Roland Hill Hartley (1864-1952)

(Documentation: Gretchen Hartley Hoffman; Edward Hartley Anderson; Hartley Paul & the Hartley family)

HARTLEY GENEALOGY

1st Generation: George Adkin Hartley (Abigail Estey) – (1759-1812)
Born in England. Wounded several times while fighting as a Soldier in King George’s Guards during American Revolution. Granted Regimental land in Canterbury Parish, York County, New Brunswick, Canada.

2nd Generation: James Hartley (Susannah Moore) – (1789-1860). Born in Canterbury Parish, York County, New Brunswick, Canada. Farmer. Justice of the Peace. Captain in the Militia.

3rd Generation: Edward Williams Bennett Hartley (Rebecca Barker Whitehead). Born 1820 – died 1879.) Born in Canterbury Parish, York County, New Brunswick, Canada. Farmer. Baptist Minister.

4th Generation: Roland Hill Hartley (Nina Clough) – (1864 – 1952). Born Canterbury Parish, York County, New Brunswick, Canada. Left New Brunswick at age 14 and arrived in Brainerd, Minnesota in 1878. Became United States Citizen October 23, 1888. Moved to Everett, Washington in 1902.

PLOW BOY TO GOVERNOR

(Washington State Governor: 1925-1933)

  Born the 8th of 12 children in a backwoods farm in Shogomoc, York County, New Brunswick, Canada.

Did a “Man’s work” with the scythe, cradled grain, chopped down trees, sowed fields, plowed, harrowed land – and harvested annual crop of rocks.

In 1878, while only 14 years old, he moved to Minnesota to join other family members.

“Cookee” (“flunky”) in Minnesota logging camp – helped cook, waited on tables and made up bunks.

Drove the horse drawn McCormick Harvester through the Dakota prairie near Fargo and Page North Dakota. Broke sod and developed farm land.

In the winter used the same horse-drawn team for logging operations. Drove logs from headwaters of the Mississippi to Minneapolis.

Wholesale grocery clerk. Bellboy, Porter and Clerk in the Old Commercial Hotel at Brainerd, Minnesota. Became secretary to hotel owner, Carl Douglas, Brainerd Mayor – first taste of politics.

Grammar school education plus savings allowed admission and graduation from the Minneapolis Academy.

Bookkeeper for Clough Brothers lumber firm that built the first electric railway in Duluth, Minnesota.

Became private secretary to Minnesota Governor, David Clough. Became active in Republican politics.

Married David Clough’s daughter, Nina Clough August 22, 1888, the year he became an American Citizen.

Lieutenant Colonel in the Minnesota National Guard and ordered to the field during Sioux uprising.
Shoe salesman for Putman and Hartley shoe manufactures and traveled through the Northwest selling product in the 1890’s.

Moved to Everett in 1902 in connection with investment in Washington Timber.

Laid out and constructed his own trails, logging roads and railroads. Erected logging camps. Filled every position on the payroll except that of high rigger. Shared hardships with his men in the woods. First to introduce spring mattresses and other home comforts in the logging camps.

Personally cruised 10,000,000,000 board feet of timber.

Participated in the establishment of the Clark-Nickerson Saw mill and later the Clough-Hartley cedar siding and shake mill (largest in the world at that time) along the Everett waterfront.

Mayor of Everett 1910 – 1912.

Washington State Legislature 1915 – 1917.

At age 53 was one of the first to enlist at the beginning of World War I. (Company D, 3rd Infantry, Washington National Guards, August 7, 1917). Ultimately moved up from “Private” to commission of “Captain” with orders to sail to Europe from Hoboken New Jersey when the Armistice was signed. (Sons David and Edward served in the army during the war.)

Washington State Governor 1925 – 1933*.

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*See www.everettneurologicalcenter.org for “First Message of Governor Roland Hartley to the State Legislature, Nineteenth Session, 1925” and “Governor Roland Hartley’s Oakesdale High School Graduation Address, 1928” – along with additional information.

 

everettneuromasteruser2017Roland Hill Hartley (1864-1952)