CRAWFORD WALLACE WOMACK
Oct. 4, 1844 – Feb. 14, 1944  

C.W. Womack, who lives retired at lostine, is one of the pioneer settlers of Wallowa valley. He was born in Shelby county, Illinois on October 4, 1844, the son of William and Martha A ( Jordan ) Womack, both of whom were natives of Tennessee. The parents were married in Illinois, where they had removed in youth with their parents. After their marriage the resided for a short time in Shelby County and then removed to Lee County, Iowa and later to Putnam, County, Missouri. In 1866 they came to Oregon, locating near Lostine in Wallowa County, where they purchased 160 acres of land. Later they moved into the town of Lostine, where they both passed away, the Father, October 15, 1901 at the age of 84 years, and the Mother February 9, 1901, at the age of 83. They were both members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The Father belonged to the Masonic Lodge, having joined that order in the early 60's.

C.W. Womack was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the common schools, attending an old time log schoolhouse, with its split logs for benches and its puncheon floor. In 1863, at the age of nineteen, he went with the gold seekers to Pike's peak, in Colorado, where he spent the summer, returning that winter to his home in Missouri. In the spring of 1864 he started across the plains for Oregon, making his way with ox teams in a wagon train of about eighty three wagons. He was 6 months on the road, between the Missouri River and Boise, Idaho. He stopped in Boise for one year and in 1865 came to Oregon, locating at Webb Foot, Marion County. There he resided only one year, when he went to Wasco County, locating thirty miles from The Dalles. He took up land and for several years operated a saw mill. He was one of the pioneers in that section of the state and the town of WAMIC  which has been built there was named for him. In 1877 Mr. Womack removed to Wallowa Valley, taking up a homestead on the south fork of the Wallowa river, one and a quarter miles west of where Lostine was later built. This land was then part of Union County. Mr Womack resided until 1907 on this farm, to which in the meantime he had added by purchase until he owned in all two hundred and eighty two and a half acres. In that year he rented his farm and moved into Lostine, where he is now living retired.

On the first of November, 1877, Mr.Womack was married to miss Melvine McCubbin, daughter of Abraham McCubbin, who came to Oregon from Missouri in 1852. Mr McCubbin lacated in Clackamas county, but later removed to Jackson county, then to Washington county and subsequently to Wasco county, where he passed away in 1881 at the age of sixty-five years. His wife, whom he married in Missouri, was Miss Sarah Dean. She passed away in 1897 at the age of sixty-eight years. To Mr. and Mrs. Womack have been born six children, five of whom are living.

They are: William of Alberta, Canada, Fred, a ranchman near Lostine; Charles of Alberta, Canada; Sadie, who is the wife of Jene W. Hall of Lostine; and Grover of Alberta, Canada.

In his political views Mr. Womack is  Republican. His wife and daughter Sadie are members of the Christian Church. many years have passed since Mr. Womack arrived in Oregon, and he is justly numbered among  her honored citizens. He has the remarkable record of one who has always by his upright life won the confidence of all with whom he has come in contact.

Mary Womack Ward  

Wallowa County Pioneer

My Grandmother Mary Belle Womack was born in Putnam County, Missouri January 25, 18??, the daughter of William Womack born February 16, 1817 in Illinois and Martha Bruce born February 16, 1818 in Tennessee. Mary Womack Married Joseph Ward September 22, 1878 in Unionville, Missouri in 1916.

Five children have been born to them, all In Missouri. Carl born July 9, 1879; James born February 21, 1881; Jessie ( my mother ) born August 26, 1882; Frances born March 14, 1886; and Ober born March 12, 1888.

A sister Eliza Lane migrated to LaGrande in the 1860's. A brother Crawford Womack migrated to Wallowa Valley in 1877. He is listed with the early pioneers on the Plaque at the Enterprise Courthouse.

In 1886, the parents migrated to Lostine from Missouri, with their youngest daughter, Sarah Allen who later married Lafe Hammack. ( Roger, The Hammack's are early pioneers of Wallowa County, Lostine. Lafe Hammack is the son of my GGGrandparents, James Wesley and Sarah ( Miller Hammack who were from Wayne County, Iowa, Shelbyville etc. It seems funny as to how many came from those areas ).

Mary Womack followed soon thereafter with her three younger children; Carl and James remaining with their father. She took out a homestead on the southfork in the 1890's, building a log cabin but spending the winters in Lostine. She relates the story of being frightened by Indians beating drums, and taking her family in their night clothes to her fathers home near Lostine, they forded a swollen stream by foot log, she taking the baby across first, then returning for frances, and cautioning my mother ( Jessie ) to remain behind, but my mother ( Jessie ) was at her heels when she finished crossing the stream. She was spanked on the spot.

The next morning a mother cat and her kitten were also found on our great grandfather's porch. the Indians told my great grandfather they had become separated from their hunting party and were trying to make contact.

Later, my grandmother moved to Lostine and operated a bakery with my mother ( Jessie ) helping.

My mother married Arthur Hulse April 2, 1904. He had driven the second wagon across the plaines from Nebraska when his folks migrated to the Grand Ronde Valley ( La Grande). They had ten children, the oldest dying at an early age and buried in the Lostine cemetery.

In 1924 my parents moved to Washington where my father died in 1927. My mother died February 4, 1944.

Frances married Henry Downs May 9, 190? and they had three children, the oldest dying at birth. Frances died January 19, 1918, leaving a son and daughter, Ober Ward adopted the son, naming him Charles Ward, and grandmother adopted the baby girl, naming her Madelin Ward.

Ober married his step-sister Myma Westlake in Lostine October 9, 1913. He was killed in a accident May 10, 19?1; Myma lives in Hermiston with her son Charles. In 1927, my grandmother sold her place in Lostine and she and Madeline moved to Port Angeles, Washington to be near my mother. She married Norman Sanford June 18, 1930.

Madeline ?? died shortley after my mother, August 7, ? and both are buried in the Mt. Angeles Cemetery in Port Angeles, Washington. Her parents died in 1902 and are burried in the Hammack? Plot in the Lostine Cemetery.

by Maxine Hulse Tinkham, grandaugher

Sorry for the long long paper, I think it fills a few spots that were missing.

The Hammack plot is where James LaFayette Hammack 9 Lafe ) and Sarah Allen are buried. Wallowa County was and is full of Hammack's and their descendents.

My grandmother Clara Lureene Womack ( Jacob Clairborne Womack ) mother Emily or Emma,  grandfather and grandmother and their son and family were early settlers of Summerville and Lostine.

Thanks for the help, Roger

My cousin Wendy Buchheit who lives in McMinnville is helping me find people.

This is a lot of fun, but I am amazed at the amount of time and work you have done.

We are proud to be part of the Womack Family. If only I could have found out about the Womack's for my grandmother Clara, she always talked about wishing she knew about the Womack's. All she knew was that her father was a Womack and he died when she was young and she only had vague memories.

Source:  Gary Jaensch,  email:  jaensch@bakervalley.net  

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