Davenport family

Together with his father, Dr. Benjamin Davenport, Timothy Woodbridge (T.W.) Davenport set forth across the American continent in the spring of 1850. Because of misguided leadership of one of the members of their team, the Davenports decided to take an overland route from Ohio instead of opting for the quicker, water route along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Missouri. By the time they reached Missouri, the team was months behind the rest of the pioneers on the Oregon Trail and their oxen were already showing signs of wear. This late start may have been a blessing in disguise. As the Davenports proceeded across the Great Plains they heard of the massive cholera epidemic plaguing travelers that went before them. Before they reached the rigorous Rockies, the Davenports wisely decided to return to Newark, Missouri where they would wait out the winter. In Missouri Benjamin set up a medical practice for the winter and was able to purchase a new team of oxen for the trip. In the spring of 1851 the Davenport family once again set out across the plains, this time reaching Oregon Territory in the fall of that year and settling upon a 320-acre donation claim in the Waldo Hills of the upper Willamette Valley.

The first member of the Davenport family had arrived in America from England prior to 1640, originally settling in Dorchester, Massachusetts. The family remained in the Northeast for several generations. Benjamin Davenport, father of Timothy Woodbridge, was born in Columbia County, New York in 1799, the thirteenth child of Jonathan Davenport. Jonathan Davenport died when Benjamin was young. One of the few memories that Benjamin had of his father was of Jonathan lacing up his boots and exclaiming in pain. Jonathan removed his boots and socks to find a red pimple on his foot. Jonathan popped the pimple and died soon thereafter because of an infection in his foot. While the veracity of this story is hard to determine, it may have been a spark for young Benjamin to embark upon a medical career.

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