"An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties."  Interstate
Publishing Company, 1906.  p. 757.
 
WILLIAM A. DAWSON

     a pioneer of 1877, has participated in the development and progress of
Skagit county, beginning his individual operations in the days that preceded the
removal of the famous Skagit river log jam, over which as a young man he made
his first crossing of the Skagit. Mr. Dawson was born in Gordon county, Georgia,
June 2, 1859, the son of Ratliffe Boone Dawson, named after the famous old
pioneer of Kentucky, Daniel Boone, who was a cousin of his mother. The elder
Dawson was a farmer in his early days, but espoused the cause of the Confederacy
during the Civil War and served through the great conflict with the Third
Georgia Volunteers, closing his army career under Lee at Appomattox, and
returning to his Georgia farm after the surrender. In 1877 he came to Washington
and he remained here for eight years, ultimately going back to Georgia, where he
still resides. Mrs. Mary (Terrell) Dawson, mother of our subject, is one of the
old Talt Terrell family, well known in Georgia, and is still living, the mother
of nine children, of whom William A. is the oldest. William lived at home until 
he was twenty-one years of age, coming to Washington with his parents, but
declining to return with them. They had bought two hundred and twenty acres of
land here, and after they had sold out he determined to remain. He bought an
acre of ground a half mile west of Bow, on which he is still living, and from
which, as a center, he conducts his logging operations. Soon after his parents
returned to Georgia, Mr. Dawson commenced logging, and during two later years he
conducted logging operations in a camp of his own near Edison. He has followed
logging ever since, his yearly output sometimes reaching as high as three
million feet.
     In 1884 Mr. Dawson married Miss Jennie Walker, a native of Canada and the
daughter of Andrew P. Walker, who was of Scotch birth, and all of whose brothers
became officers of the British army. Mr. Walker was but a lad when his parents
removed to Canada. He grew up there, but spent some tune in Minnesota, and
ultimately came to Washington, where he died in 1884. Mrs. Eliza T. (Bingham)
Walker, mother of Mrs. Dawson, is a native of Canada, and the daughter of Andrew
P. Walker, who was of Scotch birth, and all of whose brothers became officers of
the British army.  Mr. Walker was but a lad when his parents removed to Canada.
He grew up there, but spent some time in Minnesota, and ultimately came to
Washington, where he died in 1884.  Mrs. Eliza J. (Bingham) Walker, mother of
Mrs. Dawson, is a native of Canada, and at present is residing in Anacortes,
having since the demise of her first husband married B. C. Ranous of that city.
Mr. and Mrs. Dawson have five children:  D. Ray, Rexford P., Maxwell B., Ruby E.
and Ralph F.  Mr. Dawson is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, he and
Mrs. Dawson belonging also to the Pioneer Association. In politics he is a
Democrat. He is a man respected in the neighborhood and recognized by his
business associates as one who has business ability and business integrity.
During a residence in Skagit county of more than a quarter of a century he has
applied his energies almost exclusively to the development of the one industry
in which he is now engaged. He has demonstrated his ability not only to master
the details of his business, but so to manage it that it will yield its
largest returns. His name must ever be linked with those of the pioneers of this
section who found it a primeval forest and have converted it into a habitable
region, with its homes, farms, towns, cities and innumerable industries.

     
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Submitted to the Washington Biographies Project in May 2008 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.