James W. and Mary A. Ramsay: 1880 US Census - Puyallup Valley, Pierce, Co. WA

November 8, 2005

James, Mary and family are found in the Puyallup Valley Precinct in 1880. The census taker got James' age wrong (he was 19 years older than Mary). Family stories put them in the vacinity of Buckley, WA at this time raising hops and quite prosperous. Speaking of hops production in the Buckley / Enumclaw plateau here is an excerpt from Historylink.org that speaks of that era: "The plateau developed as a farming area. For some farmers, growing hops (used in beer-making) brought prosperity: In the 1880s and early 1890s the area experienced what might be called a hop craze. But then a local infestation of hop lice and a drop in the world commodity market caused many farmers to turn to dairy, and dairy farming remains a major industry. Farmers found ready markets for their produce with railroad workers and in the mining communities of Franklin, Cumberland, and Black Diamond that border on the plateau." <strong>The Stilley Family:</strong> It's interesting to note that per the 1880 Census (in the Puyallup Valley) <strong>and</strong> in the 1900 Census (near Wauconda) (the 1890 Census was lost to fire) that James and Mary were living right next to Jeremiah and Maria(h) Stilley and their large family. Mom (Julia Hamilton) writes in her family history notes that James and Mary were friends of the Stilleys and that the two families travelled together via covered wagons. Mom's notes record how when they moved from Pierce County to Wauconda in North Central, Washington they had to ford all the rivers with their wagons. They must have been very close friends to spend 25+ years as neighbors and move together.

This is one of the documents shared publicly. The complete archive — photographs, recordings, the family tree and the forum — is open to family members and invited researchers. Apply for an account or sign in.