History of Early Pioneer Families of Hood River, Oregon. Compiled by Mrs. D.M. Coon

REVERAND THOMAS LAMB ELIOT AND FAMILY                D.M.C.        1878

     Thomas L. Eliot was the son of William Greenleaf Eliot and Abigail Adams Eliot of St. Louis, Missouri. Wm. G. Eliot, the father, was pastor of the "Church of the Messiah" and one of the founders of the Washington University at St. Louis, and hero Thomas L. Eliot received his preparatory and collecitae education. In 1860, on account of failing eyesight, he took passage on a sailing vessel bound for China via Cape Horn and California. Not receiving any benefit from the voyage he abandoned his trip when the vessel reached California and after spending a few weeks in that state, returned home to resume his studies. For months he pursued his work by having his books read to him. He graduated in 1862, in the first class that graduated from Washington University.
     He then engaged in the ministry at large and in the mission connected with his father's church, at the same time tutoring in Latin and Greek at his Alma Mater.
     During the early part of the Civil War he enlisted in the 1st Missouri Volunteers and was engaged in active service for some months but was never called out of the state.
     In the fall of 1864 he entered Harvard Divinity School, doing two years work in one. In 1865 he received the degree of "Master of Arts" from Washington University and in the summer following supplied the pulpit of Rev. John Heywood at Louisville, Kentucky. Returning to St. Louis he was elected associate pastor of his father's church and was ordained November 19, 1865.
     On November 28, 1865 he was married to Miss Henrietta Robins Mack of St. Louis, Mo. For several weeks he filled the pulpit of the Unitarian Church at New Orleans and again in the spring of 1867. During this time he retained his connection as associate pastor of the Church at St. Louis, only resigning after he had accepted a call to the newly organized church at Portland, Oregon.
     Mr. and Mrs. Eliot, with their infant son, left St. Louis in November 1867, they reached Portland December 24, coming by way of New York and Panama. Mr. Eliot was very youthful in appearance and was sometimes called the "boy preacher" but the work he accomplished in his new field was a man's work. He was president of the Oregon Humane Society for ten years, he was instrumental in establishing a State Board of Charities, the first of the kind on the Pacific Coast. He was always active in temperance work and favored woman suffrage. He was connected with the Children's Home and the Boys and Girls Aid Society and many other philanthropic works.
     He served as County School Superintendent of Multnomah Co. from 1872 to 1876 and was active in educational advancement.
     In 1878 a new Unitarian Church building was erected, near the chapel, corner of Yamhill and Broadway, and given the name of "Church of Our Father". Three times his ill health compelled the pastor to seek prolonged rest from his labors and each time his congregation granted him leave of absence but refused to accept his resignation. In Dec. 1892, after 25 years of service, he felt that a younger and stronger man should be called, and again tendered his resignation. This time it was accepted but he was still retained as Pastor Emeritus. In 1889, Harvard University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity in recognition of the valuable work he had accomplished in the Northwest. In 1911 Washington University honored him with the degree of L.L.D.
     Besides his duties as Pastor Emeritus, he is president of the Art Association a director of the Public Library and President of the Board of Trustees of Reed College. This is a recapitulation of Mr. Eliot's work in Portland. I have not exaggerated but I may have omitted something. Side by side with him, Mrs. Eliot has borne her part; equally laborious but often unnoticed.
     They have worked together and their work has been crowned with success. Dr. Eliot claims Portland as his residence, but Hood River has claims that cannot be ignored. When exhausted with his duties, he has come here for rest and health. In very early days he was a visitor here. In 1878 he camped six weeks on Mrs. Henderson's place. In 1880 he bought land of Lyman Smith and erected a cottage where the family spent their summers for many years, and the children grew up with love for our valley. They searched for our early wild flowers, they hunted pollywogs and crawfish in Indian Creek and caught trout in Hood River. They knew the trails down the river bank and up the steep mountain side, and there were other trails known to them, trails which led to neighboring farms where other boys and girls were found and where the big red strawberries grew. In 1889 Mr. Eliot bought 160 acres of land, known as the "Price place". It is located on the West bank of Hood River and Indian Creek forms its northern boundary. This canyon has been donated to the town of Hood River for park purposes, by Mr. and Mrs. Eliot. They built a substantial dwelling on their "Shushulah" farm and moved into it in the early summer of 1892. Every year, as regularly as the birds, they return to this lovely spot. No trees have been cut, no "improvements" made, everything is left in a state of nature, and a visitor can see what Hood River used to be, before man began to improve the land. In the early days of Hood River, when there were no churches and religious services were rare, Dr. Eliot would preach in the schoolhouse, and always there was a crowd for the people came gladly.
     City people are not neighborly, the Eliot family came from the city to rest and grow strong, yet they were the best of neighbors. In sickness, in health, in adversity or prosperity, they were the same kind, helpful friends as their Hood River neighbors, of many years standing, will gladly testify.
     Eight children have come to them claiming their parents' loving care. Mary, the eldest daughter, died in childhood. The others have grown to maturity spending the best part of each year in Hood River. Each, in turn, has gone to St. Louis and taken a course in Washington University, and Sam, while there, earned a Rhodes Scholarship and then went to England taking a degree at Oxford.
     Grace engaged in teaching, doing her first school work in Hood River; resigning from her position here she taught in Portland a number of years. William G. Eliot Jr., is now pastor of the "Church of Our Father" in Portland. Dorothea is the wife of Rev. Earl Wilbur of Oakland, California. Ellen is the wife of Rev. Fred Alban Weil of Chicago. Grace is Mrs. Scott and lives on a farm in Washington county, near Portland. Henrietta is at home busy in various forms of philanthropic work. Sam has charge of a large Mission in the East. Tom is professor of Sociology in a Northwestern University.
     Each returning summer, some of them are back in Hood River revisiting the scenes of their childhood and bringing with them children of their own.

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