Lebanon Express Oct 10, 1916 GEORGE A. WAGGONER PASSED AWAY OCT. 7 One of the Best Known Pioneers of the State; Had a Very Eventful Life -------- The passing of Geo. A. Waggoner, at his home in Mountain View Addition, October 7, 1916, brought to a close a life filled with activity along various lines of endeavor. Endowed with a logical and versatile mine, Mr. Waggoner was educated in the hard school of pioneer experiences, but with undaunted courage, met the problems of life and greatly enjoyed living. He was born in Van Buren County, Iowa, October 8, 1842 and was one of six children born to Byrd and Caroline Prickett Waggoner, He was of pioneer ancestry, his parents moving from Kentucky and Virginia to the Middle West in early life. His mother was closely related to Gen. Geo Prickett, who led the Confederate chare at Gettysburg. In 1852 the family joined the caravan that crossed the plans by ox team. On this tedious journey the mother fell a victim to the dread disease, cholera, and was buried on the plains. The father and children continued their journey and after suffering untold hardships, reached The Dalles, Oregon. October 8th of the year. Late that fall the father located a donation land claim near Brownsville, and for 64 years, with the exception of ten years spent in Walla Walla., Washington and five years in Alaska, Mr. Waggoner has lived in Linn and Benton Counties. He was almost loyal pioneer of the state, and had unbounded faith in the future development of Oregon. As a citizen he served as Representative from Benton County in the Legislature of 1880. With the late U.S. Ex Senator James H. Slater, Mr. Waggoner served on the first board of the state railroad commission 1881, Dr. J. R. N. Bell,of Corvallis, being clerk. During this period he served two terms as councilman of the! city of Corvallis, and was recognized as a progressive member of that body. In 1899 Mr. Waggoner joined the rush to Alaska, and a few months later was appointed Collector of Customs at White Pass, which post he retained until his return to Corvallis in 1904. During the next year he had charge of the Benton County exhibit at the Lewis and Clark exposition in Portland. In 1909 he was made official booster for Corvallis and in 1910 came to Lebanon to accept a similar position. And it was while serving the city in this capacity that he became interested in Mountain View Addition to Lebanon, where his home is located, and since that time has devoted most of his time continuously to the development of that section, meeting with marked success. In his varied career Mr. Waggoner came in contact with many people throughout the state who will remember him as a man of marked individuality and great conversational power. He was forceful and interesting writer. His book, "OLD OREGON," with which many are familiar, has enjoyed a wide circulation and is a valuable contribution to the literature of the state. It is one of the list of books recommended by the State Board of Education for the Public Schools of Oregon, and has found a place in many of the Public School libraries. The funeral services of Mr. Waggoner were held this morning at 10:30 in the first Presbyterian church, conducted by Dr. J.R.N.Bell, a friend of ?o years, assisted by Rev Karl Klass, the resident pastor. Miss Lena Tartar, of Corvallis, sang "Lead Kindly Light" and "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere." The interment was in the family plot in the Keeney cemetery, (Union Point) six miles south of Brownsville, by the side of his father and near the scene of his boyhood home. And so the passing of a really great man, who filled his niche to the fullest measure and departed in a peaceful manner, surrounded by loved ones devoting their time to his last days, and sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust, approached his grave like one who wraps the drapery of his couch around him and lies down to pleasant dreams. A widow and seven children are left to mourn his loss. The children are George E. of Portland, Orville of An Antonio, TX, Mrs. H.C. Allen of Portland, Mrs. F. L. Lilly of La Grande, W. R. of San Francisco, Harry B of Corvallis, and Miss Laura B. of Lebanon.