Mrs. Etta Knight, who is conducting a successful dairy farm in Lynden township, has achieved a high place in the esteem and admiration of the people, and her splendid personality has gained for her a host of loyal and devoted friends. She is a native of Billings, Missouri, and is a daughter of Christian and Martha Jane (Teague) Baker, the former of whom was a native of South Carolina, born May 14, 1813, and the latter of Springfield, Missouri, of which locality her parents were early pioneers. Christian Baker was a man of affairs, owning coal mines, a grist mill and sawmill and other interests. In young manhood he went to Kansas, being a pioneer of that state, and he later located at Billings, Missouri, and there lived retired, his death occurring at that place when his daughter Etta was about eight years of age. He was a very religious and God fearing man, being all but an ordained minister. One of his sons, Ben Baker, was one of the first settlers of Portland, Oregon. Etta Baker attended the public schools of her native town and completed her education in Nebraska. Her mother was a widow for four years, during which period she carried on farming operations and reared her children. She then married again, becoming the wife of Samuel Watson, and the family moved from Billings, Missouri, to Billings, Montana, where they remained through one winter, when they returned to Hay Springs, Nebraska, where our subject completed her education. From Nebraska the family again moved to Montana, where the mother and step-father worked in shops until 1909.
Etta Baker remained at home until 1900, when she became the wife of Thomas Knight, the ceremony being performed in Butte, Montana. Thomas Knight was born in Belleville, Illinois, and was a son of Edward Knight, a native of Germany, who came to this country and served in the Union army during the Civil war. Mr. Knight attended the public schools of Illinois, and was reared to the life of a farmer. He subsequently went to Helena, Montana, where he remained about three months, going from there to Butte, where he was engaged in railroading for seven years. Later he was in California for a short time, and he then returned to Butte, where he was employed in the reduction works for twelve years. In 1905 he bought the present homestead in Lynden township, without seeing the land, and during the ensuing years he went back and forth to the place a number of times. In 1909 he came to Seattle and engaged in pile driving and stationary engineering, and in 1915 he engaged in the jitney business, which he carried on successfully until his death, which occurred December 8, 1917. He was a man of energy and untiring industry, possessing a strong and forceful character, and he enjoyed the esteem of all who knew him. Mrs. Knight took over the jitney business after the death of her husband, having two big cars, and she conducted it until the passing of the city ordinance prohibiting jitneys. In 1923 she came to the farm which they had acquired in Lynden township and she is still living there. Mrs. Knight is engaged in dairy farming, keeping nineteen good milk cows, two of which are registered stock, and in the conduct of her ranch she is exercising sound judgment and wise discrimination, so that the success which is attending her efforts has been well merited. Her fields produce hay and other crops in abundance, and the place is of such a character as to make it a very desirable farm. To Mr. and Mrs. Knight was born a daughter, Venita Frances, who is with her mother.
Mrs. Knight deserves great credit for the brave and courageous manner in which she has taken hold of business affairs and the excellent record she has made as a dairywoman. She is kindly and genial in all her social relations, punctilious in all her business engagements and up-to-date in her methods, so that the high place which she holds in the admiration and respect of her neighbors is but a just tribute to her worth and character.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 114-115.
EARL E. LeVALLEY
Earl E. LeValley, manager of the Bellingham plant of the Columbia Valley Lumber Company and one of the most widely experienced lumbermen in this section of the state, was born in Park Falls, Price county, Wisconsin, in 1892, a son of Thomas and Gertrude (Pake) LeValley, the former born in Canada and the latter in Wisconsin. Earl E. LeValley finished his education in Valparaiso (Ind.) University, graduating there in business administration in 1911, after which he became employed in the office of the Roddis Lumber & Veneer Company in his home town, Park Falls. In 1913 Mr. LeValley came to Cashmere and entered the employ of the Columbia Valley Lumber Company as manager of its plant and offices there. He managed that yard until 1923 when he came to Bellingham to manage the yard when the Columbia Valley Lumber Company bought out the Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Mills. This company was incorporated in 1911 and has come to be recognized as one of the largest general dealers in lumber in the northwest, with yards in many cities in Washington. The Bellingham plant of the company is located at 1615 State street, where it occupies a frontage of four hundred feet, and handles everything in the building trades. In March, 1923, the company took over the yards of the Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Company at Bellingham and its present realty holdings there now cover several acres. It also operates a flourishing sash and door factory on Ellis street. J. H. Bloedel is the president of this company, J. J. Donovan is the vice president and W. C. Miller is the general manager.
In 1915, two years after his arrival in Washington, Mr. LeValley was united in marriage to Miss Margaret G. Mossop of Skykomish and they have two daughters, Marjorie Jean and Eloise Ann. Mr. and Mrs. LeValley are republicans and take a proper interest in general civic affairs, as well as in the general social activities of the city. Mr. LeValley is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and a director of the Rotary Club, is a Royal Arch Mason and an Elk and is affiliated with the Hoo-Hoos, a lumbermen's fraternity.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 763.
JONATHAN MANNER
Among the progressive business firms of Ferndale none enjoys a higher reputation than does that of Manner Brothers, dealers in automobiles. Jonathan Manner, the senior partner, was born August 8, 1890, and is a native of Finland. In 1910, when twenty years of age, he severed home ties, joining the tide of immigration to the new world, and arrived in New York city on the 21st of April. He spent a short time in the eastern metropolis and then started for the Pacific coast, reaching Bellingham, Washington, April 27, 1910. He obtained a position with the Diehl Motor Company and for seven years was in the employ of that corporation, gaining valuable experience. In 1917 he bought a farm near Ferndale, and there was also a garage on the property. This he operated for about seven years and also cultivated the soil, adding many improvements to the place. In 1924 he decided to locate in Ferndale and on June 21 purchased a corner lot sixty-two by one hundred feet, erecting a fine garage of cement construction. He has been associated with his brother George since 1912, and the firm of Manner Brothers now conducts a large business, employing a capable stenographer and five skilled mechanics. They are local agents for the Chevrolet cars and their repair shop is equipped for first class service.
The partners are aggressive young business men, possessing foresight, wisdom and executive force, and have adopted a policy of fair and honorable dealing which commends itself to public confidence and support. Both are married and Jonathan Manner has one child. He is independent in his political views, placing the qualifications of a candidate above the narrow bounds of partisanship, and for eight years has been identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is in complete accord with every movement for public betterment and has thoroughly demonstrated his worth as a citizen.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, ps. 913.
JULE MARTIN
One of the best known and most popular residents of Lummi island is Jule Martin, who capably and successfully operates the ferry Central, between Gooseberry Point and Beach. He is a native of the island and has been an interested witness of the splendid development which has characterized this locality during the past two decades. He was born on the 15th of December, 1898, and is a son of Emil and Sophia (Christoferson) Martin, both of whom were born in Norway, the father dying when the subject was but three years old. They came to the United States during the '80s and located in Chicago, where they remained a few years, after which they came to Tacoma, Washington, and soon afterward to Bellingham, where they remained a year or two, the father being employed as a longshoreman. They next moved to Sucia island where they remained a year or two, and then located on Lummi island, where they established their permanent home, the father dying here about 1901. He came to the island because of the excellent fishing, but he also bought about twelve acres of land, now mostly cleared, on which the home has been located to the present time. When the family came here there were but few white families and the roads were mere trails, boats being ordinarily used for communication with other parts of the island. Gradually, however, the scene has changed, and now Lummi island has become settled by a desirable class of people and has become a popular vacation spot, being characterized by fine island scenery, pure sea air, gorgeous sunsets and excellent beaches, so that during the summer season it enjoys marked popularity.
Jule Martin received his education in the public school on the island and since attaining young manhood has followed the water, being for a number of years closely identified with the fishing industry. The ferry Central is owned and operated by Whatcom county and Mr. Martin is handling it in a manner entirely satisfactory to its patrons. He is courteous and accommodating, careful and obliging, and has gained marked popularity with all who have come in contact with him.
Our subject's mother was married, about 1903, to John Godfrey, and she is now living at the old home on Lummi island. During the early years here she passed through many interesting experiences, and being hardy and courageous she thoroughly enjoyed the strange life and unique experiences. In former days she frequently rowed a boat to Bellingham and to Sucia island. She possesses a gracious manner and kindly disposition and is well liked by all who have the privilege of her acquaintance. By her union with Emil Martin she became the mother of four children, namely: Martha, born at Tacoma, who became the wife of Ed Granger, to which union were born five children, and her death occurred in 1917; Mrs. Grace Brown, born on Sucia island, who became the mother of two children and is now deceased; William, born on Lummi island and now living in Bellingham, who is married and has two children; and Jule, the immediate subject of this sketch, who is tenderly caring for his mother's interests. He has always shown a commendable interest in the welfare and prosperity of the island and enjoys a high standing among his associates.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 243-244.
OLIVER K. MIDDLETON
Among the strong forces in the upbuilding of Blaine is the Home State Bank, with a record of seventeen years of uninterrupted service to the residents of this district, and through this period O. K. Middleton has filled the office of cashier. He was born in Wright county, Iowa, September 14, 1876, and his parents, Jose R. and Lois A. M. (Butler) Middleton, are both deceased. The father made farming his life work and also raised blooded stock.
O. K. Middleton supplemented his public school education by attendance at Highland Park College of Des Moines, Iowa, taking commercial, normal and law courses. He taught school for a few years and then secured a position in a bank at Eagle Grove, Iowa. He found the work congenial and readily mastered the intricacies of modern finance. In 1908 he came to Blaine and on February 6 of that year organized the Home State Bank. It now occupies the main floor of a two story cement building, erected especially for banking purposes, and the upper floor is devoted to offices. The building is heated by hot water and contains modern vaults and every appliance of the up-to-date bank. The business is capitalized at twenty-five thousand dollars, and the statement of September 14, 1923, showed deposits of four hundred and fifty thousand, four hundred and sixty dollars. The institution has over fourteen hundred depositors, and its surplus now amounts to six thousand dollars. A broad policy of cooperation has always been followed by the men at the head of the bank and the spirit behind its service is one of helpfulness. The first president, George A. Willison, served until his death in August, 1917, when he was succeeded by Albert Still, who for eight years has widely guided the destiny of the bank. Paul A. Wolten, vice president, and O. K. Middleton, cashier, have filled these offices during the entire period of the bank's history, and their experience and ability have been essential to its growth. The board of directors is composed of William P. Willison, assistant cashier, K. J. and O. J. Middleton, Albert Still and Paul A. Wolten. Every precaution is used to protect the interests of depositors and stockholders and the confidence of its patrons is the bank's most valuable asset.
On March 20, 1905, Mr. Middleton married Miss Katherine J. Willison, a daughter of George A. and Catherine A. (Still) Willison, the latter of whom survives her husband. She was born in Toronto, Canada, and Mr. Willison was also a native of the Dominion. He was one of the pioneer farmers of North Dakota and served in the state legislature. He established his home in Blaine, Washington, in 1908 and became recognized as one of the leading financiers of this section of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Middleton have three children: Donald, Jean and Keith, aged respectively seventeen, fifteen and ten years. The members of the family are affiliated with the Methodist church, and Mr. Middleton is a republican in his political views. He served on the school board, and he was wrought along lines which produce the best results in the fields of civic virtue and advancement. He has a high conception of duty and honor and fills an important place in the life of his community, enjoying the unqualified respect and confidence of all with whom he has been associated.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 569-570.
L. M. MOORE
A product of the east, L. M. Moore has wisely allied his interests with a new and rapidly developing region and represents the best type of Bellingham's younger generation of business men. A son of Richard E. and Ellen Moore, he was born in 1895 and is a native of Bangor, Maine. His father was a substantial business man of that city, concentrating his attention upon the logging industry, and he is survived by the mother, who still makes her home in the Pine Tree state.
L. M. Moore received a public school education, and in 1918, when twenty-three years of age and while attending the Georgetown University Law School, he enlisted in the United States army. He was assigned to duty on the adjutant general's staff and went overseas with the American Expeditionary Force, spending two years in Europe. After his honorable discharge he went to Canada, reaching British Columbia in 1920, and for two years was a resident of the Dominion. He came to Bellingham in 1922 and entered the employ of Barton & Company, wholesale dealers in meat. He acted as bookkeeper and at the end of six months was promoted to the position of manager. He has worked earnestly and untiringly to promote the interests of the firm and the record of his achievements has amply justified the wisdom of the appointment.
On September 7, 1922, Mr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss Louise Wakefield, of Maine, a daughter of Ernest Wakefield, American consul at Prince Rupert, Canada, and they have a son, Terence. Mr. Moore is a Rotarian and belongs to the local council of the Knights of Columbus. He is a communicant of the Catholic church and a conscientious follower of its teachings. He votes independently and stands for principle and for clean politics, never following the dictates of party leaders. A young man of marked strength of character, he is well equipped to cope with the conditions of modern business life, and his future is bright with promise.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 725-726.
GUS E. MORGAN
Gus E. Morgan, well known young confectioner at Bellingham and proprietor of "Smiles 'n Chuckles," one of the most popular and well appointed confectionery shops in the northwest, grew up to the candy business and is thoroughly familiar with every detail thereof. He was born in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, October 15, 1895, and was in his ninth year when in 1904 his parents, W. C. and Annie Morgan, moved with their family from that place to Bellingham.
W. C. Morgan, widely and familiarly known as "Battleship" Morgan, a pioneer candy manufacturer and formerly for six years manager of the Bellingham baseball team, is now located in Seattle, the proprietor of "The Cave," an attractive and popular coffee house and restaurant in that city. He was the founder of a similar establishment of the same name in Bellingham modeled after the fashion of a famous stalactite studden cavern in Virginia and on which process of interior decoration he holds the patent right. In 1911 he sold his Bellingham confectionery shop and became engaged in the dairy business, establishing a chain of stores for the Royal Dairy Company. Upon the completion of that work he established another of his "caves" in Everett, presently opened one in Tacoma and also in Sacramento, conducting these places until he finally disposed of that chain and established himself in business in Seattle, erecting there "The Cave," which is now being operated under his skilled management.
Reared in Bellingham, Gus E. Morgan was educated in the schools of that city and under his father's capable direction early became an expert in the confectionery line. In 1912 he opened on Holly street a restaurant and confectionery shop to which he gave the name of "The Quality Dairy Shop," and there he did so well that he presently was compelled to seek larger quarters. It was then that he opened his now justly popular establishment "Smiles 'n Chuckles," at No. 1319 Cornwall avenue, and he has since been successfully engaged in business here. The catchy name which Mr. Morgan gave his confectionery shop has been protected for his own use by registry in the United States patent office. He makes a specialty of quality candies and ice cream and is doing well. Mr. Morgan is a member of the Bellingham Lions Club and is also affiliated with the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
In 1920, at Everett, Mr. Morgan was united in marriage to Miss Leva Walker, and they have two children, Mary and William. Mrs. Morgan is a daughter of William and Pauline Walker, the former of whom is deceased and the latter of whom is now living in Bellingham, residing with her daughter.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 50-51.
J. REID MORRISON, M. D.
Dr. J. Reid Morrison has long been numbered among the foremost members of the medical fraternity of Bellingham and is one of the valuable citizens whom Canada has furnished to the state of Washington. He was born in the province of Ontario on the 27th of April, 1873, and his parents, Peter and Barbara Morrison, are both deceased. He spent his boyhood on his father's farm, attending the public schools of the neighborhood, and later entered the Toronto Medical College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1902. He practiced for a few years at Donnybrook, North Dakota, and during 1905-6 took a special course in surgery and served an an interne in the Post-Graduate Hospital of Chicago. During the last six months of that term he was first assistant to Dr. Franklin H. Martin, who is now director general of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Morrison came to Bellingham in 1907 and is now specializing in radium, X-ray and surgery. He is an expert Roentgenologist and his professional skill is in constant demand. He aided in organizing the Bellingham Clinic, of which he is vice president, and his achievements in surgery have won for him more than local prominence.
On April 15, 1908, Dr. Morrison married Miss Lillian E. Cramer, of Kansas, and they have two daughters, Margaret L. and Eilene M. The Doctor is a thirty-second degree Mason, a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and along social lines is connected with the Bellingham Golf & Country Club. He is a member of the local Kiwanis Club, of which he was formerly a director, and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. He is a past president of the Whatcom County Medical Society and in 1924 was elected vice president of the Washington State Medical Society. He is also a member of the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons. Impelled by the desire to benefit humanity, he is constantly striving to perfect himself in his chosen vocation in life and has won a high place in the esteem of his professional colleagues and the general public as well.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 778-779.
BERNECE V. MOUNTER, M. D.
Dr. B. V. Mounter has long been rated as one of Lynden's foremost physicians and owes his success to very thorough and comprehensive training for his profession, as well as a natural aptitude for the work. A native of England, he was born at St. Anstell, September 25, 1878, and was but a year old when his parents, Robert and Clara Mounter, settled in Nevada City, California. His father was identified with mining operations in that region for many years and is now a resident of Jackson, California.
Dr. Mounter supplemented his public school education by a course in Valparaiso University of Indiana, from which he won the B. S. degree in 1903. He afterward attended the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1909 with the M. D. degree, and during his senior year he was an interne in one of the hospitals of Ann Arbor. He returned to the west, locating in King county, Washington, and in February, 1910, opened an office in Lynden. He is well versed in the science of his profession of his skill as a general practitioner has brought him many patients. He is accurate in diagnosis and utilizes the most effective remedial agents.
In 1907 Dr. Mounter married Miss Grayce Gertrude Hulburd, a native of New York, and they have two daughters, Katherine Margaret and Rebecca Ann. Dr. Mounter is a thirty-second Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is also connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and gives his political support to the candidate whom he considers best qualified for office irrespective of party ties. He is an able, progressive and highly esteemed representative of his profession and belongs to the Whatcom County and Washington State Medical Societies and the Pacific Northwest and American Medical Associations.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 187-188.
GORDON W. MULLEN
Gordon W. Mullen is one of Bellingham's progressive realtors and a self-made man who owes his rise in the business world to the substantial qualities of diligence and perseverance. A native of Canada, he was born in the province of Nova Scotia, June 5, 1880, and is a son of Stillman and Louise Mullen. His father followed the trade of a carpenter for many years and still resides in the Dominion.
Gordon W. Mullen was educated in the public schools of his native land and in 1902, when a young man of twenty-two years, made his way to Seattle, Washington. He worked first in the lumber woods, later on street cars, and for eight years was a patrolman. On the expiration of that period he returned to Canada and entered a homestead in the province of Alberta. There he spent ten years, bringing his land to a high state of development, and in its cultivation utilized modern, scientific methods. In 1922 he returned to Washington, locating in Bellingham, and in association with Raymond A. Nienaber entered the real estate field. In the same year they were joined by John Connell, and the partnership was successfully continued until the last of the year 1925, when Mr. Mullen sold out his interest in the real estate business, buying the corner lot at Alabama and Lincoln and building a grocery store and service station which he operates personally.
In January, 1905, Mr. Mullen married Miss Margaret McLeod, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a graduate nurse, who had her training in the Chicago Hospital, and the children of this union are Alice and Evelyn. Mr. Mullen is a member of the Bellingham Real Estate Association and his fraternal affiliations are with the Masonic order and the Loyal Order of Moose. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the candidates and tenets of the republican party and during the period of his residence in Bellingham has thoroughly demonstrated his business ability and his worth as a citizen.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 241.
EVA C. (LIVINGSTON) LEONARD PIPER
The name of this estimable lady is a familiar one in Ferndale township, Whatcom county, where she has maintained her home since 1913, and the brief record of her life embodied in the following lines will be read with interest by her many friends and acquaintances who have learned to prize her for her admirable character and useful life, and for her splendid influence, which has always been exerted for the good of the community and those around her.
Mrs. Eva C. Piper was born in the city of New York and is a daughter of Charles and Eda (Valliers) Livingston, the latter being a native of Marseilles, France. Her father was born under the English flag at sea, the family locating in New York state about 1850. They engaged in farming, but Charles Livingston followed the occupations of carpenter, blacksmithing and wagon maker, in which he was engaged up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1890. His wife had died when her daughter, Mrs. Piper, was but a baby.
Eva C. Livingston attended the public schools of her native city, and also took a course in a short time. Her education was completed in the high school at Quebec, Ontario, Canada, where she was graduated, and then for a number of years she engaged in teaching school. At the age of fourteen years, she became the wife of Frank Leonard, and to this union were born six children, three of whom died in infancy, while Ioylana died at the age of fourteen years, Myrtle at the age of three years, and Valasta at the age of five years. Mr. Leonard died in 1896, and on November 2, 1904, his widow became the wife of J. R. Piper, their marriage taking place at Huron, South Dakota, where they had a large stock and grain ranch. They were very pleasantly and comfortably situated and lived there until 1910, when, because of the failure of Mr. Piper's health, they sold the ranch and began traveling. During the course of their travels, they visited every state in the Union excepting Nevada and the territory of Alaska.
On July 17, 1913, they came to Whatcom county, Washington, and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 15, Ferndale township, known as the David Feenhouse place, which has been the family home continuously since. After locating on the farm, they cleared forty-five acres of it, and developed it into a fine, well improved and profitable farm. Mr. Piper died here December 25, 1921, and Mrs. Piper has continued the management of the property. One hundred acres of the land is cleared and under cultivation, being devoted to diversified crops, and among the improvements made on the place was a new set of farm buildings, which were built in 1914. There are on the place twenty-two good Holstein cows and a pure bred bull. Mrs. Piper now has the farm leased on shares and is taking life leisurely, spending a good deal of her time in travel. She is a lover of good books, having a large and well selected library including the old classics and the best of current literature, and she is a well informed and cultured lady. Honored and respected by all there is today no woman in the locality who occupies a more exalted position in the circles in which she moves. She is a lady of unusual tact and soundness of judgment; these and other commendable attributes, coupled with her kindliness and gracious personality, have rendered her popular with all classes and she has won and retained a host of friends wherever she is known.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 628-631.
CHARLES A. ROSS, D. D. S.
Dr. Charles A. Ross, who has been chosen to occupy the presidency of the Whatcom County Dental Society for one year, has been an active and successful representative of the dental profession at Bellingham during the past fourteen years. He was born in Sutherland, Iowa, on the 20th of October, 1883, a son of Walter B. and Ida (Leivan) Ross, who moved to Kansas in 1900. The father was engaged in cattle raising and farming up to the time of his retirement, and he is now enjoying the fruits of his former toil in well earned ease.
Charles A. Ross attended the public schools in the acquirement of an education and received his professional training in the Kansas City Dental College of Kansas City, Missouri, which institution conferred upon him the degree of D. D. S. at his graduation in 1912. In that same year he made his way westward to Washington and took up the work of his chosen profession at Bellingham, where he has remained continuously to the present time, having built up an extensive and gratifying dental practice. His high standing among his fellow practitioners is indicated in the fact that he has been chosen president of the Whatcom County Dental Society.
On the 20th of July, 1916, Dr. Ross was united in marriage to Miss Myrtle A. Giles, of Bellingham, a daughter of William H. and Kittie C. Giles, who arrived here in pioneer days and conducted one of the first restaurants at Bellingham. Dr. and Mrs. Ross are the parents of a son and a daughter, Berton Charles and Mary Frances.
Since age conferred upon his the right of franchise Dr. Ross has supported the men and measurers of the republican party, believing that its principles are most conducive to good government. He belongs to the Greek letter fraternity Psi Omega, and he has gained many friends in both the social and professional circles of his adopted city.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 55-56.
ANTONE MARTIN CHRISTIAN SCHUMACHER
Antone Martin Christian Schumacher, one of the pioneer merchants of Whatcom county, has made his own way in the world, overcoming many obstacles in his struggle to achieve success, and is now numbered among the substantial business men of Sumas. A native of Denmark, he was born in Scherrebeck, January 28, 1857, and in 1882, when a young man of twenty-five, decided to take advantage of the many opportunities for advancement offered in the new world. After his arrival in the United States he made his way to Nebraska and for several years had charge of the store of Matesen Brothers at Blair. In January, 1890, he revisited Europe, traveling in Belgium, Holland and Denmark, and then returned to the land of his adoption. After reaching Nebraska he continued westward to Seattle, Washington, going from that city to New Whatcom, and in November, 1890, arrived in Sumas. He opened the second general store in Sumas, making a specialty of miners' supplies, and afterward became a dealer in men's furnishings, which he has since handled exclusively. He carries the best grade of stock, choosing his merchandise with taste and discrimination, and caters to a desirable class of patrons, whose confidence he has won by close adherence to the principles of truth and honesty. He is a sagacious business man and his store reflects his enterprising spirit and modern ideas.
Mr. Schumacher has wisely invested his capital in farm land and owns a valuable ranch, which is situated in the province of British Columbia, Canada. He belongs to the Masonic order and is the oldest past master of Fidelity Lodge No. 105, F. & A. M. He has taken the thirty-second degree in the order and is a life member of Nile Temple of the Mystic Shrine. In politics he is nonpartisan and his support is always to be relied upon in the furtherance of measurers for public betterment. His life has been one of unceasing industry, directed into useful channels, and his prosperity is well deserved.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 253.
FLOYD A. SHENENBERGER
Floyd A. Shenenberger has concentrated his energies upon the achievement of a definite end, never losing sight of his objective, and his life record is a chronicle of continuous progress that has brought him to the fore in mercantile circles of Bellingham, which for over twenty years has claimed him as a citizen. A native of Iowa, he was born July 8, 1875, and is a son of S. A. and N. E. Shenenberger. His father was engaged in the transfer business and at one time conducted a grocery store. He was also connected with railroad operations, and he is now living retired in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
After completion of his high school course Floyd A. Shenenberger became a teacher and followed that profession for four years. In 1896, when a young man of twenty-one, he secured a position in the establishment of the Bell Clothing Company, a well known mercantile house of Cedar Rapids, and in 1902 he came to Bellingham, entering the employ of the Gage-Dodson Company in May of that year. He soon demonstrated his worth and has continued with the firm, working untiringly to promote its interests. The business was continued under the form of the Gage-Dodson Company until January, 1924, when a reorganization was effected and the name was changed to that of the Gage-Dodson Clothing Company, Inc. George Dodson succeeded his father, L. T. Dodson, in the office of president and Victor Roth was made vice president. Harley Dodson was elected treasurer and Mr. Shenenberger has since been secretary of the firm, which conducts a large business in men's furnishings, handling the Hart, Schaffner & Marx overcoats and suits. They carry only high grade stock and their patronage is composed of a most desirable class of customers, whose support and confidence they have won by superior service and honorable, straightforward methods.
On October 4, 1905, Mr. Shenenberger married Miss Lillian Kimbro, a daughter of J. W. Kimbro and a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The children of this union are Lowell and Lola, aged respectively eighteen and thirteen years. Mr. Shenenberger is a Mason, belonging to Bellingham Bay Lodge No. 44, F. & A. M., of which he is worshipful master. He has taken the thirty-second degree in the organization, and he is also identified with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He votes the republican ticket and is affiliated with the Garden Street Methodist church. He shapes his conduct by its teachings, and his probity, ability and devotion to duty are well known to the residents of Bellingham, who speak of him in terms of high regard.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 261-262.
ROBERT S. SIMPSON
R. S. Simpson is well known as one of Bellingham's pioneer real estate dealers and his work has been of much value to the city, in which he has made his home for thirty-five years. A son of George W. and Martha J. Simpson, he was born April 5, 1860, and is a native of Pennsylvania. His boyhood was spent on his father's farm, and after the completion of his high school course he entered the Pennsylvania State Normal School, from which he was graduated in 1885. He was a high school teacher for some time and in 1891 came to northwestern Washington. He embarked in the real estate business at Sehome, now known as Bellingham, and was among the earliest in this field. In 1897 he was made principal of the Sehome school, acting in that capacity for three years, and recognition of his ability led to his selection for the important office of county superintendent of schools, of which he was the incumbent for five years. On the expiration of that period he withdrew from the profession and has since given his undivided attention to the real estate business, in which he has been very successful. Nothing escapes him concerning the realty market and his judgment in the selection of property is regarded as infallible. He acts as secretary-treasurer of the Bellingham and Whatcom Realty companies and is president of the Northwestern Loan & Investment Company, all of which have benefitted by his executive capacity, broad vision and keen intelligence.
In 1894 Mr. Simpson married Miss May Hutchinson, of Pennsylvania, by whom he has a daughter, Elinor, now a teacher in the Bellingham schools. Mr. Simpson is a member of the local Real Estate Association and casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party. He is affiliated with the Presbyterian church and closely follows its teachings. He has aided in transforming Bellingham into a prosperous and beautiful city and at the same time has earned the reward of useful and honest labor. Mr. Simpson is highly esteemed in business circles of the city and his influence is one of broadening activity and strength in the field in which he is operating.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 709.
RUTH (TALMADGE) STAIGHT
One of the most highly respected and esteemed women in Lynden is she whose name appears at the head of this sketch, for by her many splendid personal qualities she has won a high place in the regard of the entire community in which she lives. Mrs. Ruth Staight was born near Chicago, Illinois, and is a daughter of William and Amelia (Powell) Talmadge, both of whom were natives of New York state. Her father was reared to the life of a farmer and went to Chicago in 1836, remaining there until his death. The mother then accompanied her daughter to Alabama, where they remained until after the latter's marriage, and then lived in Texas for six years. She came to Whatcom county in 1887 and lived here until her death, in 1903.
Ruth Talmadge became the wife of M. R. Staight, who was born in Ohio in 1857, a son of E. C. and Elvira (Rush) Staight, the former of whom was a native of England. M. R. Staight received his education in the public schools of Ohio and later went to Alabama, where he engaged in the cotton business with his father. After his marriage to Miss Talmadge, he went to Texas, where he was engaged in the real estate business, buying and selling land, and remained there until 1887, when he came to Lynden township, Whatcom county, and bought the present Staight homestead. Here he also went into the real estate business, being one of the first to engage exclusively in that line in this locality. When he first built his home here, it was the farthest west of any house in the town, and so heavy was the timber in that section that he had to have thirteen large trees taken out in order to make the house secure from the danger of falling trees. Mr. and Mrs. Staight showed an enterprising and progressive spirit in everything they did, and in 1891 they brought the first two-seated buggy to this locality. Mr. Staight gradually enlarged the scope of his real estate operations, establishing other offices in Bellingham, Fairhaven and other places, and was fairy successful in his operations. During the Alaskan gold rush he went to Juneau and was later at the Republic gold camp, while at a still later period he became interested in mining, in association with Larrabee & McCarty, in Mexico. He is now in Washington, D. C.
To Mr. and Mrs. Staight were born five children, namely: Evelyn, who is the wife of Charles Scott, of Tacoma, Washington, and is the mother of two children; Ward, who is unmarried and remains at home; Dorothy, who is the wife of D. H. Smith, of Tacoma, and the mother of three children; Helen, who is the wife of D. W. Densely, of Baker, Oregon, and the mother of three children; and Eylar, of Baker, Oregon, who is married and has one child. Ward Staight is employed in the sawmills of this locality. Mr. and Mrs. Staight were members of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Lynden, in the establishment of which they took and active and influential part. During the early years of Mrs. Staight's residence here she passed through a number of experiences that were in marked contrast to conditions in the east. Roads were scarce and living conditions lacked many of the conveniences of the older civilization to which she was accustomed; but these things have happily changed and today Lynden is in every essential respect fully up to the standard of modern life, and is a pleasant place in which to live. Mrs. Staight enjoys a high place in the esteem and admiration of all who know her throughout this community.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 457-458.
NELS STRAND
Nels Strand, proprietor of a well stocked general store on Eleventh street, in Bellingham, is a native of the kingdom of Norway, but has been a resident of this country since the days of his boyhood. He was born December 3, 1886, and is a son of Evan and Margaret Strand, also natives of Norway, the mother still living there. Evan Strand died in 1921.
Reared in his native land, Nels Strand had his schooling there and was also trained in the rudiments of the cabinetmaker's trade in 1903. When sixteen years of age he came to the United States and after a stay of two years in Wisconsin went to Billings, Montana, where he remained for a year, at the end of which time he came to the coast and located at Seattle, where he was employed at the cabinetmaker's trade. As a journeyman craftsman he worked at other points up and down the coast and in 1907 had his first experience in Bellingham. Afterward he spent two years as a mining prospector in the Fairbanks region in Alaska and in 1909 returned to Bellingham. A year later he married and located at Tacoma and in 1912 returned to Bellingham where he began merchandising, a line which since has engaged his attention and in which he has been quite successful. Mr. Strand has a well stocked store at 1210 Eleventh street, a place twenty-five by one hundred feet in ground dimension, with a mezzanine floor and full basement, and carries a well selected line of men's and women's ready-to-wear apparel, dry goods and shoes.
On October 2, 1910, at Bellingham, Mr. Strand was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Jacobson, daughter of Easton Jacobson, a veteran merchant of Bellingham, mentioned elsewhere in this work, and they have one child, Margaret, born January 2, 1915. In his political leanings Mr. Strand is inclined to favor the notion of independent voting, preferring to hold himself free to cast his ballot for such candidates for office as he may regard best fitted for public service without regard to party ties or obligations.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 740.
CAPTAIN WHITFIELD ROLAND TARTE
No review of the history of Whatcom county and of the development of this region from the days of the pioneers would be complete lacking proper reference to the part played by the Tarte family, now prominently represented in Bellingham by Captain Whitfield Roland Tarte, retired sea captain and joint proprietor with his wife of the popular American Hotel on Cornwall avenue, formerly known as "The Antlers" and for many years one of the widely known hostelries in the northwest. Though of English birth Captain Tarte has been a resident of this country since the days of his childhood, a period of more than sixty years. He was born in Staffordshire, England, May 14, 1858, and is a son of John Frederick and Rebecca (McKnight) Tarte, well remembered pioneers of the Bellingham Bay country. The latter was a daughter of Sir James W. McKnight, an officer of the British army who was knighted for valorous service on the field during the time of the Peninsular wars. She was born October 1, 1828, and died at the home of her youngest son, Alfred A. Tarte, in Anacortes, March 29, 1903, after a residence in this region of forty years.
The late John F. Tarte, one of the honored pioneers of Whatcom county, who died at the home of his son, Captain Whitfield R. Tarte, June 30, 1905, was born in England, December 30, 1824, and was thus past eighty years of age at the time of his death. He was reared in his native country and became an expert in mine processes. In 1854 he married Rebecca McKnight, and he continued in the mining industry in England until 1862, when he took a trip into the coast country of British Columbia to look after the investments he had made in the Caribou mines there. In the spring of 1863 he was joined at Victoria by his wife and their five children - the daughter, Eliza Jane, who married Captain Joseph White; and the four sons, James W., John F., William J. and Whitfield, who then was but five years of age. The family had made the trip by way of the Isthmus and up the coast from Panama. By this time J. F. Tarte had become well established at Victoria, operating the mine stores and also owning a line of boats, and he remained there until 1869, when he closed out his affairs at that place and with his family came over into the Bellingham Bay settlement to superintend the loading of the ships for the Bellingham Bay Coal Company, which at that time, with a considerable force of Chinese labor, was mining coal where the city of Bellingham now stands. He continued thus engaged in mining until it was found that this development would not prove a profitable enterprise, and in 1872 he bought a considerable tract of land on California creek in the Semiahmoo Blaine district. For ten years he was engaged in clearing and farming, at the end of which time he embarked in the hotel business at Semiahmoo, operating a hotel which in 1886 was destroyed by fire. He reestablished himself in business there and continued at Blaine until his retirement in 1894 and removal to Anacortes. It was here that Mrs. Tarte spent her last days, as noted above, Mr. Tarte following her to the grave two years later. Both are at rest in Pleasant Valley cemetery. They were survived by their seven children, two of whom, the youngest son, Alfred, and the second daughter, Lillian, the wife of William Smith, were born to them after their arrival in America, the former in Victoria and the latter in Bellingham, and their descendants in the present generation form a quite numerous family connection.
Whitfield R. Tarte secured his first schooling in Victoria, and upon coming to Bellingham in 1869, he then being eleven years of age, he continued his studies in the first school opened here, his teacher being Isabella Eldridge. When the family moved to the farm on California creek, he took part in operations there and while thus engaged helped his brother, James W. Tarte, bring to that farm the first threshing machine brought to Whatcom county, and owning to his engineering ability became its operator. When eighteen years of age Whitfield R. Tarte killed single-handed, his weapon being an ax, a large black bear. He helped put through the first road from Blaine to Ferndale and drove the first ox team over it, hauling supplies for the erection of the buildings of the Methodist Episcopal camp-meeting ground at the latter place. When he reached his majority he began to follow the sea and was for years thereafter employed in the Puget Sound waters trade, advancing until in good time he became the skipper of his own vessel. His first seamanship experience was as a deckhand on a ship under Captain Fred Monroe, his eldest brother, James W. Tarte, being the first mate. He was advanced to a first engineer's berth and was employed as a marine engineer on various vessels in the Sound trade, one of which was the missionary boat, the Evangel, fitted out by Herbert Beecher, son of the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, for service in behalf of the Indians in Alaska, and he was later engineer of that vessel under Captain Todd. After his marriage in 1887 he and his wife made their home in Seattle for a year or more, and he then purchased the home farm on California creek and was there engaged in farming for a couple of seasons, but the lure of the sea was strong, and he presently resumed his old calling as a marine engineer. Not long afterward he bought a vessel of his own, the Seattle, which he operated for two years, at the end of which time he sold it and became captain of the Puritan. Later he was captain of the mail boat Lady of the Lake and others, and he continued thus occupied until 1910, when he returned to Bellingham and opened Tarte Hall, a boarding house for students of the State Normal School. In 1917 he and Mrs. Tarte took over the McLoud Hotel, in 1919 the Irving and in 1921 "The Antlers," the latter a hotel at No. 1314 1/2 Cornwall avenue, which they have been operating as the American Hotel, it being one of the most popular hostelries in the city. The American has forty-six rooms, and under Mrs. Tarte's capable and experienced management it has established a fine reputation as a family and residential hotel. Captain Tarte's attention is largely devoted to his duties as manager of the First National Bank building, which position he has occupied since 1914.
It was on April 11, 1887, in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood, when he was engineer on the Evangel, that Captain Tarte was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Parr, and they have four daughters, Jennie, Alfreda, Lillian and Rose. Jennie Tarte married Burl Jones of Blaine and has a son, Stanley Jones, born in 1908. Alfreda Tarte married Alfred Kratz, now living in Bellingham, and has a son, George Kratz. Lillian Tarte married Felix Rogers of Port Angeles and has three children, Nellie, Anabel and Felix Rogers, Jr. Rose Tarte married Arthur W. Kratz, now living in Bellingham, and has four children, Arthur, Alfred, Whitfield and Rosedarrow. Mrs. Tarte was born in California and is a daughter of William and Rosanna (Bray) Parr, who had settled in California in 1860 and who in 1882 came to Whatcom county with their family, reaching Ferndale by canoe. They settled on a farm of eighty acres in the vicinity of Ferndale in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood, and there William Parr and his wife spent the remainder of their lives, honored and useful pioneers of that section. A sister of Mrs. Tarte taught the first school in that neighborhood for three months, for which she received fifty dollars.
Captain and Mrs. Tarte are republicans and have ever taken an interested part in local civic affairs. Mrs. Tarte has for years been an active and enthusiastic worker in behalf of the cause of temperance, being one of the forceful factors in the local branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. She has also been helpful in other forms of women's club work, of the Women's Relief Corps, of which organization she is a member by right of her uncle's service as a soldier during the time of the Civil war. Both she and Captain Tarte have long been prominent members of the Whatcom County Pioneer Society, of which she has for years been a director, and their participation in the activities of that fine organization has been helpful in many ways in promoting the interest in the annual meetings and in keeping alive the traditions of the days of the pioneers. In 1916 Captain Tarte was the recipient of the loving cup annually presented by the Pioneer Society to the senior pioneer of the county. The eldest brother, James, having received the cup the year before, on his record of having come into the county as a sort of "pathfinder" with his father a few weeks prior to the arrival of the remainder of the family from Victoria. Being among the real pioneers of this county, both Captain and Mrs. Tarte are thoroughly familiar with developments here during what may be regarded as the modern period of that development, and they have many interesting stories to tell of the days when the settlers were blazing the way and making possible the conditions out of which gradually has been evolved the present splendid social structure.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 200-203.
MOSES TUTTLE
Specific mention is made of a number of the worthy citizens of Lummi island within the pages of this work - citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality and whose interests have been identified with its every phase of progress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well being of the community in which he resides and to the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this number is he whose name appears above, peculiar interest being attached to his career from the fact that practically his entire life has been spent here. Moses Tuttle was born on Lummi island in 1890 and is a son of Christian and Clara (Shrewsberry) Tuttle, the former of whom was born in Michigan in 1827, and died in 1902, while the latter was born near Crescent City, in northern California, died in in 1901.
When only a boy, the father ran away from home and going to New Bedford, Maine, took passage on a whaling ship around Cape Horn to Alaska. On the completion of his round-trip voyage, he returned to his Michigan home, but soon afterward followed the rush of gold seekers to California, making this trip also by way of the Horn, and landing at San Francisco. He prospected for gold in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia, and was on his way to Alaska, in 1871, when he stopped in Whatcom county. He had cruised around the Sound in a canoe and at length decided to make settlement on Lummi island, where he homesteaded one hundred and seventy acres of land, and also preempted one hundred and sixty acres, comprising the present family home of Marcus Tuttle. In the early days here he worked out in order to earn money for current expenses, while he was giving what time he could to the clearing of the land. He then started raising stock, principally sheep, and later cattle, and also planted fruit trees and established a good vegetable garden. He became actively interested in local public affairs, serving as a member of the school board. To him and his wife were born seven children, namely: Bertha M., who died at the age of eighteen years; Marcus, who is represented in a personal sketch on other pages of this work; Anna, who died when twenty-four years of age; Christian, who lives on Lummi island; Hiram, of Seattle; Moses, the immediate subject of this sketch; and Clara, who died a few days after birth.
Moses Tuttle received his education in the public schools of Lummi island and then turned his attention to logging, in which occupation he was engaged for a number of years, or up to the time of his marriage, since when he has given his attention to farming, in which he has met with very gratifying success. He has recently purchased sixty acres of land, where he is now living, about fourteen acres of which are cleared, and he is devoting his attention to clearing the remaining land. He is engaged in poultry and dairy farming, keeping a number of good grade milk cows and a registered Jersey sire. He also has a nice run of laying hens and is planning to specialize in Black Minorca hens. He is a thorough and practical man in his farm work, doing well whatever he undertakes, and his record thus far augurs well for the future, for he is a man of sound judgment and energetic habits and his record has gained for him the respect of his fellow agriculturists.
In December, 1914, Mr. Tuttle was married to Miss Hattie Corcoran, who was born in Kansas, a daughter of William T. and Elizabeth (Chappell) Corcoran. Her father was born in Illinois in 1861, a son of John and Marcia (Stapleton) Corcoran, while her mother was a native of England and a daughter of J. G. and Maria (Denton) Chappell, who brought their family to the United States when their daughters was about five years old. William T. Corcoran lived in Illinois, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska until 1898, when he came to Whatcom county, locating on Lummi island a few months later. Here he bought a farm and has since been numbered among the prominent and successful residents of the island. He and his wife became the parents of eleven children, namely: Alfa, Lora, William A., Hattie, John D., Annie, Margaret, Dennis, Cliff, Helen and Catherine. To Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle have been born four children, namely: Floyd, Marion, Harriet and Echo. Mr. Tuttle is a man of fine public spirit, giving earnest support to all measures for the public benefit, and he has rendered appreciated service as a member of the school board. He is a man of kindly impulses, courteous and accommodating in his neighborhood relations, and his actions have been so ordered as to earn for him unstinted praise and respect.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 239-240.
HENRY R. WATSON
Henry R. Watson, one of the pioneer business men of Bellingham, has been engaged in the transfer business in that city since 1893, ten years before the town adopted its present corporate name, and he is one of the best known men in Whatcom county. Though an Englishman by birth, he has been a resident of this country since the days of his boyhood and regards himself as much an American as any. He was born in County Durham, England, July 7, 1865, a son of Robert and Marguerite Watson, Who were the parents of fourteen children. When he was six years of age he was left an orphan, and at the age of thirteen, in 1878, he came to the United States and rejoined an older brother who had become established in Indiana. He made his home with the latter for five years or until he was eighteen years of age when, in 1883, he went to Alabama and was for eighteen months employed in the mines in that state. From there he went into Indian Territory and later for a while made his home with another brother who had come to this country, after which he was located in New Mexico, coming from there to the coast.
Following a brief residence in San Francisco Mr. Watson went to Stockton and was there when news of the gold strike at Roslyn in Kittitas county, this state, was heard in 1888. He hastened to that point, being the seventh man on the ground, and there was engaged in mining operations for about two years, or until 1890, when he returned to the coast and established himself in the Bay settlements here. That was the year in which there were so many expressions of violent rivalry between the residents of the contending settlements, Sehome and Whatcom, a standing dispute which in the following year was settled by the consolidation of the two settlements under the name of New Whatcom, which name in 1903, by formal election of the people, was changed to Bellingham. When in a reminiscent mood, Mr. Watson has many a good story to tell of the bitter feeling which existed between the rival camps at the time of his arrival here.
Mr. Watson's first employment on coming to the Bay settlements was as a salesman for nursery and orchard stock. He then became engaged as a dealer in wood, a business which shortly was developed into a general teaming and transfer business. A storage house was subsequently added, and in 1893 he established a definite place of business along the tracks close to the Great Northern depot. There he conducted his general transfer and storage business for seventeen years, at the end of which time he moved to his present location at No. 520 West Holly street, and he has there been successfully carrying on his business, it being one of the oldest continuing lines under individual management in the city. Mr. Watson is a republican and has ever given a good citizen's attention to local civic affairs but has not been a seeker after public office.
In 1891, the year after his arrival here, Mr. Watson was united in marriage to Miss Mary Dawson, who had come here with her parents, Thomas and Hannah Dawson, from Iowa in 1889, the Dawsons thus becoming numbered among the pioneers of Whatcom county. Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Watson two died in infancy, the others being as follows: Grace, deceased; Arthur, who is now a resident of Seattle; Mary Inez, the wife of W. J. Bell of Ketchikan, Alaska; Clara, who married Dewey A. Johnson and in now living in Aberdeen; Henry E. Watson, of Bellingham; and Robert, deceased.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 414-417.
THEODORE WEIDKAMP
Theodore Weidkamp has long enjoyed prestige as a leading citizen of his community, and as an official against whose record no criticism has been uttered. His prominence is the result of genuine merit and ability, and in every relation of life his many excellencies of character have won for him an enviable reputation. Theodore Weidkamp was born in Nashville, Washington county, Illinois, on the 4th of October, 1874, and is a son of Henry and Magdalena (Schober) Weidkamp, the father a native of Germany and the mother of Bohemia. He came to the United States in the early '60s and located in Illinois, where he ran a flouring mill. He afterward went to Kansas for a year, and then to Colorado, where he remained four years, having a market garden and a dairy. In 1883 he came to Whatcom county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in Delta township, five miles northwest of Lynden. That locality was then totally unimproved, there being practically no roads, while the land was densely covered with brush and stumps. The men walked to their new location, the women coming by canoe from Lummi. Mr. Weidkamp entered at once the herculean task of clearing the land and in the course of time found himself in possession of a good farm. In 1884 he built a log house on the place, one of the few of the early houses that is still standing and occupied, being now owned by P. J. Delp. It is almost completely covered by beautiful ivy and honeysuckle vines. Henry Weidkamp lived in that house during the remainder of his life, his death occurring there about 1895. He was survived a number of years by his widow, whose death occurred in 1910. They were the parents of seven children.
Theodore Weidkamp received his education in the Delta school and remained at home until his marriage, after which he worked out for about a year. He then moved onto twenty acres of the homestead and is still living there. In 1900 he bought twenty acres of land close by and in 1920 added forty acres, so that he is now the owner of eighty acres, of which he has thirty-five acres in hay and grain, raising good crops. He keeps a number of good cows and has been very successful in all of his operations, being methodical and up-to-day in everything he does.
On September 21, 1898, Mr. Weidkamp was married to Miss Minnie McPhail, who was born in Nashville, Tennessee, daughter of J. B. and Ellen R. (Ball) McPhail. Mrs. Weidkamp's father was a farmer and came to Washington in 1896, buying eighty acres of land in Delta township, to the operation of which he devoted his efforts until his death March 14, 1925. He is survived by his widow, who is still living in Delta township. They were the parents of five children, namely: Mrs. Dradie Dunbar, Mrs. Mary E. Kulp, Mrs. Sarah Cameron, Mrs. Minnie Weidkamp and J. T. To Mr. and Mrs. Weidkamp have been born seven children: Theodore Milton, born March 18, 1899; Willard, June 16, 1900; Harold, March 12, 1903, who married and has a son, Theodore III, born March 30, 1925; Ervin, born February 2, 1911; Vernon, born January 5, 1918; Beryl, born December 3, 1920, and Ira, born July 12, 1923.
Politically, Mr. Weidkamp has been a lifelong supporter of the republican party and has taken a commendable interest in all public affairs affecting his community. In 1920 he was elected a member of the board of supervisors of Delta township, and is also chairman of the board of school trustees of Delta township, of which he has been a member for six years. He belongs to the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. Among his fellow ranchers he is considered a progressive and enterprising business man, thoroughly in touch with modern ideas and energetic in carrying out his plans. Genial and friendly in his social relations, he was a wide acquaintance throughout this section of the county and has a large circle of warm 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. 765-766.
GEORGE H. WEIR
George H. Weir, a dealer in automobile replacement parts, has devoted his life to mechanical pursuits and is classed with Bellingham's successful business men. He was born in 1879 at Sacramento, California, and his parents, T. J. and Ellen Weir, were natives of Scotland. They arrived in San Francisco in 1876 and settled in Sacramento. The father was a marine engineer and did much important work along the line of his profession.
The public schools of his native city afforded George H. Weir his educational opportunities, and in his youth he learned the shipbuilder's trade. He possessed a special aptitude for the work and soon became recognized as an expert. In 1906 he located in Seattle and embarked in business as a builder of marine and gas engines. He was thus engaged until the United States entered the World war, when he was appointed government inspector of all ships built at Seattle, Anacortes and Bellingham, and filled that important post until the restoration of peace, rendering valuable service to the nation in its time of need. After the war Mr. Weir transferred his business to Bellingham and for a time was engaged in automobile wrecking. He is now a wholesale and retail dealer in automotive replacement parts and conducts a prosperous and rapidly growing business. He also hold an unlimited license to engineer vessels propelled by gas, fluid, naphtha or electric motors.
On October 22, 1907, Mr. Weir married Miss Arla A. Powell, a native of Michigan and a daughter of George W. and Mary (Phillips) Powell. They settled in Tacoma, Washington, in 1882, and the mother passed away in 1913. Mr. Powell was one of the pioneer building contractors of that city and contributed materially toward its improvement. He followed that business until 1902 and then was engaged in ranching for some time. He moved to Seattle in 1916 and is now living retired, making his home in Bellingham with Mr. and Mrs. Weir, who have two daughters; Rema Aileen, and Lyro Claudia. By his first union Mr. Weir has two sons: George Henry, a marine engineer living in Seattle; and Allen Thomas, an expert auto mechanic, who is married and resides in Oakland, California.
Mr. Weir supports the republican ticket at national elections but casts an independent local ballot where the only question for consideration is the qualification of the candidate for the duties of the office which he seeks. Along fraternal lines he is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Junior Order of United American Mechanics and the Society of Architects and Marine Engineers. He has won success on his own merits and stands deservedly high in the esteem of his fellowmen.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 739-740.
HENRY L. WELLMAN
Henry L. Wellman, well known and well established merchant jeweler at Bellingham, with an admirably stocked place of business at No. 1308 Cornwall avenue, is of English birth and came to this side of the Atlantic but twenty years ago. For several years he was located in British Columbia and then came down to Washington, and after residing for a time in Seattle he located at Bellingham, where he since has been content to make his home. Mr. Wellman was born in the city of London, October 22, 1885, and is a son of Leonard and Margaret Ann (Sancto) Wellman, the latter of whom died in 1919. Leonard Wellman is now a resident of the city of Vancouver, where he has resided since 1906.
Reared in London, Henry L. Wellman has good educational advantages and was early apprenticed to learn the art and mystery of the jeweler's craft, serving a seven years' apprenticeship to that calling and becoming a thoroughly well trained and competent goldsmith, watchmaker and general jeweler, with proper training also in the fine art of the lapidary. In 1907, after attaining his majority, he determined to try his fortune of this side of the Atlantic, and he came out to the Pacific coast, locating at Vancouver. For three years he was employed there in a jewelry store and then, in 1910, opened a store of his own in that city. Three years later, in 1913, he moved to Seattle, from which city in 1915 he moved to Bellingham, where he became employed as a general jeweler. He was thus engaged until in 1918, when he opened his present store, and he has since been numbered among the substantial and progressive merchants of the city. Mr. Wellman has a well stocked and admirably appointed place of business and makes a specialty of the finer points of his craft in watch repairing and diamond setting, meeting with excellent success. He is a member of the locally influential Kiwanis Club and is also affiliated with the Masonic order.
In 1915, at Tacoma, Mr. Wellman was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude May Prowse, and they have two children: Dorothy Evelyn, born in 1917; and Leonard Prowse Wellman, born in 1919. The Wellmans are pleasantly situated in Bellingham and take an interested and helpful part in the city's general social activities. Mrs. Wellman was born at Chilliwack in British Columbia, a daughter of Robert W. Prowse, and she is a member of one of the old families of the dominion, the Prowses having become established on Prince Edward island generations ago. Her particular branch of the family has been represented in British Columbia since the days of the pioneers there.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 182-185.
ROBERT E. WHITE
Robert E. White, a business man of broad experience and proven ability, is now dealing in automobile tires, and for over six years Bellingham has numbered him among its valuable citizens. A native of Missouri, he was born in 1880, and his parents were William T. and Elizabeth (Donovan) White, the former a well known building contractor of that state. The son supplemented his public school education by a course in the Missouri Valley College, from which he was graduated in 1901, and then became associated with the R. J. Gunning Company, of Kansas City, Missouri. He remained with that firm until 1904 and then accepted a position with the Thomas Cusack Company of Chicago. He went to California in 1906 and for two years worked for Varney & Green, a San Francisco firm. He was next connected with the Kansas City office of the Thomas Cusack Company and subsequently went to Spokane, Washington, as superintendent of the plant of the Hayward-Larkin Company. In 1913 Mr. White returned to Chicago and resumed his association with the Thomas Cusack Company, with which he continued until February, 1918. He then came to Bellingham and has since handled the Firestone tires. His shop is located at No. 115 Magnolia avenue and is equipped with a power press. He has a full line of tires and rims and is one of the most popular dealers in the city.
In 1904 Mr. White married Miss Alma Burns, of Wisconsin, and Lenore, their only child, is a graduate of the Bellingham high school. Mr. White belongs to the Rotary Club and is also connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is not bound by party ties, voting according to the dictates of his judgment, and his influence is always on the side of measures of reform, progress and improvement. He is a man of substantial worth, honor and integrity being the keynote of his character.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 889.
ARTHUR E. WICKINS, M. D.
Dr. Arthur E. Wickins, a physician of broad experience and pronounced ability, is an exponent of the homeopathic school of medicine and is a valuable addition to Bellingham's citizenship. A native of Canada, he was born August 24, 1874, in Brantford, Ontario, and his father, Walter B. Wickins, was also a native of that province. He was a successful educator and for forty years a teacher of the blind, filling the position of head master. He married Miss Sadie Clark, who was born in Maine, and both have passed away.
After the completion of his public and high school courses. Dr. Wickens entered Toronto University, from which he received the B. A. degree in 1895, and three years later was graduated from the Hering Homeopathic College of Chicago. He was house surgeon of Grace Hospital, Toronto, during 1898-99 and in 1901 was graduated M. D. by Toronto University. He made thorough preparation for his chosen vocation, and in 1901 he began his professional career at Hamilton, Ontario, where he practiced for seventeen years with much success. He became a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of that city and was elected a member of the medical council of Ontario, rendering valuable service to the province as a member of its board of medical examiners. In 1918 Dr. Wickins, moved to Alberta, Canada, where he spent five years, and in May, 1924, he opened an office in Bellingham. He is well versed in the science of his profession and has already established a large practice.
The Doctor is a Royal Arch Mason and shapes his conduct by the beneficent teachings of the order. He is prominent in local musical circles, possessing a fine baritone voice and is a finished accompanist on the piano and pipe organ. Studious by nature, he is constantly broadening his scientific knowledge by wide reading and close observation of the cases intrusted to his care, and his merit compels esteem.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 781-782.
WALTER WILBUR, M. D.
For practically forty years the name of Dr. Walter Wilbur, of Lynden, has been a household word in this section of Whatcom county, where he has long enjoyed a large and lucrative practice, being numbered among the representative citizens of this locality and being widely known as an able and trustworthy physician. While his name stands out prominently in connection with the medical profession here, his cordial disposition and genuine personal worth have gained for him a host of warm and loyal friends throughout this district. Dr. Wilbur was born in Durham county, Ontario, Canada, on the 20th of May, 1850, and is a son of George Washington and Sarah (Young) Wilbur, the former of whom was a native of New York state and the latter of Vermont. The maternal grandfather was a veteran of the war of the Revolution, having served under General Washington, and the maternal grandmother was born where afterward was fought the battle of Yorktown. George W. Wilbur was a farmer by vocation and was a successful and influential man in his locality.
Walter Wilbur attended the public schools of his home neighborhood and then entered Albert University, which was co-educational with Alexandra College, the college for women. After receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1876 (ad eundem gradum), he entered the medical department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1881. He was one of a class of ninety-nine members, who called themselves "The Ninety and Nine." Dr. Wilbur first located at Palmyra, Wisconsin, where he practiced his profession one year and then went to St. Paul, Minnesota, but not liking city life he went to Clear Lake, Wisconsin, where he remained about a year. He next located at Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, the constructive beginning of the "Soo" railroad, where he conducted practice for five years. In 1887 Dr. Wilbur came to Washington, on the first excursion train run from St. Paul and Minneapolis to Vancouver. Owing to the fact that Vancouver had just suffered a disastrous fire, he did not stop at that place but took the steamer Premier for Victoria. He did not land there but took another steamer to Seattle, and from there went to Whatcom. He then started to walk to Lynden, by way of Ten Mile, along the Nooksack valley. His guide lost his way but they finally ran across a cow trail that brought them to the Wellman home. The only man there was George Taylor, who ferried them across the river in a log canoe, and they finally reached Lynden.
Dr. Wilbur was pleased with his choice of a location and began practicing here the day after his arrival. During the subsequent years he became firmly established in the confidence and regard of the people over a wide radius of surrounding country, who learned to appreciate not only his ability and skill as a physician but also recognized him as possessing the highest personal qualities as well. He gave the major portion of his attention to the practice of medicine but also practiced dentistry to some extent, in which vocation he was equally skilled. About 1918, because of advancing years, Dr. Wilbur retired from active practice, though he still serves some of his old patients, who will have no one else. During the World war the Doctor was at Spiketon or Morristown, in Pierce county, Washington, where he did splendid work among the coal miners during the "flu" epidemic, remaining there about one and a half years.
Dr. Wilbur has long been closely identified with the public affairs of Lynden, at all times cooperating with his fellow citizens in all efforts to better local conditions and to advance the general welfare of the people. Genial and friendly in his social relations, kindly and generous in his attitude toward all benevolent objects, he long ago won a warm place in the hearts and affections of the people among whom he cast his lot, and no man in this entire community has been more highly regarded.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 451-452.
CHARLES E. WILLIS
Charles E. Willis is one of the enterprising dairymen of Marietta township and has also found time for participation in public affairs. He was born September 15, 1866, and is a native of Brown county, Wisconsin. His parents were William and Martha (Page) Willis, the former a native of New York state and the latter a Canadian. They migrated to the middle west in the '50s and the father was one of the pioneer farmers of Wisconsin.
Charles E. Willis received a public school education and on starting out to provide for his own livelihood secured work in one of the shingle mills of Wisconsin. He utilized every opportunity to broaden his knowledge of the lumber industry and steadily advanced, eventually becoming a timber cruiser. He was thus engaged for several years and won recognition as an expert in that line of activity. In 1910 Mr. Willis retired from the lumber business and came to Whatcom county, purchasing a tract of three and a half acres in the vicinity of Bellingham. He has since resided on this property and has built a good home, adding other improvements to the place. He has a fine orchard on his land but specializes in dairying and has thirteen graded Jersey cattle, purchasing the feed for his herd. His butter and cheese find a ready market and their high quality is the direct result of system and science in their preparation.
In 1907 Mr. Willis was united in marriage to Miss Ella Johnson, who is a native of Sweden and came to the United States as a young girl. Mr. Willis casts his ballot for the candidates of the democratic party and for two years has been one of the supervisors of Marietta township, performing valuable public service in that connection. He belongs to the Grange and the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and is also a member of the Wisconsin Club. He enjoys his work and the success which he has gained is the merited reward of diligence, perseverance and integrity.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 182.
JESSE C. WILSON
J. C. Wilson, one of the substantial farmers and cattlemen of Mountain View township, with a well kept and well stocked place on rural mail route No. 3 out of Ferndale, is a native of the Sunflower state but a resident of Washington and has never had occasion to regret the choice which established him in Whatcom county. He was born in the village of Burden, Cowley county, Kansas, October 1, 1878, and is a son of Elias and Frances (Hall) Wilson. The latter, born in Indiana, became a resident of Kansas during the days of her girlhood and was thus familiar with pioneering conditions in that state. Elias Wilson was born in Iowa, a member of one of the pioneer families of the Hawkeye state, and as a young man became a resident of Kansas, locating there in the days when great herds of buffalo still roamed over the limitless open range and in his day he became quite a skilled buffalo hunter. After his marriage he farmed in the Burden neighborhood in Cowley county and there developed a good piece of property.
Reared on the home farm, J. C. Wilson attended the local schools, reaching the high school, and from the days of his boyhood was a helpful factor in the labor of developing and improving the home farm. He remained with his father until he was twenty-five years of age, when he engaged in ranching on his own account in Colorado. After some years of experience in that state he went to Canada and was a resident of Alberta until the fall of 1918, when he came to Washington and has since been a resident of Whatcom county. Mr. Wilson has a well improved farm of sixty acres and gives considerable attention to raising cattle, specializing in Guernseys, and is doing will in his operations, which are carried on in accordance with up-to-date methods.
In July, 1919, Mr. Wilson was united in marriage to Mrs. Linde Hunter, a widow, and they have a pleasant home on their place in the Ferndale neighborhood. Mrs. Wilson was born in Kansas and her father has been established for years on a ranch in Idaho. She has been a resident of the coast country for twenty years and more. Mr. Wilson is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which popular fraternal organization he joined at Evans, Colorado, in 1909, and he takes an interest in all affairs relating to general progress and improvement.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 822-825.
ELLEN M. and JENNIE D. WRIGHT
Miss Ellen M. Wright, a member of Whatcom county's present efficient teaching staff, and Miss Jennie D. Wright, one of Bellingham's well known business women, reside at No. 2300 G street, that city. The two sisters are natives of Wisconsin, born in Pepin county in the west central portion of the state, and are daughters of Joseph and Ellen (Dale) Wright, natives of Ireland, the former the son of a clergyman of the established church of England, and the latter a daughter of a Belfast linen manufacturer.
The parents were married in Ireland, having one child that died in infancy there. They then removed to Canada, remaining there one year, where a second child, a son, was born. In 1857 they removed to Pepin county, Wisconsin, where this second child died soon after their arrival. Four children - John Nash, in Wenatchee, Washington, Joseph Robert, deceased, and Ellen M. and Jennie D., were born in Wisconsin. Joseph Robert left a widow and three sons, one son now being on the board of the court of appeals of the Veterans Bureau in Washington, D. C.; one a lawyer with a law firm in New York city, and one a student in the George Washington University.
Reared in the city of Luverne, Minnesota, to which place her parents had moved, Ellen M. Wright was given the advantage of a good education in the public schools, completing her schooling in Hamlin University, from which institution she was graduated, after which she taught in the high school of Tracy, Minnesota, for one and a half years, when she was elected county superintendent of schools of Rock county, Minnesota, holding this office for twelve years. Upon coming to Washington she took postgraduate work in the State University and summer work in the State Normal School at Bellingham, and taught in the Edison high school until 1918. She then spent two years in high school work east of the mountains and then became connected with the teaching staff of the Whatcom county schools.
Miss Jennie D. Wright was educated in the schools of Wisconsin and Minnesota and also engaged in the teaching profession, beginning her work in the schools of Minnesota, teaching there until 1912, when the two sisters came to Washington. Miss Jennie D. Wright's first engagement in teaching service in Washington was in the schools of Nooksack. Two years later, in 1914, she went to Edison, where she taught domestic science in the schools of that place. In 1915 she came to Bellingham and took up local work as corsetiere for the Spirella Company, Inc., in which work she has since been engaged.
Both sisters are members of the Garden Street Methodist Episcopal church and are affiliated with the missionary societies, both foreign and home, of that congregation. Miss Ellen M. Wright is a past president of the Whatcom County Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 674-675.
MINNIE (FOLLETT) HARDAN YATES
Mrs. Minnie Hardan Yates, of Ferndale township, was born near Waterloo, Iowa,
and is a daughter of David E. Follett, who was descended from an old French
family, the name having been originally spelled LaFollette. He was born in
New York state, June 8, 1843, and was educated in the public schools of his
home neighborhood. He was a veteran of the Civil war, in which he was wounded,
and after the close of that conflict went to Iowa and settled on a farm of
one hundred and sixty acres near Waterloo. He carried on farming operations
there until April, 1874, when he came to Whatcom county, and took up a homestead
of one hundred and sixty acres of heavily timbered land. He applied himself
to clearing this place, which was located in what is now Mountain View township,
and his early farming operations were carried on with oxen. He was prosperous
and owned sixteen head of cattle. He lived there about nine years and then
moved to Ferndale, where he spent his remaining years, his death occurring
November 28, 1919 November 30, 1917, in the seventy-seventh
year of his age. He was the father of nine children, the three eldest being
born in Iowa, and the others in Washington. They were, Minnie, Orson, (who
died in infancy), Elver E., Luella, Walter, Edward, Ethel, Leon and Clyde.
Minnie Follett received her educational training in the Mountain View school and remained at home until her marriage, on December 24, 1885, to Johnny Hardan, who was born in Sioux City, Iowa, and came to Washington with his parents April 2, 1874. His father took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres near Ferndale, and operated that farm for many years, his death occurring at North Bellingham in 1900. To Mr. and Mrs. Harden were born four children: Loy W., who lives at Seattle, Washington, married Miss Beulah Ungent and thy have three children, Loyalle, Elver and Norma; Lester D. married Miss Hazel Burnett and they have four children, Vera J., Jack, Rita, and Roy; Merl married Miss Anna Hansen and they have three children, Billie, Lorena and Annetta; Vernon J. was married to Miss Ruth Compton and they have a son, Johnny. Mr. Hardan died April 6, 1915, and in January, 1919, Mrs. Hardan became the wife of H. Yates, a native of West Virginia, who came to Washington in 1905. In 1893 Mr. Hardan had bought ten acres of land on the highway near Ferndale, to which he later added until at the time of his death he owned ninety-two acres of land, which has since been divided, sixty acres of the farm going to the children, who are living on their portion of the estate. Mrs. Yates now farms thirty acres of the place, raising diversified crops, and also gives considerable attention to her fine greenhouse, in which she produces many fine flowers and potted plants. She keeps seven cows and some chickens and is very comfortably and pleasantly situated. She possesses a forceful personality, is a woman of decided opinions, and is deeply interested in everything relating to the welfare or prosperity of her community. Her home is always noted for hospitable spirit and she is a very popular member of the circles in which she moves.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 818-819.
MARGARET C. (SMITH) YOUNG
Mrs. Margaret C. Young is a well known dressmaker of Bellingham, where she has successfully plied her art for the past thirty-six years. She is a native daughter of Illinois. Her father, James A. Smith, who was born in England, emigrated to the United States in boyhood and was married in Illinois. In the year 1849 he crossed the plains to California by ox team but after spending about two years in the Golden state returned east and during the remainder of his life resided in Illinois.
Margaret C. Smith spent the period of her early childhood in Illinois and her girlhood days in Iowa, while subsequently she removed to Nebraska. It was in 1882 that she became the wife of Thomas Young, who was born in Chicago, Illinois. The couple resided in Iowa for some time after their marriage and thence traveled westward across the continent to Whatcom county, Washington, taking up their permanent abode at Bellingham in 1890. Thomas Young followed the profession of civil engineering at Whatcom in partnership with Henry Marble for a number of years and thereafter was engaged in field work up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1923. His widow, who had learned dressmaking as a young woman, has busied herself in that occupation ever since coming to Bellingham and has gained an enviable and well merited reputation for style and skill in needlework.
Mr. and Mrs. Young became the parents of two daughters and a son, namely: Mrs. E. H. Hatch, who resides in Seattle and is the mother of two children; Edward L., living at Bellingham, and Doris, who is at home with her widowed mother. All of the above named were educated in the Bellingham schools. Mr. Young was fraternally affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and his widow became one of the charter members of the local organization of Rebekahs. The latter is a deep student of metaphysical laws, and she has won many warm friends during the years of her residence at Bellingham.
History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 666.