Letitia and David Carson
Indigenous removal ironically cleared the way for Letitia Carson, a Black woman, to pursue new freedoms in Oregon. Letitia was born into slavery in Kentucky between 1814 and 1818. Nothing is known about the first three decades of her life in the South. At some point, before or in 1844, Letitia met David Carson, an Irish immigrant who had settled in North Carolina and later moved to Missouri. It was in that year that David and a pregnant Letitia left Missouri for Oregon as part of a wagon train with more than 1000 other travelers.
Letitia gave birth to their daughter, Martha Jane, while on the trail near the North Fork of the Platte River in what would become Nebraska. Later, the couple would have a second child; their son, named Adam, was born in Oregon in 1849. Adam’s name is inconsistent, as it appears as “Andrew J” in some records, but at some point, he seems to have gone by “Jack” in his adult life.
The exact nature of David and Letitia's relationship remains unclear. Historians wonder if Letitia was enslaved by David before or even after their journey to Oregon. Some evidence suggests their relationship was consensual. In her 1862 Homestead Act Claim filings, Letitia listed herself as a “widow.”
This 1860 map, annotated by Bob Zybach in 2014, illustrates the various donation land claim homesteads in the Soap Creek Valley of Benton County, OR. David and Letitia Carson's land is highlighted in red, showing both the 640 acres they initially owned and the 320 acres they were reduced to after the Oregon Territory government discovered that David and Letitia were not married.
David and Letitia Carson’s 1845 Route on the Oregon Trail
David Carson's Soap Creek Valley land claim
This is the original Polk County recording of David Carson's Soap Creek Valley land claim in 1847. Interestingly, Theo Magruder signed this because Magruder was the man who in 1851 reported Jacob Vanderpool for violating the 1849 Black Exclusion Law in Oregon City. Jacob Vanderpool was an African American owner of a saloon, restaurant, and boarding house living in Oregon City, Clackamas County, Oregon, at a time when the Oregon Territory government enforced an exclusion law it had passed in 1844 that prevented Black people from living in the territory. In 1851, Vanderpool's neighbor, Magruder, brought suit against him, and Judge Thomas Nelson expelled him from the territory.
Letitia Carson Pioneer Apple Tree
Photograph of the Letitia Carson Pioneer Apple Tree from 1999, during the writing of Dr. Zybach's MAIS thesis. According to Dr. Zybach, "This tree was named in honor of a pioneer black resident, who lived in the area of this tree in the 1840s and 1850s, and may have even planted it (Cook 1995). The name was given by student researchers completing a cultural resources inventory of OSU properties in Soap Creek Valley (Zybach et al., 1990)."
David, Letitia, and Martha arrived in the Soap Creek Valley in 1845, making Letitia and Martha two of the first Black women to settle anywhere in Oregon. In December 1845, David journeyed south to the mid-Willamette Valley, where he claimed 640 acres of land— the amount entitled to married couples. They likely built their homestead in the following spring of 1846. There, they planted crops such as potatoes and established an orchard. Additionally, they raised livestock, including cattle and hogs. Letitia was the primary cattle-raiser. The Applegate Trail ran alongside their homestead, and Letitia and David likely sold produce, dairy products, and meat to commuters on the road.
After the passage of the Donation Land Claim Act, David had to refile his Soap Creek Valley claim. In the process, his claim was halved to 340 acres, indicating that county officials did not recognize David and Letitia’s union as legitimate, either because interracial marriages weren’t lawful or because it was believed Letitia was enslaved.
Map of Township N°10 South Range N°5 West Willamette Meridian
This map depicts the land where David and Letitia Carson had their homestead in Benton County. The map charts land plots, mountains, and rivers. At the bottom is a description of the map which reads, “The above Map of Fractional Township N°10 South go Range N°5 West of the Willamette Meridian, Oregon Territory is strictly conformable to the field notes of the survey thereof on file in this office, which have been examined and approved. Surveyor General’s Office, Oregon City, May 5th, 1853."
Historic Photograph of Andrew C. "Jack" Carson Driving a Wagon
1900s photograph of Andrew C. "Jack" Carson driving a team of horses and a wagon with a load of lumber down Cow Creek from Glendale. Jack Carson was the son of Letitia Carson.
Historic Photograph of Martha Lavadour
Photograph of Martha Lavadour, Letitia and David Carson's daughter.
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Next Page: Life in the Soap Creek Valley
Previous Exhibit: C. Who was David Carson? Next Exhibit: E. Letitia Carson v. Greenberry Smith
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