Had a
delightful lunch rendezvous with Doris Woodward, long-long time member of EWGS.
She was the editor/compiler of the EWGS publication, The Bulletin, for years
and years. Nearing 90, she’s not coming to meeting much anymore but it was
still a delight to see her and find that she’s still as sharp and funny as
ever.
*************************************************************************
This was Sue Kreikemeier’s President’s Message in the lastest
issue of the Newsletter of the Whitman County Genealogical Society (Pullman).
It was titled “Hidden Gems.”
In my
professional life, I do a fair amount of driving around Whitman County, and
enjoy exploring along the way. I am drawn to small cemeteries and dirt roads,
and, when my schedule allows, will take a short detour to explore those. (A
favorite reference is “Reflections on the Road: A Journey Through Whitman
County Past and Present” by Martha Mullen.)
For years,
while driving through Oakesdale, the McCoy Museum located right downtown, just
a stone’s throw from the old Barron Flour Mill, has intrigued me. However, it
wasn’t until unexpected business took me to Oakesdale on a Sunday afternoon
that I was able to explore the Museum. What a trove of little gems I
discovered! Now, maybe you are already aware of the contents of the museum. But
at the risk of delivering old news, I thought I’d share some of my “discoveries”.
As I
entered the museum Gail Parsons, a longtime volunteer and supporter of the McCoy
Museum, greeted me. Following introductions I was quickly drawn to a shelf
containing several stacks of old, leather-bound record books. When he saw my
eyes light up with interest he proceeded to pull volumes off the shelves and
spread them out on tables for my perusal.
Here’s a
brief sampling of some of the treasures I found:
1920
Oakesdale Census
Justice
Dockets 1894-1940
Record of
Licenses 1891-1938 (dog licenses, peddler licenses, pool room and card table
licenses were common entries)
Town
Accounts 1893-1915
Various
election records, poll books, and tally sheets
Improvement
Bonds records 1920-1991, including purchasers of bonds
What a
plethora of names, dates, and details painting a picture of a small, vital
community! One of the more intriguing entries I noted was a justice docket
entry regarding a case of forgery…that might make for some interesting
embellishment to one’s family tree!
Whether
you have roots in Oakesdale or not, I recommend a stroll through the museum as
a reminder of small town life, local history, and the many ways records can
illuminate our family stories.
Happy
Trails! Sue Rogers Kreikemeier, President, Whitman County Genealogical Society
*******************************************
Kim
Morgan’s last class in her series, Finding Your
Ancestors, offers a wrap-up day on Saturday, June 11th, 11:00, at the Hayden Library (8385 N.
Government Way, Hayden Lake….just north of Coeur d’Alene). Guest speaker will
be Darwin Kellicut explaining how he found his “Genealogical Holy Grail in
Tralee, Ireland.” This is also a Resource Day “to share books on Irish,
Ulster-Irish, German, England and reference and history books as well as other
great research aids.”
*******************************************
The headline read: “Insect Bite Ends
Billings’ Life.”
On Thursday,
May 19, 2016, Jim Kershner’s This Day in
History column in our paper, The
Spokesman, recounted the sad story
from back on May 18, 1916: “A.C. Billings, 54, former mayor of
Harrington, Washington, died from a most unusual cause: a tick bite. Billings
was fishing on Crab Creek two weeks earlier when he was bitten by a tick. He
did not discover the tick until a week later, after it had burrowed into his
navel. He removed the tick, but the head remained embedded. He became seriously
ill and went to a Spokane doctor, who discovered that gangrene had set in. The
head of the tick was found and removed, “but the poison could not be checked.”
His condition worsened and at least 20 doctors were called into observe and
advise. None of them could do anything for Billings, and he died several days
later at Sacred Heart Hospital. The doctors declared that it was one of the
first tick deaths recorded west of the Rocky Mountains. They remained baffled by
the case….”
Poor fellow
was Arthur Clarence Billings, born
in July 1862 in New Hampshire, son of Henry
Billings and Emma Hatch. According
to the 1900 and 1910 census, he was a wheat farmer near Harrington in Lincoln
County with wife Emma. According to the
history of Harrington website, he was the first mayor of Harrington in 1901. No
children were listed on either census.
A.C.
Billings lies resting in Greenwood Cemetery, in the upper/older part. I found
no tombstone for him (or Emma) but the office map pointed to this area.
No comments:
Post a Comment