Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-05-14
TWO SHlP-lOADS OF GIRLS.
They Went from Boston to Puget Sound
1865 and Married the Pioneers

THAT is ono Of the Mercer girls" said
Samuel Crawford, an old newspaper man
Of Seattle. as he alluded to one of the
leading ladies of the city. a dignited ma
iron OF some sixty falls.
"A Mercer girl" unused the Boston
Transcript correspondent; how long IS
girlnood protracted IN this part OF the
country ?"
"Oh, see you don't know the story OF
how two ship-loads of Boston girls camo
out TO Puget Sound thirty years ago. Some
of tho weaithiest and most representative
ladies OF the older cities of this section,
like Seattle and Olvmpis. are those same
| pluc6v New England girls that came out
and married the pioneers. We always
called them he girls, for they were the
/ first cargo of sweetmcat5 ever frelghted
| to these shores. There is no word but
girls that the old pioneers could ever
/ think of applying 10 them"
This il the current historical account OF
| the singular conditions of early days that
/ led 10 the female exodus from Boston TO
! Puget Sound IN 5000; The first settlers
who undertook to develop the country
were lumbermen from Maine and the Pro-
vinces. They were attracted TO this new
| lumber region in tho early tftles. These
/ frst-cOmers had hard enough time
getting themselves here without think
| ING of bringing wives or sending Tor
/ swecthearts TO follow them. 1t took six
months TO come overland or by snip
around the Horn. Life was hard, too.
| after they had arrived, for western Wash
/ ingtOn was a dense forest jungle. Home
| life was almost unknown. except to few
| of the pioneers who had taken unto them
! selves squaw wives from the native tribes.
/ There was not halt dozen white women
III the Sound country III the tiftles.
10 AAiELIoRATE THE COMMUNITY.
Old man Mercer beheld with regret the
| bad socia, condition of this young com
munltv. He was humanitarian. phi
/ losopher. and practical man wltha!. aud
| he conceived a great scheme. Back IN
/ old Massachusetts. where he had come
/ from. LIE knew there were mTriads OF
/ surplus girls-nice girls, pretty girls.
| educated girls-who only wanted
| chance. He would bring them out mere
| and equalize things. So he went back
| 10 Boston. chartered a ship and ntted 1t
! up comfortably. Then he advertised for
/ girls in the Boston papers. lie get forth
! the advantages of Puget Sound as coun-
/ try for Young ladies. School teachers were
/ needed there. dressmakers would have q
new field. singers and violin players could
get big prices for soirees and concerts
/ the abundance OF tho male population
I from the first families Of New England aud
! the Provinces was covertiY hlnted at.
The ads" drew. A sAip-lOa1 was soon
I secured-sixty or more. Only nominal
/ charge Of 800 or 900 for the long passage
was made. The ship set sail with only one
Young man aboard. aside from the crew.
1t was his lifelong regret that he was mar
ried Just before embarAlng on that SIX
, months voyage
In due time the ship arrived at Port
Townsend. near the entrance TO the sound.
Ihe'news quickly spread NJ the shores or
the sound that "Mcrcer's girls were
coming" and the ship was heading for
Seattle. A thrill won't through the
male community Mt Seattle. Every man
that could afford II bought new
suit of clothes-Or If he didn't have
money enough for that be got new
par Of oyeralls n blouse. livery one
had on something new. AS the ship came
N sight thew al throngcd down 10 the
wharf. Good old man Mercer saw the
tumult on tho shore and the tremulous,
frightened looks of the young ladies' and
he stood up by the railing and addressed
the hoodoos on the dock.
"srr4K TOR YouRsELT, JOHN"
My men. these young ladies are edu-
Gated. refined, New England. girls. They
have come out 10 this country 10 follow
some useful occupation. Some arc school
teachers, some drcssmeAers, and some inu-
sician- They Will make nice, pleasant So
clety for US. II any of you want them as
wives YOU must 60 about 1t IN the good Oh
way and court them as Niles Standlsh
won his Priscilla, or George WASH;
inrton got his Lady Martha. They Will
now come ashore and so to the various
homes OF the white women, where pre-
parati0ns have been made 10 receive them.
! relv upon YOU as true New England eeu-
tlemen to protect them aad make 1t plea
SAINT for them" IT was an unstudied but
elective speech. and. ike Patrick Henry's,
il turned the current OF popular feeling.
CourtshipS were short those days, but
doubtless ccrrespondIugly sweet. Every
hodv meant business. Soon oil were mar
r.sl-ah but one, and she fingered
along till the roses had faded from
her checks, and TO this day she IS
lett over. She was pretty girl
hut had q bal disposition. q sea captain
was counting her. He invited her TO take
"a horseback ride and brought tue only
available ladv's riding animal IN town.
the only good one having been engaged by
some other fellow. The pretty but pout
inc GIRL reluctantly mounted the laded'
spawned steed During an hours rue
around tue town and along, the logging
roads she said not a word to her lover. lie
never came again.
\ second ship-load Of about fifty girls
was brouaht out. That broke up old Mer-
Ger. lie had calculated too low on temaIe
consumption, weight. or somethlnc. ne
didn't realize enough on MS IrelghI' He
never quite recovered from those long
embarrassing trips. ~.
IL Is worthy OF mention that nearly
every one Of the Mercer gi:ls married
successfully.