Tabitha Brown
Encyclopedia
Tabitha Moffatt Brown was an American
pioneer emigrant who traveled the Oregon Trail
to the Oregon Country
. There she assisted in the founding of Tualatin Academy
, which would grow to become Pacific University
in Forest Grove, Oregon
. Brown was honored in 1987 by the Oregon Legislature as the "Mother of Oregon."
, Tabitha was the daughter of Lois Haynes Moffatt and Dr. Joseph Moffatt. She married the Reverend Clark Brown (1771–1817) on December 1, 1799. The pair raised three boys and one girl together until the reverend died in 1817. He was a Congregational minister, and later became an Episcopalian minister.
The eldest son was Orus, followed by Manthano, John Mattacks, and finally Pherne. John died at age six. Prior to John and Clark’s deaths, the family lived in various locales, including Charles County, Maryland
, where Clark is buried. Later the family moved to Missouri
to follow Tabitha’s brother-in-law Captain John Brown, a sea captain. Prior to this and during this time she supported the family by teaching.
.
The trip began in April 1846. On the trip to Oregon
, the family, except for Orus, chose to take the Applegate Trail
when they were told it was a shortcut. The guide later left after being paid. This added to the journey and delayed their arrival in the Willamette Valley
. As winter set in, the family had still not reached the valley and they sent Pherne’s husband Mr. Pringle to seek help from the settlers of the valley. On his way to Oregon City
, Pringle ran into Orus, who was on his way to help with supplies. The two then returned and brought the rest of the family to the settlements on December 25, 1846.
, and eventually settled in Forest Grove
. In Oregon Country
her first job was sewing gloves to sell. Later she helped found an orphanage
with Harvey L. Clark
. Then with Clark and the Rev. George H. Atkinson
, they founded Tualatin Academy, that would grow to become Pacific University in Forest Grove. Brown died in Salem while living with her daughter on May 4, 1858. She is buried in Salem at the Pioneer Cemetery
. There is a tree dedicated in her memory at Champoeg
State Park.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pioneer emigrant who traveled the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
to the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
. There she assisted in the founding of Tualatin Academy
Tualatin Academy
Tualatin Academy was a secondary school in the U.S. state of Oregon that eventually became Pacific University. Tualatin Academy also refers to the National Register of Historic Places-listed college building constructed in 1850 to house the academy, also known as Old College Hall...
, which would grow to become Pacific University
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
in Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
. Brown was honored in 1987 by the Oregon Legislature as the "Mother of Oregon."
Early life
Born on May 1, 1780, in Brimfield, MassachusettsBrimfield, Massachusetts
Brimfield is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,609 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Tabitha was the daughter of Lois Haynes Moffatt and Dr. Joseph Moffatt. She married the Reverend Clark Brown (1771–1817) on December 1, 1799. The pair raised three boys and one girl together until the reverend died in 1817. He was a Congregational minister, and later became an Episcopalian minister.
The eldest son was Orus, followed by Manthano, John Mattacks, and finally Pherne. John died at age six. Prior to John and Clark’s deaths, the family lived in various locales, including Charles County, Maryland
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, where Clark is buried. Later the family moved to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to follow Tabitha’s brother-in-law Captain John Brown, a sea captain. Prior to this and during this time she supported the family by teaching.
Oregon journey
Then in 1843 her son Orus went to Oregon and returned two years later to retrieve his family, his sister’s family, and his now elderly mother and uncle. Manthano remained behind in KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
The trip began in April 1846. On the trip to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, the family, except for Orus, chose to take the Applegate Trail
Applegate Trail
The Applegate Trail was a wilderness trail through today's U.S. states of Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon, and was originally intended as a less dangerous route to the Oregon Territory.-Background:...
when they were told it was a shortcut. The guide later left after being paid. This added to the journey and delayed their arrival in the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
. As winter set in, the family had still not reached the valley and they sent Pherne’s husband Mr. Pringle to seek help from the settlers of the valley. On his way to Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
, Pringle ran into Orus, who was on his way to help with supplies. The two then returned and brought the rest of the family to the settlements on December 25, 1846.
Later life
Once in Oregon, Tabitha traveled between Oregon City and her daughter’s home in SalemSalem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, and eventually settled in Forest Grove
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
. In Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
her first job was sewing gloves to sell. Later she helped found an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
with Harvey L. Clark
Harvey L. Clark
Harvey L. Clark was an educator, missionary, and settler of what became Forest Grove, Oregon, United States. A native of Vermont, he moved to Oregon Country where he participated at the Champoeg Meetings and helped to found Tualatin Academy that later became Pacific University...
. Then with Clark and the Rev. George H. Atkinson
George H. Atkinson
George Henry Atkinson was an American missionary and educator in what would become the state of Oregon. In Oregon, he served as a pastor for several churches, helped found what would become Pacific University, and pushed for legislation to create a public school system in Oregon Territory...
, they founded Tualatin Academy, that would grow to become Pacific University in Forest Grove. Brown died in Salem while living with her daughter on May 4, 1858. She is buried in Salem at the Pioneer Cemetery
Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Salem Pioneer Cemetery is a cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States.-Overview:...
. There is a tree dedicated in her memory at Champoeg
Champoeg, Oregon
Champoeg is a former town in the U.S. state of Oregon. Now a ghost town, it was an important settlement in the Willamette Valley in the early 1840s. It is positioned halfway between Oregon City and Salem and the site of the first provisional government of the Oregon Country...
State Park.
External links
- Salem Online History
- Rootsweb.com
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