Biography of Edward Daniels

A very prosperous and successful farmer and stock raiser, having a fine estate two miles east from Chesley, our subject is deserving of being classed with the leading and influential men of this section, and as such we accord him space in the history of his County.

Edward Daniels was born in Devonshire, England, October 14, 1850, being the son of Edward and Mary (Eastman) Daniels, natives of England, and born in 1805 and 1814, and died in 1867 and 1878, respectively. Edward grew to young manhood in England and received most of his education there; however, he attended school some in Canada. In 1869 he came to London, Canada, and worked at railroading for a year, then went to St. Thomas and rented a farm on Lake Erie, where he continued for nine years.

In February, 1889, Mr. Daniels came to Colton, Washington, and rented land, doing farming on a large scale. He was (exceedingly prosperous and was making lots of money. The wet year of 1893 and the following panic stranded him, as it did everyone else, and in May, 1896, he sought out his present place on the reservation. He brought the family the following year and since that time has devoted himself to general farming and raising stock. He has fine cattle, horses and hogs, and is a thrifty farmer who is rewarded with annual dividends that are gratifying.

On March 21, 1878, Mr. Daniels married Miss Margaret Dores, and three children have crowned the happy event, James Edward, a Methodist minister at Colton; Olive Lenora, attending college at Salem, Oregon; Frank Raymond, in Manitoba. On October 7, 1890, Mrs. Daniels was called hence by death.

On March 21, 1900, Mr. Daniels married Miss Effie E., daughter of John and Julia A. (Chamberlain) Smylie. The father is a wagon maker and was born in Goddridge, Ontario, in 1840, and now lives in this County. His wife was born in New York, in 1843, and is still living. Mrs. Daniels was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1875. She attended the Lewiston Normal School and was a prominent teacher for five years. She has the following brothers and sisters: Mina B. Quillin; Bertha, deceased; Julia M. Lane; Jennie A. Sargent; Elizabeth, deceased; John H.; Josephine; and George E. Mr. Daniels has the following brothers and sisters: Mary A. Whitfield, Eliza Davis; Elizabeth, William, John and James, all deceased. One child, Elizabeth, has been born to this second marriage.

Mr. Daniels is a member of the I. O. O. F. and he and his wife belong to the Methodist Church. Mr. Daniels is an intelligent laborer for good schools and also for the improvement of roads. His farm is one of the finest, even of this excellent section, and the improvements are entirely commensurate with the natural fertility of the soil, and altogether the estate is a model. Mr. Daniels handles considerable stock and raises diversified crops. He has a half section of timber land in Oregon, in addition to his farm here. Mrs. Daniels’ grandfather, Chamberlain, was a veteran of the Civil war and now has a good pension. Her great grandfather, Barnes, was one of the first advocates of woman suffrage in New York.

Back to: Nez Perce Biographies

Source: An Illustrated History of Northern Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903

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