George William Theis (10/26/1859-7/17/1937) George Austin Theis I2/1/1891-7/17/1961)

George William Theis (10/26/1859-7/17/1937)

George Austin Theis I2/1/1891-7/17/1961)

When reading old newspapers you will frequently see Theis mentioned as he appears to be active in the founding of various community based organization and affairs of the new community of Gig Harbor.  But when you ask about him no one seems to know who he was.  So, in an attempt to discover a solution, I did a little searching on the internet and the following is what I discovered.

The experts say that when you are interested in someone’s life you should start with their death.  Fortunately for our search, we do have a copy of the newspaper obituary.

PIONEER OF GIG HARBOR IS STRICKEN

GIG HARBOR, July 19 — George W. Theis, 77, died in a Tacoma hospital Saturday.  He was a well-known figure in the early pioneer days of Washington, coming from Platsburgh, PA. to the state in 1880.  He served in the United States troops as Indian scout from 1880 to 1885 and took part in the service when Fort Spokane was broken.  He is survived by eight sons, Roy of Clarksmine, Ore., George of Tauhua, Alvie of Jacksonville, Ore., Albert, Fred and Theodore of Bremerton, Edward and William of the U.S. Navy and five daughters, Mrs. Violet Elliot of Sunnyvale, Mrs. Ester Polly or Eugene, Ore., Mrs. Genevieve Gibson of Spartan, Ill., Marie Theis and Mrs. Lettie Zurbrugg of Bremerton, with whom he had made his home since leaving Gig Harbor last year.  Sixteen grandchildren survive.  The family home had been made in Midway district for the past 10 years and he had been a resident of Colville.  Funeral services will be held from the Perkins Funeral Home Wednesday at 3 p.m. with Rev. L. N. Hoagland officiating, with burial in Artondale cemetery under direction of F. M. Perkins. 

This obituary was published July 19, 1937.  So now let’s turn to what I did discover and some which I could not find.  We’ll start with information I found on one of the family trees on his life.

Theis’ grandfather Henry and grandmother, Annie Elizabeth Rollings Theis were born in Darmstadt, Germany.  They immigrated to the United States in 1852, and settled in Philadelphia.  At first, Henry was a baker, but within 18 years he was running an inn or hotel.  By 1910 he had retired and was a landlord.  I assume he rented out his hotel to others to operate.   Henry and Annie had 13 or 14 children.

One of those children was their son, George William. who was born October 26, 1859 in Allegheny, PA.  George William married Rachel Armira “Nellie” Prouty February 1884 in Colville, Stevens County, Washington and their first child, Georganna was born in Colville that November. Nellie had eleven children by 1910.  Her death followed in December 1913.  He then married Nellie B. Thomas and had three more children.  Nellie B. died August 1932.

I have been unable to find any information during the 1880-1885 period showing his service as an Indian Scout or his service at Fort Spokane other than the fact that He, Nellie and the children lived in Fort Colville with one year in Fort Spokane in 1904 until they moved to Old Dominium in 1920.  I have contacted the Stevens County Historical Society to see what they might have on either Theis or the incident referred to in George’s obituary of “Fort Spokane being broken.”   However, I do know one of our readers will probably be able to locate the information if it exists.

As George William’s obituary states, he arrived in Washington state in 1880.  Fort Colville was built in 1859, and closed in 1882.  Fort Spokane was was established in 1880,   According to Wikipedia’s entry on Fort Colville, “Cavalry often stayed at Fort Colville due to scarcity of hay and grain around Fort Spokane until the summer of 1885.” 

George William, being an Indian scout would have also been a member of the US Army and I believe I have the correct George Theis who enlisted at age 21 in Company 2, US Infantry, discharged at Fort Spokane October 22, 1885.  I also found his pension application filed February 14, 1908.  But that is extent of military history.  Also, I found that he actually filed for homestead of 160 acres in Stevens County November 23, 1891.

I am going out on a limb until I hear back from Stevens County Historical Society and interpret “”took part in the service when Fort Spokane was broken” as meaning perhaps during its construction.  Fort Spokane was “founded in fall of 1880 and by 1884 there were about 25 buildings, including six barracks, a schoolroom, an ice house and a two-story administration building topped with a glass-sided cupola. ….The post served to consolidate older forts like Fort Colville closer to the population areas, and as a buffer to calm tensions between Natives and Settlers in the area.” according to wikipedia’s Fort Spokane history.

 And then sometime between 1920 and 1930 another move brought the family to Artondale.    

Part of the difficulty in research George William is the fact that one of his sons, George Austin’s (1891-1961), information is frequently confused with his father, George William.  Also the name George W. Theis appears quite popular as you search on ancestry.com.

Now a little about the son, George Austin.  While living in Colville he married Ida M. Snider in November 1914.  He received a draft notice for WWI in 1917.  The next item I find is he and Ida are living in Bremerton where Ida gives birth to their daughter, Rachel Ellen in July of that same year.

The 1920 US Census report tells us that George Austin is employed as a caulker at  the Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.  In 1925 a picture appeared in The Peninsula Gateway newspaper showing the crew at C. O. Austin sawmill resting while the saw is being sharpened.  There, second from left is a gentlemen identified as “Theis”.  I shall assume that it is George Austin based upon the fact that he does have a history in the logging and lumber industry.

By 1930, again according to the 1930 US Census, George Austin is living in Gig Harbor; perhaps to be closer to his parents, and he tries working as a salesman in a general store.  But by 1935 he, Ida and Rachel move to Hoodsport and George Austin gets a job as a feller for one of the logging companies there.  

1942 George Austin receives a draft notice for WWII, he’s 51 years old and is working for Pacific Mercury Company in Morton, Lewis County, Washington.

Now, I’ve lost track of him until I find that he dies in July 1961, and is buried in the family plot in Artondale Cemetery in Gig Harbor.  Ida moves to Port Orchard where she’s lived, I assume, until her death in February 1970.  She too is married at the Artondale Cemetery in the Theis Family Plot.

If you can fill in any of the blanks in the Theis Family history, please leave a comment.  And, as always, thank you for reading the Harbor History Museum blogs.

Notes:

• ancestry.com
• wikipedia - Fort Spokane; Fort Colville

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.