Is it Pasco Dorotich or Pave (Paul) Dorotich

Is it Pasco Dorotich or Pave (Paul) Dorotich

I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time trying to figure out how the Historic Property Report for the residence at 3400 Harborview came to the conclusion that “Paul “Pasco” Dorotich built this house in approximately 1900.  Pasco was the son of Gig Harbor founders, Joseph and Caroline Dorotich, who worked with his father and brothers as a commercial fisherman.”  

Joseph and Caroline did not have a son named Paul or Pasco, although they did have eleven children, five of which were boys.  Joseph and Caroline Jerisich’s children were:  John (1884), Amanda (1886), Annie (1888), Clementina (1890), Catherine (1893), George (1893), Mattie (1895), Jack F. (1899), Jacob (1900), and Marie (1904).  [Ancestry.com lists a second George born in 1895).]

Pasco M. Dorotich, born November 11, 1863 in Yugoslavia to Ivan Dorotich and Magdeline Lucich.  I do not know if he left home alone, but he arrived in Canada in 1875 at age 12.  This is not uncommon as several young boys left home alone at a very young age. He was living in Port Guichon, British Columbia when he married Matija Gilich on August 30, 1898.  Matija was born about 1873.  Their son John was born in 1901 while they were living in British Columbia, and his daughter, Lena (Magdalene) was born in 1903 also while living in British Columbia.  

I was unable to discover actually when Pasco and his family moved to Gig Harbor, but in 1915 he had Skansie Shipyard build him a 56 ft. seiner fishing boat which he named St. John.  Also, he and his family are identified as residents on the US Census report for Gig Harbor in 1920.  

In 1925 Pasco and his partners, Nick Bez (Nikola Bezmalinovic) and his daughter Lena, had Skansie Shipyard build the Shenandoah, a 65 ft. seiner, equipped with an Atlas Imperial diesel engine. By the year 1960 John, Pasco’s son, was skipper on the Shenandoah. John had a sudden heart attack on May 29, 1966, and the Shenandoah was left to his sister, Lena, wife of Nick Bez.   

Nick Bez had married Lena; Nick had built the residence at 3402 Harborview Drive for them to live in which was next door to her father’s home at 3400 Harborview Drive.  Lena and Nick lived in this house for approximately twenty years driving to Seattle each day to oversee his growing empire.  Eventually they moved to Seattle.  Following Lena death, her daughter finally sold all their Gig Harbor properties in 2014.

Pasco Dorotich died December 24, 1943, while working in Seattle, Washington, although he still lived in Gig Harbor.  His wife, Matija died in 1957.

The Shenandoah can be seen at the Harbor History Museum Maritime Gallery, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA where the museum volunteers are restoring the vessel.

Back row: Julia Skansie Babich, Lena Dorotich Bez, Kate Borovich Skanie, Matija Dorotich, Bertha Borovich Skansie
Front row: Marie Skansie Chesboro, Clementina Skansie Anderson, Antoni P. Skansie, Vicent A. Skansie, Jeroma Skansie McRae. (Harbor History Museum PF-187-Sk.jpeg) 

And now a little information about the other Dorotich mention in our opening paragraph .

Pave (Paul) Dorotich was born in St. Martin, Austria, on February 21, 1890, he died April 5, 1962 and is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Tacoma, Washington.  He too immigrated first to Canada where he met and married Milka Tonsich (8-14-1904/12-30-1993) on February 6, 1926 in Vancouver, British Columbia.  

He and Milka moved to Old Tacoma and their first child, Mary Dorotich Boskovich was born on November 17, 1926.  Her sister, Helen Teresa Dorotich Hamiton was born two years later on December 26, 1928.  The last daughter, Pauline Dorotich was born in 1934.  

Paul received his naturalization papers on July 3, 1910 in Seattle.  The family settled in Tacoma living  2614 North 30th, Tacoma, Washington.  It is interesting to see on his declaration of intention to become a US Citizen, that his last foreign residence was Auckland, New Zealand.  On his WWII Registration card, he shows Tony Dorotich, 914 So. I Street, Tacoma as the person who would always know his whereabouts.  

In 1915, Paul had Skansie Shipyard build a 60 ft. seiner for him which he named Louisiana.  His only connection that I found was that he had Skansie Shipyard build his boat.  It was not uncommon for Croatian fishermen living elsewhere to come to Gig Harbor for the Skansie Shipyard to build their boats.

Note:

• ancestry.com
• Harbor History Museum Research Room

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