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Albert P. Scritchfield, cashier of the Payette National Bank, Payette, Idaho, is a typical western man of the type styled self-made.
Mr. Scritchfield was born at Creston, Indiana, April 4, 1865, son of William T. and Laura (Thomspon) Scritchfield, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Indiana. William T. Scritchfield, when a boy, accompanied his parents from Kentucky to the "Hoosier State," and was there reared and married. In 1877 he moved with his family to Pottowatomie county, Kansas, where he was engaged in agricultural and mercantile pursuits the rest of his life, and where he attained considerable success in commercial lines. Here he died in 1903, at the age of sixty-five years. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served four years as a member of an Indiana infantry and having been wounded in battle. His wife died at Westmoreland, Kansas, in 1888, at the age of forty-five years. They were the parents of four children, of whom Albert P. was next to the youngest.
Albert P. Scritchfield was a small boy at the time his parents moved to Kansas, and in the schools of that state and at Campbell University he received his education. Until he was nineteen his life was spent on a farm. On completing his course in the university, at the age of twenty-four, he engaged in teaching, and for ten years he followed that profession, seven years of this time being superintendent of the schools of Havensville, Pottowatomie county. At the close of his career as an educator, and for the next five years he was county clerk of that county and cashier of the Farmers State Bank of Westmoreland, Kansas. Then in August, 1905, he came to Idaho and settled at Payette, where he immediately began the organization of the Payette National Bank, which was established in the early part of the following year, and in which he has ever since filled the office of cashier. The other officers of this bank are: O. H. Avey, president and J. F. Nesbitt and J. A. Lauer, vice-presidents, and the directors are as follows: O. H. Avey, Henry Ervin, Chris Henrichson, J. F. Nesbitt, Carl Asmussen, J. A. Lauer, R. H. Maxfield and A. P. Scritchfield.
Mr. Scritchfield is also identified with the First National Bank of Wendell, Idaho, being president of this organization. And he is secretary of the Payette Valley Land & Orchard Company, in which he is largely interested, and he owns valuable realty at Payette, including his home. The Payette Valley Land & Orchard Company, the largest orchard company in the valley, has planted 720 acres in orchard, and has developed and is operating all.
The success Mr. Scritchfield has attained in life is due to his own efforts. He started out a poor boy, and worked and studied and without financial aid worked his way up through schoolroom, local office and business enterprise until today he is one of the representative men of affairs in the prosperous western town in which he lives. For the past five years he has served on its school board. He is a member of the Payette Commerical Club and is active in politics, affiliating with the Republican party. Fraternally he is identified with the F. and A. M. and the M. W. A., and religiously, he is a Methodist, being a trustee of the church at Payette.
Mr. Scritchfield was first married in Westmoreland, Kansas, May 1, 1877, to Miss Lottie A. McKenney, daughter of Luke McKenney, a native of Illinois. She died November 27. 1907, at Payette, Idaho, leaving no children. He married his present wife at Manhattan, Kansas. She was formerly Miss Grace Cree, daughter of O. Cree, a native of Kansas.