Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1900-03-09

Mr. Wilson has literally supported
would be to write history OF the city
and county. Perhaps in its early exper-
! fences, he was more than usually active
in the interests of the State Agricultural
College, and in the matter of the getting
a railr oad to Yaquina Bay, he was an
Important factor. Indeed, he put q
respectable fortune in that project,
which like the saw-mill venture, proved
a total loss.
For good mauy years he gave sub
stantial support to the Gazette, and IN Its
early history assisted it over more than
one shoal. But his real life work, and
| that for which he will be remembered
while the early Inhabitants OF this coun-
| ty remain was in. his conduct of the
county clerks Office. This was good
office it paid fairly we'll. He took from
the proceeds of the office just enough to
support lis family, square himself up on
his unfortunate Yaquina railroad invest
meRts, and the balance went in uncol-
lected fees, and towards charaties, bene-
fits and the party. In the office he
knew no favors, one. man was just as
good as another. And when he tod an
inquirer what he wanted to know it was
correct He had the whole routine of
the county, affairs, of the litigations in
the courts, of the titles in the county at
his finger ends, as is often said. This
knowledge and usefulness grew with
experience, and naturally it did not
please some of the legal fraternity.
Whatever political opposition he ever
met in all his loEg term of Office, arose
from the fact that some lawyers thought
that was a class OF business to which |
they bad a certain claim. And, in truth
as we view those things, there was some
Justice in the claim. But the people
siE1ply got into the habit of going to him,
they got their information from him
correctly. quickly, and freely. Mr..
Wilson could not help that, it was his
nature, not an acquired habit, but his
natural manner. And that is the reason
why he is so we'll known. and so gener-
ally esteemed, more thanany other thing,
for in those thirty years, he assisted and
benefited III some manner nearly every
citizen in the county who had business
of the kind which took him TO the county
records. 1t ia seldom that such COM
binatlon of rare qualities is combined in
one man and more seldom that he finds
his way into public office where every
one has more or less business to transact
There have been long terms in this state.
A neighboring county retained its clerk
for nine times. But not within our
recollection has another clerk been re-
tanned so many times as Mr.. Wilson,
and given such uniform satisfaction, and |
voluntarily retired, in the evening of
life, richer than he entered it only in ex-
perence, and the good will of his consti- |
tuency.
In 1856 Mr.. Wilson was married to
Miss PriciIla o. Yantis, of Linn county. |
And lie leaves surviving him his widow,
and nine children, all of whom are of
age, except the youngest sou. Of his
family L. Y. the eldest is now in Alaska,
Mrs. Belle Walker resides at Mt Vernon,
near New York, and Robert J. is a
physician connected with the New York
Board of Health. and Bellevue Medical
College. Thomas Edwin, is an attorney
and lives in Portland. The other mem
bers OF the family reside in Corvallis,