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Willard Isaiah “W.I.” Thayer

Birth	:	11 Jul 1872 Northumberland, Coos County, New Hampshire, USA
Death	:	14 Feb 1956 Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada
Burial	:	Pine Grove Cemetery, Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate	:	46.5895195, -84.2800903
Description	:	Parents: Woodman Wallace and Persis Ellen (Cooley) Thayer. Husband of Zella Agnes (Tier) Thayer. Married: November 27, 1907 in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada. W.I. was an ambitious and forward-thinking man. He tried a number of careers before coming to Canada. After attending Shaw's Business College in Portland, ME, in January 1893, he worked at distributing steamed "Pure Spruce Gum" and then as a clerk at The Grange (see Miscellaneous info: The Grange). W.I. maintained a diary in 1900 which lists his address as Grange, NH, USA and that one should contact Coos Lodge No. 25 I.O.O.F. (International Order of Odd... Read More	Parents: Woodman Wallace and Persis Ellen (Cooley) Thayer. Husband of Zella Agnes (Tier) Thayer. Married: November 27, 1907 in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada. W.I. was an ambitious and forward-thinking man. He tried a number of careers before coming to Canada. After attending Shaw's Business College in Portland, ME, in January 1893, he worked at distributing steamed "Pure Spruce Gum" and then as a clerk at The Grange (see Miscellaneous info: The Grange). W.I. maintained a diary in 1900 which lists his address as Grange, NH, USA and that one should contact Coos Lodge No. 25 I.O.O.F. (International Order of Odd Fellows) in case of emergency. Starting on January 1, 1900, W.I. notes that he "commenced to take inventory of goods". From January 8 to April 7, 1900, his diary simply notes that he "clerked" each working day. On Sundays, he usually "went home" where once "Maud and Walter called", or he "visited Henrys", or went to a dance. Once W.I. had moved his trunk home on April 9, suddenly his diary includes more detail and personal information. On April 23, 1900, W.I. went to Boston, Massachusetts, by train. Two days later, after taking in "the sights of the city", he boarded a train for Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan where he stayed at the Hotel Arlington. As of April 30, 1900 he started working for the International Paper Co. and later moved on to the Michigan Pulp Wood Co. W.I. recorded that he stowed pulp wood on boats, worked log booms, and regularly checked in at logging camps where he often did the books. He makes mention of working on the boarding house where he was staying putting up screens ("mosquitoes are awfull [sic] thick") and, being an enterprising man, "washed and made curtins [sic]". His first foray to Ontario appears to have been a trip to Batchawana Bay on the tug James Norris. By July, 1900, W.I. had moved to Stokely Creek. Presumably, this is Stokely Creek, Goulais, ON, as he notes working at nearby Ontario sites afterwards such as Pancake Bay. W.I. was diagnosed with typhoid fever in October 1900 and didn't return to work in the woods until early December. By 1901 he was noting hair remedies in the back of his diary. W.I. was vaccinated against small pox in December and casually mentions burning a cabin infected with small pox at the end of January 1901. He left the Michigan Pulp Wood Co. in June 1903 and by September 1903 he was a conductor with the Boston Elevated Railway. In 1906, he started the Goulais River Sand and Gravel Company and became a naturalized Canadian citizen on June 12. Doris recalled that W.I. said he decided to stay in the Soo after tasting the water. Local history has it that the sand and gravel company wasn't a success because there was too much mud to be filtered out. When W.I. married Zella in 1907, he listed his occupation as clerk. They lived at 284 Wellington Street before building their permanent home at 366 Northland Road. Four years after their marriage, and after Cyril was born, W.I. was working as a lumberman inEast Algoma where he participated in the 1911 Census of Canada Bush Poll. In the poll, he said that the previous year, in 1910, he had worked 50 weeks of 60 hour days and earned $1000 total. He also had insurance in the amount $36.95. W.I. started the Thayer Lumber Co. Ltd. at 351 Northland Road in the Soo in 1910 as a logging and sawmill operation. He built a home for his family across the street which is currently owned and occupied by his great-grandson and his family. Willard had his tough business side. In 1952, he fired all his employees because some had been looking to unionize. The next week he hired back those willing to continue to work for him sans union. The above biographical information was provided by Deborah Thayer.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Willard Isaiah “W.I.” Thayer's memorial?
Willard Isaiah “W.I.” Thayer's memorial is located at: Pine Grove Cemetery, Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada.
When did Willard Isaiah “W.I.” Thayer death?
Willard Isaiah “W.I.” Thayer death on 14 Feb 1956 in Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada
Where are the coordinates of the Willard Isaiah “W.I.” Thayer's memorial?
Latitude: 46.5895195
Longitude: -84.2800903

Family Members:

Parent

Woodman Wallace Thayer

(1846 - 1933)

Persis Ellen Cooley Thayer

(1850 - 1933)

Spouse

Zella Agnes Tier Thayer

(1885 - 1969)

Siblings

Children

Cyril Willard “Cy” Thayer

(1910 - 1998)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Pine Grove Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.5895195, -84.2800903

2. Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.5668420, -84.3491220

3. Sault Ste Marie City of
Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.5668260, -84.3496200

4. Greenwood Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.5664510, -84.3513270

5. Queen Street Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.5048800, -84.3055800

6. Shingwauk-Bishop Fauquier Memorial Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.5016667, -84.2852778

7. Brasser Road Cemetery
Brassar, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.5055556, -84.2361111

8. West Korah Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.5582390, -84.4051666

9. Ancient Anishinaabek Burial Ground
Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.5007570, -84.3428720

10. Fort Brady Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4976540, -84.3427970

11. Payment Cemetery
Sugar Island Township, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.5242004, -84.1505966

12. Maple Ridge Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4852780, -84.3527780

13. Garden River Indian Reservation Anglican Cemetery
Garden River, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.5500600, -84.0999300

14. Sugar Island Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4613890, -84.2333330

15. Riverside Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4571810, -84.2856820

16. Goulais River Cemetery
Goulais River, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.7178421, -84.3924255

17. Freedman Family Remembrance Area
Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4747800, -84.4428700

18. Gem Island Cemetery
Sugar Island Township, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4333333, -84.1916667

19. Maple Leaf Cemetery
Echo Bay, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.4858665, -84.0700455

20. Pine Grove Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4213982, -84.3886032

21. Rosedale Mount Zion Cemetery
Rosedale, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.3903008, -84.2996979

22. Goulais Mission Cemetery
Goulais Mission, Algoma District, Canada
Coordinate: 46.7005501, -84.5226288

23. Will Walk Native American Cemetery
Baie de Wasai, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.3938890, -84.2069440

24. Finnish Cemetery
Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa County, USA
Coordinate: 46.3905900, -84.1897200