An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, page 232-233.

JOSEPH C. WINGFIELD, a prosperous fruit grower of Wasco county, resides in
Thompson's Addition in The Dalles. He was born in Clackamas county, on January
16, 1848, the son of Joseph T. and Hannah (Knapp) Wingfield, natives of
Virginia. The father's ancestors were among the very earliest settlers in the
New World, some of the family being on the Mayflower and others having settled
in Virginia before that. They were prominent in all the colonial struggles and
were a strong family. The mother's people were also a very prominent colonial
family and many of them engaged in a professional life. The parents crossed the
plains with ox teams in 1846 and settled on a donation claim in the Willamette
valley. Our subject had scanty opportunity to gain an education from the
frontier schools but made the best of his chances and when fifteen, started out
for himself. He worked out in the vicinity two years, then came to eastern
Oregon and rode the bell horse on a pack train from Umatilla to Bear gulch,
Montana. After this, he was engaged in sawmilling in Grant county, then did
mining. Later, he was in the Willamette valley for six years then returned to
Grant county and did stock raising until 1883, when he moved to Eightmile creek
in Wasco county. He bought one hundred and ninety acres which was the family
home for seventeen years or until 1900, when he removed to the place where he
now lives. It is a fine piece of land and consists of nine acres, well improved,
with fruit trees, buildings and so forth and is a valuable place. Mr. Wingfield
recently sold his farm on Eightmile creek and purchased another which he rents
to his son, Orville.      

In Clackamas county, Mr. Wingfield married Miss Alice G., the daughter of
Maxwell and Eliza (Smith) Ramsby, natives of Ohio. The father crossed the plains
in 1846 with a pack train and outfit and now lives with our subject, aged
eighty-three. His father was born in Germany and his mother in Pennsylvania of
Welsh parentage. His wife's parents were born in Wales and his marriage occurred
in Marion county, Oregon. He was for many years a farmer in the Willamette
valley and was second lieutenant in the Cayuse war under Colonel Cornelius
Gilliam. After Colonel Gilliam's death, he was under the command of Colonel
Waters. In 1862, he was a member of the Oregon legislature, has been justice of
the peace for twelve years, was once assessor in Clackamas county and frequently
was delegate to the state and county conventions. Once, he was a delegate to the
national convention, Grant's first nomination, and assisted to organize the
Republican party in Oregon. Mr. Ramsby had very limited opportunity for an
education but hired a teacher for his children and studied with them, thus
showing the energy and spirit of the man. He has been a very careful and close
reader and the result is, that he is one of the best informed men in this
section. Our subject has one brother, George W., and two sisters, Mrs. Lucy
Worsham, and Mrs. Hannah Graham. Mrs. Wingfield has one brother, Horace S., and
one sister, Mrs. Alwilda Dickey. To our subject and his wife, the following
named children have been born: Orville, on Eightmile creek: Elton E., in Baker
county, Oregon; Cora A., a school teacher in Baker City; and Iva L., with her
brother, Orville.      

Mr. Wingfield is a member of the W.W. It is of interest to note that the first
Cayuse war pension was issued to Mr. Wingfield's father-in-law.

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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.