C.N. BYLES BIOGRAPHY
By Rev. H. K. Hines, D. D.
C. N. Byles, president of the Bank of Montesano, is a native of the State of Kentucky. He was born at Madisonville, Hopkins County, March 20, 1844, a son of Charles and Sarah (Wright) Byles, natives of North Carolina and Virginia, respectively. When his parents emigrated to the West, leaving their home in Kentucky in the early spring, they took a boat at Henderson, on the Ohio River, went down to the Mississipi, up that stream to the Missouri, and thence up that river. Arriving at Independence, Kansas, they met their son, David, who had preceded them to this place. They remained at Independence until the spring of 1853, when they started to the Pacific coast; their train was the first to go directly to Washington by way of the Natchess Pass, and they were compelled to fell trees, build the road in many places, and ford many dangerous streams; they arrived at Olympia in the autumn. Charles Byles [Sr.] located on a farm on Grand Mound Prairie, fourteen miles south of Olympia, and resided there many years; he served the public in many official positions, and was a man of the strictest integrity.
C. N. Byles, the son, passed his youth on his father's frontier farm, and had only limited opportunities for gaining an education. He was energetic and ambitious, and at the age of seventeen years he began to make his way in the world. He began his career by going to Idaho, where he spent one summer in mining for gold; he then returned to his home and assisted on the farm until he had attained his majority. He then went to Tumwater and secure employment in the tan-yard belonging to his uncle; two years later he joined a surveying party that run [sic] the first preliminary line for the Northern Pacific Railroad from western to eastern Washington; after his return from this expedition he took a position at Port Gamble in one of the large mills as a scaler and tally man, continuing there until 1868. Realizing the need of a more thorough education, Mr. Byles resigned his position and went to Portland, Oregon, where he entered Portland Business College, at which he graduated in 1869. It was not long after this event that he secured a position as Deputy United States Surveyor, and during his term of office he assisted his brother David in surveying three townships in what is now known as Pacific County.
In the fall of 1869 he took up the profession of pedagogue; teaching in a little schoolhouse which stood in the limits of the present site of Montesano. When the school was finished he took the salary he received and the money he had earned at surveying and invested in 160 acres of land, including the present site of Montesano; this was in April 1870. On the 23d of the following June he was united in marriage to Elizabeth J. Medcalf, a daughter of William and Martha (Binns) Medcalf, worthy pioneers of Washington.
Mrs. Byles was born January 22, 1845. After his marriage our subject resided on his farm until in July 1871, when he secured a contract from the United States Government as surveyor. His wife acted for him as Postmaster, and during the winter seasons he was engaged in teaching. In the spring of 1872 he left his wife in charge of the post office and farm, and went on an extended surveying expedition, returning in the autumn to resume teaching. He purchased an additional 160 acres adjoining his farm and carried on agricultural pursuits until 1882; he was appointed Deputy County Auditor in the fall of 1872, and had served in this capacity one year when he was elected County Auditor; he held this office for four years, and was Treasurer of the county for six years, being elected three successive terms; a fourth time the office was tendered to him, but he declined.
The first bank in Montesano was organized by Mr. Byles, on the first of June 1887; it was a private institution known as C. H. [sic] Byles & Company's Bank, with a paid up capital of $10,000; in April 1890, the Bank of Montesano grew out of the private bank, being organized with a capital of $75,000; Mr. Byles was elected president and is one of the largest stockholders; he also holds a considerable amount of stock in the Montesano Water Company; and has large real estate interests in neighboring towns. He attributes much of his success in life to the able assistance his wife has rendered him, preparing field notes in surveying, making his post office reports, and performing every service required in the most satisfactory manner.
Mr. and Mrs. Byles are parents of a family of four children: Frances W., Annie R., Martha B., and Sarah N [Naomi].--An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, 1894, p580
Submitted by Thomas Moak, source unknown:
By Earle Jameson
Of the early day settlers in Montesano there was no more prominent than that of a bearded Kentuckian named Charles Newton Byles and his wife, Eliza Medcalf, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Medcalf who had come to the then Washington territory about the time that gold was discovered on Sutter's creek in California. The pioneers of Montesano were English, Scotch, Irish and early-American descent. Isaiah Scammon came from Maine, the Medcalfs, Arlands and hills from England, the Byles and Goodell families from Kentucky, the Luarks from Virginia and Indiana, the Maces from Quaker stock of Pennsylvania and the Gleesons direct as immigrants from their native Ireland.
C. N. Byles had engaged in the mercantile business in eastern Kentucky [Judy Baker Root's Note: This is incorrect because C. N. was only 9 when he made the wagon trip westward; perhaps Jameson is speaking of Rev. Charles Byles, C.N.'s father here]; in Montesano he was to become a builder, financier and banker. His first banking venture was as a partner of John T. and J. Edward Medcalf, his brothers-in-law, and their bank was the ancient Montesano State bank at Main street and Pioneer avenue which is now the Montesano Branch of the National Bank of Commerce.
Son of Minister
The C. N. Byles family were members of the Methodist Episcopal church south. Byles himself was the son of a Methodist minister, the Rev. Charles Byles, who preached at Grand Mound, Peterson's Point and at Montesano in the late fifties. One of the treasured possessions of the C. N. Byles family is the first melodeon brought to the then Chehalis County. At a recent gathering of pioneers at the home of Fred Rosmond near Oakville, many of the old timers saw this melodeon in the Rosmond living room. One of those visitors said recently that a familiar sight in the early days was the transportation of the melodeon by wheelbarrow to various points in Montesano where church services were being held.
C. N. Byles platted most of the territory which is now Montesano lying north of the Chehalis river and the plats were issued in the names of Byles and Thomas and Joseph B. Dabney. In "The Story of Montesano" written for the Golden Anniversery edition of The Vidette for publication October 12, 1933, Mrs. Flora E. Wartman-Arland gave the wording of the deed which conveyed to C. N. Byles (and his heirs and assigns forever) and a facsimile of the signatures which The Vidette reprinted at that time. The original owners of the land in question therefore the signers of the deed were James H. King, Simon Feeler, Margaret King and Sarah M. Feeler. The deed was "signed, sealed and delivered" to Mr. Byles in the presence of A.J. Campbell and James Monroe Luark. The date of the transaction was April 9, 1870.
Could Show Temper
While C.N. Byles is described by pioneers who knew him well as a deeply religious man of mild manners, he nevertheless could show temper on occasion. Gordon L. Simmons of Montesano tells the following: "At one time in the early eighties the Montesano town council had passed an ordinance restricting the hauling of wood and other supplies, a business in which I had invested. Two or three other Montesanans who had teams suddenly found themselves in court for a minor violation of the ordinance and Mr. Byles appeared in the justice court of Justice of the Peace Griswold to interpret the intent of the town council. As a matter of fact I think Mr. Byles was at that time the mayor of the town. The charge against the draymen was technical in character, a bit silly in fact, and Mr. Byles told Griswold so in crisp and brisk language in which he pulled no punches. As a result of his intervention the justice of the peace hastily dismissed the case, "with apologies." There are few of the early day settlers who will forget C. N. Byles during the hard times of 1894 and 1985, often referred to as the Grover Cleveland panic, when everybody was going broke, the banks were calling their loans and dollars were as scarce as hens' teeth.
The Montesano State bank under Byles and the Medcalf brothers was a small institution as compared with modern banks and had low capitalization and meagre financial reserves. As a result Mr. Byles at that time was forced to mortgage his palatial new home at First and Broad streets up to the hilt.
Home Still Stands
It is related by those who can remember that far back that Mr. Franklin L. Carr came to the aid of Byles with a substantial loan in order to tide him over that long-ago depression. Incidentally the old Byles home is still standing, brick chimneys and all, although the lower floors are now used by the Whiteside Company as funeral parlors.
MONTESANO'S GREAT LOSS
In every community there is nearly always to be found some man to whom, more than to any other, his fellow citizens look to and depend upon in the affairs of business which concern the interests of that community. In any proposition which is brought forward for the consideration of the people the question is sure to be asked, what does he think of it? And if the question be answered by saying that the one spoken of favors the proposition, and is willing to do what he can to make it a success, you will find a majority of his townsmen favoring it also.
In Montesano, C. N. Byles occupied that position. No matter what proposition was brought before the people, it was to him that all turned as to one who could be depended upon to act for the best interests of the town, and if he endorsed and approved the measure it was considered that it would be a success. While a thoroughly conservative man on all questions, he was a liberal subscriber to any measure which would tend to the advancement of Montesano, whether in business, social or educational matters, it mattered not, he was the one who was always looked to as the main one to insure success.
Having practically founded the town of Montesano (he platted the three blocks which lie on the west side of Main street, in 1882), Mr. Byles was always particularly interested in seeing the town advance and prosper, and was never found wanting when called upon to aid in raising any of the numerous subsidies which Montesano has donated to the mills which have been located here; but on the contrary, was always one of the heaviest subscribers toward the measures.
He served the people of the city and county in many public capacities, as county auditor, county treasurer, mayor, councilman, school director, and school clerk, and in each and every office he gave the people honest, able, conscientious and efficient service, and it speaks volumes for his character to be able to say, and say truly, that in one of the several offices he filled were his services anything but satisfactory to those he served.
Of the highest integrity, so thoroughly conscientious in all his dealings, that "as honest as Charles Byles" was the highest certificate you could give a person; with a word of encouragement for those who needed it (and who does not at times?); a hand always open to aid those who needed it; with a fund of sympathy which caused him to grieve with those bereft; with a fortune which enabled him to follow the dictates of his promptings and give largely to all public enterprises; arid withal, the fact that he was a thoroughly consistent and honest Christian, such a man could not be taken from any community without leaving a deep feeling of regret and grief over his departure, and especially is this the case here where the great services of Mr. Byles to the people are known and recognized by everyone; where his uprightness of character was such as to form an example to the younger generations, and an admonition to those older.
To very few men are given the qualities of character which enable them to occupy for years as prominent a position as did Mr. Byles, and yet retain the respect and esteem of all in the marked degree in which he did. Montesano indeed loses greatly by the death of C. N. Byles, and The Vidette has never been called upon to chronicle any misfortune to the town which will be more severely felt.--The Montesano Vidette, January 29, 1897
By Rev. H. K. Hines, D. D.
C. N. Byles, president of the Bank of Montesano, is a native of the State of Kentucky. He was born at Madisonville, Hopkins County, March 20, 1844, a son of Charles and Sarah (Wright) Byles, natives of North Carolina and Virginia, respectively. When his parents emigrated to the West, leaving their home in Kentucky in the early spring, they took a boat at Henderson, on the Ohio River, went down to the Mississipi, up that stream to the Missouri, and thence up that river. Arriving at Independence, Kansas, they met their son, David, who had preceded them to this place. They remained at Independence until the spring of 1853, when they started to the Pacific coast; their train was the first to go directly to Washington by way of the Natchess Pass, and they were compelled to fell trees, build the road in many places, and ford many dangerous streams; they arrived at Olympia in the autumn. Charles Byles [Sr.] located on a farm on Grand Mound Prairie, fourteen miles south of Olympia, and resided there many years; he served the public in many official positions, and was a man of the strictest integrity.
C. N. Byles, the son, passed his youth on his father's frontier farm, and had only limited opportunities for gaining an education. He was energetic and ambitious, and at the age of seventeen years he began to make his way in the world. He began his career by going to Idaho, where he spent one summer in mining for gold; he then returned to his home and assisted on the farm until he had attained his majority. He then went to Tumwater and secure employment in the tan-yard belonging to his uncle; two years later he joined a surveying party that run [sic] the first preliminary line for the Northern Pacific Railroad from western to eastern Washington; after his return from this expedition he took a position at Port Gamble in one of the large mills as a scaler and tally man, continuing there until 1868. Realizing the need of a more thorough education, Mr. Byles resigned his position and went to Portland, Oregon, where he entered Portland Business College, at which he graduated in 1869. It was not long after this event that he secured a position as Deputy United States Surveyor, and during his term of office he assisted his brother David in surveying three townships in what is now known as Pacific County.
In the fall of 1869 he took up the profession of pedagogue; teaching in a little schoolhouse which stood in the limits of the present site of Montesano. When the school was finished he took the salary he received and the money he had earned at surveying and invested in 160 acres of land, including the present site of Montesano; this was in April 1870. On the 23d of the following June he was united in marriage to Elizabeth J. Medcalf, a daughter of William and Martha (Binns) Medcalf, worthy pioneers of Washington.
Mrs. Byles was born January 22, 1845. After his marriage our subject resided on his farm until in July 1871, when he secured a contract from the United States Government as surveyor. His wife acted for him as Postmaster, and during the winter seasons he was engaged in teaching. In the spring of 1872 he left his wife in charge of the post office and farm, and went on an extended surveying expedition, returning in the autumn to resume teaching. He purchased an additional 160 acres adjoining his farm and carried on agricultural pursuits until 1882; he was appointed Deputy County Auditor in the fall of 1872, and had served in this capacity one year when he was elected County Auditor; he held this office for four years, and was Treasurer of the county for six years, being elected three successive terms; a fourth time the office was tendered to him, but he declined.
The first bank in Montesano was organized by Mr. Byles, on the first of June 1887; it was a private institution known as C. H. [sic] Byles & Company's Bank, with a paid up capital of $10,000; in April 1890, the Bank of Montesano grew out of the private bank, being organized with a capital of $75,000; Mr. Byles was elected president and is one of the largest stockholders; he also holds a considerable amount of stock in the Montesano Water Company; and has large real estate interests in neighboring towns. He attributes much of his success in life to the able assistance his wife has rendered him, preparing field notes in surveying, making his post office reports, and performing every service required in the most satisfactory manner.
Mr. and Mrs. Byles are parents of a family of four children: Frances W., Annie R., Martha B., and Sarah N [Naomi].--An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, 1894, p580
Submitted by Thomas Moak, source unknown:
By Earle Jameson
Of the early day settlers in Montesano there was no more prominent than that of a bearded Kentuckian named Charles Newton Byles and his wife, Eliza Medcalf, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Medcalf who had come to the then Washington territory about the time that gold was discovered on Sutter's creek in California. The pioneers of Montesano were English, Scotch, Irish and early-American descent. Isaiah Scammon came from Maine, the Medcalfs, Arlands and hills from England, the Byles and Goodell families from Kentucky, the Luarks from Virginia and Indiana, the Maces from Quaker stock of Pennsylvania and the Gleesons direct as immigrants from their native Ireland.
C. N. Byles had engaged in the mercantile business in eastern Kentucky [Judy Baker Root's Note: This is incorrect because C. N. was only 9 when he made the wagon trip westward; perhaps Jameson is speaking of Rev. Charles Byles, C.N.'s father here]; in Montesano he was to become a builder, financier and banker. His first banking venture was as a partner of John T. and J. Edward Medcalf, his brothers-in-law, and their bank was the ancient Montesano State bank at Main street and Pioneer avenue which is now the Montesano Branch of the National Bank of Commerce.
Son of Minister
The C. N. Byles family were members of the Methodist Episcopal church south. Byles himself was the son of a Methodist minister, the Rev. Charles Byles, who preached at Grand Mound, Peterson's Point and at Montesano in the late fifties. One of the treasured possessions of the C. N. Byles family is the first melodeon brought to the then Chehalis County. At a recent gathering of pioneers at the home of Fred Rosmond near Oakville, many of the old timers saw this melodeon in the Rosmond living room. One of those visitors said recently that a familiar sight in the early days was the transportation of the melodeon by wheelbarrow to various points in Montesano where church services were being held.
C. N. Byles platted most of the territory which is now Montesano lying north of the Chehalis river and the plats were issued in the names of Byles and Thomas and Joseph B. Dabney. In "The Story of Montesano" written for the Golden Anniversery edition of The Vidette for publication October 12, 1933, Mrs. Flora E. Wartman-Arland gave the wording of the deed which conveyed to C. N. Byles (and his heirs and assigns forever) and a facsimile of the signatures which The Vidette reprinted at that time. The original owners of the land in question therefore the signers of the deed were James H. King, Simon Feeler, Margaret King and Sarah M. Feeler. The deed was "signed, sealed and delivered" to Mr. Byles in the presence of A.J. Campbell and James Monroe Luark. The date of the transaction was April 9, 1870.
Could Show Temper
While C.N. Byles is described by pioneers who knew him well as a deeply religious man of mild manners, he nevertheless could show temper on occasion. Gordon L. Simmons of Montesano tells the following: "At one time in the early eighties the Montesano town council had passed an ordinance restricting the hauling of wood and other supplies, a business in which I had invested. Two or three other Montesanans who had teams suddenly found themselves in court for a minor violation of the ordinance and Mr. Byles appeared in the justice court of Justice of the Peace Griswold to interpret the intent of the town council. As a matter of fact I think Mr. Byles was at that time the mayor of the town. The charge against the draymen was technical in character, a bit silly in fact, and Mr. Byles told Griswold so in crisp and brisk language in which he pulled no punches. As a result of his intervention the justice of the peace hastily dismissed the case, "with apologies." There are few of the early day settlers who will forget C. N. Byles during the hard times of 1894 and 1985, often referred to as the Grover Cleveland panic, when everybody was going broke, the banks were calling their loans and dollars were as scarce as hens' teeth.
The Montesano State bank under Byles and the Medcalf brothers was a small institution as compared with modern banks and had low capitalization and meagre financial reserves. As a result Mr. Byles at that time was forced to mortgage his palatial new home at First and Broad streets up to the hilt.
Home Still Stands
It is related by those who can remember that far back that Mr. Franklin L. Carr came to the aid of Byles with a substantial loan in order to tide him over that long-ago depression. Incidentally the old Byles home is still standing, brick chimneys and all, although the lower floors are now used by the Whiteside Company as funeral parlors.
MONTESANO'S GREAT LOSS
In every community there is nearly always to be found some man to whom, more than to any other, his fellow citizens look to and depend upon in the affairs of business which concern the interests of that community. In any proposition which is brought forward for the consideration of the people the question is sure to be asked, what does he think of it? And if the question be answered by saying that the one spoken of favors the proposition, and is willing to do what he can to make it a success, you will find a majority of his townsmen favoring it also.
In Montesano, C. N. Byles occupied that position. No matter what proposition was brought before the people, it was to him that all turned as to one who could be depended upon to act for the best interests of the town, and if he endorsed and approved the measure it was considered that it would be a success. While a thoroughly conservative man on all questions, he was a liberal subscriber to any measure which would tend to the advancement of Montesano, whether in business, social or educational matters, it mattered not, he was the one who was always looked to as the main one to insure success.
Having practically founded the town of Montesano (he platted the three blocks which lie on the west side of Main street, in 1882), Mr. Byles was always particularly interested in seeing the town advance and prosper, and was never found wanting when called upon to aid in raising any of the numerous subsidies which Montesano has donated to the mills which have been located here; but on the contrary, was always one of the heaviest subscribers toward the measures.
He served the people of the city and county in many public capacities, as county auditor, county treasurer, mayor, councilman, school director, and school clerk, and in each and every office he gave the people honest, able, conscientious and efficient service, and it speaks volumes for his character to be able to say, and say truly, that in one of the several offices he filled were his services anything but satisfactory to those he served.
Of the highest integrity, so thoroughly conscientious in all his dealings, that "as honest as Charles Byles" was the highest certificate you could give a person; with a word of encouragement for those who needed it (and who does not at times?); a hand always open to aid those who needed it; with a fund of sympathy which caused him to grieve with those bereft; with a fortune which enabled him to follow the dictates of his promptings and give largely to all public enterprises; arid withal, the fact that he was a thoroughly consistent and honest Christian, such a man could not be taken from any community without leaving a deep feeling of regret and grief over his departure, and especially is this the case here where the great services of Mr. Byles to the people are known and recognized by everyone; where his uprightness of character was such as to form an example to the younger generations, and an admonition to those older.
To very few men are given the qualities of character which enable them to occupy for years as prominent a position as did Mr. Byles, and yet retain the respect and esteem of all in the marked degree in which he did. Montesano indeed loses greatly by the death of C. N. Byles, and The Vidette has never been called upon to chronicle any misfortune to the town which will be more severely felt.--The Montesano Vidette, January 29, 1897
C.N. BYLES BIOGRAPHY
By Rev. H. K. Hines, D. D.
C. N. Byles, president of the Bank of Montesano, is a native of the State of Kentucky. He was born at Madisonville, Hopkins County, March 20, 1844, a son of Charles and Sarah (Wright) Byles, natives of North Carolina and Virginia, respectively. When his parents emigrated to the West, leaving their home in Kentucky in the early spring, they took a boat at Henderson, on the Ohio River, went down to the Mississipi, up that stream to the Missouri, and thence up that river. Arriving at Independence, Kansas, they met their son, David, who had preceded them to this place. They remained at Independence until the spring of 1853, when they started to the Pacific coast; their train was the first to go directly to Washington by way of the Natchess Pass, and they were compelled to fell trees, build the road in many places, and ford many dangerous streams; they arrived at Olympia in the autumn. Charles Byles [Sr.] located on a farm on Grand Mound Prairie, fourteen miles south of Olympia, and resided there many years; he served the public in many official positions, and was a man of the strictest integrity.
C. N. Byles, the son, passed his youth on his father's frontier farm, and had only limited opportunities for gaining an education. He was energetic and ambitious, and at the age of seventeen years he began to make his way in the world. He began his career by going to Idaho, where he spent one summer in mining for gold; he then returned to his home and assisted on the farm until he had attained his majority. He then went to Tumwater and secure employment in the tan-yard belonging to his uncle; two years later he joined a surveying party that run [sic] the first preliminary line for the Northern Pacific Railroad from western to eastern Washington; after his return from this expedition he took a position at Port Gamble in one of the large mills as a scaler and tally man, continuing there until 1868. Realizing the need of a more thorough education, Mr. Byles resigned his position and went to Portland, Oregon, where he entered Portland Business College, at which he graduated in 1869. It was not long after this event that he secured a position as Deputy United States Surveyor, and during his term of office he assisted his brother David in surveying three townships in what is now known as Pacific County.
In the fall of 1869 he took up the profession of pedagogue; teaching in a little schoolhouse which stood in the limits of the present site of Montesano. When the school was finished he took the salary he received and the money he had earned at surveying and invested in 160 acres of land, including the present site of Montesano; this was in April 1870. On the 23d of the following June he was united in marriage to Elizabeth J. Medcalf, a daughter of William and Martha (Binns) Medcalf, worthy pioneers of Washington.
Mrs. Byles was born January 22, 1845. After his marriage our subject resided on his farm until in July 1871, when he secured a contract from the United States Government as surveyor. His wife acted for him as Postmaster, and during the winter seasons he was engaged in teaching. In the spring of 1872 he left his wife in charge of the post office and farm, and went on an extended surveying expedition, returning in the autumn to resume teaching. He purchased an additional 160 acres adjoining his farm and carried on agricultural pursuits until 1882; he was appointed Deputy County Auditor in the fall of 1872, and had served in this capacity one year when he was elected County Auditor; he held this office for four years, and was Treasurer of the county for six years, being elected three successive terms; a fourth time the office was tendered to him, but he declined.
The first bank in Montesano was organized by Mr. Byles, on the first of June 1887; it was a private institution known as C. H. [sic] Byles & Company's Bank, with a paid up capital of $10,000; in April 1890, the Bank of Montesano grew out of the private bank, being organized with a capital of $75,000; Mr. Byles was elected president and is one of the largest stockholders; he also holds a considerable amount of stock in the Montesano Water Company; and has large real estate interests in neighboring towns. He attributes much of his success in life to the able assistance his wife has rendered him, preparing field notes in surveying, making his post office reports, and performing every service required in the most satisfactory manner.
Mr. and Mrs. Byles are parents of a family of four children: Frances W., Annie R., Martha B., and Sarah N [Naomi].--An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, 1894, p580
Submitted by Thomas Moak, source unknown:
By Earle Jameson
Of the early day settlers in Montesano there was no more prominent than that of a bearded Kentuckian named Charles Newton Byles and his wife, Eliza Medcalf, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Medcalf who had come to the then Washington territory about the time that gold was discovered on Sutter's creek in California. The pioneers of Montesano were English, Scotch, Irish and early-American descent. Isaiah Scammon came from Maine, the Medcalfs, Arlands and hills from England, the Byles and Goodell families from Kentucky, the Luarks from Virginia and Indiana, the Maces from Quaker stock of Pennsylvania and the Gleesons direct as immigrants from their native Ireland.
C. N. Byles had engaged in the mercantile business in eastern Kentucky [Judy Baker Root's Note: This is incorrect because C. N. was only 9 when he made the wagon trip westward; perhaps Jameson is speaking of Rev. Charles Byles, C.N.'s father here]; in Montesano he was to become a builder, financier and banker. His first banking venture was as a partner of John T. and J. Edward Medcalf, his brothers-in-law, and their bank was the ancient Montesano State bank at Main street and Pioneer avenue which is now the Montesano Branch of the National Bank of Commerce.
Son of Minister
The C. N. Byles family were members of the Methodist Episcopal church south. Byles himself was the son of a Methodist minister, the Rev. Charles Byles, who preached at Grand Mound, Peterson's Point and at Montesano in the late fifties. One of the treasured possessions of the C. N. Byles family is the first melodeon brought to the then Chehalis County. At a recent gathering of pioneers at the home of Fred Rosmond near Oakville, many of the old timers saw this melodeon in the Rosmond living room. One of those visitors said recently that a familiar sight in the early days was the transportation of the melodeon by wheelbarrow to various points in Montesano where church services were being held.
C. N. Byles platted most of the territory which is now Montesano lying north of the Chehalis river and the plats were issued in the names of Byles and Thomas and Joseph B. Dabney. In "The Story of Montesano" written for the Golden Anniversery edition of The Vidette for publication October 12, 1933, Mrs. Flora E. Wartman-Arland gave the wording of the deed which conveyed to C. N. Byles (and his heirs and assigns forever) and a facsimile of the signatures which The Vidette reprinted at that time. The original owners of the land in question therefore the signers of the deed were James H. King, Simon Feeler, Margaret King and Sarah M. Feeler. The deed was "signed, sealed and delivered" to Mr. Byles in the presence of A.J. Campbell and James Monroe Luark. The date of the transaction was April 9, 1870.
Could Show Temper
While C.N. Byles is described by pioneers who knew him well as a deeply religious man of mild manners, he nevertheless could show temper on occasion. Gordon L. Simmons of Montesano tells the following: "At one time in the early eighties the Montesano town council had passed an ordinance restricting the hauling of wood and other supplies, a business in which I had invested. Two or three other Montesanans who had teams suddenly found themselves in court for a minor violation of the ordinance and Mr. Byles appeared in the justice court of Justice of the Peace Griswold to interpret the intent of the town council. As a matter of fact I think Mr. Byles was at that time the mayor of the town. The charge against the draymen was technical in character, a bit silly in fact, and Mr. Byles told Griswold so in crisp and brisk language in which he pulled no punches. As a result of his intervention the justice of the peace hastily dismissed the case, "with apologies." There are few of the early day settlers who will forget C. N. Byles during the hard times of 1894 and 1985, often referred to as the Grover Cleveland panic, when everybody was going broke, the banks were calling their loans and dollars were as scarce as hens' teeth.
The Montesano State bank under Byles and the Medcalf brothers was a small institution as compared with modern banks and had low capitalization and meagre financial reserves. As a result Mr. Byles at that time was forced to mortgage his palatial new home at First and Broad streets up to the hilt.
Home Still Stands
It is related by those who can remember that far back that Mr. Franklin L. Carr came to the aid of Byles with a substantial loan in order to tide him over that long-ago depression. Incidentally the old Byles home is still standing, brick chimneys and all, although the lower floors are now used by the Whiteside Company as funeral parlors.
MONTESANO'S GREAT LOSS
In every community there is nearly always to be found some man to whom, more than to any other, his fellow citizens look to and depend upon in the affairs of business which concern the interests of that community. In any proposition which is brought forward for the consideration of the people the question is sure to be asked, what does he think of it? And if the question be answered by saying that the one spoken of favors the proposition, and is willing to do what he can to make it a success, you will find a majority of his townsmen favoring it also.
In Montesano, C. N. Byles occupied that position. No matter what proposition was brought before the people, it was to him that all turned as to one who could be depended upon to act for the best interests of the town, and if he endorsed and approved the measure it was considered that it would be a success. While a thoroughly conservative man on all questions, he was a liberal subscriber to any measure which would tend to the advancement of Montesano, whether in business, social or educational matters, it mattered not, he was the one who was always looked to as the main one to insure success.
Having practically founded the town of Montesano (he platted the three blocks which lie on the west side of Main street, in 1882), Mr. Byles was always particularly interested in seeing the town advance and prosper, and was never found wanting when called upon to aid in raising any of the numerous subsidies which Montesano has donated to the mills which have been located here; but on the contrary, was always one of the heaviest subscribers toward the measures.
He served the people of the city and county in many public capacities, as county auditor, county treasurer, mayor, councilman, school director, and school clerk, and in each and every office he gave the people honest, able, conscientious and efficient service, and it speaks volumes for his character to be able to say, and say truly, that in one of the several offices he filled were his services anything but satisfactory to those he served.
Of the highest integrity, so thoroughly conscientious in all his dealings, that "as honest as Charles Byles" was the highest certificate you could give a person; with a word of encouragement for those who needed it (and who does not at times?); a hand always open to aid those who needed it; with a fund of sympathy which caused him to grieve with those bereft; with a fortune which enabled him to follow the dictates of his promptings and give largely to all public enterprises; arid withal, the fact that he was a thoroughly consistent and honest Christian, such a man could not be taken from any community without leaving a deep feeling of regret and grief over his departure, and especially is this the case here where the great services of Mr. Byles to the people are known and recognized by everyone; where his uprightness of character was such as to form an example to the younger generations, and an admonition to those older.
To very few men are given the qualities of character which enable them to occupy for years as prominent a position as did Mr. Byles, and yet retain the respect and esteem of all in the marked degree in which he did. Montesano indeed loses greatly by the death of C. N. Byles, and The Vidette has never been called upon to chronicle any misfortune to the town which will be more severely felt.--The Montesano Vidette, January 29, 1897
By Rev. H. K. Hines, D. D.
C. N. Byles, president of the Bank of Montesano, is a native of the State of Kentucky. He was born at Madisonville, Hopkins County, March 20, 1844, a son of Charles and Sarah (Wright) Byles, natives of North Carolina and Virginia, respectively. When his parents emigrated to the West, leaving their home in Kentucky in the early spring, they took a boat at Henderson, on the Ohio River, went down to the Mississipi, up that stream to the Missouri, and thence up that river. Arriving at Independence, Kansas, they met their son, David, who had preceded them to this place. They remained at Independence until the spring of 1853, when they started to the Pacific coast; their train was the first to go directly to Washington by way of the Natchess Pass, and they were compelled to fell trees, build the road in many places, and ford many dangerous streams; they arrived at Olympia in the autumn. Charles Byles [Sr.] located on a farm on Grand Mound Prairie, fourteen miles south of Olympia, and resided there many years; he served the public in many official positions, and was a man of the strictest integrity.
C. N. Byles, the son, passed his youth on his father's frontier farm, and had only limited opportunities for gaining an education. He was energetic and ambitious, and at the age of seventeen years he began to make his way in the world. He began his career by going to Idaho, where he spent one summer in mining for gold; he then returned to his home and assisted on the farm until he had attained his majority. He then went to Tumwater and secure employment in the tan-yard belonging to his uncle; two years later he joined a surveying party that run [sic] the first preliminary line for the Northern Pacific Railroad from western to eastern Washington; after his return from this expedition he took a position at Port Gamble in one of the large mills as a scaler and tally man, continuing there until 1868. Realizing the need of a more thorough education, Mr. Byles resigned his position and went to Portland, Oregon, where he entered Portland Business College, at which he graduated in 1869. It was not long after this event that he secured a position as Deputy United States Surveyor, and during his term of office he assisted his brother David in surveying three townships in what is now known as Pacific County.
In the fall of 1869 he took up the profession of pedagogue; teaching in a little schoolhouse which stood in the limits of the present site of Montesano. When the school was finished he took the salary he received and the money he had earned at surveying and invested in 160 acres of land, including the present site of Montesano; this was in April 1870. On the 23d of the following June he was united in marriage to Elizabeth J. Medcalf, a daughter of William and Martha (Binns) Medcalf, worthy pioneers of Washington.
Mrs. Byles was born January 22, 1845. After his marriage our subject resided on his farm until in July 1871, when he secured a contract from the United States Government as surveyor. His wife acted for him as Postmaster, and during the winter seasons he was engaged in teaching. In the spring of 1872 he left his wife in charge of the post office and farm, and went on an extended surveying expedition, returning in the autumn to resume teaching. He purchased an additional 160 acres adjoining his farm and carried on agricultural pursuits until 1882; he was appointed Deputy County Auditor in the fall of 1872, and had served in this capacity one year when he was elected County Auditor; he held this office for four years, and was Treasurer of the county for six years, being elected three successive terms; a fourth time the office was tendered to him, but he declined.
The first bank in Montesano was organized by Mr. Byles, on the first of June 1887; it was a private institution known as C. H. [sic] Byles & Company's Bank, with a paid up capital of $10,000; in April 1890, the Bank of Montesano grew out of the private bank, being organized with a capital of $75,000; Mr. Byles was elected president and is one of the largest stockholders; he also holds a considerable amount of stock in the Montesano Water Company; and has large real estate interests in neighboring towns. He attributes much of his success in life to the able assistance his wife has rendered him, preparing field notes in surveying, making his post office reports, and performing every service required in the most satisfactory manner.
Mr. and Mrs. Byles are parents of a family of four children: Frances W., Annie R., Martha B., and Sarah N [Naomi].--An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, 1894, p580
Submitted by Thomas Moak, source unknown:
By Earle Jameson
Of the early day settlers in Montesano there was no more prominent than that of a bearded Kentuckian named Charles Newton Byles and his wife, Eliza Medcalf, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Medcalf who had come to the then Washington territory about the time that gold was discovered on Sutter's creek in California. The pioneers of Montesano were English, Scotch, Irish and early-American descent. Isaiah Scammon came from Maine, the Medcalfs, Arlands and hills from England, the Byles and Goodell families from Kentucky, the Luarks from Virginia and Indiana, the Maces from Quaker stock of Pennsylvania and the Gleesons direct as immigrants from their native Ireland.
C. N. Byles had engaged in the mercantile business in eastern Kentucky [Judy Baker Root's Note: This is incorrect because C. N. was only 9 when he made the wagon trip westward; perhaps Jameson is speaking of Rev. Charles Byles, C.N.'s father here]; in Montesano he was to become a builder, financier and banker. His first banking venture was as a partner of John T. and J. Edward Medcalf, his brothers-in-law, and their bank was the ancient Montesano State bank at Main street and Pioneer avenue which is now the Montesano Branch of the National Bank of Commerce.
Son of Minister
The C. N. Byles family were members of the Methodist Episcopal church south. Byles himself was the son of a Methodist minister, the Rev. Charles Byles, who preached at Grand Mound, Peterson's Point and at Montesano in the late fifties. One of the treasured possessions of the C. N. Byles family is the first melodeon brought to the then Chehalis County. At a recent gathering of pioneers at the home of Fred Rosmond near Oakville, many of the old timers saw this melodeon in the Rosmond living room. One of those visitors said recently that a familiar sight in the early days was the transportation of the melodeon by wheelbarrow to various points in Montesano where church services were being held.
C. N. Byles platted most of the territory which is now Montesano lying north of the Chehalis river and the plats were issued in the names of Byles and Thomas and Joseph B. Dabney. In "The Story of Montesano" written for the Golden Anniversery edition of The Vidette for publication October 12, 1933, Mrs. Flora E. Wartman-Arland gave the wording of the deed which conveyed to C. N. Byles (and his heirs and assigns forever) and a facsimile of the signatures which The Vidette reprinted at that time. The original owners of the land in question therefore the signers of the deed were James H. King, Simon Feeler, Margaret King and Sarah M. Feeler. The deed was "signed, sealed and delivered" to Mr. Byles in the presence of A.J. Campbell and James Monroe Luark. The date of the transaction was April 9, 1870.
Could Show Temper
While C.N. Byles is described by pioneers who knew him well as a deeply religious man of mild manners, he nevertheless could show temper on occasion. Gordon L. Simmons of Montesano tells the following: "At one time in the early eighties the Montesano town council had passed an ordinance restricting the hauling of wood and other supplies, a business in which I had invested. Two or three other Montesanans who had teams suddenly found themselves in court for a minor violation of the ordinance and Mr. Byles appeared in the justice court of Justice of the Peace Griswold to interpret the intent of the town council. As a matter of fact I think Mr. Byles was at that time the mayor of the town. The charge against the draymen was technical in character, a bit silly in fact, and Mr. Byles told Griswold so in crisp and brisk language in which he pulled no punches. As a result of his intervention the justice of the peace hastily dismissed the case, "with apologies." There are few of the early day settlers who will forget C. N. Byles during the hard times of 1894 and 1985, often referred to as the Grover Cleveland panic, when everybody was going broke, the banks were calling their loans and dollars were as scarce as hens' teeth.
The Montesano State bank under Byles and the Medcalf brothers was a small institution as compared with modern banks and had low capitalization and meagre financial reserves. As a result Mr. Byles at that time was forced to mortgage his palatial new home at First and Broad streets up to the hilt.
Home Still Stands
It is related by those who can remember that far back that Mr. Franklin L. Carr came to the aid of Byles with a substantial loan in order to tide him over that long-ago depression. Incidentally the old Byles home is still standing, brick chimneys and all, although the lower floors are now used by the Whiteside Company as funeral parlors.
MONTESANO'S GREAT LOSS
In every community there is nearly always to be found some man to whom, more than to any other, his fellow citizens look to and depend upon in the affairs of business which concern the interests of that community. In any proposition which is brought forward for the consideration of the people the question is sure to be asked, what does he think of it? And if the question be answered by saying that the one spoken of favors the proposition, and is willing to do what he can to make it a success, you will find a majority of his townsmen favoring it also.
In Montesano, C. N. Byles occupied that position. No matter what proposition was brought before the people, it was to him that all turned as to one who could be depended upon to act for the best interests of the town, and if he endorsed and approved the measure it was considered that it would be a success. While a thoroughly conservative man on all questions, he was a liberal subscriber to any measure which would tend to the advancement of Montesano, whether in business, social or educational matters, it mattered not, he was the one who was always looked to as the main one to insure success.
Having practically founded the town of Montesano (he platted the three blocks which lie on the west side of Main street, in 1882), Mr. Byles was always particularly interested in seeing the town advance and prosper, and was never found wanting when called upon to aid in raising any of the numerous subsidies which Montesano has donated to the mills which have been located here; but on the contrary, was always one of the heaviest subscribers toward the measures.
He served the people of the city and county in many public capacities, as county auditor, county treasurer, mayor, councilman, school director, and school clerk, and in each and every office he gave the people honest, able, conscientious and efficient service, and it speaks volumes for his character to be able to say, and say truly, that in one of the several offices he filled were his services anything but satisfactory to those he served.
Of the highest integrity, so thoroughly conscientious in all his dealings, that "as honest as Charles Byles" was the highest certificate you could give a person; with a word of encouragement for those who needed it (and who does not at times?); a hand always open to aid those who needed it; with a fund of sympathy which caused him to grieve with those bereft; with a fortune which enabled him to follow the dictates of his promptings and give largely to all public enterprises; arid withal, the fact that he was a thoroughly consistent and honest Christian, such a man could not be taken from any community without leaving a deep feeling of regret and grief over his departure, and especially is this the case here where the great services of Mr. Byles to the people are known and recognized by everyone; where his uprightness of character was such as to form an example to the younger generations, and an admonition to those older.
To very few men are given the qualities of character which enable them to occupy for years as prominent a position as did Mr. Byles, and yet retain the respect and esteem of all in the marked degree in which he did. Montesano indeed loses greatly by the death of C. N. Byles, and The Vidette has never been called upon to chronicle any misfortune to the town which will be more severely felt.--The Montesano Vidette, January 29, 1897
Family Members
Siblings
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