Transcribed From:

Misc. News Papers ~ Perkins

~Perkins Research~

1902: April 30th - The Morning Oregonian - Portland, OR

Death of R. S. Perkins - Prominent Pioneer succumbs to paralytic stroke.

He Made and Lost a Fortune in Cattle and Sheep raising and founded Perkins Hotel

Richard S. Perkins, 79 years old, a pioneer of 1852, and who built the Perkins Hotel, at the northeast corner of Fifth and Washington streets, died last night at his home, 665 Flanders street, from paralysis. He had been ill for several months.

Mr. Perkins, who was one of the best known cattle raisers in the Northwest, was born at Bristol, England, February 4, 1823, and emigrated to this country in 1851, locating at Cleveland, O., where he was employed by Steadman Bros. In the Fall of that year he went to Toledo, where he was employed throughout the packing season by Howard & Walker. In 1852 he was seized with a desire to try his luck on the Pacific Slope, and he went across the plains to Oregon, driving four yoke of oxen, along with Robert Perry.

In November, 1852, Mr. Perkins arrived at The Dalles, and then went to the Cascades. Toward the latter end of the month he arrive at Portland, where he secured work for a few weeks with Albright & White, butchers, and then he and A. H. Johnson formed a partnership under the name of Johnson & Perkins, butchers, and had their store on land now occupied by the First National Bank building. Their business was a prosperous one. Ten years later the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Perkins engaged in the droving business, buying cattle throughout the Willamette Valley and driving them across Montana, and then returned to this city. In 1869, with 4400 sheep, he started for California, but sold them on the road and went to Texas, where he secured 4000 cattle and brought them to Oregon. The next two years he spent in Idaho, where he sold part of his herd, and in the Spring of 1871 he returned to Oregon, with the rest. He then followed farming in Washington County until 1872, when he bought a herd of 900 cattle and brought them to Umatilla County. His Beaverton farm was a valuable one.

Increasing his herd to 5000 with about with about 500 horses, Mr. Perkins continued in this business until 1886 when he sold out at a handsome profit and returned to this city. He next turned his attention to hotel keeping, and he rented the Holten House, which he conducted for five years. In 1890 he began the erection of a hotel on the lot at the northeast corner of Fifth and Washington streets, 100x100 feet, and about this time it is sated he refused an offer of $200,000 for the land.

The new hotel was six stories high, and was opened for business February 4, 1891. As he had made his money in the cattle business, Mr. Perkins caused to be erected in a receptacle on the top story a golden steer. Suddenly the commercial depression of 1893-94 set in, and Mr. Perkins unfortunately got into financial difficulties, and was compelled to part with his hotel in 1896. Then he and his family took up their residence on Flanders street. For some time past his health had been failing.

Mr. Perkins was married to Miss Elizabeth East, daughter of John East, Polk County, in 1857, and she survives him, along with these 10 children; Robert Sutton Perkins, Richard Andrew Perkins, John Arthur Perkins, Charles Henry Perkins, George H. Perkins, Jane Perkins, Ada May Perkins and Daisy Perkins, and Mrs. Hannah Norris (Perkins) Babb and Mrs. Mary Charlotte (Perkins) Malboeuf. Mr. Perkins was a man of rugged personality, and during his long business career he exhibited that personal courage, and ability to endure fatigue, honesty and love of adventure, which had one so much to build up the Pacific Northwest.

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1919: Dec. 9th - The Oxford Democrat - South Paris, Maine

Mrs. Huldah Perkins died at her home at the corner of Main and Oxford Streets, South Paris, at 10 o'clock Thursday Dec. 4th. Mrs. Perkins was born in Milan, N.H. , Oct. 1st, 1837, the daughter of Joshua P. and Maria (Hubbard) Kendall. She married Simon Horace Perkins, and they settled in the house which has been the family home for the past fifty-six years. Mr. Perkins died in 1889. She is survived by four children, Mrs. Frank Kendall of Bethel, Mrs. H. B. Cole of Freeport, Herbert Perkins who has always lived at home, and Mrs. Pearson, wife of Rev. N. R. Pearson, pastor of the Methodist church in Winthrop. All the children were called here by her illness and death. Mrs. Perkins is also survived by one sister, Mrs. Mary Dow of Stratford, N. H., out of a family of thirteen children. Mrs. Perkins has been for many years a member of the South Paris Congregational church. The funeral was held at 1 o'clock Saturday afternoon, at the vestry of the Congregational church. Burial was in Riverside Cemetery.
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1921: Dec. 14th -  Norwich Bulletin - Norwich, CT

Mr. Erastus Perkins comes next in the list of portraits hanging in the Slater Hall, and is described by the late Francis J. Leavens as follows:

He was born in Norwich, Feb. 17th, 1752, married Anna Glover, April 29th, 1777; married Mary Hubbard, May 12th, 1809; and married Lucy Avery, March 26th, 1826. Mr. Perkins died October 18th, 1853, in his 102nd year. He had 10 children by his first wife, but only two of them survived him. He left a legacy to Erastus Perkins Parker "the great-grandson" of my son Jacob Perkins (deceased). After the Revolution, he was for many years master of a sloop running between Norwich and New York. For twenty years he was inspector of customs, acting under the collector of the New Haven district. On the day he rounded the century, he received 165 visitors, conversed with them all in a quiet and affable manner, recollected persons, faces and events readily, related anecdotes when anything suggested them, and had the appearance in mind and body of a man 80 or 85 years old. His sister, Lydia, died in 1863, in her 94th year. (Mr. Leavens credits the facts collected in his sketches to the Perkins Genealogy.).
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Another Perkins, John Perkins, born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Aug. 19th, 1778, is the subject of the thirteenth portrait in the collection. He married Elizabeth Thomas, Feb. 16th, 1803. He moved from Liverpool to Norwich about 1819 and died in Norwich in Feb. 1849. He left one child, Joshua Newton Perkins, whose portrait is also in this collection.
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George Perkins, the next pictured in the list, was born in Ashford, Conn, Dec. 24th, 1803. He married Maria Huntington, Oct. 20th, 1837. She died Oct. 29th, 1881. Mr. Perkins died Oct. 13th, 1874. He was a lawyer and a graduate of Yale College, class of 1828. He was also engaged in the insurance business; he served as a deacon of the Second Congregational Church. He was survived by two children, Sarah Huntington Perkins and Elizabeth Denton Perkins (Mrs. Childs).
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