William Christin Dewar

I never met my Grand Father Dewar. He passed decades before I was born. My Mother, Isabella Kennedy Dewar Davis, adored her Father, and he her. She was the baby of the family and she was named for several maternal icons in his family. It began with Isabella Douglas, William Christin Dewars' Grandmother, who he never met. Isabella Douglas inspired her children with her generosity, compassion and loving spirit to such a degree that five generations later, her decendents are still being named in her honor.

My Grandfather was born in Superior Wisconsin. His Mother, Christine Kennedy Dewar died in the process of delivering him. His Father Daniel Dewar was far from family on Prince Edward Island Canada. He sent his children East to be educated in Washington DC with a family named Clarke. There were 5 children: Charles, Isabella, Isabelle, Margret and William Christin. Isabella died young, Margaret and Isabelle lived their lives in the Washington DC area and Charles, a professional Engineer, helped with the design and building of portions of the Erie Canal and the railroad lines in the West. Charles was later the Mayor of a City in Wyoming and lived in Montana.

Grandfather Dewar joined his Father in St. Paul Minnesota after becoming a journalist in Washington DC. We have copies of articles he wrote for the Minnesota newspaper while a correspondant in Washington DC. He wrote of the very public execution of the assassin who killed President James Garfield and other current issues of the day.

He met and married Grand Mother Myra Lucy Snodgrass Dewar in Denver Colorado.
By 1893 they had re-located to Murray Utah where he founded the Murray American newspaper (we have a copy of the first edition). Their first son is buried in the Murray City Cemetary.

Before the turn of the Twentieth Century they located in Eureka Utah where he worked on the Eureka Reporter. Eureka was the second largest City in Utah. He founded a newspaper for Juab County and we have copies of stories from the Eureka Reporter. Grandfather was elected Justice of the Peace in Eureka. He was elected on a Socialist Party ticket. The only City in America that elected a Socialist ticket. The reason for their success was that their constituents were the Catholic, Mormon and Protestant Churches who were against drinking. He belonged to several social fraternal lodges in Eureka, The BPOE (Moose), The Woodman of the World and was a practicing Episcopalian. His most lasting quotation: "If a man is neither an Episcopalian and a Republican he is nothing". I would obviously be a double disapointment to my grandfather.

Around 1910 Grandfather relocated his wife and four children, Fredrick, Elizabeth (Aunt Beattie), Daniel and Isabella (Grandma Davis)to Salt Lake City. Grandfather worked as a type setter for the Salt Lake Tribune and completed his career in Tremonton, Utah working on their local newspaper. He would keep enough money from his weekly pay to live modestly in Tremonton and send the rest to Grandmother in Salt Lake. Often in his letters he accounts for the money and tells Grandmother to "give a dime to Belle". This made my Mom feel really special and drove Aunt Beattie crazy.

He died of pernicious enemia and is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetary. My Mother adored her Father and spoke of him often.