| Notes |
- Benjamin Franklin Ross was Catherine Ashby Ross' son. He was married to Rhoda E. Bonebrake. It appears that Benjamin was living with his brother-in-law Josiah Valentine Bonebrake in 1870. Josiah's wife - Sarah B. Ross, wasn't on this census at this time. Benjamin also must have moved to Oregon in about 1860 according to census records of 1860.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=38047840
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ROSS was one of the early pioneers of Oregon and during life he was identified with many of the business enterprises of Coos county which became the stepping stones marking the progress of that county from an uninhabited wilderness to a prosperous and well populated district in the state of Oregon. He was born November 27, 1827, in Spencer county, Indiana, and was the son of Bran and Catherine (Ashby) Ross, who later removed to Iowa, where the father died at the age of forty-five years. The mother afterward removed to Oregon, where she passed away in 1882, at the age of eighty-eight
years, in Coos county. They were the parents of fourteen children, of whom only two are living: Mrs. Bonebrake, the widow of Josiah V. Bonebrake, of Coos county, Oregon; and Mrs. Louisa Hodson, the widow of Jonathan Hodson, of Coos river, Oregon.
Benjamin Franklin Ross was reared in his parents' home and received his early education in the public schools of Marion county, Iowa. He was by trade and occupation a stone mason and devoted his attention to the business of his craft until 1850. In that year he emigrated to Oregon, crossing the great American desert with ox teams, settling first in Jackson county and later in Coos county.
He was one of the first twenty-five white settlers in that portion of the state and was one of the first to build a residence in this county. On reaching Oregon he took up a donation claim in Lane county and later removed to Coos county, where he settled in 1851. To him belongs the distinction of having built the first hotel in Empire, which he operated for several years and he was also the builder of the first house of that place. He later engaged in the butcher business at Marshfield, and in 1864 settled upon his homestead on Ross Inlet where he continued
to reside until the time of his death which occurred March 15, 1912. During the years of his life as a farmer he was also engaged in raising stock of which he made a specialty. At the time of his death he left a landed estate consisting of three hundred and twenty acres of highly improved agricultural land and was also interested in various gold mines in Coos county.
Mr. Ross was united in marriage September 10, 1864, to Miss Rhoda E. Bonebrake, a native of Iowa, her birth having occurred April 19, 1842. She is the daughter of Jacob and Lavina (Drollinger) Bonebrake, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of North Carolina. They celebrated their wedding in Indiana, where they lived for many years and then removed to Iowa, being among the first settlers of that state and there continued to reside until 1862. In that year they removed to Oregon where they established their home and continued to live during the remaining years of their lives, the mother having died in October, 1883, and the
father in 1894. They were the parents of seven children, five of whom are still living: Cynthia A., of Stockton, Kansas ; Rhoda E., the widow of the subject of this review; John W., a resident of Coos county Oregon; Mrs. Josephine Riggs, of Marshfield, Oregon; and H. S. Bonebrake, who resides on Ross Slough, Coos county. Oregon.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Ross became the parents of one son, George F., who was born December 13, 1865, and who is engaged in farming on the old homestead. He was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Black, the
daughter of Henry and Sarah (McGee) Black, both of whom were natives of Missouri and who emigrated to Oregon in 1864, and at present are living at Marshfield in Coos county. To Mr. and Mrs. George F. Ross three children have been born; George F.. Jr., born on July 29. 1905: Mary E., who was born September 30, 1907; and Robert Everett, whose birth occurred February 25,
1912.
Mr. B. F. Ross gave his political support to the democratic party but was liberal in
the exercise of his franchise. He was one of the veterans of the Rogue River Indian
war of 1854. and a devout member of the United Brethren church. He was a man
highly respected by all his friends and associates and for many years was a prominent citizen in the community in which he lived. Mrs. Ross now resides with her son George. The death of Mr. Ross brought loss not only to his family but removed from the state one of its early pioneers who had accomplished much for the business and agricultural development of what is now one of the richest sections of Oregon.
THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON
1910 United States Federal Census about Benjman F Ross
Name: Benjman F Ross
Age in 1910: 82
Birth Year: abt 1828
Birthplace: Indiana
Home in 1910: South Marshfield, Coos, Oregon
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Roda E Ross
Father's Birthplace: Kentucky
Mother's Birthplace: Virginia
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Benjman F Ross 82
(Wife) Roda E Ross 66 Iowa; Father born in OH, Mother born in NC
(Brother-in-law) John W Bonebrake 62 Iowa; Father born in OH, Mother born in NC
(Nephew) Edward R Bonebrake 7 Idaho; Father born in IA, Mother born in NV
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1827 - 1912 (84 years)
