Clatsop County OR Archives Biographies.....Fellman, Werner H. February 14, 1881 - ************************************************ 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 August 31, 2010, 3:00 pm Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 576 - 579 Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company WERNER H. FELLMAN, a progressive and enterprising citizen of Astoria, owns one of the largest department stores in the city, as well as one of its prosperous industries, and is regarded as one of the community's most valuable citizens, having shown a helpful and effective interest in local public affairs. Mr. Fellman was born in Uleaborg, Finland, on the 14th of February, 1881, and is a son of Abram and Maria (Elfving) Fellman, also natives of that country, where the mother is still living. The father, who is deceased, was a university graduate and a successful merchant and was prominent and influential in his community, and the Fellman family has played a prominent part, educationally, financially and in a business way in Finland since 1582. To Abram Fellman and his wife were born six children, of whom four are living. Werner H. Fellman is the oldest and the only one to come to the United States. He attended private schools for four years, had six years of high school work and four and a half years in Brahestad Borgare and Handelsskola College, in Brahestad. On completing his college work he took a postion as bookkeeper in a mercantile establishment, and later served as cashier for a large logging company for nine months. In 1902 Mr. Fellman came to the United States, locating in Astoria, Oregon, where he went to work as a shipping clerk for the Hammond Lumber Company. Later he was employed for a few months in H. H. Zaph's furniture store, going from there to David Shanahan's furniture store. Six months later he was made manager of the store, which position he held for one and a half years, and then, desirous to see more of the United States, he went to Reedley, Fresno county, California, where he bought a farm. He planted it to peaches, grapes and oranges, and soon afterward sold it at a good profit. He then returned to Astoria and bought the Shanahan furniture store, which he enlarged, increasing the stock, putting in the largest and finest stock of furniture on the lower Columbia river, doing business under the name of Astoria Furniture Company. In the big fire of December, 1922, Mr. Fellman lost heavily, but with the enterprising spirit which has characterized him in all of his business career here, he at once erected a fine two-story and basement concrete building, seventy-five by one hundred and twenty-five feet, in one of the best business locations in the city, and in this building he has one of the most complete lines of goods to be found in this section of the state, carrying, besides furniture, floor coverings, crockery, stoves, women's ready-to-wear, dry goods, millinery, and men's goods, and the rapid and steady growth of his business has abundantly vindicated his judgment in making the additions to his original line. In November, 1925, Mr. Fellman still further enlarged his scope of operations by buying together with Mr. Frank Patton, Astoria Banker, the Freeland Table Company's factory in Astoria. It was a small plant, which has been replaced by a fine new factory building, one hundred and seventy-five by one hundred and ninety feet, in which is now installed a complete equipment of most modern wood working machinery, and here he is now producing high grade furniture. He uses native wood, principally alder, with walnut and mahogany veneer, and specializes in making dining room suites, tables, ladies' desks and secretaries and novelty furniture of all kinds. The factory employs several traveling salesmen and fifty-five men, many of whom are skilled and highly paid workmen, while in the store he employs from twenty to thirty clerks, salesmen, and women. The factory products find ready sale throughout Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, British Columbia and the Hawaiian islands. In 1904 Mr. Fellman was united in marriage to Miss Helen Kastel, who was born, reared and educated in Finland. In 1896 she came to the United States, locating in Astoria, where she was living at the time of her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Fellman have two children, namely: Kasten Robert, born at Astoria, November 22, 1904, there attended the public and high school, after which he had three years in the University of Oregon, completed premedic course and one year at Northwestern medical college, Chicago. He is now manager of his father's department store in Astoria. He was married to Miss Lillian Margaret Littler, who was born in Anaconda, Montana, and is a daughter of E. E. and Laura (Rainsford) Littler, the former now head of the purchasing department of the Anaconda Copper Company, with headquarters in New York city. Mr. and Mrs. Fellman are the parents of a daughter, Barbara Sue, born May 15, 1928. The younger child, Paavo Werner, born at Astoria, July 10, 1911, is a senior in the high school. Mr. Fellman is a member of Temple Lodge, No. 7, A. F. & A. M.; belongs to all of the bodies of the York and Scottish Rites; Al Kader Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., at Portland; Astoria Lodge No. 180, B. P. O. E.; the Modern Woodmen of America, the Finnish Brotherhood and the Astoria Golf and Country Club. For many years he was chairman of the Merchants Association, a director of the Chamber of Commerce and also its vice president. He served on the school board of Astoria two terms, also as chairman one term, and was chairman of the building committee at the time the city expended three hundred thousand dollars for new school buildings. Mr. Fellman gave freely of his time in supervising the erection of these buildings, in order to protect the city's interests, and today Astoria's schools are second to none in the state. In 1923 Mr. Fellman was appointed Finnish consul for the entire northwest, but, because of the pressure of his private business, he had his jurisdiction cut down in 1925 to include only the state of Oregon, and he is still serving in that capacity. In the discharge of his duties as consul he has made one return trip to Europe where he has been knighted into the Order of the White Rose, first class of Finland. He is a keen student of public affairs, being well versed in political economy, and has shown himself a capable and successful man in every relation in which he has been placed, being a man of high principles and true to his obligations of every character. Cordial and friendly in manner, he has a host of loyal friends throughout the community in which he lives and is highly regarded by all who know him. 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