OBITUARY: W. J. Plymale, Jacksonville, Jackson County, Oregon 

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Medford (Oregon) Mail, Friday, 15 Feb 1904, p. 1

PASSING OF A PIONEER

The ranks of the pioneers of Southern Oregon are thinning rapidly. Too
frequently are the newspapers of this section called upon to chronicle the
passing to the other shore of some venerable and respected citizen, who has
witnessed the changing of the Rogue river valley from an unpeopled,
untilled area of forest and stream, to a region of happy homes and
prosperous inhabitants.

This week we regret to announce the death of W. J. Plymale, of
Jacksonville, who has been a resident of Jackson County for over fifth
years. Mr. Plymale died on Sunday evening, at his home in Jacksonville,
after a short illness from pneumonia, at the age of sixty-six years, eleven
months and one day.

Mr. Plymale was born in Knox county, Tennessee, February 9, 1837, and came
to Oregon with his parents in 1851, arriving in Jackson County in November
of that year. The family settled on what is yet known as the Plymale place,
and Mr. Plymale received his early education at Jacksonville, afterward
attending the Willamette University at Salem.

He first engaged in farming in this county, which occupation he followed
for over twenty years. In 1876 he sold his interest in the farm and moved
to Jacksonville, where he has since resided.

He was twice elected county surveyor, and in 1874 was a member of the lower
house of the legislature. Up to 1896 Mr. Plymale was a Democrat in politics
but in that year left the party on account of its position on the financial
question, and since then has been a strong Republican.

Of late years Mr. Plymale has turned his attention to literary work, making
a specialty of Southern Oregon history on which he had gathered a large
amount of data, and he has contributed some valuable articles, many of
which have appeared in the Mail, concerning pioneer incidents and
historical events in this section.

Mr. Plymale was a man of strong convictions, and excellent traits of
character. Thoroughly honest and up right, his influence in affairs in this
country has been a marked one, and always for the public good.

In the early sixties he was married to Miss Josephine Martin, a member of
another pioneer family, and a woman of more than ordinary literary and
social gifts.

>From this marriage twelve children were born, one of whom died in
childhood. The eleven surviving are Mrs. Addie Jones, of Oakland, Calif.;
Mesdames Emma Stein and Maria Fairchild, and William, Frank and David, of
Yreka, Calif.; Walter, of Gervais, Louis, of Portland, and Miss Kate,
Victor and Ben living at home.

The funeral took place at Jacksonville on Tuesday, and a large concourse of
friends followed the remains of the venerable pioneer to his last resting
place by the side of his wife, who had preceded him to the great beyond
five years ago.