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Early Bishop
Residents |
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VanFleet
family photo courtesy of Carol Van Fleet Viscarra from Greenville,
CA. |
"Neither
Water Nor Grass -- Nothing"[pdf]
by W. Storrs Lee
The
Van Fleet family on Thanksgiving Day 1907 taken at the town of
Laws.
| Back
row (L to R): |
Eli
Biglow (neighbor),
Allen Ebenezer Conrad Van Fleet - hereafter referred to
as AEC (This is Carol Van Fleet Viscarra's great great grandfather.
He had 7 children), Charles Van Fleet (son of AEC), Sam
Brown (neighbor), Allie VanFleet (son of AEC), William
Powers (Grandma Leota's father), George W. Carpenter
(with Harriet McKellips in his arms), Allen Powers
(Grandma Leota's brother, son of William and Alzina Powers),
John Liedy (married to Ella Van Fleet. Ella and Viney
are daughters of AEC.), Arthur Bell (Ruby Bell
in his arms), Harry Miller
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| Second
row (L to R): |
Edwin
Bell,
Alonzo I. McKellips (husband to Aunt Myrtle Powers. Daughter
of William and Alzina Powers), Ella Liedy (daughter of
AEC), Hattie Van Fleet (daughter of AEC), Sephroni
Ellen Hopkins Van Fleet (wife of AEC), Alzina Powers
(wife of William Powers), Melva Powers Carpenter (daughter
of William & Alzina Powers), Jessie Bell, Myrtle
Powers McKellips (daughter of William & Alzina Powers),
Effie Brown Powers (wife of Allen Powers), Andrew Jackson
Van Fleet (son of AEC and Carol's great grandfather)
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| Third
row (L to R): |
Syble
Powers (daughter
of Allen Powers), Vena McKellips (aunt Myrtle's daughter),
Joe Liedy (son of John & Ella VanFleet Liedy), Tula
Humpherie, Mamie Biglow (wife of neighbor Eli Biglow),
Nora Powers (daughter of William & Alzina Powers),
Sylvia Irene McKellips (daughter of aunt Myrtle), Mae
Carpenter (daughter of aunt Melvie), Leota Powers Van
Fleet (wife of Andrew Van Fleet, daughter of William &
Alzina Powers. This is Carol's great grandmother), Fred Bell
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| Front
row (L to R): |
Alfred
Powers
(son of Allen Powers), Rae Carpenter (aunt Melvie's daughter),
Gladys Van Fleet (daughter of Andrew & Leota Van Fleet),
Haymond Allen VanFleet (son of Andrew & Leota Van
Fleet - This is Carol's grandfather), Giorgia Carpenter
(daughter of aunt Melvie), Izara McKellips (daughter of
aunt Myrtle), Inez McKellips (daughter of aunt Myrtle
- Izara & Inez are twins), Etta McKellips (daughter
of aunt Myrtle), Ellen Carpenter (daughter of aunt Melvie),
Robert Bell, Lorenzo L. McKellips (son of aunt
Myrtle) |
Van
Fleet Family Highlights
In this photograph is Carol Viscarra's great great grandfather
- Allen Ebenezer Van Fleet. Allen built the first cabin on the
Owens river in 1861. He was actively involved and wounded in
the Owens Valley Indian War. The Van Fleets were pioneers in
the cattle and sheep industry in Owens Valley until Los Angeles
robbed Owens Valley of its most precious resource - water. Because
of this, the VanFleets fled Owens Valley and relocated in the
Mason Valley of Nevada.
When Allen Ebenezer Conrad Van Fleet arrived in the Owens Valley
in 1861, he and three other men drove a herd of cattle into Owens
Valley from Mason Valley Nevada. It was this herd of cattle that
were such an attraction to the native peoples of the Owens Valley.
incidents of stealing cattle were key in setting off the Owens
Valley Indian War in 1861 - 1863. Van Fleet took an Indian arrow
in the chest during the Indian Wars. He was successful in removing
the shaft but the arrow head remained in his chest for life.
It floated around and many doctors wanted to remove it, but he
always refused, and took it with him to the grave.
An interesting note is that after the Van Fleet family and other
pioneer families relocated to the Mason Valley of Nevada they
had an annual picnic on the West Walker River in the Mason Valley.
They called it "The Owens Valley Picnic." All old friends
and neighbors that had relocated to this area in Nevada from
Owens Valley were invited and attended and it became an annual
reunion.
Carol
Van Fleet Viscarra |
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Bishop in 1911.
(panorama by West Coast Art Company, May 15, 1911)
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This page was last updated on
25 August 2007