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.
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)
JAMES' DOUGLAS COUNTY HOMESTEAD 1918
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.
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
George Lawless was born 28 April, 1892 in Freemont, Dodge, Nebraska, and, was the second child of James Lawless and Nancy Rowland.
The Family had added 3 more children: Ralph, Agnes and Richard.
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.
