WPA Interviews

INTERVIEW, Interview with Amos Ramsay.

(Amos Ramsay is the Son of Jacob Ramsay who was a pioneer of the year 1852. He is also a grandson of Barnet Ramsay who is believed to have been the first potter to establish a shop in Oregon.)

On being questioned Amos Ramsay gave the following information:

I was born at the old town of Kerbyville in Southern Oregon in the year 1864. Of course I cannot remember anything about that place as we left there while I was still a very small baby. We moved from Kerbyville to a farm about three miles northwest of Halsey, Linn County, when I was just six weeks old. There we settled on a large farm that was owned by my grandfather, Barnet Ramsay. There we lived until I was grown to manhood after which I took up farming for myself. I still own a farm near Halsey. There is very little concerning my own life that I can tell you which would be of interest although I have traveled almost all over northwestern United States on sheep shearing trips. I have sheared sheep in Oregon, Washington, Idaho. Wyoming, Colorado and all through northwest Canada. In the old days with the hand shears we would shear 35 to 49 head of sheep per man per day; later, after the machines came in I would shear two hundred sheep a day or better.

Now about my family history in the early days - My grandfather came to Oregon with his family in the year 1852 or thereabouts. I believe it was 1853, but it may have been a year or two earlier. I will tell you just what I know and then you can decide what is right, or can learn the rest from some other source -

William T. Templeton married my grandfather's sister, Elizabeth "Betsy" Ramsay. They came to Oregon in 1847 and settled at Brownsville where Templeton was a prominent citizen for many years. Now I have always believed that my grandfather Barnet Ramsay, and his family, including my father, came the year following, but on the other hand I know that my grandfathers train was afflicted with the cholera on the way and history tells us that the cholera year was 1852, so I may be mistaken in my first belief.

The Ramsays came from the town of Nathan, Illinois. In what county I cannot tell. In my grandfather's generation there was he and wife, my grandmother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Shoup. She was born in Germany. The Ramsay name, as you may know, when it is spelled that way with two a's, is of Scotch origin. Besides that there was my grandfather's sister already mentioned, "Betsey" Ramsay Templeton, wife of William Templeton, and Pracilla Ramsay Stafford, wife of William Stafford who owned a farm north of present Halsey and now owned by Dean McWilliams. The old Stafford house is still standing on that farm though no longer used. The McWilliams house stands directly on Highway 99E. about three miles north of Halsey. The William Stafford house on the same place stands on the old road about one fourth mile west. (Note-A photograph of this old house has been sent in but little data could be included at the time it was sent. L. Haskin, Field worker.)

The Templetons, as already stated, came in 1847. I cannot tell when the Staffords came, whether with the Templetons or at a later date with my grandfather. There was also another sister, great aunt Tillie Ramsay Brasias but of her I can tell nothing.

When my grandfather brought his family from Illinois my father was already a big boy (believed to be 15 yrs.) and able to do a man's work in driving one of the teams. I cannot tell how many of my grandfather's family were born in the east and how many of my grandfathers family were born in the east and how many in Oregon, neither can I give the birth and death dates of many of them. I can only give their names: -

Jacob Ramsay, (My father). He was born in Illinois in 1837 and died in 1916. He was married to Louisa Simmons who was born in 1844 and died in 1902.

Mary Ramsay. Married William Pollock.

Sarah Ramsay. Married Jack Hull.

Melissa Ramsay. Married Joe Powell.

Henry Ramsay. His wife's name was Polly -----(?)

When my grandfather first reached Oregon he took up a Donation Land Claim in Lane County, in the "Mohawk" region about ten miles east of Eugene. There were, and still are, some of the Stafford relatives living there. I believe, although I am not certain, that he opened up a pottery at that place. At just what date he began his pottery there I cannot tell, but without a doubt it was the first pottery established in Oregon.

I have now knowledge when or where my grandfather learned the potter's trade. Probably it was in Illinois, for I am certain that he ran a pottery there before coming to Oregon. I have a distinct recollection when young of hearing that someone had written to grandfather from Illinois and told him that his old pottery was still standing there. I believe the idea was that it had been preserved as a sort of memorial or landmark of early days.

I do not know how long my grandfather lived on the Mohawk in Land County but he finally sold out and moved to the Santiam country about ten miles east of Albany in Linn County. There he operated a sawmill for a time. After that he sold his sawmill and bought land about three or four miles north of Lebanon and about six miles southeast of Albany. This land he purchased in company with his son-in-law, William Pollock, and on that place he operated another pottery. The land was part of the old "Hardman" place. It is now owned by a John Buchner. (Note: The field worker visited this farm and found the remains of the old kiln near the former Ramsay farmstead. Leslie Haskin.) The farm between Lebanon and Albany was purchased in the year 1862 and sold in the year 1864. The buyer was Thomas Ramsay who was a cousin or nephew of my grandfathers.

After selling the Lebanon-Albany site grandfather bought another farm, this time about three miles northwest of the present town of Halsey. (There was no Halsey there at the time. Peoria was the nearest market town.) There grandfather established still another pottery. The place was purchased by my grandfather from John B. Yarbrough in March 1864. That was the place where I came with my father to live when I was six weeks old. There grandfather lived and operated his pottery until 1868 when he sold his land, part of it to my Uncle Henry Ramsay and part of it to my father, Jacob Ramsay. After that I think that he still ran the pottery for a time but am not sure.

So far as I know, none of the pottery manufactured at his first two Oregon potteries was branded, but when he established the third one north of (present) Halsey he began to use a brand. He called his shop the "Peoria Pottery", Peoria on the Willamette River about six miles to the west being the nearest town. In that his work may be known that was made there. He got all of the clay for his ware from the low slough to the southwest of the present farmhouse there. That was along the banks of Muddy Creek. The present owner of that place is Mr. William Wells and the old clay pits can still be seen on the low land along the creek.

When I began to grow old enough to run about I spent most of my time at my grandfather's house and about the pottery. I remember his potter's wheel well. It was built with a big horizontal lower wheel from the center of which rose a shaft about four feet long. On the top of this shaft there was a second smaller wheel or circular tray on which my grandfather would place the soft clay to shape it. Then he would take his thumbs and fingers and just raise the clay up to form a jug or jar. It was amazing how quick he could form it into shape. As he worked the clay with his fingers he would revolve the whole by turning the lower, big wheel with his foot. After he had shaped the vessel to suit his desire he would put it inside of a big brick kiln and there let it dry for three or four days. Then he would build a hot fire in the kiln and burn it hard. To glaze it he would take lead and melt it and burn it up. When the lead was burned and almost like a powder he would open a hole in the top of the kiln and pour the lead in. It would go all over everything and glaze it very smooth. Nothing was missed. (Note: the writer has given Mr. Ramsay's words as near as possible but with the belief that the narrator is here mistaken and has confused the two different processes of "lead"" and "salt" glazing. L. Haskin, field worker). Sometimes he would burn it rough without glazing. At this pottery, I remember, he made flowerpots, jugs, milk crocks, bowls etc. To prepare the clay for use he had a sort of mill (Pug Mill). It was built with a big center core armed with knives. To this was hitched a horse at the end of a long sweep and he would drive the horse around and mix the clay until it was ready for use.

The clay used was just the "blue muck" that is found at a depth of a foot or two all over the lower valleys. He dug it as it was used. None was brought in from a distance.

There is an old, large cedar tree on the place where the pottery stood. Grandfather's house stood just back of this tree and his potter's shop was just back of the house. You can still find broken pieces of his ware all about there. The big tree mentioned is in the center of the field about one-fourth mile north of the present Wm. Wells farmhouse.

The big lower wheel which turned the "working tray" on grandfather's machine was about four feet across. When I was little I spent most of my time about grandfather's house and shop. I must have been a great nuisance. Grandfather would pick me up and place me on the big lower wheel of his machine and here I would sit and ride round and round for half a day at a time. It was my chief recreation riding that big wheel while grandfather pushed it with his foot and worked his clay into pots.

Grandfather sold great amounts of pottery. People would come from miles and miles away to buy it. Almost always they would pay him with a piece of gold. The grandfather would give them change in small coins and silver. What grandfather gave back was much greater in bulk that what he received and it used to puzzle me. I used to tell my grandmother: "Grandpa gave those people his pottery and then he gave them money for taking it." I could not understand the greater value of the bits of gold that he took in. Grandfather was a pottery maker and all the rest of the Ramsays were farmers, yet he made far more money than his friends did. I had a small jug made at his shop when I left my farm a short time since but I don't know what has become of it, or who has it.

My grandfather was still running the pottery in 1872, but he left at that time to make a visit to one of his daughters who lived about 16 miles east of Grants Pass. While on the way there he was taken suddenly sick and died on August 26, 1872. The name of the place where he died is, I believe, "Jump-off- Joe." He was buried at that place but upon the death of grandmother on January 5, 1886 his body was taken up and removed to her side in the Central Christian Cemetery about six miles east of Albany, Linn County.

(Note: The inscription on the monument there reads-

Barnet Ramsay
Died Aug. 26, 1872.
Aged 58 yrs. 3 mos. 5 ds.

Elizabeth.
Wife of B. Ramsay.
Died Jan. 5, 1886.
Aged 70 yrs. 7 mos. 26 ds.

Sacred to the memory of Father & Mother.
RAMSAY.")

That seems to be all that I can tell you about the pottery. I will give you a little more about our general family history. In crossing the plains my people had no real trouble with the Indians although there were a number of Indian scares. They had in general a very safe trip.

Among the members of their train was my grandfather on my mother's side. His name was William Simmons. He was a great hunter and kept the train in fresh meat nearly all of the way. Later grandfather Simmons lived with us for many years in Linn County although he had a claim somewhere in the Alsea country. My grandmother Simmons died when mother was born. Bud Simmons, a brother of my mothers also lived with us in Linn County until he married. He then bought a place six miles north of Coburg. There he lived until he died only a few months ago at the age of 93 years. Another uncle, Jess Simmons was killed in a logging camp. An Aunt, Andrusilla (?) (Spelling uncertain) Simmons, married a man named Raeder.

In the early days conditions and roads about Halsey were much different that they now are. The road to my father's place was difficult to follow. I can remember that all of the roads were really private roads and when I was a boy there were six or seven gates to open in going from father's place to where Halsey now stands. There was no Halsey then and out markets were at Peoria where the boats stopped on the Willamette River.

I saw the first train come to Halsey and that was a great event. I have missed only three Linn County Pioneer Picnics in the more than fifty years that they have been gathering. I went to the first ones at Crawfordsville.

Amos Ramsay.
Born October 23, 1864.

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.