Chief Isaac's People of the River - The Isaac Family

The Isaac Family

Isaac Family Tree

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Isaac Family Tree

1. Parents unknown from Mansfield Village area, Alaska

2. Chief Isaac - Sp. Eliza Harper (daughter of Klondike Chief 'Gah St'at') Abraham Harper

3. Edward Isaac
3. Fred Isaac
3. Charlie Isaac
3. Patricia Isaac
3. Angela Isaac

3. Patricia Isaac Lindgren
4. Dorothy Lindgren
4. Barry Lindgren
4. Donald Lindgren
4. Patsy Lindgren

3. Angela Isaac Lopaschuk
4. Gerald Isaac
4. Joy Isaac
4. Norman Isaac
4. Russell Isaac

1911 Moosehide Census

A sensus was conducted in 1911 that recorded the people living in Moosehide, Yukon. Click here for a copy of the 1911 Census.

Chief Isaac and Brothers Johnathon Wood and Walter Benjamin

This is Charlie Isaac story about his family. (quoted from Richard Slobdin's studies in 1960's.)
Charlie said, "My father had an older brother, Johnathon Wood and a younger brother, Walter Benjamin who lived in Eagle, Alaska. Johnathon Wood and Isaac were tall,slim dark men but Walter was stout, with light complexion, pink cheeks, grey eyes, and big brown mustache. My father's father had two wives. Johnathon and Isaac were sons of the first wife and Walter of the second. Everyone thought Walter had some Russian in him from 'way back'." Isaac also said that in his youth he lived at Fortymile, but believed that "he was born farther west in the Ketchumstock area, and that his father came from the upper Tanana region."

Johnathon Wood and Walter Benjamin were both preachers. Johnathon served at St. Barnabas Church in Moosehide and Walter Benjamin maintained the Episcopal Church mission in Eagle Village.

Chief Isaac and Wife Eliza (Harper) Isaac

Chief Isaac and wife Eliza
Photo Credit: Yukon Museums

The Isaac family patriarch and matriarch consists of Chief Isaac and Eliza Harper (daughter of Chief Gäh St’ät). Chief Isaac is from the Wolf Clan and Eliza Harper is from the Crow Clan. Chief Isaac is Athapaskan from Mansfield Village, Alaska. Eliza Isaac is Han from Dawson City, Yukon. Chief Isaac's brothers are Johnathan Wood and Walter Benjamin. Eliza had four brothers; Esau Harper, Kenneth Harper, Henry Harper and Ben Harper. An August 05, 1922 article in the Dawson Daily news indicates that Eliza had a sister named Annie Harper. The article also indicates that Chief Isaac's father, great grandfather, great great grandfather were leaders of the area along the Yukon from the Porcupine River to the Pelly River and beyond. Chief and Eliza Isaac had four children who survived to adulthood including: Fred Isaac, Charlie Isaac, Princess Patricia Isaac and Angela Isaac. They had a number of other children that did not make it to adult hood.

Chief Isaac

Chief Isaac died April 9, 1932. He was around age 85. Esau Harper wife Sarah died Dec. 5, 1929. Henry Harper wife Lucy, age 30 died Dec. 21, 1910. Grandma Eliza Isaac died 5 am April 3, 1960. She was around age 87. Uncle Fred Isaac passed away in Whitehorse on Tuesday, July 31st, 1968 and the funeral was held in Moosehide on August 6, 1968. He was age 63. Uncle Charlie Isaac born 1912, died February 25, 1975. He was age 63. Auntie Pat died August 4, 1991. Her birth date, February 16, 1915. She was 76 years old. Mom Angela died August 4, 1993. Her birth date. March 2, 1918. She was 75 years old.
-Joy Isaac

"Chief Isaac came from Tanana and Eagle,Alaska area. There were three brothers. Chief Isaac, Jonathon Wood and Walter Benjamin. Walter Ben settled in Eagle, Alaska. Grandpa Chief Isaac and Johnathon Wood carried on to Yukon and settled at the mouth of the Klondike River. Grandpa married Eliza Harper. Grandma's father named Gah ts'at was hereitary chief of the Han people. Gah ts'at appointed Grandpa chief when he married his daughter Eliza. Grandpa too had Indian name until the Anglican Bishop Bompass gave him the Bible name of Isaac." .......Joy Isaac

A Warrior Gone Home - Chief Charlie Rites
Source: Vancouver Province

Chief Charlie Isaac will be buried Saturday in the little cemetery of Dawson City in the Yukon, two miles upstream from the deserted village of Moosehide where he was born 63 years ago.

While still in his teens, Chief Charlie bridged the two miles, giving up the nomadic life of the hunter to become a worker in an urbanized society so he could support the family following the death of his father.

He was one of the first residents of the Yukon to volunteer in the Second World War and he soon became an expert on English cottages, French inns, Dutch cots or Italian vineyards. He slept in them all.

He had a great sense of humor and more than once pointed out to government officials that the government had stolen the land from his people and he had gone to war to save it for them.

Chief Charlie spent the past few summers in Dawson City entertaining tourist, telling tales about his boyhood and how his father Chief Isaac had welcomed the first sourdoughs to the Klondike.

He died suddenly in the George Derby Veterans Home in Burnaby. He never married.

Eliza (Harper) Isaac

Klondike Korner-1960
Funeral services for the late Mrs. Eliza Isaac were held in St. Paul's Church Monday, April 11th, the Rev. Allan Haldenby officiating. Interment in the Moosehide Cemetary. Pall bearers were Jack Lasky, Dave Roberts, Joe Henry, Dave Adams and Alec Taylor.

Granny Isaac, as she was lovingly known by most Dawsonites, passed away in St. Mary's Hospital on April 3rd in her 87th year. She was the widow of the late Chief Isaac, who was Chief of the Klondike Tribe when the White man came to the Yukon.

Mrs. Isaac is survived by two sons, Fred and Charlie, two daughters, Mrs. Patricia Lindgren and Mrs. Angela Lopaschuk and eight grandchildren, Dorothy, Barry, Donald, Patsy, Gerald, Joy, Norman and Russell.

Edward Isaac

An earlier son, Edward Isaac became ill and died at the age of 14 on August 12, 1906.

Chief Isaac and son Edward
Source: Alaska’s Digital Achieves
Collection Name: Wickersham State Historic Site. Photographs, 1882-1930s. ASL-PCA-277 Identifier: ASL-P277-001-065 Title: Chief Isaac and his son (Edward), Dawson, Y.T., 1899. Creator: Larss & Duclos Date Original: 1899

Fred Isaac

Klondike Korner-1968

Fred Isaac, born 1906, son of Chief Isaac and Mrs. Eliza Isaac, passed away in Whitehorse on Tuesday, July 31st, 1968. Fred had been living in Moosehide until three months ago, when poor health forced him to go to Whitehorse for further medical attention.

As a younger man, Fred was second mate on the river boats. He is survived by one brother, Charlie and two sisters, Angela Lopaschuk and Princess Pat.

Rev. Snider and Rev. Richard Martin officiated at the funeral services held in St. Paul's Church on August 6th. Interment took place in Moosehide Cemetary. The funeral courtege was taken down river on the ferry McQuestion. Pall bearers were: Edward, Herbie, Stanley and Fred Roberts, George and Jackie Semple.

Charlie Isaac

Baptism record for Charles Elijah Isaac. Birthplace: Moosehide, Yukon; Date of birth: November 25th, 1910; Parents: Isaac (Chief) and Eliza. Baptized: December 18th, 1910; by Bishop Isaac O. Stringer at St. Barnabas Church, Moosehide, Yukon. God parents: Benjamin and Annie Harper.

Uncle Charlie had a great sense of humor and in his senior years enjoyed talking to tourists that roamed the streets of Dawson City in the summers. He would say "Hello Kentuck (pointing up towards the Moosehide slide) Shin aye ka wa wa-Yanjit Hill kak snowshoe-moose-coyote"

Patricia (Isaac) Lindgren

Story By Joy Isaac/Yukon Indian News, October 25,1977

Pat (nee Isaac) Lindgren was the daughter of Chief and Eliza (Harper). "I was born in 1915, in Good Samaritan Hospital in Dawson City. It used to be a hospital, after that a hostel for children. Now it is used for a Hall for gatherings and church service in the winter," Pat said.

"My father was Chief. I'm Crow like my mother was. Because my father was Chief, they called me Princess when I'm born. Princess Pat. I have that name all my life."

Angela Gladys (Isaac) Lopaschuk

Baptism record for Angela Gladys Isaac. Birthplace: Moosehide, Yukon; Date of birth: March 2, 1918; Parents: Isaac (Chief) and Eliza. Baptized: March 17, 1918, by Bishop Isaac O. Stringer at St. Barnabas Church, Moosehide,Yukon. God parents: Andrew and Ellen Silas.