A Letter from the Oregon Trail, 1863

Elizabeth Elliott

INTRODUCTION

“Poignant” is a word which would characterize many documents appearing in this series. This is especially true of this letter. It was sent to us by Mrs. Elizabeth Kay-Pitts of Medford, Oregon, who had seen a notice of our project in the Medford Mail-Tribune. We are grateful to her for the use of the letter and for her furnishing information about the Elliott family.

Traveling with a large company of 1863 overlanders from Marshall County, Iowa, the Elliott family planned to settle in Benton County, Oregon. They began their journey with three little children: Maria, age 7, and twin boys, Dayton and Fremont, age 3. The poignancy of her letter lies in her reporting of the deaths of children along the way, including one of her own, Fremont.

Henry Elliott and Elizabeth were both Ohioans, having been born and married in that state. Elizabeth, born May 18, 1836, in her letter refers to herself as “Libbie.” They moved from Ohio to Indiana just after their marriage, and their first child, Maria (pronounced Mar-EYE-a) was born in Indiana in 1856. They then moved to Marshall County, Iowa, where in 1860 there were born twin boys, Dayton and Fremont.

Henry was a diligent farmer, and the rich farming land of the far-away Willamette Valley in Oregon was like a magnet drawing them even farther west. They were spurred on by correspondence from Henry’s brother, William H., who had settled in Benton County, Oregon, with his wife and three children. The mother of this family was another Elizabeth Elliott. The two wives with the same name, living in Benton County, adds difficulty in searching out their records. Henry and Elizabeth lived near Monroe.

Elizabeth Elliott lived a long rich life. The date of her death was July 26, 1927. The following obituary appeared in the Corvallis, Oregon, Gazette-Times on July 28:

Body brought to Benton County — A dispatch from Salem says Mrs. Elizabeth Elliott, 91, who had lived in Oregon 45 [sic, actually 64] years, died instantly Tuesday night at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Kay, of Salem, when she tripped over a porch rug and fell headlong to the sidewalk, five feet below the porch. She received a fractured skull and deep lacerations…The aged woman was well known as one of the leaders in the fight for educational progress in the Willamette Valley. Mrs. Elliott will be buried in Monroe. She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. W.H. Kay of Salem and Mrs. Edgar Grimm of Nome, Alaska.

Families who traveled in the same wagon train as the Elliotts from Marshall County, Iowa, were mentioned by Elizabeth. They were the Logsdons and the Howells. She misspells both names.

The U.S. Census of 1870 lists two families of Logsdons and one of Howells. These people were all Benton County neighbors, named in the census as follows:

Charles Logsdon, age 34, and his wife, Margaret, age 29, both born in Illinois. Two children, Mary, 3, and Margaret, 1, were born in Oregon. Charles Logsdon was a farmer.

Thomas B. Logsdon, age 40, and his wife, Mary O., 27, both born in Illinois, and one child, Leona, one year old. Thomas was also a farmer.

George Howell, age 47, and his wife, Margaret J., 43, were both born in Ohio. Their children, all born in Iowa, were William A., a school teacher, age 21; Mary, 15; George P., 13; Rachel, 10; and Jesse, 5. This, too, was a farm family.

THE LETTER

Camped at noon on little Sandy
June the 12th 1863

Dear neglected Parents through a multitude of troubles and cares I have neglected answering your kind letter which we received at Ft Laramie I will in the first place tell you about the sickness we have had in our company there has been 44 cases of measles in the company from Marshall Co [Iowa] and our own family I mean, there was 3 deaths in about 3 weeks, Mr Howal lost a babe about 8 months old it died a few miles the other side of Laramie so they got a very nice coffin for it Mr Logestons babe was the next he was about 2 years old, the next was Mr Logestons boy about 5 years old, they were not in reach of any place to get a coffin therefore they buried them in boxes, the mother of the 2 children will be confined in a few weeks, any one would think so much trouble would kill her but she bears it well, I will now tell you about our own family, Fremont & Dayton took the measles about the same time, but they did well, as we supposed but just as they were getting over them, they took the whooping cough, the diseases both work on the lungs you know and their lungs were naturally rather weak so they have had a dreadful time, we thought several days ago we would have to leave his body on the plains, but they are both now a little better, if they do not take cold I think they will get along, just as they were getting over the measles Maria took them she was pretty sick for several days, before she got real stout I took them I was confined to the wagon several days, and before I got so I could cook or do anything Henry was on a mountain viewing the Devils gate and when he went to come down he jumped from one rock to another and sprained his ankle so you can see we have had a terrible time

July 2nd

My Dear Parents since I commensed this letter our family circle has lost one of its members Freemont is no longer a sufferer on this earth, he died Sabbath afternoon June 21st. we had a Physition at Ft Bridger he pronounced his worst disease dropsy, he had been terribly bloated for 2 weeks, the doctor gave medicine for him but it did not seem to do him any good, his disease was of such a nature that he could not lay down to sleep for over 2 weeks he set up day and night, well he suffered along until 3 or 4 days after we left the Ft, Sunday afternoon about 2 oclock he was taken with fits he had 7 or 8 very hard ones about 4 he died in a fit he was sensable to the last minit when he took the fit he died in he tried to straiten his little fingers and said oh dear ouch, while one hard fit was on his dear little eyes and mouth jerked as though it would kill him he looked at me and reached his dear arms out to me and said Oh Libbie. he was so sensible, Oh dear I never shall forget that pleading look, it seemed as though it would break my heart I could not ease his pain, but he is gone his suffering is over. we laid him at the foot of a mountain by a splendid spring, we was not where we could get a coffin so some of our company took 2 cracker boxes nailed them together lined it with bleached muslin so it looked very well, I had had his red stockings his shoes his linen coat and pants put on him and his light hat in his hands Oh he was such a pretty corpse, he looked very natural Some of our co said they never saw such a pretty corpse Oh how I wanted his likeness taken and sent it to you he did look so sweet with his summer suit on and his hat in his hands, little did his Aunt Maryann or his Aunt Sarah think when they made his coat and pants they were making his burying clothes little did any of us think of the like or how different we would off talked and acted, but I suppose he is better off but it is so hard to part him and Dayton but the day he died we thought they would be buried in one grave for Dayton was taken worse the same time Fremont was and some thought D would die first, well we watched over him all night while Fremont lay a corpse expecting every moment to breathe his last until about day he began to get better he has been gaining very slow since untill last night he was taken worse, we was up pretty near all night with him and today he is very sick, if we save him it will be with the utmost care he has become so very weak and poor I dont know as I ever saw as poor a child, we have had so much sickness and trouble on the road I have fell away very fast, I was weighed while at Ft Bridger and I had fell away 21½ lbs, and I have such heart rending trouble since I presume I have fell away a good deal more,

William Howels lost his youngest the 20 of June a little girl about Fredies age, she was buried the 21 and Fremont the 23rd they lay side by side, it was a great satisfaction that we did not have to leave him alone

there has been 5 Children died out of our co since we started Fremont talked a week or so before he died so much about going to Grandmas to get some bread and milk, poor little sufferer he did get so tired jolting along in the wagon Dayton talks so much about him Oh how we all miss him he was so lively, allways saying something cunning how dreary our wagon looks without him tell his little cousin he used to have so much pleasure and sometimes some difficulty with he had not forgotten them he often talked about them and their plays it seems to me now that I can never get reconsiled to his death it is a loss that cannot be made up I would like to write something about the natural curiosites we have seen on the road but my mind is not settled enough now maybe before we get a chance to send it I will write more after we left Ft Bridger we took the old Oregon road Fremont was buried 60 miles from Bridger on this road we have had no trouble with the Indians since we started but there has been trains attacked this season we have saw a great many graves of persons killed by the Indians last season, I have not lost one hour sleep on account of fear from them since I left home, we are now in a train of 34 wagons we are now 800 miles from Benton Co Oregon

We are now on the fery boat crossing Snake River
you must write to Oregon

Libbie Father Mother