"Diary of Colonel and Mrs. I. N. Ebey," ed. Victor J. Farrar, Washington Historical Quarterly 7-8

The diary kept on Whidbey Island by Isaac N. Ebey, who took the island's first claim in October 1850, and by his wife Rebecca, printed in four parts. Read 13 Oct 2026 in the University of Washington's scans (7:3 and 7:4) and the archive.org text of vol. 8.

• 3 June 1852 (Isaac): "Mr D ray comes over this Evening on his way to Port Townsend Mr Howe and Holbrooks called in" (7:245). The day before, the schooner "Damescore" had reached Port Townsend "in carage of Capt. Hathaway."
• 12 Aug 1852 (Rebecca, Isaac being at the legislature): "Samuel Crockett, Mr. Smith Mr. Howe and Mr. Holbrook were all here in the forenoon. All very anxious to hear the news from Mr. Ebey" (7:320).
• 5 Feb 1853 (Rebecca): "Mr. Howe and Mr. Hollbrook were here today to see if the indians had brought over the Island mail from Port Townsend but they had not" (8:129). On 1 February she had written: "Our county is called Island county and Coveland the County seat" (8:128).
• 21 Feb 1853 (Rebecca): "We only number six families and about 15 children at present, most of them are too small to go to school. There are 18 bachelors and youths residing on the island, but we want more families, so we can have schools and churches for ourselves and our children. Coveland is beginning to improve. Vessels are beginning to load in the Cove with Spiles [piles] and square timber. There is one store at Coveland" (vol. 8).

The editor's footnote to the first entry (7:245 n. 8) is a sketch of Richard Blackmer Holbrook, born at Plymouth on 7 Aug 1821, who "came to California during the gold rush of 1849, but remained only a short time, when he made for Puget Sound, where he took a donation land claim," married Harriet P. Low, who "came across the isthums of Panama to Puget Sound to become his bride," had five children (Nathan, Josephine, Horace, Mary Frances and Richard B.), "served two terms in the territorial legislature in the early sixties," and died in 1893. The footnote is a compiler's: his arrival (4 Mar 1851), his death (May 1894) and Harriet's birth year (1834) are known from records, and the territorial roster has one term (Territorial Assembly 1854-1887: members of the Washington territorial legislature (Washington State Library, 1989)).