pegrowe62

On this day in history, my paternal great great grandfather, Alden B. Rowe was born in Pleasant Ridge, Somerset County, ME.
He is one child of George Rowe & Olive Bumpus. Olive is the descendant of Mayflower Pilgrim, Richard Warren, Fortune Pilgrim, Edward Bompasse, and other notable colonials who made history here in America. We don’t know much about George right now. He was probably born in New Hampshire, but we don’t even know that as “fact” yet. It is family lore.
Alden served in the Civil War for a short time. He was wounded in the battle of Cedar Creek, VA. He left the army. He fought on the right side, the Union side.
For whatever the reason, after marrying Alden decided to move his family out west, first to the California Gold Fields (or rather, mountains). Here he worked as a lumberman while he looked for gold. Again, Family Lore has it he was had gold fever.
Later, he moved the family again to Eugene, Oregon. Here he stayed until his death in 1926. He lived to be quite old, and when he died his was buried in the Pioneer Cemetery next to University of Oregon. His home is today a National Historical Place, the “Alden B. Rowe” house.
He and his wife, Vesta Victoria Williams-Rowe, had eight children. And they still have a living, growing legacy. Who would not want to walk where forefather’s walked.. talked or grew up… well, what I konw is that is one place, I want to go.

Back in the 1600’s my forefathers and mothers came from Holland, from the area of Etten. When they got to America, to New Amsterdam (New York today) one of them was Jacob from Etten or Jacob Van Etten. Over the years, the name has been “Americanized” to Van Atta. Today there is a town named VanAtta in Ohio! And believe me I have plenty of VanAtta Cousins! I just want to go there, and see where my ancestors came from and walk where they walked and learn more about my heritage. :0) Peg

I moved to Cloverdale in 1994, when looking for safehaven from an abusive husband. I just moved away 4 months ago. Of course, I still miss it. It is a little town of much caring, and loving people. It is the place where I found out I could stand up on my own two feet and take care of my kids on my own.

Cloverdale has a great little museum there. Check out CloverdaleHistoricalSociety.org. I did the website, originally. Got an award for doing such a good job. Not bad for a county wide award. Cloverdale is in Sonoma County. It is the the town of the most northern point in the county. It sits at the beginning of the Redwood Empire (aka Redwood Trees), and at the heart of California’s wine country. One end is grapes, and another is ocean!

I was secretery on the board at the Historical Society. My family of old helped start a nearby town, Yorkville. Cloverdale Blvd. used to be West Street, it was and still is the “main drag”. It is a quaint little town with a “western” feeling to it.

Be sure to check out the Hamburger Ranch. Good food there! It is on the way to the coast where Highway 128 meets, Cloverdale Blvd. Or try Pick’s Drive Thru. They are still using the same recipies used in the 1940’s for their hamburger sauce! Take a look at the house on the First Street where Broad meets it. An old time Boat Captain used to own the propety and he planted the trees by the fence there over 100 years ago. The Russian River is very swimmable in right there off of First Street. I used to live on the corner of Fourth & Main, which at one time was part of a Dairy Farm.

Cloverdale doubled in size while I was there. It was interesting to watch the town grow. There are many, many memories in Cloverdale… and my heart will remain there forever… for I am truely, a California girl.

For Mt. Angel was a tiny little town we had to go through to get to my Grandma’s house. I am only 43 years old. But when I was a small girl my paternal grandmother was still living in a log cabin, with an outhouse, and a pig pen for the pigs. We got to ride ponies, and see baby pigs. No one could make fried potatoes like grandma. My aunt once told me they were so good and juicy cause she used so much grease (ewwwwwwwwwww!). Mt. Angel had a beautiful little church, and every little town in Oregon had it’s own feedstore. My grandmother lived in Molalla. And we were usually traveling from my maternal grandparents home in Woodburn. :) Fun Memories… Peg

In 1885 or so my great great grandparents, Christian and Cecelia Nielson came over from Jutland, Denmark. It is my understanding that Jutland is something like a county here, so that might not be a very precise way to say where they came from. But it is all the information I have ever had.

They came over and ended up in Albert Lea, Minn. And their name got changed to Nelson. I want to go there to learn more about my heritage. And to see how the danish culture may have effected my life.

I just seems like a fun thing to do. :) Peg