Calvin Peter Burkhart, a native of Oregon, was born on his parents' donation land claim, about 4 miles from Lebanon in Linn County, Oregon on Apr 19, 1850. His father was Raymond Sanderson Burkhart (b. 1817 in TN), and his mother was Elizabeth Jane Wassom (b. 1822 in TN). Calvin was to be one of eleven children borne by Eliza Jane. Sadly, in 1862, when Calvin was only 12 years of age, his mother died just a few weeks after delivering a still born son. She was only 40 years of age and had given birth to eleven children during her 18 yrs. of marriage. Calvin Peter had been named after his uncle, his father's younger brother, Calvin Peter Burkhart, who had been born in Tennessee in 1819. His father remarried two years after Eliza Jane's death, to Mary Scott, in 1864. She would bear him five children. Calvin helped his father on the donation land claim and lived at home while he was a single man. He married Kate Whittlesey Connor, an Oregonian born in 1852, and they were given a portion of his father's donation land claim to farm and live on. I've hardly been able to find any information regarding the lives of Calvin and Kate Burkhart except that they were the parents of just one child, a son they named John Connor Burkhart, b. Aug 28, 1880 in Albany, Linn County, Oregon. John completed his primary schooling and attended and graduated from Cornell University. John designed and flew planes at numerous county fairs and at other attractions in the Willamette Valley as early as 1912-1914. His first plane was completed in 1910, according to his obit in The Oregonian (published on 30 May 1926), when he passed from this life. John also designed and built a plane that flew a trans-Atlantic flight for the Air Corps in July, 1908. When World War I broke out, John entered the Aviation Corps at Washington, D. C., where he attained the rank of Captain. He also married Mabel Goss of New York and they lived in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon where he worked as a Photographer. John and Kate never had any children, to my knowledge. His father (and the subject of this memorial) died in 1898 at the relatively young age of 48 yrs. John would pass from this life when he was only 46 years of age.

**{Of interest is the fact that many of Raymond's direct male descendants died at fairly young ages. As the years went by, I've found that many of them have had serious heart problems and died of heart failure.} Calvin Peter was younger than his father when he died, passing from this life at the age of only 46 years. His grandson, John Connor Burkhart, died when he was only 46. Other descendants also died all too soon: Clyde Marion Burkhart d. at age 43 (1882-1925), Arthur James Burkhart d. at age 58. His son, Robert James Burkhart,also died at age 58. His son, Robert Marshall Burkhart, died at age 47 yrs. His son, William Arthur Burkhart, died at the age of 57 yrs. I wonder if this is a genetic issue that should be explored by any surviving descendant of Raymond Sanderson Burkhart or his direct descendants.} May they all Rest in Peace in Paradise.