james haven farnsworth

  • Born: 1836 | Indiana
  • Died: Fall 1888 | Portland, Oregon
  • Spouse: Mary Elizabeth Odell Farnsworth
  • Married: 10 April 1882 | Yamhill Co., Oregon
  • Arrived in Oregon: 1852
  • Occupation: Farmer, Carpenter
  • Children:
    • Sarah Blandena Farnsworth (1859 – 1863)
    • Eri Dempster Farnsworth (1863–1936)
    • Levi Albert Farnsworth (1867–1958)
    • Mary Belle Farnsworth Clarkson (1872-1951)
    • Eva E. Farnsworth Haines (1873–1971)

James Haven Farnsworth was born in Indiana in 1836. In 1852, at the age of 15 or 16, he traveled the overland route from Missouri to Oregon with his grandfather, parents, and siblings. His father, Freeman Farnsworth, was a physician and minister known for traveling across the Willamette Valley to “heal their bodies and save their souls.”

On March 28, 1858, James married Mary Elizabeth Odell, widow of Morgan Rockhill and daughter of John Odell. The couple initially settled in the Webfoot area where they lived next to prominent farmer Abram Coovert. Their first three children—Sarah Blandena (born 1859), Eri Dempster (born 1863), and Levi Albert (born 1867)—were all born in Webfoot. Unfortunately, their eldest daughter, Sarah, passed away in 1863 at the age of four.

By the late 1860s, James and Mary had moved the family to live with his parents in Portland, Oregon. Prior to April of 1871, the family again moved, this time to Silver Lake (near Castle Rock, Washington), where James and Mary established a homestead. There, their two youngest children, Mary Belle (born 1872) and Eva E. (born 1873), were born. 

By 1880, the Farnsworth family had returned to Portland, where they were living independently from James’ parents. The 1885 Portland City Directory lists James profession as a carpenter and living south of Powell Valley Road with his family. He passed away in the fall of 1888 at the age of 52.

James Farnsworth, his wife Mary, and their daughter Sarah Blandena, were buried in the Odell Pioneer Cemetery. Unfortunately, their graves remain unmarked, and their headstones are presumed to have been stolen or destroyed.

 

REFERENCE

Ancestry.com. (2011). U.S., city directories, 1822-1995 [Database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. R.L. Polk & Co., publishers, Portland, Oregon, 1885, p. 447. Retrieved April 3, 2025, from https://www.ancestry.com

Farnsworth, J. H. (n.d.).Biographical and other index card file (Surname range: Davis, W. L. – Fix). In Oregon, biographical and other index card file, 1700s-1900s [Database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2025, from https://www.ancestry.com

Farnsworth, James Haven. Early Oregonians Database Index. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved from https://secure.sos.state.or.us/prs/profile.do?ancRecordNumber=46030.

Find A Grave. James Haven Farnsworth. Findagrave.com. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11919472/james_haven-farnsworth.

Genealogical Forum of Oregon. (n.d.). Odell Cemetery biographies (p. 40).

U.S. Census Bureau. (1850). 1850 United States Federal Census. Jefferson, Missouri, 125A, Freeman Farnsworth household. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M432, Roll 419. Retrieved April 3, 2025 from Ancestry.com.

U.S. Census Bureau. (1860). 1860 United States Federal Census. Dayton, Oregon, 664, James Farnsworth household. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M653, Roll 1056. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from Ancestry.com.

U.S. Census Bureau. (1870). 1870 United States Federal Census. Multnomah, Oregon, 164B, F Farnsworth household. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M593, Roll 1287. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from Ancestry.com.

U.S. Census Bureau. (1880). 1880 United States Federal Census. Grant Precinct, Portland, Oregon, E.D. 90, 184B, James Farnsworth household. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication T9, Roll 1082. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from Ancestry.com.

Washington State Archives. (n.d.). Washington Territorial Census Rolls, 1857-1892 (Cowlitz County). In Washington, U.S., State and Territorial Censuses, 1857-1892 [Database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2025, from https://www.ancestry.com