| Last Name |
Rockhill |
| First Name |
Frederick “Fred” |
| Middle Name |
Earl |
| Born |
29 Jan 1894 in Burlington, KS |
| Home Addresses:
|
2068 Trade, Salem, OR (parents res)
344 S 19th, Salem, OR (parents res)
1334 Ferry, Salem, OR (parents res)
642 Lawrence St, Eugene, OR
1308 11th Av W, Eugene, OR
807 Harris St, Ketchikan, AK
3053 NW 63rd St, Seattle, King, Washington |
| Died |
6 Feb 1973 in Seattle, WA |
| Place Buried |
Evergreen Cemetery in Seattle, WA |
| Spouse |
1st – Beryl Grace Harmon
2nd – Byrdean Isabel Manna |
| Date of Marriage |
1st – Aug 1921 in Salem, OR
2nd – 18 Aug 1927 in Ketchikan, Alaska |
| Children |
No children born to Fred, but he raised Byrdean’s two children |
| Dates of Employment |
1913-1917 |
| Job(s) at TKWM |
Weaver |
| Life Story
|
Frederick Earl “Fred” Rockhill worked as a weaver at TKWM from 1913 until 1917. His sisters Grace Rockhill (Herboldt) and Pearl Rockhill were also weavers at the mill during this time.
Frederick Earl Rockhill was born to Henry Leslie Rockhill and Anetta Alice “Nettie” (Minnich) Rockhill on 29 Jan 1894 in Burlington, Coffey County, Kansas. Fred was the seventh of eight children born to this couple, five sons and three daughters all born in Kansas.
Father Henry Rockhill farmed in Coffey County for 33 years until a fire sparked by lightning burned down a barn and destroyed much of his property. In Nov 1903, he sold his farm of 80 acres, four and a half miles from Burlington, Kansas and moved his family to Salem, Oregon. Fred was about 9 years old.
Fred’s father worked as a carpenter in Salem and passed away in 1916. By 1913 Fred, his sisters Grace and Pearl were all weavers at the TKWM Co. Fred worked at this job until the first World War and also farmed according to his army registration. Fred registered with the Army on 5 Jun 1917 in Weston, Umatilla, OR. Fred’s Oregon War Records list him as entering the war on 11 Dec 1917 in Vancouver, WA. He served as a Corporal and then a Sergeant until 7 May 1919. This record lists him as an auto mechanic prior to the war and that would be his occupation for most of the rest of his life.
Fred came home to Oregon after his discharge. He moved to Eugene, OR and went to work as an auto mechanic. Unfortunately, his mother passed away on 2 Dec 1919, at his home in Eugene shortly after his return. Fred worked as a mechanic for the local Buick dealer B. F. Goodpasture for almost six years.
In August 1921 Fred married Beryl Grace Harmon from Silverton, OR. They only had a few short years together and no children. Tragically Beryl was critically injured in a car accident on 28 Oct 1925 just outside of Monroe, OR. She had a broken jaw and internal injuries. She passed away a few days later on 6 Nov 1925 following a major operation.
In Oct 1924, Fred Rockhill and H. Bevan, well-known mechanics, formed a partnership and opened a new auto repair shop in Eugene. They named it the Pacific Garage. This business did not keep Fred in Oregon long.
Fred remarried to Byrdean Isabel (Manna) Deaver on 18 Aug 1927 in Ketchikan, Alaska. This was the 2nd marriage for both. Byrdean had divorced her first husband. She had two young children, Opal Darlene and Eddie Ray Deaver. Fred helped raise these children.
The family lived in Ketchikan, Alaska until at least 1940. Fred continued to work as an auto mechanic and became proprietor of a garage in Ketchikan. He was an innovator. In Sep 1936, he went to Oregon to visit family but also looked for motors and chassis for midget racing autos that he planned to introduce in Alaska.
The Rockhill family had many reunions at Grand Island, OR and it appears Fred and his family came to most of them. An article for one of those family reunions in June 1941 states Fred and his family were now living in Seattle, WA. Fred was a salesman but by 1950 he was the proprietor of a beverage shop. Byrdean worked with him in that venture. By 1958, he had given up the beverage business and was back as a machinist at the Sagstad Shipyard.
Fred E Rockhill passed away 6 Feb 1973 at the Ballard Community Hospital in Seattle, Washington. He died of respiratory failure due to COPD, probable cause cigarette smoking. Death certificate states he was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Seattle.
His wife Byrdean passed away in May 1992. A death notice was posted in the Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, Louisiana. It stated Byrdean Rockhill, 96, died at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, May 15, 1992, at the Lafayette General Medical Center Hospital. No other information for her years between Fred’s death and her death were found. |
|
|
| References |
| Name |
Remarks |
| Salem City Directories |
1905 – Rockhill Frederick E, carp, res 2068 Trade (parents res)
1907 – Rockhill Frederick E, clk CM Eppley, bds 344 S 19th (parents res)
1910 – Rockhill Frederick E, clk CM Eppley, bds 344 S 19th (parents res)
1913 – Rockhill Fred R, weaver TKWM Co, bds 1334 Ferry (parents res)
1915 – Rockhill Fred R, weaver, rms 1334 Ferry (parents res)
1917 – Rockhill Fred R, weaver, TKWM Co |
| Census Records |
1900 – Freddie E Rockhill. Age: 6. Birth Date: Jan 1894 in Kansas. Home in 1900: Pleasant, Coffey, Kansas. Single, son to HOH. Additional household members: H. Leslie Rockhill age 48 (father), Nettie Rockhill age 44 (mother), Clarence A Rockhill age 24 (brother), Joseph Rockhill age 18 (brother), Grace Rockhill age 11 (sister), Pearl Rockhill age 9 (sister), Myrtle A Rockhill age 6 months (sister).
1910 – Fred Rockhill. Age: 16. Birth Date: 1894 in Kansas. Home in 1910: 344 South 19th Street, Salem OR. Single, son to HOH. Additional household members: Henry L Rockhill age 56 (father), Annetta Rockhill age 55 (mother), Grace Herbolt age 21 (sister), Pearl Rockhill age 19 (sister), Myrtle Rockhill age 10 (sister), Walter Herbolt age 3 (brother), Arthur Herbolt age 2 (brother), Alpha Herbolt age 1 (sister).
1930 – Fred E Rockhill. Age: 37. Birth Year: abt 1893 in Kansas. Home in 1930: Ketchikan, First Judicial District, Alaska Territory, USA. Married, HOH. Additional Household Members: Byrdeane Rockhill age 32 (wife), Opal N Rockhill age 11, (stepdaughter), Eddie R Rockhill age 9 (stepson).
1940 – Frederick E Rockhill. Age: 45. Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895 in Kansas. Home in 1940: 807 Harris Street, Ketchikan, First Judicial Division, Alaska. Married, HOH. Occupation: Proprietor. House: Owned. Highest Grade Completed: Elementary School, 8th Grade.
Additional household members: Byrdean J Rockhill age 40 (wife), Alfred T. Pederson age 40 (lodger) an auto mechanic, probably worked for Fred.
1950 – Fred E Rockhill. Age: 55. Birth Date: abt 1895 in Kansas. Home in 1950: 3057 W 63 St, Seattle, King, Washington, USA. Married, HOH. Occupation: Proprietor. Industry: Beverage Shop. World War II veteran. Additional household member: Byrdean I. Rockhill age 52. |
| WWI Draft Registration
|
Frederick Earl Rockhill – Race: Caucasian (White), Marital Status: Single, Birth Date: 29 Jan 1894, Birth Place: Kansas, Residence Date: 1917-1918, Residence Place: Umatilla County, Oregon, Physical Build: Medium, Height: Tall, Hair Color: Light, Eye Color: Gray. |
| WWII Draft Registration |
Frederick Earl Rockhill – Gender: Male, Race: White, Birth Date: 29 Jan 1894, Birth Place: Burlington, Kansas, Residence Place: Seattle, Washington, Military Draft Date: 1942, Next of Kin: C. A. Rockhill. |
| Service Discharge |
Honorably discharged from the Army. Served overseas 31 Jul 1918 till 1 Dec 1918. Corp 7 Apr 1918; Sgt 12 Jun 1918 |
| 1st Marriage Record |
Fred E Rockhill – Gender: Male, Race: White, Age: 28, Birth Date: abt 1893, Birth Place: Kansas, Marriage Date: 1 Aug 1921, Marriage Place: Salem, Marion, Oregon, USA, Spouse: Beryl Grace Harmon. Certificate Number: 13229, File Number: 1473986. |
| 2nd Marriage Record |
Fred Earl Rockhill – Gender: Male, Record Type: Marriage, Marriage Date: 18 Aug 1927, Marriage Place: Ketchikan, Alaska, USA, Spouse: Byrdean Isabel Deaver. |
| Washington Death Record |
Fred E Rockhill – Gender: Male, Race: White, Age: 79, Birth Date: 29 Jan 1894, Birth Place: Kansas, Death Date: 6 Feb 1973, Death Place: Seattle, King, Washington, Death Registration Place: Washington, USA. Certificate Number: 3373, Father: Henry Rockhill, Spouse: Byrdean Manna. |
| Find-a-Grave |
Frederick Earl “Fred” Rockhill –VETERAN – BIRTH: 29 Jan 1894, Burlington, Coffey County, Kansas, USA, DEATH: 6 Feb 1973 (aged 79), Seattle, King County, Washington, USA, BURIAL: Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park, Seattle, King County, Washington, USA. MEMORIAL ID: 263414756
Beryl Grace Rockhill – BIRTH: 28 May 1887, DEATH: 6 Nov 1925 (aged 38), BURIAL: Miller Cemetery, Silverton, Marion County, Oregon, GPS-Latitude: 45.0394058, Longitude: -122.7291718. MEMORIAL ID: 90400525 |
| Digital Newspapers
|
Oregon Statesman 21 Jun 1905, p. 4 – Practice Must Stop
Oregon Statesman 2 Aug 1921, p. 3 – Marriage License
Morning Register Eugene 7 Oct 1923, p. 18 – Buick dealer, B.F. Goodpasture, Fred Rockhill mechanic
Morning Register Eugene 19 Oct 1924, p. 5 – New Repair Shop Opens
The Eugene Guard 6 Nov 1925, p. 2 – Mrs. Rockhill Dies – Car Accident
The Capital Journal 6 Jan 1930, p. 2 – Rockhill Reunion at Grand Island
Capital Journal 6 Jan 1930, p. 2 – Rockhill Reunion at Grand Island
Corvallis Gazette Times 27 Aug 1934, p. 3 – Visitors from North
Oregon Statesman 17 Sep 1936, p. 5 – Will Introduce Midgets
Oregon Statesman 23 Sep 1936, p. 7 – Visiting from Alaska
Oregon Statesman 28 Feb 1940, p. 3 – Alaskans Given Farewell Party
Corvallis Gazette Times 24 Sep 1953, p. 5 – Schindler and Rockhill Vacation
The Olympian 7 Jan 1982, p. 17 – Obituary, Opal D Ramar (daughter)
Daily Advertiser 14 May 1992, p. 22 – Death Notice, Byrdean Rockhill |
| WHC Materials |
M3 1966-001 Mill Records
M3 2007-010-0013 Photo |
