McFarlandj  
 
 

Transcribed from "History of North Washington, an illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties", published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.


     JEREMIAH McFARLAND, one of the well-known and highly esteemed citizens of Chelan county, is engaged in fruit raising and the real estate business at Mission, Washington.  He was born in Lorain county, Ohio, August 4, 1837.  His father, James McFarland, of Scotch ancestry, came to the United States when a young man, and settled in Philadelphia.  He was a railroad contractor, dying in 1844.  The mother, Julia A. (Gilbert) McFarland, was born in Philadelphia, and died in 1843.  She was of Scotch-English descent.
     At the tender age of seven years, young McFarland found himself thrown upon the world to make his own way as best be could.  He lived with a number of farmers who, while satisfied to accept his work, were very reluctant to afford him the means of obtaining even the most meagre education.  Consequently, until he was eighteen years old, he did not learn to read.  At the age of fifteen he joined Van Amburg's circus, and became an acrobat.  At the breaking out of the Civil War our subject, associated with a man named Robbins, enrolled a company for the Seventeenth Illinois Infantry.  He served three years under Colonel Baldwin, and was in a number of serious engagements, including Shiloh, Pittsburg Landing, Fort Donelson, Corinth and others.  At Shiloh he lost two fingers, besides receiving two wounds in the head and a flesh wound in the leg.  After the war he went to Illinois, and was in the saloon business two years but as this was distasteful to him he went to farming.  From Illinois he removed to McKean county, Pennsylvania, where for the following three years he was engaged in the mercantile business, thence to Pembina county, North Dakota, in missionary work for the Baptist Publication Company, of Philadelphia, and for the succeeding nine years he devoted his attention to organizing Sunday schools.  Coming to Wenatchee, in February, 1894, he purchased his present home in Mission, a story and a half cottage, and five acres of land.  The property is now worth five thousand dollars and Mr. McFarland easily clears six hundred dollars per annum from the place.  Aside from the orchard the land is devoted to pasture, poultry, bees, etc.  He has raised apricots measuring nine inches in circumference, and took five first premiums at the Chelan county fair of 1903.  Mr. McFarland and his accomplished wife are artists, and have produced some beautiful landscapes portraying, the picturesque scenery in their locality.
     They were married at Rixford, McKean county, Pennsylvania, the bride being Sarah Jones, a native of Canada.  She has three brothers and two sisters, James, Barton and John, and Jane Trarris, and Catherine Wright.  Mr.  McFarland has one brother, James.  He is a member of the Odd Fellows, and Past Commander of the G. A. R., and at present chaplain of the local post.  Both he and his wife are members of the Baptist church.
 
 

          
 
 


 

BACK