"The First Trousers" and H.D. Yett General Merchandise, Yoncalla, Oregon

This week's Sepia Saturday theme is books!  

As my regular readers know, last month my Mom gave me two barrels full of family letters, clippings, books, pamphlets and misc. items that date back to the mid-1850's.   They are called "The Letsom Letters", and here is the link to the post about that project. Please just "CLICK HERE".


As I have been recuperating from getting a bone removed from the side of my gum, I spent several days sorting through half of one barrel last weekend.  One of the things that I found was the childrens' booklet below. 

A local store in Yoncalla, Oregon (where the Letsom's lived)  was called H.D. Yett General Merchandise.  As a promotion to encourage shoppers to return each week, the store offered a series of these books, twelve in all.  All you had to do was spend a dollar, and you could buy the booklet for five cents.  I bet that little trick worked just fine and that the kids didn't miss a week! 

Of course, I began to research the book that I found, which is titled "The First Trousers".  The stories inside were written by E. Veale, "The Fairy Tale Authoress".  The stories were illustrated by Palmer Cox, author of "The Brownies".  The copyright on the front of the book is 1897, by Hubbard Publishing Co.   Similar books to this sell for between $100 and $275.

It turns out that the author, illustrator and publishing company are all quite famous.  All three worked together on many project.  I'll add more info on them and H.D. Yett when I find good links for them.  For now, here is a bit about Palmer Cox.

Source: Wikipedia

 Palmer Cox

So there you are!  You can skim the book or read it all, but I thought it would be a nice addition to Sepia Saturday this week.  I have made another post also, which is not on theme but it is another of Uncle John's letters and is really worth checking out, if I do say so myself!  Just "CLICK HERE" to take a look.

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

For my other Sepia Saturday Posts, go to the sidebar on the left and scroll down until you get to this photo of my Dad and me for the list.  Make sure to visit my friends and read their cool stories over at Sepia Saturday.

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.
 

Sepia Saturday #95: Melinda Miller Applegate and The Applegate House

It is that time of the week once more, time for Sepia Saturday .  This week, Alan has chosen a sepia photo of women marching for social justice; making their voices heard in government.  

Yoncalla, Oregon.  Source: Wikipedia

For this post, I chose the setting of Yoncalla, Oregon. The little city of Yoncalla, was the first city council in the United States to be made up of all women.  But, you know me, I always seem to think outside the box a bit and come up with something on the fringes of the suggested topic.  I decided to tell you about Melinda Miller Applegate and her interesting personal protest in 1852.

As I was looking through the books that I have on hand that might have something to do with women protesters, I noticed a book on my shelves that is a personal favorite, "Skookum:  An Oregon Pioneer Family's History and Lore" by Shannon Applegate, c. 1988. 

Married to Melinda, Charles Applegate brought his family to the Oregon Territory in 1843.  On that trip, his brother Linsday's son Elisha, and his brother Jesse's son Edward, both perished as the group crossed the mighty Columbia River.  After that, Charles, Jesse and Lindsay, surveyed and created the famous Applegate Trail.  This became a safer, southern route of The Oregon Trail that did not mess with the Columbia.

The family eventually settled in the Yoncalla/Drain area in Douglas County, Oregon and were friends and kissin' cousins with my family, The Hedricks (Hardscrabble), The Letsoms (Yoncalla), and The Putnams (Tin Pot/Putnam Valley).

Thumbing through the book, I noticed the picture below, of Melinda Miller Applegate, wife of Charles and mother of Lucy (1830), Susan (1831), Ellen (1832), Julia (1833), James (1834), Mary (1836), Lisbon (1837), Irene (1842), Albert (1843), Harriet (1845), Thomas (1847), Jane (1848), Frances (1850), George (1852) and Milton (1854).  That is fifteen kids, folks.

Source:  "Skookum:  An Oregon Pioneer Family's History and Lore" by Shannon Applegate

Melinda's parents were James Miller (b. 1784, d. 1846) and Susannah Basham (b. 1796, d. 1842).  Melinda Miller Applegate was born May 27, 1812 in Powell Valley, Claiborne County, Tennessee.   Melinda married Charles Applegate in Cole, Missouri on July 30, 1829.  She died on January 29, 1888 in Yoncalla, Douglas County Oregon.  Source: Find A Grave Memorial

So, what was Melinda Miller Applegate's great protest?  Her house.  It seems that Melinda felt that 15 children was enough. When Charles got to work on their home, he built what was essentially a huge duplex.  A wall in the middle separated the men's side from the women's side.  The only way that you could go in to either side was through the front door of each separate side.  Their last baby was born in 1854, two years after the house was built.  It seems to have worked!

There were probably other reasons for this division than not wanting more children, however.  The Applegate home was an early destination point in the region.  The men's side was often full of men discussing politics; it was more like a lodge and meeting place. The women's side was for more womanly pursuits and interests.  Eventually, the kitchen was moved from the women's side to a new addition off the back of the home for greater convenience.

Source:  "Skookum:  An Oregon Pioneer Family's History and Lore" by Shannon Applegate

Source:  "Skookum:  An Oregon Pioneer Family's History and Lore" by Shannon Applegate

 Source: The Applegate House Website

The Applegate home has been refurbished, and is now an arts and education center.  For more information about The Applegate House, please "CLICK HERE". 

So, there you go, my friends.  A tiny bit of Oregon history, with a few leads to find out more about the settling of Oregon and the interesting Applegates.

Oh, Horace and Aurilla Hedrick Putnam (my great-great aunt), in their large home on The Putnam Ranch, also had a separate staircase with a divided upstairs (only the upstairs) in their home.  This was to divide the sleeping quarters from overnight lodgers and ranch help from the family.  It makes me wonder if others did that too when designing their homes back then.  But only Charles and Melinda were noted for having no access except for the front doors to either side of their large home.

Take care,


Kathy M.

P.S. - On Memorial Day 2013, we visited the Applegate Cemetery between Drain and Yoncalla.  Here are some of the pictures that I took:

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.