Person:Catherine Altshule (1)

KINGSLEY, Catherine ALTSHULE (sp Solomon G[C]) b 1 Aug 1835 AUSTRIA d 10 Feb 1898

In Memory of
Mrs. Catherine Kingsley,
Who Departed This Life Feb. 10th, 1898,
The deceased, whose maiden name was Catherine Altshul was born in Bohm, Lippa, Austria, August 1st, 1835, and as a child migrated with her parents to the United States in the early forties. The family settled in Milwaukee, Wis., and the father of the deceased was a prominent business man in that city for a number of years. June 11th, 1858, she was married to S. C. Kingsley and the newly married couple soon after took up their residence in Waukesha county, Wis., being the home of young Kingsley and parents. They remained there two years, and then journeyed toward the setting sun and settled in Spring Valley, Fillmore County, Minnesota, which was at that time a wild Indian country, and marked the commencement of frontier life for the Kingsleys.
In 1862, while the country was in the throes of the great rebellion, the family again turned their faces toward the west and in this year settled in Richland, Union County, Dakota Ter. This place was at that time a storm center for Indians fighting. Several of the neighbors of the Kingsley's were killed by the Indians and others wounded by the deadly arrow. The vigorous climate of the land of the Dakotas began to tell on the health of Mr. Kingsley, and in 1864 he was advised by his physician to seek a milder climate. The family began arrangements to move to Puget Sound in 1870, and on February 22nd, 1871, arrived at Semiahmoo. The change proved too late, however, and on May 18th, 1872, fifteen months after his arrival, he was buried in the virgin soil of his new home.

Other members of the family followed their father to the tomb, as follows: Hattie, a little girl about two years old died in February, 1872, and Emma, 17 years old, died in the year of the great centennial. From 1876 the family consisted of the deceased and her son, Byron N. Kingsley, and was enlarged 15 years ago by the marriage of Byron to Mrs. Annie Kingsley, nee Annie Henspeter. In 1890 the deceased visited Chicago, Ill., and Neenah, Wis., for six or seven months. The latter place is the permanent home of Mrs. A. Billsten, the only surviving sister of the deceased. Mrs. Billsten spends much of her time in Chicago at the homes of her married daughters, and while visiting in Chicago in 1890, Mrs. Kingsley was a victim of the la grippe ___ was then raging with great virulence in the east, and up to her late illness had not fully recovered from the effects of this malignant and stubborn disease. Mrs. Billsten is the only surviving sister of the deceased, one sister, having died in infancy and a brother and sister who had reached manhood and womanhood having died several years ago. In the late illness that resulted fatally, Mrs. Kingsley was a victim of Bright's disease, an affliction that shows no mercy to young or old, and a disease the distress of which can not easily be alleviated. When it strikes victim death is generally knocking at the door, and time is brief indeed for friends and relatives to gather at the beside of the dying. It was so in this instance, and during the brief interval preceding her death, the large hearted sympathy of the entire population of Blaine, who were fortunate in having an acquaintance with her, hoped against hope and longed for the impossible to happen so that the fatal day would be deferred and her life yet prolonged.

One of the largest attended funerals ever held in Blaine was conducted in honor of Mr. Kingsley at the Methodist Episcopal Church on Saturday afternoon, February 12th. ... The fact that Mrs. Kingsley has been a residence (sic) of this locality for the past quarter of a century, together with the fact that she has always been loyal and enthusiastic for the upbuilding of Blaine, is a sufficient reason for reviewing in a brief way the march of events since her settlement in what was then wilderness. Her advent life here was at a time when no one lived at Semiahmoo other than the Clark Brothers, Amos Dexter and wife, both of whom have died during the past two years, lived at their old homestead across the bay. Our venerable fellow townsmen Edward A. Boblett and and Mrs. Boblett, had preceded in Kingsleys in their settlement here. Our inimitable Uncle Billy Patterson had found a home in those parts at that time. Alexander Hemphill lived on the Runge place then. Hemphill, long since deceased, was a man of herculean strength, that was put to use at time in an old fashioned "bee" gotten up for the purpose of removing the building now occupied by Ed. Boblett from a place near the present residence of Alex. Vreatt to its present location. There were no teams in the country and the logs that formed the building had to be carried by main (sic) strength. It required the strength of at least two men to carry one log in all trips that were made except when Hemphill done his "turn." He scorned the necessity of assistance and good naturedly place a log on his back and walked off with it.

D. S. Miller, who is yet enjoying vigorous strength and endurance, located in Blaine a month later than the Kingsleys. After the arrival of Mr. Kingsley and until a comfortable log house was erected on the Kingsley homestead, the family occupied and old office on the D. S. Miller place that had been in use by the Western Union Telegraph company. The purchase of a small quantity of lumber to be used in the construction of the Kingsley home from Birch Bay naturally prompts the enquiry as to how any lumber should reach Birch Bay. It is explained in this way: Captain Perry, an old Puget Sound navigator, had his schooner in port at Seattle and at the request of H. L. Yesler, the father of Seattle, filled his schooner with lumber at the Yesler mill and came to Birch Bay to find a market. When the captain was here with his lumber he located on government land at the mouth of California creek on the place now occupied by his wife. When he returned to Seattle he met J. E. Freeze, looking around aimlessly. Captian Perry informed Freeze about this country and the later (sic) returned and located on the ranch now owned by our fellow townsman, W. W. Carter. When the Kingsley family reached Whatcom, they learned that they could not reach Blaine without chartering a sloop or schooner, so they stopped in Whatcom for a week.

The coal mines were then in operation at Whatcom and Justice J. F. Tarte and his oldest boys were employed at the mines. The old gentleman was superintendent of the mines. Besides the people employed at the mines Whatcom consisted of the Eldridges, the Roeders, Williams, Utter and family and the Hoffercamps. All of the interior of the county was a wilderness with no inhabitants except Indians. While the elder Kingsley was a Whatcom waiting for a boat to Blaine he became acquainted with M. Tawes, now a resident of Ferndale. Mr. Tawes was a justice of the peace at Whatcom then and to relieve the monotony of waiting, performed a marriage ceremony for a couple that called upon him for that purpose. Mr. Tawes is entitled to the honor of being the first man in Whatcom to build a county road. At this time he had located a ranch at what is now Ferndale and stated to "Father Kingsley" that he would soon have a trail from Ferndale to Semiahmoo.

When a boat was in readiness to sail from Whatcom to Blaine, besides the Kingsley family it had the following passengers, their families and household effects, viz: B. H. Bruns, Henry Henspeter, E. Whitcomb and Mrs. Upson and her father and two of her children. Byron Kingsley, then 15 years of age was a fellow passenger with Miss Anna Henspeter, to whom he was married a dozen years later. The other families residing here at that time were F. Hoisington and Dick Richards. In the fall of 1871 the first association of the Methodist Episcopal church was organized at the Kingsley home. After that, until the erection of the church edifice in Blaine, the log church on California creek was used as a place of worship by the Methodists. The following acted as bearers at the funeral of the deceased and as this article shows a few of them have had an intimate acquaintance with her since her arrival: E. A. Boblett, J. F. Tarte, John Wagner, Michael Rosbrough, S. P. Hughes and M. H. Upson.