Gaston, Joseph. "The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912." Vol. 3. Chicago, Clarke Publishing Co., 1912. p. 438. JEREMIAH COBB BAISLEY. While all days have not been equally bight in the business career of Jeremiah Cobb Baisley, he has on the whole made steady progress in his mining, farming and stock-raising -- the three interests which have claimed the greater part of his time and attention. He was born on the 7th of March, 1842, in Jefferson township, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, and is now living upon a well improved farm near Durkee, Oregon, where he is carrying on agricultural pursuits along improved lines. His father, Amos Baisley, was born in New Jersey and is a son of a Revolutionary soldier. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Hulda Haze, who was also born in New Jersey and in that state was married. Amos S. Baisley, who was both a farmer and carpenter, removed from his native state to Pennsylvania and afterward to Missouri, whence, in 1863, he crossed the plains with ox teams to Oregon, accompanied by his family. He located land in the Powder river valley below Baker City and afterward discovered placer gold mines below the Virtue gold quartz mines. He worked his placer lands with considerable profit and at the same time improved his farm. After his death, which occurred December 8, 1871, his widow returned to Pennsylvania, where she passed away a few years later. The father left his family in comfortable financial circumstances. There were three sons and four daughters. Sarah, born in 1838, became the wife of Richard Williams, of Missouri, and they had three sons and two daughters. Barbara Ann became the wife of William Adams and is now a resident of the Powder river valley. They have four sons and two daughters. Jeremiah C. is the third of the family. Malinda is the wife of W. James, living about five miles west of Baker, and they have two daughters. Samuel B., living on a farm about six miles west of Baker, married a Miss Warfield and they had two sons and two daughters. Mary died when about seven years of age. James L., living in Baker, married Miss Bowman and had six daughters. Jeremiah C. Baisley was educated in the public schools of Glasgow and of Mercer county, Missouri. His first work was in placer mining on his father's property near the Virtue gold quartz mine. While they had water to work with this paid them well, Mr. Baisley and his father clearing sixty-four dollars in a single day with a rocker. He afterward purchased land near Durkee, also homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres and preempted one hundred and sixty acres. He likewise bought other land adjoining until he now has in one body eight hundred and forty acres on Durkee creek suitable for grain and pasturage and nearly all enclosed and under cultivation. He has raised as high as fifty five bushels of wheat to the acre and has an orchard of about eighteen acres bearing apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches, etc. A large part of his land is excellent fruit land. He owns the waters of Durkee creek, having purchased the right from C. W. Durkee, whose location dates back to 1862. By means of ditches constructed for irrigation purposes he has been using this water for between twenty and thirty years and is order to add thereto he now has under construction a large ditch seven miles in length, intended to carry two thousand inches of water. He hopes with the use of reservoirs to irrigate all of the property and it is his plan to subdivide this into ten, twenty and thirty-acre tracts for truck and fruit farms, for which it is well adapted, while the railroad, three miles distant, will afford excellent shipping facilities. Mr. Baisley has dealt largely in cattle and horses, at times running on the land several hundred head of cattle and from one to three hundred head of horses annually. He now has a large number of cattle and horses, including some fine Percheron stock. On the 24th of October, 1867, Mr. Baisley was married to Miss Mildred Peyton, of Monticello, Howard county, Missouri, a daughter of Andrew Jackson and Nancy Jane (Smith) Peyton. Her father was born in 1815 and was the son of a Mexican war soldier. Her parents went from Madison county, Kentucky, to Missouri, where they were farmers, stock-raisers and slaveowners, living near Glasgow. Her grandmother was a half-sister to the famous scout Kit Carson. Her father was married twice and by his first wife had a son and four daughters, while by his second wife, Mrs. Baisley's mother, he had two sons and two daughters. His eldest child, Sarah, became the wife of Addison Houston. Elzira Miller Peyton, the second of the family, born January 14, 1839, lives in Baker county. She took up a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres, a desert claim of forty acres and a timber culture claim of one hundred and twenty acres. She secured title to all these and eventually sold the land. She is now seventy-four years of age, a hale, hearty and cheerful old lady. She has been of much assistance to her sister in rearing the thirteen children of the Baisley family. The other children of the Peyton family by the first marriage were: John Benton, who wedded Euretta Hulsey; Eliza F., the wife of David Dunn; and Mary, the wife of William Boyd. All three are residents of Missouri. The children of the second marriage were as follows: Mildred Ann, now Mrs. Baisley, was born January 27, 1850. She had a first cousin, John A. Peyton, who was born on the same day and he became a noted educator, school superintendent and for several years was assessor of Baker county but is now deceased. Andrew Jackson, born December 21, 1852, married Jane Alice Maddox, and lives in Missouri. Semira Jane, born November 3, 1854, is the wife of James Fical, of California. James Oscar, born in 1856, died when he was eleven years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Baisley became the parents of seven sons and six daughters: Edna, born March 22, 1869, is the wife of William Jackson Peyton, of Unity, Oregon, and has three sons and a daughter. Oliver Oscar, born November 25, 1871, was married October 11, 1888, to Drusilla Peyton, and they have two sons and two daughters: Maymie, born July 13, 1890; Arthur Calvin, who was born October 11, 1891, and is now a registered pharmacist; Wineda, born August 22, 1899; and Wilbur Bradley, born October 4, 1901. Minnie, born February 1, 1873, married Edward Henley and has one daughter. Jennie, born May 9, 1875, is the wife of Samuel Lycette. Clyde, born December 28, 1876, died at the age of eleven years. Tennessee, born December 12, 1877, is the wife of John Cannon and they have a son and two daughters. James Jackson, born February 1, 1879, married Lila Cunningham and died leaving a wife and one daughter. Frank S., born November 19, 1881, married Maggie Groesnickle. The ninth, a daughter, died in infancy. Cordell, born May 6, 1884, is at home. Roy N., born February 1, 1886, married Nellie Boyd and has a daughter. Howard, born June 19, 1888, is deceased. Beulah Blanch, born March 24, 1891, is the wife of Edward Gerber. Mr. Baisley is a democrat in principle but at local elections votes for the candidate whom he regards as best qualified for office. He has served as school director in Baker county for four years and has also been a loyal and public-spirited citizen since his stalwart advocacy of the Union as a soldier in the Civil war. He enlisted with the volunteers at Chillicothe, Missouri, October 23, 1862, and after spending the winter at Cape Girardeau on the Mississippi was sent in 1863 to Vicksburg and joined General Burns' command. In an attack on the city he was wounded and taken prisoner but was afterward paroled and sent to Jefferson Barracks. Because of his wounds he was granted a furlough and was sent to his home in Mercer county, Missouri, after which he was never called into active service again. He has led a busy and useful life, has ever been generous and open handed and it is truly said of him that he never turned any one from his door hungry. He has reached the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten and is still active and enterprising citizen and one who has gradually worked his way upward to success. Photo on page 439. comments: genealogy for this individual located at: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=bakerco&id=I3386 ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in October 2008 by Dale Givens, odg -at- hiwaay dot net.