Sonoma County Biographies

The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appears in this work, is a native of Arlington, Bennington County, Vermont, born October 22, 1810. Here he received his education and developed into manhood, marrying Miss Sallie Ann Lee, June 10, 1828. In 1837 they moved to Springfield, Erie County, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming for two years. In 1839, they took up their residence in Jersey County, Illinois, where Mr. Canfield toiled upon the farm until June, 1842. After a residence in Jefferson County, Iowa, of eleven months, they settled upon the present site of the city of Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa. Here Mr. Canfield erected the first house and laid out the public square, the lines of which have never been changed to this day. The house, no doubt, has crumbled and gone to decay; but the grounds of the park, so tastefully arranged and laid off by the artistic eye of the energetic frontiersman, will ever remain as one of the garden spots of earth, and a base to the monument of the early pioneers of Oskaloosa. It was through his influence and exertions also that the county seat of Mahaska County was located here, where it remains at present. On May 4, 1847, Mr. Canfield emigrated, with his wife and five children, across the plains to Oregon. The journey was made with little difficulty, save the hardships that are incident to all pioneers in crossing the trackless, uninhabited wilds over which they passed. On October 20, 1847, they reached Dr. Whitman's mission in Walla Walla Valley. Upon their arrival they not only found Dr. Whitman, but quite a little settlement, consisting of the Doctor and his wife, seven mission children by the name of Sager, Mr. Saunders, wife and five children, Mr. Kimball, wife and five children, Mr. Hall, wife and five children, Mrs. Hayes and two children. The whole party, including Mr. and Mrs. Canfield and their five children, numbered as follows: Fourteen men, seven women, and thirty-two children. Here they were treated in a very hospitable manner, and were made to feel perfectly at home. As they found such comfortable quarters and a perfect haven of rest, they decided to remain at the mission until the following Spring, when they would continue on their journey to the Willamette River, the place of their destination. Here the residents of the happy little village were nestled together in one family, as it were, and the last accession, that of Mr. Canfield and family, evidently felt as safe and free from harm as they did when sheltered beneath the roof or gathered around the hearthstone of their far Eastern home. But it must not be forgotten that they were in a hostile country, although there had not been any Indian trouble in this immediate locality for several years, none in fact since Mr. Whitman located there, which was about the year 1837. The Cayuses (this being the name of the tribe with which the doctor had to deal) had always been kind and obedient to him, and were seemingly perfectly satisfied with the treatment they had received at his hands. Indeed, so much confidence did Mr. Whitman have in his little band of Cayuses, that if there was a word dropped by any one of the company questioning the friendliness, or in any way expressing any fear of the aborigines, their minds were soon set at rest by the convincing answer from the doctor, whose feelings would seem hurt when any allusion of this nature was made. However, we will see how we are victimized sometimes by misplaced confidence, and made to drink the bitter dregs of deception, deceived and murdered by those whom we once held close to our bosoms, and were our companions for many a long year. Soon after the arrival of Mr. Canfield and family at the mission, there arrived missionaries of a different persuasion, and whom, it is said, influenced the Indians against their old teacher, Dr. Whitman. There were no visible evidences of treachery upon the part of the aborigines, and every one about the mission felt as secure and safe as they did before receiving the visit from these missionaries, who proved to be traitors in the camp. The morning of the 29th of November, 1847, dawned as bright, fresh and beautiful as ever lit up the picturesque valley of the Walla Walla; all nature seemed to smile in answer to the innocent prattle of little children, and all reposed in confidence and security. But, alas! a little later in the day they were surprised and fired upon by the Indians whom the Doctor had labored with so many years. Imagine for an instance, and try to picture, if such a thing be possible, the condition of Dr. Whitman and his little party, surprised as they were without a moment's warning, and consequently no means of defense or escape. They being entirely at the mercy of the red devils, were shot down like dumb brutes. The men were all killed except Mr. Canfield and a man by the name of Osborn. Mrs. Whitman was also killed, the balance of the women and all of the children were taken prisoners. Mr. Canfield was shot in the hip, but managed to seclude himself in the old adobe house. During the night following he received intelligence from the mission children that the was to pay the death penalty in the morning. As he did not feel disposed to depart this life just yet, he acted upon the warning he received and, bidding adieu to his hiding place, started immediately on foot for Mr. Spalding's mission at Lapaway Station, in Washington Territory, a distance of one hundred and forty miles, this being on Monday night, reaching the mission on Saturday afternoon, making the whole trip on foot and without eating or sleeping. The morning after his escape the blood-thirsty redskins donned their war apparel, surrounded the house, and were just on the point of massacreing all the women and children, when their former chief, known as "Old Beardy," rode into camp with the speed of lightning, and standing upright on the horse, pleaded with his tribe not to kill the prisoners, and after listening attentively to his remarks, abandoned their murderous intentions and informed their victims that their lives would be spared, but they would be held as prisoners. The women were forced to do the cooking for the Indians, sixty-two in number, and the children were forced to attend to all their other wants that would add comfort and ease to the lords of the wilds. On December 29th, just one month after they were captured, there came to their relief, to Fort Walla Walla, a man by the name of Peter Ogden, the chief factor of the Hudson Bay Fur Company, from Vancouver. After a talk of three days and nights with the Indians he succeeded in purchasing the prisoners, first promising them that they (the fur company) would not be punishing them for what they had done. So the bargain was made, and they were paid in guns, blankets, ammunition, knives, etc. After gaining possession of the prisoners, he made a contract with the Nez Perces to bring Mr. Canfield and Mr. Spalding's family to Walla Walla fort, if they wished to come, where he joined his children and grief-stricken wife. Not only was he received with outstretched arms, but with weeping for joy, as it was supposed by all that he had perished. On his arrival Mr. Ogden took the party in three small boats and proceeded down the Columbia River, landing at Oregon City January 12, 1848. Upon their arrival they had nothing but the clothes upon their backs. After procuring comfortable quarters for his family, Mr. Canfield joined the volunteers and went back for the purpose of punishing the Indians and to drive them from their reservation, which was accomplished, when they returned to Oregon City, and the company disbanded on July 1, 1848. The chief Tetokite and four of the Indians were hanged at Oregon City in 1850. On March 4, 1849, Mr. Canfield and family took passage on a sailing vessel for San Francisco, where they arrived on March 10, 1849. Here they remained until August 1, 1850, when they became residents of this county, settling in Sonoma City. Soon after settling here he went to Sacramento City and engaged in the soda manufacturing business, leaving his family at Sonoma. Not finding this business congenial to his taste he soon returned to this county, and in January, 1852, he moved upon his present estate of five hundred acres, and is one of Sonoma's thrifty farmers. Mrs. Canfield was born in Arlington, Bennington County, Vermont, August 12, 1810. Their children by this marriage are: Nathan L., born in Arlington on July 7, 1829, and died February 18, 1835; Ellen S., born at Arlington June 5, 1831 and died July 12, 1865; Oscar F., born at Springfield, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1838, now living in Idaho; Clarica A. (now Mrs. J. H. Knowles of Petaluma), born at Delhi, Jersey County, Illinois, October 31, 1840; Sylvia Ann, born at Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa, February 7, 1842, and died in Sonoma County February 4, 1854; Albert, born at Oskaloosa, Iowa, May 18, 1845, now living in Idaho; William D. Jr., born at Oregon City February 3, 1848, and died in San Francisco July 5, 1849; Julia, born in San Francisco August 3, 1850, and died August 6th of the same year. In 1853 Mrs. Canfield visited her brothers in the East. After remaining a short time she set out on her journey back in company with her mother, who, when one day out from Panama, was taken ill and died. Once more Mrs. Canfield's heart was made to bleed, and yet, when she thought of what she had passed through in '47, she felt grateful to Him that her life, as well as that of her husband and children, had been spared, when at one time it hung by a brittle thread. On June 10, 1878, Mr. and Mrs. Canfield celebrated their golden wedding at their home, all the family being present but their eldest son and family, who were at the time in Idaho.