is giving thoughtful and intelligent direction to the Lynden branch of the Washington Co-operative Egg and Poultry Association.

Mr. Beernink was born at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, in 1899, and is a son of James A. and Maude (Parkinson) Beernink. The father, who was a native of Wisconsin, was descended directly from sterling old Holland stock, the paternal grandfather having been a native of that country. James A. Beernink came to Lynden in 1900 and was engaged in the buying of grain for many years, and his death occurred in Lynden in 1920. He is survived by his widow, who after his death became the wife of J. F. Hampton, who died about three months after their marriage, and she now makes her home with her son, Harry J. The latter has two brothers, Dixon and Samuel, both of whom live in Lynden.

Harry J. Beernink was about nine months old when the family came to Lynden, and here he was reared and attended school. At the age of thirteen years he began to work, and during practically all of his active years he has been identified with the poultry and egg business, having been connected with all phases of this industry, including breeding, hatching, feeding and marketing. In February, 1917, he became a charter member of the Washington Co-operative Egg and Poultry Association. He was a member of the board of directors from 1918 to 1922, and he also served two terms as vice president. In 1922 he became manager of the receiving station and feed depot at Lynden and, in accordance with the by-laws of the association, he then resigned from the board. His record since taking over the responsible duties of this position has been a splendid one, winning for him not only the commendation of the officers of the association but also the respect and confidence of the patrons of the local station.

Mr. Beernink was married to Miss Ella Mutchler, who was born and reared in Lynden, a daughter of Roy E. and Lydia A. (Tremain) Mutchler, the former a native of Kokomo, Indiana, and the latter of Kansas. The father received a good public school education, followed by a course in Wilson's Business College in Lynden, and in 1899 he bought his present farm of sixty acres in Lynden township, which he is successfully devoting to dairy and poultry farming. To him and his wife were born four children, namely: Ella, Walter, Mazie and Ralph. Mr. and Mrs. Beernink are the parents of two sons, Lowell Gerald and Ray Wallace. Fraternally Mr. Beernink is a member of the Knights of Pythias, in which he has passed through all the chairs of the local lodge. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Kiwanis Club of Bellingham. Personally he is a man of genial and pleasing manner, possessing a forceful personality that has made an impress on all with whom he has come in contact, and he has that soundness of judgment and nicety of discrimination which marks the successful business man. He thoroughly understands every phase and detail of his present work, and he has gained the universal esteem and good will of the community.

The Washington Co-operative Egg and Poultry Association was formed in Seattle in February, 1917, by a group of poultrymen, who realized that under the marketing conditions then existing among the farmers of this state their products were not being marketed under favorable conditions, for it was a fact that while prior to that year certain sections of the state were importing large shipments of eggs from other states and from China, certain other sections of the state were producing more eggs than could be consumed within their respective districts. To remedy this situation the association was formed and, under a wise and well devised plan of operation, it has more than vindicated the judgment of its promoters. The association now has an active membership of four thousand eight hundred producers, who are regular shippers, and more than five thousand stockholders. The capital stock is two million dollars, and eight receiving stations and three feed depots have been established. A trucking system is maintained with covers a great portion of the territory and aids the members materially in delivering feed and collecting eggs.

In this connection the following facts relative to the business transacted by the Lynden branch will undoubtedly be of interest to the reader: The Lynden station was established in June, 1920, in a building thirty by sixty feet in size. In December of that year the business was removed to its present quarters, but only half of the building was used. The first carload of eggs was loaded December 30, 1920, and at about the same time the first carload of feed was brought in. Some idea of the growth of the latter department may be gained from the statement that in September, 1925, this station sold over fifty-two carloads of feed, constituting the heaviest sales of any station in the state. In the shipment of eggs Lynden is second only to Tacoma. Five hundred cases of eggs are loaded to a car, and in 1924 one hundred and forty-seven cars of eggs were shipped from this point.

The local plant is completely equipped in every respect, the feed all being mixed, cleaned and manufactured here. Eighteen people are employed in this department alone, while the total number of employes of the local branch now ranges from forty-five to sixty-five, according to requirements. In 1924 the association bought from farmers in the territory around Lynden six hundred and ten tons of straw and four hundred and fifty tons of oats, and approximately fifteen thousand dollars is paid monthly to the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association for powdered milk, to be used in the manufacture of chicken feed. In 1924 the size of the feed mill and warehouse was increased one hundred per cent, it now being the largest and best equipped plant north of Seattle. The association owns the entire plant utilized here, including three buildings and a garage. In 1921 they gained the use of the entire building which they occupied and in the following year bought four additional lots and built the feed mill and warehouse. A railroad siding facilitates the loading of cars. The poultry department also has enjoyed a splendid growth in business, the receipts in 1925 amounting to over one hundred and seventy-five thousand head. The poultry is received alive and fattened for an average of ten days, when it is dressed, packed and frozen. Ninety per cent of the poultry comes in during the months from March to September.

This brief outline of the business of the Lynden station gives some idea of the responsibilities devolving upon Mr. Beernink as manager, and it reflects creditably on his ability and judgment that the local station is one of the most prosperous and best managed in the state.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 106-107.

HANS C. BERTHUSEN

H. C. Berthusen, one of Whatcom county's well known farmers, was not favored by inherited wealth or the assistance of influential friends, but in spite of this, by sturdy perseverance, untiring industry, sound judgment and wise economy, he has attained a comfortable station in life. When he came to Whatcom county it was a veritable wilderness, his land being covered with a dense growth of timber and brush, without even a trail through it, but, with a vision of the future, he courageously went to work and in the course of time created one of the finest homesteads in the community - an achievement of which he is deservedly proud, and today no man stands higher in public esteem than he. Mr. Berthusen was born in Norway on the 20th of January, 1860, and is a son of C. A. and Tamina (Tobiasen) Berthusen, also natives of that country. In 1864 the father brought his family to the United States, locating in Marshall county, Iowa, where he bought three hundred and twenty acres of land and devoted himself to its improvement and cultivation. He died there July 15, 1917, and his wife died September 22, 1902. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Elert; John, deceased; Julia; H. C.; Thomas; Norman and Lottie, deceased, Albert; Peter O.; and Annie.

H. C. Berthusen received a good, practical education in the public schools of Iowa and when nineteen years of age started out on his own account, traveling through a number of the western states until, in 1882, he landed in King county, Washington. He remained through the winter and in the spring of 1883 came to Whatcom county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in Delta township, three and a half miles northwest of Lynden. To the herculean task of clearing this land he immediately applied himself, one of his first acts being the erection of a log cabin. He personally cleared one hundred acres and about 1890 he bought eighty acres additional. He cleared forty acres of the latter tract and then sold it. For many years Mr. Berthusen ran a dairy, in which he met with fine success, but he is now giving the major portion of his attention to the cultivation of the land, raising fine crops of hay and grain. He has made many splendid improvements on the property, which in this respect now stands second to no other in his section of the county. In 1887 he built a barn, twenty-four by forty feet in size, with basement, which was considered a large barn for that period. It was built of split lumber from the giant cedars which stood on the place, as at that time there were no sawmills near and there was no road by which lumber could be hauled from the old mill on Whatcom creek. In 1901 he built a new barn, one hundred and twenty-eight by one hundred and eighty-eight feet in size and fifty feet high, with a large basement. It was built by himself, is unique in construction and is believed to be the largest and most commodious barn in Whatcom county. The live stock, all machinery and crops are under one roof, the building being conveniently arranged with this in view. Mr. Berthusen is a man of progressive ideas and all of the machinery used on the farm is of the most improved types. He does thoroughly and well whatever he undertakes, which undoubtedly is one of the secrets of the splendid success which has rewarded his efforts and he has won the reputation of being one of the most enterprising farmers in western Whatcom county.

On December 25, 1889, Mr. Berthusen was married to Miss Lida Hawley, who was born and reared in Iowa, the daughter of Enoch and Mary (Craven) Hawley, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Pennsylvania. Mr. Hawley came to Lynden, Washington, in 1872 and located a homestead adjoining that town, which he improved and cultivated up to the time of his death, which occurred August 17, 1889. His wife died November 4, 1892. He was one of the first homesteaders in Whatcom county and held a high place in the esteem of his fellow citizens. To him and his wife were born three children, Mrs. Berthusen and two brothers, Robert E., who lives in Lynden, and Leo, who died January 20, 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Berthusen have an adopted daughter, Olive, born January 20, 1909, now a student in the Lynden high school. She is a young lady of fine character and is greatly attached to her foster parents, as they are to her. Mrs. Berthusen is a great lover of flowers and in the summertime the place is a riot of bloom of many varieties and colors.

Mr. Berthusen has kept about twenty acres of virgin timber untouched by the axe, as a visible testimony to what the country was like when he first came here. He has cleared away the brush and it is one of the most magnificent groves in this section of the state. The land is open to picnic parties, who may thus enjoy the grateful shade of these splendid giants of the forest. The timber in this grove is worth thousands of dollars, but Mr. Berthusen say the money it would bring could not compensate him for the pride and pleasure he derives from living among his trees. Another valuable feature of the farm is the fine stream of water which flows through it and which is known as Bertrand creek. In 1925  Mr. Berthusen succeeded in raising ripened watermelon, which was quite a novelty, as western Washington has always been considered too cool for the successful growing of this delectable melon. While Mr. Berthusen has thus been diligent in advancing his individual affairs, in which he has met with more than ordinary success, he has not been neglectful of his duties to his community, for he has at all times given his earnest support to all measures for the advancement of the public good, standing for the best things in community life and exemplifying in his own career the beneficent principles of neighborliness and brotherliness. He is kindly and generous in his attitude toward all benevolent and charitable objects and courteous and accommodating in his relations with his neighbors.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 779-789.

VALENTINE BITTERMANN

The name of Valentine Bittermann of Delta township, does not need to be introduced to the readers of this chronicle, for it has been intertwined with the history of his locality for more than thirty-five years. The splendid success which has come to his is directly traceable to the salient points in his character. With a mind capable of planning, he combined a will strong enough to execute his well formulated purposes, and his great energy, keen discrimination and untiring perseverance have resulted in the accumulation of a handsome property, which places him among the substantial citizens of his section of the county. A native of Germany, his birth occurred November 20, 1858, and he is a son of Wendel and Catherine (Bosche) Bittermann, the former of whom was a lifelong farmer in Germany, where he and his wife spent their lives, both being now deceased. They were the parents of six sons: Fred, William, Peter, Valentine, Michael and George, none of whom excepting the subject of this sketch ever left their homeland.

Valentine Bittermann received a good education in the public schools of the fatherland and his early years were spent on his father's farm, besides which he also learned the trade of a butcher. In 1883 he emigrated to the United States, locating first in Iowa, where he obtained work on a railroad, which occupation he followed for about three months. He then went to Wisconsin, where for five years he was employed in sawmills. In October, 1889, Mr. Bittermann came to Whatcom county and in the spring of the following year bought forty acres of timber and brush land in Delta township. He at once built a small house and then undertook the prodigious task of clearing the land. In 1913 he bought forty acres adjoining his place, and he thus now owns eighty acres of splendid land, forty acres of which are cleared and in cultivation. In 1902 the modest house which he first built was replaced by a larger and more comfortable and attractive one, and in the following year he erected a commodious and well arranged barn, and a chicken house more recently. He keeps five good Jersey cows, three horses and about two hundred laying hens. His main field crops are hay and grain, for which the land is well adapted, and he now has one of the best farms in his section. He does thoroughly and well whatever he undertakes, so that his reputation as an enterprising and successful farmer has been well earned. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association.

Mr. Bittermann was married June 2, 1885, to Miss Anna Marie Defren, who was born in Germany, a daughter of Philip and Katrina (Bibinger) Defren, who were the parents of six children: Elizabeth; Jacob, who lives in Washington; Louise, deceased; Anna Marie, Mrs. Bittermann; Wilhelm and Julia. To Mr. and Mrs. Bittermann have been born two children, namely: Mrs. Louise Lowry, who is the mother of a son, Wilfred, born December 26, 1918; and William, who was married to Mrs. Alice Benson, who was a widow with three children, Vernon, Clyde and Artus. Mr. Bittermann can tell many interesting accounts of events and conditions in the early days of this locality. He states that at one time he hired an ox team in Blaine, which place he left at one o'clock in the afternoon for his farm, arriving there at nine o'clock that night, thus requiring eight hours to travel seven miles, such was the almost impassable conditions of the roads. Ever since coming here he has been a persistent and effective advocate of good roads, believing them second in importance to nothing else in the improvement and welfare of a community. He is deeply interested in everything pertaining to the prosperity of his locality and is numbered among the pubic-spirited men of the county. Mrs. Bittermann is also prominently connected with civic and social affairs of her community and is deservedly popular in the circles in which she moves. Mr. Bittermann is socially inclined, easily makes acquaintances and has a host of warm friends who hold him in high esteem because of his genuine worth as a man and a citizen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 911-912.

KARL O. BLOM

Among the numerous farmers and dairymen of the Scandinavian stock which form a substantial element of the population of Whatcom county, Karl O. Blom, a dairyman of Mountain View township and proprietor of a well improved place on rural mail route No. 2, out of Ferndale, is entitled to consideration, for in the twenty years and more of his residence here he has brought about the development of a good piece of property and has become a useful factor in the community in which he elected to make his home. He was born in the Norrland province of Sweden, July 15, 1878, and is a younger brother of Peter Blom, one of the pioneer farmers of this county, who became established here in 1888 and is mentioned elsewhere in this work. Their mother is still living in the old country but the father, B. O. Blum, died there in 1922, at the age of seventy-six years.

K. O. Blom was reared on the home farm in his native place and was there married, after which he took charge of the home place and was thus engaged until 1903 when he closed out his holdings in Norrland and with his wife and their two children came to America, proceeding to Washington and here rejoined his elder brother, Peter Blom. During the first season following his arrival here Mr. Blom took a part in the activities of his brother's farm and then bought a tract of twenty acres, the place on which he now is living, and established a home of his own. When he got that improved he bought an adjoining forty and now has a well improved place of sixty acres. His original tract of twenty acres is cleared and under cultivation and a good start has been made on the second purchase, the two making an admirable dairy farm. Mr. Blom is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and his operations are carried on in accordance with the best standards of the industry. He formerly was a member of the local grange of the Patrons of Husbandry.

Mr. Blom has been married twice. In his home land he was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Oland and to this union were born Gertilda, who married W. Neilson and is now living in Seattle; Christina, who married Tom Reed and is now living in Bellingham; Amelia, who married Earl Hitt and is also in Bellingham. Mrs. Hannah Blom died in 1907. In 1911 Mr. Blom took a trip back to his native land and there married Miss Mary Linderman, who also was born in Sweden. To this union six children have been born, Oscar, Hannah, Carl, Violet, Leonard and Bettie. The Bloms have a pleasant home and take a proper part in general community affairs.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 850-851.

HON. EDWARD BROWN

The Hon. Edward Brown, president of the board of county commissioners of Whatcom county, a former state senator and a former representative in the lower house of the general assembly of Washington, is one of the real pioneers of Whatcom county and one of the best known men in this section of the state, having been a resident here for nearly fifty years and thus a witness to and a participant in the development of this region from pioneer times to the present.

Mr. Brown was born on a farm in the province of Ontario, Canada, January 10, 1857, and is a son of Robert and Mary (Lucas) Brown, who in 1865 came to the United States with their family and settled in Iowa, presently moving from that state to Nebraska, where Robert Brown's last days were spent. His widow and her two sons and two daughters came to Washington in 1877 and settled in what is now Mountain View township, Whatcom county, among the homesteaders of that section. Edward Brown was twenty years of age when he thus was transplanted to this county and he ever since has resided here, his affairs prospering from the days of the old homestead farm until now he is the owner of more than seven hundred acres and is accounted one of the large landowners as well as one of the most influential citizens.

In 1884, in the county, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Lopas, daughter of Joseph Lopas, who came to this county in 1877, and they have five children, namely: Cora, wife of Clyde Creek of Bellingham; Myrtle, wife of Jared Davis of Custer; Ivy, wife of Albert Mercy of Bellingham; Herbert E. Brown, a well known young rancher in Mountain View township, concerning who further mention is made elsewhere in this work, and Earl Brown, a professional chemist, now a resident of Kansas City, Missouri.

He is a republican and for years has been recognized as a leader of that party in this district. In 1898 he was elected to represent Whatcom county in the legislature and served for two terms in that body. In 1908 he was elected to the state senate and by reelection was kept in the upper house of the legislature for three terms. In 1920 he was elected to represent his district on the board of county commissioners and is now (1926) serving his second term in that body, being president of the board. His public activities have been prompted by recognition of the duties and obligations of citizenship and at all times he has measured up to the highest standards as an office holder.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 851.

JOHN CHAMBERLAIN

The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that come across his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, and when one man passes another on the highway of life it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably are within reach of the whole race. John Chamberlain has been awake to certain opportunities that presented themselves and by untiring perseverance and indomitable energy has achieved gratifying success. He was born in Michigan in 1854 and is a son of George and Mary (Pertall) Chamberlain, the former of whom was a native of England, while the latter was born in Ireland and died when the subject was but four years of age.

John Chamberlain was reared on his father's farm and attended school in Michigan and Ontario, Canada, though his education has been secured mainly in the hard school of experience. He remained on the home farm, about thirteen miles from Detroit, until he was about twenty-one years of age, when he began sailing on the Great Lakes, shipping as quartermaster on the ship City of Detroit, plying between Cleveland and Detroit and followed that vocation for three years. He then went to Ontario, where he was engaged in logging for three years, having charge of a large gang of teams. Then for three years he was engaged in the same line of work in Ohio, after which he went to Nebraska and homesteaded a tract of land, to the improvement and cultivation of which he devoted himself for six years. He then came west, arriving in Whatcom county February 15, 1889, and at once started getting out timber for the streets in "Old Town." After that job was completed he went to work for Senator Canfield on Eliza island, remaining there for three years, at the end of which time, in 1893, he went to Lummi island and began logging. Soon afterward he bought a tract of land, of which he cleared between thirty and thirty-five acres. He cut and delivered good cedar logs at Bellingham for five dollars a thousand feet. During the years that he has been on the island, Mr. Chamberlain has bought considerable timber land and logged it off, and the place where he now lives adjoins his original purchase. During a number of summers he drove piles for fisheries, while during the winters he cut timber. He has made many good improvements on his land and is giving special attention to dairy farming, owning four good grade Jersey cows, while he devotes considerable of his arable land to the raising of potatoes, in addition to hay and grain, and he has a nice bearing orchard for family use. He has about sixty-five acres of land here and is very comfortably situated, so that during recent years he has been able to take things more leisurely, enjoying the fruits of his former years of toil.

In Detroit, Michigan, Mr. Chamberlain was married to Miss Margaret Ganley, who was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, a daughter of Robert and Josephine Ganley, the former of whom died in Ontario, while the mother is buried in the Lummi cemetery. To Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain have been born two children, namely: E. B., who lives in Bellingham, is married and has five children, one of whom is deceased; and George Robert, who lives at Bremerton and is married and has one child. He spent twenty years in the United States navy, being a commissioned officer during the World war, and is now employed in the navy yard at Bremerton. John Chamberlain is a man of pleasing address, kindly and genial in manner, and possesses a forceful personality that impresses all with whom he comes in contact. He has taken a commendable interest in everything affecting the welfare of the community and has richly merited the confidence and esteem which is accorded him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 912.

EDMUND F. CINGMARS

In such men as E. F. Cingmars there is special satisfaction in offering their life records - not necessarily that his career has been such as to gain him wide reputation or the admiring plaudits of men, but that he has been true to the trusts reposed in him, has shown such attributes of character as entitle him to public regard and has been useful and successful in his sphere of action. Mr. Cingmars is a native of Wisconsin, his birth occurring November 20, 1869. His parents were F. X. and Marion (Gauthier) Cingmars, the former a native of Canada and the latter of the state of New York. The father was for a time engaged in farming in Wisconsin, but sold out there and came to Washington, where he spent his remaining days. He retired from active affairs in 1896 and thereafter made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Walter McLaughlin, near Ferndale, where his death occurred March 5, 1917, when he was eighty-three years of age. His wife died March 23, 1918, at the age of seventy-three years. They were the parents of two children, Mrs. Emma McLaughlin and E. F.

The latter received his education in the public schools at Wrightstown, Wisconsin, and then took a course in a business college at Green Bay, that state, where he was graduated in April, 1888. He then engaged in railroading, which occupation he followed until his marriage in 1894, after which he went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he lived for seven years, being employed as a salesman for a mineral water company. In 1901 he took up a homestead in Koochiching county, Minnesota, which he proved up and where he lived until 1909, when he sold the place and came to Bellingham, Whatcom county, Washington. He bought forty acres of land one mile northwest of Ferndale in Ferndale township, which at that time was but partly cleared, but he now has twenty-five acres under cultivation, on which he raises hay and grain, and has about five acres planted to apples, pears, cherries and plums, in the raising of which he has been very successful. He keeps seven good milk cows and some young stock and a pure bred Guernsey bull. He has made a number of splendid improvements on his ranch, its general appearance indicating him to be a man of excellent taste and good judgment.

Mr. Cingmars was married April 19, 1894, to Miss Olga Pauline Behnke, who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a daughter of G. H. and Paulina (Brunk) Behnke, both of whom were natives of Germany. Mr. Behnke came to the United States about 1865, locating in Milwaukee, where he engaged in the wholesale liquor business, from which he later turned his attention to the contracting business. His last years were spent in retirement and he died December 25, 1925. His wife passed away in 1878. They were the parents of fourteen children, of whom eight are living, namely: Selma, Olga, Ada, Gustav, Ernest, Dorothy, Edward and Flora. To Mr. and Mrs. Cingmars have been born two children. Frank, born January 25, 1895, lives at Concrete, Whatcom county. He married Miss Maude Treese and they have a son, Stephen, born March 29, 1918. Rachel, born February 7, 1899, is the wife of Eli Anderson, of Bellingham, and they have a son, Jackie, born May 17, 1924.

Mr. Cingmars is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and, with his wife, belongs to the Pomona Grange. Fraternally he is a member of Ferndale Lodge, No. 141, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he has been financial secretary for thirteen years; and also belongs to Bellingham Aerie, No. 31, Fraternal Order of Eagles, and to the Wisconsin Club of Bellingham, of which he was president one year. He takes a deep interest in local public affairs and has served continuously since 1911 as treasurer of Ferndale township. He is a man of energetic methods and sound business principles, shows excellent judgment and wise discrimination in the operation of his ranch, and is accounted one of the enterprising and progressive men of his section of the county. Because of his fine record and his commendable personal qualities, he has long had the confidence and good will of the entire community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 752-755.

FRED DUX

Among the many sons of Germany who have come to Whatcom county and have not only achieved a large measure of success in material affairs but have also attained a high place in the esteem of the people of their respective communities, specific mention should be made of Fred Dux, whose splendid farm is located in Ten Mile township. He has by his indomitable and persistent efforts developed a fine home, and by his life he has honored the locality in which he lives. He was born in Germany on the 1st of May, 1857, and is a son of August and Minnie Dux, both of whom were natives and lifelong residents of that country.

Fred Dux received a good practical education in the public school of his native land and served one and a half years in the army. He remained at home until he was twenty-four years of age, when he emigrated to the United States, locating in Martin county, Wisconsin, where he engaged in farming, pursuing that vocation until 1902, when he came to Bellingham, Whatcom county. Soon afterward he rented a farm on the Everson-Goshen road, to the operation of which he devoted himself about two years, and then, in 1906, he bought forty acres of land in Ten Mile township, comprising his present farm. About one acre of the land had been cleared, only the best cedar trees having been removed from the remainder of the tract. Through his indefatigable efforts Mr. Dux has cleared about twelve acres of the land and has it under an excellent system of cultivation. During his first years here he worked in shingle mills and in the cutting of shingle bolts, for which he found a ready sale. He has carried on a general line of farming, raising all the crops common to this locality, and has also planted an orchard which is now in good bearing condition. Recently Mr. Dux suffered a serious injury, breaking a knee cap, which has interferred greatly with his work. He keeps a number of good grade cows and he is also preparing to go into the chicken business, which has proved to be a profitable enterprise in this locality.

In August, 1888, Mr. Dux was married to Miss Martha Schulz, of Wisconsin, where their marriage took place. She is a daughter of August and Mary (Brauch) Schulz, both of whom were natives of Germany. Her mother came to the United States on a sailing vessel in her early girlhood, the ship requiring thirteen weeks to make the passage. Both parents are deceased, the father having spent a number of his later years with his daughter, Mrs. Dux, though his death occurred in California. To Mr. and Mrs. Dux have been born five children: Ida is the wife of Ole Iverson, of Delta, and they have four children. Molly is the wife of Walter Griffin, of Yakima county, Washington, and they have two children. Mrs. Ella Markwood resides in Bellingham. Fred, who lives on the home place, was married to Miss Ida Raymond. Edna, the only one of the children born in Whatcom county, is at home. Mr. Dux is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. He has always been interested in public affairs, and while a resident of Martin county, Wisconsin, he served for a number of years as constable. He has allowed no personal interests to interfere with his duty to the community and has supported every measure calculated to advance the best interest of the general public. He is a man of sturdy and upright character, courteous and accommodating and is friendly and genial in his social relations, so that he has gained a host of warm and loyal friends, who esteem him for his genuine worth as a man and a citizen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 851-852.

DAN ERICKSON

Dan Erickson, a Bellingham machinist and proprietor of what is regarded as the largest and best equipped machine shop in the state north of Seattle, has been hee for almost a quarter of a century and is widely known in industrial circles throughout this region. Though of European birth, Mr. Erickson has been a resident of this country since the days of his boyhood and is thus thoroughly familiar with conditions here. He was born in the kingdom of Norway, September 28, 1886, and is a son of Dehart and Johanna Erickson, the former deceased, the latter still living in her native land.

Reared in his native place, Dan Erickson was early trained in the rudiments of the iron industry and when he came to Bellingham in 1903, when seventeen years of age, he had a pretty fair knowledge of the iron worker's trade and was a good apprentice blacksmith. Mr. Erickson had no difficulty in finding employment and for six or seven years worked in the plant of the Lake Whatcom Logging Company. In 1910 he was given a responsible position in charge of the mechanical operations of the Russian Cement Company at Anacortes and two years later, in 1912, returned to Bellingham and opened a general blacksmith and machine shop at 1000 C street, where he since has been located and where he has developed the largest machine shop in the state north of Seattle. This establishment is equipped for any sort of heavy blacksmith work, forging and machine milling, and occupies a building with a frontage of seventy-five feet and depth of two hundred and eight feet, and has its own dock and railway siding. The machines are electrically driven and the equipment includes the latest designs in lathes, trip hammers and the like, one of the units in this equipment being a forty-two ton lathe of thirty-eight horse power force, with a fifty-three inch radius and a length of forty feet. Another unit of the equipment is a three hundred ton hydraulic press, and there are also air compressors, electric welding machines and other adjuncts. In fact everything necessary for general repair and custom work required in the local industries, from locomotive and steamboat repairs to the lighter demands in machine readjustment, is here found and the forges have a capacity to cast car wheels and axles. Mr. Erickson has built up his plant as the growing demand for service in his line has required and his equipment is up-to-date and efficient, while the output, under his experienced direction, meets the exacting standards required in modern industry.

In 1908 Mr. Erickson was united in marriage to Miss Alveda Nelson, who was born in Norway, and they have four children, Lilly, Ralph, Johanna and Dehart. Mr. and Mrs. Erickson are republicans and he is a member of Eagle Lodge No. 31, B. P. O. E., of Bellingham.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 756-757.

ANDERS E. ESTERGREEN

It is hard to find in our cosmopolitan population people of better habits of life than those who come from the Scandinavian countries, particularly from Sweden. These people are distinguished for their thrift, industry, patriotism and honesty, qualities which make them very desirable citizens of our country. From this splendid race comes the subject of this sketch, who was born in Sweden on the 5th of May, 1860, a son of Olaf and Brittalena Johnson, both also natives of that country. Olaf Johnson became a sailor on the high seas, and in 1848, at about the time gold was discovered in California, his ship put in at San Francisco. With the hope of finding his fortune, he left his ship and went to the gold mines, spending eight years in his search for the yellow metal. Before going to the mines he had taken up a claim where the city of Alameda is now located but during his absence his claim was jumped by Spaniards. On returning from the mines, where he had met with fair success, he and his brother John bought a sloop and engaged in freighting on the Sacramento river between Stockton and San Francisco. Eventually he returned to his native land, where he bought a farm and there lived until his death, which occurred in 1896. To him and his wife, who also is deceased, were born eight children, six of whom are living. One of our subject's grandfathers fought in the battle of Waterloo on the side of the English.

A. E. Estergreen secured a good education in the schools of his native land and remained at home until 1882, when he emigrated to the United States, coming direct to Seattle, Washington, where he remained about a year. He then went to Ustaladdy, Island county, where he was employed about a year in a sawmill. In February, 1884, he came to Clearbrook, Whatcom county, and took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, three miles west of Sumas. He first built a small log cabin, after which he engaged in the task of clearing the land. Eventually he succeeded in creating here a fine farm, and he has made his home here continuously to the present time. He has sold part of the land, his farm now comprising seventy acres of fine, fertile soil, thirty-five acres of which are in cultivation, the remainder being in pasture. He keeps fifteen good grade milk cows and a registered Guernsey bull. His main crops are hay and grain, and he raises enough corn to fill his silo, also raising beans and berries for the cannery. He has managed the operation of the farm so that all departments of his work show a satisfactory profit, and he is now very comfortably situated. In 1913 Mr. Estergreen built a comfortable home, as well as a barn and a silo. He also keeps a number of laying hens, generally between four hundred and five hundred in number, for which he has built nice houses. He is a practical and up-to-date farmer, is indefatigable in his industry and does thoroughly and well whatever he undertakes.

In June, 1892, Mr. Estergreen was married to Miss Alma S. Loreen, who was born in Sweden, a daughter of Bengt Loren and Anna Swenson, both of whom spent their lives in their native country, where the father followed farming. They were the parents of eight children, four of whom died in infancy, the others being: Malcom, who died in 1912; Alma, the wife of our subject; Carl, who is represented by a personal sketch on other pages of this work; and Leonard, who lives at Clearbrook, this county. Mrs. Estergreen came to the United States in 1883, locating in Chicago, where she remained until 1886, when she came to Seattle. After spending a year in that city, she came to Whatcom county, where she has lived continuously since. To Mr. and Mrs. Estergreen have been born four children, namely: Mrs. Myrtle Boyer, who is the mother of two sons, Jack and Larry; Oscar, deceased; Victor, who is married and has a daughter, Edith; and Clarence, who is a graduate of the Nooksack high school and is now a student in the State Agricultural College at Pullman.

Mr. Estergreen is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. He has taken a deep interest in local public affairs and has rendered effective and appreciated service as a member of the school board and as road supervisor for five years. He is intensely loyal to all of the institutions of his adopted country and in every essential of good citizenship has been a splendid example. He has been successful in his individual affairs but has not permitted the accumulation of material things to interfere with his duties to his fellow citizens or the community, supporting every measure for the advancement of the public welfare. Kindly and generous, broadminded and charitable, he has attained and holds a high place in the confidence and esteem of all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 474-475.

JOHN FINDORFF

It is the pride of the citizens of this country that there is no limit to which natural ability, industry and honesty may not aspire. A boy born in ignorance and poverty and reared under adverse surroundings may nevertheless break from his fetters and rise to a position of independence and comfort in life. Among the citizens of Whatcom county who deserve unstinted credit for their attainments, in the face of early discouraging conditions and environment, is the subject of this sketch, one of the best known dairy farmers of Ten Mile township, and a man whose success is due entirely to his ability to grasp the opportunities that came to him.

John Findorff was born at West Bend, Wisconsin, in 1876, and is a son of John and M. M. (Mayerhoff) Findorff, both of whom died when their son was but a baby. From that time until the age of nine he was reared in Milwaukee and then was adopted by a Wisconsin family, who made of him a veritable slave, compelling him to work hard all day and then sew carpets in the evenings. He remained with this family until he was eighteen years old, when he ran away and secured work on a farm near Milwaukee. Later he went into the city and remained about a year, at the end of which time he went into the woods of northern Wisconsin, where he spent two winters. He then went to Nebraska, where he worked on farms about three seasons, after which he worked in the iron mines at Hibbing, Minnesota, for three years. Around that time he met with a bicycle accident, which laid him up for about a year. As soon as he was able, he went to the Brack School and College, at Wilder, Minnesota, borrowing the money to pay his expenses while there, and this comprised his total school attendance, a part of one term. He was then about twenty-five years old and was not only out of work but owed the borrowed money. However, determined to succeed, he went to Duluth, Minnesota, where as a stevedore on the docks he earned enough money to pay off his indebtedness. He next went to the harvest fields of North Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska, with the view of gradually working his way to the western coast. He had intended to homestead land at Walla Walla, but when he reached that place he changed his mind and went to Hokiam (Hoquiam), where he was employed in the mills and on the railroad for a time.

Mr. Findorff subsequently came to Whatcom county and for a while worked for the Bellingham Bay & British Columbia Railroad and is a brickyard at Bellingham. Later he came to Ten Mile township and leased the land on which he now lives. The place comprises forty acres, and after leasing it for several terms he bought it. He has made a number of splendid improvements which have added materially to the value of the place. When he first moved to this tract it was wild and uncleared land, only the best cedar trees having been cut off, and a vast amount of hard work was required to get it in shape for cultivation. During his early years here Mr. Findorff worked out in order to secure money to pay living expenses until the farm should become productive. He also sold a good deal of good timber and shingle bolts from his land. He now has about thirty acres cleared and is carrying on a fine and prosperous dairy business. He keeps from six to ten cows, for which he raises sufficient hay and grain on the place, and he is making plans to go into the bee business. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and takes a live interest in everything relating to the welfare of the farmers, of his community. He has passed through all the hardships and privations of the pioneers, and the prosperity which is finally crowning his efforts is richly deserved.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 894-895.

GEORGE E. GAGE

George E. Gage, one of Bellingham's valuable citizens, was for more than thirty years a forceful figure in local mercantile circles and through hard work, wise management and strength of purpose has won a measure of prosperity that now enables his to live retired. He is a son of Aaron H. and Hannah L. Gage and was born March 8, 1856, in Keokuk, Iowa.

The public schools of his native state afforded George E. Gage his educational opportunities, and for several years he was employed as a clerk, becoming thoroughly acquainted with the various phases of the clothing trade. Having amassed a small capital, he embarked in business at Marshalltown, Iowa, in 1882 and conducted the enterprise for eight years, specializing in men's furnishings. In 1891 he came to Washington and located in Sehome, which is now a part of Bellingham. He opened a clothing store on Holly street, near the corner of Railroad avenue, and was one of the pioneer merchants of the town. He conducted the business under the style of the Gage Clothing Company until 1893, when it was consolidated with the McDougal & Dodson Clothing Company of Fairhaven, and the name was changed to the McDougal-Gage Company, Inc. In 1900 the name of the corporation was changed to that of Gage-Dodson Company. L. T. Dodson assumed the duties of president and George E. Gage became secretary and treasurer. In 1905 the firm moved to a more advantageous location at No. 203 West Holly street, securing a store with a fifty foot frontage, and soon won a large patronage as dealers in men's furnishings. Mr. Gage acted as secretary and treasurer for twenty-four years, formulating many well devised plans for the expansion of the business and ever maintaining a high standard of service. He also served as president of the New Whatcom Building & Loan Association, which likewise prospered under his able direction. In January, 1924, another organization was effected and the interests of the Gage-Dodson Company in the clothing business were acquired by the Gage-Dodson Company, Inc., of which George Dodson has since been president. The other officers are Victor Roth, vice president; Harley Dodson, treasurer, and Floyd Shennenberger, secretary. All are men of ability and proven worth and closely adhere to the principles of honor and integrity upon which the business was founded.

In 1882 Mr. Gage was married in New London, Iowa, to Miss Lena A. Goss, and Marguerite, their only child, is the wife of Victor Roth, a prominent business man of Bellingham. Mr. Gage is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party. He has contributed his share toward Bellingham's commercial development and throughout the period of his residence in the city has manifested a deep interest in its progress, while at the same time he has won and retained a high place in the esteem of his fellowmen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 775-776.

JOHN R. GILL

Among the men of enterprise, foresight and ability who have aided in making Whatcom county one of the greatest poultry districts in this this country in numbered John R. Gill, a resident of Marietta township and one of the desirable citizens whom Canada has furnished to the United States. He was born in October, 1870, in the province of New Brunswick, and his parents, Henry and Susan Gill, are both deceased. The father was also born in that province and come of English lineage. He was a lumberman and was also connected with the steamboat business.

John R. Gill received a public school education and was first employed in a sawmill in Wisconsin, becoming an expert saw filer. He came to Bellingham in 1914 and opened a grocery store, in connection with which he operated a meat market. At the end of a year he sold the business and turned his attention to the poultry industry, purchasing a tract of one and a half acres in Marietta township. He has built a good home on the place, adding other improvements from time to time, and his equipment is thoroughly modern and up-to-date. He has installed a steam plant for heating his incubators, which have a capacity of ten thousand chickens, and he now has about two thousand laying hens. He has made a scientific study of the business, on which he is exceptionally well informed, and brings to the performance of his daily tasks an intelligence and efficiency which never fail to produce the best results.

In 1892 Mr. Gill was united in marriage to Miss Nellie E. Douglas, of Pennsylvania, a daughter of Lyman Douglas. Mr. Gill is one of the valued members of the Whatcom County Poultrymen's Association and exercises his right of franchise in support of the candidates and measures of the republican party. A man of progressive ideas and mature judgment, he has aided in advancing the standards of poultry raising in northwestern Washington, and his genuine wirth has won for him the unqualified esteem of all with whom he has been associated.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 197.

REV. JABEZ C. HARRISON

Rev. Jabez C. Harrison, beloved pastor of the Garden Street Methodist Episcopal church of Bellingham, has thus served since 1920. He is a native of Charleston, South Carolina, and a son of J. Z. Harrison, who was born in New Hampshire. His paternal grandfather and grandmother were natives of the north of Ireland and the former was identified with manufacturing interests. J. Z. Harrison, now living in honorable retirement, was for many years a successful cotton planter, as well as a merchant. In early manhood he wedded Julia Padgett, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, and of French Huguenot stock. The Padgett family was early established on American soil and the majority of its male representatives have devoted their attention to the learned professions.

Jabez C. Harrison supplemented his early education by study in Clemson College of South Carolina, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science. Subsequently he matriculated in Meridian College of Meridian, Mississippi, which institution conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Literature and Oratory, and the College of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, later conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. It was in September, 1910, that Rev. Harrison came to Whatcom county, and for two years he served as pastor of a church at Nooksack, while thereafter he preached at Ferndale for three years. He next occupied the pulpit of the Calvary Methodist Episcopal church of Seattle for one year and was then made district superintendent of southwestern Washington, maintaining his headquarters at Olympia for four years. On the expiration of that period, in 1920, he assumed the pastorate of the Garden Street Methodist Episcopal church at Bellingham, where he has remained to the present time.

The Garden Street Methodist Episcopal church is composed of two congregations, namely: The First Methodist Episcopal church on I street, the first church in Bellingham; and Trinity Methodist Episcopal church, located at Garden and Magnolia streets. It was organized by Chancellor Crawford R. Thoburn, who was born in Naini Tal, British India, in 1862, and became pastor of the Centenary church of Portland, Oregon. He was chancellor of the Portland University at the time of his death in 1899. His father was James M. Thoburn, Methodist Episcopal bishop, who built the largest English church in India and who became widely known throughout American, England and the East. Isabel Thoburn College of India was named in honor of Isabel Thoburn, a sister of Bishop J. M. Thoburn and an aunt of Chancellor C. R. Thoburn. The Garden Street Methodist Episcopal church now has twelve hundred active and one hundred and eighty non-resident members. It carries an annual budget of about twenty-five thousand dollars and each year donates ten thousand dollars for missions and for benevolent purposes at home and abroad. The present church property is valued at one hundred thousand dollars.

Rev. Harrison is a member of the board of control of the Epworth League of the Methodist Episcopal church, with headquarters in Chicago; a member of the board of trustees of the Seattle General Hospital; a member of the board of directors of the Wesleyan Foundation; a member of the board of trustees of St. Luke's Hospital of Bellingham; a member of the board of trustees of the Chamber of Commerce; and past president and board member of the the Rotary Club of Bellingham. He also has membership in the Twentieth Century Club and the Hobby Club and in fraternal circles is known a a Master Mason, Woodman of the World and Modern Woodmen of America. His political support is given to the republican party.

In 1910 Rev. Harrison was united in marriage to Miss Ida Ophelia Daniels, a native of Mississippi. She received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the Mississippi Woman's College at Hattiesburg and prior to her marriage was a high school teacher at Meridian, Mississippi. Rev. and Mrs. Harrison are the parents of five children, as follows: Ruth, James and Virginia, twins, and Florence and Paul. Like her husband, Mrs. Harrison is a republican in politics and a Methodist in religious faith. She also belongs to the Twentieth Century Club of Bellingham.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 67-68.

DAVE HADARS

Dave Hadars, one of Bellingham's energetic and progressive young manufacturers, is the proprietor of a well equipped factory for the manufacture of suit cases, traveling bags, shopping bags, lunch bags, "telescopes" and ladies' hand bags. He is a native of Russia, born February 8, 1893, and in 1912, when nineteen years of age, came to the United States and proceeded out to the state of Washington. For some time after his arrival here Mr. Hadars was located in Tacoma and then went to Seattle, where he presently became engaged in the manufacture of trunks and suit cases and was there until 1924, when he closed out his affairs in that city and came to Bellingham. Here he embarked in business, operating Coast Bag & Suit Case Factory, with a well fitted establishment at No. 319 West Holly street, and has since been thus engaged, meeting with success. In addition to his large local custom and retail trade he has developed a considerable wholesale trade, and the products of his factory enter the market as far south as Portland, the Hadars stamp having become recognized as a guaranty of substantial manufacture. Mr. Hadars specializes in repairing and gives special attention to mail orders.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 890.

VINCENZ HARTER

Whatcom county is characterized by her full share of the honored pioneer element which has done so much for the development of the state and the establishment of the institutions of civilization in this fertile and well favored section. The biographical sketches in this volume deal largely with this class of useful citizens, and it is not in the least too early to place in the permanent record of the annals of their county the principal items in the lives of these hard-working and honest people, giving honor to whom honor is due. They will soon be gone and the past can have no better history or memento than these records. In this class of citizens is Vincenz Harter, who has long stood among the most respected residents of the county and who contributed his full share to the development of the community which is now honored by his citizenship. Mr. Harter was born in Baden, Germany, January 22, 1857, and is a son of Martin and Theresa (Bilman) Harter, both of whom were natives and lifelong residents of that country. Of the seven children who were born to this worthy couple three are now living.

Vincenz Harter attended the excellent public schools of his native land and remained at home until he was almost twenty-five years of age. He then emigrated to the United States, arriving here September 12, 1881, and first located in Indiana, where he was engaged in farming until 1885. In September of that year he came to Whatcom county, Washington, and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of timber and brush land in Delta township, seven miles west of Lynden. He at once built a small house, sixteen by twenty feet in size, the lumber for which he hauled by ox team from Blaine to about a half mile from his building site, to which he was compelled to carry the material, as it was impossible to drive through the timber, which was extremely heavy. He then set to work on the prodigious task of clearing the land, and one of his first improvements was the planting of an orchard, which was greatly appreciated by the family in later years. He then planted a garden and continued at his work of clearing the land, which was eventually accomplished. He has through the subsequent years made many permanent and substantial improvements on the place, which is generally conceded to be one of the most beautiful and attractive in this section of the county. Mr. Harter keeps his land well cultivated, hay and potatoes being his main crops, and he has eight good Jersey and Guernsey cows and one hundred and fifty laying hens, from both of which sources he derives a nice income. In 1913 he built the present splendid home and in 1923 a new and commodious barn. The home is well protected by a fine grove of timber, the magnificent old trees affording a very striking setting for the house.

In October, 1885, at St. Charles, Missouri, Mr. Harter was married to Miss Kathrina Ringelspacher, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Myer) Ringelspacher, both of whom were natives of Germany, where they passed away.  They were the parents of eight children, four of whom are now living. To Mr. and Mrs. Harter have been born six children, namely: Mrs. Elizabeth Grasher, who is the mother of three children - Edna, Albert and Martha; Martin, who remains at home and who is a veteran of the World war, having served nineteen months overseas; Mrs. Louisa Getchell; Herman; and Mrs. Katherina Rudy, and Freda, who is at home. Mr. Harter tells some very interesting stories of the early days in this locality. Among his reminiscences is that of the great forest fire of 1891, which wrought such havoc through out this locality. The early settlers passed through a terrible experience at that time. Mr. and Mrs. Harter had a deep cellar, or root house, and into this they shut their two children, while they devoted their efforts to save their property. In this they were successful, though several times they almost gave up the fight. Sacrifices and privations were the common lot of the pioneers, but they fought on from day to day in their efforts to create homes, and the present advanced condition of the county stands in eloquent testimony to the splendid results of their efforts.

Mr. Harter has always taken a deep interest in the general welfare of his community, giving his earnest support to every measure advanced for the public benefit. He is kindly and generous in his attitude toward all benevolent objects and stands on the right side of every moral issue. Because of his upright life, business success, fine public spirit and genial disposition, he has long enjoyed the sincere respect and esteem of the entire community and is looked upon as one of its representative men.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 757-758.

JOHN V. HOLMQUIST

Among the farmers of Whatcom county who believe in following twentieth century methods is J. V. Holmquist, well known and successful farmer at Judson Lake. He comes of a splendid people, one that has always been strong for right living and industrious habits, for education and morality and for all that contributes to the general welfare. Such people are welcomed in any community, for they are and always have been the basis for the highest accomplishments in all lines of effort. Mr. Holmquist is a native of faraway Finland, born on the 22d of May, 1876, and is a son of John and Maria Holmquist, both of whom also were born and reared in Finland. The father came to the United States in 1903, locating in Mount Vernon, Skagit county, where he bought thirty-two acres of land two and a half miles south of the town. It was heavily timbered land, but he set himself to the task of clearing it, in which he was successful, built a house and barn, and lived there until 1911, when, his wife having died, he came to live with his son, the subject of this sketch, at Clearbrook, where he is now residing. His wife's death occurred in October, 1908. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Ida M., deceased, J. Victor, E. Hugo, E. Wilhelmina, A. Georg, deceased, O. Ivar, deceased, M. Elizabeth, deceased, Daniel E. O., deceased, Einar J. and Maria E., deceased.

J. V. Holmquist secured a good education in the public and high schools of his native land and then went to work in a drug store at Karstula, which employment he followed for fourteen years. Finding that the business was impairing his health, he then gave up that vocation and came to the United States, landing here in October, 1905. He came to Mount Vernon, Skagit county, where he lived until 1909, helping his father clear the land which he had bought there. On July 4, 1909, he came to Whatcom county and settled on seventy acres of land at Judson Lake, which he had purchased that year, and a few acres of which had been logged off, the remainder being heavily timbered. He at once began the clearing of the land and in the course of time has developed a fine and productive farm here, where once stood a forbidding wilderness. He remodeled the house in 1911, built a fine barn in 1920 and has made a number of other valuable improvements, all of which have made this a most attractive and desirable homestead. About forty acres are cleared and in cultivation, the remainder being devoted to pasturage. He also leases sixty acres of school land, and in 1915 he bought eighty acres of land across the boundary in British Columbia, of which he has cleared five acres. He carries on general farming, raising all the crops common to this locality - hay, oats, peas, beans and potatoes being his main crops. He gives considerable attention to dairying, keeping fifteen good grade Holstein cows, fifteen head of young stock and a fine registered sire.

Mr. Holmquist was married June 14, 1901, to Miss Cecilia Oikari, who was born in Finland, a daughter of Elias and Wilhelmina Oikari, both of whom were born and lived in Finland, where the mother died in 1890. They were the parents of nine children: Edith Maria, Eva J., Cecilia, Albert, Emil, Johannes, Tyyne, Aino and Abraham. Mr. and Mrs. Holmquist are the parents of seven children, namely: Elise M., Leo J., deceased; Anton A., and Anna W., who were graduated from high school with the class of '26; Ruth C., who is attending the Nooksack high school; Eva I., deceased; and Ivar V. W.; who also is in school. Mr. Holmquist is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association, the Whatcom County Farm Bureau, and the W. C. D. B. S. The splendid success which has come to him has been the direct result of the salient points in his character. With a mind capable of formulating well formed plans, he has had a will strong enough to execute them properly, his indomitable energy, keen foresight and sound judgment resulting in the accumulation of a comfortable competency. He is recognized as a man of alert mentality, deeply interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community along material, civic and moral lines, and is widely known as one of the progressive and enterprising residents of his locality. He is a genial and companionable man and throughout this community holds an enviable place in popular esteem and confidence.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 769-770.

CHARLES A. HORST

Charles A. Horst, a resident of Bellingham since 1889 and one of the pioneer business men of the city is now, in association with his son, Fred F. Horst, engaged in the automobile accessory business at the corner of Elk and Magnolia streets, under the name of Horst's Service Station, Incorporated. He is a native of the Badger state but has been a resident of the Evergreen state since the days of his young manhood and there are few here who have a better acquaintance with the varying conditions that have brought about the development which has marked this region during the past thirty-five years and more. Mr. Horst was born in the village of Buffalo, on the Mississippi river, in Buffalo county, Wisconsin, September 4, 1858, and is a son of Ferdinand and Katherine Horst, who had come to this county from Germany with a company of German colonists and had proceeded up the river from Cincinnati to St. Paul, from which point they returned down the river to the Buffalo settlement and there established their home. Ferdinand Horst was an expert machinist, having learned his trade in the great Krupp works in Germany, and was a valued factor in the new settlement in Wisconsin. He helped to set up sawmills and the like and among the mills he built were those operated by his brothers-in-law, Adolph Beucker and Fred Laue. For some time the Horst family lived on a farm in Buffalo county and then moved to Independence in the neighboring county of Trempealeau, where they had a hardware store, and thee they remained until 1889, when they came to Washington, Ferdinand Horst and his wife settling in Tacoma, where they spent the remainder of their lives.

Reared in Wisconsin, Charles A. Horst was educated in the schools of Buffalo and Trempealeau counties and became a saddler and harness maker and in time opened a saddlery at Independence. Later for three years, in association with E. W. Williams, he engaged in the wholesale shoe business. When in 1889 the family came to Washington he closed out his affairs in Wisconsin and in October of that year came to the Bay country. In partnership with Edward Lindsey he engaged in the saddlery and harness business in the Sehome section of the present city of Bellingham, the firm doing business as the Pacific Harness Company. That was the year following the formal incorporation of Sehome and two years prior to that town's consolidation with the rival settlement under the name of New Whatcom, which ten years later was simplified by the dropping of the "New" and which in 1903 by a majority vote of the citizens became Bellingham, so that Mr. Horst, though a continuous resident of the place has, in succession, been a resident of four towns. For three years Mr. Horst continued in the saddlery line and then sold out and became a letter carrier, one of the first postmen on the staff of the local post office. Presently he was attached to the office force of the post office for three years or more, at the end of which time he engaged in the real estate and insurance business, thus continuing until 1918, when, in association with his son, Fred F. Horst, he turned his attention to his present line, the Horst Service Station having been incorporated in that year. In addition to a general service business this station handles a full line of tires and automobile accessories, oil and gasoline, and on its advantageous corner has become a fixed "landmark" of the town, one of the most popular service stations in this section of the state. Mr. Horst is a republican, has ever give a good citizen's attention to local civic affairs and for some time rendered public service as a member of the common council of the city of Bellingham, for two terms.

In 1892, at Chaseburg, Wisconsin, Mr. Horst was united in marriage to Miss Laura Laue, who was born at Alma, Buffalo county, Wisconsin, daughter of Fred Laue, and they have two children, Althea and Fred F., his father's partner and also proprietor of a drug store in Bellingham. Miss Althea Horst married H. T. Raymond, a singer of more than local note. Mrs. Raymond is an accomplished musician and is a professional teacher of music, with particular reference to the piano and organ, and has long been a favorite in local musical circles.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 428-429.

HUGO H. HOVANDER

Though of European birth, Hugo H. Hovander, of the mercantile firm of Hovander & Olson of Bellingham and one of the best known merchants in that city, has been a resident of the country since the days of his boyhood, and of Whatcom county for nearly thirty years. He was born in the city of Stockholm, Sweden, July 11, 1880, and is a son of H. O. and Leontine Louisa (Leaf) Hovander, the latter still living on the Hovander homestead in the Ferndale neighborhood in this county, where she has resided for many years and where she is very pleasantly and comfortably situated. The late H. O. Hovander, who died July 29, 1915, and concerning whom further mention is made elsewhere in this work, together with much interesting information regarding the Hovander family in this county, established his home in Whatcom county in 1898, buying a tract of land in the vicinity of Ferndale, where he developed a good farm and spent the remainder of his life, one of the substantial pioneer farmers of that neighborhood. Besides his widow he is survived by seven children and the family is well established in this county.

Hugo H. Hovander's first trip to the United States was made when he was a young land of six and among his earliest conscious recollections are those bearing upon that voyage across the water and the longer journey across the American continent with his parents and other members of the family into California. That was in 1886 and his Americanization properly thus may date from that year. After two years in Los Angeles the Hovanders returned to Sweden, but ten years later, in 1896, came again to America and settled in Seattle, from which city in 1898, they came to Whatcom county, settling on the farm near Ferndale. By this time Hugo Hovander was eighteen years of age and he became an active factor in the labors of improving and developing that new farm, remaining thereon until 1906, when he became a clerk in one of the Bellingham stores. In 1912 he engaged in the business on his own account, opening a grocery store at 1311 Elk street where he has since continued, doing very well. In 1913 Felix Olson bought a half interest in this store and the business has since been carried on under the firm name of Hovander & Olson. This store occupies a room with a thirty-foot front, running back one hundred and twenty feet, and is fully stocked and admirably appointed, to take care of all demands made upon it by its large and constantly growing list of customers, being one of the leading grocery stores in the city.

On August 20, 1914, in Bellingham, Mr. Hovander was united in marriage to Miss Wylie Alta Sheppard and they have three children, George and Carl and LeElla. Mr. and Mrs. Hovander are republicans and support all progressive civic affairs. He is a member of the Masonic order and is also affiliated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. As one of the veteran merchants of the city he gives his interested and helpful attention to all movements having to do with the general advancement of the community and has long been recognized as one of the progressive and public-spirited business men of this county.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 426-427.

CHRISTIAN P. JACOBSON

Christian P. Jacobson, proprietor of a well established automobile repair shop and iron works on Elk street in Bellingham, one of the best known and most widely experienced craftsmen in his line in the city, has been a resident of Whatcom county since the days of his young manhood, a period of almost forty years, and is thus thoroughly familiar with conditions here. Mr. Jacobson was born in the kingdom of Denmark and as a boy there received early training in iron working, getting there his first lessons in blacksmithing and millwrighting. When little more than a boy he came to this country and proceeded to the western coast, locating at Tacoma, but two years later came to Whatcom county and took service as a millwright in the employ of the Bellingham Bay Milling Company. That was back in the '80s. Presently, in association with George Butler, Mr. Jacobson engaged in the general blacksmithing on Railroad street, building up quite an extensive establishment there, which Mr. Jacobson bought. As his affairs prospered he extended his interests to include land holdings, becoming the owner of a farm known as the Hagler place, on the Ferndale road, which he later traded for the present Alderson farm, and thus came to be recognized as one of the substantial citizens of the community. In 1907 he bought from Mr. Butler the latter's interest in the blacksmith shop and in 1912 he bought a half interest in the Maple block in Bellingham, meantime having discontinued his operations in the blacksmithing business, but in 1915 he resumed his proprietary control of the old shop and converted it into a general automobile repair shop and iron works, a business which he has developed in fine shape and in which he is now engaged, moving from this location to 1055 1/2  State street, proprietor of one of the best equipped establishments of its sort in this section, with a well appointed plant.

Mr. Jacobson has been married twice. On December 16, 1892, at Fairhaven, he was united in marriage to Miss Marie Hansen, who died August 26, 1914. By that union Mr. Jacobson has five children: Edward, now living at Snoqualmie Falls, who is married and has five children; Charles V., now living in Everett, who is married and has one child; Alfred P., who is living at Snoqualmie Falls; Bolitta, who married Ira Tawes and has two children; and Mrs. Annetta M. Frank, of Great Falls, Montana.

On November 10, 1921, in Bellingham, Mr. Jacobson was united in marriage to Mrs. Matilda (Nelson) Fretheim, widow of Erick Fretheim, and they reside at 420 Lakeway drive, where they are very comfortably situated. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson are members of the Lutheran church and are republicans. Mr. Jacobson is a member of the Danish Brotherhood and of the Woodmen of the World. Mrs. Jacobson was born in Denmark, there grew to womanhood and in 1886 married Erick Fretheim, a native of Norway. In the year following their marriage Mr. Fretheim and his wife came to America and settled in Minnesota. An experienced dairyman, he became engaged in the dairy industry, as manager and supervisor of local creameries. Two years later, in 1889, he came with his family to Washington and settled at Tacoma, where he was living when the great gold strike was made in Alaska. He made two or three trips into Alaska, taking part in the "rush," and later became employed as window trimmer and advertising manager for the Peoples Store at Tacoma. In 1900 he moved to Bellingham to take a connection with the Greensburg store and the remainder of his life was here spent, having from time to time been connected with the Peters clothing store, the Jacobs store and the Fair store, and his death occurred here in 1918.

To Erick and Matilda (Nelson) Fretheim were born twelve children, namely: Mrs. Margaret Armstrong, who died leaving a daughter; Mrs. Gertrude Hall, also now deceased; Mrs. Agnes Robinson, who is now living at Long Beach, California, and has four sons; Mrs. Hedwig Joint, of Fresno, California, who has four children; Fred K. Fretheim, a resident of Los Angeles; Mrs. Wey Miller, of San Diego, California, who has two children; Alphild Fretheim, deceased; Mrs. Ingrid Perkins, deceased; Ralph Fretheim, who is now living in Long Beach, California; Einar Fretheim, now (1926) a student in the Washington State Normal School at Bellingham; Viggo, deceased, and Irene Fretheim, a student in the high school.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 475-476.

HENRY JOHNSON

Henry Johnson is a farmer and landowner of Mountain View township, owning a well kept place on rural mail route No. 1 out of Blaine, where he has made his home for the past ten years and more. Although of European birth, he has been a resident of the country since the days of his young manhood and of this state for more than twenty-five years, he having had his residence in Seattle for some years before coming to Whatcom county. Mr. Johnson was born in Norway, July 25, 1870, and is a son of John, who was a son of Peter, and of his wife, Cornelia, who was a daughter of Cornelius. John Peterson and his wife came to America in 1903 and the latter is now living in Bellingham, but he died in South Bellingham in 1924. In the old country he worked in the fisheries but upon locating in Bellingham he became connected with the sawmills.

Reared in his native land, Henry Johnson was educated in the schools of his home place and remained with his father, working in the fisheries, until he reached his majority, when, in 1892, he came to the United States and was employed at farm labor in the neighborhood of Fort Ransom, in Ransom county, North Dakota. For eight years he remained there and in 1900 came to the coast country and was employed in the timber operations out of Seattle. For six or seven years he was thus engaged, working in the logging camps and in 1906 came to Whatcom county, his parents meanwhile also having come here, and became employed in the fisheries at Bellingham, fishing on the traps in the bay. He also worked on the interurban railway line, then being constructed between Bellingham and Mount Vernon. In 1912 Mr. Johnson bought the tract of thirty-two acres on which he is now living and some years later established his home on that place, where he has since been living. This was a wholly undeveloped tract when he bought it and he now has enough of it cleared to make a fine dairy farm and an equally desirable chicken run. Mr. Johnson has a well selected herd of nine or ten dairy cattle and five hundred or more White Leghorn chickens and is doing well in his operations. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association.

It was in 1916, at Happy Valley, that Henry Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Christina Bruland and she has been a competent helpmate to him in his dairying and poultry operations. Mrs. Johnson was born in Nebraska and is a daughter of Jacob and Breta Bruland, who came to Whatcom county with their family in 1900 and who are still living here, now residents of Happy Valley.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 825.

WILLIAM R. KLINE

One of the productive farms of Deming township is the property of William R. Kline, whose residence in this section of the county covers a period of twenty-eight years, and to the cultivation of the soil he brings that intelligence and efficiency which constitute the basis of assured success. He was born January 26, 1876, in Pennsylvania, and his parents, Daniel J. and Florence M. (Derno) Kline, were also natives of that state. In the spring of 1898 they migrated to Washington, settling in Whatcom county, and the father bought an eighty acres tract in Deming township. A bridge had been built, but there were only three oxen and one team of horses in the neighborhood, which contained few settlers, and frontier conditions prevailed. Daniel J. Kline was a man of energy and determination and eventually brought his land to a high state of development. He lived on the place until his demise in 1916, and he is survived by the mother.

William R. Kline attended the public schools of Pennsylvania, and he accompanied the family to the Pacific coast. He assisted his father in tilling the soil and when he had acquired sufficient experience started out for himself, purchasing a tract of twenty acres adjoining the homestead. He is a practical agriculturist, familiar with all the details of that occupation, and owns one of the model farms in this section. Like many residents of the township, he is devoting his energies to dairying and the raising of poultry, and he find a ready market for what he produces, deriving a substantial income from his labors.

On October 23, 1895, Mr. Kline married Miss Olive A. Meyers, also a native of Pennsylvania, and seven children were born to them. Ruth Margaret, the eldest, is deceased. The others are: Clare Lewis, who makes his home in Deming township and has a wife and four children; Daniel J., a member of the United States Marines; Lynwood, a resident of Beaver, Washington; Olive June and Robert, both at home; and Irene, a high school student. Mr. Kline is allied with the democratic party and has been township assessor and a member of the school board, making a fine record in each of these offices. He belongs to the Grange and along fraternal lines is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while his wife is connected with the Rebekahs. He owes his life success to hard work and good management and combines in his character all of the qualities of a useful and desirable citizen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 710-711.

OLE KNUDSON

Of sturdy Scandinavian stock, Ole Knudson has made his own way in the world, placing his dependence upon the essential qualities of industry and perseverance, and his well directed labors have constituted a vital element in the development of Whatcom county. For more than forty years he has lived within its borders, settling in Washington during the territorial period of its history, and he is widely recognized as one of the leading agriculturists of Rome township. A native of Norway, he was born in May, 1858, and his parents, Knute and Maret Knudson, always lived in that country. The father was endowed by nature with a splendid constitution and attained the venerable age of ninety-four years.

Ole Knudson received a public school education and remained at home until he was twenty-two years of age. In 1880 he followed the example of many of his fellow countrymen and made the voyage to the United States, locating first in Wisconsin, where he learned and followed the blacksmith's trade. In 1883 he came to Whatcom county, Washington, and entered a homestead in Lawrence township, establishing his home in the midst of a wilderness into which few had penetrated. He constructed a small house of logs and began the task of clearing his land of the dense growth of timber. Eventually he converted the wild tract into a productive farm and devoted a portion of the land to the raising of hops, in which he was very successful. In 1910 he sold the place and made a trip to Norway, revisiting the scenes of his youth. He spent six months abroad and after his return to the United States purchased and eighty acre ranch in Rome township, where he has since resided. He built an attractive home in 1911 and in 1922 constructed a large chicken house, with a capacity of five hundred hens. He has made a close study of the poultry industry and his work is considered along scientific lines, productive of the best results. He has an intimate knowledge of agricultural pursuits, acquired by years of practical experience, and has aided in raising the standard of farming in Whatcom county. He has a fine ranch, situated on the shores of Lake Whatcom, one of the most beautiful of the many lakes in northwestern Washington, and has accumulated a comfortable competence which enables him to spend the sunset period of life in a more leisurely manner, though he carefully supervises the operation of his farm. Mr. Knudson was married, February 28, 1891, to Miss Bothilda Hagard, a native of Denmark and a daughter of Jacob and Katrina Hagard, who were lifelong residents of that country. Mr. and Mrs. Knudson have two children, of whom Carl is the elder. He was born February 22, 1898, and has a wife and two daughters, Ruth Elaine and Beatrice Nadine. Waldemar was born september 12, 1902, and lives in eastern Oregon. He is also married and has two daughters, Alice May and Evelyn.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 635-636.

ETHEL (HALL) LINDSTROM

Mrs. Ethel Hall Lindstrom has developed an extensive and profitable patronage as proprietress of a hair goods and beauty culture establishment at Bellingham, where she has thus been engaged in business during the past fourteen years. She is a native of the state of New York and a daughter of S. N. and Hattie (Davis) Hall, who were also born in the Empire state. The ancestry of the Hall family is traced back to colonial days in America. S. N. Hall, the father of Mrs. Ethel Hall Lindstrom, took up his abode at Bellingham, Washington, in the '90s and became widely known here as a blacksmith and veterinary surgeon. He became a charter member of the local tribe of the Improved Order of Red Men. His demise occurred in 1903. His widow has also manifested a helpful interest in local affairs and at the time of the World war organized the Mothers Club, of which she became the first president. In 1906 Mrs. Hattie Hall married Robert H. Ball.

Ethel Hall acquired her early education in the public schools of her native state and subsequently pursued an academic course at Montour Falls, New York. It was about the year 1900 that she came to Bellingham, Washington, where she has remained continuously to the present time. She was employed in a beauty parlor for a period of five years prior to opening an establishment of her own about 1912, when still a very young woman, and since that time she has developed a patronage of large and lucrative proportions by her own exertions. There was only one other hair store in Bellingham when she began business here. The growth of her patronage is indicated in the fact that she now requires the services of four assistants. From the beginning she has conducted her establishment under the name of Ethel Hall and has maintained the same location. She is an acknowledged expert in the various lines of beauty culture.

In 1921 Miss Hall was united in marriage to Charles Arthur Lindstrom, who removed from Seattle to Bellingham, where for a number of years he was employed as superintendent by the Pacific-American Fisheries. Mrs. Lindstrom has recently purchased the old Bolster home on Eldridge avenue in Bellingham, one of the oldest residences of the city. Mrs. Lindstrom has two brothers: John S. Hall, of New York city; and Austin Smith Hall, of the United States navy.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 325.

GEORGE W. LOGGIE

George W. Loggie, who was president of the Whatcom Falls Mill Company and one of the best known lumbermen in the northwest, for many years having been identified with Bellingham's growth, died at his home on Utter street on the 24th of March, 1922, having attained the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten. Mr. Loggie was one of those characters who are builders and useful citizens in any community in which they may reside, and he succeeded in spite of severe discouragements. His final and most monumental work was the building of the Whatcom Falls Mill Company's plant, comprising the largest cedar mills in the world, in whose establishment he was assisted by his brother, J. A. Loggie, who succeeded him in the presidency.

George W. Loggie was born in New Brunswick, Canada, near what is now known as Loggieville, on the 22d of June, 1851, and represented a family of Scotch ancestry. The period of his youth and early manhood was spent in his native province, where he familiarized himself with the lumber business in which many members of the family were engaged. In 1879 he journeyed westward across the continent to Washington and made his way to Puget sound, and for several years he was employed in lumber mills on the sound and in Oregon. He worked for the Puget Sound Mill company at Utsaladdy and Port Gamble and became superintendent of the Utsaladdy plant. Later he removed to Portland and afterward to Coos Bay, where he became general manager of all the Southern Oregon Company's great mills and timber holdings. After several years spent in Oregon, Mr. Loggie removed to Seattle and thence to Snohomish, where he operated a mill that subsequently was destroyed by fire. Later, at Port Angeles, he had a similar misfortune. Neither plant was insured.

In 1896 Mr. Loggie came to Bellingham. For a time he worked for C. X. Larrabee, and then, with his brother, J. A. Loggie, he leased and operated for five years the small mill at the mouth of Whatcom creek, just below Pickett bridge. After that the Whatcom Falls mill was established. It is one of the best known lumber properties in the west, as well as one of the most modernly equipped. While operating this mill Mr. Loggie became interested in timber and subsequently associated himself with Pat McCoy, of Seattle, head of the McCoy-Loggie Timber Company, which has heavy timber holdings in the Kulshan district. The following is an excerpt from a review of his career which appeared in the Bellingham Herald under date of March 25, 1922: "Mr. Loggie had great faith in Bellingham and he believed that it was destined to become a great lumber center. He was a hard worker, a good employer and a loyal friend."

On the 8th of August, 1892, Mr. Loggie wa united in marriage to Miss Amanda Ellen McKnight, a native of Douglas county, Oregon, and a daughter of William and Mary Ellen (Wright) McKnight, who were natives of Virginia and Indiana, respectively. Her father early made his way to Oregon, while her mother started across the plains for that state in 1847 in company with her parents, who made the journey with ox teams. The grandfather of Mrs. Loggie died en route and the grandmother, with saddened heart, continued the trip to Corvallis, Oregon, with her four young children. She took up a preemption claim in that vicinity and remained a resident of the Beaver state to the time of her death. Mary Ellen Wright was but five years of age when brought to the Pacific coast by her mother. Mr. and Mrs. Loggie became the parents of two daughters, namely: Adele, formerly Mrs. Gray, now Mrs. Harold Lowery, who resides at Bellingham and has two children; and Helen A., an art student in New York city.

In the exercise of his right of franchise Mr. Loggie supported the men and measures of the republican party. His religious faith was that of the Presbyterian church, while his widow and daughters belong to the Episcopal church. He had membership in both the York and Scottish Rite bodies of Masonry and was a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the craft. His life was actuated by worthy motives and high ideals in every relation and his death was deeply deplored by all who knew him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 70-71.

WILLIAM McKINNON

William McKinnon, a veteran wagon maker at Bellingham and now engaged in the manufacture of automobile body tops, holds a record as having built the first wagon made in the Bay settlements and also as the manufacturer of the last wagon made here, the former in 1889 and the latter in 1917. When the automobile became the dominant factor in vehicular transportation he wisely retired from the wagon making business and has since been devoting his attention to the more modern vehicle, having a well equipped factory on Elk street.

Mr. McKinnon is a Canadian by birth, born in the maritime province of Prince Edward island in 1864, and is a son of William and Mary (McLean) McKinnon, the latter of whom also was born in that province. The senior William McKinnon, whose last days were spent in Prince Edward island, was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He was an expert machinist, and when the railroads came into the island he devoted his attention to railway mechanics and was in charge of the first locomotive engine brought there. The junior William McKinnon finished his apprenticeship to the wagon maker's trade in Massachusetts, and in 1888, as a journeyman wagon maker, he came to the western coast and became employed at his trade in Seattle. In the next year he and his brother, Daniel McKinnon, established themselves in business as blacksmiths and wagon makers in the Bay settlements, their shop being at the corner of Chestnut and Railroad avenue. It was in that year, as noted above, that Mr. McKinnon made the first wagon manufactured here, filling an order for the Francis Transfer Company, and the last wagon he made, which was in 1917, was to fill an order for Noble Brothers.

Some two years after taking up his residence here Mr. McKinnon was married and here established his home. About that same time he became engaged in the wagon manufacturing business in association with John Kastner, and this partnership was continued for eight years, at the end of which time he opened a shop of his own at the site now occupied by the Northern Pacific railway station. He later moved from that place to a better site on Magnolia street, thence to a more advantageous site on Elk street and is now established in his own building at No. 1800 Elk street, occupying a ground space of forty by one hundred feet. He is devoting his attention to the manufacture of automobile body tops and is doing very well.

It was in 1891 that Mr. McKinnon was united in marriage to Miss Maude Richards, who was born in the state of Maine, and to this union eight children have been born, namely: Mary, who married Robert Leard of Bellingham and has two children; Ethel F., who married Willis Steward of Bellingham and has three children; Raymond, deceased; Miss Annie McKinnon, who remains at home; W. C. McKinnon, also at home; Ivy, who married Jesse Mapes of Bellingham and has one child; Irvin, who is married and makes his home in Bellingham; and Donald McKinnon, who still is in school. The McKinnons are republicans and have ever given proper attention to local civic affairs. Mr. McKinnon is a member of the Masonic order.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 107-108.

JAMES MORRISON

James Morrison, former president of the Morrison Mill Company and still connected with the operations of that pioneer lumber enterprise though now making his home in Los Angeles, California, was born in Quebec, November 15, 1862, a son of William and Elizabeth (Clarkson) Morrison, and was early trained to the lumber mill business, his father having been the proprietor of a mill in Montreal, as is related elsewhere in this work, together with information concerning the coming of the Morrison brothers, Robert, Archie, John and William and James, to Whatcom county and of their establishment of the great mill industry which ever since has been operated under the name of the Morrison Mill Company, with plants at Bellingham, Blaine and Anacortes.

James Morrison's first acquaintance with timber operations in Washington was in 1887, in which year he became connected with Seattle Lumber & Commercial Mill Company, being one of the owners of that enterprise and director of its affairs in the Victoria area, an interest which he has ever retained. In 1891 he and his brothers began their development work in Whatcom county, the story of which is told elsewhere, and he was elected president of the company, which executive position he occupied until his removal to Los Angeles in 1922, in which year he was succeeded as president by his brother Archie. James Morrison is vice president of the Morrison Mill Company and Robert C. Morrison is the secretary. Since 1910 Mr. Morrison had been spending his winters in California, but it was not until 1922 that he decided to make his permanent residence there. In 1897 he married Mary A. Clarkson, a daughter of Joseph Clarkson, and they have a son, Kenneth C. Morrison, who is a student in the State Normal School at Bellingham. The Morrisons all are republicans and are members of the Presbyterian church.  

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 912-913.

ELLA V. (SWIGER) MUSSER

Mrs. Ella V. Musser enjoys the distinction of having established the first art shop at Bellingham, and she has conducted it most successfully since the 1st of December, 1922, under the name of the Noveau Art Shop. She is a native daughter of Whatcom county, Washington, born at Lynden, her parents being Jeremiah and Lodisa Jane Swiger, who were born in West Virginia and Tennessee, respectively. The father removed westward to this state in 1880 and after spending about a year in Seattle settled in the vicinity of Lynden, where he took up a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres. The farm remained in his possession for many years and he was actively engaged in its cultivation until 1895, when he took up his abode at Bellingham, where he departed this life on the 5th of August 1924. For six years he had survived his wife, who passed away in January, 1918. Five children were born to them and they also reared an adopted child.

Ella V. Swiger acquired her education at Bellingham, where she has resided since girlhood days. In 1908 she was married to Home Knox Musser, and they became the parents of a son and a daughter: John Knox Musser, who is a student in St. Martin's College at Lacy; and Betty Lois Arlene, who is attending the State Normal School at Bellingham.

It was on the 1st of December, 1922, as above stated, that Mrs. Musser opened the Noveau Art Shop at Bellingham, and since that time she has developed an extensive and gratifying patronage as a dealer in art goods. Her establishment is very attractively and tastefully furnished. She makes a specialty of imported art work. French novelty work, antiques, Oriental goods, domestic and imported pictures and picture framing. As sole proprietor of the shop, she has gained a well deserved measure of success and its conduct.

Mrs. Musser is a republican in her political views and a Presbyterian in religious faith. She has membership in the Business and Professional Women's Club and in the Bellingham Country Club and has made many friends in the community which has always been her home.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 912-913.

JOSEPH E. NELSON

In presenting this brief outline of the life history of J. E. Nelson, well known citizen of Lynden township, it is desired to hold up for consideration those facts which have shown the distinction of a true, useful and honorable life - a life characterized by perseverance, energy and well defined purpose. To do this will be but to reiterate the dictum pronounced upon the man by the people who know him well. Mr. Nelson was born in South Dakota in 1893 and is a son of Dr. T. and Leona (Jackson) Nelson, the latter of whom was a native of North Carolina and died in 1904. The father was a native of Virginia and became a physician, which profession he followed during all his active years. He was located in South Dakota for a number of years and then went to Kansas, where he remained until 1912, when because of failing health, he came to Lynden, Whatcom county, where his death occurred in 1915.

J. E. Nelson secured his education in the public schools of South Dakota and Kansas and had one year of high school work after coming to Lynden township. When he and his father came to this locality they located on forty acres of land, the place having been an old settled farm, which was in a badly neglected condition. He has since made many permanent and substantial improvements, including a new barn and other necessary farm buildings, and now has the place in good shape. He is giving his attention largely to dairy and poultry farming, in which he is meeting with very fine success. He has eight good grade Guernsey milk cows and about eight hundred and fifty White Leghorn chickens, for which he raises his own hay and grain. When he began his operations here he hauled his milk by team to the Carnation milk plant at Everson for about three years but now uses an auto truck, being the first person in this locality to use a truck for this purpose.

On December 20, 1924, Mr. Nelson was married to Miss Florence Hungerford, who was born in Skagit county, Washington, a daughter of C. S. and Addie (Dunton) Hungerford and a representative of an early family in Skagit county. Mr. Nelson is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association, while fraternally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a man of quiet and unassuming manner but possesses a forceful personality that has left its impress on all with whom he has come in contact. He has cooperated with his fellow citizens in all movements for the general improvement of the locality and is numbered among the up-to-date and progressive men of his community, where he enjoys an enviable standing.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 337.

RALPH OSGOODBY

The true measure of individual success is determined by what one has accomplished, and taken in contradistinction to the old adage that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, there is particular interest attached to the review of the subject of this sketch, since he is a native son of northwestern Washington, having been born in Skagit county, and his life, which has been passed in this part of the state, has been so ordered as to gain for him recognition as one of the worthy citizens of this section. Ralph Osgoodby was born in Mount Vernon, Skagit county, in 1884, and is a son of George and Ann Osgoodby. The father was born in England and came to the United States in young manhood. Coming direct to the Pacific coast, he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land near Mount Vernon, in the '60s, being the first white man to locate there, and he slashed a large part of the land on which now stands that thriving town. He made a fine farm of the raw land which he acquired and lived there continuously until his death, which occurred in 1910. He was twice married, his first wife, whom he married in England, dying there. To the second union were born four children, namely: Ralph, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Lena Jarvis, of Mount Vernon; Edward, who lives in Seattle; and Andrew, of California, all of whom are living.

Ralph Osgoodby was reared on the old homestead and secured his education in the district schools of that neighborhood. He remained on the home farm until his father's death, when he came to Lynden, Whatcom county, and located on the Will Jennings farm, now occupied by L. A. Williamson, where he remained for three years. He then bought eighty acres of land, comprising his present farm, which had been cut over by loggers but was in no sense cleared land. He now has all of the land cleared and has erected a fine, modern home, a good, substantial bar, a large silo and other up-to-date improvements, which have greatly enhanced the value of the property. Mr. Osgoodby is carrying on dairy operations, keeping fifteen good cows, and has been very successful along that line. His fields are well cultivated and produce an abundance of hay and grain, and he is justifiably proud of the splendid farm which he has here created.

In 1906, on the old homestead in Skagit county, Mr. Osgoodby was married to Miss Katherine Williamson, who was born at La Conner, Skagit county, a daughter of J. and Eliza (Bradley) Williamson. Her father was born February 14, 1844, in Scotland, and was brought to Victoria, British Columbia, when nine years old. In young manhood he came to Washington, locating at Dungenese (sic). In the late '60s he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres at La Conner, now known as the John Peth place. It was mostly tide land, but he built dikes and otherwise improved the tract, which he developed into a good farm. He was progressive and assisted in erecting the first telegraph line in that county. He went to Frazier river at the time of the great gold rush and later went to Port Townsend, where for a number of years he was connected with the United States customs service. In 1905 he came to Lynden township, Whatcom county, and located on the farm now occupied by his son, Lee A. Williamson, and there his death occurred April 25, 1915. His wife was born in Missouri and her death occurred in 1902. She was one of the early settlers of Skagit county and met her future husband on Whidbey island. To Mr. and Mrs. Osgoodby has been born a son, Lawrence, who is now a student in high school. Lawrence is a wide-awake, progressive boy and is already assuming responsibilities of his own, owning a nice flock of  chickens, as well as three cows and three head of young stock, all of which he is handling with commendable success.

Mr. Osgoodby is a member of the Whatcom County Poultry Association and the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. He takes a deep interest in local public affairs and has rendered effective and appreciated service as a member of the Northwood school board. He is a close and thoughtful reader, well informed on matters in general, and is a man of large influence in his community. He heartily cooperates with his fellow citizens in the advancement of all measurers calculated to benefit the general welfare and is held in high esteem by all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 429.

FRED G. ROBERTS

Fred G. Roberts is closely identified with the fisheries industry of the northwest and for ten years Bellingham has claimed him as a citizen. He was born in 1863 and is a native of Illinois. His parents were Thomas M. and Mary C. Roberts, the former a dealer in live stock. The son received a public school education and afterward took up the study of law. He mastered the principles of jurisprudence and at Galena, Illinois, was admitted to the bar. He practiced there for a short time and then went to Chicago, becoming connected with the grain business. He was thus engaged until 1916, when he came to Bellingham, and has since been associated with the Pacific American Fisheries Company.

In 1889 Mr. Roberts married Miss Mary Tothill, of Galena, Illinois, and to this union has been born a son, Thomas T. He is connected with the Chicago Trust Company and has a wife and family. Fred G. Roberts is a thirty-second degree Mason and Shriner and his political allegiance is given to the republican party.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 782.

ARTHUR and HOWARD ROGERS

There are few farmers in Whatcom county who have met with more encouraging success than Arthur and Howard Rogers, strong, sturdy characters who have contributed largely to the material welfare of the community and township in which they reside. They are modern and up-to-date agriculturists, while as citizens they are public-spirited and progressive in all that the terms imply.

The Rogers brothers are natives of Earlville, La Salle county, Illinois, and are sons of John D. and Elizabeth F. (Withey) Rogers, the father a native of western New York and the mother of Exeter, England. John D. Rogers learned the trade of a carpenter, which he followed for some years in his native state, but about 1858 moved to Illinois, locating at Earlville, where he engaged in the lumber business. In 1872 he went to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he lived eight years, being engaged in the building and contracting business. On May 31, 1881, he came to Whatcom county, Washington, with his son, Howard, and in the following month homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 23, Ferndale township. The rest of the family joined him later in the year. The land was practically all covered with brush and timber, but he went to work with vigor and cleared a part of the tract, creating a good home, and there he spent his remaining days. He was born September 5, 1825, and died August 28, 1890, while his wife, who was born in 1831, passed away June 1, 1908. They were the parents of four children. The two sons are Arthur and Howard. Alice was the wife of C. A. Puariea and the mother of two children, Mrs. Alice A. Perry and Howard. She died October 4, 1925, aged sixty-two years and two months, and is buried in Woodlawn cemetery in Ferndale township, where her parents are also buried. Harriet is the wife of Richard J. Owen and the mother of a daughter, Mrs. Doris Laurenson.

Arthur and Howard Rogers received their education in the public schools and remained with their parents, taking over the operation of the home farm, of which they now own one hundred and twenty acres. They are enterprising and progressive in their methods, careful and painstaking in everything they do, and are realizing very gratifying returns from their labor. They have thirteen acres in fruit, mainly apples, and keep several cows, two of which are pure bred Jerseys. The brothers have never married and keep house together, enjoying life to the full. Arthur Rogers is an expert carpenter and derives considerable pleasure in his spare time in fixing up and making changes in the house, and many of the ideas made use of are original with him. Such men are a credit to any community, for they are not only successful in their business affairs, but they are public-spirited in their support of all proposed measures for the advancement of the public welfare. Genial and friendly in their social relations, they have won a host of warm friends and throughout the community they are recognized as splendid citizens and enjoy the confidence and esteem of all.

Arthur Rogers was chairman of the board of supervisors of Ferndale township for the first four years after its organization, while Howard served as county commissioner for one term in 1895 and 1896. Arthur is a member of the Methodist church at North Bellingham and holds the office of recording steward; has also served as a teacher and superintendent of the Sunday school.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 636-639.

FRED ROTHENBUHLER

Among the men of foreign nationality who have sought and utilized the opportunities of the Pacific northwest is numbered Fred Rothenbuhler, the owner of one of the fine ranches in the Nooksack valley. He was born in 1867 and is a native of Switzerland. He was educated in that country and in 1882, when a youth of fifteen, came to the United States in company with his brother Albert. They at once went to Ohio, joining an older brother, Jacob, who had established a cheese factory in that state in 1880. He sold the business and the subject of this review was employed by the new owner to manage the plant. In 1890 Jacob Rothenbuhler started for Washington and entered a homestead, securing a claim on the line between Skagit and Whatcom counties. In the following year Fred Rothenbuhler took up government land adjoining that of his brother and each developed a good farm, clearing their tracts, on which they made a number of improvements. In the spring of 1900 Fred Rothenbuhler went to Nome, Alaska, and for four years was engaged in prospecting in that country. He returned to Washington in 1904 and in the spring of 1905 bought his present ranch, which is situated near Clipper. He has cleared the place and the rich soil yields bountiful harvests. He has a good dairy and specializes in pure bred Guernsey cattle.

Mr. Rothenbuhler is liberal in his political views and casts his ballot for the candidate whom he deems best qualified for office, regarding party affiliation as a matter of secondary importance. He served as township supervisor for nine years and for twelve years has been a member of the school board. He has a high conception of the duties and responsibilities of citizenship and time has proven his worth. He has never been afraid of hard work, knowing that there is no excellence without labor, and he is deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 476.

HARRY B. SEWALL

The world instinctively pays homage to the man whose self-reliant nature and inherent force of character enable him to rise above his fellows, and of this type is Harry B. Sewall, whose broad experience has enabled him to direct successfully the many interests of the Puget Sound Power & Light Company of Bellingham, a corporation which has exerted a dynamic force in the development of northwestern Washington. His life has been devoted to the study of the public utilities, which have become almost as necessary as the daily food supply to the communities they serve.

Mr. Sewall is a native of Massachusetts, and he attended the Institute of Technology at Boston in the pursuit of  his higher education. In 1899 he entered the employ of Stone & Webster and gradually worked his way through the various departments of the business, at length becoming manager of their interests in Whatcom and Skagit counties. In 1918 he was sent from Texas to this district, which comprises twenty-five cities and towns, and has since made his headquarters in Bellingham.

The Puget Sound Power & Light Company, of which Mr. Sewall is manager, is the outgrowth of the following corporations: The Whatcom County Railway & Light Company, the Fairhaven Street Railway Company, the Lake Whatcom Street Railway Company, the Fairhaven & New Whatcom Street Railway Company, the New Whatcom, Thompson & Houston Electric Company, the Bellingham Bay Electric Street Railway Company, the Northern Railway Improvement, the Bellingham Bay Improvement Company, the Fairhaven Electric Light, Power & Motor Company, the Bellingham Bay Gas Company and other properties. In May, 1891, the Fairhaven Street Railway Company was formed and in August of that year the Lake Whatcom line was promoted. The men responsible for these projects were Edward J. Cosgrove, J. E. Baker, Morris McCarty, C. J. Cook and Hugh Eldridge. The last named was elected president of the corporation and served until 1895, when he resigned. The lighting plant was started in 1888, and the Bellingham Bay Gas Company was organized June 9, 1890. The parent corporation is building the Baker River plant in Skagit county and one hundred thousand horse power will be distributed from this station.

A large percentage of the power used in the district is generated by the company, which has maintained a rural power line for a period of seventeen years. It serves several thousand homes in Whatcom county and has been one of the most potent forces in the development of the great poultry industry, which has brought prosperity to many residents of this section of the state. The company has led in the work of upbuilding the rural communities of Washington and its operations have been of inestimable value to the state. The corporation has over three thousand gas customers in Bellingham and furnishes light and power to more than twenty thousand patrons in the district which is comprised of Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties. It controls twenty-seven miles of street railway in Bellingham, and one of its auxiliaries, the Pacific Northwest Traction Company, operates trains hourly between Bellingham and Mount Vernon, Washington, maintaining express and freight service. The two companies have a combined payroll of over four hundred thousand dollars, and their taxes amount to seventy-five thousand dollars per year, while their employes number over three hundred. The Puget Sound Power & Light Company maintains its own sales organization and that its bonds and preferred stock are regarded as safe and profitable investments is proven by the fact that the corporation has four hundred stockholders in Whatcom county. The main offices are located in a substantial three-story building at the corner of Elk and Holly streets in Bellingham, and the company also has a Union station, from which fifty-five automobile busses are operated.

To the many complex problems presented to him daily for solution Mr. Sewall brings the mental alertness, broad vision, business acumen and administrative power of the true executive, and his labors have been of far-reaching scope and importance and most beneficial in their results. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and Shriner and exemplifies in his life the beneficent teachings of the organization. He is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and also belongs to the Rotary, Country, Cougar and Kulshan Clubs of Bellingham, while his political support is given to the republican party.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 776-777.

FREDERICK A. SCHILLING

Among the sagacious and aggressive business men who are working earnestly to extend Bellingham's commercial relations, none is better equipped for this task that is Frederick A. Schilling, Sr., the founder and heard of one of the city's important productive industries. A native of Germany, he was born in 1860, and he remained in the fatherland until he reached the age of twenty-two years. For some time he lived in New York city and then started for the west, with Minnesota as his destination. He aided in establishing the Minneapolis Iron & Wire Works and later helped organize the Flour City Ornamental Iron Company, of which he was secretary and treasurer. In 1905 he sold his interest in the corporation and for several years was engaged in ranching in northern Idaho.

In 1921 Mr. Schilling came to Washington, choosing Bellingham as the scene of his labors, and started the Schilling Iron & Wire Works. The business was incorporated in 1925, and it is now conducted under the style of the Schilling-Everetz Company. The officers are Frederick A. Schilling, Sr., president; Knut Everetz, vice president; R. V. Schilling, secretary; and Frederick A. Schilling, Jr., treasurer. The undertaking was the first of the kind established in this part of the United States, and since its inception the business has enjoyed a steady growth, having become essential to the district which it serves. The factory was completed in September, 1924, and is located on Ellis street. The building is fifty by one hundred and fifteen feet in dimensions and of concrete construction, and it contains a bronze foundry and a machine shop equipped with everything necessary for turning out first-class work. The company specializes in ornamental work of bronze, iron and wire and has about thirty employes, all of whom are skilled artisans. In the execution of contracts the firm is prompt, reliable and efficient, and the output of its plant adorns many of the finest buildings in Bellingham and other cities of the northwest. Mr. Schilling possesses an aptitude for successful management and carefully supervises every detail of the business, never allowing an inferior piece of work to leave his plant.

In 1890 Mr. Schilling was united in marriage to Miss Elinor Louise Trepte, also a native of Germany, and eight children were born to them. Alfred G., the eldest son, died at the age of seven years, and the others are: Mrs. Frank Dunfee, of Seattle; Elinor Louise, the wife of M. A. Sirjord, also of Seattle; Frederick A., Jr., R. V. and Charles G., all three of whom are married and associated with their father in business; Margaret, who follows the profession of teaching; and Herbert, at home. Mr. Schilling belongs to the Concordia Society of Bellingham and is chairman of its executive board. He owes his rise in the business world to a courageous spirit, tenacity of purpose and the ability to meet and master situations, and a prosperous, rapidly growing industry is the visible result of a life of rightly directed endeavor.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 71-72.

HERMAN STEINER

Honest, industrious and intelligent, Herman Steiner has made his own way in the world, progressing steadily toward the goal of success, and one of the fine ranches of Glacier township is the visible evidence of what he has accomplished. A native of Germany, he was born in October, 1864, and his parents, Wilhelm and Paulina Steiner, were life long residents of the fatherland. William Steiner was a man of importance in his community and for twenty-five years filled the office of burgomaster.

Herman Steiner was educated in Germany, attending the grammar schools and a gymnasium, and when a youth of nineteen severed home ties, responding to the call of adventure. He reached Wisconsin in 1883 and was afterward in the states of Texas, Louisiana and Arizona, also spending some time in Mexico. He journeyed to Washington in 1890 and for three years was engaged in placer mining on Ruby creek, Skagit county. In 1893 he took up a homestead in Glacier township and is now its oldest living settler. He has built a good home on his place, which is provided with many modern improvements, and brings to his occupation a keen sense of agricultural economics, never allowing a foot of land to be unproductive. He also operates a dairy on the ranch and his work is conducted with systematic thoroughness and painstaking care. When he came to the township there were neither roads nor bridges and the country was wild and undeveloped, bearing no evidences of the civilization of the present day.

In 1902 Mr. Steiner married Miss Lena Wagner, returning to Germany for his bride, and three sons were born to them: Norman, who now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Carl, a high school pupil, and Jacob, who is attending grammar school. Mr. Steiner exercises his right of franchise in support of the candidates and measures of the republican party, and he served for many years as township supervisor. He is a good citizen and a man of substantial worth, esteemed and respected by all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 635.

JOHN E. STRANDBERG

The sterling traits of his Scandinavian ancestors are manifest in the character of John E. Strandberg, who has rapidly mounted the steep ladder which leads to success and is now numbered among the leading automobile dealers of Ferndale. A native of Sweden, he was born in 1897 and was a boy of seven when his parents, John E. and Elizabeth C. Strandberg, settled in Bellingham, Washington. His father was an expert tailor and conducted a shop in that city for twenty years, building up a large patronage. He responded to death's summons in 1924, but the mother is still living.

John E. Strandberg, the immediate subject of this review, attended the public schools of Bellingham and began his business career as a stock clerk in the establishment of the Diehl Motor Company of that city. He was efficient and trustworthy and his employers soon recognized his worth. As his experience increased he was steadily promoted, finally becoming manager of a department. In 1925 his ambition prompted him to embark in an independent venture, and in April he came to Ferndale, purchasing the business of the Hughes Motor Company, which was started by George Leighton in 1912. The building has a frontage of fifty feet and a depth of one hundred and twenty feet. Mr. Strandberg is agent for the Ford cars, as well as for the Fordson and Lincoln automobiles. He has installed a well equipped repair shop and utilizes the services of two skilled mechanics, an experienced stockman and an expert salesman. His detailed knowledge of the business is supplemented by executive ability and good judgment, and his sales are rapidly increasing.

On September 7, 1917, Mr. Strandberg married Miss Myrtle C. Swenson, of North Dakota, a daughter of Swen J. and Lydia Swenson, who located at Bellingham, Washington, in pioneer times. They adopted a child, Gloria Jean. Mr. Strandberg exercises his right of franchise in support of the candidates and principles of the republican part and is a member of the Lions Club of Bellingham and the local lodge of Elks. He stands practically upon the threshold of his career and his rapidly developing powers have carried him into important relations. Mr. Strandberg is a young man of ability, thoroughly imbued with western energy and enterprise, and is a valuable addition to the citizenship of Ferndale.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 450-451.

JOHN S. THOMPSON

John S. Thompson, one of the well established and progressive farmers and dairymen of Whatcom county, is the proprietor of an admirably kept place on the outskirts of the flourishing village of Everson. He was born on a farm in the province of Ontario, Canada, May 27, 1890, and was eleven months old when in the spring of 1891 his parents, Robert and Ellen (Simpson) Thompson, came to Whatcom county with their family and settled on a farm in the immediate vicinity of the site on which the village of Everson came into being in that same year. Mrs. Thompson is still living here, being one of the honored pioneer mothers of the county. She was born in the province of Ontario, in the vicinity of Perth, as was her late husband. She has five children, the subject of this sketch having two sisters, Miss Euphemia Thompson, now a resident of Seattle, and Mrs. Mabel Herbst, who continues to make her home with her mother in Everson; and two brothers, Alfred U. Thompson (q. v.), postmaster of Everson, and Norman Thompson, also of that place. The late Robert Thompson, who died in 1915, developed a good farm on the place on which he settled in 1891 and was there engaged in farming for years. Upon his retirement he was employed as mail carrier on rural mail route No. 11 out of Everson and was thus engaged for ten years, being one of the best known men in that section of the county, as is related elsewhere in this work.

Reared on the home farm, John S. Thompson supplemented the education he received in the Everson school by three years in high school. He then was employed as a mail carrier, carrying the mail on rural mail route No. 2 out of Everson, and was thus occupied for ten years. In February, 1920, he bought from his maternal uncle, John Simpson, a tract of one hundred and twenty acres of improved land adjoining the corporate limits of the town of Everson and has since been successfully engaged in farming there. His place is well improved, equipped in up-to-date fashion, and his operations are carried on in accordance with approved modern methods. He has a dairy herd of twenty-five Holsteins with a registered herd leader.

On April 4, 1917, Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Beatta Vinger, and they have three sons: Robert Gail, born June 16, 1918; John Stanley, born July 9, 1923; and Douglas Vinger, born October 31, 1924. Mrs. Thompson was born in Wisconsin and is a daughter of Gus and Ingeborg (Bollrud) Vinger, both of whom also were born in that state and both long since deceased, the latter having died in 1892 and the former in 1910. The Vingers and the Bollruds were among the early settlers of the Scandinavian stock in Wisconsin, both families having been represented there since the '50s of the past century. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have a pleasant home overlooking the village, and both take an earnest and helpful interest in the general social activities of the community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 910-911.

LEE A. WILLIAMSON

Among the farmers of Whatcom county who believe in following twentieth century methods is L. A. Williamson, of Lynden township. He comes of  a splendid family, one that always stood for right living and industrious habits, for education and morality and for all that contributes to the welfare of the commonwealth. His own career here has been such as to gain for him an enviable standing throughout the community, and he is clearly entitled to representation among the enterprising and progressive farmers of his county. Mr. Williamson was born at Port Townsend, Washington, in 1890, and is a son of J. and Eliza (Bradley) Williamson. His father was born February 14, 1844, in Scotland, and was brought to Victoria, British Columbia, when nine years old. In young manhood he came to Washington, locating at Dungenese (sic). In the late '60s, after looking over Skagit and Whatcom counties, he decided to locate in the first named county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres at La Conner, now known as the John Peth place. It was largely tide flat land, but he built dikes and otherwise improved the place, which was developed into a good farm. He was progressive in his ideas and methods and assisted in constructing the first telegraph line in that county. He went to Fraser river at the time of the historic gold rush, and later went to Port Townsend, where for a number of years he was connected with the United States customs service. In 1905 he came to Lynden township, Whatcom county, and located on the farm now occupied by our subject, and here his death occurred April 25, 1915. Eliza (Bradley) Williamson was born in Missouri, and her death occurred in 1902. She first met her future husband at Whidbey island, and was one of the early settlers in Skagit county.

L. A. Williamson was educated in the public schools of Skagit county and then worked on his father's farm there and later on the Lynden township place. When his father first came to this tract which he rented, only two and a half of the one hundred and sixty acres were cleared, the remainder being a tangle of timber, stumps and brush. About one hundred and twenty acres are now cleared, the remainder being excellent pasture land. During the first five or six years here, our subject worked out during the summer season, putting in the winters on his place, but for many years now he has devoted himself closely to the operation of the farm, in which he has met with very creditable success. He is carrying on dairy farming, keeping forty heard of good grade Holstein cattle, with a registered Holstein sire, and on his broad acres he raises splendid crops of hay and grain, considerable of which he sells. He has always rented the place, having found that arrangement very satisfactory. When he came to this locality the only highway to Lynden was a muddy trail, but in the following year the county began the opening of a road.

In February, 1918, Mr. Williamson was married to Miss Ethel Crabtree, who was born in Minnesota, a daughter of C. H. F. and Agnes (Arbuckle) Crabtree, and they are the parents of three children, namely: Effie Agnes, Violet Editha and Lee Arthur, Jr.  Mr. Williamson is a member of the Grange and the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association, while fraternally he was at one time a member of the Knights of Pythias. He is a man of wide general information, keeps in close touch with the great issues of the day, on which he holds positive opinions, and is also keenly interested in whatever pertains to the progress and advancement of his community. He is a good "mixer," enjoys a wide acquaintance and is held in the highest esteem throughout his community, where his splendid personal qualities are fully appreciated.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 427-428.

THOMAS B. WYNN

Thomas B. Wynn is widely known as one of the honored citizens of Ferndale township, where he has for many years been actively identified with the agricultural interests. His well directed efforts in the practical affairs of life, his capable management of his business interests and his sound judgment have brought him well deserved prosperity, and no man in this locality stands higher in public esteem. Mr. Wynn was born in Whatcom county on the 16th of November, 1862, and is a son of Thomas and Jane (Styles) Wynn, the latter of whom was a native of this state.

The father was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 3, 1819, and was reared and educated in his native city and in 1849 came to the Pacific coast, locating first in California, where he lived until 1852. He then came to Whatcom county and filed on land on Whidbey island, and after living there for a short time he returned to the mainland and obtained employment at his trade, that of a blacksmith, at the coal mines. He filed on two hundred and forty acres of land, located about a quarter of a mile from the city limits of Ferndale. Mr. Wynn was the second postmaster of Trudder (now Ferndale), serving for two years, and he then moved onto his farm, which he cleared and put under cultivation. He created a splendid place and lived there during the remaining years of his life, his death occurring November 11, 1896. His wife died there in September, 1916. Mr. Wynn was sheriff of Whatcom county at one time and was prominent and active in his support of all measures for local improvement. He was especially strong in his advocacy of good roads and schools, and he took a keen interest in the Grange, of which he was a member. To him and his wife were born six children, namely: Marshall, deceased; Annie Maria, who is the wife of Thomas Oxford, farming in this township; Julia, the wife of Walter Smith, a farmer in Ferndale township; and Sallie S., the wife of Frank Van de Mark, also a farmer in Ferndale township.

Thomas B. Wynn received a good education, attending the public schools and an academy at Anacortes, in addition to which he had a year's work a the University of Washington. He then returned to the home farm and is now engaged in farming his portion of the ranch, amounting to ninety acres. He is up-to-date and methodical in his operations and has achieved splendid success. Mr. Wynn carried on a general line of farming, keeping also a fine flock of chickens and an excellent herd of dairy cattle. He maintains his place in a splendid condition, all of the improvements being of a permanent and substantial character, and he has long been considered one of the best farmers in the township.

On March 25, 1896, Mr. Wynn was married to Miss Ida Wheeler, a daughter of J. D. and Forbina (Hicks) Wheeler, the former of whom was a native of New York state and the latter of Canada. Mr. Wheeler came to Washington in 1883 and settled at Ferndale, where he conducted a general mercantile business for a number of years and also served as postmaster for eight years. He finally retired and moved to Bellingham, where his death occurred in 1901. His widow is now living on the old home farm. They were the parents of six children, namely: Mrs. Ida Wynn, Mrs. Edith Tawes, Mrs. Maude Slater, Mrs. Belle Wampler, deceased, Mrs. Grace Hanlon, and Oliver, deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Wynn have been born the following children: Vivian, who is a graduate of the State Normal School and the State University and is now a teacher by profession; Ardis, who also received a normal school and university education; Thomas, who is a graduate of the normal school and is now a student in the university; H. Preston, who is a graduate of the high school; and Theda and Dorothea, who are students in high school. Fraternally Mr. Wynn is a member of Ferndale Lodge No. 141, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and, with his wife, belongs to the Daughters of Rebekah. Both are members of the Grange, as are their two youngest daughters. Mr. Wynn has served as justice of the peace continuously since the organization of Ferndale township, in 1914. He possesses stanch qualities of character, is a good business man and is energetic in his labors, while his genial and friendly manner has gained for him a host of warm friends throughout the community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 430-435.

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