On October 9, 2003, Nyel sent out this letter: Dear Friends and Relatives, Oysterville is gearing up for its 150th anniversary celebration -- the Oysterville Sesquicentennial. Events will begin on Sunday, April 11, 2004 with a reception for...
I've been giving my great-grandfather, Robert Hamilton Espy, a bit of thought these last few days, primarily because I'll be talking about him at the History Forum on Wednesday. I do wish I "knew" him better. Unlike my grandfather (Harry, or...
It came as a bit of a shock to me the other day to realize that I am now the oldest living descendent of the H.A. Espy Family -- maybe even of the R.H. Espy Family, YIKES! My grandfather, Harry Albert Espy was Robert Hamilton Espy's second son. ...
It's hard for me to picture my great-grandfather, Robert Hamilton Espy, as a young, vigorous man. Let alone adventurous. Most of the pictures we have of him are when he was an old man. Even in his wedding picture, he looks quite staid and...
Robert Oliver is a name I know well. Actually, it’s the name “Cousin Bob” I know best. During the years 1914 and 1915, that name showed up frequently in the correspondence between my grandmother and my Aunt Medora and in Medora’s diary, too. Medora...
Oysterville's Territory Road, 1902 After a hiatus of more than year, I am back to a book project that threatens to last for the rest of my life. Like Dear Medora, Child of Oysterville’s Forgotten Years, it is based on family information –...
At The Village Entrance As a writer of local history, one of my primary sources of information is our very own Pacific County Historical Society. Established in 1966, it is (according to its official website) a private, not-for-profit,...
Ready for the Rods! We were excited at the prospect of the Rod Cruise through Oysterville yesterday afternoon. We positioned our chairs to maximize our view. We filled the ice bucket and made the dip. We were ready. The rods were...
The John Crellin House, 1867 One of the centerpieces of Oysterville is the John Crellin House. For most of my life it was known as the Heckes House as that was the family who had lived there for several generations. Many people call it the...
R. H. Espy and Aunt Kate, 1918Note: The following account of Aunt Kate has been excerpted from my book Oysterville, The First Generations. In recent weeks, (perhaps because Nyel and I have been dealing with some of the inevitable issues of...
Our Place The sign on the porch above our gate has been there as long as I can remember. It says “TSAKO-TE-HASH-EETL” and means “place of the red-topped grass.” It is what the Chinook Indians called this area because in the summer,...
George Hunter, Pacific County Sheriff 1860-1862 I’ve just begun reading a book that is making the rounds among some of my friends. It is called “Reminiscences of An Old Timer” and was written in 1887 by Colonel George Hunter, a “Pioneer,...