Yeager Bakery (Montavilla Bakery)
Having made the decision to go the United States, the family of Johann Conrad Jäger (John Yeager) and Magdalena Spady (Lena Spady) departed from Norka, Russia in April of 1901. They traveled to the port of Hamburg, Germany where they departed on the steamship Pennsylvania, bound for New York. John and Magdalena arrived with their children; John Henry, Henry and Elizabeth on June 21, 1901. The ship manifest notes that they were going to the home of John Krieger in Portland, Oregon. John Henry was detained for several days, apparently for health reasons.
Steamship "Pennsylvania" in 1872 on its maiden voyage. Source: Wikipedia Commons.
John and Lena welcomed two more children into the family; Margaret (1905) and Joseph (June 1907).
Several of the Yeager siblings would become active in operating bakeries throughout the Northwest.
Several of the Yeager siblings would become active in operating bakeries throughout the Northwest.
John Henry married Bertie Lee Mashburn on October 22, 1910. Along with his brother Henry, John Henry and Bertie Lee founded the Yeager Bros. Bakery at 1977 E. Stark St. in the Montavilla district east of Portland (now 7831 SE Stark Street). The business was later renamed the Montavilla Bakery (around 1915). The brothers worked production and Bertie Lee, served customers from behind the counter.
Bertie Lee Yeager (née Mashburn) behind the counter at Yeager Bakery in Montavilla.
John Henry and Bertie Lee Yeager.
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Montavilla Bakery delivery truck.
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The Yeager Bakery was a family affair with several cousins pitching in to help. The 1914 Portland City Directory lists four Yeager men living at the same address, all are noted as bakers: Conrad, Conrad C., Henry and John H. Conrad and Conrad C. are likely first cousins of John H. and Henry.
Photo taken by Gottfried Schreiber at the Yeager Montavilla bakery. From left to right: ?, Henry Yeager, Conrad Yeager, John Henry Yeager (bakery owner), ? The 1914 City Directory lists 4 Yeager's living at the same address who are bakers: Conrad, Conrad C., Henry and John H. It is likely that they brothers and first cousins.
Bertie Lee Mashburn and John Henry Yeager likely with their first child, Leslie Wilbert. This photograph was taken about 1913 in Portland, Oregon by Gottfried Schreiber.
The Yeager brothers were active in the Master Bakers of Oregon and helped organize their first annual picnic. The Montavilla Bakery also sponsored a men's ball team. Henry is listed as head of the Sports Committee.
Advertisement for The Montavilla Bakery published in "The Montavilla Sun" on March 26, 1915. Microfilm copy held by the University of Oregon Library.
John Henry and Bertie Lee later opened a bakery in Stevenson, Washington.
John Henry's sister, Elizabeth, married Peter Walters and they founded a bakery in Portland known as Rotary Bread.
John Henry's younger brother, Joseph, married Beryl Plowman and they founded the Yeager Bakery in Beaverton in 1925. It was later named the Beaverton Bakery.
John Henry's sister, Elizabeth, married Peter Walters and they founded a bakery in Portland known as Rotary Bread.
John Henry's younger brother, Joseph, married Beryl Plowman and they founded the Yeager Bakery in Beaverton in 1925. It was later named the Beaverton Bakery.
Sources
1914 Portland City Directory, Ship Manifest and U.S. Census Lists - Ancestry.com.
"Bakers Enjoy Picnic." The Morning Oregonian, 7 Sep. 1915, page 4.
Article noting the 58th Wedding Anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. John Yeager. Stevenson, Washington Newspaper, 1968.
The Life Story of John Henry and Bertie Lee Yeager by Gloria Joan Yeager
"Bakers Enjoy Picnic." The Morning Oregonian, 7 Sep. 1915, page 4.
Article noting the 58th Wedding Anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. John Yeager. Stevenson, Washington Newspaper, 1968.
The Life Story of John Henry and Bertie Lee Yeager by Gloria Joan Yeager
Last updated April 20, 2023