Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/199



CHAPTER XI GOVERNOR LAFAYETTE GROVER

' September 14. 1 870— February 1, 1877

Few men have filled so prominent a place in Oregon for so long a period as Lafayette Grover, the fourth Governor of the State. He was born in Bethel, Maine, on November 29, 1823, and journeying to California in 1850, came to Oregon the next year and located in Douglas County. Later he served in the legislature from Marion County, and was a member of the state constitutional convention that met in Salem in August, 185 7.

Upon the admission, of

OOVERNOE LATAYETTE GROVER q^^^^^ j^^^ ^nion, Mr. Synchronized Chart of the World. In 1871, there appeared a popular chart of the world under the title of "A Chronological Chart of Ancient, Modern and Biblical History, synchronized by Sebastian C. Adams, of Salem, Oregon." The chart, which soon found place in many of the leading colleges, universities and theological seminaries of the country, is interesting because of its agreement with the prevailing ideas of that time concerning important dates in sacred history. For example, the chart placed the creation of the first man at 4004 years before the Christian era, a statement which receives little credence at present. Hence knowledge of the chart prepared by this Oregon author, is valuable to us chiefly for the reason that it gives us the popular conception of ancient history in so late a time as 1871. Anticipating objections to his statements, the author, who evidently knew the earth is much older than announced in his chart, explained that "to disturb this system would produce great confusion yvith no good results;" and he suggests that "no one is hindered from extending the stream of time back—to suit the chronology of the Septuagint, the claims of the Vedas and puranas of India or the fabulous uncertainties of Chinese traditions."