CHARLOTTE’S RECOLLECTIONS OF THE GEORGE GAY FAMILY IN INTO THE EYE OF THE SETTING SUN
There have been folks who have questioned the validity of a young girl’s experience and later memory in the writing of Charlotte Matheny Kirkwood’s book. We have found yet one more example of Into the Eye of the Setting Sun to be an accurate portrayal of early Oregon history, even though it is through a child’s perspective and not written down until Charlotte was in her 80s.
Lorna Grauer, author of The People of Hopewell Cemetery- Too Well Loved to be Forgotten, is researching the history of the early Gay family in Oregon. George Gay homesteaded and had a Donation Land Claim in the foothills just above the Hewitt and Matheny Donation Land Claims. Lorna is doing a family history for George Kirby Gay and his wife LaLouis J. whom he called Louisa.
In Charlotte’s original book, she states that Louisa was the daughter of John McLoughhlin’s Kanaka cook. On page 72 of the newest version of Into the Eye of the Setting Sun, Charlotte writes, “George Gay went to the Hudson’s Bay Post and married LaLouise, the daughter of Dr. McLoughlin’s cook and an Indian woman.”
Lorna has discovered that Charlotte was right about the Hawaiian ancestry! Several of her (Louisa’s) descendants, included Lorna herself, have tested with Ancestry and they all connect to multiple Hawaiian cousins, as well as American Indian ancestry.
Lorna says she is trying to write a timeline in book form of events of the day and Charlotte’s reference to Louisa being part Hawaiian is the only mention of this relationship by anyone.
Lorna may be coming to the Reunion this year.