[or-roots] Rondeau, Lavador, Bland Mountain

[Aloha Analanie]

Connie G. and Les C.:
First: Lavador and Bland Mountain Cemeteries are two.
Both are on private ranch land so permission from
rancher owners is essential.  Fire burned through
Bland Mountain this year but I have no knowledge of
proximity to cemetery.

Second: History of Rondeau, Rainville, Lavador,
Thomason, LaChance and other related families is
complex and complicated by the unfortunate $$$ need
for present descendents to show ancesstors who are
Umpqua Indians.  An unbiased researcher will find that
the lineage of these familes streams from the French
Canadian fur traders and their Indian or Metis wives. 
Fortunately for historical accuracy, these people were
Catholics and sought the blessings of the priest for
marriages and baptisms.  Very complete records are in
the Oregon Archives at Gonzaga University in Spokane
and also in the Canadian archives. According to the
archivist at Gonzaga, the priests recorded the Indian
ancestors of these families with their tribal or place
names in place of surnames because most had a given
name that was a single word.  They were given English
or French names when baptized. In this manner, the
father of Susan Nonta Thomason is recorded as Nonta
Algonkin at Stella Maris Mission in what is now
Pacific County, Washington.

Third: These families can be found in census records,
know you where to look.  They are first at Champoeg in
the 1830-40's.  By the 1860's and 1870's they are also
in the DLC records around Kellog and Umpqua in Douglas
County.  In the 1900's look for these families in
Drew, Tiller, Glide, Azalea, Lavador (now Milo), Days
Creek, Klamath Falls, and Umatilla.  Also in Cowlitz
County, Washington and in the Klamath Basin of
Northern California. Some branches of the families are
enumerated on reservations in Montana and members of
the LaChance family are at Grand Ronde reservation.
Many of the families are in the Special Indian census.
 You'll find when you read the census records that
they were very forthcoming about where they were born.
 In the Indian census, the tribal affiliation and
blood quantum was noted. 

The story of the "hiding in the woods from the
soldiers so they wouldn't be sent to the reservation"
was borrowed directly from the Trail of Tears.  It is
not supported by the facts.

Aloha A.





		
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