83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Enrolled
House Resolution 2
Sponsored by Representative GOMBERG; Representative NELSON
Whereas Reuben Shipley was born into slavery in Kentucky in the early 1800s; and
Whereas as was customary at the time, Reuben Shipley was given the surname of his owner,
Robert Shipley; and
Whereas when the Shipley family moved to Missouri, Reuben Shipley rose in prominence to
manage the affairs of the Shipleys’ plantation; and
Whereas while in Missouri, Reuben Shipley became a husband and a father to two boys, but his
wife and children were enslaved on another plantation 30 miles away, and he was only granted leave
to visit them once a month; and
Whereas during the time of his enslavement to Robert Shipley, Reuben Shipley developed a close
friendship with Robert Shipley, Jr., and the elder Robert bequeathed ownership of Reuben to the
younger Robert, vowing that the two friends would never be separated; and
Whereas following the death of Robert Shipley, Robert Shipley, Jr., made plans to move his
family to Oregon, and though he wanted Reuben Shipley to remain with them, Robert promised
Reuben his freedom in exchange for his help building a new homestead in Oregon; and
Whereas Reuben Shipley did not want to leave his wife and sons behind in Missouri, but he
accepted Robert Shipley’s offer with the intention of purchasing his family’s freedom after he
achieved liberty for himself, and in the spring of 1853, the Shipleys began the arduous journey
westward along the Oregon Trail; and
Whereas in the fall of 1853, with work completed on the Shipleys’ Oregon homestead, Robert
Shipley fulfilled his promise, and Reuben Shipley was granted his freedom; and
Whereas now that he was a free man, Reuben Shipley immediately went to work in Oregon to
earn the money to purchase his family’s freedom, but after he saved the necessary amount, he
learned that his wife had died, and her owner refused to relinquish ownership of Reuben’s sons; and
Whereas despite his unimaginable grief over the loss of his family, Reuben Shipley resolved to
carry on, setting up a homestead of his own and making a new life in Oregon; and
Whereas Reuben Shipley’s superior skills and unimpeachable work ethic put him in great de-
mand as a laborer, allowing him to command the highest wages of the day, and within a few years
he was able to purchase 101 acres of the Charles Bales’ Donation Land Claim near Philomath,
Oregon, upon which he built his homestead; and
Whereas in 1857, Reuben Shipley met Mary Jane Holmes, a young woman who remained en-
slaved despite the rest of her family having been liberated by the Territorial Supreme Court in 1853
in the first-ever slavery trial held in Oregon; and
Whereas Reuben Shipley and Mary Jane Holmes were married in Polk County that year, but
Nathaniel Ford, Mary Jane’s enslaver, refused to allow her to leave his property until Reuben paid
a ransom of approximately $700, which Reuben promptly agreed to do; and
Whereas after Mary Jane Holmes Shipley gained her freedom, Reuben Shipley and Mary Jane
had six children and became prosperous landowners, respected members of the Philomath community
and schoolteachers to their children and their neighbors’ children; and
Whereas on May 1, 1861, Reuben Shipley and Mary Jane Holmes Shipley donated three acres
of their land for the creation of the Mt. Union Cemetery, which was one of the first cemeteries in
the country that allowed Black people and people of other races to be buried alongside each other;
and
Enrolled House Resolution 2 (HR 2-INTRO) Page 1 Whereas Reuben Shipley died on September 25, 1872, and was laid to rest in the cemetery he
had founded; and
Whereas ultimately, Mary Jane Holmes Shipley and the children were themselves laid to rest
in Mt. Union Cemetery; and
Whereas Reuben Shipley’s pioneering efforts helped shaped Oregon’s future growth into a land
of inclusivity; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Oregon:
That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly,
recognize and honor Reuben Shipley for his remarkable life and his incomparable contributions to
the State of Oregon.
Adopted by House March 13, 2025
Timothy G. Sekerak, Chief Clerk of House
Julie Fahey, Speaker of House
Enrolled House Resolution 2 (HR 2-INTRO) Page 2