Please contact
us for more information:
Douglas County Historical Society
P.O. Box 2534
Roseburg, Oregon 97470
Webmaster & email contact:
Peggy A. Rowe-Snyder
Board Members are:
President:
John Robertson
Vice-President:
Gwen Bates
Treasurer: Clementine Rice
Recording Secretary: Al Helgison
Corresponding Secretary:
Geraldine Morin
Membership:
Judy Elliot
Directors at Large:
Don Goode
Bill Rice
Lois Thomas
Clementine Rice
Judy Elliot
Fern Andrus
Co-Editors, The Umpqua Trapper:
Dianne
Weiker, & Becky Sorensen.
Board Member Biographies:
John Robertson, President
Profession: Management, Retired
Researching his family's history and background has
really sparked John's interest in our local history. In 1854, the Conn
family arrived in Oregon by wagon train and established residency in what is now
the Melrose area. John is a descendant of this Douglas County pioneer family.
John has been a DCHS Board Member since 2004.
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Geraldine
Morin, Corresponding Secretary
Profession: Homemaker
Gerry's ancestors came to Oregon by wagon train in
1843. Eventually, her great-great paternal grandparents came to Douglas
County and settled on a donation land claim in Wilber. They donated the
land for the Wilbur Academy, where her great-great grandmother was a teacher.
Her mother's family had a homestead in the Elkton area. Gerry has written
several stories about her family's early life in Douglas County for Roseburg's
newspaper, "The News-Review." She also won an award for a story she wrote
for a "Women In History" contest. Gerry was a DCHS Board member several
years ago, and joined the current Board in 2002.
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Ferne Andrus, Membership
Profession: Hairdresser, Retired.
Ferne has lived in Douglas County for 65 years and her
late husband's family members were early residents in the Lookingglass area
where her father-in-law helped establish the Lookingglass Cemetery. She
continued to develop her natural interest in history while working as a
hairdresser, where she met many people from the community and learned about the
area from them. This interest in Douglas County history led her to join
the Board of Directors in 2002.
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Gwen Bates,
Vice President
Profession: Small Business Owner
Seven generations of Gwen's family have lived in
Douglas County. Joshua and Nancy Simmons Mathews came across The Oregon
Trail in 1851 and settled on a donation claim in the Dixonville area in 1852.
Gwen grew up listening to her grandmother's stories about their family and the
people and places in Douglas County. That began her interest in our area's
history. George Abdill, the first Director of The Douglas County Museum
was a close family friend and many of Gwen's family letters and artifacts are in
a collection at The Douglas County Museum. Gwen has been a DCHS Board
Member since 2002.
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Alvin H.
Helgeson, Secretary
Profession: Teacher, U.S. Border Patrol, Retired. Al also retired from the
Marine Corps Reserves in 1998 as a Master Sergeant.
Al has been interested in history all of his life.
Harboring desires to be a museum curator or an archeologist. The American
Civil War has been his main area of study, as he has lived in northern Virginia,
close to many of the major battlefields. Al's expertise is antique
American firearms of the 1840's - 1920's, and he has contributed to several
publications and books on that subject. Al also belongs to the Douglas
county Genealogical Society and joined the Douglas County Historical society as
a Board member in 2005.
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Lois Thomas,
Director At Large
Profession: Long Distance Operator, Retired from Qwest (US West) Operator
Services.
Lois is a member of the Wright pioneer family.
Her father's mother was a midwife and a dowser in the Glide area. She has
an interest in preserving historical houses and previously held office in the
Umpqua Historic Preservation Society. Lois has served as a Lane House
hostess for 20 years. She has been a DCHS Board member since 1984.
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Dianne Weiker,
Director At Large
Profession: Custodian, Retired
Dianne has several friends with deep roots in Douglas
County, and has always been fascinated with their recollections and connections
to so many people in the county. She purchased a home in the Historic Mill-Pine
District of Roseburg, and her interest in local history keeps growing. She
has been a Lane House hostess for several years, and Co-Editor of the Trapper
for two years. She has been a DCHS Board member since 2004.
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