Francis John Raby, “Frank” the next youngest of nine children, was born in Arnprior, Ontario Canada on July 27, 1894 to Frank and Lavenia Hill Raby. He registered for the draft in WWI in Canada, but in July 1914, at the age of 19 he entered the US at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. He became a naturalized citizen in 1921, when he was living in Seattle, Washington and working as a “clerk and oil operator”.
About that time Frank came to Alaska and spent one summer at least digging clams at a commercial clamming operation at Tuxedni Bay in Cook Inlet. Seldovia resident John Gruber tells the story related by his grandfather, Jack English who also hired on at Tuxedni Bay that year: “My grandfather said,”I was watching this fella go out at low tide – And they had wooden boxes, I think, that they towed. And they might have had skegs on ‘em or something. And they would tow these wooden boxes down, fill ’em with clams, and then other people would tow the wooden boxes back up the beach, and then they would process ’em. But the fella that dug the clams, that’s all he dug – did, was dig the clam.” My grandfather said Frank would bend over and start diggin’, and he wouldn’t straighten back up until the tide came back in. In other words, he was a pretty good clam digger.”
That winter when the cannery closed, Frank moved into Seldovia. It didn’t take long before he was trying his hand at every money-making operation going on in the area. In 1925 ten companies were listed in the Pacific Fisherman’s Yearbook as packing herring in Seldovia, including Frank Raby, with 27 barrels. Susan Springer in her book Seldovia, Alaska suggests that Frank Raby was probably the first person in Seldovia to attempt the raising of mink, which he did from 1923-1926. He was also included in the long list of Kachemak Bay fox farmers. In the 1930 US Census, Frank was listed as a Seldovian salmon fisherman.
At some point Frank began to work as a clerk in the local grocery store Seldovia Cash Store, owned by Charlie Sharp. It was next door to H.S. Young Mercantile, operated by H. S. and Willie Young. The Youngs had come to Alaska in 1916 and he was also from Canada. They had operated similar mercantiles in Kenai, eventually ending up in Seldovia. H.S. was older than Winnie, and eventually took ill and died in February 1945. Exactly a year later, on February 23, 1946, Frank and Winnie O’Brien Young were married in Seldovia. His occupation as listed on the marriage application was “storekeeper”. He opened a doorway between the two stores and operated it as one store.
Susan Springer also recounts another story told by former Seldovian Jim Busey. Apparently Father Sarikovicoff, a Russian priest “helped to support his large family by bootlegging. He was also in heavy debt to Frank Raby, who was having trouble collecting payment. One day, Frank spied the IRS boat steaming into Seldovia Bay. He ran and told the Father, and together they moved the still into a back room at Frank’s store. That’s where it stayed, the debt considered settled. Frank later moved this still, or one similar, to his property at Raby’s Spit on the west side of Seldovia Bay” (p182)
In 1948 Frank Raby sued Polar Bar owner Joe Hill to recover possession of a town lot where the bar stood. It was part of the Fulmore Homestead, which Frank acquired in 1945. Frank won and Joe Hil was required to vacate the premises within 3 months.
In 1955 Frank Raby was registered as the owner of the Seldovia Mining Company at Red Mountain, chromium prospecting. The company had a crew of 2 people.
Frank Raby died January 1984 in Seldovia and there is a memorial for him in Plot #95 in the Seldovia City Cemetery that he helped create by donating the land to the City of Seldovia in 1934 and 1970.