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in Only 1 Year, 7 Months, 27 Days Details from a Diary of the Return Trip With His Family February 25, 1903 - October 22, 1904 "His [Samuel Isaiah Gerking's] travels were so enticing and the compiler of this work wishes that a
diary had been kept. One day while talking about this with granddaughter,
Viola Bradnack (#17-7-2-2-) the following information was gleaned:
"Sam, his wife, Martha Ann, and at least 10 children struck out for Florida in 1902. At the time they were living in Klamath Co., Oregon. They crossed the Siskiyou Mountains which were covered with snow. With a four horse team and one wagon, they headed for Sacramento. Old Francy, a mare, was the only horse not sold at Sacramento. In fact, she was shipped to Florida and back. While in Sacramento, Sam left a trunk containing many of his books and other items, but no one recalls with whom. It was never reclaimed. The family boarded a train at Sacramento and proceeded on to Florida. The mighty Mississippi River was crossed at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sam homesteaded near Pulatka [Palatka], Putnam Co., Florida; he had two places, the first proving to be unsatisfactory. They returned by the way of Texas where the family resided for eight months, thence to New Mexico where they stayed ten months. Then back to Yolo Co., Calif." —
from The Gerking Family in America, 1990, p. 295
Florence Chappell Bowe, Compiler
Below are thumbnail links to the pages of a 1903-1904 travel diary for the Gerking family's trip from Florida to California. The pages of the diary provide glimpses of the journey toward home that began February 25, 1903 from Eight Mile, Florida, and ended October 22, 1904 in Guinda, Yolo County, California. Eight Mile, Florida? Yes, that is the first entry in the "Cities" portion of the little log book (see pages 22-23). We know he really left from Palatka, Florida. Maybe this was an expression of the writer's sense of humor, or maybe it shows a longing to get back home to Eight Mile, Oregon. As Florence wrote, the journey ended in Yolo County, California, and so does the book. Eventually the family did move back to Oregon. How did they travel? Not by train as they'd done from California to Florida. The purchase of axle grease, along with the many pages describing the places they camped, lead me to believe they traveled by wagon. Judging from the fanciful descriptive names of most of their camp sites, I'd guess the country was open enough then that wherever they were at the end of a day's travel became that night's camp site. If they were lucky, perhaps day's end found them at the home of a friend or family member. I found the book among the possessions of my grandmother, Della Winifred (Gerking) Perry. At first I thought it was the writing of lists by a child bored with travel (haven't we all done that to our children?), and I put the book away "for later." After getting it out a few weeks ago and looking more carefully, I began to believe it was Grandpa Sam capturing the journey's details. After all, how many children buy axle grease (see pp. 8-9)? Whether the writing is by Grandpa Sam or by one of the other family members on the trip really is open to question, but on the page titled "What I've Spent" and another untitled page I've labeled "Purchases" the items listed there make me want to think they were written down by a husband and father providing for his family. —
Beth Perry Johnston
November 1, 2003 |
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