Alpheus Messerly (1877)/doc1

This is a safe copy of an excerpt of page http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/images/publications/SL_steeleillustrated/SL_steeleillustrated_858_0001.txt, & 857.001 downloaded on 8/18/2009. ALPHEUS MESSERLY, an enterprising and successful fruit-grower and nurseryman, �and member of the Wenatchee Nursery Com�pany, is a resident of Wenatchee, Chelan county. He was born near Ellensburg, Klttitas county, Washington, November 2, 1877. His �father, Elias, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work, is a native of Ohio: his parents of Switzerland. The mother Elizabeth (Switzer) Messerly, was also born in Switzer�land, married in Ohio, and now resides at Greenville, Ohio, at the age of eighty-seven �years.

HISTORY OF NORTH Alpheus, our subject, passed his boyhood's days at Ellensburg, and until the age of fifteen years attended the pubhc schools in his neighborhood, attended schools at Wenatchee. For nearly ten years he rode the range, while engaged in the stock business with his father. In 1899 he purchased ten acres of land from Jacob Miller, which is now devoted solely to nursery purposes. The members, of the Wenatchee Nursery Company comprise his father, Edward Dennis, and himself Their business is constantly increasing, and," although it was exploited on a small scale at its inception, the company no.v has.two hundred thousand trees, and the business is worth two hundred thou¬sand dollars. Particular attention is given to quality of stock, and the nursery bids fair to income one of the most noted in the state of ¬Washington. Mr. Messerly is individually in¬terested in stock-raising, and usually owns seventy-five head of cattle and horses, which he ¬breeds and sells.

¬On January 22, 1902, our subject was married to Laura Dennis, born in Spokane county. The ceremony was performed at Wenatchee. Her father is a native of New York state, and now ¬resides at Elletasburg. He was a pioneer of ¬Kittitas county. Her mother. Matilda (Bartlett) Dennis, resides with her family in Kittitas county. Mrs. Messerly has three brothers and four sisters. Edward, Jesse and Harry,. and Mary. wife of Benjamin Sh.elton, Olive, wde of William Joyce. and Jenme and Lena. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Messerly, Edward, aged eight months. Our subject is a member of the K. of T. M., and the Brother¬hood of America. of which he is treasurer. He ¬is a Republican, but not a partisan politician.