Ora M. COOVERT

Ora Coovert was the youngest child of Abram and Martha Odell Coovert, born in 1861 at the family homestead near Dayton, Oregon. She was part of a pioneer family that had settled in the region just a decade earlier, working to build a home and community in the Willamette Valley.

Tragically, Ora’s life was cut short at just two years old. She succumbed to diphtheria in 1863, only months after the death of her older sister, Henrietta, from the same disease. Diphtheria, a highly contagious bacterial infection, was one of the most feared childhood illnesses of the 19th century. The disease spread through respiratory droplets or contact with contaminated surfaces (Mayo Clinic, n.d.) and had a fatality rate of approximately 30% in unvaccinated cases (World Health Organization, n.d.). Before the advent of vaccines and effective treatments, outbreaks were common in close-knit communities like Webfoot, where the Cooverts lived.

Though no records have confirmed a widespread diphtheria outbreak in the area at the time, the loss of two young sisters in such close succession suggests they may have been part of one.

Ora was laid to rest in the Odell Pioneer Cemetery, alongside Henrietta and other members of her family. Though she lived only a short time, her resting place serves as a quiet reminder of the hardships faced by early Oregon settlers.

Tombstone inscription:

ORA M.
Dau. of A. & M.A. Coovert
DIED
June 15 1863
AGED
2y’s 7m’s 7d’s