52 Ancestors 2019 – 7 – Love – William Henry Bond

Why am I writing about William Henry Bond for week 7's theme? It's because I “love” the fact that his land is shown on a land ownership map.

I suspect this theme is due to Valentine's Day. So that would be romantic love. But the word love can have different meanings. I asked Google to define love and received three answers: first 2 nouns and then a verb.

1. An intense feeling of deep affection.
2. A great interest and pleasure in something.
3. Feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone).

So I have decided to use definition 2, because I have a great interest and pleasure in learning about all my relatives. Therefore I have chosen William from this week's “Aunts & Uncles Birthday Calendar” (https://www.joanneskelton.com/ui32.htm) to share about today.

William Henry Bond was my great-granduncle, an older brother of my great-grandfather, John Howard Bond. William was born 15 Feb 1847, in Iowa, to Solomon and Huldah (Hayes) Bond. I found him on the 1850 census as a 3 year old living with his parents in Marion County, Iowa. He would have been 6 years old in 1853 when he participated in the great adventure of traveling in a wagon train to the Oregon Country over the Oregon Trail. It was the next year when his parents settled a 320 acre Donation Land Claim at the edge of the current city of Halsey, Oregon. Since Halsey had not been established yet, the 1860 census listed William, now 13, in Pine Precinct, Linn County, Oregon.

Before the next census was taken, William married Sarah C. Kirk, 17 Oct 1867. The marriage record shows that the wedding took place at the home of William's uncle, Seth Whipple Hayes, who lived nearby. Sarah was the oldest daughter of Madison and Elmira Kirk who probably came to Oregon on the ”lost” wagon train in 1853. In 1860 their family was living in nearby Brownsville. At the 1870 census William and Sarah were located in the Peoria Precinct in Linn County (this was the same area which was called Pine in 1860) with their oldest child, Jasper.

The 1880 census for William and Sarah has been a mystery to me, since I have been unable to find them there. In 1880, Sarah's widowed father, Madison, was living in Centerville, in Umatilla County, Oregon, in the northeastern part of the state. The United States government issued a patent on 15 Aug 1882 to the heirs of Madison Kirk for a 160 acre homestead in Section 22, Range 34 East, Township 4 North, which was the approximate location of Centerville, about 12 miles northeast of Pendleton.

William Bond received a patent 10 years later, 10 Jun 1892, for a 160 acre homestead in Section 13, Range 33 East, Township 4 North, which was about 1 mile southeast of the small town of Helix. This would have been less than 5 miles from the Kirk homestead. This is what was shown on the land ownership map of Umatilla County, from 1914.

William and Sarah were enumerated on the 1900 census in Helix Precinct, Umatilla County, Oregon, with their 23 year old son Elmer and 2 younger children, Hattie and Royal. Their oldest son Jasper was then in Monticello in Cowlitz County, Washington, and their daughter Susan was married to Lewis Shipp and living in Alta Precinct in Umatilla County.

I did find them in them in the 1910 census, still living in the Helix Precinct, with their youngest son Royal, now 14. Their daughter Hattie and her husband James Cushman were also living with them. Susan was now a widow with 2 young children as her husband had died 26 Jun 1909 of tuberculosis and she had moved to Dalles City in Wasco County. Then Hattie died of tuberculosis on 5 Nov 1910, leaving a baby son Ronald.

It was about 3 years later when William died, 10 Aug 1913, at Long Beach, California. Because he still owned the property in Oregon there was a large probate file in Umatilla County. As no will was found, it was an intestate file and the papers list his surviving heirs: widow Sarah Bond, Helix; daughter Susan Shipp, Long Beach; son Royal Bond, age 19, Helix; and grandson Ronald Cushman, son of now deceased daughter Hattie Cushman. Susan, Royal and Ronald each were granted an undivided 1/3 interest in the homestead, subject to the dower interest of the widow, Sarah Bond. I also “love” it when there is a large probate file to read.

Early Oregon Cousins -- Hannah (Windom) Finley

Another one of John Howard Bond's 1st cousins (my 1st cousin 3 times removed) was Hannah Windom. Hannah was a double 1st cousin to Polly Anna Windom, who I wrote about yesterday, as their fathers were brothers and their mothers were sisters. Hannah was the daughter of Benjamin C. and Sybil Ann (Hayes) Windom.

Hannah was the 2nd child, born Mar 1857 in Sonora County, California. She had an older brother Alonzo who was born in 1855 in Oregon and two younger sisters, Mary Jane born about 1858 and Lydia born in 1860. All 4 children were enumerated with their parents on the 1870 census in Harrisburg Precinct in Linn County Oregon.

It was 5 years later, 7 Mar 1875, when 18 year old Hannah married William B. Finley, who was almost 21. William was the younger brother of Sarah Ann Finley, who almost 10 years before had married Hannah's uncle, Seth Whipple Hayes, as his 2nd wife. Therefore Hannah's aunt by marriage was also her sister-in-law and William's brother-in-law was also his uncle by marriage. So the children in these 2 families had some sort of double relationship. Who knows what they called each other.

About 1881 their family moved east to Umatilla County, about 6 miles from Pendleton. They stayed there about 3 years and then moved a little west to Morrow County, about 25 miles north of Heppner. A local history about Morrow County tells that it was in 1896 when William began his sheep business. When it was written in 1902, it states that by then he had over 4000 sheep and owned over 2000 acres of land, plus leased land from the railroad company. I wonder how much Hannah had to do in helping him with his business. In the censuses of 1900, 1910 and 1920 the family was enumerated in Alpine Precinct of Morrow County. Hannah's mother was living with them in 1910.

By the 1930 census they had moved back to Umatilla County and were living in the town of Hermiston. It was there that Hannah died 25 Jan 1932 and was buried in Hermiston Cemetery. William lived as a widower for 10 more years until his death 14 Feb 1942 and he was buried next to Hannah.