John and Mary (Read) Cavanaugh, 1895 Family Portrait

Many years ago I received this photocopied 1895 family portrait from Lavera Cavanaugh, a granddaughter of John and Mary Cavanaugh. It shows John Houston Cavanaugh and his wife, Mary Calier (Read) Cavanaugh, with their first three sons. Lavera's father was their son Orvel, who was born about a year after the portrait was taken. It was the first time I had seen a picture of the couple and I was thrilled to receive it. 

John and Mary (Read) Cavanaugh with sons  Lexon Charlie, Elmer Diamond and Arthur Virgil.
Taken in late summer or early fall 1895, probably in Mountain Grove, Missouri.
Photocopy from original provided by Lavera Cavanaugh.

John Houston Cavanaugh was born 1 February 1870 near Grovespring in Wright County, Missouri to William S. and Nancy Charity (Moser) Cavanaugh, their second son. Nancy died when John was about 5 years old and he and his brother James were raised by their father and step-mother, Elizabeth (Latimer). At age 20, John married Mary Calier (or Colyer) Read, born 29 December 1871, the daughter of Benjamin Burgess and Sarah Jane (Gartin) Read. They were married in Douglas County, but made their home near Mountain Grove in Wright County.

In the portrait, they are shown with their first three children, sons Lexon Charlie, Elmer Diamond and Arthur Virgil. The photo was probably taken in Mountain Grove as son Arthur was born there in January of 1895 and the next child, son Orvel, would be born there in January of 1897. John and Mary had a total of six children. Following the four sons, two daughters were welcomed to the family. Zona Ruby in 1901 and Opal Edna Jane in 1906. The years surrounding the births of the girls were tumultuous ones for the family. The young couple and their four sons had moved to neighboring Texas County where they were found in Clinton Township by the 1900 census taker. A year later, Zona was born in Waterville, Douglas County, Washington. Soon they were back in Missouri where Opal was born in 1906. Within ten years, they were back up in Washington state, living first in Grant County and finally in Yakima County.  Mary died on 12 January 1949, followed by John on 26 August 1954. They are buried at Tahoma Cemetery, Yakima, WA.

Lexon Charlie Cavanaugh, John and Mary's first son, was born on 3 October 1891 in Mountain Grove. In the family portrait, he is the one standing behind his parents. Called Charlie, he found himself in California after 6 months in the Navy and settled there, working for many years in orchards near Redlands in San Bernardino County and later in Sacramento. Charlie never married and died tragically in May of 1949, just months after his mother's death. I don't know the whole story, but Charlie had been living in California. It may have been the death of his mother in January of 1949 that brought him back to Washington, but that part of the story isn't known. What is known is that he  was hit and killed by a freight train. A newspaper article says he was dozing on the tracks a few miles south of Kent. He is buried at Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima, Washington in the Veteran section.

Elmer Diamond Cavanaugh, the second son of John and Mary, was born on 11 January 1893 in Moutain Grove. He is seen leaning on his father's leg in the portrait. Elmer, a decorated WWI Army veteran, was called "Curly" by his friends and family. After his return from service, he married Ethel Juanita Bradley. They had three children; son Norman Wellington 1921-1925, daughter Bethelma Beatrice 1923-1929, and daughter Helen Darlene 1926-1994. Daughter Bethelma died as the result of injuries sustained in a house fire. Perhaps it was her death that caused the marriage to crumble. In 1930, it appears they were separated. Ethel and Darlene were living with Ethel's parents and Elmer had son Norman with him, though both listed their status as married. In 1931 Ethel was remarried. Elmer became a policeman in Grant County and died in 1957. He is also buried at Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima; his grave is located near those of his parents.

Arthur Virgil Cavanaugh, the baby seated on his mother's lap, was born on 31 January 1895 in Mountain Grove. He married Sarah Kate Erickson in Ephrata, Grant County, Washington on 12 July 1915. They had three children; son William Virgil 1916-1997, daughter Evelyn Winnifred 1918-1922, and son Melvin Roy "Deacon" 1921-1985. They, like Art's parents, moved around a bit before finally settling in Selah, Yakima County, WA. Art was a farmer and had orchards in Naches and in Selah Heights. He and his wife lived the rest of their lives in Selah. Art died in 1988 and is buried with Katie at West Hills Cemetery in Yakima. Evelyn and Deacon are buried in plots next to their parents.

Obituary for Eric Albert Erickson

In a writing group, I was challenged to craft an obituary. I could choose to write my own (creepy!) or one for a deceased ancestor. It's a bit harder when it's someone you never met, obviously, but it was an interesting exercise. Here is my attempt to capture the life of Eric Albert Erickson, my second great-grandfather, in an obituary. 

E. Albert Erickson

     As a young man, growing up in a small Swedish village, Albert Erickson dreamed of living in America and the opportunities that could be found there. He worked hard, saved money for the voyage and, at just eighteen years old, bid farewell to his childhood home, friends and family and left for NordAmerika. Born Eric Albert Erickson in the Spring of 1869 to Eric Jansson and Johanna Charlotta Pehrsdotter, he was raised in the village of Östra Vingåker, Södermanland, Sweden . He died at the age of 83 in his home in Renton, Washington, on Sunday, July 6, 1952 after a lengthy illness. Albert’s bravery, adventurous spirit, and willingness to work hard to reach his goals served him throughout his life. 

     Soon after arriving in America, Albert settled in Mahaska County, Iowa, one of only a handful of Swedes in the area, where he immersed himself in the process of becoming American. He quickly learned the language, completed the naturalization process, and set about making a life for himself. Josie Lena Moore, a young woman native to the area, caught his eye and became his wife in March of 1892. Josie’s father and step-mother were of German heritage, so she brought those customs into their home to blend with Albert’s Swedish upbringing. They were members of the Friends Quaker community in Oskaloosa and attended services with Josie’s family. The couple was blessed with seven children, four daughters and three sons. Sadly, their firstborn son, Walter Dewey, died at only three months of age. Even in adversity, he remained joyful with faith in his God, and the goodness of his fellow man, his buoys. It was rare, indeed, to see Albert without a happy grin on his face. 

     By 1910, the Erickson family had moved to Grant County, Washington, settling in the brand-new community of Ephrata. It was hard work to clear the dry desert land of sagebrush and prepare it for farming and building. Albert’s eldest two daughters helped support the family by working in a restaurant, while Albert worked as a farm laborer. After ten difficult years in Ephrata, he once again chose to make a drastic change. This time, he packed everything up and headed for the city. Albert, Josie, and the four youngest children moved to Seattle.

     City life suited Albert. He was a happy, jolly man and enjoyed the people he encountered at work and at home. He found employment with the City of Seattle Water Department, where he remained until retirement. He and Josie cheerfully welcomed the spouses of their children and all the grandchildren that became part of the rapidly expanding family. Albert will be remembered for bouncing them all on his knee as he sang out, in his native Swedish, children’s rhyming songs of his youth. His zest for life and willingness to work hard for his dreams have left a lasting impact on all who knew him. 

     Albert is survived by his wife of sixty years, Josie; two sons, Roy (Marie) and Earl (Margaret) Erickson, both of Seattle; four daughters, Eda (Peter) Peterson of Cashmere, Chelan County, Katie (Art) Cavanaugh of Selah, Yakima County, Rose (Theodore) Cox of Wesley, California, and Pearl (Clyde) Morrison of Seattle. He also leaves 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

     Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 1 o’clock in Stokes Chapel, Renton, Washington, with burial to follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery. While his family will long mourn his death, they will forever remember Albert with fondness and strive to live as he did, finding joy in each day.

Josie Lena (Moore) Erickson (1874-1956)

The day that I discovered Josie Erickson's maiden name was one of the happiest in my life as a genealogist. For decades, my great-great grandmother sat on my pedigree chart as simply "Josie". During those early years of my genealogical family-gathering, I was also raising a young family and working full time. Certainly, had I devoted more time, I may have made the discovery much sooner. Regardless, the joy that I felt that day is unforgettable. I recall that it went something like this:


Me: (jumping up and down) Oh My God! Oh my God! I found her! She's Josie MOORE!! This is so exciting!
My husband: that's nice.

He totally doesn't "get" the thrill of crashing through a genealogical brick wall. A trip to Iowa to look for even more information is on our future-vacation-trip wish list. (Whether he likes it or not!)


The discovery that led me to Josie's maiden name and down her family line was made in 2006. I had contacted the Central Washington branch of the State Archives and obtained copies of my grandparents (Bill Cavanaugh and Helen Allen) and great-grandparents (Art Cavanaugh and Katie Erickson) marriage licenses. I had seen images online of the marriage licenses themselves, so no surprises there, but I had not seen the "marriage return" that was included with each license. The return was a page of questions, including the full names of bride and groom, their age, residence, and birthplace, and their parents names. The little gem pictured below is page 2 of Art and Katie's marriage license and it names their parents. Bingo! Katie's parents were listed as Albert Erickson and Josie Moore.

Arthur V. Cavanaugh and Sarah Katie Erickson Marriage Return, 12 July 1915, 
Ephrata, Grant County, Washington. 
Copy from Washington State Archives Central Region, Ellensburg, Washington, 24 March 2006.

A few months later, in January of 2007, my Uncle Terry Cavanaugh sent me a large envelope of his mother's papers. Most were copied poems, stories, and such, but some of the papers were her recordings of the family history. Of course, I don't know who supplied the information to her, but she wrote it down and I saved it as another clue that I was on the right track.

An excerpt from the handwritten notes of Helen (Allen) Cavanaugh, 
daughter-in-law of Katie (Erickson) Cavanaugh. 
From my personal collection.

Searching since then, I have uncovered some of the details of Josie's life. Genealogy is always a work in progress and there are still many places to look for more information. This is what I have found so far.

Close-ups of the Moore family from the 1880 Federal Census living in 
Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa. 
Image from Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 
Accessed 5 Aug 2016.

The two images above, from the 1880 census, show us the Moore family. The first image lists their names, sex, age, and relationship to the head of household. Further along the line for the family, in the second image, we have entries for place of birth, place of father's birth and place of mother's birth. From this we know that John Moore was born in Ohio about 1843, Sarah was born in Iowa about 1848, and Josie was born in Iowa about 1873. John's parents were both born in Germany, Sarah's look like maybe Indiana but it's hard to read. (I also know that they were not born in Indiana, but we don't know who gave the enumerator the information.) And then for Josie, it gives us evidence that John and Sarah are her parents since she is listed as daughter to the head of household and their birthplaces match those listed under the "father birthplace" and "mother birthplace" columns.

Josie's mother died in 1882 and her father remarried the following year. In 1885 the family was living in Garfield, Mahaska County, Iowa where John was working as a carpenter. In 1887, Josie's half-brother Leo Moore was born. He was her only known sibling.

On 2 March 1892, Josie married E. Albert Erickson in Mahaska County. They initially made their home in Mahaska County and were listed in Garfield by the 1900 census taker. That year three daughters were shown with the family; Eda (Eda Mae), born in 1892, Kate (Sarah Katie), born in 1895, and Rosie (Rose Valeria), born in 1899. A few years before that census, the couple lost a son, Walter Dewey. He was born and died in 1898 at only a few months of age and was buried in Oskaloosa.

Photocopy of Obituary clipping of Walter Dewey Erickson,

dated 10 Sept 1898, as published in the Oskaloosa Saturday Globe.

Two more children were soon welcomed in Iowa, Pearl Goldie in 1902, and Albert Roy in 1905. Sometime between 1905 and 1910, the family migrated to Grant County, Washington, where they settled in the newly incorporated city of Ephrata.

In this part of central Washington, the land is mostly flat and full of sagebrush with a semi-arid desert climate. Ephrata was just springing up out of nothing but a few sparse farms, so to develop a property would have been a major undertaking. In 1910, the census that year tells us that Albert was working on his farm and the two eldest girls, Eda and Kate, were working in a local restaurant. Eda was waitressing and Kate was the dishwasher. Josie had her hands full with the younger children and a new baby, Leo Earl, who was born that year. In 1910, the population of Ephrata was only 323 people.

Farming in the desert didn't work out like Albert and Josie had planned, and by 1920 they had moved to the big city of Seattle where Al found work as a boilermaker. Again, the two eldest children in the home were working. Rose and Pearl were employed at a factory, packing candy.

Cropped image of the Erickson family in the 1930 Federal Census, 
Seattle City, King County, Washington. 
Image from Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. 
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. 
Accessed online 10 August 2016.       

             

                           
The image above shows the family in 1930. Albert was working for the City of Seattle Water Department, Earl was employed at a sheet metal shop, and Rose, now married to Harold Muzzy, was still working as a packer at the candy factory. By 1940, Albert and Josie had moved to a more rural area of King County with son Earl and his wife, Margaret, where I believe they lived the rest of their lives.

E. Albert and Josie (Moore) Erickson.

Copy of a photo from Lavera Cavanaugh

labeled "Katy Erickson Cavanaugh's parents, the Ericksons. Bills grandparents."

Albert passed away in July of 1952. Josie followed a few years later, on 29 August 1956. They were buried together in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Renton, King County, Washington.

Grave of Albert and Josie Erickson, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Renton, King County, Washington.

Image from www.findagrave.com, Memorial # 135716388, 

added 10 Sep 2014 by user GenealogyJenny. 

Accessed online 10 August 2016.







Arthur Virgil Cavanaugh (1895-1988)

Arthur Virgil "Art" Cavanaugh, my paternal great grandfather, was born 31 January 1895 in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri. He was the third of six children born to John Houston Cavanaugh (1870-1954) and Mary Calier Read (1871-1949).
Art had two older bothers, Lexon Charlie (1891-1949) and Elmer Diamond "Curly" (1893-1957), and one younger brother, Orvel Burgess (1897-1979). He also had two younger sisters, Zona Ruby (1901-1991) and Opal Edna J. (1906- ?).

John and Mary with their first three sons, Art is the youngest one on his mother's lap. This copy of the original photo was sent to me years ago by Lavera Cavanaugh. Taken about 1896 probably in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri.

The following timeline shows the family moved several times during Art's childhood:

• January 1895, Art's birth in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri
• January 1897, brother Orvel's birth, also in Mountain Grove
• June 1900, Federal Census, Clinton, Texas County, Missouri
• August 1901, sister Zona's birth in Waterville, Douglas County, Washington
• June 1906, sister Opal's birth, Missouri
• May 1910, Federal Census, Robberson, Greene County, Missouri
• July 1915, marriage to Sarah Katie Erickson, Ephrata, Grant County, Washington

Art as a young man.

I have a photocopy of the original photograph, and I think it was from Lavera Cavanaugh, but I didn't document it and can't remember for sure (otherwise known as "How Not to Do Genealogy").

In about 1895, Henry Cavanaugh, Art's great Uncle, moved with his wife and young family to Douglas County, Washington and settled in the Waterville area. Henry's sisters Sarah and Lucy followed with their husbands by 1900. Their mother, Art's great grandmother, was also living in the area for several years and may have come with her daughters. So John bringing his family to Douglas County wasn't such an odd thing, since he had several relatives in the area at the time. It's not known why he returned to Missouri or why, as fate would have it, they were in central Washington again in about 1914 when Art met Sarah Kate "Katie" Erickson, and fell in love. They were married on 12 July 1915.

Marriage return for Art and Katie, copy from the Washington State Archives,
Central Regional Branch in Ellensburg, Washington.

 Katie was the daughter of Albert Erickson, a Swedish immigrant, and Josie Moore, who had German and Quaker roots. The family came to Washington from Iowa between 1900 and 1910 and settled in the newly formed Grant County. Ephrata became a city in 1909, so they were some of the first settlers of the town. Art and Katie were still in Ephrata when their son William Virgil was born on 16 January 1916. (I'm doing the math in my head and I think Art may have been "encouraged" to marry Katie as baby Bill came just 6-1/2 months later!)  Art was working as a laborer in Seattle in 1918 and remained there until about 1923-24, when he brought his family to Yakima County. Two additional children had been born to the couple; Evelyn Winnifred in 1918 and Melvin Roy in 1921. The young family lived for a time in Yakima, then Moxee, and eventually settled in a home in Selah with some acreage and an orchard. My Dad lived with his grandparents briefly in his teens and remembers fondly the time spent with them. Art and Katie remained there for many years before retiring to a small home in town on Pear Avenue.

Art and Katie Cavanaugh, photo from my personal collection.

Art suffered a heart attack and died on 9 April 1988 in Yakima, Washington at the age of 93. His wife Katie outlived him by several years, passing in 1997 at 101 years old. They are buried together at West Hills Memorial Park in Yakima, Washington.

Funeral record from Shaw and Sons Funeral Home, Yakima, Washington.

Art's obituary from the Yakima Herald, obtained from the obituary file housed at
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, Union Gap, Washington.

The grave of Art and Katie Cavanaugh at West Hills Memorial Park.

Photo taken on my Memorial Day visit last year.