William was my g-grandfather. He is buried in the Civil Bend Cemetery as W M M Vanvoorhies. Researching him has not been easy, as he signed his name or went by several variations of Van Voorhis, such as Vanvoorhies or Van Voorheis. The family spelling is Van Voorhis.
Will Van Voorhis was born April 20, 1874, to Abraham Van Voorhis (1843-1895) and Nancy Jane Campbell (1840-1926). He was the middle son of 5 boys; his 4 brothers were Van Curtis "Dr. Van" (1866-1949), David Osmon (1869-1957), Walter Avery (1877-1919), and Claude Eugene (1880-1958).
It was sometime between 1868-1869 that Will's father, Abraham, moved his family from Pennsylvania to Kansas --first residing in the Iowa/Atchison, KS area --briefly in St. Joseph, Missouri-- then in Valley (Smith County), KS, and finally, just across the county line in Kirwin (Phillips Co), KS.
There is some conflicting information whether Will was born in Pittsburg, PA, where his parents lived when first married, or in Kansas. As an adult, William claims "Pennsylvania" as his birth state on every federal census, however his family moved from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Kansas before Will was born in 1874, and in at least 2 Kansas State Censuses, 1885 and 1895, Abraham states his son William was "born in Kansas." In fact census records show the family had been living in the Iowa township of Doniphan County, Kansas, for at least 4 yrs before Wm was even born.
Young Will worked as a farm hand in Kirwin for a time, and then later was a farmer. On Feb 6, 1900, he married Esther Isabella Thompson (b 1879 Wisconsin), in a civil ceremony in Bloomington, Nebraska, just over the state line from their Kansas homes.
After marriage, Will and Esther (along with her young son Lloyd McMullen b 1897 from an earlier marriage) made their home, at least at first, with her parents in Bow Creek, Phillips County, KS. Within a few years' time, they'd added two daughters to the family, both girls born in Kirwin, KS: Nora May Van Voorhis b April 1901, and Carrie Leota Van Voorhis b October 1902.
In either Spring or early Summer 1903, William and Esther moved with their little family to Oregon. According to their Kansas hometown newspaper, Phillips County Post, in an article dated April 16, 1903, William was already in Oregon at that time awaiting the imminent arrival of Esther and children. In Oregon, Will worked primarily as a logger and ship rigger --and there is evidence (same Phillips County Post article) suggesting that Will's first job in Oregon was working at the Red Boy mine which was very near to the family's Granite, Oregon, residence.
William and Esther appear to have lived in Granite with their 3 children for 8 yrs, from 1903 until the Spring of 1911, when Esther died at the young age of 31, apparently in Granite (where she is buried). A remote mining community is no place for motherless children, so William was forced to send stepson Lloyd back to Kansas to live with his mom's Thompson relatives, while he placed his 2 daughters in a Baker, Oregon, orphanage, St. Francis Academy, so that he could work and make a living.
It appears that throughout the rest of his life Wm traveled around Oregon where work would take him (for instance in 1917-1918 he was a ship rigger in Portland), but in his later years seems to have settled primarily in the Roseburg, Oregon, area. I can find no evidence Will ever saw his children again upon parting from them in 1911, at least not his daughters, a fact confirmed by my grandma Nora --nor did he ever remarry. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1943 in Roseburg, Douglas, Oregon.
-Cookie
Will Van Voorhis was born April 20, 1874, to Abraham Van Voorhis (1843-1895) and Nancy Jane Campbell (1840-1926). He was the middle son of 5 boys; his 4 brothers were Van Curtis "Dr. Van" (1866-1949), David Osmon (1869-1957), Walter Avery (1877-1919), and Claude Eugene (1880-1958).
It was sometime between 1868-1869 that Will's father, Abraham, moved his family from Pennsylvania to Kansas --first residing in the Iowa/Atchison, KS area --briefly in St. Joseph, Missouri-- then in Valley (Smith County), KS, and finally, just across the county line in Kirwin (Phillips Co), KS.
There is some conflicting information whether Will was born in Pittsburg, PA, where his parents lived when first married, or in Kansas. As an adult, William claims "Pennsylvania" as his birth state on every federal census, however his family moved from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Kansas before Will was born in 1874, and in at least 2 Kansas State Censuses, 1885 and 1895, Abraham states his son William was "born in Kansas." In fact census records show the family had been living in the Iowa township of Doniphan County, Kansas, for at least 4 yrs before Wm was even born.
Young Will worked as a farm hand in Kirwin for a time, and then later was a farmer. On Feb 6, 1900, he married Esther Isabella Thompson (b 1879 Wisconsin), in a civil ceremony in Bloomington, Nebraska, just over the state line from their Kansas homes.
After marriage, Will and Esther (along with her young son Lloyd McMullen b 1897 from an earlier marriage) made their home, at least at first, with her parents in Bow Creek, Phillips County, KS. Within a few years' time, they'd added two daughters to the family, both girls born in Kirwin, KS: Nora May Van Voorhis b April 1901, and Carrie Leota Van Voorhis b October 1902.
In either Spring or early Summer 1903, William and Esther moved with their little family to Oregon. According to their Kansas hometown newspaper, Phillips County Post, in an article dated April 16, 1903, William was already in Oregon at that time awaiting the imminent arrival of Esther and children. In Oregon, Will worked primarily as a logger and ship rigger --and there is evidence (same Phillips County Post article) suggesting that Will's first job in Oregon was working at the Red Boy mine which was very near to the family's Granite, Oregon, residence.
William and Esther appear to have lived in Granite with their 3 children for 8 yrs, from 1903 until the Spring of 1911, when Esther died at the young age of 31, apparently in Granite (where she is buried). A remote mining community is no place for motherless children, so William was forced to send stepson Lloyd back to Kansas to live with his mom's Thompson relatives, while he placed his 2 daughters in a Baker, Oregon, orphanage, St. Francis Academy, so that he could work and make a living.
It appears that throughout the rest of his life Wm traveled around Oregon where work would take him (for instance in 1917-1918 he was a ship rigger in Portland), but in his later years seems to have settled primarily in the Roseburg, Oregon, area. I can find no evidence Will ever saw his children again upon parting from them in 1911, at least not his daughters, a fact confirmed by my grandma Nora --nor did he ever remarry. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1943 in Roseburg, Douglas, Oregon.
-Cookie
William was my g-grandfather. He is buried in the Civil Bend Cemetery as W M M Vanvoorhies. Researching him has not been easy, as he signed his name or went by several variations of Van Voorhis, such as Vanvoorhies or Van Voorheis. The family spelling is Van Voorhis.
Will Van Voorhis was born April 20, 1874, to Abraham Van Voorhis (1843-1895) and Nancy Jane Campbell (1840-1926). He was the middle son of 5 boys; his 4 brothers were Van Curtis "Dr. Van" (1866-1949), David Osmon (1869-1957), Walter Avery (1877-1919), and Claude Eugene (1880-1958).
It was sometime between 1868-1869 that Will's father, Abraham, moved his family from Pennsylvania to Kansas --first residing in the Iowa/Atchison, KS area --briefly in St. Joseph, Missouri-- then in Valley (Smith County), KS, and finally, just across the county line in Kirwin (Phillips Co), KS.
There is some conflicting information whether Will was born in Pittsburg, PA, where his parents lived when first married, or in Kansas. As an adult, William claims "Pennsylvania" as his birth state on every federal census, however his family moved from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Kansas before Will was born in 1874, and in at least 2 Kansas State Censuses, 1885 and 1895, Abraham states his son William was "born in Kansas." In fact census records show the family had been living in the Iowa township of Doniphan County, Kansas, for at least 4 yrs before Wm was even born.
Young Will worked as a farm hand in Kirwin for a time, and then later was a farmer. On Feb 6, 1900, he married Esther Isabella Thompson (b 1879 Wisconsin), in a civil ceremony in Bloomington, Nebraska, just over the state line from their Kansas homes.
After marriage, Will and Esther (along with her young son Lloyd McMullen b 1897 from an earlier marriage) made their home, at least at first, with her parents in Bow Creek, Phillips County, KS. Within a few years' time, they'd added two daughters to the family, both girls born in Kirwin, KS: Nora May Van Voorhis b April 1901, and Carrie Leota Van Voorhis b October 1902.
In either Spring or early Summer 1903, William and Esther moved with their little family to Oregon. According to their Kansas hometown newspaper, Phillips County Post, in an article dated April 16, 1903, William was already in Oregon at that time awaiting the imminent arrival of Esther and children. In Oregon, Will worked primarily as a logger and ship rigger --and there is evidence (same Phillips County Post article) suggesting that Will's first job in Oregon was working at the Red Boy mine which was very near to the family's Granite, Oregon, residence.
William and Esther appear to have lived in Granite with their 3 children for 8 yrs, from 1903 until the Spring of 1911, when Esther died at the young age of 31, apparently in Granite (where she is buried). A remote mining community is no place for motherless children, so William was forced to send stepson Lloyd back to Kansas to live with his mom's Thompson relatives, while he placed his 2 daughters in a Baker, Oregon, orphanage, St. Francis Academy, so that he could work and make a living.
It appears that throughout the rest of his life Wm traveled around Oregon where work would take him (for instance in 1917-1918 he was a ship rigger in Portland), but in his later years seems to have settled primarily in the Roseburg, Oregon, area. I can find no evidence Will ever saw his children again upon parting from them in 1911, at least not his daughters, a fact confirmed by my grandma Nora --nor did he ever remarry. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1943 in Roseburg, Douglas, Oregon.
-Cookie
Will Van Voorhis was born April 20, 1874, to Abraham Van Voorhis (1843-1895) and Nancy Jane Campbell (1840-1926). He was the middle son of 5 boys; his 4 brothers were Van Curtis "Dr. Van" (1866-1949), David Osmon (1869-1957), Walter Avery (1877-1919), and Claude Eugene (1880-1958).
It was sometime between 1868-1869 that Will's father, Abraham, moved his family from Pennsylvania to Kansas --first residing in the Iowa/Atchison, KS area --briefly in St. Joseph, Missouri-- then in Valley (Smith County), KS, and finally, just across the county line in Kirwin (Phillips Co), KS.
There is some conflicting information whether Will was born in Pittsburg, PA, where his parents lived when first married, or in Kansas. As an adult, William claims "Pennsylvania" as his birth state on every federal census, however his family moved from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Kansas before Will was born in 1874, and in at least 2 Kansas State Censuses, 1885 and 1895, Abraham states his son William was "born in Kansas." In fact census records show the family had been living in the Iowa township of Doniphan County, Kansas, for at least 4 yrs before Wm was even born.
Young Will worked as a farm hand in Kirwin for a time, and then later was a farmer. On Feb 6, 1900, he married Esther Isabella Thompson (b 1879 Wisconsin), in a civil ceremony in Bloomington, Nebraska, just over the state line from their Kansas homes.
After marriage, Will and Esther (along with her young son Lloyd McMullen b 1897 from an earlier marriage) made their home, at least at first, with her parents in Bow Creek, Phillips County, KS. Within a few years' time, they'd added two daughters to the family, both girls born in Kirwin, KS: Nora May Van Voorhis b April 1901, and Carrie Leota Van Voorhis b October 1902.
In either Spring or early Summer 1903, William and Esther moved with their little family to Oregon. According to their Kansas hometown newspaper, Phillips County Post, in an article dated April 16, 1903, William was already in Oregon at that time awaiting the imminent arrival of Esther and children. In Oregon, Will worked primarily as a logger and ship rigger --and there is evidence (same Phillips County Post article) suggesting that Will's first job in Oregon was working at the Red Boy mine which was very near to the family's Granite, Oregon, residence.
William and Esther appear to have lived in Granite with their 3 children for 8 yrs, from 1903 until the Spring of 1911, when Esther died at the young age of 31, apparently in Granite (where she is buried). A remote mining community is no place for motherless children, so William was forced to send stepson Lloyd back to Kansas to live with his mom's Thompson relatives, while he placed his 2 daughters in a Baker, Oregon, orphanage, St. Francis Academy, so that he could work and make a living.
It appears that throughout the rest of his life Wm traveled around Oregon where work would take him (for instance in 1917-1918 he was a ship rigger in Portland), but in his later years seems to have settled primarily in the Roseburg, Oregon, area. I can find no evidence Will ever saw his children again upon parting from them in 1911, at least not his daughters, a fact confirmed by my grandma Nora --nor did he ever remarry. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1943 in Roseburg, Douglas, Oregon.
-Cookie
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