This book, a pictorial and written record of life in rural Oregon during the late 1800s and early 1900s, includes a brief history of immigration to the United States and the Oregon territories. In these pages, author, Toni Gilbert, crafts a living, breathing picture of her pioneering grandparents. While some official papers remain intact, much of Gilbert's information was passed down orally. Current descendants of the Curtis-Wilson family had several old picture books containing photographs by Lilly Wilson Curtis, Gilbert's grandmother, who was a trained photographer. These, along with Lilly Wilson Curtis's saved newspaper articles, lend beauty and credence to the stories. Taken together, Gilbert's sources reveal the urban cultural trends, personality traits, and family patterns that formed the life paths of her ancestors.
Toni Gilbert, ASN, BA, MA, uses her education in the fields of nursing, psychology, and art to increase her reader's understanding of life in rural Oregon in the early part of the last century. Having studied the human condition for decades, Gilbert brings a deep appreciation for the human experience to her family history.
Lyle Curtis, Contributor, has gifted the reader with considerable research into the lives of his ancestors, both on-line and in person, and has traveled to the eastern and southern United States, to Iowa, and to Illinois, seeking further information about the lineage of the Curtis and Wilson families.
About the Author: The author, Toni Gilbert, is the granddaughter of Ellsworth and Lilly Wilson Curtis, subjects in this family history. Many hours of Ms. Gilbert's youth were spent beside Lilly Wilson Curtis, at the kitchen sink and at the old treadle sewing machine, listening as her grandmother passed on her knowledge and her life skills. Today, a transpersonal counselor with a background in holistic nursing, Ms. Gilbert holds an associate's degree in nursing and a bachelor's degree in psychology and art. She pursued her interest in art and its symbolism in a graduate art therapy program and earned a master's degree from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Ms. Gilbert's first book, Messages from the Archetypes: Using Tarot for Healing and Spiritual Growth, is published by White Cloud Press. Her second book, Gaining Archetypal Vision, is published by Schiffer Books. To read articles Ms. Gilbert has published both locally and nationally, visit www.tonigilbert.com. In the recent past, Ms. Gilbert worked in the field of mental-health nursing and owned Centre of Main St., a wellness center in Jefferson, Oregon, where she saw clients and facilitated therapeutic groups. In addition, she has taught psychology at two community colleges. More recently, Ms. Gilbert established the Northwest Astrology & Tarot Salon, www.nwsalon.com; was the founding editor of the Alternative Journal of Nursing; the founding director of the Oregon Holistic Nurses Association, www.oregonholisticnurses.org; founder of the Jefferson Historic Society & Museum in Jefferson, Oregon.