The following is on record as part of Whatcom counties official history. It is about the Aldrich family in it's early years in Washington state in the Bellingham area.
FW Aldrich
The qualities which have made FW Aldrich one of the successful farmers of the
Ten Mile Township have also won him the esteem of his fellow citizens, for his
career has been one of well directed energy, strong determination and honorable
methods. His life history has been distinguished by most substantial traits of
character and his present high standing in the community has been well merited.
Mr. Aldrich is a native of the state of Vermont born on the 8th of April, 1865,
and his son of Mr. and Mrs. CT Aldrich, both of whom also were natives of Vermont.
His mother, who dies when he was but five years old, was a descendant of the historic
Heldons, of the Mayflower. CT Aldrich was a veteran of the Civil War, having served
as a member of the 9th Regiment, Vermont volunteer infantry. He was descended
from "old-country" stock, his father having been a native of Wales and his mother
of Scotland. He became a millwright and general mill man and eventually went to
Elgin, Illinois, about 1870, and engaged in a contracting business.
FW Aldrich secured his education in the public schools of his native state,
and after his father went west he remained with relatives until he was seventeen
years of age, when he joined his father in Elgin and there learned the carpenter's
trade. He remained in Elgin for about seven years and then, in December, 1888,
came to Washington, locating in Tacoma, where he worked in the carpenter's trade
until June, 1889, when he went to Olympia, Washington, where he followed the
same occupation until 1899. During the following three years he lived in Bellingham,
where he worked at the carpenter's trade and also did a good deal of tank building
for breweries and other concerns. He then went back to Olympia, where he remained
for three or four years, when he returned to Bellingham and worked as a carpenter
until 1921. He then bought 20 acres of land in Ten Mile Township, as a part
of the old McDonald homestead, and at once gave his entire attention to the
improvement of the property. The place was badly run down and a good deal of
repair work on the buildings was necessary in order to put them in first class
condition, in addition to which he built new hen houses and made other substantial
and needed improvements, which made devoting as much time as possible to the
clearing of additional land and is meeting with encouraging success in all hi
operations. He is going into the chicken business on a large scale expecting
to have a thousand laying hens in 1926, and will continue to enlarge his flock
to a considerable size, and he has demonstrated the practicability and profit
to this phase of farm work. He also keeps several cows and his fertile fields
are producing all the necessary feed and grain, as well as large quantities
of kale.
On October 1st, 1891, Mr. Aldrich was married to Ms Amy Powe, who was born in
Maine, a daughter of William B. and Carrie (Lynch) Powe, the former of whom
was a native of England, while the latter was born and reared in Maine. To Mr.
and Mrs. Aldrich have been born four children, namely: Ethel, who is the wife
of FH Brown, of Olympia, and the mother of seven children; Josephine, the wife
of JE Owens, of Bellingham; Chester W, of Salem, who is married and has one
child; and Frank W, of Bellingham, who also is married and has one child. Mr.
Aldrich is a member of the Whatcom County Poultry Association, while fraternally
he is a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, which he joined in Elgin,
Illinois, in 1888, and of the Woodman of the World. Mrs. Aldrich is a member
of the Neighbors of Woodcraft. Faithfulness to duty and strict adherence to
a fixed purpose have been dominating factors in Mr. Aldrich's life, which has
been crowed with well deserved success, and throughout this community he is
held in the highest esteem by all who know him, for he has proven himself a
splendid citizen in the best sense of the term.
History of Whatcom County, Vol. II, Lottie Roeder Roth, page 346
