Abel D. Helman (April 10, 1824 – 5 March 1910) was an American pioneer of

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 in Oregon, Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population w ...

Early life

Helman was born in Wayne,

Ashland County, Ohio Ashland County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,447. Its county seat and largest city is Ashland. The county is named for " Ashland", the home of Senator ...

on April 10, 1824. Of German descent, he was the fourth of seven children. His youth was divided between work on the farm and education through a subscription school, which was common to that period. On October 23, 1849, he married Martha Jane Kanagy, with whom he had eight children. Helman learned the carpenter's trade in

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the ...

, and worked in cabinet-making until he was twenty-six years old.

Move to Oregon

News of the mid-century gold finds in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

made its way East from time to time, fueling Helman's desire to make his own fortune. In January 1850, he sailed for California via Aspinwall, today's

Colón, Panama Colón () is a city and Port#Seaport, seaport in Panama, beside the Caribbean Sea, lying near the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's se ...

, as a passenger on the steamer ''Ohio''. In April 1850, he arrived in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, where he made his way to Beaver Creek, California, and eventually on to

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

. In 1851, he drove a mule team from

Yreka Yreka ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States, near the Shasta River; the city has an area of about , most of it land. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,807, reflecting an increase from 7,7 ...

over the mountains to the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, the ...

of Oregon, arriving in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

. While en route he crossed a part of the tract of land that he afterwards took up through the

Donation Land Claim Act The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act, was a statute enacted by the United States Congress in late 1850, intended to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. It followed the Distribution-Pre ...

, and upon which a large portion of

now sits. He returned to California, and made his home at Yreka until January 1852, when he came to

Jackson County, Oregon Jackson County is one of the Oregon counties, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 223,259. The county seat is Medford, Oregon, Medford. The county Oregon Geographic Names ...

, with several others, all of whom secured donation land claims. After making preparations for having a home there he returned to Ohio for his wife and children.

In Ashland

Ashland, named after their old home county in Ohio, became their permanent place of residence. From that time on, Helman was closely associated with the community's growth and its surrounding development. The boundaries of his farm extended north and south along what is now First Avenue above the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

grove and west on what is now Nutley Street, then north through what is now the old North School grounds almost to Bear Creek. As the town developed, he sold off much of his original tract, but at the time of his death was still occupying about of the northern part of the claim. As Ashland grew Helman joined with other settlers in many works of public improvement. They built the first sawmill on the banks of

Ashland Creek Ashland Creek is a tributary of Bear Creek in the U.S. state of Oregon. It joins Bear Creek near Ashland, from the larger stream's confluence with the Rogue River. The main stem of Ashland Creek begins at Reeder Reservoir, an artificial im ...

,Essay "Applegate Trail Settlement"- National Register of Historic Places Ashland, Oregon Travel Itinerary
/ref> and the first flour mill which occupied a site near the center of the city that is now

Lithia Park Lithia Park is the largest and most central park of Ashland, Oregon, United States. It consists of of forested canyonland around Ashland Creek, stretching from the downtown plaza up toward its headwaters near Mount Ashland. Its name originate ...

. They were forced to endure many hardships and privations incident to pioneer life and in the early days faced constant danger of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

attack. Helman was with those who defended the interests of the pioneers in the

Rogue River Wars The Rogue River Wars were an armed conflict in 1855–1856 between the U.S. Army, local militias and volunteers, and the Native American tribes commonly grouped under the designation of Rogue River Indians, in the Rogue Valley area of wha ...

of 1855 and 1856, being stationed at a fort on Wagner Creek. His commission as a first lieutenant of the Mountain Rangers, Company A, of the First Regiment, First Brigade, Oregon Militia, was dated December 20, 1865. Helman was elected captain of the Rangers in 1866. He became the first postmaster of Ashland in 1855 and continued in that position for twenty-seven years.

Associations

Helman was a member of numerous

fraternal order A fraternal order is a voluntary membership group organised as an order, with an initiation ritual and traits alluding to religious, chivalric or pseudo-chivalric orders, guilds, or secret societies. Fraternal orders typically have secular p ...

s and similar associations. He ranked high in the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Odd Fellows, Order ...

(I.O.O.F.), having a wide acquaintance among the order throughout the state. He was one of the first members of Ashland Lodge, No. 45, I.O.O.F., and for many years served as one of its officers, filling every position in the subordinate lodge. In 1892, he was grand master of the grand lodge of Oregon. He became a member and past patriarch of the Pilot Rock encampment and he was also grand patriarch of the grand encampment of Oregon. For two years he was grand representative from Oregon to the sovereign grand lodge sessions and he was also prominent in the Rebekah Lodge.

Legacy

Helman died on 5 March 1910, at the age of 85, and was interred with the honors of the Rebekah Lodge. Helman Elementary school in Ashland, Oregon is named for him.

Sources

''The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811–1912, Vol. II: Biographical'', Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1912, pp. 619–20.

References

External links

Medford MailTribune article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helman, Abel People from Ashland, Oregon People from Ashland County, Ohio 1824 births 1910 deaths Oregon pioneers Oregon postmasters American carpenters People of Oregon in the American Civil War American cabinetmakers People from Oregon Territory