Clackamas County OR Archives Biographies.....Dillman, S. O. 1873 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com June 18, 2009, 12:21 am Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company S. O. DILLMAN. As a progressive realtor S. O. Dillman is well known in business circles of Oregon City, which is indebted to him for the development of one of its fine subdivisions. A native of Illinois, he was born in 1873 and was but two years old when his parents, Samuel and Nancy Jane (Ford) Dillman, migrated to California. They settled on a farm near Red Bluff and in 1895 established their home in Oregon City, where they spent the remainder of their lives. To their union were born three children: D. A., who has been connected with the local paper mills for many years; S. O.; and Nora. The daughter is the wife of W. H. Lightowler, of Oregon City, and has three children: William, who is a graduate of the Oregon Agricultural College and fills a responsible position in the Bank of Oregon City; George, who is attending high school; and Elizabeth, a grammar school pupil. S. O. Dillman was reared and educated in California and in that state worked for five years for the concern which later developed into the Crown Willamette Paper Company. For seventeen years he was identified with the same firm in Oregon City and served the corporation with fidelity and efficiency, progressing with the industry. In 1912 he opened a real estate and insurance office in Oregon City, also handled loans, and as the years have passed his business has steadily increased. He promoted what is known as the Moody subdivision in West Oregon City, the largest project of the kind ever handled here, and a portion of the tract is called Holly Garden. Mr. Dillman has studied the business from the standpoint of the purchaser as well as that of the man who handles property, and his advice in regard to real estate investments is always sound and reliable. On July 25, 1906, Mr. Dillman was united in marriage to Miss Ednetta Chase, and theirs proved an ideal union, which was severed by her death December 26, 1926. They resided in the old Chase home. Mrs. Dillman was the possessor of many admirable qualities which endeared her to all who were brought within the sphere of her influence. She was a representative of a family of Oregon pioneers, of whom Fred Lockley wrote the following account for the Daily Journal of January 5, 1922: "Mrs. Sarah A. Chase has been a resident of Oregon City for nearly sixty years. I visited her a few nights ago at her home on the bluff overlooking the Willamette river. 'I was born in Illinois,' said Mrs. Chase, 'though my parents were born in England. My father, John W. Stevenson, came to America in 1831, settling on the Wabash in Illinois. My mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Tait, came to the United States when she was a child. I was the fifth of their six children. My eldest brother, John W. Stevenson, who is eighty-six years old, lives in Washington, just back of Cape Horn, on the Columbia river. My sister, Mrs. Barbara Bailey, lives at Tenth and East Alder streets in Portland, while another sister, Rebecca Wills, lives just across the street from her on the opposite corner. My brother George was accidentally shot while dismounting from his horse near Washougal, Washington. Jennie, the baby, now Mrs. A. F. Miller, lives at Sellwood. Her husband is an orchardist and is very much interested in the Multnomah county fair at Gresham. " 'On April 4, 1853, we started from our home in Illinois for the west. We crossed the Missouri river at St. Joseph. There were twenty-four wagons in our train. Bluford Deadman was captain of the train at first but very shortly my father was selected as captain. My most distinct memory of the trip across the plains, which took us six months and four days, is of the countless herds of buffalo which we saw along the Platte. It doesn't seem possible that all those buffalo could have been killed, but of course when they shot them by the thousands for their hides and when hunters would shoot them for sport, merely taking their tongues, you could see that the buffalo were doomed. " 'Part of the people in our train were bound for California, while the others were headed for Oregon. When we came to the parting of the ways father tossed up a half-dollar to see if we should come to Oregon or go to California. As he spun the half-dollar in the air he said, "Heads for Oregon, tails for California." It lit heads up, so we came to Oregon. Father took up a donation land claim in Clackamas county. Two years later, in 1855, he filed on a claim on the north side of the Columbia river, near where my brother John now has his ranch. I was thirteen years old when we moved up to this place in 1855. The old Indian trail passed through our ranch. When the Indians were on the warpath in 1855 and attacked the settlers of the Cascades, most of the settlers went to The Dalles or elsewhere for protection. Father was afraid the Indians would come down the old trail and kill us, so we packed what we could carry and went to Portland. We rented a house on Second street near Stark. By going a couple of hundred feet to the westward, to about where Third street is now, we were in the timber. After Phil Sheridan and the others defeated the Indians at the blockhouse at the Cascades we returned to our farm. " 'One of the ranches near ours was owned by a family named Chase. On December 14, 1858, I was married to James W. Chase, one of the boys of this family. He was a splendid mechanic. He could do carpenter work, blacksmithing, build ships or set up machinery. My husband had been working in Oregon City at the time I was going to school there. This was in 1856. When I was attending school in Oregon City I often used to see Dr. McLoughlin on the street. He was seventy-two years old at that time. He was tall, red-cheeked, had long white hair and had a kindly but sad look. He died September 3, 1857. My husband and a man named Miland were employed to make the coffin for Dr. McLoughlin. It was made of cedar and stained black. Dr. McLoughlin was buried in the Catholic churchyard. My husband helped to build the woolen mill here. The Oregon City woolen mill was planned in 1862 but it was not built until two years later. Incorporation papers were filed December 31, 1862. The building was made of stone and brick. It was one hundred and eighty-eight feet long by fifty-two feet wide and two stories in height. For thirty years my husband was superintendent of the mechanical department of the woolen mill. " 'Yes, I have lived in Oregon City ever since 1863; nevertheless I have traveled very widely through the reading of books. I have always loved books and I have done my traveling sitting here in my armchair under the reading lamp.' " Mr. and Mrs. James W. Chase were the parents of six children. Ivan, the eldest became connected with the newspaper business and is living in Chehalis, Washington. He is married and has two children: Olney J., who is identified with the probate court of Lewis county, Washington, in an official capacity; and Evan, who handles the Buick cars and is engaged in business at San Diego, California. Ednetta was the second in order of birth. Dorothy is the wife of Gilbert Hedges, a sketch of whom is published elsewhere in this volume. Olney, the second son, was drowned in the Willamette river during the big flood of 1890. Sade is Mrs. Arthur C. Howland, of Oregon City, and has two children: Elizabeth, who is a student at the Oregon Agricultural College; and James Chase, who is attending the local schools. Ina M., who completes the family, is the wife of Llewellyn Adams and a resident of Oregon City, where all of the children were born. Mr. Dillman is a Kiwanian and one of the enterprising members of the Oregon City Chamber of Commerce. He is a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias and also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In civic affairs he manifests a keen interest and for four years was clerk of the school board of West Linn. He has always dealt honorably with his fellowmen and enjoys the confidence and esteem of those with whom he has been associated in the varied relations of life. Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, Pages 883-885 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/clackamas/bios/dillman786gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 8.8 Kb