"Portrait and Biographical Record of Portland and Vicinity, Oregon." Authors: "a
compilation of this work....by a number of writers".  Chapman Publishing Co;
Chicago, 1903. p. 494.
 
DANIEL RIEMAN

     For many years identified with the lumber interests of the city of
Portland, Daniel Rieman has come to be known as one of the important factors in
the industrial life and material advancement of the community, through business
sagacity and far sightedness bringing his part of the work to a high standard of
excellence. He has been a resident of Oregon since the fall of 1862, having at
that date completed the passage of the continent, from his birthplace near
Gettysburg, Adams county, Pa., to his present residence upon the Pacific coast.
     The father of Daniel Rieman, Jonathan, was one of the early settlers of
Illinois, having in 1854 located in Hancock county, where his death occurred at
the age of sixty-five years.   Of a numerous family only three children are now
living: Daniel, of this review, born March 7, 1832; Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob
Ernest, of Nebraska ; and Milton, a carpenter of Portland, having settled in
this city in 1882. David, another brother, was a soldier in an Illinois
regiment, serving three years in the Civil war, and came to Portland in the same
year in which Milton sought a home here, dying in 1895, aged fifty-six years.
Jonathan died in Illinois in 1899, at the age of seventy years. Daniel Rieman
was the third son and child and in his Pennsylvania home he was educated in
subscription schools. He remained at home until after the removal to Illinois,
when he engaged in employment for himself, becoming interested in both farming
and saw milling. In 1860 he decided to make his home still farther in the west,
making the journey to Colorado, where he located forty miles west of Denver, in
Nevada Gulch, remaining in that place for two years. At the close of that period
he outfitted for the continuance of the journey to the Pacific coast, from
Denver to Deer Lodge valley traveling by ox-team, and after disposing of his
outfit secured another composed of horses and wagons with which they traveled to
Walla Walla, Wash. At that point the party with whom he traveled were disposed
to scatter to the various places of interest and they therefore disposed of
their stock and general outfit and parted company. Mr. Rieman came to the city
of Portland, which then consisted of a town of about four thousand inhabitants,
remaining but a short time, however, when he proceeded to Oswego, Clackamas
county, and engaged in business with John Trullinger. This partnership continued
from 1865 to 1868, when he entered the lumber business in Portland, continuing
alone until 1877, when a joint stock company was formed, consisting of
ex-Governor Pennoyer, M. S. Burrell, John F. Coyne, John Schurer and Daniel
Rieman. For almost every year of his continuance in the work Mr. Rieman served
as president of this company. The company purchased the mill of Knapp & Burrell
and operated the same for twenty-two years, Mr. Rieman and Mr. Pennoyer
eventually purchasing the interests of the others and conducting the business
alone. Mr. Rieman has accumulated quite a large amount of property in this city,
owning besides the dwelling where he makes his home, and which he erected in
1879, and several residences which he rents. When he built his present home it
was the only house in the block.
     Mr. Rieman was married near Astoria, Clatsop county, Ore., in 1878, his
wife being formerly Miss Harriet M. Wirt, who was born in Clatsop plains in
1852, the daughter of Augustus C. Wirt, who came to Oregon in 1844. He came
originally from York county, Pa., locating first in Iowa, and later settling
upon the property where he now makes his home. He is now eighty-nine years old,
while his wife, Susan M. (Kimball) Wirt, is seventy-two. Mr. Wirt was a tailor
by trade and followed this in Iowa, but when he came west he engaged in mining,
first in California, where he met with success, investing his returns in his
present property. Besides Mrs. Rieman they have the following children: Andrew,
living in Washington; Philip, of Clatsop county; Anna, the wife of J. K.
Stevens; John, in Astoria ; Omer, in Clatsop county; and Olive, the wife of C.
A. McGuire, of Clatsop. All but the first named of the children were born in
Oregon and educated in subscription schools.  Norris, a brother of Mrs. Rieman,
taught in a district school, having taken up a donation land claim in his
efforts to find a location where he would be free from the ague. Many have been
the changes in the lives of these two old people, early settlers of the
wilderness country, and who have traveled together fifty-five years, bearing the
privations, hardships and dangers of their pioneer lot for the sake of the
future which should follow. Mrs. Wirt is a survivor of the fearful Whitman
massacre of 1847.
     The union of Mr. and Mrs. Rieman has been blessed by the birth of twin
daughters, Susan M. and Sophie H. born in 1879. They are both graduates of the
high school of this city and Miss Susan has also completed a course in the
commercial college. Both have been well instructed in music and in every way are
fitted to shine in the best society of the city. In politics Mr. Rieman is a
Republican and well informed upon the principles and movements of the party, but
he has never been an aspirant for political honors. He is a liberal contributor
to every worthy enterprise toward the promotion of general welfare, and also
supports church work. Paternally he is a member of Good Samaritan Lodge No. 2,
I. 0. 0. F., which he joined in 1870, and has now passed all the chairs. Since
1897 he has been treasurer of the local lodge and is also a member of the Grand
Lodge. His wife and daughters are identified with the auxiliary Rebekah lodge
and are enthusiastic members, having passed all the chairs, the mother being in
Acme Lodge and the daughters in Utopia Lodge.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in July 2009 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.