THE MATLOCK LEGEND
On the border, between Wales and Britton, was a mountain spa (hot sulphur water) which was called " Matlock Spa". It was about the time of our Revolutionary War with England. The fiery Scot, John KNOX,came to Scotland with the message of John CALVIN of Switzer-land. Wales was Catholic and Briton was Protestant. At any rate, the conflict between these two religious faiths induced the two Matlocks - they were in their early twenties - to emigrate in the 1800's to America.
They landed in New York and walked through Pennsylvania to the Ohio River where they constructed a raft, piled on what little baggage they had accumulated, & drifted down the Ohio to the town of Memphis, Tenn. They homesteaded a piece of ground and started farming. One had seven sons, no daughters. Two of the sons came to Oregon, one became the Mayor of Pendleton and the other became the Mayor of Eugene, Oregon. These two families are the origin of the Matlocks in Washington and Oregon.
Gerald Lee MATLOCK, discovered this Matlock Legend in Eugene, Or. in 1916, from an elderly Matlock who died shortly thereafter. John Dewitt MATLOCK, Mayor of Eugene, Or. & son of Edward MATLOCK