WPA Interviews

Leeper, Maria (Starr)

INTERVIEW, with Mrs. Maria Starr Leeper of Halsey, Oregon.

My name is Maria Starr Leeper. My father's name was Philip McWilliams Starr. He was born in Ohio in the year 1825 and died at Brownsville, Oregon in the year 1900.

My mother's name was Ann Dimmick Starr, born in Ohio in 1824(?) and died on the Starr farm near Halsey, Oregon, in 1925. (Note-This is very evidently a mistake, probably for both dates. The narrator plainly stated elsewhere that her mother died a short time before her father. L. Haskin, field worker.)

My mother and my father both came to Oregon by emigrant train but not together. My father came in the year 1852 from Ohio. Mother came at a slightly earlier time, whether the same year or the year previous I do not know. Mother came from Illinois but had previously lived in Ohio and had been acquainted with my father in that state. They were married in Benton County in 1852, soon after father reached Oregon. To that marriage were born the following children:

Isaac Winfield Starr, born Nov. 28, 1853. Died Nov. 2, 1917.

Maria Starr (the narrator) born Jan. 10, 1858.

Watson Starr, Born Jan. 30, 1862. Died 1902.

Eli D. Starr, Born Jan. 21, 1864. Died 1935.

Of the above family, my oldest brother, Isaac Winfield became a physician.

He practiced medicine for a short time at Halsey, Oregon, then removed to Brownsville where he practices until his death in 1917. He was married to Miss Clara Bishop, daughter of "Professor: Bishop, who was a very prominent teacher in Brownsville. Clara Bishop Starr still resides at Brownsville, Oregon. Her brother is Charles Bishop, prominent woolen mill man of Portland. Their father besides being a teacher and founding the "Bishop's Academy" at Brownsville was an influential Cumberland Presbyterian preacher.

My brother, Ed. D. Starr was born in Jacksonville, Oregon while my father was pastor of the pioneer Methodist church at that place. Later he made his home at Brownsville, Linn County. He served as postmaster of that town for almost thirty years. His son, Delbert Starr still resides at Brownsville, as also his widow, Mrs. Josephine Starr.

Although my father was an early settler in Oregon he was not the first of his family to reach this state. His father, John Wesley Starr reached Oregon in 1847 and settled in the famous Methodist "Belknap Settlement" in Benton County. Father did not come until 1852. The Belknap settlement was really a colony. All of the families came from one neighborhood-all were Methodists. It is told that almost the first thing done by these settlers on their arrival at their destination was to organize a Sunday School. This they did on the very first Sunday, and before they had made any attempt at building homes for themselves. The story goes that they gathered together and sat on wagon tongues of their emigrant wagons to hold this first religious service. The families were always noted for their devotional Christianity, and that neighborhood was long noted for strict religious and moral probity.

Among the first settlers to organize that community were the Belknaps, the Buckingham, the Caton, and the Starr families. My father came from a long line of preachers. Until recent years I had complete records of the Starr preachers, and there had been a continuous line of them unbroken for over two hundred years. All of these old records were unfortunately lost in a fire.

Upon arriving in Oregon my grandfather, John Wesley Starr took up a donation claim of 640 acres. My father, coming later, had less choice, so his land claim consisted of only 320 acres. It was situated near the present town of Alpine, in Benton County. On that old claim my oldest brother was born. As previously stated, my brother Ed. was born at Jacksonville. I was born at Brownsville, Linn County. The house in which I was born was a short distance west of Brownsville and belonged to Mr. Z. F. Moody. Later Mr. Moody became Governor of Oregon. My brother Watson was born at Brownsville in a Methodist parsonage.

My father began to preach about the year 1856 or 1857. He became one of the best known circuit riders of this region. Among his circuits at a very early date was that with headquarters at Brownsville. Father was the first preacher sent out on that circuit after it was organized. The organization took place at the annual conference at Corvallis, and father went at once to that circuit. The presiding elder of the district at that time was Rev. A. F. Waller, a member of the Jason Lee Mission. The preaching points which father served at first were at Calapooia (Brownsville), Harrisburg, Union SchoolHouse. Cummings Schoolhouse, Brush Creek, and Muddy.

At the second quarterly conference of the Calapooia circuit James H. Wilbur presided. Wilbur was another well-known Methodist pioneers and was the founder of the Wilbur Academy at the present town of Wilbur in southern Oregon. At that time the region where Wilbur Academy was organized (1853) was known as Umpqua County.

At various later dates the Calapooia Circuit became quite large.

Preaching points included in the circuit at various times included-Shedd, Keeney School House, Brush Creek, Independence School House, Brownsville, Harrisburg, Lake Creek, Trinity Chapel, Upper Calapooia, Union School House, Cumming's Class, Bond's School House, Muddy, Rock Hill, Vandynes, Evan's Ferry, Miller's Class, and others. I do not know where all of these points were situated. Another class that was quite active in early days was known as Wesley Chapel. It was situated about one mile east and perhaps one half-mile north of Halsey, and on the farm now owned by George Starr.

Wesley chapel was a small building, frame and painted white. Almost all those early chapels were built on the same plan. They were low, rather flat-roofed structures without steeple or ornamentation, and usually painted white.

At Wesley chapel there was quite an active class. Some of the early Methodist families furnished many preachers to the church. The Pearl family of Wesley chapel had three preachers in it, the father John Pearl, and two sons, Joseph and John Jr. One of the Pearl girls married a man named Van Winkle. He was also a local preacher. His son is now Oregon's Attorney General. Isaac Van Winkle, the father, lived on a farm just a short distance east of Halsey on what is known as "Spoon River". Spoon River is reality an enlarged drainage ditch begun to drain the swampy land in that region and slowly enlarged by washing until it is a large stream, especially in wintertime.

One of the very early Methodist circuit riders in the Brownsville region was "Father" John McKinney. He was a very old man when I remember him. His farm was a mile or so west of Brownsville, near to the Moody place where I was born.

Some curious and funny things happened in the early days of my father's preaching. Nothing of importance but just neighborhood jokes which came to be widely known. One of the troubles that my father had on various charges was the opposition to musical instruments in the churches. My father was a very fine singer and musician, and always wanted an organ in the church but whenever an organ was introduced it resulted in some trouble. I have often heard my father tell how the introduction of instruments brought opposition.

Uncle" Jesse Belknap in arguing about organs with a younger man once said, "I'm an older man than you be, but you're an older fogy than I be."

My father performed the marriage ceremony for "Father" John McKinney when he was married the last time. McKinney at that time was over seventy-seven years of age. I and my brothers and sisters were present at that ceremony.

Later my brother Ed. was speaking with a man and the man was surprised to find Ed. Older than he expected. "Father" John was passing just then and Ed. said, pointing, "Yes, I'm pretty old. Why, I was there when that man was married.

In the old days, just as now, the Methodists held communion only about once in every three months. One time my brother and I were going to communion service. We had never taken communion as yet, but that time we decided that we would go up and join with the older people. When the services began, then, we went forward and knelt with the others but those who were serving passed right over us and never offered us the emblems. It was a very embarrassing time. Perhaps they decided that our coming was too much in the light mood-that we did not really come seriously.

Over in the old Belknap country one time a Rev. Roberts came to preach.

Roberts was an educated man, and was from more sophisticated regions. He came, a well dressed man, and his theme when he preached was on the subject of "style". Like all old Methodists he believed Wesley's admonition to dress plainly, and he told the people about it, not sparing their feelings.

The joke of the matter, however, was that he was so perfectly dressed in clerical black and there was not a man in his congregation who was not dressed in buckskin.

One of the very first Methodist conferences in the Valley was held at the Belknap settlement. The bishop who presided was the well-known Bishop Simpson. Soon after that a church or chapel was built there and was named "Simpson's Chapel". That chapel was on a corner of my father's land claim.

I have a picture of it here, and you can see what it looked like and know how all those early chapels appeared. All that I remember at that time were built in about the same style. That is the way Wesley Chapel here at Halsey looked, too.

All of the settlers who went to church then, drove horses or oxen. Each settler had a particular tree where he tied his animals. There was, and still is, an oak grove at Simpson Chapel, and I was over there a while ago, and could still pick out the trees where each family steed was tied.

(Note-The picture of Simpson Chapel, now gone, shows a low, square frame building, well painted and well kept. The roof was not steep-noticeably lacking in slant-and there was no steeple, belfry, or ornamentation of any sort. No entry way in front. Windows square, glazed with plain small-paned glass. Leslie Haskin, field worker.)

I often went with my father on his trips about the circuits. Some of the experiences, not important at all, cling to my mind. At the Brush Creek point, which was above the present town of Crawfordsville, we spent the day with "Father" Robnett. During the stay they held family prayers, and I remember just how "Father" Robnett spoke and prayed. I believe that he must have been a southerner, judging from his speech. Just before we knelt for prayers I remember that "Father" Robnett suddenly called, "Moth-a, Moth-a, wha is my perse?" When his wife brought his purse he opened it and paid father some money saying, "This is yo first visit, an' I wan pay my part right away and have it aw' done at once."

After preaching at the Calapooia Circuit my father also returned at a later date and preached at Brownsville charge. After we left the Calapooia the first time father went to Jacksonville. The old church, still standing there, is one of the earliest Methodist churches west of the Rockies. My brother Ed was born while we were at Jacksonville. At that time the town was an active gold mining center, and was full of rough miners. I can still remember how they used to get drunk on the streets. That was a new thing to me and impressed me greatly.

In the fall of 1864 my father left Jacksonville and moved to Albany.

After that he served at Eugene and Salem. He was presiding Elder of the Eugene District and at a later date of the Salem District, and was delegate to the general conference in Illinois in 1880.

The Methodist settlement in Benton County where my father settled was extremely interested in educational matters. When Willamette University was organized there was a drive for funds. The trustees of the university gave a perpetual scholarship to the head of each family who would contribute $500 towards the fund. Almost every family in that region contributed and received such a scholarship. As a result the neighborhood was well represented in that institution for a number of generations. Concerning my own family, for many, many, years without a break there was a Starr attending the University. I graduated from Willamette in 1877. My brothers also went, though not all of them graduated. Partly as the result of these Willamette scholarships the Belknap settlement became one of the best-educated neighborhoods in Oregon.

My own schooling was begun while my father was stationed at Albany. The first teacher to whom I went to in Albany was a Judge Flinn.

Concerning my father's education I can tell you but little. He was educated in Ohio, but at what schools I cannot tell. He never spoke much about his schooling except that it was received at Primary schools. I remember his saying that he used to sit on a backless bench studying from daylight to dark. He said the school hours kept then were extremely long.

My father in later years owned a farm five miles east of Halsey. On that farm my mother died. At the time of my mother's death, my father was an almost helpless cripple. During a trip to Annual Conference at Grants Pass the members of the conference were taking a jaunt out into the country to feast on watermelons. During that trip my father was injured by falling from the back seat of a hack. His spine was injured and he never walked alone again, although he lived nearly ten years.

After my mother's death my father was taken to Brownsville and cared for in the home of my doctor brother until he died, only a few months later.

The Starr family originally came from England. At the first there were three brothers who emigrated to America. One of them was a doctor, one was a lawyer, and one was a preacher. Our line descended from the preacher brother.

My father's middle name, McWilliams, was the surname of his mother who came from Ireland. (Hannah McWilliams). She came from Ireland when she was ten years of age, and died when my father was three years old.

I was married in 1886 to Frank Leeper and have lived almost all my life at, or near Halsey. I have one son, Harry Leeper of Eugene.

(Mrs. Leeper lives at Halsey Oregon. She is hale and hearty although unable to walk or to stand for any length of time. Like her ancestors she is an active Methodist.)

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.