Re: [CHURCH] Frederick Edwin
by The William C. Jones Family
He had one son that I know of - Frederick Joseph Church who had no children.
Forgive me for posting his bio. once more for those who saw it last week:
>From Men, Mules and Mountains Lieutenant O'Neil's Olympic Expeditions, by
Robert L. Wood, Published by The Mountaineers, 1976, pp. 458-459
FREDERIC JOSEPH CHURCH
Born: Hudson, New York, 1866 or 1867. Died: Hurricane, Alabama, on August
27, 1914.
Physical Description: Not available.
Education: Church spent part of his childhood in Italy. His preparatory
schooling was at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. In 1884 he
entered the College of New Jersey (Now Princeton University) in the School
of Science. He did not do well and the next year again enrolled as a
freshman, thus becoming a member of the class of 1889. He never graduated,
however, but left at the end of his sophomore year.
Marital History: Married Rella Roe Ruff in Seattle, Washington, on September
27, 1893. She died five months later. Married Elizabeth E. Styne in
Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 10, 1900. No children.
The son of a famous artist, Church was known as the "black sheep" of his
family because he never worked steadily or for long at any occupation, but
had, as he described it, "a decidedly checkered career." After leaving the
College of New Jersey in June, 1887, he traveled all over the country for
six months, ending up in Seattle, Washington, where he worked at sundry
occupations. He also raced horses-"successfully at first, but with the usual
ultimate result"-and was co-publisher of The Spotted Cayuse, "an illustrated
weekly.whose principal object was to jump on everybody." He was a charter
member of the Rainier Club.
Church went east on a trip in May, 1889, returning to Seattle in July.
Because the fire of June 6 had destroyed the firm that last employed him, he
went to Lake Cushman and took up a quarter section of government land. He
was living on the claim when he joined O'Neil's expedition.
After returning from the exploration, Church practiced civil engineering in
Hoodsport, and was elected surveyor of Mason County in 1890, on the
Republican ticket. He completed the two-year term, then returned to Seattle,
where he again worked at various jobs. Later he was employed as the first
football coach at the University of Oregon. He returned to his homestead on
Lake Cushman in 1895, and perfected title to the claim in 1897. He then
moved to Tacoma, where he was employed sporadically until February 1898,
when he "went north with the other 49,999 chumps in search for gold with a
two years' outfit." While in the Klondike, he took a job "driving a dog
team," and soon became manager of the business. After several months of
rough adventure, he became disenchanted and returned to Tacoma, "loafed
again" for a few months, then went to the Hawaiian Islands, where he felt
that he had, at last, 'struck what is known in western parlance as 'God's
country.'" His employment was spotty here, as elsewhere, but during a
three-year period he managed in succession, three hotels, one of which was
the Royal Hawaiian.
Eventually the glamour of the islands paled, and Church returned to the
United States and entered the produce shipping business in Alabama, where he
died in 1914. He was 47 years old.
Cheers!
Judy Church Jones
O'Fallon, IL
----- Original Message -----
From: barbara pardun <bpardun(a)webtv.net>
To: <CHURCH-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 1999 5:22 PM
Subject: [CHURCH] Frederick Edwin
> The above Church person didn't have children, did he? Or am I totally
> discumbobulated? So he'd be an uncle, right? Maybe I need a nap. Barb
> of St Pete
>
>