King County WA Archives Biographies.....Zilly, Carroll Keith July 22, 1866 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com January 30, 2011, 2:28 pm

Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 816 - 819
Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company

     CARROLL KEITH ZILLY is well known in Portland's business circles as 
president of the Irwin-Hodson Company, a printing and lithographing concern 
with which he has been continuously connected since 1900 and which is now one 
of the largest enterprises of its kind in the city. A native of Boonesboro, 
Iowa, he was born July 22, 1866, his parents being Charles and Emily (Rickard) 
Zilly, the former born in Switzerland and the latter in Illinois. Charles 
Zilly was but a boy when he left the land of the Alps for the United States in 
company with an aunt, his parents being deceased. The voyage was made on one 
of the old-time sailing vessels. Mr. Zilly located in Menard county, Illinois, 
where he worked on farms and attended school, while subsequently he was 
employed in a store at Chandlerville in the same state. Later he removed to 
Newmansville, where he enlisted for military duty in the Civil war with the 
Tenth Illinois Cavalry, with which he served for three years, becoming 
adjutant of his company. He was mustered out at Newmansville. Following his 
marriage, which was celebrated at Chandlerville, Illinois, he went to 
Boonesboro, Iowa, and there engaged in mercantile pursuits. His next removal 
took him to Petersburg, Illinois, where he devoted his attention to banking 
until 1887, after which he was identified with the farm mortgage business at 
McPherson, Kansas, for a period of three years or until 1890. In the latter 
year he took up his abode in Champaign, Illinois, where he continued active in 
the farm mortgage business for more than a third of a century or until the 
time of his retirement in 1926. His associate in the enterprise was W. B. 
McKinley, Illinois senator. Mr. Zilly is still a resident of Champaign, 
Illinois, and has attained the advanced age of eighty-seven years. He has 
membership with the Grand Army of the Republic, has always remained a stanch 
supporter of the republican party and fraternally is affiliated with the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His religious faith is indicated by his 
membership in the Presbyterian church. Following the death of his first wife, 
which occurred at Petersburg, Illinois, in 1872, Charles Zilly married Miss 
Helen McKinley of that place.

     Carroll K. Zilly, one of a family of five children, three daughters and 
two sons, acquired his early education at Petersburg, Illinois, and continued 
his studies in Illinois College of Jacksonville. When a youth of seventeen 
years he left the parental roof and made his way to Lisbon, North Dakota, 
where he was employed on a ranch through the summer months and then in the 
winter kept a set of books in a store. During the second winter of his 
residence at Lisbon he filled the office of deputy sheriff and in the 
following year went to the Coeur D'Alene district of Idaho, becoming 
timekeeper on the narrow gauge railroad. Subsequently he made his way to 
Spokane, Washington, thence returned to Lisbon, North Dakota, and later became 
associated with his father in the farm mortgage loan business at McPherson, 
Kansas. In 1890 the latter went to Champaign, Illinois, and Carroll K. Zilly 
located in Seattle, Washington, where he obtained the position of bookkeeper 
and cashier with the Post Intelligencer. In the spring of 1895 he made the 
trip to Circle City, Alaska, on the Yukon river, United States territory, and 
in the succeeding fall went to San Francisco, California, whence he returned 
to Seattle, Washington. In the spring of 1896 he again made his way to Alaska, 
stopping at Forty Mile, Yukon territory, during the great gold rush at Dawson, 
where he spent the succeeding winter. In the fall of 1897 he returned to 
Seattle on the old ship Portland but in the following spring went back to 
Dawson, Alaska, where he embarked in the real estate business, becoming junior 
member of the firm of Stauf & Zilly. He disposed of his interests there in 
February, 1900, came to Portland, Oregon, and in the spring purchased an 
interest in the Irwin-Hodson Company. He made another trip to Alaska the same 
year and is thoroughly familiar with the territory, as he has traveled over 
every part of it. He can relate many interesting personal experiences and 
thrilling tales of the gold rush days and retains vivid recollections of the 
hardships that confronted the great multitude of humanity gathered there. 
Dawson became a city of nearly forty thousand population in two years' time. 
His business career in Portland has been a very successful one. He served as 
vice president of the Irwin-Hodson Company prior to becoming its president in 
1917 and with the passing years has developed a small printing shop into one 
of the largest establishments of this kind in the city. The business now 
covers Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Nevada and northern California and 
is continually expanding under his capable control.

     In 1905 Mr. Zilly was united in marriage to Miss Emma McMahon, daughter 
of P. H. McMahon, of Portland. He is a republican in politics and has 
membership in the Multnomah Club, the Press Club and the Portland Chamber of 
Commerce. He was greatly interested in baseball during the early years of his 
residence in Portland and has in his possession a number of pictures of the 
early ball teams which he prizes highly. Mr. Zilly has long enjoyed an 
enviable reputation as one of the substantial and representative citizens as 
well as successful business men of his adopted cit

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