Category: Cemetery Biographies

 

August Johnson (1848-1926)

Headstone GPS Coordinates: 

Birth: 04 September 1848, Öland, Sweden

Death: 02 January 1926, Silverdale, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Brita Louisa Johnson (née Andersen), Hulda Andersen (née Johnson), Carl Albert Johansen/Johnson, Emel Andersen, Emma Andersen, 

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

John August Johnson was born on September 4, 1848, in Öland, Sweden. The names of his Swedish parents are unknown. Around 1871, he married Brita Louisa Anderson, who was also born on Öland on September 20, 1848. Together they had six children. Hulda Kristina (1873), Emil John (1875), Gustav Adolph (1876), and Selma (1879) were all born in Sweden. Their daughter Alice was born in Silverdale, Washington, in 1889, and their youngest son, Carl Albert, was born in Seabeck in 1891.

August arrived alone in New York City in 1880. From there, he traveled west to Kitsap County, Washington, where he initially settled at Anderson Landing. Louisa and the children followed in 1887. August worked as a logger, felling trees throughout the Silverdale area, and as a commercial fisherman.

Great-grandchildren of August and Louisa later shared memories and family accounts of the couple’s lives. According to these recollections, August first arrived in New York and began searching for a way of life familiar to his family—particularly logging and fishing. This is believed to be what led him to discover and choose the Pacific Northwest, though the specific reason he selected Kitsap County remains unknown. He initially settled at Anderson’s Landing, after which the family chose Silverdale as their permanent home. August built a house there and continued working as both a logger and a commercial fisherman. The family also dug clams and sold them. They were successful in building homes, forming friendships, and becoming active members of the community, especially through involvement with local schools.

In 1897, tragedy struck when their four-year-old son, Carl Albert Johansen (using the Swedish spelling of the surname), died from unknown causes. He was the first family member buried at Seabeck Cemetery. 

A written account also mentions August and Louisa’s eldest child, “Annie,” who worked as a nurse and died of tuberculosis before 1900. Annie was likely Hulda Kristina, their eldest daughter, who had married Oluf Andersen. She was buried in Seabeck Cemetery near her younger brother Carl.

On April 21, 1904, Louisa died at the age of 55 from what was described as “stomach trouble.” She was buried with a beautifully carved obelisk headstone inscribed, “Farewell mother sweet thy rest.”

In the 1910 census, August was living in Silverdale with his 20-year-old daughter Alice and was listed as not employed. In 1912, Alice married Christian Thorson, and August continued to live with the couple. The 1920 census records him as the “father-in-law” of the head of household, Christian Thorson, residing with Alice and their children.

On Friday, December 25, 1925, the Kitsap County Herald reported that August was ill:

“Mr. Aug. Johnson, father of Mrs. Thorsen, is confined to his bed. It is hoped that he recovers soon.”

Eight days later, on January 2, 1926, August died at the age of 77 from “fever” and “senility.” He was buried beside Louisa at Seabeck Cemetery, marked with a simple flat stone inscribed only with the word “Father.” His obituary appeared in the Kitsap County Herald on Friday, January 15, 1926:

Silverdale Pioneer Passes Away

John August Johnson, one of the pioneers of Kitsap County, died at the home of his daughter,  Mrs. Chris Thorsen, of Silverdale, on December 2, after an illness of about three months. Mr. Johnson  came to this country about forty years ago, from Sweden. His wife died about twenty-two years ago.

The deceased leaves two sons, two daughters, fourteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren to mourn his departure.

Mr. Johnson was one of the men that young and old have great love and respect for—always making all happy that were around him, and until his late illness making himself useful.

The services were held at the M. E. Church on January 6, Rev. Grauer officiating. The choir sang some  favorite songs of our friends. Interment was held at the Seabeck cemetery. The floral offerings were many and choice. We shall miss this father, neighbor and friend.

 

Albine T. Johnson, 1882-1901

Headstone GPS Coordinates: 

Birth: 11 June 1882, Washington Territory, USA

Death: 2 May 1901, poss. Seabeck, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: John A, Johnson, Margaret “Maggie” Johnson, Edward Johnson

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

Albin T. Johnson was the second son of Swedish immigrants John A. Johnson and Margaret “Maggie” H. Johanssen. Born in Washington Territory on June 11, 1886, Albin was a child of the Pacific Northwest frontier.

His parents had arrived in the Seabeck area of Kitsap County just three years prior to his birth, homesteading 74 acres in the Lone Rock community. Albin grew up on this family land alongside his older brother, Edward Johnson. The 1900 Federal Census records Albin as a fourteen-year-old student, living at home while his father worked as a day laborer and his mother managed the household.

Tragically, Albin’s life was cut short just a year later. He passed away on May 2, 1901, at the age of fourteen. While the cause of his death remains unknown, his passing was a significant loss to the small Lone Rock community. He was the first member of his immediate family to be interred at Seabeck Cemetery.

 

Carl Albert Johansen/Johnson (1891-1896)

Headstone GPS Coordinates: 

Birth: 2 September 1891, Seabeck, Kitsap County, Washington

Death: 29 July 1896, poss. Seabeck, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: John August Johnson, Brita Louisa Johnson (née Andersen), Hulda Andersen (née Johnson), Emel Andersen, Emma Andersen

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

Carl Albert Johansen/Johnson was born on September 2, 1891, in Seabeck, Kitsap County, Washington, the youngest child of six of his Swedish immigrant parents John August Johnson and Brita Louisa Anderson. His parents were natives of Öland, Sweden, who had settled in Kitsap County after immigrating to the United States in the late 19th century, earning their living through logging, fishing, and shellfish harvesting.

Carl was baptized on August 7, 1892, at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Seattle, King County, Washington, reflecting his family’s connection to the Swedish Lutheran community that supported many immigrant families in the region.

Tragically, Carl died in early childhood from unknown causes. His gravestone records his death as July 29, 1896, at the age of 4 years, 10 months, and 28 days. He was the first member of the Johnson family to be buried in Seabeck Cemetery. His grave is marked by a large, ornate obelisk headstone bearing the inscription:
“Our Son. In Loving Remembrance of Carl Albert Johansen. Born Sept. 2, 1891. Died July 29, 1896.”

The size and craftsmanship of the monument suggest the depth of his parents’ grief and the enduring importance of Carl’s memory. 

Over time, the original Tenino sandstone base deteriorated and could no longer safely support the headstone. In 2023, members of the Elizabeth Ellington Chapter, NSDAR who started the Seabeck Cemetery Restoration Project, contacted Dan Miller of Tenino Stone Carvers to commission a new base made from the same Tenino sandstone as the original. Following fundraising efforts by the chapter and the community, the new base was installed in early 2024 and now securely supports Carl’s headstone.

 

Solomon Hopkins

 

Headstone GPS Coordinates: Burial Location Unknown

Birth: 1816, Damariscotta, Lincoln County, Maine

Death: 24 May 1864, Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: None known

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: David Hopkins, Massachusetts – Maine District

Disclaimer: These lines have not been officially proven by NSDAR standards.

 

Solomon Hopkins is one of the earliest known burials in the cemetery.

In 1816, he was born in Damariscotta, Lincoln County, Maine, to his parents Robert Hopkins and Priscilla Chapman. When Solomon was four years old in 1820, his father Robert died. His mother remarried the next year to a man named William Cargill, and the family lived in Jefferson, Lincoln County, Maine.

When Solomon was twenty-seven years old, he married Susan T. Chase in Bangor, Penobscot County, Maine on January 21, 1843. They had a daughter named Lillian born in 1844 and a son named Frederick born in 1847. By 1850, the family was settled in Milford where Solomon worked as a lumberman. On the 1860 census, Solomon was listed as a master millman.

By 1862, Solomon had travelled out to Seabeck, to work in the mill. His wife and two teenage children stayed behind in Maine. In The Washington Standard newspaper dated November 22, 1862, he was listed  as one of the contributors towards the “Relief of Disabled Soldiers in the Federal Army” along with several other men in Seabeck. He donated $10.

Solomon was forty-eight years old when an accident with a circular saw happened presumably while he was working in the mill. He sustained an injury that took his life the next day on May 24, 1864. His injury and death were reported in The Washington Standard:

Died: In Port Townsend, on the 24th ult, from a wound inflicted on the left arm on the 23d ult. by a circular saw, at Seabeck, SOLOMON HOPKINS, aged 48 years, of Milford, Maine where he leaves a large family to mourn his loss.”

Solomon’s body was brought back to Seabeck and buried. He was likely one of the fifteen burials exhumed from the first burial ground near the bay, and re-interred in the current cemetery. It’s unknown where in Seabeck Cemetery Solomon is now buried. 

 

Elizabeth Margaret Hobbs (née Fulcher)

 

Headstone GPS Coordinates: Burial Location Unknown

Birth: 13 Jan 1851, England

Death: 29 Jan 1927, Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Charles Albert Hobbs, Edward Hobbs

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

 

Elizabeth Margaret Hobbs, née Fulcher, was born on January 13, 1851, the daughter of James Fulcher, a master mariner who was deceased by the time of her marriage. Little is known about Elizabeth’s early life, but her background reflects the maritime working class of mid-nineteenth-century England.

Elizabeth married her first husband, whose surname was Allison, sometime before 1890. By the time she married again, she was a widow, using the surname Allison. On September 11, 1890, she married Charles Albert Hobbs in England. Charles, a skilled joiner and carpenter, was four years her junior. This was the second marriage for both parties, and the union joined two adults who had already experienced loss.

The 1891 census places Elizabeth living in Enfield, Middlesex, with her husband Charles and his young son from a previous marriage, Charles Albert Hobbs Jr. In 1892, Elizabeth gave birth to her only known biological child, a son named Edward. Shortly after Edward’s birth, Elizabeth made a major transition in her life when she and her family emigrated to the United States, settling in Washington Territory, where Charles’s siblings had already established themselves.

In America, Elizabeth became part of a growing Hobbs family network in Kitsap County. In 1903, land was granted to Charles Hobbs, and by 1910 Elizabeth and her husband were living on and working a farm along Stavis Bay Road in Seabeck. Their household reflected the rural, labor-intensive life common to early twentieth-century settlers in the region. Elizabeth’s stepson, Charles Jr., was grown by this time, while her son Edward worked at a nearby logging camp, likely connected to the Port Gamble Mill.

Elizabeth’s life was marked by profound personal loss. In October 1910, her eighteen-year-old son Edward died from acute anterior poliomyelitis (polio). The absence of parental information on his death certificate suggests that he may have died away from home, possibly after being taken to Port Gamble for medical care. Edward was buried in Seabeck Cemetery, joining other members of the extended Hobbs family laid to rest there.

Despite this tragedy, Elizabeth remained in Seabeck with Charles, where they continued to operate a poultry farm. Throughout the 1920s, the couple gradually sold off portions of their land, reflecting changes in age, labor capacity, or economic conditions. Elizabeth spent her later years in Kitsap County, remaining rooted in the community she had helped build.

Elizabeth Margaret Hobbs died in Bremerton on January 29, 1927, at the age of seventy-six, following surgery for breast cancer. She was cremated, and her remains were likely placed near those of her son and niece in Seabeck Cemetery. Her death prompted a probate case in Kitsap County in September 1928, in which her husband, Charles, successfully petitioned to be appointed administrator of her estate. The land they had held jointly was assigned to him as his homestead exemption, likely avoiding property or estate taxes.

 

Edward Hobbs

 

Headstone GPS Coordinates: Burial Location Unknown

Birth: 1892, England

Death: 21 Oct 1910, poss. Port Gamble, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Charles Albert Hobbs, Elizabeth Margaret Hobbs, née Fulcher, Cecilia Hobbs

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

 

Edward Hobbs was born in 1892 in England to Charles Albert Hobbs and Elizabeth Margaret Hobbs, née Fulcher. He was their only known biological child together and spent his earliest years in England alongside his half-brother, Charles Albert Hobbs Jr.

Soon after Edward’s birth, his parents emigrated to the United States, settling in Washington Territory, where members of the extended Hobbs family had already established themselves. Edward grew up in Kitsap County, Washington, in the rural community of Seabeck, where his parents farmed and raised poultry. His childhood unfolded during a period of rapid industrial growth in the region, shaped by the nearby logging camps and mills that dominated local employment.

By the time of the 1910 census, Edward was eighteen years old and working at a nearby logging camp, likely associated with the Port Gamble Mill. Like many young men of the area, he appears to have entered the workforce early, contributing to the family’s livelihood while remaining closely tied to home.

Edward’s life was cut tragically short later that year. On October 21, 1910, he died from acute anterior poliomyelitis (polio), a disease that struck suddenly and was often fatal in the early twentieth century. His death certificate does not list parental information, suggesting that he may have died away from home—possibly at or near Port Gamble, where he may have been taken for medical treatment. Edward was buried in Seabeck Cemetery, where other members of the Hobbs family were also laid to rest.

 

 

Charles Albert Hobbs

 

Headstone GPS Coordinates: Burial Location Unknown

Birth: 06 Jan 1857, Enfield, Middlesex, England

Death: 05 Sep 1931, Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Cecilia Mary Hobbs, Elizabeth Margaret Hobbs, 

Edward Hobbs

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

 

Charles Albert Hobbs was born on January 6, 1857, in Enfield, Middlesex, England, to William Thomas Hobbs, a tailor, and Jane Hobbs (née unknown), originally of Marylebone, London. He was baptized at St. Andrew’s Church in Enfield on February 28, 1858.

According to the 1861 England census, Charles was living in Enfield with his parents and three siblings—Edward, Eleanor, and Matilda—as well as his paternal grandmother, Hannah Hobbs. Charles was the third of at least six children. By the time of the 1871 census, the family had expanded to include two additional children, Annie and William. Hannah Hobbs remained part of the household, and the family continued to reside in Enfield.

In 1881, at the age of twenty-four, Charles was employed as a journeyman carpenter and was still living with his parents and younger siblings. On August 6, 1882, he married Eliza Morris at Holy Trinity Church in Tottenham. This was the first marriage for both parties. Charles was described in the marriage record as a “joiner,” a skilled tradesman specializing in the construction of wooden components such as doors, windows, and staircases. Eliza’s father, William Morris, was already deceased at the time of the marriage. Witnesses included Charles’s father, William Thomas Hobbs, and J. E. Hobbs, likely his mother, Jane.

Shortly after their marriage, tragedy struck. Eliza died in the Edmonton registration district between April and June of 1883, at only twenty-one years of age. Before her death, the couple had a son, Charles Albert Hobbs Jr. Charles Jr. later reported his birthdate as April 23, 1881, suggesting he may have been born prior to his parents’ marriage or that the reported date was inaccurate.

By 1886, Charles appeared in the London Overseer Returns, residing on Baker Street in Enfield, where he rented two unfurnished rooms from his father. On September 11, 1890, Charles married for a second time. His bride was Elizabeth Margaret Allison, née Fulcher, a widow and the daughter of James Fulcher, a deceased master mariner. Elizabeth was born on January 13, 1851, making her four years older than Charles.

The 1891 census shows Charles, Elizabeth, and Charles Jr. still living in Enfield. In 1892, Charles and Elizabeth welcomed a son of their own, whom they named Edward. Soon after Edward’s birth, the family emigrated to the United States, settling in Washington Territory. Charles’s siblings, William and Annie, had already emigrated around 1888 and were living in Washington. Charles declared his intention to become a U.S. citizen, completing the naturalization process in 1900.

Charles’s brother William was likely living in Seattle when Charles and his family arrived. In 1897, William married Mary, and the couple later settled in Seabeck. Their first child, Cecilia Mary Hobbs, was born on November 14, 1899. Sadly, Cecilia died just eleven days later, on November 25, from “convulsions,” and was buried in Seabeck Cemetery in an unknown location.

In 1903, Charles was granted 127 acres of land in Kitsap County. By the 1910 census, Charles and Elizabeth were farming in Seabeck, living on Stavis Bay Road. Their eighteen-year-old son Edward was employed at a nearby logging camp, likely connected to the Port Gamble Mill.

Later that year, the family suffered another devastating loss. On October 21, 1910, Edward Hobbs died from acute anterior poliomyelitis (polio). His death certificate does not list parental information, suggesting that he may have died away from home—possibly at or near the Port Gamble Mill, where he may have been taken for medical treatment. Edward was buried in Seabeck Cemetery.

Charles and Elizabeth continued to live in Seabeck, operating a poultry farm. During the 1920s, they sold off portions of their land. Elizabeth Hobbs died in Bremerton on January 29, 1927, at the age of seventy-six, following surgery for breast cancer. She was cremated, and her remains were likely placed near those of her son and niece in Seabeck Cemetery. A probate case followed in September 1928 in Kitsap County, in which Charles successfully petitioned to be appointed administrator of Elizabeth’s estate. The land they had held jointly was assigned to him as his homestead exemption, likely avoiding property or estate taxes.

Charles remained on his farm in Seabeck until his death on September 5, 1931, at Olympic Hospital in Bremerton. He was seventy-four years old, and the cause of death was chronic myocarditis. His son, Charles Jr., then living in Everett, served as the informant on the death certificate. Charles’s remains were likely buried in Seabeck Cemetery alongside other members of his family, though the exact burial locations remain unknown.

 

Cecilia Mary Hobbs

Headstone GPS Coordinates: Burial Location Unknown

Birth: 14 Nov 1899, Seabeck, Kitsap County, Washington

Death: 25 Nov 1899, Seabeck, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Charles Albert Hobbs, Elizabeth Margaret Hobbs, 

Edward Hobbs

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

 

Cecilia Mary Hobbs was born on November 14, 1899, in Seabeck, Kitsap County, Washington, to William Hobbs and his wife Mary. 

Cecilia’s father, William Hobbs, had emigrated from Enfield, Middlesex, England, to the United States in the late 1880s, settling in Washington Territory. By the time of Cecilia’s birth, William and Mary were living in Seabeck, a small but growing community tied closely to logging and milling activities in the region. William’s brother, Charles Albert Hobbs, also lived nearby and was farming land in Kitsap County, making Cecilia part of a close-knit extended family in the area.

Tragically, Cecilia’s life was very brief. She died on November 25, 1899, just eleven days after her birth. Her cause of death was recorded as “convulsions,” a common but imprecise term used at the time for fatal infant illnesses. She was buried in Seabeck Cemetery, though the exact location of her grave is unknown.

 

 

John Monier Hoar, 1891-1970

Headstone GPS Coordinates: 

Birth: 23 November 1891, Lawrence, Nassau County, New York

Death: 8 February 1970, Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Evelyn Hoar née Pederson

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: Unknown

John Monier Hoar, who was often known as “Johnny,” was born in 1891 in Lawrence, Nassau County, New York. His father, James “Judge” Hoar, was listed as a miner in the 1875 New York census. By 1900, James had divorced and was living in Seabeck, Washington, with his children, John and Hattie, along with his mother, Elizabeth. John thus spent part of his youth in Washington State.

During World War I, John registered for the draft and was recorded as single. In 1918, he applied for a marriage license with Cecilia Sorley, completing an affidavit for the application. His sister Hattie and her husband, Horace Sutherland, served as witnesses. That marriage ended in divorce around 1930.

On May 12, 1931, John married Evelyn Pederson in Kitsap County, Washington. The marriage was performed by a Justice of the Peace in Port Orchard. Shortly after their marriage, John lived for several years in Valdez, Alaska, before returning to Washington. Newspaper accounts indicate the couple resided in Alaska for at least four years and possibly longer.

Around 1939, John and a business partner, Mark Lyman of Nevada, formed the Puget Sound Peat Moss Company. Contemporary newspaper coverage predicted strong prospects for the enterprise, describing it as a new industry for Kitsap County. The business was based on John’s discovery of a large peat moss bog surrounding Lake Tahuya. According to Kitsap County History (the “green Kitsap History book”), John Hoar shipped as many as 10,000 bales of peat moss in a single year and at one point employed fifteen men. Despite this early success, the business struggled due to competition from lower-priced Canadian peat moss, as well as damage caused by an earthquake that misaligned machinery and a heavy snowfall that collapsed the building.

John Hoar died in 1970 from lung cancer at the Bremerton Convalescent Center. His obituary noted that he had lived at 213 Newberry Hill Road since 1958. He was cremated, with services held locally. The late historian Fred Just recalled that John often bragged that “he was the only male Hoar in the county,” a remark that reflects both his personality and his sense of local identity.

 

Evelyn M. Hoar (née Pederson) 

Headstone GPS Coordinates: 

Birth: 12 Jul 1905, South Dakota, USA

Death: 2 Jan 1971, Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: John Hoar

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

Evelyn Pederson was born on September 12, 1905, in South Dakota to Norwegian immigrant parents, John Pederson and Rachel Holle, who had emigrated to the United States in the 1890s. She grew up in a large family, with at least six brothers and sisters.

By 1910, the Pederson family was living in Logan County, North Dakota, likely having moved there shortly after Evelyn’s birth; a younger sibling was born there around 1907. Around 1915, the family relocated again, settling in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, where they appear in the records of a local Lutheran church. By about 1923, the Pedersons had moved west to Clark County, Washington, marking Evelyn’s transition into adulthood in the Pacific Northwest.

On May 12, 1931, Evelyn married John Hoar in Kitsap County, Washington. The marriage was performed by a Justice of the Peace in Port Orchard. Following their marriage, Evelyn spent several years living in Valdez, Alaska, before returning to Washington. Newspaper accounts indicate the couple lived in Alaska for at least four years, and possibly longer, as Evelyn was residing there at the time of her mother’s death in 1937.

By the late 1930s, Evelyn had settled permanently in Washington. From 1958 onward, she lived at 213 Newberry Hill Road in Kitsap County. Evelyn remained there for the rest of her life.

Evelyn Pederson Hoar died in 1971. According to her obituary, she was cremated, with services held locally.