Bull, Rebecca Nelson Frisbee – Obituary

One of Kittitas County’s best beloved pioneers, Mrs. Rebecca N. Bull, passed away Saturday [April 4, 1936] at the Ellensburg General Hospital, following a short illness. She was 80 years of age and had been a resident of this community for almost 60 years, coming here shortly after the Indian uprising. She was a great conversationalist and with her wonderful memory and charming personality entertained her friends with the recounting of many episodes of the early days and her own experiences of pioneer life in this valley. Mrs. Bull was born in Norway, March 1, 1856, and came to America … Read more

Ferguson, James – Obituary

James Harvey Ferguson, 93, member of a pioneer Kittitas Valley family, died Saturday, October 18, 1969 in a Seattle nursing home. He was the son of James Ferguson and Elizabeth McEwen Ferguson, and the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. John McEwen. The Ferguson and McEwen families came to the Kittitas Valley in 1871 over the Snoqualmie Pass from the Puget Sound Country. The McEwens bought land in what is now known as the Denmark District. The Fergusons settled on a homestead close by Naneum Creek, where they built a log cabin. In this log cabin, James Harvey Ferguson was born … Read more

Biography of David A. Neely

DAVID A. NEELY. – The gentleman who forms the subject of this sketch was born to John and Mary Davis Neely in Murray County, Tennessee, on July 18,1823. In 1824 his parents moved to Carroll County, West Tennessee, and settled on government land. There he lived with his parents, his father following the quiet life of farmer and preacher of the gospel until the commencement of the Rebellion. John Neely raised the first company under the Union flag in West Tennessee. All of his sons, five in number, joined the Union army; and only two sons lived to see peace … Read more

Biography of Capt. James J. Crow

CAPT. JAMES J. CROW. – Mr. Crow, a portrait of whom will be found in this work, is one of the early pioneers of Oregon, as well as one of the early and substantial residents on White river. He was born in Lincoln county, Missouri, April 5, 1842, and is the son of George and Mary E. (Howdeshell) Crow, both of whom were pioneers of the above state. In the summer of 1848 his parents, with their family of five children, started to cross the plains to Oregon; but, on reaching the Missouri river, it then being late in the … Read more

Ormsby, Edith Pearl Roberts – Obituary

A resident of Kent for the past four years, Edith Pearl Ormsby, died at the Franciscan Health Care Center, Enumclaw, on Thursday, August 11 [1994]. She was 90. Born July 28, 1904 at Pine, Idaho, to Llewellyn and Cordelia (Warner) Roberts, she was reared and attended schools there. She also met her husband, George William Ormsby there and married him October 8, 1924 at Mountain Home, Idaho. They lived in Nampa, Idaho, where they had a dairy ranch. They moved to Winlock the to Chehalis, where they lived for 10 years before moving to Kent. Her husband died June 10, … Read more

Ferguson, Susan Matilda Carver – Obituary

Susie Matilda Ferguson, native pioneer resident, passed away Wednesday May 24, 1967 at the Burien General Hospital in Seattle at the age of 87 years. She was born October 18, 1879 in Ellensburg, the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. George Washington Carver [mother Rosetta Curtis] and was married to James Harvey Ferguson on December 25, 1898. They farmed for several years in the Kittitas Valley, moving 17 years ago to Kent. She is survived by her husband, James Harvey Ferguson, Kent; one son, Lester J. Ferguson, Lynnwood; one daughter, Mrs. Bertha Wright, Seattle; four grandchildren, including Marvin Rutledge, … Read more

Larkin, Alice – Obituary

Alice Larkin died in her home at MooreCare in Kent, Wash., March 9. A memorial service will be held Saturday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 19030 Eighth Ave S., SeaTac, Wash., at 1 p.m. Burial will take place in Island City at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer’s research, hospice care or charity of choice. Alice was born June 28, 1913, in Canova, S.D., to Lizzie and B. A. Schierholz. As a young woman, Alice owned and operated a beauty shop in Corvallis. While in Corvallis, she met and married Earl Herrmann … Read more

Larkin, Alice Herrmann – Obituary

Alice Herrmann Larkin, 94, formerly of Union County, died March 9 in Seattle. A graveside service will begin at 10 a.m. Aug. 8 at Island City Cemetery. A reception will follow at the First Christian Church in La Grande. Loveland Funeral Chapel and Crematory is in charge of arrangements. La Grande Observer – June 26, 2008 _________________________________________ Alice Larkin died in her home at MoorCare in Kent, Wash., March 9. A memorial service will be held Saturday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 19030 Eighth Ave. S., SeaTac, Wash., at 1 p.m. A graveside service will begin at 10 a.m. … Read more

Biography of Joseph Brannan

JOSEPH BRANNAN. – Mr. Brannan was born in Union county, Ohio, near Marysville, September 13,1825, is the ninth child of a family of twelve children, and the son of Joseph and Jane Huls Brannan. On his nineteenth birthday he left his father’s farm and came west to Winnebago county, Illinois, where he resided for six years and followed farming, when he went to Iowa, but soon returned to Illinois. On April 1, 1854, he started for Washington Territory, with Seattle as the objective point, to join his brother William H., who was killed by Indians in the fall of 1855 … Read more