Colman and Pierce families papers, 1872-1990

Overview of the Collection

Collector
Colman family ; ; Pierce family
Title
Colman and Pierce families papers
Dates
1872-1990 (inclusive)
1900-1950 (bulk)
Quantity
5 boxes, (1.91 cubic feet)
Collection Number
2007.39 (accession)
Summary
Photographs, albums, and ephemera related to the Colman and Pierce families of West Seattle, as well as oral histories and photocopies compiled while researching family history
Repository
Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library

P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public by appointment.

Languages
English.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

The Colman and Pierce families were among the earliest settlers of the Fauntleroy neighborhood in West Seattle, and were very active in area’s development. Laurence and Ida Colman were the first members of the family to settle in Fauntleroy and were particularly involved in the community, along with their children. Laurence’s father, James M. Colman, was born in Scotland in 1832 and came to the U.S. in 1854, arriving in Seattle in 1861. He was involved in the timber, mill, and shipping industries. In 1872, once he was well established in Seattle, he brought his family from Wisconsin to live with him. He and his wife Agnes had two sons, Laurence (born in 1859) and George.

Laurence and James became intrigued with Fauntleroy in 1906 while looking for a place to build a summer cottage for the family; they bought 17 acres of land there that year, which would become the Colman-Pierce property “Laurentide.” Following James’s death in late 1906, Laurence built a home on the property and moved there with his wife, Ida, and their children Agnes, Kenneth, Katharine and Isabel in 1907. Laurence’s concern for youth development led him to set up vocational and carpentry classes for local boys; he and Ida were also involved with Sunday school programs at Fauntleroy Community Church. In 1914 he built a camp on his Horsehead Bay property and began taking local children there in the summer of 1915. Also in 1914, Laurence was one of the founders of the Fauntleroy YMCA Community Center, which became a formal YMCA branch in 1924. The Horsehead Bay camp later became the YMCA’s Camp Colman (the Colman family also donated the property for the YMCA’s Camp Orkila on Orcas Island).

Laurence and Ida’s daughter Isabel, born in Seattle in 1902, attended Oberlin College and the University of Washington and received a B.S. in Math and an M.S. in Chemistry before marrying Lawrence Pierce in 1929. Pierce came to Seattle from Massachusetts in 1926 and worked for various companies including Puget Sound Power and Light and the J.M. Colman Company. Lawrence and Isabel lived in Fauntleroy except for four years while Lawrence served as the first State Treasurer of the Unemployment Compensation Division. Back in Fauntleroy, Isabel served on the boards of a number of community and charitable organizations, including the YWCA, the Ruth School for Girls, and the Women’s University Club. The Pierces had five children, including John Pierce who still lives in Fauntleroy with his wife Leilia.

(Adapted from Fauntleroy Legacy by Roy W. Morse and E. Richard Brown)

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains family papers, photographs and albums kept by members of the Colman and Pierce families. The photographs and albums depict family members, homes, and scenery. The papers include clippings, flyers, wedding invitations, and programs. In addition to these family documents, the collection also includes materials assembled from the two families' collections by a group researching Fauntleroy’s history, as well as oral history interviews conducted by another group researching the Colman and Pierce families.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format by clicking on the camera icons in the inventory below.

Restrictions on Use

The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Colman and Pierce families papers, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged into five series:

  • Photographs
  • Photograph albums
  • Research materials
  • Books
  • Ephemera

Location of Collection

3a.4.4

Acquisition Information

Gift of John and Leilia Pierce, June 6, 2007.

Processing Note

Processed by Madeleine Mundt.

Two binders of research materials assembled by E. Richard Brown were disassembled for preservation purposes. Original materials were removed from the binders and placed with other original family documents and clippings in an attempt to restore perceived original order. Photocopies were kept in the order created by Brown and placed in folders with other research materials.

Separated Materials

These materials are part of a donation that also included a number of artifacts. These artifacts are cataloged and stored separately by MOHAI's Collections Department.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Photographs, circa 1890s-1948Return to Top

86 photographs

Items 1 through 30 are negatives; viewing prints are available for five of these. Items .31 through .78 are original prints.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
.1-.8: Pierce-Colman home during regrade
Glass negatives ; 5 x 7 inches
Modern prints available for numbers .1, .4, .6, .9 and .11 in Box 1 Folder 1.
circa 1907-1910
.9: Summer bungalow
Glass negative ; 5 x 7 inches
circa 1912
.10: Summer home and three children
Glass negative ; 5 x 7 inches
undated
.11: Colman family steam yacht Osprey
Glass negative ; 5 x 7 inches
circa 1910
.12-.13: Pump system
Glass negative ; 5 x 7 inches
undated
.14-.18: Scenery
Glass negative ; 5 x 7 inches
undated
.19-.21: Three burros
Glass negative ; 5 x 7 inches
undated
.22: Colman wedding group
Film negative ; 8 x 10 inches
Copy negative of #.73
undated
.23-.24: Woman on patio steps
Nitrate negatives ; 3.25 x 5.5 inches
undated
.25-.28: Scenery
Nitrate negative ; 3.25 x 5.5 inches
undated
.29-.30: Family snapshots
36 negatives
undated
1/1
Modern prints for negatives .1, .4, .6, .9 and .11
1/2
.31: Katharine Colman
Framed; glass broken
1920s
1/3
.32: Colman family photograph calendar
1902
1/4
.33: Laurence and Ida Colman
Brass , Seattle (photographer)
circa 1890s
1/5
.34: Laurence Colman
Harris & Ewing , Washington, D.C. (photographer)
undated
1/6
.35: Ida Burwell Colman
undated
1/7
.36: Isabel Colman
undated
1/8
.37: Kenneth, Katharine, and Isabel Colman
circa 1920s
1/9
.38: Large group of Fauntleroy residents including Colman family
Partial list of identifications available in the accession file.
circa 1940s
1/10
.39: Colman family group
circa 1940s
1/11
.40: School children on steps
Identifications on verso.
1944 June
1/12
.41: Agnes Colman
Handwriting on verso: Agnes Colman, born about 1891-2, died at age 12
circa 1900
1/13
.42.1: Isabel Colman
1910
1/13
.42.2: Isabel Colman
1905
1/14
.43: Isabel Colman and friend Elizabeth Taylor at Colman home on beach
circa 1920
1/15
.44: Ida Colman holding Agnes
Cyanotype
1894
1/16
.45: Colman family group and wagon
circa 1910
1/17
.46: Isabel Colman Pierce and Mrs. Stanley White
Gerald Beaudin , Seattle (photographer)
Caption attached to photo: "First Stop-- Mrs. Stanley White, 9308-47th Ave. S. W., volunteer lieutenant general of the Fauntleroy area in the neighborhood Division of the Seattle-King County Community Chest campaign for 1949, begins her day of soliciting with a stop at the home of Mrs. Lawrence Pierce, 9343 Fauntleroy Ave. In her hands is the “Worker’s Kit,” which contains supplies of window stickers, pledge cards and other campaign material.”
1948 October 1
1/18
.47: Unknown woman with 3 children: Elizabeth Pierce, Lawrence Colman, Katharine Pierce
circa 1938
1/19
.48: Colman family group
Left to right: George, Ken, Katherine, Ida, Isabel, Agnes
circa 1930
1/20
.49: Colman family group
2 copies: 1 black and white print, 1 cyanotype
circa 1900
1/21 circa 1914
1/22
.51: Colman family group
circa 1900
1/23
.52: Katharine Colman as young girl
Brass (photographer)
circa 1900
1/24
.53: Agnes Colman as young girl
Brass (photographer)
circa 1900
1/25
.54: Frederick & Nelson store Santa photograph of Josh H. Pierce
1944
1/26
.55: Kenneth Colman in military uniform
Hamilton , Seattle (photographer)
undated
1/27
.56: Keith Colman
Keith Colman was Kenneth Colman's adopted son.
undated
1/28
.57: George Colman, granddaughter Isabel, Agnes Colman, granddaughter Katharine
undated
1/29 circa 1932
1/30
.59: Colman family yacht Osprey
undated
1/31
.60: Colman beach house, Fauntleroy
undated
1/32
.61.1-.3: Colman house grounds, Fauntleroy
3 photographs
undated
1/33
.62: Colman Beach house
Panorama taken by "Dr. Kilbourne"
1903
1/34
.63: Colman family home (old) interior
undated
1/35
.64: Panorama of second Colman home in Fauntleroy
Dr. Edward Kilbourne (photographer)
circa 1927
1/36
.65.1-.2: Seabeck property
2 photographs
undated
1/37
.66: Colman dock
1930s
1/38
.67: Colman dock
circa 1918
1/39
.68: Mt. Rainier from Lake Washington
Romans (photographer)
1903
1/40
.69: Mt. Rainier from Lake Washington
Romans (photographer)
1903
1/41
.70: Two swans
Alfred A. Witter , Seattle (photographer)
circa 1900
1/42
.71: Forest road
undated
1/43
.72.1: Eskimo girl
B.B. Dobbs (photographer)
1903
1/43
.72.2: Eskimo man
B.B. Dobbs (photographer)
circa 1903
2/1
.73: Isabel Colman and Lawrence Pierce wedding photograph
Grady , Seattle (photographer)
1929 May 29
2/2
.74: Katharine and Isabel Colman
circa 1920s
2/3
.75: Kenneth Colman
Murle Ogden , Honolulu, Hawaii (photographer)
undated
2/4
.76: Portrait, possibly Isabel and Lawrence Pierce
Grady , Seattle (photographer)
undated
2/5
.77: Colman bungalow in Fauntleroy
Gillum , Seattle (photographer)
Hand-colored
circa 1915
2/6
.78.1-.4: Group portraits of participants in conferences held at Seabeck
4 panorama photographs
Linkletter Studio , Seattle
Includes photographs of the 1922 Mission Education Conference; the 1926 Washington State Christian Endeavor Conference; and an undated National Christian Endeavor Conference.
1922-1926

Photograph albums, circa 1887-1900Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
3/1
.127: “Among the Islands” photograph album
13 photographs
Images of small steamship Latona and individuals boating and camping.
1887
3/2
.128: Family album
36 photographs
Images of family members enjoying outdoor recreational activities.
1900
3/3
.129: Album
14 photographs
Images of people hiking and scenic views.
circa 1900

Research materials, 1913-1988Return to Top

Photocopied original materials and oral histories assembled by Roy W. Morse and E. Richard Brown, Judy Boynton and Marge Sacre. Binders compiled by E. Richard Brown

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
4/1
.130: Colman family tree
2 copies
undated
4/2
.83 : Article on Colman recognition dinner
1979
4/3-10
.84 : Articles related to James Murray Colman
8 articles
1913-1984
4/11-21
.85 : Articles and photographs related to Laurence Colman
6 articles and 5 photographs
1914-1982
4/22
.86 : Reproductions of hand-colored postcards of Colman Dock
undated
4/23
.87 : Article on the Colman Building
1971
4/24-28
.88 : Articles related to Kenneth Burwell Colman
4 articles and 1 reproduced newspaper photograph
1942-1982
4/29-31
.89 : Article and documents related to Isabel Susan Colman-Pierce
Wedding guest lists and 1 article.
1929-1982
4/32
.90 : YMCA description of the Isabel Colman Pierce award
1988
4/33-34
.91 : Materials related to Lawrence Jonathan Pierce
Resume and article
1976
4/35
.92 : Photograph of boys diving
undated
4/36
.93 : Photocopies of newspaper clippings
16 photocopies
1934-1985
4
.94 : “The Colman Family” binder
Divided into 11 sections: The Colman Family; James M. Colman, Laurence J. Colman; George A. Colman; Kenneth B. Colman; Isabel Colman Pierce, Lawrence J. Pierce; John H. Pierce M.D.; Katherine Colman Triangle; Newspaper Articles; and the Seabeck Story.
1986
4
.95 : “Memories of Laurence J. Colman” binder
Transcripts of oral history interviews, conducted by Judy Boynton, with individuals reminiscing about Laurence J. Colman. Includes transcripts of interviews with Dr. Warren E. Calvin (March 1968); Joshua Green (April 1968); Ruth and Robert Hamlin (March 1969); and Walter Wyckoff (April 1969).
1968-1969

Books,  Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
5/1
.96: Laurence J. Colman’s monogrammed dictionary
Leather cover embossed with image titled “Pacific Creosoting Company Plant”
1929
5/2
.97: Reminiscences and Reflections,1900-1990 by Lawrence J. Pierce
Autographed
1990
5/3
.98: Laurence Colman and Ida Burwell wedding book
1892
5/4
.99: Account book
1872-1873

Ephemera,  Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Clippings
1914-1989
Box/Folder
5/5
.100: “Floating a Launch”
undated
5/6
.101: “No. 7 – James M. Colman,” Seattle Times
1944 October 15
5/7
.102: “Colman Dock Has Been Around for 103 Years,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer
1984 February 6
5/8
.103: “Colman Family is Back on the Dock”
1982 May 16
5/9
.104: 2 Clippings: “Isabel Colman is Married at Home,” “Miss Burwell Engaged to Wed”
1929 ; 1890
5/10
.105: 3 Clippings: “Miss Pierce Wed,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer; “Trip in Their Future”; untitled article regarding wedding
1958 December 31; undated
5/11
.106: “Almost Secret: graveyard for Civil War vets” with envelope from Lake View Cemetery and notecard regarding “Colman Cript” at Lakeview
1989 February 27
5/12
.107: “Your Story in Voice and Writing” regarding Colman interviews, Seattle Times
1969 September 24
5/13
.108: “Just Cogitating: Laurence J. Colman was a leader in good works for the city,” Seattle Times
1948
5/14
.109: “J.M. Colman’s Widow, Here 63 Years, Dies” and Seattle Electric Company envelope
1935 December 23
5/15
.110: “Friends Surprise L.J. Colman at Birthday Party”
undated
5/16
.111: “Seattle’s Pioneer Colman Family Aided Municipal Development,” West Seattle Herald
1947 November 13
5/17
.112: “Women of Today,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer
1943 May 2
Miscellaneous Colman family ephemera
Box/Folder
5/18
.113: Wedding announcements for Galen Michelle Pierce and Chad Lee Magendanz
1989
5/19
.114: Announcement and invitation for a preview of Colman Pool
1941 July 4
5/20
.115: Partial map of Fauntleroy (?) showing Colman properties
5/21
.116: Program for “On the Town,” UW swim team event
Katie Pierce was a participant in this event.
circa 1956
5/22
.117: Bungalow Magazine containing article about Colman house
1914 April
5/23
.118: West Seattle High School Commencement Program for Isabel Colman’s graduation
1920
5/24
.119: “The Boys are Coming Back” sheet music
undated
5/25
.120: Lawrence Pierce campaign flyer
undated
5/26
.121: New Year’s greeting card from Bill and Bertha Boeing
1930
5/27
.122: Camp Colman Capital Campaign brochure
1986
5/28
.123: Menu for Seattle Hardware Company event
1891 March 4
5/29
.124: Isabel Colman’s University of Washington diploma
1925
5/30
.125: Ruth School for Girls flyers, clippings, and photographs
1964
5/31
.126: Child Life children’s magazine
1927 December

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Colman, Ida Burwell, 1863-1947
  • Colman, Kenneth Burwell, 1896-1982
  • Colman family--Archives
  • Colman, Laurence James, 1859-1935
  • Pierce family--Archives
  • Pierce, Isabel Colman, 1902-1982
  • Pierce, Lawrence J., 1900-

Geographical Names

  • Fauntleroy (Seattle, Wash.) (subject )
  • West Seattle (Seattle, Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photograph albums
  • Photographic prints