Ray Carl Baxter (1890 - 1960)

Born 31 May 1890 in Dayton, Yamhill, Oregon, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Ferne LaVere (Miller) Baxter — married 30 Nov 1911 in Dayton, Yamhill County, Oregon

Descendants

Died 1 Oct 1960 at age 70 in Albany, Linn, Oregon, United States

Biography

Ray Carl Baxter & Ferne LaVere Miller

Ray Carl Baxter, son of John Wiseman Baxter and Mary Lena Seitters, was born on the 31 May 1890 in Dayton, Yamhill, Oregon.^[1]

Ray married Fern Lavere Miller on the 30 Nov 1911 in Dayton.^[2]

The children of Ray Baxter and Ferne LaVere Miller (deceased):

1. Harold Ray Baxter 1912-1987
2. Fern LaVere Baxter Peck 1914-1994
3. Phyllis Evelyn Baxter Peterson 1915-2012
4. Helen Baxter 1917- bef. 1930
5. Sadie Jane Baxter Kutsch 1917-2012
6. Gordon Albert Baxter 1920-1933
7. John Jacob "Jack" Baxter 1931- aft. 2000

Ray passed away on the 1 Oct 1960 in Albany, Linn, Oregon.^[1]

Notes from Suzi's Family History Research

Phyllis' mother, Ferne LaVere Miller was born on September 27, 1893 in Cozad, Nebraska. Her father was Ray Carl Baxter. He was born on May 31, 1890 in Dayton, Oregon. When Ferne and Ray were teenagers, Feme would ride her bike to come and see him at work. They didn't live very far from each other. The Baxter's lived in between Dayton and Whiteson. The Miller's lived in Whiteson, which is just a little ways the other side. Ray ran away from home and moved to San Francisco, but wrote Feme letters. He returned, and they were married on November 30, 1911 in Dayton, Oregon. He was 21 and she was 19.

^[3]

Ray Carl Baxter & Ferne Lavere Miller

Ray was a farmer, and after the marriage Ferne worked right alongside him in the fields. She drove truck, and hauled grain to town.

Six of the seven children were born in Dayton. Ray and Ferne would leave the kids at the house when they'd go to town.

Sadie describes Ray as a basically laid-back kind of guy. Sadie liked to follow him around at the farm. She said "I'd rather go shovel the manure out of the barn then help with the dishes or anything in the house". Ray always called her skeeter because she was flittin' here and there underfoot.

Ray farmed a number of different things. [Drushella-5 | Flavin Drushella]] remembers that when he came out with his parents to see Al:

"The Baxter's were some of the biggest turkey raisers in the state. When we came out, there was nobody any bigger. They had huge flocks of turkeys. The first time we came out, we went out and looked at them. I didn't know there were that many turkeys in the world!"

Most of his life, Ray farmed, but eventually he got sick and had to sell his equipment (he rented the land). Sadie said this "about broke his heart". After farming, he did a number of things. He went to carpentering. He went to Lebanon and built houses. He and Ferne lived at Detroit, Oregon, for awhile when Phyllis was in Iowa. In Detroit, Ray and Ferne owned a grocery store. They had one in Klamath too. They also owned the University motel, over by Timberlane Park.

Phyllis recalls:

"In Lunden, after the motel, dad built a small house while he was building the big house. They lived in the small house, and then moved into the big house and rented the small house. And then, she had a flower business: gladiolas, dahlias. So many different businesses. Dad never liked the grocery store. He did carpentry work, there at the end when he got real bad ... he had emphysema, but he called it consumption. They used to call it consumption. He smoked a pipe and cigarettes. Eventually, his heart gave out. He had a heart attack when he was 70."

He passed away in 1970, at his home. His lungs filled up with fluid from the emphysema, and it finally affected his heart. Sadie arranged the service, and his burial.

Ferne lived for a number of years after that. She kept herself busy playing the piano at dances and weddings. She could play the piano by "ear".

They are both buried in the Dayton cemetery. There are several other relatives buried in this cemetery. ^[4]

US Census Collection

Military

• United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
• United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

^[1]

Sources

Oregon, County Marriage Records, 1851-1975

Name: Ferne L Miller
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Birth Date: abt 1893
Marriage Date: 30 Nov 1911
Marriage Place: Yamhill, Oregon, USA
Spouse: Ray C Baxter
Film Number: 004474575^[2]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28041831/ray-c-baxter : accessed 30 October 2021), memorial page for Ray C Baxter (1890–1960), Find a Grave Memorial ID 28041831, citing Riverside Cemetery, Albany, Linn County, Oregon, USA ; Maintained by Grave Gremlin (contributor 50905628)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Oregon, County Marriage Records, 1851-1975
3. ↑ Ray & Ferne Baxter Photograph - courtesy Suzanne Sayer 1996
4. ↑ Biography - courtesy Suzanne Sayer 1996

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile created by Michael Sheffield & Suzanne nee Sayer Crosby