WPA Interviews

Bramwell, John Creath

December 5 1938

INTERVIEW

John Creath Bramwell of Halsey, Oregon.

(This interview is of especial importance as being a key to the existence of an old pottery, known as the "Peoria Pottery" which existed near Halsey at an early date, probably from about 1850 to 1870. Besides being an interview with Mr. Bramwell this item contains some notes on the old pottery, contributed by Mr. Wm. L. "Billy" Wells on whose farm is situated the old pottery site, and by Mrs. Bessie Templeton Leonard, of Brownsville, Oregon, a distant relative of the original operator of the pottery.)

On being interviewed, Mr. Bramwell gave the following information-

I was born one and one half miles north of the present site of Halsey, Oregon. My birth date is 1857 making my age at present, eighty-one years.

My father was Harvey Bramwell, born near Madison, Indiana in 1813 from which place he started for Oregon in the year 1851. My mother whose maiden name was Adelade Martz was born in the territory which is now North Virginia in the year 1823, and came to Oregon in 1852, starting the trip from Illinois. The train in which my mother came to Oregon also contained such well-known local families as the Barnetts and the Frums. They entered Oregon by ox team and crossed the Cascades by way of the Barlow pass.

I should state here that my father had previously been married before starting for Oregon. His first wife's name was Lucy and although I know her maiden name well it has just now slipped my mind. However, she was a relative of a Vawter family who lived in the vicinity of Madison, Indiana in the early days.

When my father started for Oregon he was accompanied by his first wife, Lucy, and three children. Lucy died on the plains and my father was attacked by rheumatism and laid helpless in his wagon for six weeks as they traveled, his care and management of the teams being taken over by the three small children. Later on the trip two of these children died so that father reached Oregon with only one remaining child from the family of four which had started out. (Deaths believed due to malaria.) "Father landed in Portland in the autumn of 1851 and proceeded on to Tualatin Plains where he remained the first winter and then came south to Linn County where he bought out a claim and settled. On that claim, one and one (?) mile north of Halsey I was born and there I have spent practically all my life until I retired and came into the town of Halsey. I have never been far from this vicinity in all my life. Have never been outside of the State of Oregon but once, at which time I went to Washington and worked in a logging camp for a few months.

My father and mother were married in 1853. The minister performing the ceremony was the Rev. William Sperry of Brownsville who was in the same immigrant train with my mother. Incidentally, I will add to the list of those who came in that train the Houstons who formerly lived near Plainview, Linn County. Rev. Wm. Sperry was the captain of that train.

My father was a carpenter by trade and brought his tools and tool chest with him. Rather, he had them sent ahead for they were shipped by sailing ship and came around the Horn. I still have the old chest & tools.

My father, besides having been married once before crossing the plains and a second time, (to my mother), was married a third time after my mother's death. To his first marriage in Indiana there were born four children. To his second marriage three children. To his third marriage two children, making nine in all. Of these nine children I am the only one now left alive.

This Halsey country was settled rather late-much later than the foothill country about Brownsville. The reason was that before drainage ditches were opened the whole valley was like a swamp. The streams, many of them, had no definite channels but spread out over the floor of the valley, wandering here and there over all the land. The large watercourse, now called Spoon River, a mile or so east of Halsey did not exist when I was a boy. All that region was a big slough. (Spoon river began merely as a farmer's drainage furrow made with his plow. I can remember when that furrow began to wash out to make the present big channel. The Van Winkles, ancestors of our present Oregon Attorney General owned that land at the time. Mr. Van Winkle had plowed the furrow to partially drain a field. On the night in question some youngsters went out to the McCoy place to a party. On the way out they crossed the furrow easily but on their return it had so enlarged that they could not jump it, but landed in deep water and had difficulty in getting across. In the rainy season the slough there was from six inches to two and one half feet deep with water in it all the time. Now the enlarging of "Spoon River" has drained it to an extent that it is good farmland. The Van Winkle place is now owned by a Mr. Straley. (1938).

I can remember that in the early days, before drainage was much developed, my father would often lead his team of horses from the barn and let them drink from the surface of the ground at the very barn door. There is not much fall to the ground slope in this part of the valley and even yet, Muddy Creek, west of here, winds and twists about to find its way to the river. I presume "Muddy" travels at least half a mile in useless turns for every mile that it goes forward.

In the early days the tall, rank grass covered all this valley (The Tufted Hair-Grass, Aira caespitosa (L. Haskin, field worker.) We would turn out our cattle on the valley and they would immediately be lost in the tall grass which reached higher than their backs. In looking for cattle it was impossible to find them by sight. It was necessary to listen for their bells, and when they were lying down to rest during the heat of the day, one might pass within a few feet without finding them. In the very early days-before my memory-my people told me that deer and bears were plentiful. Geese and ducks, for some reason, did not seem to be unduly abundant just at first but later they came into the valley to feed on the farmers grain in flocks of thousands and thousands. My father insisted that at first the winters were milder here than later. When he first came he could work all day in his shirtsleeves in falling rain without getting chilled.

Among our neighbors in the early days were the Van Winkles, The Staffords, the Ramseys, the Waltons, the Hayes, Seth and Ebenezer, the Pearls, and the Yarbroughs.

Isaac Walton lived about a mile and one half northeast of my father's place. (I.N. Walton) He and one of my brothers went to Orofino to the gold mines (Idaho{?}) for a time. Sons of the Walton family still live in the valley, Bill Walton at Crawfordsville, Linn County, and Lee (L.E.) Walton who is a druggist at Harrisburg. Cleo James, a daughter of Bill Walton lives at Brownsville. Her husband is Walter James. Lee Walton, I believe, owns real estate on the riverbank below Peoria where the old town of Burlington formerly stood.

My people belonged to the Church of Christ here at Halsey. It was founded by Alfred Powell and Lewis(?) Powell, early Christian Ministers who also founded the first Christian Church in the County on the Santiam a few miles east of Albany. Others who preached here at an early day were Rev. Creeley.

The Methodists has a church known as Wesley Chapel which was situated one and one half miles east and a little north of Halsey. Its site is now on the Straley place, but was formerly the Van Winkle place. The Van Winkle family were influential early Methodist. Preachers at Wesley Chapel were Noah (?) Starr and Philip Starr. I believe that Rev. I. D. Driver also preached there.

There was a Presbyterian church south east of here and south of Brownsville. I do not know just where it was situated but it may have been at the old town of Union Point.

Harmony Church, another Presbyterian society was two miles west of Halsey. It, also, is gone.

Whipple Hayes owned the south half of what is now Halsey. Ebenezer Hayes the north half. That was before the railroad came. Whipple Hayes was murdered by a man named K. Neal. The murder took place just about one block east of my present house. (The house is on Railroad Street a little ways north of the S.P. Depot.) Neal wished to start a saloon in Halsey, but Whipple Hayes, when he deeded the land for a town site stipulated in the deed that none of it should be used for saloon purposes. Whipple Hayes, his name was Seth Whipple Hayes-was at work drilling a well just west of here. Neal went over there and stabbed him. The building, on which Neal was working at the time, and in which he wished to start the saloon, is the next one just south of my garage. (Note. The K. Neal building stands on Railroad Street in Halsey. It is on the east side of the street and is the second building north of the S. P. Ry. Depot. At present it is owned by Henry McDowell.)

Another murder in early days was that of Sidney Smith and his wife, by Sidney's brother Tom Smith. Sidney Smith was a stockman who had livestock interests in Eastern Oregon and was away from home much of the time. Tom Smith, who is reputed to have been a drunkard, stayed about his brother's home. Sidney had money and some say that the money was the incentive for the murder. Tom Smith was hung in Albany.

Halsey was named for a Railroad man named Halsey who was interested in platting town sites along the line of the road. I believe that his name was J. B. Halsey, official of old Oregon-California R.R., now S. P.) I rode on the first train that ever stopped at the Depot here. I am the only man now living in town who was here before the railroad came. The grade through town was built by Chinamen, mostly with pick and shovels. After the track and grading crews went on there was one Chinaman who remained behind for a number of years. He was generally known as "Cal" Lame, because he made his home and worked for Jos. H. Lame. Lame came to Halsey from Peoria and opened a store here in partnership with a man name Kuntz. The Kuntz store is still in operation here, being now conducted by members of the third generation. When Halsey was established and train service began it killed the boat-shipping town of Peoria, on the river east of here. Many buildings were moved from Peoria to Halsey at that time.

I mentioned the Ramsey family as being among our neighbors in early days. Barnett Ramsey came to this neighborhood in quite an early day but did not take up a claim. He purchased land already taken up from a man named Yarbrough. Before coming to this valley Ramsey had lived over on the Mohawk in Lane County. With him, when he came to this country were some relatives named Stafford. There are still Staffords living near the Mohawk at this time. Both the Staffords and the Ramseys purchased land here and Barnett Ramsey opened up a clay pit on his place and began to operate a pottery. His place was about two and one half miles northwest of here and is now owned by "Billy" (Wm. L.) Wells. Ramsey operated the pottery there for a number of years. I have often been at his place and have seen him at work.

Until recently I had a jug made at that place but it has somehow disappeared. It was just a plain, old-fashioned jug such as you see often in the present day except that perhaps its form was a little more rounding.

Ramsey was himself a potter but where he learned his trade I never learned. The fact that Ramsey's pottery was known as the "Peoria Potter" while situated so far from Peoria is not at all strange. In that day there was no Halsey or Shedd, and all of the trading was done either at Peoria or at Brownsville. Peoria was the post office for all this central valley so, naturally, the pottery was considered as being in the Peoria neighborhood. The town of Peoria was settled by people from Peoria, Ill., where there are very large potteries, but I never heard whether Ramsey originally came from that place.

I can show you just where that pottery was located. If you have a car, and wish me to, I will take you out there."(Mr. Bramwell conducted the worker to the Wells farm. This is on a slightly traveled country road northwest of Halsey. From the Wells residence the way led across a sticky "white-land" field where the wet mud formed great loads on the feet-surely sticky and clinging enough to make good pottery clay. The site of the pottery was about one fourth mile north and a trifle west of the Wells residence. The exact point is plainly marked by a large and imposing incense cedar tree upon the brink of a slight rise looking westward towards the Muddy Creek. This tree evidently marks the site of an old residence for fragments of glass and iron were found around it indicating household uses. Beyond the tree a short distance to the north and west the field is thickly strewn with broken bricks from the old kiln and potsherds and remnants of dishes from the old pottery. Clay pits were clearly discernible, though partially filled from years of cultivation, and others were discovered to the southward in the "draw" back of the Wells residence. The fragments of pottery found would indicate that milk crocks formed a large part of the manufactured product. Most of the work showed a dark brown glaze, but in some pieces the glaze was a bright amber red and very smooth and glossy.)

(Mr. Bramwell continued)-

Barnett Ramsey was a brother-in-law to Mr. William T. Templeton who was an early pioneer in the Brownsville neighborhood. The Staffords who came to the country with the Ramseys were also believed to be relatives. There is an old house, built in early pioneer days, a few miles north of Halsey where some of the Stafford family lived. (Situated back from the road on the McWilliams farm, three miles north of Halsey. A photograph of this old house has already been sent in. Leslie L. Haskin, Field worker.)

As to just when this pottery was operated, I cannot tell definitely. I am now coming 82 years of age and I remember it there when I was from ten to sixteen year of age. That would be from 1867 to 1883. Probably it was begun at a much earlier date. "Uncle" Barnett Ramsey lived in a house which stood just underneath, or near by the old cedar tree at the pottery site."

Further information given by-Mr. Wm. L. Wells.

Mr. Wells made the following statement- "When I purchased this farm there was much more litter of brick and crockery pieces beneath the old cedar tree than there now is. There were rather deep pits in the slope below where the clay had been taken out. Since then I have hauled away a number of wagon loads of brick and refuse in order to clear the field and the pits have mostly been filled up and leveled off by repeated cultivation.

Before coming to this place my home was in Polk County and I am acquainted with, and have worked at the potteries at the little town of Buena Vista. A long time ago, probably sometime during the 1870's a family by the name of Ramsey moved to Buena Vista and opened up a little pottery there. They were evidently of the same family as those who ran the pottery were on my place. A man by the name of Miller was associated with Ramsey in the pottery business and I believe that he was a relative also.

There is an Amos Ramsey, a grandson of Barnett Ramsey, who is now living at Junction City, Lane County. I believe that he lives with his sister at that place, a Mrs. Washburn. Another grandson, Sam Ramsey has been on the Police Force in Portland for a great many years. Perhaps he is now retired or may even be dead.

The Ramseys originally came from the "Mohawk" country in Lane County and were related to the Staffords of that region.""This place on which I now live was first taken up by a man named Yarbrough, and was later sold to the Ramseys. The Yarbroughs settled here in 1848.

Further Pottery Notes.

Information received from Mrs. Bessie Templeton Leonard of Brownsville, Oregon.

In being questioned Mrs. Leonard gave the following information.- "My father was Robert Templeton. My grandfather was William T. Templeton, pioneer at Brownsville at a very early date. My Grandmother Templeton's maiden name was Ramsey and she was a sister of Barnett Ramsey who once ran a pottery somewhere in this region, but I never knew exactly where. I can remember hearing my father tell of a winter which he spent with his Uncle Barnett Ramsey at the old pottery. That was when father was a small boy and I remember that he often mentioned the Pine Grove community and cemetery as being somewhere near. I have never known exactly where Pine Grove was.

(Note. Pine Grove community and cemetery are a few miles west of the old pottery site. It is a pioneer community near the Willamette River west of Halsey and south of Peoria. L. Haskin, Field Worker.) "Father told me how he used to sit by the hour watching "Uncle Barnett" working at his potters wheel. Sometimes when "Uncle" would stop to talk with them he would say, "Now this jug-which side do you think the handle should be put on?" The boy would begin to point here or there on the surface of the jug and "Uncle" would say, "Well, don't you think it should be on the outside?"

While going to school that year at Uncle Ramseys my father had for a schoolmate Mr. Davidson of Albany. He is the only living person whom I know who might remember about the pottery.

The Ramseys and the Staffords came to this county from the Mohawk country in Lane County. The head of the family of Staffords was William Stafford.

His wife, before her marriage was Priscilla Ramsey and she was a sister to my mother and to Barnett Ramsey. The Ramseys were Irish and I have heard my mother say that she could sit for a day at a time laughing at Grandmother's and Aunt Priscilla's droll fun. Amos Ramsey is the only member of that family of whom I now know. He lives at Harrisburg, or perhaps at Junction City. I have seen him only a few times. About seven years ago came here and helped during the sheep shearing season. He is a very large man, and tall.

My father, Robert Templeton, looked like the Ramsey side of the family. The Ramseys were tall and large. The Templetons were short and stout like uncle "Bert"(A.B. Templeton)

I have a small stone jar that may have been made at that pottery, but I am not certain. It has been in my family for a very long time. When I was small my mother always warned me to be careful about handling it "Because it is very old". (Note-Mrs. Leonard showed the writer this jar and it bore the inscription on the bottom - "Peoria Pottery". This is definitely the sign and name used by the Barnett Ramsey pottery. L. Haskin, Field worker.) Mrs. Leonard continued- "Peoria was the only post office in that region in the early days, so it is natural that the pottery should be named "Peoria Pottery."I can not tell you whether the Barnett Ramseys ever lived near Peoria, Ill., nor where he learned the pottery business, but I am certain that this jug never came from Peoria, Illinois. (Note. Other jugs of like form have been seen by the worker, and all bear the inscription on the bottom, "Peoria Pottery."A few other pieces of different form have been found with like potters mark upon their bottom, one a very old jug of rather roundish or spherical form, and another a very artistically shaped pottery urn or vase.) L. Haskin, Field Worker.) "The Staffords and Ramseys came from the Mohawk region in Lane County and there are still some Staffords living there. There is a cemetery in that neighborhood which is known as the Stafford Cemetery."Further notes from Mr. Redmond "Red" Pearl, of Halsey, Oregon.

Mr. Pearl gave the following information.- "There was a pottery in this region but not very near to Peoria. It was just north and west from Halsey about two and one half miles. It is situated on the farm now owned by "Billy" Wells. I have seen the broken pieces of crockery scattered all around there. About two years ago I went through there with Amos Ramsey and asked him about it. He said that his grandfather once ran a pottery at that place. If you want to know more about it ask Mr. Bramwell. He lives right on this street three houses north of here. He will know all about it.

Amos Ramsey, with whom I was hunting when I saw the pottery site, lives at Junction City with his sister, a Mrs. Washburn, but just now he is in a hospital at Eugene, and is very sick."

Note by field worker. Below are rough sketches of types of pottery which have been located bearing the mark of this old Linn County pottery. (Leslie L. Haskin.)

(Note. The Wm. L. Wells farm where this pottery was once located is, apparently, in either Section 23 or Section 26 of Township 13 South, Range 4 West of Willamette Meridian in Linn County. The maps available do not show local features accurately enough to be certain of the exact section. L. Haskin.)

Copyright © 2000 Patricia Dunn. All rights reserved. This transcription may not be reproduced in any media without the express written permission by the author. Permission has been given by the Transcriber to publish on the LGS web site.