Gaston, Joseph. "The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912." Vol. 3. Chicago, Clarke Publishing Co., 1912. p. 565. WALTER S. CARSNER is the owner of a valuable ranch of four hundred and eighty acres located on the south side of the John Day river, four miles below Mount Vernon. He is one of Grant county's pioneers and was formerly extensively engaged in the stock business, but has greatly reduced his herds of recent years, giving more attention to the cultivation of his land. He was born in Polk county, Iowa, on the 11th of November, 1852, and is a son of Jonas and Sarah (Parkinson) Carsner. The father was a native of Ray county, Missouri, and the mother of Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather, Henry Carsner, who was a farmer, located in Missouri during the pioneer days and there passed the remainder of his life. His son Jonas subsequently removed to Iowa, which was his place of residence until in the late ' 50s, when he went to Kansas, settling in the vicinity of Leavenworth. He and his family spent the winter of 1861 at Nebraska City, and there the following spring they joined an emigrant train of about sixty wagons coming to Oregon. They made the journey with six yoke of oxen, experiencing no unusual difficulties or hardships on the trip, their party not having been attacked by the Indians nor having, suffered from the epidemics, with which some of the emigrants were afflicted. On the 20th of October, 1862, they arrived in the Willamette valley, and there for two years Mr. Carsner rented land. At the expiration of that time he came to the John Day valley, filing on a tract of land located on the river twelve miles below Mount Vernon. The family settled there in August, 1864 and on the 12th of the December following, the father passed away, leaving a widow and a family of seven small children practically penniless. Despite the many hard-ships and privations Mrs. Carsner experienced in supporting and rearing her family, she lived to attain the venerable age of eighty-two years, her death occurring in November, 1910. Walter S. Carsner was a child of twelve years when his father died, but despite his youth he was compelled to assist in maintaining the family. They remained on their claim until the spring of 1865 when, owing to the danger from the Indians, they removed to the Willamette valley, making their home there for three years. In the spring of 1868, they returned to this section, settling six miles below Mount Vernon, which was their place of residence for many years. Mr. Carsner has passed the greater part of his life in this immediate vicinity, where of recent years he has prospered in his undertakings and is now numbered among the well-to-do citizens of his community. His first ranch was situated three miles below Mount Vernon, and there he engaged in stock-raising until he bought his present place, which is located on the south side of the river and four miles from Mount Vernon. He has a good location and a large portion of his holdings is bottom land and is very productive. Until the last three years he has been ranging a large herd of cattle, but he now keeps only about three hundred head. His place, which is crossed by the McLellan creek, is well improved and equipped and one of the attractive properties of the county. Although his early education was very limited, as he had but meager schooling, Mr. Carsner has overcome his deficiencies by close observation and careful reading, developing into a man of practical intelligence, sound judgment and liberal views, whose opinion is often sought in business affairs. On the 27th of November, 1877, Mr. Carsner married Miss Tennessee Dunn, a native of Tennessee and a daughter of Robert and Ellen (Page) Dunn, the former of North Carolina and the latter of Virginia. They came to Oregon in 1876, locating on Long creek in Grant county. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dunn died in 1882. During the long period of their residence in this section Mr. and Mrs. Carsner have become widely acquainted and have a large circle of friends. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.