In 1894 Mr. Fouts was united in marriage to Miss Clara Kribs and they have two children who are yet living, namely: William and Rodney H. The wife and mother passed away on April 20, 1916, greatly mourned by all who knew her.
In fraternal circles Mr. Fouts is widely and prominently known, being a stalwart member of the Masonic lodge, the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World. His political support is given to the republican party and he has been called upon to fill several positions of public honor and trust. He was elected prosecuting attorney in 1892, again in 1894 and once more in 1898, and he has also held the office of city attorney and city clerk. His duties have been discharged with marked promptness and fidelity and his re-election is proof of the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen. That his has been a well-spent life is indicated by the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time.
THOMAS J. HOLLOWELL.
Thomas J. Hollowell was at the time of his death a retired farmer residing in Waitsburg. Nature seems to have intended that man in the evening of life shall enjoy a period of rest. In youth he possesses enthusiasm and energy, which in later years benefits by the wise direction of a more mature mind. Therefore if one wisely utilizes his time, his talents and his opportunities, he will progress along the line of prosperity and will have accumulated a substantial competence by the time the evening of life is reached. Such had been the record of Thomas J. Hollowell, who was born in Orange county, Indiana, May 26, 1837, and had therefore passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey when called to his final rest October 8, 1917. His parents were Jonathan and Hannah (Copple) Hollowell, who were reared and married in Orange county, where their respective parents had located at a very early period in the development of that section of the country. Both the father and mother of Thomas J. Hollowell passed away in Orange county.
That district was still largely a frontier region during the period of Thomas J. Hollowell's boyhood and youth. He remained upon the home farm until his nineteenth year and received but limited educational privileges, although to some extent he attended the district schools. The home place, however, was heavily timbered and it was necessary that he aid in the arduous task of clearing the land and developing the farm. He therefore early became familiar with the work of cutting down the trees, grubbing up the stumps and clearing away the brush in order that the land might be tilled. In 1856 he left home and went to southern Illinois, residing in Jefferson county for nine years, during which period he purchased a small farm that he continued to cultivate and further develop until the spring of 1865. He then sold that property and joined the long procession that was wending its way across the plains with horses and mule teams, attracted by the opportunities of the northwest. Eventually he arrived in Walla Walla county about the last of October. Half of the emigrant train went on to Oregon, while Mr. Hollowell and his brother-in-law, Alexander Bundy, and others with their families stopped near the present site of Waitsburg and there camped. The land had not yet been surveyed for homestead entry, but Mr. Hollowell squatted on a quarter section that was not surveyed until six years later. In the meantime congress had passed the railroad bill, cutting the homestead down to eighty acres. Therefore he changed the homestead to a preemption, paying one dollar and a quarter per acre. Afterward he homesteaded eighty acres adjoining his first location, which was six miles southeast of Waitsburg. There he lived for a number of years but in the meantime erected a town house in Waitsburg, where he spent the winters in order that his children might have the opportunity of attending the city schools. During his last years he lived retired and spent all of his time in Waitsburg. He sold the old home farm but owned another tract of land of four hundred acres three miles from Waitsburg, which is operated by his son Albert.
On the 1st of April, 1858, Mr. Hollowell was united in marriage to Miss Sarah H. Bundy, of Washington county, Illinois, and they became the parents of twelve children, but only two are now living, Lilly May and Albert S.
While Mr. Hollowell was not actively connected with any business enterprise, he served as one of the directors of the First National Bank of Waitsburg, which he assisted in organizing. He gave his political allegiance to the democratic party, and while he was a believer in its principles he was never an aspirant for office. He and his wife held membership in the Christian church, in which for more than forty years he held office, being one of the elders at the time of his death. He served for two terms as mayor of Waitsburg and for several years as a member of the town council, but whether in office or out of it, he was always loyal to the best interests of the community and cooperated largely in plans and measures for the general good. He never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the northwest, for here he found the opportunities which he sought and in their utilization gained a place among the substantial and prosperous business men of his adopted state. While he traveled far on life's journey, he was a well preserved man and in spirit and interests seemed yet in his prime, keeping in touch with the trend of modern thought, development and progress.
OSCAR F. CANFIELD.