Irish Immigrant from County Cavan
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Philip Clark (1855-1911)
Irish Immigrant from County Cavan To Walla Walla, Washington Territory
From Rags to Riches to Rags
Prepared by David H. Vannet 9155 NE Shore Drive Indianola, Wash. 10 June 2004
1 Foreword
I had the fortune to grow up in Walla Walla, Washington, during the 1950’s. I was an only child of blue-collar class parents. My parents were hard-working people who had experienced the Depression and invested a lot of energy in the desire that my life be more comfortable than the lives they had experienced. My father, who once worked two jobs when I was a child, was a clerk/cashier for the Northern Pacific Railway and later its successor the Burlington Northern Railroad. My mother, who grew up near Athena, Oregon, was a 1950’s housewife, who gave up her career as a medical assistant a few years before I was born in 1949. Both of them had settled in Walla Walla in the early 1940’s and remained there until Dad was transferred to Spokane in 1969. Walla Walla—a quiet, self-involved community where life was sleepy and slow was proud of its history and agrarian culture--was a good place to raise children, except for war times when the “real” world injected itself into Walla Walla life. Members of my mother’s family had lived in Walla Walla and neighboring Umatilla County, Oregon since 1861. One of her maternal great-grandfathers Augustus Poirier, had brought his family from Missouri that year, and settled in Umatilla County before moving to Walla Walla in the 1880’s. He was a teamster, who according to family legend had followed the gold seekers to Sutter’s Mill in 1849. His wife, Mary Ann Dunn, had been born in Ireland. Family members institutionalized her in 1896 (and her handicapped daughter in the late 1800’s), and she spent the last six of her seventy-five years as a patient at Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake where she died in 1903. One of my mother’s great-great uncles, Henry Kinzie, moved to Walla Walla in 1873. He was a miller and sold the land to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church that later became the Catholic cemetery in Walla Walla, now part of Mountain View Cemetery. By coincidence he was the first person to be buried there. His parents Milton and Rosetta Kinsey moved to Umatilla County in 1877, and also moved to Walla Walla in the 1880’s. One set of my maternal great-
2 grandparents, Clark and Hannah Walter, moved from Minnesota to Umatilla County in 1877, and later to Walla Walla in the 1890’s. He had served in the Civil War, and later became a leader in the local chapters of the Grand Army of the Republic. The subject of this paper, another maternal great-grandfather, Philip Clark, had emigrated as a teenager from County Cavan, Ireland around 1872. Supposedly he traveled with his sister and, three years after arriving in the United States went to San Francisco, and then to Walla Walla in 1877. His daughter, my Grandmother, baptized Lily Clark, but known as Lillian Clark Walter, shared with me many childhood stories about her family and her husband’s family and since I was the only grandson (of 33 grandchildren) living in Walla Walla, I was a captive audience. I enjoyed listening to her as she passed what she knew of her heritage on to my generation. She used to boast of her “Irish wit,” and although she herself had not been born in Ireland, her gene pool was at least 75% Irish. From her I gained not only an interest in family history, and a bit of an obsession with the Irish-ness of my heritage. Both sides of my family are blessed with longevity, and I had the fortune of knowing a grandfather, two grandmothers, and three great-grandmothers. One grandmother and all three great-grandmothers and numerous great-aunts and grandparents from many generations back lived into their 90’s. Two great-great aunts—Aunt Gertrude Yenney and Aunt Christina Neuharth lived to be 100 and 105 respectively. The history and life these people experienced are the things that historians and novelists document and describe. It’s hard to be aware of that heritage and not want to know more of their lives. Unfortunately the subject of this paper Philip Clark was unable to enjoy a long life. A paralytic stroke at age 53 and his death three years later robbed his family of its patriarch and breadwinner. In this paper I document the farming and business acumen that allowed him, an Irish immigrant who had arrived in this country with little, to retire from active farming in his 40’s and devote his remaining time to other activities. He left a small fortune that did not survive much beyond his death. But his legacy to his hundreds of descendants—particularly his daughters —was less material, but is displayed in the lives of those descendants today. It was a legacy of character: a strong survival instinct, a natural organizational ability, a keen mind, independence, and a zest for life. It is with gratitude for these qualities that this examination of his life is undertaken.
3 Introduction
Philip Clark was born in Ireland and emigrated as a teenager from County Cavan, around 1872. According to family lore he traveled with his sister--probably Rose--and three years after arriving on the East Coast of the United States went to San Francisco and in 1877 to Walla Walla, Washington Territory. He went to work on a farm several miles across the county line in Umatilla County. Several years later he began acquiring land in Umatilla County until the end of the century when his holdings were over 1000 acres. In the late 1890’s Philip Clark purchased a home in Walla Walla and moved his family into the city. The five older daughters flourished in the urban environment. Legend has it that while sitting in the baseball stands in the spring of 1908, he was struck in the mouth by a foul ball. Despite the fact that the ball knocked out teeth, he insisted on walking home. Several days later he suffered a stroke that would leave him speechless and paralyzed until he died in September of 1911 at age 56. He left an uneducated widow, nine children, and whatever money was left from the sale of his Oregon property. Within several years, the money and remaining property was “lost” to lawyers and the family was scattered. His widow spent the rest of her life until her death in 1958 at age 91 shuttling among family members, living several months in one place then moving on to the next one on the list, until the cycle was repeated. This paper is an attempt to piece together a life for which little documentation exists, and create as clear a picture as possible of an Irish immigrant, presumably born into a poor family, who left his native land as a teenager, traveled a great distance and built a new home. From a material point of view, he achieved great success, but fate intervened and his family was left in the same economic status of his origins.
4 Philip Cark: From Rags to Riches to Rags
County Cavan: Birth and Adolescence
Tullyvin, Ireland, the birthplace of Philip Clark, is more of an area than a village. It is located nearly in the middle of County Cavan, which is one of the nine northern counties making up the province of Ulster. Since the partition of Ireland, Cavan has been among the three counties of Ulster that remained a part of the Irish Republic, attesting to Cavan’s strong Catholic heritage. One problem that makes researching this area confusing is that there are several political and religious subdivisions of County Cavan, and some are known by several different names. Tullyvin is located in the civil barony of Tullygarvey.1 The political subdivision into which it falls—the civil parish--is officially known as Kildrumsherdan.2 The Catholic diocese is known as
Kilmore.3 And the Catholic parish which shares similar boundaries with the civil parish is known variously as Kildrumsherdan, Kilsherdany, Kilsherdony, Kilsherdeny and Kill and sometimes those names are also used to indicate the civil division.4 5
An 1837 description of County Cavan states, “the chief crops are oats and potatoes; in some districts a considerable quantity of flax is cultivated, and wheat, within the last two or three years, has become a more common crop.” 6 The chief manufacturing was that of linen. The same article speaks of the rivers and lakes.7 It could have added that the low, rolling,
1 James G. Ryan, Irish Records: Sources for Family and Local History (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1997), p. 108. 2 James G. Ryan, Irish Records, p. 102. 3 Al Beagan. Al Beagan’s Genealogy Notes of Killsherdeny Parish, Co. Cavan.
The nearest town, two and a half miles to the east of Tullyvin, is Cootehill, located on a navigable lake. In the early 1800’s Cootehill was a center of linen production9, but by the 1830’s the linen trade had declined considerably. In 1837 Cootehill consisted “of four wide streets containing 438 houses, nearly all of which are slated.”10 The town’s population was 2239. There was a Friday general market and a corn market on Saturday. Cattle, flax, and yarn fairs were held on the second Friday of the month. There were three schools.11
It was into this environment that Philip Clark was born on July 10, 1855. He was the son of Eugene (Owen) Clarke and Mary Rudden.12 13 Eugene and Owen are English variations of the
Irish first name “Eoghain”, pronounced something like “Owen”.14 Philip’s death certificate lists his father’s name as Eugene15 and on his sister Margaret Carroll’s death certificate, the father’s name is listed as Owen.16 Undoubtedly, both names refer to the same person.
According to Grenham’s Irish Surnames, the surname Clark is from 8 Ryan, Irish Records, p. 95. 9 Rev. John. Quinn, editor¸ Kilsherdany: Its History and People (Cavan: Abbey Printers, 1977), p. 34. 10 Jane Lyons, From Ireland – Cavan Towns—Cootehill-- as described by Lewis – Topographical Directory of Ireland 1837, < http://www.from-ireland.net/lewis/cav/coothill.htm>. Accessed 26 May 2004. 11 Ibid, Accessed 26 May 2004. 12 Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington, Including Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties, Wash- ington. (Spokane: Western Historical Publishing Co., 1906), p. 258. 13 Clarke, Rudden entries, Family Tree Maker’s database, Census Index: County Londonderry, 1831 and County Cavan, 1841, CD-Rom (Broderbund Software, 1995), CD # 197. 14 Irish Names and Nick Names,
Nothing is known of the parents, other than the statements in the Philip Clark biography appearing in the Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington that by 1906 both parents were deceased, and the “father was a prominent farmer in his native land.”18 I find the last statement highly suspicious. I failed to find either a Eugene or Owen among a list of 1876 Cavan landowners, although there was an Owen Clark with ten acres of land living in Kildorogh.19 While there are twenty-eight Owen Clarks from County Cavan listed in Griffith’s Index, there are none shown living in Kildrumsherdan or Tullyvin.20 Family lore has it that at least one parent had died by the early 1870’s when Philip left Ireland.21
It is not known how big a family Eugene and Mary had. Besides Philip, three children have been documented: Rosa (1837-1910), Margaret (1843-1910), and Mary (she is referred to as Mary
Findley in Rose’s 1910 obituary).22 Both Rosa and Margaret also immigrated to the U.S. maintaining close contact with each other and Philip, all eventually settling in the vicinity of Walla
Walla, Washington; Mary remained in Ireland. The County Cavan Research Centre supplied a list of five baptismal records from the Kilsherdany Catholic Parish Records. None of the names on the
17 John Grenham, Grenham’s Irish Names, CD-Rom (Dublin: Eneclann Ltd., 2003). 18 Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington, p. 258. 19 “1876 Land Owners – Cavan” of Land Owners in Ireland, online
Leaving Ireland and Going to America
What isn’t a mystery is that at some point Margaret, Rosa and Philip all decided to leave
County Cavan and go to the United States. It is not known what exactly prompted the decision; nor is it known exactly when they left and with whom. Although the US 1910 census says
Margaret immigrated in 186524 and the 1900 census says 186725, her niece’s recollection was that she was the first to leave, around 1867, traveling first to England and later to the United States, arriving possibly in Boston, where she married John Carroll. The 1900 census says that Rosa left in
187326; the 1910 census says she left in 188027. According to the 1900 census, Philip emigrated in
187328, while the 1910 census and the Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington, put the date at 1872 and the arrival port as Boston.29 30 Since he is supposed to have traveled with a sister, and no other siblings who might have emigrated are known, my conclusion is that Margaret left in
1865 or 1867; and seventeen-year old Philip and Rosa followed in 1872, being among the 66,750
23 Letter from Carmel Cusack (Cana House, Farnham St., Cavan, Ireland) to Walter Beam, 10 Jan. 1994; copy held in 2004 by David H. Vannet (9155 N.E. Shore Dr., Indianola, WA 98342). Walter Beam was married to Betty (Bischoff) Beam, granddaughter of Philip Clark. 24 John H. Swart household, 1910 census, Columbia County, Washington, population schedule, town of Dayton, enumeration district [ED] 38, supervisor’s district [SD] 1?, sheet 14B, dwelling 344, family 354; National Archives micropublication T624, roll 1655. . 25 John Carroll household, 1900 census, Walla Walla County, Washington, population schedule, town of Walla Walla, enumeration district [ED] 84, supervisor’s district [SD] 2, sheet 5B, dwelling 107, family 107; National Archives micropublication T163 , roll 1752. . 26 Phillip (sic) Clark household, 1900 census, Walla Walla County, Washington, population schedule, town of Walla Walla, enumeration district [ED] 88, supervisor’s district [SD] 2, sheet 6B, dwelling 110, family 131; National Archives micropublication T163 , roll 1752. 27 Philip Clark household, 1910 census, Walla Walla County, Washington, population schedule, town of Walla Walla, enumeration district [ED] 249, supervisor’s district [SD] 3, sheet 9A, dwelling 163 , family 178; National Archives micropublication T164, roll 1673. 28 1900 U.S. census, Walla Walla, WA., sheet 6B, line 86. 29 1910 U.S. census., Walla Walla, WA., sheet. 8B, line 99. 30 Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington, p. 258. 8 Irish who emigrated that year31, arriving in either Boston32 or New York33, probably Boston. While
I’m not discounting the 1873 date, my observation is that census information for this family is consistently inaccurate, and that Philip himself likely would have personally organized the information that was given to the Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington.
Transatlantic travel by the late 1860’s and early 1870’s, while no walk in the park, was not quite the same challenge that it was in the early half of the 19th century. Sail power had been replaced by steam power. By 1873 97% of the ships transporting immigrants from Europe to New
York were powered by steam.34 Initially steamships were more expensive, but by the late 1850’s prices between the two modes of transatlantic transportation were nearly the same.35 By 1872, the trip took about ten days by steam. Sailing ships required a minimum five to six week crossing time.36 The cost had dropped even more as additional steam lines offered steerage passage. In
1875, the price was about £5.37 That amount would be equivalent to £236.5638 (or approximately
$425 US in 2003 money). The most popular embarkation city from Ireland was Queenstown
(located near Cork, and now known as Cobh). Dublin, Belfast and Londonderry were ports of embarkation closer to County Cavan than Cobh39. It was not uncommon for Irish immigrants to sail to England first, and embark from Liverpool, although vessels sailing from Liverpool frequently stopped in Queenstown to take on Irish passengers. It is not known which city Philip
31 “Irish Emigration”. Irish Immigration.
According to the Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington, Philip lived in Boston from 1872 until 1875. He most likely lived in an Irish neighborhood with or near his sisters, since that was the pattern after they all moved to the Walla Walla area. The 1900 census indicates that Margaret Clark and John Carroll had been married twenty-six years, which would have put their marriage as 187441, before Philip left Boston. It could be that Rosa married at this time also, as her name changed to Rosa Smith. At least that is the name on her 1882 Umatilla County,
Oregon marriage application,42 which would indicate a prior marriage. It is a mystery as to what kind of work Philip did in Boston for three years. His daughter recalled that John Carroll and
Margaret Clark had worked as a coachman and servant respectively for a wealthy east coast family when they met and married. When they left Boston in 1875 for San Francisco, they left together43
Traveling to San Francisco, Philip once again had the opportunity to benefit from advancements in transportation technology. Before 1869 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad, travelers had the choice of journeying from the east coast to San
Francisco by ship via the Isthmus of Panama or a longer journey circumnavigating South America
“around the Horn” or a longer journey yet, by wagon. Between 1855 and 1869, 75 % of those traveling to San Francisco from the east coast came by ship.44 After the completion of the Panama
Canal railroad in 1855, the journey from New York to San Francisco took twenty-three days, and by 1868, a ticket in steerage could be purchased for $35.45 The completion of the transcontinental
40 Interview, Lillian (Clark) Walter, 1967. 41 1900 U.S. census, Walla Walla, WA., sheet 5B, line 97 . 42 Umatilla County Marriage Book D: 162. Office of County Records, Pendleton, Oregon. 43 Interview, Lillian (Clark) Walter, 1967. 44 R.A. Burchell, The San Francisco Irish, 1848-1880 (Manchester, England: Manchester University Press, 1979), p. 35. 45 Ibid, p. 35. 10 railroad changed everything. In 1871, 77% of travelers from the east were using the railroad.46
The cost was $60 ($900 in 2003 currency47), and took about twelve days.48 Later lower prices could be secured by purchasing a ticket on an emigrant coach, which traveled on a freight train and took longer or by paying in gold.49 One assumes that four years later, when Philip, John, and
Margaret moved to San Francisco, they took advantage of the cheaper rail tickets.
Life in San Francisco
By 1870 San Francisco was the 10th largest city in the U.S., with a population of 150,000 within the city limits. The number of native born only slightly exceeded the number of foreign born, but since many of the “native” born were children of immigrants, non-ethnics were definitely in the minority. The Irish were the largest minority group, and in 1880 first generation
Irish made up 13% of the population50, but if one includes second, third and fourth generation
Irish, the Irish community’s percentage of the population grew to one-third.51
Where they lived in San Francisco and what they did is unknown. Philip’s daughter believed that he sold oranges on the streets for pennies,52 but it is hard for me to imagine that a twenty year-old man, with a limited education and a strong body, who prided himself as being hard-working, would not be engaged in some kind of physical labor. Had he worked as a street laborer, his wage would have been about $2.00 a day,53 roughly 75 cents more than similar jobs on the east coast54 (EH.net says that such an unskilled wage would be worth $24055 in today’s
46 Ibid, p. 36. 47 What is the Relative Value in US Dollars?,
Philip celebrated his 21st birthday in 1876 six days after the 4th of July which coincided with
America’s centennial. In general San Francisco marked the 4th of July with a parade and great fanfare, giving the many immigrants living in or near the city an opportunity to display their
American loyalty as well as recognize their ethnic nationalism.56 An observer of the 1875 Fourth of July procession reported that Irish military bands played Fenian music, while another reported of the 1877 procession that “among the most numerous were a band of The Ancient Order of
Hibernians carrying a green flag with a harp on it, and so large that the unfortunate standard- bearer could hardly stagger.”57
Another annual event, the St. Patrick’s Day celebration united the Irish community. All the
Irish associations, athletic clubs, societies, bands, unions, and organizations participated. In 1872 the procession reached nearly two miles with 6,000 marchers witnessed by 50,000 onlookers on the street “plus thousands in windows and roofs.”58 In 1876, one of two St. Patrick’s Day celebrations that Philip could have participated in, an unenthused witness reported
56 Burchell, The San Francisco Irish, 1848-1880, p. 114. 57 Ibid, p. 113. 58 Ibid, p. 111. 12 a very large and numerous procession…..it took rather more than one hour to march past my window. The people in the streets quietly ranging themselves on the sidewalks to allow it to pass….it appeared to be something between a funeral and a military display, more of the former than the latter perhaps.59
Walla Walla: The Promised Land
According to the Illustrated Southeastern Washington biography, Philip arrived at Walla
Walla, Washington Territory in June of 1877. Why did Walla Walla attract him? I think the answer lies in the fact that by 1877 two of his brother-in-law, John Carroll’s sisters had moved to the Walla Walla area: Katherine, prior to 1869 when she married C.T. Thompson at St. Patrick’s
Catholic Church in Walla Walla60 and Margaret in 1873.61 One imagines the letters that must have traveled to San Francisco describing the fertile Walla Walla valley and encouraging John and
Margaret and Philip to come further north. Philip’s daughter Lillian remembered her father telling that prior to moving north, “Auntie Thompson” had come to San Francisco to visit, and she had urged them to move to Walla Walla.62 An organization promoting immigration to the Walla
Walla valley had been formed in 1875, and they had produced an elaborate 30-page pamphlet extolling the area’s virtues.63 One imagines that document in the Carroll/Clark household in San
Francisco.
In 1877 there were two main steps involved in traveling from San Francisco to Walla
Walla. The first step was from San Francisco to Portland, and the second from Portland to Walla
Walla. There were essentially two routes to Portland. The first, by steamer along the Northwest coast, was easy. The second, the overland route, was much more cumbersome. That route
59 Ibid, p. 111. 60 Harriet D. Munnick et al, “Part II” in Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest: St. Ann, Walla Walla, Frenchtown (Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1989), p. 77 61 Margaret Price obituary, Walla Walla Union, Walla Walla, WA, 27 August 1926, p2. 62Interview, Lillian (Clark) Walter, 1967. 63 Robert A. Bennett, Walla Walla: Portrait of a Western Town, 1804-1899 (Walla Walla: Frontier Press Books, c. 1980), p. 89. 13 involved a boat trip from San Francisco to Vallejo, from Vallejo on the California and Oregon
Railroad to its terminus at Redding, by stage over the coastal mountains from Redding to
Roseburg,64 and once again by rail from Roseburg to Portland.65 The second step included a steamer ride up the Columbia River from Portland to Wallula, Washington, and from Walulla to
Walla Walla by rail on the newly completed railroad acquired by Henry Villard. Rails would be built on the south side of the Columbia River connecting Portland to Walla Walla by train, but that wouldn’t happen until 1882.66
June of 187767 wasn’t the most opportune time to arrive in Walla Walla, and if he did arrive in June 1877, in all likelihood it was during the first half of the month as much of the latter part of the month the Walla Walla community was seized by the fear and panic of what became known at the Nez Perce War of 1877, and travel in and out of the city was impacted.68 In Walla
Walla County the Nez Perce War created more fear and panic than fighting, but in areas of Idaho and northern Washington, a handful of people were killed and a volunteer force was raised from
Walla Walla to join the fight. The Walla Walla Union reported “rumors and reports about the
Umatilla, Cayuse, Yakima, Cour D’Alene, Palouse, and other tribes of Indians ‘joining the fray,’ are without the slightest foundation in fact.”69 Unfortunately this piece of information was relegated to page three of the paper and didn’t seem to lessen the fear that gripped the town.
Farming in the Walla Walla Valley in Umatilla County Oregon
Walla Walla County is located in southeastern Washington. The northern boundary is created by the Snake River, the western boundary by the Columbia River, the southern boundary 64 Wallis Nash, Oregon: There and Back in 1877 (Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press, 1976), p. 89. 65 Ibid, p. 111. 66 Mildred Brack Searcey, “Rails Come to County,” Pioneer Trails 19 (Fall 1984): 1: p. 7. 67 Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington, p. 258. 68 Frank T. Gilbert, Historic Sketches: Walla Walla, Columbia and Garfield Counties,Washington Territory, (Portland, OR: A.G. Walling Printing House, 1882) p. 315. 69“The Number of Indians”, Walla Walla Union, 23 June 1877, p. 3. 14 by the state of Oregon and the eastern boundary by Columbia County.70 The Walla Walla Valley, however, extends into Columbia County on the east and into Umatilla County on the south where it butts against the Blue Mountains. It is an incredibly fertile agricultural area, and from 1880 to
1920 wheat was the primary crop.71
Philip Clark and the John Carrolls gravitated to the very southern most portion of the
Walla Walla Valley about nine miles south of Walla Walla City in Umatilla County along
Cottonwood Creek in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. The rolling hills and canyons alternate between acres of fine grain to grazing land to useless hillsides that today would probably be planted with grapes, and contribute to the valley’s relatively new popularity as a wine producing region.72 [A side note: In 1991 only 40 acres of the Walla Walla Valley had been planted in grapes; now it’s over 1200 acres. It is estimated that a 300 acre vineyard can produce as much income as 30,000 acres of wheat.73 Had Philip planted some of the worthless hills in grapes, his descendants today would be extremely wealthy.]
Why they settled south of the city in Umatilla County is not known. Philip’s daughter was under the impression that he went to work for a farmer named O’Rourke and worked for room and board. During haying season, she thought he made fifty cents a day.74 She also recalled that the Carrolls lived nearby in a log cabin that John Carroll had built. The census taken three years after their arrival shows John and Margaret living in Umatilla County on their own place as Family
354 in Cottonwood Precinct75, and shows Philip living by himself as Family 336 on his own place in
Cottonwood Precinct.76
70 “History of Walla Walla County – Agricultural View,” Blue Mountain Heritage 4 (Fall 1977) 3:p. 51. 71 Ibid, p. 52. 72 Joel Connelly, “A Local Economy with No Unpleasant Aftertaste,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA, 16 April 2004, p. A2. 73 Ibid. 74 Interview, Lillian (Clark) Walter, 1967. 75 John Carl (sic) household, 1880 census, Umatilla County, Oregon, population schedule, Cottonwood Precinct, enumeration district [ED] 110, page 37, dwelling None, family 354; National Archives, micropublication T9 , roll 1084. 76 Philip Clark household, 1880 census, Umatilla County, Oregon, population schedule, Cottonwood Precinct, enumeration district [ED] 110, page 35, dwelling None, family 338; National Archives, micropublication T9 , roll 1084. 15 Philip Clark consistently identified himself as a hardworking farmer. The title appears in his History of Southeastern Washington biography, in census records and the Walla Walla City
Directories. He took pride in that profession. Although he owned hundred of acres of land, according to tax assessment records during the ten years from 1895 to 1905 he apparently only planted grain—probably wheat—on about 200 acres a year. There is every reason to believe that was the pattern he followed in the 1880’s. Nash reported in 1877 that good Oregon wheat land yielded from 40 to 50 bushels an acre, and that it was selling for 62.5 cents a bushel, which would have meant an income of $5,62577 ($98,200 in 2003 money78) on 200 acres. It was a very profitable crop.
When he leased 160 acres in 1895 to Alpha Baslee he required that payment be one-third of the barley and wheat crop.79 In 1903, he leased all 1080 acres for the sum of $300080 ($62,000 in 2003 dollars).81 Tax records show that over the years he increased his cattle herd, until he reported 60 head in 1903. The number of swine fluctuated, from a high of 53 in 1895 to 34 in
1903.
There is no question that Philip was also a shrewd, ambitious, intelligent businessman.
Within twenty- five years of his arrival in the valley, he had accumulated 1080 acres of farmland, and “an income sufficient to enable him to retire [in his late 40’s] from active work and spend the remainder of his life in ease and comfort of his beautiful city home.”82
His first land purchase was filed December 15, 1880—80 acres of Section 32; Township 6N,
Range 37 E in Umatilla County—for $300 in gold.83 Most of his subsequent purchases were made in that same vicinity. The next purchase, nine days later, was a cash sale from the United States
77 Wallis Nash, Oregon: There and Back in 1877, p. 186. 78 What is the Relative Value in US Dollars?,
There is an interesting pattern to some of his land transactions and those of his brother-in- law, John Carroll. The first pattern was the purchase of land from the United States government and an immediate sale to another party. The county record shows John Carroll purchased 40 acres of government land on February 13, 1889;85 and the same day he sold the the same 40 acres to W.P. Reser.86 Philip Clark engaged in the same business practice, purchasing on February 5,
1890 160.96 acres of land for $1000 gold from Julius Saharn87 who had purchased it the same day for $201.20.88 On February 5th Albert Walters also purchased 160 acres of government land for
$200,89 which he sold to Philip for $800 in gold that same day.90 And again on December 21, 1892
Philip paid John Reas $800 in gold for 160 acres,91 for which Reas had paid the U.S. government
$200 and received title the same day.92 Why was he using proxies to make his land purchases? It might relate to the fact that I have been unable to find any citizenship documents.
The other business practice involved his and his brother-in-law’s relationship with William
P. Reser. Reser, a Walla Walla pioneer of 1863, was engaged in a number of valley enterprises, and amassed extensive land holdings in the valley. Philip and John Carroll helped in his acquisition of land, and formed a kind of informal business partnership. Prior to his death in
1919 Reser had succeeded in accumulating over 90 sections of land, as well as a 3000-acre wheat farm and the largest barn—three stories tall--in the county.93 On February 13, 1889 John and
84 Ibid, Book Y, Page 24; Book 4, Page 396; Book 4, Page 396. 85 Ibid, Book V, Page 135. 86 Ibid, Book V, Page 137. 87 Ibid, Book 1; Page 65. 88 Ibid. 89 Ibid. 90 Ibid, Book 1; Page 67. 91 Ibid, Book 10; Page 36. 92 Ibid. 93 “William P. Reser, Pioneer of 1863, Called by Death” Blue Mountain Heritage 4 (Dec. 2001) 28:p. 4. 17 Margaret Carroll sold Reser a total of 240 acres.94 Six days later Philip and Elizabeth Clark sold
Reser 180 acres for $650,95the same price he paid for it.96 Subsequent sales were filed on
February 17, 1890,97 June 8, 1891,98 and June 15, 189399 representing the transfer of an additional
640 acres from Philip to Mr. Reser. Since Philip realized little profit from these sales, and since
Philip purchased property from Reser, it appears they were realigning their property to increase easy access or water access or a potential right of way.
Marriage and Family
Elizabeth Poirier lived on a nearby farm. She had been born in Umatilla County on
September 18, 1866.100 Her father, Augustus, was born either in Missouri or Canada—depending on which census one looks at—and her mother Mary Ann Dunn was born in Ireland. The family, which consisted of two sons at that time, had moved from Missouri to Oregon between 1860 and
1862, probably arriving in time to experience the harsh winter of 1861-62, called “the severest known to whites on the Pacific Coast.”101 Although family myth says that Augustus was a member of the Hudson’s Bay Company, there is documentation that he was an express rider, farmer and teamster and had participated in several gold rushes, probably in California and later in Oregon and Idaho.102 The family’s arrival in Oregon coincides with the Idaho gold rush that stimulated
Walla Walla growth as an outfitting center, and one can imagine that Augustus participated in some way either hunting gold or hauling goods from Walla Walla to Idaho.103 94 Umatilla County Deeds, Book V, Page 137. 95 Ibid, Book V, Page 168. 96 Ibid, Book U; Page 319. 97 Ibid, Book 1; Page 122. 98 Ibid, Book 5, Page 75. 99 Ibid, Book 10, Page 470. 100 Elizabeth (Poirier) Clark obituary, Portland Orgonian, Portland, Or, 12 May 1958, p. 15 101 Bennett, Walla Walla: Portrait of a Western Town, 1804-1899, p.. 61. 102 Mary Ann (Dunn) Poiria obituary, Walla Walla Statesman, Walla Walla, WA, 19 March 1903, p. 1. 103 Bennett, Walla Walla: Portrait of a Western Town, 1804-1899, p.. 62, 18 Philip Clark recounted to his children stories of riding past the Poirier household and noticing the attractive young girl who would be swinging on the gate. He was about 22 at the time, and the young girl, Elizabeth, was 11.104 Nothing is known of their courtship. At that time period it would have been unthinkable to seek marriage if the male didn’t feel financially comfortable enough to support a wife and family. That time came for Philip Clark on January 16,
1883, when he and Elizabeth were married at the newly constructed St. Patrick’s church in Walla
Walla. They began their lives together on the Cottonwood farm. He was twenty-seven and she was sixteen. It was common for the Walla Walla newspaper to report marriages at that time, but there is no mention of this marriage in either the Union or the Statesman. That may be because
Philip was not a publicity seeker, demonstrated by the fact that Walla Walla newspaper space devoted to Philip is relatively sparse. It may be because of the young age of the bride or her unfamiliarity with the newspaper social conventions. Or it may have been because of her lack of formal education.
It wasn’t long until the first (Mary, born April 28, 1884) of eleven children arrived. Five more—all girls—were born while the family resided on the Cottonwood farm. (Agnes, born April
4, 1886; Lily (known as Lillian) and Rose, born March 27, 1888; Margaret, born May 29, 1890;
Irene, born April 21, 1892). It is not known if Philip Mervin (born 1 September 1895) was born on the farm or in Walla Walla, although he died in Walla Walla (Feb. 21, 1901). Anna Josephine claimed that her birth (July 12, 1898) had taken place in Walla Walla. And the rest of the children were all born in Walla Walla (Frank, born Dec. 2, 1900; Leo, March 2, 1903 and finally Robert, Oct.
10, 1907). Five-month old Rose evidently died on the farm (Sept. 7, 1888), but was buried in
Walla Walla.
104 Interview, Lillian (Clark) Walter, 1967. 19 The farm on Cottonwood Creek was “home” until the end of the 1890’s. Driving the dirt and gravel road in the area, I have discovered the farm home no longer exists, but his daughter
Lillian provided a description of this farm home:
He built a large one story house on Cottonwood Creek. It had a wine cellar. There were 15 wide steps to the door, which was 12 feet above the ground. It had a large porch. Philip had a bed on the porch. Then there was a small room. Two or three joining bedrooms all connected with no hallways. Then there was a kitchen. There was a very large room where the workers ate. From that room you went out the back door. There was a wood walk on stilts. It went past the work buildings, chicken coops and ended at the outhouse.105
Moving to Walla Walla, Retirement, and Hard Times
Many people living in the valley felt the pull of Walla Walla and city life, and with a growing family and needs that only city living could provide and sufficient money to support a move, the decision was made to relocate to the city. Evidently the move occurred in September of 1897 when he and Elizabeth purchased a home from Daniel Kyger.106 The exact location of this home is unknown. What is known is that apparently it didn’t fit the family’s needs, for two years later an opportunity arose that would lead to another relocation. A large home and barn located at 206 West Poplar on two city lots at the corner of 4th Street and Poplar Street, a prime location in downtown Walla Walla, came up for sale. It was two blocks from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and across the street from both St. Mary’s Hospital and St. Vincent’s Academy, the Catholic girl’s school operated by the Sisters of Charity. It was an estate sale—the Joseph Hess estate—and by coincidence the executor of the estate was none other than Father Michael Flohr, the dean of St.
105 Interview, Lillian (Clark) Walter, 1967. 106 Walla Walla County Deeds, Book 62, Page 291, Walla Walla County Court House, Auditor’s Office, Walla Walla, WA. 20 Patrick’s Church, and friend of the Clark family. The cost was $2,100,107 and it became the home that family members loved and identified with.108
Perhaps Philip and Elizabeth’s greatest legacy was their six daughters. Six women growing up during the Victorian era. They were not the shy, withdrawn little flowers that are sometimes associated with Victorian womanhood. They were social, educated, independent females. Their lives thrived in the city. Mention is found of them in the Walla Walla papers. In April of 1907,
Lillian and Margaret rented the roller skating rink, hired a band and entertained 40 friends.109 On
May 31, 1907 Irene gave her sister Margaret a surprise birthday party.110 In 1907 Lillian won a trip to the Jamestown Exposition in a contest sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Magazine.111
Margaret was named “Queen” of the fall Walla Walla harvest festival. They had the benefit of education. They attended St. Vincent’s Academy. Agnes attended a boarding school in
Portland.112 At least five were working women prior to marriage. Although still living at home, and still in their teens, they had independent listings in the Walla Walla City Directories: Agnes,
Lillian, Margaret in 1904113; Agnes and Lillian in 1905114; Lillian and Margaret in 1908115; Irene and
Margaret in 1909116; and Irene and Margaret in 1911.117 The three weddings that occurred while
Philip was alive were given nice newspaper coverage.
A discussion of Philip Clark’s life would not be complete without a mention of alcohol use.
Like many Irish Catholic immigrants, Philip was not a stranger to alcohol. His nephew, Jim Russell, recalled being sent out as a nine-year old to the McFeeley Tavern during family gatherings at the 107 Walla Walla County Deeds, Book 70, Page 283, Walla Walla County Court House, Auditor’s Office, Walla Walla, WA. 108 Interview, Lillian (Clark) Walter, 1967. 109 “Late Society”, Walla Walla Sunday Union, 28 April 1907, p. 5. 110 “Miss Clark Gives A Surprise”, Walla Walla Daily Union, 1 June 1907, p. 5. 111 “To Boost Walla Walla in East”, Walla Walla Sunday Union, 8 September 1907, p. 5. 112 “Personal Mention”, Walla Walla Daily Union, 24 April 1907, p. 5. 113 R.L Polk & Co’s Walla Walla City and County Directory 1904, (Spokane: R.L. Polk & Co., 1903), p. 75. 114 R.L Polk & Co’s Walla Walla City and County Directory 1905, (Seattle: R.L. Polk & Co., 1905), p. 68. 115 R.L Polk & Co’s Directory of Walla Walla City and County 1908, (Spokane: R.L. Polk & Co., 1908), p. 82. 116 R.L Polk & Co’s Directory of Walla Walla City and County 1909-10, (Spokane: R.L. Polk & Co., 1909), p. 93. 117 R.L Polk & Co’s Walla Walla City and County and Columbia County Directory 1911-12, (Seattle:R.L. Polk&Co 1911), p. 75. 21 Clark household and returning with buckets of beer.118 His granddaughter recalled a story told by her mother, Lillian, about a time when Philip returned home seriously intoxicated. Lillian recalled singing a popular children’s song of the day that ended in the phrase “drunk again.” Her father, angered by her impudence, struck her in the mouth with a glass bottle, resulting in an injury to her two front teeth, which she carried with her the rest of her ninety-five years.119 Alcohol played a crucial part in the drowning of his brother-in-law, John Carroll. Newspaper reports mentioned Carroll “slightly under the influence of liquor” when he returned home after being
“about the city”120 the evening of May 30, 1906. Footprints leading toward Garrison Creek, which flowed near his house, were discovered, and ten days later his body was found in the creek.121
An accident two years after John Carroll’s drowning would change the Clark family forever.
While attending a baseball game in late March of 1908, a foul ball slammed into Philip’s mouth.
His ten-year old daughter, Anna Josephine, who was with him that day, was traumatized by seeing her father bloody and injured. She reported that despite teeth being knocked out, he insisted on walking home.122 A short time later he suffered a paralytic stroke.123 He was transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital across the street from their home for treatment. His release on
Friday, April 10 prompted the following newspaper article:
F. [sic] Clark, residing at Fourth and Poplar Street was yesterday released from St. Mary’s hospital in a condition of partial convalesence [sic], after being an inmate of the hospital for several weeks with paralysis.124
118 Interview with James E. Russell; (of Castro Valley, CA) by David H. Vannet, 13 June 1962. Transcript held in 2004 by Vannet (9155 NE Shore Dr.; Indianola, WA 98342). Mr. Russell is now deceased. 119 Interview with Elizabeth (Walter) Vannet; (505 W. Roy St., Seattle, WA 98119) by David H. Vannet, 19 May 2004. Transcript held in 2004 by Vannet (9155 NE Shore Dr.; Indanola WA 98342). 120 “John Carroll Drowned Last Night”, Walla Walla Evening Statesman, 31 May 1906, p. 1. 121 “Find Carroll’s Body in Stream”, Walla Walla Evening Bulletin, 9 June 1906, p. 1. 122 Interview, Elizabeth (Walter) Vannet, 19 May 2004. 123 Interview, Lillian (Clark) Walter, 1967. 124Walla Walla Daily Union, 11 April 1908, p. 5. 22 The use of the word “inmate” is telling in the pain and isolation it connotes. He was a strong, vital, robust man suddenly imprisoned in a lifeless paralyzed body, helpless and unable to speak, dependent on those around for even the simplest of functions. It must have been hell.
The effect on the family was far reaching. On December 18, Elizabeth filed the quit claim deed Philip had pre-signed January 15, 1900 that put the Poplar Street home in her name.125 At least one daughter, Lillian, grew weary of sharing the care for her father, and decided to accept
John Walter’s marriage proposal126 and moved from the family home in January of 1909. On
August 18th, 1909, the sale of the Umatilla County farm property (all 1080 acres) to Walter Nack for $17,500 ($353,000 in 2003 money127) was recorded in the Pendleton Court House.128
Sometime in 1911 the family rented or leased a house on Bryant Street, southeast of the city and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Walla Walla. A neighbor who regularly saw Philip driving his horse drawn chase in the early 1900’s on his way to and from the farm, recalled passing the Bryant Street house in 1911 and hearing unintelligible shouts and yells coming from the house.129
Philip’s long agony came to an end around one am on the morning of September 23,
1911.130 He was 56 years old. The death certificate reads that the cause of death was “acute diarahea.” [sic]131 The newspapers said he suffered from “an extended illness caused by paralysis”.132 Years later his wife Elizabeth told a granddaughter that he had been taking some kind of oral medication during his paralysis. She would administer the medication periodically
125 Walla Walla County Deeds, Book 114, Page 624, Walla Walla County Court House, Auditor’s Office, Walla Walla, WA. 126 Interview, Elizabeth (Walter) Vannet, 19 May 2004. 127 What is the Relative Value in US Dollars?,
He was survived by Elizabeth and nine children; the youngest, Robert, wasn’t quite four years old. It was appropriate that he would be buried from the Walla Walla Catholic Church named for the Irish patron saint, Patrick. It was the same church where he and Elizabeth had been married, where his sister Rosa had been married and been buried from, where his children had been baptized, and daughter Rose and son Philip Mervin had been buried from and where his sister Margaret and many in-laws would be buried from. His children maintained a strong allegiance to this church. He had contributed financially to its growth and living only two blocks away, he had a personal relationship with its priests. It had been the focal point of his religious life since its construction several years after his arrival in Walla Walla.134
One senses that the family became rudderless. Even though he was paralyzed, life rotated around him, but now that was gone. The money that Elizabeth had received from the sale of the
Umatilla property was given in the form of cash to a lawyer named Garrett, who gave her no receipt. She was told that he would “invest” it for her. When she returned later to draw on the account, she was told that the money had been lost. The family was devastated. She was virtually penniless. She later told her granddaughter that the lawyer had died a wealthy man, and she knew that he had stolen the money.135 She rented out the family home on Popular Street, and then apparently sold it, after she had it declared a homestead. She was not educated, and
133 Interview, Elizabeth (Walter) Vannet, 19 May 2004. 134 Ibid. 135 Ibid 24 worked for a while as a dressmaker. She lived in Portland for a time and as the other daughters and sons were married and had established their own households, she began traveling from family to family a month at a time. She enjoyed riding horses and attending the horse races.
Family members would give her small amounts of money, but the lifestyle that she and her family had enjoyed at the turn of the century was gone forever.136
Philip had been born into the poverty of his Irish homeland, had migrated to America to overcome that poverty and had succeeded in achieving a healthy slice of the American Dream, but fate intervened and robbed his family of that success.
136 Ibid 25 ENDNOTES
James G. Ryan, Irish Records: Sources for Family and Local History (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1997), p. 108. 2 James G. Ryan, Irish Records, p. 102. 3 Al Beagan. Al Beagan’s Genealogy Notes of Killsherdeny Parish, Co. Cavan.
26 31 “Irish Emigration”. Irish Immigration.
27 78 What is the Relative Value in US Dollars?,
28 129 Interview with Phillip Reser, (Walla Walla County, WA 9362) by David H. Vannet, 1969. Transcript held in 2004 by Vannet (9155 NE Shore Dr.; Indianola, WA 98342). Mr. Reser is now deceased. 130 Philip Clark obituary, Walla Walla Union, Walla Walla, WA, 23 Sept. 1911, p. 5. 131 Philip Clark, Washington state death certificate death certificate, 8363-220. 132 Walla Walla Union, 23 Sept. 1911 133 Interview, Elizabeth (Walter) Vannet, 19 May 2004. 134 Ibid. 135 Ibid 136 Ibid
Bibliography/webliography
I. Books
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Bennett, Robert A. Walla Walla: Portrait of a Western Town, 1804-1899. Walla Walla: Frontier Press Books, c. 1980.
Burchell, R.A. The San Francisco Irish, 1848-1880. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press, 1979.
Dickerson, Sharon, compiler. Walla Walla City Directory Listings (From Directories Available: 1881, 1883-4, 1889, 1892, 1893, & 1900-01). Walla Walla: Walla Walla Valley Genealogical Society, 1996.
Early Marriages of Walla Walla County 1862 Thru 1899 Washington Territory and State. Walla Walla: Walla Walla Valley Genealogical Society, 2002.
Gilbert, Frank T. Historic Sketches: Walla Walla, Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory. Portland, Oregon: A.G. Walling Printing House, 1882.
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Inventory of the County Archives of Oregon, # 30 Umatilla County: Prepared by the Oregon Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration. Portland, OR: Oregon Historical Records Survey Project, 1937-1942.
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29 Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1968. p. 293.
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Munnick, Harriet D. and Adrian R. Munnick, compilers. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest: St. Ann, Walla Walla, Frenchtown. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, c. 1989.
Nash, Wallis. Oregon: There and Back in 1877. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press, 1976 (Reprint of 1878 ed.).
Parsons, William A. and W.S. Shiach. An Illustrated History of Umatilla County and Morrow County. Spokane: W.H. Lever, 1902.
Potter, George. To the Golden Door: The Story of the Irish in Ireland and America. Boston: Little Brown and Co.,1960.
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30 II. Articles
“A Famous Wheat Country”. Up to the Times Magazine. Sept. 1911, p. 4630.
“Among the Fraternities”. Up to the Times Magazine. Feb. 1914, p. 5591.
Bosanko, Marlene S. McCleary, “Among Colored Hats and Other Gewgaws: The Early Irish in Washington State.” Journal of the West. April 1992: 33.
Burchell, R.A. “Irish Property-Holding in the West in 1870.” Journal of the West. April 1992: 9.
Cohn, Raymond. “The Transition from Sail to Steam in Immigration to the United States”. Dept of Economics, Illinois State University, date?
Connelly, Joel. “A Local Economy with No Unpleasant Aftertaste.” Seattle Post- Intelligencer, April 16, 2004, p. A2.
“Doing Research in Walla Walla”. Blue Mountain Heritage. Walla Walla, WA: October 2002, p.
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Emmick, Nancy J. “Bibliographical Essay on Irish-Americans in the West.” Journal of the West. April 1992: 87.
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31 Sarbaugh, Timothy J. “The Irish in the West: An Ethnic Tradition of Enterprise and Innovation, 1848-1991.” Journal of the West. April 1992: 5.
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Willis, Park Weed. “Early Recollections and Impressions of Umatilla County, Oregon” Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3, July 1937, p. 301.
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34 Washington. Olympia. Washington State Board of Health. Certificate of Death. Rose Donahue certificate.
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35