By Chuck Haviland

There is a story about a Charles Wren of Muck Creek that occurred in the 1800’s. In the fall of 1869 Abijah O’Neil jumped an improved farm belonging to a Charles Wren who was a  French Canadian. They forced him to vacate his land, after the vigilante group found him guilty of cattle rustling. The vigilantes then had another meeting at Steilacoom they decided to use their combined force in removing O’Neil from the Wren property.

The saga of this story continues with Gibson and McDaniel, they were on their way to Steilacoom to answer the charge of trespass, having jumped the claim of Charles Wren, a half-breed living in the precinct known as Muck. In those days the law was very lax. It took an itinerate judge several months to make a circuit of his judicial district.  During the interim the sheriff held miscreants for trial pending the judges arrival. The lack of extradition laws made it possible for men like Abijah O’Niel, Charlie McDonald and his pal Gibson, who had been dodging the law in Canada. They were safe from the Canadian government to commit desperate acts, instilling fear and hatred in the hearts of the pioneers.

The members of the committee were duly alarmed for the safety of themselves and their loved ones. In short order O’Neil and his family left for Thurston County.  However Gibson and McDonald became incensed and sought to avenge their pal.  Fearing the worst the vigilantes increased their ranks and selected Sam McCaw as captain.  Their plan was to capture the men and hang them. At the agreed  time the vigilantes picked a place in a deep gully between Gravelly Lake and American Lake, to ambush the men.  In the excitement the men grew anxious and someone fired a shot.  Thus warned the two hunted men fled before their would be captors. The band proceeded to Steilacoom, hoping to catch McDonald.   He had already surrendered to the barkeep.  Desperado that he was, he certainly was no coward.  In a moment of levity,  McDonald fled thru a side door and into the alley, where he was shot dead.

The two men were confronted by a mob of 40+ people who shot Gibson on the spot.

Many of those who participated in this bloody tragedy were worse men than their victims.  These men were creatures of Wren. He was so wealthy that he could get men to do his bidding at any time.  It’s claimed that Wren had obtained his fortune by robbing the HBC and other neighbors of their cattle.

Henry Smith (Schmidt) died in 1888 and was buried on his family homestead. His wife Elizabeth Sherlafoo was buried next to him. They had one child, Dorothy Smith who died as an infant (2 yrs), run over by a wagon. Henry Smith filed for a donation land claim in sections 26 & 35, 18 N, R 3 E, Wm.  He sold it almost immediately and claimed a homestead in Sec 32, 3 miles west of where the Smith D L C is.

It’s surprising to see that of the 15 families residing in 1871 within this one mile square only three cemeteries have been found.

Charles Ross was born in 1831. He was the son of Charles George Ross the founder of Fort Victoria.  Charles Ross was Scottish born. Charles George Ross married Isabelle. He emigrated from the Red River area of Manitoba to Fort Vancouver in 1838.  Later he helped build the Fort at Victoria. He is often described as Victoria’s Forgotten Man. He was born at Kingcraig near Inverness, Scotland.  His son, Charles Ross married Catherine Tumalt in 1852.  During the Indian war of 1855 – 1856 he took his family to FortVictoria. From 1847 to 1859 he worked for the PSAC.  After the war he returned to the prairie and settled on Nisqually Lake. Charles died in 1905.  His wife died in 1917, both were buried at the family plot near Nisqually Lake. Also buried at the family plot are his children;

1)  a daughter named Catherine “Katie”

2)  Cecelia Ross (Binder) a daughter

3)  James William Ross

4)  Isabelle (Isobelle) Ross

5)  Charles Ross

6)  Sarah Ross

William Greig, a Scottish born HBC/PSAC employee managed a large sheepherding and agricultural station on the north bank of the Muck Creek in the late 1850’s.  In the 1870’s he  established a Euro-American cemetery at HillHurst now known as King Hill, aka Spence (Spense) cemetery.  He settled on a pre-emption claim near Muck  creek.  His wife was known as grandma Betsy, an Indian. Their children are 1) Letitia and 2) Alice.

There are about 40 graves at King Hill,  to include William Greig (Gregg) and his wife Betsy Gregg. They are: Mrs. Edna Hopper  her son, William S. Hopper, and a daughter Alice M. Hopper.

Letitia Gregg (Spence)  married Harry Spence. They kept a well balanced farm, and had plenty of cattle, sheep, turkeys, ducks and always maintained a fine race horse.

Magnus Burston  married Anna Byrd. He was a direct descendant of Alexander Burston who signed on with the HBC. He played the fiddle, all four strings at once. He talked fluent French, English and an Indian jargon. He often sang Indian songs that would remind a person of the jungle. Thomas Burston was born in 1884 and died in 1923. His wife was Mary L. Burston. She died in 1917. They had a  son William Burston.

Mary L. (Burston) Throssell’s parents were Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Burston. She played the violin and concerta and sang incessantly.  She met her husband at Cascade Locks , Oregon,  Thomas Throssell lived  for 67 years. Thomas was born in England, abt 1830. He went to New York and later decided to visit friends and relatives in Ohio.  He decided to go west with a wagon train sheepherding (5000 sheep) all the way to Dalles, Oregon. He was a noted carpenter, cabinet maker and shoemaker. His son Richard seemed to have picked up the skills of his father, carving small boats, guns, and swords. Thomas’s ancestors came from the British Isles in 1810 – 1820. Thomas was an  honorable man and always a leader. They eventually moved to Roy, Wa. Their children were:  1) Hannah T. born at Cascade Locks, Oregon in1869, 2) Harry was born on  the Dayton Homestead, 3) Minnie Jane was born in  1874, 4) Thomas, Jr. in 1877, 5) Mollie was born in May in 1880, Richard in 1883 and Charles in 1885.

In 1807, Miles Burston was born in Selkirk, Manitoba, his DOD was 1901 at Roy, Wa.  He was a noted pioneer of Canada and Alaska. His son was  William Burston whose DOB  was 12 August 1877 and DOD was 24 Feb 1901.  Ivy Throssell died in 1923.

Henry Lyons worked for the HBC/PSAC.

Charles Cook died in 1902.   He was at a party wherein there was some trouble and a sense of  bad blood in the air. A few days later he was found dead under a log- a possible murder? No one knows, because at that time this was the wild west much like what we see on TV. Little order  and no enforcement of the laws, generally not even a crooked sheriff.  Little is known of  William Davis other than for having a great amount of acreage nearby.

The Bastian family made a land claim of  640 acres near Roy, Wa. Isaac Bastian lived 2 miles north of Roy. His son Isaac Bastian, Jr. married Orilla Byrd.  Orilla (Byrd) Bastian, (a descendant of Philip Bryd) whose DOB  was 1859 and DOD was 1937.  Her husband Isaac Bastian, whose DOB was 1849 and DOD was 1936. Isaac Bastian served as a laborer and then as a carpenter for the HBC at  Fort Nisqually. He was the son of Isaac Bastian a French Canadian. Their children were also buried here 1)J. Philip Bastian whose DOB was 24 April 1889 and DOD was 11 Jan 1913, 2) Charles Bastian whose DOB was 24 Feb 1887 and DOD was 28 June 1905, 3) Charles Bastian who only lived for 8 months and 4) Walter Bastian who only lived for 8  months dying in 1930.

James Brewer was born in Kansas in 1842 and died in 1930. He married one of Philip Byrd’s daughters.  The exact dates are unknown for Philip Byrd,  Roderick Byrd whose wife was Emmy Byrd and a child of Nick Byrd.

William Rowland, Sr. worked for the HBC as a blacksmith. He was born in 1827 and died in 1899. His sister Gazelle Rowland married James Burston. They came to the Puget Sound area in 1841 with the red river party. His wife was Suzette Rowland. Sam Rowland was the son of William and Suzette Rowland.  Robert Rowland the son of William and Suzette Rowland was born in 1848 and died in 1894.  George Rowland  His DOB was 1860 and DOD was 1899. Maria (Rowland McPherson) daughter of William and Suzette Rowland was born in 1850 and died in 1897. Annie Rowland Fruderer also was the daughter of William and Suzette Rowland. Her DOB was  1852 and DOD was 1897.Alice Rowland  married William Kandle, she died prior to 1897.  Deliah Rowland was the daughter of William and Suzette Rowland.

During this time period several families established farmsteads in the Muck Creek area.  These include Charles Wren, Charles Ross and August Jesckhe.  Most of the new settlements were after the late 1840’s and the donation land claim act of 1850.  By the early 20^th century with greatly improved roadways and railroads communities began to develop. These include the towns of Roy, Yelm, Spanaway, Hillhurst, Greendale. Cemeteries in Roy, Yelm and Spanaway include many of these early settlers and their families.

Christopher Mahon (Mahen) was a noted pre-civil war settler in the Parkland  area.   His grave is located next to Brookdale Golf Course.  There are only a few graves in this cemetery, they are: Walter Bruce Booth, Mary Eustace died at age 75,  Michael Eustace, Christopher Mahon was born in Westmeath, Ireland and,  Elizabeth Mahon, George William Mahon,  Lena Mahon, Mary Mahon Risvet, Mathew Mahon, Thomas Mahon,  William Mahon  and William F. Mahon, and Timothy Wayne Risvet.  Originally Christopher’s son homesteaded this property.  Christopher was born in Westmeath, Ireland.  Recently Timothy Wayne Risvet was buried here in 2005.

Adam Byrd was born in Virginia.  His family migrated from Ohio to Kentucky then to Illinois and finally to Wisconsin.  Adam made his last move to the Puget Sound Area in 1852 with his family.  In 1853 Andrew F. Byrd filed a claim for 159 acres at the north end of SteilacoomLake.  He and his brother Preston Byrd built a dam and a sawmill.  The dam raised the level of SteilacoomLake.  The Byrd’s mills converted much of the area’s wheat into flour and timber into lumber.  Adam and his family are noted in the book “Images of America – Lakewood” by Steve Dunkleman and Walter Neary.

Andrew Byrd was killed in 1863 by a man named J. M. Bates.  Mr. Bates had spent several days just hanging around Keach’s  store.  He was acting a little suspicious but no one paid any attention to him.  Mr. Bates was considered a half wit.  He had mentioned a few days earlier that Andrew Bryd had killed some of his cattle.   Given the fact that Andrew Byrd was described as a man of  honor and had contributed to the community as a whole, no one paid much attention to Mr. Bates assertions. Andrew Byrd knew who had advised Mr. Bates and had encouraged him to take action on his own behalf. Thus seeking his own kind of justice Mr. Bates had waited in town for Andrew to appear.  Andrew died without telling anyone as to who the real instigator was.

It did not take long for a crowd of vigilantes to gather, whereupon they broke down  sheriff Judson’s door to get at Mr. Bates. No one wanted to wait for a trial.  They all felt justified in taking immediate action. After disarming the sheriff they took Mr. Bates by force.   Mr. Bates asked to speak to Mr. Meeker, but Mr. Meeker refused to come to town on his request.  The vigilantes led Mr. Bates to a barn that had a pole sticking out of it.  They threw a rope over the pole which was now around Mr. Bates neck. He showed no signs of life after the crowd lifted him off of the ground.

Adam Benston (Beinston) was born on 17 Nov 1823 in Eday Orkney, Scotland, (see tombstone photograph #104 from Old Settlers Cem. In Appendix A)  He was the son of Adam Benston and Janet Jean Begg. He worked West of the Rocky mountains as a laborer for the HBC (1844 – 1852) prior to settling along Muck Creek. His neighbors along Muck Creek were: Charles Wren, Peter Wilson, George Dean, M. P. Clute, Henry Murray, Henry Smith, John McPhail and John McLeod. His first wife was Sara/Jane an Indian  woman. The community of Benston was named after this family.  It lies 14 miles East of Roy and was originally called Huntersville. Their children were

1)      Adam Benston ,

2)      William J. Benston,

3)      Mary Benston

His second wife was Janet Gullion they were married on 24 June 1877 in Pierce County, WA. She was the daughter of James Gullion and Janet Scott.  Their children were:

1)      Janet Gullion

2)      James Benston.

His third marriage was to Mary A. Mendenhall on 24 Oct 1902. Adam’s homestead was located east of Bethany Lutheran Church.

Adam Benston the son of Adam and Sarah (Indian), married Sarah O. Barnes.  She was born on 29 March 1873. She was the daughter of Harry Barnes and an Indian woman.  Their children were:

1)      John L. Benston who was born in Spanaway, WA. (See tombstone photograph #131 from Old Settlers Cem. in Appendix A, by Charles Haviland)

2)      Henry B. Benston was born in Pierce County,

3)      Ida A. Benston who was born in Pierce County, Wa, (see tombstone photograph #130 in Appendix A from Old Settlers Cem)

4)      Joseph C. Benston who was born in Spanaway, WA. (See tombstone photograph #127 in Appendix A, from Old Settlers cem).

5)      William H. Benston who was born in Spanaway, WA. (See tombstone photograph # 126 from Old Settlers Cem).

6)      Frank T. Benston who was born in Spanaway, WA and he died in Eugene, Oregon

7)      Albert James Benston who was born in Spanaway , Wa

8)      Edward G. Benston

9)      Harvey Benston who was born  in Spanaway

10)   Walter Benston

11)   Elmer Benston  (See tombstone photograph #125 from Old Settlers Cem.)

William J. Benston (the son of Adam and Sarah (Indian) married Jenette Young on 14 Feb 1877 in Pierce County.  She was the daughter of William Gullion Young and Jane Snohomish. Their children were:

1)  George Washington Benston,

2)  Isabelle Benston ,

3)  Ella Benston  (See tombstone photograph #103 from Old settlers cem).

I have not yet traced the following Benstons out, all are buried at Old Settlers Cemetery:

Janet 1835 – 1839 Photo # 99

James Benston 1877 – 1900 Photo # 99

Janet Benston Miller 1856 – 1936 Photo #100

Alfred M. Benston 1883 – 1910 Photo # 101

Sarah Benston 1865 – 1943 Photo # 122

Unknown Benston Photo  # 128

Benjamin Benston 1880 – 1901 Photo # 129

Sarah Benston 1840 – 1928 Photo # 2q13 from Bethany Lutheran cemetery, near Muck Creek.