Alvin F. Waller
| Alvin F. Waller | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
May 8, 1808 Abington, Pennsylvania |
| Died | December 26, 1872 (aged 64) Salem, Oregon |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | preacher |
| Employer | Methodist Mission |
| Known for | Willamette University |
| Spouse(s) | Elpha White |
Alvin F. Waller (1808–1872) was an American missionary in Oregon Country and an early leader at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He was a native of Pennsylvania and helped found the first Protestant church west of the Rocky Mountains in 1843 in Oregon City.
Alvin Waller was born in Abington, Pennsylvania on May 8, 1808. He was ordained as a Methodist minister and preached on the East Seaboard of the United States. There he married Elpha White in 1833, and they would have five children. In 1839, Waller was recruited by Oregon missionary Jason Lee to join his mission in the Willamette Valley. Waller sailed for Oregon in October 1839 aboard the Lausanne and arrived in Oregon in May 1840 as part of the Methodist Mission's "Great Reinforcement" that included other such as Ira L. Babcock, George Abernethy, Josiah Lamberson Parrish, and Gustavus Hines.
Once in Oregon Waller was assigned to start a new branch of the main mission at the falls on the Willamette River. There with the assistance of Lee the Willamette Falls Methodist Mission was established in 1840. The land claim came into conflict with that of the Hudson's Bay Company at that site, so Doctor John McLoughlin of the HBC took a personal land claim at the site. In 1844, McLoughlin and Waller settled the disputed land claims with Waller and the Methodists receiving townlots, $500, and 5 acres (20,000 m2) from McLoughlin.
In 1842, he helped to build the Methodist church at the falls in what became Oregon City, Oregon. Finished in 1844, the church was the first Protestant church west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1844, after the main mission at Salem was closed, Waller was reassigned to the Wascopam Mission to replace Daniel Lee and H. K. W. Perkins.
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