This doughty end intrepid frontiersman, now one of the leading farmers and stock men of his vicinity, having a tine estate eight miles west from Ontario, which is the family home, and being a man of prominence and capabilities, has accomplished much in the development of the County and we are pleased to accord to him a representation in the history of Malheur County.
Mr. McGregor was born in Glasgow, Scotland on June 28, 1845, being the son of Duncan and Marguerette (McIntyre) McGregor. The father was born in Inverness, north Scotland, on February 14, 1800 and the mother was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on August 27, 1865. In 1846 the family came to America in a sailing vessel, being six weeks on the trip. Landing in New York, they made their way to Boston, where the father worked at block printing and dyeing in a calico factory.
In 1849 marks the date when they came to the vicinity of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and there on August 14, 1862, he enlisted in Company K, Twentieth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, being mustered in at Camp Randall, Madison, Wisconsin, and went thence to the barracks at St. Louis, and served under General Schofield in the First Brigade, Second Division, Army of the Frontier. He participated in the battle of Prairie Grove; Arkansas, December 7, 1862, was in the third siege of Vicksburg in 1863, took part in the battle of Yazoo, Atchafalga Fort Morgan, Alabama, Spanish Fort, the siege of Mobile, and many skirmishes and received an honorable discharge on July 14, 1865, at Galveston, Texas.
Following the war he returned to this home in Wisconsin, and followed logging for a time, and on July 3, 1869, he was married to Martha M., daughter of James W. and Caroline Davis, Who Were natives of the state of New York. Our subject then went to Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, and in 1871 removed to Meeker County, Minnesota, and there farmed and lumbered until 1876. In 1877 he drove a team across the plains to Boise and the following year he was with Colonel Green under General Howard after the Indians, a few of whom they cantered on the head waters of the Salmon. At one time, Mr. McGregor owned the site of the Natatorium in Boise.
It was 1879 that his wife and tour children joined him at Boise and in 1882 they came to the vicinity of Ontario, and there he paid fifty dollars for a willow cabin and dirt floor for his family. Eighteen hundred and eighty-six marks the date of his removal to his present place, eight miles west from Ontario, as mentioned above. His place is excellently improved with buildings, or-chards, fences, shade trees, irrigating ditches, and all things necessary to make a rural place comfortable and profitable. He has another farm two and one-half miles west from Ontario. Mr. McGregor is a member of the A. P. Hovey Post No. 21, of the G. A. R. at Ontario. He is also a member of the Armor Lodge, No. 69, K. of P., of Ontario.
To this worthy couple, there have been born ten children, as follows: Isabella, wife of H. T. Rusted, of Ontario; Minnie, wife of H. C. Ross of Nyssa; Andrew; Robert; Maggie, deceased ; Harry ; Martha, wife of A. Wellington of Dell; Eva; James; John. In addition to the property holdings mentioned above Mr. McGregor has a good band of cattle and fifty stand of bees, which provide abundance of honey from the fine alfalfa fields. He is a man of prominence and ability and enjoys the esteem and confidence of the entire community.