"Roundtrees Are Real Pioneers"
The Post-Intelligencer this morning contained an interesting story of the lives of Mr. and Mrs. P. H. Roundtree, pioneer residents of Lewis county, residing at Klaber. Mr. Roundtree was born in Illinois in 1843 and came to Washington in 1859. Mrs. Roundtree was born in Charlton county, Missouri, on February 10, 1849, and arrived in Polk county, Oregon, in September, 1852. Her parents, of French and English extraction, were James Cooper and Hester Ann (Moxtry) Cooper.
Miss Minerva Jane Cooper, she was married to Mr. Roundtree on December 24, 1865. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1915, when all their surviving children were present as follows: John A. Roundtree, of Klaber; William J. Roundtree, of Curtis; Harvey L. Roundtree, of New Kamilche; Allie (Mrs. Daniels) of Klaber; Charles P. Roundtree, of Klaber; Albert F. Roundtree, of Klaber.
Mrs. Roundtree remembers that she carded wool, spun the yarn and knitted socks and mittens. She says she has continued the same old work for her children and her children's children.
On April 4, 1919, the Union high school of Boistfort was dedicated. It is erected near the site of the first public school organized in the new territory of Washington. In that original school there were only six pupils. At the recent dedication nearly sixty years later, three of the first six pupils were present: Mr. P. H. Roundtree, Mrs. J. J. Weaver, of Centralia, and Mr. Jay Stillman of Puyallup.
During the twenty-five years in which Mr. Roundtree spent the winters in hunting and trapping, he made a canoe trip with George Hogue from Boistfort to Grays Harbor in 1860. They had to make many portages over drifts in the river. In 1863 he built the first derrick on the north beach of Grays harbor. From that derrick, they shot the wary sea otters as they approached the shore. Some years later Mr. Roundtree saw pictures of his hunting device in the school geographies. When he built the derrick (1863) the James brothers were living seven miles below at Red Rock; J. A. Karr and Mr. Campbell were at Hoquiam; Mr. Byles and Mr. Carter were at Cosmopolis; Aberdeen was still in the brush.
Mr. and Mrs. Roundtree still live on the old homestead on Boistfort plains.
Source: The Centralia Daily Chronicle, 30 Apr 1919, page 5.
Transcribed by Diana Smith. She has no further information on this individual.