Prosser, William Farrand. "A History of the Puget Sound Country." Vol. 2. New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. p. 362-363. George E. Birge George E. Birge represents one of the important industries of the state of Washington, that os converting the vast timber growth into lumber, and he one of the leaders in his trade. He comes from old and distinguished family; on his paternal side, he traces his ancestry back to the nobility, with its own coat of arms and with a line of antecedents going back many centuries; on his maternal side a member of the family who was French stock was one of the Pilgrim Fathers who landed from the Mayflower. His great-grandfather, John B. Birge, performed a valiant part in the war of the Revolution. His grandfather, John B. Birge, was a native of he state of New York, and his son, Josiah B. Birge, the father of George E., was also born in that state, later removed to Appleton, Wisconsin, where he became engaged in the manufacture of farm implements; late in life he went to California, retired from active work, and died in 1898, aged sixty-nine years. He was a member of the Methodist church and a very worthy citizen. He had married Alvina Paine, a lady of French ancestry, whose people were early settlers of Wisconsin. They became the parents of a son and daughter; the latter is now Mrs. Minnie B. Sawyer, of San Jose, California; and the son subject of this sketch. George E. Birge was born in Horicon, Dodge county, Wisconsin, December 30, 1855; he was reared and educated in that state, graduated from the high school in 1875, and for ten years engaged in banking in Clay Center, Nebraska. He became interested in the lumber business, and in 1890 came to Centralia, Washington, for the purpose of manufacturing lumber; since that time he has manufactured lumber and shingles, and has been a wholesale dealer in these products. He is interested in the following companies: the Porter Shingle Mill, with a capacity of sixty thousand per day; Wanch Brothers sawmill, capacity twenty thousand feet a day; the Goodwin mill, which has a daily output of fifteen thousand feet; he also sells lumber for a dozen different mills, and is a stockholder in the State Bank of California. Mr. Birge takes considerable interest in politics, and has been three times elected in the Republican ticket to the office of mayor o Centralia. For the past four years he has been commander of the order of Knights of Pythias; he has passed the chairs in both branches of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and while in Nebraska represented his lodge in the grand lodge; he also holds membership with the Ancient Order of the United Workman. In 1882 Mr. Birge was married to Miss Lizzie B. Thurber, a native of Pennsylvannia and the daughter if Thomas H. Thurber, whose Scotch ancestors were early settlers of this country. One daughter, Mable, was born to them, and they have also an adopted son, Lorenzo. ******************* Submitted to the Washington Bios. Project in September 2005 by Teressa Lenkey. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.