Richard E. Largent 1863- 1915

Richard E. Largent 22 June 1863 - 5 June 1915
Richard was born in Yamhill, County Oregon the fourth child of John and Annie Largent. He attended school in Yamhill County and was enrolled in the Highland School on the Patit Prairie on its opening day of 3 November 1871. His father died when Richard was eleven. He rented his mother's farm for sometime before buying a farm 5 miles south of Pomeroy in 1987 just across the Tucannan Canyon from the farm on which he had grown up. On 3 January 1888 he married Mary Frances "Fanny" Ingram, a Dayton girl whose family had lived there since 1872. They sold the farm south of Pomeroy in 1897, and in 1899 bought a farm 4 miles southwest of Gould City (north of Pomeroy) on the Wild Horse Road. The children attended a country school near Gould City. They sold this farm in 1905. They then moved to to Pullman, Washington so their children could attend college. The younger children came home from school one day to find the house had burnt. The entire family moved in with some kind neighbours, the Cunninghams. They immediately started building a small house where they lived for a short time. Then they built a beautiful new home. Indoor bathrooms were a new idea, so they included one. Because they weren't sure they wanted such a thing inside, they put it on the unheated back porch. The bathroom froze up during the cold of winter, so it was back to the outhouse when temperatures fell. Those who have used outhouses year round claim they are even less desirable during the winter months than during the hot summer months, so the indoor bathroom proved useless when it would have been most appreciated.

During a typical Sunday afternoon visit to Willy's, Richard fell so ill that they took him directly to Moscow's Gritman Hospital. He lingered for several days, and just before his 52nd birthday, Richard died at the hospital after an unsuccessful operation for this sudden stomach ailment. The family had lived well most of its years, but there was more debt than Fanny had realized. They had just built a large beautiful home, but the banks offered no help after Richard's death. They owned a farm near Kahlotus, Washington which they had not farmed. The family was forced to sell the farm near Pullman and move to Kahlotus. The banks refused to lend them money for seed, so they borrowed $3,000 from Willy Largent for the first year's crop. Gradually the family rebuilt its financial success. Richard and Fanny's seven children are: Edith (LaFollette), Ethel (Lukins), Alta (Locklin), Lawrence, Lester, Elton, and Winifred (Penney).

Richard E. Largent family  Circa 1910
back: Alta, Lawrence, Edith, Lester, & Ethel front: Richard, Elton, Winifred, & Fanny Largent

a. Edith Largent 13 February 1890 - 19 June 1960

Tabor LaFollette & Edith Largent wedding photos 1911

Edith was born near Pomeroy. In 1911 she was voted the most beautiful girl at Washington State College. Later that year on 19 August 1911 she married the captain of Washington State College football team, John Tabor LaFollette (Tabor) in Pomeroy, Washington. He was from a prosperous farm family; his father was a congressman from eastern Washington as was his brother, Roy. After finishing college at Washington State they moved to Madison, Wisconsin where he attended law school. They returned to Pullman where he farmed on the home farm for a few years. He later owned Colfax Seed Company where he worked until he retired. Edith died of cancer at age 70. Edith and Tabor had three children: Laretta, John, and LaVelle.

Laretta LaFollette 1930

    1. Laretta LaFollette 4 October 1912 - 11 October 1999
Laretta was born at Madison, Wisconsin while her father was in law school there. She married Carl Walsten on 20 June 1937 in Colfax, Washington. Carl put in a career with the Air Force, retired, and worked as a CPA in San Bernadino from 1956 until retirement. They have one child: Mary.

    2. John Richard LaFollette 16 May 1915 - July 2003

John LaFollette 1930

John was born in Pullman, Washington. He married Edna Louise Fox on
20 May 1939 in Spokane, Washington. They farmed the home place near Pullman for several years before moving to Colfax to work at the Colfax Seed Company with his father. John bought his father's interest in the business and later bought Rainier Sales Company which he ran for 21 years before retiring. He and Edna adopted a set of twins: Robert and Janet.

    3. LaVelle LaFollette 24 September 1918 - 24 June 1979

LaVelle LaFollette 1939

LaVelle was born in Moscow, Idaho. She married Leigh Knoblauch on 28 February 1942 at the family home near Pullman, Washington. She was a graduate of Washington State College who enjoyed bridge and golf. Leigh worked in the Seattle Shipyards during World War II. He worked in advertising and wrote "how to" articles for Sunset Magazine. He bought into a Construction firm, Davenport and Knoblauch Construction, about 1960 where he worked until he died. LaVelle died of a diabetic coma. They had two children: Doug and Patricia.

b. Ethel Largent 19 February 1892 - 29 May 1985

Ethel Largent 1910

Ethel was born near Pomeroy. She married Levi Claypole Lukins (Lee) on 31 July 1919 at Colfax, Washington. Lee was a grain buyer at the time they were married. Sometime during the 1920's he bought a Texaco Distributorship in Colfax which he ran until 1942 when he sold it and bought several grain elevators in Diamond, Washington. Ethel worked part time in the county auditor's office and later for the Soil Conservation Office in Colfax. Lee died on 14 September 1945. Ethel married Roy Sanders in 1952. Roy worked for Washington Water Power and after retirement he repaired electrical appliances in the Colfax area. Ethel died at age 93 and was buried in Colfax, Washington. She and Lee had three children: Frances, Donna, and Richard.

1936 Frances Lukins

    1. Mary Frances Lukins 31 March 1922 - 4 February 1977
Frances was born in Lacrosse, Washington. She married John Bernard Druffel on 26 September 1946 at Colfax. She died of cancer at age 54. She was buried in Colton, Washington. They had seven children: Linda, Becky, Paula, Debbie, Anita, John (Jeff), and Dan.



c. Alta Largent 11 March 1894 - 19 May 1992

Alta Largent

Alta was born near Pomeroy. She was graduated from Washington State College and then taught at a country school between Colfax and Pullman, Kahlotus, and finally at Walla Walla where she lived with her Uncle Willy and Aunt Eliza. She taught there until she married Harry Locklin on 31 October 1925 in Walla Walla. They never had any children. Harry worked as a horticulturist for Washington State University, and Alta quit teaching after they were married. They lived most of their married life in the Puyallap, Washington area. Alta lived her last few years in the Wesley Gardens retirement home in Des Moines, Washington. She died of a stroke at age 98.





d. Lawrence Henry Largent 9 February 1896 - 27 May 1974

Lawrence Largent 1915

Lawrence was also born near Pomeroy. He finished the 8th grade in 1911 at a country school S.E. of the Pullman Farm and was graduated from Pullman High School in 1915 just a few days before his father died. He and Lester farmed the family farm at Kahlotus for several years after their father died eventually forming a partnership that lasted until 1934 when they divided the partnership. Lawrence moved his family to the Colfax area where they farmed. Lawrence married Gertrude Knips on 13 June 1926 at his sister, Ethel Lukin's home in Colfax. Lawrence died of a massive stroke in 1974 at age 77. Gertrude died 14 January 1979. They had three boys: Richard, Philip, and Larry.

    1. Richard Dale Largent 3 November 1928 - 7 May 2013

Dick Largent 1945

Dick was born at Pasco, WA and was six when the family moved to Colfax. He was graduated from Longhollow Country School, which was sometimes called the Hickman School, in 1941, the last year before consolidation hit. His father bought the school house after it closed and moved it to the farm where it became a hired man's house. He was graduated from Colfax High School in 1945 and from Washington State College in 1949 with a BS in Agriculture. In January of 1951 he was drafted into the Army and served two years as a Radio Control Aerial Target Detachment on the eastern end of Long Island, N.Y. during the Korean War. He married Mary Ann. He farmed with his father until 1960 when Philip returned to the area and Lawrence retired. Dick and Philip farmed together until 1982 when their brother Larry returned to the farm and they purchased the Jack Miller place near Penewawa doubling the prior acreage. In 1986 they divided the partnership with Dick and his sons, Brian and Gary taking the home place and Larry, Philip and his son Mike taking the Miller place. Dick and Mary Ann have four children: Dale, Linda, Brian, and Gary.

    2. J. Philip Largent 28 October 1930 - 24 February 2014

1952 LT Phil Largent

Philip was born in Pasco, Washington. He took the 1946 and 1947 Washington State High School boxing championships and continued boxing in college. He was graduated from WSU in 1952 with a major in General Agriculture and received his MBA from Harvard in 1957. He served in the Air Force from August of 1952 until August of 1954 when he was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant. He married Josephine Munn on 26 December 1955 in Seattle, Washington. When they returned to the farm in 1960, they moved into the old Longhollow School that Lawrence had purchased and remodeled it. Philip sold the building to his nephew, Gary & Lisa Largent in 1993, and they added a basement. Josephine died of cancer of 28 May 1995. He married Leslie Jan Looney. . Philip and Jose had three children: Susan, Michael, and Elizabeth.

Lester Largent

  
e. Lester Ingram Largent 26 November 1897 - 5 July 1961
Lester was born at Pomeroy, Washington. He married Ruth VanZandt on 27 November 1924 at Pullman, Washington. During the years of his farm partnership with Lawrence, Lester was the mechanic. In 1934 he bought Lawrence's interest in the Kahlotus farm where they lived until 1948 when he semi-retired and moved to Walla Walla. Lester died of cancer at age 63. He and Ruth had two children: Shirley and Vivian.

    1. Shirley Largent 22 November 1926 - 30 June 2003
Shirley was born at Colfax, Washington. She married Edworth Ray on 24 August 1947 at Pasco, Washington. They have three children: Vicki, Randall, and Leslie.



f. Elton Edward Largent 5 July 1901 - 4 April 1996

Elton Largent

Elton was born on the farm near Gould City. He finished his freshman year of high school in Pullman before moving to Kahlotus where he was graduated from Kahlotus High in 1920. He married Lucile Hinchliffe on 28 May 1926 at his sister's, Ethel Lukins home near Colfax, Washington a few days after Lucile was graduated from that same high school. He ran the LaFollette farm at Kahlotus from 1925 - 1957. In 1957 they moved to Pasco where he sold insurance for National Grange and Farmers. They had one child born on 1 October 1943 who died a few hours after birth as his lungs failed to expand.







g. Winifred Anne Largent 11 January 1904 - 28 January 1991

Winifred Largent

Winifred (or Freddie) was also born near Gould City or Wild Horse Springs, Washington. She began her teaching career in Dayton where she and her mother lived and where she met Cecil Penney. They were married on 1 September 1929 in Clarkston, Washington at her mother's home. She was a primary school teacher during her working years. Cecil worked as a clerk in an electrical store when they were first married. They soon moved to Toppenish and then Vancouver where they spent most of their lives. Cecil continued to sell electrical supplies and later kept books while she taught school. After he "retired", he sold real estate. They moved from Vancouver to Pasco in 1989. She and Cecil never had any children. She was buried in the Desert Lawn Cemetery at Kennewick.

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