The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 564

REUBEN HARTLEY.

Sixty acres of highly developed land two miles north of Granger bespeak the
prosperity of Reuben Hartley and there he raises hay, corn and potatoes and also
has valuable dairy interests. His success is to be ascribed entirely to his
industry, energy and close observation, for he has ever studied agricultural
methods and by applying the right principles has succeeded in business.

A native of Watauga county, North Carolina, Mr. Hartley was born July 20, 1868,
and is a son of Harrison H. and Margaret (Isaacs) Hartley, also natives of that
state. The father successfully followed agricultural pursuits. In 1870 the
family removed to Missouri but not finding conditions there to their liking,
they returned to North Carolina in 1871. The year 1872 marked their arrival in
Coos county, Oregon, and there Mr. Hartley, Sr., rented land for six years.
Another removal brought him to Whitman county, Washington, where he took up a
preemption and also a homestead claim, the two comprising one hundred and sixty
acres. This ranch he improved to a considerable extent but later sold out and
returned to Coos county, Oregon, where he bought a farm which he successfully
conducted until 1918, in which year he divided the farm among his children. He
now lives retired in California in the enjoyment of a fair competence. His wife
passed away in 1914.

Reuben Hartley made the various removals with his parents and was largely reared
amid the surroundings of the farm. He received his public school education in
the states of Washington and Oregon and remained with his parents until
twenty-two years of age, when he started out for himself. He at first took up a
homestead and preemption claim in Coos county, Oregon, which comprised two
hundred and eighty acres, but after proving up sold out and bought forty acres
of bottom land. This property he greatly improved and thereon built a good house
and barns but again sold to advantage because he had decided to make another
change. Having heard many favorable reports in regard to the Yakima valley, he
came to Yakima county on the 10th of September, 1910, and bought twenty acres of
land three miles northeast of Granger, which was partly improved. He added to
the improvements and installed modern equipment, remaining there for about seven
years and selling in December, 1917, when he bought sixty acres two miles north
of Granger, which is all under cultivation. Ever ready to embrace new ideas and
wisely utilizing his past experience, he is a successful agriculturist in the
best sense of the word, not only deriving a large income from his labors but
also setting an example to others and thus contributing toward general
development. He raises hay, corn, and potatoes and also has dairy interests.

On October 17, 1900, Mr. Hartley was united in marriage to Miss Annie Arnold, a
native of Pueblo, Colorado, and a daughter of A. M. and Catherine (Dolan)
Arnold, who later settled in Kittitas county, Washington, and thence removed to
Coos county, Oregon. Her father was a successful rancher. To Mr. and Mrs.
Hartley were born six children, Inez, Almys, Elmer, Leslie, Robert and Helen.

In his political affiliation Mr. Hartley has ever followed the democratic
standard and is well informed in regard to the issues of the day as far as
local, state and national politics are concerned. While a resident of Oregon he
served on the school board and also was a member of the town council at Myrtle
Point, that state. Mr. Hartley is a man of high character, energetic and
industrious, who has attained to a prosperous condition in life entirely through
his own efforts.

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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.