florind
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.
DAVID FLORIN is another of the
well-to-do, we were about to say wealthy, farmers of Lincoln county
whose all has been extracted from the fertile hills of the Big Bend.
He was born in Wabasha county, Minnesota, October 12, 1860. His father,
Lorenz Florin, was born in Switzerland, October 25, 1825, and in that country
was married in 1849. He was reared on a farm and in early manhood
joined the regular army of his country. Some years later leaving
the life of a soldier he again took up the work of a farmer, and also did
some carpenter work, that trade being another of his acquisitions.
In the spring of 1856 he brought his family to New York, thence proceeded
to the county and state where our subject was born, where he settled on
a farm, and again worked at some of his trade. He is the father of
five children, George, David, John L., Jacob and Mary. In 1878 the
family removed to Buffalo county, Wisconsin, and in 1882 came to Cheney,
this state, thence to Medical Lake, and in the fall of the same year to
Lincoln county. Here the father took a homestead where he still lives
with his son, the subject of our sketch, and his daughter Mary, four miles
south of Hondovi.
The family was bereft of wife and mother while
in Minnesota, and the father married a second time, his wife being Mary
Schneider, also a native of Switzerland. The daughter Mary, four
miles south of Mondovi.
Their home is one of the most beautiful and
valuable farms in Eastern Washington, improved by the family with the object
in view to make the improvements of the most practical and convenient sort,
not forgetting the picturesque. The farm is all under cultivation,
and annually produces bountiful crops of all classes of cereals and fruits.
Mr. Florin had an early choice of the available lands in the county and
the homestead he selected verifies his excellent judgment. He is
now living a life of retirement.
David Florin now has the management of his
father's farm, and he owns five hundred and eighty acres of his own, two
hundred and sixty acres of which adjoins the homestead of his father.
The remainder is six miles north of Davenport. In addition to this,
which is all agricultural land, he has four hundred and eighty acres of
timber land northwest of Davenport. He has horses and machinery in
plenty, also a large herd of cattle.
Mr. Florin took a homestead in 1882.
He worked for a time in a sawmill and on the railroad to earn money with
which to improve his land, and in consequence he has had a taste of the
hardships of the pioneer. His sister also has a homestead and a quarter
section of timber land.
Our subject has never married. He is
justly proud of the fact of his coming to the country without money, and
now being so comfortably situated.
Since the above was written, the death of
Mr. Florin has occurred. The date of that sad event was April 12,
1904, and the cause was being thrown from his horse. He was just
entering the prime of life, had made a splendid record and won hosts of
friends and his untimely taking off was a day of general mourning among
all who knew him. His remains were interred with becoming ceremonies
and he rests in the country which he had assisted materially to improve
and make prosperous.
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