Polk County Oregon S Biographies

Henry Staats, one of Polk county’s most successful farmer, has the honor of being one of Oregon’s native sons, he having been born in Polk county, January 18, 1850. His father, Isaac Staats, was born in New York, of German parents, and came to Oregon in 1845, a young man without money to push his own way in the world, to make a home in the beautiful Willamette valley, and to do what he could in his humble way to found a State. He “builded better than he knew,” for to him we are indebted for aid in laying the foundation of the great commonwealth of Oregon. He crossed the plains with his brother Stephen, and took his donation claim on the Luckamute. Here he built his log cabin and lived on the “ground floor,” with 640 acres of choice land about him, of which he was the owner. The Oregon pioneers were “monarchs of all they surveyed,” but their land had no money value, and they were without proper implements to cultivate the soil with. They were largely sustained by their faith in the future. They lived on faith and boiled wheat, and many were the dangers and hardships that they were obliged to pass through, and from none of these was Mr. Staats, Sr., exempt, but he was destined to see brighter days. In 1846 he married Miss Orlena Williams, a native of Tennessee, and the daughter of Mr. J.E. Williams, a pioneer of the same year as Mr. Staats. Then the little home of the young pioneer was made to smile with the presence of God’s best gift to man, a good wife. They lived and loved and toiled together to improve the home and raise the means of life. To them came, as the years went by, a nice family of seven children, all of whom are living, save one, Isaac W., who died in his eighteenth year. The others are all respectable citizens, and reside mostly in the vicinity where they were born and reared. Their names are: James M.; H.D., subject; J.O.; Clarence E.; Asa C.; Mary I., married Mr. Dalton, but is now a widow.

Mr. Staats’ life in the new and undeveloped country was an upright and honorable one, and for some twenty-five years he was honored by his neighbors with the office of Justice of the Peace. He also had the honor of being the first Postmaster appointed on the Luckamute, under the administration of James Buchanan. He died in the seventy-fifth year of his age. He was a man of sterling moral character, and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all his neighbors. His wife survives him and is beloved by all who know her. She is in the sixty-sixth year of her age, and resides with her son, Asa C., in Airlie, where most of her children reside.

The son, Henry D., was reared on the farm, educated in the public school, and began life farming his father’s land on shares. He continued in this business for six or seven years, and he then purchased 200 acres of land, on which he built, and which he improved by honest, well directed effort. He prospered and became able to add to his land, until he now has 471 acres of one of the best, and under his management one of the best paying farms in Polk county, a county noted for its many farms.

Mr. Staats was married February 8, 1873, to Miss Mary E. Zumwalt. She is a native of Oregon, daughter of Mr. Isaac Zumwalt, a pioneer of 1847. Mr. and Mrs. Staats have two sons: Irvin Tracy, now a graduate of the State Normal School, and a young man of great promise; and Emmit is still at home with his parents. Mr. Staats is wide-awake successful farmer, and his record is such as to reflect credit upon himself and the State in which he was born.

An Illustrated history of the state of Oregon, Rev. H.K. Hines, Lewis Pub. Co. 1893
©Shauna Williams

Hon. J.O. Staats, of Airlie, Polk county, Oregon, has the honor of being one of Polk county’s native sons. He was born December 5, 1851, and springs from noble German ancestry, who came to America early in the history of the country, and settled in the State of New York. His father, Isaac Staats, was born in Albany, New York, September 23, 1814. He was reared in his native State, but came to Oregon in 1845 and married, May 10, 1846, a Miss Orlena Williams, a native of Tennessee, born March 4, 1827, daughter of James E. Williams. Mr. Staats took a deep interest in the politics of Oregon. He was a Democrat in politics, and was the first post-mater appointed on the Luckamute; he also was the first Justice of the Peace in that vicinity, and held that office so satisfactorily that he was continued in office for twenty-five to thirty years, and during that time never had one of his decrees reversed. He was an enterprising farmer, who reared a family of seven children, five of whom are settled near where they were born, all of them being worthy citizens. The father died August 2, 1889, but his wife still survives him, residing on the original donation claim, where she enjoys the respect and esteem of all who know her. Our subject of this sketch was reared on the farm and attended the public schools. Later he was sent to the Willamette University at Salem. After this he served as clerk in a store for two years, learning the management of a business, which knowledge proved to be of great value to him later on. He then rented a portion of his father’s farm and farmed it for some time, when he inherited fifty acres of his father’s estate, to which he has added until he now has 220 acres of choice land. On an eminence overlooking the entire Luckamute valley he has built a comfortable residence, where he resides with his wife and only child, a daughter, Bertha, born November 16, 1878.

Our subject was married, May 4, 1876, to Eliza J. Allen, born in Washington county, Oregon, September 21, 1861, daughter of James Allen, of Iowa, and an Oregon pioneer.

Mr. Staats is an intelligent man and a successful farmer. In politics he is a strong Democrat, and takes a deep interest in political affairs. At the general election held in June, 1890, he was elected a Justice of the Peace to succeed his father, which position he filled creditably for two years.

In 1892 he was nominated for State Representative, and he made a successful and creditable canvas of the county, evincing great ability in his speeches. He showed his popularity with the people by receiving, in a very close election, a majority of 272 votes, running considerably ahead of his ticket. Mr. Staats has a level head, and will make a record to be proud of in his term in the House. Whatever position he may be called upon to fill in the future, the people of his county may feel assured that he will do his best for his State and county.

     Mathias W. Stewart, a well to do farmer of Polk County, residing on his fine ranch near Independence, was born in Auburn, Cayuga county, New York, August 2, 1832. His ancestors were of Scotch birth and emigrated to America before the Revolutionary war, in which they were participants. Mr. Stewart's father, David C. Stewart, was born in Granville, New York, and married Miss Elizabeth Hoffman, a native of his own State. She was of Holland ancestry, who were early settlers of Auburn, New York. They reared three sons and a daughter, of whom our subject was the third child and is now the only surviving member of the family. Our subject and two brothers served in the Union army, the eldest brother being a Colonel, the younger, a Lieutenant. Both died that the Union might live. Their father was in his forty-eighth year, in 1855, when de died. His widow survived him until her sixtieth year when she joined him in that land where there are no marriages, nor giving in marriage.
     Mr. Stewart was reared and educated in Auburn and was a schoolmate of the great statesman, Roscoe Conkling and Lincoln's renowned Secretary of State, William Seward. When Mr. Stewart reached his twenty-first year he started in 1853 from Auburn for California, sailing from New York on the Northern Light, via Nicaragua, from which place he embarked on the Brother Jonathan for San Francisco. After arrival in California he mined in Trinity county, at Weaversville, until 1861, meeting with successes and reverses alike, as did the greater portion of the miners. What money he discovered was spent in prospecting or some other enterprise that failed to return any gains. In the winter of 1861 he came overland to Oregon. This was the year of the great flood, the journey was therefore a difficult and most tedious one. He first stopped at Salem, then went to the mines in Idaho, where he met with some success and remained one year, when he returned to Salem and clerked for Smith & Cartwright, later they sold their interest to R.M. Wade & Co. and our subject continued with this firm for five years.
     In November, 1868, he married Mrs. Elizabeth Carmac, born in Illinois, January 26, 1839. She was the widow of James Carmac, an Oregon pioneer of 1845. She had married Mr. Carmac in 1852, and had one son, Samuel, who now resides in east Oregon. Her father, James Davis, was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and started for Oregon, in 1848, but before leaving Missouri sickened and died and her mother, with a family of five children, came on and settled near Independence, where she took a donation claim. She married Mr. Joseph Carmac and died in 1879, a member of the Presbyterian Church and an amiable woman, one of Oregon's pioneers.
      After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart lived in Salem a little over a year, and in 1871, came to her donation claim of 320 acres. Here they build a good residence and have since resided, doing general farming, raising grain and horses. He has been thrifty and industrious, has prospered and has purchased 200 acres of adjoining land and has made the place a valuable farm. Mr. Stewart is a member of the I.O.O.F.; in politics is a Democrat and a reliable and upright man. Both he and his wife enjoy the good-will and esteem of all with whom they are acquainted.