Gaston, Joseph.  "The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912."  Vol. 2. 
Chicago, Clarke Publishing Co., 1912. p. 683.
 
HARRISON ZOPHER FOSTER

     On the roster of public officials in Yamhill county appears the name of
Harrison Zopher Foster, and the record which he has made in public office is a
most creditable one, as is indicated by the fact that he has been continuously
chosen for the position of county treasurer since his first election in October,
1901. As the custodian of public funds he has proved loyal and faithful, his
duties being promptly and systematically discharged. He was born in Lee county,
Iowa, October 8, 1843. His father, Harrison Foster, a native of Tennessee, was
born in 1801 and was a farmer by occupation. After living for some years in Iowa
he crossed the plains with his family to Oregon in 1853, traveling with a large
company and joining even a larger party at the Umatilla river where many of his
old Iowa neighbors were found. He secured a donation claim of three hundred and
twenty acres on the Willamina river in Yamhill county, the property remaining in
the possession of the family until about 1900, when it was sold. With
characteristic energy the father began its cultivation and development and
transformed many acres of the wild land into productive fields, continuing his
farm work until his death, which occurred in 1877. His wife, who bore the maiden
name of Sarah Booth, was born in England in 1809 and was brought to the United
States in her early childhood. She survived her husband for about sixteen years,
passing away in 1893. Harrison Zopher Foster was the only child of this marriage
but has a half sister born of his mother's first marriage, this being a Mrs.
Wood of Tillamook county. His father, too, by a former marriage had two sons and
three daughters, all of whom crossed the plains to the northwest.
     In the common schools of Iowa, Harrison Z. Foster began his education,
spending the first ten years of his life in the state of his nativity. He then
accompanied his parents on the long journey to the Pacific coast and lived with
the family in Yamhill county, sharing in the arduous work of developing and
improving a new farm. At the same time when opportunity offered he continued his
education in the public schools but, not content with the advantages which had
been afforded him, when twenty-three years of age he entered J. W. Johnson's
private school and at the age of twenty-seven years became a pupil in the
Willamette University, from which he was graduated with the class of 1875. He
lived upon the farm to the time of his father's death, when he and his mother
removed to Sheridan and he took charge of a warehouse there, purchasing wheat
for the firm of Allen & Lewis for three years. There were no banks in Sheridan
at that time and the express company would deliver to him from five to ten
thousand dollars which he would hide in a potato patch or elsewhere in the
garden in order to prevent burglary. For three seasons he continued with Allen &
Lewis, after which he spent three years in a store. He was then married and
returned to the home farm in 1890, residing thereon through the succeeding
decade or until 1900, when the old homestead was sold and he removed to
McMinnville. On the 7th of October, 1901, he was appointed county treasurer and
has been elected and reelected to the present time, so that his incumbency in
the office covers more than ten years÷a creditable record and one which
indicates clearly his thorough reliability and his efficiency in the office. He
had previously served as a member of the town council while a resident of
Sheridan and while living upon the farm was school clerk. His political
allegiance has always been given to the republican party and he has put forth
earnest and effective efforts to promote its growth and insure its success.
     In October, 1885, Mr. foster was united in marriage to Miss Edith La
Follett, a daughter of Charles La Follett and a cousin of Robert M. La Follette,
the United States senator from Wisconsin. Her father was a lawyer but after
practicing for some time became Indian agent at Grande Ronde. Later, however, he
purchased a farm near Sheridan and also owned a farm at Montavilla, to which
place he removed in later life, spending his remaining days there. His grave,
however, was made in Sheridan. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary
Snodgrass, has also passed away and was laid to rest in the Sheridan cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Foster have become the parents of three children, two sons and a
daughter: Charles Edward, who is living in McMinnville; Robert Harrison, who
married Alfreda Helva and resides at Carlton, Yamhill county; and Mary E., at
home.
     Mr. Foster is an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity and
also holds membership with the Methodist church÷these associations indicating
the principles which have governed his life and have won for him the high regard
of those with whom he has been associated. His ability has placed him in a
creditable position among the business men and citizens of Yamhill county and
the record which he has made in public office is indeed worthy of high
encomiums.
 
 
Transcriber's additional notes:
 
Death Certificate Transcription
Oregon Death Certificate # 83
Harrison Zopher Foster, male, white, married, retired farmer
Residence: at res. 23 yrs.
Age at death:  80y, 7m, 13d
Birth:  October 8, 1843; Iowa
Death:  May 21, 1924; McMinnville, Yamhill Co, Or.
Cause:  mitral --- of heart, arterio sclerosis, old age; E. E. Gaucher, M.D.
Burial:  May 23, 1924; Masonic Sheridan
Parents:  Zopher Foster b not known, and Sarah Booth, b England
Informant:  Edith Foster, wife, of McMinnville, Or.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in June 2008 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.