Hines, H. K. "An Illustrated History of the State of Oregon." Chicago: Lewis
Pub. Co. 1893.  p. 824.
 
SIDNEY ROOT

     a well-known and highly esteemed citizen of the Chehalem valley, and a
prosperous farmer, dates his first arrival in Oregon in 1852. Of his life we
present the following brief sketch:
    Sidney Root was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, October 23, 1828. The Roots
originated in England, came to America previous to the Revolution, and some
members of the family participated in that war. John Root, Sidney's father, was
a native of New York, He married Miss Silvia Wilber, whose forefathers were
early settlers of Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Root moved to Ohio, then to Iowa, and
from there to Illinois. In the last named State they had a farm in Whiteside
county, near Morrison. At this writing four of their seven children are living.
Both parents have passed away, the father dying in Illinois, and the mother in
Iowa.
    Sidney spent, his boyhood days working on his father's farm in Illinois. And
here he was when news of the gold discovery is California swept over the
country.  In 1850, at the age of twenty-three, he set out for the new El Dorado
of the West, traveling with a train composed of ten wagons. They made the
journey in safety, landed at Hangtown, and he at once began to dig for gold. He
averaged about an ounce per day, and in one afternoon took out $60 worth.  He
spent much time in prospecting, looking for richer diggings, and after about a
year on this coast he returned East, by way of Panama, taking with him $1,000.
While at Panama he had the fever, and did not fully recover from it until 1852,
after he had crossed the plains to Oregon. On this second overland journey one
man, in the company with which our young friend traveled, died of cholera, and
they buried him by the wayside.
     On his arrival at Portland, Mr. Root at once came up to Yam Hill county. He
worked one month for Mr. Welch, a little south of where North Yam Hill now is,
near Dr. Sitton's, and from there he went to the Umpqua valley and cooked during
the winter. Tile following spring he went to the mines at Althouse creek, where
he remained eight months, mining and making good wages, after which he wintered
about seven miles west of Corvallis. The next May he started on his pony for the
mines. This time he spent about a year and a half mining in the southwest part
of the State and on the Klamath river, above Happy Camp. The largest piece of
gold he found was worth $115. He returned to the Willamette valley with only
about $700. During these mining expeditions he was in great danger of the
Indians, as they were constantly committing depredations. After spending a year
in the valley, he again returned to the mines. He subsequently purchased a claim
of 160 acres at Josephine City, and engaged in stock-raising, butchering and
fanning two years.  At the end of that time he sold out, returned to Yam Hill
county, and he and his brother rented the J. L. Ferguson place. Later he and his
brother each purchased 160 acres of land where he (Sidney) now resides. They
bought this land in the winter, and in the spring our subject had another attack
of gold fever. He went to Idaho City, mined about a month and a half, and having
no success, and having spent all he had taken with him, returned to his ranch.
But he was not yet ready to give up mining, and we next find him on his way to
the John Day mines, and again he met with ill success.
     In the fall of 1866 Mr. Root married Miss Elizabeth Winters, a native of
Prussia. She came to the United States when three years of age, and to Oregon in
1864. They have had six children, five sons and a daughter, all born in Yam Hill
county. The daughter, Anna Lucinda. died at the age of ten months. The boys,
Charles W., Ira Lorenzo, John, Ernest and Albert R. are all at home.
     Mr. Root and his wife and two of the sons are members of the Baptist
Church. He is a stockholder and an officer in the Grange, and helped to build
their hall. In politics he is a Republican.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in August 2007 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.