成人X站

An Illinois man has discovered a last will and testament from nearly 200 years ago with a direct connection to the Pacific Northwest.

As first reported by the , the 1833 will of one Joseph Whidbey 鈥� a member of Captain Vancouver鈥檚 crew when the British explored what鈥檚 now Washington waters in 1792 鈥� turned up recently in some old papers in the Land of Lincoln.

Fortunately, the man who found the Whidbey will among his late father鈥檚 belongings 鈥� Craig Leach of Mazon, Ill. 鈥� did some Googling, and found the website of the in Langley, Wash. Leach reached out via email, and then put the fragile old document in the mail. Leach told the newspaper he has no idea how the will came into his father鈥檚 possession, though he says his father did collect old documents.

Bill Haroldson is president of the South Whidbey Historical Society and he couldn鈥檛 be more thrilled with Leach鈥檚 discovery and with the package that recently arrived at the Langley post office.

Haroldson is a Whidbey Island man 鈥� no, not that Whidbey Island man 鈥� but is originally from Seattle. He鈥檚 been studying the life and times of Joseph Whidbey for 20 years, and he has even visited in the UK.

How does this newly acquired priceless document rank against other items in the South Whidbey Historical Society collection?

鈥淲ell, I gather it would be probably one of the most important ones, you know,鈥� an obviously pleased Haroldson told 成人X站 Newsradio on Thursday. 鈥淎nd I’m not sure that it really has a financial value, but it definitely has a historic value.

鈥淚’ve gone through the will, it’s 13 pages in length,鈥� Haroldson continued. 鈥淎nd I recognize people’s names in it, and I understand. Everything appears to be authentic.鈥�

Haroldson, perhaps one of just a handful of living scholars who would recognize names recited in Joseph Whidbey鈥檚 190-year old will, says Whidbey never married, and he did accumulate property and cash in his lifetime. In the 1800s, Whidbey worked as an engineer designing the breakwater for the UK port city of Plymouth, and he purchased an apartment building in a place called Taunton. Taunton is home to , where the British make their world-famous nautical charts, which the survey work of Captain Vancouver, Joseph Whidbey and others of that era informed more than two centuries ago.

Though he had no children of his own, the famed explorer did have a niece whose daughter was listed as one of his main beneficiaries when Whidbey died in his mid 70s in October 1833. If Whidbey has any living descendants now, Bill Haroldson has not been able to track them down.

As far as the connection between the man and the Pacific Northwest, Haroldson says Joseph Whidbey led the effort to survey what鈥檚 now Whidbey Island. It was late May and early June of 1792 when Whidbey and Peter Puget (yes, that Peter Puget) spent several days mapping the shoreline and taking depth soundings.

鈥淰ancouver sent Whidbey and Puget in rowboats to go into [what鈥檚 now known as] Deception Pass,鈥� Haroldson said. 鈥淭hey rowed in, and by the next day, Whidbey realized that it was an island. And when that got back to Vancouver, in his log he wrote, 鈥業 name this Whidbey’s Island and Deception Passage.鈥欌��

If there鈥檚 ever been pressure to remove Whidbey鈥檚 name from the island, it hasn鈥檛 gotten as much attention or traction as efforts focused on Mount Rainier. At least one printed source 鈥� Robert Hitchman鈥檚 1985 Place Names of Washington 鈥� says that the Indigenous name for what鈥檚 now Whidbey Island is 鈥淭scha-kole-chy.鈥� Hitchman cites no source, and offers no pronunciation advice.

Meanwhile, one radio historian helpfully points out that, unlike those absentee British scoundrels Peter Rainier or the Right Honourable Lord Samuel Hood or Alleyne FitzHerbert (aka the 鈥�First Baron St. Helens鈥�) whose names Vancouver placed willy-nilly on mountains and other geographic features, at least Joseph Whidbey was actually here in person and had a hand in surveying his eponymous island.

One thing about which there鈥檚 now no debate is the correct spelling of Whidbey. Along with the legal disposition of Whidbey鈥檚 estate, the will confirms 鈥淲hidbey鈥� is correct. Examining old maps and charts from the 19th and early 20th centuries often reveals multiple variations, including Whitby and Whidby, as well as the original possessive versions, such as Whitby鈥檚.

For those who want to see the actual 1833 will, Bill Haroldson says it has been digitized and plans are to make it available soon on the South Whidbey Historical Society鈥檚 website.

You can hear Feliks every Wednesday and Friday morning on Seattle鈥檚 Morning News, read more from him鈥�here, and subscribe to The Resident Historian Podcast here. If you have a story idea or a question about Northwest history, please email Feliks鈥�here.