| 1830 |
Isaac V. Mossman, son of
George & Hannah (Brown) Mossman
formerly of Grayson county, Virginia, is
born on the 8th of August in Centerville,
Wayne county, Indiana this year. |
| 1840 |
Listed in the
Mercer Co., Illinois Census as age at
least five but under ten |
| 1850 |
Listed in the
Mercer Co., Illinois Census as age 19
born in Indiana. |
| 1853 |
Enters the Oregon Territory. |
| 1854 |
Is listed on the Oregon
Territorial Assessment Roll for Umpqua
County. |
| 1855 |
Enlists in the Mounted
Oregon Volunteers for the Yakima Indian
War, Co. G, 1st regiment commanded by Lt.
Col. James K. Kelley. Served as 3rd
corporal from 27 Oct 1855-01 Jan 1856
under Capt. Benjamin Hayden. In his
recollections, Isaac mentions the elected
officers as well as Arthur Chapman, Steve
Waymire and others. |
| 1855 |
The Yakima Indians, who
called themselves Waptailmin,
"People of the narrows," lived
in a village which was situated at the
narrows of the Yakima River near present
day Union Gap (Yakima county, WA), and
came in contact with traders and
missionaries at an early period.
They were salmon fishers, root diggers,
berry pickers, hunters, and active
traders. |
| 1855 |
Is listed on the Oregon
Territorial Assessment Roll for Umpqua
County. |
| 1855 |
Enrolls on the 15th of
October in Company G of the 1st regiment
of the Oregon Volunteers under the
command of A.N. Armstrong. |
| 1856 |
Discharged at Fort Dalles,
Oregon in February of this year. He
was shot at the Battle of Walla Walla on
or about the 15th of December and had
been taken to the hospital at Fort
Dalles. |
| 1856 |
Upon leaving the service,
goes to Yamhill County, Oregon Territory
where he is treated by Dr. Johnson, a
country physician near Amity for the lung
trouble. |
| 1856 |
Commences to carry mail
between the village of Lafayette in
Yamill County, and the village of Oakland
in Douglas County, Oregon Territory where
he continues to live until 1858. |
| 1859 |
Oregon becomes a state on
February 14th. |
| 1859 |
Is employed as a cook for
David P. Thompson and a party of
surveyors engaged in running lines of
survey for the government in Willow Creek
and Umatilla County south of the Columbia
Rivers in what was then Wasco County,
Oregon and now includes Umatilla and
Morrow counties. |
| 1859 |
In the winter of 59-60,
lives at the house of a farmer, Freeman
Johnson, son of the country doctor who
had treated him near Amity. This is
near The Dalles which is his post office
address where he does light work and
chores to pay for his board. |
| 1860 |
His leg is broken and he's
taken for treatment and care to the
Umatilla House, a village hotel at The
Dalles where he remains for several
months. The hotel is kept by
partners Plummer and Graves. |
| 1860 |
Listed in the 1860 Census at
the hotel kept by Graves in The Dalles
Preceinct, Oregon Territory. Listed as
age 26, farmer, value of personal estate
$200, born in Indiana. |
| 1860 |
In the latter part of this
year, he goes to Walla Walla, Washington
Territory and lives there on a farm of
W.S. Gilliam on Dry Creek, about ten
miles from the town of Walla Walla. |
| 1861 |
In April he starts a Pony
Express carrying letters, small packages
and treasures on horseback, between the
town of Walla Walla and Orofino gold
mines in the mountains east of the Snake
River in the county which is now within
the state of Idaho (now in Clearwater
county, ID). |
| 1861 |
After carrying on the pony
express by himself, he forms a
partnership with Joaquin Miller (later of
Oakland, CA) and continues this business
until the latter part of 1862, his postal
address at this time having been in Walla
Walla of the Washington territory. |
| 1861 |
Although birth date has not
been confirmed and marriage date has been
abstracted from pension papers, one
record lists Isaac and 17 year-old Martha
Jackson of Rush County, Indiana having a
child, Clara Edith Mossman, born on the
24th of July. |
| 1861 |
On October 15th, Isaac
marries Martha Jackson at Eugene City,
Oregon, Lane county; but continues to
live in Washington territory until 1863
at which time he returns to Oregon, town
of Albany in Linn county where he remains
for six months doing odd jobs before
going to Salem in Marion county. |
| 1863 |
Isaac and Martha have a
second daughter, Minnie Mae, born on July
20th while they are in Albany, Linn
County, Oregon. |
| 1863 |
Has moved to Salem and has
begun keeping a small hotel called the
Eureka. This building is owned by
Hon. Joseph S. Smith, afterwards a member
of Congress, and by his brother W.K.
Smith later of Portland. |
| 1864 |
While in Salem, a son is
born to Isaac and Martha on the first day
of October. They name his Frank C.
Mossman. |
| 1865 |
Not long after another
daughter is born to them on March
23rd. They name her Ida Lee - she
or Frank's birth years may not be
correct, considering the closeness in
their births, and gap between Ida and the
next child. |
| 1865 |
Listed in the
Abstract of Assessment & Census for
Marion County, Oregon |
| 1867 |
Has kept the hotel Eureka
until June of 1867, at which time he
removes to Olympia, the capitol of
Washington Territory. |
| 1867 |
Has left his hotel the
Eureka in Salem in June and moved to
Olympia, the capitol of the Washington
territory where he obtains employment as
the deputy or assistant of the Street
Superintendent, his duties looking after
the street work and seeing that it is
properly done. |
| 1868 |
Another daughter, Lulu Maud,
is born to Isaac and Martha while in
Olympia, Thurston County, Washington on
the 22nd of October. |
| 1870 |
Son Frederick Clifford
Mossman, is born to Isaac and Martha on
the 5th day of April while in Olympia. |
| 1870 |
Listed in 1870
Census with wife & children residing
in Olympia, Washington Territory |
| 1872 |
August "Gussie"
Telfair, daughter of Isaac and Martha, is
born on the 28th of March this year. |
| 1873 |
Listed in 1873
Washington Territoral Census as Marshall
Of Olympia; Includes wife Nellie and
children: C.E.; M.M.; Frank; Ida; Fredrk
C.; and Gussie living in Thurston County |
| 1872 |
Is elected Marshall of the
City of Olympia, an office he holds by
successive re-elections until 1878.
Being a small city, his duties did not
require all his time and he frequently
serves as bailiff to the District Court
and Deputy Marshall under Hon. E.S.
Kearney, the U.S. Marshall of the
Territory whom he has been acquainted
with in Oregon. |
| 1874 |
Isaac and Martha have
another daughter, Annie Clothilda, who is
born on the 10th of September. |
| 1875 |
Listed in 1875
Washington Territorial Census as City
Marshall; Includes wife Nellie &
children: C.E.; M.M.; Frank; Ida; Fred;
Gussie; and Anna living in Thurston
County |
| 1877 |
Listed in 1877
Washington Territoral Census as Coroner
& Constable; Includes wife Nellie
& children: C.E.; M.M.; Frank; Ida;
Fred; Gussie; and Anna living in Thurston
County |
| 1878 |
Listed in 1878
Washington Territorial Census as
Constable; Includes wife Nellie &
children: C.E.; M.M.; Frank; Ida; Fred;
Gussie; and Annie living in Thurston
County |
| 1879 |
No longer holding the office
of Marshal, Isaac is unable to do manual
labor and keeps a small second-hand
furniture store where he continues barely
beyond a bare living for seven years,
giving the store up eventually due to bad
health. |
| 1879 |
Listed in 1879
Washington Territorial Census as
Merchant; Includes wife Nellie &
children: C.E.; M.M.; Frank; Ida; Fred;
Gussie; and Annie living in Thurston
County |
| 1879 |
Lottie Bonita Mossman, the
youngest child of Isaac and Martha, is
born on the 11th of November. |
| 1880 |
Listed in 1880
Federal Census with wife & children
residing in Olympia, Washington Territory |
| 1880 |
Listed in 1880
Washington Territorial Census as
Merchant; Includes wife Nellie &
children: C.E.; M.M.; Ida; Fred; Gussie;
Annie; and Lottie living in Thurston
County |
| 1881 |
Listed in 1881
Washington Territorial Census as
Merchant; Includes children: Ida; Fred;
and Gussie living in Thurston County |
| 1886 |
From this year until about
1888, Isaac is unable to pursue any
steady employment and earns his living by
doing light jobs. |
| 1890 |
Removes from Olympia,
Washington to California where he
sometimes resides in Oakland, Los Gatos
and other such places in California
wherever he can live with the least
expenses. |
| 1890 |
Is living in Oakland,
Alameda county, California off and on
after this year. He had moved to
this area from Olympia, Washington. |
| 1894 |
Is residing in Oakland and
has obtained a lawyer, William Lair Hill
of Berkeley, who is helping him claim his
pension. At this time in September,
he is not employed. |
| 1902 |
By July of this year, Isaac
has left California and is living in
Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon and
has applied again to claim his pension
for his service in the Oregon and
Washington Indian Wars. |
| 1902 |
Has moved from Alameda
County to Portland, Oregon on the 7th of
July, applies for his claim to a pension,
lives at No. 2 Grand Avenue North. |
| 1902 |
On September 6th, the
Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Pensions requests a statement of service
from Isaac who had served in Captain
Hayden's Company of the 1st Oregon
Volunteers (15 Oct 1855 - 08 Feb 1856)
and Captain B.F. Burch's Company of
Oregon Volunteers (Feb 1856 - 03 May
1856) and that he had served with Hector
B. Campbell (of Chester, Hampden co.,
Mass) and P. Wesley Williams in Hayden's
Company. |
| 1902 |
On the 19th of September,
Isaac files a General Affidavit, Old War
& Navy Indian Wars Claim #5672 of
Captain Hayden and Bush/Burch of the
Oregon Volunteers, stating that he never
received a pension. |
| 1902 |
On the 2nd of October, Isaac
writes from his Portland home to
Washington D.C. on The Anchor Towing
& Lighting Company, Steamer Tahoma
stationery, stating that because his
health is failing very fast, his folks
have concluded to send him to California
for the winter, his address then being
Paradise, Butte County, California where
he will remain until October. |
| 1908 |
Submits a Soldier's
Affidavit declaring that on the 23rd of
April, that he is incapacitated by reason
of kidney disease, heart disease, and
rheumatism which he has had since his
service in the Indian Wars; that he is at
this time 77 years of age, drawing
pension of eight dollars a month under
certificate #3908 and that he owns no
real or personal property, that his
annual income is $96 and his postal
address is 253 1/2 Washington Street,
Portland, Oregon. |
| 1912 |
Dies in Soldier's Home,
Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon on
October 10th. Survivor of
Washington & Oregon Indian Wars, a
Pony Express Mail Carrier, Olympia City
Marshall, Deputy U.S. Marshal in the
Washington Territory, and a member of the
Pioneer's Association in Portland,
Oregon. Isaac's pension is dropped on
November 15th. He was last paid $16
to the 4th of September. |
| 1928 |
Martha Jackson-Mossman,
widow of Isaac, writes the Pension Bureau
on March 26th from Los Angeles,
California, stating her wish to apply for
widow's benefits. She states that
she is aged 84 and currently resides in
Los Angeles. |
