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John Stewart (1785-1857) of Dundee, Scotland, emigrated to the United States with his family in October 1823. The family settled on a farm near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then began its journey to Oregon Territory in 1853. The Stewarts traveled to St. Joseph, Missouri, by steamboat, then bought oxen for the trip to Oregon. Their wagon train, which included members of the Warner family, became known as the Lost Wagon Train of 1853. The Stewart family eventually reached the Willamette Valley and settled near Fall Creek.
Agnes Stewart (1832-1905), daughter of John Stewart, taught in the first schools in Springfield (1855), Lowell (1856) and Fall Creek (1857). She married Thomas Warner on Sept. 9, 1859. One of their five children was Mason Young Warner (1868-19??).
Mason Y. Warner married Celia A. Hyland (1871-19??) on Sept. 9, 1894. Celia Hyland was born near Junction City, Oregon, in 1871, and taught school at Lowell until shortly after her marriage. The couple lived in Lane County all their lives, except for a short time spent in eastern Washington. They had three children, Ivan, Claire and Erma.
Ivan Warner (1896-1973) served in World War I, then managed supermarkets in Cottage Grove, Lebanon, and Dallas, Oregon, before moving to Yachats in 1965.
Erma Warner (1906-19??) became a model in Los Angeles. She worked in several different cities, and in New Guinea and Manila during World War II. She later retired to Los Angeles.
Claire Warner (1898-19??) graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in history and taught school in Tillamook, Oregon. She was the author of several books, including South of the Sunset (New York, 1936) and Builders of Timberline Lodge (1937). She served as Assistant State Director for the WPA Oregon Writers Project, and helped edit the resulting Oregon guide book. During World War II, she served as a WAC for two years, and wrote Soldiers of the Air (1941-1942), a series of radio dramas for the Army Recruiting Service which were broadcast on radio station KOIN, Portland, Oregon. After the war she did public relations work for the Blue Cross Hospital Plan.
The Mason Y. Warner Papers are composed mainly of correspondence, some personal files, and photographs. Most extensive in this collection is the Claire Warner Churchill Thompson material in Series IV. Her papers include many manuscripts and material from World War II.
Series I, Warner Family is composed of correspondence, diaries, manuscripts, genealogical material, account books, school, military, and legal records. The correspondence is arranged chronologically.
Series II, Hyland Family consists of genealogical material, deeds, autograph books, letters, an account book, and specifications for a Lowell, OR house.
Series III, Erma Warner Fletcher includes mostly correspondence to Mason Y. Warner, Celia Warner, and Claire Warner. The letters are arranged chronologically by person. Also included are manuscripts and World War II material.
Series IV, Claire Warner Churchill Thompson is composed of correspondence, manuscripts, U.S. Army files, WPA files, Blue Cross material, scrapbooks and volumes. Correspondence is arranged chronologically. There are fifteen manuscripts, many of which include several drafts. U.S. Army material covers 1941-1945, including Prisoner of War records and material on the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. WPA records include radio program manuscripts and other miscellaneous material. Blue Cross records include annual reports, public relations, advertisements and other material. Twenty-four volumes are included in this series. There are also newspaper clippings and scrapbooks.
Series V, Photographs consists of negatives, slides, and prints from each series.