WPA Interviews: Ireland, Ida (Parrish)
Interview with Mrs. Ida Parrish Ireland, 466 East Isabella St., Lebanon, Oregon. 19 August 1937.
My name is Ida Ireland. My maiden name was Parrish. I was born on the old Parrish farm about four miles south of Lebanon and one mile west of Sodaville, in the year 1864. My parents were Jesse Busse Parrish and Delia Thorla Parrish. My father was born in Monongahela County, West Virginia on March 28, 1818. My Mother, Delia Thorla was born in Noble County, Ohio, on November 18, 1826. They were married on Nov. 5, 1842, in Ohio, and came to Oregon in 1852. They had nine children in all, four of whom were born before coming Oregon, and five after reaching this state.
Of my parents children the following were born in Ohio:
Those born in Oregon were:
Of this family only myself and my brother Hogue still survive. He now resides at Salem, Oregon.
On February 4, 1883 I was married to James Selby Ireland. We had four children:
When my parent s reached Oregon in 1852 they first settled on a claim about one and one half miles east of Albany. The old house which they built (sometime between 1854 and 1859) still stands on the old place. It is situated north of the highway (Lebanon-Albany or Santiam Highway) and may be easily recognized by anyone who is acquainted with old Oregon houses. It is very low eaved and looks as though it was sunk into the ground. Just when this house was built is not certain, but it was certainly before 1864, for in that year my parents removed to the Lebanon-Sodaville neighborhood. The place which they purchased at that time was a part of the Reuben Coyle donation land claim. The original house was built by Reuben Coyle at a very early date. It is situated just where the Crowfoot-Rock Hill road branches, one branch leading up the rocky hill towards Sodaville. The old house stands (what is left of it) on the rocky rise just above the angle formed by the southeast intersection of these roads. The old Reuben Coyle house there was rebuilt by my father but the original old kitchen is still there as a part of the east L of that house. That is where I was born and where I grew up. At the time I lived there the Coyles had built another house further up the hill on what is now the Archie Campbell place. Their house is entirely gone but it was situated down below the hill west of the present entrance gate. There are still remains of an orchard on the flat there, among other trees some of the old Peterson Plums. The Peterson plums are now scattered almost everywhere over Linn County but they are a true pioneer product, for they were grown from seed by, and named for the pioneer Asa Peterson, after whom Peterson Butte also gets its name. There was also a wonderful little yellow plum that grew there, and which has been much distributed locally, but never named. It is about the same size as the Peterson plum but of very exceptional quality. They are as mild and sweet as a peach when cooked. It is yellow with bright pink cheeks. Everyone that tastes it goes to the old Coyle place to get a start from sprouts of the old tree.
I first went to school in the "Dodge" schoolhouse. The school was situated at the right side of the road about where the Crowfoot-Rock Hill road meets the Lebanon-Rock Hill road, or rather, a little further west where the Lebanon road turns north after joining the one from Crowfoot. I went to school at that place for three terms. My first teacher was Don Byland. That was about the year 1872. My second teacher was Jim Mack.
Later I attended school at Sodaville. The first school at Sodaville (K did not attend that one) was situated on what is now called the Charles Snyder place, west and a little north of the present public school building, and across the highway from that building. The first school which I attended there was on the hill south and east from the soda spring. Mr. Gilson, the grandfather of Gilson Brothers, present day merchants in Lebanon, was my first teacher there. Although the first log cabin school at Sodaville was no longer used when I went there, I can remember going to the old cabin to attend religious services. My schooling was rather limited, as were all schools at that time. We went from the A B C's through the primer, and then up to the 6th reader. Besides that we studied history, arithmetic and geography. I can remember my first old geography. It was a very small book, not over 5X6 inches square. We read from the old Wilson's Readers.
I was raised on a farm, and have always lived on farms. When I was a child, social privileges were few. We had spelling schools, singing schools, etc., and everybody went to church on Sunday.
Our neighbors were rather scattered and few. There was almost nothing at Sodaville when I was small. The neighbors whom we associated with formed a more or less complete circle almost around us. There were the Evans', the Kukendalls, the Coyles, Jap (Jasper) Smeltzer and a few others.
There was a fine old orchard on the "Coyle" farm where we lived. Part of it is still standing. Concerning orchards, my father planted the first orchard on the claim near Albany. All of the trees were seedlings, and therefore each tree different from the rest. He got the seed from Ohio.
There were still many Indians about our farm near Sodaville when I was young. The last one to come about was Old Indian George. He would never stay on the reservation. Every so often he would come to my father's place.
Father always saved horsehair for George, which he used in weaving cords and cinches. Indian George was finally killed by a man named McTimmons. Just what provocation, if any, there was for the deed I do not know, but McTimmons hit George over the head one day and killed him. He (the slayer) was an ancestor of the McTimmons who still live in the Lebanon-Waterloo region.
There is an old Indian cemetery on the road west of our home, on what is now the Buelow farm. It was situated north of the road just at the edge of the timber near where the road still begins an abrupt pitch upward.
Concerning our early neighbors in the Sodaville neighborhood I should add that the Hon. Cortis Stringer now lives on what was the Sam Curl place, but the old house was far back from the road. The original house still stands there and is very old. The upper story of the old house was formerly used as a dance hall and was a very popular place for social events. People used to come to the dances from as far off as Brownsville, men and girls riding horseback. The two Cheadle families whom we knew well lived further out towards Lebanon. I think that one of the old houses is still standing. At the last I knew it was occupied by Mr. G.D. Harris (on the old road just north of Crowfoot Grange Hall). My brother Ai. Parrish married Izura Summers daughter of Thomas Summers who owned the site of Sodaville. His son still lives on part of the home Claim. (Ala Parrish). The original Summers house was on the flat just west of where the highway begins to climb the hill into Sodaville, but on the old road which encircles the base of the hill. I believe the place is, or recently was, owned by Herman Siefert.
My uncle, Gameliel Parrish took up a claim on the Lebanon-Brownsville road about four or five miles north of Brownsville. The old house is still standing. It is very old, but just when it was built I cannot say. You might find out by writing to the widow of Henry Parrish who was a son of Gameliel. Her address is Newport, Oregon. She might also tell you of the pioneer Peterson family of which she is a member.
After I was married we lived at Sodaville for a time. Our place was just west of the present public school building. At that time there was no road leading to it, but to reach our home we were forced to climb the hill to the spring and then bump and wrack our way down the hill again, over logs and rocks to the bottom of the hill.
The Klum family was prominent about Sodaville in the early days. Their home was directly over the hill to the eastward of the spring. George Klum was the head of the family. Dennis Klum, formerly of Sodaville was George Klum's son. Henry Klum, one of the very last Indian war veterans to survive was either a brother or a cousin to George Klum.
The Evangelical Church was built in Sodaville about 1890 or a little later. It was first built as a Union Church. Rev. Plowman was the first regular pastor. The Free Methodists built a church there about 1893.
I left Sodaville about forty three years ago, or in 1894. At about the time we left the town was burned out badly. The fire took many buildings."
Mrs. Ireland brought out a very large old bible to consult for family records. In the center of the book there were about twenty-five pages of family records and notes, inserted at various dates. She gave me the following data concerning her more remote relatives.
This bible was the property of Edward Parrish, my great-grandfather, who was born on the 20th of August, 1748. He died April 13th, 1813. His wife was Rachel Evans Parrish who was born December 6th, 1768 and died in September 1819. Their home was in Virginia.
Their son, the Rev. E.E. Parrish who inherited this bible was born November 20th, 1791. He came to Oregon and settled in the Parrish Gap region, east of Jefferson in 1846. You see my father came to Oregon eight years after my grandfather arrived. My grandfather who was the well known Methodist circuit rider brought this bible with him and used it for many years, carrying it about in his saddle bags as he traveled from place to place to preach. His full name, by the way, was Edward Evans Parrish.
Evans was his mother's maiden name.
Edward E. Parrish was married to Elizabeth Bussey on the last day of March, 1814. She was born August 20, 1796 and died November 3d, 1826. To this marriage there were born six children.
After the death of his first wife E.E. Parrish married again, this time to Rebecca Maple who was born of Thomas and Elizabeth Maple October 4, 1803.
To this marriage there were also six children born:
Hesbon Parrish, my grandfather's second son was one of Oregon's very early doctors.
I don't not remember my grandfather well, although once I was taken to see him while he lived at Jefferson. I was nine years old at that time. He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Rebecca Parrish Knox, near Knox Butte in Linn County.
Mrs. Ireland then showed the writer certain entries in the old family record, among them the following in the handwriting of Rev. E.E. Parrish:
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.
| Owner of original | Transcribed by Patricia Dunn |
| Linked to | WPA Interviews for Linn County Oregon; Ida Ireland |
