Helena's middle name has also been listed as Marie, her maiden last name as Klingler.
Born a child of German immigrants.
Her mother, Marie Therese Woesthof, passed away when Helena was only 4 years old. At the age of 6 she came West on the Oregon Trail with her father, step-mother, and siblings. Her father, Johannes (John) Ludwig Klingler (Klinger), died in an accident when she was 18 years old.
In the 1860 U. S. Federal Census Helena is listed as living in Oregon (the city of Molalla, Clackamas County) along with her widowed step-mother. One of their farm hands listed on that census was David Morris - Helena's future husband.
By the 1870 Census, Helena and David are married, living on a farm in the City of Union, Clackamas County. David and Helena are the parents of five children.
In 1880 David is still married to her - farming and hopefully helping Helena with their now eight children.
Or maybe not...
Helena had to go through extremely hard times when her husband was convicted of 2nd degree murder and incarcerated in 1882.
She divorced him in 1883, when he was still imprisoned.
Pardoned by the governor, but estranged from Helena and their children, Helena's husband, David, dies alone in a remote cabin in 1899.
In 1900 Helena lists herself as a widow in the census, having had 9 children, with 8 of her children still living. Although her 31 year old and 21 year old sons, Ira and Charles, are residing with her, Helena is listed as the head of the household, running the farm.
At the age of 69 she is still head of the farm. George has married and moved next door, but Ira is still at home.
In her last years, Helena is living at the home of her youngest son, Charles, and his wife, Rose, along with their growing family.
It's nice to think that perhaps she might then have been able to enjoy spending some happy time with her grandchildren, Clara, age 9, Goldie, age 7, and 3 year old Ivan. She had been through a lot.
Born a child of German immigrants.
Her mother, Marie Therese Woesthof, passed away when Helena was only 4 years old. At the age of 6 she came West on the Oregon Trail with her father, step-mother, and siblings. Her father, Johannes (John) Ludwig Klingler (Klinger), died in an accident when she was 18 years old.
In the 1860 U. S. Federal Census Helena is listed as living in Oregon (the city of Molalla, Clackamas County) along with her widowed step-mother. One of their farm hands listed on that census was David Morris - Helena's future husband.
By the 1870 Census, Helena and David are married, living on a farm in the City of Union, Clackamas County. David and Helena are the parents of five children.
In 1880 David is still married to her - farming and hopefully helping Helena with their now eight children.
Or maybe not...
Helena had to go through extremely hard times when her husband was convicted of 2nd degree murder and incarcerated in 1882.
She divorced him in 1883, when he was still imprisoned.
Pardoned by the governor, but estranged from Helena and their children, Helena's husband, David, dies alone in a remote cabin in 1899.
In 1900 Helena lists herself as a widow in the census, having had 9 children, with 8 of her children still living. Although her 31 year old and 21 year old sons, Ira and Charles, are residing with her, Helena is listed as the head of the household, running the farm.
At the age of 69 she is still head of the farm. George has married and moved next door, but Ira is still at home.
In her last years, Helena is living at the home of her youngest son, Charles, and his wife, Rose, along with their growing family.
It's nice to think that perhaps she might then have been able to enjoy spending some happy time with her grandchildren, Clara, age 9, Goldie, age 7, and 3 year old Ivan. She had been through a lot.
Helena's middle name has also been listed as Marie, her maiden last name as Klingler.
Born a child of German immigrants.
Her mother, Marie Therese Woesthof, passed away when Helena was only 4 years old. At the age of 6 she came West on the Oregon Trail with her father, step-mother, and siblings. Her father, Johannes (John) Ludwig Klingler (Klinger), died in an accident when she was 18 years old.
In the 1860 U. S. Federal Census Helena is listed as living in Oregon (the city of Molalla, Clackamas County) along with her widowed step-mother. One of their farm hands listed on that census was David Morris - Helena's future husband.
By the 1870 Census, Helena and David are married, living on a farm in the City of Union, Clackamas County. David and Helena are the parents of five children.
In 1880 David is still married to her - farming and hopefully helping Helena with their now eight children.
Or maybe not...
Helena had to go through extremely hard times when her husband was convicted of 2nd degree murder and incarcerated in 1882.
She divorced him in 1883, when he was still imprisoned.
Pardoned by the governor, but estranged from Helena and their children, Helena's husband, David, dies alone in a remote cabin in 1899.
In 1900 Helena lists herself as a widow in the census, having had 9 children, with 8 of her children still living. Although her 31 year old and 21 year old sons, Ira and Charles, are residing with her, Helena is listed as the head of the household, running the farm.
At the age of 69 she is still head of the farm. George has married and moved next door, but Ira is still at home.
In her last years, Helena is living at the home of her youngest son, Charles, and his wife, Rose, along with their growing family.
It's nice to think that perhaps she might then have been able to enjoy spending some happy time with her grandchildren, Clara, age 9, Goldie, age 7, and 3 year old Ivan. She had been through a lot.
Born a child of German immigrants.
Her mother, Marie Therese Woesthof, passed away when Helena was only 4 years old. At the age of 6 she came West on the Oregon Trail with her father, step-mother, and siblings. Her father, Johannes (John) Ludwig Klingler (Klinger), died in an accident when she was 18 years old.
In the 1860 U. S. Federal Census Helena is listed as living in Oregon (the city of Molalla, Clackamas County) along with her widowed step-mother. One of their farm hands listed on that census was David Morris - Helena's future husband.
By the 1870 Census, Helena and David are married, living on a farm in the City of Union, Clackamas County. David and Helena are the parents of five children.
In 1880 David is still married to her - farming and hopefully helping Helena with their now eight children.
Or maybe not...
Helena had to go through extremely hard times when her husband was convicted of 2nd degree murder and incarcerated in 1882.
She divorced him in 1883, when he was still imprisoned.
Pardoned by the governor, but estranged from Helena and their children, Helena's husband, David, dies alone in a remote cabin in 1899.
In 1900 Helena lists herself as a widow in the census, having had 9 children, with 8 of her children still living. Although her 31 year old and 21 year old sons, Ira and Charles, are residing with her, Helena is listed as the head of the household, running the farm.
At the age of 69 she is still head of the farm. George has married and moved next door, but Ira is still at home.
In her last years, Helena is living at the home of her youngest son, Charles, and his wife, Rose, along with their growing family.
It's nice to think that perhaps she might then have been able to enjoy spending some happy time with her grandchildren, Clara, age 9, Goldie, age 7, and 3 year old Ivan. She had been through a lot.
