The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 534

H. A. SHAW.

H. A. Shaw, manager of the undertaking business of Shaw & Sons at Yakima, was
born on the 23d of February, 1883, in the city where he still makes his home,
his parents being A. J. and Alice (Hawkins) Shaw. The latter, a native of
Washington, was born near Vancouver. The father wag born in Oregon, a son of
William Shaw, of southern Illinois, who crossed the plains in 1853 and located
in Oregon. He and his family suffered many hardships incident to the settlement
of the frontier. At one time, while crossing the plains, they nearly died from a
lack of water and it was only after suffering extreme privations and enduring
almost untold hardships that they reached their destination. The grandfather
moved into the Yakima valley in the later '70s and took up government land. The
family built the Shaw ditch in an early day, this being one of the first
irrigation projects of the section. Outside of business A. J. Shaw was prominent
in public affairs. He served as sheriff of Yakima county in 1897 and 1898 and
later filled the position of mayor of the city. He did much to promote
progressive movements during that period, resulting to the benefit and
upbuilding of the community. He is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order
of Elks and of the Modern Woodmen of America. One of the pioneers of the valley,
he has done much to develop its interests and promote its growth in many ways.
His father and three of his brothers, as well as himself, took up a homestead
about four miles west from the present site of Yakima and now owned by the
Congdon estate; and there they became pioneers in the reclamation of the
district for the purposes of civilization.

H. A. Shaw, whose name introduces this review, acquired a public school
education and after his graduation from the high school of Yakima attended a
business college at Seattle. He also spent two years in the State university as
a student of civil engineering and then joined his father in business. The firm
of Shaw & Sons, undertakers, was established in 1905 as successors to the North
Yakima Furniture Company, which was established in 1899 by Andrew Jackson Shaw
at No. 15 Fast Yakima avenue, who there opened a general furniture and
undertaking business. Later a removal was made to the corner of Third street
and East Yakima avenue and the next location of the firm was at Nos. 16 to 20
North Second street, where they continued until 1914. In that year the business
was removed to Second and B streets. In 1908 the firm closed out the furniture
department and concentrated upon the undertaking business, for the conduct of
which they utilize a large corner residence in the midst of beautiful grounds.
Their place contains a chapel with a seating capacity for one hundred and fifty
and they have operating rooms on the ground floor, with display rooms on the
second floor. The firm has an auto hearse, an ambulance and touring cars for use
at funerals. The father, A. J. Shaw, who was the founder of the business,
retired in 1908 and is now living in Toppenish, Washington. He was succeeded in
the management by H. A. Shaw, who has since continued at the head. He is
thoroughly familiar with every branch of the business and utilizes the most
scientific methods in the care of the dead. Those who know him, and he has many
friends, esteem him as a man of genuine worth and one whose enterprise has
brought him steadily to the front in the line of his chosen endeavor.
In 1907, H. A. Shaw was united in marriage to Miss Dora Bradfield, of Tacoma,
and to them have been born four children; Stanley, Elizabeth, Gilbert and
Herbert A., Jr. The personnel of the firm of Shaw & Sons is as follows: Mrs.
Alice Shaw, mother of H. A. Shaw; and Lester S. Shaw, in connection with the
subject of this review. Lester S. Shaw is now in the quartermaster's department
of the United States army. He was graduated from the Yakima high school and has
been with the business since a boy. In addition to his other business interests
H. A. Shaw has a fine fruit and hay ranch, which is carefully developed and
cultivated and brings to him a good income annually.

Mr. Shaw is a Royal Arch Mason, belonging to the Yakima lodge and chapter. He is
also connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of
Pythias lodge, in which he is a past chancellor commander, and the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. He likewise belongs to the Country Club and the Commercial
Club, while his political allegiance is given to the democratic party. As a
representative of one of the pioneer families of this section of the state he
deserves mention, but more than that is entitled to representation in this
volume as one of the progressive business men and loyal citizens. He is
interested in all that has to do with public welfare and belongs to that class
of men whose substantial worth is manifest not in any spectacular phase but in
the daily performance of duty and in the constant and reliable support of men
and measures that are seeking to bring about the public good.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.