Biography

Iza Baker was born on 27 June 1890 in Luverne, Rock, Minnesota.  Her mother Lauretta Fisher and William H Baker were married six months before her birth on the 29 Dec 1889 in Valley Springs, Minnehaha, South Dakota because Lauretta was pregnant.. Lauretta must have wanted to hide that she was pregnant when she and William were married because she erased the original date on her copy of the marriage certificate and put in 29 December 1888 instead! Five of Iza's six siblings were also born in Minnesota: Bernice in 1892, Lettie in 1893, Bernard in 1895, Helen in 1897 and Jay in 1902. One of her sisters, Lettie, died as an infant while the family was in Minnesota.  Iza's sister Thelma was born in 1906 after the family moved to Washington in 1904 or 1905.

Iza graduated from Olympia High School and was an assistant instructor in the domestic science department. A year later she was employed in the domestic science department of the state training school in Chehalis. On 24 September 1910 when she was twenty, Iza married Jacob Olaf Frisch. Jacob was twenty eight and working as a foreman at the Springer's Mill sash and door company in Olympia, Washington. After their marriage Iza became a homemaker. She and Jacob had three children: Mary who was born in 1912 and died shortly after birth, Jack born in 1913 and Betty born in 1917.

Iza's parents had divorced after they moved to Washington and in 1911 her mother married William J Lawton. Lauretta and William left Olympia in 1915 and moved to Montana to homestead on Horse Creek in Treasure County, Montana. Iza's two brothers, Bernard and Jay, went with them. Jacob had developed respiratory problems so he and Iza joined the move to Montana to see if a change of climate would be beneficial. Jacob hated the isolation so they moved back to Olympia.d Nine year old Thelma moved back with them. Bernice had left for California to marry Arthur Barnes in 1915 and Helen joined her there a year later after her brief marriage and divorce from Carl Nommensen. Both Bernice and Helen had contracted TB as children and they needed to live in a warm, dry climate for their health.

In 1919 Jacob opened his own cabinet shop in Olympia which he ran until World War II when he went to work for the Rainier Ordinance Base. After the war he worked for the Olympia Brewing Company before re-opening his cabinet shop in 1948 where he worked until ill health forced his retirement in 1972.  Iza was primarily a homemaker but worked in the school cafeteria at Lincoln Grade School from 1924 to 1932. She seems to have played a pivotal supporting role with her mother and sisters. She was the only one who remained in Olympia after her marriage to Jacob when her mother and brothers moved to Montana and her sisters, Bernice and Helen, moved to California. After they left she provided a home for Thelma. Her sister Helen moved back to Washington to live with Iza when she was dying from complications of TB in 1939. Her mother, Lauretta, also was living with Iza at the time of her death in 1945.

Both of Iza's children married in 1938 in Olympia. Jack married  Marion Maxine Lyons and Betty married Lowery William Cody. According to Iza's obituary, she had nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Iza died on 14 August 1969 at age 79. Jacob died on 9 January 1973 at age 90. They are buried beside each other at the Odd Fellows Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Tumwater, Thurston, Washington.

---

Photographs

Lauretta, Bernice, Helen, Betty and Iza	Stella Baker and Iza Frisch	Jacob and Iza Frisch

A special thanks to Denise Batey for sharing her photographs

---

Documents and Articles

Articles

Iza Baker and Jacob Frisch Marriage Articles

Olympia Daily Recorder September 26, 1910		Olympia Washington Standard September 30,1910

Obituaries

Iza Baker Frisch Morning Olympian August 15, 1969		Jacob Frisch Morning Olympian January 10, 1973

City Directories

Olympia City Directory 1919		Olympia City Directory 1923		Olympia City Directory 1930		Olympia City Directory 1932		Olympia City Directory 1934

---

Records

Census Records

1920 census
	Jacob Frisch age 37 born in Washington foreman sash door factory Iza Frisch age 29 born in Minnesota Jack Frisch age 6 born in Washington Betty Frisch age 2 born in Washington Thelma Baker age 13 sister in law born in Washington Olympia Ward 5, Thurston, Washington; Roll: T625_1942; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 386
1930 census
	Jacob O Frisch age 49 born in Washington woodworker own shop owns home Iza S Frisch age 38 born in Minnesota operator school cafeteria Jack O Frisch age 16 born in Washington Betty Frisch age 13 born in Washington Olympia, Thurston, Washington; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0028
1940 census
	O Jacob Frisch age 57 born in Washington working on own account Iza Frisch age 49 born in Minnesota Olympia, Olympia Election Precinct 4, Thurston, Washington, United States

Military Records

Jacob Frisch World War II Draft Registration

Vital Records

Marriage Records

Iza Baker and Jacob Frisch

Death Records

Iza Baker Frisch		Jacob Olaf Frisch
Washington Death Index		Social Security Death Index
Name: Iza L Frisch Gender: Female Age: 79 Birth Year: abt 1890 Residence Place: Thurston, Washington, USA Death Date: 14 Aug 1969 Death Place: Thurston, Washington, USA		Name: Jacob Frisch Sr. SSN: 533-05-7471 Last Residence: 98501 Olympia, Thurston, Washington, USA BORN: 24 Aug 1882 Died: Jan 1973 State (Year) SSN issued: Washington (Before 1951)

---

Gravestones

Jacob Olaf and Iza Baker Frisch Odd Fellows Memorial Park and Mausoleum  Tumwater, Thurston, Washington

---

Index

Title Page

For questions or comments contact:

Stephany Smith
 smithsg@heathsmith.com