See letters, photographs and other ephemera from two of Seattle's early families.
Unknown man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by M.M. Durnam in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Identifier: spl_lj_036
Date: 1880?
View this itemUnknown girl, ca. 1865
Tintype portrait of unidentified girl.
Identifier: spl_lj_017
Date: 1865?
View this itemR.H. letter to "Friend Latimer," October 8, 1874
Letter written to Alexander Latimer, from a friend who recently moved away from Minnesota (where Latimer also lived) to Eldridge, Kansas. The friend describes his health, the weather and agricultural matters along with his disappointment in the low church attendance of his community.
Identifier: spl_lj_005
Date: 1874-02-08
View this itemWaterfront at foot of Union St., ca. 1896
Transcribed from photograph: "Waterfront at Foot of Spring Street, Seattle." Location appears to be closer to the base of Union St. Vulcan Iron Works (located between University and Union Streets) appears at the left with the Arlington Hotel (located at 1215 1st Ave.) behind it. The Arlington Dock and Golden Rule Bazaar appear at the right.
Identifier: spl_lj_064
Date: 1896?
View this itemUnknown man, ca. 1865
Tintype portrait of unidentified man.
Identifier: spl_lj_014
Date: 1865?
View this itemWilliam and Elizabeth Weir letter to Johnathan and Alexander Latimer, June 29, 1853
Alexander was married to Sarah Chesney Latimer (his third wife) in 1850. The couple had five daughters: Narcissa Leonora Latimer Denny (1851-1900), Eliza Alice Latimer Fowler (1856-1934), Harriet Ellen Latimer Stephens (1859-1938), Clara Latimer Bickford (1861-1934), and Emma Chesney Latimer Reynolds (1864-1946). Elizabeth Latimer Weir was Alexander's sister and William Weir, his brother-in-law. The letter is addressed to Alexander and his brother Johnathan Latimer (1803-1866) and discusses the death of the Latimer's mother, Anne Dobbins Latimer (1776-1853), and the distribution of the estate. The letter also discusses agricultural crops, the growth of the railroad systems on the east coast and other family matters.
Identifier: spl_lj_001
Date: 1853-06-29
View this itemFlorence Wiltsie, Alice Fowler and Anita at Money Creek Park, 1920
Transcribed from photograph: "1920. Florence Wiltsie, Alice Fowler and Anita at Money Creek Park on Miller River, near Seattle." Eliza Alice Latimer Fowler was the sister of Narcissa Latimer Denny. Her daughter, Alice Anita Fowler, was born in 1890. The identity of the child in the photograph is unknown.
Identifier: spl_lj_066
Date: 1920
View this itemArthur A. Denny, ca. 1880
Portrait of one of Seattle's founders, Arthur Denny. Photograph taken by Peterson & Bro. in Seattle, Washington Territory.
Identifier: spl_lj_045
Date: 1880?
View this itemChildren of Sarah Jane Latimer Dawdy, ca. 1920
Sarah Jane Latimer Dawdy (1847-1915) was the daughter of Alexander Latimer and his second wife, Julia Ann Hart (1819-1850). She married John W. Dowdy on March 25, 1868 in Knox, Illinois. They had three children, Drennan Latimer Dawdy, Norval Dawdy and Daisy E. Dawdy. Location and exact date of the photograph are unknown.
Identifier: spl_lj_070
Date: 1920?
View this itemUnknown man in Shenandoah, Iowa, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by W.H. Brewer in Shenandoah, Iowa.
Identifier: spl_lj_032
Date: 1880?
View this item