Was the only member of the Eli Michael family living at the time she gave imformation of her family history. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Her baptism date listed in the family bible. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Marina Emmaline Michael lived over 50 years in Corvallis, Oregon. and was best known as Emma Fruitt.
-----------------------------------------------------------------Notes from Marina Emmiline Michael- Father took up a clain of 640 acres about 5 miles south west of Brownsville. Having no compass he staked out diagonally almost 30 degrees from the true north. Grandfather took up a clain of equal size about 3/4 th of a mile north of father’s north line. and at an angle to true north. These two claims wedged between the true north and south lines of later claims made the map of that region very peculiar. It also necessitated the laying out of some very crooked roads in that neighborhood. According to Rodney Fruitt Eli was involved in the Indian Wars by supplying food to th troops.
Another member of the Michael family who came in 1847 was my uncle Elijah. He was a preacher and his clain was north of father’s caim. He was one of the early circuit riders and preached at Brownsville, Harrisburg and at Wesley Chapel near Halsey and at various school houses around the country..
When the Michaels first came to Oregon they planned to settle near Harrisburg but it was winter and the water in the Williamette River was in flood and they moved north nearer the foothills to take up their claims The first house was a one room log cabin but in 1958 they built a better house of sawed timbers. It was a large house and one room was really large with the intention of have church services there. The old house stood about a quarter of a mile south of the present George Fruitt place. All the people were methodists and there were preacher such as Elijah Michael, John Pearl , James Pearl and Father John McKinney
When they first built in the area Indians lived on the south end of Twin Butts as it was high and dry. The valley was full of grass midbelly on cattle high. Often you could see herds of deer from tha cabin door.
All of my brothers and sisters and I went to school at the central school south of the Michael claim. It was a log cabin at first but later a frame building was built. Georgene Olive Fruitt told me that she went to this grade school and had to walk 3 miles each way every day. The school is now gone.
Between the seasons of haying and harvest there was a 3 week camp meeting at Union Point just east of the Michael farms and people from miles around would come and camp and worship
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When they were living on the homestead on the lower end of the place was a swamp where camus grew. The Idians came to gather the campus and camped there. One day some of the Indian women took the Fruitt baby, Victor, without Emma knowing it and took him to their camp. They made the baby some beaded moccasins. Emma discovered the baby missing and ran to the Indian camp. The Indian women thought it was a good joke to take the baby without the family knowing..