Gaston, Joseph.  "The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912."  Vol. 4. 
Chicago, Clarke Publishing Co., 1912. p. 141.
 
JOHN ROOT

     On the 22d of November, 1887, when John Root died upon his Oregon farm the
agricultural interests of Coos county lost a conspicuously successful
representative, a man who was an influencing figure in making the occupation of
tilling the soil honorable and worthy among the activities of man. Mr. Root was
born in Ohio in 1826, and was a son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Broombaugh) Root.
He was one of seven children born to his parents: Mary, Andrew, John, Jacob and
Elizabeth, all of whom are now deceased; Sarah, the wife of George Hoxie of
Josephine county, Oregon; and Susan, who also has passed away.
     John Root was educated in the public schools of Ohio and began active work
for himself at the age of twenty-one years. He was brought up upon his father's
farm and became acquainted at an early age with the details of agriculture. When
he was twenty-one years of age he bought a farm in Indiana and after his
marriage took charge of his agricultural interests in that state and was
successful and prosperous in the cultivation of the soil for seven years. At the
end of that time he disposed of his holdings in Indiana and went to Illinois
where he followed farming on a tract of land which he purchased. He was a
resident of Illinois for seventeen years and was an active factor in its
development. His residence in Oregon dated from 1874 in which year he settled in
the Fishtrap, a county on the Coquille river where he bought the homestead of
Oscar Sargent of one hundred and sixty acres and began its cultivation. He
cleared his property, built new barns and outbuildings and cultivated the land
along the most approved agricultural lines. He set out a portion of his land in
fruit orchards. He was active and successful as an agriculturist and brought his
tract of land which in the beginning was raw and undeveloped, to a high state of
cultivation before his death which occurred November 22, 1887.
     On the 6th of September, 1849, Mr. Root was united in marriage to Miss
Susanna Noffsinger, a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, and a daughter of Eli
Noffsinger. Mrs. Root is one of ten children born to her parents. The others
are: Elizabeth, Daniel, Joel, John, Joseph, Uriah and Eli, all of whom are now
deceased; Mary, the widow of C. C. Root, of Illinois; and Salome. To Mr. and
Mrs. Root were born eleven children: Andrew and Eli, both deceased; Uriah, of
Chico, California; Daniel, who lives in Myrtle Point, Oregon; Jacob, who has
passed away; John, who is now a resident of Arago, Oregon; Mary, deceased; Joel,
who resides with his mother; Hezekiah, of Norway, Oregon; and Sarah and Abraham,
both of whom are now deceased. After the death of Mr. Root his widow was united
in marriage to David Brower, a native of Virginia. Their marriage occurred in
1892 and they immediately settled in Jackson county. Mr. Brower was a minister
affiliated with the Baptist Brethren church and came to Oregon from Iowa in 1871
and died in this state in 1900.
     In his political affiliations John Root was a consistent republican but
never an office seeker. He belonged to the Baptist Brethren church and was a
minister in that organization. His religion was of the everyday sort which
influenced his life and molded his actions. His character was marked by an
innate honor and integrity, by industry, enterprise and sincere labor along
expansive lines, and these qualities influenced his career and had their effect
upon his prosperity and success


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