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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.


     JOHN INKSTER, SR., as well as being a pioneer of the country, has taken an active part in the development of Lincoln county and is well known.  He was born in the Shetland Islands, in 1828, and remained there until fourteen years of age, when he went to sea.  For ten years, he followed this hazardous life, navigating the waters from seventy-two degrees north latitude to sixty degrees south latitude.  Reviewing these years, Mr. Inkster says he passed through three years of winter, then three years of summer, then followed two years of winter and after that two years of summer.  He visited most of the large ports of the world and traveled to every part of the globe.  In 1857 he was shipwrecked on the east coast of Ireland, and in 1863 was again shipwrecked on the Island of St. Paul, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  After his first trip from Liverpool to Melbourne, Australia, he, with the rest of the crew, took French leave and the next three years of life were spent at carpenter work.
     Returning to Scotland, he was married on October 9, 1856, to Miss Phillis Pottinger.  In 1860 Mr. Inkster paid his first visit to America, landing the night Mr. Lincoln was nominated for the presidency the first time.  Eighteen months later, he returned to his old home.  In 1863, he came to the United States and since then has remained here.  For two or three years he lived in Chicago and did carpentering.  Later, he was engaged in farming on Grand Prairie, Illinois, where he remained twelve years.  Being possessed of a restless spirit he was attracted to the great west, his first move being to Lane county, Oregon, where he farmed until 1881.  Thence he came to the Big Bend country, being here before Lincoln county was organized.  His sons, John and James had preceded him a year and their reports had induced him to make this move.  He arrived here May 7th, he and his family having been nearly a month on the road.  He homesteaded a place in the Egypt country and in addition to looking after his farm assisted to construct Fort Spokane.  Mr. Inkster served as county commissioner from 1886 to 1892, having been elected on the Republican ticket.  He has always held the principles of that party and has labored tellingly for its success.  He has also been very active in promoting educational matters.  During the first term of office, he gave entire satisfaction to his constituents and it was especially trying as those were the stormiest days of Lincoln county's political history.  Mr. Inkster was in the heat of every battle that had to do with the county seat fight.  He stood loyally by Davenport and the northern part of the county and to him is due the fact that new county buildings were not erected at Sprague, which may have been responsible in a degree for moving in 1896 to Davenport.  To Mr. and Mrs. Inkster, five sons and one daughter have been born, namely, John, Jr., James S., Charles A., Archibald H., Lawrence A., and Euphemia J.  Charles and Archibald are deceased.
 


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