Background of Henry F. (Harry) and Carolyn (Carrie) Dethlefs Dott written by Mary Maxwell, August 31, 2015, Indianola, WA.

Note: I initially thought that my grandmother was the photographer in the family, but since she’s in half of the photos, she obviously she didn’t take them. No way to tell who took the other pictures, Harry or Carrie, but either way they are great to have.

Harry Dott’s parents emigrated from Scotland, and he was born in San Francisco in 1869. He moved from there to Juneau sometime between 1906 and 1915; he was in SF during the 1906 earthquake, and I have correspondence from Sept. 1915 addressed to him at Thane. We also have correspondence from Oct. 1917 addressed to him at Chichagof. My mother, Dorothy Dott Maxwell, had thought that Harry was the office manager at Chichagof, and that he had worked at the mine at Thane and the Perseverance Mine as well.

I don’t know when Carrie Dethlefs moved from Chehalis, WA, to Juneau, but it was before 12/10/1918, as that is Carrie and Harry’s wedding date in Juneau. Carrie was born in Chicago; her 11 siblings were born in Germany. Harry was 49, and Carrie was 27. I also know that my great-grandmother, Helena Dethlefs, visited Carrie in Juneau, possibly for her wedding. In their Alaska photo’s, Carrie looked like she had a lot of fun with her friends. I remember my grandma very well; she was a lovely woman.

I’ve got correspondence to Carrie from her brother Hermann Dethlefs, who was serving with the U.S. Expeditionary Forces during WWI, and it’s addressed to her at the Perseverance Mine. So it could be that grandmother worked for the Perseverance mine, and that’s where she met Harry. According to the 1921-1923 local phone books, the Dott’s lived at 426 East Street in Juneau. My mother was born in Juneau on January 24, 1922; the family moved to Seattle around 1925.

Harry passed away in Dec.1951, and Carrie in Feb. 1965, both in Seattle, WA; Dorothy Dott Maxwell passed away in 2003; 6 children, 8 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren survive her. (And Harry and Carrie as well).