Biographies
Mi-Moe
Middleton, O. K.
Among the strong forces in the upbuilding of Blaine is the Home State Bank, with a record of seventeen years of uninterrupted service to the residents of this district, and through this period O. K. Middleton has filled the office of cashier. He was born in Wright county, Iowa, September 14, 1876, and his parents, Jose R. and Lois A. M. (Butler) Middleton, are both deceased. The father made farming his life work and also raised blooded stock.
O. K. Middleton supplemented his public school education by attendance at Highland Park College of Des Moines, Iowa, taking commercial, normal and law courses. He taught school for a few years and then secured a position in a bank at Eagle Grove, Iowa. He found the work congenial and readily mastered the intricacies of modern finance. In 1908 he came to Blaine and on February 6 of that year organized the Home State Bank. It now occupies the main floor of a two story cement building, erected especially for banking purposes, and the upper floor is devoted to offices. The building is heated by hot water and contains modern vaults and every appliance of the up-to-date bank. The business is capitalized at twenty-five thousand dollars, and the statement of September 14, 1923, showed deposits of four hundred and fifty thousand, four hundred and sixty dollars. The institution has over fourteen hundred depositors, and its surplus now amounts to six thousand dollars. A broad policy of cooperation has always been followed by the men at the head of the bank and the spirit behind its service is one of helpfulness. The first president, George A. Willison, served until his death in August, 1917, when he was succeeded by Albert Still, who for eight years has widely guided the destiny of the bank. Paul A. Wolten, vice president, and O. K. Middleton, cashier, have filled these offices during the entire period of the bank's history, and their experience and ability have been essential to its growth. The board of directors is composed of William P. Willison, assistant cashier, K. J. and O. J. Middleton, Albert Still and Paul A. Wolten. Every precaution is used to protect the interests of depositors and stockholders and the confidence of its patrons is the bank's most valuable asset.
On March 20, 1905, Mr. Middleton married Miss Katherine J. Willison, a daughter of George A. and Catherine A. (Still) Willison, the latter of whom survives her husband. She was born in Toronto, Canada, and Mr. Willison was also a native of the Dominion. He was one of the pioneer farmers of North Dakota and served in the state legislature. He established his home in Blaine, Washington, in 1908 and became recognized as one of the leading financiers of this section of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Middleton have three children: Donald, Jean and Keith, aged respectively seventeen, fifteen and ten years. The members of the family are affiliated with the Methodist church, and Mr. Middleton is a republican in his political views. He served on the school board, and he was wrought along lines which produce the best results in the fields of civic virtue and advancement. He has a high conception of duty and honor and fills an important place in the life of his community, enjoying the unqualified respect and confidence of all with whom he has been associated.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 569-570
Miller, Alexander V.
Alexander V. Miller, one of Bellingham's pioneer shoe merchants and highly esteemed citizens, departed this life on the 6th of June, 1904, at the comparatively early age of forty-one years. He was born in Denmark in 1863 and there learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed in his native country until his emigration to the United States as a young man of twenty-seven years. It was in 1890 that he settled in Whatcom county, Washington, with his wife and children, establishing his home at Fairhaven, which is now a part of Bellingham, but they remained there only a short time then moved to their present location. He purchased a shoemaker's shop on Elk street of which he remained the proprietor for a number of years and next acquired a half interest in a shoe store on Holly street, of which, however, he soon disposed. Subsequently he opened another shoe shop on Elk street and this he conducted successfully throughout the remainder of his life, developing a business of extensive and profitable proportions.
In 1885, in Denmark, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Ella M. Olsen, a native of that country. She there learned the dairy trade, which is largely confined to women in Denmark. When only about nineteen years of age she supervised the making of butter and cheese on an estate on which there were about two hundred cows, directing the labors of eight assistants. She continued in this work until the time of her marriage and since the death of her husband has maintained her home at 503 Gladstone street, Bellingham.
Mr. and Mrs. Miller were the parents of three sons and three daughters. Louis W. Miller, a sash and door manufacturer of Bellingham, is married and has two children. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Olga D. Miller has for a number of years been buyer for the women's clothing establishment of J. B. Wahl at Bellingham. Christina N. Miller became the wife of Clyde W. Larson and is the mother of two children. Arthur H. Miller, a printer by trade, is married and has one child. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and is a worthy emeplar if the teachings and purposes of the craft. Agnes M. Miller, who gave her hand in marriage to Ernest Innersen, resides at Stanwood, Washington. Carl C. Miller is associated with his brother Louis in the conduct of a sash and door factory at Bellingham. He has membership in the local organization of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Two is his sisters are graduates of the State Normal School at Bellingham and have taught school at Ferndale and Stanwood.
Alexander V. Miller was a consistent member of the Lutheran church, to which his widow and children also belong. Fraternally he was identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the Danish Brotherhood. His course in every relation of life was actuated by high ideals and worthy motives, and his death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. His widow, who has continuously resided in Bellingham during the past thirty-six years, has also won many warm friends in the city.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 574-577
Miller, Edward H.
The growth and prosperity of a community are dependent upon the individual success of its citizens, and through his constructive labors in the real estate field Edward H. Miller has rendered signal service to Bellingham. A native of Wisconsin, he was born September 22, 1878, and was but five years old when his parents, John G. and Margaret Miller, came to this county, settling in Whatcom, now known as Bellingham. The father is one of the city's honored pioneers and has reached the venerable age of eighty-three years, but the mother has passed away.
Edward H. Miller attended the public schools and after his education was completed became connected with the timber business. In 1904 he opened a real estate and insurance office in Bellingham and is now conducting his operations on a large scale. From time to time he has made judicious investments in realty and owns much valuable property in the city. He builds two houses per month and has contributed materially toward the architectural adornment of the locality, transforming unsightly vacancies into attractive residential districts. He displays initiative, foresight and administrative power in the control of the business, and he is also a director of the Union Trust Company and the Whatcom County Abstract Company.
In 1913 Mr. Miller married Miss Frances Gragg, who was born in Missouri and was engaged in teaching for some time. They have become the parents of two sons: John Edward and Robert. Mr. Miller belongs to the Kiwanis Club and along fraternal lines is connected with the Masons and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is also a member of the Bellingham Association of Realtors and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. Mr. Miller has made the "square deal" a principle of his life and is deserving of high commendation for what he has accomplished as a city builder.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pg. 402
Miller, Hans
Through a residence of over thirty-five years in Whatcom county, Hans Miller, long one of the progressive and enterprising farmers of Ferndale township, has been successful in his operations, and having accumulated a competency, he is now spending his declining years in quiet and in the midst of plenty in his beautiful and comfortable home in that township. He is widely known as a man who can be trusted at all times and under any circumstances and who has been honorable and successful in business, loyal to his duties of citizenship and faithful to his friends. Mr. Miller is a native of Denmark, born on the 22d of July, 1858, and is a son of John and Margarita Miller, both of whom were natives and lifelong residents of that country, where the father followed the trade of a carpenter. To this worthy couple were born four children: Rasmus, John, Hans and one who died in infancy.
Hans Miller was reared and educated in his native land, remaining there until 1881, when, at the age of twenty-three years, he came to the United States in search of his fortune. For a number of years after coming here he lived in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, and in 1889 he came to Whatcom county and rented land, which he cultivated, at the same time being employed in the shingle mills. He was industrious and thrifty, and in 1900 he was enabled to buy one hundred acres of land which he had leased two years previously. Nearly all of this tract was in brush and stumps, but he applied himself vigorously to the task of improving it, clearing eighty acres, which he cultivated. He ran a dairy, keeping twenty-five milk cows and about ten young cattle, as well as three head of horses, in addition to which he also kept several hundred chickens and turkeys. He planted the land to grain and root crops and also raised considerable hay, exercising sound judgment in all of his operations, his efforts being rewarded with a very fine measure of success. In 1913 he erected a commodious and substantial barn on the place and in 1917 built a modern house, which materially increased the value of the property. In 1919 Mr. Miller bought seven acres of land on the Blaine highway, one mile east of Ferndale, and in the following year built a splendid home there, in which he now lives, having rented the large ranch. The residence is comfortable and attractive, being supplied with all modern conveniences, while the grounds surrounding the house are in perfect keeping with it, the flower and vegetable gardens being maintained in fine condition. A broad cement automobile driveway curves through the front of the property, connecting the two gateways, and the general appearance of the place indicates the owner to be a man of up-to-date ideas and excellent taste.
On December 22, 1888, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Mary Engle, who also was born in Denmark, a daughter of Laust and Margratha (Christensen) Engle. The father died in his native land, May 1, 1879, and his widow then came to the United States, making her home in Michigan, where she resided until her death, which occurred in 1910. To Mr. and Mrs. Engle were born the following children: Laust, Christine, Carolina, Laura, who died in 1913, Hans, Andrew, who died in 1914, Lawrence, George, who died when a baby, Mary (Mrs. Miller), and one who died in infancy. Mr. Miller has always stood ready to aid in pushing forward the wheels of progress in his locality, and his career has been one that has gained for him a high place in the regard of the entire community in which he has lived for so many years.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 486-489
Miller, Frank and Henry J.
In referring to the lives and deeds of those who initiated the onerous work of developing the virgin wilds of Whatcom county, thus laying the foundation for that prosperity which now characterizes this favored section of the state, it is imperative that recognition be accorded the Miller family, which has been identified with the history of this locality from the pioneer epoch and whose members have invariably maintained the highest standard of integrity and honor, commanding unequivocal respect and esteem. The head of this well known family was Frank Miller, who was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1836, and who died at his home in this county in March, 1921, at the age of eighty-five years. He was educated in the public schools of his native land and learned the trade of a baker, which vocation he followed until he was thirty-five years of age, when he emigrated to the United States. Locating in Texas, he followed his trade there for a number of years and also spent two years in New Mexico. About 1884 he came to Ten Mile township, Whatcom county, and homesteaded a tract of land, the family stopping in Bellingham for about three months, or until he could get a place fixed up for their accommodation. The land was densely covered with timber and brush and he had literally to cut his way in from the old Telegraph road to his place. He immediately entered upon the task of clearing the tract and because of the difficulty of getting the timber out, much magnificent wood had to be burned. While engaged in clearing the land he had to work out on such employment as he could secure, in order to earn money for living expenses. As soon as he could do so he established a dairy herd, which soon became the chief support of the family, and for fourteen years Mrs. Miller picked hops during the season. He succeeded in getting a number of acres cleared and slashed much more of it, making a good farm, and they lived there until 1896, when Mr. and Mrs. Miller separated.
Mrs. Miller afterward became the wife of Fred Wendt, and they made their home on the Wendt place. Later she went to California for about two years and then returned to Whatcom county for a time. She then lived in Illinois two years, at the end of which time she returned west and lived in Bellingham for two years, Mr. Wendt dying in 1924. During all of their moving they had retained the ownership of the old Wendt homestead, which Mr. Wendt, who was an early settler in this locality, had entered. He had come to this section in 1884, the same year as had Mr. Miller, and homesteaded adjoining land. After remaining on the place two years he went to Arizona, where he remained for six years, having rented the homestead. He next went to Portland, Oregon, remaining there a year, after which he was for three years in Gaston, Oregon, and then at Forest Grove for three years. The Wendt farm was then sold and Mrs. Wendt made her home with her son, the subject of this sketch.
Frank Miller was married to Mary Walter, who was born in Texas, a daughter of John Walter, who was a native of Germany and whose wife died when the daughter was but two years old. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller were born the following children, namely: Fred, of Seattle; Mrs. Rosie Walker, of Bellingham, who is the mother of one child; Will, who died at the age of fourteen months; Bertha, who died at the age of twenty-three years; and H. J.
H. J. Miller secured his education in the public schools and was reared to the life of a farmer, doing his part in the early work of the homestead. He also worked out, being employed mainly on the Wendt place, clearing the land and carrying on dairy farming. He then bought ten acres from his father-in-law, Carl Elsner, which he afterward sold to his brother-in-law, and later bought forty acres of land across the road, the latter purchase being in 1915. In 1922 he bought forty acres more, which makes a total of eighty acres. Little of the land was cleared, but he has worked hard toward the improvement of the place and now has about forty acres cleared and in cultivation. He is giving the major portion of his attention to dairying, keeping from ten to twelve good grade milk cows, for which he raises a sufficient amount of feed on his own land. He is energetic and a good manager, the success which has crowned his efforts being well deserved.
In November, 1913, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Magdaline Elsner, who wa born in Nebraska, a daughter of Carl and Emily Elsner, both of whom were natives of Germany. Her father died December 8, 1922, at the age of sixty-four years, while her mother is still living on the Elsner farm in Ten Mile township. Further reference to the Elsner family may be found in the personal sketch of Carl Elsner, which appears on other pages in this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born seven children, namely: Minnie, Alma, Margaret, Herman, Mary, June and Ellen. Mr. Miller's life history exhibits a career of unswerving integrity, indefatigable industry and wholesome home and social relations - a most commendable career, crowned with success. He is recognized as a man of strong and alert mentality, deeply interested in everything pertaining to the advancement of the community along material, civic or moral lines, and enjoys an enviable place in the esteem and good will of his fellow citizens.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 483-484
Miller, John L.
The name of John L. Miller, of Lake Whatcom, does not need to be introduced to the readers of this chronicle, for it has been intertwined with the history of this locality for many years, he being today one of the oldest inhabitants of Park township. The splendid success which has come to him is directly traceable to the salient points in his character, for he has carried to successful completion his well formulated plans, his industry and perseverance resulting in the accumulation of a valuable property, while he has at the same time gained the admiration and respect of all who know him. Mr. Miller is a native of Virginia, born in 1861, and is a son of Detrich and Elizabeth (Scovy) Miller, both of whom were born in Germany, the mother having been brought to the United States by her parents when she was but three years old. Detrich Miller was brought to this country at the age of five years, his father having come here to work on the construction of the James river canal, though he later turned his attention to farming in Virginia.
John L. Miller received his educational training in the public schools of his native state and the learned the trade of carpenter, though he also devoted part of his time to farming there. At the age of seventeen years he started out on his own account, working at his trade in many places, and at length reached Chicago, where he remained for ten years. He then left that city and gradually worked his way westward, reaching the coast in 1899. Shortly afterward he came out to Lake Whatcom and bought the old Douglas claim of one hundred and sixty acres, from the greater part of which the timber had been cut off. He set himself to the task of clearing the tract for cultivation, and in the disposal of the splendid logs which encumbered the land he cut over three thousand cords of shingle bolts. There were no roads at the south end of the lake and he had to come down the lake to his place by boat. Later he helped to construct a road through to Alger, it being nearly seven years after he went there before he had an outlet by wagon road. In those early days three passenger boats plied the lake, and Mr. Miller did his trading at Park and Bellingham. There were a number of mills along the lake and he disposed of his shingle bolts to these mills, this materially helping him during the time that he was preparing his land for cultivation.
Mr. Miller now has about twelve acres entirely cleared and eight acres partly cleared, while much of the remainder is devoted to pasture. Each year finds a little more of the land reclaimed for cultivation, and he has a very valuable and desirable property. He is materially assisted in his work by Towald Elnan, his wife's nephew. He has found by experiment that the soil is best suited for potatoes and that fruit does well here. He keeps a nice run of laying hens and some cows, his activity in the dairy business being restricted because of the fact that no milk gathering route touches his place. The climate is ideal, the proximity of the lake tempering the air, so that there are very few killing frosts. In the early days there were many ducks in this locality, and some wild animals, principally cougars. In view of the rapid disappearance of the tine timber for which this locality was noted, Mr. Miller is of the opinion that the clearing and cultivation of the soil is the natural method for the landowners of the township to follow in order to realize the most advantageous results. One of his prized possessions is a photograph of a dance which was conducted here many years ago on a stump that was sixteen feet in diameter.
In 1905 Mr. Miller was married to Miss Matilda Elnan, who was born in Norway, a daughter of Cornelius and Polnia (Olsen) Swenson, both of whom are deceased. Mrs. Miller came to the United States in 1899, alone, and located in Minnesota, where she remained for three years, at the end of which time she came to Whatcom county, where she met Mr. Miller. They have no children of their own, but they adopted a boy, Walter Miller, who at the age of sixteen years ran away and joined the navy, in which he was serving when his death occurred, from influenza, in 1919. Mr. Miller is one of the substantial and worthy men of this part of the county and has taken a commendable interest in everything pertaining to the welfare and prosperity of his community, cooperating with his fellow citizens in all efforts in improve local conditions. He has rendered effective service as a member of the board of supervisors of Park township, on which he served several terms, and because of his sound business judgment, enterprising and progressive methods and splendid personal character, he has long enjoyed the sincere esteem and good will of the entire community honored by his citizenship.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 616-617
Miller, J. W. E.
J. W. E. Miller is proprietor of a well kept place in Mountain View township on rural mail route No. 2 out of Ferndale. For more than thirty years he has been a resident here and has thus been a witness to and a participant in the progress of that region since the beginning of what may be regarded as the modern period of that development. When he settled on his original "forty" on section 28, Mountain View township, there was no public inlet to the place and he had to cut a mile of roadway through the timber to get to his land. For ten years prior to his coming to Whatcom county Mr. Miller had been a resident of this state, farming and lumbering in Columbia county, and he thus knew how to take hold of things when he got here, so that it was not long until he had his place cleared and ready for cultivation and proper habitation. For some years he gave particular attention to horticultural pursuits, with special reference to berry culture, and earned in his neighborhood the title of "berry king" of Mountain View. Of late years he has specialized in dairying and has a good herd of dairy cattle, one of the leading producers in that section.
Mr. Miller is a native of the old Keystone state, born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, not far from where the decisive battle of Gettysburg was fought. He was born January 14, 1861. His father, Michael B. Miller, a native of Pennsylvania, was a farmer. His mother, Louisa (Foust) Miller, died in 1871. She was born in Germany and was eight years of age when she came to this country with her parents, the family settling in Pennsylvania, where she was reared and was married. Bereft of his mother by death when he was ten years of age, J. W. E. Miller spent the next two years in the household of his paternal uncle, Noah Miller, in Fountain county, Indiana, after which he returned to his old home in Pennsylvania and there remained until 1879 when he returned to Indiana and for three years thereafter was engaged in farm labor in that state. In 1883 he went to Illinois, with a view to possible further travel westward and in 1884 went to Idaho and took a hand in the stirring scenes then being enacted in the Coeur d'Alene country and helped to build the first hotel in the now flourishing city of Coeur d'Alene. From there he pushed on into Washington and located at Dayton, Columbia county. He liked the looks of things there and presently settled down to farming and in the fall of 1888 was married. Mr. Miller continued farming there until 1895, when his father-in-law, L. D. Droke, one of the landowners in Whatcom county, gave him a timberland "forty" on section 28, Mountain View township, and he disposed of his holdings in Columbia county and settled on this place. After clearing it he sold it to advantage and bought the forty acre tract on which he since has made his home and where he now is quite comfortably situated, all the improvements on this place having been made by himself and in up-to-date fashion. Mr. Miller has ever taken an interested and helpful part in the civic affairs of his community, has for fifteen years been a member of the school board and for seven years was township assessor. He is a member of the local grange of the Patrons of Husbandry and has long been active in that mutually helpful organization.
It was in November, 1888, at Dayton, this state, that Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Carrie D. Droke, who died on February 17, 1913. She was a daughter of L. D. and Louisa (Davis) Droke, both born in Missouri and the former of whom died in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Miller has two children. Charles A. L. Miller, now a resident of Bellingham, where he is engaged in railroad business, married Miss Lilian Warwick and has two children, Dorothy and Galen. Lulu B. Miller, is a graduate of the State Normal School at Bellingham is teaching in her home township.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 841-842
Miller, L. S.
Among the worthy pioneers and successful farmers of Whatcom county stands L. S. Miller, whose fine ranch is located near Sumas. He has lived through one of the most remarkable, and in many respects the most wonderful, epochs in the world's history. There will never be another like it, for it embraced the period when the strong-armed homeseekers from the eastern states invaded the great west and redeemed it from the wilds, bringing it up through various stages to the present high state of civilization. In all this he has been an active participant, doing his full share in the work of progress and improvement in this locality. Mr. Miller was born in Whiteside county, Illinois, on the 26th of November, 1863, and is a son of Fred and Margaret (Blaine) Miller, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The father went to Illinois with his parents when he was eight years old and lived there until 1849, when he made the long and dangerous overland trip, by ox team, to California, lured there by the discovery of gold. He remained there six years, at the end of which time he returned to Illinois. Later he went to Kansas, taking up a homestead in Jackson county, to the operation of which he devoted himself until his death, which occurred March 11, 1903. He was survived by his widow, who passed away in June, 1919. They were the parents of five children, namely: Elizabeth, deceased; Belle, who lives in Kansas; L. S., the subject of this sketch; Lee, in Kansas; and Carl, who lives at Glacier, Whatcom county.
L. S. Miller secured his education in the public schools of Kansas and remained at home until 1884, when he came to Whatcom county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 6, township 40, two miles east of Sumas. He first built a small log cabin and then entered upon the task of clearing the land, which was covered with timber and brush. He now has forty acres cleared and under cultivation. It is fine, rich bottom land and he raises splendid crops of hay, grain, potatoes and beans, as well as good root crops. In 1925 his oat crop yielded one hundred and two bushels to the acre. He has ten good grade milk cows and a registered sire, and he has made good improvements on the place, which now ranks among the best ranches in this section of the county.
On November 26, 1893, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Bessie Vail, who was born and reared in Kansas, a daughter of Levi and Ellen (Spencer) Vail, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana. Her father went to Kansas by covered wagon in 1867 and lived on a farm there until December 7, 1890, when he came to Whatcom county, Washington, having sold his Kansas interests. On his arrival here he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres, three and a half miles east of Sumas, cleared off a part of the land and lived there until about 1901, when he retired and moved to Sumas, where he lived until his death, which occurred August 11, 1904. His wife died December 23, 1922. They were the parents of three children: Bessie, Arthur and Chester. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born four children, namely: Bryan, born September 4, 1899, who lives at Renton, King county, Washington; Fred, born October 25, 1904, who also lives at Renton; Joseph, born April 22, 1907; and Nora, born August 16, 1910. Mr. Miller is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and of the Whatcom County Potato Growers Association. A public-spirited citizen, he has been ready at all times to use his means and influence for the promotion of such measures as are conducive to the welfare of the community. His life has been a busy and useful one, and because of his success, his splendid character and his genial and friendly manner he has long held an enviable place in the confidence and good will of the entire community in which he lives.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 555-556
Milton, George A.
The United States has no better citizen than those whom Canada has contributed to this country. Honest, industrious and capable, they strengthen the best interests of every community in which they are found, and in this classification belongs George A. Milton, a pioneer business man of Bellingham and for thirty-six years the leading tailor of the city. He was born August 24, 1867, in the province of Ontario, and his parents were George A. and Margaret (Donald) Milton, the former of whom was connected with sawmill operations, also following the occupation of farming.
After the completion of his high school course George A. Milton, the immediate subject of this sketch, served an apprenticeship under a Canadian tailor and later studied the art of cutting in New York city. On March 17, 1891, he arrived in Fairhaven, now a part of Bellingham, Washington, and opened a small shop on Harris avenue. His was one of the first establishments in that locality, in which he remained for fourteen years, and in 1905 he moved the business to the Bacon & Nells building on Cornwall avenue, securing the second floor. His shop has a frontage of fifty feet and is twenty-five feet deep. He employs five experienced tailors but does all of the cutting and fitting himself and is an acknowledged expert in his line, possessing that inventive genius and artistic skill which constitute the highest expression of sartorial work. His establishment is patronized by Bellingham's leading citizens and would do credit to a city of metropolitan proportions.
Mr. Milton was married March 2, 1896, to Miss Dora E. Westfall, of Washington, and they have two sons: D. Kenneth, who is married and is connected with the logging business in British Columbia; and George A. Jr., who is serving in the United States navy. Mr. Milton belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and is also a Rotarian. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the candidates and measures of the democratic party and is serving for a second term on the Bellingham school board, while in the '90s he was a member of the Fairhaven school board. His ability, integrity and public spirit are well known to the residents of this community and have met with a rich return of personal regard, as well as a substantial measure of individual prosperity.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 796-797
Mitchell, James
The history of Whatcom county reveals the handiwork of many a great and noble soul who wrought heroically and unselfishly. Her smiling fields and splendid homes, her high grade institutions and happy, prosperous people speak volumes of someone's steadfastness of purpose, of someone's strength of arm, courage of heart, activity of brain - of someone's sacrifice. However, beneath the blighting touch of time even memory fails and too often a life of glorious achievement is forgotten in a day. "Lest we forget," then, this tribute to the late James Mitchell is preserved in the permanent record of his county, for he was one of that splendid band of pioneers who contributed immeasurably to the development and settlement of the Deming district and laid the foundation for its present prosperity and advanced civilization.
Coming to the new world with no resources save youth, ambition and energy, James Mitchell "made good," and as one of Deming's pioneer settlers he was widely known and highly esteemed. He was born September 4, 1853, and was a native of Ireland. His parents were Joseph and Margaret (McGowan) Mitchell, the former of whom followed the occupation of farming for several years and in later life engaged in draying in the city of Belfast.
James Mitchell was educated in the schools of his native land and earned his first money by clerking in a store. In 1871, when eighteen years of age, he followed the example of many of his fellow countrymen and came to the United States. He lived in New York city until 1872 and then became a sailor. For nearly six years he followed a seafaring life and was thus enabled to visit many parts of the world, greatly broadening his knowledge. About 1876 he went to Illinois and for some six years was employed on steamboats navigating the Mississippi river. He spent three years in the lumber woods of Wisconsin and then went to Minnesota, where he was engaged in the same line of work for a like period. Mr. Mitchell then came to Whatcom county and squatted on a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, which later became the townsite of Deming. As a homesteader he afterward secured a title to the land, which was virgin soil. It was covered with a dense growth of timber, and narrow trails penetrated the forests, which were filled with game. In this isolated region he experienced all of the hardships of frontier life, but through patience and industry he succeeded in clearing the place and cultivating the land, on which he resided for forty-three years. He was thoroughly familiar with agricultural conditions in this locality and knew the best methods of coping with them. Mr. Mitchell acquired that expert knowledge of his occupation which resulted from years of experience and developed one of the best farms in this part of the country. With clear vision, he early realized the possibilities of the dairy industry and was one of the first to introduce pure bred cattle into this section. He had a fine herd of Jersey cows, later specializing in Guernseys, and the products of his dairy were of high quality.
In 1888 Mr. Mitchell married Miss Katherine Beaton, who was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, and passed away in 1919. Three children were born to them: Margaret, who is the wife of Karl E. Carlson and is now living in Los Angeles, California; Joseph, who makes his home in Deming; and Sadie, who married Noble Foss, also living on the home place in the city limits of Deming.
Mr. Mitchell was a stanch adherent of the democratic party and was formerly active in politics, serving at one time as election judge. He was a member of the school board for nine years and was always one of the "boosters" of the town, donating the land on which its first shingle mill was built. He was an interested witness of Deming's growth and bore his share in the work of development and improvement, his wife being equally active and very popular in the community. Mr. Mitchell shot bears on the present site of the new union high school and remembered the time when the road to Bellingham was only an Indian trail. He was summoned to his reward in the silent land on March 28, 1926. His long, upright and useful life made of him a worthy example in all that constituted true manhood and good citizenship and none stood higher than he in the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens. His career was characterized by duty faithfully performed, by faithfulness to every trust reposed in him, and by industry, thrift and wisely directed efforts, which resulted in the accumulation of a liberal share of this world's goods, besides earning for him a reputation which was never clouded by unworthy acts, and his memory remains as a blessed benediction on all who knew him.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 579-580
Mock, Albert
Among the men of experience and ability who have aided in raising the standards of agriculture in Whatcom county is numbered Albert Mock, one of its honored pioneers and for nearly forty years a resident of the Wickersham district. A son of George and Elizabeth (Conklin) Mock, he was born December 16, 1850, and is native of Indiana. The father sacrificed his life for the Union cause and the mother was left with a family of six children to care for.
Albert Mock received a public school education and when a young man of twenty went to Kansas, entering a tract of land from the government. He proved up on the claim, becoming the owner of a productive ranch, and spent several years in that state. He was also in Missouri and Arkansas and in the spring of 1887 came to Whatcom county, taking up a homestead adjoing the present site of the town of Wickersham. This was an isolated district containing no roads, and frontier conditions prevailed. Mr. Mock has sold all of the timber on his ranch and retains but forty acres of his original holdings. He has a small dairy and his home is supplied with many modern conveniences. The rich soil yields bountiful harvests and the place is pervaded by an air of neatness and prosperity. Having reached the sunset period of life, he had laid aside its heaviest burdens and now supervises the operation of his farm.
In 1873 Mr. Mock married Miss Samantha Innis, now deceased, who was born in Indiana, and they became the parents of six children: Grace, the wife of Charles Schwab, an agriculturist, whose ranch is situated near Sedro Woolley; Ernest; Gertrude, deceased; Bertha, who died in childhood; Goldie, who has also passed away; and Clarence. The younger son is cultivating the homestead, and he has a wife and two children, Ross and Richard. Albert Mock is a republican in his political convictions and has always evinced a deep and helpful interest in movements for the general good. He served for seven years as road overseer and was long a member of the school board. With a clear conception of life's values and purposes, he has never wavered in the performance of duty, and no resident of this community stands higher in the esteem of its citizens.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 562-563
Moe, A. K.
The people who have come to the United States from Norway have by their untiring efforts contributed in a very definite way to the development of this country. Norway's strongest blood has coursed through the veins of her sterling sons who have cast their lot with us, and they have been noted for their energy, thrift and honesty - qualities which make for success. When to these is added the quality of common sense there is afforded a combination of elements which will enrich any country. Of this excellent people is A. K. Moe, one of Ferndale township's respected citizens and successful farmers. He was born in Norway on the 13th of March, 1860, and is a son of Knute and Marne (Moe) Moe, both of whom were natives and lifelong residents of that country, where they passed away.
A. K. Moe received a good, practical education in the public schools of his native land, where he remained until 1880, when, at the age of twenty years, he emigrated to the United States, settling at La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he engaged in railroad work. Later he packed flour in the mills at La Crosse and afterward did teaming for the city, owning his own team. In 1889 Mr. Moe came to Washington, locating at Fairhaven, where he was employed in sawmills, and also drove a team for a while. In 1891 he loaded his furniture and household goods on a boat at Fairhaven, went up the Nooksack river as far as Lynden and then hauled the goods by ox teams to British Columbia. He secured twenty acres of land and spent four years in its cultivation, and then, in the spring of 1896, he came to Whatcom county again and was employed in the building of the normal school at Bellingham. Later he worked in a sawmill for Aaron Fleming and was afterward employed in a like capacity by the Earl Company. In 1901 Mr. Moe went to Clear Lake, Skagit county, Washington, and bought four lots, one which he built a home, and he was employed in a shingle mill about one year. In the fall of 1902 he bought twenty acres of land in Mountain View township, Whatcom county. He cleared off the greater part of this land and then sold it, in 1906, and went to Bellingham, where he bought the Union Hotel, which he ran for five years. In 1908 he bought a ranch near the North Star school, in Mountain View township, and in 1910 he moved to that tract and applied himself t clearing and cultivation thereof. In 1912 he wold the place and went to Tacoma, where he operated hotels and restaurants until 1918, when he returned to Whatcom county and bought ten acres of land on the Blaine highway, in Ferndale township. He now has this land all cleared and under cultivation, most of it being in fruit and berries. He also keeps two cows and has a very well improved and comfortable home. Mr. Moe is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and is also a member of the lodge of the Sons of Norway at Tacoma.
At Blair, Wisconsin, in 1883, Mr. Moe was married to Miss Hannah Johnson, who was born in Norway, a daughter of John and Anna (Hanson) Johnson, both of whom were natives of that country and their died, the father when Mrs. Moe was but three years old and the mother in 1906. To Mr. and Mrs. Moe have been born six children: George, born June 7, 1884, and who now lives in Tacoma, is married and has three children - Gordon, Christina and Verne. Mrs. Mabel A. Clifford, of Tacoma, born March 9, 1886, is the mother of a daughter, Helen. Milton, born June 20, 1888, died in 1890. Hildar, born July 5, 1890, died in infancy. Mrs. Alvira Nelson, born in 1894, has a daughter, Mona Maxine. Irene Bernice, born in 1902, is a graduate of the high school and of Wilson's Business College at Bellingham and is now employed by the country treasurer. Mr. Moe has ever stood ready to cooperate with his fellow citizens in every effort to advance the interests of the community or to better in any way the public welfare. His life has been an active one and his labors have been crowned with well deserved success.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pgs. 176-177
Moen, Ivar B.
The United States has no better citizens than those contributed by the Scandinavian countries, and of this type is Ivar B. Moen, a self-made man, who is classed with the leading merchants of Lawrence. A native of Norway, he was born September 2, 1883, and remained in that country until he reached the age of seventeen years. Responding to the call of adventure, he came to the United States in 1900 and allied his interests with those of the west, spending eight years in Northland Minnesota. In 1908 he came to the state of Washington and at Lawrence was employed for some time as a clerk, later working at Sumas and at Bellingham in a similar capacity. On January 1, 1925, Mr. Moen decided upon an independent venture and in partnership with Henry C. Halverson purchased from the Mundel estate a general store at Lawrence. They are dealers in groceries, dry goods, boots and shoes, flour and feed and enjoy a large trade. Their merchandise is always as represented and the prices are reasonable. The partners are men of high standing, well informed regarding commercial affairs, and under the capable guidance the future of the business is assured.
The Lawrence post office is conducted in the store and Mr. Moen is filling the office of postmaster. He is liberal in his political views, voting for the best man, irrespective of party, and conforms his conduct to the teachings of the Lutheran church. Earnest, energetic and purposeful, he has steadily advanced toward the goal of his ambition and is well satisfied with his choice of a location, loyally supporting every measure for the general good.
History of Whatcom County Volume 2, Lottie Roeder Roth, pub. 1926, pg. 610