William Davidson's Youngest Trio

Welcome back, cousins!

Today we look at the last three of William Montgomery Davidson's seven children.

     E. Iva E. Davidson (1879–1881) was born on 12 December 1879 and died on 23 July 1881. Iva was buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon.

     F. Oral Everett Davidson (1883–1955) was born on 13 July 1883 in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon. About 1910, he married Flora Belle Miller (1885–1973), who was born on 31 May 1885 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Her parents were William Ross Miller (1862–1929) and Jane Ann Wolfe (1850–1931).

Oral and Flora farmed in Rowland, Linn County, and raised their daughter and two sons. They were active members of the committee that planned reunions of the Davidson and Murphy families, notably the one held at the state fairgrounds in 1930.

Oral died at age 71 on 28 Mar 1955 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon, and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg. Flora died on 27 August 1973 in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon, and was buried with Oral.

     1. Julia Louise Davidson (1911–1990) was born on 11 November 1911 (11/11/11!) and grew up in Rowland, Linn County, Oregon. She graduated from Eugene Bible College in 1931 with her piano teacher's diploma.

On 12 June 1937, she married Ira Albert Harrington (1902–1976) in Linn County. Ira was born on 2 May 1902 in Dallas, Polk County, Oregon, to Orie Newton Harrington (1875–1952) and Fannie J Owen (1870–1936). He later served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving from 25 May 1942 through 31 May 1945.

The couple had two sons and two daughters they raised in Eugene. Ira died there on 28 November 1976 and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg. Louise died on 20 October 1990 and was buried with her husband.

     2. Hillis Everett Davidson (1916–1970) was born on 24 September 1916 in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon. He worked in sales and attended school for many years, and was ordained in January 1955. He died in Sacramento in 1970 and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg.

     3. James Stanley Davidson (1923–2013) was born on 15 November 1923 on his family's farm in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon. He spent his life working that farm, especially growing grass seed. In 1964 he married Nona Ernestine Cochran (1921–2009) and became father to her daughter and son. She was the widow of Carl Joseph Greene (1915–1959) and daughter of Walter Doyle Cochran (1902–1966) and Nellie Ernestine Gray (1903–2002).

During his last two years, Stan lived at the Junction City Retirement Center. He died on 11 March 2013 in Junction City, Lane County, Oregon, and was buried in Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg.

     G. Lydia D Davidson (1886–1975) was born on 30 Aug 1886 and grew up in Linn County, Oregon. On 18 October 1911, in Brownsville, Lydia married Clinton Floyd Morse (1884–1968), the son of Franklin Pierce Morse (1854–1930) and Esther Cora "Etta" Bartlett (1866–1920). He was born on 8 November 1884 in Landaff, Grafton County, New Hampshire, and moved to the Lebanon area in 1908 from Colorado.

Clinton was a farmer and sometimes worked as a carpenter. He served as an Albany police officer from 1943 to 1947. He and his eldest son, Joe, also ran a feed business, C.F. Morse and Son, in Tangent. The company failed when Clinton reinvested its earnings in the family home rather than in the business, a lesson his son and grandson would recall years later.

Clinton died on 19 September 1968 in a Lebanon hospital having lived the previous five years in a nursing home in Salem, Marion County. Lydia died on 11 November 1975 at a nursing home in Lebanon. They were interred in the Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg.

They were survived by six children, 17 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

     1. Joseph Davidson Morse (1912–2002) was born on 30 July 1912 in Brownsville, Linn County, Oregon. Through the years his family lived on several farms, and he attended country schools. During the early part of the Great Depression, he dropped out of school and worked to help his family. He then returned to school, graduating in 1932 from Tangent High School.

In 1936, Joe bought a gravel dump truck and scouted around for contractors who needed gravel for their construction projects. When he found a customer, no matter how many trips it took, Mr. Morse shoveled the required amount of rock into the truck that he parked by a sandbar in the Willamette River near his Harrisburg property. In 1941, Joe and his brothers, Forrest and William founded Morse Bros., a sand and gravel business that grew into the largest construction materials company in Oregon. The Morse brothers later turned the operation over to their children.

Joe married Marjorie Gertrude Price (1919–1998) in Harrisburg on 16 June 1939. She was born on 8 May 1919 in Mohawk, Lane County, Oregon, to Warren J Price (1899–1970) and Lottie R McMurry (1900–1985). The couple lived in Albany after they were married, then spent 32 years in Lebanon, where their four children attended schools. They also lived for nine years in Eugene before returning in the late 1980s to Albany, where they celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1989.

In 1955, Joe began another venture: prospecting for minerals. In 1973, Mr. Morse and his wife, along with his brothers and their wives, purchased mining property in northeastern Washington. The Morse family spent considerable time there over the next 20 years.

Marjorie died on 25 April 1998 at Tucson Medical Center in Arizona and was buried in the Lebanon IOOF Cemetery. Joe died on 24 May 2002 in Albany, Linn County, Oregon.

     a. Judith Reine Morse McBride (1940–2000) was born on 16 June 1940 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon. She graduated from Lebanon High School in 1958 and graduated from Northwest Christian College in Eugene in 1962 with a Bachelor's Degree in Theology.

She died on 4 February 2000 in Sandpoint, Bonner County, Idaho, and was survived by her husband, son, daughter, and one grandson.

     2. Shirley Morse (1914–2008) was born on19 September 1914 in Brownsville, Linn County, Oregon. She married Arthur Harold Kuehl (1906–1979)  in Tangent, Linn County, on 8 August 1935. Arthur was the son of Herman D Kuehl (1871–1934) and Mary Karsten (1873–1962), born on 19 August 1906 in Albany, Linn County, Oregon.

Shirley and Arthur had a son and a daughter. They owned the Smith-Kuehl Implement Co. in Lebanon until they sold it and moved to a ranch on Powell Butte, near Portland. They later moved back to Albany, where Shirley worked for French's Jewelry Store. The couple divorced in 1977, and Arthur lived near Salem, where he died on 2 November 1979. He was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Albany.

Shirley went to work for her brothers' company, Morse Bros. She later married Emmett N Dowding (1915–1989), and then Gilbert S "Gib" Morgan (1912–1999). In 2000, she moved to The Oaks retirement home.

Shirley died on 17 June 2008 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon, and was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Albany. She is survived by her son, daughter, six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

     3. Esther Carol Morse (1916–1999) was born on 3 May 1916 in Brownsville, Linn County, Oregon. She graduated from Harrisburg High School. On 6 June 1936, she married Samuel Dale Brock (1913–2000) in Linn County, Oregon. Sam was the middle of five children of Luther Greenlee Brock (1879–1948) and Alta Bell Dawson (1888–1968), born on 5 March 1913 in Harrisburg.

Sam was a grass seed farmer and member of several local community boards in Harrisburg. Esther died on 11 October 1999, and Sam died on 22 June 2000, both in Harrisburg. They are survived by two daughters, one son, nine grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild.


     4. Forrest Webster Morse (1918–2011) was born on 15 July 1918 in Brownsville, Linn County, Oregon. After high school, Forrest went to work for the Linn County road department where he drove a truck and worked on the road oiling crews. In 1941, brother, Joe asked Forrest to join him in the sand and gravel business in Harrisburg. Brother, Bill soon joined them in 1943 and Morse Bros, Inc.

Forrest was married in 1943. In 1946, the couple moved to Lebanon where they raised their three children until moving to Corvallis in 1978. He died on 11 February 2011 in Corvallis, Benton County, Oregon, and was buried in IOOF Cemetery in Lebanon. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Jody Morse, in 1976, but is survived by his wife, sons and daughters-in-law, six grandchildren, and eight grandchildren.

     a.  Jody Lee Morse (1958–1976) was born on 23 May 1958, in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon, and graduated from Lebanon Union High School. She died on 29 June 1976, in an automobile accident west of Halsey on Peoria Road. She is buried in the Lebanon IOOF Cemetery.

     5. William Franklin Morse (1921–2013) was born on 9 February 1921 in Roland, Linn County, Oregon, just east of Harrisburg.

During war years he worked at H. J. Kaiser Shipyards on Swan Island in Portland as a quality control inspector. Following that he worked for the Oregon State Highway Department, traveling the state to supervise traffic monitoring teams. His life’s work began in Harrisburg with his two brothers. He joined with them in 1944 when they formed the Morse Brothers partnership.

Music was an avocation and he became regionally known as a soloist. His first solo was at age 5; a male quartet with high school classmates won first place in Forest Grove; he sang solos at church, for civic gatherings, and for decades at the Pioneer Picnic in Brownsville.

Bill died at age 92 on 27 November 2013 in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

     6. Rose Alice Morse (1923–1992) was born on 5 March 1923 in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon. On 11 December 1945, she married Raymond Leroy Trenholm (1919–1986), son of Claire Udell Trenholm (1883–1959) and Mary Howe (1895–1965). He was born on 23 July 1919 and grew up in Monroe, Benton County, Oregon.

 On 29 January 1942, Ray enlisted in the U S. Navy at Portland and served in the South Pacific during World War II. He was honorably discharged on 26 November 1945, at Bremerton, Washington. He had graduated from Monroe High School and got a forestry degree from Oregon State College in 1949. In 1949, he started to work for the Linn County Fire Patrol Associates and the Oregon Department of Forestry. He retired as a supervisor for the department in 1977.

Ray died on 3 February 1986 in Corvallis, Benton County, Oregon, and was buried in Oak Lawn Memorial Park. Rose died on 22 February 1992 and was buried with Ray. They are survived by their son, daughter, and grandchildren.

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So, despite losing a few weeks in October, we're still pressing on through the rest of the tree. Once we get to the end, I'll have some choices to make about turning all of this into a book. If you have an opinion about what that book should have in it, join us on Facebook or send me an email. Nothing is set in stone (or bound in leather) yet!


As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. You can comment below (anonymous comments are usually not as helpful), or email "mightieracorns" at Gmail.com.

We now have more ways to reach out:

a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MightierAcorns/
a Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/MightierAcorns
a Ko-Fi cup - https://ko-fi.com/mightieracorns


...and if you prefer a private group, we still have the Callin Family History group on Facebook for "cousins only" (there will be a question about how you're related to the family before you can join).

Until next time... Happy Hunting!

The Next Eldest Davidson Children

Hello, Cousins!

Last time, we looked at the first of William Montgomery Davidson's seven children, Clara. Today we'll continue with the three next-eldest children:

     B. Henry Bruce Davidson (1870–1953) was born on 16 January 1870 in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon. He grew up in Linn county and served as a postmaster for Rowland, Linn County, in 1899 and 1901.

Bruce married Genevieve Major (1876–1962) the daughter of John W Major (b. 1840) and Jemima Luceneth Springer (b. 1844) on 30 December 1903 in New Elberton, Whitman County, Washington. Genevieve was born on 25 August 1876 in Oregon.

Bruce and Genevieve adopted a son, Philip Neil Davidson (1910–1976), soon after his birth on 23 March 1910 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon. The family lived in Eugene, where Bruce worked as a carpenter, until at least 1918. By 1920, however, Bruce and Genevieve had divorced, and she and young Philip were living in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California.

Bruce remained in Eugene, and at age 74 he married his second wife was Ada B. (Healy) Sidwell (1888–1985) on 27 January 1944.  He died in Eugene on 31 August 1953 and was buried in the Harrisburg Masonic Cemetery. Genevieve died on 13 August 1962 in Los Angeles; their son died 20 September 1976 in Los Angeles, too.

     C. Laura Elsie Davidson (1872–1913) was born in June 1872 and grew up in Harrisburg. In 1891, she married George B. Pugh (1868–1939), who was born on 16 February 1868 in Linn County, Oregon, to John Wesley Pugh (1845–1913) and Frances Elizabeth Thompson (1848–1870).

George and Elsie had two daughters and raised them in Shedd (1900) and Brownsville (1910), Linn County. George supported the family running a livery business. Elsie died in Salem on 2 May 1913 and was buried in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd.

George remarried on 24 October 1917 in Lane County, Oregon, to Margaret Serfling (1877–1943). He died on 22 August 1939 and was buried in the Pugh family cemetery in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon.

     1. Verdis G Pugh (1894–1983) was born on 15 August 1894 in Albany, Linn County, Oregon and grew up in Brownsville, graduating from Brownsville High School in 1912. She married Harry Rosecrans Burke (1885–1956), son of Richard Burke (1853–1918) and Clemenza Rosecrans (1853–1936), in Des Moines, Iowa, in June 1920.

Harry worked for 28 years as reporter, editor, and editor-manager on 13 newspapers In Iowa, Oregon, Idaho, and California. He was employed by the old St. Louis Times in 1920 as music and drama critic and as a columnist. In 1924, he became a magazine feature writer for the Post-Dispatch. Then, from 1927 until his retirement, he served the Globe-Democrat as a music critic, art critic and book editor.

Harry died on 19 July 1956 in Brownsville, Linn, Oregon and was buried in the Pugh family cemetery in Shedd. Verdis died on 12 April 1983 in Brownsville and was buried with her husband.

     2. Frances Rose Pugh (1898–1980) was born in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon, in the spring of 1898 (records disagree whether her birthday was 3 May or 4 April). After she reached adulthood, she went to work as a telephone operator in Brownsville, and in 1920 she was living with her father and step-mother.

In November 1921 Frances was married to a traveling salesman named Paul Wright, and living in Reno, Nevada. They soon moved to Los Angeles, and during the 1930s, to Sacramento. Frances died on 19 January 1980 in Sacramento, Sacramento County, California, and was buried in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd.

     D. John Halbert Davidson (1877–1953) was the fourth child of William Montgomery Davidson, born on 1 January 1877 in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon. Soon after 1900, he married Lora X Powell (1880–1944), daughter of Abraham Thomas Powell (1841–1932) and Evaline Terry (1855–1899). Lora was born on 21 June 1880 in Scio, Linn County, Oregon.

John and Lora had two sons and a daughter during the first decade of their marriage; one born in Rollin and the younger two in Stayton, Marion County. They about 1909 they moved their family to Sutter, Sacramento County, California.

Lora died in Sacramento on 9 October 1944 and was buried there in the East Lawn Memorial Park. John died there also, on 16 November 1953, and was buried with his wife.

     1. Robert Dair Davidson (1903–1949) was born on 3 January 1903 in Roland, Oregon, according to his obituary. He was a graduate of Sacramento College and the American Institute of Banking and became the assistant cashier of the main Bank of America office in Sacramento. Dair, as he was called, was also head of the City Music Association and City Symphony Association.

In 1927, he married Lenore Virginia Wiren (1906–1990), the daughter of Scandinavian immigrants, Frank M Wiren (1868–1934) and Inga B Foosness (1879–1939). She was born on 30 June 1906 in St. Louis County, Minnesota, and came with her family to Sacramento in the mid-1920s.

Dair and Lenore had two daughters together before his death from a stroke at age 46 on 27 October 1949 in Sacramento. After Dair died, Lenore remarried William Joseph Geery (1909–1993). She died on 1 September 1990 in Sacramento, and William followed on 8 February 1993. The three of them are buried together in East Lawn Memorial Park in Sacramento.

Dair and Lenore were survived by both of their daughters, one of whom is still living.

     a. Joan Virginia Davidson Bales (1930–2016) was born in Sacramento on 27 June 1930. She married her husband on 30 June 1950 and lived her entire life in Sacramento. She died on 13 October 2016 and is buried in East Lawn Memorial Park with the rest of her family.

     2. Princeton Loraine "Bing" Davidson (1906–1976) was born on 2 January 1906 in Stayton, Marion County, Oregon. His family moved to Sacramento when he was small, so he grew up there and became a salesman.

Bing married Zeola Alice Green (1910–1957), the daughter of Lloyd Allen Green (1871–1947) and Sarah Alice Smith (1877–1963) on 7 May 1932 in Alameda County, California. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served from 17 October 1942 to 15 October 1945.

Zeola died on 14 February 1957 and is buried in East Lawn Memorial Park in Sacramento. Bing remarried on 2 March 1959 to Adeline A Meredith. He died on 30 January 1976 in Rancho Cordova, Sacramento, California.

     3. Evaline Lucille Davidson (1908–1999) was born on 16 January 1908 in Salem, Marion County, Oregon. She graduated from San Jose State College and began teaching in elementary school in Sacramento. She married Harlow Alfred Hanlon (1910–2004) on 17 December 1931, and they had two daughters together.

Harlow was born on 30 November 1910 in Meade, Meade County, Kansas, the son of James William Hanlon (1865–1931) and Anna Belle Moorman (1867–1955). He was a 1932 graduate from the State Teachers College at San Jose.

In 1950, the family moved from Sacramento to Southern California. Lucille taught school for 37 years, retiring from Littleton (Colorado) Public Schools in 1973. Lucille and Harlow divorced in 1960. She married Jack Firth in 1962, and he died in 1977. Harlow died on 11 May 2004. Lucille died on 4 September 1999 at age 91 and was interred at East Lawn Cemetery in Sacramento.

Lucille was survived by her two daughters.

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 This post relied more heavily than usual on clues and research posted by one of these surviving daughters. It is encouraging to see the love and attention that others put into their family trees, and I don't always get the chance to personally thank those who are doing that work. I only hope that my project brings you all as much joy and help as you have brought to me.


As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. You can comment below (anonymous comments are usually not as helpful), or email "mightieracorns" at Gmail.com.

We now have more ways to reach out:

a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MightierAcorns/
a Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/MightierAcorns
a Ko-Fi cup - https://ko-fi.com/mightieracorns


...and if you prefer a private group, we still have the Callin Family History group on Facebook for "cousins only" (there will be a question about how you're related to the family before you can join).

Until next time... Happy Hunting!

Back to Linn County

Welcome back, cousins!

The last half dozen posts covered the descendants of Rebecca Davidson Murphy, the eldest daughter of Sarah Montgomery Davidson (1824-1918), and granddaughter of Caleb Montgomery and Elizabeth Callin. At long last, we get to move on to Rebecca's brother:

II. William Montgomery Davidson (1845–1939) 

William M. Davidson was born on 8 April 1845, in Rochester, Fulton County, Indiana. He was the second son of Henry and Sarah Montgomery Davidson, who came to Oregon with their family in 1845 and settled on a 320-acre homestead three miles north of Halsey. Mr. Davidson attended the Halsey public schools and during 1863-64 attended the Christian college at Monmouth. In 1865 he went to eastern Oregon where he engaged in stock-raising. The following year he returned to Linn County where he resided for the rest of his life.

In 1867 he bought a place two and one-half miles east of Harrisburg, and on 2 June of that year, he married Sarah Rosetta "Rose" Morris (1848–1928). Rose was born on 24 October 1848 in Moniteau County, Missouri, to George Jackson Morris (1818–1896) and Eliza Ann Cook (1825–1903). (Records suggest her full name might have been "Elizanna Matilda Cook".) The Morris family were also pioneers and crossed the plains in 1853.

Rose and William had the following seven children:

     A. Clara M Davidson (1868–1950)
     B. Henry Bruce Davidson (1870–1953)
     C. Laura Elsie Davidson (1872–1913)
     D. John Halbert Davidson (1877–1953)
     E. Iva E. Davidson (1879–1881)
     F. Oral Everett Davidson (1883–1955)
     G. Lydia D Davidson (1886–1975)

(We have time to talk about Clara's family today, and the rest will follow in the coming weeks.)

The Davidsons lived on the farm until 1874 when they sold it and bought a home 5 miles east of Harrisburg. They lived there until 1907 when Mr. Davidson retired from farm work and moved to Brownsville. Rose died in Brownsville on 17 February 1928 and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon. Soon after, William made his home in Albany with his daughter, Mrs. Clara McCoy. He died there on 26 May 1939 and was buried with his wife.

They were survived by five of their children, 17 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

     A. Clara M Davidson (1868–1950) was born in Corvallis, Benton County, Oregon, on 16 June 1868. She married Clyde McCoy (1869–1942) in Harrisburg in 1888. Clyde was born on 7 February 1869 in Halsey, Linn County, Oregon, to William McCoy (1817–1900) and Margaret Ann Downey (1849–1931).

Clyde was a businessman who ran a drug store and was a part-owner of a building in downtown Halsey but lost a great deal in a fire that destroyed several businesses in January of 1895. After that, he is listed as a laborer, farmer, and salesman when his occupation is listed.

Clara and Clyde had three children together over the 12 years they were married, but they divorced in 1900. He moved to Portland after that, and he died there on 21 October 1942.

Clara lived in Albany for 34 years but in 1948 she moved back to Corvallis. She had also lived at Harrisburg, Halsey, Brownsville, Salem, in Crook county, in Seattle and in Washington, D.C. according to her obituary. After she suffered a hip fracture, she lived with her daughter, Gertrude Brown, in Corvallis. She died there on 26 October 1950 at the age of 82 and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg.

     1. Lilla Orlean McCoy (1889–1969) was born on 4 September 1889 in Linn County, Oregon, and lived all her life there. She never married, but for several years she operated the first Brownsville telephone exchange with her mother. She also was a legal secretary, working for the Linn County Court and Tripp and Tripp Realtors. Lilla died on 11 July 1969 at the Albany Linn Nursing Home after a brief illness and was buried in Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg, Linn County.

     2. Gertrude Doris McCoy (1891–1983) was born on 28 August 1891 in Halsey, Linn County, Oregon. On 11 August 1915, she married Lyn Arthur Brown (1891–1956) in Brownsville, Linn County, Oregon. He was born on 20 September 1891 in Carthage, Miner County, South Dakota, the son of Fred Martell Brown (1867–1938) and Lilian R Prescott (1870–1952). The Brown family moved to Oregon at the turn of the century, and Lyn grew up in Brownsville.

Lyn and Gertrude had two children and raised them in Corvallis. Lyn worked as superintendent of a cannery, and the couple was active in the local community. Lyn died on 6 August 1956 while visiting their daughter, Bette, in Roseburg. He was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Harrisburg, Linn County. Gertrude died at the Corvallis Manor nursing home on 7 March 1983 and was buried with her husband.

They were survived by their son, daughter, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

     a. Bette Ann Brown (1917–2012) was born on 24 February 1917 in Brownsville, Linn County, Oregon. She attended Albany College and graduated from Oregon State College in 1939.

On 14 June 1941, she married Wallace Russell Wright (1918–1967), who was born in Medford, Jackson County, Oregon, on 15 January 1918. Wallace was the son of Alexander Lincoln Wright (1888–1960) and Odis Effie Wise (1890–1918), but his mother died when he was 8 months old, and her sister and brother-in-law, Ailey E Wise (1888–1959) and Albert Cleveland Cochell (1884–1946), took him in and raised him.

Wallace worked in the woolen mills while taking an extension study from the University of Oregon, later attending the Oregon College of Education. Bette taught in Independence and Central Point before settling in Roseburg. They raised a son and a daughter together. She and Wallace moved to Garden Valley in 1954. He died there on 28 July 1967. She later married Dick Scarborough.

Bette taught biology and physical education at Sutherlin High School until she retired in 1979. Dick died on 18 August 2009 and was buried in Roseburg National Cemetery in Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon. Bette moved to Clearwater Springs in Vancouver, Washington in 2009, where she died on 7 November 2012. She is also buried in Roseburg National Cemetery.

Bette was survived by her son, daughter, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

     b. Lyn Arthur Brown Jr (1920–2005) was born on 13 July 1920 in Corvallis, Benton County, Oregon. On 12 August 1942, he married Dorothy Ann Winter (1921–1987), daughter of Raymond Robert Robinson (1899–1983) and Vera Catherine Gantz (1902–2003) (Her biological father was Raymond Herbert Winter (b. 1899); records don't suggest whether he and Vera divorced or if he died.)

Dorothy was born on 3 January 1921 in Portland and moved to the Corvallis-Philomath area as a child. She was the secretary for the Corvallis School District for many years, retiring in 1984.

Dorothy died on 5 July 1987 in Philomath, Benton County, Oregon. Lyn died on 3 Jun 2005 in Corvallis. They were survived by two daughters and a son.

     3. Charles William Henry McCoy (1894–1970) was born on 2 October 1894 in Halsey, Linn County, Oregon. His parents divorced when he was about six years old, but Charles and his siblings grew up living near his mother's family, appearing in the 1900 Census in his grandparents' household in North Harrisburg, and living with his mother and sisters next door to the Pugh family (his mother's sister and brother-in-law) in Brownsville in 1910. During World War I, he served with the Marine Corps as an instructor of the machine gun, rifle, and pistol.

Charles married his first wife, Violet L Stellmacher (1904–1994) on 24 August 1920 in Linn County, Oregon. She was a daughter of Alfred Conrad Stellmacher (1861–1941) and Ida Louisa Spink (1869–1953), born in Oregon on 24 June 1904. The couple had a son and a daughter in Albany before they divorced.

By 1930, Violet had remarried and was living in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, with her daughter and new husband, Tom Tomson Leal (1905–1976). Violet and Tom had a son and daughter together and raised their family in Los Angeles. Violet died on 17 October 1994 in Placer County, California, where she had lived with her third husband, John A. "Jack" Doyle Jr. (1911–1992).

Charles married his second wife Guinevere L Kerns (1907–1954) on 29 May 1931 in  Josephine County, Oregon. She was born on 17 October 1907 in Oregon to John Wesley Kerns (1868–1951) and Jennie Houck (1885–1978). They also had a son and daughter together whom they raised in Medford.

Guinivere died on 30 September 1954 in Rogue River, Jackson County, Oregon, and was buried there in Woodville Cemetery. Charles died on 17 March 1970 in Rogue River and was buried with Guinivere. He was survived by all four of his children and eleven grandchildren.

Two of his children are still living.

     a. Alfred Lee McCoy (1922–2006) was born in Albany on 4 February 1922. When his parents divorced, he went to live in Calapooia, Linn County, Oregon, with his maternal grandparents, Alfred and Ida Stellmacher, where he appeared on the 1930 Census. He graduated from Albany High School in 1941 and briefly attended Oregon State University.

Lee joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 during World War II and served in the Pacific Theater as an electrician's mate. He also served in the Korean Conflict in 1950. Upon his discharge from the Navy, he married Patricia Gertrude Richey (1924–1995) in 1945 in San Francisco. She was born on 24 June 1924 in Washington, District of Columbia, to Thomas Beall Richey (1895–1953) and Winifred Mary Benbow (1893–1951).

Patricia's family moved to San Francisco from Washington, D.C. when she was two years old. She graduated from George Washington High School there in 1942, and after high school, she worked for Graybar Electric, at a detective agency and at an insurance company in San Francisco. Lee worked as an electrician in Los Angeles before moving back to Oregon in the late 1940s. About 1946 they moved to Albany, where Lee worked for Pacific Power & Light and Patricia worked for a title company and for Dr. Wade. In 1952 Lee transferred to the Linn County Telephone Company in Lebanon (currently CenturyTel) and worked as a construction superintendent for many years. Later, he became a safety engineer until his retirement in 1986.

Patricia died in Lebanon on 6 November 1995. Lee was later married to his old high school sweetheart, and they lived in Albany, where Lee died on 1 December 2006. Patricia and Lee are survived by their son and daughter, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

     b. Margery Ann McCoy Holly (1924–2004) was born on 14 August 1924 in Medford, Jackson County, Oregon. She was married in 1948, and they lived in the Los Angeles area for many years before moving to Palm Springs.

Margery was vice president of Palm Springs Camera and Sound, Inc. for 12 years. Her paintings were featured at a one-woman show and received numerous awards from the Indio Date Festival and other venues. Her civic involvement included serving two terms on the Palm Springs City Art Commission, president of the Desert Art Center, chairperson of the Auditorium Project, a docent at Palm Springs Desert Museum and a volunteer at Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Margery died on 28 February 2004 in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California. She is survived by her husband, daughter, son, and five grandchildren.

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As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. You can comment below (anonymous comments are usually not as helpful), or email "mightieracorns" at Gmail.com.

We now have more ways to reach out:

a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MightierAcorns/
a Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/MightierAcorns
a Ko-Fi cup - https://ko-fi.com/mightieracorns


...and if you prefer a private group, we still have the Callin Family History group on Facebook for "cousins only" (there will be a question about how you're related to the family before you can join).

Until next time... Happy Hunting!

The Final Murphy

Hello, cousins, and welcome back.

Today we'll take a brief look at the last family descended from  Henderson and Rebecca (Davidson) Murphy, their youngest son.

     G. Claude Henry Murphy (1885–1970) was born on 4 October 1885 in Independence, Polk County, Oregon.
Claude and Ethel Murphy 50th Anniversary Sun, Jul 26, 1959 – Page 16 · Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon) · Newspapers.com

On 29 July 1909 in Linn County, Oregon, Claude married Ethel Blackburn (1892–1980), the youngest daughter of  Addison Pollard Blackburn (1844–1918) and Arabelle S "Belle" Woodworth (1846–1935).

Ethel was born in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon, on 19 June 1892. She grew up in Lebanon, and after their wedding, Claude and Ethel lived in Klamath Falls, where Claude was a hardware salesman.


Over the years, Claude sold hardware, cars, and real estate, and insurance as the couple raised their three children. In July 1949 Claude was appointed to serve as the Oregon State Insurance Commissioner, a post he held for ten years.

The couple celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 1959. Claude died in Salem on 30 June 1970. Ethel moved to Portland in 1978, presumably to live near their son; she died in Portland on 29 October 1980. They are buried together in the IOOF Cemetery in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon.

They were survived by two daughters, one son, and one granddaughter.

     1. Lucile Claudena Murphy (1910–1995) was born in Oregon (most likely in Klamath Falls) on 9 November 1910. She graduated from Albany Union High School in 1928 and went on to graduate from Temple University in Philadelphia. By the early 1940s, she had become the principal of Linnton school in Portland.

Lucile married Paul Maxwell Brunskill (1910–2000) on 17 Jul 1943 in Marion County, Oregon, after he returned from twenty months of service in the U.S. Navy. Paul was born on 10 January 1910 in Hawarden, Sioux County, Iowa, the son of David Ellsworth Brunskill (1877–1952) and Nellie May Maxwell (1880–1952).

As far as I can tell, both continued their careers in the Portland area, she in education and he as a pharmacist. Lucile died in Portland on 4 December 1995 and was buried in Skyline Memorial Gardens. Paul died on 23 October 2000 in Forest Grove, Washington County, Oregon, and was buried with Lucile.

     2. Kenneth Addison Murphy (1913–1985) was born on 10 December 1913 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon. His family moved to Albany when he was age 5. He later lived in Salem for 39 years before moving to Portland in 1977. He was an Eagle Scout and active in the Boy Scouts of America, and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Portland.

He died on 3 February 1985, in Portland at the age of 71, and was buried in Skyline Memorial Gardens, Lebanon.

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This post was meant to be at least a little bit longer, but because I never post information about living people, I had to leave out the youngest daughter of Claude and Ethel. I think that's some rather good news, don't you? Here's hoping the rest of this family is well and having a lovely holiday season.


As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. You can comment below (anonymous comments are usually not as helpful), or email "mightieracorns" at Gmail.com.

We now have more ways to reach out:

a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MightierAcorns/
a Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/MightierAcorns
a Ko-Fi cup - https://ko-fi.com/mightieracorns


...and if you prefer a private group, we still have the Callin Family History group on Facebook for "cousins only" (there will be a question about how you're related to the family before you can join).

Until next time... Happy Hunting!