The Trunk

Two years ago, my cousin dropped off several vintage trunks. The trunks were stuffed with family photos, correspondence, and documents about my great-grandmother, Christine Procter, and her family. 

As I perused the material, I realized this treasure trove would help me to unlock the secrets to Christine’s past. 

Sarah Mitchell

Amid the pile, was a faded photo of Sarah Mitchell (nee Collie), Christine’s mother, and a group portrait of a well-dressed Scottish family gazing at the camera with serious expressions.

The style of Sarah’s clothing, coupled with the photographer’s stamp, suggest that the photos were taken between the 1870s and 1880s in Inverness, Scotland. 

Inside also was portraits of Christine as a baby, and a birth certificate revealing Christine Violet Mitchell was born in 1882 to parents Walter and Sarah Mitchell.  The certificate identified Walter Mitchell’s profession as ‘Sheep Farmer.’

The Letter

Stashed in a pile of papers, I was thrilled to discover a well-preserved letter from 1880; it was splattered with a few drops of ink.

In elegant cursive, William Mitchell, Christine’s paternal uncle, who had recently emigrated to the United States, tells his brother Walter about his experiences finding work as a shepherd:

“I should have written you sooner, but I have been to so many different parts of the country that I did not know where to give you my address.  This is a fine stock country, but at the same time very rough and broken and lots of difficulties to contend with, however I think there is money to be made here.  At present I am going to drive sheep for some hundreds of miles for a farmer up country… Shepherds as a rule get $96 in the year […]

I shall be able in my next letter to give you all particulars about the country.  I hope my dear brother you have hit upon something good by this time.  Give me full particulars when you write about the old country, let me know how you are doing, and how are all my dear friends getting on.  This is a wild country, the people here neither fear (God) or man.”

Wm Mitchell

The Dalles, Waseo County, Oregon, U.S.A.

Having indeed “hit upon something good” marrying the beautiful Sarah Collie earlier that year, Walter found his brother’s description of the new “fine stock country” compelling and was eager to join him and set up a sheep farm.

A year later, in 1882, Sarah gave birth to Christine. The sweet, brown-eyed baby girl was doted upon by her parents and extended family. William returned to Scotland to meet his new family and reported on his good fortunes in America.  Before his return to America, the entire Mitchell clan, dressed in their Sunday best, went to the local photo studio to have their portrait taken. 

The Mitchell family portrait, seen here, is a treasured family memory that has made its way from generation to generation and across continents.

In 1887, Sarah, her husband Walter, and their young daughter Christine, boarded a ship to New York and then travelled across the country to Antelope, Oregon.  The next year, in 1888, William Walter Rose Mitchell was born.

Present Day: Tracking the Shepherd

Recently, at a family dinner, I showed my Uncle Brian a colourized photo of Christine and William.  This was the first time he had seen his grandmother, in colour, as a young woman.

The image triggered a memory and he recalled his mother telling him a story about the young family in Oregon.  My grandmother had told him that following a dispute with a cattle rancher, Christine’s father had been lynched in Oregon. 

The Mitchell family likely found Antelope a wild, rough country, as experienced by Uncle William Mitchell. 

I can imagine Sarah and Christine saying goodbye to their father when he left in the morning to herd his sheep, and waiting, anxiously, for him to return home in the evening. 

Surprised by this new revelation, I scoured multiple genealogical databases and online historical newspapers trying to find a record of the incident.

While I didn’t locate any death records for Walter, or articles about his alleged murder, I found many stories detailing disputes between sheep ranchers and cattlemen. 

I did find a couple of references to a Mrs. Walter Mitchell in the Oregon newspapers: two real estate notices, both from a Dalles newspaper.  One stated that in 1892, Mrs. Walter Mitchell sold a piece of land in Antelope for $300; in the other, a land parcel had sold for $1 in 1895.  

A notice in 1893 in the Oregon newspaper read, “Robert Collie, of Donald, B.C., arrived today and proceeded at once to Mitchell, on receipt of a telegram announcing that his sister, Mrs. Walter Mitchell, was quite ill.”

They would have known about the conflicts between the cattlemen and the shepherds and the dangers Walter faced rounding up his sheep.  I wonder if Sarah and 10-year-old Christine learned how to use a shotgun to protect themselves and their homestead. 

After her husband’s death Sarah, sick with grief and worried about her family’s safety, sent word via a telegram to her younger brother Robert Collie, a railway engineer in Donald, B.C.  Upon receipt of Sarah’s letter, Robert travelled immediately to Antelope, Oregon, where he assisted the young family to sell their property. 

The family packed all their worldly possessions into several trunks and travelled up north to Robert’s home in Donald, British Columbia.

The third instalment of Christine’s story will be out soon! Stay tuned.