John Burris Smith Photo courtesy of Western Oregon University

The church reported 17 members in 1871. One of those was probably John Burris Smith, one of the founders of "Monmouth University," known today as Western Oregon University. John had moved to Myrtle Creek following the death of his wife Emily in the mid-sixties at Monmouth.

The Smiths had entered Oregon from the south on the Applegate Trail and so would have passed this way in 1846. John was 30 and Emily was 22 that year. He was the fourth gospel preacher to enter the new land of Oregon. Smith preached in Douglas County the remaining days of his life and is buried at Myrtle Creek.

There is a profile of John Burris Smith. He is the great grandfather of Barbara Reyman of Reno, Nevada.

The church's own record book shows they reorganized in 1875, "members agreeing to take the Bible alone for their rule of faith and practice."

The record book was in the possession of Marion and Doris McKee. The names were written in an old style cursive script. The capital letters were hard to distinguish and we may not be right in every case. We have paired husbands with wives where we had supporting information. They were not originally listed that way. We have also provided names instead of initials. John Adams, Mary J. Ady, Sarah A. Brown, Edmund Green & Nancy Browning, Julia Browning, Olive Browning, Sarah J. Bruce, Catharine Carson, Lavina Cornilison, Sarah Cornilison, Amanda Cowener, Susan Dunivan, Lonisa Gabbert, T. M. Gabbert, Sallie Hays, W. J. Hays, L. C. Hill, Sophia Ireland, Hallie Jones, J. B. Lewis, Carrie Mulkey, Isaac Newton & Julia Muncy, Julia A. Neany, James G. Newton, L. D. Phillips, Nancy L. Phillips, Lavina Rafile, Harriet Richardson, Margaret Richardson, Mary Richardson, Mrs. Ellen Richardson, John Burris Smith, Mary E. Stevens, Dillard and Melissa Smith Strode, Anna Weaver, William Weaver, M. S. Whitsett, Mrs. Elizabeth Whitsett, Henrietta Wiley, and Cora Willets.

A report in the Christian Standard of 1885 records yet another reorganization.

For a number of years past there has been a few of our brethren in this community, but with no pastor or organization; becoming tired in that way, they invited me to come and hold a meeting for them. I accepted, and after a journey of about eight miles, commenced services, Saturday, May 15th, and on Monday following it was decided to organize a congregation and employ a preacher, after which the brethren held out sufficient inducements to me to come and settle among them and preach for them.

We now have twenty-one members and a good interest in the people, and seem to be on the high road to success. We have also Lord's day school which is a power for good in our midst, and a live Thursday evening prayer-meeting. All are at work with a will for the cause of the Master. Pray for us. -- O. C. Huntington.

Note: Huntington family researcher Harlene Soper Brown believes this is a reference to Cory Ozi Huntington who lived in the area and died at Dexter, Oregon in 1941. He would have been about 23 at the time of writing. We speculate that the initials were reversed by the typesetter at the Christian Standard because the communication was handwritten. (C and O would look similar.) Errors in personal and city names were very common at the Standard because the person setting type did not know the person or place and could not verify a spelling.

Another possibility is provided by Julie Kidd. She believes that "O. C. Huntington" is Ozie Curtis Huntington, born in 1829. He lived in the west and shows on the 1900 census for Pe Ell, Washington.

See notes on the previous list. Mary J. Ady, Elizabeth Alexander, R. R. Alexander, David R. Boyles Catherine Carson, Sarah J. Cornelison, G. W. Holloway, R. A. Holloway, James M. and Bell G. Hudson, William & Catherine Manning, Caroline Miles, John Miles, William H. Miles, Carrie Mulkey, James & Phebe Newton, John Burris Smith, L. G. Stewart, Dillard and Melissa Smith Strode, Sarah J. Tallin, David Tate, Mary A. Tate, Eliza A. Wiley, Henrietta Wiley, Isaac Wiley, Thomas Wiley, and William M. Wiley.

1st building

Evidently startup of 1885 also faltered, because on the next page of the same hand-written record book the same organizational statement is repeated, but with a new date of 1888, showing there was a continuity of the same people because they had the same book. (In fact, the same handwriting records both pages, i.e, 1875 and 1888. The 1885 effort is not mentioned.) William Manning became the leader of the church.

The church was reorganized with 30 members. William Wiley, one of the charter members, provided leadership and carpentry skills and a building was constructed with mostly volunteer labor. It was completed in 1890 and dedicated by Evangelist A.B. Wade. In the first year of the new building, there were 24 added to the body.

A. B. Wade

Another page in the record book shows a special congregational meeting being called. "Object of meeting stated to be to adopt the best means of evangelizing Douglas Co. Oreg." A. B. Wade, recently from Wichita, Kansas, was the chairman of the meeting. Under Wade's leadership the church had high goals. Every church has the responsibility to evangelize its area.

The church was incorporated with the State of Oregon on March 22, 1889 by Thomas Wiley, G.W. Brewer and Jos. Cornelison. This small Disciples congregation remains to the present.

Several of these pioneers are buried in the pioneer cemetery on a hilltop near I-5. Their names and instructions for reaching the cemetery are on this link.

A. L. Todd (Douglas County Museum photo.)

One of the earliest preachers here was the untiring A. L. Todd. See the separate profile on this remarkable pioneer preacher of gospel.

The profile of Abbott Levi Todd.

One source records a party given in honor of Mrs. Susie Dailey as she retired from 72 years of service in playing the piano and teaching Sunday School. Her record sets a great example for others.

Two independent congregations in Myrtle Creek merged happily in 1995. Significantly, the church on Division Street was invited to merge with the Myrtle Creek Church of Christ that meets on the Pacific Highway. This congregation was originally established by Mel Coffman.

Winchester Mapquest

Winchester was probably named for explorer John Winchester. It was the Douglas County seat until the offices were moved south a few miles to Roseburg in 1854.

Historian Swander lists the church as beginning here in 1856. Dr. Samuel D. Evans (overland in 1852) was leading a congregation before he and Louisa moved to Virginia City, Nevada in 1859.

Umpqua Mapquest

This settlement was (and is) seven miles west of Sutherlin on the Fort McKay Road. It is also two miles east of Coles Valley.

In September of 1869, John M. Harris conducted a protacted meeting there and reported 14 additions. Evidently there was a functioning church there to have called Harris and to be a nucleus for the growth.

Oakland Mapquest

A.L Todd wrote in 1870 that he immersed four who made the good confession at Oakland. By 1871 the group reported 22 members to the Christian Messenger.

Historian Orval Peterson tells that in 1882 Edward and Annie Chase moved to Camas Prairie (Idaho) from Oakland, Oregon. Mr. Chase was an ordained minister and began preaching immediately when he arrived in Idaho. The Chases were pioneers of the 1860s. Also, Michael and Margaret Shupe, pioneers of 1853, were members here. A.L. Todd preached here in his circuit riding days and these ended in 1880.

Charles Augustus Sehlbrede, a resident of Roseburg, had his law office in Oakland in 1885. He is listed as the City Recorder in 1886 and was the "correspondent" of the church in Oakland in 1887 according to the Disciples of Christ Yearbook. At that time, a membership of 46 was reported. Mr. Sehlbrede later launched a congregation in his Roseburg home. See the Roseburg entry.

The Oakland congregation claims 1888 as their beginning date. Check their own page for more details. The group was incorporated with the State of Oregon on March 22, 1889 by T.O. Hutchinson, J.H. Ray and John H. Shupe.

Camas Swale

This community has vanished, but was about five miles east of Oakland, Oregon. They reported 26 members in 1871.

Special Gospel Meetings: About 9 out of 10 additions were by immersion, the rest were by transfer from another congregation.
1870 1877	J. M. Harris J. M. Harris	1 added 24 added

The leader in 1877 was the young L. F. Eccles. He wrote of a gospel meeting held there by John Moses Harris, who had just four more years to live:

By request I write you and account of a protracted meeting held by the Church of Christ at Camas Swale.

Bro. J. M. Harris of Lane county, came over and labored with us ten days, beginning on Friday before the second Lord's day in this month (May).

Bro. Harris presents the ancient Gospel in a plain and forcible manner, which defies contradiction.

We met on Monday, the 14th and effected an organization with 24 names on the list. Good feelings prevailed throughout the meeting. We think that much good has been accomplished. The good seed of the Kingdom has been sown, and we trust that it has fallen on good ground where it may bring forth fruit to be gathered in due season.

Bro. Harris has engaged to preach for us one year, occupying every second Lord's day. He has now gone to Coquille City to hold a meeting.

Camas Valley Mapquest

A Camas flower

Named after the beautiful blue Camas flowers, those men who originally discovered the area looked on the Camas in bloom from a distance and thought they had discovered a lake.

The community had settlers and religious services as early as 1848.

The first religious services were held at log cabin homes, out of doors in good weather, and later at the valley's primitive early school houses. Lay volunteers led in reading passages of Scripture, the singing of hymns and offering prayers for Divine Guidance.

The first organized congregation of any kind dates to the 1880's under the leadership of William Allen. Mr. Allen baptized those becoming Christians in the chilly waters of the Coquille River "and inspired the building of a church."

The small white structure, with a steep roof, belfry and steeple, was built on the West Side Road near the intersection of Upper Camas Road.

The congregation eventually became a Methodist Church and the building burned in 1913.

Yoncalla Mapquest

W. H. and Hannah Wilson Courtesy of Christy M. Van Heukelem

The town was named by its most famous postmaster, Jesse Applegate. The three Applegate brothers were personal friends of Abraham Lincoln from their days in school together.

While the current congregation at Yoncalla has its roots in this century, there was a church here in the 1870s. They reported 19 members in 1871. E. A. Chase preached here once each month and the church met in the Scotts Valley school house.

Special Gospel Meetings: About 9 out of 10 additions were by immersion, the rest were by transfer from another congregation.
1870	J. M. Harris	8 added

John Moses Harris held a gospel meeting at Yoncalla in 1870 with eight being added to the church.

Members included William Hunt Wilson and Hannah Dickinson Wilson. He was an overland pioneers of 1843 while Hannah came in 1847. They were married in Oregon.

By 1878 there were two church groups. One continued east of town at Scotts Valley and the other met at the home of William Wilson. They may have also used the Yoncalla school house at times.

W. H. Wilson Dec. 28, 1822 - Feb. 11, 1902

W. H. Wilson had formed a fast friendship with Kentuckian Jesse Applegate and had come overland with the Applegate wagon train. Settling near Yoncalla was a natural choice.

Hannah was a very young widow when she married William Hunt Wilson. They were baptized in a stream at Yoncalla by Glen Owen Burnett.

The Wilsons had 10 children, farmed and he served in the Territorial Legislature.

In his declining years pioneer preacher Daniel Elledge lived in their home and died in Yoncalla in 1894. The Wilsons are buried side-by-side in the Yoncalla Pioneer Burt Cemetery. Hannah died in 1919.

Buried in the Wilson family plot is a runaway slave, William Edes (or Eades). Mr. Edes had served in the 1846 Mexican War before making his way west and eventually settling at Yoncalla.

Daniel Elledge is the subject of a separate profile.

The descendants of William and Hannah Wilson held a reunion in Drain during August of 1997. Many still keep in touch. A family historian is Christy M. Van Heukelem.

Pioneer Reminders: Wilson Creek

Elkton Mapquest

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