Gaston, Joseph.  "The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912."  Vol. 3. 
Chicago, Clarke Publishing Co., 1912. p. 565.
 
WALTER S. CARSNER

     is the owner of a valuable ranch of four hundred and eighty acres located
on the south side of the John Day river, four miles below Mount Vernon. He is
one of Grant county's pioneers and was formerly extensively engaged in the stock
business, but has greatly reduced his herds of recent years, giving more
attention to the cultivation of his land. He was born in Polk county, Iowa, on
the 11th of November, 1852, and is a son of Jonas and Sarah (Parkinson) Carsner.
The father was a native of Ray county, Missouri, and the mother of Pennsylvania.
The paternal grandfather, Henry Carsner, who was a farmer, located in Missouri
during the pioneer days and there passed the remainder of his life. His son
Jonas subsequently removed to Iowa, which was his place of residence until in
the late ' 50s, when he went to Kansas, settling in the vicinity of Leavenworth.
He and his family spent the winter of 1861 at Nebraska City, and there the
following spring they joined an emigrant train of about sixty wagons coming to
Oregon. They made the journey with six yoke of oxen, experiencing no unusual
difficulties or hardships on the trip, their party not having been attacked by
the Indians nor having, suffered from the epidemics, with which some of the
emigrants were afflicted. On the 20th of October, 1862, they arrived in the
Willamette valley, and there for two years Mr. Carsner rented land. At the
expiration of that time he came to the John Day valley, filing on a tract of
land located on the river twelve miles below Mount Vernon. The family settled
there in August, 1864 and on the 12th of the December following, the father
passed away, leaving a widow and a family of seven small children practically
penniless. Despite the many hard-ships and privations Mrs. Carsner experienced
in supporting and rearing her family, she lived to attain the venerable age of
eighty-two years, her death occurring in November, 1910.
     Walter S. Carsner was a child of twelve years when his father died, but
despite his youth he was compelled to assist in maintaining the family. They
remained on their claim until the spring of 1865 when, owing to the danger from
the Indians, they removed to the Willamette valley, making their home there for
three years. In the spring of 1868, they returned to this section, settling six
miles below Mount Vernon, which was their place of residence for many years. Mr.
Carsner has passed the greater part of his life in this immediate vicinity,
where of recent years he has prospered in his undertakings and is now numbered
among the well-to-do citizens of his community. His first ranch was situated
three miles below Mount Vernon, and there he engaged in stock-raising until he
bought his present place, which is located on the south side of the river and
four miles from Mount Vernon. He has a good location and a large portion of his
holdings is bottom land and is very productive. Until the last three years he
has been ranging a large herd of cattle, but he now keeps only about three
hundred head. His place, which is crossed by the McLellan creek, is well
improved and equipped and one of the attractive properties of the county.
Although his early education was very limited, as he had but meager schooling,
Mr. Carsner has overcome his deficiencies by close observation and careful
reading, developing into a man of practical intelligence, sound judgment and
liberal views, whose opinion is often sought in business affairs.
     On the 27th of November, 1877, Mr. Carsner married Miss Tennessee Dunn, a
native of Tennessee and a daughter of Robert and Ellen (Page) Dunn, the former
of North Carolina and the latter of Virginia. They came to Oregon in 1876,
locating on Long creek in Grant county. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dunn died in 1882.
During the long period of their residence in this section Mr. and Mrs. Carsner
have become widely acquainted and have a large circle of friends.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith. Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.