Ahernm
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.
MORRIS W. AHERN, a farmer residing
three and one-half miles southeast from Downs, Washington, was born December
10, 1876, in Sibley county, Minnesota. He is the son of Morris and
Bridget (Keefe) Ahern, both natives of Ireland. The father came to
America at the age of nine years, to Adams county, Washington, in 1888,
and died on August 23, 1903, aged sixty-five years. The mother died
in Adams county in 1896, being at the time in her forty-eighth year of
life.
Our subject is the youngest of a family of
seven children, Mrs. Mary Bassel, Lawrence, John and Eugene, twins, and
Mrs. Ethel Baker. He came with his parents to a homestead six miles
north from Ritzville, in 1888, grew to manhood there and attended school.
On December 28, 1898, he was married to Mary J. Griffith, a native of Canada,
born near Perry Sound. Her father was Joseph F. Griffith, born near
Toronto, June 2, 1855, and her mother was Mrs. Christina (Croswell) Griffith.
Her brothers and sisters are Charles R., Joseph, Clara, Sophia, Naomi,
Albert, Amos, and Ella. Mrs. Ahern came to Ritzville with her parents
in the fall of 1889. Her father took a homestead at what was afterwards
christened Griffith's Corner, where he now owns five hundred and forty
acres of land, but he makes his home in Manila, Washington.
The issue of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Ahern are three in number, Lester Morris Ethel May, and Mildred Rose.
Mr. Ahern took his present place as a homestead
in 1902, although he had previous to that time purchased three hundred
and twenty acres. He now owns four hundred and eighty acres, for
the most part good agricultural land and under cultivation. His improvements
are many and up-to-date in every detail, including an excellent water system
and a promising young orchard. He also has a sufficient number of
livestock to enable him to successfully prosecute his business. He
owns a one-fifth interest in three hundred and twenty acres of farming
land in Adams county--his father's old homestead.
Mr. Ahern started in in 1898 with no means,
and is now in easy circumstances, having made every cent of his money by
careful management and hard toil.
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