The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 698

GRANT MATTHEWS.

Grant Matthews is the owner of fifty-four acres of land bordering the Yakima
river, six miles west of Sunnyside, and is there bending his efforts and
energies to the further development and improvement of what has become an
excellent ranch property. He was born in Harrison county, Missouri, November 20,
1861, a son of Newton Lee and Minerva (Hildebrand) Matthews, both of whom were
natives of Illinois. In early life they removed to Missouri and became
identified with the farming interests of that state. The father afterward went
to Kansas and secured one hundred and sixty acres of land but did not move 'his
family to that state. His death, however, occurred in Kansas, while his wife
passed away in Missouri. Newton L. Matthews was a veteran of the Civil War.

Grant Matthews is indebted to the public school system of Missouri for the
educational opportunities which he enjoyed, his youthful days being there
passed in the usual manner of the farm-bred boy. At the age of twenty-three
years he went to Nebraska, where he carried on farming for several years, and in
1902 he arrived in the northwest, making his way to Oakland, Oregon. In the
spring of 1903 he came to Yakima county and purchased twenty acres of land, to
which he afterward added thirty-four acres on the banks of the Yakima river, six
miles west of Sunnyside. His place is devoted to the raising of hay, grain and
corn, but he specializes in the production of hay. He also raises some stock
and his place presents a neat and thrifty appearance, indicating his practical
methods and his careful supervision.

On the 17th of October, 1889, Mr. Matthews was married to Miss Nellie Hoover, a
native of Iowa and a daughter of Jacob E. and Hannah C. (Iddings) Hoover. Her
father was a son of John Hoover, of Logansport, Indiana, who was born in
Germany. Jacob E. Hoover was a brother of the father of Herbert Hoover, United
States food administrator, whose wonderful executive power and business ability
has done so much toward furnishing food to starving thousands, bringing about a
more equitable distribution of the food supply of the country that America might
extend her aid to stricken lands whose people were starving owing to the
fiendish spirit of Germany that would ruthlessly trample upon the rights of
other countries without regard to the conditions that were thus brought upon
women, children and all the helpless. Jacob E. Hoover devoted his life to the
occupation of farming. He was reared in the Quaker faith and always adhered
thereto. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews have become the parents of seven children: Hazel,
now the wife of Arthur Barrett, residing near Shelton, Washington, by whom she
has three children, Bernice, Thurlow and Raymond; Walter, who enlisted November
16, 1917, and served with the One Hundred and Forty-ninth Spruce Squadron, being
mustered out on the 27th of December, 1918; Fern, the wife of Guy Barnhart, a
rancher of Yakima county, by whom she has one son. Philip G.; Effie, the wife of
Ernest L. Nichols, residing near Tacoma; Edna and Rollin, both at home; and
Helen, who is ten years of age and completes the family.

In his political views Mr. Matthews has always been a republican since age
conferred upon him the right of franchise yet is not bound by party ties,
casting an independent ballot if his judgment so dictates. He has usually
confined his efforts to his business interests and his close application and
energy have constituted the measure of his growing success.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.