Sonoma-San Francisco-Sacramento County CA Archives Biographies.....Canfield, William D. 1810 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 27, 2006, 5:06 pm

Author: Alley, Bowen & Co. (1880)

Canfield, William D. The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appears in this
work, is a native of Arlington, Bennington county, Vermont, born October 22,
1810. Here he received his education and developed into manhood, marrying Miss
Sallie Ann Lee, June 10, 1828. In 1837 they moved to Springfield, Erie county,
Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming for two years. In 1839 they took up
their residence in Jersey county, Illinois, where Mr. Canfield toiled upon the
farm until June, 1842. After a residence in Jefferson county, Iowa, of eleven
months, they settled upon the present site of the city of Oskaloosa, Mahaska
county, Iowa. Here Mr. Canfield erected the first house and laid out the public
square, the lines of which have never been changed to this day. The house, no
doubt, has crumbled and gone to decay; but the grounds of the park, so
tastefully arranged and laid off by the artistic eye of the energetic
frontiersman, will ever remain as one of the garden spots of earth, and a base
to the monument of the early pioneers of Oskaloosa. It was through his influence
and exertions also that the county seat of Mahaska county was located here,
where it remains at present. On May 4, 1847, Mr. Canfield emigrated, with his
wife and five children, across the plains to Oregon. The journey was made with
little difficulty, save the hardships that are incident to all pioneers in
crossing the trackless, uninhabited wilds over which they passed. On October 20,
1847, they reached Dr. Whitman's mission in Walla Walla valley. Upon their
arrival they not only found Dr. Whitman, but quite a little settlement,
consisting of the doctor and wife, seven mission children by the name of Sager,
Mr. Saunders, wife and five children, Mr. Kimball, wife and five children, Mr.
Hall, wife and five children, Mrs. Hayes and two children. The whole party,
including Mr. and Mrs. Canfield and their five children, numbered as follows:
Fourteen men, seven women and thirty-two children. Here they were treated in a
very hospitable manner, and were made to feel perfectly at home. As they had
found such comfortable quarters and a perfect haven of rest, they decided to
remain at the mission until the following Spring, when the}' would continue on
their journey to the Willamette river, the place of their destination. Here the
residents of the happy little village were nestled together in one family, as it
were, and the last accession, that of Mr. Canfield and family, evidently felt as
safe and free from harm as they did when sheltered beneath the roof or gathered
around the hearthstone of their far Eastern home. But it must not be forgotten
that they were in a hostile country, although there had not been any Indian
trouble in this immediate locality for several years, none in fact since Mr.
Whitman located there, which was about the year 1837. The Cayuses (this being
the name of the tribe with which the doctor had to deal) had always been kind
and obedient to him, and were seemingly , perfectly satisfied with the treatment
they had received at his hands. Indeed, so much confidence did Mr. Whitman have
in his little band of Cayuses, that if there was a word dropped by any one of
the company questioning the friendliness, or in any way expressing any fear of
the aborigines, their minds were soon set at rest by the convincing answer from
the doctor, whose feelings would seem hurt when any allusion of this nature was
made. However, we will see how we are victimized sometimes by misplaced
confidence, and made to drink the bitter dregs of deception, deceived and
murdered by those whom we once held close to our bosoms, and were our companions
for many a long year. Soon after the arrival of Mr. Canfield and family at the
mission, there arrived missionaries of a different persuasion, and whom, it is
said, influenced the Indians against their old teacher, Dr. Whitman. There were
no visible evidences of treachery upon the part of the aborigines, and every one
about the mission felt as secure and safe as they did before receiving the visit
from these missionaries, who proved to be traitors in the camp. The morning of
the 29th of November, 1847, dawned as bright, fresh and beautiful as ever lit up
the picturesque valley of the Walla Walla; all nature seemed to smile in answer
to the innocent prattle of little children, and all reposed in confidence and
security. But, alas! a little later in the day they were surprised and fired
upon by the Indians whom the doctor had labored with so many years. Imagine for
an instance, and try to picture, if such a thing be possible, the condition of
Dr. Whitman and his little party, surprised as they were without a moment's
warning, and consequently no means of defense or escape. They being entirely at
the mercy of the red devils, were shot down like dumb brutes. The men were all
killed except Mr. Canfield and a man by the name of Osborn. Mrs. Whitman was
also killed, the balance of the women and all of the children were taken
prisoners. Mr. Canfield was shot in the hip, but managed to seclude himself in
the old adobe house. During the night following he received intelligence from
the mission children that he was to pay the death penalty in the morning. As he
did not feel disposed to depart this life just yet, he acted upon the warning he
received and, bidding adieu to his hiding-place, started immediately on foot for
Mr. Spalding's mission at Lapaway station, in Washington Territory, a distance
of one hundred and forty miles, this being on Monday night, reaching the mission
on Saturday afternoon, making the whole trip on foot and without eating or
sleeping. The morning after his escape the blood-thirsty redskins donned their
war apparel, surrounded the house, and were just on the point of massacreing all
the women and children, when their former chief, known as "Old Beardy," rode
into camp with the speed of lightning, and standing upright on his horse,
pleaded with his tribe not to kill the prisoners, and after listening
attentively to his remarks, abandoned their murderous intentions and informed
their victims that their lives would be spared, but they would be held as
prisoners. The women were forced to do the cooking for the Indians, sixty-two in
number, and the children were forced to attend to all their other wants that
would add comfort and ease to the lords of the wilds. On December 29th, just one
month after they were captured, there came to their relief, to Fort Walla Walla,
a man by the name of Peter Ogden, the chief factor of the Hudson Bay Fur
Company, from Vancouver. After a talk of three days and nights with the Indians
he succeeded in purchasing the prisoners, first promising them that they (the
fur company) would not molest them, but could not make the same promise for the
Boston boys in punishing them for what they had done. So the bargain was made,
and they were paid in guns, blankets, ammunition, knives, etc. After gaining
possession of the prisoners, he made a contract with the Nez Perces to bring Mr.
Canfield and Mr. Spalding's family to Walla Walla fort, if they wished to come,
where he joined his children and grief-stricken wife. Not only was he received
with outstretched arms, but with weeping for joy, as it was supposed by all that
he had perished. On his arrival Mr. Ogden took the party in three small boats
and proceeded down the Columbia river, landing at Oregon City January 12, 1848.
Upon their arrival they had nothing but the clothes upon their backs. After
procuring comfortable quarters for his family, Mr. Canfield joined the
volunteers and went back for the purpose of punishing the Indians and to drive
them from their reservation, which was accomplished, when they returned to
Oregon City, and the company disbanded on July 1, 1848. The chief Tetokite and
four of the Indians were hanged at Oregon City in 1850. On March 4,1849, Mr.
Canfield and family took passage on a sailing vessel for San Francisco, where
they arrived on March 10, 1849. Here they remained until August 1, 1850, when
they became residents of this county, settling in Sonoma city. Soon after
settling here he went to Sacramento city and engaged in the soda manufacturing
business, leaving his family at Sonoma. Not finding this business congenial to
his taste he soon returned to this county, and in January, 1852, he moved upon
his present estate of five hundred acres, and is one of Sonoma's thrifty
farmers. Mrs. Canfield was born in Arlington, Bennington county, Vermont, August
12, 1810. Their children by this marriage are: Nathan L., born in Arlington on
July 7, 1829, and died February 18, 1835; Ellen S., born at Arlington June 5,
1831, and died July 12, 1865; Oscar F., born at Springfield, Pennsylvania, March
8, 1838, now living in Idaho; Clarica A. (now Mrs. J. H. Knowles of Petaluma),
born at Delhi, Jersey county, Illinois, October 31, 1840; Sylvia Ann, born at
Fairfield, Jefferson county, Iowa, February 7, 1842, and died in Sonoma county
February 4, 1854; Albert, born at Oskaloosa, Iowa, May 18, 1845, now living in
Idaho; William D., Jr., born at Oregon City February 3, 1848, and died in San
Francisco July 5, 1849; Julia, born in San Francisco August 3, 1850, and died
August 6th of same year. In 1853 Mrs. Canfield visited her brothers in the East.
After remaining a short time she set out on her journey back in company with her
mother, who, when one day out from Panama, was taken ill and died. Once more
Mrs. Canfield's heart was made to bleed, and yet, when she thought of what she
had passed through in '47, she felt grateful to Him that her life, as well as
that of her husband and children, had been spared, when at one time it hung by a
brittle thread. On June 10, 1878, Mr. and Mrs. Canfield celebrated their golden
wedding at their home, all the family being present but their eldest son and
family, who were at the time in Idaho.

      Alas ! how time flies on apace,
      We cannot stay its flight;
      It waits for neither priest nor king,
      And soon will all be night.


Additional Comments:
Analy Township

Extracted from:

HISTORY
—OF-
SONOMA COUNTY,
-INCLUDING ITS—
Geology, Topooraphy, Mountains, Valleys and Streams;
—TOGETHER WITH—
A Full and Particular Record of the Spanish Grants; Its Early History and
Settlement, Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources; the Names of Original
Spanish and American Pioneers; a full Political History, Comprising the Tabular
Statements of Elections and Office-holders since the Formation of the County;
Separate Histories of each Township, Showing the Advancement of Grape and Grain
 Growing Interests, and Pisciculture;
ALSO, INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE; THE RAISING OF THE BEAR FLAG; AND BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
—AND OF ITS—
Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc., Etc.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO:
ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1880.



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by ALLEY, BOWEN & Co.,
in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

PACIFIC PRESS,
Oakland, Cal. Printers., Stereotypers and Binders.


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