The Stiltner Family Genealogy
Rosdel Slemp Stiltner
1879 - 1962
Rosdel Slemp Stiltner was born on September 5, 1879 at Grundy, BuchananCounty, Virginia. His parents were Milburn Jackson Stiltner and SarahCatherine Wood Stiltner.The family moved by wagon train when Ross was about 10 years old,settling near Woodward, Oklahoma, on land Milburn Jackson Stiltnerclaimed in the Cherokee Strip land rush.
The family again moved westward about 1898, homesteading about 1900 inthe Rainy Valley area of Lewis County, in Washington state. Ross used tosay he had walked or rode an "indian pony" clear across the entire UnitedStates.
On April 26, 1904, Rosdel Slemp Stiltner married Hattie Mable Beuter inthe home of her foster parents, E. C. and Lottie Cory, at Napavine,Washington. Hattie was born on July 8, 1885 at St. Paul, Minnesota. Herparents were Carl and Augusta Fletcher Beuter, both of whom were born inGermany. Hattie still did not speak English when she went to live withthe Cory's, helping to run their berry farm, until her marriage to Ross.
Ross and Hattie had five children as follows -
Chester Milburn
Delmar Clay
Hazel Violet
Myrtle Roberta
Woodrow ThomasThe Ross Stiltner family resided in the Rainy Valley area of Lewis Countyuntil about 1913. While there, Ross did the freighting for his father'sgrocery store and also carried the mail, by horseback, for a time.
The family moved to Yakima, Washington for a few months before theystarted their trip to Oregon by team and wagon. Ross's dad made the tripwith them, but later returned to Washington. The trip took several monthsas the family stopped from time to time for a few days to rest the stockand themselves.
After they arrived in Oregon, one of their mares, Beauty, was badlyinjured by a mountain lion during the night near the Round Prairie Ranchof Douglas County. She nearly bled to death before she was found the nextmorning, but did recover with the help of "home remedies" administered bythe adults of the party.
Oregon welcomed the Stiltner family with a bad case of poison oak. Havingnever seen it in Washington, they had a good time playing with it. Delmarhad it so badly that he he never got it again in his entire life --- henever forgot his "only case" of it either!
The family ended their trip in the Perdue (later renamed Milo) area ofDouglas County in Oregon. Ross did some mining, trapping, and worked onthe roads, sometimes walking long distances to and from work. One of themining claims, the Golden Bell Mine, became the family home. A cabin andbarn was built, and some of the land was cleared.
The family lived there until a man by the name of William C. Shannonfiled on it as a homestead, claiming it was not being used for mining. Acourt battle resulted, but the family was ordered to leave their home onMarch 17, 1924, despite the fact that Ross was able to produce assayreports on rock valued at $230.40 per ton.
They moved from the mining claim to a rented cabin down by the river. Aranch in the Days Creek area, about six miles up the creek from thestore, was purchased in a few months. The down payment for this ranch maywell have been made from the earnings of Ross, Chester, and Delmar whenthey helped build the Loon Lake Road.
Ross was a fire warden for the Days Creek District in 1927, a bad yearfor fires, there being several bad ones. He also did some packing for theForest Service.
The ranch was sold in 1928 and the family went back up to Washington tovisit various members of the family - Chester and his mother Hattie wentto visit her bother Carl in the Napavine area; Ross, Delmar, and Woodybought a model T truck and visited with Ross's side of the family inLewis County.
Cleve, Ross' brother returned to Oregon with Ross and the two boys. Theymoved into the Moore cabin at Days Creek and the men did some mininguntil they "starved out."
They moved around a lot for the next couple years --- Woody reports thathe attended seven schools in one wither! A move to various towns in CoosCounty was made to obtain work, mostly in the logging.
Ross broke several ribs on a splash dam on the Coquille River while on ashake bolt drive. These drives lasted a month and the men were wet theentire time.
The next move was made to North Myrtle and then to South Myrtle inDouglas County, where they rented the Kusler ranch and stayed there longenough to harvest one crop.
They then moved to Riddle for awhile. In 1932 they moved back to the DaysCreek Ranch which Chester had taken over as the people it had been soldto could not pay for it.
Ross worked on the road, walking 6 miles to the Days Creek Store to catchthe wagon which took them up to Tiller where he worked all day. He thenhad to walk six miles back home at night; the days must certainly haveseemed long.
Hattie and Ross, after a stormy marriage, were divorced in the late1930's or early 1940's. Hattie moved back to Washington where she livedfor the rest of her life.
Ross semi-retired in the 1930's while living on Chester's place, doingsome fire watching, also helping his sons, Chester and Delmar, after theystarted a logging company. Ross then moved to his daughter Hazel's farmand then to the Roseburg area in the late 1940's. He then moved to acabin on Lane Mountain, where Chester and Delmar were running a loggingcompany, living there until he moved in with Chester east of Roseburgabout 1950.
He later moved to Woody's home in Roseburg until late 1954 or 1955 whenhe again moved back to a cabin on Lane Mountain. He then moved to hisdaughter Myrtle's farm on Roberts Creek for awhile and then moved to Bendwith them. Finally he moved back to Roseburg to live with Chester a yearor so before he passed away on November 26, 1962.
Ross moved to his daughter's Myrtles' place at Roberts Creek about 1957,and then moved with them to Bend about 1959.
He later came back to Roseburg in 1960 and lived with his son, Chesterfor awhile until he moved to Curry Manor, a rest home in Garden Valley,after he returned to Roseburg. He died At Curry Manor.
Always a good walker and hunter, he killed a four-point buck, a bob-cat,and a rattlesnake on Lane Mountain when he was in his mid-seventies. Rosshad a long and eventful life. His love of the out-of-doors has beenpassed on to many other members of his family,
By S. Stiltner
Copyright ©2000, 2002 S. Stiltner
Charles granted 116 acres on the Jacob Stilton branch. On the divide
between the Rock House branch and the 27 mile branch. Survey made on
Dec.
13th, 1857.
Treasure warrant # 21515.
Last possibly Epling or Clevinger