An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, pages 398-399
	
	JAMES W. FOSTER, one of the pioneers of the State of Washington, was born in
the State of Maine, was there reared and sent to the common school. His father,
Philip Foster, was also born in Maine, and there married Miss Fannie Cummins. He
was employed by a company to go to California to build some mills. A ship was
loaded with machinery and he was put in charge, but on the passage the ship went
to Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, and was there about six months, and Mr. Foster
proceeded to Portland, Oregon. He finally settled at Oregon City, and entered
the mercantile business, but later he engaged in the building of the toll road
across the Cascade mountains, having his headquarters on the west side. Here he
established a trading post to furnish supplies to the immigrants. Mr. Foster was
one of the earliest settlers of Oregon, coming about 1843. He died in 1887, at
the age of eighty years. His wife died one year after marriage, leaving one
child, the subject of this sketch.
	Our subject was of such a tender age that he does not have any memory of the
mother who passed away so soon, but he was kindly reared by his grandparents. In
1852 he had earned enough to enable him to pay his passage to San Francisco, to
which city he sailed, around Cape Horn, reaching there that same fall, and then
going by a steamer to Portland, and to the home of his father. He took up a
donation claim of 160 acres, improved the land, and lived there until 1859, when
he came to Walla Walla, Washington, taking a claim here, six miles southeast of
the town, toward cottonwood and on Spring branch, at the foot-hills. Here he now
resides, having improved his farm and put it into a good condition. For several
years he was engaged in breeding and selling fine-blooded horses, by which
enterprise he made considerable money: some of these horses brought from $500 to
$3,000; but of late years he has devoted his attention to farming.
	Horticulture has deeply interested Mr. Foster, and he was the first man in
Walla Walla county to set out an orchard, and he now has an area of eighty acres
set out to all kinds of fruit. He transported his original trees over the
Cascade mountains from Portland, Oregon, by means of pack horses, and at night
would bury the trees to keep them from freezing. Owing to his inability to
afford himself equal protection, he had his feet frozen on the journey. The
climate of this State favors the growing of fine fruit, and from this source he
has a good income. Mr. foster has made it one rule of his life never to have
anything that he could not pay for, and never to buy anything merely because it
was cheap. One source of honest pride is, that he has never had a mortgage on
his place, and was never asked to give security when borrowing money at the
bank. He has one of the finest vineyards in the county, and his farm and orchard
always supply all that is choicest in the products of the land. When he first
settled here he had no neighbors, and had to get his supplies from the pack
trains. Many times has he seen the day when the larder contained nothing but
beans. On one occasion he went four days without food of any sort. He took part
in the Indian wars, enduring many hardships at that time, but has lived through
all, and is now able to enjoy the fat of the land.
	Our subject has worked indefatigably during his residence on the coast, and
all that he owns he has gained by his own industry and management. He belongs to
the People's party, and his first Presidential vote was for Weaver in 1892. The
reason he never before voted for president was because he happened to be on the
frontier or in a Territory at the time of the election.
	In 1867, our subject married Miss Louisa M. Rockhill, a native of Iowa. Her
parents, Anthony and Rosetta Rockhill, came to Washington in 1864; were natives
of Ohio, and are now living near Dayton. Mr. and Mrs. Foster are the parents of
nine children: James W., Jr., Chester U., Jessie May, Nelson B., Iva C., Love
L., Mildred R, and Essa.
	
Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in September 2003 by Jeffrey L. Elmer
	
	
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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project.  Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.