shepleyf
Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
FRED B. SHEPLEY, of the mercantile
firm of Myers & Shepley, of Ritzville, Washington, came to this city
with his parents in the year 1887, and in June of that year he, in partnership
with his father, opened a store. This partnership continued until
the father's death in 1901, when our subject assumed the entire business.
He continued alone until January, 1903, when he consolidated with
I. W. Myers under the present firm name. The company has the largest
department store in the county and their stock will ordinarly invoice about
fifty thousand dollars. The store is fully equipped and conducted
along the most modern business lines.
Fred B. Shepley was born at Eddington, near
Bangor, Maine, November 13, 1863. His father was Frank Shepley, a
native of Maine and came of an old New England family. He was for
a number of years a dealer in marble at Bangor, and died aged seventy-four,
at Ritzville, as stated above. Our subject's mother was Anne L. (Johnson)
Shepley, also born in Maine and coming of one of the old American families.
Many of her ancestors were prominent in colonial and Revolutionary times,
some of whom were members of the famous "Boston Tea Party."
The Shepley family removed to Minneapolis
when our subject was only two years old, and the father engaged in the
lumbering business, combined with stock raising, for ten years, then removed
to Avoca, Iowa, where he followed farming and the grocery business.
Their next migration was to Ritzville, where they started in the grocery
business.
Mr. Shepley's education was obtained in the
graded schools of Minneapolis and Iowa. He has no brothers, and only
one sister, Nellie, widow of John G. Fassett, formerly of Minneapolis.
She is now living in Ritzville with her mother.
At Laclede, Missouri, October 15, 1893, occurred
the marriage of Fred B. Shepley to Carrie S. Baker, daughter of Eugene
F. Baker, of Spokane, and a native of West Virginia. Her mother also
was a native of West Virginia. Mrs. Shepley has three brothers and
two sisters: Edward; Samuel; Lewis; Clara, widow of William Coons, Spokane;
and Josephine, who lives in Spokane.
To Mr. and Mrs. Shepley one child has been
born, Eugene F., aged nine years.
Mr. Shepley is a member and past grand of
the Ritzville lodge, I. O. O. F., is a member of the city council, in which
office he is serving his second term, and is a prominent man in the Democratic
party. He has been a delegate to both, state and county conventions,
and is as active in his party as his business will allow him to be.
He is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Ritzville.
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