CFH First Draft: Mary Davidson Malson Cunningham

 This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History. 

Mary E Davidson is the 68th person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. 

Please use the Contact Form (at right) to send questions or corrections.

CFH First Draft: Samuel Thurston Davidson

 This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History. 

Samuel Thurston Davidson is the 67th person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. 

Please use the Contact Form (at right) to send questions or corrections.

CFH First Draft: Theodore Bruce Davidson

 This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History. 

Theodore Bruce Davidson is the 66th person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. 

Please use the Contact Form (at right) to send questions or corrections.

CFH First Draft: William Montgomery Davidson

 This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History. 

William Montgomery Davidson is the 65th person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. 

Please use the Contact Form (at right) to send questions or corrections.

CFH First Draft: Rebecca Lucretia Davidson Murphy

 This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History. 

Rebecca Lucretia Davidson is the 64th person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. 

Please use the Contact Form (at right) to send questions or corrections.

CFH First Draft: Sarah Elizabeth Ferrell Bushnell

 This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History. 

Sarah Elizabeth Ferrell is the 63rd person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. 

Please use the Contact Form (at right) to send questions or corrections.

CFH First Draft: Harrison M Campbell

 This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History. 

Harrison Campbell is the 41st person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. 

Please use the Contact Form (at right) to send questions or corrections.

CFH First Draft: Sarah Montgomery Davidson

 This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History. 

Sarah Montgomery is the 19th person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. 

Please use the Contact Form (at right) to send questions or corrections.

Bonus: A Wishart Family History

The Family History of  George Alexander Wishart (1890–1980)

 When I set out to trace all of the descendants of James Callin, I made the choice to delve more deeply into the families of spouses than I usually see done in the older family history books. In the case of George Wishart, I did my best to discover who his parents were, and where and when they were born and died. In the process, I think I stumbled into a possible controversy in the research.

I started with Edna H. Malson, my 4th cousin, 2x removed, and after I walk you through ten pieces of evidence about her husband, George, and his parents, I'll explain the remaining mystery.


1. Edna's Obituary (see right): This establishes that we have the right person (Edna Hazel Wishart, brother's name "C.W. Malson") and some useful facts about George, which are confirmed by the marriage record in the Multnomah County, Oregon Marriage Index, 1855-1919 database.

• Name: George Wishart
• Married: 1 June 1908 in Portland

2. 1910 Census: I don't think it's too wild a leap to assume this record showing George and Edna Wishart living in Portland is the same couple we see on that 1908 marriage record, and we learn a few more facts about George.

• Birth Year: abt 1890
• Birthplace: New York
• Occupation: Baker
• Father's Birthplace: Scotland
•  Mother's Birthplace: Canada 

3. WWI Draft Registration: George's record in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 is a treasure trove. It confirms and expands upon what we already knew about George, so now we have:

• Name: George Alexander Wishart
• Occupation: Baker (the card gives the company he works for and its address)
• Marital Status: Married (the card says "wife, 2 children" - which matches what we know about Edna and their daughters at that time)
• Birth Date: 1 Oct 1890
• Birth Place: "North Towndanda," New York, USA

 (The New York State, Birth Index, 1881-1942 confirms the date and place of birth, and tells us that the correct name of the birthplace is North Tonawanda, which is located in Niagara County.)

4. California, Death Index, 1940-1997: this record matches what we now know about George, and gives us some new information:
Name: George Alexander Wishart
Birth Date: 1 Oct 1890
Birth Place: New York
Death Date: 4 Jun 1980
Death Place: Monterey
Mother's Maiden Name: Bailey


5. 1900 Census: conveniently, the Wishart family appears in North Tonawanda, Niagara County, New York in 1900. George is listed (age 8, born Oct 1891 - close enough for our purposes) and we see his family listed:

• Father's Name: John Wishert (I chalk the spelling up to transcriber error - again, it's close enough for our purposes)
• Father's Birthplace: Scotland
• Birthdate: Oct 1854 (note that the 1900 Census dates tend to be one year off - this will be important later)
• Mother's Name: Anna Wishert
• Mother's Birthplace: Canada, England
• Birthdate: Nov 1868
• Children:
• Andrew Wishert, 12
  George Wishert, 8
  James Wishert, 7
  Jessa Wishert, 1

 The 1900 Census provides a few more useful details:

• Older brother Andrew's date/place of birth is listed as Dec 1887, Canada; George, James, and Jessa were born in New York.
• John Wishart's immigration year (1878) and marriage year (1886) are given, and it says his parents were both born in Scotland.
• Anna's entry says "Immigration Year: 1878" - but it also says "Years in US: 12," which would be 1888.

Given these clues, I believe I should be looking for a marriage record for John Wishart and Anna Bailey (remember document #4) somewhere in Canada in 1886. I should also be looking for immigration records for John in 1878, and for both John and Anna in 1888.

6. Immigration/Arrival: two records show John Wishart arriving in the U.S.; one in the New York Port, Ship Images, 1851-1891 database, and the other in New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Both show that a John Wishart, born "abt 1853," arrived in New York from Liverpool aboard the Baltic, a ship of the White Star Line, on 5 April 1878. They list his Ethnicity/ Nationality as English, but I'm reasonably certain this is still our guy.

7. Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928: two records in this database tell us more about George's parents. Taken together, here's what we learn from them:

• Name: John Wishart
• Birth Year: abt 1854 (Age: 32)
• Birth Place: Orkney Scotland
• Marriage Date: 5 Aug 1886
• Marriage Place: Woodhouse Township, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada
• Father: James Wishart
• Mother: Helen Wishart
• Spouse: Annie Bailey
• Birth Year: abt 1867 (Age: 19)
• Birth Place: Port Dover, Norfolk County, Ontario
• Spouse father: William Bailey
• Spouse mother: Mary Ann Bailey

8. Ontario, Canada Births, 1869-1913: this record provides one last piece of evidence that confirms what I said about the 1900 U.S. Census; in particular, I think
Name: Andrew Wishard Wishart (this is an Index Record, so I couldn't view the original to see which spelling is on the document)
Birth Date: 11 Dec 1887
Birth Place: Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
Father: John Thompson Wishart
Mother: Annie Bailey

9. 1871 Scotland Census: at this point, I think we know enough about John's origins to look for records in Scotland - and here's what we find:
Name: John Wishart
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1854 (Age: 17)
Mother's Name: Helen Wishart
Where born: So Ronaldshay, Orkney

10. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: and here's the crowning piece of evidence.
Name: John Thomson Wishart
Birth Date: 10 Oct 1853
Baptism Date: 20 Nov 1853
Baptism Place: South Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland
Father: James Wishart
Mother: Hellen Thomson


Now, after all of that work, I'm left with one remaining mystery: where and when did John Thompson Wishart die?

There is an Oregon, Death Index, 1898-2008 record that shows "John T Wishard" died on 29 March 1942 in Marion [County], Oregon, but there is a Find-A-Grave memorial for another John T Wishart which claims that date of death:

• John Taylor Wishart
• Birth: 19 Aug 1869, Letham, Angus, Scotland

The biography of John Taylor Wishart seems completely different from what our records show for John Thompson Wishart:

John was born in Letham, Dunnichen Parish, Angus and immigrated with his family to the United States in October 1871, arriving in Nebraska and settling in Nemaha Co., Kansas as a family unit. Many family members moved to Parkdale, Hood River Co., Oregon in 1885 and John along with them; he held a tract of land adjacent to his father and brothers in the Upper Valley Precinct, which he appears to have sold about 1895.

By the 1900 census John was located in Upper Trout Precinct, Crook Co., Oregon working as a laborer in a sawmill, and by 1910 he was in Ashwood, Crook Co., where he had his own farm and was a Stockman. Ashwood was redistricted into Jefferson Co., Oregon, and he is again located in the 1920 and 1930 census in Ashwood as a Stockman and farmer in stock grain. All census records record him as single, no children.

I do see a 1910 Census record for a widowed John Wishart, born abt 1854 in Scotland, living in Portland; this could well be our John Wishart since the other fellow was supposedly in Ashwood at that time. Our John Wishart was a sailor who lived in Canada and New York (all while this other John Wishart was growing up in Nebraska. I don't know how long our Wishart family stayed in New York before moving to Oregon, but our John and Annie had three sons and a daughter and the timing of the records we have would allow for Annie to move to Portland before dying in 1906.

The last record I have shows 77-year-old John Thomson Wishart arriving in New York from Glasgow aboard the Transylvania on 9 December 1930 after a trip to Scotland to visit relatives. I'd like to think he arrived home in Portland safely, and enjoyed many more years with his family.

I just don't have the evidence to support that conclusion.

- -- --- -- -

So, there you have a glimpse into my sources and methods. I'm not directly related to the Wishart family, but I hope I've helped clarify some things, and if anyone has an answer for my mystery, I'd love to tie up the loose end!

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!

A Davidson Family Roundup

Hello, cousins!

At long last, we are looking at the last two families in the Davidson branch of the family. In case you need a refresher, these are the youngest children of Henry Davidson (1818–1894) and Sarah Montgomery (1824–1918), and Sarah is the daughter of Elizabeth Callin Montgomery (1798-1834), who was the granddaughter of James Callin - the ancestor who ties us all together.

V. Samuel Thurston Davidson (1853–1889)

The fifth child of Henry and Sarah, Thurston was born on 6 August 1853 while his family was en route to Oregon. Depending on the record you cite, he was born on the Oregon Trail, in the Idaho Territory, possibly in what is now Utah. The family settled near Shedd, Linn County, Oregon, and that is where he grew up.

Thurston married Susanna Elizabeth Briggs (1850–1910) in Linn County in about 1878. They settled on a farm in Halsey and had a son in November of the following year. She was the daughter of Joseph M Briggs (1817–1888) and Susannah Early (1813–1901), born on 11 July 1850 and raised in Morgan County, Ohio.

Thurston died unexpectedly on 25 April 1889 on his farm near Shedd. Susan carried on managing the farm and raising their son and daughter. She died on 10 October 1910, and she and Thurston are buried in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd.

     A. Cloud Henry Davidson (1879–1950) was born on 4 November 1879 in Shedd, Linn, Oregon.
spent all of his life in the Shedd and Halsey districts. He married Lura V Wilson (1880–1953), daughter of James Milton Wilson (1850–1895) and Mary Susan Kirk (1859–1895), on 19 March 1907. She was born on

Making a living as a prominent stock grower, Cloud and Lura resided on his farm near Shedd until he retired in 1945, then they moved to a farm near Halsey.  He died in a Portland hospital on 11 February 1950; she died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis on 18 March 1953. They are buried in Pugh Cemetery in Shedd and were survived by their son and grandchildren.

     1. Robert H Davidson (1919–2003) was born on 10 March 1919 in Portland, Oregon to Virgil Ulysses Allison (1887–1931) and Jessie E Brown (1891–1929). He was ten years old when his mother died, and he was taken in by Cloud and Lura Davidson, who adopted him.

Robert graduated from Halsey High School in 1937 and attended Oregon State College. He enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving from 18 December 1942 through 12 March 1946. During his enlistment, he got married on 24 July 1943 in Linn County, Oregon, to Phyllis Amanda Holt (1918–2001). She was born on 2 December 1918 in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon to Benjamin Rice Holt (1889–1984) and Estle Fay Hill (1890–1977).

Phyllis was born east of Harrisburg and moved to Halsey in 1923 when her father joined the family's Hill and Co. hardware business. She graduated from Halsey High School in 1936. She continued to work in the family hardware store after they married, and she and Robert became partners in the Davidson Generational Grass Seed Farm, where they raised their family. Robert continued to farm until 1979 and lived on the Davidson Farm until his death. Phyllis died on 22 December 2001, and Robert died on 29 December 2003, both in Shedd. They were survived by two daughters and a son, and they are buried together in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd.

     B. Addie Belle Davidson (1881–1954) was born in Shedd on 11 December 1881. She was a lifelong resident of Linn County and died at the community hospital in Lebanon on 11 February 1954. She never married, but she was an active member of many community organizations and was frequently mentioned in the local newspapers for being the hostess or organizer of local events.

VI. Mary E Davidson (1854–1929)

The youngest child of Henry and Sarah Davidson, Mary was born on 15 November 1854, soon after her family settled near Shedd. She grew up on the family farm and married her first husband, Charles W Malson (b. 1845) around 1874. Little is known about Charles, and most of that information comes from the 1880 U.S. Census, which gives his age (35), birthplace (Ohio), and the birthplaces of his parents (father in Indiana, mother in Kentucky).

The couple had five children together, but only three survived childhood. Mary sued Charles for divorce in 1894, leaving her to raise the remaining three children. She married her second husband, Richard Ross Cunningham (1849–1926) on 12 March 1896. Ross was born on 6 April 1849 in Pickaway, Pickaway County, Ohio, and ran off to join the 110th Ohio Infantry at age 15, fighting for 18 months in the Civil War. He settled in Oregon after the war, and his first wife died in Harrisburg in 1891, soon after which, he also lost two children.

After they married, Mary and Ross moved to a house on Main Street in Lebanon. He died there on 24 June 1926; Mary suffered from a heart condition in her final three years and died on 19 July 1929. They are buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon.

     A. Commodore W Malson (1875–1938) was born on 19 Nov 1875 in Halsey, Linn County, Oregon. He was raised in the Halsey neighborhood, and as a young man found work as a car inspector for the C & S Railway in Portland.

Commodore married Lura Sarah Pugh (1879–1962) in Portland on 18 September 1908. She was born on 14 April 1879 in Shedd, Linn County, daughter of John Wesley Pugh (1845–1913) and Nancy Elizabeth Walker (1849–1898) and younger half-sister of George B. Pugh, who married Commodore's cousin, Laura Elsie Davidson (1872–1913).

Commodore's job took him and his family to several cities including San Bernardino, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Hubbard, before he and Lura settled in Shedd in 1914. Commodore died at age 62 on 17 May 1938 at the hospital in Lebanon; Lura died on 6 July 1962, age 83. They are buried in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd.

     1. Ralph Ernest "Curly" Malson (1908–1990) was born on 12 October 1908 while his parents were living in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended Oregon College of Agriculture (now Oregon State University) majoring in chemical engineering. After graduation, he moved to Carmel, California, but returned to Albany and married Roberta Adelaide Wire (1913–2000) on 10 January 1937.

Roberta was born on 18 September 1913 in Albany, Linn County, to George Christian Wire (1874–1960) and Eva Whinery (1876–1972). Curly worked for the Bureau of Mines and other places through the Carpenters Millwright Union before retiring in 1974. He helped build the Albany Boys and Girls Club and the first zirconium furnace with Kroh Scientists.

Curly died on 11 March 1990 and Roberta died on 20 February 2000, both in Albany. They are buried in the Willamette Memorial Park in Albany. They were survived by their son and two daughters.

     a. Jerrold Ralph Malson (1939–2013) was born on 9 October 1939 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon. He was raised in Albany and attended Albany Union High School. He was a member of the Sea Scouts, and after graduating in 1957, joined the U.S. Navy and later the National Guard. He attended Northwest Christian College for one year before marrying his high school sweetheart.

After they married, Jerry attended Central Oregon Community College, receiving a degree in forestry. He continued to live and work in Central Oregon until moving his family in 1977 to Trout Creek, Montana, where they raised silver foxes. In 1982, he founded Jerry Malson Outfitting and established the Montana Guide Training Center.

Jerry died on 7 October 2013, survived by his wife, son, two daughters, and four grandchildren.

     2. Ruth Elizabeth Malson (1911–1995) was born on 2 November 1911 in Hubbard, Marion County, Oregon. She attended Albany College and studied music and managed the Halsey Telephone Co. and was actively involved with the RSVP, assisting at the Senior Meal Site and flu clinics.

On 11 February 1936, she married Elmer Delmont Ferrell (1912–1970) in Benton County, Oregon. He was born on 25 June 1912 in Cokato, Wright County, Minnesota, to Ezra Ernest Ferrell (1870–1950) and Lillian Kreitlow (1894–1982). He attended schools in Annandale, Minnesota. He moved to eastern Oregon in 1934 and later to Halsey where he made his home with a cousin, Mrs. Mae M. Weber, before marrying Ruth.

Elmer and Ruth had a son and daughter together but divorced around 1942. He had managed the Halsey Telephone Co. for two years and was head of the installation department of Pacific Northwest Bell in Portland at the time of his death on 12 July 1970.

Ruth married again on 4 December 1944 to Wilbur Lamar Norton (1907–1982). He was born on 20 November 1907 in Halsey, the son of Walker Lincoln Norton (1883–1947) and Myrtle Cora Sneed (1887–1974). Wilbur worked as a Western Union line crew workman, truck driver and general warehouseman for O W Frum, Cross Brothers, Dickerson Co, and W R Grace Co. They had a daughter together.

Wilbur died on and is buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Peoria, Linn County. Ruth died on 25 Sep 1995 in Albany and is buried in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd. Ruth was survived by her son, two daughters, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

     B. Lilli Malson (b. 1877) was born in Oregon and appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census; while she did not survive to adulthood, we do not know precisely when she died.

     C. Dexter Malson (b. 1880) like his sister, Lilli, was born in Oregon and appeared with his family in the 1880 Census, but we do not know when he died.

     D. Bennett F Malson (1884–1912) was born on 7 June 1884 in Halsey, Linn County, Oregon. He grew up in Linn County and married Isabel A Rounds (1886–1958) on 25 March 1906 in Garfield, Whitman County, Washington. She was the daughter of Leroy Philo Rounds (1853–1918) and Gertrude Hatch (1855–1935) born on 5 October 1886 in Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington.

The young couple lived in Portland, where Bennett was a waiter. He contracted meningitis and died at St. Vincent's Hospital in Portland on 14 May 1912. He is buried in River View Cemetery in Portland. He and Isabel did not have any children, and she was remarried in 1914 to Newton D. Johnson (1887–1943).

     E. Edna Hazel Malson (1888–1919) was born on 12 October 1888 in Pomona County, California. She moved to Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon, with her mother and brother and finished school there.

Edna married George Alexander Wishart (1890–1980) on 1 June 1908 in Portland and lived with him there until the fall of 1918, when they took her south to Los Angeles, California, for her health. Sadly, she died there on 3 February 1919 after suffering from influenza for several days. She left George to raise their two small daughters.

(At the end of the post, I will have more to say about George's family tree.)

George remarried on 9 June 1920 in Ogden, Weber County, Utah, taking Margaret M Selgrath (1890–1986) as his second wife. They had four more children together and after living in Utah, San Bernardino, California, and San Fransisco, they settled on the Monterey Peninsula in California in the late 1920s. George died on 4 June 1980 and Margaret died on 3 August 1986, both in Monterey County.

     1. Charlotte Evelyn Wishart (1912–1993) was born on 8 March 1912 in Oregon. She was seven years old when her mother died, and she grew up in the home of her father and step-mother, coming of age after they moved to Monterey. She married Frederick Antone Layton (1911–1979), son of Antone Layton (1889–1967) and Pearl Betz (1891–1984), about 1933.

Fred was born on 15 September 1911 in Monterey County, and he served in the U.S. Army from 19 January 1945 to 18 January 1946. Before and after the war he worked as a greenskeeper at the famous golf courses around Monterey Bay. The couple had two sons and a daughter together.

Fred died on 10 April 1979, and Charlotte died in the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (C.H.o.M.P.) on 14 December 1993. (Coincidentally, that is where my oldest child would be born in 1996!) They were survived by their three children, five grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.

     a. Frederick Leroy Layton (1934–2011) was born on 7 July 1933 in Pacific Grove, Monterey County, California. Fred married Shirley Wright, and they are survived by a daughter and two sons. He retired as a central office technician with US West. He married his second wife in 1975, and she survives. He died at age 77 on 24 January 2011 in Olympia, Washington, after a 6-year battle with lung cancer.

     2. Doris Ellen Wishart (1915–1979) was born on 22 June 1915 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, and she was only four years old when her mother died and her family moved to Ogden, Utah. She married Noel Paul Jones (1913–2002), son of Joseph Rosslyn Jones (1882–1956) and Grace I Muller (1881–1960), about 1935. Noel was born on 24 December 1913 in California.

Doris died in January 1979 in Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado. Noel died on 16 November 2002 in Fall River Mills, Shasta County, California. They were survived by a son.

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There you have it - I did my best, but I feel like there is a lot I still don't know about the folks in this post. There were enough gaps in the records that I fear I may have missed someone or some important events. But, if you saw my bonus post on the family of George Wishart, you know that I tried not to leave any stones unturned.

As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. I'm always eager to learn more and to correct mistakes! 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!

Theodore, the Dairy Man

Welcome to 2020, cousins!

I think this could be the year... I started this project in 2014, thinking I could have a book ready to publish in 2015. I was wrong about that, but for the best possible reason: I kept finding more cousins! And here we are, winding down with the last branch of the family. (Unless we find another major breakthrough, of course!)

This week, we will take a look at the descendants of the third child of Henry and Sarah (Montgomery) Davidson. If you need to catch up, that link should help you catch up.

III. Theodore Bruce Davidson (1848–1932)

Theodore was born on 3 July 1848 in Rochester, Fulton County, Indiana, and he was about four years old when his family took the Oregon Trail westward. They settled near Shedd in Linn County, and Theodore eventually inherited the land there.

Theodore married his first wife, Margaret Ann Work (1855–1915), in 1876; her parents were most likely David Work (1815–1893) and Marinda E "Mary" Wilk (1814–1886). Margaret was born on 13 September 1855 in Indiana, and she grew up in Iowa, moving to Oregon with her family in about 1874.

Theodore was a dairy farmer, and he and Margaret raised their family on their farm in Shedd, until the 1900s when they were able to retire and moved to Lane County. They lived in Blanton (1900 Census) and Eugene (1910), where Margaret died on 22 December 1915. She was buried in the Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

After Margaret died, Theodore married his second wife, the widowed Margaret Ellen (Waggoner) Kizer (1865–1947), on 15 February 1917 in Eugene. She was born on 29 September 1865 in Brownsville to Bird Waggoner (1810–1892) and Nancy Elizabeth Gray (1839–1885), and she had four children from her first marriage to Ovid Jackson Kizer (1863–1906), who died in Eugene on 25 May 1906 after being kicked in the head by a horse.

When Theodore died on 11 March 1932 he was survived by his widow and seven of his nine children. Margaret Kizer Davidson died on 5 March 1947 in Eugene, and she was buried in Alford Cemetery in Harrisburg, Linn County, next to her first husband.

     A. Estella Davidson (1876–1958) was born on 2 July 1876 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. She graduated from the Monmouth Normal School (which later became the Oregon College of Education) and she taught school in Eugene and Stayton.

Stella married Willis Manuel Caldwell (1878–1952) in 1903. He was the son of Melzer Jackson Caldwell (1849–1901) and Ellen Christiana Cole (1855–1929), born on 14 February 1878 in Scio, Linn County. They had their daughter and two sons in Stayton, Marion County, and lived in Ashland and Brownsville before relocating back to Salem Heights in 1920.

Willis died in Salem on 30 August 1952, and Stella died there on 12 May 1958. They are buried in Belcrest Memorial Park and were survived by their three children and six grandchildren.

      1. Maida Arleen Caldwell (1907–1971) was born on 20 August 1907 in Stayton, Marion, Oregon, and graduated from Salem High School and Willamette University, becoming a teacher in the early 1930s. She married Aubrey Dwain Estes (1905–1972), the elder son of John Oscar Estes (1883–1949) and Mary Jane "Mamie" Carter (1886–1949) on 19 June 1934. He was born on 16 November 1905 in Joseph, Wallowa County, Oregon.

Aubrey was a barber and owned his own shop in Joseph. Maida resigned from her teaching position when she married, but after their children were older, she taught at Joseph High School. According to his Find-A-Grave biography, he suffered for many years from multiple sclerosis but continued to barber until he could no longer hold the tools.

Maida died on 17 September 1971, and Aubrey died 14 January 1972, at the Wallowa County Nursing Home where he had resided for several years. They are buried in the Prairie Creek Cemetery in Joseph. They were survived by their son, Dwain, their daughter, still living, and at least one grandchild.

     a. Dwain Arlen Estes (1936–2017) was born on 4 February 1936 in Joseph, Wallowa County, Oregon. He graduated from Eastern Oregon State College in 1957 and began teaching in the Parkrose School District that autumn. In 1959 he married his first wife.

Dwain taught in Parkrose for 33 years, retiring in 1990. Much of his career was spent as a sixth-grade teacher, where he shared his enjoyment of the outdoors with many of his students at Outdoor School. He finished his career as a math teacher at Parkrose Middle School.

Dwain died on 10 July 2017 in Portland and is survived by his son, his sister, and several grandchildren.

      2. Dale L Caldwell (1909–1975) was born on 3 October 1909 in Stayton, Marion County, Oregon. In 1930, he moved from his father's house in Salem to live with his sister, Maida, in Portland. Dale worked as an accountant, then as a freight agent for a railway. His work had him move to Idaho, and then to Nevada.

In Nevada, Dale met Maude Ethel Dunbar (1908–1995), and they married on 19 July 1939 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, before returning to live in Elko. Maude was the elder daughter of  Edward Fitts Dunbar (1878–1970) and Maud Ethel Miller (1881–1952), born in Fallon, Churchill County, Nevada, on 5 September 1908.

They had a son in Elko, but the little boy died from dysentery before his first birthday. Not long after, they moved back to Portland and had a second son, who is still living. At some point, the couple divorced. Maude became a teacher and raised their son in Milwaukie, Clackamas County, Oregon. She died on 10 November 1995.

Dale remarried on 2 June 1951 to Frances Jean Salerno (1916–2012), daughter of Italian immigrants Frank Sallustio Salerno (1888–1962) and Angelina Migliore (1897–1961). Frances was born in Portland on 6 September 1916, in what was then known as South Portland in the heart of the Italian and Jewish communities. She was the eldest of 10 children. After graduating from St. Mary's Academy in 1934, she attended business college and Mrs. Holmes Secretarial School. At first, she enjoyed her duties as a secretary, but soon discovered the challenges of accounting and pursued that career. She spent most of her career in residential and commercial real estate accounting.

Dale and Frances had one son together, still living, and remained in Portland, where Dale died on 21 May 1975 at age 65. Frances was 95 years old when she died on 25 January 2012. They are survived by Dale's sons and at least one grandchild.

     a. Dale Edward Caldwell (1940–1941) was born on 30 June 1940 in Elko, Elko County, Nevada, and died there on 7 April 1941 after suffering from dysentery. He was interred at Riverview Abbey Mausoleum and Crematory in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon.

     3. Willis Theodore Caldwell (1915–1998) was born on 10 May 1915 in Ashland, Jackson County, Oregon, the youngest child of Willis M. and Stella Caldwell. During the Second World War, he served in the U.S. Navy from 15 December 1943 to 29 Mar 1946. He was aboard the USS Antaeus in 1944, and later served under CDR C.E. Coffin on the USS LC(FF)-370, an amphibious assault ship.

After the war, Willis married Marjorie L Herr (1918–2013) in Linn County on 29 August 1949. She was born on 4 October 1918 in Priest River, Bonner County, Idaho to Clarence Wilson Herr (1864–1938) and Helene Marie Klehn (1875–1958). Marge graduated from Willamette University and earned a Master's Degree from the University of Oregon. She taught Physical education in Hood River and Albany before she married Willis and moved to Salem.

Willis and Marge were both very active in the Salem community. She belonged to the Salem Audubon Society and Chemeketan Hiking Club, among others, and in 1991 was honored when the gymnasium at the YWCA of Salem was named the "Marge Caldwell Gymnasium." Willis was president of the Santiam Alpine Club and ran for the school board.

Willis died on 21 July 1998 and was buried in Salem's Belcrest Memorial Park. Marge died on 31 October 2013 and is buried with her husband. They are survived by their two sons.

     B. Dr. Bertha Davidson (1877–1958) was born on 11 September 1877 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. She lived ran a millinery (hat-making shop) with her sister, Marinda, in the 1910s, and the two sisters lived with their younger brothers, Frank and William. Bertha became a doctor and practiced osteopathic medicine in Portland for several years before moving back to Eugene in 1926, where she remained for the rest of her life. She died on Wednesday, 5 August 1958 and is buried in Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

     C. Ella R Davidson (1879–1966) was born on 20 February 1879 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. She became a teacher in the public schools in the Eugene area. Around 1915, she married Emmet William Austin (1874–1936), and they lived in Woodburn, near Salem in Marion County. He died on 9 June 1936 in Woodburn and was buried in the Belle Passi Cemetery there.

Ella married her second husband, Charles F Schultz (1876–1952), on 24 April 1940 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. Charles died on 30 April 1952 in Salem. Ella died on 14 Jan 1966 in Salem and was buried with Emmet in Belle Passi Cemetery.

     D. Sarah Marinda Davidson (1880–1969) was born on 29 December 1880 in The Dalles, Wasco County, Oregon. She was a seamstress who lived in Portland for most of her adult life. Mirandy died in Portland on 26 May 1969 and is buried in the Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

     E. Samuel Bruce Davidson (1882–1958) was born on 8 September 1882 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. On 11 June 1913, he married Ella May Bryson (1880–1975) in Seattle, King County, Washington. She was born in June 1880 in Crookston, Polk County, Minnesota, to David Lowe Bryson (1857–1922) and Mary Sloman (1857–1924).

Bruce drove a laundry truck for many years in Tacoma. He died on 17 February 1958 in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington, and was buried in Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood. Ella died on 25 Mar 1975 and was buried with her husband.

     F. Mary Davidson (1884–1962) was born on 12 October 1884 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. She married Walter Lewis Straub (1886–1940) in Eugene on 26 December 1907. He was born on 21 April 1886 in Box, Cedar County, Missouri to Elisha Straub (1852–1921) and Melissa Esther Darnell (1864–1931).

Walter was a minister in the Christian Church, and as he and Mary moved around frequently as they raised their son and daughter. They lived in Eugene, Oregon (1908-1911), Vancouver and Ellensburg, Washington (1914-1915), Coos County, Oregon (1917-1918), Santa Cruz, California (1920), Pierre, South Dakota (1930), and Omaha, Nebraska (as of 1935).

The 1940 U.S. Census places Mary and her two children in Eugene and lists her as a widow. An obituary for her son in 1942 refers to "the late Rev. Walter L. Straub." However, I have been unable to locate any death or burial records for Walter. What I found was a record in the U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 database that lists a man named Walter Lewis Straub, born 21 April 1886 in Stockton, Missouri, living in Omaha and married to a woman named Josephine. I have not been able to determine for sure when or whether Walter died, nor have I been able to rule out the possibility that he remarried and remained in Omaha.

Mary died on 10 January 1962 in Salem, Marion County, Oregon, and was buried in the Eugene Pioneer Cemetery. She was survived by her daughter.

     1. Paul Walter Straub (1908–1942) was born on 28 October 1908 in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon. He worked as a sales clerk while remaining in his parents' household until he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. Sadly, he died while in training on 14 November 1942 in Fort Campbell, Christian County, Kentucky, and is buried in Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

     2. Mary Rozelle Straub Peterson (1913–1998) was born on 23 October 1913 in Camas, Clark County, Washington. She grew up in several places, graduating from Brookings High School in Brookings, South Dakota in 1931.

She married David Haggard Henry (1913–1969) on 2 March 1941 in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon. David was a newspaper reporter who was born on 17 July 1913 in Gold Hill, Jackson, Oregon to David Chauncy Henry (1879–1962) and Laura Mabel Haggard (1879–1944).

Records suggest there is more to their story than I have been able to find, but here's what I can say for certain: David died on 17 June 1969 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Eugene. Rozelle remarried on 11 September 1971 in Lane County, Oregon. I have not been able to determine whether her second husband is still alive. I have also not been able to tell whether she had any children.

Rozelle Peterson died on 14 July 1998 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Eugene with her first husband.


     G. Dr. Frank F Davidson (1887–1966) was born on 23 November 1887 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. He lived with his older sisters, Bertha and Marinda, and his younger brother, William, in Eugene while he attended the University of Oregon in the early 1910s. Like Bertha, he became a doctor of osteopathy. He studied at the Osteopathic College of Physicians and Surgeons in Los Angeles.

During World War I, he shipped out as a private in the Medical Detachment, 361st Infantry. He married Anna Katherine Hoge (1888–1938) on 21 June 1918 in Dupont, Pierce County, Washington, and then he shipped out from New York on 6 July 1918 aboard the Koroa. He returned from St Nazaire, France, in April 1919, and he and Anna moved to Idaho, where Frank attempted to establish a practice in Burley. They arrived in April 1921, and Frank set up his practice in the offices formerly occupied by Dr. Whittenberger. A year later, Anna's sister died in Pasadena, and the family ultimately re-settled in Pasadena in 1922, and that is where they raised their daughter. Frank passed his offices to a Dr. Sears.

Anna died on 27 December 1938 and was interred in Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, Los Angeles County. After a few years of mourning, Frank married as his second wife, Pansy B Beebe (1891–1967) on 8 November 1941 in Los Angeles, California. Pansy was the widow of Frank's younger brother, William.

Frank died on 21 October 1966 in Costa Mesa, Orange, California and was interred at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena with Anna. Pansy survived him by only a few months, but we'll talk about her in more detail below.

     1. Elaine A Davidson (1921–2005) was born on 29 September 1921 in Burley, Minidoka County, Idaho. Her parents moved to Pasadena, where Elaine grew up. She married Robert Charles Terbeck (1920–1979) on 9 June 1942. He was the son of Conrad B Terbeck (1895–1953) and Hazel Anna Braden (1897–1984), born on 4 July 1920 in Los Angeles.

Robert was a manager at California Institute Of Technology, and he and Elaine had three daughters together. The couple divorced around 1960, and Elaine remarried on 14 July 1963 to Stephen A Barlow (1924–1991). Robert died at only 58 years of age on 19 April 1979.

The Barlows moved to Honolulu, where Stephen became proprietor of Island Seco Engineer Moisture Control and an employee of Honolulu Roofing Co. He died on 16 May 1991 in Pearl City, Hawaii, and Elaine moved back to San Diego, where she spent her time as a volunteer at the San Diego Kaiser Permanente Hospital, she enjoyed knitting little hats for premature newborns.

Elaine died in San Diego on 19 September 2005 and is survived by her three daughters.

     H. William Henry Davidson (1890–1915) was born on 20 October 1890, near Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. At eight years of age, he moved to Eugene with his parents. Around 1912, he returned to the farm near Shedd, Oregon. He married Pansy B Beebe (1891–1967) on 11 May 1913. She was born on 11 May 1891 in Kansas and grew up there in Powhattan, Brown County. Her parents were Jerry Beebe (1858–1943) and Sarah Alice Plumb (1863–1951), and they moved to Lane County, Oregon, in Pansy's youth.

A few weeks before his death, William went to Los Angeles for the benefit of his health. He improved for a while then suddenly grew worse and died on 17 November 1915, at the age of 25 years and 27 days. His remains were brought to Eugene and interred in the I.O.O.F. cemetery on 22 November 1915.

Pansy married Porter S Fleming (1887–1935) on 20 June 1920 in Lane County, Oregon. Their marriage lasted until Porter's death on 29 August 1935. She later married her brother-in-law, Frank F Davidson (1887–1966), on 8 November 1941 in Los Angeles.

Pansy died on 30 January 1967 in Fairview, Newton County, Missouri, visiting her daughter, and was interred in Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena.

     1.  Marguerite Violet Davidson (1914–1981) was born to William and Pansy (Beebe) Davidson on 7 March 1914 and was raised by her mother and step-father, Porter Fleming. Marguerite graduated from Eugene High School and the University of Oregon at Eugene and became a stenographer in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, where she was living with her widowed mother in 1940.

Marguerite married Thomas Evan Henderson (1916–2006) on 11 November 1948 in Lordsburg, Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Evan was born on 27 October 1916 in Purdy, Barry County, Missouri, to Joseph G Henderson (1875–1965) and Mattie Ellen Robberson (1879–1960). He had been married once before, and he and his first wife, Opal Lucille Nichols (1919–1994) appeared in the 1940 Census in San Antonio, Los Angeles County, California; they divorced about 1946.

After they married, Marguerite and Evan relocated to Fairview, Newton County, Missouri, where Evan raised dairy cattle and Marguerite worked as a secretary for the Kraft company in Wheaton. (Wheaton is in Barry County, where Evan was raised.) He eventually auctioned off his herd in 1961.
 
After Marguerite retired, the couple moved to Kansas in 1973. She died after a long illness on 2 April 1981 in Benton, Butler County, Kansas. Evan died on 22 March 2006 in Purdy, Barry County, Missouri. They are buried in Arnhart Cemetery in Purdy, and they are survived by a daughter from Evan's first marriage.

IV. Frances Mary Davidson (1850–1855)

Frances was born in Aug 1850 in Fulton County, Indiana, and died in 1855, after her family arrived in Linn County, Oregon.

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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!

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.

- -- --- -- -

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.

- -- --- -- -

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!

The Rayburn and Diekman Families

Welcome back, cousins!

I hope everyone has had a Happy Thanksgiving, and I'd like to wish a special happy birthday to my dad, Ted Callin today! Today we continue with two more Murphy daughters and their descendants - so let's get into it:

     E. Nellie Murphy (1873–1958) was the fifth child of Henderson and Rebecca (Davidson) Murphy, born in Oregon in June 1873. She grew up in Oregon and Washington state, and she taught school for many years. Then, at 26 years of age, she married Andrew Mack Rayburn (1871–1940) in 1899.

Andrew was the son of John Barnett Rayburn (1837–1905) and Sarah Francis Frazier (1844–1915) and was born in West Virginia on 12 December 1837. He had also been a teacher, and after they married, he and Nellie homesteaded a wheat farm in 1902 near Hatton, Adams County, Washington. They had three sons and three daughters and raised them on their farm.

After several years of living in a two-room shack, Andrew had a two-story house built about 1917 in Othello on a promontory overlooking the wheat fields. Before the house was built, his daughter Hazel remembered "sleeping in a tent in summers, but the rest of the year we made do with sheet partitions in only two bedrooms." That house was purchased by C.C. Andrews and his son, Clyde, in 1974 and they moved it to their farm north of Bruce Siding, six miles northeast of Othello, where they planned to restore it.

Andrew died on 20 June 1940 in Othello, Adams County, Washington. Nellie sold the farm equipment and moved first to Walla Walla, Washington, then to Spokane. She lived in the Spokane area for 17 years and died there on 21 June 1958. She and Andrew are buried in Lind Cemetery in Lind, Adams County, Washington.

     1. Wilma Lucretia Rayburn (1900–1990) was born on 6 September 1900 in Columbia County, Washington, and grew up on her family's farm in Adams County, Washington. She graduated from Cheney Normal and attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. She taught school in Oregon and Washington for several years.

In the mid-1940s, Wilma married James Wilson Rogers (1905–1987). James was born in Davis County, Iowa, on 14 March 1905 to James Nelson Rogers (1876–1910) and Lydia Mae Carter (1884–1958). He was a butcher in Ottumwa, Iowa, for many years and moved to Spokane after divorcing his wife of 15 years around 1945.

James died on 6 March 1997 in Spokane, and Wilma died there on 14 December 1990. They were survived by James's daughter from his first marriage.

     2. Lawrence Mack Rayburn (1902–1977) was born on 25 July 1902 in Hatton, Adams County, Washington. After growing up in Adams County, he became an electrician working in Spokane in 1929 and 1930. He lived in West Allis, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin in the early 1930s, where he was listed in the City Directory as an engineering student.

While he was living in Milwaukee, he met Frances H Poepke (1904–2000), a stenographer from New London, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. Frances was the daughter of Joachina Ike Poepke (1877–1950) and Marguerette Knapstein (1876–1962)  and was born on 24 July 1904.

Lawrence and Frances were married on 1 June 1935 and soon returned to Washington state, appearing in Port Angeles, Clallam County, on the 1940 Census. They lived mainly in the Bremerton area during the 1940s before relocating to Portland, Oregon, where they remained during the 1950s. Lawrence worked as an electrical engineer with the U.S. Department of Interior from 1949 to 1965, according to his obituary.

Lawrence died at age 73 in Desert Samaritan Hospital, Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona, and was buried in the Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery in that city. Frances died in Bend, Deschutes County, Oregon, on 12 October 2000 at the age of 96. She was buried in Mesa with Lawrence. They are survived by a son, daughter, and at least three grandchildren.

     3. Hazel Frances Rayburn (1904–1995) was born on 15 August 1904 in Hatton, Adams county, Washington. She graduated from Cheney Normal School and then from the University of Washington (Class of 1930). In 1926-27 she taught the seventh and eighth grades in Othello, and after graduating from University, she taught for 43 years in Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, retiring in 1969.

On 6 June 1958, Hazel married Harvey Hiscott Burgett (1912–1994). He was the son of William H Burgett (1874–1931) and Minnie Bertha Hiscott (1879–1964), born in Spokane on 25 November 1912. He worked as a warehouse-man for a paper company, and in road construction.

Harvey died in Spokane on 14 May 1994, and Hazel died there a year later on 17 November 1995. They were survived by nieces and nephews.

     4. Clarence Howard Rayburn (1907–1983) was born in Hatton, Adams County, Washington, on 13 May 1907, and he grew up in Adams County. in 1926 he attended State College of Washington in Pullman, Whitman County, Washington, and he eventually became a research chemist.

Clarence's career took him east to Richmond, Virginia. On 25 December 1934, he married Dorothy Jean Cahill (1910–1996) in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina. She was born on 6 April 1910 in Rockingham County, North Carolina, to Benjamin Marshall Cahill (1862–1926) and Katherine Louise Lewis (1866–1955).

The couple lived in Richmond together until Clarence's death on 3 July 1983. He was buried in Dale Memorial Park in Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, Virginia. Dorothy was living back in North Carolina when she died on 14 June 1996, and she was buried next to Clarence. They are survived by a daughter, two sons, and at least two grandchildren.

     5. Lena Rayburn (1911–2003) was born on 31 January 1911 in Hatton, Adams County, Washington. She grew up in Adams County and moved to Spokane, where she was listed as a maid in the household of Herbert and Virginia Barrett in 1930.

On 25 July 1931, she married Carl Julius Roning (1911–1988), the son of Norwegian immigrants Elmer Roning (1873–1962) and Caroline "Carrie" Bjornes (1882–1961), born on 2 June 1911 in Spokane. Carl worked as a lineman for the telephone company, and they raised their son and daughter in Walla Walla and Spokane before Carl retired from Pacific Northwest Bell in 1971. They then settled in Loon Lake, Stevens County, Washington.

Carl died on 8 March 1988 in Loon Lake, at 76 years of age, and Lena died there at age 92 on 3 October 2003. They are survived by their daughter, four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

     a. Clifford Mack Roning (1934–1993) was born on 12 March 1934 in Diamond Lake, Pend Oreille County, Washington. He grew up in Walla Walla and in Spokane, attending the University of Washington in 1956.

Clifford died on 15 October 1993 in Saint Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida. I believe he was married and may have had a daughter, but I was unable to find records to confirm these facts.

     6. Warren Dale Rayburn (1916–1994) was born on 13 April 1916 in Sprague, Lincoln County, Washington and grew up in Adams County with his siblings. He married Ida Mary Roach (1917–1991) on 11 July 1939 in Kelso, Cowlitz County, Washington. She was born in Malden, Whitman County, Washington, on 1 February 1917, the daughter of John Davis Roach (1891–1933) and Katie M Evans (1892–1970).

Warren and Ida lived in Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington, in the late 1940s and moved to Pendleton, Umatilla County, Oregon, where they remained throughout the 1950s. They divorced on 26 October 1965. Ida remarried Calvin Vance Day (1911–2001) on 19 June 1966 in Kennewick, Franklin County, Washington. She died on 6 October 1991 in Richland, Benton County, Washington.

Warren died on 16 February 1994 in Wasco County, Oregon.

     F. Carrie M Murphy (1878–1954) was born in Oregon on 2 October 1877. She married her first husband, Charles Jacob Diekman (1873–1942), in 1898. Charles was born on 14 June 1873 in Marshfield, Coos County, Oregon, to parents Charles W (1844–1916) and Lydia C Diekman (1851–1933). Charles was a carpenter and he and Carrie raised their children in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. In the 1920s, Charles and Carrie moved down to California, and by 1940 had moved to Hawaii. Charles died there on 3 June 1942.

Carrie married her second husband, Thomas Henry Joy (1870–1963), at the end of 1946. She died in Honolulu on 9 March 1954, and Thomas died on 22 March 1963.

     1. Warren William Diekman (1900–1957) was born on 22 November 1900 in Moro, Sherman County, Oregon. He grew up in the general Vancouver area and was briefly married to Lucy Alice McBroom (1890–1934) in the 1920s.

Lucy was the daughter of Walter Hill McBroom (1859–1932) and Lillian N Rasey (1867–1960), born on 14 May 1890 in Butterfield, Watonwan County, Minnesota. She had been married to Daniel Oliver Williams (1888–1976) from 1909 to 1915, and to William Raymond Leslie (1882–1955) from about 1915 to 1920. She remarried Mr. Leslie in 1929.

Warren worked in construction, working in Los Angeles and Hawaii. Prior to World War II, he was in charge of the installation of the fortifications at Midway and Pearl Harbor from 1938 to 1940 and was a construction superintendent for Waale-Camplan contractors during the war.

On 26 November 1938, Warren married Grace Lee Campbell (1909–1977), daughter of Robert Campbell (1874–1952) and Irene Katherine Campion (1878–1950), in Multnomah County, Oregon. They lived in Hawaii in 1940, but in 1942, Warren was seen listing Portland as his home of record.

Warren died in Portland on 28 April 1957 and was buried in Riverview Abbey Mausoleum and Crematory. Grace raised their two young daughters; she died in Portland on 3 February 1977 and was buried with Warren. They are survived by their daughters and three grandsons.

     2. Virgil Otto Diekman (1903–1964) was born on 13 June 1903 in Moro, Sherman County, Oregon. He married Blanch Irene Joy (1903–1984) on 30 January 1922 in Chehalis, Lewis County, Washington. Blanch was born on 24 January 1903 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. She was the daughter of  Thomas Henry Joy (1870–1963) and his first wife, Etta Clara Higdon (1877–1945). (This is the same Tom Joy who later married Virgil's mother, Carrie.)

Like his father and older brother, Virgil worked in construction. He and Blanch had a son, and lived in the Portland and Vancouver areas during the 1930s. They likely moved to follow Warren to Hawaii, arriving in 1937. In 1940, they were living in Honolulu, Hawaii, which is where Virgil died on 20 April 1964.

       a. Dwaine Omer Diekman (1922–2000) was born on 10 September 1922 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington, and moved to Hawaii with his family in the mid-1930s. He worked as a branch manager of an appliance store in Kailua, Hawaii, for many years. Dwaine was married to
Kimie Taira "Peggy" Ishihara (1922–2003) from about 1955 to about 1960, and in 1962 he married Winifred M Magpiong (1922–1990) in Agana, Hagåtña, Guam.

Winifred died on 16 March 1990 in Otis, Lincoln County, Oregon; Dwaine died in Otis on 9 June 2000 at age 78. Her obituary suggests that she and Dwaine may have had two daughters, but I was unable to confirm whether they were his daughters or Winifred's daughters from her previous marriage.

     3. Lois Carol Diekman (1911–?) was born on 15 September 1911 in Washington state and spent her early childhood in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. She graduated from Glendale Union High School in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California in 1929 and married on 17 April 1930 in Los Angeles County, California, to Cecil William Swartz (1907–1990), the son of William Edgar "Willie" Swartz (1877–1934) and Addie Johnson (1878–1936). He was born on 31 July 1907 in Alderson, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma.

Lois worked in the Burbank Unified School District for 28 years, managing the Children's Center programs at Emerson and Washington nursery schools. She became the supervisor of Emerson in 1947. In 1952 she was transferred to Washington, where she became the supervisor. In 1973, because of budget cutbacks, she became supervisor of both Washington and Emerson, and she retired in 1974.

Cecil died on 20 April 1990 in Los Angeles, and while I have a record placing Lois in Sun Valley, Los Angeles County, in 1992, I don't know for certain what happened to her after that.

     4. Harold Elton "Red" Diekman (1913–1974) was born on 27 December 1913, in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. He married Susanne Roberts Noyes (1923–2009) on 15 February 1942. Susanne was born on 2 March 1923, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Everett Noyes (1876–1952) and Lois Howard Brown (1888–1965). Being a military family the Noyes moved to Honolulu, where Susanne attended McKinley High School.

After they married, Red and Susanne had three children. In 1953, the family moved to Guam to participate in the post-war reconstruction of the island. Susanne worked as a school secretary for many years at Adelup Elementary School. In 193 they moved to Springdale, Washington, where they built their home and settled into the community She was the Springdale Town Clerk and served on the Springdale School Board.

He died on April 8, 1974, in Spokane, Washington, at the age of 60. Susanne died many years later on 26 January 2009. They were survived by two sons and a daughter, as well as nine grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.

     a. Harold Elton "Hal" Diekman Jr (1943–2018) was born on 8 August 1943 Honolulu, Hawaii. Hal spent his childhood in the pacific islands but he graduated from Stoneham High School in Stoneham, Massachusetts, in 1961 while residing with his aunt and uncle. He graduated college from Lowell Institute in Lowell, Massachusetts, where he enjoyed rowing crew. He joined the United States Air Force in 1968 and began a twelve-year military career as an Air Weather Reconnaissance Officer.

Hal was married in 1971, and he and his new wife resided in Guam while Hal served as a "typhoon chaser." In 1975 the family transferred to Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. After leaving the military, the family relocated to Lawton, Oklahoma in 1982 where they raised their three children.

Hal died just last year on 26 December 2018 in Lawton and is survived by his wife, three children, and six grandchildren.

     5. Diekman (1916–1916) Carried and Charles also had an unnamed baby daughter who died on 11 October 1916 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington.

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There is one more Murphy child to cover, and my semester ends in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, we'll get back to a more regular schedule, soon.

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!