THERE IS A METSKER'S ATLAS. IT SHOWED ELI MICHAEL'S PROPERTY AS LINN 76 Sect 1,4. Eli Michael, oldest son or Jared and Mary Michael, went to Oregon with the several Michael families that went together.He was married to Mary Frazier and had five children. At the winter camp in Missouri she took Two children and left. Some say that she left him on the trail and James, his younger brother, took them back. He was left with three children and went ahead and met Jane Hodges, a single woman, on the trail and they decided to get married after he got a divorce. The Territory of Oregon would not get involved and he did not know where his wife was so it took several years to get a divorce.In the meantime they lived together and had another family started. I do not know the exact date but I have heard that it was possibly in 1854 when he remarried ??? in 1851.Some years later a census found with Nancy Frazier,her Father and her children and a younger son of Jared who did not go west living together. This not a proven fact.Since his dad was old, Eli became head of the family and spread children and grandchildren all over the area. They were strong Methodists and all had large living rooms for church services and had a month tent meeting at Union Point ( 2 Miles East ) in the fall after all the work was done. Several of the Michael men became circuit riders for the church and several of the women married Methodist preachers. The first buried in the Michael Cemetery on Eli's farm was William G. Brown a 3 months old son of a Methodist preacher. I have heard an entirely different story about the Eli Michael- Nancy Frazier marriage and breakup and the sourse was Judy Caulfield, an heir, who got the story from Eli's daughter. Jane Hodges and Eli were married for two years before he got his divorce from Nancy. And the one story told how Eli was ordered to return to Nancy and to make a home for her and the kids, they were his obligation. That he became ill and was bedfast in his wagon. That Jane Hodges, who was with her family, was made to care for him after Nancy left. The feeling is that they had been making out and were caught and her punishment was to take care of him. This also gave him an excuse to not return with Nancy . James, Eli's brother, had to take Nancy back to ( Probably) Indiana. If Eli had been innocent, the whole Michael and Hogdes clan would have witnessed her desertion and he could have initiated the divorce in Oregon but he got no help in Oregon. Mary Michael ( Nancy and Eli's oldest daughter), went on to Oregon and states that she did not know what happened to James. If James had stayed with Nancy and had children ,as some thought had happened, it would have been known as Mary corresponded with Melissa, a youger sister who went back with Nancy.Therefore it appears that he disappeared. He was 21/22 years old and there was a lot to do in those days. From Marjorie Nichols-Eli Michael and Nancy Frazier had at least one child in Boone Co.Ind. Nancy Frazier no doubt came back to Boone Co. after leaving the wagon train as she had family there. DLC 1259 RB Linn Co Oregon (Land). I spent a day in Boone Co. in 1993 but could not find any evidence that she had ever been there. Some information from Geo. Fruitt Bible in possession of Elsie Youngberg Eli lived on his land claim for 45 years and died at the age of 75. His designated Land Claim no 1259 31 July, 18 ----------------------------------------------------------------- From Mrs Marena Emma Michael Fruitt 1940 My father was a soldier in the Oregon Indian Wars. He carried a sword at that time that was also carried by his grandfather in the Revolutionary war. This old sword has seen hard usage but is still a family possession. Such momentos were not greatly valued when I was a child and one of my brothers cut the blade short to make a corn knife. It is now only half a sword. My son, George has it in his home. My father helped haul the machinery for the first grist mill in Brownsville as well as for the old Finley Mill at Crawfodsville and later for the woolen mill in Brownsville. All of this heavy machinery came from Oregon City. The roads were very poor. As we think today, there were no roads at all just mud tracks winding across the country. At that time Corvallis consisted of about two houses and a drugstore. There was a ferry at Corvallis run by pulling the ferry across by hand. That ferry continued in use for many years . About 1900 when my husband ran it it was more modern and ran by an overhead cable and propelled by the push of the current against the slanting sides of the scow. It was finially discontinued when the present Willamette River bridge was built. ----------------------------------------------------------------- From Bristow notes Eli Wesley Michael and his wife, Nancy, came west in his father, Jared's, wagon train. In the winter of 1846-1847 while the train was wintering on the North Platte, Nancy left her husband, took her two youngest daughters, Martha and Melisa. On 20 April 1853 in Oregon Territory, Linn Co..Oregon Eli divorced Nancy and Married Jane Hodges and established D.L.C. 1259 south and continguous to Jared Michael's He lived on it till he died , a total of about 45 years. The Michael's were Methodists and meetings were held in their home for a number of years. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A copy of the divorce papers are in my files- they state. United States District Court - Oregon Teerritory-Linn Co. Petition fro divorce by Eli W Michael and Nancy Michael. April 20 th 1853 - Received from Eli W Michael the payment in the above cause eighteen dollars and thirty nine cents
Clerk District Co
----------------------------------------------------------------- Brownsville Town Postoffice 1870 Census B.B. 91 Michael, Eli listed as farmer Jane Keeps house, David works on farm Sarah in School and Eli B. in school Also listed were Elizabeth, Munna E. and Drury ---------------------------------------------------------------- Wedding date confirmed by Decatur Co. Indiana Marriage records 1822-2852 Books A thru G. -C-205
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In around 1970, Elsie Browning, a descendant of Eli and Jane ( Hodges ) Michael wanted to get genealogy on the Hodges line. The families of decendants lived in Cresswell and she visited them Elzie was not warmly accepted
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Eli W. Michael born 1817 Monongalia Co. Va. Arrived in Oregon prior to 1Dec 1850 settles DLC 31 July 1851 Married Jane July 1851 Benton Co. Oregon Territory.
-----------------------------------------------------------------The Michael Cemetery was established in 1863 on the Eli Michael DLC T 15 S R 3 W S 26. When George and Mina Averill were married they lived in that house. When they built the house that is still standing in 1923 they used the beams from the old house.
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Eli went to the gold fields in California to get enough money to build a new house. The second larger house was built. the house that is still standing was built in 1923. When they built the present house they used the large beams and some lumber from the old Michael house.
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Copy of Donation Land Certificate # 1259 on June 1868 in my files.
From Eli Michael Family Bible - he died at 1:10 PM