Marion County OR Genealogy – Page 6 of 13

Biography of Col. John Colgate Bell

COL. JOHN COLGATE BELL. – Colonel Bell, enjoying a wide reputation from Southern Oregon to Idaho, and back again to the Pacific seashore throughout the state in which he has successively lived and made a multitude of personal acquaintances, merits a special recognition on account of his public services in official relations and in the early Indian wars of Southern Oregon. He was born at Sterling, Kentucky, February 24, 1814. His parents were from Virginia; and among his ancestors were those distinguished in the early history of the nation, his father having served with General Harrison in the war of … Read more

Biography of Heman J. Gerr

The name of Geer is so well known in our state that the following account of the father of T.T. Geer of the Waldo hills will be of interest to all. This now venerable pioneer was born in Ohio in 1828, removing with his parents to Illinois in 1840. In 1847 he crossed the plains to Oregon with General Palmer’s train. The large company forestalled trouble with the Indians. Peter Hall, who stopped with Whitman at Walla Walla was the only one who experienced any disaster. The crossing of the Cascade Mountains by the Barlow Road proved the worst of … Read more

Biography of Hon. Rockey P. Earhart

HON. ROCKEY P. EARHART.- Among those whose names add luster to the roll of the inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest, none stand higher in the estimation of the public, for ability and probity, than the subject of this sketch. Mr. Earhart is a native of Ohio, having been born in Franklin county, in that state, on June 23, 1837. He acquired his education at selected schools; and his natural instincts to fit himself for a useful sphere in after life caused him to make the most of opportunities offered. In 1855, he came to Oregon via Panama, and soon after … Read more

Biography of James F. Ailshie

James F. Ailshie is one of the most distinguished criminal lawyers of Idaho, his marked success in that department of jurisprudence winning him enviable prestige. He is also public-spirited and thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of his town, ranking among her progressive and popular citizens. A native of Greene County, Tennessee, he was born June 19, 1868, and is of Scotch ancestry, the family having been established in the south at an early period in its settlement. His great-grandfather, Stephen Ailshie, fought for independence in the war of the Revolution, and after … Read more

Biography of Joseph L. Carter

JOSEPH L. CARTER. – This prominent educator of Eastern Oregon was born at the old Methodist Episcopal Mission, near Salem, January 22, 1845. He is the son of David Carter, who fifty years ago was a merchant in the various cities and states of South America, and in 1840 came via the Sandwich Islands to the then unclaimed Oregon, marrying Miss Orpha Lankton, of the mission party of the bark Lausanne, and settling on Mill creek near Salem, and also living at The Dalles, passing much time in the mines of California and becoming prominent upon our coast in the … Read more

Clark, LaVelle Blum Mrs. – Obituary

SALEM – LaVelle Blum-Clark, 74, a former Baker City resident, died July 24, 2001, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Her memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Christ Lutheran Church in Salem. Arrangements are by Keizer Funeral Chapel. She was born in Baker City on March 21, 1927, and raised here. She later moved to Salem. She worked a s secretary for Gerry Frank and Sen. Mark Hatfield. Survivors include her husband, Dan of Salem; a brother, John Mattes of Baker City; daughter, Janis Long of Salem; and granddaughter, Jayme Jones of Salem. She was preceded in death … Read more

Belsher, Joseph – Obituary

Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon Joseph Belsher died January.1st, 1919, at the open air sanitarium at Salem, Oregon. He went there from Wallowa County on June 24, 1918, for relief from tuberculosis of the bone. The deceased was born July 16, 1898, in Elk Creek, Texas County, Missouri. He came to Wallowa County in November 1914, and lived with his brother Forest Belsher, on a homestead in Crow Creek Pass. He was laid to rest in the I.O.O.F. cemetery at Salem, Oregon. He leaves four brothers and sisters. Wallowa County Reporter, Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon Thursday January 30, 1918.

Edwards, Ivan Russell – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Ivan Russell Edwards, 83, of Woodburn, Oregon, a former Baker City resident, died Jan. 25, 2003. At his request, there was no funeral. Mr. Edwards was born on Feb. 4, 1919, at Baker City. He worked as a boilermaker, retiring in 1981. He was a member of the American Legion, No. 122, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Baker City. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and the National Guard. He served during World War II at Papua, New Guinea. He lived at Aurora before moving to Woodburn in 2001. His interests included hunting … Read more

Butler, Georgia LaVella – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Georgia LaVelle Butler, 95, of La Grande died Sept. 11 at Jody’s Country Care in La Grande. A celebration of life will be held on at 2 p.m. Thursday at the United Methodist Church in La Grande. A graveside Service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland. Loveland Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements. She was born in La Grande on Sept. 27, 1910, to Herman and Florence Richey. She grew up in La Grande except for five years when her family lived on a ranch in Cove. She graduated from … Read more

Steinks, J. C. – Obituary

Enterprise, Oregon Mrs. F. Stroebel and L. Steinks were called to Salem Thursday by the death of their father J.C. Steinks. The elder Steinks was at one time a resident of the Paradise country. Wallowa County Reporter, Thursday March 18, 1920

Bilyeu, Bessie Lenore Miller – Obituary

Mrs. Bessie Lenore Bilyeu, 67, wife of Lloyd R. Bilyeu, died unexpectedly Friday at her home. A daughter of Abraham and Jane Miller, she was born June 1, 1888 on a farm west of Jefferson in Linn County. She was married on June 2, 1909, and lived near or in Jefferson for her entire life. Surviving besides the widower are two daughters, Lois Underwood and Lael Harper, and one grandson, Stanley Harper, all of Jefferson. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at Fortmiller-Frederickson Chapel, Albany, with the Rev. Mervin McGill officiating. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery, Albany. … Read more

Bilyeu, George Washington – Obituary

One by one those sturdy old pioneers who crossed the plains with a plow ox team and endured privations almost equal to death itself, and by their untiring labors and horrendous efforts laid the foundation for this grand and glorious country, are passing into the land beyond from whence no traveler returns. The last to join this numberless multitude was George W. Bilyeu. Mr. Bilyeu came to Oregon in 1852, crossing the broad plains with the regulation ox team. He settled with his family on a donation land claim a few miles from this city, and there spent the greater … Read more

Biography of John Birch McClain

JOHN BIRCH McCLAIN. – This pioneer, whose record extends to the memorable year of 1843, was born January 31, 1820, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the son of John and Mary Swallow McClane. At the age of twenty-two, he left Philadelphia for Texas with the purpose of assisting General Sam Houston to gain the independence of Texas. The ship, however, upon which he took passage, sailing from Delaware Bay in a storm, was delayed thirty days; and, upon his arrival in New Orleans, the young man found that Houston had withdrawn his proclamation of war against Mexico, and that he … Read more

Music, Dean Manley – Obituary

Dean Manley Music, 75, a former Baker City resident, died April 24, 2008, in a Salem hospital. His memorial service was April 26 at Stayton. Dean was born on Jan. 21, 1933, at Rocky Point, Wyo., to Vernon M. and Alice M. Music. They family moved to Oregon when Dean was 3. After completing his education at Shelburn School at Shelburn, he spent several years working on a ranch in Wyoming. Upon his return to Oregon, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was a veteran of the Korean War. Dean spent many years in the tire industry, working … Read more

Biography of Col. William Williams Chapman

COL. W.W. CHAPMAN. – It has frequently been remarked, that while many men of great fame, and a deservedly wide reputation, cannot lay their finger upon a single public act that they originated, others whose names are less known can county by the score the progeny of their brains, now alive and active in the affairs of the world. Of the latter class is Colonel Chapman of Oregon. There are few men in America, even among those esteemed great, who have originated and carried to completion a greater number of particular acts of large scope and general beneficence. Many whose … Read more

Russell, Gerald Dee “Jerry” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Gerald Dee “Jerry” Russell, 67, died June 22, 2003, at his home in Baker City. At his request, there will be no formal funeral. His family will have a private gathering in celebration of being a part of Jerry’s life. He was born on Nov. 8, 1935, at Farmington, Iowa, to Craige and Annabelle Lucille Dee Russell. About the age of 8, he moved with his family to Fruitland, Idaho. It was there that Jerry graduated high school and a short time later married Barbara Reimers. The couple had two daughters: Lori and Sandra. During his life … Read more

Biography of Heman J. Geer

HEMAN J. GEER. – The name of Geer is so well known in our state that the following account of the father of T.T. Geer of the Waldo hills will be of interest to all. This now venerable pioneer was born in Ohio in 1828, removing with his parents to Illinois in 1840. In 1847 he crossed the plains to Oregon with General Palmer’s train. The large company forestalled trouble with the Indians. Peter Hall, who stopped with Whitman at Walla Walla was the only one who experienced any disaster. The crossing of the Cascade Mountains by the Barlow Road … Read more

Lucero, Doreen Gail Hubble Mrs. – Obituary

Doreen Gail Lucero, 49, of Salem, a former Baker City resident, died Dec. 10, 2005, at Salem. Her funeral was Tuesday at the Bethel Baptist Church in Salem. Doreen was born on Aug. 18, 1956, at Stuttgart, Germany. She was the daughter of Merlene West and stepfather, Otis West, and father, Gary Hubble. She lived at Baker City and attended school here until she was 18 and then lived at Salem and Indiana and Arizona. Doreen’s interests were painting, music and caring for her children and grandchildren. She recently returned to college to study women’s advocacy. She attended a Salem … Read more

Saunders, Raymond M. “Ray”, Jr. – Obituary

Raymond M. “Ray” Saunders Jr., 78, of Hermiston, a former longtime Baker City resident, died Dec. 2, 2005, at his home. His graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland. Pastor Gordon Bond will officiate. Ray was born on July 30, 1927, at Salem. He moved with his family to Eagle Valley at the age of 5. He was a 1945 graduate of Eagle Valley High School at Richland. Ray married Alice Martin on March 10, 1946, at Richland. He joined the U.S. Navy, serving in the South Pacific on the USS Hollandia … Read more

Biography of William Rice Dunbar

W.R. DUNBAR. – The mold in which a place is first cast is a great determining force in its future development. A quarter of a city which begins with mean buildings invites a class of neglectful or impecunious residents, and seldom outgrows its tendency towards squalor. The new settlers which come into a thriftless community sink more easily to the habits of their neighbors before them than they succeed in inciting those lax individuals to more industrious methods. On the other hand, also, thrift, vigor, a high level of public spirit and morality, leave a stamp which sets the tone … Read more