carrie
EMOOTA "CARRIE"(APALARUK)(ABULARAK)
MARRIED NAME: CARRIE SANG SING (Other spellings: FONG SING)
MARRIED
NAME: CARRIE AHSARUK (Other spellings: AHSURUK - ASINUK)
By Coleen Mielke
[email protected]
"Carrie"
McNeil Island Prison
Booking Photo 1911 (age 17)
Prison record lists Carrie's date/place
of birth as 10/14/1893 Nome, Alaska
Carrie Apalaruk was born in Nome, Alaska in 1893. Records show
various phonetic spellings for her last name. One prison record lists
her Eskimo name as Emoota Apalruk. Her social security record shows
her as Carrie Apalaruk, daughter of John Apalaruk of Nome. Before she was
17, she married a Chinese man named Sang Sing (some records say it was
Fong Sing). When she got out of prison, she married Philip Ahsaruk. On HIS
death certificate, it lists Carrie's maiden name as Epengoon, but I have
not found that name on any other record.
Carrie had a rough childhood; her father and stepmother served
time at McNeil Island Prison for “selling alcohol to Natives”; her step-mother
(Assairuk) died at McNeil Island Prison (of tuberculosis) and is buried
there.
John
Apalaruk - Carrie's Father
From
the number of scars, it appears
John Apalaruk had a very rough life
Five months later, Carrie was arrested and charged with “assault
with intent to kill” when she attacked a soldier with a knife (at Nome
River) after “he broke a promise”. Again, she was given a lawyer, 2
interpreters and a chance to make a statement to the courts (but she
refused again). She was sentenced to 2 years in prison at McNeil Island
and was released from prison on 4/27/1913. She was ill with tuberculosis
when she returned to Nome.
Three months after being released from McNeil Island, Carrie
was arrested for “intentionally pointing a firearm at Thomas C. Griffin”
a soldier. The court records show that the soldier was shot in the altercation
and sustained a non-life-threatening wound. However, before the trial
began, the soldier, developed blood poisoning (from the shotgun wound)
and died. The charges against Carrie were changed to manslaughter.
Carrie was represented by a lawyer (Hugh O’Neil) and two interpreters.
The judge gave her a chance to make a statement about the charges,
but she waived that opportunity again. There were 6 witnesses (4 Native
and 2 non-Native) who testified at the trial which lasted 2 days
(one of the witnesses was Carrie’s father John Apalaruk). The judge sentenced
her to 6 years at Leavenworth Prison.
When Carrie got to Leavenworth, the doctor said her tuberculosis
was progressing at a rapid rate and he was doubtful that she would
live long enough to serve her full sentence, so they transferred her
to a Colorado Penitentiary where the arid climate improved Carries health.
In Colorado, Carrie worked in the prison laundry and went to
school where she learned to speak English. Carrie was released from
prison after 4 years and sent back to Nome, where she married Philip Ahsaruk
(many different spellings), who was a reindeer herder. They had 3 children
(Tillie born 1917, Grace born in 1920 and William born in 1925); they
also raised several other orphans.
On the 1920 U.S. Census, Carrie's married
name was spelled Ayaruk
On the 1930 U.S. Census, Carrie's married name was spelled Asiruk
On the 1940 U.S. Census, Carrie's married name was spelled Ahsuruk
Remarks Below (in BLUE) are
my own research
The 1920 U.S.Census for Nome, shows
the family like this:
Ayaruk, Philip age 40 Reindeer Herder
Ayaruk, Carrie age 21 (wife)
Ayaruk, Cecil age 14 (adopted)
Ayaruk, Mildred age 10 (adopted)
Ayaruk, Toolos age 3 (daughter) (*****name
later changed to Tillie)
Ayaruk, Grace age 1 (daughter) (Carrie
and Phillip's daughter)
On the 1920 U.S. Census for Nome
John Abularak (Carrie's father) was in
the Nome Jail (he was 38).
The 1930 U.S. Census for Nome shows
the family like this:
Asiruk, Philip age 50 Reindeer Herder
Asiruk, Carrie age 35 (was his 2nd wife)
Asiruk, Edith age 25 (daughter) (****Phillip's
daughter by previous marriage)
Asiruk, Leonard age 17 (son) (*******Phillip's
son by previous marriage)
Asiruk, Benjamin age 15 (son)(*******Phillip's
son by previous marriage)
Asiruk, Tillie age 13 (daughter)(******Carrie
and Phillip's daughter)
Asiruk, Grace age 10 (daughter)(*******Carrie
and Phillip's daughter)
Asiruk, William age 4 (son)(**********family
member says William was adopted)
Brown, John age 24 (son-in-law)
The 1940 B.I.A. Census for Nomes shows
the family like this:
Ahsuruk, Phillip born 11/14/1866 (Head)
Ahsuruk, Carrie born 1887 (wife)
Ahsuruk, William born 4/15/1925 King
Island(family member says William was adopted)
Bergamaschi, Pauline born 2/23/1928 (adopted)(daughter of Napoleon and Bessie (Aleosick) Bergamaschi)
Elingnak, Cecil born 6/26/1933 (grandson)***********(Tillie's son)(Carrie and Phillip's grandson)
Eviyanna, Frankie born winter of 1903 (Step-brother-in-law)
Kungesuk, John born 5/13/1913 (Son-in-law)
Kungesuk, Grace born 3/19/1919 (Carrie
and Phillip's daughter)
Kungesuk, Edith Caroline born 6/20/1938 (Grace's daughter)(Carrie and Phillip's granddaughter)
1946 Indian Census for Nome, shows the family
like this:
Ahsaruk, Phillip born 1887 (Head)
Ahsaruk, Carrie born 1894 (wife)
Ahsaruk, Cecil born 6/26/1935 (grandson) (Tillie's
son, born: Cecil Elingnak)
Eschott, Edith born 6/20/1938 (daughter) (Grace's
daughter)(Carrie and Phillip's granddaughter)
Ahsaruk, William born 4/15/1925 King Island (son)(Family member told me William was adopted)
Ahsaruk, Ben (all other info blank) (Phillip's son by previous marriage)
Burdeshaw, Alden (Head) (he died
1950, age 58)
Burdeshaw, Tillie (wife) (********this is Carrie
and Phillip's daughter)
Bergmaschi, Pauline age 28 Head (adopted
by Carrie and Phillip))
Bergmaschi, Frank Edward born 5/18/1946 (son)(Pauline's son)
1950 U.S. Census for Nome shows the family
like this:
Ashanuk, Phillip age 72 (Head)
Ashanuk, Carrie age 45 (wife)
Ashanuk, William age 13 (son) (Family member
told me William was adopted)
Kungesuk, Grace 20 (daughter) (Carrie and Phillip's
daughter)
Kungesuk, John 26 (son-in-law)
Kungesuk, Edith 1 (granddaughter)
Bergamaschi, Pauline (Niece) (****daughter of
Napoleon and Bessie (Aleosick) Bergamachi)
Elingnak, Cecil age 6 (grandson)(****this
is Tillie's son)(Carrie and Phillip's grandson)
When Carrie’s husband (Phillip) died
in 1952, his death certificate gave the following information:
Age 78, born King Island. Wife is listed as "Carrie Epengoon". His
father is listed as Nujak.His surviving
children were: Ben Ahsuruk and Tillie Burdeshaw. He also had a cousin
named Harry Soxie of Shakotoolik.
Not mentioned was adopted son William Floyd, whose military
registration used the spelling Ahsaruk and birth information as: 4/15/1925
King Island. Phillip's social security information lists his father as:
Negak and his mother as Anguyan.
Carrie's daughter (Tillie's) children were:
Cecil Elingnak and Grace Marie Burdeshaw of Tacoma and Janice Roberta
Buzby of Wasilla, Alaska.
After the death of her husband,
Carrie moved to Tacoma Washington where she
lived well into her 90's
The News Tribune
1/30/1985