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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2021)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | JULY 15, 2021 | 3A Nuggets of History A genealogical snapshot: Philip and Catherine Numbers P that Philip was h i l i p Researched and compiled by present for the Numbers Carolin Pettit was born Cottage Grove Genealogical Society 1857, 1858 and 1859 Provision- on February 19, al and Territorial 1824, in Fayette Census. But after Catherine’s death, County, Pa. He was the son of John Numbers Philip left his two young girls with (born 1793) and Nancy Linton (1797 relatives in Douglas County and spent – 1886). His family moved to Ohio some time on the Powder River in when he was a boy. Then in the fall Baker County. History of that area tells us that gold of 1843, Philip moved with his family from Holmes County, Ohio to Fulton was discovered in 1861 and a gold rush ensued. Within a few months, County, Ill. One year later his family moved it became apparent that lumber was back to Ohio, leaving Philip in Illi- needed and mills started sprouting up. It’s believed that Philip may have nois. Catherine Shaw married Philip on May 28, 1849, in Fulton County, Ill. worked in one of those mills and then Very little is known about Cath- came home with the thought to make erine, but it’s believed her father was his living in mill work. The 1887, Lane County census John Shaw, leader of the wagon train that she and Philip, as a young mar- shows Philip Numbers, age 46, a farm- er, living with his youngest daughter, ried couple, came west on. “Pioneer Footprints,” an article in Melvina, age 15, who is keeping house. His oldest daughter Nancy had mar- the Cottage Grove Sentinel written in 1935 by Miss L. J. Taylor, gives an in- ried Albert Howard September 25, teresting story of the Numbers family. 1869. Miss Taylor in her “Pioneer Foot- Miss Taylor writes: “In the summer of 1854 they crossed the plains with prints” article tells us that Philip Num- bers went into the sawmill business in John Shaw’s wagon train.” Philip, Catherine and their first 1870, but there is no proof of that until daughter, Nancy Numbers arrived in Philip purchased the mill built by Wil- Oregon on September 8, 1853, and liam Payne in 1872. The Numbers Mill was between settled in the Hebron area of Lane County. They claimed one half section London Springs Road and the Coast of public lands con-taining 318.20 Fork of the Willamette River just South of Charles Gilham property in acres. “The south half to husband, north the 1954 Metzger Map. About one mile north of the James half to wife,” stated the document. This land is on the west side of Cot- Parrish Donation Land Claim and tage Grove Lake near the dam. Most half-mile south of Cottage Grove Res- of it lies under the lake. Nearby ‘Num- ervoir. On the 18th of March in 1872, Orin bers Creek’ is named for this family. Their second child, Sarah Melvina Howard, a brother to Albert, married was born March 29, 1854. By 1857, Sarah M. Numbers (over 17) at the home of Philip Numbers. Catherine had passed away. Just over a year later, on December Miss Taylor wrote that there were five graves on the James H. Shortridge 31, 1873, Philip married for a second Donation Land Claim: The first Mrs. time to Clarissa (Clara) Lackey, in Phillip Numbers, daughter Mrs. Al- Douglas County. The first day of June 1879, the Num- bert Howard and infant son. Oregon Historical Records shows bers Mill was one of very few local Enjoy the ease of Showering Safely mills to be documented on the Special Schedule of Manufacturers – Lumber and Saw Mills. This census is very interesting, ask- ing for the number of people employed and their ages, the number of hours in an ordinary day, wages, months in op- eration, the kind of saws they use, val- ue of logs and materials and the kind of power used. The 1880 Population census shows Philip Numbers, age 57, tending a sawmill, his wife Clarissa, age 40, keeping house, and his step-children, Emeline age 16, Robert age 14, Frank age 9 and Harriet age 8. About 1889-90, Philip’s mill was leased to A. Croall. ver the next ten years there are several mentions of Mr. Numbers in the local news- paper. On July 9, 1881, his home was slightly damaged by fire and in Oc- tober of 1885 the case of EW Wipple & Bros vs. Philip Numbers ensued to recover money (“Golden Was the Past, 1850 – 1970”, page 17, mentions that EW Wipple operated early grocery stores). And in July of 1889 Philip Numbers, “one of the old pioneers of ’54,” made a pleasant trip to the newspapers office. But one of the more interesting arti- cles was written by Miss Taylor for The Sentinel’s “Pioneer Footprints”. Because Philip Numbers’ family left Illinois to go back to Ohio just before he was married and came west, he had not seen any of his family since then and was presumed dead. An Ohio paper dated January 1901 ran the following headline: “Mourn- ed as Dead for Nearly Half a Century – A Romance in Real Life – Brothers Separated in Youth Located Each Oth- er When Both Are Old Men – One in Oregon, the Other in Ohio.” To make a long-complicated story shorter, a nephew of Philips saw the medical sign of a nephew of one of Philip’s brothers, living in Idaho. Because of the unusual surname, they talked and discovered they were related. The nephews were then able to get the two brothers back together for a visit. In the June 1900 census for Lane County, Philip, age 76 and Clara, age 58 are living with Robert Lackey, his step-son. Philip died March 23, 1903, at the age of 80. He is buried at Taylor-Lane Cemetery. O His wife Clara died April 9, 1925, at the age of 80 at the home of her son Robert Lackey. She is also buried at Taylor-Lane Cemetery. Years later, descendants of Philip, living in his old house, discovered the “Lackey Family Ghost”. Philip consid- ered himself a “spiritualist” and prom- ised he would come back after he died if he could and let them all know he was okay. Marie Geer writes in her book, “Four Score Years in Oregon”: “Dad woke to hear the yard gate creak as it always did when opened and closed. Soon he heard the front door open and close, then slow, shuffling footsteps making the old stairs creak. Knowing the fam- ily was all in bed, Dad raised up to try to see who was coming. He was com- pletely baffled to see no one; yet the footsteps continued into the bedroom. Then mom spoke to Dad, ‘Don’t wor- ry. It’s just granddad going to his room. We’ve heard him many times.’” The family was never afraid, because Philip was “one of the gentlest men on earth. He wouldn’t have hurt us!” Philip and Catherine had two daughters, Nancy and Sarah Melvina. Nancy married Albert Howard from Benton County. The 1870 Starr’s Point, Benton County census shows Albert as head of household, Nancy as his wife, and Albert’s mother and sib- lings living in the home too. Nancy died after August 5, 1870, possibly in childbirth, and is buried on the James H. Shortridge Donation Land Claim along with her infant son. According to her sister, Nancy also left behind a little girl, Frances, born about 1871. Frances married Cecil E Robertson in Benton County, Oregon May 29, 1888 but records show that she was divorced before the 1920 Multnomah census. Sarah Melvina married Oren How- ard, a brother of Albert. She and her husband lived on a portion of the Donation Land Claim for 30 years and raised five children, Frank M., Ernest, Amy, Lillie and Lena. Two additional children died in in- fancy. About 1905, she purchased a small home in Roseburg where her failing health improved. Records show that in 1907 she and Oren divorced. In 1921, she moved to Coburg where she passed away in 1935. So you can stay in the home you love! SLCFR issues fire danger warning Introducing the ALL NEW Walk-In Shower! On June 30, South Lane County Fire and Rescue set the fi re danger level at ‘high.’ High fi re danger level re- stricts mowing of dead and or cured grass to before 10 a.m. and aft er 8 p.m. It also places restrictions on smok- ing, open fi res, power saw usage, working with metal, operation of motorized ve- hicles, bans use of all ille- gal fi reworks, and restricts where the use of legal fi re- works can be used. 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