An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., 
The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, pages 472-473

	S.N. SECRIST, ex-Sheriff of Clarke county, Washington, was born in
Marysville, Grant county, Indiana, January 17, 1845, a son of Michael and Mary
(McMahill) Secrist, the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Kentucky.
The father was born 1813, and was among the early pioneers of Ohio and Indiana.
The Secrists are of Swiss origin, the ancestors having settled in settled in
Virginia in the latter part of the seventeenth century. Henry Secrist and
William Mc Mahill, grandfathers of our subject, were patriot soldiers in the war
of 1812.
	S.N. Secrist, the subject of this sketch, located with his parents in the
southern portion of Iowa  when he was quite young. At the age of sixteen years
he began the battle of life on his own account; crossed the plains to Idaho,
where he engaged in mining two years, and thence to Denver. At the latter place
he enlisted as a private in the First Colorado Cavalry, and served on the
frontier until 1866. Mr. Secrist then visited the haunts of his boyhood home,
where he was engaged in mining and farming until 1812, and in that year located
in Vancouver, Washington. He immediately took up a homestead of 160 acres
adjoining the city, of which he still owns about eighty acres, and fifteen acres
ofí the latter is devoted to fruit trees, which are in a healthy and thriving
condition, giving good returns of fruit. He also owns residence property in the
city. As a lumber merchant Mr. Secrist is considered an expert; was United
States Inspector for the district from 1887 to 1889; was one of the organizers
of the Fruit Valley Grange, but resigned the management of their co-operative
store to assume the duties of County Sheriff.
	Politically, he is a stanch and active Democrat, was the choice of his party
for his present office in 1887, and was re elected in 1890. He has always taken
an active interest in school work, and has been a member of the Board of
Directors for over twelve years.
	March 22, 1868, in Iowa, our subject was united in marriage with Miss
Elizabeth Odem, a native of Indiana. To this union have been born thirteen
children, eight now living, namely: James M., John T., Mary, Frederick, George
W., William H., Fanny M., and Grace M. In his social relations, Mr. Secrist
affiliates with the K. of P., the I.O.O.F., also the Encampment degree of the
latter order, and the P. of H.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in October 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.