Biography of Harry P. Swisher, 1902, Baker Co., Oregon: Surnames: Swisher, Fairman, Corsen.

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Transcribed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
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An Illustrated History of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney Counties, pub. 1902
by Western Historical Pub. Co. of Chicago. page 318

Harry P. Swisher

Mr. Swisher was born in the great Keystone state, near Danville, Columbia
county, on September 13, 1852, his parents being Abraham and Edith (Fairman)
Swisher, also natives of Pennsylvania. When sixteen years old he accompanied
the remainder of the family on the long journey over the wide expanse of
prairie and through the mountain fastnesses to Baker county, making the trip
from St. Joe, Missouri, with ox-teams. The party experienced some difficulty
with Indians at Rock creek, and were robbed of quite a number of their cattle,
and on the north fork of Platte river, where North Platte is now located, they
wee overturned in the effort to effect a crossing and lost all their
valuables, including several hundred dollars in greenbacks.

Arriving at last in Eagle valley, despite the exigencies of the journey, the
parents settled on the spot where the nest was found from which the place
received its name and at once engaged in farming and stock-raising. Our
subject, who had not yet completed his education, attended school in Baker
City for a time. When he arrived at the age of legal majority he took as a
homestead a quarter section adjoining the parental farm and joined his brother
in the stock-raising industry. They habitually kept on hand during those early
days between five and six hundred head of neat cattle. On August 16, 1881, the
mother of our subject departed this life, and on the 2d of December, 1898, his
father also died. Mr. Swisher has succeeded them in interest, and in addition
to the land bequeathed to him and that secured from the United States
government, he is now the owner also of a quarter section acquired by
purchase. In 1898 he moved to 2467 Madison street, Baker City, where he has
since resided, directing the affairs of his farm from his urban home.

Fraternally our subject is affiliated with the Fraternal Union of Baker City,
he having been a charter member of that order in Eagle Valley. His marriage
was solemnized in Baker City, on March 20, 1895, Miss Annie Swisher, a
daughter of John and Sarah (Corsen) Swisher, then becoming his wife. They have
one child, Hayman.

We should not neglect to add the interesting reminiscence of Mr. Swisher's
experience with the Indians during the Bannock war. He and other Eagle valley
settlers were forted up at Mr. Moody's place for a while during the year 1877,
and in 1878 the settlers again fortified, this time on the old Love place, but
when the second stockade was built our subject and his father-in-law were in
Umatilla Landing after a load of freight, or, in other words, they were on a
journey which required forty-nine days for its completion. When at Cayuse
Station, a few miles this side of Pendleton, they were met by Indians, who
fired upon them, so they turned and retraced their steps to Pendleton. There
they lay in bushes all night, not knowing at what moment their hiding place
might be discovered, for they could hear the red skins driving cattle the
live-long night.