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Washington Pioneer Dead of 1916

By Edith G. Prosch

Alexander, John S., died at his home in Olympia, August 12. He was born in Wisconsin in 1836. At the age of 15 he crossed the plains to Portland, Oregon, and from there came by the schooner Exact to Olympia, at the time that the Denny family was brought to Alki Point. He served in the Indian War, being stationed at Fort Ebey on the Snohomish River. Later Mr. Alexander took up a homestead at Coupeville, on Whidby Island. He was married in Port Townsend in 1860 to Miss Anna Lanning, who passed away at her home in Olympia. At one time Mr. Alexander was deputy collector of customs in Seattle. During the Klondike gold excitement he had charge of the building of a fleet of steamers for the Yukon River. After an absence of sixty years from Olympia he returned there to end his days.

Barr, Margaret Jane Mrs., died in Roslyn, December 30. She was born in Ohio in 1827, her parents later moving to Iowa, where she married Samuel Barr in 1849. He came west to Oregon in 1852, and Mrs. Barr followed him in 1859. They resided in Portland until 1870, when they moved to Grays Harbor, where the family took up a homestead.

Brents, Thomas H. Judge, died at his home in Walla Walla, October 23, at the age of 76 years. He was born in Illinois in 1840 and crossed the plains to Oregon in 1853 settling in Clackamas County, where he remained until 1855. In 1860 he went to Klickitat County, in Washington, where he herded sheep day by day and studied law at night. Judge Brents moved to Walla Walla in 1870 and took up the practice of law. He was elected delegate to Congress in 1878 and was re-elected in 1880 and again in 1882. He was elected to the Superior judgeship of Walla Walla County in 1896, and held that position until 1912.

Brewer, Margaret Mrs., a pioneer of the Willamette Valley of 1852, and of Mound Prairie, Washington, of 1859, died at her son's home in Hoquiam, February 2, aged 81 years. She was born in Georgia. Soon after her marriage she came to Oregon. She was of the party which was lost in the Cascade Mountains for three months, during which time they suffered extreme privation, men, women and children dying of starvation and disease. Her husband was at one time agent at the Oakville Indian Reservation.

Bunch, Mrs. Sarah Isabell, was a pioneer of 1852, living near Brownsville, Oregon, for forty years. She died April 16, aged 72 years. Mrs. Bunch had lived in Hoquiam for a short time, later moving with her family to Elma, Washington.

Burnett, Charles H., one of the earliest coal operators on Puget Sound, died January 9, after a short illness, aged 68 years. Mr. Burnett came with his parents to Port Gamble, from Providence, Rhode Island, in 1857. For many years Mr. Burnett engaged in a general merchandise business in Seattle, his partner being C. P. Stone. In 1884 he became interested in coal mining and was at different times superintendent of mines at Newcastle and at Renton and later he had an interest in a mine at Burnett, Washington.

Byles, Mary Mrs., was a pioneer of 1852. She was the widow of David Byles. Her death occurred June 11. Mrs. Byles was 83 years old, and she had been a resident of Elma for many years. Bornstein, Mrs. Louisa, died July 11 at her home in Seattle. She was born in San Francisco in 1855 and come with her husband to Seattle in 1881. Her husband, Julius Bornstein, was a prominent merchant of this city. Mrs. Bornstein was closely associated with all benevolent work from the time of her arrival in Seattle.

Callbreath, Captain John C, died at the Kenny Home, Seattle, April 9, aged 90 years. He came around the Horn in a sailing vessel to California in 1849. He was one of the earliest legislators of California, and represented his state in Congress for several terms. He went up into the Cassiar country and located mines and built a trading post on the Stikine River. Twenty years ago, while in Alaska, he lost his eyesight and since then has lived in retirement. He is survived by two sons.

Chambers, Thompson McLain, was a resident of Pierce County for 71 years. He died at the home of his son in Tacoma, November 17, aged 82 years. He belonged to the family that gave its name to Chambers Prairie and Chambers Creek. He served in the Indian War of 1855-56 as second lieutenant.

Clarke, Wellington, speaker of the Washington Territorial House of Representatives in 1886, died in Los Angeles in January. He was born in California in 1856. In 1880 he moved to Walla Walla and formed a partnership with Judge T. J. Anders and Judge Thomas H. Brents. Of late years he has resided in California.

Cochran, Jesse F., veteran of the Mexican and Civil Wars, died October 17, aged 93 years. He was born in Indiana in 1823 and joined an Indiana regiment to fight under General Scott in the Mexican campaign. In 1857 he came to California, attracted thither by the gold discoveries. Later he went to Alaska and then to Puget Sound, but at the outbreak of the Civil War, he went back to Indiana and enlisted, serving throughout the war. In 1869, Mr. Cochran came to Seattle, following his trade of sign painting. He joined the rush to Alaska in 1897, where he suffered many hardships. Later he went to Goldfield, Nevada, during their mining excitement. He is survived by nine sons and daughters.

Crawford, Samuel LeRoy, was a native of Oregon, having been born near Oregon City, June 22, 1855. His parents were pioneers of 1847. Mr. Crawford lived in Oregon in early boyhood but moved to Olympia in 1869. He came to Seattle in 1876 to take charge of the mechanical department of the Daily Intelligencer. In 1880 he and Thomas W. Prosch purchased the paper and he remained with it after its consolidation with the Post. In 1888 he formed a partnership with C. T. Conover to engage in the real estate business and he was connected with the same firm until his death, October 11. He was an ardent baseball enthusiast and introduced the game to Seattle. Mr. Crawford was known far and wide for his many benevolences, giving not only of his money but of his time and influence.

Creswell, Donald C, was born in Illinois in 1830. He came west in 1852, settling near Salem, Oregon. He moved in a short time to Benton County, Washington, where he lived until 1900, when he moved to Walla Walla. He died there at the home of his daughter, March 21.

Denny, Louisa Boren Mrs. , the first bride in Seattle, died at her home in Seattle, August 31, aged 89 years. She was the daughter of Richard Freeman Boren and Sarah Latimer Boren. Her mother later married John Denny, the father of Arthur A. Denny and her husband David T. Denny. Mrs. Denny was the last of the original band of adults who came to Alki Point in November, 1851. She married Mr. Denny, January 23, 1852. They took up a donation claim on the shores of Lake Union.

Denny, Orion O., first white boy born in Seattle, passed away February 26. He was the second son of Arthur A. and Mary A. Denny, who headed the party that established homes at Alki Point in November, 1851, and later were instrumental in the founding of Seattle. Mr. Denny was born July 17, 1853, in a log cabin on the present site of the Stevens Hotel in Seattle. He was one of the earliest students of the University. He took up marine engineering as a young man, and he was chief engineer at one time on the steamer Libby, and at another time on the well-known Eliza Anderson. He retired from business ten years ago, and since then had traveled extensively.

Drumheller, Martha A. Mrs., a pioneer of 1859, died at her home in Walla Walla, December 16, aged 72 years. She was a member of the Maxson family, which came to Walla Walla in 1859. She married Jesse Drumheller, a pioneer of 1862. He was an Indian fighter and one of the largest land holders of his county.

Duncan, William, known to many as "Big Bill," died in Seattle, December 17. He had the unique distinction of being the most prominent cab driver in Seattle, conveying many of the best-known visitors about the city. He was born in San Francisco in 1856. Murphy, John Miller, former editor and owner of the Washington Standard of Olympia, died at his home there December 20. He was the dean of Washington newspaper men. Mr. Miller established the Standard in 1860 and edited it continuously until 1911. At the time of the fiftieth anniversary of its founding in 1910, a golden jubilee was held and scores of newspaper men attended from Oregon and Washington. He was born in Indiana in 1839. In 1850 he came with the Barnes family to Olympia. He had the first news route in Portland for the Oregonian. During his residence in Olympia he was territorial printer. Mr. Miller was ever an ardent upholder of the Democratic Party in Washington.

Dunlap, S. S., a pioneer of 1858, died the last of January, near Hoquiam. He had been a hermit for many years and died alone in his cabin on the East Hoquiam River. He was over 80 years of age.
Fleming, C. P., an Indian War veteran, died January 21 at Garrard Creek, in Lewis County. He was a pioneer of 1852.

Frost, Jane Mrs., was born in Lewis County in 1858, the daughter of C. C. Padgett, and she died at Chehalis, March 21, 1916. She lived for many years at Winlock and also on the Cowlitz River.
Gillespie, John W., died July 13 in Seattle, aged 69 years. He was a native of Wisconsin. With his parents he came to this coast by the way of the Isthmus in 1855. He lived for a time in Portland before coming to Whidby Island in 1857.

Glore, Michael, died in Caldwell, Idaho, January 6. He was born in Illinois in 1837. At the age of 16 he crossed the plains with an ox team to California. He moved to Seattle in 1874.
Grennon, Genevieve Mrs., aged 81 years, was a native of Washington. She was the daughter of M. Plomandon, and was born at a trading post near Spokane, her father being in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company. Mrs. Grennon lived at the Hudson's Bay posts at Fort Nisqually and in Victoria. She died in Tacoma at the home of her daughter, March 22.

Henry, Eliza B. Mrs., for 63 years a resident of the Northwest, and for 54 in Washington, died in Seattle, September 9, and was buried in Olympia. She was the widow of the late Judge Francis Henry, prominent in the early history of the territory. Mrs. Henry crossed the plains in 1853.

Hill, Robert Crosby, of Port Townsend, was one of the best-known pioneers of the state. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1829 and came by the Isthmus of Panama to California in 1850 and to Washington in 1853, settling near his two brothers on Whidby Island. He served during the Indian War on the staff of Major Van Bokelen. About 1870 he moved to Port Townsend and with Col. Henry Landes and his brother, Nathaniel Hill, formed the First National Bank. Thereafter he was actively interested in all that pertained to the growth and welfare of Port Townsend. He was prominent among Masons, by whom his funeral was conducted. He died May 1, 1916.

Hughes, Flora Eloris Payne Mrs., died January 9, 1916. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Payne, pioneers of 1853. Mrs. Hughes was born near Halsey, Oregon, in 1858. The family moved to Seattle in 1869, and Miss Payne attended the University of Washington. She married William H. Hughes in 1878. She is survived by her husband and a daughter.

Isaacs, H. P. Mrs., died at her home in Walla Walla, November 18. With her parents, Colonel and Mrs. Fulton, she came to Oregon from Illinois in 1855 and to Walla Walla in 1864. She was one of the first advocates of equal suffrage in Washington. Israel, George C, one of the best-known criminal lawyers of Washington, died November 26, 1916. Mr. Israel was born in California in 1858. He practiced law in Baker City, Oregon, in California and in Olympia before coming to Seattle. He was connected with many of the greatest criminal trials in the state.

Jacobs, Hiram J., was a son of the pioneer jurist, Orange Jacobs. He was born in Oregon in 1860 and graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan. He died July 28. Mr. Jacobs is survived by his mother, three brothers and three sisters.

Jenner, Charles K., was a resident of the Pacific Coast since 1850. He was born in Wisconsin in 1846 and came with his parents to California four years later. He obtained his education there and was admitted to the bar in 1871. In 1876 he moved to Seattle where he practiced law for many years and was prominent in the affairs of the city.

McDonald, John Fulton, a pioneer of California and a resident of Seattle since 1897, died April 12 at his home. He was born in Connecticut in 1836. In 1858 he went to California, where he lived for forty years before coming to Seattle.

Munroe, Elizabeth Mrs., aged 73 years, a resident of Washington since 1853, died in Tacoma, October 31. She came to Thurston County with her stepfather, Franklin Kennedy, when she was fourteen years old. She was a cousin of Michael T. Simmons, one of the earliest of the Puget Sound pioneers.

Murray, Henry Mrs., passed away in her chair at her home in Tacoma, April 22, while weaving a quilt. She was 84 years old. Her parents were pioneers of the Red River of the North. They were John Ross and Isabell Melville Ross. When she was six years old, with her parents, she came to Fort Vancouver with Dr. John McLoughlin, where her father was employed by the Hudson's Bay Company. Later the family moved to Victoria. She was married in 1851 to Mr. Murray at a place near the present site of Dupont, the ceremony being performed by Colonel Ebey. They settled on Muck Creek near Tacoma, where they resided for many years.

Noyes, Melissa L. Mrs., had been a resident of Washington since 1859. She died March 16, aged 80 years. Mrs. Noyes was born in Maine, May 30, 1835. Her husband came to Port Gamble in 1857 and she and her five-year-old daughter crossed the Isthmus two years alter to join him. The family lived at Port Gamble for twenty years, and at Utsalady ten years and later they made their home at Mount Vernon.

Porter, Nathaniel E., a Whidby Island pioneer, died at his home near Austin, October 27. He was born in Nova Scotia in 1837, and he early showed his love for the sea by varying trips made to remote parts of the world. In 1857 he decided to give up his roving life and he went to California and came to Puget Sound in 1859, taking up a donation claim on the west side of Whidby Island. Here he engaged in farming for himself and family, providing them with a comfortable home.

Rabbeson, Lucy A. Mrs., aged 81, widow of Captain A. B. Rabbeson, Indian War veteran, and daughter of Nelson Barnes, pioneer of 1845, died September 4, in Tacoma. Mrs. Rabbeson was born in New York in 1835. In 1845 the family crossed the plains to Oregon. Her father had one of the first grist mills in Washington.

Ross, Mary Jane McMillan Mrs., has been a resident of Seattle since 1858. Her father was a well-known clergyman of Oregon, where he moved in 1853. She came to Seattle shortly after her marriage to John Ross, and has been a resident of Seattle ever since. Her death occurred July 27.

Steward, Angeline Mrs., died at her home in Vancouver, November 8, aged 77 years. She was a native of Missouri and crossed the plains in 1852. She was married to George Steward in Oregon. They moved to Vancouver in 1862, since which time it has been her home.

Templeton, William, was a pioneer of 1847. He was born in Missouri in 1845, and died in Seattle, February 14, 1916. His parents took up a homestead near Brownsville, Oregon, where he continued to live until a short time before his death, when he moved to Washington. His wife was the eldest daughter of Ezra Meeker, and he is survived by six sons and a daughter. Mr. Templeton was actively interested in the affairs of the Presbyterian Church, of which for over fifty years he was an elder.

Van Brunt, William D., of Bellingham, passed away on his 88th birthday, January 27, 1916. He was born in Pennsylvania and lived for a short time in Utah and also in California before coming to Washington. He served two enlistments in this territory, during the Indian War of 1855-56, the first as a member of Company D. Washington Territorial Mounted Volunteers, the second time in Captain Oliver Shead's guards in the First Regiment of the Second Washington Territorial Volunteers. He moved from Steilacoom to Whatcom County in 1880, where he had a ranch on which he lived until a short time before his death.

Weir, Allen, died at Port Townsend, October 31, after a lingering illness, resulting from an automobile accident, in which State Senator D. S. Troy was killed. Mr. Weir was born in California in 1854. He came to the Sound as a very young man, living in Olympia for some time. In 1874 he purchased the Puget Sound Argus and published it in Port Townsend for many years. He was closely associated with the political life of the territory and state. Mr. Weir has resided in Olympia during the last years of his life.

Wolf, Regina Mrs., wife of Simon Wolf, was 77 at the time of her death, January 9. She was born in Bavaria, but came when very young to America. She crossed the plains in 1860 and lived in Portland for many years. She and her husband were the second Jewish couple married there. She has lived in Seattle for twenty years.

Wolf, Simon, a pioneer of Oregon, died at his home in Seattle, April 14, closely following his wife, who passed away in January of the same year. He was born in Poland and came to Oregon in 1860, where he was a merchant for many years. He is survived by two daughters.

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Source: Washington Historical Quarterly, Volume VIII, Number 2, January 1917. [Miss Prosch has continued the work begun by her father by again furnishing this annual feature of the Quarterly. Owing to sad afflictions in her own family, she fears that she may have omitted some records, but she has done the best she could. -Editor.]


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