KNUTE B. AAKER

Although born under another flag, in a country of different customs and environment, Knute B. Aaker, a well known farmer and public-spirited citizen of Ferndale township, has been true to the duties of American citizenship, loyal to all of our institutions and is well worthy of the high regard in which he is held throughout the locality where he lives. He is a native of Norway, born on the 13th of July, 1864, and is a son of B. J and Bertha Marie (Aklestad) Aaker, both of whom were also born in Norway, the father in 1823 and the mother in 1826. The former, who died in 1896, was a farmer and followed that pursuit during all of his active life. Since his death the home place is owned and operated by his daughter Annie, with whom the mother is now living, at the remarkable age of ninety-nine years. To B. J. and Bertha Aaker were born six children, Annie, Martha M., deceased, John B., Caroline, Knute B. and Bertha, deceased.

Knute B. Aaker was educated in the public schools of his native land, where he remained until 1883, when he came to the United States, locating first in Minnesota, where he lived for a few months. On April 11, 1883, he arrived in Whatcom county, Washington, and found work at Van Buren, entering the employ of W. D. Van Buren, with whom he remained for about seven months. On April 14, 1886, he took up a homestead of one hundred and fifty-two acres in Ferndale township, which was covered with brush, stumps and some fine cedar trees and big spruce. He is now the owner of one hundred acres of fine land, all cleared and under cultivation, and he has proven a very progressive, enterprising and capable farmer, prosperity abundantly crowning his efforts. He keeps twenty-five cows, pure bred Shorthorns and Holsteins, and raises hay, grain, potatoes and sugar beets, being diversified in his operations. In 1904 Mr. Aaker built a fine, modern house, with all desirable conveniences, including a complete electric system, making it one of the most desirable homes in that section of the county. In 1913 he erected a substantial and well arranged barn and in 1914 built a good silo. He has a fine flock of high grade Oxford Down sheep, in which he takes a justifiable pride. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association, of which he is one of the heaviest stockholders; is a believer in the very best of equipment for the farm, with a strong liking for electric service, and is counted among the most progressive and capable farmers in his section of the county. He advocates improved roads and served many years as road supervisor of his township.

On September 21, 1906, Mr. Aaker was married to Miss Elizabeth Bjerke, also a native of Norway and a daughter of Jacob and Johanna Bjerke, both of whom are still living in Norway. Mr. and Mrs. Aaker have two children: Bessie, born June 7, 1907; and Jacob S., born January 14, 1909.

As an evidence of the enterprising and progressive spirit of Mr. Aaker, it is worthy of notice that he is installing an electric pumping plant, with which he proposes to irrigate his farm, thereby greatly increasing its productivity. He owns a fine Holstein bull, registered, whose grand-dam was sold for twelve thousand five hundred dollars. He is a man of influence in local affairs and is thoroughly in sympathy with any movement looking toward the advancement of the community in any way, and he has earned the reputation of a man of sterling honesty and worthy of the confidence and respect accorded him by his fellow citizens, among whom he enjoys a marked popularity.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 244-249.

BUENOS W. BAILEY

In the death of B. W. Bailey, Whatcom county lost one of its representative citizens. As the day, with its morning of hope and promise, its noontide of activity, its evening of complete and successful efforts, ending in the grateful rest and quiet of the night, so was the life of this honored man. His career was a busy and useful one, and although he devoted his attention primarily to his individual affairs, he never allowed the pursuits of wealth warp his kindly nature, but preserved his faculties and the warmth of his heart for the broadening and helpful influenced of human life, being to the end a kindly, genial friend and gentleman. Through the long years of his residence in this locality he was true to every trust reposed in him and his reputation in a business way was unassailable. He commanded the respect of all by his upright life and engraved his name indelibly on the pages of Whatcom county's history.

Mr. Bailey was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, in June, 1854, and was a son of Jesse H. and Virginia J. (Long) Bailey, both of whom also were natives of Lawrence county. The father was extensively engaged in farming and stock raising and was a man of prominence and influence in his community. He and his wife are both deceased. Of the eight children born to them, four are living, namely: Arthur H., Ariet C., Mrs. Nannie B. Allen and Mrs. Dona V. Railsback.

B. W. Bailey obtained his early education in the public schools of his home neighborhood and remained on the paternal farmstead until his marriage in 1879. He had taken a course in the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute and for about ten years was engaged in teaching school. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Indiana about the time of his marriage and gave his attention to the cultivation of that farm until 1884, when he came to Whatcom county, Washington. On September 17th of that year he purchased eighty acres of land located along the Pacific highway, one mile north of Ferndale, and to the clearing of this place, which was densely covered with brush and stumps, he applied himself with such vigor that he was soon in the possession of a good farm. He cleared about two-thirds of the tract which he put into hay and grain, and also set out a nice orchard of apple and cherry trees. He kept fifteen high grade Holstein cows, and had about five acres of land planted to sugar beets. He was a man of sound judgment and wise discretion in his farming operations, was up-to-date in his ideas and possessed to a marked degree that element of mental poise which is ordinarily called common sense. Idleness was entirely foreign to his nature and among his fellow farmers he enjoyed a splendid reputation as an enterprising and progressive man. Personally Mr. Bailey was very popular among his associates, possessing a genial and kindly nature that attracted people to him, and his kindness of heart and hospitality were recognized by all who knew him. Because of these commendable characteristics, he enjoyed to a very pronounced degree the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. He was elected clerk of the Woodmen of the World when their camp was organized at Ferndale and continued in that office for twelve years.

Mr. Bailey was married March 4, 1879, to Miss Mary Charlotte Mayfield, who also was a native of Lawrence county, Indiana, and was a daughter of Alexander Campbell and Winnie (Short) Mayfield. Her parents were also born in Indiana and the grandparents on both sides were natives of Kentucky, Mrs. Bailey's paternal grandmother being a Boone and a relative of Daniel Boone, the noted frontiersman and Indian fighter. Mr. and Mrs. Mayfield were the parents of five children, namely: Mrs. Ila Evans, of Ferndale, Whatcom county; Mary C., now Mrs. Bailey; Dr. R. N., of Seattle, Washington; Wesley S., of Seattle;  Mrs. Inda Slater, of Ferndale. To Mr. and Mrs. Bailey were born two children. Dr. A. C. Ralph Bailey, who was born in Indiana, October 23, 1880, was graduated from the high school at Bellingham, and then entered the dental college of the University of Southern California, where he graduated in 1905, with a degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. Since then he has been continuously engaged in the practice of his profession at Bellingham and Ferndale. He is also operating a ranch on the highway near Ferndale, where he keeps two thousand laying hens. He married Miss Elsie R. Dakin, of Ferndale, and they are the parents of nine children, Buryl D., Virginia M., Warren R., Hulbert B., Mary R., Jesse H., Wesley S. and Charles M., twins, and Lurie Ariet. Jesse Guy Bailey, who was born on the homestead at Ferndale, September 6, 1885, is now living in Seattle. He married Miss Mabel E. Newkirk, and they have three children, Lois G., Raymond W. and Glen N. Jesse G. Bailey also owns a ranch of one hundred acres in Ferndale township.

Mrs. Bailey, now directing the operation of the home ranch, is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. She is a lady of tact and sound judgment, whose gracious manner has attracted many warm friends, and she is deservedly popular in the circles in which she moves.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 712-715.

HARRY H. BARON

The horizon of each man's achievements is fixed by his own powers. In his brief business career Harry H. Baron has found that there is always room at the top for the individual endowed with the qualities of enterprise, determination and intelligence, and as the executive head of The Fair he occupies a commanding position in mercantile circles of Bellingham. He was born  in 1894 and is a native of Colorado. He attended the public schools of Denver and after completing his education assisted his father, who was engaged in merchandising at Dillon, Colorado. He diligently applied himself to his tasks and gradually mastered every detail of the business.

The Fair was established about 1895 by Charles Cissna and is one of the oldest mercantile houses in Bellingham. Mr. Clarke next became proprietor of the store, which was subsequently acquired by Tony De Muth, and later the business was purchased by the Stone-Fisher Company, a Tacoma corporation operating a chain of department stores in the state. The building was closed for three years and in 1913 was reopened by Charles Cissna. In 1923 Harry H. Baron bought his stock and leased the building and fixtures. The store is fifty by one hundred and thirty-five feet in dimensions and contains a balcony. Since assuming the duties of president Mr. Baron has modernized The Fair, which now ranks with the most up-to-date department stores of northwestern Washington, and under his competent direction the business is enjoying a rapid growth. He handles toys, hardware, crockery, shoes, millinery, wearing apparel for men and women and a complete line of dry goods. He gives to his patrons good value for the amount expended and is always prepared to supply the needs of the public, knowing that satisfied customers constitute the best advertisement.

In 1923 Mr. Baron married Miss Fannie Glazer, of Bellingham, a daughter of Lewis Glazer, and to this union has been born one child, Mayer Irwin. Mr. Baron went to France with the American Expeditionary Force and spent fourteen months overseas. He belongs to the American Legion, the Lions Club and the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and Shriner and is also connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he follows an independent course, regarding the qualifications of a candidate as a matter of prime importance, and is in complete accord with every worthy public project. Mr. Baron is deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished and measurers up to the full stature of American manhood and citizenship.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 811-812.

CHARLES L. BRYS

There are few farmers of western Whatcom county who have met with more encouraging success here than has Charles L. Brys, of Ferndale township, who has contributed largely to the material welfare of the community in which he resides, being a modern agriculturist and as a citizen public-spirited and progressive in all that the terms imply. Mr. Brys is a native of Normandy, France, and he was born June 5, 1870, a son of Joseph and Philemena (Buscort) Brys, both of whom were natives of Belgium. The father brought his family to the United States in 1871 and settled in Michigan, where he remained until 1874, when he went to Nevada, and he was employed in the gold mines at Virginia City, being there at the time of the great fire of 1874. He remained there until 1882, when he came to Ferndale, Whatcom county, and took up a homestead three miles north of that place. His land was densely covered with brush and timber, but he cleared off a good part of it and lived there until 1902, when he retired, and he now makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. Charles F. Timerman, of Ferndale township, being at this time eighty-eight years of age. His wife died in November, 1900. They became the parents of six children: Frank, Emily, Charles L., and John and two who died in infancy in Belgium. The three children first named were born in France.

Charles L. Brys was but a baby when brought to this country, and he secured his education in the public schools of Virginia City, Nevada. He came to Ferndale with his parents in 1882 and assisted his father in the clearing of the farm. He then went to Seattle and was employed as a carpenter for two years, at the end of which time he returned to Ferndale and acquired forty acres of his father's farm, all being heavily timbered. He cleared this land, developed a good farm and is still living there, having been successful in his farming operations. Twenty acres of the tract are entirely cleared, the remainder partly so. The cultivated land is devoted to hay, grain and root crops, and he also maintains a fine garden. He keeps eight fine, pure bred Jersey cows and several young animals. He has been an untiring worker, doing thoroughly whatever he undertakes, and the prosperity which has crowned his efforts has been well deserved. He exercises sound judgment and discrimination in all of his business affairs and has earned a reputation among his fellow agriculturists as an up-to-date and progressive citizen. He is not neglectful of his duties to the community, giving earnest support to every measure for the betterment of the public welfare and cooperating in all good work in the locality. He is a man of friendly manner, accommodating to his neighbors, and is extremely popular among those with whom he associates.

JAMES BATSTONE

On November 28, 1896, Mr. Brys was married to Miss Elizabeth C. Batstone, who was born in Line county, England, a daughter of James and Caroline (Bond) Batstone. Her parents were also natives of England, and they brought their family to the United States in 1872, locating in Detroit, Michigan, where the father followed the cabinetmaking trade until 1874. In that year he went to Oakland, California, where he remained for two years, and then went to Melbourne, Australia, where he also lived for two years, followed by a similar period in England. In 1880 he returned to California, where he remained but a short time, going thence to Victoria, British Columbia, where he lived one year. He next went to Seattle, where he superintended the construction of a large building, and remained in that city three years. He then came to Ferndale and bought forty acres of land, to which he later added eighty acres across the road. It was all covered with timber and brush, and he cleared about two-thirds of the tract, building a fine house and substantial barn. He kept that ranch until 1903, when he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, building two houses there, and retired. He lived there until 1913, when he went to Kent, Washington, and bought a small ranch, on which he built a splendid home, and there he spent his remaining days, his death occurring March 17, 1924. He is survived by his widow. He was a man of marked force of character and was one of the organizers of the Young Men's Christian Association in Seattle. He was a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church and was a man of prominence and influence. To him and his wife were born thirteen children, namely: James E., who lives in Alaska; Charles R., of Port Angeles, Washington; Elizabeth C., Mrs. Brys; Horace J., of Puyallup, Washington; Mrs. H. Collins, of Seattle; George, deceased; Mrs. Gertrude B. Rossell, of Kent, Washington; Mrs. R. N. Leezer, of Seattle; Alice, deceased; George H., of Kent, Washington; Frank H., deceased; Roy C., of Washington; and Mildred, deceased.

To Mr. and Mrs. Brys has been born a daughter, Mrs. Merl C. Frisbie, of Bellingham, where Mr. Frisbie is in the employ of the Diehl Motor Company. they have two children: Dale L., born June 28, 1923; and Allene M., born June 26, 1925. Fraternally Mr. Brys is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Ferndale, and he also belongs to the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Farm Bureau.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 939-940.

SABINE L. CARR

Energetic, determined and capable, Sabine L. Carr has accomplished what he has undertaken, winning success in the insurance business, and for more than twenty years Bellingham has numbered him among its loyal, public-spirited citizens. A native of Canada, he was born in Woodstock, New Brunswick, in 1876, and his parents, James and Eliza (Stewart) Carr, have passed away. They were of Scotch descent, and the father was a dealer in hemlock bark.

Sabine L. Carr received a liberal education, completing a course in the University of Mount Allison, New Brunswick, in 1898, and in 1904 he was graduated from the Ontario College of Pharmacy, while in the same year the University of Toronto conferred upon him the degree of Phm. B. He then crossed the border into the United States and was employed for a time by F. H. Putnam & Company, pharmacists of Boston, Massachusetts. In 1905 he came to Bellingham and obtained a position as pharmacist with Collins & Company of this city, subsequently becoming the owner of Carr's Pharmacy, which he conducted for two years. He then sold his stock to Dr. Mohram and in 1910 purchased the insurance business of George W. Felker. Mr. Carr has since controlled the enterprise, representing the strongest and most reliable companies in the field, and his well directed efforts have been productive of most gratifying results. He has made a careful study of the business and his thorough knowledge of the subject of insurance enables him to aid patrons in securing the policies best suited to their needs.

In January, 1907, Mr. Carr married Miss May Gilligan, who was born in Fir, Skagit county, Washington. She is a daughter of James Gilligan, one of the first settlers of Bellingham. Her uncle, Hugh Eldridge, was auditor of Whatcom county from 1886 until 1891 and for eighteen years served as postmaster of Bellingham, retiring from the office in 1916 under the Wilson administration. He was one of the promoters of the Fairhaven & New Whatcom Street Railway Company, of which he served as president for some time, and subsequently became a dealer in real estate. To Mr. and Mrs. Carr were born three children, but Mary Stewart, the youngest, is deceased. The others are Hugh Eldridge and Sabine L., Jr., aged respectively sixteen and twelve years.

Mr. Carr has taken the thirty-second degree in Masonry and is a Noble of the Nile Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs to the Woodmen of the World and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and is a charter member of the local Rotary Club. He is secretary of the Cougar Club and is also connected with the Bellingham Automobile and Golf and Country Clubs. He has been honored with the presidency of the Insurance Agents League of Washington and is one of the progressive members of the Chamber of Commerce, while his political views are in accord with the platform and principles of the republican party. Mr. Carr has conformed his life to a high standard of conduct and enjoy's the unqualified respect and confidence of his fellow citizens.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 222-223.

JOSEPH CLARKSON

No resident of Ferndale township, Whatcom county, in recent years has been better or more favorably known than was the late Joseph Clarkson, who was an enterprising miller and a public-spirited citizen, who, while advancing his personal interests, never neglected his duties to his community. Whatever of success he attained was entirely due to his individual efforts, prominence in his adopted country, which entitled him to the high esteem which he enjoyed among his neighbors, all of whom reposed in him the utmost confidence. Joseph Clarkson, whose death, on December 16, 1913, was looked upon as a distinct loss to the entire community in which he lived, was born in the Province of Quebec, near Montreal, Canada, on the 30th of May, 1861, and was a son of Joseph and Jane (Fulton) Clarkson, the former a native of Quebec and the latter of the north of Ireland. Joseph Clarkson, Sr., was a prominent and extensive lumberman in Quebec, owning his own sawmills, and remained in the business until 1892, when he came to Washington, remaining here until his death, which occurred at Ferndale January 2, 1900. His wife passed away on December 17th of that year. To this worthy couple were born seven children, namely: Mrs. Maggie Hamilton, who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is the mother of five children; John, deceased; Mrs. Annie Morrison, who lives in San Diego, California, and has a son; Joseph, the immediate subject of this memoir; Robert, of Ferndale township, who is represented on other pages of this work; Mrs. Agnes English, who lives in Montreal, Canada, and is the mother of two children, and James who owns and operates a sawmill in Okanogan county, Washington, and is married and has a son.

Joseph Clarkson received his education in the public schools of the neighborhood, remaining at home until 1890, when he came to Whatcom country and here followed his trade, that of a carpenter, being employed in the mills at Ferndale. Later he went to Seattle, where he lived for some time, and then returned to Whatcom county and bought twenty acres of land, a mile west of Ferndale. He built a comfortable house and lived there until 1902, when he moved to a new home one and a half miles east of Ferndale. He engaged in the operation of a shingle mill on Barrett Lake, in partnership with his brother, Robert, carrying on the business about ten years, when it was discontinued because of the scarcity of timber near enough to make it profitable to haul it. Mr. Clarkson was a man of earnest purpose, upright life, and sound business judgment. His life was one of indomitable industry and perseverance, for he know no such word as idleness, and he did thoroughly and well whatever he undertook. He was a man of fine disposition, genial and friendly in his social relations and he so ordered his actions as to receive the respect and esteem of all who came into contact with him.

On May 23, 1899, Mr. Clarkson was married to Miss Belle Farnsworth, who was born at Castle Rock, Cowlitz county, Washington, a daughter of James and Mary (Odell) Farnsworth. The father, a native of Iowa, died October 11, 1888, and the mother, a native of Indiana, died April 14, 1895. Mrs. Clarkson's paternal grandfather came to Oregon in 1860 and located in the Willamette valley. He was a physician by profession and practiced medicine there until his retirement, his death occurring when he was eighty-eight years old. James Farnsworth went to Oregon with his parents in 1860 and farmed there for a few years. In 1870 he moved to Castle Rock, Washington, where he lived several years, and then returned to Oregon, where his death occurred October 11, 1888. He was survived a number of years by his wife. They were the parents of four children, namely: Dempster, who lives in McMinnville, Oregon; Albert, of Portland, Oregon; Mrs. Clarkson, and Mrs. Eva Haines, who lives in Okanogan county, Washington. To Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson have been born five children: Walter James, born October 30, 1900, graduated from the Ferndale high school and then entered Washington State College, where he was graduated in 1924. He is now engaged in testing cattle for the Yakima County Dairymen's Association; Elmer Joseph, born September 15, 1903, graduated from high school, and is now a student in the Washington State College; Laura May, born June 3, 1905, graduated from high school and is a student in the State College; Merton Robert, born July 25, 1908, is in high school; Willard Lincoln, born February 12, 1911, is also in school. Mrs. Clarkson now owns twenty-six acres of land in Ferndale township, where she is very pleasantly situated and is carrying on general farming, in which she is ably assisted by her younger sons. A fine modern house was built in 1914, and the place is well improved in every respect, being nicely situated on the paved highway between Bellingham and Blaine. Mrs. Clarkson is a lady of tact and good judgment, take a commendable interest in the general welfare of the community and, because of her gracious character and her friendly and hospitable manner, she enjoys an enviable standing throughout the community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 606-607.

WILLIAM L. CREASEY

William L Creasey, one of the pioneers of Whatcom County and proprietor of a well improved farm in Custer township, with residence on rural mail route No. 1 out of Custer, was former assessor of that township and is now acting assessor, and is one of the best known men in that section of the county. He is a native of England but has been a resident of this country since the clays of his young manhood and of Washington for more than forty years and is thoroughly American in spirit and interests. He was born in the coal mining region of Lincolnshire, England, October 1, 1858, a son of Henry and Mary (Skelton) Creasey, both of whom were born in Lincolnshire and whose last days were spent in Whatcom County, of which they became pioneers in 1882. Henry Creasey came to this country with his family in 1879 and located at Streator, LaSalle County, Illinois, where he and his five sons were employed in the coal mines. He was a coal miner in his home country and his sons also grew up familiar with mine operations. Two years later he moved with his family to the coal region of Colorado and after a season's residence there came to Washington with his family and homesteaded in Pleasant Valley in this county, where he spent the remainder of his days.

The year in which the Creaseys came to the United States was the year in which William L. Creasey attained his majority. He had had a hard and bitter apprenticeship at coal mining. His family was so ill circumstanced that it was necessary for all hands, from childhood, to do their part in family maintenance. When he was nine years of age his schooling stopped and he was put to work on a farm, doing "boy's work" and tending sheep. When he was twelve his parents moved to Derbyshire and he there worked on a twelve-hour shift down in the mines. When the family settled in Illinois he worked in the mines there, in Colorado the same, and when they came here he was employed in the mines at Carbonado, Pierce County. In the next year he and his brother, Walter Creasey, entered claims to adjoining homestead tracts in Custer township, this county, and he gave up mining forever. That was in 1883 and Mr. Creasey has thus for more than forty years been a resident of that section, during this time developing a good piece of property. When he took hold of the claim the land was undeveloped and the difficult task of clearing fell to him. Nor was there any road to the place then, his nearest outlet to the highway being at the present Edward Brown place. Wild game then was abundant and there was an ever present element of adventure in the job of pioneering which he had undertaken. Mr. Creasey has many interesting stories to tell of those early days. Several years ago he turned the old place over to his sons and built for himself and wife a new home north of the old one, where they are quite pleasantly situated. His chief attention of late years has been given to dairying and he has a fine herd of about fifteen dairy cattle. He also has a good orchard of about five hundred trees on his father's old homestead tract-one of the oldest and best orchards in that section.

Since taking up his residence here Mr. Creasey has given helpful attention to local civic affairs. He assisted in building the first schoolhouse in his district and was for years a member of the local school board. For several terms he served as township assessor and is now serving as acting assessor under appointment to fill the term to which his son, George E. Creasey, was elected but was unable to fill owing to illness.

Mr. Creasey has been twice married. In 1891, at Pleasant Valley in this county, he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Clayton, also a native of England, and to that union were born four sons, Walter Henry, Cecil C., William Ralph and George Earnest, the last named living on the old home place, having recently been elected assessor of Custer township. Walter Henry Creasey, whose name adorns the "gold star" roster of Whatcom county's heroes in the World war, was born on the home place June 4, 1893, and was killed in action in France July 31, 1918, while serving as a soldier of the American Expeditionary Forces, a courier attached to Company A, Wisconsin Division of the army, and is buried in a military cemetery in France. Cecil C. Creasey, the second son, also enlisted and went to Camp Lewis, but was rejected on account of an accidental mutilation of one of his hands. He is taking part in the operations of the home farm. William R., the third son, also living on the old home place, married Miss Nettie Dodds and has three children, Wilma E., Ralph C. and Francis Lee. Mrs. Elizabeth Creasey died in November, 1918, during the prevalence of the dreadful epidemic of influenza which swept the country in that fateful year, and Mr. Creasey has since married Mrs. Minnie (Baker) Mathews, widow of John Mathews. Mrs. Creasey was born in Dodge County, Minnesota, and has been a resident of Whatcom County since 1900.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 443-444.

HERBERT J. DAKIN

Herbert J. Dakin, of Mountain View township, a substantial landowner and poultryman residing on rural mail route No. 2 out of Ferndale, former assessor of his home township and one of the best known men in that part of the country, has been a resident here for almost forty years and has thus been a witness to the growth and development of this region, for when he came here the greater part of the county was still in its primeval state. Mr. Dakin is a native son of the old Green Mountain state, born in Addison county, Vermont, February 11, 1855, and is a son of John V. and Sarah (Lattin) Dakin, the latter a native of Canada. J. V. Dakin, a well-to-do farmer in his home neighborhood, was a member of one of the old families of Vermont, the Dakins having been represented there since colonial days.

Reared on the home farm in Vermont, H. J. Dakin made a brief sojourn in Virginia and in 1876, the year in which he attained his majority, went to Ohio, where for two years he engaged in farming. His next move was into Iowa, where he remained for four years, at the end of which time he became operator of a grain elevator at Maple, Minnesota, buying wheat throughout that district for the great warehouse concerns in Minneapolis, and was thus engaged until 1888 when, attracted by the possibilities then becoming apparent for settlers in this section of the country, he came to Washington and bought the place on which he is now living in the Mountain View settlement, where he since has made his home, being one of the early settlers and old established citizens of that district. The forty on which Mr. Dakin settled in 1888 was then a wilderness but he cleared and cultivated and made a good piece of property out of it. Some time ago he sold twenty acres of his tract and his operations now are confined to twenty acres, he there giving his chief attention to the raising of poultry. He has a fine flock of six hundred or more White Leghorns and is doing well in his operations. He is a member of the Washington Cooperative Egg and Poultry Association and has long been recognized as one of the leaders in his line in that section of the county.

In 1880, in Iowa, Mr. Dakin was united in marriage to Miss Amy Morgan, who was born in that state, a daughter of Harley and Ruth (Duprey) Morgan, the latter born in Ohio in 1828. Mr. Morgan was born in Vermont in 1817, became one of the pioneers of Iowa and he was a member of the Masonic order. Mr. and Mrs. Dakin became parents of six children, namely: Elsie Ruth, who married Dr. Bailey of Ferndale and has nine children; Edna Margaret, who married J. E. Hayes of Seattle and has three children; Warren Herbert Dakin, who died in 1910 at the age of twenty-five years; Walter John who married Della Radcliff of Blaine and now lives in Ferndale; Harold Morgan, a lawyer, now engaged in practice at Watertown, Wisconsin, who married Mamie Christianson of Minnesota and has two children; and Bernice Helen, who married D. A. Quance of Portland, Oregon, and has two children. Mr. Dakin is a member of the Masonic fraternity. He has ever given his earnest personal attention to local civic affairs, was for some time deputy assessor of Whatcom county and has also served as assessor of Mountain View township.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 859-860.

GEORGE DOWLING

George Dowling, one of the substantial and progressive dairymen of the Custer neighborhood and formerly engaged in the greenhouse business in Westminster, is a native of England but has resided on this side of the Atlantic for more than twenty-five years. He was born July 1, 1855, in the Cheddar parish of Somertshire, England, in the neighborhood of the village of Cheddar in a district famous for the manufacture of the celebrated Cheddar cheese. His parents, George and Elizabeth (Marshall) Dowling, also natives of that district, spent their entire lives in England. The father, a farmer, was a son of George Dowling, whose father also was George, a name that has persisted in the family for many generations, and which in the present is borne by two of that name, one of Mr. Dowling's sons, now residing in Westminster, also being a George Dowling.

Reared in his home place, George Dowling of Whatcom County grew up as a farmer, associated with his father, and as a young man diversified his labors by employment during the winters on government works. He became a farm manager and after seven or eight years engaged in business on his own account as a market gardener in the vicinity of Newport, England. In 1892 he came across the water on a prospecting trip into Canada and in 1899 moved with his family and homesteaded a quarter section of land in the Ethelbert district in Manitoba. He proved up on that place and remained there for six years, when he disposed of his holdings there and went to Westminster, British Columbia, where he bought a tract of fifteen acres (now included within the city limits) and engaged in market gardening", following the processes with which he had become familiar in England and producing many garden products that were new and in some instances hardly welcome to his new customers. This was particularly true of an English variety of cucumber that grew to a length of from eighteen to twenty-four inches and which he had much difficulty in convincing the Westminster people was an edible product. Mr. Dowling remained at Westminster until 1912 when, on the crest of the "boom" then exciting the people there, he disposed of his greenhouses to advantage and came to Whatcom county, buying an "eighty" in the near vicinity of Custer, where he established his home and has since been living, he and his family being quite pleasantly situated there. One of the things Mr. Dowling has done to improve that place since he took it over was to move the dwelling house to a more advantageous position with respect to the fine view to be obtained from that site. He also erected a new barn and made other substantial improvements. When he took the place but twenty acres of it had been cleared. He has cleared another twenty and now has a model dairy farm there, with a good herd of registered Jerseys and has for some time been making dairying his chief vocation. in 1922 Mr. Dowling had an experience with a bull which he had raised that he never will forget, for in the unequal struggle with the animal he received hurts of a permanent character. The bull turned on him and certainly would have killed him had not his faithful dog been attracted to the scene and so diverted the attention of the maddened animal as to permit Mr. Dowling to make his escape.

Mr. Dowling has been twice married. In 1876 he wedded Miss Harriet Rossiter, who died in 1880, leaving- three children, Charles Dowling, who is still in England, engaged in gardening at Newport; Rose, who died when thirteen years of age; and George, who died in infancy. In 1884 Mr. Dowling married Miss Elizabeth Phillips, who was born in Wales, and to this union seven children have been born, namely: John, who is married and is now living at North Bend, connected with the operations of the Canadian Pacific Railroad; George, now living in Westminster; Lizzie, who married John McKensie of Westminster and has six children; Albert, who is farming in the Westminster district; Harry, who is an engineer engaged in timbering operations; and Annie and Nina at home. John McKensie, Mr. Dowling's son-in-law in Westminster, is a veteran of the World war with a record of overseas service with the Canadian forces. Though he was in some of the heaviest action of the war, and the Canadians certainly had their share of the brunt of battle, he apparently bore a charmed life and came through unscathed.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 386-387.

ADOLPH G. FENSKE

Agriculture is one of the most useful occupations open to man, and is the basis of the nation's prosperity. Adolph G. Fenske has therefore made a wise choice of life work, and a desirable ranch in Deming township is the visible result of his intelligently directed efforts. A native of Wisconsin, he was born June 9, 1873, and his parents, Julius and Matilda Fenske, were among the early settlers of that state. He was reared on his father's farm and received a public school education. He aided his father in the cultivation of the homestead and at the age of eighteen started out for himself, purchasing a quarter section in Shawano county, Wisconsin. He operated the place for fifteen years with much success and in 1906 disposed of the the property. In that year he went to California and purchased land in Tulare county. A year later he sold the ranch and came to northwestern Washington, buying a tract of one hundred and five acres in Deming township, where he has since made his home. He has made many improvements on the place and now has thirty acres under cultivation. His standards of farming are high and his soil is rich and productive. He operates a well equipped dairy on his farm and is also engaged in the poultry business, receiving a good return from his labors.

In 1892 Mr. Fenske married Miss Rosa Christian, a native of Wisconsin and a daughter of Charles Christian who settled on a farm in Deming township in 1907. To Mr. and Mrs. Fenske were born ten children. Adelia, the eldest, is the wife of Hubert Davis, of Burlington, Washington, and the mother of two children, Joseph and Laura. Edna was united in marriage to Melvin Johnson of Kendall, Washington, by whom she has two daughters, Rose and Violet. Arthur, a resident of Burlington, Washington, has a wife and two children, Etta and Beulah. Reinold owns a ranch near the homestead and has a wife and two children, Walter and Bettie. Lorena is the wife of Eben Johnson, a well known farmer of this locality, and they have two sons, William and Clifford. Walter is the owner of a garage in Burlington and is also married. Ethel is the wife of Jean Campbell, of Burlington, and the mother of two daughters, Lorella and Della. The younger children, Ina, Mary and Ellen, are still at home.

Mr. Fenske is allied with the republican party and has been township supervisor and road overseer. He has worked earnestly and effectively for the good of his district and diligence and determination have shaped his career. His prosperity is well deserved and his genuine worth has won for him many steadfast friends.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 708-709.

LOUIS J. FORD

The name of L. J. Ford is well known in commercial circles of Bellingham in connection with the dairy business, in which he is a pioneer, and his progressive spirit and executive powers have stimulated the development of this important industry. He was born September 3, 1871, and is a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His parents were E. J. and Mary S. (Able) Ford, the former an agriculturist, and both of whom are now deceased.

L. J. Ford received a public school education, and his first knowledge of the dairy business was acquired in Iowa. He came to Washington in 1899 and in February, 1900, arrived in Bellingham. He had charge of the John B. Agen Creamery for a year and in 1901 opened the Ford Creamery, which on January 1, 1924, became the Ford Dairy Products. The first home of the creamery was in the Victor block, and it was next established at No. 1401 F street. The business was later conducted at No. 1329 Cornwall avenue and was afterward moved to Kent, Washington. At the end of a year it was reestablished in Bellingham at its present location, No. 313 East Champion street. The plant is well equipped and thoroughly sanitary. The daily capacity is two thousand pounds of butter and three hundred gallons of ice cream. Twenty thousand pounds of milk are handled each day and employment is furnished to ten persons. The firm operates four delivery trucks and deals only on a wholesale basis. Its products are of superior quality and are sold throughout the county. Mr. Ford is president of the business, of which he has a highly specialized knowledge, and through carefully formulated plans and judicious management has fostered its growth, building up an industry of large proportions.

In 1895 Mr. Ford was married to Miss Ella Hurd, of Nebraska, and Maynard, their only child, is now a locomotive fireman in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad. He is married and has a daughter, Mary Jane. Mr. Ford is a Knight Templar Mason and Shriner and is also connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party but has never aspired to public office, preferring to discharge the duties of citizenship in a private capacity. He is a business man of high standing and what he has accomplished represents the fit utilization of his innate powers and talents.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 516.

ROBERT C. GANTZ

Another of the sterling sons of the old Keystone state now living in Whatcom county is R. C. Gantz, who was born in Pennsylvania, on the 11th of January, 1875, and is a son of David and Nancy Gantz, both of whom also were born and reared in Pennsylvania. He was educated in the public schools of his native community, and remained there until 1907, when he went to Oklahoma, where he rented a tract of land and engaged in raising a general line of crops, including corn, cotton, wheat and alfalfa, and also hogs. Eventually he sold out there and, in 1919, came to Whatcom county. He bought forty-two acres of land, located about one mile east of Ferndale, and here carried on general farming, giving special attention to the raising of sugar beets. He keeps three good cows and about eight hundred laying hens.

In 1904, in Pennsylvania, Mr. Gantz was married to Miss Etta McConahey, daughter of James and Anna McConahey, both of whom were born and reared in Pennsylvania and where both of them died. Mr. and Mrs. Gantz have two children, Robert, born December 12, 1908, and Anna, born November 11, 1910, the last named being a student in high school. Fraternally, Mr. Gantz is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons at Ferndale and also belongs to Bellingham Aerie, Fraternal Order of Eagles. Mr. Gantz has pursued the even tenor of his way in a quiet and unostentatious manner, attending strictly to his own affairs, and he now holds a high place in the good will and esteem of the entire community in which he lives.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 819.

EDWARD C. GARDNER

Edward C. Gardner is one of the well known poultrymen of Marietta township, which is indebted to him for many of its improvements, and through the stimulating friction of battling with difficulties he has developed poise, self-reliance and strength of character, which have enabled him to solve successfully life's problems and difficulties. A native of Canada, he was born April 20, 1864, in Ontario, and his parents were C. J. and Fannie (Kelsey) Gardner, the latter a native of the state of New York. The father was a Canadian and in 1872 came with his family to the United States. He purchased a farm in Minnesota and engaged in agricultural pursuits, also working as a machinist. In 1900 he migrated from that state to Washington, settling in Bellingham, and here spent the remainder of his life. He had long survived the mother, whose demise occurred in 1875.

Edward C. Gardner attended the public schools of Minnesota and also served an apprenticeship to the mason's trade, which he followed for some time. He worked for a few years in lumber mills of Whatcom county and subsequently bought six acres of land on the Northwest Diagonal road, and after clearing the place he sold it to good advantage. He next purchased an interest in a shingle mill on the Ferndale road but the plant was destroyed by fire and he was obliged to start life anew. He bought a tract of ten acres and later an additional twenty acres in the northeast corner of Marietta township and has cleared and developed both places. Like many of the residents of this district, Mr. Gardner has found poultry raising a profitable and congenial occupation, and he now has a flock of five hundred hens. He also operates a dairy on his farm and has installed modern equipment. He follows up-to-date methods and his work is carefully planned and systematically performed.

On September 1, 1901, Mr. Gardner married Miss Mamie Ramp, a daughter of William and Gertrude Ramp, who came to Bellingham in 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner have a family of four children: Grace; Gladys, the wife of Lloyd M. Davis, of Bellingham, and the mother of one child; Helen, at home; and Thomas, aged four years. Mr. Gardner is a republican in his political views and preeminently loyal and public-spirited in all matters of citizenship, representing that class of men to whom personal gain is but one aim in many, secondary in importance to public growth and development. He was a member of the school board for two years and it was owing to his efforts that the outside school bus was started, thus enabling the children from the farming community to secure better educational advantages. He has worked earnestly and untiringly to advance the standards of the public schools of this section of the state. He was township supervisor for six years and acted as chairman of the board during five years of that period. He signed the first petition for rural free delivery in the township and has been a leader in every project destined to promote the general good. He has held office in the Modern Woodmen of America and is also a member of the Grange and the Whatcom County Associations of Poultrymen and Dairymen. Mr. Gardner has made his life count as a strong force for good and is a man of admirable character who would be a valuable acquisition to any community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 877.

CHARLES F. HARRIS

Charles F. Harris has been engaged in the contracting business in Bellingham for over twenty years, doing much important work as a city builder, and his life record is written in terms of success and honor. He was born in 1867 at Sullivan, Illinois, and is a son of W. H. and Susan (Buxton) Harris, the former a retired contractor. The father has resided in Mount Vernon, Washington, since 1902, but the mother has passed away.

The public schools of Illinois afforded Charles F. Harris his educational opportunities, and when a young man he went to Iowa. He engaged in brick laying and contracting in Albia and was later in Missouri. He came to Washington in 1903, reaching Bellingham on the 10th of July, and worked at his trade for a year. He has since been engaged in general contracting under his own name and has met with notable success in the undertaking, leaving examples of his skill throughout the city. His buildings are substantially constructed and attractive in design, representing the best in workmanship and material consistent with the prices charged. He supervised the placing of the brick and stone work on the new Catholic church and completed the sixty thousand dollar annex to the State Normal School. He erected the Long, Charlton, Kulshan, Quackenbush and Frey buildings in Bellingham and the Miller Hotel in Lynden. He constructed eight dry kilns for the Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Company, and he was awarded the contract for the Burns buildings. He employes (sic) a large force of men, and a well merited reputation for thoroughness and reliability is one of his most valuable assets.

In 1894 Mr. Harris married Miss Edith E. Miller, a native of Wisconsin, and five children were born to them: Alta, now the wife of George Adams, of Bellingham; Mona, who was united in marriage to H. B. Fenstra, of Everett, Washington; Ione, the wife of Irvin Dunkle, of Bellingham; Edith, who is attending high school; and Charles W., a grammar school pupil. Mr. Harris' father served in the Civil war and he is one of the Sons of Veterans. He is also connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party. He has done much to develop and beautify his city, and his enterprise, ability and fidelity to principle and amply illustrated in his career.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 587.

PERCY HOOD

There is no one element which has a greater effect in upholding the financial stability of a community than has a well organized and conservatively conducted bank, and of such an institution Percy Hood is the executive head, ably directing the operations of the First National Bank of Ferndale. A native of Pennsylvania, he was born July 18, 1883, and during his childhood his parents, Rev. S. M. and Mary (Marshall) Hood, moved to Kansas. He attended the public schools of the Sunflower state and his higher education was received in the Wesleyan University at Salina, Kansas, from which he was graduated in 1904. Coming to Washington, he obtained work in a shingle mill at Ferndale and since 1908 has been identified in an official capacity with the institution which he now controls. It was founded December 14, 1904, as the Ferndale State Bank, which started business with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars and was housed in a building erected for this purpose. Charles Cissna was the first president and H. E. Campbell became cashier. In 1906 Mr. Cissna sold his stock to Mr. Campbell, who succeeded him in the office of president, and Percy Hood subsequently assumed the duties of cashier. Mr. Campbell remained the largest shareholder in the bank until December 1, 1919, when Mr. Hood purchased the controlling interest in the institution, converting it into the First National Bank, of which he has since been president, while E. R. Campbell acts as cashier. The  capitalization was increased to thirty thousand dollars.

In 1908 the bank moved to its present home, a substantial brick structure two stories in height and well adapted to its needs. The building is fireproof and thoroughly modern, containing the complete equipment of the modern bank. The institution maintains both savings and checking departments and renders to its patrons service of high quality. In 1908 the bank had deposits of about forty-four thousand dollars, and it now has more than fifteen hundred depositors. There is a surplus of seven thousand dollars and the deposits amount to five hundred and thirty thousand dollars. The steady growth of the bank is due to the wisdom of the policy adopted by Mr. Hood, who is a capable executive and an astute financier as well as a shrewd judge of human nature.

On January 11, 1905, Mr. Hood was united in marriage to Miss Grace Haines, of Nortonville, Kansas, and they have three children: Harriet Haines, Lois J. and Jack C. Mr. Hood is a member of the Old Settlers Association, of which he is treasurer. His influence is always on the side of progress and improvement and his life record is written in terms of honor and success.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 470.

MAJOR STEELMAN INGERSOLL

A typical westerner, M. S. Ingersoll has an intimate knowledge of life on the frontier and possesses the strong phisque  (sic) and breadth of view which characterize those who live close to the heart of nature. He has resided in northwestern Washington for nearly two decades and is now engaged in farming in Lawrence township, owning one of the old and valuable ranches of this locality. He was born August 7, 1861, in Fillmore, Andrew county, Missouri, and his parents, John and Sarah (Monroe) Ingersoll, were natives of Ohio. They were among the early settlers of Missouri, and the father followed the blacksmith's trade, also making wagons. He enlisted for service in the Civil war and valiantly defended the Union cause. He went to South Dakota in 1876, being accompanied by the subject of this sketch, who was then a boy of fifteen, and in 1881 they were joined by the other members of the family. The father engaged in freighting, transporting supplies through the Black hills, in which were many Indians, and both parents passed away in South Dakota.

M. S. Ingersoll was educated in the public schools of Missouri and as a young man homesteaded land in South Dakota. As one of the pioneer farmers of that region he endured many hardships but eventually converted the virgin soil into a rich and productive tract. In 1905 he disposed of his property in South Dakota and went to Texas, spending two years in the Lone Star state. He next came to Washington and embarked in the fishing business in Seattle, owning a purse seine boat. He was thus engaged from 1913 until 1919 and then came to Whatcom county, purchasing the old Wilcox homestead in Lawrence township. It was taken  up as a homestead nearly a half century ago and contains eighty acres of land. The house and barn are still standing and the latter is made of split cedar boards. The house is well preserved and is constructed of twenty-seven inch face cedar logs, hand hewed on four sides, presenting an interesting landmark of the early days. Mr. Ingersoll has a large poultry ranch and also operates a dairy. He has made a close study of these industries and owes his success to well formulated plans and scientific methods.

In 1884 Mr. Ingersoll married Miss Cora Knickerbocker, also a native of Fillmore, Missouri, and four children were born to them: Fred T., who is married and lives in Seattle, Washington; Chauncey C., at home; Harry M., who operates a ranch near the Wilcox homestead and has a wife and three children; and John Francis, known as Frank, who is also married. Mr. Ingersoll is a Mason and belongs to the Whatcom County Associations of Dairymen and Poultrymen, while he is also connected with the Cooperative Hatchery. He follows an independent course in politics, voting according to the dictates of his judgment, and his public spirit has led to his service on the school board. In the training school of life he has learned many valuable lessons, profiting by each experience, and he is now enjoying that prosperity which is the reward of honest labor.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 502.

WILLIAM PAUL JOHNSON

W. Paul Johnson, clerk of Custer township and proprietor of a drug store, is one of the well known and progressive merchants of the village of Custer. He is a native son of Whatcom County and one of the most enthusiastic community "boosters" here. He was born in a log cabin at Licking, which then was a post office point, April 14, 1894, and is a son of William P. and Martha A. (Rogers) Johnson, both members of pioneer families in this county. The father is now cultivating a tract of farm land he preempted in British Columbia, The old log house in which Mr. Johnson was born is still standing and he naturally takes considerable interest in the continued preservation of this substantial relic of the pioneer period here.

From Licking, during the days of his childhood, Mr. Johnson's parents moved with their family to Nooksack and thence to Bellingham and he thus attended school at all of these points. As a boy he was employed as a clerk in the Fremming drug store in Bellingham "off and on" for six years, becoming thoroughly familiar with the rudiments of pharmacy. He then spent a year in a drug store in Vancouver and after his marriage established his home on a farm and was for some time thereafter engaged in farming in the Haney neighborhood. The call of the drug business was ever sounding in his ears, however, and in 1923 he disposed of his farm interests and in June took over the Campbell drug store at Custer. He has since been engaged in business in that flourishing village, one of the most progressive and energetic merchants of the place. This store was established in 1915 by A. L. Long and was later taken over by C. W. Campbell, from whom Mr. Johnson bought it. Since coming into possession of the store Mr. Johnson has rehabilitated the establishment, installing new fixtures, extending the stock and modernizing the place until now he has one of the best appointed drug stores in the county, the business being carried on in strictly up-to-date fashion. Mr. Johnson takes an interested part in local civic affairs and since 1922 has been serving as clerk of Custer township. During the time of his residence on the farm he was an active member of the local grange of the Patrons of Husbandry and he takes an earnest interest in all movements designed to promote agriculture throughout this section.

It was on September 9, 1915, at Blaine, that Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Anna Scott and they have three children: Julia Maude, born in 1917, Marjorie May, 1920; and William Paul, Jr., born in 1923. Mrs. Johnson also was born in Whatcom County and, with her husband, takes an active interest in general community affairs. She is a daughter of James L. and Barbara (Harkness) Scott. The father was born in the province of Ontario, Canada, but has been a resident of this county for forty years and is now connected with the operations of the Johnson drug store in Custer.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 412-413.

EDWARD B. JONES

E. B. Jones enjoys distinctive preferment among the citizens of Lynden township, where he now lives in honorable retirement after a long and useful life, which has been crowned with success, and as a neighbor and citizen he is highly esteemed by all who know him. He long ago earned the honor and respect of his fellowmen, having fought his way upward to an enviable position, and in every relation of life his voice and his influence have been on the side of right as he has seen and understood the right. Mr. Jones was born in New York city on the 29th of October, 1843, and is a son of William and Ann Cecelia (Davis) Jones, both of whom were natives of Wales, though their marriage occurred in the United States. The father was a sailor by vocation, having risen from cabin boy to the position of captain.

E. B. Jones attended the public schools of New York city until he was ten years of age, when he went to work as errand boy in a Broadway hat store, where he remained until he was seventeen years old. The Civil war then being in progress, he desired to enlist, but he lacked the required age and was sent to an aunt in Connecticut to keep him from further attempts to enter the army. However, in the course of time he succeeded in enlisting as a private in the Twentieth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, with which he served two years and ten months, one year of which time was spent in Virginia and the remainder of the time in the Western army. He was with General Sherman in the historic march from Atlanta to the sea and took part in the battles of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville. After receiving an honorable discharge at the conclusion of the war, Mr. Jones returned to New York and again entered a hat store. Soon afterward the family moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, and our subject obtained employment in Hoboken, that state, where he remained for two years. He also was engaged in the express business between New York city and Hudson City. He then went to Illinois and located on a farm belonging to a cousin, about one hundred miles south of Chicago, where he cultivated the soil for about three years. He next went to Onarga, Illinois, where he learned the tinner's trade, and afterward engaged in that business. After his marriage, in 1873, he sold out there and went to Delrey, Iroquois county, and bought a hardware store, which he operated for several years, after which he bought a hardware store at Thawville, Illinois, where he remained for twenty-eight years, at the end of which time he sold the business to his sons. In 1908 he came to Lynden township, Whatcom county, and has since lived with his daughters, Mrs. Lillian Sprague and Mrs. Sarah Bruns.

In 1873 Mr. Jones was married to Miss Emma T. Hall, of Onarga, Illinois, and they became the parents of four children: William, of Thawville, Illinois, is married and has three children. Lillian, who is the widow of Arthur Sprague, lives in Lynden, in which place she located in 1905, and she is the mother of two children. Sarah is the wife of E. I. Bruns, of Lynden, and they have three children. Mrs. Bruns formerly taught school here for a number of years. E. B., of Chicago, is married and has one child. During his active years Mr. Jones took a prominent part in local public affairs in the communities where he lived, having served as a town trustee in Onarga, Illinois, for six years as a member of the board of trustees of Thawville, and for four years trustee of Ridgeland township, Iroquois county. He was long a member of the Illinois National Guard, having gone in as a lieutenant, and in 1880 was commissioned captain of the Ninth Battalion, which position he held until he left that state. At one time he was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, having joined in 1868, but ceased to be an active member when he moved to unsettled parts of the country. During the '80s he went to Colorado to investigate some gold mining property owned by Onarga people and was in that state six months. He has always kept in close touch with the great issues of the day, on which he has held decided opinions, and his influence has always been on the right side of every moral issue. He is a man of generous and kindly impulses, friendly in his social relations and enjoys the respect and confidence of all who know him.

Mrs. Jones was a daughter of T. B. and Maria (Panzhorn) Hall, natives respectively of Hartford, Connecticut, and Worthington, Ohio. The father was born August 2, 1817, and died February 28, 1893, while the mother was born October 4, 1819, and died December 14, 1872. Her maternal grandparents were natives respectively of England and Wales.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 348-349.

JOSEPH WILLIAM KINDALL

Joseph William Kindall, a veteran of the World war, has long been a prominent figure in professional circles of Bellingham and enjoys an enviable reputation as a legal practitioner. He was born July 6, 1878, in Clarinda, Iowa, and is a son of Azariah and Stella (Bloss) Kindall, the former of whom is also a successful lawyer. The mother is deceased. Joseph W. Kindall received his higher education in the University of Iowa, from which he was graduated in 1900 with the A. B. degree, and in 1901 that institution conferred upon him the degree of LL. B. He began his professional career at Onawa, Iowa, in which he spent three years, and in July, 1904, came to Bellingham, where he has since resided. For four years he was a member of the law firm of Black, Kindall & Kenyon, and in 1908 he was appointed assistant county attorney. He next filled a clerical position in the offices of Newman & Howard and in the fall of 1912 became a member of the firm, which is now known as Howard & Kindall. This is regarded as one of the strongest legal combinations in the city and their practice is extensive and important.

While attending the University of Iowa, Mr. Kindall was active in military affairs, in which he became more deeply interested as he advanced in years. He joined the National Guard of Iowa and in 1916 formed the Ninth Company of Coast Artillery of the Washington National Guard, which company won the United States championship with six-inch rifles. In 1917 Mr. Kindall was sent to Fort Casey, Washington, as adjutant and later was made commander of the fort. As a captain he went to France in February, 1918, with the American Expeditionary Force and remained in Europe until February, 1919, receiving his honorable discharge in April of that year.

In 1909 Mr. Kindall married Miss Zoe Stangroom, a daughter of Mark L. Stangroom, of Bellingham, and they have two children, Josephine and Jane. A prominent Mason, Mr. Kindall has taken the thirty-second degree in Bellingham Consistory of the Scottish Rite, and he is also identified with the Mystic Shrine and the local lodge of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He aided in organizing Bellingham Post of the American Legion and has served as its commander. He belongs to the Country Club and his interest in municipal progress is indicated by his affiliation with the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Kindall casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party and conscientiously discharges the duties of citizenship, measuring up to high standards in every relation of life.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 489.

CHARLES KLEY

Among the successful farmers and public-spirited citizens of the northwestern part of Whatcom county, none holds a higher place in the respect and esteem of the people generally than does he whose name appears at the head of this sketch. He comes from sterling old German ancestry, and in his career he has to a marked degree exemplified the highest qualities of good citizenship, thereby gaining the popular respect that is due to those who by their lives and influence deserve the title of representative citizens. Charles "Carl" Kley was born on the old Kley homestead near Custer in January, 1891, and is a son of Louis and Louisa (Wieland) Kley. The father was reared and educated in his native land and on coming to the  United States went to Texas, where he was employed at railroad work until coming to Whatcom county, where he bought the homestead right to a tract of eighty acres. Subsequently he made two purchases of twenty acres each, thus giving him one hundred and twenty acres of good land. He was in Seattle for a year about the time of the great fire, but returned to Custer and spent the remainder of his years on the home place. When he first came to this locality there were no roads and but few trails, all communication with the outside world being made by water, but on his return from Seattle he made the trip afoot, by way of Blaine. About twenty acres of the land are now cleared and in cultivation, the remainder being devoted to pasture. Our subject's mother came to this country about 1888, her marriage to Mr. Kley occurring soon afterward, and her death occurred on the home farm here in 1912. She was a native of Germany, where both of her parents died.

Charles Kley was reared under the parental roof and secured his education in the public schools, after which he and his brothers devoted their energies to the cultivation of the home farm until 1920. About 1911 Mr. Kley had bought his present place of eighty acres, and he moved onto it at the time of his marriage. He built a good, comfortable house and other necessary farm buildings and has effected other improvements which have made his farm one of the best and most up-to-date in this locality. He carries on general farming operations, oats being one of his chief field crops, and he has been rewarded with a very gratifying measure of prosperity.

On January 31, 1920, Mr. Kley was married to Miss Laura Breidford, who was born and reared  in Manitoba, Canada, a daughter of A. G. and Margaret (Kenisted) Breidford, both natives of Iceland, the father being a fisherman and sheep grower by occupation. The Breidford family came from Iceland to Canada many years ago and in 1915 came to Whatcom county, locating near Blaine, where both parents now live. To Mr. and Mrs. Kley were born three children: Margaret Marie, Charles and Viola Jane, all of whom are at home. Mr. Kley has taken an active interest in local public affairs, and he has served efficiently as road supervisor for the third district, at Custer, for about ten years. He takes a commendable part in all movements for the advancement of the community and has long been numbered among its influential citizens, being held in the highest regard.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 489.

FRED E. LAUBE

Industrial activity in Bellingham has been stimulated by the well directed labors of Fred E. Laube, one of the city's progressive business men and also a moving spirit in public affairs. He was born May 6, 1884, in Green county, Wisconsin, and is a son of J. M. and Edith (Hahn) Laube. The father has resided in this locality for more than thirty years, but the mother is deceased. A native of Switzerland, J. M. Laube spent his youth in the land of the Alps and in 1860 settled in Wisconsin, becoming connected with the hardware and sheet metal business.

The family home was established in Whatcom, Washington, in 1894, when the subject of this sketch was a boy of ten, and his public school education was supplemented by a course at the University of Washington, from which he was graduated in 1906 with the degree of Mining Engineer. For two years he represented the Tacoma Smelter Company in a professional capacity and on the expiration of that period became associated with the Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Company, with which he spent five years. He then returned to Bellingham and in August, 1913, joined his father in organizing the firm of J. M. Laube & Son, of which the former is president. Fred E. Laube acts as manager, and his well defined plans and systematically directed efforts have constituted a vital force in the upbuilding of the business. The firm does all kinds of sheet metal work and builds automobile bodies, also handling the Willard storage batteries. It controls the patent rights on the Pacific coast for the Swem spark arrester, which is sold through hardware dealers and is widely used in the lumber camps of this region. J. M. Laube & Son are likewise manufacturers of the Mount Baker wood furnace, which will retain fire over night as well as a coal furnace and is designed especially for the heating of homes. Many of these furnaces have been installed throughout the northwest, and the annual sales of each department of the business amount to a large figure. The firm has twenty employees and the business is conducted at Nos. 1210-12 Elk street in a substantial building two stories in height and fifty-five by one hundred feet in dimensions. The members of the firm are sagacious, farsighted business men of the highest reputation, and the industry means much to the city.

In 1909 Fred E. Laube married Miss Ethel Birney, of Bellingham, and they have three children: Katherine Mae, Ethelfred and Frederick E., Jr. Mr. Laube is allied with the republican party and for two years has been a member of the school board. He is a strong advocate of educational advancement, and for five years he has been a trustee of the Chamber of Commerce. He is a Mason and during 1922-23 was master of his lodge. He is also connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Rotary Club and Phi Gamma Delta, a college fraternity. His deep interest in Bellingham's future has been demonstrated by earnest cooperation in movements for its development and prestige, and public opinion bears testimony to his worth.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 563-564.

EMIL T. LEHMANN

Emil T. Lehmann, of Lawrence township, resides in the vicinity of Everson and devotes his attention to the occupation of farming, owning one of the desirable ranches of this locality. A son of Emil T. and Augusta Lehmann, he was born in 1865 and is a native of Stockholm, Sweden. In 1849 the father joined the rush of gold seekers to California, spending five years in the mining district of that state, and in 1854 he returned to Sweden. He was married soon afterward and lived in the city of Stockholm until 1884, when he again crossed the Atlantic. He spent some time in Chicago and then came to the Pacific coast, locating in Seattle, Washington. There he met death in a street car accident in 1901. The mother passed away in Chicago.

Mr. Lehmann was educated in his native city and in 1880, when fifteen years of age, came to the United States. For three years he was a sailor on the Great Lakes and after abandoning a seafaring life became a street car employee, working for the West Chicago Street Car Company. In 1889 he came to the northwest, coming first to Whatcom county in search of a homestead, but when the fire department was formed in Seattle he entered that branch of municipal service. Mr. Lehmann next entered a homestead in Mason county, Washington, and proved up on his claim, which he afterward sold. He returned to Seattle and later built the first home on the north side of Green lake. He was engaged in farming in San Juan county, Washington, for twenty years and in 1923 moved to Whatcom county, buying a tract of eighty acres in Lawrence township. He cleared twenty acres of the land and has brought it to a high state of development. Broad experience has taught him the most effective methods of cultivating the soil, and his dairy is modern and sanitary. His is also a poultryman, and he receives good returns from his well directed labors.

In 1891 Mr. Lehmann married Miss Nettie Nelson, a native of Fillmore county, Minnesota, and seven children were born of their union, namely: Arthur, who is living in San Juan county; Edith, the wife of William McLaughlin, who also make his home in that county; Jennie, who married Henry Weddle, of Orcas Island; Carl E., who also lives on that island; Ralph, at home; Henry, who resides on Orcas island; and Edward, at home. Mr. Lehmann is an adherent of the republican party. He has always evinced a deep interest in public affairs and has cooperated in many plans and projects fro the general good. He has had a varied and interesting career and the story of his life is a record of earnest effort, directed into worthy channels.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 493-494.

MARTIN MALENG

Martin J. Maleng is an influential member of the Scandinavian colony of Acme township and the owner of one of the valuable farms of this locality. A son of John and Christiana Maleng, he was born November 13, 1867, and is a native of Norway. He was reared on his father's farm and soon became familiar with the various phases of agricultural life. When a young man of twenty-two he responded to the lure of the new world and in 1880 arrived at Crookston, Minnesota. He had saved the sum of three hundred dollars and was also the owner of a team of horses. In 1892 he purchased a quarter section near Crookston and for several years devoted his energies to the cultivation of the farm. In 1907 he sold the property and came to Whatcom county, buying a tract of one hundred and thirteen acres in Acme township, where he has since resided. He has cleared forty acres, and a large portion of the land is used for pasture, while the balance is covered with timber. He rebuilt the house and has a good barn and a modern dairy. He understands farming in principle and detail and his work is systematically conducted.

Mr. Maleng was married, in Minnesota, to Miss Sigrid Strand, also a Norwegian, and they have five children: George, at home; Ruth, who is the wife of Patrick Scott, of Bellingham and the mother of one child, a daughter; John, who resides with his parents; and  Henry and Normand [Norman], both high school students. Mr. Maleng belongs to the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and is keenly interested in its affairs. He is Lutheran in religious faith and his political allegiance is give to the republican party. He has been road boss and for four terms was a member of the board of township supervisors, doing much constructive work. He is a strong champion of the cause of education and with the exception of two years has served on the school board throughout the period of his residence in the township. He has aided in pushing forward the wheels of progress in northwestern Washington and at the same time has won that individual prosperity which is the legitimate reward of a life of industry and thrift.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 632.

ALBERT MEGARD

The United States can boast of no better or more law-abiding class of citizens than the great number of Norwegians who have found homes within our borders. Many of them came to this country with limited financial resources, but, imbued with a sturdy independence and a laudable ambition to succeed, they have taken advantage of the wonderful opportunities existing here and gradually, step by step, have risen to places of prominence in various lines of activity. Of these, none is more deserving of notice among the successful farmers of Whatcom county than Albert Megard, of Ferndale township, where he is well known and highly esteemed. Mr. Megard was born in Norway on the 30th of December, 1877, and is a son of Andrew and Anna (Olson) Megard, who also were born and reared in Norway. The father died in 1909 and the mother is still living on the old place in that country. To this worthy couple were born nine children, Pauline, Bertine, Mary, deceased, John, Eric, Albert, Marie, Anna and Maren.

Albert Megard attended the schools of his native land and completed his education in the schools of this country. He was an ambitious lad and, desiring a better opportunity for advancement than existed in Norway, he emigrated to the United States, landing in this country on May 2, 1893, when only a few months past fifteen years of age. He first located in Montana, where he lived about eighteen months, and then went to Minnesota, where he was employed on farms until his marriage, in 1903. After that important event, with his wife he went to Chehalis, Lewis county, Washington, where he was employed for about a year. He then came to Bellingham, where he lived about eight years, and during that time became the owner of a home there. In 1910 he bought forty acres of land near Laurel, in Ferndale township, cleared and improved it and in a short time had created a good farm and a comfortable home. He cultivates about thirty-two acres, raising mostly hay, grain and potatoes, and has met with a very gratifying measure of prosperity. He also gives considerable attention to poultry and has built two fine chicken houses, in which he keeps about six hundred hens, from which he derives a nice income. He has eleven good grade Guernsey and Holstein cows and also some young stock and two horses. He is a progressive farmer, up-to-date in his ideas and methods, and has a fine equipment of modern machinery. The general appearance of his place indicates him to be a man of good taste and excellent judgment, and he has gained the esteem and admiration of his fellow citizens, who have recognized in him a man of genuine worth and character.

On November 3, 1903, Mr. Megard was married to Miss Anna Nelsen, at Moorehead, Minnesota. She is a native of Norway and a daughter of Niels and Bertha Nelsen, natives of Norway, where the father is still living, the mother having died in 1891. To them were born five children, Christine, Nels, deceased, Anna, Louis and Peter. Louis is now a resident of Whatcom county, the other children, besides Mrs. Megard, remaining in their native land. Mr. and Mrs. Megard are the parents of four children: Alvin, born August 24, 1904, is at home; Agnes, born August 3, 1906, is a graduate of the Laurel high school and is now employed in an office in Bellingham; Bernice, born January 12, 1915, and Louis, born August 20, 1917. Mr. and Mrs. Megard are members of the Bethlehem Lutheran church, at Bellingham. They are hospitable and friendly, genial and kindly in their social relations and generous in their support of all worthy benevolent or charitable objects. Because of their success, their upright lives and their fine community spirit, they have many friends.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 655-656.

ROBERT C. MORRISON

Robert C. Morrison, veteran lumberman, promoter and secretary of the Morrison Mill Company, with plants at Bellingham, Blaine and Anacortes, has for years been recognized as one of the real leaders in the lumber industry in this section of Washington. For forty-five years he has been connected with that industry here, he and his brothers, Archie, John, William, James and Joseph, having developed a business which ranks well up toward the top in the list of the great lumber activities of the northwest. Further details with regard thereto may be found elsewhere in this work, in the sketch of Archie Morrison, who is president of the company which the brothers organized in this county more than thirty years ago.

Born in Quebec in 1858, a son of William and Elizabeth (Clarkson) Morrison, Robert C. Morrison received the advantage of good schooling and in his father's lumber mill in Montreal was early trained in the details of the milling business. In 1882, when twenty-four years of age, he came to the States and after a brief residence in San Francisco established himself in Seattle, where he became connected with the lumbering operations of the Stetson & Post Lumber Company. He was thus engaged until 1891, when he came up to Whatcom county and embarked in logging on the Nooksack in Ferndale township. In this business he was joined by his brothers and in 1893 the Morrison Mill Company was organized, with Archie Morrison as president, William Morrison as vice-president and Robert Morrison as secretary. The original Ferndale plant of the company was soon outgrown and in 1903 the Bellingham plant was erected, to which presently was added the plant at Blaine. In 1918 the company's activities were further extended by the taking over of a lumber plant at Anacortes, which has since been improved and enlarged in accordance with the Morrison standards of operation and production. The Bellingham plant has a capacity of one hundred and twenty-five thousand feet a day, the Blaine plant a capacity of seventy-five thousand feet and the Anacortes plant, one hundred and fifty thousand feet. The Morrison brothers have large holdings in standing timber and have for years been accounted among the leaders in that industry in the northwest, their products finding a ready and choice market in the lumber trade.

In 1916 Robert C. Morrison was united in marriage to Miss Helen Morrison, of the same name but of no blood kindred, and they reside in Blaine, where they occupy one of the handsomest homes in the county. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison are members of the Presbyterian church, are republicans and have ever taken an interested and helpful part in the general social and civic activities of their community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 100.

SAMUEL J. MYERS

Samuel J. Myers, proprietor of a well established and well equipped plumbing and heating establishment at Bellingham and one of the best known citizens of that city, has been a resident thereof for more than twenty years. He was born in Seneca county, Ohio, in 1877, a son of Franklin and Martha (Hoover) Myers, both of whom also were born in the old Buckeye state, members of pioneer families there, the Myerses and the Hoovers having moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio in an early day. Both of Mr. Myers' parents are now deceased. His father was a farmer, and he was reared to farming, but upon starting out on his own account he chose the machinist's trade and became a competent machinist. For three years or more he worked at that trade and then took up the allied trade of plumbing and steam fitting, and his attention has ever since been devoted to this line. In 1904 Mr. Myers became a resident of Bellingham, and he has long been recognized as one of the veteran plumbers and steam fitters in this section of the state. On June 1, 1924, he opened his present plumbing and heating establishment at No. 1311 Railroad avenue, buying there the two-story building occupying a ground space of twenty-five by one hundred feet, and equipped it with a complete plant of up-to-date machinery and appliances. He has since been engaged in business at that site, with a competent staff of operatives, and is in a position to take care of any calls made in his line throughout this section.

In 1901 Mr. Myers was united in marriage to Miss Bessie D. McClelland, who also was born in Ohio, and they have four children: Robert and Franklin Myers, who are associated with their father in the plumbing and heating business; Marie, who married Henry O. Hawkins of Bellingham and has a son; and Mrs. Ida Montgomery, who is now living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Robert Myers married Miss Helen Knutsen of Bellingham and makes his home in that city. Samuel J. Myers is a member of the Optimists Club and is affiliated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 931.

REV. ERIC O. OLSON

It is always a pleasure to revert to the life of a man who has spent his active years in the service of his fellowmen; who, unselfishly, has sought to minister to those in need of spiritual guidance and who, unmindful of praise or blame, goes forward from day to day in the performance of his humble duty. Such a man is Rev. E. O. Olson, who for many years successfully devoted his life to the ministry and is now numbered among the public-spirited and progressive citizens of Whatcom county. He was born in Sweden on the 19th of March, 1853, and is a son of Olaf Christian and Berta Olson. The family came to the United States in 1881, locating in Minnesota, where the father's death occurred in 1905, the mother dying in Whatcom county, Washington, in 1910.

E. O. Olson was educated in the public schools of Sweden and after coming to this country completed his studies in the Swedish Seminary in Nebraska. He then entered the ministry of the Swedish Baptist church, in which he spent many years of honorable and successful effort. His first pastorate was at Albert Lea, Minnesota, where he remained for three years, followed by two years in Saunders county, Nebraska. During the ten ensuing years he preached in Crawford county, Iowa, and from there went to Cambridge, Minnesota, where he remained for three years, after which he spent two years in Spring Vale, that state. His next pastorate was at Milaca, Minnesota, where he served for five years, at the end of which time he came to Whatcom county, Washington, and ministered to the congregations at Delta and Sunrise for about three years. Mr. Olson then went to Kitsap county, Washington and bought a ten acre farm, on which he lived about four years, when he sold out and went to British Columbia, preaching and ministering to the church at Matsk for four years. During the following year he was pastor of the church at Des Moines, Iowa, and then, in 1916, he returned to Whatcom county and bought ten acres of land in Ferndale township. The tract was densely covered with brush and stumps and to the clearing of this place he devoted himself, putting part of it under cultivation. Mr. Olson built a comfortable and attractive home in 1918, erected a substantial barn in 1919, and constructed a good chicken house in 1923. He keeps about four hundred laying hens and two cows, while his field products are diversified, being principally hay and grain. He also has a good orchard, which adds materially to the value of his place. In 1916 Mr. Olson likewise bought forty acres of land in Mountain View township, near his home ranch, and he has cleared eight acres thereof. He has worked hard since coming to this locality, but his labors have been abundantly rewarded.

In Ferndale Mr. Olson was married to Mrs. Lisa M. Axlund, a native of Sweden, and they became the parents of ten children, namely: Alfred, who was born in Sweden; Jennie deceased; Edith, who lives in Ferndale; Edgard, who lives at Blaine, Whatcom county; Ellen, who lives in Seattle; Eldon, who lives in Delta; Esther, deceased; and three who died in infancy. Mr. Olson is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association, and he and his wife are members of the Swedish Baptist Church at Ferndale. Mr. Olson is a cultured and well educated man and a forceful speaker, and during the active years of his ministry he did much effective work, encouraging, stimulating and building up the various churches which he served. He is a man of broad views and sound convictions and has the courage of his opinions. He does not hesitate to advocate the things he believes to be best for the public welfare, opposing those things which are detrimental to the best community life, and his estimable qualities of character have been recognized and appreciated by his fellow citizens.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 126-127.

GEORGE M. OTLY

George M. Otly, a capable and successful carpenter and building contractor of Custer, has been a resident of this county since he was ten years of age and thus has been a witness of the progress that has been brought about here during the past forty years. A member of one of the pioneer families, he took a part in the development of a pioneer farm and retains the most vivid recollections of some of the hardships attending such a process, these recollections carrying him back to the days when it was no unusual thing for him to be followed through the woods from the settlement to his home by a hungry cougar. In those early days, due to the delay in the arrival of the boat, food supplies were sometimes cut off for a period and he experienced hunger that he has not forgotten. For three weeks the total subsistence of the family was oat meal sparingly served and he hasn't forgotten that he was a pretty hungry boy when his first square meal was served following the arrival of the long overdue supplies.

Mr. Otly was born on a farm in Pierce county, Wisconsin, April 14, 1878, his parents being John and Emma (Stoopes) Otly, who came to Whatcom county with their family in 1888 and settled on a farm tract in the Haney neighborhood. Honored pioneers of this county, now living in Custer, they will celebrate their golden wedding in the summer of 1927. They are mentioned elsewhere in this work. George M. Otly's early education was received in the schools of his native county and was finished in the somewhat primitive school building that was erected in the district in which his parents settled in the late '80s. That schoolhouse was a building of slabs and clapboards and Frank Griffin was the first teacher. Reared on the farm here, George M. Otly early learned the carpenter trade, at which his father was proficient. He married when twenty-four years of age and established his home on the tract of ten acres in the immediate vicinity of Custer on which he now is living, having to pull the stumps there to clear a site on which to erect his house. Though continuing to make this place his home, all now nicely cleared and improved, Mr. Otly does not farm, his attention being devoted to his building operations. He has long been one of the best known carpenters and builders in that section of the county.

It was in the fall of 1902 that Mr. Otly was united in marriage to Miss Robie Maxwell, and they have two children: Hazel, who married R. E. Nash of Lake Whatcom and has two sons, Robert and Maurice; and Maxwell, at home. Mrs. Otly was born in Wisconsin and is a daughter of Martin and Anna (Holt) Maxwell, who were married in that state in 1866, The Holts were among the early homesteaders in Wisconsin. Martin Maxwell, a veteran of the Civil war, was born in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, and when the war between the states came on enlisted in behalf of the cause of the Union and went to the front as a member of Company C, One Hundred and Tenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with which command he served for three years and six months. Upon the completion of his military service he established his home in Wisconsin and became a substantial farmer there. Mr. Maxwell died in 1904. Mrs. Maxwell died in Wisconsin in 1914.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 380.

LOUIS OTTESTAD

The progress of any section of the country depends upon the individual success of its citizens, and through his activities in the hotel business the late Louis Ottestad contributed his quota toward Glacier's advancement, at the same time winning the legitimate reward of well directed labor. Of sturdy Norwegian stock, he was born May 15, 1854, and his demise occurred February 25, 1926. When a boy of thirteen he came to the United States with his parents, O. B. and Anna Dorothea Ottestad, who settled in Minnesota. In 1879 the migrated from that state to South Dakota and were the first to locate in Moody county. They came to Washington in 1891, establishing their home in Whatcom county, in which they spent their remaining years.

Louis Ottestad arrived in the county in 1889 and for about three years was engaged in merchandising at Whatcom afterward known as Bellingham. In the spring of 1891 he opened a store in Everett and there resided until August, 1893, afterward becoming connected with commercial operations in various parts of Washington. In June, 1921, he purchased a hotel at Glacier and thereafter devoted his attention to its management. He put forth every effort to promote the comfort and well being of his guests and was a popular host, maintaining a well conducted hostelry. He was the owner of valuable property at Blaine, and he displayed foresight and good judgment in placing his investments.

On July 2, 1882, Mr. Ottestad was united in marriage to Miss Anna T. Johnson, of Minnesota, and six children were born to them, namely: J. W., who is living at Longview, Washington; Lucy Amanda, the wife of P. M. Larson, of Bellingham; Clarence Norman; Harold F., a resident of Odessa, Washington; and Eunice D. and Lewis Edward, who are still at home. Mr. Ottestad was nonpartisan, casting his ballot for the candidate whom he considered best fitted for office. He took a keen interest in politics and was registration officer. He regarded Glacier as a very desirable place of residence and was in hearty accord with all projects destined to prove of practical good to the community with which he had allied his interest. He rose through the medium of his own efforts, and his genial disposition and courteous bearing won him many sincere friends, who deeply regret his passing.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 711-712.

THOMAS OXFORD

The history of Whatcom county is not a very old one. It is the record of the steady growth of a community planted in the wilderness, practically its entire development occurring during the last fifty years, and its present splendid condition has been reached without other means than those of steady and persistent industry. The people who redeemed its wilderness were strong-armed, courageous men who hesitated at no difficulty and for whom hardships had little terror. Their efficient efforts are appreciated today by those who have come here later and builded on the foundation which they laid so broad and deep. Among these hardy old pioneers stands Thomas Oxford, Sr., who came here in the formative period, contributed his full quota to the development of the country and through all the subsequent years has performed his full duty as a citizen of this favored locality. Despite his advanced years, he is still comparatively hale and hearty and is veritably one of the grand old men of Whatcom county.

Mr. Oxford was born at Victoria, Australia, on the 25th of December, 1843, and is a son of Thomas and Eliza (Chenouth) Oxford, both of whom were natives of England. The father went to Australia about 1840 and took up a section of land on which a part of the city of Melbourne now stands. Later for a number of years he engaged in mining, and his death occurred there in 1855, his wife passing away in the following year.

Their son Thomas was educated in the public schools of Melbourne and at the age of fourteen years he went to the gold mines, and during the ensuing twenty-one years he devoted himself to mining. He then came to the United states, landing at San Francisco, California, July 4, 1876, and soon afterwards went to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he engaged in mining for about a year. Returning to California, he located at Sonora, Tuolumne county, where he worked for a few months, but in 1878 came to Whatcom county, Washington, and filed on one hundred and sixty acres of land adjoining the town of Ferndale, the tract at that time being covered with dense timber and underbrush. Mr. Oxford cleared one hundred and twenty acres of this land and later bought twenty acres adjoining, being now the owner of one hundred and eighty acres comprising as fine a ranch as can be found in this section of the state. He and his three sons {unreadable} the place in conjunction, the partnership being a particularly happy arrangement {unreadable} of their efforts in every possible way and they are realizing a very gratifying measure of success. They keep fifteen good grade Jersey cows and a pure bred bull, and have one thousand laying hens. They devote the land to diversified crops, principally hat and grain, with a fair sized tract in sugar beets, and also have a very fine bearing orchard. The improvements on the ranch are all of a substantial character including a fine new home, comfortable in arrangement and attractive in appearance, which was built in 1924.

Mr. Oxford is a member of the Whatcom County Poultry Association and takes a keen interest in everything pertaining to agriculture or farm work. Though an octogenarian, he refuses to be shelved, but takes an active part in certain work on the farm. In his younger days he was an expert musician, playing the violin and cornet, and was a member of the first band organized at Ferndale. Genial and friendly, kindly and generous, courteous and accommodating, no man in the community stands higher in the affection and admiration of his fellow citizens than he, for in all the relations of life he has shown the essential qualities of true manhood and upright citizenship.

On August 7, 1879, Mr. Oxford was married to Miss Maria Wynn, a native of Whatcom county and a daughter of Thomas Wynn, who is referred to in the sketch of T. B. Wynn, which appears on other pages of this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Oxford have been born nine children, namely: Mrs. Hannah Escritt, born June 6, 1880, is now living in Seattle, Washington; Charles, born January 8, 1882, owns a ranch at Noon Station, Washington; Mrs. Clara McAlpine, born November 17, 1883, died leaving one daughter, Celeste, born October 11, 1914; Mrs. Lydia Brazee was born April 26, 1886; Thomas Jr., born May 11, 1888, is married and has three children, Harriet, born September 17, 1913, Echo, born December 1, 1918, and Thomas III, born April 20, 1923; Harry, born September 14, 1890, married Iva Bailey and has a son, Harry, Jr., born January 23, 1924; Mrs. Wynne Grimson was born December 13, 1892; Bennett was born November 12, 1894; and Mason, born August 31, 1897, married Barbara Schneider and has a daughter, Alice May, born May 15, 1925. Harry served in Company B, Seventy-sixth Infantry until the close of the World war and was honorably discharged. Mason served in the regular navy as a second class seaman and also received an honorable discharge.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 684-687.

ALBERT PANCOAST

The sturdy qualities of the pioneer are manifest in the character of Albert Pancoast, whose life has been spent on the Pacific coast, and the exercise of effort has developed his latent powers, enabling him to win and retain an influential position in mercantile circles of Bellingham. He was born in 1858 at Alameda, California, and is of English lineage, representing an old Quaker family that was established in the east in colonial days. His parents, Franklin and Louise (Conway) Pancoast, were married in the Golden state, in which the father was engaged in farming for many years. He was a native of New Jersey, and in 1852 journeyed to California, completing the long and dangerous voyage around Cape Horn.

Albert Pancoast was reared in his native state, and he had the benefit of two years' attendance at Swarthmore College of Pennsylvania. After completing his education he returned to California and for fourteen years worked on his father's fruit ranch in the Santa Clara valley, becoming thoroughly familiar with horticultural pursuits. He arrived in Seattle in August, 1883, and for about six years was a resident of that city. On the expiration of that period he obtained a position in the store of Harrington & Smith, proprietors of the Whatcom Grocery Company, and remained in their employ until 1889. In April of that year he purchased the business in partnership with David Ireland, who had previously acted as manager, and they have since conducted the enterprise with ever increasing success. They handle only the best lines of groceries, and the firm is the second oldest of the kind in Washington. The service has always been maintained at a high standard and a constantly increasing patronage is indicative of its prestige. The business was conducted for many years on West Holly street and in now housed in a building at No. 1321 Commercial street which is well adapted to its needs.

In 1883 Mr. Pancoast married miss Julia A. Turner, also a native of California, and seven children were born to them: Walter, who is associated with his father in business and has a wife and one son; Chester A., who has passed away; John R., a resident of Seattle; Mildred, who is the wife of Henry Borchardt of Bellingham and has one child, Mildred Jean; Ira, who is married and lives in Lynden; Albert E., of Seattle; and Jessie, deceased.

Mr. Pancoast is allied with the republican party and his public service covers two years of work as a member of the city council. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Chamber of Commerce and the B. P. O. E. He has demonstrated his worth as a citizen and enjoys the esteem of many friends.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 388-389.

HENRY A. PAUS

Henry A. Paus was successful as a carpenter and realtor of Bellingham for a number of years prior to his death, which occurred in August September, 1918, when had had attained the ripe old age of eighty-one years. He was born in 1837, in Prussia, where his parents also were born, and there he spent the period of his boyhood. As a youth of seventeen he crossed the Atlantic to the United States and made his way to Chicago, Illinois, where he remained for a number of years, following the trade of carpentering, which he had learned in his native country. He was a young man of twenty-four when the Civil war broke out, and he joined the army, for four years rendering valiant service to the Union cause as a member of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry. He always maintained pleasant relations with his old military comrades as a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

It was while a resident of Chicago, Illinois, that Henry A. Paus wedded Augusta Wolfram, who bore him six children, of whom two survive, namely: Mrs. Matilda Stangroom, who resides at Nome, Alaska, and has a son, Stuart; and Herbert, who lives and has one child. The wife and mother passed away about the year 1895.

After leaving Illinois, Henry A. Paus resided for a number of years in Minnesota, and it was in 1890 that he first came to Bellingham, Washington, and purchased property, subsequently moving back and forth between this state and Minnesota. After taking up his permanent abode at Bellingham he devoted his attention to the trade of carpentering and to the real estate business throughout the remainder of his life. In his death the city sustained the loss of a highly esteemed and representative citizen as well as a substantial business man.

About one year following the death of his first wife, Henry A. Paus was united in marriage to Mrs. Jessie Paus, who bore the maiden name of Jessie Owen, her parents being Joseph and Ellen (Mills) Owen, natives of New Jersey and Scotland, respectively. She spent the first fifteen years of her life in her native state of Wisconsin and then went to live with an aunt in Minnesota, where she became the wife of Thomas Paus. Gerald Paus, son of Thomas and Jessie (Owen) Paus, is employed as clerk in the Leopold Hotel at Bellingham. He married Effie Matz and is the father of two sons, Roland and Norman Paus. His mother, Mrs. Jessie Paus, came to Bellingham, Washington, in 1898.

Mrs. Jessie Paus, is a member of the Neighbors of Woodcraft and, like her late husband, is a republican in politics. Since the death of Henry A. Paus she has made her home on Lakeway drive at Bellingham, in the Paus subdivision, which was platted by Mr. Paus and on which he built and sold several homes. She is well and favorably known here and enjoys the regard of many warm friends.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 374.

ANDREW JOHNSON PERRY

Andrew Johnson Perry is one of the well known and substantial farmers and dairymen of Mountain View township, being the proprietor of a well improved place on rural mail route No. 2 out of Ferndale. He has resided in this county for the past twenty-five years and has become well established here.

Mr. Perry is a native of Missouri, born on a farm in Bates county on the western border of that state, December 23, 1868, and is a son of Benjamin and Jane (Vance) Perry, both natives of Tennessee, who were married in that state and who later established their home in Bates county, Missouri, where their last days were spent, both dying in their prime. A. J. Perry was but nine years of age when he became an orphan, and his youth thereafter was spent in the household of an elder brother, William Perry, his education being received in the schools of his native county. The brother later moved to Montgomery county in eastern Kansas and our subject remained with him until his marriage, not long after passing his majority, when he became engaged in farming on his own account.

Mr. Perry remained on the farm until 1902, when he closed out his holdings there and came with his family to Washington, locating in Whatcom county. Upon his arrival here he became employed in the mills in the Ferndale district and was thus engaged until 1910, when he bought a tract of ten acres, on which place he has since resided. To the original tract he subsequently added by purchase, until he now has a well kept place of forty-four acres, besides which he is operating, on a rental basis, an adjoining tract of forty-five acres, and he is doing well in these activities. For some years Mr. Perry has added dairying to his general farming operations and is also quite largely interested in poultry raising, having a good herd of dairy cattle and about one hundred and fifty hens. For some time he was an active member of the local school board, and for several years he served as overseer of highways in his home district.

Mr. Perry has been twice married. In 1890, in Kansas, he was united in marriage to Miss Lydia Knuckles, who died in August, 1893, leaving a son, Harvey Perry. The latter, who is now living in Bellingham, married Theresa Jones, of the Mountain View district, and has three sons, Lester, Lyle and Bonnie. In 1895, in Kansas, Mr. Perry married Miss Josephine Balch, and to this union six children have been born, namely: Albert Perry, who married Dorothy Knott; Mabel, who married E. K. Knight and has a son, Leslie; Charles Perry, who is now connected with the operations of the Van Zandt lumber mill; Ralph Perry, who is employed in the Bloedel-Donovan mill at Bellingham; Miss Rachel Perry, who acts as bookkeeper in the Manner Brothers garage at Ferndale; and Clifford Perry, who is in high school. Mrs. Perry was born in Johnson county, Kansas, and is a daughter of Joseph C. and Mary (Erskine) Balch, who is 1902 came to Whatcom county and who are now living two miles north of Ferndale, where they have a well developed fruit farm and are also largely engaged in bee culture. Mrs. Perry is a member of the Methodist church in Ferndale, and both Mr. and Mrs. Perry are members of the democratic party.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 366-369.

FREDRICK C. REEVE

Fredrick C. Reeve, the proprietor of a well improved dairy farm near Blaine, has been a resident of this state for more than twenty years and is thus thoroughly familiar with conditions here. He was formerly a representative in the legislature from Whatcom County and is at present a member of the board of supervisors in and for Custer township, this county.

Mr. Reeve was born on a farm in Iowa County in southwestern Wisconsin, April 21, 1868, and is a son of George C. and Mary (Hayes) Reeve, both natives of England, the former born in the city of London and the latter in Liverpool. They were married in Wisconsin, of which state George C. Reeve had become a resident in 1844 and his wife in 1846. The former, who died in 1893, was a son of Charles Reeve, one of Wisconsin's foremost pioneers, who upon coming to America with his family in 1844 had established himself on a quarter section homestead tract in what is now Iowa county, Wisconsin, and who was a member of the territorial legislature when in 1848 Wisconsin was admitted to statehood. He also was the first superintendent of schools in his home county, was a merchant as well as a farmer and was a man of large influence in the formative days of his locality. Mrs. Mary (Hayes) Reeve, who died in 1903, was a daughter of one of the pioneers of Dane county, Wisconsin, and she was the first school teacher in that county.

Reared on the home farm in Iowa County, F. C. Reeve attended the local schools in the neighborhood, which was so largely German in population that he and his sister were the only children in the school born of English speaking parents. When he was eighteen years of age he became associated with an older brother in the milling and merchandise business in Brownsville, Iowa, and he was there married when twenty-four years of age. He remained at that place until 1903, when he closed out his interests there and came to Washington, settling on what is now the Edward Jones place in Mountain View township, this county. About fifteen acres of that tract had then been cleared, and he cleared twenty-five acres more before he sold it in 1912. He then resided for a while in Seattle, where he was engaged in the fuel business, and in 1918 he bought his present place in Custer township, where he has since been living, being engaged principally in dairying and poultry raising. He has a good herd of dairy cattle and something more than nine hundred white Leghorn chickens, and he is doing well in his operations. Mr. Reeve was one of the early promoters of the Whatcom County Dairy Association, having been long a director of that body, and he is now serving as its president. He also is an influential member of the Poultry Association. In politics he is a republican and has ever given his earnest attention to local civic affairs, long having been recognized as one of the leaders of that party in Whatcom County. During the sessions of the legislature in 1907 and 1909 he represented this county in the lower house of that body, and he now is serving his second term as a member of the board of supervisors of his home township. While residing in Iowa he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows

It was in 1892, while engaged in business in Brownsville, Iowa, that Mr. Reeve was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Gooder of that place. Mrs. Reeve is also a native of Wisconsin, having been born at Kansasville, that state, and she is a daughter of Alien and Eliza (Noble) Gooder. Mr. and Mrs. Reeve have a pleasant home in Custer township, and have ever taken an interested and helpful part in the general social activities of their community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 103-104.

JASPER M. RIDDLE

Jasper M. Riddle, a public service contractor, whose specialty is street paving and sewer construction, is a pioneer in that line in Bellingham, where he has been a resident for nearly forty years. Born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, March 23, 1866, he was but two years of age, when in 1868 his parents, Marion C. and Mary Cathryn (Looker) Riddle, the former a veteran of the civil war, moved with their family to Houston county, Minnesota, making the trip by covered wagon, behind an ox team. He grew up in a pioneer region and recalls that his formal schooling aggregated but about nine months. When ten years of age he began work as tender of a ferry boat and when eleven was employed in a logging camp, cooking for a gang of forty men, his mother having taught him the rudiments of cooking. He was employed in lumber camps in the Superior country until he was seventeen, when he went to Minneapolis and got a job as conductor on a street car, afterward working for a while along the same line in Anoka, Minnesota. In June, 1887, the year in which he attained his majority, Mr. Riddle came to the Vancouver country and engaged in logging operations at Port Moody. In the spring of the next year he married and came to the Bay settlements, locating at Whatcom in May, 1888. There he and his wife began housekeeping in a cabin which stood in the block in which they now are living in a fine modern house, 2423 Cherry street, Bellingham.

Upon his arrival here Mr. Riddle began working for the contracting firm of Bell & McDaniels and in the fall of that year went to work in the old Colony mill. In the spring of the next year he transferred his services to the Decan shingle mill and was there employed as a filer for eight years, at the end of which time became one of the organizers of the Badger Mill Company. A year later he disposed of his interest in that enterprise and became connected with the city street department, a line which presently opened the way for his operations as a contractor on public works, his first job in this connection having been the construction of plank sidewalks on Elk and James streets. Ever since then Mr. Riddle has been engaged on public works, - general street paving, sidewalk and sewer construction, and has also from time to time carried out contracts in house building. Once he had a partner who underbid on a job while he was making a trip east and he "went broke" filling the contract, but he resumed operations, undaunted by failure, continuing independently thereafter for some time, when he formed another business combination under the firm name of Riddle & Hawkins. In addition to his extensive operations in street, sidewalk and sewer construction in the city, Mr. Riddle has built almost forty miles of highway in this county and is widely known as a contractor, being the oldest in his line continuously engaged in business here. Recently Mr. Riddle bought the old Whatcom county courthouse and is rehabilitating the same for presentation to the local council of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, of which he has been a member since September 30, 1889, with the proviso that it shall be preserved by that body as a perpetual memorial of the past.

It was on April 10, 1888, at Westminster, that Mr. Riddle was united in marriage to Miss Effie M. Bean, who was born in the state of Vermont. They have five daughters: Nellie, wife of E. G. Schenck of Bellingham; Georgia Willa, who died at the age of eighteen years; Annie M., widow of Morris J. Brooks; Edna Grace, wife of George Arnot of Bellingham, and Inez Elizabeth, wife of Frank Aldridge, Jr., of Bellingham. Mr. Riddle is a member of the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce and of the Kiwanis Club, and is widely known in local fraternal circles. He is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, an encampment Odd Fellow, and Elk and a Moose and is likewise affiliated with the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Woodmen of the World and the Sons of Veterans. He is a past state counsellor of the Mechanics and a national representative of that order, and is also a past master of the Workmen, a past commander of the Woodmen and a past dictator of the Moose.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 593-594.

CHARLES M. SMITH

The force of his personality, the keenness of his insight and the soundness of his judgment have established C. M. Smith in a position of leadership in real estate circles of Bellingham, and for twenty years he has directed his energies into this channel, doing much important work as a city builder. He was born September 9, 1871, and is a native of Iowa. He came with his parents, Charles O. and Nancy A. (Call) Smith , to Washington, and on April 17, 1890, they arrived in Bellingham. The father opened a general store, which he conducted for two years in partnership with the subject of this sketch, and on the expiration of that period they became building contractors.

While working in Vancouver, British Columbia, C. M. Smith took a course in a commercial college and on his return to Bellingham started out for himself, becoming a public stenographer. His ability soon won recognition and his services were much in demand. His clientele included the well known firms of Dorr & Hadley, Newman & Howard and Harvey L. Dickinson & Company. In 1899 Mr. Smith went to California, entering the Los Angeles office of the Union Oil Company, and in June, 1900, he returned to Washington as an employe of the North American Fisheries at Anacortes. In February, 1903, he embarked in the real estate business in Bellingham in association with William I. Brisbin, who had previously served as sheriff of Whatcom county, and this relationship was terminated by the latter's death in 1912. The business was conducted under the style of Brisbin, Smith & Livesey. In April, 1919, Mr. Smith assumed the duties of manager of the Bellingham Bay Improvement Company. He made a fine record in that office, which he filled for four years, and during that period the corporation undertook and completed its largest projects along the line of subdivisions, street construction, home building, etc. In April, 1923, Mr. Smith returned to his own firm and on January 1, 1925, the business was reorganized as the Smith, Livesey & Wright Company. Its officers are C. M. Smith, president; Percy Livesey, vice president; and G. A. Wright, secretary and treasurer. The firm has built and sold many houses, substantially constructed and attractive in design. It has done much to improve and beautify the city and buys and sells large tracts of farm lands. The firm also maintains a rental, loan and bond department and likewise writes insurance of all kinds. An exceptionally capable executive, Mr. Smith has developed a business of extensive proportions and in its control has upheld a standard that has made the name of the firm synonymous with "safety in real estate investment."

In December, 1903, Mr. Smith married Miss Adelaide Mangan, of Anacortes, Washington. Her father, Timothy Mangan, located in Skagit county, Washington, in 1871, casting in his lot with its earliest settlers. He took up government land and engaged in farming and stock raising, afterward conducting a meat market in Vancouver, Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have a family of three children: Floragnes, William Pitt and Nancy Jane. Mr. Smith gives his political allegiance to the republican party, the platform and principles of which appeal to him as the best form of government for the majority. He is one of the boosters of Bellingham and loses no opportunity to exploit the resources and advantages of the city. He is an influential member of the Real Estate Association and for seven years has served on the board of trustees of the Chamber of Commerce. He belongs to the Kiwanis and Country Clubs and along fraternal lines is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. The spirit of progress has actuated him at all points in his career and his life history is written in terms of honor and success.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 168.

ANDREW E. SUNDEAN

Though of European birth, Andrew E. Sundean, one of the leading merchants in the nourishing village of Custer, engaged there in the flour, feed, grain and agricultural implement business, has been a resident of this country since the days of his young manhood and of Whatcom County for more than twenty years, having come here from Minnesota. He was born in the Norrland province of Sweden, November 20, 1876, and is a son of Erick and Christine (Johnson) Sundean, who spent their entire lives in the old country.

Reared in his native land, A. E. Sundean remained there until he was past eighteen years of age, when he came to this country, and was employed as a farm hand in Minnesota. That was in 1895. For-seven years he remained in Minnesota and in 1902 came to Washington, being first employed cutting shingle bolts in the Custer neighborhood in this county. For some time afterward he engaged in teaming in the logging camps and for two years was connected with the operations of the shingle mills, all the time, in season, doing a little farming. In 1916 he established his present business in Custer, having a good trade in the general feed and grain line and in the sale of agricultural implements. Mr. Sundean has a well stocked and well equipped place of business and besides his store, which is thirty by one hundred and twelve feet in dimensions, has a warehouse on the spur track. The building in which he opened his store in 1916 was destroyed by fire and he at once erected a better and a larger one, with capacity for the general trade needs in his line of the area centering at Custer. Mr. Sundean has ever given needed attention to local civic affairs and has rendered public service several terms as a member of the school board.

In 1902, the year in which he came to Whatcom county, A. E. Sundean was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Swanson, who was born in Eureka, California, and they have seven children, Walter, Fred, Harold, Floyd, Vera, Woodrow W. and Selma, the three last named in school. Walter and Fred are engaged in the garage and automobile-service business at Custer. Mr. Sundean has seen many changes in conditions here since he became a member of this community more than twenty years ago and has been an efficient factor in helping to bring about the amazing development that has been made in general social and industrial conditions during that time. He has built up a good business in Custer and is widely known in general commercial circles throughout the county. His sons also are doing their part and are recognized as enterprising and energetic young business men of the community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 366.

WILLIAM J. TREZISE

William J. Trezise, president and general manager of the Bellingham Candy Company and for more than twenty years one of the substantial manufacturers and business men of Bellingham, a manufacturer whose products are in popular demand all over the northwestern country and have thus been a no inconsiderable contributing factor in helping to broadcast the name and fame of Bellingham as a commercial and industrial center, is a native of the city of Chicago, was reared in Kansas but has been a resident of Bellingham since the days of his young manhood and thus very properly may be accounted one of the veteran business men of that city, for he was here in the days before Bellingham even had its present corporate name and has been a witness to and an active participant in the amazing development that has been brought about here during the past quarter of a century.

Mr. Trezise was born in 1877 and was but three years of age when in 1880 his parents, William and Elizabeth (Pryor) Trezise, moved with their family from Chicago to Kansas, locating on a farm in the vicinity of Winfield, where he was reared, his schooling being completed in a business college in the city of Winfield. In 1898, the year in which he attained his majority, his parents retired from the farm and came to Washington, establishing their home at Bellingham, where their remaining days were spent. Upon his arrival here William G. Trezise entered the employ of the Great Northern Railway Company and was thus engaged for three years, at the end of which time he transferred his connection to the Canadian Pacific and was thus employed for two years or until 1903 when, in association with C. M. Layman, he organized the Bellingham Candy company and has ever since been engaged in the manufacture and distribution of candy. He is president and general manager of the company which has become one of the leading concerns of its kind in the northwest, with a well established plant in Bellingham and a flourishing branch in Everett.

This candy factory got its start in a modest way in a building in the Ten Hundred block on Elk street and when its expanding business necessitated the equipment of larger quarters moved to 800 Elk street, where a proper plant was equipped for the manufacture of its products. In 1908 further increase of capacity was necessary and the plant was moved to 1315 Railroad avenue, and in 1915 to its present ample quarters at 1215-17-21 Railroad avenue, where it occupies a modern building, one hundred by one hundred and twenty-five feet ground dimensions, three stories and a full basement, with additional space in its warehouse - a building twenty-five by one hundred feet in ground dimension. In 1921 the Bellingham Candy Company established a distributing branch, with well equipped warehouses and salesrooms, in Everett. In addition t its candy manufacturing and jobbing business, this company also carries on a general jobbing business in soda water supplies. Its commercial activities cover a wide territory in the northwest trade area, its salesmen visiting the six northwestern states, selling as far east as Denver and as far south as Los Angeles, and it has five jobbing points in Montana. The widely famous "Swimming Hole Sucker," one of the most popular confections in the northwest, is a product of the Bellingham Candy Company's plant, which also turns out a number of equally popular candy bars and special confections of one kind and another. Mr. Trezise is a member of the United Commercial Travelers and is widely known in trade circles throughout the northwest. He is an active member of the local Rotary Club, is a republican and is affiliated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

In 1901, in what then was Whatcom, Mr. Trezise was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Mills and they have two sons, William J., Jr., who was graduated from the high school and the University of Washington and is now associated with his father in business as city salesman for the Bellingham Candy Company, and Bernard L. Trezise, who was graduated from the high school and is the company's shipping clerk. Mrs. Trezise is a daughter of Peter Mills, a well known and substantial building contractor now living retired in Bellingham, who settled here about 1890 and in his day took an active and helpful part in community building.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 413-414.

GEORGE W. and CHARLES F. VINUP

A man who has achieved success and has also won the honor and esteem of his fellow citizens deserves more than passing notice. Such is the record, briefly stated, of G. W. Vinup, well known farmer of Lynden township. By a life of persistent and well applied energy along honorable lines, he has justly earned the right to recognition in the permanent record of his locality along with other public-spirited and progressive men of the county who have made their influence felt in their respective communities. Mr. Vinup was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 17th of September, 1868, and he is a son of Charles F. and Margaret (Grimmer) Vinup, the latter of whom was born in Germany, whence she was brought to the United States when three years old. The family settled in Cincinnati, and there she was reared to womanhood.

Charles F. Vinup was born in Brennerhausen, Germany, December 11, 1841, and when he was nine years of age he was brought to this country by his parents, who settled in Indiana, where his father followed farming. In that state he was reared and educated and later moved to Cincinnati, where he lived for a time. In 1887 Mr. Vinup came to Whatcom county and homesteaded a tract of land on the boundary line near Lynden. He lived there some six years, during which time he cleared about six acres of the dense timber which covered it. He then moved to the town of Lynden, of which he was elected mayor in 1903, serving two terms, and he was a member of the town council for twelve years. About 1905 he went to Granger, where he established a grocery store, conducting it until his death, which occurred April 2, 1906, at the age of sixty-five years. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served for three years and eleven months as a private in company E, Fiftieth and Fifty-second Regiments, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. After the death of his first wife he was married in 1884 to Miss Sarah *Decker [Becher], a native of Pennsylvania, who died in August, 1904.

At the age of four years G. W. Vinup was taken to Cairo, Illinois, by his parents, who remained there about a year, and they then moved to New Ulm, Minnesota, where our subject started to attend school. His mother died in February, 1881, when he was twelve years old, and soon afterward the family moved to Howard Lake, Minnesota, where he finished his education. At the age of fifteen years he went to Minneapolis, where he remained for about a year, going from there to Hay Springs, Nebraska, and then to Wyoming, where he spent two years on the ranges and as a rancher. During 1888 he was in the Idaho panhandle and in western Washington, working as a farm hand, and in 1891 he came to Whatcom county and homesteaded twenty acres of land near the border in the vicinity of Lynden. The tract was very swampy and covered mainly with jack pine, and he did but little clearing there. Later he bought a twenty acre farm which contained considerable improvements, and there he lived until August, 1908, when he came to his present farm, which comprises forty acres of good land, the greater part of which had been logged off. He now has about five acres cleared and has built a good house and other farm buildings. He is devoting his attention mainly to the chicken business, having about a thousand laying hens, of the White Leghorn breed, in the handling of which he has met with pronounced success. He also keeps a few cows and raises good crops of hay.

On July 1, 1896, Mr. Vinup was married to Miss Minnie Dupray, who was born on the Little Horn river, Iowa, in a rude shack, constructed of poles and hay, from which they were driven out during high water. She is a daughter of F. M. and Nancy (Webb) Dupray, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of New York state, and whose marriage occurred in Missouri. The father was a farmer and miller and was a hard working and industrious man. Mrs. Vinup completed her education in the public schools of Nebraska, where she lived until December, 1890, when the family came to Whatcom county, locating first at Bellingham, where they remained for about a year. They then located on a farm in Ferndale township. To Mr. and Mrs. Vinup have been born seven children, namely: Clyde, who is married and lives at Brooklyn, N. Y.; Charles, who died at the age of thirteen years; Edgar, of Lynden, who is married and has one child; Etta, who is the wife of S. G. Fale, of San Jose, California, and has one child; Cressa, who is engaged in teaching near Klamath Falls, Oregon; and Alvin and Leon, who are in school. Fraternally Mr. Vinup is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is public spirited in his attitude toward all measures for the advancement of the public welfare and is generous in his support of worthy benevolent enterprises. Because of his unswerving honesty in all his dealings with his fellowmen and his genial and kindly nature, he has won and retains a host of warm friends throughout the locality so long honored by his citizenship.

*Obit of Sarah Vinup says her maiden name was BECHER.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 164-167.

JOSEPH WELTER

Joseph Welter is one of the self-made men to whom Bellingham is indebted for the upbuilding of its commercial interests, and for more than thirty years he has occupied a commanding position in mercantile circles of the city. A native of Germany, he was born in 1862 and came to the United States as a young man. He wisely sought the opportunities of the west and resided for some time in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He arrived in Whatcom, Washington, in 1890 and five years later embarked in the furniture business in association with Henry Thiel, who became the senior partner. The first home of the business was on Holly street and in 1900 more commodious quarters were secured on Elk street. In 1905 the business was moved to its present location at No. 1312 Commercial street, occupying three floors of the building, and the store has a frontage of one hundred and twenty-five feet. The firm of Thiel & Welter specializes in furniture for the home, carrying everything needed for the furnishing of the modern dwelling, and is one of the largest concerns of the kind in the northwest. Its members are progressive business men of ripe experience and exceptional ability, and their success has been built upon the secure foundation of honor and integrity.

In 1897 Mr. Welter was united in marriage to Miss Anna Donakowsky, of Whatcom, and Herbert, their only child, is attending school. Mr. Welter is a stanch adherent of the republican party but has never sought public office, preferring to discharge the duties of citizenship in a private capacity. He is a loyal American and lends the weight of his support to every project for civic growth and betterment. His heart is in his work and he brings to his daily tasks an enthusiasm and belief in their importance that make it possible for him to keep up with the spirit of the age with all of its complexities.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 390.

JACOB A. WILSON

Among the sons of the old Buckeye state who have come to Whatcom county is the well known poultry farmer and brick mason, J. A. Wilson, who has in every way merited the success which has come to him as well as the esteem of his fellow citizens. He was born in the southeastern part of Ohio in 1867 and is a son of W. W. and Eliza (Haas) Wilson. The mother was also born in Ohio and died in Kansas in 1880, but the father, who was a farmer by vocation, was born in Pennsylvania. The father was a veteran of the Civil war, having served as a member of the Sixty-third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He came to Whatcom county in 1890 and made his home with his son-in-law, Fred Hintze, until his death which occurred in 1912.

J. A. Wilson secured his education in the public schools of Ohio and Kansas, the family having moved to the latter state in 1879. He remained there until 1885, when he removed to Kearney, Nebraska, where he learned the trade of a bricklayer, at which he was employed four years there. In the spring of 1889 he located in Portland, Oregon, but in the fall of that year he returned to Kearney, where he remained until the following year, when he went to Denver, Colorado, and thence to Salt Lake City, where he worked at his trade. Late in 1890 Mr. Wilson came to Whatcom county, where he spent about two years, but in the spring of 1892 went to Montana, and a little later to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he remained two years. He was next in Mound City, Missouri, for about seven months, at the end of which time he returned to Lincoln, were he worked at his trade about a year. He then was married and went to Grand Island, Nebraska, from there went to Mound City, Missouri, and then to St. Joseph, that state. His next move was to Atchison, Kansas, where he remained for a short time and then went to Omaha, Nebraska, where he spent about three years, being employed at his trade in all of these places. In 1900 Mr. Wilson located in Kansas City, which was his home for four years, and at the end of that time he came to Bellingham, where he was employed at his trade in the construction of the Great Northern depot and the Franklin school.  He was next in Seattle about two years, at the end of which time he and two others went to the Mt. Baker district on a mining proposition, but were snowed in and were compelled to remain there almost nine months. In 1907 he returned to Bellingham to work at his trade, and in 1914 he bought twenty acres of land on the Axton road, which he has improved and developed into a good home. When he bought the place it was in fair condition and contained several buildings. Here he is very comfortably situated and is engaged in poultry farming, in which he has met with splendid success. He keeps about eight hundred chickens and several cows, and on his land he raises hay and grain sufficient for feeding purposes. He has made many good improvements on the place. Since he has lived here he has seen great progress made in his neighborhood. When he located here the Axton highway was simply a puncheon road, which was not pleasant to travel on even at its best. Mr. Wilson has contributed of his efforts to advance local conditions and has long been numbered among the progressive and public-spirited men of the community. During the years of his residence here, he has also worked at his trade whenever his services were required and is known throughout his section of the county as a competent and trustworthy workman.

In 1895 Mr. Wilson was married to Miss Maggie Robertshaw, who was born in Indiana, a daughter of John and Ellen (Haas) Robertshaw, both of whom died when Mrs. Wilson was a young girl. Her paternal grandfather was a soldier in the Civil war and was killed in battle. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson became the parents of three children, namely: Fern, who died at the age of seven weeks; Mrs. Vera Ebright, a resident of Seattle; and Mabel, who died at the age of eighteen years.

Fraternally Mr. Wilson is a member of Bellingham Aerie, No. 31, Fraternal Order of Eagles and belongs to the Bricklayers Union and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. He is a quiet and unassuming man, pursuing the even tenor of his way in an unostentatious manner, but performs his duties of citizenship in an honest and conscientious way, supporting every movement calculated to advance the general interests of the community. His probity of character and his genial personality have gained for him the universal esteem and friendship of his neighbors and fellow citizens and he is held in high regard wherever known.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 550-553.

ALBERT JACKSON ZANE

Especial interest is attached to the records of those pioneers who in the early half of the nineteenth century braved the dangers of the unknown west, the perils from wild animals and the even more savage Indians, devoting their lives to the redemption of the Pacific coast region. Such a one was Albert Jackson Zane, a man widely known and universally honored. He was one of the early miners of California and for twenty-five years a resident of Whatcom county, marching in the front rank of those men of rugged strength and courageous spirit who evolved out of the uncharted wilderness and vast forests the fertile land and magnificent farms of this great empire.

Mr. Zane was born in 1835 at Zanesville, Ohio, which was named in honor of the family, and was a son of Isaiah and Penelope (Means) Zane, the former a native of West Virginia. The mother was born in South Carolina and was a cousin of "Stonewall" Jackson, one of the distinguished generals of the Civil war. Members of the Zane family were active participants in the Revolutionary war, and prominent among these loyal defenders of American liberty were Captain Silas Zane, commander of Fort Henry, in West Virginia, and the courageous Elizabeth, or Betty, Zane, the story of whose heroism during an attack on the fort in 1782 by a party of British and Indians is an inspiring incident in our early history. Albert J. Zane was educated in the public schools of his native town and in 1852, when a youth of seventeen, accompanied the family on the overland journey to California. The father and one of the sons died en route of cholera, and another son, Joel, then took charge of the party. Leaving the main section of the emigrant train, the family proceeded on their toilsome journey toward the Pacific coast and after many exciting experiences finally reached Sonoma county, their destination.

Albert J. Zane was one of the early prospectors of that district and operated the Great Eastern quicksilver mine in Sonoma county. In 1890 he came to Washington, acquiring a farm in Whatcom county, and subsequently increased his holdings until he at length became one of its largest landowners. He was one of the pioneer dairymen of this region and played a leading part in the upbuilding of one of the chief industries of the state. A firm believer in scientific methods, he kept always abreast of the times and through diligence and wise management converted his private property into a public asset. He was a great lover of fine horses and was the first to introduce racing stock into the county, maintaining his own track. He was a man of progressive spirit and keen intelligence, destined to lead in everything that he undertook. Actuated by high ideals and strong purpose, he never faltered in his choice between right and wrong, and his death on the 20th of February, 1915, was deeply deplored.

On September 26, 1869, Mr. Zane was united in marriage to Miss Minerva Sears, a daughter of Joel and Wealtha (James) Sears, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Tennessee. Her parents came to California in 1866 via the Isthmus of Panama and were among the early agriculturists of the Golden state. Her uncle Franklin Sears, had settled in California in the year 1836 and aided in raising the bear flag, a portion of which was made from a skirt worn by the wife of his brother John. To Mr. and Mrs. Zane were born three children. Georgia, the eldest, married Henry Randolph bull, who for thirty-five years has been superintendent of schools at Healdsburg, and they have one child, Elizabeth Zane. Clara Bell is a teacher of music in Bellingham. Albert H. is a resident of Whatcom county and has a wife and four children. Mr. Zane's widow and unmarried daughter are now operating the dairy, which is one of the best in this section of the state, and the home ranch contains three hundred acres of rich and fertile land. They are capable business women, well informed on all matter pertaining to the diary industry, and the family is highly esteemed in the community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 494-497.

Back to Biography Index

Back to Whatcom GenWeb main page