Joseph Nelson DePartee was born 1868 to Mormons who crossed the plains with pushcarts in 1847, following the Mormon Trail to Utah. While still a very young boy, the family loaded up the wagon and moved to Idaho Territory.
Idaho Territory was established on March 3, 1863, by an Act of Congress and signed into law by Abraham Lincoln. It was carved out from the Oregon and Washington Territories. This newly created Territory covered all of the present-day states of Idaho, Montana and almost all of present-day Wyoming.
The Territory was criss-crossed by the Oregon Trail, the California Trail and the Mormon Trail. The Mormon Trail had been conveying settler wagon trains across the Continental Divide into the Snake River Basin since 1847.
During the Civil War, the concerns and challenges of war were far removed from the settler’s daily life. The stability of the Idaho Territory encouraged development, especially with the discovery of gold, silver and other valuable resources throughout Idaho in the 1860’s. As the Territory progressed toward Statehood, mining and other related mining industries became increasingly important to the economy. Many a pioneer was drawn by the lure of gold and the enticing opportunity for its discovery. The were willing to leave the known for the unknown.
The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 and brought eager settlers to the Territory. Not long after the official creation of the Idaho Territory, a public school system was established and stage coach lines began regular service. In 1865, regular newspapers were published in Lewiston, Boise and Silver City. The first telegraph reached Franklin in 1866 and the first telephone call in the Pacific Northwest was made on May 10, 1878 in Lewiston.
Although a sizeable minority, Mormons in Idaho were held in suspicion by others in Idaho. By 1882, notable and powerful Idahoans successfully disenfranchised Mormon voters in Idaho Territory, citing their illegal practice of polygamy. Idaho was able to achieve statehood some six years before Utah, a territory which had a larger population and had been long settled, but was majority LDS with voting polygamists.
http://www.wikipedia.com
The territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Idaho on July 3, 1890.
The move that the DePartee family made from Utah to Idaho may have been to separate themselves from the Mormon culture or to take advantage of the opportunities that mining gold and silver offered, or perhaps both.
By age 10, Joseph was an attache’ for the Idaho Territorial Legislature and by age 12 he worked as a page boy in the 1880 Territorial Legislature.
At 20, he married Dolly Rowland.
9 months later, in August 1889, our direct ancestor, Grace May Departee was born. She was followed by Josie Maude (1892), Stella Verna (1893) and Joseph Manley (1896). It is suspected that other children were born, one between 1889 and 1892 and perhaps another between 1893 and 1896. Because contraception was not a reality for most women, it was unusual for babies to born more than 18 months to 2 years apart. A period of longer than 2 years between children usually indicated an infant death.
In December 1898, this husband and father, disappeared.
From all indications it appears that J. N. DePartee, of Moscow, was drowned in the Clearwater river at Spalding Wednesday night. He left the town about 9 o’clock stating to a relative that he was going to the river to fish for salmon. An hour later friends went to the river, but could find no trace of him. The search was continued through the night without success and at daylight yesterday morning the searcher discovered a capsized boat anchored about fifty feet from the shore.
Jno. A. Wilkinson, who visited in Spalding Wednesday night, returned to this city yesterday afternoon. From the information he could gather it appears that the missing man has been visiting relatives at Spalding from Moscow, where his family, consisting of wife and four children, reside. Since his arrival at Spalding he has been gambling considerable with varied success. Wednesday afternoon he was fishing in the river near Spalding, using a small boat which he anchored in the stream. In the evening he was playing cards and about 9 o’clock he got up from the table, telling his cousin, who is a blacksmith at Spalding that he was going to the river to fish. Just before leaving the room he said to his cousin, “If I am not back in a half hour, come and see what is the matter.” He did not return and about one hour after his departure a party of men went to the river in search of him. The night was quite dark and failing to find the boat they yelled, but received no response. The search was then continue through the night. The capsized boat was discovered at daylight.”
Idaho Weekly-Tribune, December 23, 1898
5 days later…December 28, 1898
The Arcanum society was (and is) a non-profit fraternal benefit society, much like an insurance company. It managed a Widows and Orphans Benefit paying out over $40 million dollars by the mid-1890’s in $1500 and $1300 certificates.
January 21, 1899 – Explanation: Version One
January 28, 1899 – Explanation: Version Two
Whether he had lost so much money he didn’t dare go home again and face his wife’s wrath or whether he felt himself more valuable presumed dead than alive, it is not known. His wife, Dolly must have forgiven him and let him back into their bed because four more children blessed their marriage, Earl Nelson (1904), Twilla (1910), Hilda Jane (1912), and Wallace David (1913).
He continued farming until 1907 when he brought a great change to the family. Joseph “got religion” and became an ordained Methodist minister moving the family every year or two as the needs of the church changed. He served the church at Bethel, Leland, Gilbert, Julietta, Lapwai, and Star, Idaho. It was often said of him “That man sure can preach!”
Life in 1907
Their 50th and Golden Anniversary was celebrated in 1938.
Photo was taken shortly before his death in 1938. Per family stories, Joseph always called Dolly, “Ma’am”. Dolly kept a cast iron tea pot on the back of her wood stove and he would approach her with his hat in hand and ask, “Ma’am, may I please have a cup of tea?”
Joseph died a few weeks after celebrating his golden wedding anniversary with Dolly Rowland and one day shy of his 70th Birthday.
Obituary
Idaho Statesman, published as The Idaho Daily Statesman
December 17, 1938 page 2
J. N. DEPARTEE DIES IN BOISE
Joseph Nelson DePartee, 70, who came to Idaho in a covered wagon, and at the age of 12 was a page boy in the Idaho territorial legislature of 1880, died early Friday in a Boise hospital.
Mr. DePartee spent many years farming near Moscow. He later entered the ministry. His last church was at Star. He retired from active service for the Methodist church several years ago.
For 58 years he was a resident of Idaho. He was born at Nephi, Utah, in 1868. The family soon moved to Boise. He was appointed an attaché of the legislature as a youngster 10 years before Idaho became a state. In 1888 he married Dolly Rowland at Moscow.
Farming was his business until 1907 when he became a minister. He served at Bethel, Leland, Gilbert, Julietta, Lapwai and Star.
Surviving are five daughters, Mrs. Grace Irvine of Canyon City, Ore.; Mrs. Maude Dougherty of Kendrick, Mrs. Stella Boehm of Eagle, Miss Hilda DePartee of Boise, Mrs. Twilla Taylor of Eagle; three sons, Earl of Star, Joe M. of Emmett, and Wallace of Nampa; 12 grand children and six great grand children.
Funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Methodist church in Meridian. The Rev. Grant Carrick of Clarkston and the Rev. W. J. Luscombe will officiate. Burial will be in Star cemetery.
The body is at the Summers funeral home in Boise.
Ancestor Sleuth 