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I had been on a waiting list with a rare book dealer for more than a year and finally received a copy of T.T. Geer's book, "Fifty Years In Oregon" a couple weeks ago. I had been interested in obtaining this book because I have been researching Mary Ann "Polly" Routen Eoff for a few years, believing she belongs in our family tree. The book describes the elopement of John L. Eoff and Mary Ann Routen. It states they did live in Indiana, where they married, for a time then moved on to Macoupin County Illinois, where they lived for approximately two years. I'd be interested to know if there were any Eoff's living in Macoupin or Sangamon Co. Illinois in the 1830's. I do know that there was a William Rowton and family from Lincoln Co., KY living there at the time Polly and Len Eoff decided to move there. About the same time William Rowton died, Len and Polly moved on to Iowa. While away from home at church one Sunday morning, their house caught fire and they lost all their worldly possessions. It was then that they decided to move on and left for Oregon in 1847. Their daughter Cynthia Eoff met her future husband, Heman Geer, who's family was a part of the same wagon train. They married when Cynthia was at the ripe old age of 14. They of course were the parents of Theodore Thurston Geer. Mr. Geer doesn't have much to say in his book about why his parents divorced, other than that his father spent a lot of time in British Columbia looking for gold, and after some years his mother went to California. He does say he didn't see his mother again for several years, but that they did correspond routinely over the years. He does make reference that neither party in the marriage tried very hard to make it work. When I received the book, I found yellowed newspaper clippings in the book, which were T.T. Geer's obituaries, one from a paper called the "Morning Oregonian".
It appears this book was given as a wedding present, and there is an inscription written by T.T. Geer himself on the front page that reads, "Presented to Miss Alice M. Sundstralt by Mr. and Mrs. T.T. Geer with best wishes for the future happiness of herself and future husband. Portland Oregon, May 27, 1920". This book also recalls a humerous tale about a visit to Kentucky in the late 1800's by Mr. Geer. He wanted to visit the birthplace of his grandfather Eoff and spent the night in the old homestead which was a hickory log cabin, owned at the time by John Green Eoff in Pulaski Co., KY. His own grandfather, John Leonard Eoff, had requested that Geer should bring back a bottle of "real Kentucky Applejack" as he hadn't had any for more than 50 years. Geer describes walking across the country until they came to a still on a creek, where he purchased a pint to take back to Oregon for his grandfather. After visiting family in Illinois, Geer caught a train in St. Louis to return home. On the way, he met a preacher from South Carolina, and they had a heated debate about prohibition. When Geer went to get a newspaper from his overcoat, left on a vacant seat, the bottle of applejack fell on the floor and rolled ten feet down the aisle of the train, and in full view of the minister and other passengers. I noticed in one of the previous posts that the town of Oblong, IL was mentioned. In the "small world" category, I lived only a few miles South of there for many years, before moving to Washington. I have swapped info with Shirley from time to time, and would still like to have any information on Mary Ann "Polly" Routen Eoff that anyone has to share. I am also curious as to why so many of their children died quite young.
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