An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, pages 378-379.

JAMES J. LEWIS is a farmer at Mosier, Oregon. He was born near Harrisburg, in
Linn county, Oregon, on September 11, 1857. His father, John Lewis, was born
near Gallipolis, Ohio, and his father, the grandfather of our subject, owned a
large grist mill there. He was a native of Pennsylvania and came from a
prominent American family. Our subject's father came to Oregon in 1847 and
settled first in Port-land, where he had a donation claim in what is called
Goose Hollow and is now a choice residence part of Portland. He sold out later
and bought a pack train and transported goods from Portland to Yreka,
California, and from The Dalles to the Salmon river country and to many other
points. In 1852, he was ambushed by Indians who destroyed his train and killed
two of his men. He was forced to flee for his life and after great destitution
found his way to General Joe Hooker's headquarters, who gave him succor and
finally secured a contract for him to build the Cow creek canyon road. He made
thirty-five hundred dollars on this enterprise and with that, started in the
stock business in which he continued until his death. In 1864, he was engaged in
the steamboat business on the Willamette with Church, McCully and others. He was
a member of the A.F. & A.M. He married Martha W. Howard, a native of Harrisburg,
Oregon, and the daughter of James Howard, who crossed the plains with his family
in 1844, and was a gun and blacksmith at Whitman station. The Indians, who
killed Dr. Whitman, guided Mr. Howard and his family to Portland. The guide and
other Indians considered Mr. Howard a supernatural being, owing to his skill in
working metals and this accounted for his act of guiding them to safety. His
name was Telokite or Teloket and he said Dr. Whitman was cultus. The family were
afraid of him and were glad when they reached civilization. When crossing the
streams, he would carry Mrs. Lewis, who was then a girl, on his shoulders. They
came past where Mosier and other settlements are now located in this vicinity.
Our subject's father married in 1856 and after his death his widow married Jonah
H. Mosier, in 1865. She died at The Dalles, on September 25, 1903, after an
illness of nine years. She was a consistent member of the Methodist church, a
woman of strong character and highly esteemed. Our subject was educated in the
public schools in the various places where he lived and now resides with his
half sister, Dollie C. Mosier, on the old Mosier estate. He has two sisters,
Mrs. Emma Taylor and Mrs. Ida Cook, one step-brother, Jefferson. N. Mosier, and
three step-sisters, who are mentioned elsewhere. Mr. Lewis is a member of the M.
W. A. and the United Artisans. He is a Democrat in political belief but not
especially active. After completing his education in The Dalles high school, he
engaged in stock raising and owned thirteen hundred acres in the Klickitat
county. After that, he came to the place where he now resides and has continued
here since. It is an estate of thirteen hundred acres and is owned by our
subject, his half-sister and three other heirs, Lewis and Mosier's children.
Miss Dollie C. Mosier was born in the original house on this estate, which later
burned, and was educated in the convent at The Dalles. She began teaching when
sixteen years of age at Bakeoven and other places, then completed her education
and after graduation, taught in various sections. She keeps the inn and is a
highly esteemed lady.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.