Berry, Donald
Primary Name: Berry, Donald
Filed as: berry_donald
Also known as: Donald Berry
Occupation / Association: Millwright; Carpenter
Born: St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada
Died: July 24, 1903, Douglas, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse:
Children: One married daughter living in San Francisco at the time of his death
Associated places: St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada; Boston, Massachusetts; Virginia City, Nevada; California; Treadwell, Alaska; Douglas, Alaska
Keywords: Donald Berry, Berry Donald, Treadwell Mine millwright, Douglas Alaska carpenter
Biography
Donald Berry was born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. At the time of his death, he had a married daughter who was living in San Francisco.
Berry worked as a millwright and carpenter and was employed in mining camps in Boston, Virginia City, Nevada, and California.
He came to Alaska on January 16, 1886, aboard the steamer Idaho. Berry helped construct the 240-stamp mill at the Treadwell Mine.
Donald Berry died in Douglas, Alaska, on July 24, 1903, at the age of 69. Funeral services were held at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church with Reverend Christian A. Roth presiding. He was buried in the Douglas City Cemetery.
Sources
Tags: Donald Berry, Berry Donald, Treadwell Mine workers, Douglas Alaska pioneers
Armstrong, Robert
Primary Name: Armstrong, Robert
Filed as: armstrong_robert
Also known as: Robert Armstrong
Occupation / Association: Miner; Treadwell Mine worker
Born: Belfast, County Down, Northern Ireland
Died: December 1911, Douglas, Alaska
Parents: Unknown
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Associated places: Belfast, County Down, Northern Ireland; Douglas, Alaska; Treadwell, Alaska
Keywords: Robert Armstrong, Armstrong Robert, Treadwell Mine worker, Douglas Alaska miner, Douglas City Cemetery burial
Biography
Robert Armstrong was born in Belfast, County Down, Northern Ireland.
He later immigrated to Alaska and worked at the Treadwell Mine, one of the largest gold mining operations in the Juneau-Douglas mining district.
Armstrong died in December 1911 after shooting himself in the lung while in Douglas, Alaska. He was treated at St. Ann’s Hospital but did not recover.
He is buried in the Douglas City Cemetery. The funeral service was officiated by Reverend J.H. Warmanen.
Sources
Find-A-Grave memorial for Robert Armstrong
Tags: Robert Armstrong, Armstrong family, Treadwell Mine workers, Douglas Alaska miners, Douglas City Cemetery, Belfast Northern Ireland immigrants, Juneau-Douglas mining district
Pianfetti, James "Jim"
Pianfetti, James "Jim"
Biography
James “Jim” Pianfetti was born in 1872 in the Piedmont region of Italy, associated with Locano in the Città Metropolitana di Torino and Lachana in the Canavese district.
He later came to Alaska, where he worked at the Treadwell Mine on Douglas Island. Pianfetti and his wife, Mary Pianfetti, were part of the immigrant labor force that supported the large gold mining operations of the Juneau-Douglas area during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Mary Pianfetti preceded him in death. After her passing, Pianfetti continued to live and work in Douglas while raising their four daughters.
Pianfetti was a member of Douglas Aerie No. 117, Fraternal Order of the Eagles. Following his death, members of the Aerie assisted in caring for his four daughters. His death was the first recorded among members of the Douglas Aerie, which had been organized only two and a half years earlier.
James Pianfetti died on January 17, 1904, after a short illness of consumption. He was buried in the Douglas Catholic Cemetery. Funeral services were conducted by Reverend Father Bougis, S.J.
Sources
- Find-A-Grave
Olson, George
Primary Name: Olson, George
Filed as: Olson, George
Also known as: George Olson
Occupation / Association: Miner, Treadwell Mine
Associated places: Austria; Douglas, Alaska; Treadwell, Alaska
Keywords: George Olson Treadwell miner, Treadwell Mine workers, Douglas Alaska miners, Douglas Catholic Cemetery burials
Biography
George Olson was born in Austria around 1868.
He later came to Alaska and was employed at the Treadwell Mine on Douglas Island.
Olson was injured while working at the mine when he fell and struck his head on a rock. He died from his injuries on May 18, 1903.
He was buried in the Douglas Catholic Cemetery.
Sources
Mattiuzzo, Basiglio
Mattiuzzo, Basiglio
Biography
Basiglio Mattiuzzo was born around 1883 in San Stino di Livenza, Venice, Italy.
He later immigrated to Alaska during the years of rapid mining development in Southeast Alaska and was living in the Treadwell area on Douglas Island.
Mattiuzzo died at Treadwell on August 21, 1913. His wife survived him.
He was buried in the Douglas Catholic Cemetery under the auspices of the Alaska Labor Union.
Sources
- Find-A-Grave
Cashen, Thomas
Primary Name: Cashen, Thomas
Filed as: cashen_thomas
Also known as: Thomas Cashen
Occupation / Association: Blacksmith, Treadwell Mine; Wharfinger, City of Douglas
Born: January 8, 1873
Died: September 13, 1931
Parents:
Spouse: Sarah "Sadie" A. King
Children: Frances C. Cashen; Thomas N. Cashen; Anna Cecile Cashen; John Cashen; William Cashen; Gerald D. Cashen; Frank P. Cashen; Harry K. Cashen
Associated places: Douglas, Alaska; Treadwell Mine; Douglas Catholic Cemetery
Keywords: Thomas Cashen, Cashen Thomas, Treadwell Mine blacksmith, Douglas Alaska wharfinger
Biography
Thomas Cashen was born on January 8, 1873.
He married Sarah "Sadie" A. King in 1901. They had eight children: Frances C. Cashen, born December 1903; Thomas N. Cashen, born January 1906; Anna Cecile Cashen, born January 1909; John Cashen, born in Alaska in 1912; William Cashen, born 1915; Gerald D. Cashen, born 1919; Frank P. Cashen, born 1925; and Harry K. Cashen, also born 1925.
Cashen was working as a blacksmith at the Treadwell Mine as early as 1901 and continued working at that trade until the Treadwell cave-in in 1917.
In 1925, Cashen became a wharfinger for the City of Douglas.
He died on September 13, 1931, and is buried in the Douglas Catholic Cemetery next to his wife.
Sources
Tags: Thomas Cashen, Cashen Thomas, Treadwell Mine workers, Douglas Alaska pioneers
McCormick, Richard
McCormick, Richard (Senior)
Biography
Richard McCormick, Senior, was born on August 8, 1859, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
By 1886, a number of families connected with the developing Treadwell mining operations began settling on Douglas Island. Among the earliest permanent residents were Richard McCormick, Nicholas King, George Shotter, Mike McKanna, P.H. Fox, and Henry Mead. Their arrival marked the beginning of the residential community that grew alongside the mines on Douglas Island.
In 1888, McCormick married Nora Connors-McCormick. The couple had eleven children, including Richard McCormick, Junior.
McCormick worked for many years in positions connected to the mining industry that dominated Douglas Island. He served as a blacksmith at the Mexican Mine, one of the early mines associated with the Treadwell mining complex. In 1911, he served as postmaster at Treadwell and later worked at the Treadwell Foundry.
Richard McCormick, Senior, died on May 3, 1934, at the age of seventy-four in Pacific Grove, California. He was buried in the Douglas Catholic Cemetery.
Sources
- Survey and Inventory of Douglas Historic Cemeteries
Harris, William John, Senior
Primary Name: Harris, William John, Sr.
Filed as: harris_william_john_sr
Also known as: William John Harris, William J. Harris
Occupation / Association: Miner; Chief of Police, City of Juneau; Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo No. 6
Born:
Died: February 1928, Juneau, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse:
Children: William John Harris, Jr.
Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Treadwell, Alaska; Nome, Alaska; Leadville, Colorado
Keywords: William John Harris Sr, William J Harris, Harris family Juneau, Juneau chief of police, Treadwell Mine workers
Biography
William John Harris, Sr., was one of the charter members of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men’s Igloo No. 6.
Harris was a nephew of Richard “Dick” Harris, who, with his partner Joe Juneau, was among the original settlers of the community that became the city of Juneau. Dick Harris named two of his sons after his nephew; the youngest survived into adulthood as William John Harris, Jr..
After living in Juneau for several years, Richard Harris traveled to Montana in 1882 to visit his brother and returned accompanied by his nephew, William.
William Harris worked for several years at the Treadwell Mine. He also worked in several interior mining camps and in Nome.
After leaving Alaska in the early years of the twentieth century, Harris served for several years as chief of police in Leadville, Colorado. The lure of Alaska eventually drew him north again, and he returned to Juneau about 1908, where he resumed work at the Treadwell Mine.
In 1911 or 1912, Emery Valentine, mayor of Juneau, appointed Harris chief of police for the city. After serving two years in that role, he returned to employment at the Treadwell Mine. Later, he worked at the Alaska-Juneau Mine after it began operations.
Harris spent the final months of his life at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau, where he died in February 1928.
Sources
Alaska Weekly, February 24, 1928; Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850-1950, Vol. 1, pp. 130-131, Ed Ferrell
Nordahl, Jacob
Primary Name: Nordahl, Jacob
Filed as: Nordahl, Jacob
Also known as: Jacob Nordahl
Occupation / Association: Miner; Machinist; Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Men's Igloo No. 6
Born: 1873, Ålesund, Norway
Died: August 31, 1925, Juneau, Alaska
Associated places: Ålesund, Norway; Juneau, Alaska; Douglas, Alaska
Keywords: Jacob Nordahl, Juneau Alaska miner, Treadwell Mine machinist, Alaska Juneau Mine machinist, Pioneers of Alaska Men's Igloo 6 charter member
Biography
Jacob Nordahl was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6 of the Pioneers of Alaska.
He was born in Ålesund, Norway, in 1873 and immigrated to the United States in 1892. Nordahl came to Alaska in April 1894, where he settled in Juneau, except for a short period spent at the Westward.
He worked in the mining industry throughout Southeast Alaska. In the early days, he was a machinist at the Treadwell and Mexican Mines and later worked at the Alaska Juneau Mine. During his years in Alaska, he lived in both Douglas and Juneau.
Jacob Nordahl died in Juneau on August 31, 1925.
Sources
Pioneers of Alaska Men's Igloo 6 Biographical Sketch; Daily Alaska Empire, August 31, 1925
Stephens, George Edward
Stephens, George
Born: February 1, 1881, Luzerne, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Stamp mill worker
Associated places: Douglas, Alaska; Treadwell, Alaska
Association: Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6
Biography
George Stephens was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6.
He was born on February 1, 1881, in Luzerne, Pennsylvania. Stephens came to Alaska on December 31, 1898, during the early years of the region’s mining development.
He lived in Douglas and Treadwell, where he worked as a stamp mill man in the large gold mining operations that dominated the economy of Douglas Island during the territorial period.
The Treadwell mining complex was among the largest gold mining operations in the world at the time, employing hundreds of workers who helped establish the communities of Douglas and the surrounding Juneau area.
Sources
- Pioneers of Alaska Men’s Igloo No. 6 Biographical Sketch