A 1987 Thanksgiving Poem of Memories

San Juan Historical Museum checks in with the November edition of their History Column…

John W. King and his wife Marcia Dightman King – SJ Historical Society photo

“Your grandma used to tell me about the land,
every bit these young people cleared by hand.”

This was a King family memory included in a poem read on Thanksgiving Day thirty years ago at the Friday Harbor Grange Hall, where many King family members had gathered. That day, Helen Senior King shared family stories as told to her by John W. King and his wife Marcia Dightman King, pictured here. Even though John and Marcia had passed away long before, in the 1950s, stories from their early island years were preserved in the poem and in family reminiscence.

“She would take the baby, put him in a box
to keep him in safety while they hauled rocks.”

Not all family history is found in census records and birth certificates. Some is found in poems and journals. The San Juan Historical Society archives include collections of family memorabilia, large and small, but all important.

As this is the month of Thanksgiving, we would like to express our thanks for the generosity of island families who have shared their histories with us over the years. Let’s plan for the future and continue to preserve today’s family memories. After all, it’s history in the making.

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