Part 24 (1/2)
”An informal programme introduced the social intercourse of the evening. Harold Denny, a grandson of the hosts and son of Mr.
John B. Denny, made an address to his grandparents, giving them the greeting of the a.s.sembly in these words:
”'O fortunate, O happy day,'
The people sing, the people say, The bride and bridegroom, pioneers, Crowned now with good and gracious years Serenely smile upon the scene.
The growing state they helped to found Unto their praise shall yet redound.
O may they see a green old age, With every leaf a written page Of joy and peace from day to day.
In good, new times not far away May people sing and people say, 'Heaven bless their coming years; Honor the n.o.ble Pioneers.'
”The chief diversion was afforded by the sudden entrance of a band of sixteen young men and women gorgeously dressed as Indians, preceded by a runner who announced their approach. They were headed by Capt. D. T. Davies who acted as chief. The band marched in true Indian file, formed a circle and sat down on the floor with their 'tama.n.u.se' boards upon which they beat the old time music and sang their Indian songs. After an impressive hush, the chief addressed their white chief, Denny, in the Chinook language, wis.h.i.+ng Mr. and Mrs. Denny many returns of the auspicious occasion.
”Mr. Denny, who is an adept in the Indian languages, replied in the same tongue, thanking his dark brethren for their good intentions and speaking of the happy relations that always existed between the whites and the Indians until bad white men and whisky turned the minds and brains of the Indians. The council then broke up and took their departure.
”The marriage certificate of Mr. and Mrs. Denny is written on heavy blue paper and has been so carefully preserved that, beyond the slight fading of the ink, it is as perfect as when first given in the dense forests on the sh.o.r.es of Elliott Bay. It reads as follows:
”'This may certify that David Denny and Louisa Boren were joined in marriage at the residence of Arthur A. Denny in the County of King and Territory of Oregon, by me in the presence of A. A.
Denny and wife and others, on this 23rd day of January, 1853. D.
S. Maynard, J. P.'
”Another historical event, apropos right here, was the death and burial of D. S. Maynard early in 1873.
”The funeral services were conducted March 15, 1873, by Rev. John F. Damon in Yesler's pavilion, then located at what is now Cherry and Front Streets. The funeral was under the auspices of St.
John's lodge, of which Dr. Maynard was a member. The remains were escorted to what is now Denny Park--the gift to the city, of Mr.
David T. Denny--and the casket was deposited and kept in the tool house of that place until the trail could be cut to the new Masonic--now Lake View--cemetery. Maynard's body was the first interred there.
”Miss Louisa Boren, who married Mr. David T. Denny, was the younger sister of A. A. Denny's wife and came across the plains with the Denny's in 1851.
”The house of A. A. Denny, in which the marriage took place, was located near the foot of what is now Bell Street, and was the first cabin built by A. A. Denny when he moved over from Alki Point. Seattle was then a dense forest down to the water's edge, and had at that time, in the spring of 1852, only three cabins, namely: C. D. Boren's, the bride's brother; W. N. Bell's and A.
A. Denny's. Boren's stood where now stands the Merchant's National Bank, and Bell's was near the foot of Battery Street.
”At first the forests were so dense that the only means of communication was along the beach at low tide; after three or four months, a trail was beaten between the three cabins. David lived with his brother, but he built himself a cabin previous to his marriage, near the foot of Denny Way, near and north of Bell's house. To this lonely cabin in the woods, he took his bride and they lived there until August, 1853, eking out an existence like the other pioneers, chopping wood, cutting piles for s.h.i.+pment, living on anyhow, but always managing to have enough to eat, such as it was, with plenty of pure spring water.
”In August, of 1853, he built a cabin on the spot where now the Frye Block stands and they pa.s.sed the winter of 1853 there.
”In the spring of 1854 he built another cabin further east on the donation claim, east of what is now Box Street, between Mercer and Republican, and they moved into it, remaining there until near the time of the Indian outbreak.
”Mr. Denny had acquired a knowledge of the various Indian dialects, and through this learned much of the threatened outbreak, and moved his family in time back to the house on the Frye Block site, which was also near the stockade or fort that stood at the foot of Cherry Street. During the greater part of the winter of 1855 the women in the settlement lived in the fort, and Mrs. Denny pa.s.sed much of the time there.
”After the Indian trouble was over the Denny's moved out again to their outside cabin. The Indians making the trouble were the Swunumpsh and the Klickitats, from east of the mountains; the Sound Indians, the Duwampsh and the Suquampsh, were friendly and helped the whites a great deal. Sealth or Seattle belonged to the Suquampsh tribe and his men gave the first warning of the approach of the hostile Indians.
”Mr. and Mrs. David T. Denny have had eight children, four daughters and four sons. One son died shortly after birth, and all the others grew to maturity, after which the father and mother were called to mourn the loss of two daughters. Two daughters and three sons survive, namely: Miss Emily Inez, Mrs. Abbie D.
Lindsley, Mr. John B. Denny, Mr. D. Thomas Denny and Mr. Victor W. S. Denny.
”The sons are all married and nine out of ten grandchildren were present last evening to gladden the hearts of Grandpa and Grandma Denny. The absent members of the family group were Mrs. John B.
Denny and daughter, in New York on a visit.