Hello Cathy:

Thank you so much for sending the information on the three members of the GARNER family that were passengers aboard the SS Princess Sophia when she went down. They were my 2nd cousins twice removed. I also appreciate the info you sent on the book, "The Sinking of the Princess Sophia." I will check with the University of Alaska Press to see if I can still purchase it. BTW, the actual names of my cousins were: Alfred "Alf" Renfro GARNER (Listed as A. L. GARNER on the passenger list), Jefferson Edward "Ned" GARNER and Ned's wife, Nellie G. (PADDOCK) GARNER (Listed as O, GARNER & Mrs. O. GARNER on the passenger list.). James A. Michener's honored frontispiece in his novel, "Journey," copyrighted in 1988, is a photograph of Nellie GARNER. Michener discussed the importance of Nellie GARNER to the writing of his book, Journey. Ned and Nell are buried in the GARNER family plot in Fresno, CA.

As Paul Harvey says, "Now for the Rest of the Story!" I recently found and purchased the "Girl in the Gold Camp," which was written in 1996 by a niece of the two GARNER brothers who died in the tragic shipwreck. Her name was Peggy Rouch Dodson and she was also a cousin of mine. She wrote the true account of the 1 1/2 years she spent in the gold camps with her uncles and aunt in 1909 and 1910. Amazingly she wrote this when she was 103. Regrettably I discovered she lived within an hours drive from us in Sacramento, CA and she passed away in 2000 at the age of 107. I would have loved to have met her and heard more of her life's stories.

Another book I want to purchase, if it is still available, is Melanie J. Mayer's "Klondike Women: True Tales of the 1897 -1898 Gold Rush," which details Ed and Nell's trip on the Edmonton Trail. An excerpt from this book is also included in the appendix of Michener's book, Journey.

Its amazing how we find the history of our families. In this case I owe a great deal to you and others who answered my query about the list of passengers who perished in the tragic shipwreck of the Princess Sophia in 1918.

I also recently discovered another of Alf and Ned's brothers, Walter K. GARNER, went to the Alaskan & Klondike gold fields. He is listed in Clary Craig's, post office worker list of people dying or leaving the Klondike as: GARNER, W. K., Aug. 22, 1902, Circle, AK.

Thanks once again to you and all the others who replied to my query and assisted me in my search for my GARNERS in Alaska!

Harleigh Winkler