Gaston, Joseph.  "The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912."  Vol. 2. 
Chicago, Clarke Publishing Co., 1912. p. 342.
 
JOHN A. BRANSON

     who for more than three years has been a member of the McCully Mercantile
Company of which he is secretary and treasurer, is one of the capable business
men and representative citizens of Joseph. He is a native of Muscatine, Iowa,
and there he was likewise reared, but be has been a resident of Oregon for more
than twenty-five years.
     The boyhood and youth of John A. Branson were passed in his native city, in
which public schools he received his preliminary education. This was later
supplemented by a course in the State Agricultural College at Ames, and in 1885
he accompanied his people to the northwest. Upon their arrival in this state
they settled in Union county, in the Grande Ronde valley, but his parents later
removed to Seattle. There he subsequently joined them, working at the
carpenter's trade which he had learned from his father in his early youth. Some
time thereafter he withdrew from this, and obtained employment at office work,
having qualified for such duties while residing in Iowa. He continued to engage
in clerical work in Seattle until 1895, when he removed to La Grande but the
next year he came to Wallowa county and located on a ranch belonging to his
father-in-law, John L. Caviness. The operation of this absorbed his entire time
and attention until 1899, when he came into Joseph and again engaged in clerical
work. He was employed by local business firms during the succeeding ten years,
and at the expiration of that time he purchased an interest in the McCully
Mercantile Company. Immediately following this he was elected secretary and
treasurer of the company and has continued to discharge the duties of this
office, his services in this connection proving highly efficient and
satisfactory. Mr. Branson's long experience in similar capacities with various
business concerns has enabled him to acquire valuable information on work of
this nature. As he is a thoughtful man of original ideas he has selected the
best points and theories of the different enterprises he has been connected with
and has thus evolved a method and system of his own in the execution of his
duties, that is notably free from the weaknesses and errors commonly found in
the accounting departments of many firms. He is a capable man, whose faculty for
mastering and retaining details and data has been of inestimable assistance to
him, and has proven to be a valuable asset in the development of more than one
business enterprise.
     At Portland, Oregon, on the 9th of September, 1889, Mr. Branson was united
in marriage to Miss Nellie Caviness, a native of Union county, this state, and a
daughter of John L. and Catherine (Stotts) Caviness. Her parents were natives of
Indiana. but in their early youth they crossed the plains to Oregon with their
people who settled in Union county, being among the very first settlers in that
vicinity. There Mr. and Mrs. Caviness were reared and subsequently married,
after which they located on a ranch in the Grande Ronde valley. They are both
living on the old homestead in the vicinity of La Grande. Following their
marriage,  Mr. and Mrs. Branson lived in Seattle, which was the birthplace of
their son, Jean F., who was educated in the State Agricultural College at
Corvallis and is now staying at home.
     The family hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr.
Branson is a member of the board of stewards. Fraternally he is identified with
the K. O. T. M., and he also belongs to Joseph Lodge, No. 84, I. O. O. F. His
political allegiance is accorded the republican party and he is a member of the
school board and was serving in this capacity when the present school building
was erected.  Mr. Branson is highly regarded in Joseph both as a business man
and a citizen, as during the entire period of his residence here he has
manifested those qualities that command the respect of all with whom he has
dealings in any of the relations of life.


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