John A Paulding Grave
Pacific County, Washington
Contributed by T Sheldon, Aug 28, 2000. 

Transcribed by T Sheldon this 30th day of May, 2000,

Location: approx. Sec 28 T10N R11W On the Wallicut River. According to
the great-granddaughter of John Paulding, she recites, "In the spring 
of 1853, John and Ann (Dillon) Paulding and their six children reached 
the Pudding River near Champoeg, OR to join their relatives, the Murphy
family. Here they rented and operated a ferry and also made shingles. 
In Sep of 1853, Paulding and his son Walter, age 14, started in a 
skiff from Oregon City for Pacific County. Thirty miles above Baker's 
Bay they fell in with Capt. Allen's scow, in which they completed
their trip to Wallicut River. On board this scow they became 
acquainted with Mark Bullard who was bringing four oxen into the 
county. Landing at the home of Pickernell (alias John Edmonds) they 
looked about and located a claim east of Tarlett Creek, near the 
junction of the present highway to Long Beach with the Chinook cutoff. 
Walter stayed with Capt. Allen's family while his father went after 
the remainder of the family. A man named Colville had a claim on the 
Wallicut River near Feister's and with the Pauldings stayed until they 
could move onto their own place. The claim, being a deserted one, had 
a log housepartially built. Mr. Paulding and two of the boys went there
and camped to make it liveable. While there the father, John A. 
Paulding, was taken sick and died, and as was customary then, was 
buried on the place. The family went to Meldrum's for a while, then 
when Jehu Scudder died, his wife went to OR and the Pauldings moved 
into the Scudder house." 

PAULDING, John, d. 16 Nov 1853