The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 333

JOHN SEVERYNS.

Although one of the latest additions to Sunnyside's merchants, John Severyns is
already recognized as one of its most enterprising business men, being connected
with the hay and grain trade. He was born in Custer county, Nebraska, July 12
188, and is a son of Joseph H. and Mary F. (Francois) Severyns, the former of
whom has passed away. Coming to Washington in 1900, Mrs. Severyns located in
Rattlesnake, where she acquired three sections of railroad land, to the
cultivation of which she has since devoted her attention.

The first fifteen years of his life John Severyns spent in his native state,
there receiving his primary education. In 1900 he removed with the family to
Rattlesnake and for five years assisted his mother in the cultivation of the
large tract which she had acquired from the railroad. He then removed to
Prosser, and subsequently, realizing the value of a better education, attended
college at Pullman. There he also held a position with a Mr. Fry, who was
engaged in the feed business. He was then elected county assessor of Benton
county and served for four years, or two terms, proving highly  efficient in the
discharge of his duties. The two subsequent years he spent in the employ of the
Union Pacific Railroad, at the end of which time he again entered the employ of
Mr. Fry. In April, 1918, he came to Sunnyside and bought out the business of
Rowland & Son and is now engaged in the hay, grain, feed and fuel business.
Although he has been located in Sunnyside only a short time he has already
instituted a number of improvements in his business and in every way tries to
please the public by carrying the highest class of goods and by selling at a
reasonable profit. He fully recognizes and practices the principles of good
service and honest prices.

On June 4, 1914, Mr. Severyns was united in marriage to Miss Jessie M. Shelby,
of Prosser, and both are prominent among the young people of the valley. In his
political views Mr. Severyns is a republican and fraternally is quite prominent,
belonging to the blue lodge of Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the
Foresters, aside from his mercantile interests he owns valuable farm lands, from
which he derives a gratifying addition to his income. He is an energetic,
farsighted young business man of honorable principles and a splendid future may
be predicted for his enterprise in Sunnyside.

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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.