Branching Out – Connections to Cottage Grove – Part 2

Last week I wrote about how I was connected to Cottage Grove through the farm where I grew up. After I moved to Cottage Grove I discovered there was a Cottage Grove connection at the church I attended in Halsey. One of the “older” ladies at the Halsey Christian Church was Mrs. Ethel Maxwell. She was among that group of ladies who wore hats to church and were almost always there.

After living in Cottage Grove over 20 years, I joined the Cottage Grove Genealogical Society and became active in researching my family history. In checking the books at the Society library, I found one about the Powell family. [Powell History, written in 1922 by James Madison Powell, then updated in 1977] I was acquainted with several members of a Powell family so I did some reading in that book.

It was on page 285 I found Ethel as the wife of Frank Maxwell, son of Nancy Powell and Antony Maxwell. Nancy and Antony were married in 1860 and about 5 years later had moved to a farm near Halsey where they lived for almost 40 years. So Ethel’s mother-in-law was Nancy Powell. But does that make a connection to Cottage Grove other than a book in the library? Well, Nancy did have brothers.

One of these was Joseph Goble Powell (1841-1924) whose daughter Nancy married John Overholser. John’s son Ross was married to Marguariete, a former president of the Cottage Grove Genealogical Society and also the Cottage Grove Historical Society and the author of some historical books. She was someone I knew in Cottage Grove.

Another of Joseph’s children was Charles. One of his sons was Archie Powell, who served as an elder at the Cottage Grove Church of Christ. This was the church I attended and I did know Archie. Among Joseph’s other children was Edward, whose daughter Geneva had married Frank Richardson. Geneva was a faithful member of the Cottage Grove Church of Christ and I considered her a good friend.

Nancy had a half-brother, Alexander Hamilton Powell (1834-1915). He moved to the Cottage Grove area in 1878. Four of his five children married descendants of Cottage Grove area Donation Land Claim settlers. One of these settlers was Henry Small. As our Genealogical Society is publishing stories about these local settlers, I wrote about Henry Small. I didn’t realize when I noted that a descendant had married a Powell that I had a connection to the Powell family from my Halsey days.

So the Powell family had connections to Cottage Grove through people I knew and someone I wrote about. I believe that as I continue to study the Powell History I will continue to find more connections between the Powell family and Cottage Grove.