"Illustrated History of Lane County, Oregon." Portland, Oregon: A. G. Walling,
publisher, 1884.  pg. 479.
 
THE KINCAID FAMILY
     Thomas Kincaid, who settled in Lane county, Oregon, in the year 1853, and
who was the father of the family whose lives are briefly sketched in
the following paragraphs, was born in Greenbrier county, Virginia, July 27,
1800.  He was the second child and son of Francis and Nancy Kincaid, whose
family consisted of seven sons and five girls, and was of Scotch-Irish
parentage.  His mother's maiden name was Murdock.  His ancestors emigrated from
Scotland to the northern portion of Ireland, and, after residing there for some
time, they came to north America.  His grandfather settled in Virginia before
the Declaration of Independence, while a brother of his grandfather is supposed
to have settled in New Hampshire, and perhaps other members of the family in
other parts of the British Colonies.  One of the descendants of the New England
branch of the family -- Owen Kincaid -- resides in Whatcom county, Washington
Territory, and was a member of the territorial legislature in 1883.  Other
descendants of the same Scotch-Irish family, who came to America and settled in
two or more of the colonies before the war of independence, may be fund in
nearly every State and Territory in the United States.  At the age of 17 years,
Thomas Kincaid emigrated with his parents from Greenbrier county, Virginia, in a
canoe and flat-boat down the Great Kanawha and Ohio rivers, in the year 1817, to
Indiana, and settled eighteen miles northeast of Indianapolis, on Fall creek,
just below the mouth of Lick creek.  He continued to reside in that
neighborhood, near where Madison, Hamilton and Hancock counties corner, part of
the time in each county, clearing farms in the timber and farming nearly all the
time for thirty-five years.  He also worked at blacksmithing, and was ingenious
and handy at nearly all trades.  He was remarkably strong and active, and was
extremely swift on foot.  He was an anti-slavery and temperance advocate, and
never used intoxicating liquors or tobacco; did not belong to church, but was a
Universalist in belief, and was fond of arguing Scripture with orthodox
preachers; was a fine player on the violin; was captain of a company of State
militia.  January 9, 1831, Thomas Kincaid married Miss Nancy Chodrick, then in
her 15th year.  She was born of German-American parents in Butler county, Ohio,
July 7, 1816, and was the fourth child and eldest girl of Peter and Elizabeth
Chodrick, whose family consisted of four boys and five girls.  Her father was a
native of Delaware, or New Jersey on Delaware bay, and her mother, whose maiden
name was Steele, was a native of Pennsylvania, on the Monongahela river.
January 3, 1836, their first child, whom they named Harrison Rittenhouse, was
born in Harrison county, Indiana.  In the summer of 1837, Thomas Kincaid
traveled on horseback, through Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas, looking for a
better country, but returned without finding a place that pleased him.  In the
fall of 1844, Thomas and Nancy Kincaid, with their eldest child, before
mentioned, then eight years old, and their two girls, Rebecca Ann, aged 4, and
Elizabeth Maria, aged 2 years, left their old home in Madison county, Indiana,
in a two-horse wagon, intending to find a new home in the southwest -- perhaps
in Texas -- where the climate would be milder.  They traveled along the National
turnpike road, through Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Indiana, and Vandalia,
Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri.  At St. Louis they were induced by the glowing
description of a relative to go to Iowa territory.  They traveled northward
through Illinois via Alton and Carthage, and crossed the Mississippi river with
their wagon on the ice at Fort Madison.  They went to Wapello county, Iowa, and
remained during the winter and part of the next summer, about three miles north
of the Des Moines river, near Iowaville.  Here another son, John Sanford, was
born.  Not liking the cold winter, they started in the summer of 1845, their
family then consisting of four children, the youngest an infant, for Texas, and
traveled in their wagon southwesterly through Iowa and Missouri to Lexington,
where they crossed the Missouri river; thence south near the western boundary of
Missouri into Arkansas; crossed the mountains by way of Fayetteville, and
continued down to Van Buren on the Arkansas river at the western boundary of
Arkansas.  Her and all along the road they met many people returning from Texas,
who gave that country a very bad name.  On account of this and for other
reasons, they turned and traveled eastward through Arkansas to within twelve
miles of the St. Francis river, where they remained during the winter, on the
main road leading from Tennessee to Texas, along which great numbers of slaves
were being driven westward.  Being opposed to slavery, they decided to return to
the free states, and, in the spring, traveled through the black mud of the
Mississippi bottom, forty miles wide, to Memphis, Tennessee, and remained a
short time.  From Memphis they went up the Mississippi river on a steamboat to
Louisville, Kentucky.  From Jeffersonville they traveled with their wagon to
their old home in Indiana, where they arrived in the spring of 1846, having been
absent nearly two years and traveled about three thousand miles.
     In 1852 Thomas and Nancy Kincaid started for Oregon Territory, but stopped
one year in Benton county, Indiana.  In 1853 they continued their journey to
Oregon with a two-horse wagon and a wagon drawn by four oxen.  Their family then
consisted of the four children already named and Mary Alice, aged 17, 13, 11, 8
and 5 years, respectively.  They left Benton county, Indiana, in February, and
traveled across the states of Illinois and Iowa with their teams and wagons in
winter.  In Illinois they fell in with George Parks and family, from Lipton
county, Indiana, who also had one ox-wagon and one horse-wagon, and the two
families traveled together all the way to the Willamette valley.  They crossed
the Mississippi river with their wagons and teams on the ice at Burlington;
crossed several streams in Western Iowa on rafts; stopped a few days at
Kanesville, now Council Bluffs.  The crossed the Missouri river on a steam-boat,
May ninth, five miles below the site of the present city of Omaha, then a
wilderness without a house.  As they traveled up the north side of the Platte
and North Platte river, for hundreds of miles over a treeless plain, rain poured
down almost without ceasing for weeks.  Buffalo chips would not burn, and, as
there was no wood until the sage-brush was reached, there was no fire.  The
clothing of all was wet nearly all the time, and in crossing creeks and sloughs
water frequently ran into wagons and wet the clothing and provisions in boxes.
Wind, rain, thunder and lightning were terrific.  A great many Pawnee and Sioux
Indians and frequent herds of buffaloes were seen along the Platte and Sweet
Water rivers, and, further west, antelope, and occasionally mountain sheep.
They crossed the Black hills, where there was plenty of sage brush, and
occasionally a little scrubby cedar and pine timber in sight, and followed up
Sweet Water to the head at the summit of the Rocky or Wind river mountains; then
down the western slope to Green river, which was crossed on a raft; climbed over
a high ridge of mountains to Soda springs, on Bear river, where a large band or
Shoshone or Snake Indians were assembled running horse-races.  From Bear river
they crossed the divide and down to American Falls on Snake river.  They
traveled down the south side of Snake river over the sage plains, rafting or
fording Raft river, Oyhee, Malheur, Powder, Burnt, Grand Ronde and other rivers.
Crossed the Blue mountains, covered with a dense forest of fir and other
evergreen timber, the first timber of much consequence seen west of the Missouri
river, and descended the plain on the western side to the head of Umatilla
river.  Then followed down the Umatilla and over the treeless plains to John Day
river, and westward to the Des Chutes river, which was crossed several miles
above its mouth.  Crossed over the Cascade mountains through a dense forest,
just south of Mt. Hood, letting wagons down steep precipices by ropes fastened
to trees above, and by dragging trees with limbs behind them, as anchor to hold
back.  They arrived at Foster's, in the Willamette valley near Oregon City,
Sept. 29, 1853.
     On the entire journey of about 1800 miles across the plains, between the
Missouri river and the Willamette valley, they did not see a house, except two
or three log buildings in the Black hills on North Platte, at old Fort Laramie,
occupied by army officers, and one small house unoccupied, at the Indian agency
on the Umatilla river.  They saw numerous bands of Indians, and small parties of
Indians, nearly all the way across the plains, but were never molested by them.
They left the Park's family some distance above Oregon City, and continued their
journey up the Willamette valley to Lane county.  They arrived at Eugene City,
which then contained about three houses, about the eleventh of October, 1853,
having traveled, from where they started in Indiana, nearly all the time for
eight months, and a distance of more than 2500 miles, by land with oxen.  Their
horse wagon was left in the Blue mountains, and the remainder of the trip made
with the ox wagon.  In October, 1853, they settled on a donation land claim,
three miles southeast of Eugene, where George Summerfield, the youngest child
was born, residing there about seven years; moved in 1860 to Eugene, which has
since been the home of the family, and where the mother, and eldest and youngest
sons now reside.
     Thomas Kincaid died in Eugene City, Oregon, Nov. 22, 1866, aged 66 years, 3
months and 26 days.  His remains rest in the Masonic cemetery, on the hill
southeast of town; by the side of two daughters and one son.
     Nancy Kincaid is yet living in Eugene City, having been a resident of Lane
county about 31 years, and never having been further from home during that time
than to the State Fair, in Salem, Oregon.
 
THOMAS RITTENHOUSE KINCAID, eldest child of Thomas and Nancy Kincaid, was born
in Madison county, Indiana, Sunday, January 3, 1836.  In 1853, at the age of 17
years, he came with his parents to Oregon, walking nearly all the distance from
Indiana and driving the ox-team, and settled in Lane county.  He split rails
during the first two winters, and made fence on the donation claim of his
parents; worked for Isaac and Elias Briggs, during the summer of 1854, for $1 a
day, digging and opening the mill-race to the mill three miles above Eugene
City, where Springfield is now located.  In May, 1855, he went to the mines in
Southern Oregon, and worked in the mines along Althouse Creek until the Indian
war caused mining to cease, and the miners to build and move into log
fortifications, in the fall of that year.  He then went, with his "partner."
John Williams -- miners nearly always worked two or more together -- to Crescent
City, Cal., walking over the coast mountains along a pack trail, and carrying
their blankets and provisions on their backs.  They spent the winter cutting and
splitting rails and cordwood, in the hemlock and redwood forests.  In the spring
of 1856, the firm dissolved partnership, and the subject of this sketch went to
San Francisco, on a little steamer called the "Goliah."  He worked in the mines
between Folsom and Auburn, a few miles north of the American river, until water
gave out in the dry season.  Then footed it, as usual, with blankets and
provisions, to Marysville, and worked at baling hay a few weeks.  Then worked
awhile for Matthew Sparks, on a ranch on Bear river, also herding cattle for
him, between Yuba and Sacramento rivers, and splitting rails, on a new ranch
owned by him on the west bank of the Sacramento river, between Colusa and
Tehama.  Afterwards cut cordwood on Sutter's ranch, three miles below Marysville
on west bank of the Yuba river, with a cousin named George Chodrick, the only
person he met in California that he had ever known or seen before he went there.
He bought a wagon and four oxen, and, during the summer and fall of 1857, hauled
wood and hay to Marysville, and provisions to the mines in the mountains east of
there, for sale.  Leaving his wagon and team, in which the earnings of more than
two years were nearly all invested, and which were afterwards sold and the money
all kept by his cousin already mentioned, he went to San Francisco, and from
there by steamer to Portland, Oregon; from Oregon City to Corvallis on a little
steamboat occupying about three days; from Corvallis (then called Marysville) to
Eugene City on foot, arriving at the home about the last of December, 1857.  He
then worked on the home-place, and at cutting and hauling saw-logs to the head
of the mill-race and rafting them to Eugene City, to make lumber for a house,
which he had built in Eugene City, in 1859, by John D. Kinsey, afterwards
son-in-law of Eugene F. Skinner, and into which he and his parents and the other
members of the family moved, in 1860, and which has since been their home.  In
1859-60, the subject of our sketch attended "Columbia College," in a stone
building on the hill one mile south of Eugene City, which was torn down a few
years later, and was in a class along with J. D. Miller and J. M. Thompson, now
both deceased, "Joaquin" Miller, W. H. Byars, J. J. Blevans, J. F. Watson, J. D.
Matlock and others.
     In the summer and fall of 1860, during the Lincoln-Douglas-Breckenridge
presidential campaign, he worked in the office of "The People's Press," a
republican paper, published in Eugene City by Joel Ware, the recognized organ of
the party and circulating all over the State, learning the printing business and
writing political editorials.  He was, in 1862-3, printer and part of the time
editorial writer in the office of the "State Republican," a republican paper,
published in Eugene City first by H. Shaw and subsequently by J. N. Gale.  In
June, 1863, he crossed the Cascade mountains with a pack-train of horses and
mules, via. the McKenzie trail, traveling over snow about ten feet deep for a
distance of twenty miles on the summit north of the "Three Sisters."  Spent the
summer in the John Day mines at Canyon City, and in prospecting in the Blue
mountains with about a dozen others for cinnabar.  They met some hostile Indians
on the side of a mountain, and shots were fired, but the Indians galloped down
the mountain on their ponies, and nobody was hurt.  This pack-train continued to
carry provisions from Eugene City to the mines during that and the following
summer.  At Canyon City he met and became acquainted with Thos. H. Brents, since
delegate in congress from Washington Territory.  He returned to Eugene City in
the fall, and, during the latter part of that year and the first part of 1864,
worked on a weekly paper called the "Union Crusader," published by A. C.
Edmonds, a Universalist preacher, who has since published papers in various
places, and died in Oregon.  He wrote most of the political editorials for this
paper, until he and others bought the office and suspended the publication of
the paper, preparatory to establishing a republican paper.  March 12, 1864, he
founded at Eugene City "The Oregon State Journal," and has been editor and
proprietor of the paper continuously ever since, during a period of more than
twenty years, the first year in partnership with Joel Ware; from October 15,
1866, until July 7, 1869, with his brother, John S. Kincaid, as business
manager, and from Sept. 11, 1869, until his death, in December, 1873, with him
as publisher and associate editor; from Sept. 29, 1878, until 1882, with his
youngest brother, George S. Kincaid, as publisher and associate editor, and
since the last named date with him as partner.  He has several times represented
the republicans as a delegate in county and state conventions, and twice in
National Conventions -- at Chicago in 1868, and at Philadelphia in 1872.  He was
nominated by the Republican State Convention held at Portland in April, 1870, on
the fifth ballot, over Henry Denlinger of the "Statesman" (Salem) and H. L.
Pittock of the "Oregonian" (Portland) for the office of State Printer of Oregon,
and received more votes in the State than any other republican for a State
office; and was beaten by the smallest majority -- 493 in a total vote of 22,
809.  He went overland in October, 1866, to San Francisco, and from there, along
with Congressman Henderson, Dr. and Mrs. W. H. Hanchett and other residents of
Lane county, by steamer via. Panama to New York.  The steamer 'Ocean Queen," on
which they were passengers from Aspinwall, took fire off the coast of Cuba, and
all on board had a narrow escape, but the fire was put out, and the vessel made
the remainder of the trip with one engine.  From New York he went to Washington,
D. C., and remained there during the winter.  In the fall of 1867, he visited
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Providence, Hartford and New Haven, Boston,
Harvard University, the factories at Lowell and Nashua, Concor, Montpelier,
Burlington, Montreal and other places in Canada, returning by steamer up the St.
Lawrence and Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls and Buffalo, thence by rail to
Athens, and down the Hudson river on the steamboat "Dean Richmond" to New York.
On the way down the river the "Dean Richmond" was run into, by the "Vanderbilt"
of a rival line, and in a few minutes sank to the bottom in thirty feet of
water.  This was in September.  All the baggage was lost, but the passengers
were rescued, and taken to New York on the steamer "Drew."
     In 1868 he visited his native place in Indiana, and attended the Chicago
Convention as a delegate from Oregon.  In February, 1869, on the recommendation
of the Oregon delegation in Congress -- Geo. H. Williams and H. W. Corbett in
the Senate and Rufus Mallory in the House of Representatives -- he was appointed
one of the Clerks of the Senate of the United States, and served in that
position continuously until June 11, 1879, when the Democrats changed the
officers of the Senate on political grounds.  During this period he wrote
editorials and correspondence for his own paper; a part of the time was a
regular correspondent, first of the "Oregonian," and late of the "Bulletin" at
Portland, Oregon, of the "Oregon Sentinel" at Jacksonville, and wrote
correspondence and contributions for papers in other states.  Visited his native
place in 1869; spent the summer of 1876 at the Centennial Exhibition in
Philadelphia, and in New Jersey and New York City, and at various times visited
many of the cities and states of the Union during the summer recesses of
Congress.  In Macomb county, Michigan, Sept. 29, 1873, married Miss Augusta A.,
youngest and thirteenth child of Stephen and Dianah Lockwood, then 21 years of
age, having been born in that county, Sept. 3, 1852.  He returned to Oregon
overland in the years 1869-70-72-74-77-78, the last three times with his wife,
and spent each of those summers, while in Congress was not in session, at home.
He returned home again in 1881, accompanied by his wife, and they have since
resided in Eugene City, where their first child, a son, was born Sept. 16, 1883,
in the house where the family has resided since 1860.
     AUSTIN C. KINCAID, the second child was born in Madison county, Indiana,
Sunday, December 18, 1837, and died there Feb. 20, 1838.
     REBECCA ANN KINCAID, the third child, was born in Madison county, Indiana,
Saturday, February 8, 1840.  At the age of 13 years, she came with her parents
to Oregon in 1853.  She resided with the family in Lane county Until 1856, when
she married Horace E. Lawrence, a native of New York State.  She occasionally
wrote for the press, and a number of her articles on dress reform, hygiene and
other subjects were published in the Eastern periodicals.  She continued to
reside in Lane county until her death, which occurred at the residence of her
parents and eldest brother in Eugene City, Feb. 5, 1864, aged three days less
than 24 years, and her remains were buried in the Masonic cemetery on the hill
southeast of Eugene City.
     ELIZABETH MARIA KINCAID, the fourth child, was born in Hamilton county,
Indiana, Tuesday, February 16, 1842.  She came to Oregon with her parents in
1853, at the age of eleven years.  In Eugene City at the residence of her
parents, in 1860, she married James Newton Gale, a native of Illinois.  In 1863
she removed with her husband to Salem, Oregon, where he consolidated his paper,
the "State Republican" of Eugene, with the "Argus" of Oregon City, and remained
as on the publishers about a year.  >From Salem they moved to Portland, and
started the "Daily Union" there, and published it one year or more.  From
Portland they went to Astoria, and founded the "Marine Gazette," and published
it perhaps two years.  Next moved to Olympia, Washington Territory, and founded
the "Transcript," and published it several years.  She continues to reside there
with her husband, who is postmaster of Olympia.  She is the mother of a number
of children, all of whom are dead, except the youngest, a girl about three years
old.
     JOHN KINCAID, the fifth child, was born in Madison county, Indiana, April
27, 1844, and died there June 30, 1844.
     JOHN SANDFORD KINCAID, the sixth child, was born in Wapello county, Iowa,
Wednesday, May 14, 1845.  In 1853, at the age of 8 years, he came with his
parents to Oregon.  He resided with the family in Lane county.  In 1863 he went
over the McKenzie trail with his eldest brother to the John Day mines in Eastern
Oregon, and thence to the mines in Idaho near Boise City.  He remained in the
mines one or two years, and then came home via the Columbia river.  Crossed the
Cascades again, with pack animals, and spent some time in the mines.  He
returned home again and worked in the office of "The Oregon State Journal,"
along with his eldest brother.  He was business manager of the paper in the fall
of 1866 until the summer of 1869, and was publisher and associate editor from
September 11, 1869, until the date of his death, in December, 1873.  He
represented the republicans in several state and county conventions.  In 1872-73
he had contracts from the United States government to survey public lands in
Eastern Oregon, and went with the surveying parties and superintended in person
the men and the work.  He was a prominent and highly esteemed member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows.  He was never married.  He died at the family
residence in Eugene City, December 27, 1873, aged 28 years, 7 months, and 13
days, and his remains rest by the side of his father and eldest and youngest
sister in the Masonic cemetery on the hill southeast of Eugene.
     MARY ALICE KINCAID, the seventh child, was born in Hancock county, Indiana,
Wednesday, June 28, 1848.  At 5 years of age, in 1853, she came with her parents
to Oregon.  She resided with the family in Lane county, and occasionally visited
Yaquina bay, her sister at Olympia, W. T., and other places for the benefit of
her health, being small in stature and of delicate physical strength.  She wrote
a little for the press, and learned to set type, as a pastime rather than as a
business, but did not work at the "case," except at home.  In 1869 she went with
her eldest brother overland to her native place in Indiana, and from there to
New York city, and thence to a water cure establishment at Dansville, Livingston
county, New York, for the benefit of her failing health.  She died there, away
from all her kindred except her eldest brother, January 27, 1870, aged 21 years
and 7 months.  Her remains were carried by steamer via. Panama and San Francisco
to Oregon, and were interred in the Masonic cemetery near Eugene City, by the
side of her father, sister and brother.
     ELIZA JANE KINCAID, the eighth child, was born in Madison county, Indiana,
Sunday, November 3, 1850, and died there January 28, 1851.
     GEORGE SUMMERFIELD KINCAID, the ninth and youngest child, was born in Lane
county, Oregon, Thursday, March 4, 1858.  He has always resided in Lane county,
occasionally visiting Washington territory, the sea-shore and the mountains.  He
commenced working in the office of "The Oregon State Journal" at a very early
age and learned the printing business.  He was publisher of the paper from the
fall of 1878 until 1882.  In the last named year he became partner in the
ownership and publication of the paper with his brother, H. R. Kincaid, and
assists him in the editorial work.  He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and
of the A.O.U.W.  He was married in Eugene City, September 10, 1876, to Miss
Laura A., youngest child of James and Mary J. Watkins, who was born in Linn
county, Oregon, May 25, 1860.

 
*******************

Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in May 2005 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.