Lewis Wallace Jennings, who is now living a retired life in Hunters, is one of the
substantial men of the section and since 1900 has identified his interests with this
place. He owns one of the most
tasty and comfortable residences in Hunters and has an abundance of spring water piped
into it from a beautiful spring up the mountain. He was born in Rolersville, Ohio, on
March 22, 1844, the son of General Lewis and Lorhama (Hollaway) Jennings. The father was a
general in the Mexican war and William Jennings Bryan is his nephew. He lived in Ohio
until 1854 then came to Decatur county, Iowa, where he died in 1870. The mother was a
native of Pontiac, Ohio, and died when our subject was five. Lewis was the youngest of
thirteen children and remained with his father until July 16, 1862, when he enlisted in
Company H, Twenty-sixth Iowa Infantry, being sworn in at Clinton. He was with Sherman and
was soon taken sick and sent home on a furlough. When able to do guard duty he was left to
guard Davenport, Iowa. At Vicksburg, he was taken captive and in the fall of 1863, at the
Black river in Mississippi, he was discharged on account of disability.
On February 22, 1864, Mr. Jennings married Miss Margaret, daughter of William and Clista (Barenger) Inman. She was born in Ohio on February 18, 1845. Twelve children have been the fruit of this union: William, an engineer in Lewiston; Francis N. and Albert, farmers near Hunters; Ada, wife of C. Davis, son of "Cashup" Davis, of Whitman county; Mary B., wife of S. Britton, a merchant of Wilbur; Robert Lee, near Hunters; Amanda, deceased; Lulu, wife of Theodore McMeekin, near Bissell; Andrew, of Wilbur; George W., deceased; James, near Hunters; Charles, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Jennings were married in Sandusky and then farmed in Iowa until 1876. In that year came a trip via San Francisco and Portland to Colfax, Washington. In Whitman county, Mr. Jennings farmed and faced the Indians, refusing to leave his home when the others flocked to town. He continued there with good success until 1900, when he sold and removed to his present abode. Mr. Jennings has the distinction of building the first hotel in Pullman, the same being where the Artesian house now stands. Mr. Jennings is a member of the I.O.O.F. and has passed the chairs.