Lena Helen LaChapelle [Photo courtesy of Jill Stone]

George Harvey Cummings is the son of Gilbert H. Cummings and Charity Jane Barzee. He was born in 1854 in Galena, Jo Daviess, Illinois (or possibly Wisconsin). He died 1 Sep 1918 at age 64 in Salem, Marion, Oregon. His remains were cremated on 5 Sep 1918.

• On 20 Sep 1882, he married Lena Helen LaChapelle in St. Louis Parish, Marion County, Oregon. She is the daughter of Andre LaChapelle and Adrienne Lucier. She was born 31 Aug 1865 in St. Louis, Marion, Oregon. She died 4 Dec 1945 at age 80 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon. She was buried 6 Dec 1945 at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon. This marriage ended in divorce in 1889. Lena later married George Jensen.
• Between 1889 and 1900, he married Inez May Morris in Puyallup, Pierce, Washington. She is the daughter of Douglas Morris and Addie. She was born about 1873 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon. She died of pneumonia on 11 May 1911 at age 38 in Tacoma, Pierce, Washington.

Lawrence J. Cummings [Photo courtesy of Jill Stone]

Children of George Harvey Cummings and Lena Helen LaChapelle:

1. Pearl Mabel Cummings was born 28 Mar 1886 in St. Louis, Marion, Oregon.
2. Lawrence J. Cummings was born 16 Jan 1889 in Oregon. He died 9 Sep 1937 at age 48 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon when he fell out of the bed in the Good Samaritan Hospital. He was buried 14 Sep 1937 at Lincoln Memorial Park, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon.
   • In 1919, at age 29, he married Lorraine in Tacoma, Pierce, Washington, but filed to have the marriage annulled in 1922 asserting that at the time of the marriage Lorraine was still married to her first husband. (Oddly, though he is listed as "divorced" in the 1930 census, his death record lists his spouse as Lorraine.) Lorraine was born about 1895 in California.

Children of George Harvey Cummings and Inez May Morris:

3. Bertha Hazel Cummings was born 15 May 1901 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon. After he mother's death she may have been given up for adoption.
4. Stella Mae Cummings was born 26 April 1908 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon. She died 30 November 1945 at age 37 in Tacoma, Pierce, Washington. She is buried at Woodlawn Abby Mausoleum, Sumner, Pierce, Washington. After her mother's death she was adopted by O. R. Forbes and Etta Shaffer.
   • On 2 January 1936, at age 27, she married Raymond Harold Williams, who was age 26, in Yakima, Washington. He is the son of Harold Carl Williams and Hanna Marie Hansen. He was born 1 April 1909 in Nez Perce, Nez Perce, Idaho. He died 10 February 1988 at age 78 in Puyallup, Pierce, Washington. He is buried at Woodlawn Abby Mausoleum, Sumner, Pierce, Washington.
5. Violet Louise Cummings was born 26 May 1910 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon.

Notes

Lena Helen LaChapelle's parents Adrienne Lucier (1824 - 1919) and Andre LaChapelle This photo is from the collection at the University of Oregon and shows Madame Lucier and her second husband, Andre Lachapelle, a blacksmith and boatman. She was born in Fort Vancouver at the moment it was founded. Her mother was Josephte Noutie [Wakash Kwakiutl] by nation. Her father was Etienne Lucier, who had been among the Astorians. [photo courtesy of Roger and Deborah Guinther]

Lena: At the age of sixty four, Lena began a battle with the state of Oregon. She hired a lawyer (E. A. Towner of Salem, Oregon) to establish her Indian ancestry and also to further her Indian claims and the claims of her people for rights and interests in lands, etc. lost or forfeited by them by treaty, sale, purchase, or otherwise. She wanted to be compensated for all that was lost. She established the fact that her relatives were of Indian stock and were residents and inhabitants of the Willamette Valley and Western Oregon and their tribal connections were with the Willamette tribe of Indians. Lena was one fourth Willamette Indian.

Pearl & Lawrence: Lena decided marriage to George Cummings was not the life she wanted and left her family after having two children. George could not raise the children alone so they were put in a convent to be raised. "Grandma Pearl said it was a very hard life in the convent, the nuns were very ridged." Years later Lena came back into the children's lives and they had a relationship.

Bertha, Stella & Violet: After their mother died, George kept the girls together, with the help of relatives for about six months and when he told Minnie and James Roagers, whom he was doing landscaping for, of his trouble, they took the three girls to care for. After a few weeks, George brought his friends, the Ross's and Forbes to take Bertha to the Ross's and Stella to the Forbes to raise. The Roagers kept the baby Violet, adopting her, and changing her name to Ruth Louise.