Wife of William Chalmers∼Catherine Metcalfe was born to Thomas and Jean Metcalfe at Cross Slacks Farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1826. Her grandfather, Thomas Metcalfe, was a veterinarian brought to the area by Francis Gordon, the laird who owned land around Gardenstown. Thomas Metcalfe and his bride Jean Reddel moved to Aberdeenshire, Scotland from Wensleydale in Yorkshire, England. Thomas's mission was to improve the breed of horses in the area - many of which were Clydesdales.

Initially settling on steep Findon Farm, Thomas and Jean Metcalf moved to the more level Cross Slacks farm where the eldest of their three sons was born in 1795, Francis Gordon Metcalfe. (named after the laird who brought Thomas Metcalfe to Scotland). Francis married Helen Frater from Glenhouses Farm in neighboring Aberdeenshire Parish when he was in his early 20s. Their first child, a daughter, Catherine Metcalfe, who would become Mrs. Wm. Chalmers, was born at Cross Slacks Farm. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved out on their own taking the farm at Auchmunziel near New Deer. The Metcalfe's remaining three children were born there. Francis was a very good horse doctor and farmer like his father. Catherine Metcalfe had three siblings; James (who continued to farm Auchmunziel after his father's death), Frank (whose grandson, Cuthbert Graham, was a newsman, and author of Scottish history and castles.) and ? Metcalfe.

Catherine Metcalfe married William Chalmers in 1845 when he was 28 and she was 17 at the Mains of Auchmunziel. William took Catherine to his family farm "Old What" on the Mains of Old What, New Deer - three miles north. Alexander and Catherine successfully managed "Old What" the farm becoming famous for breeding Short Horn "Durham" cattle and Clydesdale horses. Their first child Helen was born 8/27/1846, ten more children followed; Alexander 4/7/1848,William 1/16/1850,Francis 11/18/1851,Catherine 11/25/1853, John 10/22/1855, Ann Mackie 7/6/1857, Mary 10/5/1860, James M.P. 6/13/1864, Mary 10/5/1867, Margaret Smith 8/31/1869 (first person laid to rest at Old Scotch Church cemetery).

In 1868, the Chalmers sent their eldest son, Alexander, to the United States to investigate possibilities for the family there. Alex was sponsored by close family friend and former neighbor,John Center, who was successful in the produce business in San Fransisco and an investor in the first Continental Railroad across the United States. Alex's father, William, followed in 1870 purchasing a large operating farm of 1,000 acres from Ben Cornelius in Washington County, Oregon. After a large auction of their livestock and shipping of their most prized cattle, horses, and furniture Catherine and William along with the rest of their family departed from Aberdeenshire in the Allan Liner steamship 'St. David'. The family arrived in New York June 13, 1871. Sadly, their prized horses and cattle were badly injured during a fierce Atlantic storm. The horses were euthanized at sea. The cattle were sold to Canadian breeders since they would not survive the continental train journey. The family proceeded by train to San Fransicso and by the side wheeler, Rolling Moses, along the west coastline, down the Columbia and Willamette Rivers to Oregon City where they embarked on the final leg of their journey to their new farm 'Cornelia'.

Sadly, much to Catherine's chagrin, the ship transporting their furniture and their organ went down going around the "Horn" at the infamous Cape of New Hope.

William and Catherine Chalmers and their daughter Margaret Smith were of the twelve founding members of the Tualatin Plains Presbyterian "Old Scotch Church." William Chalmers died suddenly at Cornelia in 1891 when he was gored by his prized Durham bull, Rock Brook Duke, who won first prize the year before at the Oregon State Fair. Catherine resided at the farm until her passing in 1899.

Catherine and William were devout servants of the Lord. Catherine and William left a family legacy in Oregon for their devout spirit serving the Lord, helping to found a church, farming, practice of crop rotation, animal husbandry, and their children who went on to farm, author books and articles on farming and animal husbandry, became local doctors (Dr. James M. P. Chalmers helped purchase the first small plot of land for the founding of OHSU during the late 19th c.), wives, educators, lawyers, politicians and businessmen.