EWGS Presidents: Harriet Jefferson Pinkham

This is the seventh in the series on the Presidents of EWGS leading up to the 75th anniversary in 2010. See the previous post on Samuel Pool Weaver, the previous post on Leora Cookingham Thiel, the previous post on Susan Marie West Jack, the previous post on Ruth Churchill Austin, the previous post on Alfred Denman and the previous post on Florence Ballou Brown.

Harriet Jefferson Pinkham was EWGS President in 1947 and 1948 and she made tremendous contributions of materials to the genealogical section of the Spokane Public Library. Harriet Ann Jefferson was born June 27, 1861 the first white child in Duluth, Minnesota to Robert Emmet Jefferson b. May 9, 1836 in Naperville, Illinois, son of Robert H. Jefferson and Cornelia Peters, grandson of Ichabod and Betsy Jefferson of Winsor County, Vermont, and great grandson of Daniel Jeppson of Glasgow, Scotland. Her mother was Lucy A. Sowles of Ohio, granddaughter of Lemuel and Catherine (Didrick) Sowles.

Harriet's father died in the Civil War. She graduated from the University of Minnesota and came west to Washington in 1888 on an immigrant train with her husband Louis Hampden Pinkham. They had two children Louis H. Jr. b. Octtober 11, 1888 and he died a Lieutenant in Army of occupation in Coblentz, Germany February 5, 1919, and Cornelia Ann b. May 31, 1890 and d. March 18, 1916. Both of the children are buried in Portland Oregon. Louis Pinkham died August 12, 1938 at Route 5 Spokane. he was a retired salesman and a member of the Gold Star Parents, and his body was buried in Portland also. Harriet Pinkham died December 17, 1956 here in Spokane and was cremated. She was survived by two grandsons and cousin Rhoda Jefferson. She was one of the founding members of EWGS, the oldest member of Delta Gamma (University of Minnesota), member of Esther Reed chapter DAR, Eastern Washington State Historical Society and the Manito Study club. She authored volumes 8 and 9 of the DAR Pioneers of Washington series of books.

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Comments by Carrie Lartigue:  "I remember her as a tiny little lady of ninety seven years. She and her niece Rhoda Jefferson, attended a meeting the day I joined. I never forgot Mrs. Pinkham's story.. what an inspiration to a beginner!! 'I was reading a book recently, of the life of Thomas Jefferson, when he lived at Monticello. One picture was of the drawing room. It was furnished with a diamond tufted red velvet love seat and chairs. They looked vaguely familiar to me, I knew I had seen them before. Later, I took the book back into my front room... and there was the same love seat and chair! We were so astonished! Rhoda helped me turn the chair upside down, and there stamped on the wood frame was a single word: Monticello.'"