The Family Tree
By Terence L. Day
Terence L. Day, genealogist and journalist, is on the Washington State University faculty. He welcomes e-mail at genealogy@moscow.com, or regular mail in care of the Tri-City Herald City newsroom, P.O. Box 2608, Tri-Cities, WA 99302-2608.
Family tales are better when told by a relative
This column was published Nov. 26, 2000
As Kennewick's Robert Gilbert counted his blessings on Thanksgiving day, his gratitude went far beyond the customary cuisine turkey and trimmings. Bob counted blessings nearly a century and a quarter old.
He shared these thoughts with me in a pre-Thanksgiving e-mail, saying, "... my most precious ... are gifts given to me by others. One blessing that is very special to me is an act of kindness that was performed by the wonderful people of Moscow, Idaho, during the winter of 1876-77. Without that act of love, I would not be here today."
Bob gave me permission to share this story, handed down to him by his grandmother Anna Mae (Tozier) Gilbert in her autobiography, written in 1945.
I've paraphrased for clarity, quoted and added a little historical perspective.
Anna Mae was born Dec. 4, 1867, in Nebraska. When she was 2 years old, her parents emigrated to Oregon, settling near Portland.Ê
When Anna Mae was 4, her mother died, and the girl was taken into her grandparents' home in Indiana. Thomas Bradbury Tozier was a shoemaker and mechanic. Anna Mae remembered her grandparents as kind and loving.
When Anna Mae was 9, her Grandfather Tozier's attention was attracted to stories of land for homesteading in Washington Territory.
On the way, Anna Mae came down with diphtheria and the family stopped at Moscow, Idaho.
Moscow was just getting started about that time. The first permanent settlers had arrived in 1871. The area was then called Hog Heaven and later, Paradise Valley. The community adopted the name of Moscow in 1875, but it would be 12 more years before the city was incorporated, with a population of 600 people.
Work was plentiful in Moscow, but housing was scarce. The Toziers couldn't find a house, so they moved into an old abandoned blacksmith shop. There was no stove, so the Toziers heated and cooked in the shop's forge.
Anna Mae recalled that it was difficult for her grandparents to care for a sick child under such conditions, but they were pioneers and could manage. The girl's recovery was slow. She remembered still being sick on her 10th birthday.
Grandfather Tozier put up a tent and started a shop to make and repair shoes. Soon he was doing well.
"The people of Moscow were very kind," Anna Mae wrote.
"They gave Grandfather a corner lot and helped him build a log cabin. But there was no lumber for the floor until a kind neighbor took the boards from a fence and gave them to Grandfather for his floor. The folks feared to move me while I was so sick. They feared I might take cold.
"They thoroughly dried the house, wrapped me carefully in a blanket, and Grandfather carried me over to our new home. The beds were bunks, one above the other. My sister Minnie and I slept in the upper bunk and Grandmother and Grandfather in the lower. I thought I was in heaven; the little log house with its corner bunks seemed so grand."
As soon as Grandfather Tozier could save up $50, he traveled to Colfax, where he bought a cook stove and other supplies.
"The weather was extremely cold and the journey with a team and wagon was a slow cold trip for an old man," his granddaughter wrote.
"But he was ever patient and never complained. Aside from my sickness, we had a pleasant winter."
It's hard to for us to realize, amid our comforts, what Grandfather Tozier's journey must have been like, traveling perhaps 26 miles each way on muddy or frozen dirt roads in a wagon.
I share this story with you as an example of the marvelous stories that can be found in most of our families.
We don't have to be professional writers to write or preserve them. Indeed, most professional writers probably would ruin stories such as Anna Mae's. (Hope I haven't.)
If we are truly thankful for our heritage, we will preserve it.
Bob is not only preserving, he's sharing.
If you would like to read Anna Mae's autobiographical sketch, Bob has posted it to his Web site. You'll find it at http://communities.msn.com/BobandDorreneGilbert. It's only a few pages long.