Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (June 17, 1887)
. 'fc r syfrl "TffQlBliMSST-SirrrZT 6 fj k jff fj AT VOL. XIX. OREGON PIONEER HISTORY. SKETCHES OF EARLY DAYS. -MEN AND X TIMES IN THE FORTIES. DV B. A CLAHKE. Copyright kppllnl (or. All rljhti renmcil Boyhood and Youth or Nesmith Other In teresting Items. . The Nosmiths enmo originally from Scotland nnd moved to tho north of Ire land, making their homo in thovnlloy of tho river Bnnn near tho city of London derry, and in 1832 crossed tho Atlantic and becamo pari of a colony that estab lished Dcrry, New Hampshire. In bo half of our faith in heredity wo say that tho Ncsmltbs and Nnsmyths aro of tho samo stock.nnd Jamos Nasniytb,tho great invontor who mado tho early decades of tho present century illustrious by his creation of tho trip hammer run by steam, who improved telcscopos and in vented ordnance, was of tho samo En glish stock that furnished James W. Ncsmith of Oregon. James Willis Ncsmith was bora about J 820 in tho border land between tho United States and Now Brunswick, the disputed titlo of which region nlmost led to opon war. Ho was tho son of William Morrison Nesmith mid great grandson of Deacon Nosmith, whore father enmo in 1832 from tho vnlloy of tho river Bann, Now Londonderry, in Ireland, and becamo ono of tho found era of tho colony that Bottled at Dorry, Now Hampshiro, and who was very prominent in tho annals of oarly colon ial times. Nesmith's father had a sawmill near tho British and Mnino boundary lines, but ho was an Amorican citizon and novcr resided or claimed to rcsido on British soil. When tho future Sonntor was a bubo nino months old n tragedy occurred that changed tho wholo current of his lifo. It was winter, and tho fam ily was in a sleigh crossing a frozen river, whon tho ico gavo way and eloigh and team and tho helpless mothor wero swept under tho ico. In nn instant tho trenchorous coverinc of tho swift run ning Btrcnm gavo way. For a momont thero was a frantic etrugglo cro tho doomed animals and tho conscious WO' rann disappeared forovcr, and then thero was only a babo left wandering on tho frozen river, whero mother-lovo and strength had thrown it, and u wretched man who battled awhilo for lifo nnd ffnally was victorious. All be sidos had boon swept to inovitablo doom. Tho mother's last thought and net was for her boy. Nesmith took his child to his relative, in New Hampshire, at Derry, nnd left him thoro whilo ho continued work at his mill. It was doubtless a desolate country district, whero j-chools wero not frequent and chances for education slim. "Jim" only remembered that when u dozen or so years of ago ho had six months of schooling, when ho loom ed to read, figure and write, after a fash ion. His great lovo of reading and ro markablo memory wero worth mora to him than better opportunity for educa tion havo proved to others. Ho studied what ho could, and read whut ho could get hold of. When twelvo yoars old ho wus apprenticed to a silversmith. It was o Now England village, where a public green and a town pump wero tho chief objects of intorcst. Jim's knowl edge of the trado was chiefly confined to running errands, and ono staple duty was to carry the silversmith's stone jug to tho pump for a rofill. Ono warm summer day ho was thus dispatched, and met obstruction. A much bigger boy finding a long lino of boys between his jug and tho pump's nose, chose "Jim" as tho easiest subject, so ho push ed him rude!) from his place in the lino and took the position himself, but not long; Jim's stoneware swung round a limited circle of space that interferred with the bigger boy's skull, and then the:o was a vacancy in the line. See g SALEM, OREGON, FRIDAY, ing his assailant laid suddenly low and u pool of blood by his head, Jimmy wns too fearful to stay. Ho quietly went to tho shop and deposited his ompty jug and struck for tho woods. After a few days ho vontured back by night, and, learning from tho boys that his victim had recovered and was back in r-chnol, "Nez" went back to his silversmith. So timo passed until he was nineteen years old. It docs not appear that ho stuck to his apprenticeship, fur ho is said to hnvo dovotcd somo year to working on a Now Hampshiro farm, and many of us havo hoard him toll how ho had to scratch around among tho Now Hamp shiro rocks to got dirt enough to plant a hill of corn or potatoes. His father went West to Ohio and af ter u white sent back for James, taking him to near Cincinnati, to tho homo of Ida rolativc, Mrs. Solly Wilson, mother of Joseph O. Wilson, congressman-elect, who diod in 1873, to bo succeeded by his rclativo who lived in his mother's family thirty-four yeara before The- ophilus Wilson, the oldest son, was a stu dent and took pains to improvo tho mind of his young rolativo. Ho was successful in thus dovoloping a remark ablo lovo of knowledge, and no doubt this kind treatment laid tho ground work of much of tho succoss Ncsmith afterwards attained. In 1810 his father took him to tho frontier, whoro ho had a small storo near Fort Leavenworth. Tho father's death loft him nt twenty ono a waif of fortune, friendless and with llttlo means to meet tho ccrtantics 'and tho unccrtantics of life. It is only necessary to fill in tho blanks left in tho notico of last wock. Aftor ho wns disappointed in reaching tho rcn dczvous to nccompany Elijah Whito's party in 1812, ho found work and occu pation at Fort Loavcnworth,gwhero ho ongngod with Quartormastor Swords (now Con. Swords of tho samo depart ment) to do rough carpenter work about tho fort. In this capacity ho continued during tho year thnt elapsed, until an othor emigration started for Oregon Aftor settling his fathor's affairs and squaring accounts with Undo Snm at tho fort, Ncsmith had enough means to bring him through in good shapo, and a little wns left to ro-furnish his porson. Ho went at his carpenter work when ho reached Orogon City, nnd combined tho reading of law with hard labor. Tho record of his career in Oregon will bo loft to somo fuluro time, when bettor ablo to do it justice. Ncsmith was always noted for his wit and humor, and somotimos for biting sarcnsni. No doubt his acquaintances can recall such incidents, and if they would do so, it would onablo his bio grapher to illustrate his wit by many happy incidents. Ono instance of his success nt repartoo wo can givo now : When caossing tho plains, his mate and compnnion was Hpnsloy, afterwards so well known in California. Many a night Sam Honsloy borrowed Jim Nesmith's overcoat to stand his guard in, and tho cool nights of oarly' spring mado it a necossity to bo warmly clad. Timo's changes brought tho two friends together ugain, after nlmost twenty years of sep uration, in a singular way. Whilo No smith kept the road to Oregon, Henslcy left tho train at Fort Hall, and, with a few others, wont tho Southern route to Cal'fornia. Somo lucky turn brought wealth to the old pioneer of 1843. Ho became a rich roan, and whon Ncsmith was on his way East to take his seat in tho Senato of the Nation, ho found his messmate on tho plains converted into a. California millionaire, who owned steamships running to Panama. Nothing would do but for Nesmith and his fam ily to accept passago on his ship, and when fairly under way tho two old cro nies engaged in a familiar review of the olden time. They talked about the plains, Uensley telling of the comfort and warmth of Nesmith's overcoat. After many a hearty laugh the Califor- - fbxf' ETJE niuii wont into a stato of reverie, and waked to say : "Well, Nesmith, how lit tlo you and I thought, when wo wero mates nnd bodfcllows on tho plains to many years ago, that tho time was to como when you would be u Senator of tho United States." "Not a bit of it,,' said Nesmith. "I always knew I was to go to the Senate, Sam. but had no idea I should go on your steamboat." It wilt bo seen that tho plain account wo givo of his lifo in Missouri disproves tho nmlico that during his lifetime asserted that ho liiut been an enlisted man and deserted from Fort Leaven- worth. All efforts mado to injure him but more firmly established his rocord as an honornblo man. Wo havo shown that when Nesmiih reached Oregon, ho wont to carpenter ing at Oregon City. His working with mora experienced mechanics at Leaven worth gavo him nn insight into tho trado and it offered tho host means of support hero. His tutelage under Theophclus Wilson had instilled not only learning, but higher ambition, so that ho spent tho leisure timo ho could command from carpontcr work in reading law. Whilo thus occupied, ho met with n enso ho felt competent to conduct. A fellow had loafod, or worse, about that incipient burg for Orogon City was then about as much of a town as Ncsmith was of a lawyer until tho local authorities found him out and reported him as nnuisanco. Ho was arrested as a vagrant, and laid his case boforo Ncsmith, who thought it n good placo to begin his career as a lawyer. Ho asked tho man what prop erty ho possessed, and found that whilo ho had no visiblo means of support, ho owned a horse. "Nos." ngrcod to tnko the horse for his sorvicos, nnd thought ho could clear tho vagrant. To mako assurance doubly suro, ho turned over to hiis client $7.50 in sllvor, that consti tutcd his own cash capital, and told him whon tho Court demanded to know what menus of support ho had, to pull out his handful of chango and say that ho lived on that. Tho fellow played his part to perfection j whon inUnroga tod as to his "means of support," ho leaned over to ono side, so as to got oasily into his trnusors pocket, and brought up a handful of silver, lotting n fow pieces fall back, as if thero wero plenty more whero that came from. Tho Court apologised for tho "mistnko ;" said it was not Mipposod tho defendant was n "capitalist," and tho prisoner step ped down nnd out. rsosmith was "snowed undor" with congratulations, and oven tho Judgo from tho bench flat teriugly told him if ho kopt on as ho had begun ho would livo to bo a senator of tho United States. Tho crowd of sympathising and admiring friends had to bo treated hospitably, which mado nn inrond into tho young carpenter's ox- chequer; but then ho reckoned on tho horso to mako up deficiencies in tliocai-h account. Tho samo jurist who prcsidod thero and so warmly congratulated tho embryo attornoy-at-law, relates tho story with infinite zost, an 1 concludes it thus : 'Tho young attornoy lived to see himself a senator of tho United States, but ho never saw his client, his horse, or his silver coin, lent tho prisoner to uplurgo on. Whilo 'Nes' was receiving tho con gratulntioiiB of tho crowd and treating his friends, his client was riding 'ovor tho hills nnd far away,' and Nos ' had no horso to follow." It is not easy in over-estimate the great value of the various missions to tho community struggling into lifo on the far Pacific coast. It is tmo that thoy canio here to establish missions among tho Indians, and that in n great measure they failed to civilize or chris tianize tho nations they came to tench. But thoy wero here, and took an active and important part in organizing tho early society and establishing order and civilization, as well as in founding schools for the education of the rising generation. It is very easy to criticise JUNE 17, 1887. nnd condemn, so it is welt enough for those to sneer nt tho failure of missions to save and redeem tho native tribes to remember that Christian miwonnrirs wore only mnn, and would bo tempted as other men to try to acquire something for themselves in the growth of a now country. The gold epoch demoralized tho world, and it would not ho ft ran go if missiouuiies yielded to tho impulso of tho hour nnd tried to provide for their families when the How of gold wns so universal. Soveral coincident circumstances ex isted to help tho American settler : For one, tho cliiof factor of the Hudson Bay Company was, fortunately, a man of truly Christian nature a man who could meet tho primo questions of hu manity fully and broadly, and could mako tho claims of trado, and oven of nationality, secondary to tho warm dic tates of humanity. Dr. John McLaugh lin had ovcry great nnd gonerous attri bute. I cannot puss him by with mora words of good will and ordinury ac knowledgement. Ho comos first os tho chief fnctoi in American settlement, nnd tho friend and savior of tho early immigrants who found no homes, no socioty or settlement to welcome, nnd must havo greatly suflbrcd ; and many might havs porished had not this man of great ami good instincts hold out to thorn n helping hand. Next to this wonderful nnd benign provision and actual providence, enmo tho missionaries. Thoy had somo moans nt their command, nnd occasionally used their financial strength to forward en terprises that, without thoir holp, would not havo prospered. Tho early sottlors, as thoir story, already told, illustrates, labored under nlmost insupornblo diffi culties, and thoy would havo proved uusurmouutablo only for tho nssistanco of Dr. McLoughlin and tho missiona ries. Coming down from tho DIuo Mou u tains, thoy reached Dr. Whitman's mis sion and rocoived needed assistance. Itov. A. F. Waller was at Tho Dallos, and g.ivo them further nid, if needed. Below Tho Dalles and CascadcH they found Dr. McLoughlin ablo and willing to afford them supplies of a still more important character. Aftor awhilo, when tho settlement grew nnd tho set tlers could employ immigrant labor, tho offices of tho Hudson Bay Company were not needed, but in tho earliest years tho bonovolonoc of Dr. McLough lin was a providenco that mado it possi ble to settlo Oregon with Amoricans. When Judgo Boise landed in Oregon ho wont from St. Helons to Forest (Irovo, by a mountain roaJ, to eoo Mr. Eolls, lately a missionary, who had bo como a settler. Judgo Bolso says Mr. Kelts remarked thou (about 16.r0) that though "ho regarded his mission to tho Indinus as a practical failure, so far as gathering them from barbarism to Christianity was concerned, ho thought (Sod had guided horo the feet of mis sionaries as tho forerunners of Amori can civilization. Had thoy not boon hero and advised tho United States gov ernment of tho valuo of the country, it would havo passed under thu sway of tho British crown and tho Hag of tho Union never floated over it." The means theto missions had at command formed n small capital for tho infant settlements. Tho emigrant enmo, usually, with no menus no monoy in hand. Ho put up his log house and mado his broadax and rough tools do the work. Tho missions put up more permanent edifices and paid out money that becamo tho capital they needed. To trace all tho enterprises that wero successful would bo very interesting. Tho schooner built by Joseph Galo and others proved a bonanza to tho build ers, for thoy traded it off in California for over threo hundred cows; those cat tlo give them a greatly ne?dod start, and as thoy increased became distributed through all this region. The monoy NO. 19. Joseph Wntt earned, Invested in sheep, becamo tho means, ultimately, of stock ing tho country with lino lleeccd Mori noes. As wo traco tho progress of this community, wo see that gradually nnd providentially tho peoplo ncquirod means and possossod domestic nnimnlu, and so becamo independent of circum stances when it soe'mod impossiblo for progress to bo achieved here. QueitlouJ and Answers About Fruit Mr. L. K. Thompson, of Uinpqun Fer ry, writes as touows: vvmen pruno do you think tho most vnluablo for dry ing? Somo recommend tho Italians on account- of its si.oj is it bettor than tho Fronch, and if so, why! Will it pay to dry pears ; and what kinds aro tho boat for drying? Havo you fruit trees for snlo? I havo three orchards, nnd want to onlargoono of thorn, that is in a vory favorablo locality. What kind of a dryer do you think is tho best; nnd what is It sold at? l'lease inform mo through tho mail or otherwise. Wo rccommond to plant both tho French, or Fetito Bruno d'Agcn, nnd tho Itnlian, or Follonborg, as tho two most reliable variotlos for drying. Tho Fotito is small, as its nnnio signifies, but is vory hardy and a reliable bearer. Tho snmo is truo of tho Itnlian. This year, when fruit is Btich a failure, tlicso vnri ties aro bearing woll. Othor fruits of tho plum species mako choico dried fruit but thoy aro vory tondor, not regu lar bearers, and between trees dying and fruit falling aro not near so profitable for drying as tho Fetito and Italian. Wo aro planting more of thorn and aro chang ing vnritics wo do not liko into Italians ns fast as wo can. For shipping fruits, to bo oaten in tho ripo stago, wo grow tho peach plum, tho Bradshaw and tho Hungnrian. Tho pencil is very hard to raise, and dies early. Tho othor two aro more hnrdy and better boarors. But for prunes, wo consldor tho Fronch nnd Italian vnritics as all tho kinds that will furnish rolinblo returns. These are fruits for canning, but in caso you cannot sell to ennnors, you had best grow prunes nnd dry them you "self. Wo do perfect work with tho Acmo Drier, which can bo mado any sizo. The Oregon Drier, invontcd nud mado by Mr. II. S. .Tory, of South Salem, is nn excel lent evaporator, and thoso who use it aro experienced inon, who recommend it highly. Boars aro vory good dried, and tho JJartlett is king of nil pours for canning or drying. Wo once dried our Bartletts got 17a per pound for tho dried fruit Alter mature consideration and twelvo years experience at pruno growing, wo rccommond tho two varitiea wo havo named in this. Tho l'otito d'Agcn nnd tho Italian, as very profllablo when grown on favorablo locations. Trees that aro now seven years old, paid over $ 200 nn acre, and can douhlo that whon full grown. Wostorn Oregon has tho natural soil and climato und actually beats tho world with its prunes. At thu prcsont timo wo havo no fruit trees for sale, unless it would bo to spare some penro of the 2,000 wo hnvo budded and grafted of tho best varieties. Wo intend to lot them mako good growth in tho uurseiy and then plant them out ns fast ns a wu can get ground oloarod. Kvontually the mining county to the cast of us, will afford a groat demand for such fruits, and wo don't liko to "carry all our eggs in ono banket." So wo have already about a thousand of Bart letts growing, and aro getting 2,000 more of winter poars ready. Our pears are Fall Butter, Clapp's Favorite, Win ter Nellis, Duchoss d'Angvulum, nnd d'Alcncoln, and somo others. It is reported that tho government intends to prosecute Michael Davitt and Joseph Itichard Cox,. nationalist mom bors of parliament for thoir conduct in inciting the Bodyko tenants to resist eviction. r" ' 1,-:"-t- lTrv-imhntirrrtn ix. ..ft,., ii i, iifru n iiirtiiii' IW'WiMWWMiiWWMIMIIIWIMMll MIIHHJIHIHMM.HI)HH'