“BYOGOFY OF C. W. BEALE”

(15427 Treemont Place, La Pine, OR 97739)

(541-536-1079, Sarahmertz@aol.com)

I was born the sixth day of September, 1842 at Big Monegaw Springs, Missouri.

My Grandfathers Charles William Beale and George Harrison Hutchings came from Jamestown, Virginia in 1836 and settled on Osage Bottom in St Clair County, Missouri.

Now I give you a history of both families to the best of my knowledge. The Beale family consist of C.W. Beale, Sarah Kyle Beale(*1 notes), his wife. James Beale, Robert Beale, Harriet Beale, Catherine Beale, Tabner Beale, William Kyle Beale, George Polk Beale, Thomas Jordan Beale, Marget Beale.

Now the Hutchings family which turned out to be my Grandparents also, they consist of J.G. Hutchings and his wife, two boys, four girls. I know very little about them as they moved to Kentucky in 1844 and the Beale's stayed in Missouri, all but Father and he came back in the Spring of 1849, so I don't know much about them or what has become of them as all the old ones are dead.

Now I tell of my Father's family to the best of what I know about them as they were scattered from Jamestown to the Pacific ocean. Aunt Harriet married Andrew Fuge. He died about 1860 at Jamestown, Virginia. At the time of his death he was Postmaster of that town and his wife held the office until her death which was sometime in the 80's. Aunt Catherine Skien McClain died in 1874. James Beale died in 1868. Uncle Robert in Puget Sound in the state of Washington, in 1859. William Kyle Beale died at Millville, California in 1869. Uncle Jordan at Millville, California in 1881, also his wife at the same place near the same time, shortly after his death leaving a large family, five boys and six girls which are my cousins.

I have two cousins in Oregon but where they are I don't know and what their names are I don't know. They are Uncle Williams daughters. I think the oldest one Nelly Beale married McClain, at Salem, a printer. Mary Beale I have no idea of her marriage to anyone.

That's all the relatives that I have in this country outside of Father's and my own family. I have five sisters and one brother in Oregon, Idaho and Canada scattered.

Some of them are:

Mrs. Mary Abigail Milligan, Lane County, Oregon and her family all but one live in Oregon, one in Washington. Mrs. Zumwalt, Eugene City, Oregon, has only one child, Mrs. Simpson, she lives in Eugene City. Mrs. Alice Masters, Twin Falls, Idaho has only one child, he a railroad man in Idaho.

Mrs. Jerome Cherry, Berkley, California has two girls, one lives in Berkley the other lives in Seattle, Washington. Mrs. Ida Olcott, Pendleton, Oregon two girls who died at a very young age, third daughter died at age 21. F. J. or Frank J. or Francis Jordan Beale in Canada has one son Claude Beale who lives in Grand Round in Union county, Oregon. His sister Mrs. Evaline Sanders lives in Montana. Mrs. Betty Kite Barger had two sons who died, both buried at Athena, Oregon. Two sons, one in Idaho, one in Oregon and one daughter that lives in Los Angeles, California. Betty and her husband are both dead.

Well, my family consists of four girls and one son which are pretty well scattered. My two oldest daughters live in Bakersfield, Kern county, California. Mrs. Lydia M. Guion and daughter Burrell and Mrs. Charles A. Berkley and daughter, Sarah Francelia. Mrs. Maude Wittock of Pasco, Washington and Mrs. C. J. Bennett of Portland, Oregon and son James D. Bennett.

Mrs. Guion is a widow, her husband was killed on the railroad about 15 or 16 years ago.

Charles A. Berkley is a brakeman on the Southern Pacific in California. Julius B. Wittock is on the Northern Pacific in Washington. Carroll J. Bennett is a salesman for the Mutual Creamery Co. in Portland, Oregon. My son, Roy C. Beale is with the A.G. Barnes circus and is every place but one and that is nobody know where he is. Their Winter quarters is in or near Los Angeles, California. At this time of writing he is very close to Chicago.

I have three Grandchildren: Burrell Guion now 20 years old. & Francelia Berkley in her tenth year. James D. Bennett in his fifth year. Three Grandchildren dead: Roy Beale, one daughter Maude Wittock, one son and one daughter.

Well, that is enough for anyone to know about all the family so I will tell you about myself and my ups and downs in this great universe which has been good for me and has been bad also but let her go as she looks.

I was born in 1842 at the Big Monegaw Springs between the Osage and Sac rivers in St. Clair county, Missouri.

In 1844 Father and Grandfather Hutchings moved to Kentucky and stayed there until the Spring of 1849.

Mother's name was Ann Elizabeth Beale. Her maiden name was Hutchings and she died in Nelson county Kentucky in the Spring of 1847 and is buried at Bardstown. I was five years old. Father married again the first of January, 1849 to my Mother's sister, so my step Mother was my Aunt. Her name was Judith Mariah Hutchings. Their daughters I claim as my sisters, no half to it for they are the same blood as I am. Am I right or wrong, I will leave it to you to say as I don't know.

In the Spring of 1849 Father moved back to Missouri and stayed until the Spring of 1853.

We left home and made a break for the West the 3rd day of May, 1853 so you see I was in my 11th year when I came to Oregon. I rode from Missouri to Oregon and drove cattle as there were a few over five hundred in the herd. The Smith boys were the owners of the outfit that I came in.

Our train consisted of twelve oxteams and one four mule team which belonged to the owners of the stock. Their Father, Mother and three sisters rode in it as they were quite old. Their Mother was my Father's own cousin. Their two sons Pitzer and William came to Oregon in 1850 and made quite a stake and went back for their Father and Mother. One brother stayed in Oregon, he came to Oregon in 1843 with the Waldo and Applegate outfit. I had two Uncles that came that same year and in the same train, William K. Beale never left this coast but George Polk Beale went back to Missouri then back to Oregon in 1852.

While on the trail I got pretty wise to a great many things which weren't very nice for a boy of my age to know but I took everything in, good or bad, just as they came and I haven't forgot them yet, nor never will as they are fresh in my memory when I think of he past. I had one biest a day and all the emigrant beef I wanted to eat, pretty short pickings but it was a great lesson and learned well as I have learned since.

We landed in the valley of the Willamette on November the 9th, 1853 East of Eugene City. We stayed there for about fifteen days then went down to Marion county and stayed until the Spring of 1854.

Father found a place near Harrisburg of 160 acres and there I stayed until the 12th of September, 1858. (16 years old).

I took stock of my holdings, I had nearly new pants of genes, nearly new shoes, regular stoges (boots), risque shirt, poor hat, good coat and ready cash of twenty five cents but I went just the same as I had that roving disposition and it had to come out as I liked the frontier life.

After my departure from home the first job I struck was herding sheep for one week for John Cogswell. The third day I found a quart bottle at the root of a fir tree. It was nearly full of yellow stuff. I didn't know what it was so I took it down to the house and showed it to his brother and he did not tell me what it was but asked where I had found it. When his brother John came home I was told it was gold dust! For ignorance and honesty I was made a present of Five dollars which I thought was grand. It was the first gold dust that I had ever seen but I soon learned all about it as later on I was right in a mining town.

The next job was driving a jerk water stage carrying the United States mail from Corvallis, Oregon to Oakland, Oregon.

I was at that when the California and Oregon put on a line from Marysville, California to Portland, Oregon.

I come to think I was not as smart in the way of education as I aught to be so quit and went to school for six months at Eugene. My teacher was Gilbert.

When school was out, I went to driving stage again from Albany to Eugene. I drove until in the Fall and then helped gather a herd of cattle to Southern Oregon. Later on I went to California with a cattle company. The men's names was Dorris, Phillips, Rice, Calbert and Jones. They had between 2,000 and 2,500 head, big and little.

When I got to my journey's end I was employed as a buckaroo but was soon promoted to delivery man to their five shops. The shops were in Hawkinsville, Calahans at the foot of Scotts mountain, Sant Salmon and Weaverville. My head place was Plowmans Valley, near where Dunsmuir is now.

This takes me up to the Fall of 1860 (18 years) when I came back to Southern Oregon. I stayed around Kerbyville, Sailor Diggins and Ault house (Althouse)until the Fall of 1861 when I went to the Willamette Valley for a short time. I left Salem for Eastern Oregon in March and stayed there until 1869. (27 years).

My time put in there was packing and stage driving and was in several scrapes with Indians and some rather tuff and close calls. You will bear in mind that while on my sojourn in Eastern Oregon there were many things that happened which I will not tell you about! If you have any knowledge of a new country it was there and then the same I tell you, pistols and coffins at both ends of the road. All you had to do to find anything you wanted was to let it be known and somebody would accommodate you and no word about it. It was treat or travel and pretty quick.

It makes me laugh to hear one of the would be "bad men" tell what he has done and that he is a "frontiers man". "Well" I ask, "When did you come"? "Oh, I came to Eastern Oregon or Idaho or Nevada in 1886." The general answer is from 1875 to 1885 when things was plentiful and everybody was at peace and harmony. All along in the 60's it was all hell-fire and brimestone and no fitch hat.

We would leave Umatilla loaded with freight for all parts of the country, three different points in Idaho, Placerville, Bannock and Silver City. There was 2,500 population in that town in 1864, now five or six hundred. We also went to Owyhee, Montana and British Columbia.

In 1863 I had a cargo of goods for Placerville, Idaho and camped where Pendleton is now. As we had some troubles with my mules I went out to make sure to have them in the morning and about one o'clock at night two Indians came to where I was and demanded whiskey of me so we talked for some time. I being alone started for camp and they got rather bad and one of them suddenly became very sick and died on the spot! That was my first hand to hand with them kind of cattle.

The Spring of 1865, Press Nail and me was pardners in a pack train of forty packs. In October the same year we went to The Dalles as we had a cargo for Indian Springs in the Harney country which was called Camp Curry or Warm Springs. We made that trip and came back to The Dalles and took the New York Company to the same place, tuff outfit! We returned to The Dalles and loaded for Canyon City the 12th of December. The snow was about four inches deep and turned cold but I kept on and the weather got worse every day. I spilt my cargo 18 miles North of Canyon City and got in Christmas Eve with little over one half of load. Paid $100 per ton for hay, the trip cost us $1,300 and four pack mules.

There were five of us in the train and everybody had frozen some part of himself. My cook's feet on the bottom was solid blisters. Nail had both hands frozen, three fingers on one hand, thumb one finger on the other. Pibrun had one foot frost bit, not very bad. Banks one foot and both ears frosty. I had all my toes on one foot and back to instep pretty badly frosted. At the South fork of John Day the mercury froze up, laid two days blue cold, could not move.

Christmas Day came back and got the balance of the cargo and got in the 27th of December. Then I hit the peace til I got to Cherry Creek where there was plenty of grass for the mules. While there discovered an Indian camp about six miles West of our camp so the next day they were routed out in a hurry. No quarters shown to anyone.

We moved over to Currant Creek a few days after and the second night was awaken by the barking of a dog. Sam Pibrun and myself was the only ones in camp, about four miles to the nearest one. Mules was all right so we was doing some tall thinking, started out to prospect and to our surprise found our papoose Indian. It was Alexander's wagon dog, Topsy, and her three pups. She was nearly starved. He had lost her about fifteen or twenty days before. We took her to camp and wrote him at The Dalles. In four or five days he was there for her as he was a teamster on the road and she was his herder. Nights she would not leave the horses nor allow anyone to bother them so our scare turned out good.

In February, 1866 on the Canyon City road I was camped on Currant Creek. Some Indians got rather neighborly so a few of the boys thought we would have some fun of our own. The party consisted of Uncle John Kirk, Sam Pibrun, Frank Tompkins, George Huston , the two Haun boys and two men from the stage station and one Indian.

We took this trail down the John Day river going North. We traveled all day and between seven and eight o'clock we caught a faint sound of a tom tom which was music to some of the outfit.

Our Captain was Uncle John Kirk, an old timer on such trips. He and Sam Pibrun went on a reconoiter and gone but a short time until they returned so we moved that night to in about two hundred yards of the camp. The first Indian showed up, he went to the "Happy Hunting Ground". The fun went right on, all as pleasant as could be, everybody happy. Three or four bucks got away by running every direction. There were eight or ten squaws in the bunch, no children. After burning everything we told the squaws to go. All went but two and they would not go. They followed us until we came to cross the river then they sat on the bank while we crossed and how they did run then back down the river. So there was no trouble until in March.

In March, 1866 we had an old time between the South fork of the John Day and Cottonwood. They came down to the Cottonwood house and took out of the corral, two yearlings, three cows and two two-year olds. They went West about three miles, killed a yearling and were having a feast when we came on them. There was a "hot time in our town" for awhile. If any Indians were killed I don't know for they have a way of fading themselves to their horses to take them off and we captured no horses but got the cattle all back.

The only one hurt was a Humbolt Indian. A bullet struck his stern and glanced and hit his foot and made a slight flesh cut. We killed some of their horses as they was on the run. It was a lucky scrape after all so peace for awhile was the order of the day for all hands. For how long no one knew, for a man is always ready here for anything that may turn up. That is the kind of folks here, all ready for some fun, no difference what it may be! Such was the way of nearly everyone them days. Did not know what fear was!

In 1866 I went to Montana for my health. Me and a man by name of Martin went and we had some narrow escapes while we were roving around. We went to the Golden Valley from Helena and down it going East until we came to what was called the Jackson Hole. It was tuff, you bet.

From there we went to Yellowstone River then turned West and headed for Winnepeg in Canada. Went through Prickly Pear Valley and then to Fort Benton on the Missouri River, crossed it and took the old Hudson Bay trail for Winnepeg. We got about one hundred miles out and came back. It was the 18th of August and you could track a horse in the frost. I quit, all my pep was gone, too cold for me! We came back to Helena and Martin went on the Walla Walla, Washington and got a job on the stage line to Fort Benton until the 15th of November when it was pulled off for the want of business.

I bummed around Helena for a short time then drove from Helena to Virginia City, Montana tri-weekly. A cold drive, when I got to the station I always had a white team, made no difference what color when they started.

I quit the job in April, 1867 and went by Salt Lake and City of Rocks then to Boise, Idaho. Stayed there for ten days then went to Irontown in the Grande Rhonde valley, then took a six mule team for Jacobs and Beuter bound for Lemhi, Idaho. Got back to Walla Walla, Washington the last of June and I quit and went back to Uniontown again. Bought out a man's rights on 160 acres of state land one mile North of Union. I had a fairly good crop of barley then in 1868 I drove ten mules for John Creton and Slocum of Union town until in the Fall, then prepared for the 1869 crop.

In the Spring of 1869 I worked for Creton and Slocum again until sometime in October then sold my little farm and other stock and went to the Willamette Valley to see the folks.

When I got there Father or none of them knew me as the parents had given up all hope of me ever coming home. I got home the 24th day of December, 1869. Father begged me to stay as I had made up my mind to go to Mexico, which was my second start for that country, so I stayed.

I was married to Miss Genavive Malone in l871.

In l872 we went to California and I stayed until 1880 then went back to Eastern Oregon and there I stayed until 1910.

When I went to California in 1872 I was employed on a farm 21 miles due West of Sacramento in Yolo county and stayed there until March 1875.

29 December 1879 my wife Genevive died and I was all broke up. I lost my wife and three children in less than two years, all are buried in Fresno, California.

The first day of April of 1879 my salary started as driving stage from Mercede to the Big Tree station. Drove the season out then they cut me down from Mercede to Mariposa and cut wages to $40.00 per month. In a short time I quit and went to Eastern Oregon to Umatilla county to the town of Pendleton.

In a few days I got a letter from Y.G. Thrapher, the division agent on the Overland from Boise to Pendleton, and went. My run was from Salmon Falls to Rock Creek near Shoshone Falls, Idaho. I stayed on that drive until November and quit and went to Pendleton.

Drove there to Heppner in Morrow county and the first day of August, 1880 was transferred to the Umatilla drive and stayed there until I quit so that winds up my stage driving.

In a short time I started a milk dairy selling to the hotels and families of the town of Pendleton and followed that for nine years. It was known as the Wild Horse Dairy.

I had remained a widower until I married Miss Sarah Jane Brown the 26th of July, 1881 in Eugene, Oregon.

Besides the dairy I had two or three hundred head of cattle. In 1890 and 1891 I had between four and five hundred head. In the Spring of 1891 I sold three hundred head and in the Spring sold the dairy and cut my cattle down to twenty six cows and one full blooded Duram male. Not satisfied so in March 1892 bought three hundred head so in it again. Sold that year 125 for beef and the Spring of 1893 I turned out 716 head and hard times and stock went down and other drawbacks made a man with lots of cattle look wild trying to find a place to lite. Prime steers 2-l/4 cents per pound, dry cows 1-1/2 cents per pound or $12 and $14 a head so it got somewhat bad.

Dave Horne and me shared a train load of cattle last and we got a little deduction on a car and guarantee of 25 per hour and the right of way clear through so we got a little better price than we could here at home. There were no culls, everything went, stags, bull all sold.

In the Fall of 1893 I sold all my cattle but one cow for I was taken sick and was in bed for near one year and never was the same man again. For two years I just went around to save funeral expenses as far as doing anything.

In the Spring of 1896 I got back on my feet as I was tough and went to work but I soon found out I was no good but would not give up. I bought a horse and express wagon and I made good and later on bought a dray which I followed for ten years then sold out and quit the business.

I came to Portland, Oregon and went to work for Warren Construction Company which was in the Fall of 1910 and worked for them until the Fall of 1914. In April, 1912 I fell fourteen feet and hurt my spine. Still a cripple and getting worse, so goes the world. I am not able to do any labor where physical strength is to be used. Can't stand on my feet only a few minutes at a time so I am done up and live with my baby, Lena, Mrs. C.J. Bennett.

I am alone in my old age but I am happy with my baby and Grandson for he sure a Captain, you bet and is in his fourth year but he is a Cracker Jack.

I have had a good many ups and downs which I did not mention as they were only what we called a little difference of opinion, which it was. I was as wild as anyone come day and go day and God send Sunday.

One and all take care of yourself and you have enough to keep busy so I will close and you all guess the rest.

Keep this in rememberance of me for all to see. Charles William Beale, your Father and also my Grandchildren Burrell Guion, Sarah Francelia Berkley, James D. Bennett. My children are, Mrs. Lydia M. Guion, Mr. Roy C. Beale, Mrs. Ella Berkley, Mrs. Maude E. Wittock and Mrs. Lena B. Bennett.

This is written and signed by Charles William Beale, July, 1923.

Charles W. Beale passed on the ninth day of February 1924 at the age of 81 years 5 months and 3 days. He was making his home with his daughter, Mrs. C.J. Bennett. The cause of his death was gall stones.

1988: After many years of reading, re-reading, typing, re-typing, reading books, studying maps and writing letters for information, the "Byogofy of C.W. Beale" is ready to be passed on to his descendents in a form they can read.

Since he finished writing his story in 1923 there were three more Grandchildren born to his "baby" Lena Bennett, Paul Edward Bennett, Charles William Bennett and Sarah Jane Bennett Mertz. Charles William was named after his Grandpa and Sarah Jane after Grandma Sarah Jane Brown Beale. At this writing there are only three Grandchildren living, James, Paul and Sarah Jane. Of his thirteen Great Grandchildren there are eleven living. The eleven have produced sixteen Great Great Grandchildren and will no doubt be followed by many Great Great Greats. I am sure Grandpa would be happy to know his story has been rewritten so it can be understood as he wrote:

"KEEP THIS IN REMEMBRENCE OF ME FOR ALL TO SEE"

CHARLES WILLIAM BEALE

Summary (per Gary E. Mertz):

Charles William Beale, Son of Tavenor Beale and Ann Elizabeth Hutchings Beale.
6 Sept 1842     Born Big Monegaw Springs, Clair Co, Missouri
3 May 1853     Left for Oregon (11yrs old) with Father and family on a Wagon Train that followed the “Elliott Cut-Off” and became known as “The Lost Wagon Train of 1853”. Captian of their outfit, not the Wagon Train, was Pitzer Smith.
1 Nov 1853     Arrived Oregon
9 Nov 1853     Arrived Willamette Valley, OR
10 May 1854   Settled Harrisburg, OR, until 12 Sept 1858
26 July 1881    Married Sarah Jane Brown in Eugene(my great grand mother), daughter of John and Mary Brown of Eugene, OR, believed in Eugene prior to 1852.

Notes:
*1 By evidence believe Sarah should be Anna Kyle Beale. Original hand written “Byogogy” definitely shows “Sarha”. but Charles was in his 80’s when he wrote his life story, and probably hadn’t seen his grandmother since he left Missouri for Oregon on a wagon train when he was 11 yrs old. Also, there’s Kyle and Beale family information on several genealogy sites with ref to records and bible sources that show Anna (Kyle) Beale married to Charles Beale (C. W. Beale’s grandparents). Anna did have a sister named Sarah and she is shown having her own life, separate and different from Anna.