Burdettj
Transcribed from "History of North Washington, an illustrated history
of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties", published by Western
Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
JAMES 0. BURDETT is deputy sheriff
in Okanogan county and resides at Conconully. He owns a fine large
estate in the Okanogan valley, at the mouth of Loop Loop creek. It
is well improved and returns fine dividends in crops and stock.
James 0. Burdett was born in Mason county,
Ohio, on July 3, 1868, the son of Joshua and Louisa (Hannes) Burdett, natives
of Ohio. The father died in West Virginia in May, 1901, aged ninety-three,
and the mother died in Marion, Ohio, in November, 1902, aged seventy-one.
Our subject has one brother, William S., of Marion county, Ohio.
When James 0. was six years old, the family went to West Virginia, and
he remained there with his parents until 1885, in which year he traveled
to Buffalo Gap, South Dakota. He did railroad work there two years
and then went to Cheyenne, Wyoming, after which he went to New Mexico and
was foreman in the construction department of the Denver and Fort Worth
railroad. After this Mr. Burdett returned to Ohio and was second
master on a river boat until December, 1890, when he went to Bear river,
Utah, and was foreman in the construction of a large canal. Later,
he was in the same capacity on different canals in the vicinity of Boise,
Idaho. Next we see him handling men on the grades of the Great Northern
at Bonners Ferry. He also operated for that company at Hillyard,
there being no houses at that point then. Through the Big Bend country
he also contracted on the same railroad. After this he freighted
from Coulee City to the Cascades and in 1892 brought fruit into Conconully.
He bought a ranch near Oroville but soon sold it and bought his present
place of over three hundred acres. Mr. Burdett was deputy sheriff
under H. H. Nickell, and has also served in other official capacities in
the county.
On November 7,1895, Mr. Burdett married Miss
Zone, daughter of James and Margaret Mason, who are now wealthy citizens
of Taylor county, Iowa.