Independent Enterprise
Thursday, September 03, 1953
John Applegate Dies After Spending Entire Life In Payette Area
Payette county lost another of its pioneers during the past week at the death of John H. Applegate, 89. He had been a resident of the area since 1864 when he was brought here by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Applegate.
At the time he was brought to the area, there was no community of Payette and the bed of the Payette river where Highway 52 now crosses was narrow enough to jump across. He lived on the ranch now owned by Tom Pence and was later a homesteader on Big Willow. His place there is now owned by Cliff Barker.
Mr. Applegate lived on his Big Willow ranch until moving to New Plymouth in 1917. He moved to Payette in 1944. His wife died in 1948 and he had lived alone in Payette since that time. His family, many of them local residents, feted him on his birthday with a major celebration until a few years ago.
He had been a member of the Baptist church.
Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Harry Pence and Mrs. Nellie Ferguson, both of Payette; two sons, James and Sam Applegate, both of Payette; one sister, Mrs. Mary Wilson of Payette; two half sisters, Mrs. Ruth Vance of Portland and Mrs. Fay Wells of Payette, 12 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.
Services were held Monday morning at the Shaffer Memory chapel in Payette with the Rev. Stanley Andrews and the Rev. Dallas McNeil officiating. Interment followed at Kennedy-Applegate cemetery near New Plymouth.
