Historical group's event part of state birthday celebration

Watching a video series about the life of John Quincy Adams, the second president of the United States, kindled Corvallis resident Beth Schaefers' interest in the history of the country, as well as her own family.

Saturday afternoon, Schaefers sat down with Jan Abele, a member of the Winema Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, to begin a genealogy search about her family and perhaps join the patriotic organization that was founded in 1890.

"A person has to have a relative who was a patriot during the American Revolution," Abele said. "That doesn't mean just those who fought, but also those who provided services such as giving shelter or providing food."

Abele used a laptop computer to help prospective members such as Schaefers gather information. Schaefers' knowledge that a relative, Zachariah Johnston, fought in the war and was born in 1742, was extremely helpful, Abele said. It also helped that Schaefers' mother had considered joining the organization many years ago and her aunt who lives on the Oregon coast is a member. Their historical links are valuable resources, Abele said.

A genealogy workshop was one of several events held throughout the afternoon at the renovated historic Corvallis Depot in celebration of Oregon's 150th birthday.

Tom Laidlaw, a living history interpreter from Vancouver, Wash., portrayed pioneer William Cannon, who arrived in Astoria in 1812 on behalf of John Jacob Astor. He died in 1854 at the age of 99 in the Champoeg area.

"He was a working man, a blacksmith," Laidlaw said. "He was once described as being an obnoxious and suspicious gentleman."

At one point, a run-in with a bear forced Cannon to take refuge in the high limbs of a tree, Laidlaw said.

Laidlaw said he enjoys bringing Cannon to life because, "he embodies the ordinary working men and their contributions to Oregon's statehood. He was a great frontiersman."

Later in the day, Laidlaw portrayed Peter Ogden of the Hudson's Bay Company during the state's sesquicentennial kickoff celebration in Salem.

Throughout the day there were games and music from 1859, according to Jane Buck, Oregon State DAR vice regent.

The Winema DAR chapter was founded Dec. 28, 1920. The organization's values are patriotism, education and historic preservation. There are more than 180,000 members in 3,000 chapters worldwide. The Winema chapter was named after the daughter of a Modoc Indian chief and means "brave heart."

The Winema chapter supports scholarships, maintenance of the Benton County Veterans Memorial, gives books to Corvallis middle school libraries, maintains statewide historical markers and along with the 35 other Oregon chapters owns and operates four museums in the state.