Clark, Robert Carlton, Ph.D. "History of the Willamette Valley Oregon."  Vol. 3.
Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company, 1927. p. 339.
 
CHARLES F. SIMON
 
     A marked spirit of enterprise has characterized the career of Charles F.
Simon, who, through his initiative and his progressive business methods, has
gained an enviable reputation among the agriculturists of Marion county. Mr.
Simon is a native of the Willamette Valley, having been born at Salem on the 9th
day of October, 1872, and is a son of Joseph and Isabel (Hamilton) Simon. His
father was born August 28, 1837, in Reichenberg, Austria, and died in 1891,
while the mother, who was: a native of Missouri, died September 9,  1919.
Joseph  Simon emigrated to the United States in 1851, and located in
Connecticut, where he was employed in silk mills: for some time, and in 1857 he
came to the Pacific coast, making the voyage around Cape Horn to San Francisco,
and thence to Oregon. For awhile he ran a pack mule train from Portland to
Salem, and afterwards entered the Salem Woolen Mills, where he had supervision
of the looms, during which time he made his home in that city.   About 1870 he
bought the present homestead, comprising one hundred and twenty-eight acres,
practically all of which was in timber and brush.   At that time there had not
been much improvement  in  this part of the state and wild game was exceedingly
plentiful, and at times very troublesome.  It required a day to make the trip to
Salem and return, while practically all of the conveniences of modern life were
unknown. Here he developed a good farm, on which he lived until his death.
Isabel Hamilton was a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Comber)  Hamilton, the
latter a native of  Pennsylvania and  of  old Quaker stock.   Mr. Hamilton was
of Irish extraction and he owned the land on which Mr. Simon lived before it was
acquired by the latter's father. Isabel (Hamilton) Simon was one of the early
pioneers in the hop growing industry in Oregon. She was one of the first to.
plant hops in Oregon, and through her energy and resourcefulness, and in spite
of the usual heartaches and near failures that usually accompany any pioneer
venture, she was universally successful in her undertakings. The example of this
intrepid woman was an inspiration to other settlers in the region, and as a
result, the neighborhood ranchers engaged in the raising of hops, and the
results are manifest to anyone who will take the trouble to look over the vast
tracts of land now given over to this industry.  A great deal of this credit was
due to the assistance and counsel of Mrs. Simon's daughter, Rose, now Mrs. J. A.
Gwinn.  To Joseph and Isabel Simon were born two children, Rose Emma, who is the
wife of J. A. Gwinn, and resides on the home place, and Charles F., of this
sketch.
 
     Charles F. Simon attended the district schools of his home neighborhood and
Mt. Angel College, at Santa Clara, California, where he took a course in steam
engineering. After his father's death he returned to the home farm, where he
lived until 1894, while his sister Was attending school, and during the
following twelve years he was engaged in advertising work with the firm which is
now Foster & Kleiser. From 1906 to 1919 he was engaged in general and direct
advertising with offices at San Francisco and Oakland under the name of Charles
F. Simon, the advertiser. In 1919, on the death of his mother, he returned to
the ranch, where he has remained to the present time. He now has fifty acres in
hops and eight acres in peaches, cherries, prunes, apples and walnuts, and is
operating the place in conjunction with his sister, who gives her particular
attention to the sheep. Recently Mr. Simon has given deep study to the business
of raising turkeys on a commercial scale and his operations in that line thus
far have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposition. He keeps
breeding-stock only, mostly of the bronze variety, and these he places with
other farmers, who agree to sell to Mr. Simon the increase at the current price
per pound. The breeding stock remains Mr. Simon's property and he maintains
supervision of the handling, housing and feeding of the birds, as well as the
keeping of accurate records, for all of which he gives instruction to those who
take stock. Also, one-half of the increase belongs primarily to Mr. Simon. It is
his intention to eventually enlarge his scope of operations to include the
entire state, which will be advantageous to many farmers, who can use otherwise
worthless land for this purpose. In the course of time there will be a cannery
established for the packing of turkey meat, and there will also be a demand for
a turkey raisers' association. Mr. Simon is the pioneer in this enterprise and
there undoubtedly is a splendid future for operations along that line.
 
     On July 10, 1895, Mr. Simon was united in marriage to Miss Dora Bettinger,
a native of Missouri and a daughter of Jacob and Narcissie (Alley) Bettinger.
Her parents brought their family west, locating first in Washington, but later
moving to California, where Mrs. Simon was living at the time of her marriage.
To Mr. and Mrs. Simon have been born two children: Charles Joseph, who is a
practicing physician in San Francisco, is married and has a son, Charles Robert;
and Dorothy Isabel is married and has a daughter, Jeanne Marie. She is a
professional dancer and uses the name Narcissie Alley. Mr. Simon is a member of
San Francisco Lodge, No. 3, B. P. O. E., and among his associates enjoys a
well-deserved popularity, while throughout the community he is held in high
regard.

     
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in June 2016 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.