Cornelia L. Richardson Myers Gregory was born on Sept. 14, 1847, in what is now Oregon City, Oregon. She died March 2, 1928 on the Gregory homestead west of Meridian. The circumstances of her birth were a fitting prelude to her long and adventurous life span. Her parents, Nathaniel Carpenter Richardson and Anna Hurlburt Bushnell, urged by the spirit of the pioneers, were making their way, by wagon train, from Quincy, Illinois, out to the great Northwest. On September 14, 1847, the party arrived at the farm of Peer Hatch, near the site of Oregon City, Oregon. That night a baby girl was born to Mrs. Richardson. Two kindly women were the good Samaritans who cared for the mother. They were Cornelia Hatch and Lucretia Wilks, so to show their gratitude, the Richardsons named the baby Cornelia Lucretia.

The family eventually moved to a homestead near Hillsboro, Oregon. When Cornelia's mother, Anna, died on Jan. 3 1858, Cornelia was then sent to live with relatives in Polk Co., and then eventually to the Monmouth and Grande Ronde Valley areas.

On Nov. 19, 1866 she married William Myers, at the old Episcopal Church at Ora Dell--now LaGrande, Oregon. He was a miller by profession and worked at the Ora Dell Mill. Their first two children were born while living in eastern Oregon, a sparsely settled and undeveloped country.

The Myers family eventually moved to Atlanta, Idaho where William delivered mail (often by skis) between Rocky Bar and other remote mining districts and Atlanta during the gold rush days. By 1877, two more children were born in the Myers family.

On June 3, 1878 William became a paid volunteer scout for the United States Government durning the Bannock War where Indians were menacing both in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho. He joined up with Orlando "Rube" Robbins, Chief of Scouts, and the U.S. Calvary. They traveled from Boise, Idaho to Harney Co., Oregon (Steens mountains near Burns, Oregon)where on June 23, 1878 William was scalped, killed and his remains burnt by hostile Indians during the "Battle of Silver Creek". His remains were buried and left at the battle site, so there was no official grave or marker.

After the death of her husband, Cornelia started operating a boarding house in Atlanta. Here she could supervise the children and at the same time feed them. With her wealth of courage and resourceful nature, she became a popular business woman, whose boarders accepted her as "Aunty Nellie."

In time, Cornelia met George Gregory, the superintendent of the Monarch Mining Company. He was a kindly, serious Scotsman who sensed Cornelia's unusual qualities. They were married in 1885. As mining activity dwindled, the Gregorys purchased a ranch on Dry creek in the Boise Valley, an entered the sheep business. Here the family increased with the birth of a son who joined the two younger Myers children.

Desiring a pleasanter location for the family, George Gregory homesteaded a tract of land adjoining the town of Meridian. It consisted of 160 acres and extended about a mile and a half west of the town. Here, in the summer of 1890, he built a splendid home for Cornelia where, together, they landspcaped and equipped it to a degree that it was more or less of a "show place" among the ranch homes of the area.

Through a chain of circumstances, Cornelia was called upon to care for her two small granddaughters and later a great-grandson became part of the household, coming to the home as an infant.

With no ear for gossip, she accepted the best in everyone. Cornelia was an old-fashioned "neighbor" who responded to the sick or needy, furnished any comfort she could give, even to act as midwife.

Certain days were set aside for shopping and the marketing of surplus butter, eggs, and other produce. It was then the big, black surrey (fringe on top not certain) with a team of "buggy horses" harnessed and hitched thereto would be waiting for Cornelia in the upper lot. When she climbed aboard and took up the reins you could be sure she presented a quite striking appearance, well groomed to her toes--with hat, veil and riding gloves--sure of herself to a modest degree and always with a happy contenance.

After twenty-three years of enviable companionship, George Gregory was called, by death in 1914. With her usual fortitude, Cornelia carried on. Her younger son (Raymond P. Gregory) married and brought his bride home. It proved to be a happy circumstance and a compatible one. The children from this marriage further enriched Cornelia's life.

In June 1925, Cornelia was invited to be a special guest at the Meacham, Oregon celebration of the opening of the Oregon Trail. She accepted the invitation and, was accompanied by her daughter and granddaughter. She was one of the three oldest women present. From Meacham, the party traveled to Portland where the Rose Fair was in progress. 61 years had passed since her last visit to the city and Cornelia was thrilled with the change as well as the rose display. President and Mrs. Harding were enjoying it, too, and invited Cornelia to be a guest at their table. The press also honored her for being the oldest living native Oregonian.

"Grandma not only loved people, but all that grew, bloomed, sang, and flew."

Cornelia Gregory finished her humanitarian mission in life at the age of 80 years.

Funeral services for her were held in the old Methodist Church at Meridian, where many relatives joined with friends to honor this beloved woman. She was laid to rest beside her husband in the local cemetery.



This is a condensed version of a story written by one of Cornelia's granddaughters that appears on www.rootsweb.com.

**Information kindly provided by Find A Grave contributor #47721800 Bonnie Ross**
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Idaho Death Certificate #61217