The Entiat River near the Tyee Ranch

HEDDING/HEDDEN/WHITE/TIGARD/EDWARDS/McCLENDON FAMILY HISTORY NOTES

CHARLES E. HEDDINGCHARLES E. HEDDING, lived most of his life in Entiat, Washington. Much of it was spent on his ranch, The Tyee Ranch, twenty one miles up the Entiat River from Entiat. He was considered by those who lived in the valley as one of the substantial and capable farmers of the area.

He was born in Piatt County, Illinois, on September 26, I874, the son of George and Emma(Howell)Hedden, natives of Illinois and Indiana, respectively. George and Emma married in Macon County Illinois on March 24, 1872. According to Charles, George, his father died in Illinois in 1876, and by 1904 Emma lived in Kansas. [Emma Howell Hedden remarried to a George Darst on October 8, 1889 in Piatt County Illinois] Charles said that his paternal ancestors were natives of Holland and first came to America in 1864.

Immigration listing from Ancestry.com shows the ship “China”, docked in New York on August 23, 1864. George Hedden’s name is shown near the top of the middle split in the page. The transcript of this document on Ancestry.com (name misspelled as GOERGE H. HEDDEN) shows that his nationality is “American”, his birth year is 1841, and he traveled to New York through the ports of either Liverpool, England or Queenstown, Ireland. Charles E. Hedding lived in Illinois until 1892. He then went to Indiana and took up carriage making. After one year at this work, he returned to Illinois and two months later went to Kansas. He spent one year in that state and in 1894 came to Spokane in Washington State, where according to him, he stayed only a few days.

He then journeyed to Waterville and three weeks later went to Wenatchee. He did various kinds of work there. For example, he and a Mr. Marshall installed the brass bell on the top of the school house cupola, there. He claimed that “It was a very great undertaking.”

Later Mr. Hedding went to Waterville, Wa. He then came to Entiat where he was cook in a logging camp for one winter. During that time, there was rumor that the railroad was to come up the Entiat Valley and Charles took a homestead about 21 miles up the Entiat River. He then devoted himself to general farming and raising livestock.

On February 3, 1902, after a relatively brief courtship,(months as opposed to years) Charles E. Hedding married Miss Jerusha White at Pateros, Washington, a native of Yakima. Jerusha, being 19 by that time, was nearing the elder end of the young eligible women in the area. With her outgoing extroverted personality, and extraordinary beauty, many of the young men in the area must have most certainly known who she was.

Charles Hedding, by then a land owner and respected young gentleman of 28, definitely knew of Jerusha. He had met her at a dance in the area and fallen head over heels in love. It was, for him, love at first sight although he seemed to have a devil of a time figuring out her name, calling her Jersha, for some time.

He was smitten by the fair skinned brunette. Her big brown eyes must have found him more than pleasing as well. They were soon known by the local young couples as quite a pair. Pateros, being about 30 miles north of the town of Entiat on the Columbia River was no short ride from C.E. Hedding’s ranch 21 miles up the Entiat river. However, he seemed to be more than willing to do so. On February 3, 1902 after he and Jerusha were married in a ceremony at Pateros, Charles was left with the daunting task of bringing Jerusha home to his mother Emma, living with him at the ranch at the time, who had no idea her son was even courting anyone, much less bringing her home as his new bride.

Traveling back to the ranch up the Entiat river in early February could not have been a comfortable journey. February is very cold there and the snow is often several feet deep. With no road plowed and not many places to stop and warm up, one finds it hard to imagine it being a very pleasant trip especially for a young bride. Charles and Jerusha spent their wedding night at Bert and Lizzie Bonnar’s in the Entiat valley, continuing on to the ranch the next day. Once they arrived, Emma, Charles’s mother moved down river to the town of Entiat and moved into a local boarding house there.

Below is a transcript of a letter (held by Suzanne Hailey, Jerusha’s great granddaughter), from C.E. Hedding to Jerusha White just seven weeks before their marriage.

Miss Jerusha E. White, Pateros Wash (envelope postal dated Dec 10, 1901) Entiat – Wash Dec 10

Dear Jerusha- As I wrote you some time ago and have not rec’d any an’s, thought I would write again and see what was the trouble. I have been looking for an an’s every time anyone came up river or when I went down but alas, have been disappointed.

Now DEAR write to me as soon as you receive this and tell me all the trouble if there be any.

I sent you mine and mother’s picture last week hope you have got it. I was coming up but it snowed too soon and I had to go to feeding. I came down today for Mother. Will go up tomorrow. Drove my team down to McKenzie’s hack.

Bert[Bonnar] and Lizzie were married over a week ago. Everybody wants to know when I am. I was at Chas. Harris’s last week and he and she were both telling me they heard I was going to get married “say let’s fool em some of these days when they least expect it.”

We were just built to live with each other and would be so happy as could be.

Hattie and Willie have been dying to speak to each other and the other day they spoke and Rach either saw or heard of it and he and Willie had a row. I have not heard particulars and have not asked but Willie will tell me bye and bye.

Rach was so drunk “don’t you tell” he could not make change last Tues and had a great old time gave Hattie a terrible cursing poor girl. I would not own or claim him as a brother. Guess they, Willie I mean, would have fought if the girls had not been present.

Well DEAR I wish it would snow so I could come up and see you. I am just crazy to see you you will know about how my mind is wandering. I wrote a letter to Gordon the other day and burned it up accidentally and had to write another. I would like to tell you what Spencer said but can not write it.

The people here are all practicing for Xmas. I wanted to sing but they wont let me so I won’t help now.

There was a dance at Ferris’s last Fri. but I did not go, a fine time reported. One at Spencers in the near future.

Well Dear my family is increasing right along. I have 2 cats and a dozen chickens addition now.

I have been hunting for dear [crossed out playfully and written over with] deer forgot but failed to capture any guess I will have to come up and put a rope on you and bring you home how you think you like it hun “Ha Ha”

Well Jerusha you know me don’t you at least I hope you are beginning to. So don’t pay attention to nonsense.

Now if you have made all of that other letter out by this time “I know it was a little longer and wrote badly” ans me right away and I will try to improve in my writing looks like it don’t it. Did you ever see duck tracks in the mud.

If you have an’s it where has it gone I would like to know. Has the other one returned to you yet.

How are you and all your folks! How do you your Sis little boys like it.

I heard something the other day that Hattie said but I would not tell you for a bushel of doughnuts and let you make them. Come over and see us all a while we would all like to see you. The other day I started up to the field horse back and they all began to yell to kiss you for me and they sent their love and a lot of nonsense.

Lizzie Bonn[ar] has gone to California. Geo. Gray is going to work in the logging camp. I have had two small sleigh rides this winter skating is no good yet.

Tell Newt I collected and sent in all the fruit tree money after ex. were paid it left them $15.50.

Well hun if I do not stop you will never be able to make this scribbling all out. If I could only see you I could talk, talk, talk.

Now DEAR anw this right away as I am very anxious to hear from you and have been and will be until I hear from you. Write as soon as you get this and tell me all the news and more two and send your love.

Oh! Yes. Lizzie gave me a piece of her wedding cake it was fine as they make em.

Must close so good night send my love to you.

From a true one to a truer one. Yours in Love and Haste. So GoodBye.

Yours foreverC.E.H.I close with thoughts of you and the pleasant hours we have spent together and hope they will be many more. Absense makes the heart grow fonder. So with sticks in my eyes I close. C.E.H.

Jerusha stated in a 1904 interview for an article on the pioneers and settlers in Northern Washington, that her father, George Washington White, passed away when she was an infant. This would be hard to believe as Jerusha had a younger sister Millie White. This would lead one to believe that her father either died or divorced her mother when she was quite young but not an infant, as death records show a George Washington White passing away in Kentucky in 1890 at which time she would have been about 7 years old.

Jerusha’s mother Mary Francis Tigard Wilcox White Fear, daughter of Hugh and Sarah Jane (Edwards) Tigard of the Oregon Tigards, had been married previously to a Mr. Wilcox and had a few children by him. She then married Jerusha’s father and once he was no longer in the picture, remarried a Mr. Fear, an English immigrant, whom she divorced for “wearing his boots in the house”, according to the divorce documents. Mary Francis Tigard Wilcox White Fear was still living in Pateros, Wa in 1904.

Mr. Charles E and Jerusha Ellen(White) Hedding were members of the Methodist church and were highly respected people. Politically Mr. Hedding was affiliated with the Republican party.

By 1904, Mr. and Mrs. Hedding had one child, Mary Esther, born March 7, 1903.

Reference:

http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/images/publications/SL_steeleillustrated/SL_steeleillustrated_866_0001.txt

http://geneologytrails.com/ill/piatt/marrioages2.html

ORIGINS OF THE HEDDING FAMILY NAME

With the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 immigration to the United States began with a ferver for the third time. Nine million immigrants arrived in the U.S. by 1875, including 3 million from Ireland, 2.5 million from Germany, 1.5 million from Britain. Up until 1855, seventy percent of these immigrants entered through the port of New York . After 1855 the majority of the remaining thirty percent entered through Castle Garden. Many of the first German immigrants came from the small Palatinate region in southwestern Germany.

They began their travel by riverboat on the Rhine River, and then made their way to Holland. It took several weeks to reach an Atlantic seaport, and another eight to 10 weeks of difficult and dangerous ocean travel before they reached the shores of North America. To pay for their voyage, many impoverished immigrants resorted to selling themselves or their family members into indentured servitude

Charles E. Hedding claimed his father was an immigrant to the United States and that his paternal ancestors were natives of Holland. This makes sense when one understands the immigration history of Europe and the German people. The name Hedden is of Germanic origin and the immigration history is necessary to understand when asking why the name Hedden no longer appears as the spelling of the family name Hedding. This may also help to explain why immigration records do not show Germany or Holland as points of origin or nationality on immigration documents for George Hedden. It is not known for sure why the Hedding brothers Joseph and Charles , anglicized their last name Hedden to Hedding. Apparently, this was done because it was not popular to have a Germanic sounding name and making it more American was all the rage at the time.

Charles E. Hedding’s father, George Hedden, immigrated from the European continent by way of ship in 1864. The ports of departure for the ship “China” where George H Hedden (misspelled Goerge)would have departed from were listed as Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland. His “country of origin” was stated as “American” on the transcribed documents; however, it seems likely that he was immigrating to the United Stated from the European continent at that time as he was only 23 years old as stated on the immigration documents. He settled in Piatt County, Illinois, and married Emma Howell in Macon, Illinois on March 24, 1872.

Piatt County was established on January 27th, 1941 and named for James A Piatt, Sr. Piatt County was land split from the original county of Macon, Illinois. The newly created county was 34 miles long, and was made up of 279,680 acres of land. At the current day, Piatt county is mainly made up of cropland (91%), approximately 3% is pasture, 1% consisted of wooded lands and 5% is considered “other” (towns, rivers, lakes and highways). Considering that George Hedden was a “farmer”, it makes sense that he would settle here.

Emma was born in New Jersey on April 9, 1848, to Jacob C. Howell and Mary Quigley Howell. When viewing the 1850 Census records there appear to be many people living in the Howell household. Jacob(43), Mary(25), Ann(9), Edward(7), William(5) and Emma(2) all having the same last name were the only “family” living in the home. Ellen Bryan (33) from Ireland and Harriet Pierce(32) of New Jersey also resided in the home. Two young men, Robert Tatem(16) from Pennsylvania and Edward Wilson(19) of New Jersey, also lived in the household with the Howell’s. This leads one to believe that Jacob and Mary Howell may have been running a boarding house as was common in 1850.

When Emma Howell was twelve years old, she and her mother Mary were living in Cerro Gordo, Piatt County, Illinois with C.F. Howell age 9, Marietta Howell age 6 and Sarah M. Howell aged 3. They were living in a home next door to a man named Servis Howell aged 25 (Not sure of spelling on first name), born in Illinois, a Johanna Howell aged 23, born in Pennsylvania and a child Julia A Howell aged 2. One must wonder, since Emma and her mother Mary are not living there with her husband and other children, if she is visiting relatives.

http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/german2.html