The children of
Simon Pepin
and
Emma Sarah Houston

According to the 1900 Federal census for Seattle, Washington, as of June 1st, 1900, Emma had given birth to 8 children, 7 of whom were still living. The children, all born in Washington State, as shown on the census, are:

• Frank B. Peppan, born June 1882 Age 17
• Charles S. Peppan, born December 1883 Age 16
• Lizzie J. Peppan, born April 1885 Age 15
• Rosa B. Peppan, born September 1886 Age 13
• Willie S. Peppan, born December 1891 Age 8
• Donald L. Peppan, February 1895 Age 6

"But", you say to yourself, "there are only six children shown here."

That there are.

One of the missing children is Susan.  The only proof I have of her existence, outside of family stories, is the text of a couple of postcards that suggests they are to Susan, and a photograph of Emma on the back of which Emma wrote, "This is me at Bremerton on 4 July I am not so fat now since Ive bein worrying about Susie."

Going on family stories, she was Simon and Emma's eldest child.  Using a little creative mathematics, with some help from the above birth pattern, I'm guessing that Susan was born in February of 1881.  This would place the other missing child, the one who was no longer living as of June 1st, 1900, born between Rosie and Willie.

Or so I thought until the evening of December 16th, 2006.

I was looking something up for a member of one of the mailing lists I'm on when, quite by accident, I stumbled across the baptism records of three of Simon and Emma children.

I saw Charlie and Frank's baptism records first.

Frank, baptised Francis PAPPIN on June 17th, 1884 at St Andrew's Cathedral, in Victoria, British Columbia, was born December 17th, 1883.

Charles, baptised Charles Benjamin PAPPIN on June 17th, 1884 at St Andrew's Cathedral in Victoria, British Columbia, was born in 1882.

Then, a few entries up, was Juliana PAPIN, born March 28, 1879 and baptised August 25th, 1879 at St Andrews Cathedral in Victoria, British Columbia.

Therefore, unless Juliana and Susan are the same person, the children of Smon Pepin and Emma Houston are, in order:

• born March 28, 1879
• baptised August 25, 1879, St Andrew's Cathedral, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• died before June 1st 1900

MARRIED NAMES (if one or both weren't Stage Names):

• Mrs. ED Zoyara living at Dad's Hotel in Philadelphia PA in 1914.
• Mrs. DE Johnson living in Portland, Oregon, in the late 19-teens.

No children that anyone knows of.

She was a dancer on vaudeville's Pantages Circuit.  Family stories say she danced under the name "Suwara", but after finding a postcard that was mailed to Mrs ED Zoyara makes me think that Susan's stage name was "Zoyara".  That postcard was post marked "Seattle, Wash 1914 Jul 13 3:30pm", with a scribbled note in parenthesis on the top of the card reading "I just rec your card from Salisbury MD".

baptised June 17, 1884, at St Andrew's Cathedral in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Married Belle (last name unknown; born August 8, 1882, died December 1982)

No children that I know of.

Charlie died January 26, 1948, in Washington state.

Born December 17, 1883, San Juan Island, Washington.

Baptised June 17, 1884, at St Andrew's Cathedral in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Never married, and I don't think he fathered any children.

He died September 6, 1902, at the Wayside Mission in Seattle, Washington.  Cause of death was shock; hemorrhage.

He recorded as "20 years old, male, white, single, no occupation, no residence".

(Thank you, Philippa Stairs, research assistant, Division of Archives & Records Management, Puget Sound Regional Branch, for this information.)

Born April 1885, San Juan Island, Washington.

Lizzie's first marriage was to Louis Parker, they had one son named Louis Seymour Parker, who was born January 23, 1910.

In 1925, Lizzie was married to a fellow named Jonathan Truran.

Lou Parker junior married Laurel May "Pat" Chester.  "Pat" was the only child of Kit Stuckey and Lawrence Chester.

Family stories say that Lou Parker died in the flu epidemic, somewhere around 1917, but when I ask about Lou junior, the reply is a shrug and a, "Him, too, I think."

Rosie danced the Pantages circuit; she danced on a large silver ball.  Some where there is a picture of her in this exact pose.  As soon as I find it, I will add it here.  The picture is of a small woman wearing a light-colored leotard, standing atop a large silver ball, arms held out in a "Tah-Dah!" position.

When I was a Seattle cab driver, I had an elderly woman passenger in my cab who said she had once seen Rosie dance -- "Such a tiny little thing," she said.

As far as I know, Rosie never married and never had children.

Some family stories say she died when she was 19 years old, but I've yet to find any record of her death, so I just don't know -- though there IS a death record for a Rosie Pepin that I'll have to check out; there was a Pepin family, as well as my Peppans, living in Seattle at that time.

Born December 1891, San Juan Island, Washington

I don't know much about Willie, except that he liked motorcycles.

He died August 1, 1950, in Washington state.

Married Catherine Marie "Kit" Stuckey 3 April 1925, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.  Don and Kit are my grandparents.

He died 8 August 1957, 8 months before I was born.

Grandpa was a motorcycle enthusiast, being involved primarily with the Queen City Motorcycle Club of Seattle, Washington, and know by most as "Big Peppy".

He was a body double for Wallace Berry in the 1933 movie "Tugboat Annie" (even if he's not mentioned in the credits; stunt men weren't then) . . . worked for Foss Tug of Seattle . . . made leather conveyor belts at Washington Belt for Weyerhaeuser . . . did a little bootlegging . . . did a little smuggling . . . basically a man for all seasons.

Daddy always told me and my brothers that it was a pity that Grandpa hadn't lived longer, he'd have spoiled us rotten.