Hufffmang
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.
GEORGE W. HUFFMAN, a native of
Akron, Summit county, Ohio, born December 2, 1855, is a farmer living four
miles east of Davenport. His father and mother, Elijah and Amanda
(Markham) Huffman, were born in Pennsylvania.
At an early age the subject removed with his
parents to McDonough county, Illinois, where he lived until 1867, when
the family again removed to St. Joe, Missouri, and later to Neosho, Kansas.
His entire youth and young manhood were spent on a farm.
August 2, 1874, in Neosho county, Kansas,
Mr. Huffman was married to Sarah A. Spriggle, a native of McDonough county,
and daughter of Emanuel and Cathrine A. (Markham) Spriggle, both natives
of Pennsylvania. The latter died in Illinois, and the former in Washington
county, Kansas, whither he had removed in 1870. After the death of
her father, Mrs. Huffman went to Neosho county, where she lived until her
marriage.
In 1879, Mr. and Mrs. Huffman started with
a mule team to cross the plains, and after a journey covering four months
arrived at Boise City, Idaho, where they remained until 1883, when they
drove on to Ilwaco, Pacific county, Washington, where Mr. Huffman conducted
a hotel until the spring of 1886. They then came to Lincoln county
and filed a homestead five miles southeast of Davenport. Being in
stringent financial circumstances at the time, Mr. Huffman often found
it difficult to "make ends meet," but by hard work and strict economy he
somehow managed to do this, and before many years could count himself in
comfortable circumstances. But few settlers had located in the Big
Bend at that time, Davenport and Wilbur were towns unthought of, and all
supplies for the few pioneers must needs have been freighted from Sprague.
Mr. Huffman did considerable of this freighting, consuming two days in
the round trip. As the country developed his condition improved,
and has continued to improve until he now has title to sixteen hundred
acres of good grain land, a cozy residence, and other good improvements
as barns, outbuildings, et cetera. He makes a specialty of grain
raising, and with his brother, John S., owns a warehouse in Davenport of
twenty thousand bushels capacity. He has some of the finest stock
and poultry to be found anywhere in the Big Bend, having taken the following
first prizes at the Lincoln county fair recently: Best pair draft horses;
best pair of brood mares; White Plymouth Rock chickens; Pekin ducks, and
Tolouse geese. He has thirty head of draft horses, and a drove of
thoroughbred Poland China hogs.
To Mr. and Mrs. Huffman have been born five
children; Catura, wife of Charles S. Turner, a farmer near Davenport; Eva,
deceased; Elijah, married to Hattie Hamilton, of Odessa, Washington; George
E., and Emma A.
He is a member of the I. O. O. F., the A.
O. U. W., the W. W. and the K. O. T. M., all of Davenport.
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