Part 52

Among the men who played well their part in the pioneer days of Walla Walla county, when conditions of life were such as to test to the utmost a man's mettle, was numbered George A. Evans, who came to the west by wagon train. He turned his attention to farming, but his last days were passed in well earned leisure. He was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, December 6, 1835, and remained there until he reached mature years. In the meantime he had received but three months of common school education and had acquired habits of industry and of perseverance that were to stand him in good stead in the new northwest. In 1854 he removed to Sidney, Iowa, and two years later, in 1856, he joined a wagon train of forty ox teams and accompanied by his family, his parents and brothers and sisters, made the long journey across the continent to Walla Walla, arriving here in August. At that time the Indians were quite restive and had attacked several wagon trains and massacred a number of the emigrants, but the train with which Mr. Evans journeyed was not molested. For some time he drove a team engaged in freighting in this state and Idaho, principally between Walla Walla, Boise and Silver City, and thus became thoroughly familiar with this section of the northwest and gained a wide acquaintance among the early settlers. His first winter in Walla Walla, that of 1861, was one of the worst ever known in this country and it was a serious problem among the pioneers to make a living. Mr. Evans succeeded in finding employment as a mule herder for the government on what is now known as Eureka Flats. After the coming of the railroad he turned his attention to farming and became the owner of large and valuable holdings. At length, feeling that he was entitled to a period of rest, he retired and removed to Walla Walla, where his death occurred April 2, 1916.

Mr. Evans first married Bethsidia Williams, who died, and in 1886 he married Miss Bessie Bambrick, a native of Nova Scotia, and they became the parents of two children, one of whom survives, Mrs. W. R. McDermott, of San Francisco. Mrs. Bessie Evans passed away September 3, 1905, and on December 18, 1907, Mr. Evans married Miss Anna Bower, who survives him and resides at No. 549 South Division street. She holds membership in the Presbyterian church and is a woman of many admirable qualities.

Mr. Evans was a loyal member of the Masonic fraternity and was laid to his last rest with Masonic honors. For ten years he held membership in St. Paul's Episcopal church and in his daily life he was a consistent Christian, thoroughly upright in all his dealings, kindly in spirit and considerate of others. In his home life he was ever a loving husband and father and his large capacity for friendship gained him the warm regard of all who knew him intimately. He had a keen interest in educational affairs and for sixteen years served as a trustee of St. Paul's school. With his passing Walla Walla lost one of her prominent citizens and his demise was the occasion of widespread regret.

SETH W. HESTER.

Since starting out in life for himself Seth W. Hester has followed agricultural pursuits and is today one of the prosperous farmers of Columbia county, Washington. He has always been a resident of the Pacific northwest, being born in Linn county, Oregon, January 2, 1872, and during his infancy he was brought to Walla Walla county, now Columbia county, by his parents, William M. and Sarah K. (Combs) Hester, who were natives of Kentucky and Iowa respectively. It was in 1852 that his father came to the Pacific coast and after spending four years in California, removed to Oregon in 1856 and in 1872 came to Walla Walla county, Washington, where he settled on a farm. Here he and his wife both died. To them were born nine children and five of the number are now living.

Seth W. Hester passed his boyhood and youth in Walla Walla county and is indebted to its public schools for the early educational advantages he enjoyed. He was only thirteen years of age when his father died and he took charge of the home farm, which he carried on for a few years. Being a wide-awake, up-to-date farmer, he has steadily prospered as the years have gone by and is today the owner of valuable land in Columbia and Garfield counties. He has become interested in other enterprises and is now a stockholder in different businesses in Walla Walla, Garfield and Columbia counties.

In 1893 Mr. Hester was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Loundagin, and they have two daughters: Lucile M., who is a graduate of the Walla Walla high school and is now a student at Mills College, Oakland, California; and La Nor C., now attending high school.

Mr. Hester takes a commendable interest in educational affairs and has efficiently served on the school board. His political support is given to the democratic party and he never withholds his aid from any enterprise which he believes will prove of public benefit.

W. H. RICHARDSON.

W. H. Richardson is now living retired in Dayton, but for many years was actively identified with farming interests and owned and cultivated an excellent tract of land. He was born on St. Joseph's island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario, Canada, February 1, 1864, his parents being W. T. and Jane (Holland) Richardson, the former a native of Ontario, Canada, while the latter was born in Ireland. During her girlhood days the mother crossed the Atlantic with her parents, who established their home in Ontario. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Richardson took up their abode on St. Joseph's island, where they resided until 1869 and then removed to Minnesota, where they lived for about seven years. In 1876 they came to Washington, taking up their abode upon a farm about six miles west of Dayton, in Columbia county, where the father was actively engaged in general agricultural pursuits until the time of his death, becoming one of the big wheat raisers of the county. At the time of his demise he owned six thousand acres of farm land, the greater part of which was devoted to wheat, and his efforts were resultant in producing splendid crops. He closely studied conditions of soil and climate and his methods were at all times progressive, so that he gathered abundant harvests. He died in 1900, at the age of sixty-six years, while his widow, surviving until 1907, passed away at the age of seventy-two.

W. H. Richardson was educated in the Thorn Hollow public school and in the Huntsville Academy. In early manhood he began farming in cooperation with his father and gradually as their operations extended to a larger scale, W. H. Richardson more and more assumed the burden of managing the business and cultivating the land. Following the death of his father he purchased the entire holdings, which he continued to develop and improve further until 1909, when he disposed of the last of his farm property and has since lived retired. His business affairs were wisely and carefully controlled and he became one of the representative agriculturists and wheat growers of the valley. The industry which he displayed in all of his business undertakings brought to him a very substantial measure of prosperity, so that he is now enabled to enjoy his remaining days in leisure and comfort.

In 1903 Mr. Richardson was united in marriage to Miss Loretta M. Frazer, of Ashland, Illinois, who was principal of the Dayton high school. They became the parents of one son, who died in infancy. In politics Mr. Richardson is a democrat and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day, but has never consented to become a candidate for office. Since his retirement from business in 1909 he and his wife have spent much of their time in travel, having visited many European countries, also South America and Japan, thus gaining that broad knowledge and liberal culture which only travel can bring. The life record of Mr. Richardson should serve to inspire and encourage others, showing what may be accomplished through individual effort guided by sound judgment.

ARTHUR G. CORNWELL.

Among those whose extensive farming operations have made Walla Walla county famous as a wheat producing region is Arthur G. Cornwell, who is residing in the city of Walla Walla but is personally directing the operation of about one thousand acres of fine land. He is a native of the county, born April 11, 1869, and is a son of James M. and Mary A. (Stott) Cornwell. He was reared at home and as a boy and youth attended the country schools, thus laying the foundation of his education, and later he was a student at Whitman College. Following his marriage he began farming on his own account and from the beginning proved successful, his early training in agricultural work under his father proving of the greatest value to him. For about ten years he operated rented land and then purchased a farm. His holdings now comprise three hundred and twenty acres of farming land, one hundred and sixty acres of timber and grazing land, and in addition to cultivating his own half section he operates leased land, farming in all about one thousand acres, devoted to the raising of wheat. He keeps his business well in hand and studies carefully the problems of lowering the cost of production, of increasing the yield and of marketing to advantage. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Savings Bank of Walla Walla and in the Farmers Grain Agency and belongs to the Farmers Union, believing thoroughly in the importance of cooperation.

Mr. Cornwell was married on the 15th of July, 1891, to Miss Carrie E. Ingram, who was born in Georgetown, Colorado, a daughter of James H. and Mary J. (Williams) Ingram. In 1847 the family removed to Walla Walla and the father bought a small tract of land on the outskirts of the city of Walla Walla. He planted fruit and devoted the remainder of his life to horticulture. His wife was a writer of ability and after reaching her seventieth year wrote a book of poems. Mr. and Mrs. Cornwell have three children: Artemisia May, who was graduated from Whitman College in 1916 and also in that year completed the course offered in the Whitman Conservatory of Music, receiving the degree of B. M.; Edna Genevieve, who was also a student at Whitman College and is now the wife of Carl Gensel, of Walla Walla; and Elmer Grant, who is now farming on the home ranch. He was married in September, 1917, to Miss Ethel Heath.

Mr. Cornwell is a republican in politics and served for several years as deputy assessor. He and his family belong to the Presbyterian church and for about ten years he has served on its financial board. He is one of the most influential citizens and most successful farmers of Walla Walla county and wherever known is held in the highest esteem.

WILLIAM BOWE.

The life record of William Bowe indicates the opportunities which the northwest offers, for he arrived in this section of the country empty-handed and started out in the business world as a common laborer. Today he is the possessor of a handsome competence and is actively and prominently identified with agricultural and financial interests, owning thirteen hundred acres of land in Walla Walla county. He makes his home in the city of Walla Walla, from which point he directs his farming interests. He was born in Ireland, March 18, 1861, and is a son of John and Katherine Bowe, both of whom were natives of Ireland, where they spent their entire lives, there rearing their family of eight children, of whom six survive.

William Bowe was reared and educated in Ireland and was a young man of twenty-five years when he determined to try his fortune in the new world. Accordingly in 1886 he bade adieu to friends and native land and sailed for the United States. He did not tarry on the Atlantic coast but made his way across the country to Iowa, where he lived for two years. Still he heard the call of the west and in 1888 he came to Walla Walla. He arrived here in very limited financial circumstances and his financial condition rendered it imperative that he find immediate employment. He began work as a farm hand and spent three years in that way. He was ambitious, however, to engage in business on his own account, and at the end of that period rented land which he cultivated for three years. He still continued to save his earnings and after cultivating a rented farm for three years he purchased land, to which he has added from time to time until he is now the owner of about thirteen hundred acres, all of which has been greatly improved. His life throughout his entire residence in the northwest has been devoted to general agricultural pursuits and his large farm presents a most neat and thrifty appearance, indicating his practical methods and careful supervision. He also owns a fine residence in Walla Walla and he is one of the directors of the Farmers Bank of that city.

On the 8th of January, 1896, Mr. Bowe was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Davis, a native of Ireland, and they have become the parents of two children, but John C. has passed away. William E. married Miss Alice C. Ennis and in 1917 leased his father's ranch about fourteen miles from Walla Walla, where he now resides. Mr. Bowe of this review was nearly killed in 1909 while riding a young horse. The horse became frightened and fell from a bridge about nine feet with Mr. Bowe under him. He was so severely injured that he was picked up for dead.

Mr. and Mrs. Bowe are communicants of the Catholic church and in politics Mr. Bowe is a democrat, while fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and also with the Knights of Columbus. His life record should serve to encourage and inspire others, showing what may be accomplished when there is the will to dare and to do. He has never been afraid of hard work, and persistency and diligence have brought to him the measure of prosperity which is now his.

W. H. H. BRUNTON.

W. H. H. Brunton, a pioneer of Walla Walla county, was engaged in farming for many years and won gratifying success in that connection. He was born in Schuyler county, Illinois, January 27, 1841, a son of Cyrus and Martha (Restine) Brunton, who removed with their family to Missouri during the childhood of their son, W. H. H. Brunton. There he was reared and received his education. In 1862 he made the journey across the country to Walla Walla county, Washington, with ox teams and during the following winter resided on the Walla Walla river. The next year he removed to Columbia county and for four years engaged in teaming. In 1866 he was married and then took up a homestead adjoining his father-in-law's farm. He devoted his time and attention to agricultural pursuits until 1899 and then, feeling that he had earned a rest, retired and removed to Walla Walla. From time to time he added to his holdings until he became the owner of almost seven hundred acres of land, which is still in possession of the estate. He passed away September 7, 1901, and his demise was the occasion of deep and widespread regret, for he was a man of sterling worth.

Mr. Brunton was married in 1866 to Miss Sarah A. Lewis, a daughter of Reese Lewis, who removed to Oregon with his family from Wayne county, Iowa, in 1863. After spending two years on the Touchet he took up a homestead claim three miles east of Dixie.

Mr. Brunton was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which Mrs. Brunton also belongs. He was known as a man strictly honest in all his dealings and his uncompromising integrity gained for him the respect of all with whom he came in contact. He had many personal friends and found his greatest pleasure in their companionship and in that of his wife. She resides in a comfortable home at No. 716 Catherine street and is well and favorably known in Walla Walla.

WILLIAM THOMAS DOVELL.

William Thomas Dovell was a native of Walla Walla, his birth occurring September 21, 1869, and his parents were John and Margaret (Ford) Dovell, natives respectively of the Azore islands and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In early boyhood the father emigrated to the United States and at an early date became a resident of Walla Walla, where both he and the mother passed away. To them were born four children, of whom two survive.

William Thomas Dovell grew to manhood in Walla Walla and attended the public schools and Whitman College in the acquirement of his education. He prepared for the practice of law under the direction of the firm of Allen & Crowley, and in 1890 he was admitted to the bar. He opened an office and for thirteen years was numbered among the capable attorneys of the city. In 1903, however, he removed to Seattle, where he was active in the practice of his profession until called by death in February, 1916. One of the factors in his success was his habit of careful preparation of his cases, this practice making it difficult for his opponents to gain an advantage over him.

In 1901 Mr. Dovell was united in marriage to Miss Ruth H. Allen, a daughter of the Hon. John B. and M. C. (Bateman) Allen, the former born in Indiana and the latter in Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Dovell became the parents of four children, Ruth C.; Allen Thomas, deceased; William Thomas, Jr.; and Mary D.

Mr. Dovell was a careful student of public affairs and his views on political issues were in accord with the principles of the republican party. He was chosen attorney for Walla Walla county when but twenty-one years of age and although extremely young to fill such an important position he discharged his duties with marked ability. Fraternally he belonged to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and his attractive social qualities gained him many friends within and without that organization. Those who had been associated with him during his residence in Walla Walla felt deep regret on receiving the news of his death in Seattle. He was buried in that city.

ADOLPH HOLM.

Adolph Holm, deceased, belonged to that class of substantial citizens that Norway furnished to the new world. He was a man of business ability and enterprise and possessed marked skill as a wood worker. Laudable ambition actuated him at every point in his career and an orderly progression brought him to a prominent position among the successful business men of Walla Walla county. Each forward step in his career gave him larger opportunities which he readily recognized and promptly utilized.

Mr. Holm was born in Norway, August 20, 1847, a son of Peter Holm, who was a wood worker and contractor of that country. At the age of nineteen years Adolph Holm bade adieu to friends and native land and sailed for the new world, having heard favorable reports concerning its opportunities, so that he was thus induced to seek a home on this side of the Atlantic. He had previously learned the trade of a wood carver under the direction of his father in Norway and he had also enjoyed liberal educational training. He had attended a Latin school there and was master of four or five languages. Thus well equipped he reached the new world, without capital but possessed of marked intellectual force and ability in the line of his trade. Making his way westward to Chicago, he there worked as a wood carver for a time and was also employed at various points in Michigan. Still later he went to Sioux City, Iowa, where he took up the business of contracting and building.

It was while a resident of Sioux City that Mr. Holm was united in marriage, in August, 1870, to Miss Charlotte Peterson, a native of Sweden, who had come to the United States when seventeen years of age. In the year 1872 Mr. Holm came to the west with Oregon as his destination. He located first in Salem and was employed on the building of the state capitol in that city, remaining there for six years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Walla Walla and after two years took up his abode in Asotin county, Washington, where he resided for twenty-one years. During that period he was engaged in farming and in May, 1902, he purchased land and removed to the home farm upon which his widow now resides. There he continued to carry on general agricultural pursuits until his demise, which occurred February 3, 1904. He was a very skilled wood turner and he did much of the interior finishing of the Washington building for the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. He proved equally efficient along other lines, both industrial and agricultural. In a word he possessed marked adaptability and accomplished whatever he undertook by reason of his unfaltering diligence and perseverance. His persistency of purpose, his laudable ambition and his splendidly directed efforts constituted an example that is well worthy of emulation.

To Mr. and Mrs. Holm were born eight children, seven of whom still survive, as follows: Anna, at home; Oscar, who is a member of the police force in Seattle; Harry, a resident of Roswell, New Mexico; Edgar, who is engaged in merchandising at Yuma Pine, Oregon; Emma, the wife of Professor W. M. Davis, who is principal of the College Place schools; Maurice, who formerly lived in Boston, Massachusetts but is now with the United States troops somewhere in France; and Roy, who operates the home farm.

Mr. Holm gave his political allegiance to the democratic party, and while he always kept well informed concerning the political conditions and questions of the country, he never had aspiration for office. He belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for many years and was a loyal representative of that society. He never regretted his determination to come to the new world, for he here found the opportunities which he sought and in their utilization made for himself a most creditable position in business circles. He won success by honorable effort and his record is one which reflects credit upon the land of his birth and the land of his adoption. That his life was well spent is indicated by the fact that those who knew him longest were his stanchest friends, for throughout his entire career he displayed characteristics that were worthy of the highest regard of his fellowmen.

E. J. CANTONWINE.

E. J. Cantonwine, a prosperous farmer of Walla Walla county, has passed his entire life in the county, as he is a native of the city of Walla Walla. His birth occurred November 12, 1887, and he is a son of W. J. and Clara E. (Cram) Cantonwine, natives of Iowa and Oregon respectively. In 1863 the father made the long overland journey with ox teams to Washington and located on Dry creek, where he engaged in farming for many years. He died in California, having gone there in the hope of benefiting his health. The mother survived for some time, passing away in April, 1917. Two of their three children are still living.

E. J. Cantonwine attended the schools of Dixie in the acquirement of his general education and prepared himself to manage his affairs in a businesslike manner by taking a course in a commercial college at Walla Walla. He remained at home, assisting his father with the farm work, until he attained his majority and then took charge of the operation of the homestead, which he managed for ten years. In the meantime he had acquired title to personal property which he sold at the end of that period. He then engaged in the undertaking business for five years, after which he disposed of his interests in that line and again turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He owns four hundred and seventy-five acres of well improved land north of Dixie, Washington, and keeps its operation well in hand, realizing that farming is as much a business as manufacturing or merchandising and that to succeed the farmer most study both the problems of production and of marketing.