R. M. ABRAHMS

R. M. Abrams, a veteran of the World war, has risen rapidly in the business world and is now in charge of the Bellingham business of one of the large milling corporations of the state. He was born February 5, 1897, in the city of Seattle, and in both the paternal and maternal lines is descended from old and honored families of Washington. He is the son of R. H. and Martha (Anderson) Abrams and a grandson of Magnus Anderson, who was one of the first white settlers in the La Conner district, hewing a farm out of the wilderness. The paternal grandfather, Robert Abrams, left his home in the Pine Tree state in 1857 and accomplished the long and hazardous journey to the Pacific coast. He embarked in the real estate business in Seattle and was one of the builders and promoters of that city, in which his son, R. H. Abrams, was born. The latter is an officer of the Lake Union Realty Company and a business man of pronounced ability and high standing.

The grammar and high schools of his native city afforded R. M. Abrams his educational advantages, and in 1917, when twenty years of age, he enlisted in the Sixty-third Coast Artillery. He was sent to the front, spending eight months in Europe, and received his honorable discharge at the close of the war. In 1919 he entered the Seattle office of the Fisher Flour Company and soon proved his worth to his employers. As his experience increased he was intrusted with greater responsibilities and in January, 1924, was sent to Bellingham, being appointed manager of the local business in 1925. He is devoted to the interests in his charge and has well repaid the confidence reposed in his ability. The company deals in flour and feed, selling only in wholesale lots, and has maintained trade relations with Bellingham since 1912. The branch in this city was established January 1, 1918, and the warehouse is situated at the intersection of Railroad avenue and Champion street. It is sixty-five by one hundred and thirty-five feet in dimensions and is built of brick.

On February 28, 1920, Mr. Abrams was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Beattie, of Seattle, and they have three children: Mary Margaret, Richard and Robert. Mr. Abrams belongs to the American Legion and is a republican in his political views. He is a young man of substantial worth, liberally endowed with intelligence and enterprise, and judging by what he has already accomplished, the future holds much in store for him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 691.

N. M. BAME

In the death of N. M. Bame, which occurred at his ranch home in Alberta, November 8, 1918, a good and true man passed to his reward, and it was peculiarly appropriate that as this loyal and peace-loving man was laid to rest the tidings flashed around the globe that the signing of the armistice has ended the awful holocaust of war that had ravaged Europe for more than four long years. Mr. Bame combined in his makeup all the essential elements of good citizenship, and there was no period in his career when he was not recognized as a man of more than ordinary force of character. He possessed a stability and strength that impressed all who came in contact with him, and he enjoyed to a notable degree the unbounded confidence and esteem of all who knew him. Mr. Bame was born at Schuyler, Colfax county, Nebraska, and in 1881, and was a son of Ed and Ruth Ellen (Wolford) Bame, both of whom were natives of Germany. He received his education in the public schools of his native county and in those of Alberta, Canada, to which locality the family moved when he was eleven years of age. They homesteaded a tract near Olds, on which they lived until 1915, when they came to Whatcom county, Washington, and bought a small place near Ferndale, where the parents spent the rest of their days, the father dying there July 6, 1920, and the mother, December 10, 1923. They had six children, namely: Wesley, William N. M., deceased, Harley, Mrs. Myrtle Stewart and Mrs. Mary Jung.

After completing his education, N. M. Bame remained on the home farm, assisting his father, until he had attained his majority, when he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in his own name and bought one hundred and sixty more, and to the cultivation of this land he devoted himself closely until his death. He was a good farmer, thoroughly understanding every phase of agricultural work, and was untiring in his efforts to create a good homestead, in which he was eminently successful. He had achieved a splendid record at an age when most men are merely starting out on their life work, for from the beginning he was intensely methodical and indefatigable in his prosecution of his work. He held worthy prestige in agricultural circles and was regarded as distinctively a man of affairs, farseeing in what he undertook and practical in the execution of his well formed plans. He was universally recognized as a splendid citizen, of lofty character, sturdy integrity and unswerving honesty. Hand and heart and purse were always open to the necessities of those less fortunate than he, and the record of his years is one of tireless and unselfish devotion. Mr. Bame was a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, belonging to the lodge at Olds, Alberta, and from the age of eleven years until his death he was a faithful and consistent member of the Presbyterian church, giving generous support to the congregation at Olds.

In 1905, in Alberta, Canada, Mr. Bame was married to Miss Emily Whitely, who was born in Taylor county, Iowa. When she was a baby of but two years the family moved to South Dakota, where her father homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land and took up an additional claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Miner county. He farmed that land until 1882, when he sold the place and went to Olds, Alberta, Canada, near which place he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres and bought four hundred and eighty acres, thus securing a full section of land, which he put under the plow and cultivated to oats, rye, barley and other field crops. He was very successful in his business affairs and continued on that place during the remainder of his life, his death occurring December 5, 1914. He was survived for a number of years by his widow, who passed away November 23, 1921. This worthy couple became the parents of four children, namely: Mrs. Susan Reeves, who lives at Howard, South Dakota; George, of Farmdale, Washington; Mrs. Mary Adkins and Mrs. Bame. To Mr. and Mrs. Bame were born five children, namely: Roy, born April 24, 1906; Harold, born January 16, 1909; John, born October 14, 1911; Lila, born December 5, 1913, and Clarence, born October 13, 1916. In December, 1919, Mrs. Bame bought twenty acres of land, a part of the old Green homestead, near the city limits of Ferndale, this county, and here she is living in very pleasant and comfortable surroundings. She keeps six good dairy cows and has about an acre in orchard. The remainder of the land is devoted to general farming. She is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and belongs to Ferndale Lodge of the Royal Neighbors of America. She is also a member of the Congregational church at Ferndale. She is a thoroughly capable business woman, managing her business affairs with good judgment and discretion, and is held in the highest esteem by all who know her. She still owns the three hundred and twenty acres of land in Alberta, but is planning to sell it. She is a woman of gracious qualities and takes a commendable interest in local social affairs and in welfare work, and owing to her genial and hospitable disposition she has a large circle of warm and devoted friends.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 937-938.

JULIUS H. BLOEDEL

The Fairhaven boom was shattered, in 1891, when it was decided to make Seattle the terminus of the Great Northern. The reaction from the high tide of speculation was severe and was accentuated by the hard times which followed throughout the nation during the '90s. But while many of the stranded Fairhavenites met the changed conditions simply by bemoaning their fate and filling the columns of the local papers with doggerel attacks upon J. J. Hill and C. X. Larrabee as the authors of all their misfortunes, there were a few brave spirits who "carried on" and who, in time, wrested victory from defeat, not only for themselves but for the lasting welfare of Whatcom county and the cities of Bellingham bay. Among these men was J. H. Bloedel, and during the dark days, from 1891 to 1898, the Blue Canyon Coal Mining Company, with its associated railroad and lumber interests, formed almost the only ray of hope to a panic stricken community; and since those days the industry in which he has played so large a part has been a constant and perhaps the largest factor in the growth and prosperity of Bellingham.

Mr. Bloedel was born at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, March 4, 1864, a son of Henry and Helen Bloedel. While still an infant, death deprived him of a mother's love and care, and he was reared in the home of his aunt at Sheboygan. Here he passed his younger days, graduating from the high school, and finally entering the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, with the class of 1885. Even before graduating from this institution he had entered the real estate business at Sheboygan, thus earning his way through the university. He remained in Sheboygan until 1889, when the great prosperity of the west attracted him, and his first visit to the Pacific coast took him to Tacoma where he had friends and acquaintances. The Fairhaven excitement wa just beginning. There was good ground for the belief that it was to be the terminus of the Great Northern and a city of large importance. Mr. Bloedel went to Fairhaven in September, 1889, found it good, returned to Wisconsin to close up his affairs and made Fairhaven his home in March, 1890. His first work was as manager of the logging interests of the Samish Lake Lumber & Mill Company, of which J. F. Wardner was the principal stockholder.

Mr. Wardner was a miner more than a lumber man, and an organizer rather than a manager of business institutions. Within a few months he had interested Mr. Bloedel in a prospect which developed into the Blue Canyon coal mine. One claim was purchased from Clarence W. Carter, and a second claim was filed upon by Mr. Bloedel. The claims were involved in litigation, which was finally decided favorably to the Wardner-Bloedel interests, and they at once began the work of development. Mr. Bloedel invested almost his entire capital in the undertaking, in which he had great faith, as the coal seemed abundant, and the quality has never been surpassed on the Pacific coast. Accordingly, when Wardner sold his interest to what was known as the "Montana syndicate," of which Governor S. T. Hauser, John T. Murphy, A. M. Holter, M. E. Downs and Peter Larson were members, Mr. Bloedel retained his interest, resolved to make the mine a success. The sale to the Montana capitalists was made in July, 1891, and they secured J. J. Donovan, whom they had learned to know and trust through his work as assistant chief engineer of the Northern Pacific Railway, to represent their interests.

The plans of the concern were ambitious and necessarily included some method of getting its product to tidewater. J. F. McNaught, of Seattle, was one of the owners. He was also largely interested at Anacortes. For this reason he wished the proposed coal road to connect with the Northern Pacific at Wickersham, from which point the coal could be transported to Anacortes. Both Mr. Bloedel and Mr. Donovan favored making Bellingham bay the shipping point, and their plans prevailed. The history of the Blue Canyon Coal Company, the building of the Bellingham Bay & Eastern Railway and the coal bunkers at Whatcom; the many reverses met by the mining concern and the gradual transformation from a coal company to a great lumber industry, has been told in the preceding volume of this history. It was largely due to Mr. Bloedel's sagacity and enterprise and sheer will power that the disastrous mining venture was made a success as a logging and milling company. He encouraged Lake Whatcom timber owners to carry on logging operations, acted as their agent, found markets for them and incidentally became acquainted with every phase of the lumber industry on Puget sound and with the men connected with it. From transporting the logs for others, he soon directed the company, first toward logging and then toward milling for itself. In a few years the members of the Montana syndicate had disposed of their holdings, with the exception of Peter Larson, and He and Mr. Bloedel and Mr. Donovan became the virtual owners of the interests directly descendant from the Blue Canyon company. After securing extensive timber rights in the vicinity of Lake Whatcom, the Lake Whatcom Logging Company was formed, July 23, 1898, operating under this name until 1901, when the Larson Lumber Company was organized and a mill erected on Lake Whatcom. A second mill was built in 1906, and in 1913 the large plant of the Bellingham Bay Lumber Company - better known as the Cornwall mill - was purchased and all the interests were consolidated as the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills. Peter Larson died in July, 1907, but his heirs retain their interests. In 1917 a large addition was made through the purchase of the mill and holdings of the Skykomish Lumber Company located on the Great Northern Railroad, east of Everett, and a second, still more important purchase, was that of large timber interests, with twenty-five miles of logging railroad, in Clallam county - thus lengthening the life of the Bellingham plant for many years. In 1918, in order to make containers for the government, a box factory was installed at Bellingham. This was burned down, September 30, 1924, but with characteristic energy, it was rebuilt and in operation by May, 1925. During the war days, both Mr. Bloedel and Mr. Donovan gave their first and most loyal service to the government. Mr. Bloedel was chairman of the fir production board, under the war industries department, and it was his business to allocate the orders that they might be promptly filled and shipped for the use of the army, the navy and the shipping board. When the building of wooden ships was abandoned, in the spring of 1918, his duties became less arduous, but until then they demanded a large part of his time. The one dollar bill which he received for his services is a framed memento on his office wall today. Mr. Donovan was, at the same time, a director of spruce lumber production, as well as a member of the county defense board of Whatcom county.

The interests of the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills are now among the largest in the state of Washington. For many years it has been the largest concern on Bellingham bay and has been the backbone of Bellingham's industry. It now operates four sawmills, four shingle mills, a box factory, a sash and door factory, and one hundred miles of logging railway, with twelve locomotives, three hundred and fifty cars and necessary logging equipment. It gives employment to an average of two thousand persons, and its business, in 1925, aggregated more than six million five hundred thousand dollars.

It is always a red letter day for Bellingham friends when J. H. Bloedel comes to town, and he regards it very much in that way himself, for his heart is there; he has been one of the builders of the city and has grown with it and has helped it grow since the very darkest days of its history. Business convenience led him to make Seattle his home in 1911, but he intimates that this was not a matter of choice but of necessity, and that he feels himself to be first a Bellingham, Whatcom county, man.

It was in old Fairhaven, in October, 1898, that J. H. Bloedel and Miss Mina Prentice, of Saginaw, Michigan, were married, and it was there that they lived for many years, forming ties of friendship which never can be broken. Three children have come to bless their home; Prentice, Lawrence and Charlotte. Lawrence is married and makes Bellingham his home, thus adding one more tie toward making Whatcom county "home" for all the Bloedel family.

J. H. Bloedel is one of the best informed men in the lumber industry on the Pacific coast. When knotty problems arise, he is one of the first called on for counsel. He is a man of great energy and business capacity. In his business ventures he has shown that rare combination of daring, tempered with good judgment, which spells success. And with it all, so his Bellingham friends are fond of telling, he is the same, unassuming, kindly friend that he was when all Fairhaven and Whatcom dug clams together in the panic days of 1893.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 671-673.

O. J. BOON

The door of opportunity is ever open to the alert, and actuated by the laudable desire to progress, O. J. Boon has diligently applied himself to each appointed task. He is an able representative of one of the largest packing houses in the country and is stationed in Bellingham, being intrusted with important business interests. He was born April 14, 1896, in Portland, Oregon, and his parents, J. H. and Coralie (Gaillard) Boon, were natives of Belgium. On coming to the new world they settled in Seattle, Washington, where they lived for two years, and in 1892 moved to Portland, Oregon. The father was a well known coffee buyer, and his widow still resides in the Rose city.

O. J. Boon was reared and educated in Portland and after his graduation from high school completed a course in a commercial college. He was associated for some time with his father and afterward joined his brother in the coffee business. In 1918 he responded to his country's call to arms and was mustered out of the service at the close of the World war. In 1920 he obtained work with Swift & Company and for six months was employed in their Portland plant. He was next sent to Oakland, California, where he spent a similar length of time, and was then transferred to Tacoma, Washington. For three years he was one of their city salesmen, and his record led to his appointment as manager of the Bellingham branch. Since November, 1922, he has filled the position, and the marked increase in the local trade during the intervening period is eloquent of his capacity for such service. The building now occupied by the company is situated at No. 1107 Railroad avenue and was completed in 1925. It is a two-story structure, twenty-eight by ninety feet in dimensions, and equipped with a modern refridgerating plant. Two delivery wagons are utilized in serving the trade and nine men are employed in the plant, while two salesmen solicit orders in the surrounding district, traveling through the country by means of automobiles. Mr. Boon is well informed regarding the meat business and capably supervises the labors of those under his charge.

On March 3, 1920, Mr. Boone was united in marriage to Miss Hazel McElroy, of Portland, Oregon, and they have a daughter, Patricia Ann. Mr. Boon is an adherent of the republican party and along fraternal lines is connected with the Masonic order. He is a young man of high character, possessing all of the qualities which make for success in the business world today, and during the period of his residence in Bellingham he has gained a large circle of sincere friends.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 688.

EDWIN R. BOSTWICK

It is an axiom demonstrated by all human experience that a man gets out of this life what he puts into it, plus a reasonable interest on the investment. The man who starts in the world unaided and by sheer force of will, controlled by correct principles and backed by every element of his nature, forges ahead and at length reaches a position of honor among his fellow citizens, achieves a measure of success that entitles him to the respect and esteem of his community. E. R. Bostwick is a creditable representative of this class - a class which has furnished the backbone of the splendid civilization which has been developed in Whatcom county. He is a native of Indiana, his birth occurring on the 7th of April, 1864, and is a son of C. A. and Nancy Jane (Lowden) Bostwick. His father was a native of New York state and the mother of Illinois, and both are now deceased, the father dying in 1895 and the mother in 1918. C. A. Bostwick went to Illinois in 1864, living there until 1876, when he went to Kansas and bought a farm, being a pioneer in the locality in which he settled. There he spent the remainder of his life, engaged in farming.

E. R. Bostwick was educated in the public schools of Kansas and remained at home, assisting his father, until his marriage, in 1891, after which he rented a wheat ranch in Butler county, Kansas, to the operation of which he devoted himself closely for several years. In 1895 he bought eighty acres, which he operated until 1902, when he sold it and came to Lynden, Whatcom county, where he built a house, in which he lived one year. He then traded that property for forty acres in Delta township, five miles northwest of Lynden, and at once went to work to clear this land, a task of considerable magnitude. Eventually this was accomplished and the land brought under cultivation, so that he now owns one of the best farms of its size in this section of the county. In 1900 Mr. Bostwick built a house and barn and has made many other substantial improvements on the place, of which he has made a very attractive homestead. The land is devoted mainly to hay and grain, of which he reaps bounteous crops, and he keeps nine good grade Guernsey cows. He is methodical and up-to-date in all his operations and the success which he has achieved has been well earned.

In 1891 Mr. Bostwick was married to Miss Emma Fetrow, who was born and reared in Kansas, the daughter of George N. and Sarah Jane Fetrow, living in California. Mr. and Mrs. Bostwick have had a family of ten children, namely: Leona and Gladys, both deceased; one that died in infancy; Irvin, who is married and has two children, Evelyn, born September 3, 1920, and Geraldine, born April 19, 1924; Joyce, Melvin, Faith, Lowell, Kenneth and Fred. The mother of these children died on December 16, 1917, and the daughter, Faith, is keeping house for the family, performing her duties in a manner that has earned the commendation of all who know her. Mr. Bostwick is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Grange. He belongs to the Fraternal Aid Union, at Lawrence, Kansas, and the Homesteaders' Life Association, of Des Moines, Iowa. He has always taken a deep interest in the public affairs of his locality and in 1922 was elected assessor of Delta township and is now serving his second term in that capacity, discharging his official duties in a careful and satisfactory manner. He is a man of good business ability, sound judgment and keen discrimination and, because of his success, his fine public spirit and his splendid personality he has long occupied a high place in the estimation of his fellow citizens, who have recognized in him the essential qualities of good citizenship.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 688-689.

JOSEPH H. BRILL

Though a comparative newcomer in Whatcom county, Joseph H. Brill, one of the substantial farmers and dairymen of Mountain View township and proprietor of a well kept and admirably improved place on rural mail route No. 3 out of Ferndale, is quite well content with conditions as he has found them here and is glad to enroll himself among the permanently established citizens of this county. Mr. Brill was born on a farm in the vicinity of Morris, Grundy county, Illinois, August 6, 1889, and is a son of Charles and Christina (Hess) Brill, the latter a native of the state of New York. Charles Brill was born in Germany and came to this country when eighteen years of age. For some time he worked in lumber camps and after his marriage became a farmer in the neighborhood of Morris, Illinois, where he lived for years or until his removal to South Dakota. After seven years in this latter state he moved to Minnesota and there resided until his retirement, when he and his wife went to Virginia, where their last days were spent. Charles Brill died in 1919, his wife in 1915.

Joseph H. Brill was a well grown boy when his parents went with their family from Illinois to South Dakota and in the schools of his home neighborhood in the latter state his education was finished. He remained with his father on the farm until he had attained his majority when, in 1910, he joined his uncle who was operating a cattle ranch in New Mexico and was there engaged in ranching operations for ten years of until 1920, when he came to Whatcom county and settled on his present place in the Ferndale neighborhood. Mr. Brill has forty acres here, and has made practically all of the improvements, the greater part of this tract having to be cleared after he took possession. In addition to general farming he gives attention to dairying, keeping a herd of ten dairy cows, and also is building up a poultry business, having now a hundred and fifty more hens on the place. He also has a fine young orchard, apples, cherries and pears, and is getting his place improved in fine shape. He is a member of the Washington Cooperative Egg and Poultry Association.

On November 8, 1911, at Clayton, New Mexico, Mr. Brill was united in marriage to Miss Hazel Osborn, who was born at Coldwater, Michigan, and is a daughter of the Rev. A. C. Osborn, a clergyman of the Christian church and a native of Michigan. A member of one of the pioneer families of that state, he is now sojourning in Whatcom county, finding the climatic conditions here beneficial to his somewhat impaired health. Mr. and Mrs. Brill have five children, Harold, Mildred, Charles, Wendell and Joseph H. Brill, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Brill are members of the Baptist church and are republicans. For some time during the time of his residence in New Mexico he was a member of the local school board of his community, and since taking up his residence in Whatcom county has given his earnest attention to local educational affairs, now (1926) serving as president of the Parent Teachers Association for his district. Mrs. Brill also is actively interested in school and church affairs and both she and her husband are helpful participants in the general social activities of the community. He is recognized as one of the enterprising and progressive young farmers of the district in which he has become so well established.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 828.

WARREN W. BROWN

Warren W. Brown, who has been a resident of Bellingham since the days of his boyhood, is a progressive young merchant of that city, a dealer in paints, wall paper and the like and a specialist in interior decorations, with a well stocked establishment on Cornwall avenue. He was born in the town of LeMars, Plymouth county, in northwestern Iowa, November 28, 1892, and is a son of Edwin D. and Mary Jane (Whitmore) Brown, the latter of whom, a native of London, Ontario, died at Bellingham in 1923. Edwin D. Brown, who died in Alberta in 1906, was born in Dixon, Illinois. He became a farmer in Iowa, later followed that occupation in Kansas and Nebraska and in 1897 moved to Canada and established his home in Alberta.

By reason of the several changes of residence made by his parents during the days of his youth, Warren W. Brown attended school in Kansas, Nebraska and Alberta. He was sixteen years of age when in 1908 he came with his mother to Bellingham and became employed as a clerk in the store of the Atwood Paint Company, continuing thus employed until his entrance into the army for service in the World war. It was on December 1, 1917, that Mr. Brown enlisted, and he was attached to the construction department of the air service. With his command he sailed for Europe in March, 1918, and they were stationed in England. For a year Mr. Brown rendered service overseas, or until some time after the war was over, and he was mustered out in April, 1919. He has continued his interest in army affairs and in 1925 was commissioned a captain in the Quartermasters Corps of the reserve army.

Upon the completion of his military service Mr. Brown returned to Bellingham and resumed his connection with the Atwood store, continuing thus engaged until November 1, 1923, when he opened his present place of business at No. 1322 A Cornwall avenue, and he has since continued in business as a merchant on his own account, carrying a full line of paints, wall paper and similar merchandise and making a specialty of interior decorations, with a stock sufficient for the needs of the fine trade area centering in Bellingham. In addition to his sales and show room he has an ample warehouse, and he does a considerable jobbing business in his line and undertakes contract work throughout the territory covered by his service. Mr. Brown is a republican and gives a good citizen's attention to local civic affairs. He is an active member of the local post of the American Legion, an equally active member of the locally influential Rotary Club and is a Scottish Rite thirty-second degree Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, being earnestly interested in the affairs of all of these organizations.

On October 14, 1923, in Bellingham, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Eva Clark, a daughter of the late A. B. Clark, one of the pioneer merchants of Bellingham and founder of the Fair store. They have two sons, Warren Clark and Charles Leonard. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have a comfortable home in Bellingham and have ever taken an interested and helpful part in the city's general social activities.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 53-54.

JOHN H. BURPEE

Among the enterprising business men who have stimulated industrial activity in Bellingham is numbered John H. Burpee, one of the useful citizens whom Canada has furnished to the United States. He was born March 8, 1881, and is a native of Woodstock, New Brunswick. His parents were John and Emily Burpee, the former a carpenter. The mother has passed away, and the father has reached the advanced age of eighty-eight years, making his home in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their family numbered ten children. In 1896 their son, F. W. Burpee, embarked in business at Vancouver as a member of the firm of Letsom & Burpee, and the original enterprise is still conducted in that city. About 1899 F. W. Burpee established the firm of Burpee & Letsom, Ltd., becoming its executive head, and on February 1, 1923, the Burpee-Adams Iron Works were opened in Bellingham.

During his boyhood John H. Burpee learned the machinist's trade under the able direction of his brother, the founder of the industry, and worked under him for several years. He mastered every detail of the business and in 1923 purchased the controlling interest in the Burpee-Adams Iron Works, of which he has since been the president. The company manufactures canning machinery of various kinds and furnishes employment to about thirty skilled mechanics. The output is sold direct to the canneries and is shipped to points throughout the United States, also to the Hawaiian islands and to Japan. The products of the firm have always been maintained at a high standard and under the expert guidance of Mr. Burpee the Bellingham business is making rapid strides.

In May, 1908, Mr. Burpee was married to Miss Alleen Curtis, a native of Nevada and a daughter of Melville Curtis, formerly a resident of Anacortes, Washington, and now deceased. The this union has been born one child, Alleen. Mr. Burpee is one of the influential members of the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce and in politics follows an independent course, regarding the qualifications of a candidate as a matter of first importance. In all that he undertakes he is actuated by the spirit of progress, and while working to promote his individual interests he has also advanced the public welfare.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 518-521.

EUGENE S. CLARK, M. D.

Dr. Eugene S. Clark, one of the well known physicians of northwestern Washington, has practiced in Sumas for twenty-three years and is also doing important work in connection with the United States public health service. He was born in New York, May 22, 1858, and his parents, Sylvester and Helen (Collier) Clark, were also natives of the Empire state. In 1865 the father journeyed with his family to Minnesota, casting in his lot with its pioneer settlers, and there followed the occupation of farming until his demise.

Dr. Clark was but a boy when his parents migrated to Minnesota, and after the completion of his high school course he entered the medical department of the State University, from which he graduated in 1888. He began his professional career in Wilmot, South Dakota, but soon afterward came to Washington, arriving in Whatcom in 1889. He maintained an office in Blaine for a few years and in 1892 entered the employ of the government, becoming connected with the department of the interior. In 1902 he returned to Whatcom county and since 1903 has followed his profession in Sumas. He has built up a large practice and is also acting assistant surgeon of the United State Public Health Service, having charge of the medical department of the immigration office at Sumas. He has a high conception of the responsibilities of the office and his work has been of much value to the government.

On October 6, 1902, Dr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Lottie A. Pattee, of Oregon. He is a Knight Templar Mason and wise master of Rose Croix Chapter of the Scottish Rite consistory. He has taken the thirty-second degree in the order, is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine and is president of the Past Masters Association of Free and Accepted Masons of Whatcom county. He is an exemplary representative of the craft and is also identified with the Independent Order of Odd fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Dr. Clark takes a deep interest in the activities of these fraternal organizations and is a trustee of the Odd Fellows building in Sumas. He served for many years as vice president of the Whatcom County Medical Society and is also a member of the Washington State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. His powers have grown through the exercise of effort and his scientific knowledge and skill have placed him with the foremost physicians and surgeons of this section of the country.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 259.

ELLA M. (OWENS) COLLETT

Mrs. Ella M. Collett, owner and manager of the Collett apartments, 629 High street, Bellingham, and for twenty-five years a resident of this city, is a native of the old Empire state, born in Ithaca, in Tompkins county, New York, and is a daughter of Spencer and Lavina (Peters) Owens, also natives of New York and members of old families there, the former born in the village of Gilboa, Schoharie county, and the latter in Deposit, Broome county. Spencer Owens was a tanner and his vocation took him at one time and another into various towns, so that his daughter Ella's schooling was gained at Ithaca, Olean and Rome, New York, and also in Massachusetts. Her later studies were given over to special work as an art student.

On June 18, 1890, at Taberg, New York, Ella M. Owens was united in marriage to Henry Harris Collett, who was engaged in the manufacture of excelsior in the village of Deposit and who died there, January 15, 1900, leaving his widow and a son, Spencer William Collett, now a master mariner and captain of one of the cannery boats plying Alaskan waters. Captain Collett married Grace Cody and has a daughter, Grace Margaret.

Henry Harris Collett was a native of India, born in the city of Calcutta during the residence there of his parents, William Henry and Rosamond (Harris) Collett, the former of whom was an officer in the British army, then stationed in India, and the latter a daughter of Colonel Harris of the British army in India. When fourteen years of age Henry H. Collett was sent to London to finish his education and entered Epsom College. Later he began the study of medicine with a view to becoming a physician but presently abandoned that idea and in 1884 came to the United States. He engaged in the manufacture of excelsior at Deposit, New York, where he met and married Ella Owens and where he spent the remainder of his life.

Following the death of her husband Mrs. Collett remained in Deposit until in 1900, when she came to the Pacific coast and settled in Bellingham, her first place of residence here having been on North Elk street. Soon she built a house on Utter street and there remained for three years, at the end of which time she sold that place and erected another on Lynn street. Six years later she rented the latter place and built on Oak street, where she resided until in 1923, when under her direction her present apartment house, The Collett, was erected at 629 High street, where she has since lived, in personal charge of the admirably appointed establishment.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 518.

PETER DAHLGREN

Among the men of foreign nationality to whom Lawrence township is largely indebted for its development is numbered Peter Dahlgren, a native of Sweden and a splendid type of the race. He was born October 2, 1855, and in 1902 yielded to the lure of the new world. After his arrival in the United States he at once started for Whatcom county and purchased forty-five acres of land in Nooksack township. Subsequently he sold the property and bought an eighty acre tract in Lawrence township, where he has since resided. He has cleared most of the place, on which he has built a good home and a fine dairy, and his cattle are all of high grade. His well tilled fields yield good harvests and his methods of farming are both practical and progressive.

In 1885 Mr. Dahlgren married Miss Elizabeth Olson, also a native of Sweden, and five children were born to them, namely: Ole, who is living in Idaho; Elizabeth, the wife of E. A. Mobery, who operates a ranch near the Dahlgren homestead; Gus, who is engaged in farming in this locality; Hilda, who was married to Jack Wisher and is now a resident of Hamilton, Washington; and Joseph, at home. Mr. Dahlgren belongs to the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and has been a member of the organization throughout the period of its existence. He owes allegiance to no party and maintains a liberal attitude in political matters, giving his support to the candidate whom he deems best fitted for office. He is deeply attached to the land of his adoption and his success is doubly creditable in that it is due to his force of character and unaided exertions.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 524.

LEONARD T. DODSON

L. T. Dodson, one of the venerable citizens of Bellingham, has lived in the Pacific northwest for more than a half century, at all times keeping pace with the development and progress of the region, and through his well directed labors along mercantile lines he acquired a competence which now enables him to live retired in Bellingham, which numbers him among its honored pioneers. A native of Missouri, he was born in 1849 and his parents were George R. and Louisa (Dameron) Dodson, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of North Carolina. They migrated from the south to the middle west and the father was one of the early settlers of Missouri, in which he was engaged in farming for many years.

The public schools of his native state afforded L. T. Dodson his educational advantages and his youth was devoted to agricultural pursuits. In 1874 he came to the Pacific coast and for seven years was engaged in the cattle business in Oregon. On the expiration of that period he opened a store in Heppner, Oregon, of which he was the proprietor for seven years, and then came to Washington. He was one of the pioneer merchants of Fairhaven, now a part of Bellingham, and engaged in the clothing business in association with M. C. McDougal. In 1893 they merged their interests with those of George E. Gage, a well known merchant of Sehome, and the business was then incorporated as the McDougal-Gage Company. In 1900 Mr. Gage acquired the stock of the senior member of the firm, which then became the Gage-Dodson Company, with L. T. Dodson as president and George E. Gage as secretary-treasurer. In 1906 they moved to a better location, opening an attractive store at No. 203 West Holly street, and successfully conducted the business for many years, dealing exclusively in men's furnishings. Mr. Dodson continued as the executive head of the firm until January, 1924, when the business was reorganized as the Gage-Dodson Clothing Company, Inc., with George Dodson as president, Victor Roth, vice president, Harley Dodson, treasurer, and Floyd Shannenberger, secretary. The firm is one of the oldest in the city and has always borne an unassailable reputation for business enterprise and reliability. The business has met the constantly changing conditions of the commercial world, keeping well abreast of the times, and its officers have always been men of ability and high standing.

In 1878 Mr. Dodson married Miss Ella Miner, a daughter of Ellis Miner, an Oregon pioneer, who came to the Pacific coast by the overland route in 1865. To this union were born three children: George, head of the Gage-Dodson Clothing Company; Ava, the wife of Dr. W. D. Stevenson, a prominent physician of Seattle; and Harley, also an officer in the business with which his father was so long associated. Mr. Dodson owes allegiance to no party and invariably votes for the man whom he considers the best fitted for the office to which he aspires. Measured by the standard of usefulness, his life has been a very successful one, and his friends are legion.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 258-259.

JOHN NICHOLS DONOVAN

Among the young men of enterprise, ability and determination to whom Bellingham looks for its future development and progress, none bears a higher reputation than does John Nichols Donovan, prominently identified with the logging industry and a member of one of the foremost families of the city. He was born in Bellingham in 1891 and is a son of John Joseph and Clara Isabel (Nichols) Donovan, who have lived in this city since 1888. The father has played a leading role in the development of the lumber industry of Washington, also achieving distinction in the field of civil engineering. A detailed account of his life is published elsewhere in this volume.

John N. Donovan attended the Phillips Exeter Academy at Andover, Massachusetts, and completed his education in the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, from which he was graduated in 1913 with the degree of Civil Engineer. For about a year he was employed in a professional capacity by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and was later efficiency engineer for the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills at Bellingham. Since 1921 he has been general logging superintendent for the firm, which operates one of the largest industries of the kind in the Pacific northwest, and his technical knowledge and skill, supplemented by keen business sagacity, are proving of much value to the corporation.

In 1914 Mr. Donovan was married, in Bellingham, to Miss Geraldine Goodhart, a daughter of J. W. Goodhart, a prominent resident of the city, and they have two children: Patricia and John Nichols Jr. Mr. Donovan gives his political allegiance to the republican party and his religious views are in harmony with the teachings of the Catholic church, of which he is a faithful communicant. He is connected with the Knights of Columbus and the Rotary Club, and with Sigma Psi and Alpha Tau Omega, college fraternities. He loyally supports every project for Bellingham's advancement, and his record reflects credit upon the city as well as upon an honored family name.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 523.

JACOBUS ELENBAAS

Few citizens of this section of Whatcom county have made a deeper impression on the people with whom they have come in contact than has J. Elenbaas, of Lynden township, than whom a more whole-souled or public-spirited character it would be hard to find. As a result of his many estimable attributes of head and heart he is held in high esteem by all who know him, and his record is well worthy of perpetuation among those of the other leading citizens of this favored section of the country. Mr. Elenbaas is a native of Holland, born in 1859, and is a son of I. and Jenete (Broenoh) Elenbaas, both of whom spent their lives and died in that country, where they had followed farming pursuits. He received a good, practical education in the public schools of his native land and was reared to the life of a farmer, to which he devoted himself until 1893, when he emigrated to the United States, locating in Michigan, where he was employed on farms and in factories for almost nine years.

The severe extremes in temperature and in weather conditions in that state did not please him, and in 1900 Mr. Elenbaas came to Whatcom county, to inspect the country, with a view to locating here. The prospects satisfied him and in February, 1901, he brought his family to this county and at that time bought his present farm of fifty-two acres. The land did not present a very inviting appearance, being heavily covered with brush and timber, but he applied himself vigorously to the clearing and reclaiming of the tract, and now has fifty acres cleared and a large part of it ditch drained. He now also has a fine, modern house and a substantial barn and henhouses, the place being one of the most desirable in this locality. Mr. Elenbaas has likewise bought and sold a number of other properties, in the handling of which he has shown keen judgment and good business ability. He devotes his attention largely to dairy and poultry farming, in both of which lines he has met with encouraging success. He keeps sixteen good grade Holstein cows and about twelve hundred chickens, for which he raises practically sufficient feed on his farm.

In 1881, while still in his native land, Mr. Elenbaas was married to Miss Levina DeReght, who was born and reared in Holland and whose death occurred on the present homestead in 1904. To their union were born seven children: Martin, who lives at Lynden, is married and has three children; Ike, of Lynden, is married and has three children, as has Herman, who also lives at Lynden; Peter is married and has one child; Joseph, who now operates the home place for his father, was married to Stella Catherine Burns, and they have two children, Cerina and Renier. Mrs. Jennie DeYoung, whose husband is a minister in California, is the mother of seven children; Mrs. Nellie Heutink, of Delta, is the mother of three children. Peter was in the military service for a few months during the World war. Joseph saw active service throughout the war, having served overseas from December, 1917, to May, 1919. He took part in a number of the leading engagements of that struggle and was also in the army of occupation. With the exception of the period of his war service, he has spent practically all of his time on the home farm and is now carrying on the active operation of the place, permitting his father to take things more leisurely than formerly. Ike served for four years in the United States navy prior to the recent war, having been at Manila and other places in the far east during the Russo-Japanese war.

Mr. Elenbaas is a member of the Whatcom County Poultry Association and is deeply interested in all matters that relate to or affect the prosperity of the farmer. He supports all measures for the public good, and because of his consistent and upright life he has won a high place in the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens in Lynden township.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 742-743.

JOHN A. ENGDAHL

To write the personal records of men who have raised themselves from humble circumstances to positions of independence and responsibility in a community is no ordinary pleasure. Self-made men who have achieved success by reason of their personal qualities and have left the impress of their individuality upon the progress and growth of their place of residence, affecting for good such institutions as are embraced within the sphere of their usefulness, unwittingly, perhaps, build monuments more enduring than marble obelisk or granite shaft. In this group unquestionably belongs the gentleman whose name appears above and who has long been accorded a place in the front rank of the representative men of his section of the county.

J. A. Engdahl was born in Kansas in 1878 and is a son of John A. and Christina (Nelson) Engdahl, both of whom were natives of Sweden, the father having been born and reared in Stockholm. The latter came to the United States in young manhood and located in Kansas, where he grew to manhood and met and married Miss Nelson. Our subject remained in Kansas until he was about nine years of age, when he accompanied the family to Seattle, Washington. From that time he has practically made his own way, his first employment being as a newsboy in Seattle. He had secured a fair education in the public schools of his native state and was accustomed to farm work. His father died while they were living in Seattle, and in 1892 he and his mother came to Ten Mile, where they settled on a small farm. His mother later became the wife of M. J. Miller, but is now deceased. When he was twenty years of age he bought his present place of one hundred and twenty acres, it having been the old John Anderson homestead. He started out on his own account with practically nothing, and on this land which he bought no improvements had been made. At that time the Guide Meridian road had not been opened and the East-West road was only a trail, while a trip to Bellingham and back required a full day. In those days his principal income was from shingle bolts and timber, and he cut and hauled many logs to the mill for two and a half dollars a thousand feet, delivered. After he had the timber sufficiently cleared from the land, he engaged in general farming and dairying, and now keeps a nice herd of good grade Jersey milk cows. All of the land is now cleared excepting about ten acres, which is devoted to pasturage. He also keeps a good run of laying hens, in the handling of which he has met with splendid success, and he is planning to engage in fruit and berry raising. His farm is well improved in every respect, and Mr. Engdahl is reaping the fruits of his former years of toil and earnest endeavor. He has always been a hard-working man. In his younger days in Seattle he was employed on construction work for seven years.

In 1905 Mr. Engdahl was married to Miss Maude Boldue, who died in 1906, leaving a son, George, who is now a student in the State Normal School at Bellingham. In 1914 Mr. Engdahl was married to Miss Luella Constant, who was born in Illinois, a daughter of E. B. and Louisa (Scott) Constant, both of whom were natives of that state and who came to Whatcom county in December, 1896. To Mr. and Mrs. Engdahl has been born a daughter, Frances, who is now attending public school. Mr. Engdahl is a member of the Whatcom County Poultry Association. In all that constitutes true citizenship he has been a good example, and he stands high in the esteem and confidence of the circles in which he moves. His career has been characterized by duty well performed, by faithfulness to every trust reposed in him, and by industry, thrift and wisely directed efforts, which has resulted in his acquisition of a liberal share of this world's goods, besides earning an enviable reputation for upright character and public spirit.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 267-268.

EGBERT K. FIELD

E. K. Field is the popular and efficient postmaster of Ferndale and represents an old American family, noted for generations for its loyalty and patriotism. He was born June 22, 1875, in Detroit, Michigan, and his parents were M. W. and Mary (Kercheval) Field, the latter of French descent. The family was founded in America in 1658 and has furnished gallant soldiers to the Colonial and Revolutionary wars, the War of 1812, the Civil war and the World war; in fact, to every conflict in the history of the nation. Mary (Kercheval) Field was born in Detroit in 1835. Her father, Benjamin B. Kercheval, migrated from Virginia to Michigan in 1796, making the journey in a barouche. He married Maria Forsythe, who was born in Detroit in 1800. M. W. Field was a son of Cyrus Field and a native of Maine. He was educated in the Pine Tree state and settled in Detroit in 1828, subsequently becoming one of the foremost men of Michigan. He achieved success as a banker and wholesale grocer and in 1870 was elected a member of congress. He was one of the regents of the University of Michigan and filled that office until his demise in 1889.

His son, E. K. Field, received his higher education in that noted institution of learning and began his business career with the Stearns Lumber Company, a Michigan corporation, with which he spent nine years. In 1907 he arrived at Biglake, Washington, and for six years was in the employ of the Day Lumber Company. In 1913 he came to Whatcom county, purchasing a farm in the vicinity of Ferndale, and later sold the property. He then opened a garage in Ferndale and was successful in the venture, displaying initiative, foresight and good judgment in the conduct of the business. He was appointed postmaster in 1923 and is devoted to the interests intrusted to his charge, maintaining a high standard of service.

On November 26, 1902, Mr. Field married Miss Jennie Russell, a resident of Lake City, Michigan, and a daughter of Hector and Margaret Russell. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Field: Kercheval, who is a member of the United States Signal Corps and has a wife and one child, a daughter; Alice Woodbridge, a teacher in the Ferndale public school; Florence Gladys, at home; and Alfred, a high school pupil. Mr. Field is affiliated with the Episcopal church and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. He is deeply interested in everything that touches the welfare and progress of his community and for two years was chairman of the board of education, while for six years he acted as city clerk. He is active in fraternal affairs and has held all of the chairs in the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and has taken the thirty-second degree in the Masonic order, also belonging to Nile Temple of the Mystic Shrine. Mr. Field has been faithful to every trust reposed in him, never swerving from the course dictated by conscience and honor, and has won as his reward the respect, confidence and good will of his fellowmen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 525-526.

FRANK E. FROST

Frank E. Frost is an active factor in Bellingham's industrial circles as treasurer of the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills, to which position he was elected in April, 1913. His birth occurred at Clarion, Iowa, on the 6th of May, 1884, his parents being E. J. and Henrietta (Stover) Frost. The father was engaged in the operating department of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad at Clarion, Iowa, for many years, but in 1903 he journeyed westward with his family and took up his abode in Whatcom county, Washington, purchasing a farm at Weiser lake. His wife is deceased, and he now makes his home in Bellingham.

Frank E. Frost attended the public schools of his native city, and following his graduation from high school in June, 1902, he entered the employ of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad as a clerk in the freight department, remaining there for a year. At the expiration of that period he accompanied his parents on their removal to this state and at Bellingham entered the service of Fred Kenoyer, who operated a lumber mill, Mr. Frost having charge of the yard and sales for two years. In November, 1905, he went to Oakland, California, where he attended the Polytechnic Business College for five months, after which he spent one month as a student in Wilson's Business College of Seattle. In April, 1906, he returned to Bellingham. Subsequently he worked for the Chicago Great Western Railroad in Seattle as stenographer and traffic man until July, 1908, when he came back to Bellingham and obtained employment as stenographer with the Larson Lumber Company. occupying that position for two years. At the end of that time he accepted the position of bookkeeper for the Lake Whatcom Logging Company and the Larson Lumber Company, which were all the same people, and when the latter company was reorganized on the 1st of April, 1913, under the name of the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills, Mr. Frost was elected to its treasurership and is now in charge of its finances and otherwise active in its management and control. He took charge of accounts for the company in March, 1911, and during the past fifteen years has filled the official position of treasurer. The steps in his orderly progression are easily discernible, and he has advanced steadily, having long been active in the control of one of Bellingham's substantial business enterprises.

On the 20th of November, 1907, at Bellingham, Mr. Frost was united in marriage to Miss Emma I. Seelye, a native of Minnesota and a daughter of Lyman Seelye, a worthy pioneer of Whatcom county, Washington. Their family numbers four daughters, namely: Dorothy, Helen, Katharyn and Margaret. Mr. Frost is a republican in his political views but is not as aspirant for office, preferring to concentrate his energies on his business affairs, which are well directed and are of growing importance. He may well claim the proud American title of self-made man, for his success is the merited reward of his wisely directed efforts, unfaltering industry and marked business ability.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 52.

FRANK HAM

Frank Ham, well known as a substantial farmer and dairyman of Custer township, living in the immediate vicinity of the village of Custer, is an Englishman by birth but has been a resident of this country since the days of his young manhood. He formerly had his home for years in Nome, Alaska, having gone in there in the days of the gold "rush" nearly thirty years ago, and when in a reminiscent mood has some mighty good stories to tell of the stirring scenes enacted there when men from all parts of the world were in a mad quest for gold or for such unnatural excitement as attends the making of a gold camp in a new country. On leaving Alaska he sought a home in Washington, took over a piece of land in Whatcom county and is now quite contentedly following the peaceful and uneventful life of a dairyman. He is doing well in his operations, and is satisfied with the choice which brought him here. Mr. Ham was born on a farm in Somersetshire, England, June 21, 1871, and is a son of Edwin Ham and wife, the latter dying when her son Frank was but a babe. Edwin Ham, who also was born in Somersetshire, spent all his life there.

Reared in Somersetshire, Frank Ham was educated in the public schools and remained on the farm with his father until he was nineteen years of age when, in 1890, he came to the United States, landing at New York. For a year he was employed at farm labor in New York state and then came to Washington, locating in the White River (Thomas) settlement in King county. For four years he worked there at farm labor and then leased land in the Kent neighborhood and engaged in farming on his own account until 1899 when he closed out his interests there and went into the Atlin gold fields in British Columbia. In 1900 he followed the rush into the Alaskan fields and became located at Nome, where he remained for eight years, at the end of which time he "came out," spending a winter in Washington. He then returned to Nome and two years later took a trip back to his old home in England, returning thence to Nome, where he remained until 1911, when he "came out" for good and has since been a resident of Whatcom county. Upon settling here Mr. ham bought the tract of fifty-two acres on which he now is living in the vicinity of Custer, fifteen acres of which tract was cleared at that time. He has cleared the remainder, improved his place in up-to-date fashion and now has a model dairy farm here and a fine orchard. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association, has a good herd of dairy cattle and is carrying on his operations in accordance with approved methods.

On July 2, 1913, in Bellingham, Mr. Ham was united in marriage to Miss Alice Durstin, a schoolmate of his boyhood days in Somersetshire, who had come to America on the Mauritania to fulfill the troth they long before had plighted, and who at once took her place in the community thousands of miles away from her old home. Mrs. Ham was born in Somersetshire and is a daughter of George and Tamar (Evans) Durstin, the latter of whom died in 1913. George Durstin, a carpenter, is still living in Somersetshire. Mr. and Mrs. Ham are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take an interested and helpful part in church work as well as in general good works and social activities of the community of which they are a part.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 828-829.

JAMES M. HENDERSON

James M. Henderson, a veteran of the Spanish-American war and a well known retired farmer of Whatcom county, now living in Bellingham, is proprietor of a well appointed apartment house on Iron street. He has been a resident of the coast country since the days of his young manhood, a period of nearly a half century, most of which time has been spent in Washington, and thus he is thoroughly acquainted with conditions here, for he has witnessed the development of this region from the days when the railroads were just being builded and knows every step that has been taken in the progress of this state to its present high stage of development. Mr. Henderson is a native of the old Hawkeye state, born in Jefferson county, Iowa, in 1858, and is a son of William R. and Eliza Jane (Hogue) Henderson, the latter born in Holland. The father was a member of an old Southern family but when the Civil war came on he enlisted in behalf of the Union cause and went to the front as a member of the Third Iowa Cavalry, with which gallant command he was serving when in 1864 he was killed in action at the battle of Ripley, Mississippi.

Thus early bereft of a father's care, James M. Henderson, who was but a small child when his father met a soldier's fate in battle, was taken into the home of his paternal grandparents in Iowa and was there reared. When he attained his majority he went to Minnesota, where he became engaged in teaming, but did not stay there long, for in that year, 1879, he came to the coast county to take a hand in railroad construction work in Oregon. Later he came to Washington, working out of Dayton as a freighter, hauling goods from Walla Walla to Spokane. He afterward took employment in the railroad shops at Sprague, then became a car inspector, following the line of the Northern Pacific railroad as it was gradually extended to its terminus. In 1885 he settled in Seattle but in 1895 returned to Dayton and engaged in farming in the vicinity of that city, where he remained until 1904, when he closed out his affairs there and homesteaded a tract of land in the Quincy neighborhood in Grant county. He "proved up" on that place and in 1908 closed out there and came to Whatcom county and took over a ranch in the Anderson creek bottoms in the neighborhood of Rome, where he carried on his farm operations until his retirement in 1920, when he removed to Bellingham, where he since has made his home, proprietor of an apartment house at 1251 Iron street for which he traded his farm.

Mr. Henderson is the possessor of a Medal of Honor granted by congress for conspicuous service in the Philippines as a soldier during the time of the Spanish-American war. When the call for volunteers went out in the spring of 1898 for service in the war against Spanish oppression in Cuba Mr. Henderson enlisted as a member of the First Regiment, Washington Volunteer Infantry, and was sent to the Philippines, his service covering the period from April, 1898, to November, 1899. He is a member of the United Spanish War Veterans and has ever taken an earnest interest in the affairs of that patriotic organization. He is a republican and is helpfully interested in local civic affairs.

On May 1, 1881, at Dayton, Washington, Mr. Henderson was united in marriage to Miss Frederika Richardson, a native of Canada, who had become a resident of Dayton during the days of her young womanhood and is thus also accounted among the pioneers of this state. Of the children born to this union all are living save one, Mr. and Mrs. Henderson having three sons, Otto H. Henderson, now living at Quincy; Elmer Henderson of Bellingham and Herbert Henderson, who is now serving in the United States navy and six daughters, namely: Adella, who married Norman D. Johnson, now living at Quincy; Mrs. Enola F. Wood of Tacoma; Mrs. Ella larson of Medford; Mary, wife of Joseph Handley, of Bellingham; Bonnie and Alice A., who are still at home. The Johnsons have six children, the Larsons one and the Handleys one, thus giving Mr. and Mrs. Henderson eight grandchildren, in whom they take a very proper pride and much delight.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 452-453.

HENRY HOFFMAN

One of the old pioneers of Whatcom county, who has borne his full share of the hardships, discomforts and privations of the early days and is now, after a life of successful effort, living in honorable retirement in Lynden, is Henry Hoffman, a highly respected citizen of this locality. Mr. Hoffman is a native of Germany, born in 1851, a son of Henry and Katrina Hoffman, both of whom died in their native land. Our subject received his educational training in the public schools of the fatherland, remaining at home until he was about twenty years of age, when, in 1871 he emigrated to the United States. He first stopped in Buffalo, New York, where he remained a few months, and then, in 1872, went to Kansas. He located at Dodge City, where he hunted buffalo, and in that occupation covered most of the buffalo country. There were then many Indians in that section and he had a number of fights with them.

In 1878, the buffalo being greatly diminished in numbers, Mr. Hoffman went to Colorado, where he was engaged in mining until 1883, in which year he came to Whatcom county, taking up a homestead near Delta. There were no roads near his land and he was compelled to pack in all his goods, though he used the old Diagonal road part of the way toward his tract. The land was heavily timbered and he applied himself vigorously to the task of clearing it, though during those first years he also worked out a good deal in order to earn ready money. He cleared over thirty acres of the land, which he maintained in a fine state of cultivation, and lived there until 1920, when he sold the place on contract, and he is now making his home with Frank Weidkamp, in Lynden. His farm comprises eighty acres and is, with its up-to-date improvements, considered a very desirable property. A man of quiet and unassuming manner, Mr. Hoffman nevertheless possesses those traits of character which commend a man to the good favor of his fellowmen, and he has long enjoyed an enviable standing throughout the community, where his character and fine public spirit are fully appreciated.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 270-273.

CHARLES F. JOHNSON

Charles F. Johnson, who came to Whatcom county thirty-eight years ago and took an active part in the work of pioneer development here, was long and successfully identified with lumber-milling interests and is now living in honorable retirement at Bellingham. He was born in Sweden in 1854 and learned the machinist's trade in his native country. When a young man of twenty-eight he crossed the Atlantic to America, settling first in Wisconsin, in which state he resided for seven years. On the expiration of that period, in 1888, he came west to Whatcom county, Washington, and at once became a factor in the work of progress and improvement here. He assisted in building the bridge between Sehome and Whatcom. He also worked in the sawmill which produced the lumber for the plank road (guide meridian road) between Lynden and the city limits. Subsequently he embarked in the shingle business at Lawrence in association with three partners but at the end of a year sold his interest in the mill to Murray Brothers, by which firm he was thereafter employed as chief engineer for several years. Mr. Johnson next conducted a lumber mill at Cedarville for about five years, after which he spent another period of two years as chief engineer with Murray Brothers and then engaged in mechanical engineering in the Canadian province of British Columbia for four years. About 1921 he returned to Whatcom county and joined his family at Bellingham, where he has since lived retired in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. He owns an attractive home at No. 1013 Lake street in Bellingham and also has a twenty acre ranch at Harmony which is devoted to general farming. In 1909 Mr. Johnson had the misfortune to lose his home and other property when the Nooksack river rose, owing to the inefficient work of the county engineer, and he lost everything.

In 1883 Mr. Johnson was married in Price county, Wisconsin, to Miss Elizabeth Erickson, a native of Sweden. The young couple established their home in the new world and here reared their family of seven children, as follows: Mrs. Ella Mathis, who resides at Westminster, British Columbia, and has one child; Mrs. Annie Johnson, who lives at Bellingham and is the mother of two children; Mrs. Freda Anderson, who also makes her home at Bellingham and has two children; Mrs. Victoria Akin, who resides at Bellingham and is the mother of two children; Oscar, who is employed in the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills of Bellingham; Roy William, who is in the service of the Metropolitan Insurance Company; Esther, who is connected with the Morse Hardware Company of Bellingham.

Mr. Johnson gives his political support to the republican party, while fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church, to which his wife and children also belong. Coming to the United States in early manhood, he here found the opportunities which he sought and so wisely utilized them that he is now enabled to spend the evening of life in comfort and ease. His friends are many, for all who know him entertain for him warm regard and esteem.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 728-731.

PETER HENRY KINGSLEY

For more than a quarter of a century members of the Kingsley family have contributed toward the agricultural development of Lawrence township, and the record of Peter Henry Kingsley creditably sustains the traditions of an honored name. He was born June 17, 1887, in the state of Nebraska, and his parents, Hans P. and Carrie Kingsley, were natives of Norway. They came to the United States about the year 1870 and established their home in Chicago, in which the father followed the tailor's trade for several years. In 1886 they migrated to Nebraska and in 1892 came to northwestern Washington. For a few years Hans P. Kingsley worked in sawmills at Bellingham and about 1900 purchased land in Lawrence township. This place he later sold and bought another tract of forty acres in the township. He cleared a portion of the property and devoted the remainder of his life to the cultivation and improvment of the ranch. He was a man of importance in his community and established an enviable reputation as a public servant, becoming successively a member of the school board, township supervisor and road supervisor. His useful and upright career was terminated in 1920, and his widow is now a resident of La Conner, Washington.

Peter H. Kingsley attended the public schools of Bellingham and at the early age of thirteen became a wage earner, securing work in a shingle mill. He was afterward employed along various lines, and in 1918 he responded to the call to arms, spending three months in the service of his country. After his discharge he again worked in shingle mills and in 1920 bought ten acres of land in Lawrence township. He has a good dairy on his place and is also engaged in the poultry business. He believes in scientific methods and his work is performed with system and thoroughness.

In 1916 Mr. Kingsley was united in marriage to Miss Anna Marie Helgesen, a daughter of Ole and Haaga Helgesen, who left their home in Norway and sought the opportunities of the United States. The mother has passed away and Mr. Helgesen now resides with the subject of this sketch. Mr. Kingsley is a member of the Whatcom County Associations of Poultrymen and Dairymen and keeps in close touch with all new developments in connection with these industries. He is a young man of self-reliant nature, endowed with intelligence and enterprise, and the respect accorded him is well deserved.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 726.

JAMES A. LOGGIE

Like all men who have achieved the full measure of success, James A. Loggie has risen to the top through concentrated effort, combined with the ability to meet and master situations, and his constantly expanding powers have placed him with the industrial leaders of the Pacific northwest. He is widely known as the executive head of the Whatcom Falls Mill Company, a business which has greatly stimulated the growth of Bellingham. It has withstood the test of time and for more than thirty years has been in continuous operation.

A native of New Brunswick, Canada, Mr. Loggie left home when a boy of twelve, making his way to the States, and for two years worked in a store in New York city. He arrived in Port Gamble, Washington, in 1882 and entered the employ of the Puget Sound Mill Company. He was made paymaster and filled that position for eight years. Later he embarked in the real estate business in Seattle and was also a director of one of the banks of that city. He was financially interested in two sawmills but lost heavily in the money panic of 1893 and was compelled to start life anew. He chose the Bellingham Bay district as the scene of his activities and in partnership with his brother, G. W. Loggie, organized the Whatcom Falls Mill Company in 1895. They rented the old Kansas Colony mill, which was then owned by C. X. Larrabee, and later they leased another mill on the south side. In order to meet the demands of their rapidly growing business they erected a modern plant on the  wharf at the foot of G street, completing the structure in 1903.

The company specializes in red cedar products and manufactures bevel siding, ceiling, finish pickets, flooring, mouldings, lath, shingles, porch columns, battens, tanks, etc., selling only in wholesale lots. The sawmill has a daily capacity of two hundred thousand feet and that of the planing mill is one hundred thousand feet. The box factory has a capacity of fifty thousand feet and the shingle mill is capable of producing six hundred thousand shingles each day. The corporation buys its logs in the open market and the finished product is shipped to all parts of the globe. The firm has the largest and best equipped plant of the kind in the world and during the past ten years has distributed nearly eighteen million dollars in Bellingham for labor and logs. It has two hundred and fifty men in its service and twenty-five employes have been with the firm since the founding of the business. Governed by high ideals of service, the company has aided in raising the standards of American industry and its finished products are the result of years of striving for perfection. A. E. Loggie is secretary of the firm and since the demise of G. W. Loggie in March, 1923, the subject of this sketch has been president and manager of the business. His correct estimate of men has enabled him to fill the many branches of the industry with employes who seldom fail to meet his expectations, and in its control he brings to bear ripe experience, unerring judgment and administrative ability of a high order.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 266.

CORNELIUS A. McDONALD

Early in life Cornelius A. McDonald realized that there is no excellence without labor, and his progress has been commensurate with his industry and ability. He was long identified with industrial pursuits and in now engaged in merchandising, ranking with the leading business men of Silver Beach. He was born June 2, 1876, on Prince Edward island, Canada, and his parents, Cashmere and Elizabeth (Campbell) McDonald, were natives of Scotland. He was reared on his father's farm and received a public school education. He was employed in woolen mills for twenty years, rising to the position of foreman, and resided for some time in the state of Massachusetts. In 1912 Mr. McDonald arrived in Silver Beach, Washington, a suburb of Bellingham, and aided in building the cement plant, of which he was made assistant master mechanic. Since August 1, 1923, Mr. McDonald has conducted a store at Silver Beach, handling groceries, confectionery, etc., and he also serves light lunches. He is a sagacious business man, possessing initiative and executive force, and is ever ready to supply the needs and wishes of customers. His stock is of high grade and his well known honesty and reliability have brought him a large share of public patronage.

In 1900 Mr. McDonald married Miss Mae Fisher, a native of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, and a daughter of James and Grace (Gorrie) Fisher, both of whom are deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. McDonald were born six children: Raymond, who is connected with the Bloedel Donovan Mills and has a wife and daughter; and Stanley, Elmer, Donald, Mae and Ralph, all of whom are at home. Mr. McDonald is a Mason, belonging to Bellingham Lodge No. 151, F. & A. M., and a member of the lodge of Elks No. 194. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the candidates and measures of the republican party and was road foreman for a few years. In 1923 he was elected township supervisor and is now acting as chairman of the board. He has a high conception of the duties and responsibilities of citizenship and lends the weight of his influence to every project of reform, progress and improvement.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 524-525.

JOHN W. McMAHON

John W. McMahon, general mill superintendent of the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills at Bellingham, has remained in the service of this company through the past two decades and is one of its most valued representatives. He was born in Ontario, Canada, on the 13th of April, 1882, and was a little lad of six years when brought across the border into the United States by his parents, who located in Michigan. He acquired his education as a public school pupil and after putting aside his textbooks obtained employment in a screen door factory. At the age of nineteen he became superintendent of the mill of the Brown Brothers Lumber Company at Rhinelander, Wisconsin, which concern he represented in that capacity for a period of three years. It was in 1902 that he made his way westward across the country to Washington, going to Biglake, Skagit county, while subsequently he spent six months in British Columbia. Returning to Wisconsin, he was there connected with the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, for two years, after which he again entered the service of the Brown Brothers Lumber Company as mill superintendent. In the year 1906 he once more came to Washington and settled at Bellingham, where he identified himself with the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills as foreman of Mill A. Later he was made foreman of Mill B, while since 1923 he has filled the position of general mill superintendent, his previous experience well qualifying him for the important duties which devolve upon him in this connection.

In 1907 Mr. McMahon was married to Lydia Green, a daughter of John Green, of Wisconsin. They are the parents of four sons and one daughter, namely: Clement, a high school student; and Paul, Jack, Mary and Richard. In his political views Mr. McMahon is a stanch republican, while fraternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and the Rotary Club, and all who know him attest his sterling qualities and personal worth.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 521-522.

ARCHIE MORRISON

Bellingham is indebted to Canada for many of its leaders of business enterprise, and in this connection Archie Morrison is deserving of particular mention owing to his substantial contribution toward the development of the lumber industry of Washington. He was born July 23, 1852, and is a native of Quebec. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Clarkson) Morrison, the former of whom was also engaged in the lumber business and operated a mill at Montreal, Canada.

Archie Morrison attended the public schools of the Dominion and in his father's plant mastered the technicalities of the lumber business, from time to time assuming heavier responsibilities. For seven years he was engaged in the sawmill business in the province of Manitoba and then crossed the border into the United States, coming to Whatcom county in 1893. At Ferndale, Washington, in association with his brothers, he organized the Morrison Mill Company, of which he became president and treasurer, and William Morrison was elected vice president. Robert Morrison was chosen secretary and James and Archie Morrison were named as directors. The Ferndale plant, which had a capacity of seventy-five thousand feet of lumber per day, was later destroyed by fire. About 1903 the firm erected a mill at Bellingham which has a capacity of one hundred and twenty-five thousand feet per day, and afterward opened a plant at Blaine, Washington, capable of sawing seventy-five thousand feet of lumber per day. In 1918 the company purchased a mill at Anacortes, Washington, which it has improved until this is one of the best and most modern mills in the state, with a capacity of one hundred and fifty thousand feet per day. The firm owns a large amount of standing timber and furnishes employment to about five hundred men. The industry ranks with the largest of the kind in Washington and the prestige now enjoyed by the company is due to the indefatigable efforts of the six Morrison brothers, who are constantly devising new plans for the expansion of the undertaking. Robert Morrison, the second son of William and Elizabeth (Clarkson) Morrison and now a resident of Blaine, was the promoting head of the business. It was his initiative and ability that laid the foundation for the present great Morrison mill industry of northwestern Washington. High ideals of service have ever governed the firm and the industry has constituted a vital element in the upbuilding of the Pacific northwest.

On September 18, 1878, Archie Morrison married Miss Barbara Bennett, a native of Quebec, Canada, and of Scotch descent. They have become the parents of three daughters and two sons, all of whom are living. Mr. Morrison gives his political allegiance to the republican party. he is a man of marked strength of character and occupies a central place on the stage of activity in Bellingham, which has greatly benefited by his progressive citizenship.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 64-67.

CLARENCE A. NICHOLS

For nearly forty years Clarence A. Nichols, a carpenter now living retired in Bellingham, has been a resident of Whatcom county and he therefore very properly may be regarded as one of the pioneers of this region. A native of the Empire state, he was born in Essex county, in 1855, a son of Charles and Adaline Nichols, and was ten years of age when in 1865 his father closed out his affairs there and with his family moved to Iowa, settling on a homestead farm in Clayton county, where young Clarence grew to manhood, familiar with the trials and tribulations that faced the settlers of the middle west in the days of drouth, hot winds, blizzards, prairie fires and grasshoppers.

Upon attaining his majority, Clarence A. Nichols left the home farm and went to the neighboring state of Kansas, taking up a homestead claim in Rooks county. He presently married, established his home on that place and continued farming there, incidentally also following the trade of carpenter, until 1888, when he closed out his holdings there and with his family came to the Territory of Washington, taking up a homestead tract between Whatcom and Samish. A year later he disposed of that claim to advantage and moved to Fairhaven, where he became engaged as a carpenter and builder and in this vocational capacity helped to build up that section of the present city of Bellingham. Mr. Nichols made the mortar boards preparatory to the erection of the old Fairhaven Hotel, forerunner of the present Victoria Hotel. He also had a hand in the erection of most of the buildings of consequence in that section during the '90s. In 1902, the year before the settlements finally agreed to a general incorporation under the name of Bellingham, he moved to the northside and built a dwelling on High street, establishing his home there and continuing to take a part in building operations. In 1912 he traded his home place for a forty-acre farm in the Everson neighborhood but in 1915 sold that place and returned to town, where he built his present home at 336 North Forest street. For four or five years after his return Mr. Nichols continued active in the building trades but is now living practically retired.

It was on March 2, 1880, at Fairbury, Nebraska, that Mr. Nichols was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Alice Merry, who was born in 1858 in Bond county, Illinois, daughter of R. L. and Sarah G. Merry. She was ten years of age when her parents moved with their family to Nebraska, where she grew to womanhood and was married. She is a member of the Garden Street Methodist Episcopal church. To Mr. and Mrs. Nichols nine children have been born, all of whom are living save three. They also have seven grandchildren. Their first born Guy Floyd, now living in Vancouver, has an adopted child. The second son, Charles M., died in 1904. The first born daughter, Mehitabel, married L. M. Wadsworth of Bellingham and has two children, Vera and Clyde. The next in order were twin sons, Robert and Oren. The latter died unmarried. Robert, also deceased, married Ruth Wilson and had three children, Garnet, Ruth and Robert. The second daughter, Miss Lucile Nichols, is a teacher. The next daughter, Relta May, married C. C. Cook of Bellingham and has two children, Charles and Mary Jane. The next son, George Richard Nichols, a veteran of the World war now in hospital in California, married Lena Halley and had one child, now deceased. During the time of this country's participation in the World war (1917-18) he served with the Sixty-third Field Artillery of the American Expeditionary Forces in France and saw nine months of active service, during that time suffering disabilities that since have invalided him. Lydia A., married R. M. McCormack and is living in Bellingham.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 469-470.

JOHN F. OLTMAN

Among the citizens of Whatcom county who have achieved success along steady lines of action stands John F. Oltman, whose industry and character have gained for him the well merited respect of his fellow citizens. His career has been marked by hard work along well directed lines, and he is now reaping the reward of his efforts and sound judgment, being numbered among the enterprising and successful farmers of his locality. Mr. Oltman was born in Sherman county, Kansas, on the 1st of October, 1896, and is a son of Bernhardt and Caroline (Meyers) Oltman. His mother, who now lives on her fine farm near Lynden, was born in Zurich, Switzerland, and she was twice married, her first husband having been John Brown. Bernhardt Oltman was born and reared in Germany, whence he came to the United States in 1875, locating in Nebraska, where he remained for many years, following the trade of a carpenter. Later he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Kansas, where he remained about ten years and then, in 1900, came to Whatcom county. After spending a year in Laurel, he bought sixty acres of land in Lynden township, to the clearing and draining of which he devoted himself untiringly, until eventually he had forty acres cleared and in cultivation, ten acres of timber being retained, while the remainder was partly cleared. He made many fine improvements on the place and developed it into a valuable and attractive farm, to the operation of which he devoted himself up to the time of his death, which occurred in June, 1922. To him and his wife were born five children, namely: John F., the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Frances Fullner, of Lynden; Carl, of Lynden, who is married and has one child; Mrs. Elsie Hitzmann, of Honolulu, Hawaii; and Herman, who lives on the home farm with his mother.

John F. Oltman secured his education in the public schools and spent his early years on his father's farm, where he took an active part in the clearing of the land. He then learned the trade of an automobile mechanic, which vocation he followed about ten years, being in business for himself a part of that time. He still maintains a repair shop on his farm, where during the winter seasons he does considerable repair work. He is an expert mechanic and takes a justifiable pride in the quality of work turned out by him. During the World war Mr. Oltman desired to enlist in the Mechanics Division, but the quota was full. Later he was called to military service, and he sold his effects preparatory to going, but was later notified that he was not needed. In 1919 Mr. Oltman bought his present place, comprising forty acres of land, onto which he moved in 1921. The place was badly run down and neglected, but he has devoted himself with fine results in the clearing and draining of the land, having removed the timber and brush from ten acres and drained twenty acres. The buildings have been remodeled and improved and a new silo built, so that he is now well equipped for his dairy and poultry operations, to which he gives that major part of his attention. He keeps ten high grade Guernsey cows and a fine flock of laying hens, from both of which sources he derives a comfortable income. He raises hay and grain and has been successful in the raising of high grade potatoes.

In 1920 Mr. Oltman was married to Miss Beatrice Anderson, who was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1895, a daughter of Andrew and Annie (Brandon) Anderson, both of whom are now living at Mt. Vernon. Mr. and Mrs. Oltman have one child, Gene. Mr. Oltman has proven himself a splendid citizen, progressive in his business affairs, public-spirited in his attitude toward all measures for the advancement of the community, and genial and friendly in his social relations. These qualities have won for him an enviable place in the confidence and good will of the entire community in which he lives.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 265-266.

ALBERT V. A. PETERSON

Among the men of enterprise and determination who are pushing forward the wheels of progress in Whatcom county is numbered Albert V. A. Peterson, president of the Citizens Bank of Ferndale, and also an able attorney. He was born September 22, 1885, and received his higher education in the University of Minnesota, from which he was graduated in 1909 with the degree of LL.B. After his admission to the bar Mr. Peterson located at Aneta, North Dakota, and practiced in that state for nine years with much success, handling important litigated interests. He was elected a member of the state legislature in 1914, serving one term, and then moved to Whitehall, Wisconsin, where he practiced his profession until 1922. He arrived in Bellingham, Washington, in that year and is now a resident of Ferndale.

The Citizens Bank was founded in 1919 and opened for business on December 31 of that year as a state bank. The first officers were H. M. Erickson, president; C. B. Legoe, vice president; and R. M. Jensen, cashier. Among the directors were E. W. Swanson, Frank M. Peterson, Walter Jensen, M. S. Brooks and George Hamilton. On January 1, 1921, H. M. Erickson sold his interest to Albert V. A. Peterson, who has since been the executive head of the bank, and on the death of C. B. Legoe in 1923 M. S. Brooks was called to the vice presidency. At present Julius A. Shields is a director and vice president, succeeding M. S. Brooks. The institution has a paid up capital of twenty-five thousand dollars and is housed in its own building, a cement structure, supplied with modern vaults and all the equipment of an up-to-date bank. Mr. Peterson is well versed in the details of modern finance and his legal acumen is also a valuable asset to the institution, which is making good progress under his wise guidance.

On June 15, 1912, Mr. Peterson married Miss Edna Torson, of Whitehall, Wisconsin, and they now have two daughters, Elaine Jewel and Grace Evelyn, aged respectively nine and three years. Mr. Peterson casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party. He is a Royal Arch Mason and is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has thoroughly allied his interests with those of the state of his adoption, and his integrity, ability and public spirit have established him high in the esteem of all with whom he has been associated.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 522.

JAMES H. PRENTICE

Among the men who are making history in the Pacific northwest is numbered J. H. Prentice, one of the capable officials of the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills and for nearly a quarter of a century an influential factor in the affairs of this well known corporation. He was born March 10, 1881, in Saginaw, Michigan, and his parents were John A. and Charlotte Prentice. His father located at Spokane, Washington, in 1889 and established a shingle mill on the present site of the Great Northern depot. Later he returned to Michigan and was engaged in the lumber and shipping business in Saginaw for several years, being one of the foremost business men of that city. He moved to Seattle in 1899 and lived there until 1920, when he moved to Bellingham, where he passed away in 1921. The mother's demise occurred in 1924.

J. H. Prentice received a public school education, and his first position was with the Michigan Bell Telephone Company, with which he remained until 1899. He then came to Washington and entered the Seattle offices of the Sunset Telephone & Telegraph Company. He was afterward associated with the Griffin Chemical Company but severed his relations with that concern at the end of a year and in February, 1902, came to Bellingham, joining the Larson Lumber Company. It was organized in 1900 by Peter Larson, Julius H. Bloedel and John J. Donovan, who built a mill at the town of Larson on Lake Whatcom. In 1910 Mr. Prentice was made secretary of the company, and on the 1st of April, 1913, a reorganization was effected, at which time the present style of the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills was adopted. He still acts in this capacity and has worked earnestly and effectively to further the interests of the corporation. He possesses executive force as well as a capacity for detail and is thoroughly informed on matters pertaining to the lumber industry. The other officers are Julius H. Bloedel, president; and John J. Donovan, vice president. They have extensive timber holdings in Skagit and Whatcom counties and their logging camps are situated at Alger, Saxon and Clallam. They have three sawmills and also operate two shingle mills, furnishing employment to hundreds of men.

In 1910 Mr. Prentice married Miss Anna Faelten, of Boston, Massachusetts, and they have three children: Thomas, Adele and Roma. Mr. Prentice is an Episcopalian in religious faith and his political allegiance is give to the republican party. The exercise of effort has developed his latent powers and in achieving success he has also gained the respect, confidence and good will of his fellowmen, for high principles have guided him in the varied relations of life.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 525.

JACOB ROHWER

Among the citizens of Whatcom county who have built up highly creditable reputations and have distinguished themselves by right and honorable living is J. Rohwer, a farmer of Ten Mile township and another of the large band of foreign born citizens who have done such commendable work in the development and upbuilding of this county. His prominence in the community is conceded, and his career has been so ordered as to win for him universal respect.

Mr. Rohwer was born in Holstein, Germany, in 1855, and is a son of H. and Anna (Goetsche) Rohwer, farming people, who spent their entire lives in their native land, both now being deceased. Our subject attended the public school of his home neighborhood and then learned the trade of a painter, at which he worked there until 1880, when he immigrated to the United States. He went directly to Iowa, where he was connected with the painting business for nearly twenty years, coming to Whatcom county in 1899. After looking the country over, he bought the old Scrimsher place in Ten Mile township, which was partly cleared. He has devoted his efforts to the development of this tract until now there are about forty acres cleared and in cultivation, the remainder being pasture land. Some old buildings were standing on the place when he acquired it, but these have all been replaced with substantial and up-to-date structures, making it a very comfortable and attractive farm. In the early days dairy products, hay, grain and shingle bolts were the principal products of the farm, but Mr. Rohwer is now confining his attention mainly to hay raising and dairying, in which he is meeting with very gratifying success. He is also giving some attention to chickens, keeping about fifteen hundred laying hens, which afford a good and steady income. A progressive and wide-awake farmer, Mr. Rohwer has earned the respect of his fellow agriculturists throughout the locality in which he lives.

In 1886 Mr. Rohwer was married to Miss Kate Hilgenberg, who died in 1901. She was a native of Germany and was a daughter of C. Hilgenberg, who never left his native land, the daughter having come to the United States alone. To Mr. and Mrs. Rohwer were born four children, namely: Mrs. Lily Jagyer, who died in 1911; Herbert, who lives on the home farm; Victor, also living on the home place, who was married to Miss Lucile Brown and has two children, Jack and Glenn; and Eleanor, who remains at home. Mr. Rohwer has always taken a commendable interest in the public affairs of his locality, having served for several terms as a member of the school board of the Ten Mile district. In the early days he was in favor of every possible local improvement and did a good deal of free work on the construction of roads. This spirit of progress has characterized his entire career. Kindly and genial in all his social relations, he has a wide acquaintance and among them a host of loyal and devoted 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. 52-53.

DANIEL ROSS

Daniel Ross is one of the best known farmers and timber men in his section of the county and for many years his name has been synonymous with progress and fair dealing, for while laboring untiringly for his own advancement he has not been neglectful of his duties as a citizen of one of the choicest sections of one of the best states in the Union. Mr. Ross was born in Ontario, Canada, on the 26th of January, 1856, and is a son of William and Jane (McMasters) Ross, both of whom were natives of Scotland. The father came to America in his boyhood and located in Ontario, where he spent his life in farming pursuits, dying there at the age of eighty-two years. The two families came separately, the subject's parents meeting and marrying in Ontario.

Daniel Ross secured his education in the public schools of Ontario and remained on the paternal farmstead with his father until 1876, when he came to the States, locating in Michigan, and during the ensuing twelve years he was employed in the logging camps of that state. In 1889 he came to Whatcom county and was employed in the woods until 1910, when he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, comprising his present farm. A little of the land was cleared, but Mr. Ross has kept steadily at work and now has about forty acres under cultivation. carries on diversified farming, raising hay, corn and grain, and has been rewarded with bountiful crops under normal conditions. During twelve years of the time prior to moving onto his land, Mr. Ross was logging on his own account in British Columbia. He has been a hard-working man and has well earned the success which has crowned his efforts.

In 1903 Mr. Ross was married to Miss Mary Corbett, who was born and reared in Missouri, a daughter of William and Catherine Corbett, the former of whom was a native of Ontario, and both of whom died in British Columbia. Mrs. Ross died May 15, 1915, leaving two children, William and Daniel, both of whom still live at home. Mr. Ross was for twenty-eight years a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but is now now active in that order. He is a member of the Grange and the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. He remembers many interesting experiences of his early days in this locality. Referring to the transportation difficulties not so many years back, he states that when he came to Blaine, in February, 1890, he traveled in a stage coach and, though there were but four passenger, the roads were so bad that it was necessary for them to get out and walk up the hills in order to save the horses. They left Bellingham at eight o'clock in the morning and, traveling by way of Marietta, reach Blaine at six o'clock that evening, a matter of ten hours. Mr. Ross is held in the highest esteem by all classes in his community, because of his public spirit, straightforward business methods and friendly disposition.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 268-269.

CHARLES BLAINE SAMPLEY

Charles Blaine Sampley has chosen the practice of law as his life work and the nature and importance of the legal interests intrusted to his care establish him as one of Bellingham's leading attorneys. He was born November 17, 1884, in Elliott, Iowa, and his parents, John D. and Bettie (Ramsey) Sampley, were both natives of Perry county, Indiana. They migrated to Illinois in 1891, and both have passed away.

Charles B. Sampley was reared on his father's farm, attending the district school near his home, and completed a course in the high school at Bethany, Illinois. He received his higher education in the university of Valparaiso, Indiana, and was graduated with the class of 1907, winning the degree of LL. B. In July of the same year he began his professional career in Bellingham and has also maintained an office in Lynden, Washington. He is a wise counselor and is equally able in his presentation of a case before the courts. He enjoys a large practice and is devoted to the interests of his clients, adhering at all time to the highest standard of professional ethics.

On June 7, 1908, Mr. Sampley married Miss Laura Grimson, a daughter of Lorus and Toba Grimson, who came to Bellingham in 1905. Violet, the only child of this union, is attending high school, and she was chosen queen of the tulip festival of 1925. Mr. Sampley is nonpartisan in his political views and casts his ballot for the candidate whom he considers best qualified to conserve the public weal. He has been city attorney of Lynden and served for two years as game commissioner of the county. He is a member of the Optimists Club and along fraternal lines is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Sampley is a man of broad and liberal views, in hearty sympathy with every movement for public betterment, and stands deservedly high in the esteem of his fellow citizens.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 270.

SIMON K. SCHELDRUP, D. C., Ph. C.

Dr. S. K. Scheldrup, a successful chiropractor, practicing in Bellingham, is one of the valuable citizens whom the Scandinavian countries have furnished to the United States. A native of Norway, he was born March 17, 1892. After the completion of his high school course he entered the University of Christiania, from which he was graduated in 1911, and in 1912, when a youth of twenty, he left the land of his birth and went to Alaska, spending seven years in that country. During the World war he served in the United States army, and he was afterward a student at the Palmer School in Davenport, Iowa, from which he was graduated with the class of 1923, receiving the degrees of D. C. and Ph. C. He then came to Bellingham, securing suite No. 210 in the Kulshan building, where he has since maintained an office, and he is now caring for a large practice. He is an able exponent of the chiropractic school of healing, correctly applying his scientific knowledge to the needs of his patients, and his labors have been attended by gratifying results.

On September 8, 1925, Dr. Scheldrup was united in marriage to Miss Helen Lindley, a member of one of the well known families of Bellingham. He belongs to the American Legion, the Scandinavian Fraternity of America and Delta Sigma Chi, a college society. Dr. Scheldrup subordinates all other interests to the demands of his profession, constantly striving to perfect himself in his chosen line of work, and displays in his character the hardihood and many admirable traits of his Norse ancestors.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 78-79.

EDGAR E. SCOTT

With efficiency as his watchword, E. E. Scott has progressed far on the highway which leads to success, and he ranks with the most able and trusted representatives of the Whatcom Falls Mill Company, a Bellingham corporation, which for twenty years has had the benefit of his services. He was born December 6, 1867, in Parsons, Kansas, and was reared on a farm.  He attended the public schools and in 1885 became a student in an academy, in which he completed a two years' course. He read law for four years but did not qualify for practice, deciding that his talents lay in another direction. In 1889, when a young man of twenty-two, Mr. Scott entered the lumber business in Iowa, becoming associated with the firm of F. M. Slagle & Company. He was with that corporation for eight years, acquiring valuable experience, and was afterward connected with the firm of E. D. Mineah & Company, of Eagle Grove, Iowa, for four years. He next spent a year in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with the Robertson Lumber Company and then came to Washington, locating in Tacoma. He lived for a year in that city and in February, 1906, came to Bellingham as sales manager for the Whatcom Falls Mill Company, wholesale manufacturers of lumber, shingles and boxes. He has since filled this important office, giving to the firm the services of an expert, and his work has constituted a vital force in the expansion of this mammoth industry, which enjoys the distinction of world supremacy.

In 1898 Mr. Scott married Miss Katherine Merritt, of Grinnell, Iowa, and the children of this union are Merritt and Katherine. Mr. Scott is a Royal Arch Mason and his political views are in harmony with the platform and principles of the republican party. Thoroughness and fidelity to duty are his salient characteristics and his record proves that merit and ability will always come to the front.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 268.

PETER E. SEABERG

Among the citizens of Nooksack, Whatcom county, who have had interesting careers and who are eminently entitled to mention in a work of this character is Peter E. Seaberg, one of the rugged old pioneers of this locality, with whose growth and development he has been closely and actively identified. Under all circumstances with which he has been surrounded be has performed his full part and has gained a splendid reputation as a reliable and public-spirited citizen, enjoying today the respect and admiration of all who know him. Mr. Seaberg was born in Sweden on the 20th of April, 1859, and is a son of Carl and Louise (Erickson) Seaberg, both of whom were lifelong residents of Sweden, where they passed away. They were the parents of four children, all of whom are living, namely: Carl, Gust, Peter E. and Anna.

Peter E Seaberg was educated in the public schools of his native land and was reared to the life of a farmer, which pursuit he followed, also operating a sawmill. In 1886 he came to the United States, locating at Cascade, this state, in the fall of that year. He obtained employment in construction work on the Northern Pacific Railroad, following that occupation for several years and then, in 1889, came to Nooksack, Whatcom county, and bought thirty acres of land, one and a half miles north of Nooksack. He immediately set to work to clear the tract of the heavy timber and dense brush which covered it, using ox teams for the purpose, and built a small cabin. In the operation of this place he has been successful, his crops, principally of grain and hay. In 1904 Mr. Seaberg opened a general merchandise store in Nooksack, which he operated in partnership with William Gillies for fifteen years. They were burned out in the big fire of 1910, sustaining a heavy loss, but, undaunted, they rebuilt larger and better than before and continued their prosperous business there until 1918, when they sold out. In 1914 Mr. Seaberg bought seventeen acres of land adjoining the town of Nooksack, which he now has practically all cleared and to the cultivation of which he is giving his attention. He is thoroughly practical in all his operations, his career having been characterized by indomitable energy, persistent industry and sound judgment, and the prosperity which has crowned his life work has well merited. He is a man of fine personal qualities, friendly and hospitable, and has always been numbered among the supporters of all measures for the betterment of the community along legitimate lines. Because of his upright character, business success and splendid public spirit, he has won a high place in the confidence and good will of the entire community in which he lives.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 687-688.

JAMES FRANK SHELTON

James Frank Shelton is secretary-treasurer and manager of the Peoples Fuel Company of Bellingham, manufacturers of medicinal charcoal and by-products, and formerly engaged for years in the practice of law in Oregon. A native of that state, born at haystack, December 20, 1874, he is a son of James M. and Nancy E. (Scott) Shelton, both of whom were born in Oregon, members of real pioneer families in that state, the latter a daughter of John M. Scott, a son of Levi Scott, one of the signers of the Oregon constitution in 1857. Mrs. Shelton died in Beulah in 1904 and Mr. Shelton is now living retired in Portland. He is a son of Solomon Shelton, who was a member of that same party to which Levi Scott was attached which came over the old Oregon trail in 1844.

Reared in Oregon, J. F. Shelton was educated in the schools of that state and early gave his attention to the study of law, being admitted to the bar in 1898. He engaged in practice at Portland until 1922, when he aided in the organization of the Peoples Fuel Company of Bellingham, was elected secretary-treasurer and was made manager of its affairs. Coincident to this transaction he took up his residence in Bellingham, where he has since made his home. C. A. Riggs is president of the company, which is capitalized at three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars and has a well equipped plant at 3500 Meridian street, with six acres of land adjacent on which to expand its operations. It is said that the plant of the Peoples Fuel Company is the only one of its kind in the world. It manufactures charcoal out of sawdust, using the by-product of the local lumber mills, its specialty being a highly processed charcoal used as a mixture in chicken feed. It has a present yearly capacity of three hundred and fifty tons and in view of the constantly increasing demand for the product is now making preparations greatly to increase the output. The process used by this company is so economical that it has brought about a reduction of the wholesale price of this grade of charcoal from fifty to forty dollars a ton. The product used for chicken feed also is said to be quite equal to the commonly exploited medicinal charcoal that is sold in the market for two hundred and fifty dollars a ton and the process inaugurated by the Bellingham plant, it is thought, will revolutionize the whole charcoal industry as applied to this grade of the product. The company has its own spur tracks connecting by railway with the lumber mills and is otherwise well equipped for the expeditious handling of its raw material and its finished product. One of its valuable by-products is a pyroligneous acid which has proved particularly effective as a destroyer of Canadian thistles and other noxious weeds and for which an active demand has been created among agriculturists.

On October 9, 1905, at Echo, Oregon, Mr. Shelton was united in marriage to Miss Ethelyne Atkinson, who was born at Echo, daughter of Isaiah and Anna M. (Edmonson) Atkinson, both members of pioneer families in that state. Mr. Shelton is a democrat, while Mrs. Shelton is a republican, and during the years of his residence in Portland he took an active interest in political affairs. He is a member of the Masonic order and is also affiliated with the Woodmen of the World and with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 766-767.

JACOB SINLAN

In reviewing the career of Jacob Sinlan, one of the best known farmers of Ten Mile township, who holds a position of honor in the community where he lives, it is only just that proper tribute should be paid to his earnest accomplishments, for he has long stood among the enterprising citizens of his community.

Mr. Sinlan was born in Norway in 1882 and is a son of C. J. and Trina (Field) Sinlan, both of whom also were natives of that country. The father immigrated to the United States, locating in Tacoma in 1886, and was employed at his trade, that of a carpenter, up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1900. His widow later became the wife of William Eglington, of Bellingham. Jacob Sinlan came to this locality in 1889, and he received his education in the Columbia school at Bellingham. He subsequently obtained employment on the steamers plying the sound, being employed in the engine rooms for about fifteen years, though during that period he also worked in the woods at odd times.

About 1915 Mr. Sinlan bought his present place, comprising forty acres of timber land, of which about eight acres had been cleared, and he has since devoted himself closely to the improvement and cultivation of the tract. About thirty acres of the land are cleared and under the plow, producing fine crops of hay, and grain and corn, the latter being used mainly for ensilage. He is giving his attention chiefly to dairy farming, for which purpose he keeps fourteen fine Guernsey milk cows, with a registered sire, and he is also planning to engage extensively in the chicken business. An enterprising and up-to-date farmer, he thoroughly understands his business and is meeting with well deserved success in all that he undertakes.

In 1911 Mr. Sinlan was married to Miss Carrie Myers, who is a native of Whatcom county, having been born in what was at that time called Yeager but is now Ten Mile. She is a daughter of W. M. and Carrie (Titus) Myers. Her father was born in Iowa in 1846 and in young manhood made the long trip across the plains with ox team to California. He was married in Seattle, March 22, 1874, his wife being a daughter of J. H. Titus, who also was a pioneer of California, coming by way of Cape Horn in the days of the historic gold rush. W. M. Myers drove a horse team from California to Washington territory for Mr. Titus in the early '70s. He remained in Seattle, or near there, until 1887, and during his early years there he followed market gardening, peddling his produce over that city. He then went to Kent, near Seattle, where he followed the dual occupations of farming and carpentering, and during that period he also operated a ferry across the White river. In 1888 he took his family to the present Myers homestead in Ten Mile township, having bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, practically none of which had been cleared. The first building which they erected was a combined house and barn, both being under one roof. They entered immediately upon the task of clearing the land and putting it into cultivation, and in the process of getting rid of the timber many magnificent logs were necessarily burned, as they had no other way of disposing of them. When the ground was ready for the plow, they engaged in general farming, raising hay, grain, vegetables and fruit, as well as hogs and chickens, and when the roads were improved they also sold many cords of cedar logs and shingle bolts.

Mr. Myers was one of the first chicken raisers in Whatcom county, keeping about three hundred hens, and all of his chickens were hatched under the hens. He was also the first man to deliver winter eggs in Bellingham. He took an active interest in local public affairs, serving for many years as a member of the school board, and in his early years in this state he rendered effective service as deputy sheriff of King county. He contributed freely of his time and labor in the building of early roads and in every possible way cooperated in all movements for the improvement of local conditions. During the Civil war he enlisted for service, joining the California troops, with which he was sent into Arizona during the Indian troubles there. His death occurred May 12, 1912, and that of his wife April 12, 1893.

To Mr. and Mrs. Sinlan have been born four children, Doris, Vernon, Edith and Marion. Mr. Sinlan was formerly a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and he is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. He possesses the characteristic energy and thrift of his race, of which he is a creditable representative, and he has proven himself a splendid citizen of his adopted country.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 77-78.

KARL A. SORENSEN

K. A. Sorensen, who has resided within the borders of Whatcom county for more that a third of a century, is well known as the efficient manager of the Grange Warehouse of Bellingham, which he assisted in organizing in 1920. He was born in Norway on the 21st of June, 1866, and was a young man of twenty-four years when in 1890 he crossed the Atlantic to the United States. He first located in the state of Nebraska but at the end of a year came to Whatcom county, Washington, settling at Lawrence in 1891.

Mr. Sorensen worked in the mills and in the woods for a number of years and subsequently opened a general store at Lawrence in 1902 but eventually sold the business. He is the owner of a dairy and poultry farm in the vicinity of Lawrence. In 1920, as stated above, he aided in the organization of the Grange Warehouse of Bellingham, which is a cooperative store handling groceries and hardware and is located at No. 501 West Holly street. Mr. Sorensen became manager of the establishment in June, 1923, and has since directed the business very successfully.

In 1891 Mr. Sorensen was united in marriage to Miss Margaret C. Hoff, a native of Wisconsin and a daughter of H. C. and Caroline Hoff, who in that year had established their home at Lawrence, Washington, where they spent the remainder of their lives. to Mr. and Mrs. Sorensen have been born ten children, five sons and five daughters, two of whom are deceased.

In politics Mr. Sorensen maintains an independent attitude, supporting men and measures rather than party. He has rendered effective service to the cause of education in the capacity of school director for a period of fifteen years, during ten of which he filled that position in Lawrence township. He also made a commendable record as justice of the peace and as clerk of Lawrence township. Fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Grange. Mr. Sorensen has never regretted his determination to seek a home in the New World, for here he found the opportunities which he sought and through their wise utilization has won a place among the prosperous and highly esteemed citizens of the community in which he resides.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 96.

ALBERT STILL

A man of resourceful business ability, with well balanced mental and physical powers, Albert Still is capable of conducting varied interests and controls a prosperous mercantile concern, while he also occupies a commanding position in banking circles of Blaine. He was born April 17, 1864, in the province of Ontario, Canada, and his parents, David and Catherine (Wilson) Still, were natives of Scotland. As children they were taken to the Dominion and their marriage occurred in that country. The father was a well-to-do farmer and also engaged in the lumber business. In 1877 he purchased a ranch in North Dakota where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away in 1899. In 1907 the mother came with her family to Washington and for a considerable period made her home in Blaine, where she died in 1923 at the venerable age of eighty-seven years.

Mr. Still received a public school education and during his boyhood aided his father in operating the ranch, becoming well acquainted with the various phases of agricultural pursuits. On starting out in life for himself he chose the career of a farmer and followed that occupation for sixteen years with much success, bringing his land to a high state of development. In 1907 he disposed of his property in North Dakota and came to Washington, first locating in Mount Vernon. In October, 1908, he allied his interests with those of Blaine, becoming the proprietor of the Aronson clothing store, and has since conducted the business. He carries the Hart, Schaffner & Marx line of clothing and also deals in shoes of fine quality. He handles a well assorted stock, selected with great care, and caters to a discriminating class of patrons. He gives to his customers good value for the amount expended and receives a large share of the local clothing trade. In August, 1917, he succeeded the late George A. Willison in the office of president of the Home State Bank of Blaine and is responsible for its present status as one of the strong and reliable moneyed institutions of Whatcom county. The bank was founded in 1908 and is capitalized at twenty-five thousand dollars. The other officers are Paul A. Wolten, vice president, and O. K. Middleton, cashier. The bank is housed in a modern building of cement construction and throughout the period of its existence has maintained a high standard of service.

In 1899 Mr. Still was united in marriage to Miss Jennie D. Gorthy, of North Dakota, a daughter of David Gorthy. Her father was an agriculturist and in later life moved to Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Still have two children: Kenneth and Luella V., both of whom are attending Whitman College. Mr. Still is an earnest, untiring worker for the good of his community and served for three terms on the school board, during which period much progress was made along educational lines. He has been a serviceable factor in general advancement, and his loyalty, enterprise and integrity are qualities well known to the citizens of Blaine, who entertained for him the highest regard.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 92-95.

CHARLES TILLOTSON

The names of men who have distinguished themselves in their day and generation for the possession of those qualities of character which mainly contribute to the success of private life and to public stability - men who have been exemplary in their personal and social relations and enjoyed the respect and confidence of those about them - ought not to be allowed to perish, for all are benefitted by the delineation of those traits of character which find scope and exercise in the common walks of life. In this class stands Charles Tillotson, one of the successful farmers and public-spirited citizens of the Nooksack valley, who was born in Wisconsin on the 27th of August, 1863, and is a son of Andrew and Jane (Fry) Tillotson, the former of whom was born at Waterville, Vermont, and the latter in Massachusetts. Both are now deceased, the mother having died in Wisconsin in 1871 and the father in Washington in 1900. Andrew Tillotson came to Washington in 1889 and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in Nooksack township, on the South Pass road. Later he sold his homestead right and entered another homestead but died just before proving up on the latter. To him and his wife were born five children: Rachel, Eveline, Asa, Minnie and Charles, all of whom are deceased excepting the subject of this sketch.

Charles Tillotson was educated in the public schools in Sauk county, Wisconsin, and then remained at home until 1885, when he went to Montana. After a while he returned to Wisconsin, where he lived until 1889, in the spring of which year he came to the Nooksack valley and took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres on the South Pass road, three miles south of Sumas. He cleared part of this land of the stumps and brush which covered it and lived there until March, 1914, when he sold the tract and bought thirty-two acres on the old Telegraph road in section 15. At that time only two and a half acres were cleared, but the tract is now practically all cleared and in cultivation, and he raises bountiful crops of hay, grain, beets and potatoes, as well as large quantities of berries. He has a comfortable and attractive home, has rebuilt the barn and has a new granary and cellar. He keeps six good grade cows and one pure-bred Ayrshire. He has been very successful in the operation of this place, his business record being characterized by the exercise of sound judgment and discretion, and among his fellow farmers he is held in high regard.

Mr. Tillotson has been twice married, first, on December 19, 1886, to Miss Ellen Baron, who was born and reared in Wisconsin and whose death occurred in October, 1893. To this union was born a daughter, Mrs. Jane Ashley. On May 31, 1894, Mr. Tillotson was married to Miss Sarah Bargewell, a native of England and a daughter of Benjamin & Eliza (Howes) Bargewell, both of whom also were natives of that country. They came to the United States in 1886 and in that same year came to Whatcom county, taking up a homestead in section 18, township 40, range 5 east, and there they spent the remainder of their lives, the mother dying June 9, 1891, and the father July 7, 1914. They were the parents of six children: Edward, Sarah, Ezra, Ellen, Arthur and Herbert, the last named being born after the family came to this state. To Mr. and Mrs. Tillotson have been born eight children, namely: Mrs. Rose Farmer, who lives in British Columbia, and who is the mother of a son, Anthony Eugene, born January 22, 1921; Mrs. Easter Harris, who has a daughter, Winifred, born October 1, 1922; Sydney, born August 3, 1903, who was married to Miss Jessie Thallheimer, July 6, 1925; Mrs. Blanche McDicken and Ralph, twins, born April 14, 1906; Elmer, born August 30, 1908; Inez, born October 25, 1910; and Donald, born November 25, 1912. The beginning of Mr. Tillotson's career was characterized by much hard work, and he owes his rise to no train of fortunate circumstances but solely to his own indomitable energy and persistent efforts along well defined lines. He has achieved a splendid record and no man in this locality stands higher than he in the confidence of his fellow citizens.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 266-267.

GEORGE TODD

George Todd, a member of one of the old and highly respected families of Lawrence township, is continuing the work begun by his father and ranks with the most progressive agriculturists of the district. He was born in Iowa, December 24, 1884, and his parents, John and Ellen (Robinson) Todd, were natives of England. They went to Iowa about 1883 and later journeyed to Nebraska. They came to Whatcom county in 1889, and the father rented a tract of land. In 1900 he purchased a ranch of one hundred acres in Lawrence township, casting in his lot with its pioneer settlers, and diligently applied himself to the long and arduous task of clearing his land. Eventually he brought it under cultivation and gradually improved the place, on which he resided for many years. After his retirement he moved to Everson, where he passed away in 1918, and his widow is still a resident of the town.

George Todd was a child of five when his parents came to northwestern Washington, and his education was acquired in the public schools of Whatcom county. He assisted his father in the work of plowing, planting and harvesting, thus gaining a practical knowledge of agricultural pursuits, and now owns and operates the home ranch. The soil is rich and productive and the place is supplied with good buildings for the shelter of grain and stock. Mr. Todd has a fine herd of Holstein cattle and conducts a modern, well equipped dairy, taking a keen interest in everything pertaining to this industry. He has profited by his father's sage counsel and years of experience, and gratifying results have attended his systematic labors.

On August 8, 1910, Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Burton, a native of Nebraska, and they have five children: Hazel, Arthur, Ellen, Dorothy and Georgena. Without party bias, Mr. Todd considers the qualifications of the respective candidates and casts his ballot for the man whom he regards as best qualified for office. He stands for all that is progressive in citizenship, and his stability, enterprise and integrity are well known to the residents of this district, with whom the greater part of his life has been spent.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 521.

N. A. WESTERLAND

It is under the pressure of necessity that the best and strongest traits in the individual are brought out and developed, and unqualified commendation is deserved by the man whose dauntless spirit enables him to rise superior to circumstances, bending them to his will. Of this type is N. A. Westerland, who has overcome many handicaps and is now at the head of a large news agency, ranking with Bellingham's substantial business men.

A native of Sweden, Mr. Westerland was born in 1873 and was but seven years old when his parents, M. A. and Bettie G. Westerland, settled in Michigan. The father was a laborer, and he died in 1892, when the subject of this sketch was a youth of nineteen. The latter was the eldest of five children and assumed the burden of providing for the family. He first worked in sawmills and later conducted a bowling alley at Frankfort and other towns in Michigan, also filling the position of freight agent with the Ann Arbor Railroad Company. He came to Bellingham in October, 1906, and was local freight agent for the Northern Pacific Railroad. He afterward had a sandwich and ice cream stand at Silver Beach and when fire destroyed the place he rented another. Subsequently he established a pool room in Bellingham and in 1913 bought the city agency of the Post-Intelligencer of Seattle. Later he acquired the agencies for the Times and Star and also established a messenger service. Meeting with success in the venture, Mr. Westerland decided to become and independent news dealer and now has the Bellingham agency for all of the leading magazines, selling over fifteen thousand each month. He also handles the Seattle Times and Star, the Portland Oregonian, the Tacoma Ledger, the Vancouver Sun, the Los Angeles Times and the Bellingham Herald. He sells twenty-five hundred papers daily and has ten news routes in the city, furnishing supplies to about twenty-five boys. He is an enterprising merchant and a tireless worker, devoting many hours a day to the business, which is one of extensive proportions.

In 1902 Mr. Westerland married Miss Myrtle E. Mills, formerly a teacher in the public schools of Michigan. Her father, Le Roy Mills, was an agriculturist and a member of one of the pioneer families of the Wolverine state. To this union have been born three children; Marion, Nils and Hallie, all of whom are residing with their parents. Mr. Westerland casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party and his fraternal connections are with the Eagles and the Knights of the Maccabbees. He has made his home in Bellingham for nearly twenty years and his many friends in the city speak of him in terms of high regard.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 689-690.

IRA V. WILSON

Ira V. Wilson, Bellingham florist, was born at Oskaloosa, Jefferson county, Kansas, October 22, 1887, and is a son of Armine and Elizabeth (Venters) Wilson, the latter of whom is till living, now a resident of Bellingham. The late Armine Wilson, a contractor, who died in 1906, became a resident of the state of Washington in 1903, in which year he moved with his family to Seattle and there became established in business.

Ira V. Wilson was fifteen years of age when he came with his parents to this state. He completed his studies in the Seattle schools, graduating from the high school and from Wilson's Business college in that city. Upon leaving school he was for two years employed by the Seattle Electric Company and then became interested in the florist's business, establishing a greenhouse in Seattle, a business which he carried on for seven years, at the end of which time he disposed of his greenhouse and confined his attention to the retail trade in flowers. A year later he was induced to go to Salt Lake City as superintendent of the Miller Floral Company and after two years transferred his services to a Chicago house, being traveling representative of the latter for a year or more. In September, 1917, Mr. Wilson bought the Floral Exchange at Bellingham, which had been established in 1914, and has since been engaged in this business, with a tract of twenty-five acres devoted to his growing products, giving special attention to the cultivation of bulbs, and with a well stocked and admirably appointed retail store at 1330 Cornwall avenue, one of the leading florists in this section of the state and widely known in his line.

In 1912 Mr. Wilson married Miss Esther Beal of Bellingham and they have two sons, Charles Beal and Richard Venters. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have a pleasant home at Bellingham and take an interested and helpful part in the city's general social activities. They are republicans and give proper attention to local civic affairs. Mrs. Wilson is a daughter of Charles and Frances (Mead) Beal, the latter still living, residing in Bellingham, which has been her home for many years. The late Charles Beal, who died in 1921, was for years one of the best known men in this section of the state, a prominent factor in the political life of this region, one time fish commissioner and superintendent of the waterworks, and in other ways active and influential in public affairs. Mr. Wilson is a member of the Rotary Club of Bellingham and is also affiliated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and with the Woodmen of the World.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 426.

DANIEL C. WOOTTON

With an aptitude for mechanical pursuits, Daniel C. Wootton has wisely continued in the field of activity for which he is best adapted, and although young in years he has won and retained a position of leadership in automobile circles of Ferndale, his native town. He was born in 1897 and is a son of Reuben and Emma Wootton, natives of England. His father was one of the early settlers of Ferndale, in which he established his home about 1892, becoming widely and favorably known as a steam engineer, but now resides in Bellingham, Washington.

Daniel C. Wootton received a public school education, and his identification with the automotive trade dates from boyhood. He became an expert mechanic and in 1920, when twenty-three years of age, was able to establish a business of his own, opening a garage at Edison, Washington. Three years later he sold the business and in 1923 established the Ferndale Garage, of which he has since been the owner. He was the first in this field and has the local agency for the Overland and Willys-Knight cars. He has a fine shop and employs three experienced mechanics. He keeps well informed as to the latest developments in the automobile industry and is one of the most progressive dealers in this part of the county. Mr. Wootton sells a large number of cars annually and displays initiative, mature judgment and executive force in the conduct of his affairs.

On July 2, 1920, Mr. Wootton married Miss Bernice Barrett, of Ferndale, a daughter of C. H. Barrett, a well known agriculturist of Whatcom county. Mr. Wootton owes allegiance to no party but invariably votes for the man whom he considers best qualified for the office to which he aspires, standing at all times for progress, reform and improvement in public affairs. Along fraternal lines he is connected with the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a typical young business man of the present age - resolute, energetic, aggressive - and his fellow citizens entertain for him high regard, thoroughly appreciating his moral worth.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 453.

HARRY P. WYNN

Among the men of prominence and influence in Whatcom county who have the interest of their locality at heart and who have led consistent lives, thereby gaining definite success along their chosen lines, is Harry P. Wynn, whose fine farm is located near Ferndale. He has long been regarded as one of the county's most progressive agriculturists and public-spirited citizens and stands deservedly high in the opinion of his fellow citizens. Mr. Wynn is a native of Washington and was born at Bellingham on the 9th of October, 1866, a son of Thomas and Jane Wynn. The father was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he lived until 1849, when he went to San Francisco, California. He remained there until 1852, and then came to Whatcom county. For a time he was employed in coal mines but eventually located on a tract of land in Ferndale township which he homesteaded. At the same time an old schoolmate of his, Harry A. Post, homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres adjoining. Mr. Post died in 1897. Mr. Wynn continued to live there until his death, which occurred in 1896, and he was survived for a number of years by his widow. He was the first sheriff of Whatcom county and took an active part in the early efforts to improve the county, having been an earnest advocate of good roads and a strong supporter of the schools. He became a prominent and successful farmer, keeping a fine grade of cattle, and his farm was well improved and cultivated. To him and his wife were born six children, namely: Marshall, deceased; Annie Maria, who is the wife of Thomas Oxford, a farmer of this locality; Thomas B., who resides on the old home farm; Harry P., the subject of this sketch; 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.

Harry P. Wynn supplemented his attendance at the public schools by a course in a business college in Seattle. He was reared to the life of a farmer and has always followed that occupation, in which he has met with a very gratifying measure of success. He is the owner of ninety-two acres of good land, well improved and cared for in every respect. He keeps a good dairy and has a fine bearing orchard, and his home is comfortable and attractive. He has been progressive in tendency and to him belongs the distinction of having one of the first threshing machines in Whatcom county, with which he has done threshing for farmers practically all over the county.

In 1900 Mr. Wynn was married to Miss Blanche B. Getchell, a daughter of Dennis and Emily (Styles) Getchell, early settlers in this locality. The father, who is now deceased, was long engaged in farming and gained a high place in the esteem of his fellow citizens. To Mr. and Mrs. Wynn have been born two children; Noel H., a teacher by vocation, who is married and lives in Seattle; and Hubert, who remains at home. Politically Mr. Wynn is a stanch republican and has long been active in local public affairs. He has held the office of township assessor for the past eighteen years and served one term as a member of the school board. He is a member of the Grange and cooperates with his fellow agriculturists in all movements calculated to advance the general welfare of the locality. He possesses a friendly and pleasant disposition and enjoys marked popularity.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 435-436.

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