Lockley, Fred.  "History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the
Sea." Vol. 2.  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1928.  p. 428

JAMES W. ENGLISH

James W. English, who died May 3, 1928, after having been an invalid for over
nine years, owned a well improved and productive farm, located one mile west of
Odell, Hood River valley, lived there for forty years and gained an enviable
reputation as an industrious, energetic and progressive farmer. He was born in.
Ontario, Canada, on the 4th of July, 1867, a son of J. W. and Ann (Costin)
English, both of whom were natives of Canada. His father, who was a tailor by
trade, died in Manitoba, Canada, and his wife died in Hood River, Oregon.

J. W. English attended the public schools of his native country and came to the
United States in 1882, locating in North Dakota, where he completed his
education. For several years thereafter he worked on farms and was also
employed about one year on the construction of the Northern Pacific railroad in
Montana. In 1888 he came to Hood River, Oregon, a~td took up a homestead about
four miles west of Odell. The land was covered with timber and at that time
there was no road to his place. After building a small log house, he began
clearing his land, and in the course of titne had ten acres cleared and part of
it planted to fruit. He lived there until 1900, when he sold that place and
bought forty acres of timber land one mile west of Odell, the only improvement
on the place being a small log house. After clearing thirty acres of this land,
he sold twenty acres, so that he owned twenty acres, of \vhich nine acres are in
orchard, the remainder being in bay and pasture. He kept his orchard in the best
condition and in return received bountiful crops of fruit, In 1912 Mr. English
erected an attractive, modern home, while all of the other buildings on the
place are of a substantial character.

In December, 1891, Mr. English was united in marriage to Miss Dolly Divers, who
is a native of the Hood River valley and is a daughter of John Otis and Julia
Ann (Neal) Divers, the former born in Virginia, while the latter was born in
Oregon City, Oregon, and was a daughter of Peter NeaL Further reference is made
to Mrs. English's family in the sketch of her half-brother, Virgil Winchell, on
other pages of this work, in addition to which it may be stated that her
paternal grandfather, Davis L. Divers, crossed the plains, with ox teams and
covered wagons, in 1862, locating first at Oregon City, Oregon, later coming to
the Hood River valley, in what was then Wasco county. He took up a homestead and
a preemption claim, thus becoming the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of
land, located about one mile west of Odell, all covered with heavy timber.
Because of the prevalence of oak timber in this locality, he named it White Oak
valley. He built a log house and started to clear the land, on which he raised
garden truck. He kept cows and a flock of chickens, and carried his eggs and
butter to The Dalles, on horseback, that being the nearest market at that time.
About 1904 he sold that place and bought a small ranch near Odell, where he
spent his remaining days, his death occurring August 14, 1904. John O. Divers
was educated in the district school near Odell and about the time he attained
his majority he took up a homestead one and a half miles west of Odell, on which
he built a small board house, after which he cleared a large part of his land,
on which he raised hogs, cattle and grain. In 1893 he sold that place and went
to Montana, but his death occurred at Lewiston, Idaho. To him and his wife were
born seven children: Mrs. Dolly English; James, who lives in Montana; Mrs. May
Sellinger, who lives in the Hood River valley; John 0., deceased; Mrs. Julia
Estey, of Butte, Montana; Perry, deceased; and Newton, who lives in California.
Mr. and Mrs. English had four children: Beatrice, who is the wife of E. L. Vose,
of Portland, Oregon, and they have a daughter, Beatrice, now eight years of age;
Leland, who died in August, 1920; Harry, who is at home; and Jayen W., who is a
senior in the high school at Odell. Mrs. English has the distinction of having
been one of the first white girls born in the Hood River valley. Mr. English was
a member of the Pomona Grange. He stood ready to cooperate with his fellow
citizens in all efforts to better the community and his record as farmer and
citizen gained for him an enviable place in the estimation of his fellowmen.


 
*******************

Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in November 2006 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.