146 Geo. H. Himes

in Forest Grove, Or^on, December 31, 1916. He was bom in New York City in 183 1, and came with his parents and one sister around Cape Horn to Oregon, leaving New York Octo- ber 9, 1839, and arriving at Fort Vancouver June i, 1840. His father, George Abemethy, was bom in New York October 8, 1807, and was married to Anne Pope January 15, 1830. This family, with a number of others, numbering in all forty- five persons, formed the *%reat re-enforcement" to the Mis- sion of the Methodist Episcopal Church established by Rev. Jason Lee late in the year 1834. Before coming to Oregon George Abemethy had acquired experience in merchandising, and as steward of the missionary party opened a store at Ore- gon City. This brought him before the public quite promi- nently, and hence when it was deemed necessary by the people to have a "more stable form of government" than that of the original Provisional Government initiated on May 2, 1843, under which a committee of three were empowered to perform executive duties, the office of govemor was created and he was elected to fill that position on June 3, 1845. Govemor Abemethy was re-elected on June 3, 1847, ^md served until March 3, 1849, when General Joseph Lane assumed the duties of his office, having been appointed govemor of the newly constituted Territory of Oregon by President Polk. Gov- emor Abemethy died in Portland May 2, 1877.

William Abemethy was in business with his father, first as a clerk and later as a partner. He was married at The Dalles to Miss Sarah Fidelia Gray, the second daughter of William H. and Mrs. Mary Augusta Dix Gray, on June 24, 1863. To this union thirteen children were bom, ten of whom, with their mother, are living.

In 1861 Mr. Abemethy secured a farm on the west side of the Willamette river opposite Milwaukie. In 1891 he sold out and removed to Dora, -Coes^ county, thirty-five miles west of Roseburg. After getting the farm well along under culti- vation, he removed to Forest Grove in 1904, in order to give his children better educational advantages.