An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL. 1893 A portrait of Mr. Mercer appears between
pages 588 and 589

JUDGE THOMAS MERCER, one of the few living pioneers who were identified with the
early history of Seattle, was born in Mercersburg, Ohio, March 11, 1813, and was
the eldest son of Aaron and Jane (Dickerson) Mercer, natives of Virginia and
Pennsylvania, respectively. Aaron Mercer removed to Ohio in boyhood, being among
the pioneers of that country. He learned the process of manufacturing woolen
cloths and blankets and then operated his own factory very successfully for a
number of years. In 1834 he was among the pioneer settlers at Princeton, Bureau
county, Illinois, and there spent the remainder of his life. Fourteen children
were born of this marriage and six of the number are still living, Thomas being
the first born. His education was chiefly in the school of necessity. As labor
was the chief occupation of the pioneer, and in the noble army of workers Judge
Mercer has been arrayed throughout his life, he was a bright, active boy, quick
in mathematics and mechanical work. His boyhood was passed in the factory of his
father, and with his systematic methods and recognized ability he became foreman
at the age of fourteen years and operated the factory up to 1834, when the
family removed to Illinois and engaged in fanning. In 1830 young Mercer started
a store in a little, old, log cabin in Princeton, and this enterprise he
prosecuted for one year, abandoning it then because of the close confinement
entailed. He then returned to agricultural life. In 1837 he took an active part
in the division of Putnam county, and the organization of Bureau county, and
incidental to his efforts in this connection, in visiting different localities,
he killed a valuable horse by rapid driving. With the organization of the new
county, he was elected the first County Clerk, but as the revenue yielded was
but twenty-five cents per day he soon turned over the office to other parties.
Our subject was married in Princeton, in 1838, to Miss Nancy Brigham, a native
of New Hampshire. He then continued farming up to 1851, when he sold out,
settled up his affairs, and in April, 1852, with his wife and four children,
left his Illinois home, and with horse teams crossed the plains to Oregon. In
the same train were Dexter Horton and William H. Shondy, both of Seattle. The
usual adventures were encountered by the emigrants, but they met no disasters
until they reached the Dalles, where Mrs. Mercer was taken sick, and at the
Cascades she passed on to the other world, leaving a bereaved husband and four
small children, the eldest being not quite fourteen years old. The following
winter was passed in Salem, where Mr. Mercer purchased one-half interest in a
blacksmith shop and worked from six A.M. to eleven P.M. Flour was forty dollars
per barrel and all other provisions in proportion. In the summer of 1853 he
removed his little ones to Puget Sound, traveling by boat to the Cowlitz river
and then driving to Olympia, the trail being almost impassable. From Olympia he
drove to Steilacoom, and there by boat to Seattle, arriving here August 25,
1853. He took up a claim of 150 acres, adjoining that of D.T. Denny, all of
which is now within the city limits. He brought to the primitive town the same
team of horses which had transported him safely across the plains, and his was
the first wagon brought to the town. His claim being situated back from the
water, the young men turned out and assisted in cutting a trail wide enough for
his wagon to pass through to his ranch, and for a number of years he did the
teaming for the town. In 1854 he built a box house, securing lumber from
Yesler's mill. This house was somewhat open to the light of day, but it afforded
protection and was soon improved. Part of his claim, being bottom land, was soon
cleared, and the second year he raised in hay, oats and vegetables, sufficient
to provide for his family and stock. Mr. Mercer was a hard worker and was
progressive in his ideas, and soon became the leading farmer of the community.
For seven years he was mother, father and protector to his family of little
ones, all of whom grew to maturity, and three of whom are still living: Mary J.,
wife of Henry Parsons; Susan, wife of David Graham; Alice, wife of Clarence B.
Bagley. In 1859, Mr. Mercer was married, in Salem, Oregon, to Miss Loretta H.
Ward, of Kentucky, daughter of Jesse Ward, a pioneer of 1853; and returning to
Seattle he continued his agricultural life. With the organization of King
county, in 1854, Mr. Mercer was appointed one of the first Commissioners, and in
1858 he was elected Probate Judge and held the position for ten consecutive
years. With the increased settlement of the town and demand for residence
property, Mr. Mercer platted the town of Eden and later that of West Seattle,
from the sales of which he has realized a considerable fortune. He still retains
a part of his original claim, which has increased to a value far beyond his
fondest dreams. It fell to the lot of Mr. Mercer to name those beautiful lakes
now the pride of Seattle. In an address delivered at a picnic in 1854 he
suggested that the greater be called Lake Washington, after the father of our
country, and the lesser be called Union, as the probable future connection
between the two great salt and fresh water bodies. In 1883, he built his present
commodious residence overlooking the modest cottage which was built in 1854, and
which he still cherishes as a relic of the past. The home also commands a view
of the great city which he has so materially aided in developing. He has always
been an enthusiastic believer in Seattle's destiny as the metropolis of the
great northwest, and upon every occasion has done his share to promote the
city's good. His life has been a quiet and peaceful one, guided by a high sense
of honor, and his present prosperity is chiefly enjoyed because of the
possibilities of increasing his charities and deeds of benevolence.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in January 2004 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.