Listed in 1850 Indiana census, as being born in Kentucky and being a cooper, or barrel maker.
Peter bought/sold land in Craighead Co. Arkansas in 1878, 1879 and on the 18 June 1885, Peter and Matilda Gasaway of Washington Co. AR sold land in Craighead Co. AR to William Face.
According to Jean Lee, descendant of Peter and Matilda's daughter, Anna Marie:
" As for Matilda Heath...that is a horse of a different color....I have determined that she must have fallen out of the sky about the time she was born. I have found a family in the 1850 Washington Twp, Warren Co., Indiana. They are George, Mary, William, AlfredA., Sarah F., and Mary F. Parke. Living with them is Sarah Potter, John Brachle, Clark Potter, Amanda Halstead, and Matilda Heath who is 14 years of age and born in Ohio. This is the only Matilda Heath indexed that is about the correct age in the state, Ohio, that I have found in the census records. There is one other Matilda Heath, different locality, but I do not believe she is of this particular family.
68 years, 23 days at time of death. Buried in Plot C.
Columbia County Newspaper Abstracts: 1905-1908
Pg. 54 Patrick Flannigan (sp error) died at St. Mary's hospital, Walla Walla, Wednesday, of typhoid pneumonia. He was 68 y, 23 d old. Mr. Flannigan was one of the first settlers in this county. He was a member of A. Sully post, G.A. R. During the war he served in a Rode (sp) Island regiment. (Sept 1906)
Pg. 56 - The will of Patrick Flannigan has been filed. He gives each of three sons, Thomas, James and William the sum of $1 each. The remainder he leaves to his daughter, Mrs. Mary V. Beard. (Sept 1906)
1908-1909- Pg 66. - Monuments from U.S. Army arrived for following; Patrick Flannagan, Co F 3rd, Rhode Island Cavalry (Marh 1909)
Obituary- 15 Sept 1906
Patrick Flannigan died at St. Mary's hospital, Walla Walla, Wednesday morning at 1 o'clock, of typhoid pneumonia. He was ill on Tuesday and was taken to the hospital on that day. He was sixty-eight years and 23 days of age. The funeral will be held today from the family residence at 10 o'clock.
Mr. Flannigan was one of the first settlers in this country. (sp) He helped to build the Baker railway from Wallula to Walla Walla, and eas a weaver in the old Dayton woolen mills. during the past twenty-five years he has followed farming. He leaves two children, Mrs. Mary Beard and Tom Flannigan. He was a member of A. Sully post, G.A.R. During the was he served in a Rode Island regiment.
62 years, 8 months, 7 days at time of death. Buried in Plot C
Columbia County Newspaper Abstracts: 1903-1905
Pg. 3 - Died in this city, 29 Oct 1903, Mrs. Margaret A. Flanagan, wife of Patrick Flanagan, aged 62 y, 8m, 7 d. She leaves a husband, 3 sons and a daughter to mourn her loss.
Funeral notice states that Sam McCubbins was 67 years 10 months and 11 days of age at time of death. Buried in Plot D in Dayton Cemetary.
Columbia County newspaper abstracts: 7 Jun 1902: McCubbins--In this city, May 30, 1902,, Mr. Samuel McCubbins, aged 67 years, 10 months and 11 days. The funeral occurred from the Christian church Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock, Rev. O. J. Gist officiating.
96 years old at time of death. Buried in Plot D in Dayton Cemetary.
HISTORY OF STEVENS FAMILY TELLS OF WAGON TRAIN TREK by Lulu Newton.
Biographical Sketch of Hanson Stevens
Hanson Stevens was born in Dearborn County, Indiana, on March 14, 1818. His parents were of English descent and they were farmers. On March 1, 1838, at the age of 20, he married Lavina Wickard. They were married in Ripley county, Indiana, and made their home there until 1846, when the family moved to Iowa. Six years later, in April of 1852 Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, with seven children, the oldest, Isaac, being 13 years old, started from Keokuk, Iowa, in a train of 23 wagons, drawn by oxen, for Oregon.
They brought all their household goods and a large herd of cattle, which they drove along the way. The grass was scarce and the stock suffered a great deal. At this time, it was considered a very hazardous undertaking to cross the plains with ox teams, and required a great deal of courage for a man to take his all, at such a risk on such a journey.
The plains were infested with Indians, and marauders, and the only wonder is that more of these pioneers were not killed.
The Stevens family was about six months making the journey. One day, while driving along, they saw a big cloud of dust, and through the dust, they imagined hundreds of Indians riding toward them. They stopped the train, corralled the wagons and got ready to defend themselves.
When the cloud of dust got nearer, they discovered that instead of Indians on horseback, it was a big herd of buffalo. The men went out on horseback after them and killed enough that they had all the fresh meat they needed for some time.
This wagon train was called "The Dickson Train" and of the 23 wagons starting from Keokuk, Hanson Stevens was the only one to reach Oregon. Some of the men quarreled and parted company, most of the trains going to California.
When the Stevens family got to the The Dalles, Stevens and the oldest son, Isaac, took their cattle down the trail to the mouth of the Big Sandy river, while Mrs. Stevens, with six children, two of them, Rebecca and Christine, sick with mountain fever, and another, Sarah, badly burned from a camp fire near Pendleton, came down from The Dalles to the upper Cascades in an open scow paddled by Indians. They transferred around the Cascades and took another scow on which they went to the Big Sandy.
The Stevens family went on to Silverton landing with only five dollars in cash. Stevens found that wheat was $5 a bushel and potatoes were $3.
He took up a donation land claim of 308 acres near the Newsome sawmill, five miles from Silverton, Oregon, and after building a cabin to live in, he went to work splitting rails to earn enough to feed his family. This first winter was so cold and with no feed for his cattle he lost them all.
This was the winter of 1852-1853. Mrs. Stevens died in 1863 at the age of 40, and two years later Stevens married Elizabeth Jane Bently Fuller.
After his second marriage, he rented his land to his son, Isaac, who afterward bought out the other heirs. The property was still owned by members of his family as late as 1944.
Stevens bought a ranch in Yamhill county where he lived with his second wife until his death in 1880.
The Stevens children were a s follows; Isaac Stevens, Rebecca Stevens Mount, Sarah Stevens McCubbins, Rispy Stevens Ringo, Christine Stevens Esson, Millard Stevens, Mary Stevens Smith, all born in Indiana; Emma Stevens, Martha Ann (Mattie) Stevens Cahill, born in Oregon and of the second marriage, Keithly Boles, Lyman Davis Hall and Alice Fidellia, born in Oregon.
At one time, Steves came to Washington for a while, but eventually went back to Oregon. This was about 1858.
Mrs. Lena Parsons of Dayton, a great granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, has in her possission the spinning wheel, a pair of wool cards and a set of candle molds, brought across the plains in 1852.
Mr. and Mrs. Stevens are buried at Bethany, near Silverton, Oregn.
Mrs. Lulu Newton and Mrs. George (Lida) Jackson, both of Dayton, are granddaughters of Hanson and Lavina Stevens. The Stevens family reunion will be held in July at the Esson home at Silverton, Oregon, this year. Reunions have bee held each year with the first held in July, 1891.
(Ed. Note--This is the latest of the family histories which are being prepared by members of the Columbia county chapter, Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington.)
____________________________________________________________________________________________Columbia County Newspaper Abstracts: 24 Dec 1931- Sees Sister First Time in 25 Years: Mrs. S.E. Mccubbins attends Golden Wedding of Daughter.
Not only did Mrs. S.E. Mccubbins, pioneer woman of Columbia county attend the golden wedding anniversary of her daughter, Mrs. Alice Cross in Lodi, California, during her trip from which she recently returned, but she visited a half sister, Mrs. Alice Dixon, whom she had not seen for about 45 years.
The wedding anniversary was celebrated at the home of her daughter November 15. Mrs. McCubbins, who is 84 years young, visited Mrs. Dixon at San Jose and a niece at Morgan Hill, California, before returning. She states that she enjoyed the trip very much, and although members of her family worried over her going alone, she had not the slightest trouble and would like to make the trip again some time.
_________________________________________________________________________________________Mrs. Sarah E. McCubbins, 96, died at her home on South Fourth St. Monday at about 5 p.m. after a brief illness. Funeral services were held from the Hubbard-Rogg chapel Thursday at 2:30 p.m., with the Rev. Herbert F. Jones of the Christian church in charge, and burial was made at the family plot in the Dayton cemetery.
Sarah Stevens was born in Keokuck, Iowa, February 24, 1847, and in 1852 at the age of five she crossed the plains with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hanson Stevens. The family settled at Silverton, Oregon, and there Sarah Stevens was married to Samuel McCubbins in 1862. In 1875 Mrs. McCubbins and her family moved here and settled on a homestead on Eckler mountain where she lived until the death of her husband in 1902. Since that time she has made her home in town.
Mrs. McCubbins was the mother of nine children, four of whom survive, Arthur McCubbins, Dayton, Mrs. Bertha Frahm, Hanson, Idaho, Mrs. Ada Wortman, Portland, and Mrs. Rosina Douglas, Butte, Montana. She also leaves 26 grandchildren, one of whom, Mrs. Lena Parsons, she took into her home at the age of 18 months and reared as her own daughter. She also leaves many great-grandchildren and several great-great garandchildren. Mrs. McCubbins was a sister of the late Mrs. Add Cahill who died several years ago.