"Portrait & Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon."  Chapman 
Publishing Company, 1903. p. 821.
 
OLIVER P. COSHOW

     In more than one direction has Oliver Perry Coshow made his personality
felt in the state of Oregon, for though a successful business man in the days of
her prosperity, he crossed the plains in the time of danger and desolation and,
coming into the wilderness of the west, he turned his energies along the lines
necessary to profit by the multitude of opportunities presented in the untried
fields. He is a pioneer of 1851, and during the intervening years he has served
his adopted land as patriot, farmer, merchant and the leader of the woolen
industry in the city of Brownsville.
     The ancestry of the Coshow family is traced back to Revolutionary times,
the great-grandfather of Oliver P. Coshow being one of the soldiers who
accompanied La Fayette through the country during his visit in 1824. The
grandfather, William, was born in the state of Virginia, later in life making
his home in Kentucky, where his son, Robert Coshow, the father of Oliver P., was
born, April 30, 1808, near Lexington. At a later date the family fortunes were
changed to Indian, creek, Ohio, and to Clermont county, same state, where the
grandfather died. Being reared to the life of a farmer Robert Coshow continued
in this occupation, removing in manhood to Fayette county, Ind., and in 1842
changing his location to Muscatine county, Iowa, where he remained for one year.
After settling in Scott county, Iowa, he combined the trade of a carpenter with
his agricultural pursuits, and remained at this until 1860, when he came, via
the Isthmus of Panama, to Oregon, making his home, until his death, at the age
of eighty-three years, with a daughter, Mrs. Carpenter, of Salem. He married
Julia Perin, who was born near Connersville, Ind., and died in Scott county,
Iowa. She was the daughter of John Perin, a native of Massachusetts, who, with
his brother Samuel, settled in Indiana, later making his home in Iowa, where he
died at the age of ninety-four years. The great-grandfather of Mrs. Coshow was
Lemuel Perin, who was the first to change the spelling of the name bequeathed to
him by his ancestor, John, a native of England, who settled in Massachusetts in
1635.
     Of the ten children born to his parents, three sons and seven daughters,
all but one of whom attained maturity, Oliver Perry Coshow was the oldest son
and the second child. He was born July 4, 1831, in Connersville, Ind.
Interspersed as his home duties permitted he attended the public schools
intermittently as circumstances would allow, growing up to the life of a farmer,
at which he remained until 1850, when he entered a store in Appanoose county,
Iowa, as a clerk. In 1851 he decided to try his fortunes in the west and
accordingly made arrangements with the late Hon. R. B. Cochran, of Lane county,
Ore., whereby he was to have his passage for driving an ox-team, across the
plains. Beyond the minor trials incident to life on the plains the trip was made
without harrowing experiences, the party arriving safely in Oregon, where after
helping Mr. Cochran to build a cabin on his claim, Mr. Coshow ventured to the
Rogue river mines. Being prevented by illness in the continuance of this work he
took up, in 1853, a donation land claim of one hundred and sixty acres, located
one and one-half miles north of Brownsville, Linn county, where he engaged in
farming and stock-raising. In 1858 he bought two hundred and eighty acres five
miles southeast of Harrisburg and continued in his work. For the better
educational advantages of his children he removed to Brownsville in 1868, and in
connection with H. R. Powell bought an interest in the general merchandise
business of J. M. Morgan, but after one year Mr. Morgan withdrew and Mr. Coshow
and Mr. Powell conducted the business for four years. In 1863 he traded his
merchandise interest for an interest in the Brownsville woolen mills, but
operated the store in the interest of the new company, being also secretary of
the latter. The company then erected the business block on Main street, for
which Mr. Coshow parted with his one-fourth interest in the woolen mill, in
1880, taking as a partner C. H. Cable, a resident of this city. In 1888 he sold
out to C. E. Stanard, who has since conducted the business, and with the
exception of the handling of real estate and the duties of a notary public Mr.
Coshow has retired to private life. As a patriot Mr. Coshow enlisted, October
24, 1855, in Company C, Second Oregon Regiment, under Captain Keeney, and
returned home without accident after three months' service, as did all but one
man of the one hundred and twenty engaged.
     The marriage of Mr. Coshow occurred in Brownsville, September 23, 1853,
uniting him with Sarah E. Cochran, who was born in Putnam county, Mo., January
23, 1837, and died March 6, 1903. Her father, William Cochran, a native of
Kentucky, came from Missouri to Oregon, crossing the plains in 1847, and
locating first in Molalla, Clackamas county, Ore., when, after two years, he
came to Linn county, and took up a donation claim of six hundred and forty
acres, where he engaged in farming and stock-raising. He died near Rowland, of
this county, in the home of his youngest daughter, at the age of eighty-eight
years, having lived a very successful life. Of the ten children born to Mr.
and Mrs. Coshow, William Luther is a farmer and stock-raiser in Lake county;
Sophronia Alice is the wife of J. M. Howe, a merchant of Eugene, Ore. ; Robert
Heron is the secretary of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mills Company, of Salem, Ore. ;
James Nelson resides in Brownsville; Mary Ellen is the wife of John Franzen, a
mechanical engineer, of Portland, Ore.; Oliver Perry, Jr., is an attorney at
Roseburg, Ore. ; Sarah Elizabeth is the wife of R. H. Chaplain, Seattle, Wash.;,
Ida Alva is the wife of G. C. Stanard, of Portland ; George Helm makes his home
in Brownsville, where he is secretary of the Brownsville woolen mills ; and Kate
Ethel is the wife of A. B. Lavender, the business manager of the Brownsville
Times. Fraternally Mr. Coshow is a member of the Blue Lodge chapter, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, and in religion is a Baptist. Politically he is a
Democrat and has been quite active in the affairs of the city. He is a member of
the council, having been one of the first officers elected in the town, and has
served in the capacity of president. He has also served as city recorder for
several years. He was appointed notary by Governor Lord and has served
continuously since.

     
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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.