John Henry Settle (1808 - 1896)

Born 25 Nov 1808 in Dearborn, Indiana, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Martha Clay (Hudson) Settle — married 24 Apr 1828 in Jefferson, Indiana, United States

Husband of Julia Ann (Johnson) Settle — married about 1859 in Oregon, United States

Descendants

Died 6 Feb 1896 at age 87 in Lebanon, Linn, Oregon, United States

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Biography

John Henry Settle was born 25 Nov 1808 or 24 Nov 1809 in Marion County or Dearborn County, Indiana to parents John Settle and Jane Ruby. ^[1][2][3][4]

He was one of the youngest of a family of thirteen (nine boys and four girls).^[4]

John Settle was involved in the westward expansion of the USA. See Westward Ho!.

Journey to Oregon Country
John’s father was born in Virginia, his mother in Kentucky, where they were granted permission to marry by her father. They settled in Indiana where his father died and John was born.

John’s first marriage and birth of his oldest children were in Jefferson County, Indiana, spanning the years 1828 to 1837.

Birthplaces of later children show the family’s movement prior to setting out for the Oregon Territory. They were in Illinois around 1839 and Iowa around 1840 through 1843. The attached sketch puts them in Iowa in 1846.

John was a coffin maker before coming to Oregon.^[3]

Concerning the train with which the family came to Oregon, there were fourteen friends and relatives. Among them were the Smith families. There were also the Wassoms and the Kees. Mrs. Parker who lived near Sand Ridge in Linn County, Mrs. Etna Cooper, and Mrs. Polly Hudson, were all John’s sisters.^[3] His nephew Capt. John Settle and wife Mary Ann were also part of the train. Capt. Settle had been with the militia in the Indian wars along the Ohio. John drove a large number of stock, he and five sons riding horseback, the younger children in the covered wagon with his wife.^[4]

The family arrived at the Whitman mission in Walla Walla late in the fall of 1846. There were 6 boys and 6 girls. The cattle were in poor shape and they wintered there over the winter of 1846-1847 and ended up staying there 11 months. During their stay, John helped build a saw mill about 20 miles away as well as some cabins. John learned that the native people were very unhappy with Dr Whitman’s treatment. They said that Dr Whitman had taken their land and timber, promising to pay, but never doing so, that he had driven away the game, was abusive, and whipped their children. They particularly objected to the new saw mill. John attempted to convince Dr Whitman to leave, but was unsuccessful. Instead, Dr Whitman offered inducement to John to stay and settle. John left the mission 26 Nov 1847, heading down the river. Three days later, the massacre at the mission occurred. The family was trailed by hostile natives for 3 days as they were leaving.^[3][4]

In John’s words:

When I reached the Umatilla River we were attacked by the Indians. I, with the men, had to drive the stock to the river to drink. When the Indians came to the wagons and attempted to steal the girls, Mrs. Settle held them off with an ax. Other Indians who were friendly to me came up and ended the attack. While this was going on an Indian not knowing it was my train attempted to shoot me but a friendly Indian struck up his gun and the shot went wild.

The friendly Indian furnished me with an escort and I had no further trouble reaching The Dalles.^[4]

John arrived at Linn County in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country in 1847 and was granted Donation Land Claim #1889 in Linn County.^[1] The following year it became part of the Oregon Territory and later, the state of Oregon.

His nearest neighbors were the Gores, the Kees, the Wassoms, and the Ralstons who lived where Lebanon now is.^[3]

Santiam Wagon Road and Suttle Lake
A pass from the central Willamette Valley through the Cascade Range was once called Wiley Pass after Andrew Alexander Wiley. John’s daughter Elizabeth was Andrew‘s second wife. Wiley and other settlers explored the pass in 1859 as a route to move livestock to Central Oregon for summer grazing. They formed the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Military Wagon Road Company in 1864 and submitted plans to the federal government. In 1866 and 1867 Andrew served as chief locator for the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Road project. A wagon road was completed in 1868 from Lebanon in the valley to Camp Polk near Sisters, Oregon and became the toll road named Santiam Wagon Road.^[5][6][7][8]

John was involved in the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Military Wagon Road project in 1866.^[9] For over ten years he was more or less engaged in that work. He was one of those who laid out the road and blazed the way.^[3]

Suttle Lake In Oregon was named for John Settle, the first settler to discover the lake. Its name is a common misspelling of his last name. He found the lake while hunting during work on the wagon road.^[3][9]

Mill Works
John built a mill at Waterloo. It was while running the mill at Waterloo that he discovered the soda spring. While looking out of an upper window he saw a group of deer on the rocks across the river. He crossed, shot one of the deer, and noticed that the deer had been licking the rocks. He tasted of the water and so discovered the spring. Some claim that another man had previously found the spring but if so John had never heard of it.^[3]

Later, he and John Isom operated the Red Crown Mill at Albany. John Settle was a silent partner. Later the mill was operated by Isom and Lanning.^[3]

He helped to build a flour mill in Lebanon which was situated near where the Paper Mill now stands. The flour from that mill was shipped to Albany via the Albany-Santiam Canal. The loaded flatboats were floated with the current and the empty boats were drawn back by mule teams. It was an important means of transportation in the early days.^[3]

Family
John was brother-in-law of Henry Clay.^[4]

He married first Martha Clay Hudson on 24 or 25 Apr 1828 in Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana.^{[1][3][10][11][12]}

Children of John and Martha:

• John T, b abt 1829 Indiana^[13][14]
• Peter B, b abt 1830 Indiana^[13]
• Rhoda Ann, b 13 Oct 1833 Jefferson Co, Indiana, m William Mercer Smith, d 17 Sep 1898^[10][13]
• Sarah Jane, b 18 May 1837 Indiana, d 7 Aug 1850 Linn, Oregon Territory^[10]
• Mary E, b abt 1839 Illinois^[13]
• Josiah Parker, b abt 1840 Iowa^[13][14][15]
• Elizabeth, b abt 1843 Iowa^[13][14]
• Harriet Melissa, b 25 Jan 1848 Lebanon, Linn , Oregon Territory, m James Milton Settle, d 23 Aug 1916 Lebanon, Linn, Oregon^[3][10][13]
• Emma Abigail, b abt 1850 or 53 Linn, Oregon Territory, m Thomas S Mealey, d 17 Oct 1928 Portland, Multnomah, Oregon^[10][14][15]
• William Gore, b 29 Aug 1854 Lebanon, Linn, Oregon Territory, m Anna Smith, d 28 Mar 1924 Lebanon, Linn, Oregon^{[10][11][14][15]}
• Stephen T ^{[citation needed]}
• Henry C ^{[citation needed]}

After Martha died in 1858 he married second Julia Ann Johnson about 1859 in Oregon.^{[1][3][10][15][14][16]}

Children of John and Julia include:

• Ira Frank^[16]
• Etta, b 25 Jul 1863, d 16 Oct 1867^[17]

Residence
John arrived in the Oregon Country in 1847 and was granted Donation Land Claim #1889 in Linn County.^[1]

In 1849, he is listed as J Suttle, Linn County in the Territorial Census.^[18]

In 1850, John (41) worked as a miller and lived with Martha (41) in Linn County, Oregon Territory. The household included John (21), Peter (20), Rhoda (17), Mary (11), Josiah (10), Eliz (7), and Harriet (3). Isaiah (30) and Sarah I Settle (13) were also part of the household.^[13]

John is listed in the Territorial tax records in Linn County in 1851, 1852, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1858, and 1859.^{[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]}

In 1860, John (51) was farming and living with his wife Julia (37), Josiah (17), Elizabeth (16), stepson James (14), stepson George (12), Emily (10), William (7), and John T (30) in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon.^[14]

In 1870, John (61) was farming and living with his wife Julia (46), daughter Emily (19), son William (15), and son Josiah (27) in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon.^[15]

In 1880, John (71) was retired from farming and living with his wife Julia (56), son William (24), and son Ira (20) in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon. His sons were farming.^[16]

Late Life and Death
John Settle, of Lebanon, familiarly known as “Uncle Jackey” Settle, an Oregon pioneer, aged about 70, has been stricken with paralysis and is not expected to recover.^[27]
- Oregonian, January 20, 1887

He died on 6 Feb 1896 or 5 Feb 1895 at the age of 87 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon and is buried at Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery in Lebanon.^[1][3][10]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Early Oregonians Database Index, Oregon State Archives John H Settle
2. ↑ Kentucky County Marriage Record 1798
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13} Haskins, Leslie; WPA Interview of Mitchell, Georgia (Settle), May 23, 1940; transcribed by Patricia Dunn
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} Jones, Hilman F; UNPUBLISHED HISTORY of John Settle Wagon Train
5. ↑ Historical Marker - Santiam Wagon Road
6. ↑ USDA Forest Service; Santiam Wagon Road; Historic Trail Brochure
7. ↑ United States Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, The Forest by Road and Highway: A Motorist's Guide to the Willamette National Forest, p 10
8. ↑ United States Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, The Forest by Road and Highway: A Motorist's Guide to the Willamette National Forest, p 11
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Explore Central Oregon. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Suttle Lake
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7} Find A Grave: Memorial #26702391: accessed 27 Jul 2021), memorial page for John Settle (25 Nov 1808–6 Feb 1896), citing Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery, Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by Joanne (contributor 46867760)
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} "Oregon Deaths and Burials, 1903-1947", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8W7-X7Z : 13 February 2020), John Settle in entry for William Gore Settle, 1924.
12. ↑ "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBQP-6P6 : 31 December 2021), John Little and Martha K Hudson, ; citing Jefferson, Indiana, United States, Marriage Registration, Indiana Commission on Public Records, Indianapolis; FHL microfilm 004714736.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7} "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHHW-X1K : 4 April 2020), John Settle, Linn county, Linn, Oregon Territory, United States; citing family 124, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6} "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDQK-41L : 18 February 2021), John Settle, 1860.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4} 1870 United States Federal Census Ancestry Record 7163 #9279107
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1 16.2} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNCL-WVP : 16 July 2017), John Settle, Lebanon, Linn, Oregon, United States; citing enumeration district ED 70, sheet 332A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,082.
17. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26702390/etta-settle : accessed 05 September 2021), memorial page for Etta Settle (unknown–16 Oct 1867), Find A Grave: Memorial #26702390, citing Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery, Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon, USA ; Maintained by Joanne (contributor 46867760) with headstone photo
18. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #108212
19. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #14111
20. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #14112
21. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #14113
22. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #8020
23. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #14114
24. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #14121
25. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #14122
26. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Historical Records Index, Provisional and Territorial Record #14131
27. ↑ Oregonian, January 20, 1887

See also:

• Flora, Stephanie; Emigrants to Oregon in 1846
• Wikipedia contributors, "Whitman massacre," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whitman_massacre&oldid=1047412859 (accessed November 23, 2021).
• Wikipedia contributors, "Suttle Lake (Oregon)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Suttle_Lake_(Oregon)&oldid=1045580777 (accessed November 24, 2021).