written Dec 2001...not updated.

THE MELZER BROTHERS CAME THROUGH SHERMAN COUNTY VISITING RELATIVES IN IDAHO AND IN
CONDON . THEY VISITED THE PAPE FAMILY IN THE MORO AREA, ALSO RELATIVES., IT WAS THE UNDOING OF THREE
OF THEM.

AS SO OFTEN HAPPENS, SINGLE FELLOWS, CARL, MARTIN, AND WALTER MELZER MET AND MARRIED
SHERMAN COUNTY GIRLS, ABBIE MORTENSEN, EDNA THOMPSON, AND DOROTHY BELSHE.

EDNA THOMPSON , A SISTER TO DEWEY AND CLAUDE THOMPSON.,GREW UP IN THE MORO AREA AND
WAS SWEPT OFF HER FEET BY A TALL GOOD-NATURED YOUNG MAN WHO BECAME HER HUSBAND AND THE
FATHER OF HER THREE DAUGHTERS, NORMA, LOIS, AND PRISCILLA. MARTIN BECAME THE OWNER OF MORO
LUMBER YARD, was ACTIVE IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND WAS CIVIC MINDED UNTIL HIS UNTIMELY DEATH
AT THE AGE OF 51.
EDNA IS QUOTED IN BERTHA BELSHE'S THEY PAVED THE WAY AS SAYING SHE MET MARTIN AT THE
TENNIS COURT COMPOSED OF A NET AND DIRT COURT WHICH THE YOUNG PEOPLE HAD FASHIONED AT
MONKLAND . HE HAD COME TO WORK FOR HERMAN PAPE, WHO WAS A RELATIVE TO MARTIN AND THE OTHER
MELZER BOYS. THEY HAD A SMALL WEDDING AT HOME WITH ONLY HER FAMILY AND HIS SISTER, ROSINA MELZER.

DOROTHY BELSHE WAS A LOCAL GIRL AND A SISTER TO BOB BELSHE. SHE MARRIED WALTER AND THEY
MOVED ONTO THE HOME PLACE WEST OF SIX CORNERS, WHICH IS LOCATED NEAR SHERWOOD. THEY LIVED
THERE UNTIL THEIR DEATHS. ALTHOUGH THEY HAD NO CHILDREN, THEY WERE GREAT FAVORITES WITH ALL OF
THEIR NIECES AND NEPHEWS.

ABBIE MORTENSEN , A GOOD FRIEND TO INEZ THOMPSON WAS WORKING FOR HER WHEN SHE MET
CARL MELZER. SHE BECAME THE BRIDE OF CARL MELZER. ABBIE WAS ONE OF FOUR SISTERS, ADELLA, ABBIE,
BESSIE AND GRACE. THEIR PARENTS, OLE AND MILDRED (SPOON) MORTENSEN CAME TO SHERMAN COUNTY
AROUND 1900 AT THE SAME TIME AS SEVERAL OTHER DANISH FAMILIES, INCLUDING HANS THOMPSON, THE
PARENTS OF HARVEY AND GRANDPARENTS TO LARRY THOMPSON.

THE MORTENSENS LIVED ON THE HILL IN A HOUSE WHERE CHRONISTER'S HOME IS NOW LOCATED. ABBIE
AND HER SISTERS WERE PLAYMATES WITH THE FOSS GIRLS(MARGUERITE KASEBERG AND HER SISTERS). SHE
WAS A CLASSMATE TO THE TWINS, A. AND G. DOUMA . ADELLA AND HARRY PINKERTON (FATHER OF DEAN) WERE
THE SECOND CLASS OF STUDENTS TO GRADUATE FROM THE MORO HIGH SCHOOL IN THE BUILDING WHICH STILL
EXISTS.

AN ARTICLE FROM THE MARCH 5, 1915 SHERMAN COUNTY OBSERVER MAKES MENTION OF THE EASTER
OPENING OF LATEST STYLE MILLINARY WITH MRS. MILDRED MORTENSEN INVITING THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND. MISS
POWELL ,AS TRIMMER, WAS ENGAGED IN TRIMMING HATS FOR LADIES TO WEAR IN THE COMING SEASON. IT
WOULD SEEM PROBABLE THIS SHOP WAS LOCATED IN MORO.
THE APRIL 16TH ISSSUE OF THE SAME PUBLICATION MENTIONS" MRS. O.C. MORTENSON ENTERTAINED
TUESDAY EVENING AT THE FAMILY HOME ON THE HEIGHTS, WITH AN OLD FASHIONED CANDY PULL"
MRS. HARVY THOMPSON HAS HEARD IT RECALLED THAT AT ONE TIME,PROBABLY EARLIER, OLE MORTENSEN AND
HANS THOMPSON PURCHASED AND RAN THE POSTOFFICE AND STORE LOCATED AT MONKLAND.
CARL, MARTIN AND WALTER .HAD BEEN RAISED WEST OF SIX CORNERS, NEAR SHERWOOD. THEIR
PARENTS WERE FIRST GENERATION GERMAN IMMIGRANTS. JOHN FREDRICK MELZER, THE FATHER, WAS BORN
OCT. 4, 1841 IN GERMANY, AND CHRISTINA BORCHERS MELZER, WAS BORN JUNE 24 1859 IN BREMERVORDI,
GERMANY. SHE WAS A LITTLE LADY WHO SPOKE VERY LITTLE ENGLISH AND WOULD NOT DRESS IN FRONT OF THE
RADIO BECAUSE THE MEN'S VOICES WHICH SPOKE FROM THE RADIO MUST MEAN THAT THERE WERE MEN
PRESENT WHO COULD SEE HER.

THE BROTHERS APPARENTLY ALL RECEIVED THEIR EDUCATION IN THAT AREA AND HAD SEVERAL
GERMAN LUTHERAN COUSINS AND AUNTS AND UNCLES IN THE AREA. THEIR MOTHER'S FAMILY NAME, BORCHER,
IS STILL FOUND AROUND SHERWOOD. THE MELZERS HAD RELATIVES WHO WERE LOCATED UP IN CENTRAL
IDAHO AND THE JAEGERS IN CONDON WERE ALSO COUSINS.

THE YOUNG BACHELORS ENJOYED TRAVELING, AND HAVE SEVERAL PHOTOS TAKEN AS THEY EXPLORED
THE NORTHWEST. BOTH CARL AND MARTIN REMAINED IN SHERMAN COUNTY AFTER THEIR MARRIAGES. CARL
SERVED IN WORLD WAR I, THEN RENTED LAND AND FARMED HERE MOST OF HIS ADULT LIFE, RETIRING IN 1950
AND MOVING BACK TO THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. HE AND ABBIE HAD A FAMILY OF FOUR SONS: VERNON,
MILLARD, HAROLD AND WAYNE.

AS IS OFTEN TRUE IN SHERMAN COUNTY, THE RELATIONSHIPS ARE MORE TANGLED.. ABBIE'S MOTHER,
MILDRED SPOON WAS A SISTER TO LENA BROCK, THE WIFE OF SAM BROCK. THEIR FATHER, E.J. SPOON WAS A
BAPTIST MINISTER WITH FIVE CHILDREN, MILDRED, LENA, ELLA, CLAUD AND CORA. "AUNT LENA AND UNCLE SAM"
WERE VERY IMPORTANT EXTENDED FAMILY. ABBIE STAYED WITH THEM WHEN HER BABIES WERE BORN. ABBIE
ALSO WORKED FOR "AUNT LENA" AND FOR BEE MACNAB BEFORE HER MARRIAGE.

ABBIE'S FATHER, OLE MORTENSEN WAS BORN IN DENMARK IN 1866 AND CAME TO THE UNITED STATES AS
A TEENAGE BOY. WHEN MILDRED'S FUTURE HUSBAND WROTE IN MILDRED'S AUTOGRAPH ALBUM, MARCH 10,
1890 FROM LAKEVIEW, MISSOURI, SHE WAS A 17 YEAR OLD GIRL. BY 1895 THEY WERE MARRIED AND LIVING ON
A HOMESTEAD WEST OF MORO WHERE ADELLA WAS BORN. ABBIE WAS BORN IN 1899, WITH BESSIE FOLLOWING
IN 1904 AND GRACE IN 1909.

ABBIE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO REMAINED IN THE COUNTY AS AN ADULT. ADDELA MARRIED BOB GABRIEL
AND SPENT MOST OF HER LIFE NEAR SWEET HOME, RAISING FOUR BOYS BILL, BOB, GERRY AND KEITH AND TWO
GIRLS BARBARA AND BEVERLY. BESSIE LIVED BOTH IN PORTLAND AND SANTA MONICA CA. WHERE SHE WAS
WHEN SHE DIED. SHE HAD ONE DAUGHTER, JANET. GRACE ATTENDED COLLEGE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
AND BEGAN TEACHING IN 1930. SHE SPENT MOST OF HER LIFE TEACHING IN MONTANA AND CONTINUED TO LIVE
THERE AFTER HER RETIREMENT IN 1964. SHE DIED IN HELENA AND IS BURIED THERE

OLE AND MILDRED MORTENSEN HOMESTEADED AND MOVED AROUND THE STATE A CERTAIN AMOUNT, .
AT ONE TIME THEY LIVED AT MONKLAND AND FARMED EAST OF MORO.. ABBIE AND ADELLA OFTEN TOOK THE
OLD TRUCK FROM MONKLAND TO HAY CANYON TO MEET THE TRAIN AND BRING THE MAIL TO THE MONKLAND
POST OFFICE WHICH THEIR PARENTS WERE RUNNING AT THE TIME.

GRACE WRITES CONCERNING HER PARENTS THE OLE MORTENSENS:

"AS FAR AS I KNOW THEY MOVED FROM THE HOMESTEAD TO MORO AND FROM THERE TO MONKLAND
WHERE THEY RAN A CROSSROADS STORE.
" IT WAS FROM THERE THAT ADELLA WENT TO MONMOUTH TO TRAIN TO BE A TEACHER. MOTHER WAS
ALSO A TEACHER.
IT WAS, I BELIEVE, IN MONKLAND THAT ABBIE MET CARL MELZER WHO WAS TO BECOME HER HUSBAND.
THOSE MONKLAND YEARS INCLUDED THOSE OF WORLD WAR I. I REMEMBER HEARING THAT MOTHER RISKED THE
DANGER OF THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC TO CARE FOR OTHERS WHO WERE SO VERY ILL WITH THE FLU."

CARL RETURNED FROM THE ARMY AND CARL AND ABBIE WERE MARRIED IN 1920, MOVING TO THE
ANDREW THOMPSON PLACE AT MONKLAND NEAR MARTIN AND EDNA MELZER AND DEWEY AND INEZ THOMPSON.
MANY OF THEIR MOST PLEASANT MEMORIES WERE SHARED WITH THE THREE FAMILIES. BERTHA BELSHE
PARAPHRASES ABBIE IN HER BOOK,
"WE HAD LOTS OF FUN IN THOSE DAYS. IN THE WINTERS THERE WAS DEEP SNOW, AND WE USED THE
HILL SOUTH OF THE RANCHES FOR SLEDING. I HELPED INEZ COOK FOR THE HARVEST CREW THE YEAR TED WAS
BORN. THEN CARL GOT A LEASE ON THE BYERS PLACE. VERNON, MILLARD AND HAROLD WERE BORN ON THIS
PLACE, THEN WE MOVED TO ERSKINEVILLE AND FARMED THE MELOY PLACE. WAYNE WAS BORN ON THE MELOY
PLACE. WHNE YOUNG GEROGE MELOY CAME BACK WE MOVED TO THE PETE DILLINGER PLACE WHERE OUR BOYS
GREW TO MANHOOD." ( THIS IS THE PLACE PRESENTLY OCCUPIED BY KEN AND ARLA MELZER) . THEY CONTINUED
TO FARM THAT LAND UNTIL THEY RETIRED IN 1950 AND MOVED TO THE DAYTON, OREGON AREA.

EACH OF THE BOYS ATTENDED FAIRVIEW SCHOOL AND SPENT ONE YEAR AT HARMONY SCHOOL BEFORE
GOING TO MORO AND GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL THERE.

THE SONS ALL SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN WORLD WAR II, OR THE OCCUPATION ARMY. VERNON WAS A
MARINE, MILLARD A SAILOR, HAROLD A MEDIC IN THE ARMY AND WAYNE IN THE OCCUPATION ARMY IN JAPAN.

VERNON MARRIED VIRGINIA HICKERSON AND FARMED EAST OF KLONDIKE UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT WHEN
HE RENTED MOST OF THE LAND TO HIS SON DARYL. DARYL'S SONS, DON AND TIM grew up ON THE FORMER
MORRISON PLACE WHICH Daryl's FATHER OWNS. VERN AND VIRGINA LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR WINTERS SPENT
ON THE SHUFFLEBOARD CIRCUIT.

MILLARD MARRIED MYRNA RUNYON OF THE DALLES. THEY LIVED IN MORO MOST OF THEIR MARRIED
LIFE AFTER MOVING FROM A HOUSE ABOVE THE ONE KEN MELZER LIVES IN NOW. THEIR CHILDREN INCLUDE
MIKE, WITH ONE SON JEROMY, RANDY, WHO MARRIED ROXANNE FRITZ OF WASCO AND THEY HAVE TWO
DAUGHTERS, LESLEE AND LAELA , AND VIKKI, WHO HAS TWO SONS, KYLE AND WESTIN.. MILLARD Died in 19965
AND MYRNA IS ONE OF THE CAPABLE ARTISTS THAT ABOUND IN SHERMAN COUNTY. (After the death of Wayne's
wife, Evin 1993, MYRNA AND WAYNE WERE MARRIED TO EACH OTHER IN 1998.)

HAROLD MARRIED A LOCAL GIRL, NELL COATS, SEVENTH CHILD OF CLAUDE AND ELLA COATS OF WASCO.
THEY left THE COUNTY LONG ENOUGH FOR HAROLD TO GRADUATE FOR OTI AT KLAMATH FALLS AND NELL TO
ATTEND OCE AT MONMOUTH, THEN THE LAND CALLED THEM TO RETURN TO THE COUNTY WHERE THEY FARMED
UNTIL HAROLD'S DEATH IN 1980 AS THE RESULT OF A HEART ATTACK. NELL CONTINUEd TEACHing IN WASCO
GRADE SCHOOL WHERE SHE STARTED THE FIRST KINDERGARTEN CLASS IN THE FALL OF 1953.She retired in JUne
1996.
THEIR CHILDREN INCLUDED THREE SONS, ALLAN, BRUCE AND DOUG, ALL are MARRIED AND LIVING IN
THE PORTLAND AREA . ALLAN MARRIED JANIE RESER AND THEY HAVE A SON CHRISTOPHER AND A SECOND SON
JACOB. ALLAN'S DAUGHTER HEATHER from a first marriage is married to Brad Grenvik and they live in Moro along
with their son Hunter and daughter Alexis.
BRUCE MARRIED NANCY HARTLEY AND THEY HAVE TWO SONS, ZACHARY who is married to Rachel Barr
AND IAN.
DOUG MARRIED CHERYL HAMILTON AND THEY HAVE ONE DAUGHTER, ELYSA AND AND THE YOUNGEST
GRANDCHILD ANDREW. .
 WAYNE MARRIED EVELYN MC AULIF (SP)OF THE DALLES. THEY MOVED INTO THE HOME PLACE WHEN
CARL AND ABBIE WENT TO THE VALLEY. THEY HAD SIX CHILDREN, CHRISTY WHO MARRIED ORMAND
HILDERBRAND AND HAS TWO SONS, WADE, married to Kristy Scoggins AND JESSE.
STEVE MARRIED DONNA CAMARGO AND HAD TWO CHILDREN SHAWNA AND JOSHUA,SHAWNA DIED
FROM CANCER.
DEBBIE MARRIED JOHN BROWN AND HAS A SON, BRETT.
ELAINE, MARRIED DAN RICHELDERFER AND HAS THREE CHILDREN, ASA, AMY AND DARCIE,
KEN MARRIED ARLA PAIGE AND HAS THREE DAUGHTERS, ABBIE, PAIGE AND EMILY,
AND LARRY MARRIED NANCY SIMANTEL AND HAS A DAUGHTER, HAYLEE AND A SON ADDISON.

FIVE GENERATIONS AGO, THE MELZERS CAME TO SHERMAN COUNTY AND some REMAIN TO THIS DAY,
HAPPY IN THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT MARRRIAGES WITHIN THE COUNTY FORMed. THE LOVE OF THE LAND AND
OF FARMING WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING THEM HERE, AND IT WILL HOLD MELZERS HERE FOR more YEARS.