The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-09-19
BY Mrs. 0ueas-AdSit, N. D.


tho deprndntionH of the Indians with hrr
rno In her husbands absence. They
would Try 10 enter hor house and when
prevented would throw stones at them.
shoot at the house and threaten violence
IN various why's. bui she being pos
nonHrd of rare physical courage, traits
that many Of those pioneers were cn'
dowpd with WIS always able % defend
hcgself and home.
The nccosAarlou Of He were procured
at tho Hudson Bay trading post a. ore
gon Clty or Vancouver. which wnH also
u Hudson Hay trading station, and when
VIZ remember thai tho journey 20 those
stations waA made In indian canoes ana
bairnux. ana It took from three 10 six
weeks 10 mako the tourney purchase
supplies and return. We may be enabled
10 have u Hllgh, conception Of the many
yicin.Itudos. trli1n ana hardHhins this
pioneer mother WAS called upon % endure.
surrounded by her family Of small chill
drrn. spending the weary nights alone.
while tho father was away on those
periodical Journeys.
Fortunately food was plnuful Ia the
rolilcd part ~ tho country. But the great
want " tho newcomers WAS clothing
Al the goods In the several stores being
exhausted. oVon the at Vancouver there
. { d a.
sof,d cargo. witch was no, open Tor use.
Clothing whr made by putting piece Il"
ploco together regardless Of color 'r tex
turc. md mocgnslus taxing the place ot
bouts uud 4hu,- was the uulyrrua! foot
covering
During Mr. Wei h'- aIsoBce ON one Of
those trips 20 Oregon CiW for provisions
aud other ncorssarirr. Mrs w'lch was
taken suddenly m. and sank away into
comAtnHr state. when by accident Mr
". ~ Gray, tho houorcd pioneer hclng
the only acting physician at the mouth
uf the Columbia. came 10 The houHc 70
stay over nlrht with hin friends aa was
the custom On those times on being IN
formed Of Mru. W,lehF condition nc I'M
mr,uat,iy went tu work with what T,im-
uiantn no had At hand and succeeded IN
restoring her to consciousness. Mrr.
woleh has related This incident very
often nnd always spoke with much feel
Ing or srautua" OF the manly. noble
pioneer who saved h,t Ne To h"r family
for many long years after
Mrs wolch had moral courage thai
Was ., great It prrrludrd any shadow of
..ur. h,uu,fisy or deception She wore
upon hrr brow thruuRhuu, "a long ne OF
arau,4. duucs. trials ana temptations
the Insignia ~ moral w-rth and womanly
purity. tho brightcrt jewel Ia the crown
~ lifr She was woman true 90 herself
aud o, naturally followed that 7hr MAS
true 20 oth,rs. In rlaung the many
hardship incident 20 her carlF nc. ih'tc
wac mover % shadow ot sclt.pily. never a
thought of what might have been only
/ n wum,niy. mobile. rylf RELIANT feeling
that her duty had always been done as
nrsf 80" know iirius trus Christian
f Namau. hor many urt- of klnlnr-a aud
. charity Ntl lru,o fur her utmo that viii
b d, nlazouod upon the pages pf IN, history
or Oregon ana Clutrup county She has
T lcu footprints ON the sand of time which
. no wave of oblivion can cfacc. while the
u,mc " our ruvo Oregon. shall Doe
apokcn by men
/ She was n true ana dcyotodwifc ana
mother deeply attached To her homc ana
/ friends
when In the fau OF iN3 Mrs Wclch, In
company with her youngest daughter
/ Tor the nuI time Ia an these years Wise
/ itcd the sccuos of her early lifc visiting
her brothers children In various parts OF
iowa, ana her only surviving brother In
AtchI~on. Kansas, whom she had not
seen for nfty-thrrc years, ana attended
the worlds great exposition In Chicago
which she greatly enjoyed, hut returned
TO her dear adopted Oregon happy ana
grateful In the thought that her home
WAS In the best part OF the world as she
Expressed H. She suw no place equal TO
the c,crgrccu cnrp,t,d oregon.
In October. lV5. she visited California
and after pro,rnctcd visit. and seeing
her old-tlmc rrlcnd Mrs Ingalls, laid TO
rest nj Los Angeles California, she again
returned TO her home nllcd with thankful
gratitude that her life had been spared
TO again enjoy the dear loved scenes,
every one Of which the tcndrIlla OF her
heart were closely woven about.
Mrs, Wclch was the mother OF eleven
children. i've OF whom are now living
James W. Wclch, John W. Wclch, Mrs
Sarah +. Wood. Daniel II. Wclch and
Mrs Mary |. Gillette, all OF Astoria.
Fourteen grandchildren are living
or her We may truthfuuy say she was
indeed a typical ploncr woman, having
been born In the western wIlds Of ohio
was Injured to the prlyations and hard
ships, the tolls and dangers OF Ohio plo-
ncers, which cmIncntly Attcd her OF cope
with tho greater dangers and prlvatlons
she had to endure nj helping to establish
home on the Paclhc coast.
After n useful life of IS years Mrs
Nancy Dlckcrson welch at $3.50 p. m on
Tuesday evening. February II. 1896, sur
rendered this life to her Lord surrounded
by her children and grandchildren, her
husband. James Welch having died in
1876, On the Friday following her death
the funeral took place from her late
residence, the Rev. II, s. Bolllnger, OF the
FIRST Congregational church officiating,
The spacious grounds were filed with
II mourning mass OF humanity which by
theri attendance paid their farewell trib-
ute to her who first of her sex and race
located In Astoria, and assisted In turn
ing a wilderness into civilization. Her
friends gave abundant evidence that she
solved the principles OF life In recOg-