Lockley, Fred. "History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the Sea." Vol. 2. S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1928. p. 358. JOSEPH O. STEARNS Joseph O. Stearns, whom his many friends in Portland address by the title of Judge, has long occupied a position of prominence in legal circles of the city. He knows every phase of pioneer life in Oregon, his native state. Interesting facts concerning his career were gleaned by Fred Lockley, who wrote the following sketch for the Oregon Journal: "In reply to my first question, Judge Stearns said, 'I was born in Jackson county, October 15, 1855. Our donation land claim was located about where Medford now is. My father, Samuel Eastman Stearns, was a native of Vermont. He was born in 1814. My mother, Susan Terry Whittaker, was born in Ohio. Father and mother were married at Batavia, Ohio, March 12, 1844. In the family,were nine children, of whom I was the sixth. Father's family came to America in 1630 with Governor Winthrop and Sir Richard Saltonstall as passengers aboard the Arabella. The founder of the family in America was Isaac Stearns, who hailed from Suffolk, England, and was one of the first to be admitted as a "freeman." He was admitted on May 18, 1631, and not long after became a selectman of Watertown. Isaac, Abigail, Hannah, Phoebe, Kazia, Ebenezer, Benjamin, Ruth and Peter are all old family names and come down from generation to generation in our family. "'When my parents located in Jackson county the country had few settlers and they lived under primitive conditions, enduring many hardships and privations. They were in constant danger from Indian attacks and I remember seeing Chief John of the Rogue River tribe. I have a distinct recollection of the children being hidden by my mother in a depression of the ground and covered with brush for the purpose, thus eluding the keen eyes and ears of the savages. Our home was a log house about fourteen by sixteen feet in dimensions, with a dirt floor, flour sacks for windows and a blanket for a door. A crane hung in the fireplace and mother cooked in a Dutch oven. My parents slept in bunks and I had a trundle bed. My mother had a spinning wheel and spun the wool. She made buckskin shoes for the children and taught them how to fashion hats with oat straw. There were but few matches in those early days and the fire was kept burning by burying the oak coals at night. Twice our fire went out and mother sent me to borrow coals from a neighbor. Wild animals as well as redskins roamed through the forests and game was abundant. Our soap was made from the fat of animals, this being placed in a sack until needed. Lye was made by pouring water on hardwood ashes, to which the hot fat was afterward added. The pioneers first used "sop lights," made in a receptacle in which wicks were placed. Tallow was poured on them and when lighted they were pulled out of the tallow with tweezers. The tallow dip was next used and afterward came the candle moulds, six candles being made at one time. These were followed by sperm candles and they in turn were replaced by small lamps containing nut oil. Later coal oil was burned in square tin lamps which smoked and frequently exploded. A petrolem product known as lucene was used in brass lamps but this was a very dangerous method of making light and eventually gas and electricity came into use. When I was a child my father made syrup by putting sugar cane in a wooden trough with a sheet iron bottom and cooking it until the liquid reached the proper consistency. During the harvesting season the grain was put in a small corral and horses and cattle were driven over it. The flail was next used and this was made by tieing two heavy sticks together with thongs. In the early days the sleds were drawn by oxen. Some horses were used and the wagons were of primitive make. "'My father was a Baptist minister÷what they called in those days a circuit rider. He rode all over the northwest, preaching in scattered communities and founding Baptist churches. While he was a strong Baptist, my mother was an equally strong Methodist. My father's ministerial duties kept him away from home most of the time. "'We came to Portland in the spring of 1863. We would have been here in the fall of 1862, but while coming through Monroe my eldest brother, Ed, started to get on the heavily loaded wagon but fell and the wagon wheel passed over him. We had to stay at Monroe all winter before he was able to travel. At one time my mother conducted a hotel, called the Temperance House, which was located at First and Salmon streets in Portland. As a boy, the hotels I remember best in Portland were the Occidental, at the northeast corner of First and Morrison streets, the What Cheer House, the International and the Globe, the last named being a sort of sailors' boarding house. Later mother sold the hotel and for many years kept a private boarding house. "'I attended the old Central school, of which Professor Beebe was principal. Later I went to high school under Professor Johnson, who afterward became president of the University of Oregon. All of the children of our family who could brought in money toward its support. During my boyhood a man named Sappington had the Oregonian route, which he sold to Benjamin Thomas. I worked for both men and had charge of all the routes south of Alder street. In those days there were few residences west of Third street, and of course what is now the east side was at that time divided into farms. Later I carried a route on the Bulletin, which was owned by Ben Holladay. "'When I was fifteen I quit school and went to work in a broom factory on Front street, between Ankeny and Burnside. I worked by the piece and earned what was considered big money for those days, making sometimes two and a half dollars per day. Later I went to work for Smith Brothers & Watson. They operated a foundry and iron works and I remained with them for six or seven years, learning the trade of a machinist. In the month of June, 1879, I went to Walla Walla, Washington, intending to purchase a machine shop but arrived in the city too late to secure it. From there I proceeded to eastern Oregon and secured work in the Monumental mine, not far from the present town of Sumpter. "'I was married May 15, 1881, in Walla Walla to Miss Isabelle R. Smith a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick B. Smith, who went to the territory of Washington as pioneers of 1852. Mr. Smith was one of the early sheriffs of Cowlitz county and it was there that my wife was born. For some years after my marriage I was engaged in the real estate and insurance business at Walla Walla. In the fall of 1886 I moved to a ranch on Alsea bay, not far from Waldport, in what was then Benton county but is now a part of Lincoln county. I farmed there for ten or twelve years and during that time I was appointed justice of the peace, which job led me into the study of law. When Lincoln county was created I was appointed one of the county commissioners by Governor Pennoyer and served until July, 1894. In September, 1896, I was appointed county judge by Governor Lord and remained on the bench until July, 1898. These positions forced me into the study of law and the study of law forced me into the practice of law. "'I returned to Portland in 1898, taking up the real estate and insurance business and also handling legal matters along the line of conveyancing, probate matters and the examination of abstracts. Since 1907, however, I have confined my work entirely to the practice of law. Sometimes it almost seems to me as if man were not a free agent, for I had no intention of taking up the practice of law when I started in the real estate and insurance business. "'I had these children: Edwin L., Ellen Janet died in infancy, Joseph O., Ralph C., Edith A., Ellice M., David W., Walter T., Agnes R., Kenneth P., Howard C. and Horace Avery. Four of my sons participated in the World war in active service, one in the marines. Ralph was with the Twenty-fifth Engineers and David joined the Fourth Engineers. Walter was a member of the One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Infantry and was attached to the Thirty-Second Division when killed in the Argonne offensive. Kenneth enlisted in the United States navy and Howard served with the merchant marine."' Judge Stearns is an adherent of the republican party and a strong advocate of its principles. His mind is analytical and logical in its trend and in the presentation of a case he is always fortified by a comprehensive understanding of the legal principles applicable thereto. Every trust reposed in him has been ably and faithfully discharged and as the years have passed his clientele has steadily increased. The combat with hardships has developed the strongest and best traits in his character and public opinion bears testimony as to his worth. For seventy-two years a resident of Oregon and Washington, he has seen the country village of Portland develop into a great port and the metropolis of a great state. To him has been granted the privilege of witnessing the marvelous panorama of Oregon's development and the history of its civilization has become a part of his being. He has found life well worth the living and his conversation is enriched with interesting reminiscences of the past. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in August 2007 by Diana Smith. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.