Clackamas County OR

Biography of Rev. Josiah Lamberson Parrish

REV. JOSIAH LAMBERSON PARRISH. – This well-known pioneer, one of the few survivors of the early missionary force of Oregon, was born in Onondaga county, New York, on the 14th of October, 1806. From his father he learned the trades of blacksmithing and farming; and to them he devoted most of his time till he reached the age of twenty-four. At that time failure of his health from overwork caused him to turn his attention to the harness and saddlery trade. At about the same time he began preaching as a local preacher in the Methodist church. His field of … Read more

Schwendemann, Margie Evelyn – Obituary

Summerville, Oregon Margie Evelyn Schwendemann, 87, formerly of Wallowa and Union counties, died April 26 in Portland. A funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at Daniels-Knopp Funeral Center, 1502 Seventh St. in La Grande. A graveside service will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the Wallowa Cemetery. Marge was born Nov. 18, 1920, in Wallowa, the youngest child of Benjamin H. “Dick” and Martha M. (Wise) Anderson. She married John M. “Jack” Schwendemann on Sept. 10, 1946, in Boise. The couple lived in Camas, Wash., Portland, Lake Oswego and Boring, moving to Summerville in 1967. They owned and operated … Read more

Biography of Judge Aaron E. Wait

JUDGE AARON E. WAIT. – Judge Wait, who needs no introduction to the people of Oregon, was born in Whately, Massachusetts, on Sunday, December 26, 1813. His father was a soldier in the war of that period, and died in the service. His family name on his mother’s side was Morton, of Scotch descent. His ancestry on his father’s side were English. At fourteen years of age Aaron went to the adjoining town of Hatfield, and learned the “broom trade.” By money earned at that trade, and afterwards by teaching, he was enabled to increase his education. He taught country … Read more

Baker, Leola Mary – Obituary

Elgin, Oregon Leola Mary Baker, 83, of Central Point and formerly of Elgin, died March 27. A graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Elgin Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Memory Gardens Mortuary of Medford. Mrs. Baker was born June 15, 1923, in Elgin, where she was raised. She married Delmar Baker, and they owned and operated a real estate business in La Grande. She was a member of Eastern Star and the Fraternal Order of Eagles #259 in La Grande. She also was a Grey Lady volunteer at Grande Ronde Hospital many years ago. … Read more

Dooley, Elletha M. Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Elletha M. Dooley, 90, of Baker City died Feb. 7, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. There was a private family graveside service for Mrs. Dooley today at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Portland. The Rev. Joseph Neuville, retired, officiated. Mrs. Dooley was born on Aug. 7, 1911, at Estacada. At a young age she moved to Portland. She attended Alameda Grade School and graduated from Grant High School. She married Robert Dooley on Dec. 31, 1932, at Portland. For many years they were residents of Milwaukie and active members of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Prior … Read more

Biography of Mrs. C. B. Cary

MRS. C.B. CARY. – This refined woman and intelligent lady, one of our earliest pioneers, comes of one of the old Virginia families of English or Cavalier origin; whose members, in the early days of the Old Dominion, took and held an advanced social position. She was born at Richmond in 1815, and at the age of four moved to Kentucky with her father, William Taylor. In 1831 she was married to Miles S. Cary, one of the pioneer sons of Kentucky, with his full share of southern chivalrousness and western energy. In 1835 they moved to Missouri, and were … Read more

Biography of McCauley Porter

McCAULEY PORTER. – This gentleman, one of the oldest and best farmers in the Willamette valley, was born in Todd county, Kentucky, November 28, 1829. At the age of five he removed with his parents to Montgomery county, Illinois, and in 1845 made with them a new home in Missouri. In 1848, by the prevalent reports and fabulous stories of Oregon everywhere circulated, his attention was drawn to the land by the sunset sea; and with his two brothers, William G. and John E., he set out upon the journey across the plains and mountains. He had ox-teams and loose … Read more

Robinson, Roy Rodney – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Roy Rodney Robinson, 62, a former Baker City resident, died May 29, 2004, in Richardson, Texas. His memorial service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. in Baker City. Pastor Ralph Holcomb will officiate. Roy was born Feb. 26, 1942, in Pryor, Okla., a son of Lois and Walter Robinson. He worked in construction, spending 14 years in underground construction working for such construction companies as Morrison-Knudson and Peter Kewitt. Some of the projects that he worked on were the Washington Tunnel, second power plant at Grand Coulee Dam and the … Read more

Biography of Capt. J. H. McMillen

CAPT. J.H. McMILLEN. – Captain McMillen, a fitting example of the men whose stout courage, tireless energy and ready friendliness laid the groundwork of our state, is a pioneer of 1845, having crossed the plains with W.H. Rector, Colonel Taylor, Hiram Smith and others of that large immigration. Of Scotch ancestry, he traces his American lineage to a great-grandfather who crossed the Atlantic and settled in Rhode Island, where a numerous family grew up around him. The grandfather, James, pushed westward as far as New York; and in that state Joseph, the father, was born. Arriving at maturity he married … Read more

Smolich, Emil – Obituary

Baker City, Baker County, Oregon Emil Smolich, 75, of Milwaukie, a former Baker City resident, died May 13, 2006. There will be a private service. He was born on May 22, 1930, at Baker City. He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953. He married Kay Phillips in 1967. He worked as a truck driver for System 99, retiring in 1985. He had lived in the Portland Metro area since 1968. Survivors include his wife, Kay; his sister and brother-in-law, Helen and Jerry Cardinal; brothers and sisters-in-law, Don and Helen Smolich, George and Janet Smolich and Robert and … Read more

Gill, George – Obituary

Minam, Oregon George Gill, 76, of Baker City passed away at his home on June 6, 2007. Memorial Services will be held at the Eagles, 2935 H St. in Baker City on Saturday, June 16, at 1 p.m. An additional memorial will be held on the Minam at a later date. Mr. Gill was born in Oregon City to Manuel and Mary Gill. He attended several schools in Oregon as a child, moving with his family as his father worked in the construction business. When he was 12 years old, his father bought a ranch on the Minam in Wallowa … Read more

Biography of J. T. Hunsaker

J.T. HUNSAKER. – This pioneer of 1846, one of the most substantial and upright men of one state, who has borne his full share of the burden and heat of the day in building up Oregon, was even from the first upon the advanced wave of American civilization, having been born at Jonesboro, Illinois, in 1818, and having assisted in laying the foundations of that giant state of the old West. He began domestic life in 1837, marrying Miss Emily Collins of the same state, and devoting his energies to the development of a farm. He was moved, however, by … Read more

Cox, Ollie – Obituary

Haines, Baker County, Oregon Ollie Young Cox, 88 of Canby, a longtime Baker City resident, died April 12, 1998, at Canby. Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Avenue. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate. Interment will be at the Haines Cemetery. Mrs. Cox was born March 14, 1910, at Hartville, Missouri to Herman and Artie Young. She and her family moved west to Morrow County when she was 8. She was raised and educated in Pine City. She was married to Emery Cox on … Read more

Limbocker, Clyde L. – Obituary

Final rites for Clyde L. Limbocker [March 3, 1951], 724 Taylor Street were held in the chapel of the Oregon City Funeral Home, Wednesday afternoon. Concluding services were at Mountain View Cemetery. Rev. Howard Hutchinson, pastor of the Church of Christ (Christian), officiated. Pall bearers were Earl Downing, Clifford Chapin, Ray Corless, Bryan Foster, Frank Parker and Richard Bittner. Mr. and Mrs. E. Granville Limbocker of Richmond, Calif., were in Oregon City for the funeral. Enroute from the south, their train was stalled by a snow slide at the summit of the Siskiyou Mountains for 16 hours. The accident occurred … Read more

Biography of Hon. Albert Briggs

HON. ALBERT BRIGGS. – Ever green in the memory of the pioneer of the Pacific coast remain the trials and hardships they endured while establishing civilization in the far west. These pioneers, constituted no ordinary class; they were hardy, brave and energetic men; and thousands to-day are reaping the benefits which have accrued from the trials and hardships endured by the early pioneer. None among them deserve more tribute than the subject of this sketch, an excellent portrait of whom is placed in this history, from a photograph taken when he was in his seventy-fifth year. Mr. Briggs was born … Read more

Biography of Francis W. Pettygrove

FRANCIS W. PETTYGROVE. – The greatest respect and admiration is due the memory of the men and women who came to the Pacific Northwest when it was the home of Indians, and mountain men and a few traders, almost as wild, to plant homes and lay the foundation of the empires of Oregon and Washington, now so prosperous, and in fact fast verging into the garden spots of the union. They dared much when they accepted the role of pioneers. Among those who came in the earlier emigrations was the gentleman whose name heads this brief sketch. He was a … Read more

Biography of Hon. John M. Bacon

HON. JOHN M. BACON. – There are three places in the Northwest that have almost antique associations. These are Astoria, Vancouver and Oregon City. Of none of them is the flavor of old times more pronounced than amid the rocks and bluffs and by the falls and the old buildings of the latter place. Here one of the old pioneers may be found in the person of a gentleman whose portrait appears on the opposite page. It was as to the last place to go that Mr. Bacon came to Oregon. A native of Buffalo, New York, born in 1822, … Read more

Love, Junia Shields Mrs. – Obituary

Junia Shields Love, 99, a former Baker City resident, died July 28, 2006, at Oregon City. She is interred at Rest Haven Memorial Park in Eugene alongside her husband, Frank; her sister- and brother-in-law, Richard and Lola Lanyon; and her brother-in-law, Raymond Love. She was born on Oct. 19, 1906, at Sumpter. She was the eldest child of John Thomas Shields and Carrie Pearl Foster. She married Frank Bennett Love on May 28, 1928. The couple lived in Baker County for many years. Junia was a schoolteacher at Homestead, Goose Creek near Keating, and at other country schools. In 1944, … Read more

Hallock, Joseph Homer – Obituary

Joseph Homer Hallock, Lake Oswego, builder of Portland’s first commercial radio station and an early radio announcer died Saturday [September 17] in a Lake Oswego convalescent home. He was 85. A native of Eastern Oregon, Mr. Hallock came to Portland in 1927 and with his partners, the late Clifford Watson and Roy Young, built and sold the first commercial radio receiving sets in the Northwest. He then built the first commercial radio station KFJR (later KALE, KPOJ and now KPOK) and the first police radio station. During the 1930’s he was an announcer-actor for Portland radio stations, appearing on live … Read more

Biography of Sidney Walter Moss

SIDNEY WALTER MOSS. – Mr. Moss is a venerable and noticeable character among the pioneers, not only for his long residence in Oregon, but for the esteem in which he has ever been held by the people. He has, in an eminent degree, that quality for which the early Oregonians have been remarkable, – liberality. He was born in Paris, Kentucky, March 17,1810. His father, Moses Moss, was a Baptist minister; and his mother, Katherine Buckford Moss, was a woman of great force and elevation of character. The young man learned the trade of stone-cutting, and in 1828 left Kentucky … Read more