Part 44

Mr. Greenville gives his political allegiance to the republican party and was elected to the board of county commissioners of Walla Walla county in 1908, serving in that capacity for one term. Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Trinity Lodge, No. 121, and also to the encampment and the canton. He is also a member of the Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E., of Walla Walla Aerie, No. 26, F. O. E., and of the Woodmen of the World. Notwithstanding his lack of early advantages and educational opportunities, Mr. Greenville has made steady progress in his business career and his ambition and energy, which are among his most marked characteristics, constitute an example well worthy of emulation.

H. A. REYNOLDS.

H. A. Reynolds is largely concentrating his time and efforts upon general agricultural pursuits, being located on the Ransom Clark donation claim adjoining Walla Walla. He has, however, other important business connections and is well known as a progressive and representative citizen of his section of the state. He was born on the farm where he now resides, October 14, 1863, his parents being Almos H. and Lettice (Millican) Reynolds. He was reared upon the home farm and acquired his education in the public schools, supplemented by a high school course at Ann Arbor, Michigan. He afterward attended the State University of Michigan, from which he was graduated with the class of 1886, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree. He then took up the study of law under J. B. Allen but failing health caused him to discontinue his preparation for the bar for a time. Later, however, he continued his reading under B. L. Sharpstein and was admitted to the bar. He then practiced law for a brief period but on account of his health gave up professional activity and turned his attention to farming that he might be benefited by the outdoor life. He has since been connected with agricultural pursuits and is now giving his time largely to the further development and improvement of the Ransom Clark donation, which constitutes one of the valuable farming properties in the vicinity of Walla Walla. He has other important business connections, however, and is a stockholder in the Farmers Savings Bank and in the Malcolm McLean Grocery Company. He also is identified with other business interests of Walla Walla, where he likewise has made judicious investments in property. In business affairs he is a man of sound judgment and keen discrimination, readily judging between the essential and the non-essential, and his efforts have been most intelligently directed and his investments most judiciously made.

In 1891 Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage to Miss Bertha C. Truesdell, of Minnesota, who was a teacher in the Whitman College. To this marriage have been born five children: Carrie, who is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College of South Hadley, Massachusetts; Charlotte, who was graduated from Whitman College with the class of 1917; Margaret, who is in her junior year at Whitman College; Harry Jay; and Allen Lynn.

Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are members of the Congregational church and take an active interest in its work and in many projects which are developed for the public good. In his political views Mr. Reynolds is a stalwart republican, and while never an aspirant for office, he has been a prominent factor in the affairs of his party for years past. He was elected to the board of county commissioners as an advocate of the project of building a new courthouse and was elected on that issue. He was also a member of the board that had in charge the construction of the new courthouse and at all times his aid and influence have been given to those projects which are looking to the present welfare and the future advancement of city and county. Those who know him esteem him as a man of genuine worth. His liberal education, his public spirit, his recognition of the duties and obligations of citizenship make him one of the valued and representative men of Walla Walla county and his social qualities make for personal popularity.

GEORGE C. ALEXANDER.

Thirty-six years have been added to the cycle of the centuries since George C. Alexander became a resident of Walla Walla county. For many years he was actively engaged in general farming and still makes his home on section 12, township 6 north, range 35 east, but is now living retired, having in former years acquired a handsome competence that enables him to rest from further labor. He was born in La Fayette, Indiana, on the 18th of March, 1861, a son of Emanuel and Antha (Stretch) Alexander, the former a native of Ohio, while the latter was born in Indiana. The father was a farmer by occupation and spent the last four years of his life in the home of his son, George C., passing away in 1905.

George C. Alexander was reared under the parental roof and acquired a public school education. At the age of twelve years, however, he became a wage earner and has since been dependent upon his own resources for whatever he has achieved and enjoyed. He worked as a farm hand for neighboring farmers up to the time of his marriage, which was celebrated on the 28th of May, 1893, Miss Lillie C. Davis becoming his wife. During her girlhood days she accompanied her parents, William J. and Lucy E. (Hecker) Davis, to Walla Walla county, the removal being made from Iowa in 1885.

George C. Alexander had arrived in Walla Walla county in 1881 and after taking up his abode here worked as a farm hand until the time of his marriage, when he began farming on his own account, renting land. In 1905 he purchased his first land, becoming owner of his present home place of two hundred and twenty acres. He had enough money to make a half payment on the place and within five years he had cleared it of all indebtedness. In subsequent years he has put improvements upon it to the value of more than twenty-five hundred dollars. He has also bought eighty acres of irrigated land in Montana. Taking up his abode upon the home farm, he concentrated his efforts and attention upon its further development and improvement and in the course of years his labors worked a marked transformation in the appearance of the place, which he brought under a high state of cultivation. He still resides upon his home farm but is now living retired and rents his land, while he is enjoying the fruits of his former labor. In politics he maintains an independent course nor has he ever sought the honors and emoluments of public office. He ranks with the leading and representative men of his township and deserves much credit for what he has accomplished. He has truly won the proud American title of a self-made man, for he started out empty-handed when a youth of but twelve years and has worked his way steadily upward by diligence and determination. Whatever he has gained has been the reward of his earnest labor and his record indicates what may be accomplished in a busy life where there is a will to dare and to do. His course should serve to inspire and encourage others, showing what may be done through persistent, earnest effort when guided by sound judgment.

D. B. STIMMEL.

Through struggles and adversities D. B. Stimmel has reached a position among the prosperous residents of Walla Walla county and is now living retired in Waitsburg. For many years he was actively connected with agricultural interests, and diligence and determination brought to him the measure of success that now enables him to rest from further labors. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, January 1, 1856, his parents being Benjamin and Charlotte (Smith) Stimmel, who were also natives of the Buckeye state, where they were reared and married. In 1861 they removed westward to Tazewell county, Illinois, and in 1879 became residents of Reno county, Kansas. There the father died in the '90s, but the mother is still living and now makes her home with a son in Oklahoma.

D. B. Stimmel was the eldest in a family of ten children, nine sons and one daughter. The duty and the burden of assisting in rearing the family and providing for their support fell upon his shoulders and as a consequence his education was limited. He could attend school only at such times as his services were not required upon the farm. He remained at home until he reached his twenty-fourth year, when in 1880 he filed on a homestead in Reno county, Kansas, and began farming on his own account. There he resided for nine years, when he determined to try his fortune in the northwest, having heard favorable reports concerning this section of the country. In the spring of 1889, therefore, he made his way to Walla Walla county, Washington, arriving in Waitsburg about the middle of May with a wife and six children and a cash capital of but fifteen dollars. Here he began working for wages, being thus employed through the harvest season, and in the fall of that year he rented a farm and began its cultivation. He was not familiar, however, with the farming conditions of this section of the country and the poor crops and the widespread financial panic of 1893 made his first few years a struggle for existence. In the winter of 1895-6 he left the farm which he had rented with an indebtedness of three thousand dollars. The following spring he went up into the Nez Percé country and engaged in hauling posts and doing other work for the Indians, in which circumstances he was reminded of the scriptural passage that "the first shall be last and the last first." He may not have liked this domination of an inferior race, but he was willing to accept any occupation or employment that would yield him an honest living. The following fall he located on a place of one hundred and sixty acres belonging to his brother-in-law and afterward purchased two hundred and forty acres adjoining that farm, assuming a mortgage of twelve hundred dollars and back taxes and interest. He paid one hundred dollars cash upon the property, which according to the terms of agreement would cost him nine dollars and sixty-five cents per acre. A year later it had more than doubled in value and recently would have sold for one hundred dollars per acre. From the time of his purchase of this property Mr. Stimmel's prosperity began. The tide seemed to have turned for him and the years brought him a substantial measure of success as a reward for his labors. At different times he continued adding to his property, acquiring two other quarter sections of land, so that his ranch came to be one of five hundred and sixty acres. A quarter section of this he afterward deeded to his two older sons upon his retirement from active business, but he still retains ownership of four hundred acres, which he rents to his sons. In 1906 he removed to Waitsburg and later erected his present handsome city residence.

In 1879, in Reno county, Kansas, Mr. Stimmel was united in marriage to Miss Hattie E. Kirby, by whom he had ten children, eight of whom are yet living: Minnie, who is the wife of Lorenzo Bly, of Alberta, Canada; Earl and Ernest, twins, who follow farming in Walla Walla county; John T., also an agriculturist of Walla Walla county; William, who operates his father's farm; Viola, who gave her hand in marriage to Ralph Lukenbihl, of Waitsburg; Millie, who makes her home with her sister Minnie in Alberta, Canada; and Albert, also a resident of Alberta, Canada. The wife and mother passed away in December, 1908, and in 1909 Mr. Stimmel was again married, this union being with Mrs. Mary J. Lynch née Lewis, of Ontario, Canada.

Mr. Stimmel gives his political allegiance to the republican party. Fraternally he is connected with Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M.; Waitsburg Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F.; and with the Woodmen of the World. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church and are people of genuine personal worth, enjoying the warm regard and goodwill of all with whom they have been brought in contact. Difficulties and obstacles have at times beset the path of Mr. Stimmel but with persistency of purpose he has continued his labors and as the years have gone on has earned a most satisfactory reward. When determination, perseverance and talent are arrayed against drawbacks, poverty and trials, the result is almost absolutely certain. The former are invincible--they know no defeat. The habits of industry and close application which he early developed have constituted the foundation of his present success.

MRS. MARY A. KIMMERLY.

For almost half a century Mrs. Mary A. Kimmerly has been a resident of Walla Walla and has therefore witnessed almost the entire development of this region. She was born in Portage, Genesee county, New York, and bore the maiden name of Miss Mary A. Nesdel. In early life she went to Minnesota, where she married Frank Kimmerly, also a native of New York, his birth having occurred in Watertown. By trade he was a millwright and erected the first flour mill in Rochester, Minnesota, which was one of the first mills built in the state. In 1869 he brought his family to Washington and here readily found work at his trade, erecting a mill at Lapwai, another at Weston and several others. He also branched out into general contracting and built many of the best residences in Walla Walla during the '70s. He erected the Stine House, where now the Dacres Hotel stands, and several other important business structures.

Mr. Kimmerly was not only prominent in industrial circles but also took an active part in public affairs, serving as deputy sheriff of Walla Walla county and also as city treasurer. He was a thirty-second degree Mason and was the first master of Rose Croix Lodge of Perfection at Walla Walla. He was generally recognized as one of the most prominent residents of the city and his death, which occurred on the 28th of July, 1878, was considered a great loss to the community. Mrs. Kimmerly still survives her husband and continues to live at the old Kimmerly residence with her two sons, E. S. and W. W., at No. 526 South Second street.

HON. CHARLES BESSERER.

Hon. Charles Besserer was the builder of the third house in Walla Walla and was prominently identified with the city for many years, especially in connection with newspaper publication. He became recognized as one of the foremost journalists on the Pacific coast and his editorials, original and trenchant, were widely read. He was born near Heidelberg, Germany, October 10, 1838, and at seventeen years of age he enlisted for service in the English army. While still a member of the army he was sent to the state of Washington, at which time Walla Walla was but a log cabin village. When his term of enlistment was over he decided to make the United States his home and he proved his loyalty to his adopted land by valiant service in the Union army during the Civil war. He ever took an active interest in government affairs and did not a little to shape public thought and action in regard to community interests. He early turned his attention to newspaper work. After having honorably served throughout the period of hostilities between the north and the south he returned to Walla Walla, where he erected the third house of the city. A few years later he went to Montana, where he resided for a brief period, but in 1873 he returned to Walla Walla, where he embarked in the grocery business. In 1875, however, he became actively connected with newspaper publication in the purchase of the Spirit of the West, a weekly paper published in Walla Walla, the name of which he changed to the Watchman. In 1885 he established the Milton Eagle and a year later he sold the Watchman. A few years afterward he purchased the Journal and the Watchman, both of Walla Walla, and for several years managed these papers successfully, but again he sold out and paid a visit to his native country. Upon his return to America he purchased the Union, the Journal and the Watchman and combined the three papers into a new publication known as the Morning Union. This he continued to own and edit until 1898, when he removed to Oakland, California. He was quite successful financially and it was his love of editorial work that caused him to continue his labors on the San Francisco and other papers subsequent to the establishment of his home in California. He was widely known because of his interesting and comprehensive editorials, which were eagerly read throughout the west. His paper was ever maintained as an independent sheet in regard to politics. He also wrote many articles of a worldwide scope for Harper's Weekly.

Hon. Charles Besserer was united in marriage to Miss Ida Sanderson, who still survives him, his death having occurred on the 2d of February, 1912, being occasioned by heart trouble. The part which he took in the early development and subsequent progress of Walla Walla well entitles him to representation in its history.

LIEUTENANT BERNARD OVIATT WILLS.

Among the native sons of Walla Walla who are rendering excellent service in the armed forces of the nation is Lieutenant Bernard Oviatt Wills, U. S. N., who is now assigned to special duty in New York city. He was born in Walla Walla, August 22, 1887, and is a son of W. H. and Clara (Oviatt) Wills, an account of whom appears in the sketch of their son, Fred Gaylord Wills.

Bernard O. Wills attended the public schools of Walla Walla and continued his study in the high school, graduating with the class of 1905. The following year he entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and in 1910 completed the required course there and received the title of ensign. He has remained continuously in the navy and has won promotion, so that although he is still a young man he now has the rank of senior lieutenant. He is now serving by assignment on the special board of patrol, with office at No. 11 Broadway, New York city, and his highly efficient work in that connection is of importance in the great task that confronts the navy in placing the defenses and the naval forces of the United States on a war footing. He is a representative young naval officer, proud of the history and traditions of the navy, thoroughly equipped by highly specialized training for the work in hand, high-spirited and yet recognizing that the high order of ability and daring found in the personnel of the navy can only be made available to the nation's service by discipline.

On the 3d of July, 1917, Lieutenant Wills was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Lee Hanscom. Although he has been stationed in the east for some time, his many friends in Walla Walla have not lost sight of him and have followed his career with great interest and pride.

MISS MARY J. THOMAS.

In the educational circles of Walla Walla Miss Mary J. Thomas is widely and favorably known. She has done much to further the interests of the public schools and is now the principal of the Sharpstein school. She is a native daughter of Walla Walla and the spirit of western enterprise has found expression in her work. Her father, George Franklin Thomas, was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in the year 1815 and when very young left home, going to the state of New York. In 1840 he removed from the Empire state to the south and for many years engaged in staging in Georgia and in Alabama. In 1850 he became one of the Argonauts who sought gold on the western front, making his way to California. After reaching that state he resumed his staging business, which he successfully conducted, and he may well be termed the pioneer stage man of the Pacific coast. He became the president of the Oregon & California Stage Company, which conducted a fine line of stages from Sacramento to Portland. After the war between the north and the south he removed to Salem, Oregon, and on the discovery of gold in the Salmon River mountains he placed a line of stages on the road between The Dalles and Celilo. When the Oregon Steam & Navigation Company built a railroad there he moved onward and started a stage line between Wallula and Walla Walla. In 1863 he built the Thomas & Ruckle Road across the Blue mountains and was identified for many years with the principal mail route in this section of the country. In 1865 he was elected mayor of the city and for many years in rotation was elected councilman. In 1874 he was the candidate on the democratic ticket for the office of sheriff of the county and was elected over three competitors. At the next election in 1876 he was reelected and from 1878 until the time of his death was associated with this office. He passed away January 12, 1884, survived by a wife and six children, two sons and four daughters, but since then the mother and two sons have passed away. The daughters are Mrs. Thomas Durry, Mrs. Thomas Page and Miss Mary J. Thomas, of Walla Walla; and Mrs. George M. Cosgrove, of Spokane, Washington. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Bridget Rodgers, was born in Ireland, June 24, 1832, and came to America in 1844, first settling in New Orleans and later removing to California. Her death occurred in Walla Walla, November 26, 1905.

Miss Mary J. Thomas, reared in Walla Walla, was educated in St. Vincent's Academy and became a grade teacher in the Baker school of Walla Walla. She has since devoted her life to that profession and became principal of the Baker school, while later she was transferred to the Sharpstein school, of which she is now the principal. She holds to high ideals in her work, is constantly studying out new methods to improve her efficiency and her own zeal and interest in the work have inspired and encouraged both teachers and pupils under her.

JAMES F. CROPP, M. D.

For almost forty years Dr. James F. Cropp has successfully engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Walla Walla, where he was also the promoter and founder of the Walla Walla Hospital, an institution of which the city has every reason to be proud. He has ever occupied a prominent position in professional circles and has been instrumental in maintaining the highest standards of activity in his chosen field, recognizing fully the duties and obligations which devolve upon the physician. He was born in Virginia, April 16, 1854. His father, Silas F. Cropp, was also a native of the Old Dominion, where he followed the occupation of farming. He married Maria Katherine Martin, born in the same state, and both have passed away. They had a family of four children, of whom two have departed this life.