Our Story
Five Generations. One Piece of Land. An Unbroken Promise.
Where It All Began
A homestead, a promise, and 130 years of keeping it
In 1890, Benjamin DeSpain made a decision that would shape his family for generations. He homesteaded a piece of land just outside what would become Edwall, Washington—right along SR-231 N, in the heart of what locals call wheat country, about 40 miles southwest of Spokane.
Benjamin saw what many who pass through still see today: rolling hills, rich soil, creeks that run year-round, and grass that grows thick and green without any help from chemicals. He built his home here. He ran his cattle here. And he made a promise to this land that his family has kept ever since.
That promise was simple: take care of this ground, and it will take care of you. No pesticides. No shortcuts. Just honest work and respect for what the land provides naturally.
The 31 Quarter Circle
Every ranch has a brand. Ours tells a story.
The 31 Quarter Circle brand has been seared into DeSpain cattle for generations. More than a mark of ownership, it’s a mark of identity—a symbol that connects every animal on our land to the family that has tended this ground since 1890.
Preserving the 31 Quarter Circle brand begins with stewardship. DeSpain’s cattle graze on Eastern Washington land that is not treated with pesticides. The pastures have always been used for hay and grazing by the family for over 130 years. Using a continuous grazing system where the cattle are rotated in and out of paddocks, cattle grazing after hay has been harvested allows natural fertilizer to be put back into the ground for the next growing season.
When you see the 31 Quarter Circle, you know where it came from: pesticide-free pastures, creek-fed meadows, and a family that believes the old ways are still the best ways.
Our Story Through Time
From a homestead to five generations of stewardship
The Homestead
Benjamin DeSpain migrates from his parent’s homesteaded ranch in Pendleton, OR to homestead land just outside Edwall, Washington, beginning the family’s bond with this piece of Eastern Washington.
Roots Take Hold
The second generation expands the farm, establishing cattle operations and continuing the long traditions of cowboying.
Through Hardship
The family weathers the Great Depression and serving in the last Calvary war years, holding fast to the land and the values that define the operation.
Growth & Diversification
The third generation enjoys the fruits of farming and diversifies into registered Herefords while maintaining the family’s commitment to natural grazing.
Modern Operations
The fourth generation continues to build on the legacy, serving our country in the Vietnam war, coming back to farm the land and the values that define the operation.
A New Century
New equipment and technology meet old values. The ranch modernizes its haying operations to include custom haying, alfalfa & grass hay sales and pasture rents. Registered Angus are introduced to cattle operations.
Five Generations Strong
Jeremy DeSpain, the fifth generation, carries forward the family’s 130+ year commitment to Eastern Washington land, offering premium hay for sale, pastureland, farmland and land development.
The Sixth Generation Is Learning
Four children are currently being raised at the high school and college levels learning diverse new skills to bring back to the ranch and continue building the brand in new ways yet to be determined.
DeSpain United States Origins & Family Tree
Tracing 10 generations in America
Surname Origin: Despaigne → DeSpain
The surname “Despain” is an altered form of the French Despaigne, derived from the Old French d’Espaigne, meaning “from Spain.” It was used as an ethnic name for a Spaniard, or as a nickname for someone with connections to Spain.
This surname was brought to North America in the 18th century from England by descendants of French immigrants. Today it is virtually non-existent in Britain, and the surname Despaigne is very rare in France, found mainly in Loire-Atlantique.
Origin from France & England — The French Huguenot Roots
1500s–1600s, France & England
The family traces back to Jean Despaigne, born around 1526 in Lille, Nord, France, who died in 1594 in Canterbury, England. His descendants continued in Canterbury through several generations.
The family were French Huguenots—Protestant refugees who fled religious persecution in Catholic France. In 1685, the Edict of Fontainebleau revoked the Edict of Nantes, making the Reformed Church illegal in France. Many thousands of Huguenots fled to Britain, especially southeast England.
The DeSpain Generations
Generation 1
Samuel Despaigne (1661–1714), Canterbury, England
Samuel Despaigne and his wife Marie (Six) were Huguenots; their marriage record is preserved in the Huguenot Society of London registers. His children, including Samuel Despaigne born 11 Oct 1692, were born in Canterbury.
Generation 1
Samuel (DeSpaigne) DeSpain (1692–1784), Colonial America
The pivotal figure who brought the family to America. Born 11 October 1692 in Canterbury, Kent, christened at the Walloons or Strangers’ Church (the French Church of Canterbury). Samuel received a land grant in 1748 for 200 acres in Brunswick County, Virginia, on the southern side of the Meherrin River.
Generation 2
John J. DeSpain (c.1730s–1783+), Virginia → Kentucky
Samuel’s son, a Revolutionary War patriot who served as a Private in Daniel Trigg’s Militia, New River, Montgomery County, Virginia. John married Susan Scott around 1756, had eight children, and moved the family to Green County, Kentucky via the Wilderness Road—a journey of over 200 miles by horse and wagon.
Generation 3
James Scott DeSpain (c.1765–1835), North Carolina → Kentucky
Born in Halifax County, North Carolina. Married Susan Sally Peterson and together they had at least 13 children. Served during the Civil War on the Union side for Co. G, 13th Kentucky Infantry. Many of the Despain families across the U.S. trace back to the original Green County, Kentucky Despains, with descendants spreading to Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Iowa, Arkansas, and beyond.
Generation 4
Benjamin F. DeSpain, Sr. (1802–1886), Kentucky → Oregon
Born January 25, 1802, in Green County, Kentucky. An important westward migration figure who followed the Oregon Trail, eventually settling in Pendleton, Umatilla, Oregon—a significant journey taking the family from Kentucky all the way to the Pacific Northwest.
Generation 5
Joseph DeSpain (mid-1800s)
The family continued to expand westward. DeSpain family members appear in LDS pioneer records, reflecting the family’s involvement in the Mormon westward migration.
Generation 6 — Washington
Benjamin J. DeSpain Edwall, Lincoln County, Washington
The family’s movement from Oregon into the Pacific Northwest—specifically Lincoln County, Washington—is documented through farming and homesteading records. Benjamin homesteaded the land that remains in the family to this day.
Generation 7
Joseph “Vernie” Luvern Despain Edwall → Spokane, Washington
Continued the family’s farming legacy in Lincoln County, Washington.
Generation 8
Jerald “Jerry” Luvern DeSpain Edwall → Sprague, Lincoln County, WA
Jerry DeSpain and his wife Francis were the parents of the next documented generation.
Generation 9
Ritch L. DeSpain (1946–2013), Edwall, Lincoln County, WA
Graduated from Sprague High School, Class of 1966, and shortly upon graduation enrolled in the Sea Bees division of the United States Navy, serving in the Vietnam War, 1968–70. Upon returning, he worked as an iron worker and married Sharon Tyson. Ritch and his family operated a wheat farm off SR-231N for many years on land originally homesteaded by his third great-grandfather Benjamin DeSpain in 1890. Ritch passed the fifth-generation farming operations oversight to his son in recent years.
Generation 10
Jeremy L. DeSpain Edwall, WA → Snoqualmie, WA & Coeur d’Alene, ID
Jeremy was the first to attend college, graduating from the University of Washington, and is the fifth generation connected to the DeSpain homestead land in Lincoln County, Washington. This is an extraordinary piece of family history—the same farm, in the same family, for five generations and kids now in the sixth generation.
Key Locations in the DeSpain Migration
Traced back 10 generations in the United States of America
| Era | Location |
|---|---|
| 1526–1690s | Lille, France → Canterbury, England |
| ~1728 | Canterbury, England → Brunswick Co., Virginia (Colonial America) |
| ~1780s–1790s | Virginia → Green County, Kentucky (Wilderness Road) |
| Early–Mid 1800s | Kentucky → Pendleton, OR (Oregon Trail) |
| Late 1800s | Oregon → Edwall, Washington |
| 1890–Present | Edwall/Lincoln County, WA (DeSpain homestead farm, 5+ generations, 10+ generations in USA) |
Today’s Steward
J. L. DeSpain, 5th Generation in Washington, 10th Generation American
Jeremy DeSpain didn’t choose this life so much as it chose him. Growing up on the same land his great-great-grandfather homesteaded, Jeremy learned the rhythms of the seasons, the value of hard work, and the deep responsibility that comes with stewardship.
As the fifth generation to operate the DeSpain place in Edwall, Jeremy combines modern efficiency with time-tested values. The land remains pesticide-free. The creeks still run year-round. The cattle still graze on sub-irrigated pastures that produce some of the healthiest weight gain in the region.
“We don’t just work this land,” Jeremy says. “We belong to it.”
Interested in Our Hay or Pastureland?
We’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re looking for premium hay, grazing land, or custom haying services, reach out today.