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Nilsen

Esther Nilsen was born in Oslo, Norway. She and her husband, Arvid, were long time residents of Wollochet, Gig Harbor. Esther was educated in Norway and held a position with Norwegian Radio Kontoret. In 1939, she came to the U.S. on what was intended to be a year's leave of absence but was stranded here when the Nazis invaded Norway. She eventually found employment with the Norwegian Consulate in Seattle. While there, she met and married Arvid who was a Norwegian seaman serving in the Norwegian Merchant Marine, making Seattle port calls as part of the Allied total war effort. Following the war, they lived for a time in California, then in Norway and, in 1970, determined Gig Harbor was home. Wherever they went they made a host of friends. Not blessed with any of their own, they loved others' children. Devout Christians, they were members of Tacoma Life Center Church. HRC

Novak

John Novak was born in Sumartin on the island of Brac, Croatia. He came to Gig Harbor in the late 1870s – one of the earliest European immigrants to settle here. John was a commercial fisherman and local businessman. In 1877, John Novak, Sam Jerisich and Joseph Dorotich purchased a long stretch of waterfront property on the west side of the harbor. John and Joseph platted their portions into commercial and residential lots, and established the town of Millville (late 1880s), just down the road from the then Gig Harbor Lumber Co. sawmill. The Millville property was home to several of Gig Harbor’s more successful business ventures. For many years, John was proprietor of the Millville Hotel, and his net shed (built by John’s son Tony in 1910, today’s Red Rooster Café) offered storage to many local fishing boats. John’s wife, Josephine Cosgrove (born Zephina Cheroka Cosgrove), was the daughter of a Puyallup Indian mother and an Irish father. Together John and Josephine had 12 children: Mike (never married) 1904-1941, Nicholas "Nick" (married Clementia Skansie - no kids) 1903-1944, Angeline (married Tony Gilich father of Don Gilich) 1900-1978, John (never married) 1897-1915, Ted "Teddy" 1895-1895, Antonnette "Anenetta? or Nettie"(married Andrew Gilich had 3 children: John "Buster" married Ann Makovich and had 3 children: Andrea, Dennis and John - Nora, and Andrew Francis who died) 1895-1919, Antone "Tony" (married Agnes - one son Richard) 1892-1980's?, Frank (never married) 1890-1926, George (never married) 1888-1907, Mitchel (never married) 1886-1895, Caroline "Carrie" (married Lee Makovich had 2 kids Isabelle "Bella" and Katherine) 1883-1980's?, Winifred "Winnie" (married Mitchel Zulyevich) 1882-1944.and Michael. (sources: Gaely Jablonski, Lee Makovich, and Sharon Gilich) GHPHS, GHNSS