Portland Oregon

Biography of Frank Dekum

For many years the subject of this sketch has occupied a commanding position in the commercial and financial history of Portland. His career and achievements forcibly illustrate what may be accomplished by one who pursues earnest purposes and makes right use of his opportunities. Coming to Portland before it had outgrown the limits of an insignificant hamlet, he has grown with its growth until to-day he is one of the leading men of finance in the metropolis of Oregon. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, November 5, 1829. At the age of eight years he accompanied his parents to America, … Read more

Biography of Archbishop F. N. Blanchet

ARCHBISHOP BLANCHET. – The Most Reverend F.N. Blanchet ranked among the apostolic men who laid the deep foundations of the Catholic faith in this country. He was born at St. Pierre, Riviere-du-Sud, Quebec, Canada, September 5, 1795, was educated in the Petit Seminaire, Quebec, and was ordained July 18, 1819, by Archbishop Plessis. At that time Oregon was simply the name given to a territory extending along the Pacific coast from latitude forty-two degrees to fifty-four degrees, forty minutes north, until finally, in 1846, – the year of the accession of Pius IX. to the see of Peter, – all … Read more

Van Driesche, Frank – Obituary

Frank Van Driesche, 88, of Portland, a former Baker City resident, died March 27, 2006. Frank was born on Dec. 22, 1918, at Baker City to Julius and Alida Van Driesche. He was the youngest of four children. He attended St. Francis Academy at Baker City and went to Oregon State University at Corvallis. He graduated at Mount Angel with a bachelor of arts degree. He worked for the IRS for a few years before starting his own accounting business in Portland. He and Margaret Hager were married on Nov. 22, 1947, at St. Rose of Lima Church. They lived … Read more

Biography of William H. Saylor, M.D.

William H. Saylor, M. D., was born in Wapello County, Iowa, August 17, 1843. His parents were Conrad G. and Mary A. (Black) Saylor. In 1852 he was brought by his parents across the plains to Oregon, and in the fall of that year arrived in Portland. In the succeeding spring the family went to Olympia, Washington Territory, remaining there until the summer of 1854 when they removed to a farm which his father had purchased in Rock Prairie. Here our subject lived until the breaking out of the Indian war of 1855 when the family, removed for protection to … Read more

Biography of Thomas J. Holmes

Well remembered by all of the older citizens of Portland and prominently identified with the earlier political and commercial history of the city was Thomas J. Holmes. He was born in Diss, county of Norfolk, England, March 3, 1819, and was a son of William and Mary A. Holmes. His father was a mechanic, who, with the hope of improving his fortunes, migrated to the United States with his family in 1830, and settled in New York City. At this time, Thomas, a bright, robust lad of eleven years, began life’s battle for himself. He secured a position with a … Read more

Proffitt, Georgie Lee Jones Mrs. – Obituary

Georgie Lee Proffitt, 68, of Albany, and a former Baker City resident, died Dec. 22, 2001, at her home due to complications from cancer. Her funeral will be Friday at 1 p.m. at AAsum Funeral Home, 805 Ellsworth Street S.W. in Albany. Interment will be at Willamette Memorial Park. Visitations will be Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at the funeral home. Georgie was born Oct. 21, 1933, at Adrian, Mo., the first of three children born to George M. and Helen Louise (Robbins) Jones. The family moved from Missouri to the … Read more

Biography of H. McDonald

H. McDONALD – Mr. McDonald, who arrived in San Francisco in August, 1849, in the ship Hopewell of Warren, Rhode Island, and reached Portland the first time in August, 1850, on the brig Joaquina of San Francisco, was one of the earliest residents of Portland and of our state, and in the capacity of architect and stair-builder has done some of the most creditable work on our coast. One of his more recent successes, and something of a test of his skill, were the plans and specifications for the buildings for the Indian school at Chemawa, which were preferred to … Read more

Basche, Fred Walton – Obituary

Halfway, Oregon Son of Pioneer Hardwareman Dies Fred Walton Basche, ex-mayor of Halfway and son of the founder of the Basche-Sage Hardware Company of Baker, died January 22 at St. Elizabeth hospital. Mr. Basche was the son of a pioneer family. He was born Jan 12, 1880, in Baker. His father, Peter Basche, who was elected county judge in 1910 after retiring from the hardware business, had moved to Baker in about 1874. Mr. Basche attended schools in Baker and Hill Military Academy in Portland. He was a farmer most of his life and moved from Baker to the Home … Read more

Storm, Myrtha Lee – Obituary

Myrtha Lee Storm, 79, died Feb. 5, 2008. She was born Oct. 20, 1928, to Jesse William Poulson and Vella Boswell Poulson in Steamboat Springs, Colo. As a young girl, Myrtha and her family moved to Oregon, where she attended a one-room grade school in Imnaha. Some of her high school years were spent at Lincoln High in Portland. She returned to Wallowa County for graduation from Enterprise High in 1946. Myrtha and Robert Storm attended Eastern Oregon College following Bob’s discharge from the Army. They married Dec. 22, 1946. Two children, Carole Lynn and Jon Ervin, were born in … Read more

Silven, Kathleen “Kay” Duffy Mrs. – Obituary

Kathleen Duffy “Kay” Silven, 90, a longtime Baker City resident, died April 9, 2006, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Services. The recitation of the rosary will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral. Mass of Christian Burial will celebrated after the rosary at 11 a.m. The Rev. Julian Cassar will celebrate the Mass. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be Tuesday from noon until 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Mrs. Silven was born on April 4, 1916, at Prineville. She was raised at Bend by her parents Timothy E. J. and Katherine … Read more

Martin, John Gregory – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon John Gregory Martin, 32, of Portland, a former Baker City resident, died June 22, 2004, in a fatal car accident in Portland. His memorial service was Saturday in Portland. John was born and raised in Baker City. He moved to Portland in 1988. He enjoyed the outdoors and loved to fish and camp. He will be missed dearly by all who knew him. Survivors include his mother, Phyllis Martin; brothers, Randy Martin, Earl Martin, Richard Martin and Jeffrey Martin; and a sister, Theresa Cole. Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, July 2, 2004 … Read more

Biography of Hon. Benjamin Franklin Dowell

HON. B.F. DOWELL. – Benjamin Franklin Dowell was born in Albemarle county, Virginia, on the 31st of October, 1826. He was named for an uncle of his grandmother on his father’s side. She was a daughter of John Franklin and a niece of Benjamin Franklin, the statesman and philosopher. Mr. Dowell’s father and mother were natives of Virginia, and were born and brought up within one mile of each other. His mother’s maiden name was Fannie Dalton, a woman of rare culture and refinement. The Dowells were originally from England; the Daltons were from the Scottish Highlands. As a child, … Read more

Biography of Joseph Buchtel

JOSEPH BUCHTEL. – The peculiar composition and make-up of this man is that of only one in a million. He is noted for his daring deeds of adventure, if they may be so called; and his whole life is made up of daily events in rescuing others from their perilous positions; indeed, so much so that he is known far and wide as the “Oregon Life Saver.” Hundreds, if we may not say thousands, who are living to-day directly owe their lives to him. The natural daily routine of circumstances seems to have brought him upon the scene just in … Read more

Biography of Van B. De Lashmutt

VAN B. DE LASHMUTT. – The present mayor of Portland exemplifies the versatility characteristic of the early pioneers. As journalist, merchant, real-estate dealer, capitalist, banker and miner, he has been able to bring to bear his large abilities with equal facility. He is a native of the Hawkeye state, having been born at Burlington in 1842, where he passed his early years on a farm, – the best of all places to develop muscle and nerve. He reached Oregon in 1852, and when a youth of fifteen entered the office of the Salem Statesman, having a latent ambition for journalism, … Read more

Biography of Hon. Philip A. Marquam

HON. P.A. MARQUAM. – Judge Marquam is one of our most substantial citizens, whose faith in the Pacific Northwest, and in Portland in particular, has been rewarded by a fourfold recompense. A genial gentleman, adding to his native force of will and business sagacity refined literary tastes and love of natural beauty, he is now, in his hale, ripe years, a man most delightful to meet, and whose acquaintance or friendship is a valuable possession. His further claims, which are numerous, upon the recognition of society and history, will appear as this sketch proceeds. His father, Philip W. Marquam, a … Read more

Biography of Hon. James Kerr Kelly

HON. JAMES KERR KELLY. – Among the men of distinction in our state, none have held a position of eminence for a longer time than Senator Kelly. It requires stamina to stand for thirty years upon “the hard and wintry peaks of fame.” We are the more assured of eminent qualities of the Colonel when we consider that he came to this coast and started upon bed-rock. Family ties, name, favoritism, may elevate men of no ability to high positions in older communities; but in the Oregon of an early day artificial conditions did not exist. A man came near … Read more

Levy, Guy S. – Obituary

Funeral services for Gus S. Levy, 83, 1900 Resort St., will be conducted at Beth Israel Cemetery in Portland. Mr. Levy, one of Eastern Oregon’s most prominent pioneer pharmacists was born to Adolph and Babette Levy March 11, 1880 at Union, and died this morning at St. Elizabeth Hospital. Interested in livestock all his life, he was the founder of the Eastern Oregon Livestock Association in June, 1906. He was honored by the association in 1958. He was one of Oregon’s best known horse breeder. For a number of years he maintained a government breeding station in Baker. Some of … Read more

Schuchardt, Anna Dolores Davis Mrs. – Obituary

David T. Pattee Jr., 54, a former Baker City resident, died March 13, 2006, at Roseburg. Mr. Pattee was born July 16, 1951, in Portland, and he was raised and educated in the Portland area, graduating from Centennial High School. In recent years he lived in Bend, Baker City and most recently in Roseburg. The loves of his life were fishing and golfing. He is survived by his sister, Kathleen Pattee of Portland; a daughter, Ashley Bessey, and two grandchildren, Caiden and Choloe Bessey, all of Redmond; his mother, Donna Pattee, sister, Polly Pattee and niece, Summer, all of Gresham; … Read more

Simpson, Louis N. – Obituary

Louis N. Simpson Dies at Portland Enterprise, Oregon Word has been received at the death of Louis N. Simpson at Portland on January 5th. Mr. Simpson worked at Heacock’s jewelry store for a year and a half. He left for Portland on Nov. 1st, Mr. and Mrs. Simpson roomed at the Voget home while in Enterprise. We take the following from Saturday’s Oregon Journal. The funeral services of Louis N. Simpson who died at his home, 815 Kenworth Avenue, January 5, were conducted by the Rev. L.M. Christianson at the Finley chapel, Friday afternoon at 2:30. The body was cremated … Read more

Biography of George S. Brooke

GEORGE S. BROOKE. – This gentleman is the cashier of the First National Bank of Sprague, and is also a director and one of the largest shareholders. Mr. Brooke comes of cavalier stock. On his father’s side, he is a descendant of the Brookes of Maryland. In the year 1650, Robert Brooke, of England, having brought out a colony consisting of his wife, ten children and servants, forty persons in all, settled on the east shore of the Patuxent river. The settlement was called De La Brooke. The founder had a patent direct from Lord Baltimore. He was a member … Read more