The Florrnrr Family
Three generations of Flor
ences have proved up on
homesteads on Upper Willow
Creek. First there were the
brothers Sterling P (called
Price) and Louis Albert (call
ed Al) who ran cattle from
their homesteads to the Co
lumbia River before there
ere any fences at all. Al's
son Norman and Mrs. Flor
ence, who was Beulah Cam
mell from Iowa, were marr
ied in Heppner in the home
of Mrs. Jim Gentry (now
M.ittie Rood) in 1915, and
they too became home
steaders on land adjourning
his parent's place. They are
living on this beautiful place
today where Norman was
born close to 80 years ago.
Norman Florence's mother
was Ella Kimsey Florence,
and she and Al bought a claim
from a Keithley !o join the
Price Florence place.
The Florence family was
important In Oregon History
before Price and Al came to
Willow Creek. Thtir father,
Norman's grandfather, Al
bert Burn Florence was the
first senator from Lane Coun
ty in the first state legisla
ture. His wife was Katherine
Skinner for whose family
Skinner Butte near Eugene
is named. The town of Flor
ence on the coast in Lane
County is named for this
pioneer family.
THE FAMILY TODAY
Norman and Beulah cele
brated their golden anniver
sary in 1965 in their attrac
tive, modern home sur
rounded by its lovely yard,
and a tremendous vegetable
garden. Mrs. Florence has
decorated their home with her
needlework, colorful pictures
formed in many special stit
ches and needlepoint tapestry
chair seats and pictures. A
very special feature is a hand
carved hanging clock that be-
wm
If
Lewis Albert Florence
longed to Norman's grand
parents. Beulah says she
cares for the flowers, but
Norman is the vegetable gar
dener, and this year he in
sisted in planting a wonder
ful, big garden.
Among the many family
treasures is an account led
ger dating back into thel890's
kept by Norman's father
which contains the names of
many families, quite a few
still represented in the coun
ty, who purchased farm pro
ducts from Al Florence. It
also reveals that he paid
helpers $1. per day for labor.
The Florence's son Eugene
Louis died in Aug. 1967. His
son Gary, and their great
grandsons live in Eugene.
Their daughter, Marv Elea
nor (Mrs. Dean Gilman) an
officer of the Heppner Branch
of the First Nat. Bank is
well known here.
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Mrs. Harry Archer
(I.etha Devin)
The:, .in ;'iu be other
board walks in H;ppner; how
ever, a very nice one leads
to the front of Letha Arch
er's home on Water St. Le
tha has lived right there
since 1917.
She is one of the six girl
and 1 boy family of M.J.
Devin and his wife Sarah
Hurt Devin, both from Miss
ouri, who came partwaywest
by train and the rest of the
way be wagon. Letha was
carried west on apillowwhen
she was very young-about
88 years ago. The Devins
had sheep and later went
into cattle on their Sand Hol
low homestead.
Letha still has her father's
favorite rocking chair in her
home. She has two sisters
living in Hermiston, Mrs.
Altha Kirk (Merlyn Robin
son's mother) and Mrs. Tena
Scott.
Letha went to Sand Hollow
School and then came in to
Heppner High. Her first
husband, Max Smith, a na
tive Oregonian, died in 1938.
She married Harry Archer,
a painter and carpenter in
1941, and he died less than
one year later. She has gone
through all the offices of
the Sans Souci Rebekah
Lodge.
Letha worked downtown for
over 12 years in the variety
store that belonged to Jimmy
Healy and was sold toBlakes.
Her daughter Margaret (Mrs.
Jimmy Leach) died in 1954;
her son Austin Smith lives in
Portland.
Among the neighbors she
remembers from her girl
hood in Sand Hollow were the
McCartys, Turners, Ed
wards, Galloways, Morgans,
and Barratts. She says most
of her early friends are gone
now and that she is some
times quite lonely. The Don
Robinsons are on the Devin
homestead now.
Mr. Orvlllr J. Itiimui
urh C'rril)
Norah Rasmus livesalmost
downtown In Heppner nov in
a little pink house with a
beautiful little yard on Cen
ter St. The house Is not so
little inside and is so taste
fully furnished.
Norah is the granddaughter
of William Y. Cecil whocame
so early to settle on the creek
where the community named
after him stands now. Her
parents were Wilford Edwin
Cecil and Elsie Ellen Zacrx
ary. Their first child Norah
was born at Rhea Siding in
1890, her brother Ralph Ed
win was born in 1892 and
died in 1961 and their young
er brother Glenn William
born in 1895 died in 1939.
Norah attended school at
Cecil, Arlington and at Hepp
ner. Her husband Orville Jac
ob Rasmus was the son of
John and Miryetta Rasmus,
early residents of Heppner.
He served as water super
intendent for theCityofHepp
ner. NORAH'S SHOP
Norah was a longtime em
ployee of the big Thomson
Store with its large stock
and many departments where
who learned much about mer
chandising. Later she opened
her own business, a ladies
! Remember in the i
!; Centennial Year:
Harris Drive-In
has j
old-fashioned m i
: f reals AVjf
! ice cream rlW ;
! as well as frfjf !
; the best in
ii restaurant rMf '
I ,ood fjipi
"drop by
and see as' ij
i Syrel and Coleen Galliher i
676-5586
: !
ready-to-wear store that shu
called Norah's Shop to the
old brick Fair Bldg. that was
torn down before Cal's Rich
field was built. She started
with a $500 stock and when
she sold out to El ma and
Everett Harshman in 1956
the stock was appraised at
about $30,000, she says.
Norah Rasmus is a Rebe
kah, a member of the Amer
ican Legion Auxiliary, and a
member of the Episcopal
Church. She was hurt badly
in an auto accident a few
years back and hospitalized
in Pendleton. She is of good
humor, loves to visit, and is
now able to get around with
reassurance from a walker.
Norman Florence