WPA Interviews

Interview with Mrs. Mary Warner Northern, Near Brownsville, Oregon January 10, 1939.

This interview, a short and incomplete one, was secured in the course of seeking information concerning a pioneer cemetery in southern Linn County. Mrs. Northern is a comparatively young woman but it was thought best to record what she could give concerning her pioneer ancestors even though only a fragmentary account.

My grandfather and grandmother were pioneers of the year 1852. My grandfather, however, never reached Oregon, but died on the way while crossing the mountains. "Grandfather was driving a team of oxen in crossing a very difficult mountain on the way to Oregon when he was killed. The oxen were pulling and straining to their utmost and grandfather was behind the load using all his strength on a wheel to move the cart forward when the oxen suddenly relaxed and before grandfather could release his hold and spring out of the way the wheel caught him and crushed him to death. That left my grandmother a widow on the road with a large family to care for and bring on to Oregon. Grandmother's family consisted of three boys and three girls. Their names were as follows:

Aunt Mary Warner. She married a man named Berry and they settled near Coquille, Oregon.

Aunt Emmie whose married name was Pettighn. Pettighn was a brother to Luther White's wife. The Whites, very early pioneers, settled in Linn County near my father's place.

Aunt Hannah Warner. She married a man named Simpson.

Uncle Bill Warner. He settled in the Coquille region, of southwestern Oregon.

Uncle Dave Warner. He settled in the Coquille region, never married. Died there.

My father S. B. Warner. He took up a donation land claim in the southern part of Linn County in what is commonly known as the Diamond Hill District.

Grandmother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Gilpin, was a very active worker in pioneer days. She improved her claim and raised her family by sheer hard work and ingenuity. She used to be considered one of the most industrious women of the whole region.

With my grandfather's party coming to Oregon were the Whitheds and the Kaubles. Some of these old families still live at Brownsville. The members of the Kauble family are buried at what is know as the "Wigle Cemetery" about six miles south of Brownsville. Other pioneers in the neighborhood in the early days were Paul Belts, the Overtons, the Wigles, the Whites, the Waggoners, the Clovers and the Wilsons.

My father Selden G. Warner, was born in Indiana. He purchased a part of the old Waggoner claim in the Diamond Hill District when he became of sufficient age. Later, after his marriage, he and my mother moved over into the Mohawk region and owned land there.

My mother's name was Evarilla Evans. She came from Indiana to California as a little child and later came on to Oregon. Their children were:

Jabe Warner. Born 1868. Died June 8th (this year 1938).

John C. Warner. Born Sept. 8 1870. Dead.

Wilbur Warner. Born Aug 23, 1872. Dead.

Hulda Warner. Born June 13, 1874. Dead.

Mary Warner Northern. Born Aug 9, 1876. (Informant) Lives four miles east of Brownsville on northside road.

Coleman Warner. Born Aug 13, 1878.

Margaret Warner Evans. Born Oct 30, 1880. Is the wife of Mr. Geo. Evans of Brownsville.

Harve Warner. Born 1882. Dead.

Mattie Warner Hector. Born Nov 1884.

Mrs. Bill Warner Baker. Born 1886. Lives in the old Union Point neighborhood south of Brownsville.

Mrs. Hotie Walker. (Given name not learned) Lives in the home neighborhood near Diamond Hill. She and the above were twins.

Ida Warner Mitchell. Born Nov 3, 1888.

In the early days we did most of our trading at Brownsville and traveled to market by way of the old "Big Gap" road. This road was also known as the "Territorial Road". It was the way by which all the traffic from Oregon to the California gold mines traveled. It was never a good road, and nothing was ever done to improve it so that until about two years ago it was much as it had always been save that it was fenced. The early traveler was not bothered by fences and when the track got too deep and mucky to travel longer they simply took another route higher up on the hill. The old stage route formerly traveled by this route. There was a post office near Diamond Hill, and a store at Union Point, which I can still remember.

The trip to Brownsville through the gap was always a rough one and in winter almost impossible. My mother used to make butter for market and salt it down for winter sale. In the winter she would haul it to Brownsville and sell it for "Two bits a two pound roll". Mother also saved tallow from our butchering and would make it into soft soap. This she would sell to the woolen factory at Brownsville or exchange it for cloth from the factory from which she made our clothes. I know that at one time she was going to Brownsville with three barrels of soft soap for the factory and in the gap road she got mired down with her load and was scarcely able to get on to town. The soft soap was used at the factory to scour wool and for other scouring purposes.

Grandmother, Elizabeth Gilpin Warner, was born in the year 1800 and died April 3, 1863. She was buried in a small private cemetery to the south of her old claim. This cemetery no longer exists as the land had been cleared and is now under cultivation. However, I believe that some of the original tombstones remain, piled under a tree at the edge of the field. I think that there were but three or four other graves there when Grandmother was buried. The burying place was situated on the old Sky (?) Meeks place. Fred Gates now owns the farm, or at least cultivates the land. About twenty-five years ago we had Grandmother's body removed from that place and re-interred in the Luther White Cemetery a few miles north. The other bodies buried in the old plot were probably some relations of the Meeks family.

Note: From the inscriptions on the markers at the Luther White Cemetery the following data has been compiled regarding the Warner family:

Seldon B. Warner (Father of informant)
Born Sept. 25, 1825
Died Sept. 20, 1902

Everilla E. Warner (Mother of informant)
1848 - 1917

Harvey A. Warner (Brother of informant)
Son of S. B. & E. E. Warner
Born May 16, 1882
Died May 22, 1895

Hulda D. Beeson (Sister of informant)
Born June 18, 1874
Died Feb. 14, 1895

Jabez Warner
Died Oct 31, 1933
Aged 64 yrs. 9 mos. 23 ds.

Elizabeth Warner (Grandmother of informant)
Born 1800
Died April 3, 1863.

January 13, 2001

Copyright © 2000 Patricia Dunn. All rights reserved. This transcription may not be reproduced in any media without the express written permission by the author. Permission has been given by the Transcriber to publish on the LGS web site.