TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 6, 1991
Whammadiddle Dingbats folk group McLaughlin Family traces roots
to entertain during St. Pat’s
back to County Donegal
Mary Kathryn Wright
The Whammadiddle Dingbats L to R: Kevin Shay Johnson, Lawrence Huntley, Mick Doherty
playing of Mick Doherty and
Lawrence Huntley and the big
rhythm guitar style of Kevin Shay
Johnson, the Dingbats create a
vigorous and enthusiastic sound
unlike any other in the world of
modem folk music.
The hammer dulcimer is a tuned
percussion instrument sharing com
mon ancestral roots with the piano.
A Portland based folk music
group,
the
W hammadiddle
Dingbats, will be featured in a con
cert on Saturday, March 16, at 7 p.m
at the Heppner Junior High gym.
The Whammadiddle Dingbats
play an inventive fusion of tradi
tional and modern music. Featuring
the innovative hammer dulcimer
WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Each year our St. Patrick's
Day Celebration gets bigger
and better. Much of this suc
cess is attributed to your
generous donations to the St.
Patrick's Day Auction. Pro
ceeds from the auction are us
ed to put on St. Patrick's-
Day.
Help support St. Patrick's
Day, call one of those listed
below today with your auc
tion items. Thank You!
JERRY HOLLOMON
Home 676-5542
Office 676-5241
BOB KAHL
Home 676-5422
Office 676-9113
ANN SPICER
Home 676-5033
Office 676-9141
The dulcimers used by Doherty and
Huntly are three-octave instruments
played with two hand-held hammers
and equipped with dampers.
The Dingbats play instrumental
dance music. Not the stuff with the
electronic drums, but the dance
music from various American and
European cultures. From Ap
palachian breakdowns to Irish jigs
and reels, to dance tunes from the
Andes, to German Polkas, the key
to the Dingbat sound is rhythm.
Johnson and Doherty harmonize
modem folk songs from Johnson’s
“ Metal Detector” to Greg Brown’s
“ Who Woulda Thunk It” or Dillon
Bustin’s “ Moonshine in the White
Pines” . For the vocals, Huntley
takes up an electric bass, adding yet
another dimension to the bands
music.
Chris Nielson, KBOO FM radio
host of the “ Root and Branch” folk
show, said, “ Individually the
Dingbats are some of the finest folk
musicians in Portland which makes
them some of the finest in the whole
Northwest. Their collective brand of
progressive American folk appeals
to anybody who enjoys good music,
whether they’re hard-core folkies or
not. Great musicianship and ar
rangements, pleasing vocals, and a
tasty collection of traditional tunes
and songs by various writers who
deserve more exposure. Their per
formances are beautiful, exciting and
funny.”
“ A concert of the Whammadiddle
Dingbats is bound to excite an au
dience, and guaranteed to please.”
said a concert organizer.
IT’S ROTOTILLING TIME!
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The McLaughlin family, the
honored family for the 1991 Hepp
ner St. Patrick’s celebration, traces
its roots back to County Donegal,
Ireland.
Cornelious N. McLaughlin was
bom February 28, 1884, to Daniel
and Mary Barr McLaughlin, in
Bally losky, County Donegal.
Cor, as he was known to his
friends, came to Oregon in 1900 and
worked for Pat Doherty of Big But
ter Creek, who was married to Cor’s
sister, Mary.
On July 6, 1915, at St. Patrick’s
church, Heppner, Cor was married
to Mary Louise Doherty, eldest
daughter of James G. and Catherine
Doherty of Blackhorse. They began
their married life in a three-room
home in Dixie Canyon, just off what
is now Highway 74, halfway bet
ween what was then known as Lena
and Vinson. Over a period of years,
they purchased additional land which
now comprises the McLaughlin
ranch.
To accomodate their growing
family, a new, large five bedroom
home was built in 1926, a short
distance from the other home.
Cor and Mary had 14 children,
which, even in those days, was con
sidered a large family. They are
Mary K athryn (M rs. Russell
Wright), formerly of Kodiak, Alaska
for 30 years, now residing in
Pendleton; Daniel Bernard, retired
of Rhinebeck, New York; Nora
Louise ‘Nonie’ (Mrs. Don Pointer),
formerly of Lexington, now residing
in Portland; James Cornelious ‘Jim’
retired, of Spokane, WA; John
Frances ‘Jack’, Grass Valley, CA.,
deceased; High Kenneth, retired,
Spokane; Joseph Charles ‘Joe’,
mayor of Pendleton; Virginia Ann
(Mrs. Jacob Penner), (Joe and
Virginia are twins), Herbert An
thony ‘Herb’, Cornelious Michael
‘Mike’ all of Pendleton; Robert
Patrick ‘Bob', Heppner, present
owner of the McLaughlin ranch;
Herbert Anthony ‘Herb’, Pendleton;
Sarah Christine ‘Sally’, Gig Harbor,
WA.; Terence Edward ‘Terry’,
Huntington Beach, CA. Terry had a
twin brother who died shortly after
birth.
All of the McLaughlin children,
with the exception of Terry, attend
ed Willow School in McDonald Ca
nyon, a walk of a couple of miles
“ over the hill” into the next canyon.
Mary Doherty McLaughlin
This school served grades one
through eight, with one teacher for
all. The teacher boarded with a fami
ly who lived near the school.
Over the years Cor raised sheep,
cattle and draft horses. Turkeys,
hogs and chickens were also part of
the “ livestock” scene on the ranch.
At a very early age, the first job the
boys learned was to drive the team
during haying, while the girls learn
ed to cook, can, sew and help with
the younger children, as well as
helping during harvest on neighbor
ing ranches. Mary, as you would ex
pect, spent much of her time cook
ing, cleaning and caring for her
family. She would bake more than
a dozen loaves of bread a week, and
as many pans of biscuits, for her
hard-working family.
“ Times weren’t easy but Mary
was always serene, easy going, and
gentle in caring for her family,” said
the children. She also loved to read.
Cor could often be found in the
evening sitting before the fire with
a baby or two on his lap.
When friends or relatives came by
to visit, Cor could sometimes be
coaxed to play the violin, accordian
or harmonica, and he had an ex
cellent singing voice.
The farmer-owned and maintain
ed telephone provided the com
munication link so necessary to the
isolated ranches. “ Rubbering” was
a fact of life and spread the news
quicker than television today.
Most of the food for the family
was grown on the ranch. Mutton,
pork, chickens, an acre of vegetables
and a potato field, all had to be
prepared for the winter months. A
well provided water which had to be
hauled to the house, and water
for the livestock and garden came
from winter snow melt, rains,
springs and other wells, one of
which had been dug by hand by Cor.
He was also a “ water witch” and
witched all the wells on the ranch as
well as many all over Morrow
County.
Prices for livestock fluctuated as
much then as now and one incident
points up the value of livestock dur
ing the depression. A truck load of
hogs was stolen off the ranch and
when traced to Portland, the value
of the hogs did not make it wor
thwhile to go to Portland to claim
them.
As the older children became high
school age, they boarded in town
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That’s what we think of our fine aquamarines. They
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Jewelers of America. In»
Cornelious McLaughlin
with relatives while attending
school, and often stayed with grand
mother Doherty. Dan was unable to
attend high school because he was
needed to help on the ranch. Eight
of the nine McLaughlin boys serv
ed their country in the Armed
Forces-three in the Navy, two in the
Marines and three in the Army. Jim
and Hugh both received the Purple
Heart.
In 1944 Mary passed away, leav
ing Cor a widower with seven
children still at home. Five of the
children completed their schooling in
Pendleton at St. Joseph Academy,
with Virginia looking after them.
Bob, who purchased the ranch
from his dad in 1955, has continued
raising cattle, sheep, wheat and hay.
Two more wells were dug and a
water system installed in 1961,
which provides water for the home,
livestock and some irrigation. He
was instrumental in providing the
impetus and organization, through
the REA, to bring electricity to the
Big Butter Creek area in 1950. Bob
and his wife, Bette, continue to
operate the ranch in Dixie Canyon,
where they reared their five
children.
“ Cor and Mary McLaughlin
would be proud today of the ac
complishments of their children,
grandchildren
and
g reat
grandchildren, having instilled in
their family, a strong work ethic, a
real sense of “ family” , good Chris
tian values and a true appreciation of
their Irish heritage,” said a family
member.
“ Family “ get-togethers” can
bring as many as 40 or 50
McLaughlins to one or anothers
home-and that’s a lot of blarney
under one roof.”
Carlson to speak
at Grange
Judge Louis Carlson will speak at
the Willows Grange Wednesday,
March 13, at 7:45 p.m.
Everyone is invited to come and
bring questions concerning the up
coming election.
Old favorites to be
sung at Singspiration
Everyone is invited to come and
join in singing some of the all-time
favorite hymns, including “ Amaz
ing Grace,” “ How Great Thou Art”
and “ Rock of Ages” at a service of
‘singspiration’ at the Hope Lutheran
Church Sunday, March 10 at 7 p.m.
The church is located near Willow
Creek Dam in Heppner.
Those attending will witness the
various singing talents of neighbors
and friends and will have a golden
opportunity to hear the South Mor
row Community Chorus. A free will
offering will be taken to support the
various ministeries of the South
M orrow County M inisterial
Association.
‘So mark your calendars, bring
friends and join your neighbors in an
uplifting spirit of old hymn favorites
and gospel songs,” said Pastor Stan
Hoobing. “ And when we are finish
ed you may wet your whistle and en
joy cookies and fellowship with fine
folks of South Morrow County."
We still
sell
PAINT
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