Webley John Hauxhurst
Encyclopedia
Webley John Hauxhurst, Jr. (January 23, 1809 – January 23, 1874) was a pioneer in Oregon Country
. He helped build the first grist mill in Oregon, participated in the Willamette Cattle Company
, and was a participant at the Champoeg meeting where he voted for the creation of a provisional government.
. He spent three years there in Monterey working as a carpenter before leaving.
in 1834. He came with Ewing Young
and Hall J. Kelley
from California
, arriving at Fort Vancouver
on the Columbia River
on October 17. The next year, 1835, he helped to build the first grist mill in the Willamette Valley
to mill grain. This mill he would later sell to Thomas McKay
, the stepson of Doctor John McLoughlin
, the Hudson's Bay Company
Chief Factor at Fort Vancouver. Hauxhurst was also an investor in the Willamette Cattle Company
in 1837 that brought over 600 head of cattle to Oregon from California. Originally, he was also going to accompany the group and help drive the cattle
to Oregon, but changed his mind after the ship Loriot
was delayed in sailing.
On Saturday, February 28, 1837, Webley Hauxhurst was married. The Reverend Jason Lee
of the Methodist Mission
then located at Mission Bottom married Miss Mary to Webley at the Mission house. Mary was a Native American
from the Yamhill tribe. Hauxhurst would then become the mission's first white convert.
In 1843 in the aftermath of Young’s death in 1841, the settlers of the region began discussions about forming a government as a continuation of the Champoeg Meetings
. Then in May of that year, there was large meeting at Champoeg
on the 2nd where a vote was taken on whether or not to form a government. Hauxhurst participated in this meeting and voted for the creation of the Provisional Government of Oregon
that would last until 1849. In March 1844 he enlisted with the Oregon Rangers
, a volunteer militia, as part of the Provisional Government's attempt to protect settlers from possible Native American
attacks.
area of what is now Salem, Oregon
. While there he helped haul the first circus to Oregon and from 1862 to 1866 moved freight on the Willamette River
between Portland and Salem. In Salem he would serve on the board of trustees for Willamette University
before moving to Tillamook County
on the Oregon Coast
. In Tillamook he took up a squatter's land claim on land at the Bayocean Peninsula and worked as a captain of the vessel Champion, transporting goods between Tillamook and Portland. Webley John Hauxhurst died in 1874. Webley Hauxhurst died on his birthday, January 23, 1874.
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
. He helped build the first grist mill in Oregon, participated in the Willamette Cattle Company
Willamette Cattle Company
The Willamette Cattle Company was formed in 1837 by pioneers in the Willamette Valley of present day Oregon, United States. The company was formed with the express purpose of purchasing cattle in California to bring to Oregon Country...
, and was a participant at the Champoeg meeting where he voted for the creation of a provisional government.
Early life
Hauxhurst was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 23, 1809, to Quaker parents. As a young man he became a sailor, and later deserted his ship while in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He spent three years there in Monterey working as a carpenter before leaving.
Oregon
Webley John Hauxhurst traveled to OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in 1834. He came with Ewing Young
Ewing Young
Ewing Young was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled Mexican southwestern North America and California before settling in the Oregon Country. As a prominent and wealthy citizen there, his death was the impetus for the early formation of government in what became the state...
and Hall J. Kelley
Hall J. Kelley
Hall Jackson Kelley was an American settler and writer known for his strong advocacy for settlement by the United States of the Oregon Country in the 1820s and 1830s...
from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, arriving at Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
on the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
on October 17. The next year, 1835, he helped to build the first grist mill in the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
to mill grain. This mill he would later sell to Thomas McKay
Thomas McKay (fur trader)
Thomas McKay was a Anglo-Métis Canadian Fur trader who worked mainly in the Pacific Northwest for the Pacific Fur Company , the North West Company , and the Hudson's Bay Company . He was a fur brigade leader and explorer of the Columbia District and later became a U.S. citizen and an early settler...
, the stepson of Doctor John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin
Dr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
, the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
Chief Factor at Fort Vancouver. Hauxhurst was also an investor in the Willamette Cattle Company
Willamette Cattle Company
The Willamette Cattle Company was formed in 1837 by pioneers in the Willamette Valley of present day Oregon, United States. The company was formed with the express purpose of purchasing cattle in California to bring to Oregon Country...
in 1837 that brought over 600 head of cattle to Oregon from California. Originally, he was also going to accompany the group and help drive the cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
to Oregon, but changed his mind after the ship Loriot
Loriot (ship)
Loriot was an American sailing ship involved in exploration of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. This brig took a member of a United States presidential expedition to survey land and the inhabitants of the area in the 1830s...
was delayed in sailing.
On Saturday, February 28, 1837, Webley Hauxhurst was married. The Reverend Jason Lee
Jason Lee (missionary)
Jason Lee , an American missionary and pioneer, was born on a farm near Stanstead, Quebec. He was the first of the Oregon missionaries and helped establish the early foundation of a provisional government in the Oregon Country....
of the Methodist Mission
Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was founded in Oregon Country in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. The mission was started to educate the Native Americans in the Willamette Valley and grew into an important center for politics and economics in the early settlement period of Oregon.-Foundation:In 1831, several...
then located at Mission Bottom married Miss Mary to Webley at the Mission house. Mary was a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
from the Yamhill tribe. Hauxhurst would then become the mission's first white convert.
In 1843 in the aftermath of Young’s death in 1841, the settlers of the region began discussions about forming a government as a continuation of the Champoeg Meetings
Champoeg Meetings
The Champoeg Meetings in Oregon Country were the first attempts at governing in the Pacific Northwest by United States European-American pioneers. Prior to this, the closest entity to a government was the Hudson's Bay Company, mainly through Dr...
. Then in May of that year, there was large meeting at Champoeg
Champoeg, Oregon
Champoeg is a former town in the U.S. state of Oregon. Now a ghost town, it was an important settlement in the Willamette Valley in the early 1840s. It is positioned halfway between Oregon City and Salem and the site of the first provisional government of the Oregon Country...
on the 2nd where a vote was taken on whether or not to form a government. Hauxhurst participated in this meeting and voted for the creation of the Provisional Government of Oregon
Provisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
that would last until 1849. In March 1844 he enlisted with the Oregon Rangers
Oregon Rangers
The Oregon Rangers were the first organized militia of settlers in the Willamette Valley of what became the U.S. state of Oregon, but at the time was the Oregon Country. Organized in 1844, the Provisional Government of Oregon never called the troops out to service...
, a volunteer militia, as part of the Provisional Government's attempt to protect settlers from possible Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
attacks.
Later life
In 1844, Joel Turnham threatened to hurt Hauxhurst and his wife, but was shot and killed by Deputy P.E. Pickerell before any harm could be done to the Hauxhursts. Then in July 1846 the couple was divorced. They had 21 children together. After selling the grist mill, he moved to the Mill CreekMill Creek (Marion County, Oregon)
Mill Creek is a tributary of the Willamette River whose watershed drains a area of Marion County, Oregon, United States. It passes through the cities of Aumsville, Stayton, Sublimity, and Turner before emptying into the Willamette in Salem...
area of what is now Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. While there he helped haul the first circus to Oregon and from 1862 to 1866 moved freight on the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
between Portland and Salem. In Salem he would serve on the board of trustees for Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
before moving to Tillamook County
Tillamook County, Oregon
Tillamook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Tillamook, a Native American tribe who were living in the area in the early 19th century at the time of European American settlement. In 2010, the county's population was 25,250...
on the Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
. In Tillamook he took up a squatter's land claim on land at the Bayocean Peninsula and worked as a captain of the vessel Champion, transporting goods between Tillamook and Portland. Webley John Hauxhurst died in 1874. Webley Hauxhurst died on his birthday, January 23, 1874.
Further reading
- Tillamook History: Sequel to Tillamook Memories. 1975. Tillamook Pioneer Association.