An article on the cemetery workshop at the Ft Steilacoom Cemetery on Saturday, April 28th, appeared in Sunday's Tacoma News Tribune, go to http://www.tribnet.com/, click on SEARCH in the pink navigation bar. In the Query bar, enter RESTORATION BUILDS COMMUNITY (the name of the article), and click on the Execute Query button. A link to the article should appear in the frame. Many thanks to all who attended. -------------- Andrea D. MacDonald "Andi" [email protected] Washington State Cemetery Association http://www.rootsweb.com/~wapsgs/ Join our maillist for more information on Washington state cemeteries subscribe by sending a blank e-mail to: [email protected] "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

Hi, I found the online News Tribune article very interesting, although like most newspaper articles not strong on historical accuracy. The Fort Steilacoom Cemetery, whether the military or settler section, is certainly not the second oldest cemetery in Washington, nor very close to it. US Army records give the date of establishment of the military cemetery as 1859, which is clearly a misprint, probably for 1849, just after the post was established. The post was active from 1848 (the first US Army post garrisoned in the entire Northwest) to 1869, when it was turned over to Washington Territory for the territorial insane asylum. The Army developed a policy of disinterring burials from cemeteries of abandoned posts and reburying them into regional National Cemeteries. In February 1896 the Army moved twenty bodies from Ft. Steilacoom to San Francisco National Cemetery located in the Presidio there. A number of abandoned military post and other federal cemeteries in Washington were also moved there at various times. Among the names of the twenty bodies that were moved is that of Washington's first war hero, Lt. William A. Slaughter, who died in battle in the great Indian War of 1855 in southeastern King County. The city of Slaughter (now Auburn) and county of Slaughter (now Kitsap) were both named in his honor, but later settlers failed to appreciate his sacrifice and disliked the sound of his name. Four officers and sixteen men were moved, I will have the names and details posted online soon at the Washington Cemetery Project. Curiosly, one of the bodies moved was that of a William Wallace, who had served as an infantry private. It is possible that this cemetery was in use prior to the coming of the army in 1848, although I have seen no evidence for it. The army took over an existing Hudson Bay Company post, and a number of settlers were already in the close vicinity. Even if this is true, however, this cemetery is not one of the state's very oldest, and it would probably place it at around third oldest in the Puget Sound basin. William Henson Wallace was not actually Governor of Washington Territory. He was born July 19, 1811 in Ohio and grew up in Indiana, where his family became politically prominent. After admittance to the bar he moved to Iowa in 1837, and was elected to the territorial legislature there in 1838. He was an unsuccessful candidate in Iowa for both territorial delegate and the Senate, but was Colonel of the first state militia before moving to the brand new Territory of Washington in 1853. He settled in Steilacoom, and immediately was elected to the first territorial legislature, serving until 1861. Wallace appears with his wife and son in the 1860 Pierce County census which can be found online in the Washington Census Project. He failed in his first attempt to be elected as territorial delegate, and was named by new president Lincoln to be territorial governor. Congress refused to confirm him however, preferring another man, so he ran again and won the race for territorial delegate, finally obtaining the seat in Congress he had coveted. Wallace served in Congress as Washington Territory Delegate for two years, until the eastern 3/5 of the territory was broken off to form Idaho Territory in 1863. Wallace was named and confirmed as Idaho's first governor, but Wallace hated the hustle and lawlessness of the booming miners in Idaho, and he remained in Lewiston only long enough to secure his election by the new legislature to Congress again as Idaho's first territorial delegate. He greatly preferred the civilization of Washington DC to the rough frontier of the mining camps. He was living in the capital and serving in Congress when Lincoln died. After his term in Congress was over he retired to his property in Steilacoom, where he died February 7, 1879. As prominent as William Wallace was, other members of his family were even more prominent. His older brother Benjamin Franklin Wallace (1804-1887) served in the Indiana and Iowa legislatures, and eldest brother David Wallace (1799-1859) served Indiana as a legislator, Governor, and Congressman. The most famous Wallace was Lewis "Lew" Wallace, David's son, who bacame very famous as a Union General during the Civil War, then even more famous later as the author of the novel "Ben-Hur." Lew Wallace (1827-1905) served in the Indiana legislature, then following the Civil War ran unsuccessfully for both Congress and the Senate. He served three years as Governor of New Mexico Territory, and four years as Ambassador to Turkey. There remains the question of the William Wallace removed by the Army to San Francisco in 1896. While it is probable that this is a second man with the same name, the possibility cannot be discounted that Governor Wallace may have received a military burial, perhaps associated with service in his youth, and that he may have been disinterred with the other military burials when the move was made. Best wishes, Kevin Fraley Director, Washington Cemetery Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/wa/wacem.htm Director, Washington Census Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/wa/wacensus.htm ----- Original Message ----- > An article on the cemetery workshop at the Ft Steilacoom Cemetery on > Saturday, April 28th, appeared in Sunday's Tacoma News Tribune, go to > http://www.tribnet.com/, click on SEARCH in the pink navigation bar. In > the Query bar, enter RESTORATION BUILDS COMMUNITY (the name of the > article), and click on the Execute Query button. A link to the article > should appear in the frame. Many thanks to all who attended. > > --------------

Hello Kevin....How very interesting your post was. I had to take the opportunity to thank you. Roberta Longmire, Yelm