"Portrait and Biographical Record of Portland and Vicinity, Oregon." Authors: "a
compilation of this work....by a number of writers".  Chicago: Chapman
Publishing Co., 1903. p. 509.
 
ELLERY CAPEN

     represents the third generation of his family who have been engaged in the
manufacture of boots and shoes. Many years ago, in Stoughton, Mass., his
grandfather pegged shoes for the residents of that town, and his father, George
Capen, who was born in Stoughton in 1819, devoted his entire active life to
supplying the footwear needs of the men women and children of the famous old
Massachusetts town. This shoemaker of the second generation lived to a good old
age, for his death occurred in 1901, amid the surroundings of his youth, middle
and old age. His wife also, who was formerly Lucy Talbot, passed her entire life
in Stoughton, where she reared her four sons and five daughters, of whom two
sons and one daughter are deceased.
     When fifteen years of age, in 1857, Ellery Capen followed his father and
grandfather's example, and set about learning the shoe-making business. He
obtained employment in a factory where large numbers of shoes were turned out
every year, and in this way had every opportunity of acquiring a comprehensive
knowledge of the occupation. Out of the nineteen years spent in the factory
thirteen were employed as foreman of tile fitting department, and it will thus
be seen that he was not content to stay in a rut, but rather strove to get to
the top round of the ladder.  After coming to Portland in 1876, Mr. Capen
started up a business of his own on the corner of Salmon and First streets, and
in 1878 moved his growing business to the corner of Oak and Front streets, in
1883 locating in the Honeyman block. He removed his business to Willamette Falls
in 1892, and erected the present factory of one hundred by thirty-six feet in
ground dimensions. His present capacity is fifty pairs of shoes a day, and he
employs ten workmen. A specialty is made of men's and boys' footwear, and the
union stamp is to be found on every pair of shoes that leaves the manufactory.
The most modern machinery has been introduced in the factory, and the fine welt
shoe turned out has a market all through Oregon and into East Washington. Like
most men who have been obliged to start with a small beginning and have had to
depend solely upon their own ability, Mr. Capen has builded slowly and surely,
and is now firmly launched among the substantial and reliable business world of
Willamette.
    The wife of Mr. Capen was formerly Henrietta Leighton, a native of
Massachusetts, a daughter of George Leighton, a native of Portsmouth, N. H. Mr.
Leighton was for many years engaged in the manufacture of shovels in Portsmouth,
in which city his death occurred at the age of fifty-one. Three daughters and
three sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Capen, of whom Edith is now Mrs.
Herman Schade, of Portland; Frank is foreman in his father's factory; Minnie is
the wife of F. G. Smith, of Portland; George is a traveling salesman for his
father; Bessie is living at home, and Edward is cashier for the Blake, McFall
Paper Company, of Portland. Mr. Capen is a Republican in national and local
politics, a preference which is shared by his whole family. He is a popular,
enterprising and very successful man, and has the confidence of the business and
social community in which he lives.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in April 2007 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned 
above.