D. H. McCLURE

BY E. E. MC CLURE.

Denny Hogue McClure was the youngest of ten children. His father, Denny McClure, and mother, Margaret Gilles, were born at or near, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. They went to Washington county where the elder McClure was a teacher for many years. Here Denny Hogue was born August 23d, 1815. He was named for his father and his uncle, John Hoge, as the name was spelled then. About 1817 his father removed to his farm, twenty miles from Washington, on the state line of Virginia, sixteen miles from Wheeling.

At that time the country was a wilderness. Here, when he was six years old, his mother died, and in 1833 his father died at the age of 70. The McClures were of Scotch-Irish stock, and were among the earliest settlers in western Pennsylvania, a brother of Denny's, John, having settled above Fort Pitt where the Homestead Ironworks now are. Judge Francis McClure was one of the judges who tried the first murder case in that part of Pennsylvania, and Judge William B. McClure was the first judge elected in Allegheny county. The first mayor of Pittsburg, Major Ebenezer Denny, was also related to the family.

At the death of his father young McClure was employed at his trade, carpenter, with his elder brother William, in the city of Pittsburg. From 1835 to 1839 he was employed at his trade through different parts of Ohio. In 1839 he visited his brothers at Wheeling and New Martinsville, Va., and returned to Ohio, where he was married, January 6th, 1841, at Hoskinsville, Morgan county, to Miss Pernina Colget Parrish, daughter of Rev. Edward E. Parrish. The same spring he moved to New Martinsville, Tyler county, Va., where he lived three years, returning to Hoskinsville, in 1844.

That summer business called him to Pittsburg after the There he had the misfortune to lose his

great fire of that year.

summer's work by fire.

The first of the year 1851 found him still at Hoskinsville badly affected by the “Oregon fever." In February with his wife and four children he went to Beverly on the Muskingdom, whence, April 3d, he boarded the Steamer "Viroqua" for Oregon, taking later, the "Oriental" and "Ben West" for Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri river points. After struggling for two weeks with "sandbars," "sawyers," etc., the party known as the "Ohio Company" reached Weston, Mo., where they purchased their outfit for "crossing the plains." Here he found his brother William in the hotel business and on May 3d bade adieu to the last member of his father's family he was permitted to see on earth.

The company crossed the Missouri at Fort Leavenworth, May 3d, and on the 5th were in motion with the ox-teams and prairie schooners bound for Oregon.

The company had 18 wagons and was well supplied with everything necessary. Among others of the company may be mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Presley George, parents of the late Jesse W. George of Seattle and Hon. M. C. George of Portland; Victor Trevitt, and Quincy A. Brooks.

After reaching Barlow's gate Mrs. McClure was taken sick and the family returned to The Dalles and took flat-boats for Cascades, where they made portage, and reached Portland by bateau. They remained in camp two or three days near Stephen's house. With fresh teams they reached Parrish Gap, Marion county, September 25th, four months and twenty days from Fort Leavenworth.

The winter of 1851 Mr. McClure lived in Albany. There were living there only seven families: J. M. McConnell's, James McFarland's, Aaron Hyde's, Burkhart's, William Jones, D. H. McClure's and Parson Miller's. There were several unmarried men, of whom I recall Walter and Thomas Monteith, James H. Foster, Samuel Althouse. Dr. R. C. Hill, whose family came in 1853, was teach

ing the first school held in the village. The same winter Miss Elizabeth Miller, since Mrs. Joe Wilson, taught a school.

Mr. McClure's first experience at his trade, was in striking contrast to anything he had seen in the east. As flour was eighteen dollars a hundred pounds and wages five to ten dollars a day he lost no time in getting some work. The first work necessary was the making of tools to work with. After securing some dogwood from the woods of Polk county, he borrowed tools enough to make such planes and other tools as he required for immediate use. With these he made others as they were needed. Of course a smith had to furnish the iron work. He earned his first money making sash for the Magnolia mills, and while doing so a gentleman fromí the country asked him to make doors for his house. He promised to do so in two weeks, when he had completed the sash for the mill. As the stranger was leaving he took from his purse a fifty dollar slug and offered it to the immigrant and insisted that he take it as part payment for the doors. Of course a man used to $1.25 to $1.50 per day thought this a good country to stay with.

The following June he moved his family to his donation claim of 320 acres, four miles due east from Albany.

Here he made his home until 1870 or 1871 when he located a homestead on Wiley creek, thirty miles from Albany. With the exception of a year in Portland and a similar period in Marion county, he made this his home while he lived.

He died on February 11th, 1893, and was buried at the cemetery on his homestead. His wife survives him, and of twelve children the following are living: E. E. McClure, Portland; Dr. J. W., Silverton; Mrs. S. J. Crouder, Walla Walla; Andrew J., Sweet Home, Linn county; Harry, Harney City; Robert, Salem.

D. H. McClure was an excellent mechanic. He and the late Jeremiah Driggs of Seattle were the builders of the first Linn county court house, erected in 1853.

Like most of the early Oregon pioneers he was a law-abiding citizen, honorable in the highest degree, and a thoroughly honest

man,

ROBERT WILSON MORRISON.

BY JOHN MINTO

On the 15th of May, 1894, just entering on the 84th year of his age, Captain Robert Wilson Morrison died on the home farm, taken by him in 1845, in Clatsop country, some twelve miles west of Astoria. He was a son of a pioneer settler of Kentucky, born in Fleming county of that state, March, 1811, and was there married to Miss Nancy Irwin in 1831, moving into Missouri in 1833. He was a conscientous pioneer home builder, and had a just pride in his life as such, a conscientous, upright, fearless gentleman; thoroughly trustworthy in every relation to others; and ready at all times to give his services to his fellow citizens to the full measure of his abilities; which, for the peculiar work of a pioneer, crossing the plains and mountains to help to make good the title of the United States to Oregon, by making his home here in 1844, he was equipped by nature in a degree above the average of his fellows. Having fortunately, for myself, in company with the Hon. Willard H. Rees, joined Mr. Morrison as an assistant in his proposed trip to Oregon, the writer had ample opportunity to weigh and observe his character. He had just sold an excellent farm in Andrew county, Mo., and was putting the price of it into an outfit for emigrating to and settlement in Oregon, when we joined him on the following conditions, verbally stated by him and accepted by us. Mr. Morrisou said, "I will haul your trunks, board you, have your washing and mending done, and you shall give me your help in getting my family and effects to Oregon in the way I judge best." He proceeded, “I don't think the work will be hard or confining, as there will be three men of us, aud three of my children are large enough to be of some help in driving the loose stock, I will have but two wagons, so that one of us can hunt every day if we like. I have four guns and suitable ammunition.

We assented to the conditions and he took us in to breakfast. Immediately after eating he requested Mr. Rees to mount а horse, which he himself had saddled, and giving him some gold coin, requested him to ride to "Rubadeau's Landing" (now the city of St. Joseph, Mo.), and purchase nine barrels of flour and 300 pounds of corn meal for our journey. Thus a bargain was made in a few minutes which required more than a year to complete and a trust of money and property placed in the hands of an utter stranger, in a manner illustrative of the trustworthy character of Mr. Morrison himself. The action, however, did not escape the notice of Mrs. Morrison, who a few moments after Rees' departure came to the cabin door and remarked, "Wilson, you'd feel mighty queer if that man should play you a Yankee trick and go off with your horse and money." The thought had evidently not occurred to Mr. Morrison as it was some time before he replied, "Well, if he does, he'd better not let me overtake him; that's all I've got to say." The lady laughed and returned to her housework. That night the family entertained, on a visit of friendship and farewell, the sheriff of the county together with his wife and daughter, and from the day we joined the family until we crossed and left the Missouri river there was a continuous stream of visitors from neighbors, friends and family connections. As preliminary to starting, the services of three resident citizens were enlisted to make examinations into the suffiiency of provision made by each head of a family for the journey which was estimated to require at least six months of time. The writer was busy about the wagon which was loaded with provisions chiefly, when this committee came to the front of it, and the member who seemed to be the head of it remarked, "Well, gentlemen, I don't think it is worth our while to meddle with these wagons; for if he is not amply provided for the journey, not one of them ought to start." The committee made no examination into the lading of these wagons. On the Sunday preceding this incident-the last day the family spent in their Missouri homethe visitors were numerous and largely of kinfolks. After dinner the older men formed a group and were talking over the nature of the journey, the tribes of Indians to be passed and the reported