Pacific state. They realized that this had already
mained 8 years, finally leaving the service and settling in Oregon, near his former friend, F. X. Matthieu, on French Prairie. When the gold discoveries attracted nearly the whole adult male population of Oregon to Cal., he joined in the exodus, returning soon with $12,000. This capital invested in business at Butteville and Oregon City made him a fortune He died at Oakland, Cal., Feb. 23, 1877. Oregon City Enterprise, March 8, 1877.
Ashbel Merrill died at Fort Hall, his wife, Mrs Susannah Sigler Merrill, and children pursuing their way to Oregon. Mrs Merrill was born in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, March 20, 1800. She was married to Ashbel Merrill April 23, 1823, in Ross Co., Ohio, and moved to Illinois, and thence in 1847 to Oregon. Their children were William, George, Mary A., Emerit, Lyman, Electa, Alvin, and Lyda. Six of these resided in Oregon, chiefly in Columbia Co., and had numerous families. Mrs Merrill has celebrated her 82d birthday. St. Helen Columbian, March 31, 1881.
Joseph Carey Geer went from Windom, Conn., to Ohio, in 1816. The family removed to Ill., and from there to Oregon. The founder of the Oregon family of Geer was born in 1795. He settled m Yamhill county in 1847, and in the number of his descendants has outdone the Canadians, there being of his line 164 on the Pacific coast, all honorable men and virtuous women, besides being physically people of weight. Portland West Shore, Feb. 1880.
Ralph C. Geer was the pioneer nurseryman of Marion County. He also taught the first public school in the section where he settled, having 30 pupils in 1848, all but 4 of whom were living 30 years afterward—a proof that the climate had nothing to do with the fatal character of the diseases which carried off the natives in early times. Geer planted apple and pear seeds to start his nursery in the red soil of the Waldo hills, which he found to be excellent for his purpose. His father also put an equal amount of apple and pear seeds in the black soil of the Clackamas bottoms, but was disappointed in the returns, which were not equal to the Waldo hills, where R. C. Geer has had a fruit farm and nursery for more than 30 years.
Henderson Luelling and William Meek, immigrants of 1847, took to Oregon a 'travelling nursery,' which was begun in 1845, by planting trees and shrubs in boxes 12 inches deep, and just long and wide enough to fill the bed of a wagon. In this way, protected by a frame to prevent cattle from browsing them, 700 young trees were safely carried across 2,000 miles of land, and set out at a place called Milwaukee, on the Willamette River, below Oregon City, having been taken out of the boxes at the Dalles, and carefully wrapped in cloths to protect them from frost or injury by handling during the transit from the Dalles to their destination by boat. The experiment was successful, and Meek and Luelling were the first great nurseryman of Oregon, and afterward of Cal.
John Wilson drove to the Willamette Valley a number of choice Durham cattle, from Henry Clay's herd, at Blue Grass Grove, Ill., and also some fine horses, greatly to the improvement of the stock in the valley. J. C. Geer also drove a fine cow from this herd.
Stephen Bonser, who settled on Sauvé Island, drove a herd of choice cattle, which improved the stock on the Columbia River bottoms.
Luther Savage took to the Willamette Valley a blood race-horse called George, whose descendants are numerons and valuable.
A Mr Fields drove a flock of fine sheep from Missouri, which he took to the Waldo hills. Before getting settled he and his wife both died under a large fir-tree, with the measles. The sheep were sold at auction in small lots; and being superior, the Fields sheep are still a favorite breed in Oregon. Headrick, Turpin, and Mulkey took a flock of fine sheep. Turpin's were Saxony. This lot stocked Howell Prairie. R. Patton took a large flock to Yamhill County.
Mr. Haun of Haun's Mills, Mo., carried a pair of mill buhr-stones across the plains to Oregon.
