Edwards, Rev. Jonathan.  "An Illustrated History of Spokane County, State of
Washington."  San Francisco: W. H. Lever, 1900.  p. 461.
 
WILLIAM H. McKERNAN

     a pioneer of 1881, is a native of Oregon,born in a Hudson's Bay Company's
camp at The Dalles January 21, 1857. He grew to manhood on a farm, but in 1875
went to Portland and entered the employ of Keran & Macbeth as a salesman in a
large general merchandise store.  He remained with them until 1881, then came to
Spokane to accept a situation from Friedenricht & Berg as clerk in their general
merchandise establishment, the first store of its kind in Spokane. He continued
in their employ until 1885, when the firm went out of business.  His next
position was furnished by Walter L. Bean, who employed him as chief clerk in his
grocery store until 1887, but in that year Mr. McKernan formed a partnership
with C. L. Brickel and engaged in the grocery business for himself. He retired
the following year, however, to become a member of the city police force. He
served continuously until 1898, holding all the positions from patrolman to
chief and discharging his duties faithfully and in a manner highly satisfactory
to all good citizens. Since retiring from the police force he has been engaged
in raising fancy poultry and as a contractor and builder. He owns a fine tract
of fifteen acres near Natatorium Park, upon which he makes his home. Mr.
McKernan has showed himself worthy of the highest esteem during the many years
of his residence in Spokane, always proving faithful to every trust reposed in
him and ever manifesting a deep interest in the welfare of the city. He is a
member of the A. O. U. W., the K. of P. and the Pioneers Association. He was
married in Spokane October 8, 1884, to Miss Esther J. Boone, a native of Oregon,
daughter of D.Boone, who crossed the plains with ox-teams in 1844.  Mrs.
McKernan is also a lineal descendant of the far-famed Daniel Boone.  Mr. and
Mrs. McKernan are parents of three children: Gertrude,Marguerite and Frances.
Mr. John M. McKernan, father of our Mr. McKernan, started from Boston,
Massachusetts, for Oregon at a very early date, but was shipwrecked and finally
picked up by an English sailing vessel and taken to Liverpool. Out of eleven
hundred passengers on the lost vessel only one hundred and forty escaped with
their lives.  Mr. McKernan, however, was not to be discouraged, but again set
out for his land of promise, arriving there as an employee of the Hudson's Bay
Company in 1854.  He later on joined the United States army and participated in
the Pacific coast Indian wars.


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Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith.  This
biography was transcribed for the Washington Biographies Project. Unless
otherwise stated, no further information is available on the individual featured
in the biographies.