Picture: John Bird Reece taken about 1907.

JOHN BIRD REECE
b: September 27, 1863,in Ashville Area, Haywood,North Carolina.

d: June 4, 1942
in his home at Port Stanley, Lopez Island, San Juan, Washington.

John Bird Reece was husband to Dove "Dovey" Caroline Queen; they married on January 1, 1886 in the Friendship Church, Pigeon Twp., Haywood County, North Caroline. Bird and Dove were married for over 55 years and had 14 children - ten growing to adulthood. Their home was in the rural area with the closest town as Waynesville. John Bird Reece's property was near The Pigeon River with a P.O. Box of The Fork of Pigeon found in the lower 1/3 of Haywood County, N.C.

John Bird was a tall strong man with broad shoulders, big hand and stood 6 ft. 2to 4" in height. Logging all his life over forested areas, even in retirement he walked the dirt roads faster than many wagon would travel. In North Carolina he logged, taking his sons with him into camps; but as timber became sparse and smaller in size. He began seeking work as far south as Georgia. Bird and his sons also built roads for the railroad. Working on steam locomotive since trains were used for hauling timber.

His family had grown to 11 children when he had heard of the huge trees in Northwest Washington State on the west coast of the United States.

About 1906, Bird and his oldest son, Lute, went to Washington to seek work and prepare to bring his family west. His next to the oldest son met him in Washington to help earn fund to bring John's entire family to Hamilton, Skagit, Washington where logging in dense forests would easily provide constant work for John and his sons.

By 1907, at the age of 43 Bird brought his entire family to Hamilton, Skagit, Washington where he could work on the west side of the Cascade Mountain Range. There, in Hamilton, he built Dove a house.

Other members of the various N.C. Reece family moved into Darrington, Snohomish County (one county south of Skagit County).

Dovey bore him 3 more children in Hamilton. George in 1908, Claude in 1911 and Norma in 1914. A total of 14 children. Norma died in 1917 at age 3 years. Dovey had lost two little girls in North Carolina Alley at 5-1/2 yrs, Emma at 1-1/2 months, and a stillborn son. Thus 10 grew to adulthood. She, about 51 years of age when Norma's died. Her death hit her very hard as she dearly loved her children.

Bird, as he was called in North Carolina, began to using his first name a few years after coming to Washington;John instead of Bird which he felt was too southern.

J.B was interested in becoming a fruit farmer. In his mid 50's he moved to Highlands, Benton County in Washington where he tried his hand at being a fruit farmer. The east side of the Cascade mountains land was hot and often dry. Good for grain and field crops. In Wenatchee, apple orchards were common in eastern Washington. J.B. chose to go further south, leaving western Washington at Seattle taking the highway east with Dovey, Dorothy age 18, Faira age 15, Rhoda age 13, George age 11 and Claude age 8-9 years. Crossing the mountain range, going southeast towards Oregon. Highlands area is located just SE of Kennewick - what is now called 'the Tri-Cities'. Historically this area was good for irrigation because there were 3 rivers to draw from. Apples and grapes were common fruit crops.

Dovey hated living in eastern Washington. She said ".. all it does in blow hot wind. You can put your hat on the barn without a hook and the wind keeps it hanging there.."

John Bird returned to Hamilton and logging.

About 1921 at about 58, he moved to Lopez Island where he and Dovey had a small farm with a small orchard. He continued to go to the mainland and work in logging for awhile.

By 1930, John Bird and Dove had 3 of their sons living with them, helping on the farm. Son Sherman was 41. He had married at age 21 about the time his father went to eastern Washington. Returned from WWI in France about 1919; but war injuries left him disabled and Sherman could no longer log or work as a tree topper. Sherman divorced his 1st wife who had met another while he was overseas. Sherman came to Lopez to visit his mother. Between hospital stays, he lived with his parents. Younger son George was 22 and Claude was 19. Both had finished what schooling they would get on Lopez Island. They both married Lopez girls for their 1st wives.

John and Dove children had left the home, started their individual lives, marrying. John and Dovey settled down on Lopez Island where a ferry was required to get to another island or the mainland. They stayed on Lopez until Dovey fell and broke her hip. It was then that the doctor found that she had cancer in her hip.

John rented a house in Sedro Woolley, leaving George and Claude to mind the farm. He wanted Dovey near doctors and medical care.

Dovie died at the age of 75 years, 2 months, 16 days on December 9, 1941 from cancer.

Dove Caroline Queen was buried up river in Hamilton where Norma her last child was buried. Each year Dovey had made the trip to Hamilton Cemetery to lay flowers on Norma's grave on Memorial Day; now she lay nearby Norma in the Hamilton Cemetery.

Their 10 children had all settled along the west coast of Washington. Elias was the only Reece sibling to settle down near Hamilton. Elias and his wife lived further up river from Hamilton on the same highway. Luther lived near Clayton towards, south near Greys Harbor on the Pacific. Sherman married again on Lopez staying on the islands until WWII when he moved to Bellingham on Puget Sound north along Washington's coast. Rhoda and her family lived on Orcas Island near Lopez. Claude was on Lopez (I'm not sure of the date but Claude had been in a logging truck accident coming down the steep logging roads. The truck jack knifed, Claude was thrown out of the truck and his leg crushed in the jack-knife between the tractor and the trailer of logs. He lost his leg above the knee. He had to learn to get around on a wooden leg. Later Claude would work in Seattle area at fitting wooden legs on other injured people, helping them with mobility in life again.

Faira moved to Samish Island when she married, it is actually a Peninsula off the mainland west of Bow. Nola and her family lived in North Bend a bit east of Seattle, Dorothy and her family lived in Milton, further south near Tacoma.

After Dove's funeral, John returned to the Lopez farm but had lost interest in life. He wasn't really ill but broken hearted. John Bird died 6 months after the passing of his life partner. He died in his home at the age of 78 yrs, 8 months, 8 days.

John was buried in the Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Skagit County, Washington USA next to his wife Dovey.

He and Dovey left behind 10 children. Children living to adulthood: Luther Carlton Reece 1887-1965; Sherman Dee Reece 1888-1970; Melger Clayton Reece 1890-1976; Elias Reece 1892-1953; Nola Myrtle Reece 1899-1983; Dorothy Dee Reece 1901-1977; Faira Lucile Reece 1904-1985; Rhoda Ethel Reece 1906-?; George Morgan Reece 1908-1965; Claude Reece 1911-1993. Besides 19 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.