7. Local Families

7. Local Families

Bob Zybach: One question I have is, how come Wells and Wellsdale. . . How come the station had a different name than the town?

Velma Carter Rawie: I can't tell you why except that it was. . . The depot part of it was Wellsdale and the post office was Wells.

Bob Zybach: Do you know where the name Wells came from?

Velma Carter Rawie: No.

Bob Zybach: Did you know the Calloways?

Velma Carter Rawie: No, but I've heard my folks talk about the Calloways. I never knew them, but the name rings a bell.

Bob Zybach: Did you know a family named Cahoon?

Velma Carter Rawie: Cahoon?

Bob Zybach: Cahoon..

Velma Carter Rawie: [Inaudible]

Bob Zybach: Brown. How about Brown? Did you know any Browns up by...

Velma Carter Rawie: They were farther down, closer to Suver. In [inaudible] there were some Browns down there anyway. [Inaudible]

Bob Zybach: Robert McClain?

Velma Carter Rawie: Yeah.

Bob Zybach: Okay. That would by Yvonne?

Velma Carter Rawie: Evonne. She was related to the Browns. See, the McClain's place joined my folk's place.

Bob Zybach: The McClains were your next door neighbors?

Velma Carter Rawie: Yeah, to the north. . . and the Ackerrnans, both were north. Their properties joined. Robert, he had a sister, he had several sisters. Doris, his older sister, married George Dannen. The Dannens are not the only ones who still live in that area. They live in the brick house, like when you cut through Camp Adair on the gate and come out of the Independence Road over there. There is a brick house as you turn to your right and head towards Palestine cemetery. On the left of that street there is a very nice, new type brick house.

Bob Zybach: And that is the Dannens ...?

Velma Carter Rawie: That is where George and Doris Dannen live.

Bob Zybach: You mentioned recalling the Sheppards. I don't have too much information on them.

Velma Carter Rawie: Well, the. . . Johnny Sheppard drove school bus when I was a kid going to school. His sister married a Griffin and they lived up Soap Creek close to where one of the Glenders house used to be, you know, on the corner. You go on up that a road a little ways, before you'd get to the Goviers, the Griffins lived in that house. Goldy, Goldy, Goldy Griffin.. . she was John Sheppard's sister.

Bob Zybach: And John Sheppard was the one who had the house over at the base of Smith HilL Or was it his father?

Velma Carter Rawie: I would say that it would be his father. I don't remember Johnny's . . . I remember a bunch of the Griffins. I know that Goldy was a Sheppard, sister of a man named John Sheppard. . . John Sheppard was sheriff of Linn County. I don't think about those people. The name makes you start reminiscing about it.

Bob Zybach: Uh huh. That is one reason why I keep bringing them up. [Laughter]

Velma Carter Rawie: The Sheppards . . . oh no, it's a Griffin, but it would still be the Sheppard family. There are still some of the Griffins that live out around Philomath. That would be Golden.. . John Golden. Some of those kids came out around Philomath [inaudible]... John Griffin was in High school when I was and I think that he still. . . He died just recently. I think that when we had our class reunion he was there.

Bob Zybach: So you still have reunions of the people in Wells? That would be High school reunions?

Velma Carter Rawie: High school reunions, yeah. Now have you ever talked to the Ivers? Ed Ivers who lives out on that cross road that cuts through there like going on that. . . Do you want to turn that off for a minute?

Bob Zybach: Okay, we are looking at a 1936 aerial [photograph].

Velma Carter Rawie: This is this road that went into...

Bob Zybach: There's the one to...

Velma Carter Rawie: my uncle's house. This is the road that went into the town of Wells.

Bob Zybach: Okay.

Velma Carter Rawie: It would cut right on through and come on out on that Granger-Independence Road where I told you that the Dannens lived. There is still an old house in