• Gilliam [pronounced Gil-ahm] County in Oregon was named in honor of Cornelius Gilliam, my illustrious ancestor. He had led the Oregon military forces in response to the Whitman Massacre. An unfortunate accident at the end of that conflict resulted in his demise on 24 Mar 1848 at Well Springs, Umatilla County, Oregon. His body was returned to be buried in the Dallas Cemetery in Polk County where his brother-in-law, Louis Crawford, had been the first burial in July 1847. Cornelius Gilliam was the second burial in the Dallas Cemetery, Dallas, Polk County, Oregon. Reportedly Mr. Gillespie was the third. [Polk Co Itemizer]