Seattle, Washington (AP)

Growing up, Kathie Zetterberg knew little of the history and culture of the Duwamish whose villages have long since been replaced by downtown buildings.

Years later, she now includes herself in that history as a descendent of Seattle settler Henry Yesler and a Duwamish woman.

As a child, Zetterberg, 57, was told her great-grandmother, Julia, was the daughter of Yesler and an Indian woman.

“I’d always heard there was Native American blood in my family,” said Zetterberg, who recently attended a dedication of a story pole recounting Duwamish history.

But there were different versions of how she was related.

Some said Julia’s mother was Angeline, the daughter of Duwamish Chief Seattle (or Sealth), for whom the city is named. Another version is that Julia’s mother was the daughter of Chief Curly (Su-quardle), head of the Duwamish village that once stood in the downtown area.

In 2001, the 150th anniversary of white pioneers landing at Alki, Zetterberg was reading articles about the city’s history when she realized there was no mention of Yesler’s relationship with a Native woman, or of Julia.

“I just thought she should be part of the history,” the graphic artist said.

Zetterberg began researching death certificates and genealogical sites on the Internet, and visiting the library.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Seattle Daily Times in 1907 ran Julia’s obituary, identifying her as Yesler’s daughter.

To find out who Julia’s mother was, Zatterberg turned to HistoryLink.org, a Web site that chronicles Washington state history.

Deputy director David Wilma wasn’t surprised information was scarce on Yesler and the woman’s relationship.

“The guys writing these histories were from a pretty Victorian and straight-laced time, where people would not have acknowledged unsanctioned marriages,” Wilma said. “For those who wanted to portray this positive image of Yesler, it would have been something they would have purposefully forgot.”

In the early 1850s, Yesler left his wife and invalid son in Ohio and traveled to Seattle. He built a sawmill at what’s now Yesler Way and Western Avenue, near Chief Curly’s village.

Wilma believes the evidence is convincing that Julia is the daughter of Yesler and Susan, Chief Curly’s daughter.

Newspaper obituaries show Hannah (Benson) Behrens as Julia’s half-sister. According to a 1917 death certificate, Hannah’s father was Jeremiah Benson, a cook at Yesler’s mill. Her mother was a “Susan Curlay.”

Zetterberg’s father’s name, William Price, also appears on a 1927 tribal roll, confirming she is part Duwamish.

In 1858, Yesler’s wife, Sarah, joined him in Seattle after their son’s death. Yesler sent his Indian “wife” to live with Jeremiah Benson, Zetterberg said. An 1870 census of the Benson household includes Julia, born in 1855.

An 1871 census shows house servant, Julia Benson, living with H.L. and S.B Yesler.

“Seeing her listed in the census as Yesler’s house servant was startling,” Zetterberg said. “As far as I could see, he was caring for her, without having to reveal anything.”

Julia married Charles Intermela in 1890 and settled in Port Townsend, where Charles served as sheriff and later as city treasurer. Julia was elected president of the Women’s Relief Corp, Zetterberg said.

The couple had two children, Charles II and Elsia, Zetterberg’s grandmother.

Last summer Zetterberg was welcomed into the Duwamish Tribe at a ceremony that included a performance by Duwamish dancers. She’s since attended tribal celebrations and been learning Duwamish customs.