Justin Chenoweth papers
Scope and Contents
This collection includes a diary and early Oregon correspondence (originals and typed transcripts) of Justin Chenoweth, pioneer and surveyor, and chronicles his work and family life during the years 1848-1862. The collection also includes accounts and receipts, some recorded in his diary, and some separately. Legal documents feature Chenoweth's work as a justice of the peace, as well as family land claims and transactions. The collection also includes two reels of microfilm, one of Wasco County land plats, and one of a Wasco County township atlas.
Dates
- 1848-1898
Creator
- Chenoweth, Justin, 1825-1898 (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
Born in Clark County, Illinois, in 1825, Justin Chenoweth received an education in civil engineering, and employed his skill as a surveyor for public and private purposes in the Oregon Country. Chenoweth worked officially along the West Coast as a United States surveyor for the Vancouver land office, and also surveyed land in Portland, and in Wasco County, where Chenoweth Creek bears his name.
In 1849, Chenoweth traveled to The Dalles, Oregon, as a civilian member of the First U.S. Mounted Rifles, and found work in Linn City as a teacher. In Oregon City, he served as clerk of the Oregon Territory, as territorial librarian, and as a schoolteacher. His diary and first letterbook recount some of that time.
Chenoweth settled on a claim west of The Dalles, where he married Mary H. Vickers in 1852. He served as justice of the peace, superintendent of schools for Skamania County, Washington Territory, and as a mail carrier, ferrying mail across the Columbia River between The Dalles and Cascades. The Chenoweths had four children. Mary Chenoweth died in 1862; Justin Chenoweth died in Portland in 1898, where he had made his home for some years.
Extent
0.45 Cubic Feet (1 document case)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Handwritten diary, letterbooks, and documents relating to Justin Chenoweth's travel to Oregon and work as a surveyor, mail carrier, and justice of the peace in Oregon and Washington Territory, primarily from the years 1848 to 1862. Includes family correspondence.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series:
- Series 1: Diary, 1848-1852
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1849-1860
- Series 3: Documents and general materials, 1850-1898
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Clyde B. Aitchison, 1946.
Bibliography
- Vertical File - Genealogy - Chenoweth Family, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
- McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Oregon Geographic Names," seventh edition. Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press, 2003.
Processing Information
Collection was initially processed in 2005; typescripts were foldered separately to simplify access to reference copies of originals, and documents and general materials were sorted by subject. Subsequent changes included the removal of Oregon Historical Society administrative notes and correspondence concerning the collection; the addition of two reels of microfilm to the collection in 2018; and the incorporation of additional typescript copies of materials, also in 2018. Collection guide was revised to condense inventory and conform to current standard in 2024.
- Chenoweth, Justin, 1825-1898 -- Diaries
- Chenoweth, Justin, 1825-1898 -- Correspondence
- Diaries
- Frontier and pioneer life -- Oregon
- Oregon
- Overland journeys to the Pacific
- Pioneers
- Pioneers -- Oregon -- Correspondence
- Pioneers -- Oregon -- Diaries
- Surveyors -- Oregon
- West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
- correspondence
- diaries
Creator
- Chenoweth, Justin, 1825-1898 (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Justin Chenoweth papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Shawna Gandy
- Date
- 2005; revised 2018; revised 2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2018-08: Revised to reflect incorporation of additional typescripts and microfilm that had been housed elsewhere in the Society's holdings.
- 2024-02-09: Revised to condense inventory and conform to current standard.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org