Charles Applegate

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=35362767

Charles Applegate married Melinda Miller July 30, 1829 in Cole, Missouri. Their children: Lucy Applegate 1830 – 1910 Yoncalla, OR Susan Applegate 1831 – 1907 Yoncalla, OR Ellen Applegate 1832 – 1867 Yoncalla, OR Julia Applegate 1833 – James Applegate 1834 – 1896 Monrovia, Calif. Mary Applegate 1836 – 1878 Oregon Lisbon Applegate 1837 – 1896 Umpqua, Oregon Irene Applegate 1839 – 1919 Corvallis, Oregon Frances Applegate 1841 – 1841 John Applegate 1842 – 1912 Oregon Irene Applegate 1842 – Albert Applegate 1843 – 1888 Yoncalla, Oregon Harriet Applegate 1845 – 1862 Yoncalla, Oregon Thomas Applegate 1847 – 1921 Yoncalla, Oregon Jane Applegate 1848 – 1913 Grants Pass, Oregon Frances Fanny Applegate 1850 – 1923 Wallowa, Oregon George Applegate 1852 – 1932 Yoncalla, Oregon Milton Applegate 1854 – 1889 Yoncalla, Oregon

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'The Centennial History of Oregon', Volume 4,

CHARLES APPLEGATE, a prominent represent- ative of a family whose history is closely interwoven with that of Douglas county and the state of Oregon, took up a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres adjoining the present site of the town of Yoncalla, in the spring of 1850. There he continued to reside until called to his final rest in 1879. when in the seventy-fourth year of his age.

He was a Kentuckian by birth, while his wife. Melinda ( Miller) Applegate, was a native of Tennessee. All of their fifteen children grew to manhood and womanhood.

In 1843, in association with his brother's, Jesse and Lindsay. Charles Applegate formed the Applegate Company and with about eight hundred people crossed the plains to the, Sunset State.

Jesse Applegate, one of the most dominant characters in the pioneer settlement of western Oregon, was captain of the company. Our subject had two wagons, each drawn by four oxen, and brought with him ten cows and one horse. Leaving his cattle at Walla Walla, Washington. He built a boat and made the journey by water to Oregon City, later going to Marion county. The following winter he worked for a Mr. Burr, "the mission blacksmith." whose shop was situated about fourteen miles from Salem.

In 1844, he went to Polk county and settled on a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres about four miles north of Dallas, Oregon and continuing to reside there until he disposed of the property in the spring of 1850. At that time he brought his family south to Douglas county, taking up an Oregon Donation Land Claim of six hundred and forty acres adjoining the present site of the town of Yoncalla. His brothers had already settled in the Yoncalla Valley.

It was in 1851, that Charles Applegate and his brother's built the first schoolhouse in Douglas County, installing, James Applegate as teacher and conducting the institution independent of outside aid. At the cost of one thousand dollars they purchased from Harper's Publishing Company, of New York City, a library which was shipped by water around Cape Horn. James Applegate, the first teacher of Douglas County and the son of Charles, was later chosen Douglas County judge and subsequently served as County Commissioner. For several years he was a member of the state legislature.

In 1864, he enlisted for service in the Civil War and was made sergeant major of his regiment, acting in that capacity for one year, or, until the close of hostilities.

Charles Applegate, who passed away in 1879, was survived by his wife until 1888. The latter reaching the age of seventy-six years. Thus the community lost two of its "most highly respected and valued pioneer settlers. They are buried together in what was once the family's cemetery.

Saturday, August 30, 1879 Stateline Herald (Lakeview/OR) Page 3

DEATH OF A PIONEER--Mr. Charles Applegate died at his residence, one mile from Yoncalla, on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 4 p.m. Mr. Applegate was an older brother of Hon. Jesse and Lindsay Applegate. He crossed the plains in 1843, and settled in Polk county, where he lived a few years, from whence he removed at an early date to Yoncalla, then in Umpqua, now in Douglas county, where he resided to the time of his death. He was a man of iron constitution, determined will, a true friend to the poor, and died respected by all, after having attained the ripe age of 74 years. Mr. Applegate raised a large family of children, and his sons are among susbstational citizens of Douglas county. Tidings. The Hon. James Applegate, one of the foremost citizens of our vally is a son of the late Charles Applegate.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Feb 6 2016, 17:44:56 UTC

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GEDCOM Note

APPLEGATE, Charles (1806-1879): m'd 1829 MILLER, Malinda; s/o Daniel and Rachel (Lindsay) Applegate; emigrated with 8 children; arrived in Polk Co; later moved to Yoncalla, Douglas Co where he remained until his death; "Charles was the eldest of the three Applegate brothers who brought their families to Oregon in 1843 when Charles was thirty-seven. Born in 1806 in Kentucky, Charles was the son of Daniel and Rachel [Lindsay] Applegate. He married Melinda Miller, whose younger sister Betsy would marry Charles' younger brother Lindsay Applegate. The children of Charles and Melinda in the 1843 crossing were Lucy Applegate, born 1830; Susan Applegate, born 1831; Ellen Applegate, born 1832; James Applegate, born 1834; Mary Applegate, born 1836; Lisbon Applegate, born 1837; Irene Applegate, born 1839; John Applegate, born 1842; and Albert, born 1843. An infant had died in 1841, and there would be other children born in Oregon: Harriet, 1845; Thomas, 1847; Jane, 1848; Fanny, 1850; George "Buck" Applegate, 1852; and Milton, 1854, sixteen children in all. Upon first arriving in Oregon, the Applegate clan wintered in the old Methodist Mission twelve miles north of present-day Salem. The following spring they settled on Salt Creek in western Polk County. In 1850 the brothers moved their families to what is now Yoncalla, Douglas County, Oregon. Charles farmed there for the rest of his life. He built a home that was divided in half. One side was for the men and the other for the women. There were no connecting doors. Afterwards Charles further flouted his wife by carrying on a long-term love affair with a neighbor woman. It was this more than anything else that split the Applegate families. Lindsay moved his family away from Yoncalla, and the families of Jesse and Charles became distant. Charles was not involved in establishing the southern route to the Willamette Valley, the Applegate Trail, only his brothers Jesse and Lindsay. Drinking heavily, he died in 1879 at the age of seventy-three and was buried at the Yoncalla Cemetery. Melinda survived him by nine years." [information provided by Don Rivara. In addition to the present website his Sources included: [1] Skookum-An Oregon Pioneer Family's History and Lore, by Shannon Applegate, Beech Tree Books, William Morrow, New York, 1988]

1996 marks the 150th anniversary of the Applegate Trail, the southern route of the Oregon Trail. It was blazed in 1846 as an alternate, and hopefully safer route to Oregon. Three brothers, Lindsay, Jesse, and Charles Applegate and their extended families came to Oregon on the original Oregon Trail during the first major migration in 1843. As the party was rafting through the rapids on the Columbia River just outside The Dalles one of their rafts capsized in the current and Lindsay's son Warren, age 9, Jesse's son Edward, also age 9, along with Alexander Mac (Uncle Mac, age 70) drowned. This tragedy made the brothers determined to save others similar grief and find a safer route to the Oregon Territory.

By the Spring of 1846, the brothers had settled in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, planted crops and built cabins, but they were determined to find a safer, more secure route for emigration. Charles stayed home to care for the family and land. Lindsay and Jesse, along with Levi Scott and ten others formed a scouting party to be known as the the South Road Expedition. On June 20, 1846, they left La Creole Creek (now Rickreall) near Dallas, Oregon on their journey south. They traveled down the Willamette Valley through what is now Corvallis and Eugene. They continued on to just south of Ashland, then turned east, reaching Greensprings Mountain about where Highway 66 crosses today. On they traveled across Oregon and Nevada until they reached the Humboldt River, then they turned north along the river for 200 miles.

Being short on supplies, Jesse Applegate was chosen to lead the party continuing onto Fort Hall, Idaho to get supplies and inform emigrants about the new trail. The others proceeded up the Humboldt to where Winnemucca is now and set up a rendezvous and rested the stock. (The Applegate Trail runs from Humboldt, Nevada to Dallas, Oregon. Near Humboldt it joins the California Trail, running from near Fort Hall, Idaho to the gold country of California., see map (65K))

On August 9, 1846 a group of as many as 100 wagons set out from Fort Hall to cross the new Applegate Trail. In September, the first of the wagons left the Humboldt River and headed across the Black Rock Desert, a treacherous section of the trail filled with Indian attacks, overpowering heat, and very little forage for the animals. Next the wagons rolled into Surprise Valley, then onto Goose Lake and Tule Lake. The party crossed the Lost River on a natural stone bridge, the bridge and a marker to record the expedition are near Merrill, Oregon. The wagons then swung southwest around lower Klamath Lake and on towards Greensprings (in the southeast corner of what is now Jackson County).

Levi Scott led the wagon train on from present day Ashland towards the Willamette Valley. The rains had started by the time the wagons reached the Rogue Valley and from here on it would be either rain or snow for weather conditions. Brush and trees made the the trail hard to clear, but the men who joined the Applegate Train had to guarantee to do the road building and clearing needed to be done before more travelers could use the trail. The train lost Meadow's Vanderpool's flock of sheep at Rock Point to the Indians, and Martha Leland Crowley, a young girl, died October 18, 1846, while the train was moving across present day Sunny Valley, Oregon. The creek where Martha Crowley died was aptly named Grave Creek. A covered bridge (built in 1920) still spans the creek. The wagon train continued through the southwestern valleys of Oregon until they reached their final destination in the Willamette Valley. The group had survived much hardship and trouble, but they created a new passage to the Oregon Territory that would be used for many years.

In 1853 alone over 3500 men, women, and children took this route. Today, Interstate 5 and Highway 66 travel the same route. The Applegate was designated a National Historic Trail by the US Congress on August 3, 1992. Known as the southern route of the Oregon Trail, the Applegate Trail provided an alternative for settlers who wanted to avoid the perils of the Columbia River. Not all settlers appreciated the trail some even felt the Applegates had hindered rather than helped them on their way. Time proved the real test, however. After nearly 150 years the Applegate Trail endures as the basis for the state's major transportation routes, allowing today's traveler the opportunity to retrace the steps of Oregon's early trailblazers.

http://www.webtrail.com/applegate/center.shtml

• Residence:

                           Benton county, Benton, Oregon Territory, United States - 1850                        

• Residence:

                           District 5, Umpqua, Oregon, USA - 1860                        

• Residence:

                           5th District, Umpqua, Oregon, United States - 1860                        

• Residence:

                           Yoncalla, Douglas, Oregon, United States - 1870                        

• Residence:

                           Marital status: WidowerRelation to Head of House: Father, Jeffersonville, Clark, Indiana, USA - 1880                        

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Nov 21 2023, 15:50:17 UTC