Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Wilkinson, John 1880 - ************************************************ 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 April 21, 2008, 2:39 pm Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company JOHN WILKINSON. A typical westerner, John Wilkinson is liberally endowed with the qualities of energy and determination, which are essential to success in all lines of endeavor, and his constantly expanding powers have placed him with Vancouver’s leading attorneys. He was born in California in 1880 and his father, George Wilkinson, was a native of New York state. The grandfather, Thomas J. Wilkinson, was an Englishman and followed the occupation of cornice making. In his youth he came to the United States, locating in the state of New York, and afterward journeyed to California. At the time gold was discovered in that region he was in San Francisco and joined the early prospectors but fortune eluded him. Later he settled in the San Joaquin valley and sent for his family. He had left them in the east and died before they reached California. His widow, Emma Maria Wilkinson, assumed the burden of providing for a family of five children and proving up on the homestead. She had no money and turned to educational work as a means of support. Mrs. Wilkinson was the first teacher in San Joaquin county and the school was conducted in her home. Through tireless energy she was able to rear her children and retain the homestead, converting the wild land into a productive farm. Courageous, unselfish and resourceful, she rose superior to circumstances, bending them to her will, and was a fine type of those heroic pioneer women who aided in the “winning of the west.” The farm which she developed was located between Stockton and Sacramento, in the vicinity of Lodi, and when her husband entered the homestead the papers were filed at Oregon City. George Wilkinson was born after the departure of his father for San Francisco in 1847. He experienced the various phases of frontier life in California, assisted his mother in the cultivation of the ranch and followed agricultural pursuits for many years. He was a man of prominence in his locality and became one of the commissioners of San Joaquin county, which he left in 1896. The family resided for about a year in Vancouver, Washington, and in the fall of 1897 returned to California. The father passed away in December, 1926, and is survived by the mother, Mrs. Ida J. (Moore) Wilkinson, who still makes her home in the Golden state. John Wilkinson is one of a family of seven children and received his early education in San Joaquin county. His high school studies were completed in Vancouver and afterward he obtained work in Portland. While thus employed be took a course in the law department of the University of Oregon, attending night classes, and was graduated in 1909. In June of that year he was admitted to the bar and in January, 1910, became a member of the firm of Miller, Crass & Wilkinson. The name was changed to Miller & Wilkinson in 1912 and in June, 1921, the present style of Miller, Wilkinson & Miller was adopted. They are attorneys of high standing and enjoy a large and remunerative clientele. Mr. Wilkinson is one of the men who developed the Moffetts Springs and the Shepherd Hot Springs. In 1905 Mr. Wilkinson was married in Vancouver to Miss Edith Schoonover, a native of Kansas. About 1890, when a child, she was brought to the city by her parents, George and Anna (Russell) Schoonover. The father reached the advanced age of eighty-seven years, passing away in July, 1927, and Mrs. Schoonover now resides with her daughter Edith. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson have one child, Jane Louise, who is fourteen years of age and a public school pupil. Mr. Wilkinson gives his political allegiance to the republican party and in 1906 became county clerk of Clark county, serving until 1910. He belongs to the Prunarians, an organization which he aided in forming, and for twenty years has been connected with the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. Along fraternal lines he is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, while his professional relations are with the Clark County and Washington State Bar Associations. Studious and energetic, he spends much time upon the preparation of his cases and has a keen sense of the responsibilities of his calling, while in all matters of citizenship he is loyal and public-spirited. Mrs. Wilkinson is a member of the MacDowell Music Club of Portland and manifests a keen interest in movements for cultural growth and advancement. Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, Pages 484-485 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/wilkinso476gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 5.1 Kb