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Identifier
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PUA_MS1_1001
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Title
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John Smith Griffin "Ministerial Record" notebook on the First Congregational Church, Tualatin Plains
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Description
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A handwritten notebook by John Smith Griffin of Oregon, relating to his ministerial work in what is now western Washington County between 1841-1853. Griffin was one of the earliest white settlers on the "Tualatin Plains," an area that now includes the towns of Hillsboro, Forest Grove, North Plains and Cornelius. While living between what is now the Glencoe neighborhood and the airport in Hillsboro, he served as a minister to many of the earliest immigrant families in the area, including several of mixed Native-European ancestry who were connected to the fur trade. After establishing what would eventually become the First Congregational Church of Forest Grove, he was removed as minister in favor of Reverend Harvey Clark circa 1845. During the 1840s, Griffin also participated in the Champoeg Meetings which established the first Euro-American government in Oregon, and operated one of the earliest printing presses in the state. He died in 1899.
The notebook's contents include: "Record of Land Claim" regarding Griffin's land near the Glencoe neighborhood of Hillsboro; -- "Record of Marriages by J. S. Griffin", describing the names, dates and locations of marriages he performed between 1842-1858; -- "Last will and testament" of Jacob Green; -- "Births in Tualatin Plains" documenting several births that occurred between 1842-1843; -- "Contract with James Belieu[?]" regarding an agreement to work for Griffin for one year beginning in 1845; -- "Record of Lucy Doughty's relation to us" documenting Griffin's guardianship over Lucy, the daughter of William Doughty, which was to continue until she turned 18 (note: Lucy Doughty was of Shoshone heritage through her mother; the journal also shows that the guardianship was terminated early); -- "Record of the Dissolution of the Mission in South Tualatin, Dec. 26th, 1842" describing splitting of the partnership between Alvin T. Smith and Harvey Clark, when they terminated their intention to found a mission to the Tualatin/Atfalati tribe in what is now the south side of Forest Grove in 1842; -- "Letters sent out of Oregon since 1840" listing dates and addressees of letters Griffin mailed between 1840-1850; -- Contract with John Davis in which Davis agreed to work for Griffin for 6 months in 1844; -- "Record of a resolution" Griffin attempted to offer at the Champoeg Meetings in 1843; -- "Record of Parish Library" listing books apparently owned by the Congregational Church of Tualatin Plains circa 1850.
Blank pages have been omitted from the scan. Note that while Griffin apparently intended to include a section titled "Settlers," he did not enter any information on those pages.
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Creator
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Griffin, John Smith, 1807-1899
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Date: Year(s)
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1841/1853
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Date: Display
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1841-1853
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Source
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Pacific University Archives
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Copyright
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English
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
PUA_MS1_1001.pdf