Hesseltinee
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.
JUDGE E. A. HESSELTINE is a magnificent
example of what one can do when possessed of determination and energy.
He is decidedly a self made man and so well has he completed the job that
he has won the respect and confidence of all who know him. He came
to this country with practically no capital at all except two good willing
hands and a resolute purpose to carve out the future for himself.
A brief outline of Judge Hesseltine's career will be interesting to all.
E. A. Hesseltine was born in Brown county,
Kansas, on June 25, 1860, being the son of Eli and Electa A. (Frazelle)
Hesseltine. The father was born in Norway township, New York, in
1820. He became a pioneer to Ohio and Kansas and during the Civil
War was orderly sergeant on General Lane's staff and was postmaster in
Ohio for several years. In 1863 he crossed the plains with ox teams
to California and two years later came to Oregon and there engaged in the
lumber business. He was a prominent business man of Clackamas county
and had a good trade. Our subject's mother was a descendant of the
Earl De Frazelle, a prominent Frenchman who served in the Revolutionary
war with General Marion. Our subject's maternal grandfather, A. D.
Frazelle, was an early settler in Ohio where he followed the mercantile
business. Our subject's mother was born in Johnston, Ohio, in 1821.
Owing to the fact that his father was a settler on the frontier in various
new countries, our subject was unable to attend school much, consequently
it became necessary for him to use his spare hours in reading and acquiring
an education which he did with such marked success that at the age of eighteen
he was enabled to teach school. He taught part of the year and then
went to school the balance. Later, we find him attending night school
while he was engaged in labor in the day time. It was as early as
1882 that Mr. Hesseltine came to the Big Bend country and he selected the
homestead six miles north from Wilbur. He taught school, improved
his farm and continued his studies. In 1887, he went into the law
office of Turner and Forster in Spokane, continuing the study of law until
he was admitted to the bar. He became expert in land law and the
first attorney to open a law office in Wilbur. He has steadily applied
himself to the law since together with the oversight of his farming interests,
having now several thousand acres of valuable wheat land. He has
been city attorney for a term, and police judge for eight years.
Judge Hesseltine has one of the fine residences in Wilbur, a good library
and an extensive law practice.
In 1895, Mr. Hesseltine married Miss Carrie
A. Woodman, who comes from a prominent Michigan family. She has one
uncle in the legislature and one on the bench. Mr. Hesseltine has
three brothers, Apollos H., Randolph F., and Rudolph U. To Mr. and
Mrs. Hesseltine one child has been born, Lee F. Judge Hesseltine
is a member of the K. O. T. M. and the town of Hesseltine was named for
him. On one occasion trouble was reported brewing with the Indians.
Mr. Hesseltine offered his services as scout. All the male settlers
in the Big Bend then chanced to be in Colfax making filings, except two,
and as Mr. Hesseltine was new in the country, he determed to find out the
truth of the reports. It was said Chief Moses and his band were on
the war path. However, after investigation, the Judge ascertained
the rumor to be groundless, but this is an instance of what the Big Bend
settlers had to be prepared for at all times.
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