An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, pages 393-394.

ALVIRA McATEE, who resides one mile west from Tygh valley, is one of the
pioneers of this section and is a lady whose life has been such that she is the
recipient of great respect and esteem from all. She was born in Logan county,
Illinois, on March 4, 1836. Her father, James Hieronymus, a native of Kentucky,
came from an old and prominent family of great renown. The first record of the
family is from Syrian history where we see General Hieronymus, who operated some
three hundred years before Christ. The next important one we mention, is the
saint familiarly known as Jerome, who was Eusebius Hieronymus, and who is one of
the most learned men known to those times. He was private secretary to Pope
Damasus and later translated from the original tongues the version of the
Scriptures commonly known as the Vulgate, from which comes the Douay Bible, the
one now used by the English speaking portion of the great Roman Catholic church.
The family came on down through the ages and in 1765, Henry Hieronymus migrated
to the American colonies from Germany and became the founder of the American
branch of the family, many members of which have been prominent in various
offices and leading positions. Mrs. McAtee's father married Miss Melinda
Thompson, a native of Tennessee, where also her parents were born. Her father
fought in the War of 1812. The family is a large one and mostly given to
agriculture, being wealthy. Mrs. McAtee was educated in the public schools in
the start, but has been a careful reader and student all her life and is now
well informed and abreast of the questions of the day. When eighteen she married
James F.M. Steers, a native of Kentucky, and the son of Hugh and Elizabeth
(Darnell) Steers. She came west with her husband across the plains with horse
teams in 1865. They experienced great trouble with the Indians, had much
sickness and several deaths in the train. They spent the first winter in the
Willamette valley and the next year came over to Wapinitia flat, where they
spent a year. Then they settled in Tygh valley, being the first white settlers
there. Mr. Steers was ill when he settled here and shortly after-ward, he died
Mrs. Steers was called upon to meet great hardship with a family and in a new
country with slight means. In the fall of 1867, she married Benjamin C. McAtee,
a native of Illinois and from Scotch ancestry. He had crossed the plains with ox
teams in 1852, accompanied by his mother. He took the homestead where Mrs.
McAtee now resides, it being a very rich and valuable piece of land. In October,
1893, Mr. McAtee went to the Grande Ronde country to collect a large sum of
money on his brother's estate, and it is supposed he was murdered for his money,
as he has not been heard of since. Mrs. McAtee has three brothers, Benjamin R.,
John P., and Thomas H. Mr. Steers had one brother, Henry P. Mr. McAtee had one
sister, Mrs. Drusilla Robinson. By her first marriage, Mrs. McAtee has the
following named children: Alson W., a preacher of the Adventist church in
Vancouver, British Columbia: Vincent P., a farmer near Tygh valley; Marion L., a
stockman in Grant county, Oregon, and Melinda, the wife of Edward C.
Fitzpatrick, who is mentioned in this work. By her second husband, Mrs. McAtee
has two children; William H., with his mother; and John B., with Johnston
Brothers in Dufur, Oregon.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.