Umatilla County OR Archives Biographies.....Kirk, J. Crocket January 26, 1844 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Carlene Still crstill@oregontrail.net May 27, 2007, 10:19 am Author: Colonel William Parsons An Illustrated History of Umatilla County by Colonel William Parsons and of Morrow County by W. S. Shiach with a brief outline of the early history of the State of Oregon. W. H. Lever, Publisher 1902. Page 517, 518 J. Crocket Kirk The transformation through which the country has gone in the time of some of the sturdy and intrepid pioneers would be fit substance for a volume, and the eminent citizen whose name appears above is one of that number familiar with the wildness of nature in this region and has remained in the same place until the present time, enduring the hardships and braving adversity until it was impossible for dame fortune to further refuse her smiles, having by his patient industry and careful enterprise made his way from the days of hard toil to gain a livelihood to a position of affluence, being one of the leading citizens of the county. He was born in Kirksville, Missouri (the town being named after his grandfather, Jesse Kirk, who was an early pioneer to that region), on January 26, 1844, coming from Scotch ancestors, James T. and Virginia (Adkins) Kirk. In his native place he received a good education from the public schools and there passed the years of his minority, going in 1863 to Henderson county, Illinois, where he served for wages for two years. In 1865 the entire family crossed the plains with ox and mule teams, taking six months in which to make the journey. They settled for one year in Yam Hill county and then removed to Lane county, where his father still lives. In 1870 J.C. came to the region now embraced in Morrow county and took up a homestead where he still lives, about seven miles southwest from Heppner on Rhea creek at the mouth of Sanford canyon. The following year he moved his family onto the homestead and commenced operations in the stock business in a small way and later went into the wool-growing industry, with the excellent success that now he owns two thousand acres of deed land and nearly three thousand sheep, also a fine residence in the city of Heppner and an acre of land near the depot, besides other property. He was married to Miss Mary A. McConnell, in the Willamette valley, on July 19, 1868, and the union has been blessed by the advent of the following offspring: Emma, wife of Jefferson Jones, of Heppner; Jennie M., wife of John M. Sprouls, on the home place; Erbie L.; Walter W., who died at the age of nineteen years and is buried in Heppner; William J., who died in infancy. Mrs. Kirk's parents, William and Maria (Hurlburt) McConnell, came to the state in 1865 and her grandparents had been in the valley for some time previous to that. Mr. Kirk is affiliated with the I.O.O.F. and the Red Men of Heppner. During their trip across the plains Mr. Kirk's father was captain of the train, which was a very large one, and the entire trip was without trouble from the Indians or accident of any kind. When they first came to their present home all of their supplies had to be freighted from The Dalles and Umatilla Landing, their mail also coming to these places, the former being one hundred miles distant and the latter forty miles. The early years were beset with many hardships and much adversity and life was attended with great exertions, but the perseverance, courage and fine capabilities of our subject were equal to the occasion and he weathered the storm and achieved a brilliant success in spite of it all. Additional Comments: Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Oregon Biographies Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the individual featured in the biographies. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/umatilla/bios/kirk378gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb