Pioneers

The following information is transcribed from the book, 'The Society of Montana Pioneers'. It's for Lewis and Clark County, MT.

Thomas Neill, arrived in Montana in 1864.

Mrs. A. J. Nelson nee Arvie J Smith, daughter of Robert and Margaret Smith; born at Black Hawk, Gilpin County, Colorado, November 18th, 1863. Place of departure for Montana, Black Hawk, Colorado; route traveled, across the plains; arrived at Virginia City in June 1864. Residence, York.

Jerome, Norris, son of Jacob and Mary (Brown) Norris; born at Chelsea, Orange County, Vermont, April 26th, 1832. Place of departure for Montana, Idaho; route traveled, overland; arrived at Last Chance Gulch, May 27th, 1863. Occupation, merchant and miner. Residence.

James E. Norris, son of Everet West and Frances Camille (Adams) Norris; born at Bannack (Idaho) Montana in 1863. Occupation, mail clerk. Residence, Helena.

William Edward Norris, son of Everet West and Frances Camille (Adams) Norris; born on the plains, July 10th, 1862. Place of departure for Montana, en route California trail; route traveled, across the plains via Salt Lake City, Utah; arrived at Bannack, August 14th, 1863. Occupation, architect. Residence, Helena.

John Oaks, son of John and Eva Oaks; born in Somerset County Pennsylvania, April 10th, 1831. Place of departure for Montana, Muscatine County, Iowa; route traveled, across the plains; arrived at Bannack in 1864. Occupation, miner and farmer. Residence, Canyon Ferry.

Andrew O'Connell, arrived in Montana, September 8th, 1863. Occupation, merchant. Residence, Helena.

Mrs. Andrew O'Connell nee Elizabeth Logan, daughter of Robert Logan; born in Ireland in1837. Came to the United States. Place of departure for Montana, Colorado; route traveled, across the plains via Soda Springs; arrived at Nevada City, Alder Gulch, in June, 1864. Last address, Helena. Died, May 14th, 1889.

Thomas O'Conner. Place of departure for Montana, Edgerton, Rock County, Wisconsin; route traveled, across the plains; arrived at Virginia City, July 6th, 1864. Occupation, miner. Residence, Helena

Terrence O'Donnell, son of James and Annie O'Donnell; born near Mechanicstown, Carroll County, Ohio. Place of departure for Montana, Denver, Colorado; route traveled, across the plains via North Platte River, Fort Bridger, Echo Canyon, and Salt Lake City; arrived At Virginia City, May 23d, 1864. Occupation, miner. Residence, Helena.

Gabriel Houston Oldham, born in Washington County, Tennessee, in 1815. Place of departure for Montana, Fair Play, Colorado; route traveled, across the plains via Soda Springs and Snake River; arrived at Virginia City, November 14th, 1863. Occupation, locksmith. Last address, Helena. Deceased.

James Albert Oldham, son of Gabriel Houston and Sarah Oldham; born at Fayette, Howard County, Missouri, in 1848. Place of departure for Montana, Fair Play, Colorado; route traveled, across the plains via Soda Springs; arrived at Virginia City in October, 1863. Occupation, locksmith and miner. Residence, Helena.

Joseph O'Neill, son of Charles and Hannah O'Neill; born in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, December 5th, 1842. Place of departure for Montana, Carlyle, Clinton County, Illinois; route traveled, across the plains via St. Louis, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Pass, and Sublette's Cut Off; arrived at Virginia City, June 18th, 1864. Occupation, miner. Residence, Helena.

Mrs. J. O'Neill, nee Eliza P. Thompson, daughter of Thomas S. and Eliza M. Thompson; born at Niagara, Ontario, Canada, May 3d, 1839. Came to the United States in 1845. Place of departure for Montana, Uniontown, Kentucky; route traveled, across the plains via Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and the Black Hills; arrived at Virginia City, September 9th, 1864. Residence, Helena.

Henry Martin Parchen, son of George and Maria (Ruehling) Parchen; born in Prussia, June 13th, 1839.. Came to the United States in 1848. Place of departure for Montana, Denver, Colorado; route traveled, across the plains by stage to Salt Lake City, thence by own conveyance; arrived at Virginia City, July 2d, 1864. Occupation, merchant. Residence, Helena. Member House of Representatives, Twelfth Session, 1881, Territorial Legislative Assembly. Treasurer Society of Montana Pioneers, 1890-1. Commissioner, Lewis and Clarke County.

James B. Patch, arrived at Virginia City, October 12th, 1863. Occupation, teacher. Last address, Helena. Deceased.

John Walker Patrick, son of William Jefferson and Jemima (Walker) Patrick; born near Crab Orchard, Boone Licks, Lincoln County, Kentucky, August 17th, 1809. Place of departure for Montana, St. Louis, Missouri; route traveled, up the Missouri River; arrived at present eastern state line near old Fort Union, between July 15th and 20th, and at the mouth of the Marias River, September 3d, 1836. Occupation, trader, miner, freighter, and farmer. Residence, Augusta. Mr. Patrick on his first trip from St. Louis in 1836, was in charge of five Bateaux, five ton boats, and twenty men, as follows: Peter Arnett, St. Louis; Samuel Carter, St. Louis; Edward Coleman, St. Louis; Frank Conner, St. Louis; James C. Faine, Virginia; Dr. Gibson, St. Louis; Henry Green, Mississippi; Tom Hardy, St. Louis; Michael Hickey, Tennessee; George Johnson, Knoxville, Tennessee; Samuel Johnson, Knoxville, Tennessee; Francis Layden, Virginia; James Newman, St. Louis; Frances Paine, Buncombe County, North Carolina; William F. Parmer, Tennessee; Henry Robare, St. Louis; James Sinclair, St. Louis; John Tipton, Tennessee; William Tipton, Tennessee; and John Webb, St. Louis. An independent party of five came from St. Louis the same season and came up the Missouri River about the same time, camping frequently near Mr. Patrick's party; it consisted of Charles F. Parmer, Louis Grevel, Tom Clark, ? Belman, and another. They went up onto the Madison River and remained two or three years and returned to St. Louis. Parmer afterwards returned to this county. In the spring of 1837 Mr. Patrick went to Vancouver, Washington Territory, through the Lo Lo Pass to Lapwai (Lewiston) Idaho, going on horseback from the mouth of the Marias River; reached Vancouver June 14th; came back to Whitman's Mission on the Walla Walla River, twelve miles from Walla Walla, and went to Salt Lake in September, 1837. In 1837 Mr. Patrick and Barney Ward established a trading post at Provo City, Utah, fifty miles south of Salt Lake, and kept until 1848. Mr. Patrick traded to Sante Fe from 1842 to 1845, acted as guide for the government and for different parties, and has crossed the plains to and from St. Louis and other points about forty times. In 1846 he joined General Sterling Price and was at the Battle of Buena Vista, remaining in Mexico until 1848. In 1849, he crossed the plains to California in a party of twenty-two, packing mules to Sacramento and returned to the trading post near Salt Lake in 1850; he came to Fort Owen in the Bitter Root Valley and in March, 1851, took 150 head of Indian (Flathead) horses to South (Pacific) Pass, on the old Emigrant road to California and Oregon. On October 1st, he left for Portland, Oregon, and stopped at the government post at The Dalles; was married November 28th, 1851, to Nancy Ann Morton, at Portland, where his family remained for three years. He went on horseback to California in 1852, and settled in Rogue River Valley, Jackson County, Oregon, where he remained until 1859, fighting Indians every year while there. Mr. Patrick made his headquarters at Walla Walla from 1859 to 1869, freighting from there into Montana from 1863 to 1869. He was a guide for Mr. T. H. Canfield for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company three years, and was settled at Horse Plains, Missoula County, until 1872. Lived at New Chicago from 1872 until 1876; at Helena a short time.; at Fort Benton Until 1882; at Barker Until 1884. Went to Mineral Springs on the North Fork of Sun River and lived there and at Augusta ever since. Mr. Patrick has had thirteen children, nine living, and he has forty children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Christopher L. Payne, son of William M. and Eliza (Hamilton) Payne; born near Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois, July 31st, 1834. Place of departure for Montana, Omaha, Nebraska; route traveled, up the Missouri River on steamer Shreveport, thence overland from old Fort Charles; arrived at Montana City, November 1st, 1862. Occupation, hotel keeper. Last address, Helena.

Edward Warren Payne, born at Richland, Oswego County, New York, June 15th, 1838. Place of departure for Montana, Denver Colorado; route traveled, across the plains via Bridger Cut Off and Soda Springs; arrived at Virginia City, November 1st, 1863. Occupation, farmer. Residence, Helena.

Woodman S. Paynter, arrived in Montana in 1864. Occupation, merchant. Last address, San Francisco, California.

Robert A. Pelkey, arrived at Hell Gate in August, 1861.

Otto Peterson, born in Holstein, Germany. Place of departure for Montana, Salt Lake City, Utah; route traveled, via Portneuf Canyon; arrived at Alder Gulch, March 20th, 1864. Occupation, miner. Residence, Helena.

John Potter, son of Joseph and Ellen (Wheeler) Potter; born at Athens, Maine, February 17th, 1836. Place of departure for Montana, Minnesota; route traveled, across the plains via Northern Route, Red River of the North, Fort Abercrombie, and Mouse and Milk Rivers; arrived at Fort Benton, August 27th, 1862. Occupation, merchant. Residence, Helena. First postmaster of Helena, 1865-70.

James Quirk, arrived in Montana, April 16th, 1863. Residence, Virginia City, Nevada.

John Ambrose Quirk, son of John and Joanna (Courtney) Quirk; born at Boston, Massachusetts, May 20th, 1838. Place of departure for Montana, Galena, Illinois; route traveled, across the plains via North Platte, Bridger Cut Off, Wind, Big Horn, and Yellowstone Rivers, and Three Forks of the Missouri; arrived at Virginia City, July 10th, 1864. Occupation, miner. Residence, Helena.

Graphics on this site are the property of Genealogy Trails, courtesy of Tina Oneyear.
Some words and graphics are written with the 'Woodcut' font.