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Eva Royle & Alexander Chisholm |
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Alexander "Alex" William Chisholm was born 12 July 1875 Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Eva "Eve" Royle was born 25 October 1873 in Illinois, USA. She was one of six children of Jeremiah Royle & Margaret Lewis. Her siblings: Margaret "Maggie" Royle, Joanna "Jo" Royle, Otis Royle, Adelia "Dill" Royle, and Lulan "Lillie" or "Lil" Royle. Her half-siblings from her mother's previous marriage: Grant Young and Allie Young.
Her family left Illinois for the Dakotas when she was a child and then emigrated to Canada to a place near Saltcoats, Saskatchewan.
Alex joined the NWMP 27 April 1893 at Winnipeg. He was then described at 5'9 ½", 174 pounds, fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. Listed his religion as Presbyterian and former occupation as farmer. Discharged at Saltcoats on 26 April 1898. His conduct during service was "very good".
Eve went to town for school and worked in a restaurant to pay her board. And it was there that she met Alex Chisholm, the handsome young Mountie, who apparently liked both the food and the service.
Between the time of their meeting and before the wedding, there were a number of letters written to a sister and a niece living in Seattle, Washington.
Married 6 December 1899 at home of her father Jeremiah Royle in Wishart, Assiniboia, Canada. (Assiniboia became parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Wishart is in Saskatchewan.)
Her younger sister Lil wrote a letter to her best friend (and niece) telling the details of the wedding.
One month after the wedding, while living at Mountain View Ranch at Round Plains, Wishart in 1900, Eve wrote a letter telling what it was like there.
Moved to Seattle before 1903. Alex worked in a tannery.
Children:
John Donald "Don" Chisholm born 7 February 1901
Keith Allen "Keith" Chisholm born 17 December 1902
Leslie Bruce "Bruce" Chisholm born 1 May 1906
Moved from Seattle to Fall City in the Snoqualmie Valley in 1908. At first they lived in a log cabin in a logging camp.
Then they lived on the Bush place along the Snoqualmie river by the north end of the Fall City bridge. Alex built a barn that stood for many years. They lived in the building that had formerly been Fall City's first school house.
After that, they moved down to Patterson Creek where they had a ranch. The house that's there now was built in 1923, but they may have been living there earlier than that. (Possibly before 1913.)
Naturalized from being Canadian citizens on May 26, 1926.
In her spare time, she gardened. She also wrote poetry.
She said that she was still in bed and Alex had gotten up to start breakfast, as usual, and she heard a soft thump. She went into the kitchen to find Alex dead on the floor. That was 17 May 1936.
Eve sold the Patterson Creek farm on 20 January 1937. (Photos from later.)
She lived for awhile taking care of children. She kept kids tied to a clothesline so they wouldn't fall in the river. She took care of Helma Nelson from birth and put Helma's first clothes on her.
When they no longer needed her care, she moved to a place on a corner of Jack Chisholm's place in Fall City.
She loved gardening and everyone brought her plants. There always seemed to be something blooming.
She was known as "Aunt Eve" to much of the community for many years. She, "Aunt Burnie" Howe, and some other local ladies sewed doll clothes for the children at the Children's Orthopedic Hospital for many years.
The Seattle Times featured her in an article with a big color picture showing many of the dolls she'd dressed in the Sunday paper on 7 November 1965. She was 90 years old then. They had another article, a biography, on her for her 95th birthday.
She spent her last years in a nursing home.
She died 2 April 1978 in Bellevue, King County, Washington at nearly 103 and was buried in Fall City Cemetery beside Alex.
Photographers: Jimmy Chisholm (Alex with Bruce, Eve sitting on grass, & log cabin), Jack Chisholm (schoolhouse, Patterson Creek house and both color photos).
Author/artist/designer/programmer of page: Rowan Ainslie Chisholm
This website and all contents copyright 2010 Penelope Chisholm aka Rowan Ainslie Chisholm
This page first posted 6 November 2007
Latest revision: 22 January 2011
