Sofie Hallier, 1885-1888

Headstone GPS Coordinates: 

Birth: 1885, Quilcene, Jefferson County, Washington      

Death: 16 Sep 1888, Quilcene, Jefferson County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: 

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

Sofie Hallier was born in 1885 in Quilcene, Jefferson County, Washington, to Charles Hallier and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Abbott. Before her marriage to Charles in 1883, Elizabeth had a son named Fred. Sofie was the third of twelve children born into the Hallier family.

Sofie’s ancestry reflected a rich cultural heritage, including German, English, and one-quarter Haida Alaskan Native lineage. Her father, Charles Hallier, was born in Germany and later settled in Jefferson County. He married Elizabeth Abbott, the daughter of fur trader Billy Abbott, who was originally from England. Elizabeth’s mother, known as Kate Berry, was a full-blooded Alaskan Haida Native.

In 1882, Charles Hallier worked for Jacob Hauptly in Colseed (present-day Quilcene), where he was employed on a cattle ranch performing farm labor such as hauling hay and digging ditches.

Tragically, Sofie died on September 16, 1888, at just three years of age, after suffering fatal burns in a fire at her family home in Quilcene. Her death was reported in The Puget Sound Weekly Argus on September 27, which stated:

“One of Chas. (Charles) Hallier’s children burned to death last Friday—cause—playing with matches. Buried yesterday, Rev. N. V. Rice officiating.”

Sofie’s grave was originally marked with a small upright obelisk headstone; however, only the base remains today. A newspaper photograph from 1971 shows the intact stone standing to the right of the Johnson family headstones.