March 2022 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER 19
Descendants
��From Page 18
of the historic documents , ( it indicates ) they had known each other for quite some time and had been intermarrying . We think they came because the Boones came here first and they came out looking for land and looking for opportunity ,” Sherwood resident and Baker descendant Gerri Baker Parry said .
In 1853 , when they were well into their 60s , Elizabeth and John traveled to Oregon from Missouri with their family — just a few years after the Boone family settled here . Lehan noted that it ’ s highly unusual to find the records in the area of anyone born before 1800 , and for people in their 60s to traverse the Oregon Trail .
“ It ’ s not just to get across the Oregon Trail . When you got here , you have nothing — no house , the land wasn ’ t cleared . You had to start from scratch and build yourself a place ,” Lehan said . “ You ’ re arriving in September and October . You have to get stuff up fast to cover you for the winter .”
Once they arrived , the Bakers were donated multiple sections of land near the cemetery , which sits in Sherwood near Villebois , because the wide swath of property along the Willamette River had already been taken by a small group of property owners including the Boones . The Bakers donated the land for the cemetery , Lehan added .
The most challenging aspect of this project has been identifying information about the one Baker who never traveled west — Mary Polly Baker
Williams Piersall .
Lehan and others are trying to find an accurate date for when she died to put on the grave marking .
“ What happens with women when they marry is they disappear from records . It ’ s hard to find them . You figure she was alive when her second husband died in 1877 and then she never appeared in the 1880 census . So , she ’ s either dead or married . In terms of tracking , someone who is dead or married is very similar . That ’ s the roadblock ,” Lehan said .
Tigard resident Ralph Baker , a descendant of John and Elizabeth , said the cemetery contingent working on this project is also hoping to set up a meeting with one of Baker Williams Piersall ’ s descendants .
“( They ’ re ) interested in the family that came out here . We ’ re interested in the family that stayed behind ,” Ralph said .
So why don ’ t we see as many Boone descendants in the area ?
While most of the Boone family , save for Jesse , traveled to California to take advantage of the Gold Rush and then eventually settled in other areas , the Bakers ’ sojourn across America ended in Oregon as they stayed to tend the land near the cemetery . Lehan said the seven children who traveled west all had many kids of their own .
“ The Zumwalts and the Boones , they were river people , and they were on the move . The Bakers were farmers , which is a much more sedentary lifestyle ,” Lehan said .
To this day , Stephen ’ s mother lives on land that his ancestors initially purchased nearly 170 years ago . The Bakers still own about 70 acres of the original homestead , Stephen said . Stephen noted that , in the family ’ s travels west , Endymian brought apple and pear tree stock while his daughter nicknamed Tennessee brought a sapling from a locust tree — and such plantings have proven resilient over the decades .
“ He established one of the first orchards in the Willamette Valley . Some of the trees are still standing on our farm ,” Baker said , adding that Mill Creek is named after the mill Endymian ’ s sons Edward and Alison Baker built to ground grain nearby rather than having to go to Butteville or Champoeg .
COURTESY PHOTO : CHARLOTTE LEHAN
The cemetery has grave stones dedicated to Elizabeth and John ‘ s descendants but not them . See DESCENDANTS / Page 20
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