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 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 cen ...

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 is Ashland. The county is named for " Ashland", the home of Senator Henry Clay near ...

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 the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. 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 t ...

, 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, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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 seaport in Panama, beside the Caribbean Sea, lying near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city. Originally it was l ...

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

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

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

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

. In 1851, he drove a mule team from

Yreka Yreka ( ) is 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 United States Census, the population was 7,807, reflecting a meager increase fro ...

over the mountains to the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long 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, ...

of Oregon, arriving in Salem. 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-Preem ...

, 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 ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

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 imp ...

,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 originates fr ...

.Ashland School District – Helman Elementary Homepage
/ref> 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: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

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 River Valley area o ...

of 1855 and 1856, being stationed at a fort on Wagner Creek. His commission as a first lieutenant of the

Mountain Rangers Mountain Rangers was the nickname of an Oregon militia regiment formed during the American Civil War. A mounted unit, the Mountain Rangers were officially Company A, 1st Regiment, 1st Brigade, Oregon State Militia. During the Civil War the State ...

, Company A, of the First Regiment, First Brigade,

Oregon Militia The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, which oversees the armed forces of the state of Oregon. Under the authority and direction of the governor as commander-in-chief, the agency is responsi ...

, 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 fraternity organised as an order, with traits alluding to religious, chivalric or pseudo-chivalric orders, guilds, or secret societies. Contemporary fraternal orders typically have secular purposes, including social, cult ...

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 and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

(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