296 S 15th  

538 Statesman St.  

Dorothy Virginia France was born 16 Jan 1883 in Scio, OR to parents Sheperd and Sarah Catherine [Estes] France. She was one of three daughters born to the couple and attended school through the eighth grade. 

By the 1900 census, Dorothy, then 17, lived with her family in Arlington, OR where her father was a farmer.  

In 1910, Dorothy, aged 27, moved to The Dalles and worked as a domestic for the Ferguson family. Elmer E. Ferguson, the head of household, was a surgeon in general practice. 

By 1915, Dorothy lived in Salem and worked as a weaver at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill.  In 1916, she joined a group of female employees protesting the state welfare commission’s efforts to reduce women’s working hours. She continued to work at the mill through 1917. 

In 1920, Dorothy, then 37 (not 27 as incorrectly noted in the census), lived with her brother Wilbur’s family in Rock Creek, OR. Their mother also lived with them; Wilbur was a farmer. 

Then in 1924, Dorothy returned to the Salem area and work as a weaver at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill.  She married Thomas G. Donall on 31 July 1928 in the First Methodist Church in Salem, OR. Both were residents of Mehama, a town in the Santiam Canyon. He was 51, a miner, and a veteran of the Spanish American War, while Dorothy, 45, was a cook. This was her first marriage and his second. 

The couple remained in Mehama, where Dorothy’s mother joined them until her death in March 1934. By 1940, Dorothy, aged 57, and Thomas rented a home in Breitenbush, OR for $7 a month. Thomas worked as a hoist engineer for a mining operation and no occupation was listed for Dorothy. In 1942, they moved to Salem, where Thomas found work as a prison correctional officer. 

The 1950 census recorded Dorothy as 67 years old, still married to Thomas, living at 538 Statesman St. in Salem, OR. Her occupation was keeping house, and Thomas was unable to work. They had a lodger named Farnsworth Demon.  

Thomas, aged 82, died 19 July 1959, having been paralyzed for a few years before his death, and was buried in Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem.  

Dorothy died 27 Mar 1984 in Tigard, OR, at 101 years old. She had moved to Tigard six years earlier. She was 101 years old. She was buried in Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem, OR, with her husband Thomas.  

1917  France Dorothy V, weaver TKWM Co, rms 296 S 15th 

1924  France Dorothy V, r 296 S 15th 

1945  Donall Thomas G (Dorothy V), h 538 Statesman 

1947  Donall Thos. G (Dorothy), h 538 Statesman 

1949  Donall Thos. G (Dorothy), h 538 Statesman 

1951  Donall Thomas G (Dorothy), h 538 Statesman 

1910  Dorothy France. Age: 27. Birth Date: 1883 in Oregon. Single, servant to HOH. Home in 1910: East Fifth St. Dalles Ward 2, Wasco, OR. Occupation: Domestic for Private Family. Additional household members: Elmer E. Ferguson, age 40 (surgeon, HOH), Belle C. Ferguson, age 46 (wife to HOH), Ruth Ferguson, age 8 (daughter to HOH). 

1920  Dorothy V. France. Age: 27 [incorrect]. Birth Year: abt 1893 [incorrect] in Oregon. Single, sister to HOH. Home in 1920: Rock Creek Rd. Rock Creek, Gilliam, OR. No occupation listed. Additional household members: Wilbur K. France, age 40 (brother, HOH), Ella F. France, age 35 (sister-in-law, wife to HOH), Kenneth W. France, age 5 (nephew, son to HOH), Jack P. France, age 4 (nephew, son to HOH), Louise C. France, age 3 (niece, daughter to HOH), Dorothy R. France, age 0 (niece, daughter to HOH), Dora C. France, age 71 (mother). 

1930 – unable to locate 

1940  Dorothy Donall. Age: 57. Birth Year: abt 1883 in Oregon. Married, wife to HOH. Home in 1940: Breitenbush, Marion, OR. No occupation listed. Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 8th grade. Additional household member: Thomas G. Donall, age 62 (husband). 

1950  Dorothy E. Donall. Age: 67. Birth Date: abt 1883 in Oregon. Married, wife to HOH. Home in 1950: 538 Statesman St. Salem, OR. Occupation: Keeping House. Additional household members: Thomas G. Donall, age 72 (husband), Farnsworth Demon, age 46 (lodger). 

Thomas G. Donall  Birth: 1877. Death: 1959 (aged 81-82). Burial: Belcrest Memorial Park, Salem, Marion County, Oregon. Plot: Block 31, Section 35, Lot 5. Memorial ID: 170762277.  

Oregon Statesman 21 Oct 1917, p. 5 – Red Cross Work 

Oregon Statesman 1 Aug 1928, p. 5 – Mehama Pair Weds 

Oregon Statesman 21 Mar 1934, p. 3 – Death of Mother (Sarah France) 

Capital Journal 20 July 1959, p. 11 – Obituary, Thomas  

Oregon Statesman 20 Dec 1971, p. 2 – Victim of Home Robbery  

Capital Journal 20 Dec 1971, p. 20 – Victim of Home Robbery 

Statesman Journal 29 Mar 1984, p. 16 – Obituary, Dorothy