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WALSH FAMILY STORY

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George and Clarissa (Weeks) Walsh moved their family to Savannah township in Northeastern Becker County in 1905 from St. Croix County, Wisconsin. The family consisted of Edmund, Margaret, Mina, Myra and Charles. Also moving at the same time were Mrs. Mary Weeks, Clarissa's mother with her sons Clarence, William and George. Homesteads were filed by George and Edmund Walsh and by Mary, Clarence and William Weeks in Savannah township.

George Walsh was born September 22, 1848 in Washington County, New York, d. 1914 Park Rapids, MN. He was the youngest of 14 children born to David and Phoebe (Rhodes) Walsh. As a young man he followed his older siblings to the forests of Wisconsin.

Clarissa Weeks was born September 17, 1857 in Dane County, Wisconsin, d. 1931, Park Rapids, MN. She was one of six children born to Edmund and Mary (Kinney) Weeks. Her ancestors came to Massachusetts in 1635 and helped settle Dorchester which is now part of Boston. George Walsh and Clarissa Weeks were married July 18, 1875 in Tomah, Wisconsin.

Their children were:
1. Mina Phebe Walsh, b. 7 Jun 1877, Marathon Co. WI, d. 1939, Astoria, OR, m. 28 Dec 1898, Wisconsin, William Tuthill. They settled in Oregon.
2. Roswell Walsh, b. 22 Jan 1879, Wright Co, MN, d. 10 Sep 1880.
3. Edmund Elisher Walsh, b. 28 Mar 1881, Polk Co, WI, m. 1 Ponsford, MN, 7 Mar 1905, Essie Kimball. She died 1921; m. 2 Theresia Solinger.
4. Margaret Lillian Walsh, b. 29 Jan 1887, St. Croix Co, WI, m. 7 Mar 1905, Ponsford, MN, Henry Van de Wark. They moved to Alberta, Canada in 1910 where the family still resides.
5. Mira Belle, b. 7 Jan 1891, St. Croix, WI, d. 1984, Pendelton, OR, m. 24 Nov 1906, Park Rapids, MN, Richard Wilson. He d. 1940. She and her family moved to Oregon; m. 2 John Beck.
6. Charles Emery Walsh, b. 7 Jan 1896, St. Croix Co. WI, d. 8 Jan 1978, Park Rapids, MN, m. 22 Jun 1921, Ottertail Co, MN, Ethel Olson.

George worked in the logging camps until arthritis forced him to quit. Clarissa cooked in a lot of the logging camps. They are both buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Park Rapids, MN.

Edmund and Charles continued to work in the woods. They ran a lath mill and later a lumber and shingle mill. Ed's sons, Harris and Chester, and Charlie's sons, Harold, Don, Dean and Dick Walsh all worked around the mill while they were growing up. Ed lost part of his hand and Charlie lost an arm in unrelated mill accidents. The mill burned in 1943.
Harris and Harold were partners for a time in a pulp cutting and hauling business. Harris later built a lumber mill north of Park Rapids and Harold started a Christmas tree business.

Chester has worked in the woods all of his life, and now works with his son, Mike, in the pulp-hauling business.
Dean married into another logging family (Pritchett) and ran a lumber mill north of Park Rapids until it too burned. Now he is in business with his son, Bob, and son-in-law, Jake, cutting and hauling pulp.

Dick worked with Chester for a few years and also ran a sawmill in Osage for awhile. Now he has a pulp trucking business with his sons Robin and Steve, and son-in-law, Jay.

Charlie's daughters Opal and Doris married brothers, Louis and Leon Myhres, who were loggers in the far Northwest corner of Washington until health problems forced them to change occupations.

Submitted by: Opal Myhres 8301 Tieton Dr. #128 Yakima, WA 98908 omyhres@aol.com