Portrait of the Week: Willis Willard Elliott and Mary "Polly" Vanderpool

Willis Willard Elliott (1799-1900) and Mary "Polly" Vanderpool (1800-1889).  Unfortunately, I don't know the date in which this picture was taken.  Anyone want to wager a guess as to how old they were in this photo?  Willis was the father of Kinman Elliott who was the father of John Morgan Elliott who was the father of Elbert Aaron Elliott who was the Father James Elbert Elliott.  Willis died at the ripe-old-age of 101 years! 

Is it me or does it look like Willis was dragged to this family photo by Polly.  I'm pretty sure this old codger would rather be fishing.  All the while, Polly serenely smokes her pipe with one arm on her knee ready to grab Willis if and when he makes a run for it.  

Look for future biographical sketches on both Willis and Polly coming soon. Have a story to tell or photo to share (see story suggestions)?   Please send to Tim DeGraw at tim.degraw04@gmail.com.

Story Suggestions:

Memories of childhood
Memories of parenthood
Memories of grandparents
Memories of parents
First cars
First dates
First ball games
Family events (i.e. weddings, funerals, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.)
Places tied to families (i.e. Waterloo, Lebanon, Albany, etc.)
 

From Missouri to Oregon: A Biographical Brief of Kinman Elliott

Kinman Elliott was born in Missouri in1831 and died at the age of 87 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon in 1918.  Kinman was the father of John Morgan Elliott (1866-1962), who was the father of Elbert Aaron Elliott (1897-1986), who was the father of James Elbert Elliott (1924-1965).  Kinman was married to Nancy Pickerell who was born in Green County, Kentucky in 1832.  Nancy died in Lebanon just four years prior to Kinman in 1914 at the age of 82.  Preliminary research suggests that Kinman and Nancy were married in 1849, but I have been unable to substantiate which state they were married in.  However, general vital record information suggests they were married in Missouri.

Kinman and Nancy were the parents of ten, possibly eleven, children.  Vital records also suggest all but two of their children were born in Northwest Missouri (they lived both in Graham and St. Joseph).   It would seem their family lived in Nebraska for a time, which is where John Morgan Elliott was born.  Joel Elliott, the youngest of Kinman and Nancy, was born in Oregon in 1870.  As a result, we are left to assume that Kinman Elliott and his family arrived in Oregon between 1866 and 1870. To give readers a contextual point of reference, in 1870 Oregon had only been a state since February 14, 1859.  Five years prior, the 13th Amendment (abolishment of slavery) had been ratified and Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.  Two years prior, Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's successor, was impeached and Ulysses S. Grant was elected President in 1868.  One year prior, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed and 14th Amendment (states reconstruction) was ratified in 1869.

It's plausible that Kinman and Nancy were enticed to move westward when hearing success stories of families that homesteaded in the Great Plains states and the Northwest territories under the Donation Land Act of 1850.  Subsequently, further settlement in Oregon was spurred on by the 1862 Homestead Act which was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln.  Hopeful homesteaders, possibly like Kinman Elliott, need only to file an application, improve the land, live on the land for five years, and then file a deed for ownership.  In time I hope to find evidence of such an application on behalf of Kinman and his family.  It could also be that Kinman was lured to the Willamette Valley by the blossoming and productive economy of western Oregon between the early 1820s through to the late 1880s.  Whether the intent was to homestead or otherwise capitalize on socioeconomic opportunities that existed in the Willamette Valley, it is unclear. Either way, I think it safe to assume that Kinman and Nancy sought to improve their young and burgeoning family's circumstance with an eventual migration to Oregon's Willamette Valley, a land many Elliott's have called home since. 

Conjecture based on dates and locations is fun, but substantiated evidence is preferred.  If you have any additional information or documentation about Kinman and his family, including oral histories, please share in the comments section of this post or e-mail me at tim.degraw04@gmail.com. 
 

Welcome!

This blog is all about family.  To be specific, the Elliott family.  If you didn't know it already, the Elliott's are Scots.  I should clarify, us North American Elliott's are of Scottish descent.  To that end, I paid homage to our heritage by calling this blog Treubh Elliott.  The word, treubh, is Scottish-Gaelic for tribe.  A tribe or clan is a society organized and based on kinship.  It's my intent to rekindle old family relationships and forge new ones within our small society of family.  It's my intent to bring the Elliott's and their extended families closer together by sharing stories, photos, and information about one another as well as our ancestors via this blog.  In addition, this blog will serve as point of reference or act as a bulletin for Elliott family activities and events such as our 2014 Elliott Family Reunion!

Certain elements of this blog are meant to peak the reader's interest in discovering the origins of the Elliott family name and to learn about our Elliott ancestry.   Allow me to point out some of the features I reference.  First, if you'll look to the left margin you'll find the Elliott coat of arms.  A coat of arms has four components; the arms, crest, motto, and the on compartment. Our arms (shield) is distinguished by gules (colors), on a bend or, azure baton.  The crest (the banner atop) reads, "Fortier Et Recte" in Latin, which means "Boldly and Rightly" or "With Strength and Right".  The on compartment (banner at the bottom) reads "Soyez Sage" in Latin, which means "Be Wise".   The Clan Elliott crest badge found displayed in the right margin is distinguished by the clan motto with a hand gripping a cutlass in-bend. The Clan Elliott crest badge is worn by the Clan Chief (the present Clan Elliot Chief is Madam Margaret Elliot of Redheugh, 29th Elliot Clan Chief).  In the background, you'll see the plaid attributed to the Elliott clan.  This plaid pattern (also referred to as a tartan) has been used to represent our family since mid-nineteenth century.  This pattern, as are most clan-related plaids, are used in traditional Scottish dress. These clan symbols have important meaning which I will elaborate on in future posts.  I have also embedded a number of helpful links to sites that that will point you to information about the Elliott family name as well as aid you in your family history efforts if you are so engaged.  Of particular interest to you might be the Clan Elliot Society homepage found at:  www.elliotclan.com.

To further garner interest in this blog but to also demonstrate what I hope is the primary benefit of this site, I've included a photo of John Morgan Elliott in the body of this post (center; Father of Elbert Aaron Elliott who was Father of James Elbert Elliott). In an effort to engage family members I'd like to issue an invitation.  Help me fill in the blanks. John Elliott is identified, but I can't identify anyone else in this photo.  If you can help please share.  If anyone has a story about John Morgan Elliott, I'd love to hear it as well.  You can reply in the comments section associated with this post or you can e-mail me at tim.degraw04@gmail.com.  Together, as we add photos and stories, I hope create a repository of our family's storied history to pass down to generations to come.
 
I look forward to the sharing, collaboration, and discovery I hope is generated through this effort.

Best regards,

Tim De Graw (son of Terri Lee Elliott)  

Note:  It is important to note there are various spellings of the name Elliott (i.e. Eliot, Elliot, etc.).  If you happen to see one of the double "T"s or "L"s dropped when used in this post or future posts, it is intended.  This intriguing topic will most certainly be highlighted in a future post.  Stay tuned.