Image provided by: Talent Historical Society; Talent, OR
About Talent news. (Talent, Or.) 1892-1894 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1893)
county, taking much ¡»rule in its growth and development. He kept a daily memorandum of important ¡ocal events \\ ell>orn Beeson, a brief account of from I Sal to the day of his death, and whose untimely death on.April 29th. was in addition to this, being j ossessed. of a given in last issue of the N ew ' s , was I »urn wonderful memory there is little doifl < in La Saib* county, Illinois. July 22'id, that he could have given more accurate 1836. His parents were natives of and reliable information concerning the England but bad resided many years m pioneer history of Rogue river valley than the United States and were thoroughly could l»e furnished by any other individ imnued with the spirit of American in ual. I am told that his diary has lieen stitutions. In 1853, Welliorn. with his on several occasions produced in court to parents crossed the plains to Oregon, ar supply evidence relating to imjxjrtant riving at what was then known as Tort datesand incidents.. It is very volum Wagner in August of that year. Soon inous and, if printed, which its import after, his father purchased Mr. Walton’s ance would warrant, would make* a book claim on Wagner creek, including the of hundreds of ¡»ages of reading matter crops, paying therefore $1500 and moved which could not fail to interest every • re unto the same on the Oth of September sident of Jackson county. To hear him following. On this farm the subject of relate, in his off-hand, animat« d^manner, this memoir lived the remainder of his reminiscences of pioneer times was an en joyable treat. Names, dates, ¡»laces and . life. incidents were ever fresh in his memory * In 1806 be married'Mary C. Brophy. Four sons and four daughters survive and he could huid the rapt attention of a him, as follows in the order of their ages: group of listeners for hours. For several years past he suffered Emmette, Welborn Jr., Jessie E., John 1)., Fannie E., Annie W., Kate and Carl R.; much from ill health. His heart was the eldest being 20 and the youngest 4 seriously affected, requiring the giving up of all hard work and anxious care. years of age. At times during the past winter he Mr. Beeson was a self-taught surveyor and did considerable local work in that seenfed to have premonitions that his life line. He took an active ¡»art in politics, was drawing to a close. A few months more particularly in that of his own ago he intimated such fears to the writer, county, never adhering very ch sely to old ami, being fully impressed that the latter parties but casting bis influence on the would survive him, exacted a promise side of"reform movements, being at the that he would make the address at his time of his death an enthusiastic Populist. grave. Jn response to such request the He was remarkably ¡»lain ami unas writer paid the follow' faint tribute to his suming in his ‘manners and was wont to. memory:— “How true it is that in the midst of use vigorous terms in denunciation of “style” and display as indicative of weak life we are in death. And, too, how’ for minds and a lack of a decent regard for tunate fur our mental ¡»eace that our vis the feelings of others. It is said of him ion cannot penetrate the veil that hangs that when a boy in school he could not between us and the future. Who could wish it possible to behold * l>e induced to wear better clothing than that worn by his less favored school fel the terrible specter, Death, as he cuines to lows, nor would he.permit dainties to lx; claim his victim? The future is unfold placid in bis dinner ¡»ail for he could rel ed fast enough. Indeed the future inerves ish them while so many of his school into the ¡»resent and glides into the past mates were obliged to partake of plainer too rapidly for most of us. A few hours fare. He took an active ¡»art in the ago, our friend, who now’ lies l>efore us in Rogue river Indian troubles, but always the cold embrace of death, was unusually counseled moderation and insisted that cheerful,- bouyant in spirit and was even the conduct of the whites should be tem- planning pleasure excursions for’ the sum ¡►ered with the spirit of humanity in the mer months. Having given his working • treatment of the Indians, although such 1 oar into hands more able for the stroke, “Quaker sentiments” were dangerously hr was ¡»reparing to enjoy as we’’. as his unpopular with the majority of the early indifferent health would permit, the few remaining years that might be left him. pioneers. During the War of the Rel>cllion he 1 bad the pleasure of knowing many of was appointed 2nd lieutenant in a com the inner thoughts of the deceased pany of Oregon volunteers but his regi thoughts that were seldom uttered unle^- ment was never called out of the county. they were likely to strike responsiv He was a meml»cr of the Southern chords. One was that we should a I wax > Oregon Pioneer Society ami was closely I k * prepared to live, for if we are prepared identified w ¡th the early history of .Jacksen to live we shall need no preparation for OBITl-AKY.