The Final Chapter for a Lewis County Pioneer
A veteran of the Indian wars and a founding figure in Centralia passes away, leaving behind a legacy tied to the early settlement of the region.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
James Tullis, an old pioneer of Lewis county, died yesterday morning at 1 o'clock of lung trouble. The funeral occurred this afternoon, Rev. B. Parsons, of the Presbyterian church, officiating. James Tullis was a native of Rush county, Ind., where he was born on December 19, 1831. He moved from Indiana to Iowa in 1840, where he resided till the year 1850, when he started for the Pacific coast. He arrived in Washington territory in September, 1853, and settled in Lewis county, which then comprised the territory north of the Columbia river to the British Columbia line. During the Indian war of 1855, Mr. Tullis was lieutenant in Capt. Wm. Shaw's company of volunteers. After the close of Indian war, he settled on 320 acres of land, a part of which is now the City of Centralia, where he has since resided.
“He arrived in Washington territory in September, 1853, and settled in Lewis county... After the close of Indian war, he settled on 320 acres of land, a part of which is now the City of Centralia.”
Tullis was one of the early settlers whose land claims helped define the geography of Centralia. These pioneer biographies are essential for understanding the transition from Indigenous lands to the settled towns of the Washington Territory.
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