Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of OregonHolman, Frederick V.
History
Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon
Holman, Frederick V.
McLoughlin, John, 1784-1857; Oregon Territory -- History
Joseph Holman (not a relative of mine) was born in England, August 20,
1815. In 1833 he went to Canada where he lived for several years. About
1836 or 1837 he went to Ohio and later went to Illinois. In 1839 he
started for Oregon. He arrived at Fort Vancouver June 1, 1840, the same
day the Lausanne arrived there. In 1840 or 1841 he became connected with
the Methodist Mission. Shortly after his arrival he took up a land claim
a mile square near the present city of Salem. A person could not become
a citizen of the United States until he had resided therein for at least
five years. So he could not become such a citizen in the East for he had
not resided in the United States more than three years when he started
for Oregon in 1839. It was in Oregon, after the United States Courts
were established in 1849, that Joseph Holman first made application to
become a citizen of the United States and became one. As Jason Lee and
Daniel Lee took up the land on which the Methodist Mission was situated
and they were British subjects, their rights as land claimants were the
same as those of Dr. McLoughlin. The Mission, as such, had no legal
status to acquire land prior to the Act of 1848 organizing Oregon
Territory. The land claim of Joseph Holman had the same status as that
of Dr. McLoughlin--just as good, but no better.
_Abernethy Island._
I have spoken of this settlement with Waller, in 1844, in order to treat
separately of the taking of Abernethy Island from Dr. McLoughlin. The
land controlling the water-power on the west side of the falls of the
Willamette River was not taken nor claimed by any one until after the
year 1841. It is on the west side where the water-power of the falls is
now mostly used. It could have been had for the taking at the time
Abernethy Island was "jumped." Dr. McLoughlin's land claim was on the
east side of the river. As I have said, Felix Hathaway, in the
employment of the Mission, in 1841 began to build a house on Abernethy
Island, but after Dr. McLoughlin's remonstrance to Waller, the building
operations on the island ceased at that time. Dr. McLoughlin erected a
small house on the island. In 1841 the Oregon Milling Company was
formed. Almost all of its members belonged to the Methodist Mission.
Hathaway conveyed all his right and title to the island to the Oregon
Milling Company, a part of the consideration to be paid by a Committee
of the Oregon Milling Company in behalf of that Company. Rev. A. F.
Waller is the one first named, of the Committee, in the deed. This deed
is recorded at page 52 of Book 2, Record of Deeds of Clackamas County.
This record shows the date of the deed as November 23, 1852. This is
evidently an error of the copyist, as to the year. It doubtless was
1842, for Hathaway, by the deed, conveyed all his "right and title to
the island on which said Company _are now constructing mills_," etc.
This is a very religious deed. Hathaway in this conveyance covenanted to
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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