In 1955 Bernice Sweany Roundtree Dawley and her mother, Eliza Harris Sweany, compiled a book, revised in 1976, called "Baw Faw; A Genealogy with History Included 1850-1976." Dawley, who gathered much of this information from her family, wrote the following, "The Boistfort Valley was first called Baw Faw Prairie, then Boisfort and finally, Boistfort. The French word, Boisfort, pronounced something like 'bawfaw,' means a small valley surrounded by green hills. This described the prairie at the time the first white settlers arrived in the spring of 1852."
No matter how I try and make Boisfort sound like "bawfaw," I can't. Having taken some French classes in high school and college, and having lived in Boise, Idaho for a while, I know this: Boise's legend has pioneers coming in from the desert to that valley exclaiming "Le Boise, Le Boise," or the trees, the trees. Boise is pronounced (boy see), but le boise is pronounced "luh bwa," which means the woods or the forest.
By the way, that surplus "t" in Boistfort was probably added by map makers, according to Robert Hitchman in "Place names of Washington." At any rate, Boistfort Valley is located in Lewis County, about 14 miles southwest of Chehalis.
"Among the early pioneers life was hard," writes Dawley. "Accidents were tragic, and the death rate was high. The large mound of earth on the Buchanan Claim, rising about 40 feet out of the otherwise nearly level prairie, made an ideal burial place. It was used by all the white people until the farm where the mound is located was sold in 1887 to John Hutchinson, who immediately refused to allow more burials on his lands or entrance by relatives and friends."
This is where we're introduced to one Edward Harris, a Boistfort resident for 58 years, who is one of those buried on the Buchanan claim. Harris was born in Quincy Mass. and served in the Civil War in Company H, 14th New Hampshire Infantry from Aug. 20, 1863 to June 13, 1865.
According to Harris' April 6, 1928 obituary, found in the Lewis County Historical Museum files, we learn that "He was wounded at the battle of Winchester in September, 1864, while fighting under Sheridan."
His obituary goes on to report that Harris was married May 28, 1872 to Miss Mary Lucinda Brewer (Roundtree) Harris, a widow, who died before him. The couple had three children, Henry Harris, Eliza Harris Sweany and Charles Harris. There were also four stepchildren "to whom Mr. Harris was a kind and loving father."
The obituary continues: "Mr. Harris was a devout member of the Christian church and always active in its affairs. He had made considerable study of medicine and nursing and in the early days of the country had ministered unto the sick or those in trouble for their bodily or spiritual welfare."
According to Dawley, "My Grandfather Harris, who came to the valley in 1866, had had some experience nursing in a Boston hospital after being wounded in the Civil War. He saw cases in need of medical care at Boistfort but there was no doctor.
"Before Chehalis had a doctor, word had to be taken by horseback fifty miles to Olympia and hours were needed to make the long trip. Then perhaps the doctor would be drunk or out of town." Sweany relates a story about a medical emergency her husband's family was involved in.
She wrote, "Orville's grandfather, Perry Roundtree, made the hurried trip to save a life in 1869, and when he found the doctor drunk, he tied him on a horse and brought him anyway. He was pretty well sobered up when they arrived back in Boistfort."
"All manner of illnesses and accidents were presented to Edward Harris for relief. He was sent for once when Joe Moon was in distress with more than half and inch of the end of his nose missing. 'Where is it?' demanded Mr. Harris. 'I cut it off with the axe, it must be around the chopping block somewhere.' 'Get it quick!' Somebody did, and it was carefully washed and disinfected, and then put back in its rightful place.
"Mr. Harris used court plaster (no adhesive tape yet) to make it stay in place and inserted small rolls of paper in each nostril to keep them open and straight. The piece of nose grew back on, and Joe said his nose looked even better than before."
Dawley ended her discourse on Harris by writing, "Many cases of pneumonia, typhoid, polio, etc., were successfully cured. He removed an extra thumb for a child. He was in demand for miles around as an expert on typhoid fever, including the Centralia typhoid epidemic. Two far advanced cases, practically dying when he was summoned, were the only ones he ever lost with typhoid among scores of cases.
"The main remedy was Thompson's Fever Syrup coupled with good nursing care."
Notes written by Sarah Elvira Brewer, another Harris grandchild, is titled "Grandpa Harris & the Fever Syrup." In it Sarah writes, "Grandpa (Edward) Harris helped many people. One of his most effective medicines was Thompson's Fever Syrup. He saved many lives and stopped epidemics. In fact he never lost a typhoid patient if he were called in time. This special fever syrup was from a complicated recipe that took tedious tending and stirring while cooking."
Harris and a pharmacist found a fever syrup (ingredients unknown) in a book written by a man named Thompson, but it wasn't in time to save one "Aunt Sarah" who had been sick before the men got the fever syrup ready.
Although Aunt Sarah "did not respond sufficiently to the treatment," and "although she died," writes Brewer, "the other members of the family were saved.
Pat Jones is The Chronicle's lifestyle editor. She may be reached by e-mail at pjones@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8226.
