Biography of John Lew, 1902, Baker Co. Oregon: Surnames: Lew, Hedges, Jones.

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Transcribed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
W. David Samuelsen - November 2001
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An Illustrated History of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney Counties, pub. 1902
by Western Historical Pub. Co. of Chicago. page 265

JOHN LEW, deceased

On November 27, 1891, the community in which he lived, and in fact all of
Baker county, was called upon to mourn the loss of the venerable pioneer and
worthy citizen whose name appears above. His many good qualities as a man had
rendered him endeared to those with whom he was by circumstances thrown in
contact, while all recognized the benefits which had accrued to the community
in consquence of his efforts and enterprise. It is but fitting, therefore,
that a brief review of his eminently useful career be here given.

Our subject was born in Knox county, Canada, on August 9, 1836, and there he
grew to man's estate and received his educational discipline. At the early age
of sixteen he started in life for himself, going to Rochester, New York, where
he learned the carpenter trade. He worked at that handicraft until 1856, then
came via the Isthmus to California, where he followed placer mining until
1861. He then came to the Salmon river mines in Idaho. he was one of a party
of nine men who prospected the Boise basin for six weeks when the Indians were
very hostile and during that time he had many narrow escapes. In 1862 he came
to Auburn in Baker county and engaged in mining there. He was one of six men
who located the first mines where Sumpter now stands. Our subject remained in
that vicincity for two years, then moved to Granite, where the ensuing six
years were spent in the effort to discover earth's hidden treasures and win
them from her. About 1870 he moved onto a farm about six miles west of the
present Baker City and engaged in the dual occupation of mining and farming.
This he was enabled to do from the fact that a part of the farm was fine
placer ground, as is attested by the fact that he gathered four thousand five
hundred dollars worth of gold dust the first year. At one time J. W. Virtue
took a selection of fruit and a number of nuggets to a fair at Portland, both
of which were form Mr. Lew's farm, and it is recorded that this singular
exhibit attracted much attention. During the last few years of our subject's
life he devoted his energies entirely to farming. He will long be rememebered
as one of the most enterprising and public spirited of Baker county's early
settlers and one who assisted much in its development and its preparation for
the purposes of civilized man.

In fraternal affiliations our subject was identified with the A.O.U.W. and the
W. of W. His marriage was solemnized at Auburn on December 9, 1868, on which
date he became the husband of Mrs. Elizabeth Hedges, nee Jones, who had
crossed the plains with ox teams in 1863 from Iowa. The following children
were born to them, namely: John H.; George; Harney, deceased; Albert F.; Katie
M.; Bertha E., and C. Bertie, deceased; Ralph, deceased; Frank R. The children
all live at home with their mother. They have an excellent farm fo four
hundred and eighty acres, improved with a fine house, a good barn and other
substantial buildings, also eighty acres of valuable timber land.