WPA Interviews

Hamilton, Hettie Jane (Miller)

INTERVIEW, Hamilton, Hettie Jane (Miller), Mrs. L. E. Hamilton, 14 Aug 1940

My father's name was Dr. W. B. Miller. He was a pioneer physician and came to Oregon in the year 1852. He settled on a Donation Land Claim in Benton County, just across the river from present day Albany. There he lived until the time of his death. Father came from near Burlington, Iowa.

When he reached Oregon he stopped for a few months at Tualatin Plains with a cousin there named Harrison. In a few months, probably during the next spring after arriving in Oregon, father came on to Linn County.

My mother was Wealthy Sheldon Morris. The Sheldon in her name was from her mother's name. Mother was born in New York State, somewhere near Syracuse. She first came from New York to Ohio, taking a trip by way of the Erie Canal on one of the very first boats that came through. Father and mother were born in the East and were married in the East, and several of my older brothers and sisters were born in the East before the family came to Oregon. I, of course, being one of the younger members of the family know nothing of that trip except what I have been told. Father came to Oregon for two or three different reasons; first, his health was not good and it was thought that a trip to the West might improve it. Second, of course, he wanted land and there was a great craze to go West and get land. Father, like others, was moved by the general eagerness to see the Pacific Coast. Third, father had a cousin in Oregon, who had gone two or three years previously and he wrote letters urging my people to come likewise.

At this place it might be well to tell what I can concerning this cousin of my father's who induced him to come to Oregon. His name was Dr. James Millar. Notice the difference in the spelling of the names. Father's was spelled Miller. I cannot tell just the reason for this variation in spelling for it goes far back into Scotch tradition. The Miller, or Millars, were of Scotch descent. At any rate, my father, W. B. Miller M.D., and his cousin, James Millar D. D., had the same grandfather. Both belonged to the Presbyterian Church which, later, by union of two of its branches became the United Presbyterian Church of Oregon. Dr. James Millar, was, I believe, the first pastor of the United Presbyterian Church at Albany which was the first church of the name to be organized after the union took place.

Dr. James Millar was the man who built the old octagon-shaped house which formerly stood to the west of Albany's business district. It was erected for the purpose of founding a Presbyterian Girl's Boarding School but the founder was unfortunately killed by an explosion of a boat's boilers at Canemah, so the attempt was short lived. However, the enterprise was for a time carried on by Dr. Millar's daughter Elizabeth Millar (later Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson), who was also a very able educator. This Elizabeth Millar was especially educated for pioneer teaching work. She was sent to Holyoke, Massachusetts to be educated and when her preparation was completed she came alone to Oregon, traveling by way of the Isthmus of Panama. She has a son, Judge Fred Wilson now living at The Dalles who could give their family history more completely. I can only say that she had a sister Mary and a sister whose name I cannot now recall and all three of them married prominent men in Oregon. There was also a brother, James Millar, who was killed during the Civil War. James Millar D. D. and his son, James, are buried in the Riverside Cemetery here in Albany. The family, as was ours, was of Revolutionary descent and there is a D.A.R. memorial placed on Rev. Jas. Millar's grave.

Now that I have completed the digression concerning the Millar family, I will return to my own Miller history. When father crossed the plains he rode the most of the way on a gray mare named Nell. She was an intelligent old animal and father had her for many years after he reached Oregon and rode her everywhere on his professional calls. She had a mind of her own and sometimes took matters into her own control. Father's calls took him to all parts of the country-long, tiresome rides. One time he was called to the home of Wilson Blain, the Presbyterian pastor at the old town of Union Point, south of Brownsville. The Blain boys put old Nell in the barn and fed her. The call was a long one and Nell got tired at last and though that it was time to go home. She untied her halter rope, then reached around the door post and pulled out the peg, which fastened the stable door. Then, free, she set out for home which she reached in a short time although in so doing she was forced to swim the Willamette River. Father was left far out at Union Point with no mount.

Our father's claim was on the shores of the Willamette River. In the year 1861-62 there was a great flood, the greatest in the history of this valley.

At that time all of father's buildings were swept away except the cabin which was on slightly higher ground. All of our stock was lost in that flood, including old Nell. The family mourned her like one of the human members.

While that flood was going on my older brothers stood out on the shore watching building after building being swept away. My brother Horace remarked, "This is what you could expect when your ancestors go to every old place! Look at all our good hams getting wet."

Father was always very kind to the Indians, treating their sickness just as though they were whites. The Indians never forgot it. One old squaw, years afterward, said, (Here Mrs. Hamilton spoke in the jargon, and then interpreted,) "He come, poor Indian no die." When I and my husband bought this store (1916), a woman came to trade here and her reason was this, she said, "I have always done my trading at S. E. Young's store in this city, but now that you have gone into business I must trade with you. Many many years ago your father doctored our family and we were never able to pay him. Now the least that we can do is to deal with his daughter. He came long distances to doctor us."

Father and mother were the parents of nine children. Their names were:

James Miller

John Miller

William Miller

Quinton Miller

Sarah Miller. Her married name was Mrs. D.W. Wakefield.

Mary Miller. She married L. E. Blain, a son of the Rev. Wilson Blain of Union Point.

Rebecca Miller. She married Edward N. Beach, a son of Demus Beach whose old house still stands on the riverbank here in Albany where, in the early days, it was used as an inn. Demus Beach & Sons were old time merchants here.

Hettie Jane Miller. (The informant). She married L. E. Hamilton.

(Note-The Hamilton store is one of the old and established mercantile houses of Albany.)

My brother Quinton was named after the pioneer lawyer Quinton Thornton who practiced here in the 1860's.

In listing my brothers and sisters I overlooked one, she was Olive Miller who married Mr. Fred P. Nutting who was a pioneer newspaper man here. She has two or three sons and daughters still living in Albany.

I am the only member of the family left. All the rest have died.

Samuel E. Young, a pioneer merchant in Albany, was my mother's nephew. He, and my sister Mary's husband, Layton Blain, were partners in business for a time. Later they dissolved the partnership and each carried on a business for himself.

Before my father came to Oregon he had a wide reputation as a "black abolitionist". One time he went into the south to give an address on the questions of the day. It was not a very popular thing to do in those days, especially for an anti-slave man such as father was. However, before he went mother said the same thing the Wendall Philip's wife said to him on a like occasion, "Don't shilly-shally."

I spoke about my brother Horace and his remarks at the time of the great flood. Horace was in charge of the home claim at that time, for father had been appointed Government Physician at the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation.

There were a number of Linn County citizens who were appointed to Indian service positions in the early day. Among the others were Jason Wheeler, Captain John Smith of Oakville, who was appointed by President Lincoln, and a man named Roberts whose home was on the Calapooia, south of Albany.

It is a curious thing, when I happen to think of it, how closely related many of the pioneer families became. There were few people in the country and those who were here married back and forth. In our own case, we are related to the following real pioneer people-The Millar family, the Percy Young family, the Wilson Blain family, the Demus Beach family, the Samuel Althouse family, the Dinwiddie, Wilson, Henderson and the Irvine family. Almost all were more or less connected with the United Presbyterian churches at Oakville and Union Point.

One of the outstanding preachers of that faith was Rev. Thomas Kendall whose home was on the Calapooia between Shedd and Tangent. My mother always spoke of Kendall as "a man of heroic mold." He, like my father was sent by the church in the north to carry a message to the church in the south. I believe that on that occasion he was less fortunate than my father, for he was tarred and feathered.

My father was a very strict man and raised his children in rigid Presbyterian discipline. The Sabbath was a sacred day not to be desecrated by play or lightness. He believed in righteousness and justice for all, Indians or whites. I think that this attitude was predominant in the settlers of the Willamette and that is why they had so little trouble with the Indians. Their leaders were churchmen and they treated the Indians here in the William Penn manner. There were other churchmen besides the Presbyterians who believed in righteousness and truth for all. One of them was Rev. Joab Powell who came from the Santiam Forks region. I heard Joab Powell preach just once, when our people felt indulgent and allowed me to stray from the Presbyterian meeting. About all that I remember of his sermon was his announcement at the end. He said, "The next services will be in the Court House Loft at the jingling of the bell."

Another church organization which had a great effect on Willamette Valley society was the Campbellites, who now call themselves "The Christian Church." They were especially active in educational work. They founded the Christian College at Monmouth. My father moved there and sent his children to school at the institution for two or three years. Later, when father's health failed still more he moved to Albany. He died in 1864.

Now just a few scattered items to end up with. The old "Round House" where James Millar hoped to open his school for girls, was patterned after a house in New York State. Elizabeth Millar Wilson, who taught there after her father's death, was also the postmaster at The Dalles for some years after her husband's death. My father was educated in Pennsylvania and then took a medical course at Cleveland, Ohio. (Note-this interview is continued by copies of clippings concerning the S. E. Young, and Layton Blain families. L.H.)

The late Samuel E. Young was one of the principal factors in the development of Albany and Linn County. He and Layton E. Blain came to Albany when they were young men and worked at various occupations, finally going into business for themselves. Later they dissolved partnership and Mr. Blain took the men's apparel business and Mr. Young continued with the grocery, women's apparel and general lines. Mr. Young developed a large business and in 1912 built the handsome store building at Second and Broadalbin Street now occupied by Hamilton's Department Store. (Occupied by the Montgomery Ward Store, 1940. L.H.) The store was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton in 1916. Mr. Young was successful in various other lines, notably the banking business. At the time of his death in 1919 he was President of the First National Bank, which is now presided over by his son P. A. Young.

Mrs. S. E. Young is a resident of Albany, coming from a pioneer family."(Note-Mrs. S. E. Young was a daughter of Samuel Althouse who came to Albany with the Monteiths. L.H.)

L. E. Blain married Mary Miller of the foregoing interview. Following is a partial sketch of his life.

L. E. Blain who came across the plains in 1848, from Indiana, says he loved the old days. For him there was no greater pleasure than to roam around the wilderness with horse and gun and dog. It was even possible then, he said, to step to the door of his home and shoot a deer without moving from the steps.

Mr. Blain crossed the plains when he was but seven years old. At that time there were no roads, no towns, in fact, nothing much except the long delicious grass, so strange to the easterners, which the cattle loved so much.

As Mr. Blain grew older he found much work to do. For a while he worked in the mines and later became a cowboy. He was a good rider and a good thrower of the lariat, so he was quite a success at that work.

H said that he could make more money as a cowboy than he could make as a farmer. Three or four men would round up two or three hundred head of cattle and drive them east of the mountains where they would care for them, brand them, and perform the other duties of the cowboys.

Later Mr. Blain clerked in a store, and finally went into business for himself with S. E. Young as his partner. For some time they ran a general merchandise store together then separated, Mr. Blain taking the Men's clothing department and Mr. Young the General Merchandise department.

Dr. Miller (Mr. Blain's father-in-law) was one of the first doctors in the Willamette Valley. He was a religious man and for the six months they were on the plains he never allowed the ox train to travel on Sunday. The train was so long that at times the two ends were a days travel apart.

The pioneers were a merry bunch," said Mr. Blain. "But they were fine people. They were all kind, good neighbors, and as square and straight as a die."

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.