HomeMy Public PortalAboutCopeland, Beni v .
BIC RPHY
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lwas Born in the Township of Burnes Anoka County in the State of Minnesot a
On June 7,1883,to Mraloyd D.Copeland and Ida M.Copeland
At the age of three and half nears I cage west with my Father and Mother
older brother and sister to ;Medical hake Washington,And there is where I lost
my Mother by death,then Father and us three children returned to Minnesota
in 1886
And on September fourth 1886 Father carve out West to the Idaho Territory
and took up a homestead on Rockereek north of the town of Moscow there in
Territory of Idaho some 18 miles north of Moscow.
In the month of July 31 1887,,;e horded the train_ at Anoka on our way west
to Idaho Territory,to where father and Uncle Hally White were cn Rockereek
north of Moscow 18 miles
Us three children carve west with my Aunt Rose White to Spokane Washington
and there changed cars to O.W.R.h.railroad and came down to the town of
Garefield Washington then_ to Palouse City Washington where we tool: the Freight Stage
to the town of Stinner Idaho.,And there is where we Met Uncle Hally White and
Father,and took us their homesteads on Rockcreel:
I lived with my Aunt and Uncle untill I was eight years old,and I moved home
to my fathers and. home at fathers homestead to live
There is where I lived for three or more years,and there was the first place
that went to school was in the Rockereek school house
Next year father went down to Flanington Creek to worh for Mr.Whallon.,I
wasnine years old and brother Ras twelve aid half years old,father left us
boys at home to take care of the stock
Where I was raised was kniawn as the Palouse country,I was a small boy in
knee pants and ran a around the country bear -footed and_I though was I a pretty
big man in theta days and feeling mightyfine at that age
That fall was the hardest fall that I ever sa,r in my life.,For it bear_ to
rain and snow befor the farriers could yet their wheat cut or thrashed,most of
the wheat stood in the fields uncut or what was cut was in the stacks and wet to
the center of the stacks and then rotted in the stack
Times got so hard that a man could not buy any thing to such as flour or
bean or potatoes,raeat waw plentful and that was about all
The rain keep folling and the creeks and rivers were fluded to thier limts and
and tb.e mud was mne foot deep to six in the roads
In the spring of 1895 father sold his homestead to the Warehouser's Lumber Co.
and moved out to the cove contry west of Flaningam creek to a place kn_n n as
Hypo-Theck Land
The next I left home and went over to the Auborn Washington to viset with some
reliatives at Auborn. and Kent.,And that fall I and a Cu$in si`ned up to a Sealing
ship to go to Alaska waters as helpers in skiving seal
I met upwith a couple of old sourdoors by the name McCarthy Brothers and went
to work for them at nine dollars a day and every thing furnished
In the spring of 1904 I started back tm the states with the first boot to come
tp Alaska in June after eighteen days on the ocean with a fair stale in pockets
in Gold
I roamed around the country for almost two years and wound up at Okland Calif.
in the spring of 1906 and joined uop with Uncle San at, the fire in San Francisco
and there fotEighteen months befor being discarged
Then I started to roam again to the northen crest part of the Canada in the
Yukun country in Canada for a couple of weeks or so than drifted south east over
into Alberta country and drifted down: into the Montana where I stayed for almost
year working at odd jobs
Then in the spring of 1910 left for Lewiston Idaho and stayed there fQr about
our months than went into the Palouse Country where my father was liviuF and home
to my fathers place south of B Palouse Cijty Washington_ and home
a.
In the fall of 1911 helped father move from his old place to a place that he
had bought out east of Moscow Idaho
In the fall of 1912 and harvist his crop of hay in the fall of 1914 and then
we moved down to the town of Weiser !i*Idaho and rented a house and barn for the
horses
I lived there in Weiser Idaho with my father from 1914 to the spring of 1924
And that was the year that my past way and Burred in the Weiser Sematory
Then in the spring of 1925 I started to roaming again all over the country
and finely landed up on the Big Salmon River country south—east of the town of
Riggins1.2poppetting for Gold and other minerals
In the soring of 1947 I left the Main Salmon Raver country and went to moaming
arouming around the contry in the Boise Valley country for ten or fifteen years
or more,and then settled down to a more piecle life in the Little Salmon River
country north of New Meadows Idaho for some eight or more years
Then moved to Meadows town east of New Meadows Idaho and lived for a spell t
and then moved up to the town nearly a mile high called McCall Idaho
I have out lived all of my folks such as Fcthersand brother William Tracey Co
Copeland, Lula Frnsies Copeland.,,
I have two Neceses living in New Yonk,one at Bruster and other one at
Mamaroneck new ; ori:,.And a Cousin<_at Downey Calif.
i an past Elgh r One and:E gtt month past eighty ore years old
R.Benny Copeland
1
June 7--81yr,8 momth old
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