Gleanings From
In Christian Fellowship
By Shirley Lindahl
Edited by Jerry Rutherford
Founder Passes Away
The death of Caroline French in 1909 brought to a close 30 years of dedicated work for the church she had helped found in the living room of her cabin by the lakeshore. She was buried next to her husband in the Kirkland Cemetery.
For funerals at the time the Kirkland Livery Stable charged $12 for the wagon to take the casket to the cemetery located at N. E. 80th between 120th Ave NE and 122nd Ave NE (where it is still located). It was organized as the Kirkland Cemetery Association in the late 1880's with the trustees of Ed Church, John W. DeMott and Harry D. French. Since it was in the large parcel of land acquired by the Kirkland Land and Improvement Co. the new owners deed it back to the trustees on January 7, 1891. In 1909 the cemetery was officially added to the city of Kirkland (at that time it was not in the city limits of Kirkland.)
The charge was $50 for a plot 20' by 20' suitable for eight burial sites and a single site cost $10. The sexton was paid $100 a year to maintain the fences, mow the grass and could keep the $5 fee for digging the grave.
The older portion of this historic cemetery is located in the southwest section and contains the names of many of the early church families including the Frenches, Fagerbergs, and Shumways. The Shumway plot is one of the largest in the cemetery and includes the entire family plus some spouses. The French plot is distinguished by a large carved granite tombstone bearing the name "French" facing toward 120th Ave NE. Headstones cover three generations.
A pair of realtors, Burke and Farrar, bought out the Kirkland Land Development Co. (formerly the Kirkland Land and Improvement Co.) in 1910 and began a campaign to revitalize the town site. Advertising nationwide, they painted a picture of idyllic farm land in contrast to the steel mill fever that had focused attention on Kirkland earlier. They controlled 10,000 acres of Kirkland and Rose Hill and subdivided it into building lots. These two also purchased the Walter Williams property on Juanita Bay and later developed it into Juanita Golf Course. They pumped the water from the boggy area--a few years ago this area was allowed to revert back to its natural state and now is enjoyed by many as Juanita Bay Park, with its walkways and nature trails.
Harry French had subdivided most of his farm by 1911 keeping only his home site. He had a large cherry orchard and many youngsters in the area earned spending money picking his cherry crops. He felt the time had come when the land would be more valuable as home sites.
Among the first to purchase some of the view lots was Ludwig Marsh and his parents. They were purchased in 1905. His son, Louis Marsh built the classic Normandy style home in 1929. It still stands at 6604 Lake Washington Blvd. Jerry Marsh, current church member is the grandson of Ludwig Marsh.
To the south of the Marsh property was a home owned by Dr. George Davis and was used as the first hospital in Kirkland. To the north was the site of our first church built as the First Church of Christ of Pleasant Bay.
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