Part 53

In 1900 Mr. Cantonwine was married to Miss Bessie Kershaw, a daughter of J. S. Kershaw, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Both belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Cantonwine is a trustee, and he is also now a member of the building committee which has in charge the erection of the new house of worship. He belongs to Enterprise Lodge, No. 2, I. O. O. F., in which he has filled all the chairs, and he is likewise a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and of the Loyal Order of Moose, in which he is also an officer. He is a typical western man, alert, confident of the future, self-reliant and resourceful, and he has been a factor in the advancement of the agricultural interests of Walla Walla county.

HENRIK P. PETERSEN.

Henrik P. Petersen is one of the progressive business men of Waitsburg, where he is prominently associated with banking interests. He was born at Lukomkloster, Nord Slesvig, Germany, on the 12th of January, 1878, and was brought to America in 1881, when but three years of age. He is a son of Martin C. and Magdalene Petersen, both of whom are now living at Dannebrog, Nebraska.

The family home was established in Dannebrog when the parents came to the new world and in the schools of that place Henrik P. Petersen pursued his education, passing through consecutive grades to his graduation from the Dannebrog high school. When his textbooks were put aside he turned his attention to banking and became familiar with that business in Dannebrog, so that he was well qualified by experience to enter upon a similar field when he came to Waitsburg, Washington. Here he has resided for the past thirteen years and is now occupying the responsible position of cashier in the Exchange Bank at Waitsburg, of which he is also a director. He has made a creditable record in this connection and is now bending his energies to administrative direction and executive control. He has a thorough knowledge of the banking business and his ability has been manifest in the continued growth and success of the institution with which he is identified.

Mr. Petersen is also well known as an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity and he has been honored with the position of worshipful master of Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, A. F. & A. M. He has a wide acquaintance in Waitsburg and his many substantial qualities have gained for him the high regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact. In all matters of citizenship he stands for progressiveness and improvement and gives his aid and cooperation most liberally and earnestly to those measures and movements which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride.

HERMAN C. ACTOR.

A most interesting and eventful career was that of Herman C. Actor, who passed the last years of his life in the restfulness and the quietude of the farm. He was familiar with every phase of frontier life in the northwest and four times he was wounded by the Indians in the early struggles for supremacy between the white race and the redskins. He came to this section of the country when the work of progress and improvement seemed scarcely begun and when the red men were yet more numerous than the white settlers. Only here and there some venturesome spirit had penetrated into the wilderness of the Pacific northwest to establish a home and if possible utilize the resources of the country in the attainment of a competence or a fortune.

Mr. Actor was born in Ohio, September 18, 1832, and had passed the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten at the time of his demise. In fact, he had reached the eighty-fifth milestone on life's journey and was the only survivor of a family of nine children when he passed to the Great Beyond. His parents were Herman and Margaret (Daterman) Actor, both natives of Germany, who had crossed the Atlantic to the new world in 1828 and established their home in Ohio, where they continued to reside until their deaths.

It was in that state that Herman C. Actor spent the days of his boyhood and youth and acquired an education in such schools as were available in that early day. He went to Missouri in 1852, when a young man of twenty years, and there remained for a year. He then entered the employ of the American Fur Company and purchased furs for that concern at their fort for two years. It was in the fall of 1855 that he came to Walla Walla, Washington, in company with Governor Stevens, and for one year he acted as one of the governor's guard. Later he was in the employ of the government for some time and while thus engaged was four times shot by the Indians, sustaining three wounds in the leg and one in the shoulder. Wild as was the life of the northwest and undeveloped as was the country, he felt the spell upon him and determined to remain, eager to take active part in the improvement and progress of this section. He purchased a farm where Dixie now stands and cultivated his land there for some time, but afterward disposed of that property and purchased the farm on which he died, on section 23, township 8 north, range 37 east, comprising four hundred acres. With characteristic energy he bent his efforts to the cultivation and improvement of the property and in the course of years his labors wrought a marked transformation in the appearance of the place. He carefully and wisely utilized his fields and as the years passed his crops multiplied and brought him a substantial competence, permitting him the well earned enjoyment of the comforts of life.

In 1858 Mr. Actor was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Davis, a native of Iowa, and they became the parents of six children: Margaret, who is the wife of George La Rue; Mary, the wife of Lincoln Kenwine; Louisa, the wife of P. Collinwood; Frank; George; and Arthur. The wife and mother died in 1908 and was laid to rest in the Dixie cemetery, her death being the cause of deep regret to her many friends and great sorrow to her family. Only recently Mr. Actor was also gathered to his fathers and with him there passed away one of those sturdy pioneers who had carried the banner of the white man's civilization into the wilds of the west and who planted well for the coming generations to reap.

Mr. Actor belonged to the Masonic lodge at Dixie and gave his political allegiance to the republican party. He never sought office but was public spirited and served as a member of the school board to good purpose. He was a self-made man who owed his success to his industry and perseverance alone. He met many hardships and difficulties incident to pioneer life and encountered many obstacles such as always are factors in a business career, but he did not allow himself to become discouraged and with resolute will pushed forward and in the span of his life he won for himself an honored place as one of the substantial men of the county. He was one of its venerable citizens, respected by all, and his worth to the community was widely acknowledged. While he has gone to the Beyond, his work lives and his memory is enshrined in the hearts of all who become cognizant of his sterling character.

H. F. CLODIUS.

Since the winter of 1882-3, H. F. Clodius has resided upon the Pacific coast and through more than a third of a century has been identified with farming interests in Walla Walla county. He is now living retired in Waitsburg, although he still owns valuable property holdings, constituting some of the best farm land in this section of the state. He was born in Germany on the 10th of November, 1847, and is a son of Claus H. and Catherine M. (Biernstein) Clodius, both of whom spent their entire lives in Germany. His paternal great-grandfather, Christopher Clodius, removed to that country from Denmark. The father was one of the prominent farmers of his section and was a man in affluent circumstances.

His son, H. F. Clodius, was given liberal educational opportunities and in his later years has been a broad reader, so that he is said to be one of the best informed men on general subjects in Walla Walla county. In his wide scope of reading he has twice read the Bible through from cover to cover. When he was a lad of but fifteen years of age the life on the seas attracted him and for three years he sailed, during this time visiting the countries of France, England, Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Russia. In 1865 his father died and H. F. Clodius then left the sea and returned home. He was the eldest in a family of four sons and he practically became the head of the family, assuming the responsibility of managing the valuable estate which his father left. He proved adequate to the duties that devolved upon him, for he has ever been a man of enterprise and adaptability who has readily and capably undertaken the tasks which have come to him.

In 1868 Mr. Clodius was united in marriage to Miss Catherine M. Rohde. Following his marriage he continued to cultivate his father's farm until 1875, when he determined to try his fortune on this side of the Atlantic and with his wife and one son sailed for the United States. On reaching American shores he penetrated into the interior of the country and established his home in Woodford county, Illinois, where he resided for eight years. It was in the winter of 1882-3 that he came to the Pacific coast, making his way by train to San Francisco and thence northward by boat to Portland, Oregon. From that point he traveled by train to Walla Walla county, Washington, arriving in the city of Walla Walla on the 1st of February, 1883. He remained in the town for a couple of months and then purchased a farm on Mill creek, ten miles from Walla Walla. He continued to reside upon that place for fifteen years, at the end of which time he sold the property and purchased a portion of his present farm in Spring Valley, about four miles southwest of Waitsburg. His holdings he has since increased by additional purchase until he now has thirteen hundred acres, and upon this property he continued to reside until 1914, when he removed to Waitsburg, where he has since lived retired. His business affairs were most carefully and wisely managed and his well directed interests brought to him a very gratifying and substantial measure of success, so that, possessing a very desirable competence, he is able to rest from further labor and yet enjoy all of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.

Mr. and Mrs. Clodius became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are yet living, as follows: H. F., who is a farmer residing in Garfield county, Washington; Catherine M., the wife of David Kibler, of Mill Creek, Walla Walla county; Marie C., the wife of Charles Kibler, who is an agriculturist living on Spring creek, Walla Walla county; Rosa, who gave her hand in marriage to William Weller, of Columbia county; Augusta, who is the wife of Emory McCown, a farmer of Walla Walla county; Ella, the wife of Henry Züger, who also follows farming in Walla Walla county; and John W., who operates the home farm. Two of the children, H. F. and Claus, deceased, were born in Germany.

Mr. Clodius votes with the democratic party and he has twice been a candidate for the office of county commissioner but failed of election. He belongs to Walla Walla Lodge, K. P. He is one of the wealthy farmers of Walla Walla county, is one of its broad gauged men and enjoys the friendship and regard of a great majority of those with whom he has come in contact. He is forceful and resourceful, has ever accomplished what he has undertaken and in the attainment of his success has followed well defined plans and purposes.

LEWIS SCHMUCK.

Lewis Schmuck, now living retired, was for many years a prominent figure in the business circles of Walla Walla, where he operated extensively in connection with the lumber industry as a member of the firm that established the business now conducted under the name of Whitehouse-Crawford Company. His start in business life was most humble. He began earning his living by selling newspapers and shining shoes. His educational advantages were naturally limited but he made such good use of his time and opportunities for securing intellectual advancement that in young manhood he was able to secure a teacher's certificate and for a time engaged in teaching school. Each point in his career has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities and his life has been characterized by a most splendid and steady progression.

Mr. Schmuck was born in Peoria, Illinois, June 2, 1852, a son of Xavier and Mary Schmuck. The father was born in Alsace, and as a member of the French army fought against the Germans. The mother died when Lewis Schmuck was but a young child and at the early age of ten years he left home and began to shift for himself. He sold newspapers on the streets of Peoria during war times, when many extras were being published, and he also shined shoes, thus picking up many a stray nickel wherever possible. Later he drifted into the country, where he worked as a farm hand, and immediately following the close of the Civil war he went to Nebraska, where he engaged in farm work. Still later he was employed in a stone quarry and worked on the building of the state prison. He continued in Nebraska for almost seven years and by reason of his continuous employment that he might provide for his own support he had little chance to obtain an education. However, he was desirous of progressing along the line of intellectual culture and when possible attended a few months' school. He had pursued his studies to a limited extent before he left home in his tenth year and he did not again attend school until after he had attained his majority, when he devoted three months each winter for three years to improving his education in Nebraska. In the school of experience, however, he had learned many valuable lessons and, possessing an observing eye and retentive memory, was continually adding to his knowledge. After his nine months' school training in Nebraska he was able to secure two third grade certificates and later a second grade certificate. He taught one summer term in Nebraska, after which he resolved to try his fortune in the northwest, having heard favorable reports concerning this section of the country.

Arriving in Walla Walla on the 24th of December, 1877, Mr. Schmuck spent the following winter as an employe in the sawmill of Dr. Blalock and thus he obtained his initial experience in connection with the lumber industry. In the summer of 1878 he carried the hod in connection with the erection of the Schwabacher store building on the present site of the Gardner building. In the fall of that year he was employed in a wheat warehouse, loading grain on the Dr. Baker Railroad. Late in the fall of that year, in company with Charles Cooper, he established a small chop mill adjoining the Glassford planing mill, securing power from the latter plant. Subsequently they built a factory on the present site of the Whitehouse-Crawford Company and engaged in the manufacture of the cheaper kinds of household furniture. This business was conducted successfully for several years and was finally developed into the lumber business. In the meantime Mr. Schmuck and his partner acquired a ranch of nine hundred and sixty acres in Whitman county and stocked the ranch, after which Mr. Schmuck located thereon in order to look after their cattle business, while his partner attended to their lumber interests in Walla Walla. This business was subsequently purchased by the firm of Whitehouse & Crimmins and later became the Whitehouse-Crawford Company. Mr. Schmuck remained upon the ranch for twelve years and then established his home in Colfax, where he engaged in the farm implement business for five years. On the expiration of that period, or in 1911, he sold out and returned to Walla Walla, where he has since lived retired. He is still, however, the owner of twenty-two hundred and seventy acres of wheat land in Umatilla county, Oregon, and a tract of four hundred and twenty-seven acres in Dixie, Walla Walla county. His investments have been most judiciously made and from his realty holdings he derives a very gratifying annual income.

On the 30th of July, 1883, Mr. Schmuck was united in marriage to Miss Bettie Wade, a niece of T. T. Burgess, by whom she was reared. They became parents of a daughter, Sarah E., who is now the wife of Frank Vollendorff, state clerk of the penitentiary. The wife and mother passed away July 6, 1906, and Mr. Schmuck was again married on the 26th of September, 1907, when Mrs. J. B. Chamberlain became his wife. They had become acquainted in early life while he was boarding with her parents in Nebraska. In her maidenhood she was Miss Martha Gerking and was a native of Missouri. By her former marriage she had a daughter, Blanche, who is the wife of C. A. Sprague, owner and editor of the Journal-Times of Ritzville, Washington.

Mr. Schmuck has always given his political allegiance to the republican party and has served for one term as justice of the peace of Whitman county but has never been an aspirant for public office. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mrs. Schmuck belongs to the Order of the Eastern Star and to the United Artisans. Mr. Schmuck is one of the well known and highly esteemed citizens of Walla Walla. He has always been a liberal contributor to church and charitable work and has been foremost in all movements for the advancement of the community and its substantial upbuilding. He gave to the city of Colfax what is known as Schmuck Park and many other evidences of his public spirit could be cited. In business affairs he has always displayed sound judgment that has enabled him readily to discriminate between the essential and the non-essential. The methods which he has employed in the attainment of success awaken approval and admiration, for his course has been characterized by enterprise, by indefatigable energy and clear judgment which has won advancement in the business world without infringing on the rights of others. He is a man of well balanced capacities and powers and has long occupied a central place on the stage of action, being accorded leadership almost from the time when he made his initial effort in the field of business in the northwest.

HERBERT McARTHUR.

Herbert McArthur, deceased, was one of the representative residents of Walla Walla county and a self-made man who in his business career steadily progressed. He started out to earn his living when a little lad of but nine years and from that time forward depended entirely upon his own resources. He was born in the state of New York, November 11, 1868, and was a son of Albert and Grace (Scoville) McArthur, both of whom are natives of the Empire state and are still living there. In their family were four children, two of whom survive.

Herbert McArthur pursued his education in the schools of his native state but his opportunities in that direction were quite limited, for he left home when only nine years of age and began to earn his living. He came in time to be one of the most successful men of the Walla Walla valley. In 1890 he arrived in the city of Walla Walla without a cent. He was then a young man of twenty-two years, and though he lacked capital, he possessed ambition, determination and energy. He utilized every opportunity that promised advancement and he was not afraid of hard work. After a time he embarked in merchandising in Walla Walla and so continued for eight years, after which he sold his business and took charge of the interests of the Blalock Fruit Company, of which he became a large stockholder. This company owned seventeen hundred acres of valuable land devoted to fruit cultivation and Mr. McArthur remained in charge until his death. He closely studied every phase of fruit culture in the northwest, knew where to secure the best nursery stock and also knew just what soil conditions were required for the best production. He studied scientific methods for the care of his trees and the fertilization of the soil, the spraying of the trees, and in fact every branch of work that could facilitate the interests of the company was carefully looked after by him. Following his death Mrs. McArthur purchased two hundred and twenty-five acres of raw prairie land which she has since improved, erecting thereon fine buildings and bringing the fields under a high state of cultivation. She now has one of the finest farms in the state of Washington. All of the trees upon the place have been planted since it came into possession of Mrs. McArthur, who is a most capable business woman, readily recognizing and utilizing opportunities and discriminating quickly between the essential and the non-essential in all business affairs.

It was in 1886 that Mr. McArthur was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Abel Gee, who was born in Cuba, New York, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron G. Gee, who were also natives of the Empire state, where her father passed away, as did the mother, whose death occurred in Cuba. Both were laid to rest in New York. In their family were three children, two of whom are now living.

The death of Mr. McArthur occurred in June, 1908, and he was laid to rest in Walla Walla cemetery. His demise was deeply regretted by many friends, for he had won for himself a creditable position not only in business circles but in the regard of those with whom he was associated. Mrs. McArthur is also widely and favorably known in Walla Walla county and ranks with the most representative business women, controlling an estate valued at over three hundred thousand dollars. She possesses notable energy and sound judgment and carries forward to successful completion whatever she begins.

HENRY A. JOHNSON.

Henry A. Johnson, a well known stock raiser of Columbia county, has been a resident of Washington for forty years and has therefore been a witness of much of the growth and development of this section of the state. A native of Ontario, Canada, he was born in Lincoln county, August 18, 1844, a son of W. G. D. and Catherine (Miller) Johnson, who were also natives of Canada, where they spent their entire lives. They had a family of ten children, eight of whom are now living.

Henry A. Johnson spent his youthful days in Canada and acquired his education as a public school pupil there. In 1865 he removed to the middle west, settling in Champaign county, Illinois, where he resided for a decade. In 1875 he made his way to the Pacific coast and located in California, where he spent two and a half years upon a farm. In 1877 he arrived in Walla Walla and in May, 1878, he purchased a herd of cattle and came to Starbuck. He rented a farm for several years but during that period carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had brought to him a capital sufficient to enable him to purchase land. He then invested in property which he owned for a time but afterward sold that farm. His wife, however, owns eleven hundred and twenty acres near Starbuck, which is excellent valley land, devoted to the cultivation of hay, fruit and vegetables.