|
|
|
William Harvey Laird, the second child of William Thomas Laird and Sarah (Martin) Laird, was born 12 January 1860 in Sidney, Fremont County, Iowa. When he was about 3, his family traveled by wagon train to California, and they soon settled in Siskiyou County, in that state. The 1870 census shows him living with his parents and his brother Charles at Etna in the South Township of Siskiyou County. By 1880, however, 20-year-old William was no longer in the parental home but instead was boarding in the household of Silas Shattuck in the village of Henley (a former community in Siskiyou County about a mile southwest of Hornbrook). His occupation then was listed as “Teacher.” On 16 June 1887, William married Lottie Marfield at Yreka, CA. She had been born at Scott Bar in Siskiyou County on 27 October 1860, and she was the daughter of John and Josephine (Knell) Marfield. William and Lottie may have met through their activities in a Temperance organization known as the "Champions of Honor." 1 The History of Siskiyou County, California (p. 183) lists W. H. Laird as one of the officers of the Patrol Council of the Champions of Honor and, on the same page, shows that Lottie Marfield was an officer of the Fidelity Council. After marriage, they apparently established a home close to William's parents at the site along Willow Creek then known as “Laird’s Station.” 2 At this home, in March 1888, they welcomed their one and only child:
In 1895, William filed a homestead application for 140 acres on the Klamath River just below the mouth of Little Bogus Creek. This was a couple of miles northeast of Laird’s Station, and though William would have needed to work the land to prove up his claim, he apparently continued to live at Laird’s Station, as the 1900 census listed his household immediately after that of his parents. They were then in Table Rock Township of Siskiyou County. The 1900 census also listed William’s occupation as “Post Master” and, indeed, the 1899 and 1901 editions of the U.S. Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service both confirm that he was in charge of the post office at Ager (which was just a couple of miles south of Laird’s Station) The 1901 edition also shows that Lottie worked as a clerk at that same office. The 1910 census shows William and Lottie living apart. She and Irving were living at 303 Oregon Street in Yreka, while William was farming on his land in Lake Township. This was probably the same land he had homesteaded 15 years earlier. William and Lottie’s son Irving enlisted in the Army in July 1918 and served until the end of World War I. He served as a chief mechanic in an Army Truck Company and carried the skills he learned there back into his civilian career as a car and truck mechanic. By 1920, William, Lottie, and Irving were once again all together at the Oregon Street address in Yreka. William’s occupation then was listed as “gardener.” Ten years later, Irving had moved out, and the 1930 census shows William and Lottie were still together on Oregon Street. Sadly, in January 1938, William and Lottie both died two days apart — he on 28 January and she on the 30th. I have not yet found any obituaries or news reports about their deaths, but the story in the family is that they got stuck somewhere in a cold rain, after which both came down with pneumonia. She died without gaining consciousness long enough to be told her husband had already died. They were buried together at Evergreen Cemetery in Yreka. If you can suggest any corrections to the information above or provide any further details about the lives of William, Lottie, and Irving, please contact me at the address shown in the image below:
Thanks,
Return
to Sarah Martin Laird bio page.
|
