Not much is known about Charles Irving, the first born son of Charles and Ella Southmayd. We know he was born Jan. 27, 1879, on Eel River Island near Ferndale, Calif. And we know he died Nov. 10, 1897, in Grizzly Bluff, Calif., at the age of 18. 
It's clearly visible in the photos of Irving that he had some type of deformity. The story passed down through the family is that his deformity was the result of a fall from a horse when he was quite young, but it's unclear if that's true.
We do know Irving was a good student. We have copies of his report cards which exhibit his academic skill. We also know he was a talented artist and enjoyed writing.
