Along side the biography for my Great Great Grandfather George Desmarais, I found the biography for his brother Louis H. Desmarais. Another interesting read. Enjoy!
SOURCE: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jtenlen/lhdesmarais.txt
The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 141 LOUIS H. DESMARAIS. Louis H. Desmarais, now identified with the farming interests at Moxee City, was born on the St. Lawrence river sixty miles east of Montreal, Canada, February 2, 1871, a son of Israel and Sophia (Desmarais) Desmarais. His parents removed to Crookton, Minnesota, in 1881, when he was a lad of ten years, and there the father engaged in farming until November, 1900, when he came to the Yakima valley and took up his abode on the Moxee river. He bought fifty acres of land but afterward sold that property and purchased ten acres on Nob Hill. This he planted to fruit and successfully developed his orchard but afterward sold out. His last days were spent in the home of his son, Louis H., and there he passed away in August, 1917. His widow survives and is yet living with her son. Louis H. Desmarais, a lad of ten years at the time the family home was established in Minnesota, acquired his education in the public schools of Canada and of the United States. He assisted his father from early boyhood in the work of the farm and afterward became actively engaged in ranching. While still living in Minnesota he purchased land and there carried on agricultural pursuits until 1900, when he came to Washington. Reaching the Yakima valley he purchased thirty acres of land and afterward disposed of that property. In 1901 he bought sixty acres east of Moxee City and has extended the boundaries of the farm until it now embraces one hundred acres. He had the entire place planted to hops at one time, becoming one of the most extensive hop raisers of the Yakima valley, and in the cultivation of that crop he met with substantial success. He is now engaged in raising corn and other cereals in addition to hops and has a splendidly improved ranch property, equipped with substantial buildings and well kept fences and the best farm machinery. On the 27th of November, 1899, Mr. Desmarais was united in marriage to Miss Regina Crevier, a native of Canada, and to them have been born seven children: Beatrice, Henry, Maurice, Rachel, Irene, Phillip and Andrew. The parents and children are all members of the Holy Rosary Catholic church, in which they have taken an active part while generously contributing to its support. In his political views Mr. Desmarais is a republican but not an office seeker. He has always preferred to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs and aside from ranching he assisted in organizing the Moxee State Bank in 1914 and has since been its president. ******************************** Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.
Mes Racines 