Biographical Sketch of M. E. Button

M. E. Button, a rancher near San Bernardino, was born in Onondaga County, New York, and moved to Ohio when he was twenty-three years old and engaged in farming. There, in 1834, he was married to Miss Mary Bittles, also from York State, the daughter of Thomas and Ann (Spence) Bittles, both natives of Ireland. They had six children, and moved to Geauga County, Ohio, when Mary was seventeen years of age, where he engaged in farming until his death, which occurred in 1889. Mr. Button lived two years at Salt Lake, where he stopped on his way to the … Read more

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Idaho

The following record is contributed by one who stands high in the councils of the church and in the civic affairs of the state, and the article merits a place in this history, as representing an element which has a distinct place in the annals of Idaho and which is contributing to her welfare and stable prosperity: The remarkable journey of the Mormon people from the borders of civilization to the wilds of the western wilderness, in 1847, is now a matter of history. The pioneer camp of that exodus comprised one hundred and forty-three souls, and was led by … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Andrew Lytle

Andrew Lytle, deceased, was born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, in 1812. His parents moved to Akron, Ohio, when he was a small boy. At the age of twenty-one years he went back to Pennsylvania and married Hannah Hull. This lady was the daughter of Abner and Martha (Skinner) Hull, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. In 1834, two years after his marriage, he moved to Portage County, Ohio. Next he moved to Bidwell County, Missouri, and two years later to Nauvoo, Illinois. From the latter place he removed to Salt Lake, where he remained several years. In 1850 he came … Read more

Biographical Sketch of George N. Ifft

George N. Ifft, of the firm of Ifft & Wallin, proprietors and managers of the Pocatello Tribune, is a native of Butler County, Pennsylvania, born January 27, 1865. He began newspaper work, as a reporter, in Pittsburg, that state, and continued in that capacity and in various editorial relations in other cities, as Washington, D. C, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City and San Francisco, until January 1, 1893, when he came to Idaho, locating at Pocatello, and since that time he has been connected with the Pocatello Tribune, as more fully described in our sketch of that paper. Mr. Ifft … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John Bottoms

John Bottoms was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1812, and came to America in 1840; he landed at New Orleans, and from there went to Nauvoo, Illinois, where he was a member of the Mormon Church. He remained there until 1845, when he went to Cincinnati and worked in a bucket factory for about three years. In 1848 he went to Council Bluffs and remained there until 1852. He then went to Salt Lake City and remained there until 1858, when he came to California. During this time he had had prolonged trouble with the Mormons and concluded to stand … Read more

Biography of Samuel R. Parkinson

The name of this gentleman is so inseparably connected with the history of Franklin, its up-building and its progress along commercial, educational and church lines, that no history of the southeastern section of the state would be complete without the record of his useful career. He was one of the first to locate in Franklin and is numbered among its honored pioneers. A native of England, he was born in Barrowford, Lancastershire, April 12, 1831, a son of William and Charlotte (Rose) Parkinson, who were likewise natives of that country. He was only six months old when his father died, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Joseph David Gilbert, Sr.

Joseph David Gilbert, Sr., a prominent farmer near San Bernardino, is a native of Cattaraugus County, New York, born in 1827. His grandfather ran away from London, England, and was a soldier in the French and Indian war, also in the Revolution. His father, Truman Gilbert, married Rebecca Fay, a native of England, and immediately after his marriage he moved to the Western Reserve in Ohio, where he remained until 1842, when he moved to the Mississippi river, and from there to Montana, where he died in 1882. The subject of this sketch kept a ferry at Montrose, across the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of George W. Smith

Among the substantial and enterprising citizens of Malheur County is to be mentioned the gentleman whose name is at the head of this article. He is a man of uprightness and has labored here with energy and skill for many years in the endeavor to bring this section into a state of development and also to enhance the condition of his own exchequer. Mr. Smith was born in Carter County, Kentucky, on November 16, 1836, being the son of Clayborn and Cloa (Ludi) Smith. He went with his parents to Rudolph County, Arkansas, and soon removed there to Lawrence County, … Read more

Talbott, Mary Ann – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Mary Ann Talbott Mary Ann Talbott, 92, of La Grande died Feb.2 at a local care center. A funeral service will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley. Burial will follow at the Hillcrest East Cemetery. Mrs. Talbott was born Sept. 27, 1914, to Matthew and Matilda (Matijevich) Svetich in Bingham Canyon, Utah. Her father had come from Yugoslavia to Utah in 1910 and two years later was joined by her mother and eldest sister. After her father died as a result of working in the copper mines, her mother met and married … Read more

Biography of L. A. York

The present popular editor and proprietor of the Owyhee Avalanche, at Silver City, Mr. L. A. York, is a native of Lewiston, Maine, born March 13, 1866. His parents were Jerome W. and Martha (Read) York, both natives of that city, and his father of Scotch ancestry. The first representatives of the family in America settled in Maine very early in its history. On the maternal side this ancestry is English, traceable back to Sir John Read, an English nobleman born in the year 1600. Mr. York’s father died in North Dakota, in 1894, at the age of sixty-five years; … Read more

Biographical Sketch of D. A. Raybould

One of San Mateo County’s newcomers who has risen to a place of esteem in the community is D. A. Raybould of the San Francisco Chronicle. Mr. Raybould is known in all parts of the county as one of its wide awake, energetic young men who has at heart the welfare of the county as well as the interests of his paper. During the few years that Mr. Raybould has represented the Chronicle in San Mateo county he has enjoyed a reputation for fairness. His news articles have kept the peninsula cities in the foreground and not a day passes … Read more

Biography of Charles C. Rich

Pioneer of Utah, California and Idaho, Charles C. Rich figured prominently in the early development of these states, and took an active part in furthering the welfare and promoting the progress of the commonwealths. He was also a most able exponent of the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and with a colony of believers he founded the beautiful and thriving little city of Paris, the County of Bear Lake, Idaho, and the Mormon colonies of southeastern Idaho. A native of Kentucky, Mr. Rich was born in Campbell County, in 1809, and was of English … Read more

Biography of Samuel C. Parkinson

The name of Parkinson is so inseparably interwoven with the history of southeastern Idaho and its development that those who bear it need no special introduction to the readers of this volume. He of whom we write has long been accorded a place among the leading businessmen and progressive citizens of Franklin and Oneida County, where he has made his home since his boyhood days. His father is the honored Samuel Rose Parkinson, one of the founders of the town and a leader in the Church of the Latter Day Saints. A history of his life is given elsewhere in … Read more

Winter, Bob – Obituary

Island City, Oregon Bob Winter, 82, of Island City died June 22 at St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla. A memorial will be held at a later date. Daniels Chapel of the Valley is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Winter was born May, 21, 1924, to Fred and Lillian Klein Winter in Sandoval, Ill. After high school he entered the Army and served during World War II and the Korean War. He married Mae Fetter in Carlisle, Pa. He spent 21 years in the Army and another 21 years as a civilian executive assistant at the Umatilla Army Depot. … Read more

Bilyeu, Vera Coon – Obituary

Vera L. Bilyeu, 66, of Lebanon, died Saturday [May 20, 1989] at Lebanon Community Hospital. She was born Vera Coon on Sept. 18, 1922 in Pleasant Green, Utah. She married Raymond M. Bilyeu in 1944 in San Diego, Calif., and they moved to Lebanon in 1960. He died Aug. 17, 1979. Mrs. Bilyeu was a member of the Lebanon Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She also belonged to the Sweet Adelines of Lebanon, and enjoyed oil painting and sewing. Surviving are sons Kelly of Lebanon and Mike of Spokane, Wash. and daughter Connie Bracy of … Read more

Biography of John B. Thatcher

John B. Thatcher, assessor and tax collector of Bannock county, and the owner of a valuable ranch on Bear river, where he carries on general farming and stock-raising, was born in Clark county, Ohio, October 22, 1834, being of English and German descent. At an early epoch in the history of Virginia, his ancestors, having braved the perils incident to ocean voyages at that day, took up their residence in the Old Dominion, and representatives of the family fought for the independence of the nation in the Revolutionary war. The parents of our subject, Hezekiah and Alley (Kitchen) Thatcher, were … Read more

Down, Charles Mrs. – Obituary

Wallowa, Wallowa County, Oregon Mrs. Charles Down died Wednesday morning, April 15, 1925, on Prairie Creek, after a long illness. She was the wife of one of largest farmers in the county. Her body will be sent to Summerville, Union county, for burial, as she was a member of an old family of that county, her father being John E. Jones. Mary Louisa Jones was born at Salt Lake City September 13, 1853, and after her marriage to Mr. Down came to Wallowa valley 23 years ago. She is survived by her husband and two sons, Roscoe and Roy, and … Read more

Dixon, Bill

Bill Dixon, 62, of Baker City died June 19, 2005, after a 15-year battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loved ones. His memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Coles Funeral Home. Greg Baxter will conduct the service. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery with Oregon State Police honors. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at the funeral home. Bill was the second child of Eldred Dixon and Virginia Ione Miller born at Salt Lake City on Feb. 18, 1943. His only sibling was his sister, Betty Lee Stone. His childhood years were … Read more

Biography of Leon Misslin

The career of any pioneer is interesting. An account of that of Leon Misslin will be found especially so to the many who know and respect him for his many good qualities of head and heart. He came into the “wilds of Idaho” eight years before the government surveyed the land, and as a pioneer had many thrilling experiences and encountered numerous hardships and over-came many obstacles. The story of his struggles and triumphs, could it be given in full, would be of the greatest interest. Leon Misslin was born at Nantes, Loire, France, a son of J. A. and … Read more

Biography of Isaac B. Nash

Isaac Bartlett Nash is one of the early settlers and highly respected citizens of Franklin, where he has made his home since 1864. He became a resident of Salt Lake City in 1849, and ‘s a native of Wales, his birth having occurred in Kedwelly, Carmarthenshire, on the 14th of June 1824. He was educated in his native country and spent seven years as an apprentice to the blacksmith’s trade, after which he worked at the business there until 1849. In the year 1847 he was converted to the faith of the Latter Day Saints, and it was this which … Read more