Below: Imbrie house 1890
Below: Imbrie family crest
Below: Imbrie Octagonal barn. Now part of McMenamins complex on Cornelius Pass Rd.
Below: Robert Imbrie and James Imbrie III
The Imbrie Family of Washington County, Oregon
By Gary Imbrie
Today’s visitors to the popular Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro witness an important part of Washington County’s past. The Imbries, one of the first Euro-American families in Washington County, arrived in 1845. The Imbrie home, now known as the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, was built in 1866. Seven generations later, the Imbries continue to shape the culture and history of this area.
The Imbrie family traces its earliest recorded family history to the County of Fife, Village of Auchtermuchty, Scotland. The Arms of the family, dating to 1672, is crested by a plow, which is indicative that they did not belong to the landed class or nobility. So eager were people to gain freedom and opportunity that between the years 1760 and 1783 more than 30,000 Scots emigrated to America. James Imbrie and his three brothers were among those emigrants. James carved out a life typical of so many emigrants at that time. He settled in Beaver County, Pa., and was later given Bounty Lands in Pennsylvania, in his recognition of his services in the War of 1812. James and his wife, Margaret Maloney Imbrie (1), had 10 children, two of which, James Jr. (2) and Robert (2), were destined to be Oregonians. James continued to expand his holdings, and moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio and then finally to Illinois.
James Imbrie Jr. (2) was the first of the brothers to come to Oregon. It is believed that he was hired as a ‘drover’ and was part of the 1845 “Lost Wagon Train” (ref. A). The Lost Wagon Train was led by Stephen Meek, and over 800 men and women were expected to arrive at The Dalles, Ore. in the summer of 1845. Instead they ended in Harney County and were desperately lost and depleted of food and water. Many men and women died in the ensuing hardships. James Imbrie Jr. married Mary Cornelius in 1851. She was the daughter of Benjamin Cornelius, founder of the city of Cornelius and also another survivor of the ‘Lost Wagon Train.’ James Jr. and Mary together received a total Donation Land claim of 1,280 acres located near North Plains. They had nine children and prospered as farmers in Washington County.
James Jr. (2) told his brother Robert (2)about the lush farmland of the Tualatin plains and of his experiences in the ‘Lost Wagon Train.’ With that advice, Robert decided to leave Illinois, and take a route to Oregon via ship. He crossed the Isthmus of Panama with his family: his mother Margaret Maloney Imbrie (1), his wife Mary Ann McGee, and young son James (3). The trip across the Isthmus was difficult, as the route was through dense jungle using donkeys and horses. He arrived in Portland in 1859, shortly after Oregon was declared a state.
Robert Imbrie(2) was very industrious, a Scottish trait. He acquired the land where the house, barn and Imbrie Hall now stand. Robert raised all of the local crops, but horses were his passion. He raised Morgan horses and sold these horses to local farmers. Eventually Robert acquired over 1,500 acres in the local area, as well as large interests in sheep and horses in Eastern Washington.
Robert built the farmhouse on Cornelius Pass Road in 1886. The house reflected Robert’s prosperity and followed the popular architectural design of the day; that of a fashionable Italian Villa. Using Chinese laborers who were housed in the basement during the construction, the house was built of old growth cedar. It truly must have been an impressive sight for travelers on Cornelius Pass Road during that era. Robert and Mary Ann certainly needed a large home, as they eventually had 12 children.
Robert was one of the original founders of the Washington County Grange and very active in the Masonic Lodge. Many of the Swiss and German emigrant families that moved to the Tualatin valley were helped by Robert, among those, the Berger family. Berger family history relates the kindness and generosity to which he bestowed upon them. Perhaps it was fate, for his grandson James married Lillian Berger in 1934.
In Washington County, in 1870, the Imbrie family (brothers Robert and James Jr., their spouses and their children) totaled 25 people. We can only imagine what an Imbrie gathering must have been like during that period. The following generations were told of huge meals served during harvest time to the family and all of the workers. These events, where community and family helped one another, were typical of the agrarian society that dominated the lives of a majority of people at that time.
As generations moved along, fewer Imbries stayed on the Farm. Robert’s eighth child, Frank (3), was the next generation to continue farming. Frank married Harriet Hay Imbrie, daughter of William B. Hay, who came to Oregon via wagon train on the Oregon Trail in the 1853. Frank maintained the homestead and converted the farm to a working dairy in the early 1900s. It was Frank who built the octagon barn. Its unusual design was ideal for milking and feeding operations. Loose hay filled the barn to the top of the roof and was brought into the barn using pulleys, horses and hay clamps. With the advent of the baler, the barn was rendered somewhat obsolete. Filling the round barn with rectangular bales required planning, of which the following generations were very adept.
Frank and Harriet had one child, James Hay Imbrie (4), born in 1896. James Hay Imbrie attended the Tualatin Valley Academy and Oregon State Agricultural College. He joined the Navy during the onset of World War I, making numerous trips across the Atlantic on a hospital ship that survived several threats from German U-boats. James Hay Imbrie was a gregarious man who knew and liked everyone in Washington County. He was a very good salesman for Shell Oil, but when his mother and father needed him to ‘save the farm,’ he returned to his farming roots at the beginning of the Great Depression. He married Lillian Berger in 1934. James and Lillian had four sons (5), James Donald, Robert, Frank and Gary. James Hay Imbrie was a successful farmer, growing high quality wheat, hay and barley.
Farming was not easy from the Great Depression forward. James Hay Imbrie counseled his sons to not become farmers. He wanted his sons to be college graduates and Navy officers; they all achieved that goal of which he was very proud. When he was older in the early ‘60s, James Hay Imbrie sold the remaining farmland, except 10 acres surrounding the family home. After his death in 1968, Lillian remained in the family home for many years.
Gary (5) and his wife, Kris Imbrie, placed the Imbrie Farm on the National Register of Historical Places in 1977. The remaining acreage and home were sold in 1983, eventually to be owned by McMenamins.
The Imbrie home and barns have been threatened several times over the years. In the 1950s Bonneville Power wanted to destroy the home because it was in the way of a planned power line. In the 1980s a developer wanted to destroy the barns and place a hotel on the property. Both of these plans were successfully defeated due to family and community protest. Bonneville Power actually detoured their power line around the house, a concession that was a rarity with that organization.
The Imbrie Family has continued to be part of the fabric of Washington County. James Donald Imbrie (5) graduated from the University of Oregon Medical School. He was highly respected as the first otolaryngologist (E.N.T.) in Washington County. Robert Imbrie (5) graduated from the Coast Guard Academy and spent his career as a helicopter pilot, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. Frank Imbrie (5) graduated from Pacific University, was a naval officer, and taught history at Hillsboro High and Glencoe High for over 30 years. He was extremely well liked and respected by his students and his peers. Frank, his wife and children (6) lived in the house in the ‘70s, making six generations of Imbries to have lived in the farmhouse. Gary Imbrie (5) graduated from the University of Oregon and the University of Washington, and served as Navy Flight Officer during the Vietnam War. Gary now leads Imbrie Realty, associated with Sperry Van Ness, a national commercial real estate brokerage firm.
The Imbrie name will continue to be part of the history of Washington County far into the future. The sixth generation is making its contributions in the following specialties: geotechnical engineer, Nike & Intel executives, Navy Seal Lieutenant and police officer, nurses, commercial real estate broker, physician and PhD, and fifth grade teacher. The seventh generation is also well on its way to contributing to our society.
The family thanks the McMenamins for their efforts in preserving the Imbrie heritage and making the farm such a beloved gathering place for the citizens of Washington County.
References
(A). Ref. ‘The Brazen Overlanders of 1845, by Donna M. Wojick, pp.440
