Wednesday, July 20, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Sisters author unearths family history
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Family genealogy
research and a missing
divorce record opened the
door to an entirely new,
and unplanned, venture for
Sisters resident Linda Davis.
After unearthing some
unknown facts about her
great-grandmother, Jeannie
Fox Miller, Davis embarked
on a five-year odyssey of
learning Jeannie’s story and
recording it as a biographical
fiction.
“Basically I took anec-
dotes and wove them into a
story. I made up a theory of
how she had interest in fruit
farming,” Davis explained.
“Jeannie’s Journey, Great
Grandmother’s Pioneering
Tale,” is the story of how
an ordinary high school
English teacher, wife and
mother ended up moving
from Chicago to Hood River,
Oregon in 1908 to become a
fruit farmer.
Davis conducted exten-
sive research about her
ancestors to write the book,
a feat she never dreamed she
would accomplish.
“Underlying the story
itself is the journey I took to
write the book,” said Davis.
“Many researchers of
family history begin with
only fragments of informa-
tion, if anything. If they are
lucky, they have some pho-
tographs, some documents
like birth certificates, and
perhaps some family stories.
The gaps regarding an ances-
tor’s life are usually wide
and deep. Attempting to put
these fragments of infor-
mation together with addi-
tional research is like putting
together a 1,000-piece jigsaw
puzzle, one piece at a time.
But the rewards can be over-
whelming, not to mention
emotional,” Davis continued.
Davis’s own journey of
discovery included a trip to
a Chicago cemetery and the
Cook County public records
office to obtain a copy of her
great-grandmother’s divorce
decree, which held the key
to unlocking the secret sur-
rounding Jeannie’s emigra-
tion to Oregon.
A little-known cult, the
Korashans, played a key
role in the fork in the road
of Jeannie’s life. Since Davis
had never heard any of this
story from living relatives,
all of whom have passed on,
the shocking details that she
learned about Jeannie and
other relatives had likely
been “swept under the rug.”
“Jeannie’s involvement
with the cult in Chicago was
probably an embarrassment
that family did not want
known and passed down
to descendants,” Davis
speculates.
In spite of that, Davis
says she has a certain degree
of admiration for her great-
grandmother, who bucked the
traditions of the time to live
a life true to her conscience.
“Aside from some of the
whacky religious and scien-
tific ideas, many of the values
she adhered to are alive today
as we struggle in the global
economy and for social and
economic justice. That makes
me proud,” said Davis.
In April of this year, the
project reached completion
with the printing of the book.
“It feels really good to
be finished with the book,
like a relief,” Davis shared.
“However, I miss in a way
working on the book. I have
learned little things since that
would enrich the story. It was
quite an experience.”
As a college student,
after a year at University of
California at Santa Barbara,
Davis graduated from
Portland State University
with a degree in geography
and urban studies. While at
PSU, she gained two years
of experience conducting
research with members of
the faculty, gaining valuable
experience. She went on to
have a 35-year career in land-
use planning in Salem, Boise,
and Beaverton.
During her 14 years as the
Beaverton planning director,
Davis saw the Portland sub-
urb grow from a population
of 27,000 to 60,000 residents.
For the final eight years of
Davis’s career she served as a
land-use planning consultant
in private practice.
First-time author Davis
and her husband, Tom,
whom she met in Boise,
moved to Sisters in August
1999. Her avocation as an
accomplished weaver began
40 years ago, also in Boise.
She is a member of the
Central Oregon Spinners and
Weavers Guild and creates
beautiful woven works of art
photo provided
linda Davis has published a new
book on her grandmother.
that are displayed throughout
Central Oregon.
Davis has also been a
long-time member of the
board of Friends of the Sisters
Library, currently serving as
the board secretary.
Davis’s book is avail-
able for purchase through
Amazon. For more informa-
tion she can be reached at
tomlin@bendcable.com.
2016 Deschutes County
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