WPA Interviews

McCune, Amelia Jane -- Kate Bell

INTERVIEW, Mar 3, 1939

Interview with Amelia Jane McCune and her sister, Kate Bell McCune at their farm home situated about two and one half miles southeast of Oakville, Linn County, Oregon.

This farm on which we live is commonly known as the old Yantis Donation Land Claim. It came down to us from our mother who was Amelia Ann Yantis McCune. Since we live on the old Yantis claim we will tell first of the Yantis family and later take up the McCune (father's) side.

Our grandfather's name was James Madison Yantis. He was born October 12, 1809 and died July 10, 1879. Grandmother's name was Sarah Ann Hamilton Yantis who was born December 5th, 1811 and died July 12, 1869. They were married January 28, 1830, and came to Oregon from Missouri in 1852.

This is a picture of our grandfather, James Madison Yantis, (Indicating an oil portrait on the wall, framed, about 16 x 20 inches in size.) It was painted in Kentucky on grandfathers nineteenth birthday. Who the artist was we do not know, but we know that it is at least a fairly good portrait because so many of the family bear a nose so very much like that shown in the picture. You can see how worn the picture is, and how it is chafed in lines across the canvas. That is because, to bring it to Oregon, it was rolled on a round stick and besides frequently getting wet in crossing streams it was cracked and chafed by the jolting of the rough way.

Grandfather was born in Kentucky. From Kentucky the family moved west at a very early date, traversing the old "Kentucky Trace". He finally settled on a farm near Sweet Springs, Missouri. Our grandmother Yantis was born in Virginia.

Grandfather, James Monroe Yantis, and grandmother, Sarah Ann Hamilton Yantis were the parents of eight children, all born in Missouri before the family moved to Oregon. (In another statement nine children are listed, but the names of only eight were given.) Their names are as follows:

John H. Yantis, born May 11, 1831. Died September 1907.

Robert F. Yantis, born June 7, 1835. Died April 10, 1876.

Pricilla Ousley Yantis, born January 4, 1838. Died Dec. 1911.

Eliza Jane Yantis, born April 1, 1840. Died at a comparatively recent date.

Amelia Ann Yantis, (Our mother) Born at Sweet Springs, Mo. June 2, 1842. Died May 21, 1921.

Thomas L. Yantis, born October 3, 1846. Died May 20, 1858.

James A. Yantis, born Dec. 10, 1848. Died April 2, 1882.

William W. Yantis, born July 6, 1851. Died -- -----?

I have often wondered what madness or craze could have possessed the early pioneers who came to Oregon. For instance, what could have caused a man like my grandfather, a gentleman of the south as it was understood in those days, a man who had never been used even to build his own fires in the morning and who always had a servant to saddle and bring up his horse when he wished to ride, to load his nine children into an ox wagon, and leaving a comfortable home behind him, start out clear across the plains for Oregon.

There seems no reason back of such an act. However, there was a great deal of trouble in Missouri over the slave question at about that time and that my have had some influence is causing the change. My grandfather, in spite of the fact that he held some slaves at the time, was violently opposed to the whole slave system and wished to get away from it. My grandparents, however, held very few servants. I think only a maid and a boy who had been given to my mother on her marriage. These servants were given their freedom and left in the care of family friends.

This family bible from which I am getting the birth and death dates was brought by grandfather Yantis on the trip across the plains. Often in crossing streams it became soaked and wet when the wagon was flooded. You can see how wrinkled the pages are from those wettings. Our mother was ten years of age at the time and when the supplies were soaked it was a part of her task to spread them out and dry them beside the campfire. When the bible was wet she would sit in her little chair beside the fire and turn the pages one by one until they were dry. We still have her little chair in which she sat as she performed that task.

The youngest member of the emigrant train was William F. Yantis, our uncle.

He was a little redheaded baby only about one year old. The Indians were especially attracted to that red-head and paid a great deal of attention to him and all of the women and children of the train were in a constant worry for fear the Indians would steal him. They did make offers to buy him, and showed in many ways that they were anxious to have him.

There was some dissention on the trip to Oregon, among the various members of the train. My grandfather was a very devout Presbyterian and did not wish to travel on Sunday. Other members of the train and of the family were less strict and wished to push on every day at top speed. This finally resulted in active disagreement. Those who wished to travel on Sunday accused those who preferred to rest of not being sincere, saying, "you only want to stop to do your washing and cooking at leisure." The result, at last, was that the train split into two parts, one part, including grandfather and his family, lingering behind and the other part pushing on.

This first section pushed on to Olympia. The split took place at Fort Hall.

The cholera was a plague, clinging to the flanks of the emigrant train that year. One of our aunts died of cholera in grandfather's train. (Evidently this is the extra child who made up the nine children since no death is recorded for 1851 in the family list.) Of the party who pushed on ahead after the split there was one death from cholera, that of Ann Hayes, wife of Franklin Yantis. The Hayes pushed on, not waiting for Sunday.

I might say at this time that all of Grandfather's children were not with him on the trip to Oregon. John H. Yantis had gone on ahead to the California gold mines in 1849. The children with the train ranged in age from under two years to sixteen years.

Grandfather James Yantis was a member of the "Old School" Presbyterian Church. He was a member of a church which was organized at an early day on the Harvey Hogue claim house. This claim house was built by Hogue on his claim so as to hold the land, but he really lived with his people on another claim near by. Since his house was not used for living purposes he loaned it to the Neighborhood both for school and church purposes. I do not know who organized this church but think that it might have been our great uncle J. L. Yantis who was a preacher of the "Old School" faith. This brother of our grandfather's organized the first "Old School" Presbyterian Church in Portland and preached there for a number of years although he made his home here in Linn County. There are not many preachers now who would care to ride horseback from Linn County to Portland to fill their preaching appointments, but that is what our great-uncle did. The church records both of the Portland and the Union County churches seem to have been entirely lost. Another member of the church in the Hogue house was Nicholas Sprenger whose claim was next to that of Rev. T.S. Kendall on the Calapooia. Thomas Sprenger, a son of Nicholas, still lives at Shedd though now nearly ninety-five years of age. (Note: This is the first that the field worker has ever learned of the Presbyterian church in the Hogue Claim House. If possible additional information will be obtained. L. Haskin, Field Worker.) "All of our uncles young enough to attend school went to that old Hogue school. Another pupil of whom we have heard our parents speak was George Helm. I do not know just where the Helm claim was located but think that it was somewhere near the Riverside community, or at least east of the present Orleans Chapel. At any rate George Helm came to the Hogue School, walking eight miles every morning and night for the sake of an education.

(Note-There was a Helm donation land claim east of Orleans chapel in Sec.

34, Tp. 11 south, Range 4 west. This may not be the same Helm family but it was approximately eight miles from the Hogue claim which was in Section 36, Township 12 S. Range 4 West.-Leslie L. Haskin, Field worker.) This same George Helm was later married to a daughter of the Avery's who were the first settlers on the site of Corvallis.

When our people first settled here there was no fruit in the neighborhood save wild berries such as strawberries, which were very plentiful, they gathered and dried for winter use. There were also the wild blackberries which every native Oregonian considers a fruit of outstanding quality.

Later we got grafted fruit trees from the Luelling Nurseries. We also got a kind of plum called the "Peterson" and which I believe was originated and named by the Peterson family here in Linn County who settled on Washington Butte, later renamed "Peterson's Butte". Dr. Maley who settled near Oakville was the first here to raise fruit. He had an orchard that was coming into bearing as early as 1852.

Our people never used the Indian roots as we have heard that my pioneer families did. They gathered lambs quarter for greens, and dandelions.

The camas was very abundant around here but I do not think that our people ever made any use of it. The only time that I ever remember tasting camas was when I was a small child. We had some Indians working for us, grubbing trees. In their work they dug up some camas roots which they gave to us.

We, my sister and I, roasted them at a fire and ate them.

The early day neighbors in this vicinity were: Jesse Washington Pugh, whose claim was next west of grandfather's; James Coon and family on Muddy Creek; the McBrides, McCoys, Achesons, Stocktons, Hamiltons, and Millers.

That, I believe, pretty well finishes up this neighborhood history and the Yantis family. Now I will give what I can on the McCune, or father's side of the family.

Our great grandfather (probably on the maternal side. Some discrepancy here) was born at Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania. Later he moved away to Beaver Creek, just where located we cannot remember. On the farm at Beaver Creek an oil well was sunk and oil struck in abundance, so the family was by no means unsuccessful in their move, yet great grandfather often bemoaned the fat that he had not had foresight enough to realize that a great town, Pittsburgh, would spring up on the site of Fort Pitt and the confluence of the two rivers there.

Grandfather, John R. McCune was born Jan. 12, 1795.

Grandmother, Mary McKee McCune was born Jan. 4, 1791. Both were born in Ireland in County Down. They were married in Pennsylvania after coming to America.

Our father, Robert Young McCune was born March 12, 1828. He died November 30, 1875.

Father came to Oregon in 1853. He was accompanied on the immigration by a brother, Joseph McCune. Father first settled in the Diamond Hill region of southern Linn County. Later father sold his claim and moved to the Corvallis region, (in Linn County) and built a sawmill on Colorado Lake, near the Willamette, about three miles east of Corvallis on the Linn County side.

Father and mother were married in January, 1862. That was the year which is generally known as "The year of the big flood". Father and mother were married and moved out to the sawmill. Almost at once the flood began.

Mother was in the house and fearfully afraid of water. The flood came up around the house and mother had to go up into the second story. That was where father found her when he came to rescue her. Father was a strong man and a skillful boats man. He took mother out of the upper story window and carried her in his boat, across the Willamette, and for a distance of three or four miles through the flood, finally landing with her on the steps of the old Methodist church in the town of Corvallis. The water was so high that all of Corvallis was flooded. (The Methodist Church at this date was probably situated at the corner of Second and Van Buren Streets). That was a very devastating flood. The little town of "Orleans" which was situated on the Linn County side of the river opposite Corvallis was completely washed away. At that time it consisted of a number of residences and business houses, including a brewer.

Although father's sawmill on Colorado Lake was not destroyed by that flood he never returned to run it there. Instead he moved his mill to Corvallis and relocated it near the present Mary's River bridge. Not long after that mill was destroyed by fire.

Father and mother's family consisted of the following children:

James Yantis McCune, Born Nov. 25, 1862. Died May 4, 1913.

Joseph Lapsley McCune, Born June 14, 1864. (Lapsley was great-grandmother' s maiden name. (James Lapsley McCune still living).

Mary McCune. Born Oct. 5, 1866. (Still living.) Sarah Lapsley McCune. Born May 5, 1869. Died Nov. 6, 1874.

Amelia Jane McCune, Born May 1, 1871. (Living on Yantis farm.) Kate Bell McCune Born July 11, 1873. (Living on Yantis Farm.) Robert Young McCune, Born April 15, 1876. (Living).

(The youngest daughters above were the informants for this interview. Kate Bell was especially helpful.)

Possibly you may be interested in a little more local history although not connected with our immediate family. You know where the cemetery is, and the little butte called "Bunker Hill" just east of the old Boston Mill near Shedd. Among the members of the Savage family who settled on that butte were two girls, Prudence and Sarah Savage, daughters of Americus Savage.

These two girls helped their father with his stock in the trip across the plains. In later years they often claimed that they walked "every step of the way from Bunker Hill, Massachusetts, to Oregon. They therefore named their new home "Bunker Hill". The mill near by was called "Boston Mill".

The fight of which you tell, between Americus Savage and Robert Elder, and called "The battle of Bunker Hill" was not the cause of the hill being so named, for it had been named by the Savage family long before that. (For account of this fight, see this workers survey of "Bunker Hill or Savage Butte Cemetery," previously sent in.)

The two Savage girls who walked from Bunker Hill, Mass., to Oregon were Prudence Savage, later Mrs. John Morgan of Shedd, and Sarah Savage, later Mrs. Cornett of Shedd, Linn County. (Both deceased).

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.