Elijah White
| Elijah White | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1806 New York |
| Died | April 3, 1879 |
| Occupation | Missionary physician |
| Known for | Oregon Trail |
| Title | United States sub-Indian Agent |
Dr. Elijah White (1806–1879) was a missionary and agent for the United States government in Oregon Country during the mid-19th century. A trained physician from New York State, he first traveled to Oregon as part of the Methodist Mission in the Willamette Valley. He would return to the region after a falling-out with mission leader Jason Lee as the leader of one of the first large wagon trains across the Oregon Trail and as a sub-Indian agent of the federal government. In Oregon he used his authority to regulate affairs between the Natives and settlers, and even between settlers. White would leave the region in 1845 as a messenger for the Provisional Government of Oregon to the United States Congress, returning in 1850 before leaving again for California in the early 1860s.
White was born in New York, in 1806. There he received his education, including medical training at a school of medicine in Syracuse, New York. Prior to 1836 he would marry, and the couple would have a son named Jason as well as adopting another son named George. In 1836, White accepted an appointment to join Jason Lee in Oregon Country at the Methodist Church’s mission. White and his family sailed to the Sandwich Islands aboard the vessel Hamilton, arriving in July 1836. Others on the ship bound for the mission included William H. Wilson, Alanson Beers, and Miss Anna Maria Pittman who would become Lee's first wife. On the islands both White and his wife taught to the Native Islanders until May 1837 when they continued on to Oregon.
After arriving the family took up residence at the Methodist Mission along the Willamette River at Mission Bottom. His infant son Jason drowned in 1838 after a canoe his wife and David Leslie were traveling in flipped over on the Columbia River. His other son also drowned that year while trying to ford the Willamette River. Elijah White and Jason Lee would develop animosity towards each other and differences in opinion on the direction of the mission leading to White leaving in 1841 to return to the East. In 1842, White led the first wagon train over the Oregon Trail to Oregon that had more than 100 people. Trapper and later politician Osborne Russell served as guide to this migration. The party set out on May 16, 1842, from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 112 people, 18 wagons, and a variety of livestock. Along the journey, some in the migration grew wary of White’s leadership and L. B. Hastings was selected as leader for a time until the party split into two groups.François X. Matthieu along with several other Canadians joined the party along the way to Oregon. White arrived at Fort Vancouver ahead of the main party, arriving on September 20, 1842.
...
Wikipedia