WPA Interviews

INTERVIEWS, HAMILTON, JOSEPH

Joseph Hamilton, Old Timer.

Oakville Community.

(Manuscript in possession of the Horner Museum at Oregon State Agricultural College)

Honorable Joseph Hamilton was born in Londonderry, Ireland, on March 25, 1819, and came to America with his parents in 1836, settling in Ohio, where he grew to manhood. He became very interested in the slave trade and bartered back and forth in this business and in time became quite well off financially before discontinuing it. While on one of his trips south he met Miss Caroline Owens, who was born near Richmond, North Carolina, and after a very short courtship the young couple eloped and were married. This was in the spring of 1846. Mrs. Hamilton was then only a young girl of eighteen, the daughter of wealthy parents and had never been taught the responsibilities of a household, as maids were present to attend to everything; therefore this girl had no idea of the future ahead of her. As time went on and the many trials came upon her, what a brave, courageous woman she proved to be during the pioneer times.

Before the Hamiltons were married Mr. Hamilton had moved to Iowa and was following the occupation of threshing. They returned there until the following spring when they decided to come to Oregon. When their Oregon trip was decided upon they spent the winter making preparations. Among the many things that were prepared was a barrel of soft lye soap, which proved to have been instrumental in saving the train from destruction. In the spring of 1847 they joined a train which is thought to have been the Joel Palmer train, and started on their six-month trip to Oregon. While on the Platte River Mrs. Hamilton presented her husband with a two-pound baby girl, which they named Angeline Hamilton. In spite of her small beginning she seemed to thrive and lived to be a very old lady.

Before the train reached Fort Hall they were attacked by Indians and for a while thought that the whole train would be murdered. Finally, as the Indians were running from wagon to wagon to pilfer things, one found the barrel of lye soap and, thinking of course it was a barrel of molasses, gave a yell of glee and ran his entire arm into the barrel of soap. He then proceeded to lick it off his arm. In no time the lye took effect and of all the performances he went through with!! This made the Indians take notice and in drawing their attention to the action of this Indian their minds were changed, and in that way the wagon train was saved although all their food was taken by the Indians. The train was in a bad way by the time they reached Fort Hall on account of no food and sickness among them.

In Fort Hall they rested for a few days and then proceeded on their way. The train divided, some going by the Applegate route. Among these was the Hamilton family. After reaching the Rogue River country they found the Indians very treacherous and orders were given to each and every one to stay by the wagons. Especially the women were warned but like the others they wandered too far. It was in the fall of the year and the evergreen blackberries were ripe, and in spite of the many warnings, young Mrs. Hamilton and another young woman went a short distance to pick berries.

They had wandered farther than they thought when they heard a disturbance in the direction of the wagons. In no time they were assured that there was an Indian attack on the train. They were very frightened and dared not go near the wagons, proceeded to find a hiding place. They crawled in back of a large log, which was heavily covered with berry vines and there were too frightened to move, so they lay still and waited. The noise came closer and they were frightened and stayed still. The noise came closer still and the girls realized that their hiding place was the scene of battle, and many times the fighting surged back and forth over the log where they lay. Even after the fighting stopped and all was quiet again the girls were too frightened to leave their hiding place. They waited until night came so as not to take a chance of being seen by the Indians. They were also worried for fear the wagon train would leave them and they would be left behind. In the meantime the girls had been missed and the camp was all-astir as to their whereabouts. Finally they decided that the Indians had taken the girls and either killed them or held them captives. You can imagine their surprise when the girls finally slipped into camp, still very much frightened from their experience. Mrs. Hamilton's husband rushed to her and in his excitement grabbed her and violently shook her for the cause of all the worry. From that time on every woman stayed close as was ordered. The train finally arrived in the Willamette Valley. The Hamiltons took up a donation land claim near where the community of Oakville now is, and raised their family of six children.

In 1849 Joseph Hamilton went with the gold rush to California, leaving a neighbor girl to stay with his wife and children. For a while all went well, then one day an Indian walked into the house and after looking around made Mrs. Hamilton understand that her man was gone and he would stay, and she would be his squaw. She knew she dared show no fear so she smiled and made signs to him to go to the cot and she would prepare him something to eat. He watched her very closely at first but as she went around in her quiet way he felt assured that everything was alright. She put plenty of water over the fire and in stirring the fire left the poker in the fireplace and continued preparing the meal. Finally when the water was boiling and the poker red hot, she decided the time had come to make a move. Quick as a flash she grabbed the boiling water and hurled it on the Indian and then grabbed the poker and chased him from the house and quickly barred the door.

She and the neighbor girl got their guns ready and set themselves to watch, not retiring that night at all as they knew the Indians would be back. Next day they saw Indians approaching and watching the house. They were ready and waited. The Indians crept closer and closer and then seemed to stop and parley. Finally one fellow seemed to advance alone and crept close to the gun-hole. The women were ready with hot water and when he prepared to look inside the house the boiling water was hurled at him. In agony he ran from the house and soon the Indians departed. From that time on the family was not molested and shortly after that Mr. Hamilton returned. Some time after Mr. Hamilton returned the Indian that had received the scalding came to Mr. Hamilton and told him what a good, brave white squaw he had. From that time on this Indian was a friend and admirer of the Hamilton family.

When the bedsides were no longer needed on the wagon they were taken apart and made into a cradle, and each of the six children used the same cradle.

It is now in the Portland museum.

Mr. Hamilton and his brother brought with them in 1847 the castings for the first threshing machine ever operated in the Willamette Valley. A grandchild of the Hamiltons is Mrs. Mable Riddell Lage, of Hood River, Oregon. She was a visitor at the museum (at O.S.A.C.) during home conference week.

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.