Page 8 - SUMMER 2020 SWHS Newsletter revised (1)

Johns Family, continued Porter Family, continued

heeded the call, only to find that the the family farm for a while until it was
body was that of Willie. Walking a lit- sold off and later developed. Daughter
tle farther north he found the body of Lena married Frank Driscoll and lived
Jimmie. nearby.
Newspaper accounts speculate that Omer would follow in his father’s
sloop capsized and the twins, both footsteps, first working the farm at
strong swimmers, made it to shore, age 15, then as a logger and later as a
though exhausted and no doubt having maintenance supervisor for the State
swallowed saltwater. Department of Highways. He was also
Jimmie, the stronger of the two had one of the first bonded deputy sheriffs
carried his brother, Willie, until he no in the county.
longer could and ventured a little fur- Omer had two children (Omer Jr. Omer and future wife Blonche Inley at
ther north along the beach, just about and Bob) with first wife Blonche Inley the Porter farm. They married in 1921.
a half mile from their home. It is spec- (some sources cite her name spelled the Snohomish Tribe of Indians.
ulated that the boys died of exhaustion Blanche Inlay or Imlay) but her mar- This article was compiled from inter-
and exposure. riage certificate signature is clearly views with Gaylord Porter, Gloria Porter
The whole South end mourned the signed Blonche Inley. Campbell, Hugh McLeod’s Justice of the
loss to this pioneer family. The news- Blonche was raised by her maternal Peace 1901 ledger entry, articles from
paper mentioned that both Thomas and grandparents, Myron and Laura Cur- the South Whidbey Record, Island Coun-
Mary Jane were near invalids at the tis, on their Freeland farm where Pay- ty Times, and Spindrift articles by Gloria
time, Thomas suffering from severe ar- less Foods and Chase Bank now exist. Porter Campbell, Linda Porter, Lorinda
thritis. They both died six years later When Blonche died in 1929 at age Kay, John Watkins, Cora Cook, Christine
in 1905 after having been cared for by 26 from pneumonia, the two boys Ferguson, and Lorna Cherry.
their daughter Florence. went to Porter Place farm and lived Additional sources were from period
Florence wed neighbor Friedrich with Louisa while their father worked newspapers, census records, Snohom-
“Fred” Tiemeyer in 1906. The Tiemey- in logging camps off island. ish Tribal records, territorial and state
ers opened bakeries in British Colum- The next year Omer met and married marriage and birth certificates, plus the
bia and then Langley in 1925. Fred a young nurse, Tena Roodzandt, from book: The Snohomish Tribe of Indians...
died in 1950. Florence died in 1966 at an immigrant Dutch family. They set- Our Heritage...Our People by Nancy L.
age 87. tled off Saratoga Road where she and McDaniel, 2004, self-published.
Omer had 11 additional children. No family history is ever quite com-
There are several descendants of the plete, and we welcome additional infor-
Porters still living on South Whidbey, mation to add to our online version.
many of whom are proud members of

Fred Tiemeyer and Florence Johns were
married in 1906 by Langley Justice of the Louisa holds a little girl, (likely Delight) next to Omer (in hat) with brothers William and
Peace Hugh McLeod. Joe, sister Lena, sister Blanche, and older brother Leo in back. Circa 1916/17
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