BIOGRAPHIES
WILLIAM T. DAVIS
In banking circles William T. Davis has a wide acquaintance and is
regarded as a most capable business man. He is the cashier of the State
Bank of Brigham City and his thorough understanding of the business,
his close application and his progressive methods have been substantial
elements in the continued growth of the bank's business. Mr. Davis was
born at Perry, Box Elder county, Utah, February 23, 1878. His father,
Daniel Davis, was a native of Wales and in early life came to the
United States. He followed ranching in both Utah and Idaho and his
death occurred in this state following his return from a mission. He
was always very active in the work of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and was a member of the Seventy. The mother of
William T. Davis, Mrs. Mary Ann Davis, died in 1914.
William T. Davis attended the district schools of Perry and also spent
one year as a student in the Brigham Young College at Logan and also
for three years attended the Brigham Young University at Provo. After
leaving school he went on a mission to Kentucky and was connected with
the office in Chattanooga. Following his return he became the
democratic candidate for the office of county treasurer of Box Elder
county but was defeated with the others on the ticket. He made his
initial step in the banking business in a humble way by entering the
Bank of Brigham City conducted by J. Y. and H. J. Rich. Since that
time, however, he has made steady progress in banking circles and is
today the cashier of the State Bank of Brigham City, which is
capitalized for forty thousand dollars and has a surplus of equal
amount. Its capital, surplus and undivided profits amount to
ninety-five thousand, four hundred and eighty-two dollars and the
deposits of the bank amount to seven hundred and twenty-nine thousand,
seven hundred and sixty-four dollars. The officers of the bank are: M.
S. Browning, president; R. L. Fishburn, Jr., vice president; John
Watson, vice president; W. T. Davis, cashier; and George A. Anderson,
assistant cashier. In addition to his banking interests Mr. Davis is
one of the stockholders and directors of the Brigham City Canning
Company and he is much interested in fruit growing. He is also
connected with ranching in Box Elder county and upon his ranch he makes
a specialty of the raising of Durham cattle. While he finds interest,
pleasure and profit in fruit raising, ranching and cattle interests,
banking is yet his chief activity and for many years he has been at the
head of the State Bank of Brigham City, which he has made a very
successful institution, the stock being quoted very high.
In 1902 Mr. Davis was married to Miss Sarah Harding, and they have the"
following children: William Leland, fifteen years of age, now in
school; Charles, Grant and Wilma, also in school; Rachel; and Dorothy.
The religious faith of the family is that of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints and Mr. Davis has for many years been
superintendent of the Sunday school and also a member of the Seventy.
He belongs to the State Bankers Association and is a member of the
Commercial Club of Brigham. In 1916 he was elected mayor of the city
for a two years' term and gave to Brigham a public-spirited and
progressive administration, characterized by various reforms and
improvements. His interest in the general welfare is of a practical
character and he shows wisdom in utilizing the means at hand in the
attainment of high ideals of citizenship.
[Source: Utah since
Statehood: Historical and Biographical Volume 2; By Noble Warrum; Publ.
1919; Transcribed and submitted by Andrea Stawski Pack.]
DR. EZRA WILLIAM NEBEKER
Dr. Ezra William Nebeker, a chiropractor of Tremonton, who has already
won a large practice, has ever been actuated by the laudable ambition
to make for himself a creditable name and place in the world through
his own efforts. He has never relied upon the prestige that should be
his by reason of the fact that he bears a name that has figured
prominently in the annals of the state in connection with affairs of
the church and of government. From the earliest days of territorial
development here the Nebeker family has been known in Utah.
Ezra W. Nebeker was born in the town of Willard in 1893, a son of
Reuben and Alice Adelaide (Lowe). Nebeker. In the acquirement of his
education he attended the graded and high schools of Box Elder county
and through vacation periods was employed in the work of the farm. He
early evinced a desire to get away from the drudgery of the farm,
however, and make a name and place for himself in the world. Soon after
his graduation from the high school, therefore, he went to Davenport,
Iowa, where he pursued a course of study in the Palmer School of
Chiropractic and was graduated from that institution in 1918. Returning
home, he then took up the practice of his profession in Logan but had
scarcely gained a start when the United States was in the midst of the
great World's war as the opponent of Germany and Dr. Nebeker, inspired
with the desire to go to France and give the Hun a few "adjustments,"
made his plans accordingly. His ambition in this direction, however,
was never realized because of the signing of the armistice and in 1918,
soon after hostilities were brought to a close, he located in
Tremonton, where he opened an office. From the beginning of his
residence here he has met with success and the future promises are
bright.
In 1917 Dr. Nebeker was married to Miss Mary M. Korth, a daughter of
Frederick F. Korth, of Willard, who was an early settler and farmer of
Box Elder county.
Dr. Nebeker is a man of high purpose and splendid principles and during
his residence in the old home town has occupied the position of elder
in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has also been
assistant counselor of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association
under President Ephraim White. He was likewise for a time manager of
the amusement hall of the town. He is a strong believer in his
profession, an earnest, progressive follower of chiropractic and is
already making for himself a creditable position as one of the
followers of that school of healing.
[Source: Utah since
Statehood: Historical and Biographical Volume 2; By Noble Warrum; Publ.
1919; Transcribed and submitted by Andrea Stawski Pack.]
LORIN WILLIAM PRESTON
Though not yet thirty-five years of age Lorin William Preston is the
manager of the most important general merchandise establishment in the
City of Garland. He is also mayor of the city and one of its most
progressive residents, holding to high standards in all matters of
citizenship. He was born in Weston, Idaho, in 1884, a son of William
and Anne (Clarke) Preston, who were natives of England. Having been
converted to the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, they made their way to America and settled in Weston, Idaho,
which was largely a Mormon community.
There Lorin W. Preston was born and reared and he supplemented his
education by study in the Utah Agricultural College at Logan. In 1905
he was called by the church to go on a mission to England and upon his
return to his native land he located at Garland. In 1909 he became
manager of the Garland Mercantile Company and is still conducting the
business. He is thus in control of the leading general merchandise
establishment of the town and has built up a large trade for the firm
through his enterprising and progressive methods. A large and carefully
selected line of goods is carried and Mr. Preston holds to the highest
standards in the personnel of the house, in the goods purchased and in
the treatment accorded patrons.
In 1909 Mr. Preston was married to Miss Mary Barnard, a daughter of
Hyrum Barnard, of Brigham, Utah, who crossed the plains in an early day
as a member of the Mormon Battalion.
Mr. Preston is a consistent churchman and has filled all of the offices
in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to that of high
priest. He was for nine years ward clerk and is now the president of
the Second Quorum and is also an elder in the church. His activity in
the church is only equaled by his devotion to his business and his
town. For some years Mr. Preston was a member of the Garland City
Council and in 1918 became its mayor, an office which he is still
filling to the satisfaction of people of all political parties.
There is no public enterprise of worth that does not receive his
support and cooperation. His labors in the line of war activities have
been tremendous. He has been an untiring worker in support of the
Liberty Loan' drives, of the Red Cross and of all movements which have
tended to advance the interests of the country in her efforts to
promote worldwide democracy. As a member of the City Council and as
mayor of Garland he has stood back of all improvements that have been
made, including the waterworks system, electric lighting and street
paving and in fact every movement which has had for its object the
benefit of Garland, the advancement of its civic standards and the
promotion of its best interests.
[Source: Utah since
Statehood: Historical and Biographical Volume 2; By Noble Warrum; Publ.
1919; Transcribed and submitted by Andrea Stawski Pack.]
WARREN WARD SHUMAN
Warren Ward Shuman, proprietor of the largest garage and repair shop in
Tremonton, is one of the enterprising young men who have located in the
town and who are making valuable contribution to its reputation as "the
liveliest town in Utah." Mr. Shuman is a son of John Shuman, a member
of a family of Dutch lineage that settled in Pennsylvania in the early
days of America's colonization. In early life John Shuman left the east
and started westward, taking up his abode in Nebraska as one of the
early settlers of that state. It was there that his son Warren was born
in 1887. The education of the son was acquired in the public schools of
Nebraska and Utah, and in 1903 ill health caused him to seek a location
farther west. He therefore made his way to Tremonton and became one of
the early residents of the place.
He took up the business of an automobile mechanic and is today the
owner of the largest garage and repair shop in Tremonton. It is located
on Main street and is the best equipped establishment of the kind in
the state north of Ogden. His place is thoroughly equipped with the
most modern machinery and a recent addition to his equipment has been a
motor generator for charging batteries, which is the largest generator
in the city. Besides doing all kinds of automobile repair work Mr.
Shuman is the agent of the Vesta storage battery for northern Utah and
he carries a large line of the best makes of tires and automobile
accessories. He handles the Goodrich, the Silvertown, the Goodrich
fiber and the Savage tires and of the last mentioned is sole agent in
northern Utah. He employs a force of expert mechanics and all of his
work is guaranteed. The people of the community say that his guarantee
is as good as a bond.
Mr. Shuman was married to Miss Ellen Thomas, a daughter of David
Thomas, a well known citizen of Malad, Idaho, and to them has been born
a son, Earl Warren, whose birth occurred in February, 1907. Mr. and
Mrs. Shuman are well known in Tremonton, where they have many friends,
their social position being equal to that of the creditable name and
place which he has won for himself in business circles.
[Source: Utah since
Statehood: Historical and Biographical Volume 2; By Noble Warrum; Publ.
1919; Transcribed and submitted by Andrea Stawski Pack.]
JOHN G. WHEATLEY
John G. Wheatley, county clerk of Box Elder county and a resident of
Brigham, was born in Honeyville, Utah, June 28, 1879. His father,
Thomas Wheatley, a native of England, came to America with his parents
Thomas and Catherine (Varley) Wheatley, who made their way to Utah in
1859. They first settled at Bountiful and subsequently removed to
Carson City, Nevada, where the grandfather of Mr. Wheatley of this
review followed mining for about fourteen years. On the expiration of
that period he returned to Utah and settled at Honeyville, where he
resided throughout his remaining days, and the grandmother of Mr.
Wheatley has also passed away. The father, Thomas Wheatley, Jr., was
educated in the schools of Carson City, Nevada, and in Utah took up the
profession of teaching but later also turned his attention to farming
and divided his time between teaching and agricultural pursuits for
about four years.
He has since concentrated his efforts and attention upon farming and
stock raising, in which he is now extensively and profitably engaged.
He is also a director of the Farmers Cache Union, a director of the
Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Tremonton and Bear river valley and a
director of the State Bank of Brigham City and otherwise interested in
business affairs. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and has been bishop of Honeyville ward for the past
twenty years. In the work of the church he has ever taken an active
interest and in 1893-4 he served on a mission to England and was
president of the Sheffield Conference. The cause of public education
has also found in him a stalwart champion and he has served as a member
of the board of education of Box Elder county. His political
endorsement is given to the republican party and he is keenly
interested in all that promotes the political principles in which he
believes or advances the civic standards of his community.
He wedded Mary Ellen Gibbs, a native of Brigham and a daughter of John
and Mary (Langdon) Gibbs, who were natives of England and became
pioneer settlers of Box Elder county, where they took up their abode in
the early '50s. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Wheatley there followed
farming and he, too, was active in the work of the church. Both he and
his wife have passed away. Their daughter, who became Mrs. Wheatley,
had a family of nine children, four sons and five daughters, of whom
John G. is the eldest child. Five of the family are now living, but the
mother passed away in 1914 at the age of fifty-four.
John G. Wheatley obtained his education in the district schools and in
the Agricultural College at Logan, in which he spent two years. When
twenty-one years of age he was called to serve on a mission and on the
3d of March, 1900, went to Nottingham, England, where he was on duty
for two years, acting for a part of that time as clerk of the
conference. At present he is active in class and Sunday school work.
After returning from England Mr. Wheatley engaged in general
merchandising at Honeyville for two years and then turned his attention
to farming, which occupation he has since successfully followed. In the
fall of 1916 he was elected to the office of county clerk and made so
creditable a record in the position that he was re-elected m 1918. His
political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and
he gives to it unfaltering support. He has membership in the Box Elder
Commercial Club and he was a member of the local board of war
activities in Box Elder county.
On the 1st of March, 1900, in Salt Lake Temple, Mr. Wheatley was
married to Miss Rosa M. Boothe, a native of Brigham and a daughter of
Louis M. Boothe, a pioneer settler of the state, who is now living at
the age of eighty-six years. Her mother bore the maiden name of
Elizabeth Hunsaker. To Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley have been born two
children, Othella and May, aged respectively fourteen and twelve years.
The family reside at No. 32 Second street, West, and are widely and
favorably known in Brigham. Deeply interested in all that pertains to
the public welfare, Mr. Wheatley has been a progressive citizen,
cooperating heartily in all that has to do with the material,
intellectual, social, political and moral development of his community.
[Source: Utah since
Statehood: Historical and Biographical Volume 2; By Noble Warrum; Publ.
1919; Transcribed and submitted by Andrea Stawski Pack.]
JOSEPH M. ZUNDEL
Joseph M. Zundel, superintendent of mails at the Logan post office, was
born in Willard, Utah, December 23, 1881. His father, Abraham Zundel,
was a native of Pennsylvania and devoted his life to farming and
blacksmithing. He came to Utah in 1856 with his parents, Jacob and
Sarah (Forstner) Zundel, who came from Wurtemberg, Germany, as converts
to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and
settled in Ogden, Utah, and later in Willard, Boxelder County. The
father was one of the first missionaries to the Salmon river in Idaho,
with headquarters at Port Lemhi, and he was also one of the pioneers in
promoting the work of irrigation there. He also carried the' mails from
Willard to Fort Lemhi for several years and was postmaster at Willard
for a number of years. In addition to his missionary labours in the
Salmon river district he spent several years with the Indians at
Washakie, assisting in the establishment of that village in Boxelder
county. He spoke the Indian language fluently. Throughout his life he
remained an active worker in the church and was counsellor to the
president of the Malad stake, while for fifteen years he filled the
position of bishop's counsellor and for eight years occupied the office
of bishop. In political circles, too, he was a recognized leader and
filled various positions of public honour and trust. He was justice of
the peace, was mayor of Willard, served as a member of the state
constitutional convention and was the first state senator from Boxelder
and Tooele Counties after the admission of Utah into the Union. Thus
along the lines of material, political, social and moral progress he
left the impress of his individuality and ability upon the history of
his district and his state. He was called to his final rest on the 20th
of March, 1917. The mother, Abigail (Abbott) Zundel, was born in
Illinois and, surviving her husband, now makes her home in Willard,
Utah. There are six brothers and four sisters in the family, all of
whom are living, Joseph M. being the next youngest.
Joseph M. Zundel was a pupil in the district schools of Willard and two
years at Washakie, where he was the only white male pupil. He next
spent two years at the Agricultural College of Utah, at Logan. He then
took up the occupations of farming and blacksmithing, which he followed
at Willard and Salt Lake City. In July, 1903, he came to Logan and on
the 1st of September entered the post office as one of the first city
letter carriers, spending fifty-seven months as such, when he was
transferred as a clerk. He served for nine years as a clerk, filling
every clerical position therein, and was on July 1, 1917, promoted as
superintendent of mails. He is making a very efficient officer in this
position, being most careful, prompt and systematic in the discharge of
his duties. In 1903 Mr. Zundel was married to Miss Kate Bench, daughter
of Edwin and Mary Ann (Anson) Bench, early settlers. They have three
children: Joseph La Monte, born November 13, 1905; Blanche Kate, May
23, 1908; and Pearl, February 12, 1913. The two oldest are now in
school. Mr. Zundel is active in the work of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter day Saints, having served as assistant superintendent of the
Sunday school and president of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement
Association. His political allegiance is usually given to the
Republican Party yet he maintains a somewhat independent attitude. He
turns for recreation largely to the study of engineering, accountancy
and systematic business methods, in which he is intensely interested.
During the period of his residence in Logan he has made many friends
and all who know him speak of him in terms of warm regard.
(Source: Utah since Statehood
Historical and Biographical, by Noble Warrum, editor, Vol 1, Publ 1919.
Transcribed by Wayne Cheeseman)
