Two photos of siblings. These are from the C. W. Yearborough of Goldendale, Washington.

The first has on the back in black ink "This is Earles picture I sent you Jack will tell you they are good of them and they are just as good as the pictures too. with love Dora." Also on the back in blue and black ink "son of Dora Smith[,] Surptong[?], Wash. nice of Grandma Wallis."

Earl Smith AKA Earl Henry Meier.

The second photo on the back in black ink "Dear Aunt this is Jessies picture I will send you it looks just like her with love to Aunt. Dora." In blue ink " Jessie Smith daughter of Dora Smith[,] Alderdale, Washington. Grandma Wallis's niece.

Jessie Smith AKA Jessie Laura (Meier) Allison.



This was harder than I expected. I searched for Earl Smith, son of Dora and Jessie Smith, daughter of Dora in both Ancestry Family Trees and the US censuses. Nothing turned up.

Then I searched all of the records for a Smith in Alderdale, Klickitat County, Washington. There were 35 entries. As I scrolled down I saw an Isadora Smith, living in Alderdale in 1940. Could Dora be Isadora? She was a 65-year-old woman living with her husband Arthur Jan Smith. Linked records included other census records. In 1900, Arthur J. and Dora Smith lived in Gaunt, Klickitat County with Arthur's stepchildren Jessie L. Myres (age 2) and Henry E. Myres (age 5). In 1910, Arthur J. and Isidore Smith lived in Gaunt. with Arthur's stepchildren, Jessie L. Miers (age 18) and Earl H. Miers (age 14).

Isadora's entry on Findagrave indicates she was Isadora (Thurston)(Meier) Smith, born in 1875 in Corning, Adams County, Iowa, and died on 4 September 1951 in Alderdale. She was buried in the Prosser Cemetery in Prosser, Benton County, Washington.

Earl Henry Meier was born on 14 April 1895 in Cedar Valley, Snohomish County, Washington, was married to Cynthia Jane Hurn, and died on 14 September 1967 in Flathead County, Montana. He was buried in the Glacier Memorial Gardens in Kalispell, Flathead County.

His obituary appeared in The Missoulian (Missoula, Montana) on 16 September 1967 (page 10, column 6). 


I then searched in Ancestry Family Trees for Earl Meier who died in 1967. Once I located him I was able to locate his sister, Jessie Laura Meier, who was born on 5 March 1892 in Fairport, Kansas, married Orestes Neil Allison, and died on 1 November 1940 at Oroville, Butte County, California. A photo on the family tree was of a slightly older Jessie. Her father was John Henry Meier (her parents divorced when she was a child).  Jessie was buried in the Old Oroville Cemetery in Oroville.

Her obituary appeared in the Oroville Mercury Register on 2 November 1940 (page 2, column 5).


How was Grandma Wallis related to these two. On Ancestry Family Tree it turned out that Arthur James Smith's mother was Sarah Ann (Wallis) Smith. The connection is through their stepfather's family.

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