“Hidden Gems,” President Sue Kreikemeier’s Message to the WSGS
Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond, Washington
Newspaper: “Insect Bite Ends Man’s Life”
Carnegie Libraries—2609 of them…even in South Africa!
Fiske Library in Northwest Seattle
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This was Sue Kreikemeier’s President’s Message in the latest issue of the Newsletter of the Whitman County Genealogical Society (Pullman). It was titled “Hidden Gems.” I share it with all of you because it clearly points up that wonderful hidden treasures are waiting to be found in small place where you might never think to look!
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
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On a parallel note, bet you never heard of the Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond, Washington (www.nwcarriagemuseum.org).
Their website explains that the museum “is home to many magnificently restored 19th century vehicles. The doors were opened in 2002 and since then the Museum has more than doubled the number of horse drawn vehicles with more than 40 currently on display and more on the way. In addition to the vehicles on display, other museum exhibits include an 1890 schoolhouse, a wheelwright/blacksmith shop, an educational transportation timeline, period clothing, artifacts, pictures, and, of course, a unique gift shop.”
If you are heading for the lower Washington coast this summer, perhaps this should be on your visiting list?
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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).
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Andrew Carnegie, 1835-1919, “was a self-made steel tycoon and one of the wealthiest 19th century U.S. businessmen.” In short, he was a bezillionnaire of his day. One wonderful thing he did with his money was to fund public libraries. We probably all know of a Carnegie Library in your town (he funded 1689 in the U.S and 43 of those are in Washington State) but did you know he funded 820 libraries all over the world? Initially, Carnegie libraries were built almost exclusively in places where he had a personal connection, namely his hometown in Scotland and the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. Beginning in 1899, his funding expanded to other far-flung libraries.
Carnegie granted funds for twelve libraries in South Africa. The very first one, in 1906, was in the small town of Vryheid. When I was blessed to visit that place last March, I was blown away to spot a Carnegie Library in downtown Vryheid! Today that building houses the Vryheid Historical Society and I did not have time to visit there.
Does this knowledge that Andrew Carnegie funded 2509 libraries between 1883 and 1929, his generosity extending to places most of us never heard of…like Vryheid, South Africa where a public library was funded in 1906…. give you a different picture of this giant of a man?
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The Fiske Genealogical Foundation is a nonprofit service organization that provides genealogical training and resource materials via their library. Located at 1644 – 43rd Ave East in Seattle, it begs a visit from YOU. I understand that their New England collection is not to be rivaled anywhere west of Salt Lake and the Family History Library. A daily use fee if $5.00. Hours are Monday, 10-3; Wednesday, 12-6; Thursday, 1-6; Saturday, 10-3 and Sunday 1-4 (on the 2nd and 4th Sundays). Classes are also part of their offering. The next class will be Wednesday, June 9th, given by David Brazier on the topic of “Searching Libraries Around the World.” Call them at 206-328-2716 or visit www.fiskelibrary.org.