The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 891 

GEORGE F. MESSER.

Arriving in the Yakima valley in December, 1908, George F. Messer purchased
thirteen and a half acres of land a mile and a half north of Buena. Gray with
the sagebrush that has always been the only crop produced by this soil until the
work of cultivation is begun by man, Mr. Messer resolutely took up the task of
developing the property, which is now valuable by reason of the orchards upon
it. His has been an active and useful life. He is separated from the place of
his birth by the width of the continent, for he is a native son of Rutland
county, Vermont. His natal day was April 30, 1843, his parents being Richard and
Alzina (Benson) Messer, who were also natives of the Green Mountain state. The
paternal grandfather, Richard S. Messer, was likewise born in Vermont and was a
representative of one of the old colonial families. The maternal grandparents
were Freeman and Sarah (Barnes) Benson, the former a veteran of the War of 1812.
In the year 1847 Richard Messer took his family from New England to Portage
county, Wisconsin, where he devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits for
some years and then went to Arkansas, where his death occurred. His wife died in
South Dakota, in the home of their son George.

Following the removal of the family to Wisconsin, George F. Messer acquired a
public school education in that state and in young manhood devoted his attention
to logging and to railroad work. Subsequently he bought land in Minnesota, where
he followed farming for a number of years. spending twenty-three years
altogether in that portion of the country. He afterward went to Brown county,
South Dakota, where he carried on farming for eight years, and in December,
1908, he arrived in the Yakima valley and became the owner of a tract of land
near Buena, which, as previously stated, was wild and undeveloped when he
acquired possession of the place. He sold a part of the thirteen and a half
acres to his son but still retains eight and a half acres, all of which is
planted to fruit-apples, pears and cherries.

On the 17th of October, 1875, Mr. Messer was united in marriage to Miss Esther
Hostetter, a native of Fillmore county, Minnesota, and a daughter of Jacob and
Amelia (Brobst) Hostetter, who were pioneer settlers of that state and there
continued to reside until called to their final rest. Mr. and Mrs. Messer have
become parents of nine children, as follows: Ernest, who married Miss Della
Bruner and is successfully engaged in ranching; Charles, who also devotes his
attention to ranching and who married Miss Merle Bruner, by whom he has five
children; Elsie, who gave her hand in marriage to Drew Terwillegar, of Yakima;
Alton, who married Miss Mabel Davis and is a rancher and stockman of Nebraska;
Iva, who died at the age of twenty-three years; Pearl, at home; Luella, the wife
of James Albert Simmons, who is engaged in ranching; and Alma and Alpha, who
are yet under the parental roof.

Mr. Messer is well known in the valley, gaining a wide acquaintance during the
eleven years of his residence here. His diligent efforts as the years have
passed have won him gratifying prosperity and he is now enabled to enjoy all of
the comforts of life.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.