In 1899, John S. Brace and Frank Hergert, purchased the Western Mill on the southern shore of Lake Union from it's founder, early Seattle settler David Thomas Denny (1832-1903). They had both previously been employed at the mill, and lived in the small community that had grown up around the mill. They changed the mill's name to Brace & Hergert, but unfortunately a fire destroyed the mill in 1909. The mill was then rebuilt on new landfill located north of Valley Street and continued under the ownership of Brace and Hergert until 1921.
This receipt for an order of 1 x 4 lumber is dated April 10, 1911, and was purchased by Mrs. A. E. Griffiths. The receipt lists J. S. Brace as President, Frank Hergert as Secretary and Treasurer, and K. F. Brace as Vice President, and includes an engraving of the mill in the letterhead. The back of the receipt shows a detailed map of Seattle stretching about four miles in all directions from the mill.
In 1880, Ella Montgomery (1866-1944) married Austin E. Griffiths (1864-1952) in York, Nebraska. Shortly after, the couple moved west to Arlington, Oregon, then lived in Montesano, Washington. They settled in Seattle in 1897, where Austin, a lawyer, became a King County Superior Court Judge, Seattle City Councilmember, and the Chief of Police.
Caption source information: "Austin Griffiths, Civic Leader, Taken by Death," The Seattle Daily Times, July 3, 1952.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
