Carey, Charles Henry.  "History of Oregon." Vol. 2. Chicago-Portland: Pioneer
Historical Pub. Co., 1922.  p. 287.
 
HON. ALFRED BLEVINS

     Hon. Alfred Blevins, a pioneer of Oregon and a veteran of the Indian wars,
for two terms represented his district in the state legislature and is now one
of the leading agriculturists and influential citizens of Linn county, operating
a valuable ranch of one hundred and sixty acres located one and a halt miles
west of Tangent. He was born in Kentucky, October 24, 1837, of the marriage of
Isaac and Eliza (Maupin) Blevins, the former a native of Tennessee and the
latter of Kentucky. In early manhood the father followed blacksmithing and in
1840 he removed to Missouri, purchasing land in Henry county, which he continued
to operate until the 12th of May, 1850, when with ox teams he started across the
plains for Oregon, arriving in the Willamette valley in the following October.
While crossing the Cascade mountains he was caught in a snowstorm and was
obliged to abandon five wagons there. He proceeded with the two remaining wagons
and it was not until the following summer that he was able to recover those
which he had left in the mountains. On arriving in Oregon he took up land in
Linn county and this he cleared and developed, continuing its cultivation
throughout the remainder of his life. He died in 1885 at the age of eighty-four
years and the mother passed away in 1889, when she had reached the venerable age
of ninety years.
     Their son, Alfred Blevins, was educated in the schools of Missouri and
Linn county, Oregon, being thirteen years of age when he accompanied his parents
to this state. When eighteen years of age he volunteered for service in the
Indian war and after three months' service he was discharged in 1856. Later he
re-entered the service, going with a wagon train engaged in hauling supplies to
the soldiers who were fighting the red men, and was thus connected with Indian
warfare for about a year. After receiving his discharge he returned home and for
a time followed farming but subsequently went to California and (or seven years
was engaged in mining in that state and in southern Oregon, Idaho and British
Columbia. On the expiration of that period he returned to Linn county and
purchased his present ranch of one hundred and sixty acres, situated one and
one-halt miles west of Tangent. Of this he cleared about twenty acres, which in
its present highly developed state gives little indication of its raw and
unimproved condition when he became its owner. He has made a close study of the
needs of the soil and climate in relation to the production of crops here and
everything about his place indicates that he follows practical and progressive
methods. He has since operated his ranch with the exception of seven years spent
in the warehouse business in Tangent and two years at Corvallis, where the
family resided during the time the son was pursuing his studies. All of the
features of the model farm of the twentieth century are found upon his place and
it is one of the attractive farms of Linn county.
    On the 18th of September, 1870, Mr. Blevins was united in marriage to Miss
Louisiana Maxey, who was born in Monroe county, Missouri, June 8, 1852, and is a
daughter of John J. and Laura (Morris) Maxey, the former a native of Kentucky
and the latter of Ohio. When but three years of age the father was taken by his
parents to Missouri and in 1860 he started for the west with the intention of
settling in Oregon, but went instead to California. However, after residing in
the Golden state for four years he made his way to Oregon and in Linn county he
operated rented land for some time, later purchasing a tract which he improved
and developed, continuing its cultivation for several years, when he went to
Idaho and there made his home with his children, passing away in that state in
March, 1899. He had survived the mother for a decade, her demise having occurred
in 1889. To Mr. and Mrs. Blevins were born nine children, of whom seven survive,
namely: Wade H., Clara Alfred Georgiana, Edna L., Hattie and Glenn. Those
deceased are: Alice, who died in October, 1871, when but an infant; and Laura,
who was born in March, 1874, and died in 1891, at the age of seventeen years.
     In his political views Mr. Blevins is a democrat and in public affairs he
has taken an active and prominent part. In 1883 he was chosen to represent his
district in the state legislature and his creditable record in office won for
him re-election in 1892. In his public service he ever looked beyond the
exigencies of the moment to the opportunities and possibilities of the future.
He closely studied all the vital questions which came up for settlement and was
a stalwart champion of many measures which found their way to the statute books
of the state and are proving of great value to the commonwealth. He has likewise
served as road supervisor and in public office he always stood for development
and for constructive measures. He holds membership in the local Grange, and
fraternally he is identified with the Masons. Coming to this state in 1850, when
a boy of thirteen, the various experiences of pioneer life are familiar to Mr.
Blevins and through his industry and enterprise he has contributed to the
substantial development and progress of the section in which he lives. He can
remember when many of the well cultivated farms were covered with a dense growth
of forest trees and when great stretches of land that are now thickly populated
presented no indication of civilization. He has made good use of his time and in
the evening of life can look back over the past without regret and forward to
the future without tear.
 
 
 
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in May 2007 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.