William Roberts letter to William Kibbs

Collection

Identifier: Coll 928

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of a letter that Methodist missionary William Roberts wrote to William Kibbs. In the letter, Roberts indicates that he has been very busy with work. He also gives his impressions about the Oregon Territory's climate, soil, and people. He writes that although the journey to Oregon is difficult, once someone has arrived, a Christian person can be very happy. He also recommends that if Kibb emigrates westward, he come to Oregon rather than California. The last sentence of the letter before Roberts' signature has been cut out; it is unknown who did this or why, or what this sentence said.

Dates

Creation: 1850 October 15

Creator

Roberts, William, 1812-1888 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

William Roberts was born in 1812 in Burlington, New Jersey, and became a Methodist minister in 1834. In 1846, he was appointed to be superintendent of the Oregon Methodist Mission that Jason Lee (1803-1845) had founded in 1834. He emigrated to Oregon with fellow Methodist missionary James H. Wilbur (1811-1887), arriving in 1847. He remained superintendent of the Oregon Methodist Mission until 1853. He was chair of the Oregon-California Mission Conference in 1849, and a trustee of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in 1853. He worked as a minister in several other locations in the Pacific Northwest in the 1850s and 1860s. Roberts died in 1888, and was buried in the Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem.

Sources: "Dictionary of Oregon History," second edition, 1989, edited by Howard McKinley Corning; obituary in the Oregonian, August 24, 1888; vital records on Ancestry.com.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Letter from William Roberts (1812-1888) to William Kibbs, which includes Roberts' impressions of the Oregon Territory. Roberts was a Methodist missionary who was the superintendent of the Oregon Methodist Mission from 1847 to 1853, and was a trustee of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.