The following excerpt is from an article by Kathy Ingalls in the November 22, 2011 edition of the Albany Democrat-Herald.
Richard Milligan, 91, of Albany [Oregon] was the driver who died Sunday afternoon in a single-vehicle crash on Waverly Drive.
A medical problem is suspected as the cause of the crash, said Albany police Capt. Eric Carter.…
Milligan was president of the Linn Genealogical Society for two decades, said current president Betty Thorn.
“He was the driving force behind the society for about 20 years,” she said. “He’s known by genealogical researchers countrywide. He was very good at helping people before there were computers.”Linda Ellsworth, media coordinator for the genealogical society, said, “The work Milligan did for Linn County genealogy cannot be replaced by anything. Because of the work he did, it is a lot easier for those looking for information on pioneer families.”
Milligan and the late John Miles, a barber from Lebanon, decided at one point to document the history of the families who traveled the Oregon Trail and took donation land claims in Linn County. The number totaled 1,240.
“I know that because I did the typing that ended up filling 40 volumes,” Thorn said. “We are one of the rare counties in Oregon that has that compiled information.”…
Funeral arrangements are pending.
