Written by: Teresa Barber

“I was raised in The Dalles, Oregon, which is located in North Central Oregon, along the banks of the Columbia River. Family history has always been important to my family. As a young girl growing up, I fondly remember the wonderful stories my grandfather, Tom Driver would tell me. Our Driver family came to Oregon by covered wagon, pulled by a team of oxen, on the Oregon Trail. They arrived in Oregon in 1853.

“I moved from The Dalles to Jefferson in 1996 and started attending the Jefferson United Methodist Church. One day, as I was helping with the cleaning chores at the church, I discovered a big, old leather bound book. As I opened the book, I soon realized that this was historical documentary of the church’s past. It was recorded that the Jefferson Methodist Church was dedicated on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1871. As I continued to read about the church’s early beginnings, I couldn’t believe my eyes! It said that Reverend I.D. Driver conducted the dedication service (he was my great-great uncle who was a circuit rider and often rode his horse to small communities in the Willamette Valley to preach the gospel).

“Reverend I.D. Driver is buried in the Jason Lee Methodist Cemetery on ‘D’ Street in Salem, Oregon.”