jaynew
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.
WILLIAM H. JAYNE, one of Lincoln
county's most progressive and enterprising citizens, is a contractor and
builder, residing at Davenport. He was born in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania,
November 21, 1847, the son of Aaron and Mary C. (Luce) Jayne, the former
a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of New York. Aaron Jayne came
from one of the oldest English families in the Keystone State. William
Jayne, an ancestor, came to America several years before the advent of
William Penn. Twenty-eight of his descendants were grouped in one
regiment during the Revolution. He lived and died on Long Island,
where he was buried. His descendants settled in Connecticut, New
York and Pennsylvania. Aaron Jayne, the father of our subject, was
a farmer. Owing to ill health he could not enlist in the Civil War,
but was drafted and secured a substitute without having been examined,
which examination would have, undoubtedly, released him from all claims
for military service. Our subject, William H., attempted to take
the place of his father, but was not permitted to do so. Aaron Jayne still
lives on the old homestead where he was born, in Wyoming county.
He has been a life-long Whig and Republican, and is highly respected.
The mother of our subject was born in Hackettstown, New York and now lives
with her husband in Pennsylvania. Her father participated in the
war of 1812.
William H. Jayne continued to reside in Pennsylvania
until 1890, where he attended district school and worked on a farm. When
twenty-two years of age he engaged in wagon making, and subsequently conducted
a stone quarry ten years. Having learned the trade of a carpenter
he came to Spokane, Washington, and six months afterward went to Davenport,
having, meanwhile, brought out his family from Pennsylvania.
He built the greater number of the finer residences in Davenport.
Mr. Jayne has served as a member of the city council, and as school director.
He has three brothers and six sisters; Alexander, a farmer living ten miles
north of Davenport; Lewis and Wilbur, in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania,
farmers; Phoebe A., wife of Peter Leipham, living near Davenport; Sarah
E., wife of Elmer Evans, engineer and sawyer, living at Davenport; Ada,
deceased, who was the wife of David M. Glasgow, a sketch of whom appears
elsewhere; Fannie, wife of H. C. Smith; Josephine, wife of Henry McMickens;
and Resetta, wife of Elmer Shannon. The last three are in Pennsylvania.
June 1, 1872, in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania,
Mr. Jayne was married to Augusta P. Russell, a native of Russell Hill,
Pennsylvania, where she died November 15, 1881. She was the daughter
of Wilbur and Susanna (Smith) Russell, the former a native of Windom county,
Connecticut, the mother of Wyoming county, Pennsylvania. The Russell
family has been distinguished in American history, and has furnished several
governors of the northeastern states, while they are prominently connected
with the bench and bar at the present time. Wilbur Russell at the
age of sixty-five enlisted in the Civil War and served one year, dying
from the exposure and hardships incident to the campaigns. He was
a noncommissioned officer in Company B, Fifty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers.
The second marriage of our subject took place
in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, when he was united to Sarah J. Evans,
who was born there. She was the daughter of Zera and Hannah (Place)
Evans, natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Jayne has two brothers, Elmer
and Charles P.; and three sisters, Alvira, wife of John Woodruff; Ella,
wife of Frederick Ferris; and Dora, wife of Wilmot Furman. Our subject
has three children by his first wife, Susie, wife of W. J. Jayne; Stephen
O., a graduate of Pullman college, and a civil engineer at Davenport; and
Towner S., also a graduate of Pullman college and a druggist at Davenport.
Two children have been born to the present Mrs. Jayne, Stanley E. and Augusta,
both residing at home. Mr. Jayne is a member of the I. O. O. F. and
K. P. Politically, he is a Republican, though not active. He
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal, and his wife of the Baptist church.
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