Cornelius visits by Abigail Scott Duniway
Abigail Scott Duniway is remembered as Oregon’s Mother of Equal Suffrage and “the pioneer Woman Suffragist of the great Northwest.” As lecturer, organizer, writer, and editor, Duniway devoted over forty years to the cause of women’s rights.
Duniway toured the northwest to give speeches/lectures advocating for voting rights for women. She would write about her visits in her newspaper called the New Northwest (1871-1887). Her father lived in Forest Grove. She visited Cornelius several times, here is what she wrote about two of her visits:
July 10, 1874 (New Northwest)
We had no idea, from viewing Cornelius from the railroad, that the town was near so large and well-built as it is. There are here a good and well-kept hotel, several well-stocked country stores, a drug store, harness shop, shoemaker’s shop, blacksmith’s shop, livery stable, and, of course, two flourishing saloons, the last under the special protection of the State and United States Government.
Cornelius will, in time, become a popular resort of city people as a place of summer residence. In fact, we wonder why many, who seek the country for cheap board and lodging, do not come out here and patronize the St. Joseph Hotel. A gentleman and wife and little daughter, lately from the city, get their board here for the low price of forty dollars a month for the three, and the board is pure country food too, well-cooked, and plentiful.
April 18, 1879 (New Northwest)
On Wednesday morning we took a train for Cornelius, where we found Mrs. Col. Cornelius at in home in her flourishing store, busily engaged in counting eggs, weighing bacon and butter, selling dry-goods, groceries, spades, hoes, and garden-rakes, and keeping books and entertaining company.
Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were going to a combined barn raising and quilting at the splendid farm of Ben Scholfield, Esq, brother-in-law of Collector Hare of Astoria and we gladly accepted their invitation to accompany them to the “bee”. It proved a grand, old-fashioned time. Quilts in the frames were suspended from the ceilings by ropes and hung just high enough to reach comfortably while sitting, the farmers wives, dear tired looking souls, reminding us of the days agone, their rosy daughters occupying one room, and themselves another.
From the kitchen came savory odors of countless good things, over which we knew the hostess was presiding; and out in the barn-yard a small army of farmers wrestled with beam and stanchion, rafter, cross-tie and what not, the great timbers sliding home to their sockets in unquestioning obedience to the mechanics will.
Then, that dinner! Shades of departed missionaries, but it was capital! Cold ham and roast chicken, vegetables in every style, fruit in every shape; butter, honey, homemade bread, coffee, tea, cream, cakes, pies, tarts-there’s no use in talking, the traditional twelve baskets of fragments couldn’t have been missed had they been stolen from the remains of that ample and hospitable board after everyone had eaten.
By four o’clock the quilts were out of the frames, the skeleton of the great barn was up, the dinner dishes were washed and the crowd at leisure. Then Mr. Schofield with the genuine hospitality of the true farmer, invited the men into the yard and the women into the veranda, and announced to them and the undersigned that a short speech from ourself was on the tapis. We hurriedly left the quilt that a few of us had been binding, and throwing a shawl over our shoulders, went bare headed into the yard and talked of national affairs and the women question as long as conscience would permit us to keep the tired crowd upon their feet.
We went there, not knowing we had a friend, save the gentleman and lady to whom we were indebted for the invitation. We came away without being conscious that we had an enemy; and we’re going back to that neighborhood again some time, providence permitting. How much more human we all seem when we have the opportunity to get acquainted with one another. Humanity is a splendid institution in any community when you can get upon its better side.
Returned to the village and spent the night at the pleasant home of Colonel Cornelius, his capable wife always proving quite as adept at hospitality as at trade. Morning and home, where, kind reader, we take leave at once of you and our subject, quite undecided as to where the next editorial letter will hail from.
Cornelius people mentioned in the writing:
James Spencer and Martha (Proctor) Spencer
Benjamin Scholfield and Sarah (Hall) Scholfield
Colonel Thomas Cornelius and Missouri (Smith) Cornelius
