"Early History of Thurston County, Washington; Together with Biographies and Reminiscences of those Identified with Pioneer Days." Compiled and Edited by Mrs. George E. (Georgiana) Blankenship. Published in Olympia, Washington, 1914. p. 316. DAVID T. DREWRY Living in peace, contentment and plenty on the magnificent farm where they have made their home for the past fifty odd years, was found Mr. and Mrs. David T. Drewry when the compiler was on the quest of genuine pioneers, as surely this venerable couple could be so designated as Mr. Drewry arrived in the year 1853 and his wife probably a couple of years later, the memories of the two were a little vague and indistinct in regard to exact dates, but they both knew they came here while the entire country was all but an unbroken wilderness and through their youthful pluck and energy they certainly performed well their share in making at least their own holding's bloom and flourish. Well kept fields reaching for long stretches along the county road, a fine garden spot, flowers, and thoroughly modern farm house are there today as witnesses of the thrift and industry of the couple, young and in the freshness of youth when their life was started on the farm a half century ago, and now as the shadows of life's evening approach, waiting with cheerfulness and serenity for the night to fall; happy in their children, grandchildren, and with a mutual love and dependence upon each other that was very touching to witness. D. T. Drewry came to this country as the driver of one of Col. Wm. Cock's ox teams from their old home in Missouri where his boyhood had been spent, although the young man was a native of Kentucky but having been left an orphan at a very early age, had been adopted by an uncle living in Missouri. The lad was but seventeen years of age when the trip was started and although the journey was made in the regulation way of travel in those days, over the old Oregon trail with ox teams, Col. Cock with his family was so well equipped for the trip, his oxen were so well fed and cared for that only ninety traveling days were consumed from the time the start was made from Missouri till the Willamette valley was reached, an unusually short time in those days. They had no sickness, no trouble with the Indians and no particular disasters to delay them from reaching their destination. After spending the winter in the Willamette valley, Col. Cock decided to come on to Puget Sound, and indeed, this point had been where he had originally intended reaching when he made up his mind to emigrate. All places in the West looked alike to the young David so he came along with his friends. Col. Cock opened and, for several years, was proprietor of the historic hotel known as the Pacific House and Drewry assisted him in the work about the place for several years. When the Indian war of 1855-56 broke out Drewry was made wagon master of a train of thirty wagons chartered by the government to haul supplies from the Cowlitz landing to the Puyallup valley, where the troops were encamped. Although the young man was never in an actual engagement with the enemy, his train was at one time so close to the White River battle that the men could distinctly hear the reports of the guns and shouts of the men. The teamsters corralled their wagons and waited for some time, expecting an attack, but they were not molested. Mr. Drewry recalls being at one time a schoolmate of John Miller Murphy, with a Mr. Cornelius as their teacher. "They don't have such teachers now," said the old man, as he began musing over those vanished days, "and they don't have as good times as they used to either. In those days we were all like one big family, dancing on the slightest provocation, and how we did use to dance, none of your silly jigs and whirlings that the young folks seem to think is the thing now. We boys were glad to pay $5 a ticket to a dance. We took our best girls and danced quadrilles, polkas and waltzes all the afternoon and all night. Dances were dances in those, days, too, with a big supper of ham sandwiches, home-made cakes and pies and gallons of coffee thrown in at midnight. "When I first came to Olympia the white women I can remember were Sarah Yantis, Jerusha Hays, Mrs. Scott, Charlotte and Lucy Barnes, Mrs. Cock and her three daughters, Carrie, Annie and Roxie, and Mrs. George Barnes. There may have been a few others but my memory fails me." Mrs. Drewry, when but a young girl of fourteen years of age arrived in Olympia with her parents from her home in New York City. Their trip was by way of the Isthmus and they were among the passengers on the first train connecting the Atlantic and Pacific over the route of the now Panama Canal. They had the hardship of having to take their choice of walking or riding a mule over a considerable gap in the road which was considered unsafe for the little cars to cross owing to the settling of the earth under the ties. A brother of Emaline Weed, as Mrs. Drewry was then known, Charles Weed. had preceded his family to Puget Sound and wrote back to his mother, urging her to join him in this land of golden opportunities. His advise to his mother, while good in the main, was faulty in the respect that he told her not to bother to bring any furniture or supplies with her on the long trip as everything could be procured here. Mrs. Weed followed her son's advise, but upon her arrival in Olympia discovered that what women and girls considered absolute necessaries a young man accustomed to a frontier life had grown to regard as perfectly dispensable luxuries. Bedding, pillows, cooking utensils and every kind of conveniences were impossible to buy. Mrs. Weed was delighted to procure a few bird's feathers from an Indian squaw which she enclosed in some articles of white clothing to make their first pillows. The first apples the family could obtain were given them by Mr. George Bush, who by that time had a fine orchard in bearing. The Bush and Drewry families in latter years became neighbors and firm friends, as the Weed family bought a piece of land on the Des Chutes river near the Bush place and lived there till the marriage of Emaline to young Drewry in 1858. Soon after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Drewry bought the place on which they still live, but which was originally the Jones homestead. Here their children were born and from there were carried forth three of their children, never to return, Harvey, Carrie and Frederick, their baby. Although Carrie and Frederick were taken while still of a tender age, the death of their son, Harvey, in 1911, was a crushing blow to the parents, now growing old and dependent upon their children for love and care. He was a young man, full of life and vigor, with a wife and children to cherish and protect, when he met with an instantaneous death while working in the field. Of the remaining sons, the eldest, Almond, has a handsome country home within a few rods from the old home and the youngest son, Edward V., with his family, lives with his parents in order to give the old couple the care and attention they need and which only loving hands can give them as the wife and mother has lost the sight of her eyes and is entirely blind. Her husband and children have surrounded her with every comfort and convenience and take delight in filling the remaining days with all the pleasure and happiness within their power to bestow. ******************* Submitted to the Washington Bios. Project in May 2007 by Diana Smith. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.