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Mrs. Inez Eugenia (Adams) Parker early recollections of Oregon pioneer life, ca. 1924
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Parker, Inez Eugenia Adams, 1845-1933
- Title
- Mrs. Inez Eugenia (Adams) Parker early recollections of Oregon pioneer life
- Dates
- ca. 192419241924
- Quantity
-
0.02 linear feet, (2 folders)
- Collection Number
- CB P225
- Summary
- Collection consists of the memoir of Mrs. Inez Eugenia (Adams) Parker, who crossed the plains from Illinois to Oregon in 1848 and spent her childhood in Yamhill, Oregon. Her memoir, Early recollections of Oregon pioneer life, tells of her life in Illinois. Inez Adams Parker traveled on the Oregon Trail as a very young child and wrote her recollections late in life. The collection consists of her typed, autobiographical account of her life in Oregon.
- Repository
-
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public.
Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.
- Languages
- English
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Inez Eugenia Adams Parker autobiography and reminiscences is a typed, extensive personal narrative covering almost eighty years of Adam’s life. It begins with the 1848 migration of her family from Illinois to Mamouth [Monmouth], Oregon, when Parker was two and a half years old. Parker provides some details of this overland journey that are impossible for a child of this age to recall. Nevertheless, her narrative is detailed and provides some depth in terms of life in Oregon in the late 19th century. In many ways, the Parker autobiography provides typical details of the lives of homesteaders during this time. She recounts making soap and candles; she describes her father’s professional work away from home (as a school teacher and a miner) and her mother’s work at the home when she had constant interaction with her three children. Indeed, Parker’s observation on the sturdy nature of pioneers (page 6) shows how her narrative fits with other narratives about Oregon “pioneers” produced at this time.
The Parker autobiography is unique in one respect. Her family had close connections with one group of Indians who lived near and passed through Monmouth. Parker was acquainted with one of the Chiefs (Wyano-shott) who headed a band of Indians who attended church with Parker and her family. She and her father (and perhaps other members of the family) learned some of the local language. Parker used an English translation or pidgin form of this language in her autobiography (and provided translations).
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Inez Eugenia Adams was born in Henderson County, Illinois, on October 18, 1845. At the age of two and a half, in March 1848, she began the long journey to Oregon with her parents and her sister. She married and changed her surname to Parker. At age 79 she wrote a reminiscence of her life in Oregon.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Mrs. Inez Eugenia (Adams) Parker early recollections of Oregon pioneer life, CB P225, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.
Alternative Forms Available
This collection has been microfilmed. Microfilm reels are available for purchase, or via Inter-library Loan. When requesting reels for this collection, please request: “Women’s Lives, Series 3, American Women Missionaries and Pioneers Collection, reel(s) 92.”
Microfilms of this collection have been digitized. Digital images prepared from microfilm copies are available from Special Collections & University Archives, and available online through Gale’s Women's Studies Archive: Women’s Issues and Identities.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Frontier and pioneer life--Oregon
- Overland journeys to the Pacific
- Women pioneers--Oregon
Personal Names
- Parker, Inez Eugenia Adams, 1845-1933
- Parker, Inez Eugenia Adams, 1845-1933. Early recollections of Oregon pioneer life
Geographical Names
- Oregon National Historic Trail
- Yamhill (Or.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Memoirs