Washington Pioneer Dead 1912
By Thomas W. Prosch
In
this article those persons only are considered pioneers who
lived in Washington, and who came to the Pacific Coast before
1860. The Information
given is derived chiefly from the newspapers of the day. In some
cases it was meager. No doubt there were other departed
pioneers, but of them the biographer had no knowledge.

Arnold, A. W.
Born in New York in 1 830; died at Coupeville, Island County,
Dec. 14th, aged 82 years. Mr. Arnold came to Puget Sound in
1857, and during the following fifty-five years lived most of
the time on Whidby Island. He left four sons and two daughters.
Barlow,
George W. Born in Michigan in 1 842; died at his home in
Steilacoom, Oct. 15th, aged 70 years. He came to Washington
territory in I 852, where he lived a long term of years and
until his removal to Pierce County. He was a steamboat owner and
master, not only on the Columbia River, but on Puget Sound. His
more recent vessels were the Skagit Chief, Greyhound, Multnomah
and others of their time. He left a wife and daughter. Three
brothers and a sister also survive him.
Barnes,
George A. Born in New York state in 1821; died at Olympia, Nov.
29th, aged 91 years. He came to Oregon overland in 1 848, and in
1 849 went on to California. The following year he returned to
the east, but was soon again headed for the North Pacific Coast.
During the sixty years ending with his death he lived in
Olympia. He was town trustee, mayor, president of the chamber of
commerce, mer-chant, banker, and in other respects one of the
leading citizens. Three times he was married, but had no
children and the only near relative he left was a sister.
Bernier,
Julien. Born in Washington territory; died Dec. 1st in Lewis
County, aged 67 years. The first Bernier to come to Washington
was one of the French Canadians brought here by the Northwest
Fur Company in 181 1. In 1819 he had a son born at Spokane
House, who was the first white child born in Oregon, Washington
or British Columbia Marcel Isadore Bernier. The Bernier family
settled in Lewis County about seventy years ago. When Michael T.
Simmons and the other first American settlers came along in
1845, Marcel Bernier showed them the way to Puget Sound.
Betz, Jacob.
Born in Bavaria; died at Tacoma, Nov. 16th, aged 69 years. He
came to America in 1849, to California in 1856, and to
Washington territory in 1872. He was councilman and mayor of
Walla Walla, prospered in business and was a substantial
citizen. In 1 904 he removed to Tacoma. A widow, two daughters
and two sons survive him.
Beuston,
Adam. Born in Scotland in 1824; died in Pierce County, March
25th, aged 88 years. As an employee of the Hudson Bay Company,
Mr. Beuston came to Puget Sound in 1 84 1 , and lived in
Washington a longer period than any of the other deceased
pioneers of 1912, nearly 71 years. He became a citizen of the
United States, and as such took a 320-acre donation claim in
Puyallup valley, and later took a pre-emption claim near
Hillhurst. Mr. Beuston was married three times. The town of
Beuston, on the Tacoma & Eastern Railway, got its name from him.
A son and eight grandchildren were left.
Boren, Carson
D. Born Dec. 12th, 1824, at Nashville, Tennessee; died at his
home near Seattle, Aug. 19th, aged 88 years. Mr. Boren was one
of the famous party who crossed the plains in 1851 and settled
at Alki Point in November of that year. With one exception (his
sister, Mrs. D. T. Denny), he was the last survivor of the
twelve adults who there and then began the settlement that has
since become the city of Seattle. Mr. Boren spent the last
sixty-one years of his life in King County, as a town
proprietor, carpenter, farmer and in other vocations incident to
a life in a new country. He was the first sheriff, in 1853. His
land claim was located in what is now the heart of Seattle,
including the Hoge building site, where the Boren home was
established sixty years ago.
Boren,
Livonia Gertrude. Born at Abington, Illinois, Dec. 1 2th, 1850;
died in King County, June 4th, aged 61 years. She was the
daughter of Carson D. Boren, and, as a child one year of age,
was a member of the party of twelve adults and twelve children
who were at Alki Point, November 13th, 1851, and who are now
commonly regarded as the "Founders of Seattle." Miss Boren lived
all her life except the first eleven months in or near Seattle.
Her family connections cousins were very numerous.
Bozorth,
Christopher C. Born in Missouri, Jan. 1, 1832; died at his home
in Cowlitz County, Nov. 5th, aged 81 years. He came with his
people to Oregon in 1845, but in 1851 settled in what is now
Washington. In 1881 he founded the town of Woodland. During his
long residence in that locality he was fourteen years justice of
the peace, was assessor of Clarke County, assessor of Cowlitz
County, and member of the territorial legislature.
Burk, Peter.
Born in Ireland; died in Pierce County, Dec. 6th, aged 90 years.
He came to the United States about sixty years ago. He enlisted
in the army at Fortress Monroe in 1853, and the following year
was sent to the Pacific. In 1855-56 he was doing military duty
at Forts Vancouver and Steilacoom. He located in the territory
at the expiration of his term of enlistment. He lived on the
county farm during the last twenty-three years.
Camp, Moholoh
Schluesher. Born in Missouri in 1838; died at Kettle Falls,
Washington, Feb. 18th. In 1852 she came to Oregon, where, the
next year, she was married to Benjamin Camp. In 1 864 they moved
to Waitsburg, Walla Walla County. Seven of her eleven children
survive her.
Carr, Lucie
L. Whipple. Born in Pennsylvania, Dec. 2d, I 832; died in Yakima
County, Sept. 26th, aged 80 years. Miss Whipple married Ossian
J. Carr in 1856. They were of the same age, had known each other
from infancy, and her body was laid in the grave with his five
weeks following his interment. She came to Oregon in 1858, to
Washing-ton first in 1861, and a second time in 1876. In the
summer of 1862 she taught a three months' term of the Seattle
public school in the first territorial university building, hers
(following A. S. Mercer's) being the second school there taught.
There were then only about twenty-five or thirty children in
Seattle's public school, where now are about forty thousand.
Mrs. Carr was one of the five sisters who were pioneer women of
Oregon, the others being Mrs. Susannah Bagley, Mrs. Jane West,
Mrs. Edna A. Colbert and Mrs. Ann E. Mann.
Carr, Ossian
J. Born in Dryden, N. Y., Oct. 18th, 1832; died at Seattle, Aug.
23d, aged 80 years. Mr. Carr came to Oregon in 1858, where he
lived about three years, when he and his family came to Seattle.
In the latter place he engaged as a mechanic in the construction
of the first university buildings. The following year they went
back to Oregon, where they stayed until 1876, when they returned
to Seattle. Mr. Carr served nearly three years as assistant
postmaster, following by eight years as postmaster of Seattle.
He left a wife and daughter.
Carson,
Isaac. Born in Hendricks County, Indiana, Aug. 1st, I 832; died
in Pierce County, Washington, March 14th, aged 80 years. He came
to Oregon in 1 851. In the Rogue River Indian war he served as a
volunteer, for bravery being promoted from the ranks. In 1860 he
was married (Sept. 30th) in Danville, Indiana, he and Mrs.
Carson immediately coming to the Pacific coast. Settling later
in Pierce County, he was elected sheriff, and afterwards was a
member of the territorial legislature from Walla Walla, Garfield
and Asotin Counties. Mrs. Carson and three married daughters
survive him.
Christopher,
Thomas. Born in Norway in 1832; died in King County, Dec. 6th,
aged 80 years. He left home at ten years of age, and after nine
years at sea went ashore at San Francisco in 1852. He mined in
California for several years but came to Steilacoom, Pierce
County, in 1858. In 1863 he settled on a land claim in King
County, where the town of Christopher now is. He was one of the
first (if not the first) Norwegians in Pierce and King Counties.
He left a married daughter.
Davis, Henry
C. Born in Indiana, he died near Chehalis, April 21st, aged 66
years. With his parents, he came to Washington Territory in
1851, settling at Claquato, in Lewis County, which at that time
included all of Puget Sound. A wife and son were left.
Dunbar, Ralph
Oregon. Born in Illinois, April 26th, 1845; died at Olympia,
Sept. 19th. He came to Oregon with his parents' family in 1846.
They settled in Marion County. There the son remained until
1867, when he came to Olympia. He studied law in the office of
Elwood Evans, being admitted to practice in 1869. He went (1871)
into the country east of the Cascade Mountains. Until 1889 he
was editor of a newspaper, practicing attorney, legislator, etc.
In that year he was a member of the convention that framed the
state constitution, and at' the first election was chosen by the
people as a member of the new state Supreme Court, an honor
which was continued to him at subsequent elections during the
remainder of his days twenty-three years. He left a wife and
three children.
Fryberg, John
P. Died in Seattle, April 12th, aged 77 years. He came to Puget
Sound in 1857, and here dwelt the remainder of his life. He left
a son and two daughters.
Frye, George
F. Born in Germany, Jan. 15th, 1833; died in Seattle, May 2d,
aged 79 years. When 1 6 years of age he came to America, and
three years later (1852) traveled overland from Missouri to
Oregon. The following year he moved to Seattle, and remained
there 59 years, to the end of his days. In 1 860 he and Louise
Catherine Denny were married, she and four daughters surviving
him. Mr. Frye was engaged in various occupations as steam
boating, farming, conducting a meat shop, a grocery, hotel, etc.
He built several dwellings, and three of the finest hotel
buildings in his home city the Stevens, the Barker and the Frye.
Geddis, S. R.
Died at Lebanon, Oregon, Feb. 2d, aged 74 years. He came to
Oregon in 1846, served in the Indian war of 1855, settled at
Ellensburg, in Kittitas County, in 1869, where he made his home,
and where three of his seven surviving children yet live.
Hadlock,
Samuel. Born in New Hampshire in 1829; died in the same state,
Sept. 18th, aged 83 years. He came to California in 1852, where
for a number of years he was engaged in milling, steam boating
and somewhat similar lines of trade. In 1 868, as one of five
partners, he located the first steam sawmill in Tacoma, and he
had charge of the construction. Later he acquired a large body
of land on Port Townsend Bay, where the town of Hadlock is now.
He was a widower, with one son. At the time of his death he was
visiting his native state, and was in a sanitarium at Nashua.
Hastings,
Oregon Columbus. Born in Illinois in 1846; died in Victoria, B.
C, Aug. 2d, aged 66 years. Mr. H. was a brother of Mrs.
Littlefield, and, of course, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. B. Hastings.
He was an infant when the parents crossed the plains. With them
he came to Port Townsend in 1 851. He spent the remainder of his
life in that town and Victoria, in the latter city conducting a
photograph gallery for many years. The Hastings family is
permanently and honorably connected with the history of Puget
Sound.
Jackson,
Samuel. Born at Plymouth, Massachusetts, Nov. I 7th, 1832; died
at Seattle, Oct. 16th, aged 80 years. Captain Jackson went to
sea as a boy, and in a few years had been pretty well over the
globe. In the early 1850s he headed for the Pacific, but was
wrecked on the way. Not long detained, he was soon in the
California gold mines, and afterwards in those of British
Columbia. In 1 859 he came to Puget Sound. From that time on his
principal occupation was steam boating, he navigating and
managing many of the early day craft. When not employed on
steamboats, he was engaged in pile driving, wharf building,
shin-building, invariably something on or near the water. He
left a wife and daughter.
Jarman,
William. Born in England; died at Ferndale, Whatcom County, June
11th, aged 92 years. He came to Puget Sound in 1 846 on one of
the ships of the Hudson Bay Company, and here spent the
remainder of his life.
Kanavan,
Thomas. Died in Pierce County, Feb. 4th, aged 86 years. He came
from Ireland in 1852, locating the following year in or near the
present city of Tacoma. He was a volunteer in the Indian war of
1855-56. He left a wife, four sons and four daughters.
Littlefield,
Maria C. Hastings. Born in Portland, Oregon, Dec. 28th, 1850;
died at Port Townsend, July 1st, aged 62 years. Mrs. Littlefield
was the daughter of Loren Brown and Lucinda Bingham Hastings,
who came from Vermont first and Illinois later, settling at
Portland, where they lived four years, beginning in 1847. In
1851, with the Pettygrove family, they removed to Port Townsend,
where the men took land claims, Mrs. Hastings and her young
daughter Maria, being the two first whites of their sex there to
place foot. In 1869 Miss Hastings married David M. Littlefield.
She was survived by her husband, three daughters and four
grandchildren.
Longmire,
Virinda. Died at North Yakima, Feb. 1 2th, aged 82 years. She
came to Washington Territory in 1853, with her husband, James
Longmire. They settled at Yelm, in Thurston County. The famous
Longmire Springs, on Mount Rainier, were discovered and acquired
by Mr. Longmire. Mrs. Longmire left nine children, and it is
said 159 other descendants.
McGowan,
Patrick J. Born March 17th, 1817, in Ireland; died Sept. 29th,
in the town of McGowan, Washington, aged 95 years. In 1842 he
came to New York, in 1849 to California, and in 1850 to Oregon.
After three years in Portland he removed to Washington
territory, on the Columbia River near its mouth. He, at an early
day, engaged in the salmon fishery, salting and barreling the
fish, later erecting several canneries at different points. He
had a wife, five sons and two daughters. For sixty-two years he
was a business man of prominence and wealth in this state.
Miller,
Margaret. Died in Seattle, January 14th, aged 85 years. She came
from Maine in 1857, to Washington Territory. She, then Miss
McElroy, was soon married to Amasa S. Miller, who had come from
Maine to California in 1849 and to Washington in 1853. Their
long married life was spent wholly in Port Gamble and Seattle.
Mr. Miller died several years ago. Mrs. Miller left six
grandchildren.
Miller,
Rachel C. Died in Clarke County, January 26, aged 94 years. She
was an Oregon immigrant of 1850. She was born at Jackson, in
Virginia. She is survived by five children, all residents of
Oregon and Washington.
Rader,
Solomon. Died at Medford, Oregon Dec. 2d, aged 85 years. He came
to the Pacific by the overland route in 1852. He mined for gold
in California and Oregon, fought in two Indian wars, and finally
settled in Walla Walla. He left a wife and one son.
Schnebley, F.
Dorsey. Born in Maryland in 1 832; died at EIlensburg, Nov. 1
1th, aged 80 years. In 1854 he came by way of Nicaragua to
California. After a few years he came north, and for a time made
his home in Columbia County, Washington. In 1872 he moved to
Kittitas County, then Yakima, where he remained. He was county
sheriff four years. Eight years he owned and published the
Ellensburg Localizer, a paper that was established by D. J.
Schnebley, who for a time published the Oregon Spectator, the
first newspaper on the Pacific Coast. "Uncle Dorse's" relatives
are numerous in this state.
Sherwood, S.
F. Born in New York state, Dec. 1 6th, 1832; died in Kitsap
County, Oct. 11th, aged 80 years. He came to San Francisco in
1853, to Fraser River in 1858, and to Washington territory in
1861. He was a soldier in the Mexican war. Fifty years ago he
was auditor of Skamania County, but for forty years dwelt in
Stevens County.
Smalley,
Martha Ann. Born in Missouri, Nov. 23d, 1835; died at Rocky
Point, Washington, June 17th, aged 77 years. In 1849 she crossed
the continent with her parents named Magan to California. In
1850 she married James A. Smalley, and in 1852 they settled at
Portland, Oregon. In 1857 they went back to Missouri, from which
they again came west in 1865, finally locating in Washington
territory. A husband, son and six married daughters were left.
Smith, James.
Died at Oakville, Chehalis County, March 12th, aged 88 years. He
was born in New York, but came to Washington, around Cape Horn,
in 1854. He became an extensive land owner, having a tract of
one thousand acres in Chehalis valley. Upon this tract was built
a blockhouse for protection of the settlers during the Indian
war, from which circumstance he acquired the name of "Blockhouse
Smith." A widow, son and daughter were left.
Stockand,
Mrs. P. R. Born in Scotland, June 1 2th, 1 832; died at Port
Townsend, Oct. 28th, aged 80 years. She left home in 1859 for
Victoria, B. C, by way of Cape Horn, arriving Jan. 14th, 1860. A
few weeks later she came over to Port Townsend, where she lived
with her family thereafter. She was survived by a husband and
six children, all residents of Seattle, Yakima, Bellingham and
Port Townsend.
Stephens,
William. Died at Monroe, Snohomish County, March 13th, aged 68
years. He came to Oregon in 1852 and from there to Washington
thirty-five years later, locating at Marysville. A widow and
seven children survive him.
Sullivan,
Michael J. Born in Massachusetts; died in Skagit County, Nov.
18th, aged 82 years. He came to the Pacific in the rush to the
California gold mines, working his way on a steamer. In 1866 he
began farming on the Swinomish Flats, near LaConner, where his
sagacity and industry were well rewarded. He left a wife.
Whitesell,
William Henry. Born in one of the eastern states in 1 841; died
at Orting, Sept. 8, he being struck by a Northern Pacific train
while walking on the track. He came with his parents, brothers
and sisters to Pierce County in 1854, and from that time on his
home was in the Puyallup valley. He was unmarried; his nearest
relatives left being three brothers and five sisters, all
residents of Pierce County.
Williams, Robert. Born in Wales, May 13, 1834; died at
Vancouver, Washington, Dec. 9th, aged 79 years. He came to
America in 1850, and in 1855 came to the Pacific Coast as a
private soldier in the Fourth U. S. Infantry. His company, under
Capt. Wallen, was sent to Vancouver, from which point Williams
was sent with others to Yakima in the Major Rains expedition, to
fight the Indians. In 1856 he was in the fight at the Cascades.
In 1861 he enlisted again to fight dissension, and served with
distinction, becoming a captain by several promotions. In 1877
he located at Vancouver, where he again became connected with
the army, serving in the ordnance branch until his retirement in
1 896. Capt. Williams married a woman named Turnbull in Scotland
in 1860.
Willson,
Eliza Kirkland. Born in 1848; died in Pierce County, Nov. 10th,
aged 64 years. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Moses
Kirkland, who came to King County in 1853, and settled on a farm
in White river valley. In the Indian war that prevailed in
1855-56 the Kirkland live stock, crops and improvements were
destroyed, his claim for damages on that account amounting to
$2,667. Mr. Kirkland enlisted for the war, serving first in the
Capt. Hewitt Company of Seattle, and afterward in the Capt.
Lander Company. Subsequently the family removed to other parts
of the territory. In 1864 Eliza was married to Edward A. Willson,
one of the prominent men of Mason County. He came to Oregon in
early days, and participated in one of the first Indian troubles
there, in which he was so wounded that he never fully recovered.
He has long been dead. They had several children.
Wooten,
Shadrach. Born in Florida, died on Cypress Island in January,
aged 78 years. He came to Puget Sound in 1851. He left a wife
and six children.
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