Friday, October 1, 1926 - THE TENINO INDEPENDENT
Tenino, Thurston County, Washington

PIONEER G.A.R.
VETERAN DIES
AT OLD AGE
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Had Envied Civil War Record. Founder of Half Dozen Indus-tries Here.
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Funeral services for T. J. McClellan, prominent Tenino pioneer were held Wednesday at the Mills Chapel in Olympia. Many old friends and relatives were present at the ceremonies and accompanied the body to its final resting place in the Olympia Masonic Cemetery. Many and varied flo-ral offerings decorating the casket signified the high re-gard held for the deceased by his many friends.
Mr. McClellan, who was 86 years old at the time of his death, came to this section 36 years ago. A history of his many activities and business activities here would almost suffice as a history of Tenino itself. He was born in Athens, Ohio, February 6, 1840, and when a young man moved to Kan-sas. He was married at Wakeeny, Kansas, April 21, 1870, to Miss Mary M. Fay. Only six years ago they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. Mrs. McClellan survives her husband.
When a more youth, Mr. McClellan enlisted from his native state in the Twenty-first Ohio infantry and because of his youth was made drummer boy for his company. He served until the end of the war and was in over forty engagements, two of the most notable being the battles of Bull Run and Gettysburg.
Coming to Tenino from Kan-sas in 1890, Mr. McClellan en-gaged in the general merchan-dise business. Later he added a drugstore, the first in Tenino, to his business. At that time he was a partner to Dr. R..B. Wilson who recent-ly died in Ellensburg. Mr. McClellan established the first telephone exchange here as well as the first electric light plant, the first for hire care and the first creamery. For a number of years he operated the Circuit. At another time he was engaged in the lum-ber business having a sawmill on the site of the present creamery, a shingle mill and a lumber yard. For sev-eral years he was the postmaster and for the past six years he has been justice of the peace.
He was a charter member of Tenino Masonic lodge No. 86. Surviving besides his widow are three daughters: Mrs. George Churchill, Mrs. William Lewis and Mrs. Frank Newell, all of Tenino; and five sons, William , Fay and J. Rollie of Tenino, Carl of Centralia and Grover of Albany, Oregon.