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GEORGE M. STANCLIFT – Surely the subject of this review has passed the various stages
of all kinds of pioneer work, with its hardships, deprivations and dangers, while
he has met each point with a calm determination to overcome and make his way through
it all, which he has done in a most commendable manner, being now one of the stanch
and upright men of Harney and one of its well-to-do citizens, having his home on
one of the finest pieces of soil in central Oregon, the same being one hundred and
fifty-three acre, one mile north from Burns, which forms the family home and is
a good dividend producer.
Mr. Stanclift was born in Erie county, New York, on April 25, 1837, being the son
of Reuben and Elvira (Adams) Stanclift. At the age of fifteen he went with the family
to Cass county, Michigan, and thence to Berrien county, where his mother died. In
February, 1855, he came via New York and Panama to San Francisco, crossing the Isthmus
with the first through passenger train. On the sea they encountered great storms
that made the passage unpleasant. Upon landing in California he went to the Poor
creek country, and thence to Plumas county and mined. Yuba county he later took
up mining and dairying together and in the spring of 1860 he went to the vicinity
of Virginia City. But the second winter there his partner was killed by the Indians,
and all the stock driven off by them, entailing a loss upon Mr. Stanclift of seven
thousand dollars. He went to work for wages again and on January 8, 1867, he married
Miss Mary C., daughter of Gabriel and Kitty A. Stephens, who were natives of Kentucky,
their daughter also being born there; and they had removed to Missouri, where they
died. Mrs. Stanclift came across the plains with an elder brother in 1853, the trip
being exceptionally tedious. After his marriage Mr. Stanclift came by wagon to Douglas
county, Oregon, and took up stock raising, the year being 1871. In 1876 he came
to Harney valley with a band of cattle and in 1878 he removed his family over here,
it being the year of the Bannock war. He was exposed to much danger and hardship,
there being but eight families in the valley. He settled on his present place, and
soon he sold his cattle and bought sheep and later sold them and confined himself
to farming alone. To Mr. and Mrs. Stanclift have been born three children; Mrs.
Etta Horton; Mrs. Laura P. Biggs, of Prineville; Lewis L., of Montana. It is of
note that the grandfather of our subject, John Stanclift, fought in the Revolution,
and was with Washington’s army at Valley Forge.
Transcribed from Pages 669-670 of Harney County Biographies from “An Illustrated
History of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney Counties with a brief outline of the
early history of the State of Oregon”, Published 1902 by Western Historical Publishing
Company
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