Elizabeth Goltra papers , 1853

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Goltra, Elizabeth
Title
Elizabeth Goltra papers
Dates
1853 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.1 linear feet, (1 folder)
Collection Number
A 034
Summary
Elizabeth Goltra traveled with her husband to Oregon from Missouri in 1853. This collection contains copies of the journal she kept during their overland crossing. Pages dealing with the history of the Goltra family are also included.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Elizabeth Julia Ellison married Nelson Goltra in Jacksonville, Illinois in 1851. In 1853 the couple journeyed west from Missouri to Oregon. Having graduated from "a college for young ladies," Elizabeth assumed the task of recording the events of the trip, which were to be sent back to friends planning to make the trip later. Nelson built his own mill in Corvallis and was a builder of the Lebanon Academy. He died in a boiler explosion that occured in his mill, leaving Elizabeth with three small children and one child expected. Elizabeth later married a widower named Keeler Farrington, who had a daughter. They moved to a farm in the hills south of Eugene and eventually had three more children. Elizabeth and members of her family were buried in Eugene's Pioneer Cemetery.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection includes copies of Goltra's journal, kept during the journey she and her husband made from Missouri to Oregon in 1853. One copy is a photocopy of the manuscript itself and the two others are photocopies of a typed transcription of the journal. Also included is a three-page typescript that presents information on the history of Nelson Goltra's family.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Location of Collection

Collection is located with other small manuscript collections.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Frontier and pioneer life--West (U.S.)
  • Overland journeys to the Pacific
  • Women Pioneers--West (U. S.)

Family Names

  • Goltra family

Form or Genre Terms

  • Overland journals