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William and Isabella Kirkman
William Kirkman came to Boston from Lancashire County, England as a young man in the 1850s. His goal was to sell textiles, but he was lured to California by the Gold Rush. His quest for wealth via prospecting led him also to British Columbia, Australia and Idaho. He also invested in cattle in California and drove them to Boise and in 1866 he drove a pack train of miners' supplies from Walla Walla, Washington to Montana.

William met Isabella Potts in San Francisco and they married in 1867. They moved to Idaho where William continued his interest in the cattle business. After a brief return to California, they moved to Walla Walla and made it their permanent home. William Kirkman formed a partnership in cattle with John Dooley, which was a successful one despite a heavy loss of livestock during the severe winter of 1881. William also became involved in wheat farming as well as cattle, and operated two farms.

Although he had left his family back in England, William was a regular correspondent. He sent not only letters, but sometimes gold dust to his father and stepmother. In time he was able to convince two of his brothers, James and John, to immigrate to the United States. John Kirkman involved himself in William's businesses and became active in community affairs.

William Kirkman was a generous and civic-minded man. He was a Walla Walla City officer and on the board at the Penitentiary. He and Isabella were strong supporters of education and William served on the Board of Education for the public schools. All four of the Kirkman children attended Whitman College, and William was a member of their Board of Trustees. He was involved in politics, too, and in 1892 was elected a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.

It was that same year that William, Isabella, Fanny Ann and William Henry traveled to Ireland, England and the Continent to see Isabella's parents and William's relatives, and to shop for wedding clothes for Fanny Ann's upcoming marriage. However, on the way home William Kirkman died on the train while traveling through Wisconsin. When the news of his death reached Walla Walla, the flag at the city hall was hung at half-mast. The newspaper described his funeral: "The house was crowded with sorrowing friends, as was also the yard and streets surrounding the residence."

Kirkman House Museum Website
kirkmanhousemuseum.org

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