| Notes |
- December 9, 1937, the Grays River Builder newspaper had a story written by Harriet Alta Meserve, the editor. On the Brix family here is a copy of what it said.
The story of the Brix family is largely the result of facts and incidents remembered and collected by Mrs. Margaretha Erp, the oldest survivor of the original Brix children, with the help of P.J. Brix and Anton H. Brix who are the only other two now living from the first generation.
However, there are now, all told 36 living descendants, including children, grand children, great-grandchildren and one only great great grandchild, of the original Brix family of which Mr. and Mrs. P. F. Brix were the original parents.
Father and mother P.F. Brix came to Grays River 56 years ago, in 1881. They brought with them in chronological order from the oldest down, seven children Albert, Margaretha, P. John, Christoph, Helene, Anton and Herman.
Asmus, the oldest son, had come to Grays River two years earlier in company with Peter Sorensen and Anton Sorensen in 1879, when he was 15 years old. Anton Sorensen returning at that time from Denmark with his bride; also bringing Asmus with him from Germany to H.P. Andresen, who was Asmus uncle. Here Asmus lived until the rest of the family arrived in 1881.
Father and mother P.F. Brix, with the other members of the family and also an old aunt and uncle of mother Brix, Mr. and Mrs. H.P. Henningsen, left their home in Schleswig-Holstein Germany, April 28, 1881. They were then 46 and 41, respectively, and were headed for mother Brix's brother, H.P. Andresen now the John Johnson place at Rosburg. Mr. H.P. Andresen had then already lived in America for 20 years, having come across the plains with a survey party, with which he at one time almost perished for the want of water. He arrived at Astoria in the 60's and settled on his homestead at the old home place in 1869.
The Brix family left Hamburg in the spring of the years and came to London two days later. There they were transported across the city on an elevated railway a novelty at that time-to their, an English streamer. Not a word could be understood by the party They had hoped to take a german ship, but found that so many passengers were booked ahead that no passage could be obtained before fall.
So after 3 weeks or 19 days to be exact, of seasickness and misery they landed in New York at Old Castle Garden. The next day they started west by emigrant train wherein sleepers consisted of wooden boards placed between the upturned seats like an extension table. each one supplied his own bedding, as none was furnished.
The night of the second day on the train brought them to Pittsburgh. After the smaller children were put to bed, the conductor came through and called out something that no one understood, but when the train stopped and they saw passengers getting off, they knew it meant "change cars".
In the scramble the afore mentioned "old aunty" left her bag of lump sugar on the window sill, and that was a serious matter for she needed it for her coffee. The next stop was at Chicago and father Brix ventured out in an effort to replace the lump sugar and procure some kerosene for aunty's little oil stove which she had brought with her to cook her afternoon coffee on. He met on the street what was known as as "emigrant Fleecer." A man accosted him in the German language and offered to show him a store where he could procure his requirements. They only went a short distance when he was either slugged or drugged. At any rate, when he regained consciousness, his money was all missing. There they were a large family of small children, on their way west on an emigrant train, without anything with which to buy food.
Fortunately, old uncle still had a little with him, and the entire party had to subsist on his small savings. when they reached Council Bluffs, their tickets were challenged. They were told they must have a half fare for one of the others. Finally an attachment was placed on their baggage and they were allowed to go on to San Francisco. What a predicament! Without funds and tickets still to be purchased from San Francisco to Astoria.
Fortunately, they found a hotel keeper in San Francisco who could speak their language, and he succeeded in getting their baggage released. They then boarded ship again for the railroad was then not built north from San Francisco.
It was arranged that a young man, Herman Hansel, whose family lived on the old Schobie place, later the Bergman place and now the Cook place, was to meet them at Astoria and take them to the old Occidental hotel in case neither Asmus or the Andresens could be there.
However, as they came down the gang plank from the streamer, State of California, Mrs. Brix's brother, H.P. Andresen, grabbed her large bag which she was carrying. Not expecting to see her brother there, Mrs. Brix did not recognize him, and resisted vigorously. But soon a happy greeting followed, after she had recognized her escort.
Mr. and Mrs. Andresen had come over to Astoria in a skiff to meet them, but it was finally arranged to have the small streamer, Rosetta, take the whole party to Grays River. For some reason, however-whether on account of low tides or the captain's unfamiliarity with the Grays River channel-the stopped off at Knappton where they spent the night.
The next day they entered lower Grays River and saw for the first time a number of bears climbing up trees along the river bank, and landed at the H.P. Andresen place at the mouth of the small creek near where the Rosburg store now stands. They all lived with the Andresens for about six weeks, when they moved down to the Grounds place, later known as the Amundson place.
Asmus had purchased a small fraction of land and cleared a plot and planted a garden. This, of course was thankfully received and proved a big help, when the family moved onto the place, which was then a wilderness of large trees, vine maple and underbrush. Father Brix purchased a boat house and wrecked it, and with the lumber thus obtained, built a barn. No sooner was this completed, than they were compelled to move into it, because the Grounds house was again wanted by the owner, and there was no other house available.
In 1883 he built the house which is still standing, and is now owned by the Kendol family. The building spot was then, covered by a number of large spruce trees. These had to be felled and burned by means of boring augur holes into them from the top and sides as was the custom at that time. The limbs were cut into cord wood and sold to sailing scows that took it to Astoria for fuel.
Mr. H.P. Andresen gave them a cow and a pig for a start and that was a wonderful help in getting started. The house situated as it was on the river bank, because a sort of free hotel or half way house for travelers, who were weary from rowing long distances on their way up river. None were turned away hungry-friend or stranger alike shared the best they then had.
One morning at daybreak they heard a terrible squealing just across the river-now the Heldt place-where a neighbor, Fritz Hoeck. had a pig among the down trees back of his house,The men rushed over, knowing it was a bear after the pig, but they only succeeded in wounding the bear . However they placed a loaded gun, with a string tied from the trigger to the remains of the pig, so when Mr. Bear came back again he would shoot himself. This occurred while the whole neighborhood was assembled the next day drinking coffee. It created a lot of excitement when the report of the gun startled them.
Father and Mother Brix were naturally concerned about the schooling privileges for their children here. There was only three months' of school each year on Grays River at that time, and church and Sunday school advantages were not many. An old sailors's Chaplain Reverend McCormick came around once in a great while, but later on Rev. Stimson came to Grays River and a regular Sunday school and church was organized. The younger children became regular attendants, rowing their way to upper Grays River, often against tide and freshet. Whenever sickness occurred in the neighborhood, Mother Brix was called and often acted as both doctor and nurse combined, doing the best she knew how to relieve the distress and suffering. She ushered a great many babies into the world. On one occasion she was called onto a home where a child was suffering from what was then called "brain fever" She remained with the family and on the night the sick child died, another was born, and she was obliged to act as doctor, nurse and undertaker.
At another time she was called to assist an expectant mother, in company with Mrs. Wm. Hoeck. It looked like the child could not be delivered, so a couple of young men were sent to Astoria in a small boat, there to charter a steamer and bring a doctor. However, when they came to the mouth of the river, it was frozen solid, and they had to turn back. Finally, after a long time, the mother was saved but the child was born dead.
In the winter of 1888-89, the river frozen up for a long time, the ice becoming over a foot thick. This caused all travel to cease and when in the latter part of January the ice thawed out sufficiently, all the settlers on the Washington side were out of provisions. Consequently, they all went to Astoria at the first opportunity afforded them. Thus it came about the streamer Gleaner was so loaded down with feed and provisions that when she started across the Columbia from Astoria, on the first trip, that she upset not far from Tongue Point and several were drowned.
It so happened that several of the Brix children were at Sisson creek visiting the Behnke family when the fish boat, carrying the surviving passengers from the wrecked Gleaner, landed at Starkes point, only a short distance from Sisson creek.
The family gradually scattered as the other localities: but for a great many years they all found their way back to the old homestead at Christmas time, even after a number had families of their own. In 1897 forty years ago, the entire clan was together once more. There was a big southwest storm raging and the high tide and resultant freshet combined, brought the water up to the floor of the house which was about four feet from the ground. The cows in the barn stood knee deep in water, and the boys found "Old Aunty" and Uncle" who lived a quarter of a mile up river, trying to sweep the water out of their house with a broom. This was the "Old Aunty" and "Uncle" who came out with the Brix family, and were then living on the Chas. Runge place, directly across from where the Rosburg store was then located, while the Rosburgs lived there and kept the store.
The old homestead was covered with a lot of tide land spruce timber and that served as a nucleus to start all the boys in the logging industry. At first the trees were felled so they could be rolled into the river with :jack Screws" or logging jacks; later the sloughs in the tide-land were cleaned out at low tide, the logs rolled into them and then floated out on the big tides which usually came when a southwest storm was raging.
DEC 23, 1937 page 6
In this way all the boys became interested in the logging industry. Asmus and Albert ventured out for themselves, logging at various places, but principally around Grays Bay. Logging at that time was carried on with oxen as the chief means of transportation from the woods to the water. Only about 8 months or less of the year being utilized because the rainy season made it almost impossible to work with ox teams. The greater part of the time that oxen were used by Asmus and Albert, P. John was the teamster. This was at that time about the highest paid job in the woods-$100 per month-as it necessitated a lot of skill to drive six yokes of oxen with only a good stick to guide them with and the human voice to persuade them to pull together at the right time. Also, the teamster or "bull-puncher" as he was called, had to get up before daylight and work late at night to keep his teams in good physical condition to do the work.
Herman and Anton, the two youngest boys, did not get into extensive logging before Herman met with a fatal accident, at the age of 17 years, in 1895. This occurred on the present J. King place, which was then owned and operated by Margaretha, the oldest Brix daughter, and her husband, J. H. Erp. He fell over 20 feet from a barn which Anton and he were helping to construct at that time. The only way of getting him to the hospital in Astoria was by sled to where a skiff could be rowed down the river. It so happened that the Grays River steamer had already gone out on the tide and that made it necessary to row on down to Barneys Point, or Frankfort, and there again transfer to a sailing fish boat. There was no wind that night and Anton and the owner of the fish boat rowed until late in the night before they finally arrived at Astoria. However, from the severe injuries sustained the end came at five o'clock the next morning, and Herman was brought back to his parents at Grays River a corpse. The day of Herman's funeral a very near additional tragedy occurred. Two boats started from Rosburg's store to the Brix home, one occupied by Helene Brix, Mrs. Albert Brix and baby Myrtle Brix and the other with Grandmother P.F. Brix and Lester, the other Albert Brix child. The man that was to row the latter boat gave it a hard push from the bank intending to jump in on the bow as was his custom. In doing so he lost his balance and upset Grandmother Brix and Lester in mid stream. Luckily, Helene, in the other boat got a hold on her mother and Mrs. Albert Brix grabbed her little son Lester holding them up in the water. The elder Rosburgs (Mrs Albert Brix's parents) stood on the bank helplessly wringing their hands, for here was no other boat available at the time. Finally Wm. Hoeck came along in another boat and rescued them. However, Grandmother Brix had gotten quite a bit of water in her lungs and recovery seemed doubtful for awhile.
Some years later the four remaining boys, Asmus, Albert, P. John and Anton, gathered their combined resources together and formed the Grays Bay Logging Co. at Sisson Creek. This operation lasted a long term of years. Its logging railroad finally extending over the divide to the Naselle country and a large body of timber was eventually brought to the market.
In the beginning Asmus was the bookkeeper, P. John was the woods manager, Albert did the outside selling of logs, etc. Anton had charge of railroad construction. This combination worked out well for a number of years until Asmus sold his interests to his younger brothers and Anton moved to Tacoma to persue studies at the College of Puget Sound. Albert and P. John were left to carry on the business. The Company finally purchased the Knappton mill and Albert had charge of it for a few years but finally sold his interests to P. John and went into a wholesale lumber business at Portland. That left P. John alone to carry on in the logging game.
A few years later Albert suffered a stroke when he was 55 years old from which he did not recover. His daughter, Mrs. Myrtle Buehner, of Portland had three children two boys and a girl all on their way to maturity. His son, Lester has two children and one grandchild.
Asmus did not have any children but became interested in a variety of activities in Astoria after he sold out his logging interests. He overcame a severe illness in the earlier part of his career, which kept him in bed for 18 months. He was also active in civic affairs being council man for a number of years, chairman of the Ways and means committee and president of the Council in 1900. He owned a farm near Claskinine in which he took much pleasure. It was on one of his return trips from this farm that he suffered a heart attack and succumbed while in his car April 31, 1924, when he was 60 years old. He left all his estate to his nieces and nephews.
After P. John purchased the major portion of the stock in the Original company he was very successful in managing it for a number of years. He finally became interested in a great many other concerns and is the leading factor in them to this day. He lived in Astoria until 1918 when he found it necessary to move to Portland there better to direct his varied activities and he has three children, Herbert, Irene and John. All are now married and have children of their own. (continued next week)
DEC 30, 1937
After Anton moved to Tacoma he took a regular course of study in the College of Puget Sound while his own children were in the lower grades. He finally entered the lumber business again on Puget Sound and had several operations up there.
In 1930 he moved back to the Columbia River distinct and has been logging there at various locations ever since. He is now living at Knappton where he is manager of the Knappton Logging Co.
His children are all grown and married except Anna, who is still single and doing research work at University of Washington.
His oldest son, Walter is woods supt. for the Knappton Logging Co. and has two daughters in their teens. His oldest daughter Helen, has two little girls and living with her husband on a farm at Carlton, Washington. Egbert, next to his oldest son, is teaching at Goke school in Seattle and Herman the youngest son, is living in Hollywood, where he starred in several pictures, During his college career, he gained lots of publicity as athlete, both in football and as a shot-putter, coming within a small margin of getting the world's prize at Amsterdam in 1928.
The oldest daughter of the original Brix family, Margaretha, cooked for her brothers in the logging camp for some years, when she was a young woman and had no small share in helping the other boys get on their feet. She married J. H. Erp in 1891 and settled on the place originally owned by H.O. Lamb. where she lived with her family for 16 years. They then purchased the Baker place in 1907 and a few years later sold the old place to the late George Anderson. After Grandmother Brix died at Astoria where she and Grandfather Brix spent their last years. Margaretha and her husband moved to Astoria where she cared for Grandfather Brix until he passed away at the ripe age of 85 and Mr. Erp died two years later.
Margaretha has two sons and one daughter. All are married and have families. Herman, of Astoria, has three children, Anton is living on a farm near Chehalis and has one daughter and Lorena, of Salem, has two daughters. Margaretha now makes her home in Salem near her daughter, Lorena.
The youngest daughter of the original Brix family was Helen, who became the wife of Henry Hoeck in 1898. She died Sept. 3, 1928 and left two daughters Marie and Eva, the latter now being Mrs. Joseph Morgan and has one small boy child. Her only son only outlive his mother a little over a year and her eldest daughter Margaret died five years before her mother.
Christop, the boy next to P. John in the original Brix family lived only a few years after the family came to Grays River. He was taken by some aliment Nov. 8, 1888 when he was only five years old.
Thus Father and Mother Brix reared their children amid the surroundings of the early pioneers of their day. They have now passed on a generation ago but many a spot on Grays River still brings back endearing memories of those days when life for us still was in the early spring. A few days ago we felt an urge to stop our car and find the spot where the little old rough school house once stood on the river bank on the old Wilson place, now the Swanback place. How it thrilled us to stand there and live once again in fancy, the lessons we there learned and the games we there played.
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1840 - 1917 (77 years)
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