William Henry Reese and surprising discoveries

At one time I doubted that he even existed, and nearly deleted him from my tree.  Then I found 3 sources confirming that Adam Reese did have a younger brother named William.  Born in Columbia, Herkimer, New York, in 1832, William Henry lived with the family in Reeseville, Wisconsin before getting married in 1856.  He and his wife Sarah took their 4 Wisconsin born children as far West as possible, to little Port Orchard on the Kitsap Peninsula, southwest of Seattle.  His Washington State Death Record in Seattle in 1908 correctly names his parents, Samuel Reese and Elizabeth Bell.  Amazing.   Colonial New York and 20th century Seattle are separated by just one generation.

  William and Sarah's daughter Ruby Amelia, born in Reeseville, Wisconsin marries a good man in Seattle, William Winston Wilcox and has 9 fine children with him.  I have found photos of Ruby and William and one of Ruby surrounded by her 9 good looking children.  In the photo, Ruby has an open book on her lap.  What's with the book?  Could it be a bible?  ...probably... but it is too slim to be my bible, I think.

  William's son William Ellis Reese has less luck.  His two sons, Ellis and Dewitt are a couple ne'r-do-wells.  Wisconsin born Dewitt is a musician who amazingly joins the Canadian Army, deserts after a few months, returns to the USA, registers for the draft in 1917 in Coos, Oregon, but claims exemption because he is a Canadian citizen and his mother's sole support.  On the same day in June 1917, his brother Ellis, who works as a bill poster in Spokane, Washington State also claims exemption from the draft because he is his mother's sole support.  Their mother, I assume, dies in poverty.  But I have not confirmed that.

A New Clue!

It has been a while since I've posted, but new developments come in their own time.

 I have discovered siblings of Adam Reese who moved their families to Washington State.  This may be a crucial breakthrough in discovering the bible’s last family owner.

Adam Reese’s younger sister Almira, born in the New York Mohawk Valley in 1821, ends up on the West Coast.  Almira did live with her parents Samuel and Elizabeth Reese in Reeseville, Wisconsin until she was in her late 20s and married Jeremiah Burgess.  Almira had 4 children born in Wisconsin.

 In 1880, Almira and Jeremiah Burgess are living in Shasta, California.  I lose track of the aging couple after that, but their son Samuel Reese Burgess appears in 1889 in Ferndale, Whatcom County, Washington State, living with his wife and 5 children.   Two of Samuel Reese Burgess’s daughters marry a pair of brothers named Shaw.  Almira Burgess’ grandchildren are soon spreading out in Washington’s Whatcom County, starting their own families there with the Burgess or Shaw surnames.

  Osee Reese Burgess.  I gotta like a guy with a name like that.  His father’s name was Io Burgess.  I don’t even know how to pronounce that.  Osee was born Christmas Eve 1908 in Bellingham, Washington.  During WWII he serves in the U.S. Navy as a cook.  He must enjoy that line of work, because after the war he is listed as a ship’s baker on numerous commercial vessels, sailing between Seattle, San Francisco and other Pacific ports, such as Japan.  Osee, the sailor, marries very late in life and lives in the San Diego area, a Navy town.  It does not appear  that he had any children.   His wife is buried in San Luis Obispo in 1987.  However in 1989, Osee the veteran, is buried at the Presidio, the San Francisco National cemetery.
  Osee's Burgess and Shaw cousins are well spread out in Washington State in the late 1900s.  More to come on that in following posts.