The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 368
A portrait of John A. Breeding appears in this publication.

JOHN A. BREEDING.

John V Breeding is the owner of one of the largest and finest apple orchards of
the valley. He has resided in this section of the state since 1903 and through
the intervening period has been closely and prominently connected with the
development of its orchard industry. He is recognized as a man of marked
business ability, of keen sagacity and of undaunted enterprise, and these
salient qualities in his career have brought to him notable and well merited
success. Mr. Breeding comes to the northwest from Illinois. He was born in
Shelby county, that state, on the 24th of November, 1869, a son of S. L. and
Rachel (Clark) Breeding, both of whom were born near Loveland, Ohio, whence they
removed to Illinois in 1856 and became pioneers in the upbuilding of that great
state. The father died in Illinois in 1899 and the mother passed away the
following year.

Mr. Breeding belongs to a family of exceptional longevity: his grandfather Clark
passed his eighty-seventh birthday, his grandmothers on either side celebrated
their seventy-fifth anniversaries, and his great-great-grandfather Clark
attained the unusual age of one hundred and seven years.

John A. Breeding acquired a public school education and afterward went to
Valparaiso, Indiana, where he pursued a course in the normal department of
Valparaiso University. Later he took up the profession of teaching, which he
followed in Illinois for a time, and then turned his attention to the
carpenter's trade, at which he worked in Valparaiso, Indiana, for a few years
and also in Illinois. In July, 1903, he arrived in Yakima county and in 1904 he
purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land on the Selah Heights all covered
with sagebrush. He was one of the pioneers of the district, being among the
first to buy in this part of the county. He planted seventy-five acres to
apples, with also a few peaches and pears. He is now engaged in raising
Winesaps, Jonathans, Rome Beauties and Delicious apples, varieties that are most
splendidly adapted to soil and climatic conditions here, and the beauty and
flavor of the fruit which he raises enables him to command the highest market
prices. He has one of the big orchards of the valley and one of the finest. It
is splendidly kept in every particular, well irrigated and the trees are cared
for in the most scientific manner. The remainder of his land, aside from his
orchards is planted to alfalfa, grain and potatoes.

In June, 1897, Mr. Breeding was married to Miss Lillian Goodfellow, a native of
Michigan, who passed away in the year 1898. On the 1st of February, 1912, he was
again married, his second union being with Florence O. Carlstrom, a daughter of
August and Fannie F. (Tomlinson) Carlstrom. The children of this marriage are
Charles Allen, Henry O., Paul Edward and Walter Eli.

Mr. Breeding is a member of Yakima Lodge No. 24, F. & A. M., and has attained
the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite. He is a loyal examplar of the
craft and faithfully follows its teachings in every particular. His religious
faith is that of the Presbyterian church. In 1916 he erected a fine home upon
his ranch and his is one of the valuable and attractive properties in this
section of the state. His residence is situated on an eminence which provides a
wonderful view of the different valleys radiating from the Selah valley and of
the tiers of hills encircling the valleys, with snow-capped Mount Adams
overtopping the hills and majestic Mount Rainier towering above all.

Mr. Breeding deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, in that he
started out in life without financial resources and has since been dependent
entirely upon his own efforts. Sound judgment and ready adaptability have
featured largely in his success, making him one of the men of affluence in the
vicinity of Selah.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.