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The Klickitat County Agriculturist, Goldendale, WA., February 26, 1926, page 3

OBITUARY OF LATE WILLIAM FLANNERY

William Flannery, who died in Goldendale early last month, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, January 15, 1843. While still young he struck out for himself, as conditions were very poor for advancement in his native land at that time, going first to England. Here he worked for a time, but evidently had his mind made up to follow the many who were seeking the friendly shores of the United States. He entered New York on August 6, 1866, and on the December 3, of that year enlisted in the United States army, serving three years at the great Watervliet arsenal on the Hudson river, where war supplies and equipment used in the Civil War, but lately terminated, were being assembled for disposition.
With his honorable discharge in his pocket he sought other fields, spending some time in the steel mills near Pittsburgh, where he remained until the death of his mother, who had come over after her husband's death to keep house for her sons. This stay was of short duration, evidently, as the destruction of Chicago by the great conflagration of October 9, 1871, found the three brothers -- William, John and Thomas -- residing there.
Apparently the call of the Far West was ever insistent, as he was a resident of California within the following year, his papers showing that he was granted citizenship in 1873, which required not only a residence of five years in the United States, but also one year in California. Thus in common with so many of his countrymen, who rank second to none among the peoples of the world who come to this country in swearing allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, he took out his papers at the first opportunity.
Most of his stay in California was in Sacramento, where he was employed in a gas works. But he had not as yet found a place where he was contended to locate the permanently, for he left California in 1877, making first a trip to Portland, Oregon, and The Dalles, where he crossed the Columbia River to look over the Klickitat country, just opening up strongly for homeseekers because of its salubrious climate and fertile soil ready for the plow, as yet unsettled to any great extent.
Then he probably carried out the further plan of going to Australia, as that same year finds him in the Antipodes. He returned to California soon, and then in 1881 or 2 made another journey to the Klickitat, with the determination to settle there, as proved by his purchase of the Schuster place. The return to California was no doubt for the purpose of saving sufficient funds to commence ranching, for in 1884 he went back to the Klickitat and took permanent possession of his ranch. In 1895, up to then a bachelor, he married Margaret Burns, a widow, and they resided in the country until the Great War, when the place was sold to Ralph Fenton and they purchased a home in Goldendale. After the death of his wife in 1925 he failed rapidly but his indomitable will refused to accept the evidence that the end was near, even insisted on getting up on the last day of his death.
He was a familiar figure in and about Goldendale for over forty-two years, and will be remembered as a strictly abstemious man, honorable in his dealings with others, intensely interested in the welfare of his country and up to a sincere practical religious nature, wishing everyone well and following scrupulously the dictates of his conscience.

The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., February 25, 1926, page 6
"Local Happenings"

OBITUARY

William Flannery, who died in Goldendale early last month, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, Jan. 15, 1843. While still young he struck out for himself, as conditions were very poor for advancement in his native land at that time, going first to England. Here he worked for a time, but evidently had his mind made up to follow the many who were seeking the friendly shores of the United States.
He entered New York on August 6, 1866, and on the Dec. 3rd, of that year enlisted in the United States army, serving three years at the great Watervliet arsenal on the Hudson river, where war supplies and equipment used in the Civil war, but lately terminated, were being assembled for disposition.
With his honorable discharge in his pocket he sought other fields, spending some time in the steel mills near Pittsburgh, where he remained until the death of his mother, who had come over after her husband's death to keep house for her sons.
This stay was of short duration, evidently, as the destruction of Chicago by the great conflagration of Oct. 9, 1871, found the three brothers, William, John and Thomas, residing there.
Apparently the call of the Far West was ever insistent, as he was a resident of California within the following year, his papers showing that he was granted citizenship in 1873, which required not only a residence of five years in the United States, but also one year in California. Thus in common with so many of his countrymen, who rank second to none among the peoples of the world who come to this country in swearing allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, he took out his papers at the first opportunity.
Most of his stay in California was in Sacramento, where he was employed in a gas works. But he had not as yet found a place where he was contended to locate the permanently, for he left California in 1877, making first a trip to Portland, Ore., and The Dalles, where he crossed the Columbia river to look over the Klickitat country, just opening up strongly for homeseekers because of its salubrious climate and fertile soil ready for the plow, as yet unsettled to any great extent. Then he probably carried out the further plan of going to Australia, as that same year finds him in the Antipodes. He returned to California soon, and then in 1881 or 1882 made another journey to the Klickitat country with the determination to settle there, as proved by his purchase of the Schuster place.
The return to California was no doubt for the purpose of saving sufficient funds to commence ranching, for in 1884 he went back to the Klickitat and took permanent possession of his ranch. In 1895, up to then a bachelor, he married Margaret Burns, a widow, and they resided in the country until the Great War, when the place was sold to Ralph Fenton and they purchased a home in Goldendale. After the death of his wife in 1925 he failed rapidly, but his indominitable will refused to accept the evidence that the end was near, he even insisted on getting up on the last day of his death.
He was a familiar figure in and about Goldendale for over 42 years, and will be remembered as a strictly abstemious man, honorable in his dealings with others, intensely interested in the welfare of his country and up to the last keeping in touch with the important news of the day, of a sincere, practical religious nature, wishing everyone well and following scrupulously the dictates of his conscience.