Yavapai-Navajo County AZ Archives Biographies.....Behan, Silas P. 1850 - living in 1896
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 5, 2005, 5:46 pm

Author: McFarland & Poole

  HON. SILAS P. BEHAN. This gentleman comes of an old pioneer family of
Missouri, his father, Peter Behan, being one of the earliest settlers of Jackson
County, that state. The elder Behan was of Irish origin, and was industrious,
enterprising and a man universally respected. For many years he was engaged in
freighting on the plains, and met his death by being thrown from a horse. He
married Miss Sarah Harris, a native of Simpson County, Kentucky, who came to
Missouri when a young lady. She inherited sturdy Scotch blood, her ancestors
leaving that country for America at the time of the downfall of the Stuarts. Her
parents first settled in Virginia, but later made their way to Kentucky, and
thence to Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Behan were born several children, our
subject's birth occurring at Westport, Jackson County, Missouri, January 16,
1850. He attended the common schools of Westport during his youth and
subsequently began clerking in the postoffice and stores of that town. When
twenty-two years old he made his way to Arizona and settled at Prescott, this
being the only remedy for the western fever that had assailed him, and in 1865
he crossed the plains to New Mexico with his father. The same, year he went back
to Missouri, but in 1867 he again returned to New Mexico, freighting, and
received forty dollars per month. In 1867 he again returned to his native state
and was in the schools there until 1870 and later clerked in the postoffice
until 1871. Leaving the home place he went to St. Louis as collector for a live
stock commission house, and later, in 1873, he made his way to Prescott, where
he had a brother living. He and his brother then began freighting and
contracting for the Government in hay and grain, and was thus occupied until
1875. Later Silas was in a store at Fort Apache and remained there until 1878,
when he located on Salt River. There he remained until March, 1879, when he
returned to Prescott and was made deputy sheriff under J. R. Walker, which
position he filled until January, 1880. After that he was on the large stock
farm of C. P. Head as chief clerk, and remained with him until the latter closed
business. Mr. Behan then bought stock and was engaged in the cattle business
until the spring of 1895, handling a large number, often as many as 5,000 head.
Previous to this, in 1876, he was elected county commissioner of Yavapai County,
and in 1892 he served in the 17th Legislature from that county. In 1891 he was
appointed by Governor Irwin as World's Fair Commissioner, and was president of
the board, attending the fair in that capacity. In 1894 he was made assistant
live stock agent under Lewelling, on the Santa Fe, and in March, 1895, assumed
the duties of that position. His object in accepting the nomination to the
Legislature was to get the exemption bill through that the railroad might become
exempt from taxation for twenty years. In February, 1895, Mr. Behan was
appointed Live Stock Sanitary Commissioner. He was married in 1882, March 29th,
to Miss Lillie Eugine Jones, a native of Dwight, Illinois, and they have one
child, Hugo, who was born April 21, 1883. Socially .Mr. Behan is a member of
Lodge No. 1, I. O. O. F., also A. O. U. W. of Prescott, and the Woodmen of the
World.



Additional Comments:
From:

A Historical and Biographical Record of the Territory of Arizona
Published by
McFarland & Poole, Chicago, 1896


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