Our Family Tree

Order Book 11, page 240, January 22, 1798: "Ordered that Peyton Wilks, son of Sarah Wilks, be bound by the Overseers of the Poor to Stephen Martin, according to law." [Stephen Martin and wife, Elizabeth Dobyns lived in the Goose Creek area.] Again in Order book 15 page 180, January Court 1810: "Ordered that Peyto Wilks be bound by Overseers of the Poor to George Walker according to law." [George Walker was a tanner.]

When in Oregon he applied for and drew a pension.

"In early May 1845, the Oregon bound emigrant companies starting from the the St. Joseph, Mo area totaled, according to the St. Joseph paper, 223 wagons, 954 persons, with 545 firearms, 9,425 cattle, and 108 horses and mules. John Clark was hired as pilot for the journey to the junction with the Independence-to-Oregon trail. The companies leaving from Independence traveled to about three miles from the Kansas near the bank of the Big Soldier creek, where, by prearrangement, the "main company" was to organize, and elect officers. It was estimated that there were approximately 233 wagons, 421 males, 138 females, 448 children [totaling 1007 persons], 3,261 cattle, and 182 horses. On May 15th, Dr. Presley Webb was elected Captain and Stephen H.L. Meek was retained as pilot for $2.50 per wagon. On May 19th a reorganization took place and the company was divided into three divisions. Each division would take a turn traveling in advance for a week at a time. Captain Presley was to accompany whichever train was in the lead; but each division was to choose its own officers. Peyton Wilkes and his family was part of this emigrant train. Peyton Wilkes arrived in Oregon in 1846 and took out a land claim (DLC #1445, Oregon City land Office)."

PEYTON WILKES - ON THE OREGON TRAIL
In the Spring of 1845, Peyton, Anna and their family started on the long journey to Oregon. They traveled from Independence, Missouri to Oregon on the Oregon Trail.
They endured many hardships along their journey. The most distressing event was the death of Anna and Peyton’s son, Marmaduke “Duke”. Duke’s death was caused by what they called Mountain Fever. He was buried along the trail in Malhuer County, Oregon. Several years later, family members returned to try to find the site but were unable to find the grave. Another version of this story is that Indians stripped the body and left it nude and it was reburied by another emigrant party.
When the Wagon Train reached The Dalles, they found it would be impossible to subsist through another winter. Peyton, ill advised, undertook to cross the Cascade Mountains. A snow storm made progress by wagon impossible. Dr. McLaughlin heard that a party had started across the mountains and knowing the fate that would be waiting for them, sent “Noblis Ellis”, a sub-chief of the Klickitat Tribe, and two of his braves to their rescue. Peyton and other families attempted to take part of their oxen across the mountains with packs on them, but the cattle, packs and all, were lost by falling over the cliffs and were never recovered. The families lost all of their written records and belongings except for the few clothes they were wearing.
They arrived in Oregon City on Christmas Day, 1845.
All through the year of 1846, Peyton labored to gather the means to start a home of this own and in the year 1847, he moved into his Donation Land Claim. It was located where the town of Banks, Oregon is now situated. Since Peyton was a tanner, he passed on the rich prairie land that was available for the taking and settled on the west fork of Dairy Creek where Oak timber was plentiful. He spent his declining years in the crude but substantial comforts of an Oregon pioneer home.
Anna’s hands were never idle. Her knitting was always at hand. She was an excellent cook making biscuits from the Willamette Valley flour, ground in a Burr Mill, and baked in a dutch oven over the open fireplace. Anna was especially good at making what she called “Peach Lather”. It was made of ripe peaches worked up into a paste and spread on the roof to dry in the sun.
Peyton was gifted with a calm, unruffled nature. His wife, Anna, had a fiery temper and sharp tongue. Peyton, like most men of his times, is said to have liked his “likker”. But even when under it’s influence is said to remain calm and kind. He endeared himself to all with whom he came in contact.
Anna was deeply religious. Neither Anna nor Peyton could read but in Anna’s later years, she took up the task of learning to read."
Research and story by Ruth Lewis

In the 1830 Grayson County, Virginia census "Paten Wilks" is listed twice. The list was clearly re-transcribed by the census taker, as it is in alphabetical groupings (all the W's together). This makes it impossible to know who lived next door. Both Patens' household had eight persons, but the ages do not exactly correlate between the two different pages. When two different people talked with the census taker, with some elapsed time affecting ages or the ignorance of one parent of his children's birthdates. Or, were there two men named Peyton-Paten Wilks?