This is the second part of a recording done by my great grandmother LuElla Rice, about 10 years before she passed away.

Thomas F. Rice
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LuElla Frame Rice (1919-2005):

Download (.mp3, 14.5 mb): Audio File

— Side 1 —

“Thomas Fredrick Rice, father of Carol Joan Rice Garland, and Gary Thomas Rice, born September 18, 1917 in Salem Oregon, worked in grocery stores and was a jeweler for 17 years. Working and learning the trade from Albert Thomas Agate Stores and Manufacturing. Doing jewelry-work for jewelers all over the western states.

Source: Oregon Historic Photos Collection

Later ran his own retail and wholesale business called Rice’s Agates in Newport, Oregon for many years. Moved to Mehema Oregon in 1955 workin’ for Mehema Market. Lived at Taylor’s Park Road for 21 years on the little north fork of the Santiam. Then in 1987 moved to Stayton. He did a lot of fly fishing. Married LuElla Frame in Salem, Oregon on April 4, 1936 in a home wedding on McCoy Street in Hollywood District. Moved to Klamath Falls Oregon then to Newport Oregon to Orchards Warshington to Newport again, then to Mehama Oregon to Sublimity Oregon and then to the little north fork of the Santiam for 21 years, which at the time was called County Road 961 later Taylor’s Park Road, then moved to Stayton Oregon…March 7th, I believe….1987? Okay…Um…

When he was young he took up piano–played piano–and um…camped out with his folks on the north fork of the Santiam, with his grandfather and mother. Hmmm….

Enjoyed gardening, grew a beautiful garden on the little north fork. Hmm–

Well…I’m not sure what to say…why don’t you talk about yourself?

[…]

[…]

When he was 14 years old, his father died. He had to quit school and go out to work on his own. His father was Roy Haven Rice born 1885 in Pratum [Oregon]. He was a tradesmen, groceries, owning his store on the corner of 13th and State Street in Salem called Rice’s Grocery. He was an avid fisherman, spending time at Taylor’s Grove [Road?] on the little north fork of the Santiam River. Also on the little Nestucca River, and other coastal streams. He was a practical joker, an amateur magician, buying all kinds of gag tricks. One joke he pulled on his brother-in-law was to fill a whiskey bottle with tea and was pretending it was the real thing. He also put itching powder on the toilet seat of one of his employers who had a very hard time waiting on customers after sitting on the seat. Roy died at the age of 48, 1933, buried at City View Cemetery at Salem Oregon. Fathered Thomas and Delbert, married Iva James May 1 1904.

Roy Rice and Family

Roy Rice’s Father was Fredrick James Rice and was an early-day blacksmith. He was born in Scio in 1862, he was a Marion County Assessor at one time.

Siegmund’s blacksmith shop at corner of Chemeketa St. and Commercial St. in Salem, Oregon, 1887
Fred Rice is in the Center (Source)

His father Frank was a blacksmith on the Klamath Indian Reservation, decided to move to the Willamette Valley and hired a civilized injun as a guide to guide Fred, age 10, with cattle and horses over the pass, and the Willamette, possibly…to Eugene Oregon. The first night out he saw houses and barns on fire in the distance. Frightened by savage indians, the guide ran off leaving young Fred alone to travel a good many miles to his destination. He [Fredrick] died at age 81 March of 1943 in Salem. Buried at City View Cemetery, next to Roy.

Clara G Rice (Gunnerson)

His wife Clara–born 1864, died 1916, her name was Gunnerson–is buried next to him. They had four sons: Glen, Faye, Paul, and Roy.

Fredrick J Rice

Fred’s father was Frank Rice, he crossed the plains with an ox team in 1853 settling in Scio from Kentucky. He was a blacksmith at the Klamath Indian Reservation, he married Elizabeth Stuart (Stewart?) who was a direct descendant of Queen Elizabeth of Scotland [Mary Queen of Scots was mother to Elizabeth Stuart Queen of Bohemia, who was born in Fife Scotland—but, I am unable to verify] . They met and married on the reservation (?). They must have moved back to the reservation after Fred was born, then decided to move back to Scio. They had sons: Fred, Charles, Clyde, daughter Mae-Mae (?) and Edie. Burial unknown (?), possibly Scio, Pratum, or Salem.

Glen Rice, uncle of Thomas, brother of Roy.  Oh! Already did that one…That’s it. What do you do? Just deject it? Or stop…? Well…when that gets through… Well… I want to do the other side too and rewind it too.”

— End Side 1 —

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— Side 2 — (Audio Download, 18.2MB)

LuElla Frame Rice (1919-2005):

“Glen Rice, was the uncle of Thomas, brother of Roy, son of Fred, favorite uncle of Thomas. Born January 23, 1893 he died May 23, 1977 [My great great grandfather Roy was the youngest of his four brothers and he died when his son, my great grandfather Tom, was only 14. Glen was the eldest of the four brothers]. Born in Salem, Oregon, was a wholesale grocerymen most of his adult life. On the road in Sales, and later started the Cash and Carry department of the Willamette Grocery Company, which was wholesale.

He had stock in the company. It later was West Coast Grocery Company [known as Wesco, was acquired by SuperValu in 1985–a company which owns Albertson’s and several other chains], and he continued to work their until retirement. He was a regular attendant to the Salem’s Senator’s Baseball games.

He was a fly fisherman and had an exact science of catching them, mostly on the little north fork of the Santiam River! He was an Oregon National Guardsmen during World War 1. He married Myrtle Paine, a girl from Toledo Oregon, who was rooming and boarding at Thomas’s mother’s, Iva’s, home while attending Willamette University, majoring in Music. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in May of 1967, she preceded him in death August 13th 1968. They are both buried in the Mount Crest Abbey Mausoleum in Salem Oregon. PS he was always playing tricks on people, and getting a great kick out of it. They had no children.

…

“This is the maternal descendant of Thomas Rice. Iva Myrtle James. Mother of Thomas Rice, born March 15, 1886 at Suver Oregon in Polk County. Was married to Roy Rice  May 1st 1904 in Pratum, Oregon.

Iva

Roy died in 1933. In 1936 she married Albert Thomas in Newport Oregon where they lived [Albert Thomas is who taught my great grandfather the jewelry trade, he was a well-known photographer of the Newport Coast], he died after four years of marriage. She was widowed for about nine years, then she married Charles Stanton of Newport, he died four years later, May 17th 1954. She married Earl Taylor in 1959–they were married 21 years until the time of her death in December 24, 1980. Earl died January 16th 1981.

She had a beautiful singing voice when younger, and played the piano and organ for family gatherings. Even at the Taylor’s cabin on the little north fork of the Santiam, where they set up tents with carpets and tar pool lamps (?) and covered kitchen and eating area. Many a good time was had there with family and friends during the all summer months they stayed there each year. Pa Rice, Fred [Fredrick Rice], stayed the summers there with them. Roy came on the weekends and vacationing times. The Marion-Taylors’ owned the campground and would join the festivities. He’d play on the violin.

She, Iva, was a dress maker and worked in a bakery where she learned the special talents for making pies, breads, and so forth. She would also go window shopping in the stores, see a style of dress she liked, go home and make one just like it. Other things she excelled in was knitting, crocheting, tatting, needlepoint, and potting plants. A real homemaker. She was 94 at the time of her death. Buried at City View Cemetery, Salem Oregon, next to Earl. She had two sons, from Roy Rice: Thomas and Delbert. When young, and living in eastern Oregon, she and her brother Ephraim gathered cow chips…piles…to be dried and used as fuel for the stove. Also, they lived in a sod house, with dirt floors that were sprinkled each day in sweat. The bedrooms had straw covers with grass rugs as they were cold.

Thomas Clematis Lanningham James [spelling may not be accurate], father of Iva, buried at Rainier Oregon, born in Greenup Illinois, died in Newport Oregon. He married, Alice, O-oh, first here… He died in um, 85. uh, 1951 at the age of 85, and he was born–I guess he died March 15th. … Anyway–he was buried at Rainier Oregon [Green Mountain Cemetery], born in Greenup Illinois, died in Newport Oregon. Married Alice Hagey. They had two girls, Iva and Joanna Ellis(?) [Ancestry.com says it’s Joanna May James, so Ellis is likely her married name].

A son, Ephraim, was Alice’s and was raised by them. Thomas was born in Greenup Illinois, crossed the plains in a covered wagon at age 4 [1867]. He did many things, drove ox teams in a logging camp, had his own salon in Salem Oregon, had a hop ranch with Indians as his workers–one of which Alice threatened with a scalding kettle of water if he didn’t leave the porch being drunk at the time, saying, “Get ye off this porch or I’ll scald ye!” she being a Quaker.

She was a person who could take care of herself. He [Thomas James] worked for many years for T.A. Livesly the big hop grower of Keizer. He was cited for dry–drying–more hops than anyone in the country. He claimed that two brothers came to the United States from England, one was the descendant of Jesse and Frank James–the other being a descendant of Thomas’ [?]. Jesse and Frank were his fifth cousins. Alice died at Rainier, and buried there. She was born in French Prairie, near Salem.

Thomas and Alice cooked on a steamer on the Columbia River. William James, Father of Thomas Clematis Lanningham James, born–I don’t know…but he died at the age of 77 years old, he married Julie M Duck [unknown sounds] in Greenup Illinois. After William’s death she married a Sears. William and Julie had Thomas and Edward sons, and daughter Anna her father’s unknown buried at Rainier Oregon, also had son Ed.

Jesse James born 1847 died 1882, was an outlaw [I can find no indication Jesse James is directly related to me].

Uhh… (dog barking) father of Alice Hagey (?), James, had um, a donation land claim of 600 acres at French Prairie near Salem. He married Sarah Ann DeHaven, they came out west in a covered wagon crossin’ the plains. They camped one whole winter, where Oregon City is, and lived on boiled wheat, milk, and meat from the Oxen. Place of birth and death unknown at this time.”

— End Side 2 —

[Listen/Read: Tape 1]

Do you have audio tapes from your own family? What fun fact about your heritage did you learn?