The Gists are remembered through stories handed down by Stayton pioneers and by
three brief news items in the Oregon Statesman of December 23 and 29th, 1885,
and January 5, 1886.
The first one explains what struck the family:
TYPHOID FEVER - The family of James Gist near Mehama, are sorely afflicted.Himself and three children are sick of typhoid fever, and on last Friday the youngest of four died.
The second item December 29, 1885, told more of the story:
GIST - Near Mehama, Dec. 27, 1885, Christopher, second son of J. R. Gist, aged about 21 yrs. This is the second death in the family from typhoid fever in the past two weeks. Mr. Gist and two children are yet very sick, and the life of one of the two children is almost despaired of.
Then came the Jan 5th Statesman item under:
DIED - At her home near Mehama, Dec. 31, 1885, Mary, youngest daughter of J. R. Gist, aged about 18 years. This is the third death in this family during the past few weeks, and the only remaining child is still very low. Surely the family is bereaved beyond endurance.The heartfelt sympathies of a host of friends goes out to them in this their heavy affliction.
That wasn't all the despair which visited the Gist family farm above Taylor's Grove in that big snow of 1885. With everyone ill but herself, Mrs. Gist wrapped the bodies, one by one, in clean blankets and placed them in the woodshed. She seemed not to shed a tear.
When the roads were clear, Gist was able to ride to Stayton to obtain caskets. Mrs. Gist dressed the bodies in their best clothes and put them in the caskets, which were then placed on a wagon to take to the cemetery 12 miles away. When a wheel hit a rut, the caskets fell off. This was too much to bear, and the tears came in a torrent. The parents opened the caskets, rearranged the bodies and clothing, and rode on toward Grier Cemetery.
three brief news items in the Oregon Statesman of December 23 and 29th, 1885,
and January 5, 1886.
The first one explains what struck the family:
TYPHOID FEVER - The family of James Gist near Mehama, are sorely afflicted.Himself and three children are sick of typhoid fever, and on last Friday the youngest of four died.
The second item December 29, 1885, told more of the story:
GIST - Near Mehama, Dec. 27, 1885, Christopher, second son of J. R. Gist, aged about 21 yrs. This is the second death in the family from typhoid fever in the past two weeks. Mr. Gist and two children are yet very sick, and the life of one of the two children is almost despaired of.
Then came the Jan 5th Statesman item under:
DIED - At her home near Mehama, Dec. 31, 1885, Mary, youngest daughter of J. R. Gist, aged about 18 years. This is the third death in this family during the past few weeks, and the only remaining child is still very low. Surely the family is bereaved beyond endurance.The heartfelt sympathies of a host of friends goes out to them in this their heavy affliction.
That wasn't all the despair which visited the Gist family farm above Taylor's Grove in that big snow of 1885. With everyone ill but herself, Mrs. Gist wrapped the bodies, one by one, in clean blankets and placed them in the woodshed. She seemed not to shed a tear.
When the roads were clear, Gist was able to ride to Stayton to obtain caskets. Mrs. Gist dressed the bodies in their best clothes and put them in the caskets, which were then placed on a wagon to take to the cemetery 12 miles away. When a wheel hit a rut, the caskets fell off. This was too much to bear, and the tears came in a torrent. The parents opened the caskets, rearranged the bodies and clothing, and rode on toward Grier Cemetery.
The Gists are remembered through stories handed down by Stayton pioneers and by
three brief news items in the Oregon Statesman of December 23 and 29th, 1885,
and January 5, 1886.
The first one explains what struck the family:
TYPHOID FEVER - The family of James Gist near Mehama, are sorely afflicted.Himself and three children are sick of typhoid fever, and on last Friday the youngest of four died.
The second item December 29, 1885, told more of the story:
GIST - Near Mehama, Dec. 27, 1885, Christopher, second son of J. R. Gist, aged about 21 yrs. This is the second death in the family from typhoid fever in the past two weeks. Mr. Gist and two children are yet very sick, and the life of one of the two children is almost despaired of.
Then came the Jan 5th Statesman item under:
DIED - At her home near Mehama, Dec. 31, 1885, Mary, youngest daughter of J. R. Gist, aged about 18 years. This is the third death in this family during the past few weeks, and the only remaining child is still very low. Surely the family is bereaved beyond endurance.The heartfelt sympathies of a host of friends goes out to them in this their heavy affliction.
That wasn't all the despair which visited the Gist family farm above Taylor's Grove in that big snow of 1885. With everyone ill but herself, Mrs. Gist wrapped the bodies, one by one, in clean blankets and placed them in the woodshed. She seemed not to shed a tear.
When the roads were clear, Gist was able to ride to Stayton to obtain caskets. Mrs. Gist dressed the bodies in their best clothes and put them in the caskets, which were then placed on a wagon to take to the cemetery 12 miles away. When a wheel hit a rut, the caskets fell off. This was too much to bear, and the tears came in a torrent. The parents opened the caskets, rearranged the bodies and clothing, and rode on toward Grier Cemetery.
three brief news items in the Oregon Statesman of December 23 and 29th, 1885,
and January 5, 1886.
The first one explains what struck the family:
TYPHOID FEVER - The family of James Gist near Mehama, are sorely afflicted.Himself and three children are sick of typhoid fever, and on last Friday the youngest of four died.
The second item December 29, 1885, told more of the story:
GIST - Near Mehama, Dec. 27, 1885, Christopher, second son of J. R. Gist, aged about 21 yrs. This is the second death in the family from typhoid fever in the past two weeks. Mr. Gist and two children are yet very sick, and the life of one of the two children is almost despaired of.
Then came the Jan 5th Statesman item under:
DIED - At her home near Mehama, Dec. 31, 1885, Mary, youngest daughter of J. R. Gist, aged about 18 years. This is the third death in this family during the past few weeks, and the only remaining child is still very low. Surely the family is bereaved beyond endurance.The heartfelt sympathies of a host of friends goes out to them in this their heavy affliction.
That wasn't all the despair which visited the Gist family farm above Taylor's Grove in that big snow of 1885. With everyone ill but herself, Mrs. Gist wrapped the bodies, one by one, in clean blankets and placed them in the woodshed. She seemed not to shed a tear.
When the roads were clear, Gist was able to ride to Stayton to obtain caskets. Mrs. Gist dressed the bodies in their best clothes and put them in the caskets, which were then placed on a wagon to take to the cemetery 12 miles away. When a wheel hit a rut, the caskets fell off. This was too much to bear, and the tears came in a torrent. The parents opened the caskets, rearranged the bodies and clothing, and rode on toward Grier Cemetery.
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