Jabez Lee Couch

The above photo of the Jabez Lee Couch and Martha Everett family was found on Ancestry.com and depicts the following: Front row - Bernice, Jabez, Martha Everett, Melvin; Middle row - Mahlon A., Emily (died shortly after photo was taken), Gertrude or Gerdie, John; Back row - Jennie, Irvin, Redden, and George.

Jabez and Martha traveled in a window-lined box car called the "Immigrant Train" from Cleveland, Minnesota, to Washington State in 1898 where they homesteaded. They remained there until 1907 when they moved in two covered wagons to Laidlaw, Oregon, which is now called Tumalo. In 1926 they moved again, to the home of their son, Melvin, at Deerhorn. In 1932 Jabez died and Martha died in 1939.

At a family reunion held in Oregon in 1974, there were 190 descendants of the couple. Children present for the three-day reunion were Gertrude Couch Dilly, 96, who lived at McKenzie Manor in Springfield, Oregon; Martha Jane or Jennie Couch Miller, 93, of Cheny, Washington; Redden Lee Couch, 91, of Port Angeles, Washington; George Washington Couch, 89, of East Wenatchee, Washington; Mahlon Algernon, 78 of Bend, Oregon, Melvin, 75 of Deerhorn; Oregon; and Bernice Couch Hansen, 72, of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Brother Irwin Couch, 87, of Hermiston, was unable to attend. Another son, John, died in 1972 in his early 80's. Two children died as infants and another daughter, Emily, died at age 16.

The brothers and sisters celebrated the beginning of the reunion with a luncheon at the Timber Topper Restaurant in Springfield, Oregon, Wednesday. They then met for a picnic Thursday afternoon at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ervin (Bernice Couch) Hansen, Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Clark and sons, Jeff and John, a granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Hansen's visited in the afternoon.

Friday afternoon a picnic was hosted at the home of Melvin Couch in Springfield. Mrs. Clyde Meyer and their children, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Meyer, met with the honored guests. Clyde and Ronald Meyer are sons of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Couch. Jennie Miller's husband, P.J., accompanied her to the reunion and Mahlon Couch's wife was unable to attend.

Several relatives assisted the brothers and sisters throughout the 3-day reunion including Doris Goodman of Port Angeles, Washington, daughter of Redden Couch; Verna Dilley, Pleasant Hill, daughter-in-law of Gertrude Couch Dilley; and Cleon Hills of Pleasant Hill, sister of Verna Dilley. Nina McKeenan of Corvallis, Oregon, Gertrude Torvic and husband Stan of Eugene, Oregon; and Lucille Plunkett and husband, Bert of Tigard, Oregon, also assisted. The three are daughters of Gertrude Couch Dilley.

It had been six years since the family had got together prior to this reunion.

The above information is from an autobiography of Malon Ivan Couch, 1922-2016, and was provided by Linda Couch, a niece of Malon Couch.