OREGON FOLKLORE - WORK PROJECT ADMINISTRATION
Title: Social Life

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OREGON FOLKLORE STUDIES

Name of worker Sara B. Wrenn
Name and address of informant: Mrs. Margaret Weightman Cor. Oak Cornell,
Oswego, Oregon
Date and time of interview: Dec. 7, 1938 1:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Place of interview: Home, above address
Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.: Comfortable two-story house,
attractively furnished. The usual suburban garden, with shrubs and flowers,
looking as Oregon greens do in the month of December -- somewhat barren.

1. Irish.
2. Oswego, Oregon August 29, 1884.
3. Father, Wm. Stock Halliman, b. Dublin, Ireland; Mother, Katherine Margaret
DeLashmutt, b. Burlington, Iowa.
4. Oswego, 1884-1908; Seattle, 1908-1913; Spokane, 1913-1916; Oswego,
1916-1918; San Francisco, 1918-1929, Oswego, 1929 and since.
5. Public schools including high school, 1896-1906, Business College, 1908.
6. Millinery saleswoman, 1912-1926; Music off and on, piano.
7. Dancing.
8. Christian Science. All civic activities.
9. Medium height and weight; faded blonde, with gray hair, well dressed and
quite attractive.
10. Very cooperative in every way. While informant was under 65, the
interview seemed worth while because of the information given concerning
her mother and father of earlier days. Mother born in 1847, died May 16,
1937.

Text: My mother, who was entering her 91st year when she died last year,
spent the last six years of her life in bed, the result of a fractured hip.
She had always been very active, and took a keen interest in everything
right up to her death. The night before breaking her hip she was dancing --
waltzing -- with ny daughter. She was always very fond of dancing, as were
all of our family and relatives. Mother was very musical, both instrumental
and vocal. Whenever there was a crowd of young people in the house she
would play for the rest of us to sing. Her favorite song was "Old Lang
Syne". I think that was because we could all sing it together. Another of
her own favorites was [Rock Me to Sleep, Mother?]. She used to say her
mother sang that to her. There were six of us children, but only three are
left. My brother Leonard was named for J.D. (I think are the initials)
Leonard. Anyway he was the man who at one time was interested in the old
White House and race course that used to be at Riverside. As I recall this
man Leonard was also interested in the old Oswego smelter, and father
worked there for six years. That old brown majolica pitcher over there --
it holds a gallon -- we used to carry down to the men full of milk. And did
they lap it up on a hot day!

Mother taught the first Sunday School in Oswego. She gathered in the
children [ather?] house, and played the melodeon for them. I have the
melodeon still.

Mother was a Methodist. One of her Sunday School pupils was Belle
Trullinger, who afterwards married Governor Geer. She was his second wife.
Mother used to tell a story of how Belle's mother bought her a little
fringed parasols and the very first Sunday she had it here she came,
carrying her parasol with a great air and her little face and hands were as
dirty as they could be. She couldn't wait and ran off from home before
getting cleaned up.

Mother loved poetry. She kept a scrap book and pasted poetry in it. Scrap
books of that sort were quite popular in her day. She was religious, but
never interfered with us young people having a good time. We danced a lot.
The folks used to belong to Good Templars Lodge, which was very popular
with everybody around here in those days.

Comment: This interview was made chiefly because of the informant's mother
and what she could remember. This trip out to the hill south of Oswego was
made to interview an old lady who was not at home, and the worker
interviewed such as she could find who might tell something. It was poor
hunting, with a long walk in vain.