The DCHS 2016 Board of Directors

Photo by Mrs. Jackie Hegelson taken at the Rice Cabin during our annual picnic.

Front Row, L to R: President John Robertson, Director at Large Bill Rice, Director at Large Clem Rice, Director at Large Lois Thomas

Back Row, L to R: Treasurer Clyde Snyder, Secretary Peggy A. Snyder,  Director at Large Dianne Weiker, Vice President Gwen Bates.

BYLAWS OF DCHS

Board Members are:

President: Peggy A. Rowe-Snyder
Vice-President: Ken Deatherage
Treasurer: Carol Dudley
Recording Secretary: Cynthia Rockney Wilson
Corresponding Secretary: vacant
Membership: Clyde Snyder, Ken & Lois Deatherage

Directors at Large:
Lois Deatherage
John Robertson, former President
Dale Greenley
Nicholas S. Schabert
Clyde L. Snyder
Maria C.

Umpqua Trapper Co-Editors:
Peggy A. Rowe-Snyder

Webmaster: Peggy A. Rowe-Snyder
Society researcher: Peggy A. Rowe-Snyder

The Douglas County Historical Society was started in 1953.  It was formed to protect and preserve the historical records, artifacts and buildings in Douglas County which were important in the building of our country and in the lives of the people who lived here. The heritage of Douglas County belongs to all of us as well as to the future generations whom we wish to engage with about our County.  The only way we can ensure that those later generations will receive this rich inheritance is by preserving artifacts and engaging the younger folks NOW.

Board Member Biographies:

John Robertson, former President (2005-2017),
Director At Large

Profession: Management, Retired
Researching his family’s history and background has really sparked John’s interest in our local history.  In 1854, the Conn family arrived in Oregon by wagon train and established residency in what is now the Melrose area. John is a descendant of this Douglas County pioneer family.  John has been a DCHS Board Member since 2004.

Clyde L. Snyder, Director at Large, former Treasurer

Profession: First line ATM Technician, retired.
Though Clyde was born in Fort Bragg, California he has family that hails from Lane County.  His grandfather, Ole Haldorson,  came from Norway to the United States around 1855 with his parents when he was just an infant.  He grew up and married Mary Severson (also Norwegian)  and they traveled to Valley City, in North Dakota.  Only their youngest son, Elmer Haldorson was born in Oregon, in 1904.  The entire family stayed in Lane County for some years.  Eventually, Clyde’s grandfather Ludwig, met and married Esther Inman and headed for Northern California.   Clyde began attending board meetings to support his wife, and finally decided to become involved.

Peggy A. Rowe-Snyder, President (March 2017),  former Secretary

Profession: PC Consultant & Instructor, Author
Peggy was born and raised in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, but her grandparents all lived in Marion County, Oregon; therefore she spent almost all vacations in Oregon.  As a youngster she knew that someday she would live in Oregon because that was home for her.  In 2005, she managed to make that dream come true and finally moved back ‘home’ to Oregon with her new husband, Clyde L. Snyder.

In terms of Douglas County history, Peggy’s great grandfather, Alfred B. Rowe had a gold mine on North Myrtle Creek, and through his children she has many cousins (Bovee, Pepiot, Nelson, Rowe) in Douglas County.  Her great great grandfather, Rev. Charles C. Coop was a circuit preacher for the ME church all over Oregon, but he spent a significant part of his career preaching in Canyonville, which is where he retired from. One of his sons, Abraham B. Coop is buried right next door to the 7 Feathers Casino.  In terms of Oregon history, her great great grandfather, Alden B. Rowe, built a home in Eugene that is now on the National Register of Historical Places.  Most of the family is buried there in the Pioneer (IOOF) Cemetery next to the University of Oregon. With a family background like that, she can not imagine not loving history, and genealogy, and last but not least, Oregon!

Peggy  has served the Douglas County Historical Society since 2005, and has been on the board since 2012.   She spends a lot of her time researching history for folks who want to know their family history. She has been a guest researcher on the television series, Deadly Women by Beyond Productions.  The episode was, “Vicious Vixens.”  Her passion is people, history, culture, and genealogy.  She has spent a total of 20 years volunteering for historical societies in Northern California and in Oregon.  She believes in service via volunteerism and volunteered for six years as a network administrator at St. Paul Lutheran Church & School in Roseburg, she’s spent 15 years now volunteering for findagrave.com, photographing headstones and uploading them and transcribing them to individual memorials.