Primary Name: Sokoloff, Mary Danilova Kobochef

Filed as: Sokoloff, Mary Danilova Kobochef

Also known as: Mary Danilova Kobochef Sokoloff

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Igloo No. 6

Associated places: Sitka, Alaska; Killisnoo, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: Mary Danilova Kobochef Sokoloff, Harlampy Sokoloff, Russian Orthodox families Alaska, Killisnoo Alaska families, Juneau pioneers, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Igloo No 6 charter members

Biography

Mary Danilova Kobochef Sokoloff was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Igloo No. 6.

She was born in Alaska in 1871.

Mary married Harlampy Sokoloff in Sitka, Alaska, on November 23, 1884, when she was thirteen years old. In 1895, the couple moved to Killisnoo, Alaska, where Mr. Sokoloff served as lay reader to Reverend John Soboloff.

Before the turn of the twentieth century, the family relocated to Juneau, Alaska, where they lived for more than thirty-five years. The couple had two children. Their daughter Mary died in Sitka, and their son Andrew died while the family was living in Killisnoo.

Mary and Harlampy celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary on November 23, 1934. Only a few days later, after a six-year illness, Mary died on December 1, 1934, at the government hospital in Juneau.

Sources

1910, 1920, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau

Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850-1950, Vol. 5, p. 258

Alaska Daily Empire, November 23, 1934

Pioneers of Alaska Men’s Igloo No. 6 Biographical Sketch, Harlampy Sokoloff

Primary Name: Fannie White

Filed as: White, Fannie

Affiliation: Charter Member, Juneau Igloo No. 6

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska

Biography

Fannie White was a Charter Member of Juneau Igloo No. 6.

Sources

• Pioneers of Alaska records

Primary Name: Forrest, G. M.

Filed as: Forrest, G. M.

Also known as: G.M. Forrest

Occupation / Association: Charter member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: G.M. Forrest, Juneau Men’s Igloo, Pioneers of Alaska charter members, early Juneau residents, Alaska fraternal organizations

Biography

G. M. Forrest was among the early residents of Juneau who helped form the Pioneers of Alaska, one of the territory’s oldest fraternal organizations dedicated to preserving the history and fellowship of Alaska’s early settlers.

Forrest was a charter member of the Juneau Men’s Igloo, indicating that he was part of the founding membership when the local lodge was organized. Charter membership in the Pioneers of Alaska typically comprised individuals who had lived in Alaska during the early years of settlement and contributed to the civic and economic life of their communities.

The Juneau Men’s Igloo served as one of the principal fraternal organizations in Southeast Alaska, bringing together early residents of the region for social fellowship, mutual assistance, and the preservation of Alaska’s pioneer history. As a charter member, G. M. Forrest helped establish this organization and laid the foundation for the traditions that continue within the Pioneers of Alaska today.

Although few surviving records describe Forrest’s personal life in detail, his status as a charter member places him among the early group of settlers who helped organize the Juneau Igloo and maintain the institutional memory of Alaska’s territorial era.

Sources

• Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men’s Igloo records

Teal, George

Born: May 26, 1866, The Dalles, Oregon

Died: February 3, 1940, Seattle, Washington

Parents: Colonel Joseph Teal and Mary Elizabeth Coleman Teal

Spouse: Alma Delaney (married June 2, 1913, Seattle, Washington)

Occupation: Accountant, transportation manager, salmon industry executive

Association: Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo

Biography

George Teal was born May 26, 1866, in The Dalles, Oregon, the son of Colonel Joseph Teal and Mary Elizabeth Coleman Teal. While still an infant, he moved with his family to Portland, Oregon, where he was raised and educated in the city’s public schools. He later attended Pacific University in Forest Grove.

Teal began his business career while still in his teens, working in a Portland hardware store. He later became a freight clerk and purser on vessels operating along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. He subsequently worked as a representative for the Portland Merchants’ Credit Association in Eastern Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, residing for a time in Moscow, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington.

In 1898, during the Klondike Gold Rush, Teal traveled to Dyea, Alaska, where he managed operations for the Dyea-Klondike Company, a Portland firm. The company operated an aerial tramway that transported freight from Dyea to riverboats headed into the Yukon interior, providing a mechanized alternative to the arduous pack-train methods then used on the trail.

When the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was completed from Skagway, the tramway operation was abandoned. Teal then relocated to Juneau, Alaska, where he worked as a bookkeeper and accountant in town and in various nearby mining camps and settlements. During his time in Juneau, he became a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska.

Teal returned to the United States in 1905 and the following year settled in Seattle, Washington. There, he became confidential assistant to J. D. Farrell of the Oregon-Washington Railroad. In this position, he assisted with the acquisition of railroad right-of-way between Seattle and Portland.

In 1912, Teal returned to Alaska as manager of the salmon cannery operated by the Admiralty Trading Company at Gambier Bay. He later became a stockholder in the enterprise, marking the beginning of his long association with the Pacific Northwest salmon industry.

After the Admiralty Trading Company sold its interests in 1914, Teal became active in the brokerage side of the salmon industry. He played an influential role in organizing the Pacific Canned Salmon Brokers Association, later known as the Canned Salmon Distributors Association. He served as the association's secretary beginning in 1920 and remained its principal administrative officer until his retirement in 1935.

Teal also served for several years as secretary of the Northwest Salmon Canners Association. At the time of his death, it was noted that he had taken an active and constructive role in the affairs of the salmon industry for nearly thirty years.

Although his professional responsibilities frequently took him to Alaska, Teal maintained his home in Seattle from 1906 onward. He was also a member of the Masonic Order.

On June 2, 1913, he married Alma Delaney, daughter of Arthur K. Delaney and Anna Wallwork Delaney, in Seattle.

George Teal died in Seattle on February 3, 1940, following a long illness.

Sources

Biographies of Alaska–Yukon Pioneers, 1850–1950, Volume 3, pp. 296–298, Ed Ferrell, May 1, 2000.

Torvinson, John

Occupation / Association: Charter member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo

Associated Places: Juneau, Alaska

Biography

John Torvinson was an early resident of Juneau, Alaska, and a founding member of the Pioneers of Alaska organization in the capital city.

Torvinson was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo, indicating that he participated in the local lodge's formation. Charter members were typically individuals who had lived in Alaska during the territorial period and who helped establish the traditions and activities of the fraternal organization.

The Juneau Men's Igloo served as one of the central social and historical organizations for early settlers in Southeast Alaska. Through its membership, Torvinson was part of the group dedicated to preserving the history and fellowship of Alaska's pioneer residents.

Sources

• Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo records

Emery Valentine was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska and one of the most influential civic leaders in the early history of Juneau.

Valentine was born in Dowagiac, Michigan, in 1858. On his mother’s side, his ancestry traces back to William Bradford, who arrived in America aboard the Mayflower in 1620.

At the age of ten, he crossed the plains from Michigan to Colorado, riding a small pony with an old overcoat for a saddle and a rope for stirrups. As a youth, he worked as a miner, but after losing a leg in a mining accident, he turned to another trade and apprenticed as a goldsmith and jeweler. Between 1876 and 1886, he owned and operated several jewelry stores in Colorado and Montana.

In 1886, Valentine moved to Juneau, Alaska, where he opened the E. Valentine Jewelry Store. From the beginning of his residence in Juneau, he became deeply involved in the community’s business, civic, and political life.

Valentine organized the Juneau Volunteer Fire Department and served as its first chief. He donated a specialized fire wagon that carried the slogan, “You ring the bell, and we’ll do the rest.”

He is also credited as being the father of the Juneau Public Library, reflecting his long-standing commitment to civic institutions and public life.

Following the incorporation of Juneau in 1900, Valentine served the city in several public offices. He was elected to the Juneau City Council in 1902 and later served six terms as mayor, from 1908 to 1918.

In territorial and national politics, Valentine was aligned with the Republican Party but supported the Bull Moose (Progressive) movement. He became one of the leaders of the insurgent political movement in Alaska and presided over the territorial convention that sent delegates to the Chicago convention, where Theodore Roosevelt was nominated.

Valentine married Josephine Scanlin on December 16, 1909, in Juneau. The marriage later ended in divorce in 1915.

Emery Valentine died in Juneau on September 10, 1930.

Sources

Alaska Weekly, September 19, 1930
Who's Who in Alaskan Politics: Biographical Dictionary of Alaskan Political Personalities, 1884–1974, Evangeline Atwood and Robert N. DeArmond