| Home
Contact |
Jesse and Mary Eaton Oregon Territory Pioneers Oregon in 1845 was becoming home to the bravest of the brave and strongest of the strong. Thousands of immigrants were making the trek west for the free land and a new beginning. With them came the will and desire to change a nation, to help a territory become a united governed state of the United States of America. Among these immigrants traveling West was a young Jesse Eaton born March 21, 1826 in Boone Co. Kentucky. Oral family history has said he came West on his own and worked as a drover on the wagon train which carried a young Mary E. Burden born January 8, 1836 in Sangamon Co. Illinois. Who in five years would be Jesse's young wife? Some times a wagon train could be spread out over five miles or more, so it's easy to understand how a nineteen year old man and a ten year old girl would never have crossed paths. Little is known of Jesse's activities from 1846-1850, we know he sold a piece of property in Green point Oregon to a Samuel Barlow; he battled the Cayuse Indians and received a pension for his service. Mary's father Job Burden and family traveled by boat to Oregon City. This would have been at a great expense so late in their trek west. So we know Job was a man of wealth when he and his family arrived in Oregon Territory. He bought land right away in the Grand Ronde area. And settled down with his family. The American government and its citizens rewarded those bold and courageous pioneer men of at least eighteen years of age 320 acres of land and his brave wife was given 320 acres. So you will find in our Oregon history many young brides. Mary was fourteen at the time of her marriage but stated she was fifteen. For no legal reason, as our Oregon history shows the marriage of girls ten years old. Most of these marriages were marriage for the love of land not for love of person. Our young couple Jesse and Mary had the time and opportunity to fall in love before their union. Jesse and Mary were united in marriage July 18, 1850. The Oregon census for Polk Co. and Yamhill Co. in 1850 have them living in both Counties. .Later years record the birth of three children born in Grand Ronde, Polk Co. Nathan 1851, Maggie 1853, and Sarah T 1855. After the government bought the Eaton's and Burdens property in Grand Ronde. It was transformed into part of what is now called the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. We have been told that Mary Elizabeth Burden's mother was Indian. We have not been able to prove or disprove this. We do know that when Mary Eaton lived in Wasco she administered herbal remedies to the local Indians. For Mary to be a teacher to those who should of taught her. I have to acknowledge it is possible Temperance had taught Mary all she knows at a young age. Mary was sixteen when her mother died. From what Gertrude Eaton Witt has told me, Mary Eaton was greatly loved and respected by the local Indians. Chief Joseph's son traveled with a little old man in tow from the Columbia River to Wasco to bring gifts of fish to Mary. Gert is the daughter of George A. Eaton the twelfth child of Jesse and Mary. October of 1851 Mary's mother Temperence Burden passed away. This must have been a hard time in Mary's life. She had traveled the Oregon Trail with her parents and eight siblings, her mother left a three year old son David and his siblings to the care of their father Job. In a suitable time Job remarried. In 1853 we find Jesse has a sister Mary Jane Eaton who married a George Tharp and Sister Margaret marries Madison Malone both marriages in Polk Co. Daniel Eaton death is recorded in the family Bible, at an age that could have possibly made him the father, Uncle or even an older brother to Jesse, Mary Jane, and Nathan. We know they had ten other siblings living some place in the USA or Canada. I have wondered if possible Jesse, Nathan, Mary Jane and Margaret's mother may have remarried or even married a brother -in -law. Who would have been Daniel? It was not unusual for a spouse to lose more than one mate in a life time. A women with children or not would need the help of a man to serve in a Warring Indian territory. Jesse and Mary Moved to Amity Oregon. After Grand Ronde. Three Children were born there. Mary Jane 1858, Job (Burt) 1860 and Mattie 1862. Mary Jane was the last of the Eaton children born in Oregon Territory. 1863 Jesse and Mary set out for Umitilla .The growing family stopped and wintered in The Dalles. Headed out again for Umitilla in February of 1864. Designation Umitlla. The mode of transportation in those days was by foot, wagon, oxen, horse and ferry.. Destiny and the pioneer spirit set a different path for the Eaton's that day in family history. It is my belief Jesse scouted the Oregon Territory extensively while in the 1st. mounted rifles of Oregon. He must have known of many wonderful and beautiful places to raise his growing family. He knew and understood the weather. Maybe he wanted to get away from the rain. Of the Willamette Valley. No matter what the reason fate will have her way. From Eileen Donnell's, writings I have added and subtracted words for this version of the story that settles the Eaton family in Sherman Co. In the pioneer Oregon you had the same three chooses as we do today. How do you get to the other side of the river? Swim, bridge or ferry and that's were our Eaton story really starts in Sherman Co... As it is written and oral history has told. A toll had to be paid to cross the Deschutes River in those days. By ferry or bridge the toll had to be paid... Our story has been told by local historians using both modes of transport. I will use the ferry route because of the time of year. The amount of others traveling at the time, and price paid. It would be my hope that Jesse would not have started out on a venture like this with eight people's lives unless the weather had permitted a safe journey. When Jesse, Mary and their six children came to the crossing of the Deschutes, They had to have known with Jesse travels, and word of mouth, a toll would have to be paid. Barter was an expectable form of payment. Passage for the group cost them one bag of dried apples. After crossing the Deschutes the family headed up what is now Fulton's Canyon. And started east. Following the route traveled by miners' freighters, and emigrants .When they reached Spanish Hollow (The canyon which is now the route South of Biggs) the family set up camp for the night and Mary was cooking dinner on an open fire for the family, when a group of travelers stopped and asked for food. Mary accommodated the travelers. And the next morning and another group of travelers stopped. These men paid Mary very well in gold dust for their "woman baked bread" and breakfast. The day had grown late so the Eaton's stayed another night. Mary had her cook stove pulled from the wagon and started to cook up some bread for the travel east. The aroma from that home made bread must have traveled for miles .Jesse had to go back to The Dalles for more supplies. Mary also asked Jesse to buy back the dried apples from the ferry operator. I'm sure a home made apple pie would of been worth it's weight in gold. Jesse returned with lumber for a lean two and other supplies but no apples the ferry operator would not sell the died apples back to Jesse. It seems it had been so long sense the ferry man had fruit that at no price could the died fruit be bought back. Mary spent the next months cooking for the travelers along the Boise trail. By summer they were able to build a large box shaped ten room home with lumber hauled from The Dalles. The Jesse Eaton family had now found what would be home, for the next thirty-eight years. Walt Eaton was the last of the Eaton's to live in Wasco. He passed away December 12, 1975. We may have cousin's that are still in Sherman County. I am hopeful I can find all our Eaton cousin's. Seven more Eaton children would be born in Wasco .Emma 1865, Laura, 1868; Jesse W., 1872----twin brother Johnnie living just two days, George A., 1875; James Edward 1879, and a baby boy Michael Philo born a few years later who lived just a few hrs. Johnnie was the first of the Eaton's to be buried in what then was called the Eaton family cemetery. March 13, 1872. Jesse dedicated the cemetery, dug his baby's grave and then buried the first of the Eaton children to be buried in the cemetery. Johnnie's, nineteen year old sister Sarah Temperence Eaton would follow August 23, 1874. And Michael after that. The three are buried side by side on the upper most Southwestern corner looking east to the Oregon sunrise. Jesse and Mary sold the cemetery to the Locus Grove Methodist church for a dollar..." Nothing is free "must have been a saying that wasn't heard back in those days even if it did cost a dollar. Selling the cemetery to the church was more than likely a plan for long term maintenance for the cemetery and a designated and dedicated cemetery and resting place for those who saw many lone graves along the Oregon Trail. Gertrude Eaton Witt was the last person buried in the cemetery she passed away October 1997. It is my hope to help raise money and set up a trust for the upkeep of the two cemeteries in Wasco. Jesse Eaton was commissioned to run the local post office. With the stage coach stop and boarding house the family had a growing enterprise. With all these activities come many stories. One story orally repeated is about a cowboy who had boarded himself and his horse for a few weeks at the Eaton place. The cowboy left one day, when Jesse was away from home, without paying his bill. The story goes That Jesse went after the cowboy riding east. Shot the cowboy and sent him to join his ancestors in the happy hunting grounds. Jesse came back with the cowboy's horse to pay the lodging and stable bill. The Eaton's built the first school, operated the first post office, had the first crop, the first voting precinct in the area was called Eaton precinct. Eaton precinct appears on early census survey as the census area. From what I am told the Eaton's were staunch Republicans. I believe the Eaton clan was one of strong opinions and convictions. In fact .Before they had the right to vote. Eaton women still stood for what they believed in. We find a number of them wearing temperance ribbons, in the family photos at the Wasco homestead dated fall 1900. This would be the last photo taken of Mary at the old homestead .She and Maggie moved to The Dalles spring of 1901. Gertrude Eaton-Witt spent as much time as she could spend with her Grandmother Mary, and Aunt Maggie. Gertrude shared with me that the personality of her grandmother, Grandma Eaton was a very kind and gentle woman who loved to cook for her family, was always busy with her hands, spoke very softly and was always a lady... Aunt Maggie always carried her hands as you see her do in her photos. You never heard a harsh word or an unkind tone in their home. Mary died when Gertrude was seven years old so the stories I have collected from Gert are as close to fact as one can get... Jesse hasn't weathered oral family history as well as Mary. We won't go much into this but to say Mary and Jesse stayed married, Jesse was out of the household picture for a few years before his death in June 13, 1902 in Portland Oregon. Mary and the Children who died after their father, are buried on the Far East side of the cemetery thirty feet or so from the gate that opens up to the old road into Wasco proper. Jesse with the Children that died before him on the far southwestern corner of the cemetery. This will give you an idea to the feelings that went to the grave with Mary and the remaining children. We know from the research from these Eaton cousins, Eileen Donnell, Miles Eaton, Gertrude -Eaton- Witt and Mary Eaton-Mclaughlin-Macnab all these facts and much more. Eileen had written a paper back book for the family. Miles had around 1500 hundred pages of research to digest some on Jesse and Mary Eaton but much more on the Eaton children and there dependence. Gert had stories to hand down from her grandmother Eaton, Aunt Maggie, father and mother. Gert's stories have been wonderfully entertaining. From my close friend and aunt Mary oral history passed down from her father Jesse W. Eaton to me. Most of Mary's I have in her handwriting, along with a nice collection of Eaton photos. .All four loved the Eaton name and their pioneer ancestors and contributed greatly to the content of this article. None of the facts are facts I've gleaned from the resources available other than these family researchers. The Eaton cousin's had a family reunion at the old homestead in September of 1916 attending was 98 cousins. The new Eaton cousins are also having a reunion. July !998 Silver Creek Falls Oregon I am proud to be the grandmother of an eighth generation Oregonian. My Grandson Dean Johnson will know more than I grew up knowing about my ancestors. I have collected many family pioneer and Oregon history stories to share with him, in hopes he will pass them on to his own children and grandchildren in an oral form. I think he'll be a great story teller. |