The Washington State Library has a large collection of historic Washington-related books, manuscripts and newspapers. Among its often-overlooked microfilm collection is a fascinating scrapbook put together by Jessie Hartsuck Scott (1882-1967), a woman from rural South Union, Thurston County.
Who Was Jessie Hartsuck?
Jessie May Hartsuck was born on June 24, 1882, to Charles (1861-1924) and Arminda “Minnie” Hartsuck (1861-1943) in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Siblings were Mollie (1884-1956), Benjamin (1886-1948) and David (1888-1969). In 1887 the family moved to Washington where Charles – former Indian Agent at Independence, Missouri – worked as superintendent of farm work at the Chehalis Indian School.
In 1892, Charles decided to relocate to Thurston County to join his father Benjamin Hartsuck (1832-1905). Benjamin, who had been drafted into the Confederate army during the Civil War but escaped to the North from Texas via a 1,500-mile route through Mexico, established Olympia’s first architectural firm.
Charles’ family settled on a farm at South Union, south of Olympia. “My sister and I,” Jessie remembered fondly in “The South Union Story,” “were tucked in securely from the rain and wind down behind the spring seat” listening to their father talk with a neighbor. Peeking out from the tarpaulin they beheld the small community of homes, farms, and community buildings. It soon felt like home.
Jessie attended the South Union School and graduated from Olympia’s Providence Academy in 1901. After taking a test, she became a teacher. She taught in Thurston and Mason counties at Rocky Prairie and Lilliwaup, before furthering her education at Olympia Collegiate Institute.
She returned to teach at Matlock, Satsop and Brighton Park. Then Jessie quit to work as a clerk in the Olympia Post Office. After a few years she decided to go back to school, enrolling at Colorado Teachers College. Jessie taught at a night school in Olympia before attending Bellingham Normal School (now Western Washington University). After graduation, she taught at Ridgefield.
Jessie married Robert Norman Kelsey in 1915. The couple moved to Oregon. Robert tragically died of the pandemic flu in 1918. Jessie returned to South Union.
A year later she married John “Jack” Randall. The couple moved to Seattle. Jessie taught at the Redondo School, eventually returning to South Union. The Randalls divorced in 1933.
Jessie married John “Jack” Scott in 1934. He passed away a few years later.
Jessie’s Scrapbook at the Washington State Library
Jessie lent her scrapbook to be microfilmed by the Washington State Library in 1963. The reel can be divided into five parts.
The first section is the transcribed diary of her aunt Anne Connor, one of the famous Mercer Girls. Jessie penned the second section herself, “The Sugar Bowl Tells Its Story.” It is a short story about Anne’s voyage to Seattle.
The third section of the scrapbook, “Early Days and Pioneers of Olympia, Washington” forms the bulk of the reel. It consists of a collection of newspaper clippings and photographs.
Jessie collected articles by local historians and reminiscences by old-timers. She clipped others about pioneer and old-timer reunions, many of which she attended herself as a member of the South Union Pioneer Association. Jessie also gathered obituaries of prominent county residents.
While searchable newspaper databases might make this sort of collection seem obsolete, Jessie’s scrapbooks remain fascinating. A database is good at finding things, but not at suggesting topics. In my own research, it has often been the article I wasn’t looking for that has sparked my next research project. Scrolling through her scrapbook is like taking a step back in time.
“Her Book,” the fifth and final part of Jessie’s scrapbook contains personal papers and family photos. Jessie saved everything from graduation programs to her teaching certificates and contracts.
Jessie included historic documents from events she, most likely, attended such as the dedication program for Olympia’s Legion Hall and programs for 1919 and 1921 Chautauquas. She saved the December 1905 issue of the “Western Independent,” student newspaper of People’s University. She also included some of her amateur poetry, including “The Romantic 1920s,” a love poem for her second husband.
The South Union Story
Perhaps of most interest to historians is section four, Jessie’s book within her scrapbook: “The South Union Story.” It is not clear when she wrote it, but the Daily Olympian has an article about her reading sections of the manuscript at the 1962 annual South Union reunion.
The book is focused on the families of South Union, Jessie’s longtime neighbors. From the Abbotts to the Wests, she shared each family’s story. Jessie supplemented the text with newspaper clippings and family photos.
Besides families, Jessie also documented the pillars of the South Union community: the school, community church and ladies’ club. Jessie had attended the school and was a member of the others.
Jessie intended this book to be a tribute to the people of the community she had long called home. She hoped, she wrote in the introduction, that it would, “bring back beautiful memories and encouraging memories and a desire to leave something substantial for those who follow us, as we follow our forefathers.”
A South Union Legacy
Jessie passed away at the Capitol Arms Nursing Home in Olympia on January 29, 1967. Throughout her long and varied life, Jessie always found her way back to South Union. Perhaps through her scrapbook, this teacher can still teach us about the place she had long called home.
