Our 1915 Patron’s List Spotlight is an individualized page, focused on the original Homestead Families in Douglas County, Washington.

JAMES LAWLESS

 James Lawless was approved for a
Homestead Land Patent Application on, 29 May, 1907, consisting of 40 acres up the Stemilt in Chelan County. 

Issuing Land Patent Office: Waterville. 

James was 41 years old when this Land Patent was Issued and his wife, Nancy, was 42.

On , 29 May, 1907,
James and Nancy Lawless had 6 children, all at home:

Mabel (16)

George (15)

John (13)

Bill (9)

Ralph (5)

Agnes (3)

James and family found more open land and moved to Bonita   in 1910.

James Lawless Abt 1919

CHELAN COUNTY HOMESTEAD 1907

Chelan County Homestead 1907

On May 29, 1907, a Homestead Land Patent Application was approved to James Lawless in the Central Washington County of Chelan for 40 acres.

Maps

Aerial 3-D View of 1907 Chelan County Homestead

James and family found more open land and moved to Bonita in 1910.

James Lawless was approved for a Homestead Land Patent Application on September 23, 1918, claiming 120 acres at Bonita Flats in Douglas County. 

Issuing Land Patent Office: Waterville. 

James was 52 years old when this Land Patent was Issued and his wife Nancy was 53.

On, 23 Sept, 1918 James and Nancy Lawless had 7 children.

Mabel (27) Living in Bonita

George (26)  In France

John (24)  In France

Bill (21)  At Fort Lewis

Ralph (16) 

Agnes (14)

Richard (8)

 

On September 23, 1918, a Homestead Land Patent Application was approved to James Lawless in the North Central Washington County of Douglas for 120 acres.

GEORGE LAWLESS

 George Lawless, the son of James, was approved for a
Homestead Land Patent Application on, 22 July, 1920, consisting of 160 acres at Bonita. 

Issuing Land Patent Office: Waterville. 

James was 28 years old when this Land Patent was Issued and he was not married.

George Lawless

On July 22, 1920, a Homestead Land Patent Application was approved to George Lawless in the North Central Washington County of Douglas for 160 acres.

George’s Homestead bordered James’ Bonita Homestead.

GEORGES' DOUGLAS COUNTY HOMESTEAD 1920

Homestead Location Map

George Lawless was born 28 April, 1892 in Freemont, Dodge, Nebraska, and, was the second child of James Lawless and Nancy Rowland.

His Family traveled by covered wagon to Wenatchee about 1900 from McFadden, York County, Nebraska and Homesteaded on Stemilt Hill.
 
The Family included James and Nancy, and, their children Mabel, George, John and William.
 
In 1910 the family again moved, this time to Bonita Flats in Douglas county where James again applied for a Land Patent.
The Family had added 3 more children:  Ralph, Agnes and Richard.
 
George was tested for the draft with 254 other Douglas County men 10 August 1918 in Waterville.
 
George was inducted into the US Army in Waterville 21 Sept, 1917 and became part of Pershings American Expeditionary Force. 
 
George became a “Doughboy” and was assigned to the 91st Company Military Police. 
 
George reported and traveled to Fort Lewis with his younger brother John. 
 
George served overseas from 14 July, 1918 to 16 April, 1919. 
 
Two of Georges other brothers also served in the army following the end of the War.
 
George departed France 6 April, 1919, from St Nazaire, France, aboard the USS Calamares.
 
George arrived in Brooklyn, New York 16 April, 1919.
 
George was discharged 18 June, 1919.
 
The Brewster newspaper, Quad City Herald, had an article on 14 November, 1930, asking where the local boys serving in the armed forced were at 11pm on 11 November, 1918, when the armistice was signed ending WW1.
 
In 1918 George Lawless was on the Belgium Front stationed on the front line trenches at Scheldt River near Audenard. 
 
George was with the 362nd infantry.
 
George got the word that no more firing was to take place after 11 o’clock and that suited the boys that had been hitting the front line pretty regular.
 
George received a Land Patent for 160 acres at Bonita Flats in Douglas County on 22 July, 1920. 
 
The 1920 census records him as being single and living in Brewster, Okanogan, Washington. 
 
His occupation was listed as rancher and that he owned his ranch. 
 
George resided with his Mother, Nancy, and siblings William, Ralph, Agnes and Richard.
 
George Married Jessie Dicuss on 9 August, 1926 in Prosser, Benton County, Washington. 
 
They resided in a house located on an orchard by the Brewster grain elevator. 
 
They had 2 sons:  Paul Born 24, January, 1927, and Lane born August, 1931.  
 
After a divorce from Jessie, George married Esther Winn on 24 march, 1955 in Okanogan, Okanogan County, Washington. 
 
George passed away 6 December, 1968 and is buried in the Brewster Cemetery.
 

 

Maps

Aerial 3-D View of 1918 and 1920 Douglas County Homesteads

James H. Lawless was born about May 1866 in Indiana to Mack A Lawless from Patrick County, Virginia, (A Civil War Veteran) and Sarah Nicholas from Indiana.

James was raised in Peru, Miami County, Indiana.

Jame’s Father was a Farmer, Marshal and writer for the Miami County Sentinel. 

By 1887 at the age of 21 James was working in Tecumseh, Nebraska. 

On 14 May 1890 James married Nancy Rowland in Tecumseh, Nebraska.  Nancy was from Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky daughter for George Rowland and Nancy Bailey. 

While in Nebraska they had 5 children:

Mabel Pearl (1891-1959),

George Webster (1892-1968),

John Mack (1893-1965),

Zina Ellen (1895-1897)

William Byran (1897-1975).

 

Sometime around 1900 they traveled by covered wagon from Omaha, Nebraska, to Wenatchee where they homesteaded on Stemilt Hill.  While there they had 3 more children:

 Ralph Devere (1902-1963),

Agnes Ada (1904-1976)

Richard Birdette (1910-1962). 

 

In 1910, the family moved from Stemilt Hill to Bonita, Douglas County, where they again Homesteaded.  

James Lawless was the Bonita Postmaster from 20 June, 1912 to 26 Feb, 1915.

Bonita’s post office ran from 12 Aug, 1903 to 19 Nov, 1927.

James would row across the Columbia River and pick up the mail, delivered by rail, 3 days a week.

It was also told to us that James ran the Bonita store at this time.

James would row across the Columbia River and pick up the mail, delivered by rail, 3 days a week.  It was also told to us that James ran the Bonita Ferry and the Bonita store at this time.

James sold the Homestead in 1918 and left the family for reasons now lost to us.

 

The rest of the family moved north to Brewster, Okanogan County where they settled.

 

James and Nancy both passed away in 1945 within a month of each other. 

 

The family received letters from James throughout the years. 

 

On October 19, 1919 he was farming in Imperial, Nebraska. 

 

On January 10, 1941 he was retired and living in Maud, Oklahoma. 

 

This letter states at some time he had been a cook. 

 

In November 1945 the family received notice that James had passed somewhere in Missouri.

 

A month later, 9 December, 1945 Nancy also passed away.

 

James did try to come home in 1936 and reconcile with Nancy but she refused to take him back. 

 

He stayed in the Lincoln Hotel for about a month and then left again, probably for Oklahoma. 

Nancy never divorced James.

James Lawless oldest son George, homesteaded in Bonita following World War 1 in 1920.