My Maternal Grandmother, Elnora Anna Gillespie, the daughter of George and Angeline Gillespie was born on 14 May 1864 at LaFayette, Oregon. At the time, her father, George Gillespie, worked as a trapper for the Hudson Bay Company in the John Day Valley of Oregon. She contracted polio as a child and doctors told her father that she would never walk. He did not accept this and would take her with him on his trapping expeditions to the Oregon coast where he would bathe her in the Pacific Ocean to restore her muscular tone. She recalls that because she had bright red hair he made her wear a bonnet at all times. Some Indians would have scalped her for her hair. In 1877 she and her family fled from the Indians who attacked the John Day valley and slaughtered the settlers who failed to heed the warning which had been given to George Gillespie by an old Indian whom he had befriended. The Indian had told him "leave between two suns" and he had passed this on to his neighbors who ignored him. Her father moved to the Moscow Idaho area shortly after this and homesteaded there, later moving to Wawawai, on the Snake River below Lewiston. Elnora had a sister, Mary, and a brother, Edward, & a sister, Jennie."

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When very young, Elnora moved with her family from LaFayette to The Dalles, then to Dayton, WA, to Moscow, Idaho, to Wawawai, WA, to Bellevue, Idaho. In the late 1880‘s, her Mother contracted cancer. Her parents heard about a California doctor who could cure cancer so they headed for California. They got as far as Riddle, Oregon & could go no farther. Elnora went to Riddle to do what she could to help. The family lived in Riddle for two or three years, but Elnora's Mother died on April 22, 1893.

From Uncle Ed's (Elnora's Brother) story: "There was a great change after mother died at Riddle, Ore. 1893. Nora was still at home, was crippled in one leg but could do lots of work. She and I made the living for some time, but after Mother died Nora had to keep house for Father and it all fell on me. I was able to do it until Nora married two years later. Father tried to live with her but he wasn't satisified."

And, as Uncle Ed Says, Elnora Did marry. She married Clayton Shackelford at Crawfordsville, OR on January 1, 1895. Here is the story from The Brownsville Times:

Clayton & Elnora Shackelford's Wedding Story from the Brownsville, Oregon Times:

MARRIED

Shackelford-Gillespie - In Crawfordsville, Oregon on Tuesday, January 1, 1895, Mr. J. C. Shackelford, of Crawfordsville, and Miss Norah Gillespie, of Canyonville, Douglas County, Oregon.

(I'm quite sure J. C. Shackelford had been living in Enterprise, & came home to get married).

The ceremony was performed at the residence of Marion & Susanna Shackelford by Rev. J. W. Spangler, of Brownsville, after which the assembled company partook of the wedding dinner which had been prepared by Mrs. Shackelford. The wedding was strictly private, none but the members of the family being present. In the evening the happy couple were serenaded by the young ladies & gentlemen of the Literary Society, whose music added much to the pleasure of the evening.

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From the same edition:

Mr. Gillespie and son Edward of Douglas County, Oregon are stopping in Crawfordsville at present.

Clayt & Elnora

Their first child, Wilbur, was born on Oct 2, 1895, & died only 1 month later on Nov. 4. My Mother, Susannah Angeline, was born Sept. 7, 1896 at Wagner, Oregon. It is reasonable to assume that Wilbur was also born at Wagner. The family moved to Enterprise shortly after Susannah was born, where Eddeth (Aunt Ted) was born Nov. 7, 1898, Hazel was born in 1900 (but lived only three years), & Elnorah (Aunt Babe) was born July 16, 1902.

In 1900, Elnora & Clayton owned farm #77 free & clear. Clayton was elected Sheriff of Wallowa County in 1902 & served for 2 years. He owned & operated the Enterprise Livery & Feed Stable after this until the family moved to Clarkston, WA in 1910. The word is that Clayt signed a note on behalf of a trusted friend, Guy Horner, for $25,000.00. Something went awry & Clayt lost the farm & the business. This would appear to have had quite an effect on our own beginnings (this, Grandfather Schnabel's train wreck, Grandma "Norey's" polio, Great Grandfather Regan's misfortune at sea, & Thomas & Angeline Jackson's estrangement.

In Clarkston, Elnora took good care of their home & family. She kept busy & worked hard. She needed crutches, but could do more work that anyone in the county. Grandma & Grandpa Shackelford move into our Lewiston home around 1929. Grandpa worked as Night Watchman for the COD Laundry & Grandma helped with housework & helped Mom in trying to make Jim, Fran, & I behave & do our homework. She loved us & we loved her.

Elnora moved to Swallow's Nest when our parents moved there in 1940. She passed away on October 3, 1944. May she rest in peace in Heaven. She is buried at Vineland Cemetery in Clarkston, Washington.